[Open Log] Shopping at Yesterday's Magic

[vintage_magic]

Characters: Lily Ivory, Kanji Tatsumi and Open
Location: Yesterday’s Magic
Rating: G
Time: June 11-13, 11AM-6PM
Description: With news of the Gala announced, it’s going to be a busy weekend at Yesterday’s Magic. Need a tux or gown for the gala? Have a tailoring request for Kanji? Just want to browse for everyday vintage clothes or try a different look? Searching for a part-time job involving clothes? Stop by and take a look!



With the gala being planned for next weekend, this weekend promised to be a busy one at Yesterday’s Magic. Lily had stayed late to rearrange the shop after hearing the news yesterday and now that she had completed her usual pre-opening salt water, sage, and candle ritual, she paused to survey her handiwork before unlocking the door.

On one side, the racks towards the front were now hung with suits, tuxedos, and the occasional tailcoat covering every decade from the 1890s to the 1980s. And on the other side, clouds of tulle, taffeta, lace, and chiffon enveloped the racks, some of the outfits pricey but generally cheaper than a new gown at a department store would be. Baskets of glittering costume jewelry, opera gloves, shawls, and bow ties waited, their contents soon to adorn partygoers’ arms and necks. Vintage heels, dress shoes, and even a few top hats lined the shelves next to the small curtained-off spaces that served as changing areas. The business suits, more casual everyday clothes, and frilly old-fashioned lingerie had been moved to the back and the whole shop was scented with fresh laundry and rosemary and sage.

Turning to the shop window, Lily adjusted a sign advertising that tailoring services were available and the smaller one next to it that read “Help Wanted.” Now that business had picked up somewhat, another clerk or two would be a help. With Kanji taking missions regularly—he would be out today but was scheduled to be in Saturday and Sunday—and her need to frequently go out in search of new inventory, Yuugi being left to watch the shop alone wasn’t uncommon. Satisfied that everything was in place, she unlocked the door and flipped the closed sign to open.


[Links]
Sales Counter
Shop Floor
Changing Area
Kanji, Tailoring Requests, June 12-13, Open
Disciple, June 11, Open
Edgeworth, June 13, 4PM, Open



[OOC: Since the log covers multiple days, please specify the date when tagging in. Lily is around all three days and Kanji is available on the 12th and 13th for tailoring requests. Feel free to also make your own threads if you want to interact with other shoppers or employees, just mark them as open or closed!]

Comments

[Changing Area]

[vintage_magic]

[There were three small curtained off spaces here with a three-way mirror outside. Lily tended to leave customers to try on potential purchases in privacy but could be flagged down by those who needed help with a hard-to-reach zipper or figuring out how to knot a bow tie.]

June 12, afternoon. [Karina, Chika, and Kaede]

[gonext]

[Karina always had a thing for vintagey clothes, so knowing about Lily's store was like a godsend to her. Excited about the gala, she decided to take both Chika and Kaede with her to go shopping. With all the varied styles in the shop, she felt very certain that the other two girls could find something nice.

Unfortunately, vintage clothes often had a little... weirdness when it comes to fit. Karina peeks out one of the curtained-off spaces to see if she can beckon either Chika or Kaede over. She's trying not to get seen as she's having a bit of a tough time with one of the zippers on a nice cream lace dress.]

[traust]

[Kaede wasn't much into vintage wear, too old fashioned for her tastes. But she got to go shopping with the cool older girls around here. That basically made her week since it's been the best thing that happened since the carnival a few months back.

She also notices Karina waving off to her, while she's sitting down on a nearby chair to wait. Like a little puppy, she scampers over when she sees that Karina isn't coming out.] What's up?

[scatterflower]

[Chika's really glad that Karina and Kaede answered her post about this. Because honestly, she hadn't really had a chance to actually go out and have fun with people for a good long while. It was pretty nice to actually go out shopping with other girls, and well, she had meant to talk to Karina and Kaede more often than she had been anyway so it works out really well.

... And not just because she really has no idea what she's doing with fancy, expensive dresses. Stuff that was in style for non-formal parties? Chika was completely fine with. This stuff, not so much.

