Fashion mission

[Maeve]

**taking place a week before the storm**


Maeve ran her fingers over the colourful scarves hanging from the front pole of a stall and returned the smile of the squashed little lady who sat behind the counter. She scanned the limited merchandise displayed in the booth but found that there were only clothes for women. Smiling politely at the lady again, she turned her attention to the next stall as children playfully chased each other down the alley.

The city was very small but for a reason that escaped her, the market square was bursting at the seams. Down the various wide streets, with every inch of space occupied, there were people everywhere: shopping and browsing, buying and selling, trading and bargaining, or simply chatting amongst themselves for good measure. Numerous stalls and booths were posted at every corner and around the main square, several indoor shops had their doors warmly opened for customers, with zealous merchants loudly praising the quality of their products which came in a grand variety of spices, meats, fishes, fruits, breads, potteries, clothes, tools, jewelries, weapons, and much more. With so many things to see and hear and touch and smell, all her senses were stimulated. The city was very small yet vibrantly alive.

Maeve eyed the fabrics of clothing neatly folded on the counter before her. So far, even if the city’s market square was overflowing with thousands of different products to be purchased, she and Sinbad weren’t having much luck with their afternoon shopping, for every piece of clothing seemed to be way too colorful and somewhat bizarrely put together. As her eyes came to rest on a pair of flashy yellow and red striped trousers, her brow drew together in discouragement.

“Well…tailoring is definitely not this town’s forte-”, she titled her head toward Sinbad and lifted the pair of pants with a joking smile “-unless you intend to join a circus troop.”

[Sinbad]

"Right..." Sinbad said, stepping next to her and giving the clothes on display a not too enthusiastic look. It was hard to tell whether his discontent was directed against this particular pair of pants or whether it reflected his mood of the entire afternoon so far which was ... grumpy. Mildly put. And the buzz of the city seemed to only amplify it.

There were so many things to do, he thought. The new cargo needed to be taken aboard, the hold needed to be checked, the sails needed a lookover before they left port again ... not that he minded an afternoon off to stroll around the city with Maeve. He would just have preferred, well, different circumstances than the fact that he was running out of clothes. And he couldn´t even blame it on what he usually thought of as a good idea to get something new to wear: clothes falling apart as any woman might have called it. But this time it was Firouz fault, entirely Firouz fault. Trust an overly eager inventor to destroy almost your entire stock of clothes he thought moodily.

It had seemed like a bad joke. One minute he had taken a bath in the sea, leaving his freshly washed pants and shirts to dry on deck, the other there was screaming and yelling and the roar of fire. Well, he probably should be glad that it had just been a little cloth and not anything vitally important such as the Nomad´s mast, but still: end of the story was that he was now trudging through the city with Maeve who had instantly declared it her mission to go hunting for new clothes with him while the captain himself was wearing things he had lent from his brother and that were so hopefully oversized that his attempts to look dignified were pretty much fruitless.

[Fireland]

*Edited*

********

They were interrupted by the merchant whose fabrics Maeve was looking at belonged to.

''THIS IS A GREAT CHOICE !'' He yelled enthusiastically as he ran to Maeve. ''If you would like to see other pieces of clothing and fabrics, I have many colorful items to show you. Blue, yellow, orange, red, all lively colors ! Purple, silver, green - those would look beautiful with your red hair, my lady - striped, dotted, linen, silk, everything for you and your husband !'' he listed in one breath.

He reached over to Maeve's arm, so he could show her everything he had to sale.

[Maeve]

When Sinbad grumpily stepped in next to her to review the circus trousers with a monosyllabic Right…, Maeve had to look down and press her lips together not to laugh, both because of his cranky reaction and because of his funny attire, the second reason making the first one even more amusing. Today was definitely not the captain’s day and whenever she glanced his way, seeing him floating in Doubar’s wide shirt and pants, she just couldn’t help but mentally relive the ridiculous events that had caused his misfortune.

Firouz, or rather one of his inventions, and she didn’t even know what he had been working on exactly, had caught on fire on deck, right when Sinbad was taking a swim in the ocean and his clothes were drying on deck. Well, instead of drying they had fried, and after the commotion to extinguish the flames, when everyone had realized the outcome of the situation, it had been hard not to laugh. Very hard. She had laughed. How could everyone not have?

Even now, with the events still very fresh in her mind, it was hard not to giggle. However, she had had her fun and she knew it, and now she truly felt bad for Sinbad and was trying to make it up to him as best as she could. She knew he had thousands of things on his mind at the moment, what with the new cargo that had to be loaded and all the business trades that needed to be checked and double-checked before they hit the sea again, and she could tell he wasn’t particularly enjoying browsing the market square with oversized clothes that made him look like anything but a captain, but at the same time he couldn’t keep wearing Doubar’s outfit indefinitely. They had to find something and they both knew it.

