002 A Dream of Spring

[theladyofwinterfell]

Who: Sansa Stark
When: throughout May
Where: Queen's Residence, around Draega + slums
What: Palate Cleanser & Street Rats for Influence, open prompt to commission sewing/clothing.
Warnings: TBD

( starters in comments )

Comments

embroidery and embellishments

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa spends most of her evenings in the Queen's Residence working on her sewing. She's been in Draega long enough to accumulate a fair bit of coin and while spending the marks for supplies had been painful, at first, she knows she'll be able to sell what she sews to others. She's put a few things in the market for herself but she's also taking commission work, wanting to help the strangers in the palace who are likely in need of new clothes themselves.

Currently, she's working on a cloak and embroidering the edges of it with crowned direwolves. Traitorous, likely, but since Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen aren't in Draega, Sansa doesn't think anyone will notice or care that she's declaring herself Queen in the North via needle. When she hears someone draw up close, she looks up and smiles. )

Did you need something made? This is my personal work but if you want to commission something, I give good prices to strangers. We all need the help.

[garmr]

That looks like it took a while.

[Guts is a bit too ignorant on the fine details of embroidering to say more than that, but he can recognize the care put into each of the little figures. Crowned wolves - nobles certainly did have their way with making statements. He'd already asked Sansa about making a cloak of his own, something plain and practical was all he needed. A sturdy robe that could weather the heavy rains and rigors of travel. Consequently, he had come to her with a little pouch of money to pay up front, and leaves it on her work table.

Getting a fitting isn't an entirely new concept to him. Being friends with Godo meant he's gotten his measurements taken for plate mail, but he never expected an extensive one to be needed for a cloak. What more could she need beyond his height? Still, he wasn't going to fuss; he didn't mind her company at all. In fact, this visit to Sansa would be one of the few occasions he was out of his armor, and the wear of two years would be plainly visible on his tunic. His garments had been dragged through mud, gore (both apostle and human), rains, and other rough terrain before he even arrived here. It was a bit disgusting, frankly, but he'd done his best to keep clean through his travels.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa arches a brow at the state of Guts' tunic. She'd not realized it was in such poor condition considering he usually wears armor around her and so she realizes he's going to need a good deal more than just a cloak before all is said and done. He's left money on the table and Sansa has decided no matter what it is, she'll accept it and make whatever he needs regardless. )

It's taken a little while, yes, but mostly because I'm embroidering it. The cloak itself doesn't take so very long. You, ser, are in need of more than just a cloak, though.

[garmr]

[Sansa gets an arched brow back.]

...Like what?

[The question is earnest - not that Guts is not entirely unaware of how worn his stuff is - he just doesn't see a need to replace something that isn't broken.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Your shirt is worn as well, Guts. You'd likely serve well to have to new pair of breeches, too, if we got down to it. I'll have to get measurements for everything, though.

( Sansa gives him a once over, trying to make her best guesses at length for him. It won't be exact without measurements, yes, but she can use her eyes for just this moment. )

[garmr]

[He touches the fabric of his tunic, wondering if it really looked that bad. Its worn, all right, but it's not disintegrating yet. He could squeeze a few more months out of this thing.]

You sure? May be a while before I can pay you for all that.

[He didn't know much about sewing beyond the basic fieldwork any mercenary picked up on traveling on their own, but it was three garments instead of one. He could do enough math to know his stipend wasn't that generous... He still needed to tune up his other gear.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I'm not worried about the payment, Guts. How many times have you escorted me around this city because I'm afraid of being attacked? You've never taken payment for it, not once. The least I can do is make you decent things to wear.

( On this matter, Sansa is firm, and she will brook no argument. She hates being indebted to anyone and she feels indebted to Guts a bit. )

[garmr]

Alright.

[With business matters, he didn't like to ask for favors unless he really needed it, but he's not going to say no if she insists. It would be nice to get something a little more comfortable.]

Where do you need me to stand?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Stand a few feet away so you have room to stretch your arms out to full length. If I'm going to measure you for sleeves, you'll need that.

( Luckily with Craft, it's easier to measure than it would be back in Westeros but Sansa still has to put in some physical effort with it. )

[garmr]

[Guts peruses the room before finding an empty space between some rolls of fabric, stretching his arms about a bit to be sure he didn't bump into anything. Guess it is time to be her live mannequin for a little while. He wasn't totally new to the process, at least, though Sansa will probably be more gentle about the whole matter than Godo ever was.

Ah. He misses the old man's biting comments at times like this. He's pretty sure he would have left the blacksmith pretty upset at how much he beat up all of his creations.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa has a marvelous little device that runs on Craft called a measuring tape and she wishes such a thing existed in Westeros. Back there, she'd have used a strip of cloth or ribbon but this has markings for inches on it and actually stands up in midair without the use of her hands - leaving her free to do whatever is needful. She uses it to measure the spread of Guts' arms and then down along his torso. )

There are things here they make with Craft that are a thousand times better than anything I had at home. I'll be making you much finer things, that's for certain. Now, how many tunics will you be needing?

[garmr]

Just one for travel. I don't do crowds.