She can't help but follow Kaede when she moves after Karina though, not saying anything but giving both girls a bit of a curious look.]

[gonext]

Could you two help me out here? These old dresses have a weird fit to them... I can't close the back zipper.

[She parts the curtain a bit to let them both join her in the booth.]

... I really hope I didn't gain weight here.

[Karina thinks that it shouldn't be the case. She trains every morning with the rest of the people at morning training.]

[scatterflower]

[Chika blinks, taking a look at the zipper when she walks into the booth.]

Huh. Are all old dresses like this, or just this one?

[She did move to take the zipper though, trying to help the other girl close it up.

She wasn't sure if it'd work or not, but well, she needed to help her try, right?]

[traust]

[Meanwhile Kaede decided to take a different approach to fix it.]

Suck in your stomach and see if it works!

[It was worth a try and she's demonstrating while Chika works on the zipper.]

[gonext]

Alright then.

[Karina takes a deep breath and holds it as the two girls work on the zipper. She'll probably be able to finally fit in the dress, but it's a bit of a chilling reminder to her that she needs to work a bit harder in this world.

... maybe she's been eating too many of those really good cakes.]

[scatterflower]

[ Chika smiles as they finally get that dress zipped up. ]

Well, I sure hope all of these dresses don't fit weird like that. We might have a few problems then.

[ Chika wasn't sure if she was going to have a similar problem or not with getting into a dress herself. She knew she put on weight here as well, though she was pretty sure it shouldn't be a problem. Most of what she put on was muscle, after all.

... Though she guessed the fit could still be a little weird. ]

[traust]

You could just get another dress if you don't like it...

[Kaede mumbles the last bit of her sentence. Finding a dress wasn't going to be hard for her she hoped. There didn't seem to be a ton of child sizes available. But Kaede wasn't picky, anything cute and pink would be satisfactory and not the eternal halloween theme going on in Death City.]

[gonext]

I think I just need to lose weight.

[Karina sighed, she really liked the dress, but didn't feel comfortable with the way it clung to her body.]

Anyway, if you find something you like but you're unhappy with the fit, they've got a tailor on call here. I think I'm going to find something in a slightly bigger size and have it altered to fit better.

Have you girls found anything you've liked?

[scatterflower]

[ Chika shook her head. She didn't think that Karina needed to loose weight, and she hadn't found a dress she liked either.]

Not yet. Though I'm sure I'll find something soon.

[ She does smile though. ]

But yeah, at least we can get whatever we find altered if we need to.

[ Like say... if her chest doesn't fit into it. ]

[traust]

I think I saw something in racks that was cute.

You think they have anything in my size?

[She leaned against the wall, unsure if she should go back and look. Chika had it pretty covered over here.]

[Changing Area]

[anpan_tan]

The most ill-fated ex-policeman of the world stood in front of a curtain with a dark blue dress hanging down from his arm and his face was absolutely clueless. It was a complete mystery what this young man was doing there with the most obviously female dress in his hands.

[vintage_magic]

"...Um, can I help you?"

It wasn't uncommon for transvestites to visit her shop back in San Francisco but she hadn't seen many here, unless that beauty pageant a couple of months ago counted... Maybe, he was waiting for a girlfriend?

[anpan_tan]

"No one can help me..." Yamazaki muttered and his voice was sad. " But maybe...could you show me a female evening gown made for men? I'd like to...I'll have to wear it during that gala event."

He did want to explain why he did what had happened to him, his encounter with the evil spirit, that there are times when being a real man means that he must wear an evening gown and all, but he thought that would only make things even more complicated. he just wanted to buy the gown and get out of here.

[vintage_magic]

Even more bemused than before, Lily looked him up and down. He didn't exactly strike her as a crossdresser and he didn't sound happy about the idea of wearing a dress to the gala either.

"...That's kind of contradictory unless you mean to have a dress custom made." Maybe, it was being nosy but the request is so bizarre that she can't help it... "May I ask why?"

[anpan_tan]

Yamazaki was not a crosdresser, but he was a man who fulfilled his duties, even when they were the most embarrassing and masochistic acts a man could make up with.

