Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (101/?) WiP 1

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 101 I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Nexus. The Crown Herald Town of Elaseer. Ambassadorial District. Silksong’s Silken Shop. Local Time: 0930 Hours.

Emma

A visit to the tailor’s was something of a treat back home. 

Or at least, it was, to those who sought it out.

For most people, clothes were sort of an afterthought, something that could either be requisitioned from requisition centers, or printed out on-demand from a near-infinite roster of public-domain designs that was only limited by the sorts of fabrics and materials on-hand. 

For those living at home, this meant your standard natural and synthetic materials — from cotton to synth-weave, to polyester, and the like. 

But for community printing facilities, like those found in Aunty Ran’s apartment complex, this roster of materials expanded significantly; unlocking even more options to fill your closet to your heart’s content.

For most of my life, I never paid much thought to fashion and clothes, let alone the thought of visiting a flesh and blood tailor for a custom design.

The near limitless options at my fingertips, and my general inclination towards comfiness and utility over aesthetics and trends, made that whole idea something of a foregone conclusion.

That didn’t mean I didn’t respect the work tailors did, of course. 

In fact, I could appreciate the novelty and uniqueness of having something that was distinctly your own; something made explicitly with you in mind. 

Novelty, uniqueness, and artistic expression, were the main drivers of a lot of the excitement of life after all. This was especially true given how human labor, or in this case, creative endeavors, were some of the only things incapable of being scaled up into blanket excess unlike most other things.

There was something about the human passion and the creative efforts behind a finished product that was so weirdly compelling after all.

This was a fact that I was starting to viscerally understand now more than ever, despite years and years of having both friends and family hound me to the same point I found myself in now. 

It only took journeying across time and space, realities and universes, to finally experience this most exciting of experiences; at the hands of a moth person at that.

The entire process from start to finish had been nothing but ecstatic fervor and professional workmanship. 

It was a sort of controlled chaos that I’d seen from some of my professional artist friends before. Where the fires of excitement channeled through the spirit of muse was brought to life using the discipline and skills of years of practice and study. 

We’d chatted, deliberated, enthused and got completely lost in the sheer volume of ideas I had for the cloaks, capes, ponchos, and hood combinations I’d brainstormed on my tablet.

This had continued for so long that I barely even noticed how the tablet wasn’t really registering as alien or foreign to the apprentice.

When pressed about the subject however, his answer was rather straightforward.

“It’s just another form of artifice right? I just assumed your people had some cultural quirk about hiding manafields, in the same way that your manafields are hidden by that armor!” 

That assumption was… reasonable, given the rules of the reality the moth apprentice knew. And though I did want to reveal everything right off the bat, fundamental systemic incongruity stood in the way of directly broaching it in any meaningful capacity. At least, within the constraints of the tight schedule we had for this town visit. 

“Let’s just say that it’s an artifice of a certain sort.” I replied cryptically. “But not in the way that you think, utilizing a power source and a means of operation that’s… different from how the Nexus does things.” 

The moth apprentice was… reasonably confused. Although, his reactions were decidedly much more muted than Ilunor’s upon first encountering the tablet. Further questioning however revealed that he’d barely seen any magical analogues of screens before, citing both his lack of worldly experience, and a lack of access to those sorts of artifices. 

That would explain exactly why he hadn’t reacted in the same way as the rest of the gang. 

He just didn’t have a point of reference to begin with. 

In any case, there’d be a time and a place to slowly ease him into the nature of science and technology.

I just needed to make more regular visits to town to do so.

Which was certainly fine by me, as it meant more opportunities for me to explore the exciting world of fashion commissions.

Speaking of which… 

“It is done, Cadet Emma Booker!” The moth apprentice beamed out. The mandible that dominated much of his lower face splayed out in a manner that would have elicited nightmares from anyone with a fear of insects. However, given the context of his excitement and the constant tippy-tapping of his small feet against the hardwood floors, it was difficult to really see this as anything but genuine glee, with that terrifying visage more akin to a dumb wide grin; as passion and elation had only so many avenues of being vented. 

A group of smaller moths arrived with the completed outfit in tow, with the Academy cloak already stowed away and packaged in its own box, and the other, more interesting custom cape-cloak-hood hybrid taking center stage in its stead.

My eyes grew wide beneath my helmet, as I set my sights on something not just pulled straight from the pages of my sketchpad, but iterated upon with the masterful care of someone who knew what they were doing.

“Shall I do the honors?” The moth asked, prompting me to nod excitedly in acknowledgement. 

“Yes please!”

No sooner were those words spoken, was the cloak handed off to Mifis, as he began by draping the cloak-cape portion of the outfit over my shoulders. 

With careful care and precision, he latched the loose fabric across the upper right side of my chestplate, pinning it together with a simple broach, and adjusting the attached hood such that it was loosely nestled just between the cowl of my armor. 

When all was said and done, my eyes were treated with what looked to be a cross between a fancifully-cut ceremonial dress cape, and an angular, almost menacing hood pulled straight out of The Running Shadows universe. 

The cape itself was cut diagonally as it tapered towards the back of my shins, giving the impression of a lighter, more angular geometric silhouette that complemented the grid-like pattern of gold and silver inlays that covered much of its bottom half. Meanwhile, its top half was colored in this gradient of blue, providing a backdrop for the pure-white GUN emblem that took up a good third of its available surface area.