[OPEN] Yesterday’s Magic Grand Opening and Vintage Party

[vintage_magic]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Yesterday’s Magic and Northern Lights (Building C in the shopping district)
Rating: Depends on who tags but unlikely to be more than PG-13
Time: April 21, 10AM-6PM for the shop, after 6PM for the party
Description: Lily’s vintage clothes shop officially opens for business, accompanied by a vintage themed party at Northern Lights. Come browse through the shop, play dress up, mingle, and dance!




Dag nab it! Why did it have to be so windy today?! It wouldn’t have been such a problem if Lily lived in an apartment above her shop like she did in San Francisco. But the witch had spent much of the walk from Casualty Communal to the shopping district trying to keep the wide skirt of her 1950s blue floral print dress from ascending to obscene levels.

She checked her appearance in the full-length mirror placed next to the three small spaces she had curtained off as changing areas. After a couple of tugs at the v neckline of her dress and smoothing the tangles out of her long wavy hair, she turned her attention to the shop.

Moving to the window, she adjusted the homemade Yesterday’s Magic sign—it hadn’t seemed right to reuse her San Francisco shop’s name without Bronwyn, Maya, and Oscar here—as well as the smaller ‘help wanted’ sign next to it. Then, she turned and circled the racks, surveying their contents.

Unlike Aunt Cora’s Closet, the racks here were laden with clothes for both men and women plus some smaller sizes for juniors. There was a bit of everything ranging from old band t-shirts and bellbottom jeans to vintage tuxedos and evening gowns. Victorian waistcoats, flapper dresses, and poodle skirts shared space with more mundane items such as cardigans, sweater vests, and 1960s miniskirts. Corsets, Edwardian petticoats, and old-fashioned nightgowns added to the eclectic mix. Everything had been washed or dry cleaned before being put out on the sales floor and the scent of fresh laundry mingled with rosemary and rue from Lily’s homemade herbal sachets.

She stopped to adjust one of the many baskets scattered throughout the shop, holding costume jewelry, gloves, scarves, and neckties of various eras; there were even a few bow ties and cravats mixed in. The hat rack was nearly completely hidden under pillbox hats, cloches, fedoras, bowlers, top hats, cowboy hats. And the shoe rack was similarly burdened with platform shoes, spectator shoes, and go-go boots and other styles of varying age.

She had put cash into the register to make change, stashed a set of shopping bags under the counter, and finished tagging the last of the garments. Some of the finer items, mostly the formal wear, carried price tags into the triple digits but simpler things and accessories could be found for as little as five to ten death dollars.

The employees she had hired would be coming in later; it being a weekday morning, she didn’t expect to be swamped. And the party she had planned as a grand opening event was set for that evening at the restaurant a couple of doors down from the shop—hopefully, the wind would die down before then. Satisfied that she had checked everything else off her mental list, there was just one more thing to do: the usual cleansing ritual she conducted each morning back home.

The witch wasn’t sure if it actually worked here but it couldn’t hurt to continue, especially after that break-in last week. She sprinkled salt water around the edges of the shop widdershins, or counterclockwise. Then, with a bundle of fresh sage, she smudged deosil and lit a beeswax candle. Muttering a protective incantation, she flipped the sign to ‘open’ and unlocked the door.

Yesterday’s Magic was officially open for business!


Links
Yesterday’s Magic – Racks
Yesterday’s Magic – Changing Area
Yesterday’s Magic – Sales Counter
Party – Mingling
Party – Buffet Table
Party – Dancing


[OOC: Since Lily is somewhat technophobic, she has been advertising her shop and the opening party IC by posting flyers around town rather than on the network. Previous OOC post about the event is here. As usual for event logs, indicate characters involved in the subject line and whether your thread is open or closed. Feel free to make your own threads if there’s something which doesn’t quite fit in any of the sections. And you can make up your own stuff to find in the shop as long as it falls into the late 1800s to 1980s range. Vintage outfits aren’t required for the party but are highly encouraged. (Because Lily kind of miscalculated and went broke setting up the shop and throwing this party. Oops.)]

Comments

Party – Mingling

[vintage_magic]

[Some additions have been made to the décor of Northern Lights in the form of classic movie posters, a few orange plastic chairs from the 60’s, and a disco ball.]

[Show off your vintage outfits, chat with friends, get acquainted with someone new, or just stare at the lava lamp!]

Kanji - All around, Open!

