Sarinah gathered her things, got dressed and left Mulm's early today. Last night, whilst sitting at the bar talking to a patron, she realized she needed to do something fresh, new. Something to try and ease the pain of Rovin. A new outfit seemed like the perfect idea. One of the girls had mentioned there was a talented and cheap seamstress in the Painted Ladies, and so now she walked through the garish area looking for the purple house. It wasn't to hard to find and walking through the front gate she reached the door and looked up.

Please Knock!

Lifting her hand, she rapped sharply on the door and waited.

Fion opened the door with an easy smile on her face. She had the evening off, she'd gotten home fairly early last night, the birds were singing and Miriam from across the road was away for the next two weeks. Life was looking good.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked the incredibly attractive woman in front of her.

She wondered how she got her hair so shiny...

Sarinah returned the smile, happy that the seamstress seemed to be one of those nice women that didn't judge her automatically by her clothing.

"I was told your a seamstress rosh, and I'm in the market for an outfit. I have a vague sketch here." She raised a hand that held a folded piece of parchment, then stuck out the other hand.

"Sorry, I'm a bit off in the clouds lately. Name is Sarinah Lissden. Do you think you can help me?"

Fion shook Sarinah's hand.

"No worries, I'm Fion Smith, by the way." Fion took the parchment and waved Sarinah inside. "I think I can do this, what sort of fabric were you thinking?"

Fion walked into her work room, indicating the way to Sarinah with her arm. She pulled out a few swatches of cloth, in different styles, colours and textures.

"I think red would go well with your complexion but that doesn't narrow things down very much." She said with a concilatory smile.

Reaching out to touch the swatches, the dancer noticed one she really liked. It was very thin and sheer. Looking at the seamstress, she smiled.

"I rather like this, is it mugroba fabric? And I was actually thinking of red myself." She reached over and pointed out the chain and bead on the outfit sketch.

"And these, would you have this sort of stuff rosh? I like the idea that it will draw the eye down." Her smile was like a vixen in a hen house.

Fion looked at the beads.

"I don't have any on me but I do know how to get them." Fion thought of Demkaih and smiled to herself.

She gave Sarinah's body a thoughtful look.

"Are you sure you need the extra help there?" She said with a cheeky smile. "I think the ensemble speaks for itself, having too much extra detail might obscure things you have no business hiding."

She was serious about not over complicating outfits... but she did like the thought of beads... What to do?

Sarinah looked at her face and raised an eyebrow. She knew that far away smile. Fion was thinking of someone special. It made the brunette wonder if she looked like that when she thought about Rovin.



The dancer laughed and nodded slightly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Ah thankyou Fion, I appreciate the compliment. But any help drawing the male eye to places less seen is rather important in my line of work. If you think it would be more of a hindrance than an embellishment then we should leave it. A shame though, don't see many navel bead chains around. What if we get rid of the chain and sew the bead in the center of the top, where it meets in the middle?" She stood back, hands resting on cocked hips thoughtfully.

"That's probably a better idea." Fion said, after a little thought. "It really depends on how active you are, the bead won't always sit well from a chain if you're sitting and if you're moving around it might pick up enough speed to actually hit you. The beads I'm thinking of are very sturdy, they might even hurt if they collided at speed."

Sarinah imagined swinging around the pole at Mulm's and a bead flying off to knock a patron unconscious. She giggled.

"I don't plan on this being my dancing outfit. This is more of a stand and look pretty outfit." She looked distant for a moment.

"Really, its more of an excuse to get out of the Place. I need to do something for myself." Although the other night at the B&B had really helped, once the alcohol and the friends were gone, she was left with the memories and the pain. Clearing her throat she crossed her arms.

"But I like the idea of it being in the center there rosh."

Fion looked mildly perplexed.

"I didn't know such things existed..." The concept was foreign to her. "I think I want one."



Fion sighed in sympathy. "I know what you mean. There's not that much to do around here, save for when the Caoja is on."

Fion pulled out a note book and pencil, as well as a measurng tape.

"Would I be right if I guessed you worked at Cook's place? What's happened to the old man? I usually see him around but it's as though he's vanished." Fion bit her lip, people vanishing, it was bad business.

Sarinah couldn't stop the grin across her face if she wanted to. It was common amongst galdori to have a stand-and-look pretty outfit, so why shouldn't they? She winked.

"It's great for impressing the kov's, not that a rosh like yourself would have problems there. But they get excited when you dress pretty for no particular reason except to look benny."



Sarinah nodded, uncrossing her arms and resting her hands on her hips.

"Ye got it spot on, ent no shame in it either. As for Cook, he's left town on personal business I've been told. There's a new proprieter. Madame Mulm, she's a Muffey rosh, friend of Cook's I think. Anyway, Old Cook left her the Place." She shook her head.

"I ent sure about the whole arrangement, but it got me promoted from dancer to second in charge and dancer. That's pretty good, although suprisingly the ging ent as good as a second in charge. However, the regular patrons now pay a very good coin for a dance." She made a little chuckle.

Fion stored this information away for future use. She certainly didn't think of herself as good at impressing men but now that she kind of had one she liked... Perhaps that wasn't such an issue.



"He... just left her Cook's Place?" Fion said, shocked. "I never thought he'd just up and leave. That's so startling!"

