During the day, Dream Street is a very different place than it is at night. Without all of the colored lamps and bustling crowds it looks like any other trade street, and the people moving through it are doing business instead of shopping. The clientele of Dream Street all have their own jobs to go to during the day, after all.
A wagon pulled a rather small dromodon makes its way into the street. A Zerda man is driving it, one Ali Dunestalker Ka Rahim, scholar and scribe - and publisher of a little newsletter about world events that is popular among those who need to know what to talk about to the well-to-do and worldly sorts they wish to impress. His notebook sits on the wagon's bench, between him and the foreign-dressed Kiriga, Lady Umeko Tsuguri. In the back of the wagon are the Lapi mother and daughter, Sabah and Nawar Lightfoot, keeping a hold on the rolled up rug that takes up the bulk of the wagon's bed, along with bundles of books.
"I am in your debt, Lady Tsuguri," Rahim claims. "Your first-person account of the Battle of Viper's Hold and its political aftermath will give my subscribers a place of honor in polite conversation. Simply name a favor, and I will try to fulfill it."
"It was no effort on my part to impart you the tale of Viper's Hold, as told by eyes that experienced it firsthand," Umeko says and dips her head lightly to the Zerda. "And I I do not find myself in need of a favor at this current time, though I will keep the offer in mind for the future. For now I am content to explore this strange town and meet its people. Perhaps arrange some minor trading with my estate as it is established over time."
"Ah, I am only a humble scribe, but if you need any books translated, repaired or transcribed I hope you will remember me, even though you will surely have access to much better in your native lands."
The Zerda brings the wagon to a stop outside of a shop with an ornate sign made to look like a rug, with "Hakeber's Loom" appearing to be woven into the design (although of course it's all paint). "We have arrived!" Sabah announces.
"Ah, but having aid from a known friend is often better than from an unknown 'expert'," Umeko notes as she folds her hands together. "I am certain I could obtain the assistance of mage of much more experience through the Empire, yet I am more comfortable putting my faith in Xander." The pronouncement of arrival causes the kiriga's head to tilt a bit and she then glances back to ask, "Arrived where?"
"Ah-la! Why, to the shop we are delivering this rug to, My Lady," Sabah replies as she and Nawar wrestle it out of the wagon. "Mistress Hakeber is a steady customer of ours."
"Do you require assistance in delivering the rug?" Umeko asks as she starts to descend from the wagon. "What is this 'Mistress Hakeber's' line of craft?"
"Well, she sells refurbished rugs," Sabah notes, and seems to have the rug will enough in hand between her and the coney. "And I happen to be someone skilled in the art of refurbishment."
"Ah. She does not sell new?" Umeko asks as she follows along, her head bobbing with curiosity.
"This is Dream Street, Lady Tsuguri," Rahim notes from the wagon. "Is the the dream of luxury that is sold here, in an affordable manner, as opposed to the more expensive reality."
"Ah, Rahim has the bone of it," Sabah agrees. "Nobody could afford a new rug. Hakeber sells almost new rugs, which have been discarded for being damaged."
"But ... new rugs are not horribly expensive," Umeko says, sounding a bit confused. Perhaps her upbringing has still affected her view on what is 'normal' for most.
The Lapi and Fennec turn to look at Umeko silently. "Perhaps not in Jadai," Rahim notes diplomatically. "But zolk rugs here in Abu Dhabi can cost as much as 10,000 shekels depending on the source and materials. That same rug, however, can be resold for far less if it is damaged and repaired. It is a matter of prestige among the wealthy, much as having an indoor fountain is."
"Mm," Umeko goes and bobs her head. "A fair statement. There is ultimately no difference in something repaired versus new in many cases. The swords I carry normally were also carried by my father. They are not new and yet serve as well as they ever have."
"Rugs too may be heirlooms, for they have intrinsic value if made of zolk," Rahim explains. "But they can still be stained or torn or damaged by vermin."
"All things can be damaged," Umeko agrees and again bobs her head. "It is good that there are people capable of repairing otherwise good items. I have been fortunate in that my more formal kimonos have survived unscathed."
"Is it true that Jadaian Zolk comes from insects instead of gooshurm?" Rahim asks.
