"I'm thinking that we shall start by getting you out of those filthy rags you're wearing..." the Mentor stated as spared Ranma a disdainful glance. "What you're wearing doesn't really speak out of your riches or power."
Frowning a little, Ranma looked up at the slightly levitating spirit. "Hey! Yer the one that told me to dress like this."
"I did, because I wanted to get you into the city without difficulty," the Mentor explained. "Your clothing only spoke of money, NOT power..." he explained, his voice sounding grim. "Without the proper attire to showcase your physical and magical might, you would have been seen as somebody with just money, and an easy hit at that. You would have been harried endlessly by pathetic fools attempt to take you for all that you are worth."
Ranma blinked his eyes lightly as he just stared up at the Mentor. "I ain't no easy hit!"
Tilting his head to the side, the Mentor told Ranma, in the tone usually reserved for speaking to a little child, "You may have great strength, Keeper, both physical and magical, but you are still new to this world and as a Keeper, you are only a neophyte. It simply would not due for you to be forced to deal with a serious threat by summoning Horny. It would show far too many cards far too early." He laughed darkly, "What is you need is to be so terrifying in appearance, so obvious in your strength and power, that any potential foe would tremble in fear and be overcome with sweet terror at the very sight of you."
The pigtailed Dungeon Keeper slowly digested the information from the disembodied spirit and considered that maybe, just maybe, the deceased guy had a point. "Okay, I'll bite... so where do we go to get me some clothes that speak 'superior Dungeon Keeper' or whatever?"
"Good question!" The Mentor chirped with a surprising amount of cheer. "Although Skid Row is a place of the lowest low, be it people, prices, and usually quality, there are a few skilled craftsmen who have decided to take advantage of this towns untapped market potential: the various mercenaries and monsters that tend to gravitate to this den of sin and depravity. Truly laissez-faire economics at its most diabolical… and one of those skillful individuals is The Tailor..."
"The Tailor?" Ranma asked.
Nodding his head, the Mentor elaborated, "Yes, The Tailor. He hasn't told anyone his name, so everyone just calls him ‘The Tailor’. There are other tailors in the town, but really, he's the only one that anyone with any taste or capital would ever visit. His shop, I dare say, would not be out of place in the shopping districts of Dis itself." He pause for a moment, then added, "Though I do warn you, he is a rather queer individual, so be ready, as his mannerisms tend to be a tad... flamboyant. Regardless, he has an eye for fashion that only the Dark Elf possess and a flair for helping the worst of the underworld dress for success."
"So he's a weirdo?" Ranma asked cautiously. "And what'cha mean by 'flamboyant'?" While he was surprisingly comfortable with the fact that this Tailor guy was a non-human, Ranma had well tuned instinct when it came to really strange people. They always seemed to happily bring trouble right to him.
"Flashy, prideful, demanding, prone to melodramatics... the kind of behavior that only one who truly knows what he is doing could ever truly get away with," the Mentor explained.
Ranma nodded in understanding. If you're the best, you can get away with being a bit strange. "So, where can we find the Tailor? The sooner we get to him, the sooner I can get out of these pants…they're starin' ta give me a wedgie."
"Follow me..." the Mentor told Ranma as he then began to levitate a little higher off the ground before he started to ascend further into the city.
(------)
Sitting in an ebony wood chair that was ornate with crushed burgundy velvet and adorned with carvings of spiders, which being the glorious weavers that they are, as well as so beautiful and dangerous and thus perfect for decorating the place of business of any fashionable tailor worth his scissors, but I digress… The lithe form of the Tailor sat back as he relaxed, his elven mind lost in dreams of fashionable robes, runic embroidery, and love slaves dressed in wispy garb that served to cover little, but at the same time, to catch the eye and tease. His meditations were interrupted though, by a twitch of his elongated ear. Slowly opening one red eye, the Dark Elf asked, "A spirit?"
"Hello, Tailor," the Mentor greeted as he came to a stop and turned towards the Dark Elf. "How's business these days?"
"Ah, you're that ghost that was flitting around town a few months back" the Dark Elf replied as he stood up from his chair, letting his dark spiders silk shirt fan out, the wide collar showing off a bit of his pectorals as he pulled the ruffle sleeves back to show off the numerous platinum rings with various amethyst gemstones of varying cuts that adorned his fingers. He tugged at his tight black leather pants to make them tighter for a moment as he asked, "And what bring you to my most exquisite boutique?"