Fion nodded at Sarinah's chat about work.

"I know what you mean, before I started working uptown I used to get more tips than I do now... but they were smaller." Fion kept the talk going as she measured Sarinah. "I tend bar at nights, keep my ear open. That sort of thing."

Fion wondered if the hint was enough.

The brunette looked at Fion and narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering if she had heard that the right way. Casually, as she lifted her arms for the seamstress, she spoke.

"I see. Give out any cool drinks of water lately?" She chose her words carefully, watching the womans face. If she was a resistance member the phrase should be enough of an indication that Sarinah knew what she was talking about. If not, then she just looked like a bit of a kenser.

Fion almost fell over she laughing so hard. Tears were streaming out of her eyes and her chest was almost vibrating.

"Yes!" She said, the residual giggles far from fading. "Occasionally I have to throw them at people!"

She coughed a little.

"Yeah, so, want a cup of tea?" She said, before laughing again.

Sarinah couldn't help but start laughing. It was infectious. Soon she was holding her stomach, doubled over.



The dancer took a few breathes to try and quell the snorts and giggles that kept bubbling up.

"Ah, yes, that would be lovely. So, your a party girl. Benny." She giggled and held her sides, taking big slow breaths.

Fion wandered into her kitchen, waving a hand to indicate Sarinah should follow. Occasionally some residual laughter would make its way past her lips.

"They need to come up with a new phrase, really." Fion said as she pulled out her teapot. "I'm guessing you're involved as well?"

Sarinah obliged, following the woman into her rather homey kitchen. Sitting down on one of the chairs at the table, she watched the seamstress.



The brunette sighed slightly and made a vauge hand wobble.

"Sort of rosh. I ent a member, not a proper one. I just know enough about it from Cook that I kind of become a member by default." She frowned.

"I suppose I am involved, but I sort of don't want to be." She smiled slightly. The resistance was great from a distance. But on the inside it was a little...hollow to her.

Fion served the tea while humming her agreement. "I know what you mean. In the beginning I though it would be a good way to keep my eyes open for what the future would bring."

Fion's expression turned wry.

"It might just be my pessimism talking but I'm not sure this is going to end well." Fion blew on her tea, gods she drank a lot of tea, "I never know what the bossman is thinking and I'm starting to think that listening to the suggestion that I work uptown was unwise. I still don't know what the true stance on vroo is within the party."

Sarinah picked up the cup and smelt the warm beverage. She honestly didn't even know when the last time was she had actual tea. Blowing on it, she sipped it a little and was very pleasantly surprised. Putting it down and resting on hand on the handle, she sighed.

"I ent really sure rosh. Sometimes they seem to be benny about it, then other times they really get paranoid. I heard they got a new girl in the other week. A golly too. Just before that rally business, which I didn't attend." She lifted the cup and took another sip.

((I cannot believe I left this thread hanging so long, I'm sorry!))



Fion's ears perked at that.

"The rally was... interesting. Serro made some comments about acceptance that I never expected to hear from him." Fion frowned a little, "He could have just been saying what some of us wanted to hear. I'm surprised everyone knows about the new recruit already. She's very sweet, I like her."

Fion blew on her tea, nonchalantly.

Sarinah frowned and picked up the hot cup again.

"That's what I mean rosh, things are very double sided in this here party. Sometimes I ent sure whether its a revolution or an ulterior motive. That Serro fellow makes me feel cold. He's not right." She sipped lightly.

"I ent really met the recruit, I never do. I just hear through the gossip in the Place. It's hard not to gossip when a new golly joins a human cause."

Fion shivered a bit. "Yes, I know what you mean."

The few times she'd seen him she'd pulled her coat closer every time. He was scary and if the rumours were true...



Fion thought about how she'd felt when she'd met Khymarah.

"Yeah, I was a little confused at the time too. She's doing very well though, I think she'll fit in." Fion shrugged, eyebrows raised, "Unless Serro goes the genocide route. Then I think I'll have to get her to move to Mugroba."

Fion thought about Mugroba for a moment. She was mildly fixated on the place. It was warm and Dem was from there...

So she was very fixated on the place, fine, she hated Vienda!

"Biscuit?" Fion asked Sarinah.

Sarinah nodded politly, not entirely sure how nice Mugroba would be with all that heat, but probably nicer than Vienda.



Smiling, she took the offered food. It went well with the tea. Chewing quitely, she raised an eyebrow at Fion.

"So, how deep into it are you? Besides the bar work, do you have to run errands rosh? Thats the majority of work I see these kids get when they come to Cooks..Mulms..damn it!"

Fion finished chewing the piece of biscuit she'd bitten off. She wondered how wise it was to talk business. She decided not to bother hiding it, she was tired of hiding so much.

"I listen to drunk gollies and sometimes I hear interesting things." She said plainly, almost monotonically. "Mostly I just get insulted. I imagine that's a career hazard for you too."

Fion looked at Sarinah, brow slightly furrowed and some worry lines visible. "I don't know how much longer I can do it though, do you ever think of getting out?"

Sarinah scoffed and rolled her eyes in heavy agreement.



The brunette nodded and sipped her tea.

"Every night rosh. Out of the Place, out of the Party and out of Vienda. And I plan on doing it too. Ent gonna waste my life on a cause I can't even understand." She said indignantly.