"Indeed," Umeko says and nods, "Difficult to farm, from what I have heard."
Sabah gives a shudder at notion. "We will bring this to Hakeber, if you wish to stay out of doors and enjoy the sunlight, Lady Tsuguri," she offers.
"Ah, but I came to meet people," Umeko points out, "And there may be opportunity for her in Viper's Hold. It has need of improvements and finer things at ... affordable prices."
Rahim hops down, then comes around to offer Umeko a hand down as well.
Umeko finishes descending the wagon with Rahim's help. "Have you known many Kiriga?" she asks Rahim as her feet touch the ground. She takes a moment to adjust her clothing and make sure her mane is in proper order.
"I have worked for some, but I cannot claim to know them," Rahim admits. "If I may be so bold, they seem far more refined and elegant than the Nagai of equal class."
"You are quite the flatterer. Thank you for your kind words about my people," Umeko says and bows to the Zerda. "I have come to learn that we are quite different from others in the world. I think we often appear as cold to many, unfeeling. It is not true, it is just we are very ... controlled most of the time."
"Elegant, yes," Rahim agrees. "However, your kind does not ignore those who are beneath them."
"Some do, but most do not," Umeko agrees. "To act poorly to those of lesser station is not fitting of one who is claimed to be better. Basic respect is always maintained. Even when we had slaves, they were treated well by most families. Many chose to remain when the practice was eliminated in the Empire."
"The Nagas act superior all the time," Sabah comments, then amends that with, "Well, the wealthy and important ones do. The others work twice as hard to get there instead, so perhaps do not have time to spare on being rude."
"We all have our moments of being difficult," Umeko does admit, "Even I have had times I did not treat others as well as I should. But, that is thankfully not common and having traveled more, I have learned much about others."
The inside of the rug shop is noticeably cooler, with an actual artificial breeze blowing through it from palm-frond fans in the ceiling. Rugs are hung on display racks or from the walls, and always fully displayed instead of rolled or folded. An apron-clad Rath'ani woman is going at one of them with a beater, and may have been in the middle of sniffing another rug when she notices the newcomers. "Ah-la! Sabah!" she cries, setting her beater down and holding out her arms. "Ah-la, Hakeber!" Sabah replies, setting down her end of the rug to go and hug the raccoon. The pair could be twins if not for the difference of species - otherwise they seem to be of the same height, girth and general temperament.
Umeko stands back for now, allowing the women their moment of greeting and merriment. So, she spends her time looking about the shop curiously, noting the rubs and especially the fans. "Those may be useful in Viper's hold," she decides. As she looks about, though, her finned ears flick a bit, listening to just how Sabah decides to introduce her.
"Hake, allow me to introduce the Lady Umeko Tsuguri of Jadai and the Savan Territories, resident of far off Viper's Hold," Sabah says, and then adds, "and employer of my son Xander, who is her advisor on things arcane! Can you imagine?"
"A pleasure, Hakeber of the zolken touch," Umeko says upon her introduction and even bows low to the Rath'ani. "Xander is also my trusted friend."
"Oh my, a real dragon?" Hakeber blurts, then covers her mouth and bows to hide the blush in her ears. "Sabah, you should have sent word. All I have is Xocholatl to drink and some biscuits."
"We are here on business, Hake," Sabah reminds her friend. "We have brought the Hamidoria rug back, good as new!"
"Oh, there is no need to go to any great effort for me," Umeko offers and tries to smile in a friendly way. "I have done nothing of note in these lands to warrant special treatment."
Nawar seems about to say something, but her shyness keeps her silent.
And so Umeko lightly pats the back of Nawar's head. "All I have done is impose on these fine people and their hospitality," Umeko adds.
Hakeber can't stop bowing whenever she catches Umeko's eye, but still manages to show them to a framework table made of sliding spars, so that it can be adjusted to any size. Instead of a top, it has a taut netting, and onto this the repaired rug is unrolled. There's a minute of adjustment, and then Hakeber begins her inspection.
Nawar glances up towards Umeko's face when she think the Kiriga isn't looking, now that the girl doesn't have to deal with the rug.
"Do you wish to ask me something?" Umeko asks Nawar as she watches Hakeber inspect the rug. Apparently Umeko is fairly observant of her surroundings...