"I have a customer for you, Tailor. I know that based on at first glance, you’d probably have thrown him out of your shop, but trust me, this is one that can pay well." the Mentor told him as he slowly turned to the door, "And he should be here right about..."
"Hey! Where are ya!?" A voice cried from outside. "What'cha tryin' to do, practically leaving me behind like that!"
"Sounds rather boorish," the Dark Elf remarked, gazing at the blurry apparition.
"Oh, he is, but trust me... he needs your help and is quite capable of paying any reasonable price."
Sighing, the Dark Elf shook his head, causing his long black ponytail to sway a bit, the dark raven locks a great contrast to his opaque and pale white skin.
"Fine, fine...," he remarked, making his way towards his counter. He didn't bother going around the Mentor, and instead, just walked through the ghost. "You retrieve your charge and I'll see if he is salvageable"
The Mentor nodded and stuck his head through the door. "Ahem. I said we were going to the tailor. I had assumed that you would be capable of surmising that this meant the doorway marked with the large scissors and thread without me holding your hand."
"Geeze, bossy, ain't ya?" Ranma growled as he walked though the door. "What was the big idea, suddenly speeding ahead like that?"
The Mentor chose to ignore the young Keeper as he closed the door behind him, instead choosing to address the Dark Elf. "Well, Tailor, take a look. This is what you have to work with."
"What?!" The Tailor cried in indignation. The Dark Elf paused a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. After a moment of what looked to be meditative exercise, he stormed up to Ranma, his hands on his hips. In a shrill voice, he exclaimed, "Oh, by all that is unholy! Rags! OFF with them! I cannot bear to gaze upon such inferior quality!"
Ranma blinked his eyes at the sudden shout. "Wuh-what?"
"I said off with them!" The Tailor shouted, his hands gesturing wildly. "And throw them in the fire! I don't want them tainting my floor! I just had it polished and waxed!"
"But I... I don't have any..." Ranma looked down, blushing a bit. "Ah... underwear on..." he finished rather lamely.
Blinking his eyes, once, twice, the Dark Elf clapped his hands together, smiling in glee. "Excellent!" He cried out with joy. "Then I can provide there as well! I do so love starting from the foundation!"
He had such am impeccable taste for men's undergarments, even if he did say so himself, and he knew this lad would look absolutely glorious in some black spider's silk boxers. Supple and strong, sleek and sexy, it just made his blackened heart pound!
"But... I'll be naked..." Ranma said lowly. He could feel the blood rushing to his face.
"Yes!" The Tailor shouted. "And I'd much prefer your naked skin to those dusty old RAGS!"
Looking back and forth between the Dark Elf and the Spirit for a few moments, Ranma finally asked the Mentor, "Do I gotta?"
"Yes, Ranma," the Mentor told him flippantly. "It would be in your best interest to get this finished with as quickly as possible. We've much more to do today. Now be a good boy and strip for the effeminate elf."
Placing his hands on his hips, the Tailor huffed. "I am not effeminate! I'm stylish..."
"So, that's what they're calling it these days..."
Ignoring the bickering between the two dark being, Ranma grumbled lightly to himself as he did as the Mentor commanded, stripping down to his bare form.
Looking over the form of the young male for a moment, the Dark Elf asked, "Hmmm... 'Ranma' is your name, right?"
"...Yeah..." the pigtailed Dungeon Keeper responded slowly.
"It wouldn't happen to mean 'horse' now, would it?" The Dark Elf asked as his eyes traveled a little further south.
"Yeah, ''Wild Horse'," Ranma admitted. "Why do you ask?"
A small grin played on the Dark Elf's thin lips. "Because it suits you rather well, I'd say..."
(------)
The Dark Elf held in his breath as he looked over his masterpiece. It had taken a bit of time, but the overall presentation came out as a piece of perfection; something only he would have been capable of accomplishing. "And so, like a masterful sculptor, I have taken this lump of clay and molded him with brilliance."
Floating around Ranma as the Neophyte of a Dungeon Keeper looked himself over in the mirror, the Mentor had to admit to himself that this wasn’t too bad. He’d half been expecting the Tailor to go with something a bit more... over the top. But it was obvious that he'd picked up on the fact that the boy’s area of expertise was combat, and thus, had given him something both impressive and well suited to his specialty. "Spellwarrior robes. I am actually impressed."
