"So why does she need to measure me?" Ayla asked.
"That's how she knows what size clothes you'll need."
"She doesn't adjust something else?"
So I turned to Lessa and let her answer. The seamstress made a disgusted noise. "No. I don't recycle clothes. You need to have something made to fit you. Recycled clothes are only good for growing children. Granted, I'm going to guess you don't have a lot of cotton or wool underground, so it's probably a luxury."
"Fabric is hard to come by," Ayla admitted. "Sometimes we got fibers, and all the women would be expected to make it into thread so we could weave cloth or knit new items."
"Yeah..." Lessa grumbled. "Well, I'm going to make you brand new clothes. Ones just for you, okay?"
Slowly, Ayla nodded. "But you can't look, Zasen," she told me. "It would be improper."
Throwing up my hands, I turned around to face the painting on the wall. "Go ahead, Lessa. Do your thing. I'll just stand here in case I'm needed."
Lessa giggled at that. "Zasen, I think you have found yourself a prude. This is going to be so much fun."
Yeah, maybe for her. For me, I felt like I was so far out of my depth. I barely understood anything about clothes, except where to buy them. I certainly didn't know styles and fashion. And yet, as Lessa carefully measured every part of Ayla, she made sure to ask the girl dozens of questions.
Even worse, Ayla didn't understand any more than me. Less, if I was honest. Certain things, like how long she wanted her dresses or what colors she liked, those were easy. Things like sweetheart necklines and flared skirts took a lot of questions and answers. Bit by bit, the women seemed to zero in on a concept of fashion.
But when Ayla said she didn't want to show much skin, that was more than Lessa could take. "Young lady, it is too hot for you to wrap yourself up like you're embarrassed!"
Yeah, that was not going to help. "Ayla," I tried, "it's summer, which means it gets hot during the day. Will you let her make clothes for you that are appropriate for living aboveground?"
Lessa huffed. I couldn't see, but I was pretty sure she'd also given me a dirty look. It was the sort of thing she'd do, at least. But Ayla didn't answer for much too long.
I almost turned around to check on her, but I didn't want to betray her trust like that. Lessa was murmuring, and I could hear the scratch of her pencil as she wrote down the numbers of her measurements, but that was all.
Finally Ayla said, "I trust you, Zasen. I just don't want to make a mistake."
So I told Lessa, "Please, don't design her things that will make her scared to leave the house? She's not used to the way Dragons do things."
Lessa made an unimpressed sound. "Zasen, when will you figure out that I actually know what I'm doing?"
"Probably about the time you show me what you make her," I admitted. "Seriously, I'm just trying to be a good man here."
"And that," Lessa told me, "is the only reason I'm doing this. Don't worry, I will make sure she looks beautiful when I'm done. She also won't have a heart attack. At least not too big of one - but it's going to cost you."
And for now, that was the best I could hope for.
Fifty-OneRymar
About halfway through my day, Kanik slipped into the cafe and claimed a space at my bar. I hadn't expected to see him today, though. The last I'd heard, he was going to help Ayla take her first dose of venom.
"Please tell me you didn't leave her home alone?" I asked as I dropped his favorite sandwich in front of him.
He shook his head. "Nah. Zasen convinced Lessa to come measure her for some clothes."
"Lessa?" I asked, a little surprised.
Kanik just nodded his head slowly, took a bite of his sandwich, and then talked around it. "I figured that was my chance for a little break, you know? I mean, I've been the one who keeps getting stuck watching over her."
Yeah, something was off about that.
"And you just left her there with Lessa?" I asked.
"Zasen's there too," he assured me. "Besides, Ayla doesn't really want me around right now."
And now alarm bells were going off. "Kanik, what's going on?"
He groaned. "Ry, I think I screwed up this morning."
"Mhm..." I tugged the plate for his sandwich away, making him pause. "What happened? The whole story, Kanik."
He grabbed the plate and pulled it back. "You know those flowers you got her? Well, I noticed they were almost dried up in the vase, so I picked some wildflowers out back, right? I mean, since she was sleeping in and all."
"Making your move?" I teased.
He huffed at that - but didn't say I was wrong. "Yeah, so when I tried to give them to her, she got defensive. More like tense, I guess? Shy, mostly. Well, I made up her first dose of venom, then was talking to her, and I reached up to push those baby hairs away from her face."
"Mhm..." I was dying to see where this was going.
"And she made it very clear that was improper," he grumbled.
Okay, that hadn't been what I'd expected. A slap, sure. After all, she'd cracked Zasen good when he'd been too personal. But "improper?" Surely Ayla knew better than that by now!
"So she rejected you?" I asked.