Nawar steps back a bit, looking fidgety. Rahim is gone - he had to unload the wagon at his own shop after all, so only escorted them to the entrance of Hakeber's. But Sabah still has sharp hearing. So, with her back turned to her parent, Nawar looks up at Umeko and makes some gestures with her hands, whispering, "You and Xander..?" The gestures are a bit crude, but get the point across: the girl wants to know if Umeko is sleeping with her brother!
Umeko's brow-ridge goes up at that. "Are you not a little young to know about such things?" she asks quietly and hasn't answered that question just yet.
The girl stands up straight, and puts her hands on her hips and raises her chin. She is, after all, a teenager. And a Lapi.
Umeko sniffs slightly, her expression curled in terrible amusement. "If you must know, yes," the kiriga answers.
The girl gasps and cover her muzzle with her hands, looking shocked. Then she whispers, "You didn't use my bed did you?"
"No, we did not. Does this bother you? Do you find it offensive?" Umeko asks quietly. "I know I am ... odd when compared to a mammal, but he does not mind."
"I thought he was different from Zeke and Heydar," Nawar pouts. "But he's just a buck after all. He won't want to play with me anymore."
"Oh, he is different. I was the aggressor," Umeko claims. "Your brother is very thoughtful. He also suffers from a very bad opinion of himself."
"He doesn't play dolls with you though, does he?" the girl asks, narrowing her eyes.
"No. He helps take care of certain matters for me and has to endure my lectures about the arts," Umeko answers. Her head tilts briefly. "Are you jealous?" she asks the young lapi.
"He used to play dolls with me," Nawar notes. "Then he left, and Sylvia played with me.. then she got married. Nobody plays with me anymore, except Zeke sometimes and he only like buck stuff."
"Buck stuff?" Umeko asks, "What is 'buck stuff'?"
"Throwing stuff," Nawar says with an indifferent shrug. "Playing with balls."
"Oh, ah, hm," Umeko says as her ears flick. "Do you want me to try to play with you?"
"What do dragon girls play at?" Nawar asks, glancing at Umeko's swords. "Tea parties?"
"That. Dancing. Art. Stories," Umeko lists off. "But I am a little unusual, I suppose. I was always drawn to the martial arts, learning how to protect and do great things. Much to the dismay of my father, alas."
"Yeah, are those things fun?" Nawar asks.
"They can be," Umeko says. "Have you never imagined yourself as the center in a great story? Instead of just reading it, acting it out? Being the hero?"
"Like.. Jumping Jennifer?" Nawar asks. Maybe she is as young as she seems, since that sounds like a children's book character. Just about anyone with an adverb as part of there name does, really.
"No. Like ... have you ever imagined going on adventures like your brother has?" Umeko asks. "He is a hero, you know. He was honored by the Emperor Potentate too."
"Doesn't the Emperor Potentate swallow Lapis whole though?" Nawar whispers, her eyes going big as she seems to shrink a bit.
"Not that I saw. He's big enough to swallow me whole if he chose, though," Umeko notes. "And he would have no reason to swallow either me or you."
"Sure he would!" Nawar says. "Nagas like stuff that wiggles, cuz that's how they judge flavor. And what else could the Emperor Potentate find that's big enough and wiggly enough for him to taste?"
"You're being silly. A hog or rhugrhat would suffice," Umeko points out, "And wiggly doesn't mean tasty. Squibbits wiggle a lot, but taste terrible."
"You've eaten squibbits?" Nawar asks, eyes wide again. "Were you being punished?"
"It was all that was available at the time," Umeko says and even shrugs slightly. "When you are in the desert with little food, you make due with what you have."
"What did Xander eat?" Nawar asks next.
"My kind is related to the Nagai," Umeko adds and even opens her jaws so that Nawar can see her teeth, including the fangs. "As for what he ate, he and the others made due with the rations we had brought."
"Did you bite him?" Nawar asks next. "Does he have a scar?"
"Why would I bite him?" Umeko asks.
"I don't know," Nawar says. "You tell me?"
"I have not bitten him. It would be dangerous to do so," Umeko notes. "And by the way, it is nice that you are actually talking to me now..."