"No, it'kay to ask...my wish is a bit weird, I think. So, during the carnival I've nomminated someone for the crossdressing contest...and that person was actually an evil, evil spirit. He tried to kill me afterwards and I am worried he still has a grudge against me...That's why"

There's no way Yamazaki would look at Lily while telling his heartbreaking story.

[vintage_magic]

"Crossdressing contest... You mean you were one of those people who signed folks up without their permission?" She gave him a little frown, considering that someone had done the same to her. But then something else caught her attention...

"Evil spirit? You don't happen to mean a boy with long white hair, do you?" she asked, thinking of Bakura's doppelganger. The person in the wedding gown she had spoken to backstage had seemed to be Bakura at the time but now that she knew of the other's existence, she wasn't so sure. "And he tried to kill you?" There's a note of alarm now. She'd been concerned about Bakura ever since hearing about his doppelganger and what the spirit had done back in their own world and this did little to reassure her.

[anpan_tan]

"Yes." Yamazaki admitted "But my intentions were clear and I believed it would help socialising the person I've nominated."

What? Did this lady just talked about Bakura-kun? Yamazaki nodded like crazy.

"Yes, yes, yes, and he's very skinny and his grin is like of an, errr, an evil spirit. Yes. Bakura-kun. And he did try to kill me. But he was kind of right. It was not nice to nominate him without his permission, so now it's my turn to wear female clothes in front of everyone."

[vintage_magic]

"And you think that's going to appease him?" she asked, still frowning.

"Just how did he try to kill you? Did you report this to the police?" Lily wasn't sure if he was just exaggerating or not, considering this unlikely story. Being forced into such a contest might be reason to be angry but surely not grounds for attempted murder, right?

"And does Bakura know about this?" He seemed to think his doppelganger wasn't so dangerous here but Lily wasn't sure...

[anpan_tan]

Yamazaki shook his head.

'I'm not sure about it but if there's the slightest chance that it stops him in trying to kill me I'll give it a try. And it was unneeded to report it to the police. I am the police...or Watch, this is how police is called here" Alright he was not the Watch itself, but a clerk. He just wanted to sound interesting.

Yamazaki shook his head again.

"I didn't tell him. I hope he'll be surprised and pleased when he'll see me wearing an evening gown. What do you think of the color? Would be blue pretty enough?"

[vintage_magic]

"You work with those alien critters and Eve, then?" Lily knew that the three of them also worked for the Watch. And she quirked her eyebrow again. "Do you mean it wasn't just once? He tried to kill you multiple times? If that's the case, why haven't you arrested him?"

"No, I mean does the normal Bakura know his double tried to kill you?" She didn't make a habit of ignoring customer questions but she didn't answer the dress question for now. It was more important to figure out just what the heck was going on first.

[anpan_tan]

"Critters? No, I work for an alien called Keroro-san, but he's not a critter. He's a frog." It was not true but it was hard to think of Keroro any other way than a big, talking, intelligent frog. "I'm not sure about it. A few days ago a flowerpot almost fell onto my head, just like someone was tossed it...but no one was in the room aside of me. And Bakura-kun is an evil spirit with demonic powers."

Yamazaki took a look at the sleeve of the gown...of course he did not wamt to wear a gown and show his shoulders to everyone.

" The normal one...do you mean Ryou-kun? Yes, he knows about it, he stopped Bakura-kun when he...was so unfriendly. Yes, he knows about it." He didn't force the dress question either. It was just...awkward.

[vintage_magic]

"...A flowerpot? Are you sure it wasn't just an accident?" Or a prank. Lily doubted 'death by flowerpot' was a popular choice among people seriously looking to commit murder. She frowned, becoming more skeptical about this story. There was likely a grain of truth in it since others at the pageant had complained of being signed up without permission and she had spoken to someone she had taken for Bakura in a wedding dress. But she suspected there was a large dose of exaggeration mixed into this tale.

So, Bakura did know about what his doppelganger did to this young man? Maybe, she should ask him about it the next time she saw him. Hearing his version would possibly make things make more sense than they did at the moment. And then she realized there was something else that would be helpful to ask... "What's your name, anyway?"