[topgun_textiles]

[When Kanji was offered a tailoring job, who was he to say no? So there he was at the shop in the later hours and the party itself, having properly advertised his services in commissions via Yesterday's Magic and repairs. He was dressed for the occasion, straight out of the 40's, but this gangster seems to have left his tommy gun at home.]

[...Ah. But his tie seems to be undone. Maybe it was a fashion statement. Care to mingle? Hit the fondue? Dance?]

[ritsu_kouyou]

[Or walk up to him and start fixing his tie. At least that's what Akiha is doing.

...she has a nice set of fairly fresh scrapes on her cheek,g listening a bit from the remnants of ointment, and one hand is bandaged.]

Stand still.

[topgun_textiles]

[The greeting died on his tongue as her hands went for the undone tie. Though a small, awkward squawk of surprise left his throat, he did as he was told, eyes turning away.]

Tch... Could never get the hang of ties...

[ritsu_kouyou]

They're not hard. Pay attention to what I'm doing.

[Looping around, tucking it up and through. Settling the knot right, adjusting it then tucking the bottom down where it needed to be.]

[topgun_textiles]

[He looked down. Though a lot of the maneuvers made sense, he'd been shown this before and remembered for maybe a day or two. Perhaps if he wore ties more often, he may catch on, but as it stood his ability to learn through watching was shaky today at best.]

W-wait, how'd you do that? How's it all straight afterward? My knots always end up crooked...

[ritsu_kouyou]

Practice.

[She tightens it but checks to make sure it's not too close to his neck, the back of her fingers briefly brushing against his throat as she did.]

A proper Japanese wife needs to know the correct way to tie her husband's tie so it's perfect every time. [There was a flatness in her voice that made it clear she was reciting someone else.]

[topgun_textiles]

[Red to the ears, this one was. Th-that was a weird thing to say. But... wait- something about that didn't sound right. She was always snippy, but he couldn't help but recall what she'd said that day in front of Casualty Communal.]

...P-probably had to do it a million times, right?

[And he wondered just how much of a habit it was. Man, he had to learn how to do this on his own, and actually REMEMBER this time.]

[ritsu_kouyou]

That's an exaggeration. [She sighs.] But plenty of times.

[topgun_textiles]

...Sorry. Looks good, though. [He poked at the knot a couple of times. It wasn't too tight or anything.]

So, sup? I didn't peg ya for a vintage fan.

[ritsu_kouyou]

I'm not, but sometimes I can find nice skirts at such places, and there's no reason Sion would be here. I didn't even know this was going on until I passed by.

...I've only been back in town for a couple hours.

[topgun_textiles]

Y'wanna check out the stuff on the racks next to that Hellvis poster. I think they'll look cool on ya. Sion-san, too.

[Ah, so she was on a mission, which explained the scrapes. He reached into his coat for a handkerchief.]

...Hold still a sec. Someone went a little overboard on the ointment- little goes a long way.

[He really was the most uncharacteristic gangster, moving to try and dab some of the excess from her cheek with a brow furrowed in focus.]

[vintage_magic]

[There hadn't been much of a chance to talk to Kanji earlier while the shop was open so Lily approached him now.] Hi, Kanji. Thanks for helping model. I'm impressed you got that suit to fit so well on short notice!

[And no signs of fruit pulp today...] And you managed to do something about the tomato tossers, I reckon. [Hopefully, not with that missing tommy gun though!]

[topgun_textiles]

[He nodded in greeting in return. Pink dusted his face, but he grinned.]

Y-yeah, well, my arms are a little longer and my shoulders are a little broader than the dudes who lived in the era, but I know all my sizes so it was an easy fix.

[And another nod to confirm.]

I left early this morning to get some stuff done. 'Bout half of the things left in the back's repaired, but I'm gonna need to grab some stuff from home to fix up the rest. Where'd you get it all?

[vintage_magic]

[She nodded at the report on his progress.] Great. I'll price the ones you're done with and put them out in the shop tomorrow.

Oh, from all over. Thrift shops, yard sales, estate auctions. Some of it was from the carnival before the island fell. And some merchants gave me the bolts of fabric but I'm not sure what to do with them. [Kanji might have noticed a few bolts of brightly printed (and slightly sandy) Pakistani textiles that had appeared in a corner of the back room a few days ago. Not vintage but they were among the things the caravan merchants had given to her and Lezard after that mission.]

[topgun_textiles]

Damn good haul. -- Yeah, I noticed those fabric bolts and wondered if y'wanted to do somethin' with 'em. I...