"Will you buy me something while we're here?" the girls asks, and smiles innocently. It must run in the family, because it's the same smile Xander tries every so often.
"I'm not sure. What would you want? And ... what would you offer in trade?" Umeko inquires as her right eye-ridge raises up slightly and her iris narrows to a slit.
"I dunno," the girl admits, swirling one foot around in a circle as she looks down.
"I will on one condition ... you spend some time with me and ... keep an open mind. I want to show you things that I think you may enjoy learning. At least, I want to know if you would," Umeko says as she pets over the top of Nawar's head. "One of them is learning how to use a fan..."
The girl looks up towards the spinning ceiling fans.
"Not those," Umeko says as she pulls out the one she keeps tucked into her kimono and spreads it wide before the lapi's face. "This."
The inspection appears to be over, and the two women and discussing payment - or rather the timing of it. A smaller payment right now is what Sabah seems to be after, while Hake urges her to wait until the rug is sold and getting a bonus from that.
"It folds, like your ears!" Nawar says. "It doesn't look difficult though?"
"It is more complex than it appears. It is both a device of art and dance, and one of defense and protection," Umeko explains, "The greatest kiriga swordsman that ever lived was defeated on the fields of battle by a warrior wielding a fan."
"How can a fan defeat a sword?" Nawar asks, while the haggling seems to be reaching a conclusion between her mother and Hakeber.
"A weapon is only as good as its wielder. And arrogance on the battlefield has defeated more foes than anything else," Umeko explains as she lightly twirls the fan between her thin fingers. As if she were snapping her fingers, the fan collapses and the Kiriga then tucks it away. "So .. do you accept the bargain? Spend time with me for the price of the gift you select?"
"Alright, gehnoh!" the doe says, then spits into her paw and holds it out towards Umeko.
Umeko's brow ridge arches as she eyes the be-spitted hand and looks a bit uncertain about this tradition. Still, the Kiriga spits in her own hand, which has an eerie greenish tint due to her own poisonous secretions and shakes the doe's hand. Nawar quickly finds her palm all tingly.
"Ewww," the does responds, and wipes her palm off on her skirt once the deal is sealed.
"I have money!" Sabah announces, jingling a small purse. "An advance on the sale," she says proudly. "Now, shall we see about attiring Lady Tsuguri in something to compliment her golden scales?"
"Eww? It is your tradition," Umeko points out, "And I suspect you learned it from Xander." Her attention quickly draws away from the young doe, though, when Sabah speaks up. "Oh, I would not expect you to purchase anything for me. Any attire I acquire I will most certainly pay for," she says.
The older doe seems disappointed by the Kiriga's offer. "You must allow us to show you proper Himaatian hospitality, Lady Tsuguri," the woman says evenly. "And when we visit you, you can bestow Jadaiian hospitality upon us. That is the way of things, is it not?"
"But I do not wish to be a burden," Umeko starts to explain. She stops, though and then dips her head. "But if it will bring you happiness, then I will allow you to purchase clothing for me." Of course she's now plotting how to 'slip' money into their home later to cover the expense.
The doe smiles again, and says, "Then we will go to my favorite shop!"
Umeko bows deeply. "Then lead on. I will tend to your offspring," she offers. Her tail flicks up and snakes around Nawar's wrist in a firm grip.
The shop in question has no sign, and is not on Dream Street proper, as Sabah takes Umeko and Nawar down a narrow alleyway between two buildings. An unassuming door is set in the wall of one, painted bright green with decorative blue glass windows set in it. Sabah doesn't knock, but opens the door and leads the others right in.
"I have often heard stories that shops off the path are full of mysteries, from lamps with djinn, to strange old men who read fotunes from the creases in the palm," Umeko remarks as she slips through the door and making little sound. Nawar is still gently held by the curl of her tail and follows the Kiriga into the shop too.
Inside is.. well, Umeko might consider it a dojo of sorts. While there are certainly costumes on display, they are all being worn, and by quite a diverse group. A tall tiger-Khatta stands next to a Zerda girl, and beside them is a Naga! They are paying rapt attention to a human woman who is showing them how to do a chest-circle; holding the hips steady, while moving the torso in a handle-spinning sort of circle over it.