She had hoped the shopping session wouldn’t take too long for his sake but now she felt like they were going in circle. Everywhere they looked, every piece of clothing was adorned with the same draining, flashy dispatched mix of colours that gave you a headache. Sinbad’s mood hadn’t really improved, though no matter the circumstances she could never find his company unpleasant in any way, and even if they had the chance to spend some alone time together, she too was growing tired of the chaotic vibe of the city and she couldn't blame him for his grumpiness.

As she restrained her silent giggles, her smile turned soft and compassionate. She started folding the circus trousers to place them back on the counter where she had picked them up and as she did so, glancing around, she sighed wearily. “I just don’t understand why-” She was about to comment on the fact that none of the men in town seemed to be wearing these ridiculous outfits when the merchant owning the booth startled her. Racing to her like a lightning bolt because she was holding one of his clothing item, he started babbling about colours and designs and patterns and textures with such an unsettling, sudden speed that it made her head spin and all she could do was blink back at him. But even if she had a hard time keeping up with his marketing outburst, she understood the last word very clearly. Husband.

Instantly, she felt her face flush and her stomach flutter like it always did in these kind of situations. Out of instinct rather than because she wanted to, her eyes locked with Sinbad’s for a brief moment with that special uneasiness. “I...we’re not-” She tried to reply to the merchant to correct his mistake but he caught her off by taking her arm and leading her inside his booth.

[Sinbad]

Sinbad didn´t have much of a choice other than to follow Maeve and the overly excuted merchant. It was their mentality, there was no problem with it, but right now, looking as ridiculous as he did, he would have prefered to just look around the stalls by himself, pick a few simple things and head off again. Not that he did not enjoy Maeve´s company, he always did, but shopping really was more of a girl thing.

He headed after them, feeling his ears get hot, opening his mouth to protest, but Maeve already head, so all that came out was pretty much a sheepish echo of her words before he decided it would be better and at least preserving some of his dignity if he did not comment on this any further. He already looked ridiculous enough, best to not make himself look like a complete fool.

"I really..." he started, catching up with them and giving the merchant a somewhat forced version of his trademark smile. "Kind sir, please, I am just looking for a few simple and practical garments, there is no need for inconvenciences."

[Fireland]

From how plain their clothing looked, Naazir knew the couple wasn’t from the region. Even though he was used to see sailors roaming around the market looking for supplies, the redhead and the man wearing baggy clothes who accompanied her didn’t look much like sailors to him. Naazir had been in this city for over ten years. Sailors rarely shopped for fabrics and clothing items, and if they ever did, they were not browsing the market with women. In this city as well as in other villages nearby, women never went shopping by themselves and if they were escorted by a man, he was her immediate relative - father, brother or husband. The way the two strangers interacted with each other convinced Naazir these two couldn’t be brother and sister. He caught a glimpse of the lady smiling sweetly to the young man. Naazir thought the couple, since they were obviously foreigners, might as well be in the area to spend their honeymoon. The merchant decided to seize his luck, as newlyweds often pleased their wife by buying her new dresses and jewelry. Naazir sighed before running to them. Times were rough for the fabric market ; he had to sell something.

He addressed the woman first, knowing from experience that except for the occasional tailors and hatters, fabric and clothing shopping mostly related to the women’s expertise. He barely noticed the glance the couple exchanged, nor the uneasiness his sentence had briefly settled between the two. What he did notice, however, was the woman blushing ; mistaking her sudden shyness for feminine modesty, he attributed her reaction to the fact she was indeed a newlywed.

The woman didn’t really oppose when he took her arm and leaded her into the booth to show her even more colorful items, praising enthusiastically the different fabrics’ quality and style. Her *husband* followed them reluctantly ; when he politely declined Naazir’s help, the merchant knew he had to modify his selling strategy. From experience, Naazir was well aware that women did most of the shopping. The family budget, however, was usually more of the man’s department.

‘’Mister, I garantee my prices will suit your budget and cover for your needs’’ ! Naazir answered the young man with great conviction. ‘’I can even make you a special offer, because you look like an honest man. 2 fabrics of your choice for the price of 1.’’ Naazir smiled to the redhead, knowing women loved sales. Naazir then put his arm familiarly around the young man’s shoulder. ‘’Between us, I believe this lovely lady deserves to be treated like the true jewel she is’’, Naazir told him as if he was confiding to a friend. ‘’All women love when men buy them new dresses and jewelry. A beautiful silk dress would make her look even more ravishing than she already is. So here’s what I’ll do : because you look like a decent man, to my special offer, I will also add any silk dress of your choice, for free.’’