[He didn't go to many social gatherings, if his reaction to the Festival was any indication. In fact, he finds himself feeling his most useful not in a court, but outside the city and wandering the wilderness. Unfortunately, that didn't lend itself too well to fine clothes. Too many brambles and the like.

Guts glances back when the measuring tape touches him without warning, still not quite accustomed to all the casual uses of Craft. He knows its Sansa - but the whole slithery floating worm aspect of it took a second to adjust to.]

[illequipped]

[Emil has made... poor choices with his stipend, to be sure - that is, he's spent most of the money he's been given on clothes since arriving here months ago, but at least he isn't wearing the same clothes day in and day out. Still, Sansa is a friendly face, and when he peers at her embroidery, it's sooo... intricate. He's never sewn a single thread in his life.

So, of course, he's immediately ready to ask if she'll make him something when she speaks up first and offers. Aha. He clears his throat, remembering to, like, not be a demanding brat.]

Oh, well... [gee, what an offer.... okay yes he wants fifty commissions] If I drew a pattern, could you put it on a vest or something?

[theladyofwinterfell]

I could certainly do that. I have no problems working from patterns or, if you aren't quite sure how to draw it out, I'm a fair artist on my own. We could work together.

( Sansa grins at him. She hasn't had a chance to make pretty things in a long time and the idea of being able to embroider a pattern is a pleasing one - it will be nice to have something to do other than utilitarian sewing. )

What did you have in mind?

[illequipped]

I can draw... uh, probably.

[He can draw perfectly round cats, but probably a more intricate pattern is something he can manage. He'll try.]

I was thinking something like... [He holds up his hands, like he's going to gesture this pattern somehow, but then he just stands there and thinks about it. Hmm.] Kind of like flowers?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Oh, flowers? I can do any sort of things with flowers or vines. Was there a particular sort of flower that you liked? Roses or snowdrops or tulips?

( Sansa is entirely too excited about the prospect of this project, honestly, because she so desperately wants to make pretty things. )

[illequipped]

Hmm, well. [Yeah, he's got nothing. It's definitely flowers he's thinking about, but—] I really think I would have to draw it out properly.

[Which is half because he's not particularly gifted in remembering the names of flowers - flowers are nice? Very pretty! But remembering what they're called is an effort he does not have. That said,] Do you know what a Dala horse is? It's a little horse carving, and they paint these flowers on them...

[Local Swede asks non-Swedes about Severely Swedish Thing, unbelievable. This is why he has to draw the picture.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I do not but if you could draw it for me, I'm certain I could replicate it. Horses are common themes in our clothing as well, so I think I'll be able to manage what you want.

( Sansa gives him an encouraging smile, absolutely ready to dive into this project. )

What pieces do you think you'll want? A vest, I know, but anything else?

[illequipped]

[Oh boy!! He's honestly unreasonably excited about getting to draw horses over and over until he Perfects his ideal flower pattern. A treat...]

Oh- more? What about a cloak, then? That one looks nice.

[With its little crowned wolves, which to Emil seem like a... unique choice, but he's sure there's something deeper there, just like he's not asking for horse patterns for fun.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I will certainly make you a cloak. Perhaps I could have the two match, a bit, so it is clear there is a solid theme throughout? I think that might look quite nice indeed.

( Sansa is eager for the project even if she has to wait on Emil's drawings and she cannot contain her excitement. )

I've been making utilitarian things for a long while, winter having come. It will be nice to make pretty things again.

[illequipped]

That would be excellent. I'm sick of how boring the clothes they sell around here are!

[His fashionable heart is weeping. Please save him.]

Do you usually make clothes and things? I don't know anything about sewing.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I've almost always sewn my own clothes. There's been only a very few occasions where I've let my dresses be made for me by someone else and I've never truly liked them as much as my own. I would love to sew for you.

( Having someone willing to commission her is a victory in and of itself, truly. )

I hope to open a shop, one day, but until then I'll just take commissions.

[illequipped]

[He's ready and willing to spend all of his money on even more clothes. When he starves, it was worth it... for fashion.]

I don't think I've ever had anything made for me, even at home... It's all from shops.

[From the sale rack, because he's poor now, but never mind.]

Can I watch? I've got nothing else to do, so...

crashes in here a billion years late

[ilves]

[Lalli has seen, like, things that have already been embroidered, but he's never actually seen someone embroidering. It's similar to sewing, he supposes? And he's definitely seen people sewing before, but this is different enough to capture his attention; it's why he sidles up to Sansa, only giving her the briefest of looks when he's addressed—like, why?—before he shifts his attention back down to the cloak. Does he need anything...]

No.

[He's obviously great with people, but look at his worn, grimy tunic, Sansa. Gosh. The boy needs help, even though he seems totally unconcerned with his own appearance as he tilts his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he hones in on her handiwork.]

...Wolves?

[What a choice? He's curious.]

wow lalli let her help you

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa looks up from her work and that's when she sees the state of his tunic. It's a mess, truly, and she imagines he'll need at least one new one so he'll be able to switch them out and not wear them out so very quickly. She shows him some of the completed wolves on the edge of her cloak. )

They are the sigil of my house. House Stark has always used the direwolf as their mark and symbol.