"I did not know humans were that flexible," Umeko admits in a soft voice as she watches with unblinking interest.
Sabah ignores the dance class, and heads for another door on the far side of the room, where she turns and gestures for Umeko to follow.
Umeko watches for a minute longer before she follows the gesture to head for the next door. "What is the purpose of that dance?" she asks Nawar.
"It's.. just a dance," the coney replies. "Sometimes it uses the feet, but mostly it is the hands and upper body and stomach. It.. it's just to look at."
"It is not for combat or the wooing of a mate, then? Curious," Umeko says and bobs her head.
Despite the simple explanation, there is a rack of accessories behind the instructor, which includes scimitars, short whips and sticks with long ribbons at the end.
Umeko's eyes linger on the weapons, but she ultimately goes through the door Sabah indicated.
Through the next door is.. a very different room. There are shelves full of bins, and each bin is full of things that sparkle. Zolk, gauze, veils and ribbons and trim hang in rolls and bundles, and the place is lit by a large skylight. A Korv perches next to a small table, where an elderly-looking Vartan is hunched over, wearing thick glasses and wielding needle and thread with precision. "Sorcha!" Sabah calls, a bit louder than needed for a greeting. She has to do it again before the Korv wakes up and nudges the Vartan, who then looks up and smiles. "Sabah," he croaks. "Is it time to let out your costume again already?"
Umeko tilts her head to the side and eyes Sabah's 'ample' hips. "She must have been here often to keep having clothing adjusted to fit," the Kiriga decides. "Do you come here often?" she asks Nawar in a whisper.
"I think I was here once before, for my own costume," Nawar admits, sticking to the Kiriga's shadow for now.
"Do you not like your costume? Is that why you hide?" Umeko asks as her head cranes back to look at the doe.
Sabah and the Vartan exchange hugs once the old bird gets to his feet. "I have come to get a costume made for my son's good friend!" Sabah tells the man.
"It is fine for a beginner," Nawar admits. "I will need it altered when my hips come in."
"Come into the light, my girl," Sorcha calls to Umeko, and makes a come-hither gesture with his age-spotted talon.
"Hips have many advantages. They are great leverage against male opponents," Umeko notes to the young doe. Her tail unfuurls from Nawar's wrist and now Umeko steps forward alone to meet the elderly Sorcha.
The Vartan's eyeglasses make his already large eyes loom frighteningly as he leans forward to get a better look at Umeko. "Very pretty, shiny.." he comments, and even uses a talon to tap one of the tiny horns that run along the top of the Kiriga's snout. "Many anchor points. Sensual tail... long legs... yes, I can make her a dancer."
"If it would help you design, I can disrobe completely," Uneko offers as she bows slightly to the elderly Vartan. "My horn ridge, for example, traverses the entire length of my body."
"Splendid!" the old man says, and bobs his head. "Calvin! Bring a stool and basket so she may place her clothing in it. And my swatches!"
The Korv stirs and flies off to gather the requested elements.
"You are in good talons," Sabah assures Umeko. "They are not at all cold."
"He seems quite skilled," Umeko agrees. She begins the process (and it is a process), of removing her clothing. The obi takes a good five minutes to untie and then fold up properly. Her outer kimono quickly follows and that too seems to have a formal process of folding before it can be set aside. Then there is the under-layer that follows. It requires the least of folding, as its role is to protect the delicate outer layer from scale-snagging. All of this is carefully set into the basket and Umeko stands completely sans-clothing. Her scales are metallic smooth, down to the scutes that cover her chest and stomach, all the wan between her legs and down the underside of her tail. True to her word, her horn-ridge continues from the top of her head, and all the way down her neck, then down her back, and out across her tail. The most prominent horns are, of course, those between her shoulder blades. Her mane does a good job of padding them to keep them from damaging her clothing, at least. If it w
If it weren't for her hip shape, it would be difficult to quickly tell that Umeko is, in fact, female. Unlike mammals, her reproductive tract is neatly hidden away between her lower scutes, making it nearly invisible.