Naazir waited for their answer, smiling confidently.

[Maeve]

Overly enthusiastic, the merchant started jabbering again, pointing and waving his hand back and forth over nearly every piece of clothing he was selling in his booth. As colours and designs danced before her eyes, Maeve felt totally helpless, unable to interrupt him to calm him down. Luckily for her, Sinbad came to her rescue and politely tried to sooth the man’s excitement. However, as a result, the merchant turned his fervent marketing strategy on him.

Watching as he familiarly draped an arm over Sinbad’s shoulder, Maeve winced inwardly. She had dragged him to the market square for a quick, practical shopping session and a persistent business man was the last thing he needed at the moment, especially one that thought they were married and that tried to goad him into buying her something because of it.

Feeling her face go crimson as the merchant kept praising her worth and beauty, she knew that she had to step in before she could die of embarrassment, and for Sinbad’s sake. More to the point, she found herself somewhat bothered by the way the merchant was trying to persuade him to buy her a dress. The man candidly thought that he was her husband, and even if she knew he was just looking to make a good sale, the fact that he would assume Sinbad wasn’t pampering her enough just bothered her, for a reason that kept sending butterflies in her stomach.

After briefly averting her eyes on Sinbad with a small, sorry smile for the whole fussing situation, she hastily turned to the zealous seller and waved her hands. “That is very generous of you, sir, but it won’t be necessary, really. I have everything that I need.” She threw a quick glance at the bizarre patchwork of colours hanging around in the booth. “Your clothes are very pretty and very…very original, but I’m afraid we’re looking for something more sober…” She didn’t know how to explain to the man that she and Sinbad’s standards of clothing were rather different from his flashy, colourful style, and that they needed clothes that wouldn’t give them a migraine at the end of the day.

[Sinbad]

Sinbad wasn´t someone who minded people getting sociable around him, but the way this salesman was displaying a non existant friendship the way salesmen often did in this part of the world, made him feel a little uncomfortable and annoyed - something he would not show of course, but that irked him nonetheless.

He moved his hand to politely remove the man´s hand from around his shoulder, shooting Maeve a glance as he did and deciding not to comment on how much she had blushed, storing that away for possible later teasing though, since it was always good to have something up one´s sleeves when she decided to be all sassy on him.

"Exactly." he said. "dear Sir, the two of us are simple sailors, some practical garments will do, we have no need for fancy clothes right now, even though if we had your place looks like the best to come to."
He quietly wondered whether the man would understand. Maeve´s self confident appearance and red hair was somewhat extraordinary around here as well and he doubted there were any woman sailors coming from this city, either.

[Fireland]

The man’s reaction disappointed Naazir. He really didn't want to lose the sale. Even though he thought the two strangers would look rather plain with ordinary peasant or sailor's clothing, he reminded himself the customer was always right. Defeated, although he didn't want to show it, Naazir patted the man’s shoulder and smiled to him to show he understood his request. He turned his back to him and reached under a table displaying flashy colorful items, grunting as he pulled a huge wooden chest from underneath the table.

‘’This is where I keep some of my simple garments. I don’t get asked for such items that often, around here.’’ Naazir straightened up to look at his – potential – customers. His face had flushed because of the effort. ‘’They are of great quality, of course. And not too pricey, either. Will those meet your needs ?’’

He reached for the chest and opened it. He took a few items to show them their material and shape. Most of them were simple silk or linen shirts, either men’s of women’s, in colors that were not too blinding : white, black, pale blue. He also had quite a collection of leather items – breeches, vests, corsetry, wrist bands - which Naazir would most likely sell to the occasional archer or warrior who would stumble upon his booth.

‘’Do you see anything that pleases you ?’’ Naazir asked to them both. ‘’I can still offer 2 for the price of 1’’.

[Maeve]

Maeve returned Sinbad his glance and as he reiterated their need for simple garments and explained that they were but simple sailors, she smiled politely at the merchant. She was relieved when he seemed to finally simmer down and understand what they were looking for. However, holding her breath, she half hoped that he would excuse himself for not selling anything other than flashy and colourful, which would give her and Sinbad a reason for leaving his booth once and for all, but on the other hand, if he did have a few sober items to show them, then maybe they would actually get to purchase something and in so doing put an end to their shopping session, which would be all the better for Sinbad’s sake at this point.

Out of the two, it was her second wish that was granted. Stepping out of the way to give him some more room, she watched as the merchant pulled out a massive chest from under one of the tables. She took the occasion to send Sinbad an optimistic smile and when the merchant began showing them clothes that matched their expectations, she knew they were bound to find something that would fit him in that trunk.

