Gift: Umbra's Fashion Experiment

Summary: Umbra, a shapeshifter from beyond the stars, gets distracted on one of her errands, slipping into the fashion boutique, giving its slime-woman proprietor a bit of a scare. A birthday/Christmas gift for DB-Palette

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Umbra had been sent on another errand for Roakai. Small errands, like getting the mail or picking up groceries, were simple enough tasks for Umbra to get better acquainted with the city; she was still pretty new to this world, nevermind this city in particular. That said, her curiosity often got the better of her, and it wasn't uncommon for her to stumble into new distractions, idle curiosities that would set her off course.

She passed in front of a modest fashion boutique and paused, looking through the front window. She was surprised to find a pair of  humanoid figures standing in the window. Completely still, unmoving. She stopped, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She stared at the mannequins posted in the front window. Their outfits were heavy but stylish, a men's black overcoat and a women's black corduroy dress with straps and skirt. They stood there, unmoving, in the sort of pose that Umbra recognized from her fashion magazines.

She wondered if they were being held against their will. Or petrified, perhaps. Maybe they were playing one of those schoolyard games she had read about. She studied the exterior of the building, noticing the copper chimes positions above the door. She assumed they were there to alert the owner... well, if she was going to check this out...

Her body wobbled and morphed, slinking into a shadow, dark as night itself; the shadow slipped under the door without so much as brushing against the door frame, sliding along the hardwood floor towards the display for a closer examination. Reforming as quickly as she disappeared, her eyes narrowed, examining them closely.

"...They're just dolls." She murmured to herself. But she wasn't familiar with dolls of this size, for a fully-sized home...

Umbra was lost in speculation as a set of footsteps pattered down a stairwell sitting just behind a counter with the cash register. A woman cupped a cup of tea in her gloved hands, her purple inky hair bouncing like gelatin with every step. She was humming a jaunty little tune to herself.

"Nippy one out there today..." The woman muttered to herself. "This'll hit the spot 'til I can close up shhhoooomigosh!"

She tripped over her own boots, and stumbled on the last step, bumping into the counter; a small splash of hot liquid splattered onto the counter. Umbra turned her head, looking at the newcomer with a cool, serious expression.

"Hello." Umbra greeted the purple woman. She had seen a number of strange people when she was in town, so this woman's strange appearance wasn't particularly surprising. The purple woman, on the other hand, was rather startled, on account that this woman had entered without so much as making a peep. And she had this... eerie aura about her too. Was her hair moving??

"H-hello, I... I didn't hear you come in!" The slime woman laughed nervously, putting the tea off to the side and reaching for a towelette from underneath. "I'm Celes, the owner of this boutique! Um, is there anything I can help you with?"

"My name is Umbra. I was hoping to have a word with these two in the window." Umbra turned to the mannequins. "They seemed like they were having a good time standing there."

"...e-eh?" Celes' expression flattened. What was she talking about? Celes recovered, tilting her head with a polite, customer-service smile. "Those are, um, mannequins. They're there to display my winter fashion lineup. Did they catch your eye?"

"Yes. I realize now that they aren't alive." Umbra's expression faltered, perhaps imperceptibly. She turned to Celes. "They are for displaying fashion? I know about that. I'm a collector of fashion magazines."

"Oh! How delightful!" Celes beamed. This Umbra person seemed to be rather strange, but now that they were talking a bit, she seemed rather nice and polite. Maybe she was out of town. Celes nodded, clasping her hands together. "Are you looking for a new winter look, perhaps? A downy coat will keep you warm and looking your best in the winter ahead!"

Celes picked up on the fact that Umbra was, perhaps, a little underdressed for winter weather, her layers looking too thin to trap heat. Celes didn't realize at the time that Umbra's chic outfit was an extension of her own body, but Umbra, considering Celes' suggestion, didn't think to clarify.

"A building dedicated to fashion... it's like walking into a fashion magazine." Umbra nodded to herself. "What would you recommend?"

The way Umbra talked, it sounded like she had never been in a boutique before. Well, there was a first time for everything, and Celes was eager to please. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, producing a cute boingoing sound as she did.

"Weeeell... if you want my advice..." Celes was thinking about it carefully. "Honestly, you could pull off a bunch of different looks! You got the vibe of, like, a model! But maybe..."

Celes turned her head, looking around the store. Her eyes brightened as inspiration came to her. Umbra considered wandering around to take a look, but she was surprised to see Celes' arms lash out in two different directions, rapidly elongating towards opposite ends of the store.

"Need to strike a balance of style, coolness, and practicality, 'specially in the winter months..." Celes murmured to herself; one of her bulbous hair strands wriggled forward on its own, reaching under the desk and pulling out a coat hanger. Holding it tightly, Celes' overstretched limbs zipped back to her, garment slung over her noodle-like limbs.

"Jeans are always aces this time of year, and you pair it with a nice layered coat like this..." Celes continued to talk to herself as her arms zipped back and forth, garments flailing as if a poltergeist were spinning them around. "Couple with a scarf and gloves combo, accessorize with some wool booties, aaaaand... voila!~"

In a matter of moments, Celes had prepared a look that slung atop the one hanger! She presented it proudly: a wool blazer that was a subtle shade of light blue to pair with a pair of denim jeans, wrapped in a cozy scarf, a pair of boots with the fur, and a pair of leather gloves.

"Impressive..." Umbra looked it over. She'd assembled it so quickly. And the presentation reminded her of one of her fashion magazines.

"You like it? You can try it on over in the changing rooms if you like!" Celes tilted her head towards the back. "We have things in a couple different sizes if you-"

"No, here's fine." Umbra nodded. She closed her eyes as she focused, her current outfit melding and shimmering into her form. Celes blinked, startled and maybe a little spooked as the pale-skinned woman seemed to shapeshift right in front of her eyes.

It wasn't long until Umbra had settled herself into a perfect facsimile of Celes' designs, even more perfectly tailored to her shapely proportions. "Thank you, Celes. I think I'll be ready for winter. I'm starting to get used to the season now... slowly, but surely..."

"...e-eh? Wha...?" Celes was at a loss for words.

"I'm afraid I need to get going, I still have an errand to run." Umbra was already pacing towards the door. "It was nice to meet you, Celes."

"W-wait, um, Umbra-" Celes stammered as Umbra departed, leaving the sound of the jingling chimes behind her. Celes lowered the outfit slowly, draping it over the counter.

She sighed, letting her head rest on her palm. "I guess she didn't buy anything after all, huh..."

Well, Celes' wares would get advertised around town a bit. And it was nice to meet new faces. There were so many strange people in this town. Umbra must've been new; Celes hoped she was settling in just fine.