Sorcha tugs and plucks Umeko's long hair until it drapes down straight, and begins calling things out to his Korv assistant in Vartan. This results in the dark bird flying to a bin, grabbing something in his beak and then shooting back on the rebound, only to drop it into one of his master's waiting hands. The first elements are black chains necklace chains, probably chitin but so finely done they might be some kind of wire, unlike anything she's seen before. The Vartan test-drapes them across different horns to see what will work. "Do you have a favorite complimentary color?" he asks Umeko. "I am seeing.. hmm.. black and green."
"Black is a common color in my collection of clothing. It is usually complimented by deep purples, silvers, or greens. In this land of the sun, green would be a rare and delightful color indeed," Umeko agrees and bobs her head slightly to avoid dislodging any of the draped chains.
More orders are barked out, and black fabric is procured. Not Zolk (for black Zolk is very expensive) but stretchy cotton gauze and... netting? This is wrapped around Umeko in a rather non-standard way, compared to what the Kiriga has seen before. Her wrists and ankles are wrapped in the light gauze, while the netting is used as sort of shawl over her shoulders and for a skirt. A veil is produced as well.. or rather two veils, one for each side of Umeko's jaw. A chain connects the ends, so that the front hangs suspended from her snout (and held in place with a horn clip) while the rear is likewise suspended from a horn hidden at the base of her skull. Two more gauze strips are wrapped around her tail - one near the tip and the other midway along the length.
"On a mammal, that would be quite immodest," Sabah comments quietly.
Umeko's upbringing shows as the clothing is fitted, the Kiriga remains perfectly still, arms spread out at her side, as each bit of clothing is attached and then secured to one of her horn-points. The only point she shows a reaction is with the veil and with that she blinks a few times but doesn't complain. When there is a pause in the activity, Umeko looks down at herself and her lips curl back in an amused smile. "I look like one of those ... harem slaves depicted in some of Xander's old picture-books," she says and even ends up with somewhat of a hiss-giggle coming out of her.
"Picture books?" Sabah asks, and Nawar puts on an air of complete innocence. This goes unnoticed by the Vartan, who probably can't hear normal Lapi voice levels anyway. He's still squawking orders, almost non-stop now, as the Korv assistance zips from bin to bin, bringing fasteners at first, but then.. feathers! Green ones, collected from Creens - although some are rather large. Fluffy ones, narrow ones.. quite a variety! These are clipped to the shawl at Umeko's shoulders, with the larger ones adorning her skirt. The smaller, fluffy ones end up on her wrists and ankles, with a mix on her tail. A few even get mixed in with her hair.
Umeko suddenly can't help but feel like she is that strange creature she met in the cave on the island, the demon that nearly seduced her. It's good that she can't really blush because she would be right now. "I feel extremely fluffy," she comments as she continues to genuinely smile. When she can' she looks this way and that at herself, marvelling in how different it is to anything she has ever worn.
The Korv drags over a wooden box, filled with gems.. or rather, green glass cut like gems. Several include hanging clips, and these are added to the shawl and skirt and veils, looking like drops of green liquid in the light.
"I feel like a work of art," Umeko admits, her finned ears folding back about halfway. There was a time when being a work of art terrified her beyond measure ... but somehow this is okay. This she likes. "I feel beautiful," she adds.
"Rawk! A good artist reveals the beauty that is there," Sorcha claims, as more boxes are brought over.. along with a small pot and a fine-tipped brush.
"May I request a small addition?" Umeko inquires as she tilts her head and looks to the boxes and the brush.
"A small what?" the Vartan asks, turning his head to bring his (presumably) good ear closer.
"Addition," Umeko states. "Perhaps a chain necklace around my neck which has delicate chains that train from it to my both of my wrist-gauze? It would make such a delicate noise when I moved and sway."
"Hmmm, yes!" Sorcha agrees, and sends his assistant to gather things. Meanwhile, he takes a large faux-emerald with a flat back, and paints the flat side with some sort of glue from the pot. "Now, this what makes scalies special," he claims, and then sticks the gem onto Umeko's belly where a navel would be on a mammal.
"But that's.. cheating," Sabah complains. "I had to get pierced!"
Umeko lets out a small snort and her stomach curls in on the contact. "That tickles," she claims. Her head cranes a bit so that she can readily see the placement of the gem. As the Kiriga rolls her stomach a few times, she comments, "That makes me look like I have a navel..."