“Now, that’s more like it.” Picking up a pale blue linen shirt, she smiled at the man and waved her hand over the chest. “Thank you. We’ll browse through it and let you know if we find anything.” She hoped the zealous seller would take the hint and give them some air and privacy for a few moments.

[Fireland]

Naazir smiled widely when the woman showed interest in the garments he had displayed. When she asked to browse through the many items he kept in the wooden chest, he stepped away and told her enthusiastically.

''Of course, of course. Help yourself. If you want to try something on, you can change behind the curtain'', he pointed to the small stall behind them.

Naazir saw new customers looking at his colorful garments. He patted the man's shoulder. ''If you need anything, sir, just ask''. Then, he rushed to meet his new customers, blabbering cheerfully, just like he had done with the previous couple.

[Sinbad]

Sinbad looked after the man when he left, torn between an amused look he would probably have cast him in any normal, usual situation and the unreasonable urge to send the man a pouty glare. He settled for something inbetween that came off as entirely goofy and would probably have amused his crew to no end he was sure.

He looked over at Maeve after the other man had turned the corner, giving the shirt she was holding a somewhat sceptical look he knew was probably not fair against her since he had now settled into a somewhat grumpy mood that was not her fault at all. "Oh I don´t know about the blue." he said. "I´d prefer something...simple, you know? Practical." He rummaged through the clothes on display and pulled out a linen shirt in a dirty sort of white which had a small ribbon stitch at the front.

[Maeve]

From the corner of her eye, Maeve watched as Sinbad’s gaze lingered on the merchant’s retreating form. She had to bite the inside of her cheek not to laugh at his facial expression which bore a mix of profound annoyance and yet a complete absence of credibility. Again, she couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t his day.

As he appraised the pale blue shirt she was holding with a picky, fussing comment to remind her of what he was looking for, she raised an eyebrow at him. Not more than two minutes ago they had both compellingly been trying to convince the zealous merchant that they were searching for simple, convenient garments instead of the flashy clothes he was selling. She perfectly knew what they were looking for, what he was looking for.

She waited until he had picked up another shirt from the trunk, a white one with small laces down the front, before sending him a reply of her own with blithe sarcasm, hoping he would just snap out of his grumpiness now that they had managed to shoo the gleeful merchant away. “Right, I’m sorry. White is so much more practical than blue.”

His previous cranky mood had been somewhat justified and she had put up with it as best as she could for his sake, but now that their shopping session was finally leading somewhere, her patience and compassion were about to run short.

[Sinbad]

Sinbad once more had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at her, but stubbornly insisted that he was too mature for that - which was of course a blatant misperception of his own self and behaviour but that he ignored for now. Instead, he lowered the shirt and gave her a short look. "How about you just pick things for me then," he suggested with a charming smile of the kind that he knew impressed most women even though he was keenly aware that right now, in this situation she would pick it up as the slight mockery that it was. "or otherwise we could maybe punish Firouz by sitting him down with a little extra sail cloth so he can sew me something new. That sure would save us a lot of trouble and we could rather spend the time doing more useful things."

[Maeve]

Maeve growled inwardly at Sinbad’s words and ground her teeth to keep her temper under control. He was being genuinely insufferable. Coupled with his fake, amiable smile that made his attitude all the more annoying, his grumpy whines were dangerously ticking her patience off. Maeve tried to hang on to her calm and empathy but they slipped through her fingers like water. She had walked on eggs all day to comply with his cranky mood, she had been tempted on many occasions to tease, mock and pick on him but had never given in to the impulses, she had done her best to be compliant, patient and sympathetic, but he apparently gave her no credit for that so now she saw no reason to keep up the pretenses any longer. If he wanted a spat he would get one. She was tired of playing nice.

Not even trying to hide her irritation, Maeve shifted her weight to a hip and gestured at Sinbad’s baggy attire with a hand. “If you want to keep floating in your brother’s clothes for another week or two we can walk out of here right now and go back to the ship. But if you’re so eager to do something useful with your day, why don't you stop whining and being so picky so we can get this shopping session over with once and for all.” Her voice then took the mocking edge of threat as she glanced further down the booth where the gleeful merchant was serving an elderly man with a beard. “Unless you want me to wave our new friend Naazir over so he can give you a hand? I’m sure he would be delighted to assemble a nice, colorfully striped or polka-dotted outfit for you. What do you say?”

Maeve offered Sinbad a charming smile of her own, indicating she was dead serious and wasn’t joking at all. If he kept needling her, she would call the merchant without hesitation and leave him to his grumpy misery.