Nodding his head, the pale-skinned being grinned widely, showing that two of his teeth were made of platinum. "Thank you!" the Dark Elf said, a tone of excitement at his own ingenuity very clear. "I knew that this youth could do with something very regal, yet a color-scheme and design to bring forth the boy’s own inner darkness! Designed with comfort and style as well as the riggers of combat in mind, only a spellwarrior of the darkest will could wear these robes properly." He placed both his hands over his chest. "Oh, be still my blackened heart!"
Ignoring the melodramatics of the Dark Elf, the Mentor floated down to Ranma’s side. "Well, Keeper, what do you think?"
Ranma just stared at himself in the mirror. The colors were something he was used to, red and black, but there was the interesting note that the black was actually a very deep green, showing off more of its true color in the furthest extremities.
The shirt, an emerald so black that it only shown with its true highlight if light were to hit it the right was, was short-sleeved and very comfortable; fitting without being tight. The embroidery on the edge of the sleeves with runic script was detailed in dark red thread that seemed to glow in the shadows. It made Ranma wonder how long that must have taken to sewn.
Still, even with the sleeved, his forearms weren’t completely bare. Although still dark, the gloves were more of their true color of deep forest green. To off-set this, there were twin loose rings of obsidian bands that went around each glove, as well as separate obsidian rings on each finger of the that covered the lowest segment of his fingers, without hampering on making a fist. And doing so only accentuated the dark rubies that were set on each knuckle.
The pants were of fine quality. They were the same deep, darkened green as the shirt, but had a deep pocket on each side of the legging along the thigh that was outlined with a black lining that was similar to the obsidian on the bracelets and anklets.
Yes, the anklets. The boots were very much a match for the gloves. They were of the same lighter covering that was only accentuated by a pair of pure black magical rings that hung loosely without being cumbersome. And interesting note that the soles of the shoes were of thick, a rubber-like substance and made with a distinct heel, (because all good Dungeon Keepers needed arch-support)!
And finally, the whole ensemble was topped off with a cloak of deep and dark red with a series of fasteners and clasps all over to ensure it didn’t move out of place and would go along with each of the wearer’s movements. There was a thicker decorative clasp that went underneath the right arm and across the chest, causing a large piece of the cloak to close right over the chest, creating a collar-like effect with the parts of silk around his neck. There were also two longer and freed pieces of the cloak that with fasteners, were connected to the length of the sleeves on the shirt, so they would move with the movements of the arms, giving Ranma a wing-like effect.
Finally turning to the free-floating spirit, Ranma eloquently responded, "S’alright."
"And, to top it off, this outfit is self mending and will stay perfectly fitted, no matter how much larger you get!" The Tailor shouted. At the look he got from the pigtailed youth, he explained, "They're standard spells on all my outfits. I pride myself on crafting items of nothing but the very best quality."
Considering that, Ranma could see the use. "A one-size-fits-all deal?" That was going to prove very handy in his case, thanks to a stupid curse he was forced to bare because of a pompous overweight panda.
Nodding his head, the Dark Elf answered, "Precisely. And as you can see, it has fitted that piece I had ready to you magnificently, and it will always feel as good on you as it does now."
Looking down at himself, Ranma considered it. "Yeah, we’ll take it."
Clapping his hands together, the Dark Elf looked pleased. "Excellent!" He then blinked his eyes as a thought came to him. It was so obvious now, oh why didn’t a genius of his fashion sense come to such a realization sooner!? "WAIT!!" He shouted at the young man.
Startled, but only for a moment, Ranma straightened himself out as he asked, "What’s yer problem?"
"Oh by the darkness of the abyss, I had almost completely forgotten!" He told Ranma as he went back towards his counter. "I think you’d be perfect for this lovely suit of assassin’s garb that’s just waiting to be sized!" He pulled the shirt of the outfit out from a drawer and ran over to the younger man before draping it across Ranma’s front. "Oh, it looks like it will only need some minor adjustment!"
Ranma looked forward as the Dark Elf held up the lower mask part over his mouth. Completely black spider-wed silk with raised muffler-style collar...
"Hmm... I think it looks rather devious..." the Mentor quipped in appreciation. "The Tailor certainly knows what he’s doing when it comes to making the dangerous look as they truly are..."
Slowly turning to look back and forth between the Dark Elf and the disembodied ghost, Ranma asked, "Do I look like a Ninja to you guys?"
Blinking his eyes, the Dark Elf asked, "A what?"
"A shadow warrior..." Ranma said. There was a pregnant pause as the two stared at him blankly. "You know... an assassin..." Ranma drolled, "I don’t think I need this."