"By hiding what is not there, we evoke it!" Sorcha laughs, and prepares two more of the gems which are applied to Umeko's chest, evoking other elements as well. The chains arrive then - black but with tiny bells and chimes forming some of the links. These get attached to wristbands and then to the shoulders. Larger chimes are added directly to the ankles.
It's becoming harder for Umeko to hold completely still as the adornments continue. It's all so novel to her that her ears flare and tilt this way and that as she watches when she can. "You are not planning to sell me to the sultan's harem, are you," she even asks Sebah, though her lilting voice has an air of teasing to it, "I look as though I should belong there."
"Do not give me ideas!" Sorcha notes, and take notice of those ears. These to get sparkling adornments.
"Ideas? Are you planning to sell me?" Umeko teases the Vartan too. "I fear that the men of your land will do nothing but stare at me."
"That is the idea," Sabah notes with a grin. More geegaws are added, including silvery 'scales' stuck in a long along Umeko's tail, to her palms and the bottom of her fingers, and a line of tiny emeralds over each eye to form eyebrows. Anything that can be used to show expression gets at least one shiny attachment.
"Tongue would be good too, but I no have tool for tongue piercing," Sorcha says, standing back to admire his handiwork while his assistant uncovers a full-length mirror.
Poor Umeko can't help but flex and fan her ears once the curling 'coils' of chitin-wire are placed on their outer spines and the inner spines are decorated with those silvery scales. "Tongue? What goes into a tongue?" Umeko actually asks and peers at the Vartan. "Show me?" While she waits for the answer, she's practically staring at herself in the mirror and turning this way and that to see everything. It's good that she is flexible.
Calvin, the silent assistant holding the mirror, sticks out his long, narrow tongue to reveal a metal stud embedded in it.
Nawar squeaks at the sight of it, and covers her own mouth.
"Where would you place such on me?" Umeko asks then sticks out her own slightly forked and rather long tongue so that Sorcha or Calvin can indicate a position."
"Can you move each fork separately?" the Vartan asks.
Umeko answers by waggling each separately. Her bejeweled eyebrows then waggle too in amusement.
"Hmmm," Sorcha buzzes, and taps the side of his beak. He then plucks up two more of tiny emeralds, which have a shiny coating and tiny loops for tying them to chains or fabric. Very carefully, he hooks the loops over the tines of Umeko's tongue and gives them a slight squeeze to hold them in place without pinching too much.
Umeko rolls her tongue a bit, testing the emeralds. "I have very sharp fangs," she says, "And if you have the jewelry and will hold my tongue where a hole should go under one, I will bite to create it. I do not mind and it seems very pretty. Plus, if Sabah could endure a small pierce, I would be remiss in also not enduring it."
"Well, first off.. you can still smell, yes?" Sorcha asks. "You have nose.. but lots scalies brush tongue up against smell-spot in top of mouth."
"I smell through my nose, not my tongue," Umeko confirms and also nods.
"I call friend, who good at this," Sorcha promises. "Come back tonight, we get it done then."
"Good. I will hold you to your word," Umeko says and bobs her head. The Kiriga now tilts her head and looks to Nawar, asking the girl, "Would you like one? Your mother has a setting for her navel, it seems."
The coney's eyes go wide in fear, and she shakes her head vigorously!
"But we could do it together?" Umeko offers as she tries to look sad. "It should not hurt badly or for very long."
"Nawar is too young for jewelry," Sabah says.
"How about you, then?" Umeko asks Sabah as she smiles to the older doe.
"My husband does not deserve such a treat," the mother doe replies. "Not until he buys it for me himself, anyway."
Umeko suddenly gets an impish grin and she asks, "Do you think I could get Xander to get something?"
"That.. depends on the something," Sabah says, a bit mysteriously.
"Then we shall have to bring him tonight," Umeko counters with an mix of mystery and mischievousness in her smile. "But for now, I love my attire. Let us pay this artist well for his work and see how the public reacts to a mysterious serpent dressed in such finery, hmm?" She also can't help but add, "And thank you, Lady Sabah, I am having a lovely day."