[He hesitated, but realized it was totally okay.]

My family runs a textile shop, so I couldn't help myself. Gave it a little feel, shook the sand off of it. Assumed ya picked it up from the desert out there somehow, but it's pretty... it's gotta be used for something!

[vintage_magic]

Oh, is that why you learned to sew? [It seemed like an unlikely hobby for a teenage boy but if his family ran a fabric shop, it made more sense!]

They came from a desert but not the one out here. Maybe, they could be used for reproductions? Lucille, my seamstress back home, had started copying some of the styles in the shop in other sizes.

[topgun_textiles]

Every day for as long as I can remember, I was surrounded by all these fabrics. I just started makin' stuff and found that I really liked doin' it. ...Though a lotta people still like to talk shit because I'm a guy that does it. [But he shrugged it off.]

Usin' it for reproductions sounds cool. I'll see if I can't think of somethin' for 'em. [He wouldn't admit he all ready had ideas, and at least three specific styles in one. But one wasn't vintage, and one wasn't to be hung up on the racks...]

Y'mind if I make a dash home in a little bit to grab my sewing machine so I can get a head start in the back room? I... uh... [He quieted briefly. Blushed. Looked out a nearby window.]

There's somebody I wanna check up on back at the apartment, so...

[vintage_magic]

[She was a tad sheepish.] I'll admit I hadn't expected to hire a guy for this job. It seems to be mostly women who sew.

If you think of something, that would be great. [And hopefully sales would be good at the shop so she could actually pay him soon!]

[Kanji certainly was eager about this project! Then, she noticed the blush and how he was avoiding her eyes. Huh. Was he embarrassed about something?]

Oh, you have a roommate? Are they not feeling well? The things in the back can just wait until tomorrow...

[topgun_textiles]

Well, it doesn't have to be a woman who does it! Guys can be just as good at it, too. Been at it since I was really little, makin' all kindsa dolls and... well, everything I wear I make myself. It always got awkward when somebody'd walk up and ask where I bought my clothes. I tell 'em I made it all and they don't believe me.

[He paused, and... nodded. No, it wasn't something he should hide.]

...We got back from the mission yesterday pretty wiped, so I'm just makin' sure they got up and around okay. I mean, I left breakfast and a note, but...

[Worrywart. World's biggest worrywart, right here.]

[vintage_magic]

Really? All of it? [Well, all that practice would explain how he worked so quickly. He seemed to fix hems in less than half the time she needed!]

Oh, your partner? [Come to think of it, he had mentioned something about a mission when she hired him several days ago.] They weren't hurt, were they? Sure, you can go check on them.

Yuugi - Open!

[mieru_mienai]

[This... isn't exactly Yuugi's thing but he's attending the party anyway, for Lily's sake, and because he does want to see her shop do well.

Also he's her employee, so it would be pretty unforgivable to skip out. Being an employee is how he scored his outfit for the night as well, a casual 60s themed get-up that feels more natural than some of the other options Lily had recommended from the shop's selection.

His ancient Egyptian bling heavy gold Puzzle totally fits the theme, right? It is pretty vintage. Now, if only there were a more convenient way for him to carry his deck as well...]

[vintage_magic]

[That puzzle is indeed pretty vintage! Heck, it's possibly older and more valuable than all of Lily's stock combined!]

[And she's wandering over now to talk with him.]

Thanks for helping out, Yuugi. How did you find working in the shop now that it's open? [He had offered to help out while she was setting up the shop. But if he wanted to stay, they should discuss scheduling.]

[And she notices the deck...] Are those playing cards? Maybe, we should have thought of some vintage games for the party, too...

[mieru_mienai]

[He shifts his deck from one hand to the other when Lily comes over to greet him, unwilling to set it down someplace even for a moment.]

I didn't really do much... [Seriously, Lily's the one who's been working so hard for this.] It seemed good for a first day, though!

[And his enthusiasm predictably kicks into a higher gear at the mention of games.] Yeah! You know, you could stock some older games in the store, though. Maybe on that table in the back...

[It might be too late to bring games to the party but it's never too late for games in general!]

[vintage_magic]

[There's a chuckle and a small smile even though she finds the idea rather random.] Yuugi, I don't really know anything about games. Never got to play them when I was a kid.

Besides, I think I'd need to expand if I wanted to carry more than clothes! [Nearly a century's worth of styles was a lot to fit into a single storefront!]