"Quite true..." the Mentor agreed as he made a showing of rubbing his chin in thought. "That is what underlings are for. Why get your own hands dirty, when you can assign minions to the task? Well thought out, Keeper."
"Uh..." Ranma decided he’d best just keep his mouth shut on this.
"Oh please, take it!" The Tailor cried out in a shrill voice that only someone of his caliber would have been able to produce. "This outfit just screams of you!" He stood up tall as he held the assassin’s shirt in his hand. "Tell you what! Just try it on! If you like it, I’ll give it to you half-off its base price. What do you say?"
Leaning over to whisper to Ranma, the Mentor brought up that, "A good deal is a good deal, Keeper."
Rolling his eyes, the pigtailed man’s shoulders sagged in exasperation. "Fine, fine. I’ll try on."
"Excellent!" The Tailor clapped his hands together I excitement. "Let me get the rest of the outfit!" He told Ranma as he threw the young man the shirt.
Catching the shirt with ease, Ranma let out a sigh as he started to take off the cloak.
(------)
"Yes! You look perfect!" The Tailor cried out excitedly. "Dark, stealthy, DEADLY! Like a grue!" He used his hand to make a claw formation as he took a swipe in Ranma’s direction. "Roar!"
Ranma’s eye twitched as the Tailor seemed to be having way too much fun having him play dress up. Although Ranma had to admit, there was definitely some Eastern influence in this outfit of near complete black. There were dark blue erects that were few and far between on the outfit, mostly on outlining the sleeves that served to act as cloth armor on the shoulders, as well as the gloves.
The gloves were an interesting piece. They had darkened gemstones of the same blue pallor, reminding Ranma of the Battle Mage gloves. But instead of rings, the nearly pure black gloves of spider silk were adorned with a blackened bracelet of metal that had spikes come out from other side of the wrist to give it the effect of a deadly weapon.
"I must say, Keeper..." the Mentor said slowly from behind Ranma. "These assassin garb and the spellwarrior gear seem the most fitting. Dark and deadly to a point, as well as being practical. Either will suit you in the daily rigors of running your dungeon."
Nodding his head, Ranma just wanted to get this over and done with. "Okay, okay, we’ll take it."
"Now, Ranma," the Mentor added, "While my instincts tell me that these are the two outfits in which you will be spending the most time, no successful Keeper can survive on three outfits alone. I suggest that you buy an entire wardrobe."
Ranma nodded. "Sure, whatever... just as long as I don't gotta try it all on. The Tailor can pick it all out I guess..."
The Tailor squealed in delight. Not only was this boy so impressed with impressed with his skill as a tailor of only the finest quality, as well as his impeccable taste, that he gave him cart blanche to design and select his entire wardrobe, but he was also going to make a financial killing!
"Oh my!" He cried out rubbing his palms together in glee. "I'll get right on it! I'll give you the outfits I have that I feel will suit you best, and then, I design! I shall make you a wardrobe created to suit you and only you! Yes! You will not have to solely make due with these... consumer outfits, but you shall have a style of your very own!"
Ranma paused for a moment and snapped his fingers, and an Imp appeared holding his normal Chinese outfit.
"Think you could make it something like this?"
The Tailor paused for a moment and picked it up. "Intriguing. Very intriguing. Why, I have never seen anything quite like this! Simple yet fashionable and very suited to battle." slowly he smiled and stepped back with an almost maniacal grin. "Yes! I can see it now!" he waved his hand in front of himself and sighed deeply. "Simple but dynamic! Bold and anti-heroic! I can see it now! It's beautiful! It will be… my greatest creation! Yes! Yes!"
The Tailor smiled and looks over at him. "It will take several hours to assemble what I feel will suit you best! Be back then and I'll have everything ready!"
Ranma nodded. "I'll change into the robes and come back then?"
The Tailor nodded. "Just pay me for what you leave with then and we shall speak again later!"
"How much?"
The Tailor smiled. "For you, I will only ask two thousand for the entire outfit."
Ranma glanced to the Mentor.
"Expensive, but you pay for quality."
Ranma nodded and waved his hand and a pile of gold appeared on the table before him.
The Tailor smiled thinly and absently bit one of the coins. He smiled widely. "Now that’s done with, away with you! I am going to be occupied all day. Trust me, you will be impressed."
Ranma nodded as he finished putting the spellwarrior robes back on. "Okay, what's next?"
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(Posted Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:14)
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