Callie's Heroes

PART III - LBD

Callie waved farewell to Jesca and Pixyl. They were off to Medical to get their Yogosi refreshed, Pixyl grumbling about how it would make her queasy for at least a day or two. Now the end of the training day, they had each changed out of their armor, washed, and put on fresh clothes. Even Jesca braved the water, enjoying ten minutes relaxing in the hot bath. Since Callie had received her Yogosi only a month previous, she was given a pass, and now Callie had a mission of her own. She needed to move fast lest she give her surprise for Pixyl away.

Quickly, she took off at a hurried jog, passing by the mess tent before detouring towards the tannery. She was looking for Quartermaster Fullo, and was hoping she was in her office.

Opening the inset door, Callie stepped into the workspace, then up to the counter. Like the last time she was here, she could hear the voices of people working beyond, doing whatever it is they do to make, repair and clean clothing and armor and such. Unlike the last time, though, Fullo was in the room, and in conversation with Xin, both looking at a drawing.

“Hello,” Callie called out.

Fullo glanced up and waved, “Hello, Little One. I’m working with this recruit, but give me a few minutes.”

Curious, and without being invited, Callie walked around the counter to where the two were talking. “What brings you here, Xin?”

The Lizardkin looked down. “I have come to see if I could get a mating shawl made for the upcoming holiday. It is not necessary, but would be very good to have.”

Now even more curious, Callie stood on her tiptoes to try and see the picture, and Fullo turned it so she could get a better look. It was a detailed picture of someone that was obviously a Lizardkin. Draped around her was a long and wide loop of fabric that started behind her neck before crossing at her chest, and then circling around to her lower back. Xin had drawn two angles, and Callie could see the whole thing was then connected at the small of the person’s back. The fabric had a detailed, almost-random design embroidered into it.

“I wish to give this to Nola as a gift,” Xin began by way of explanation. “She will be my companion and I want her first time to be memorable.”

Callie coughed, feeling as if she was suddenly inundated with a solid dose of ‘too much information’ about Pixyl’s fellow Bladeweaver. “I’m sure it will be lovely,” she finally squeaked out.

“Let me see if we can do this,” Fullo said. “I believe we can, but it will not be Lizardkin-crafted. We have none on staff.”

“I understand,” Xin said. “While not authentic, it will still serve its purpose.”

“Give me a few minutes,” Fullo said, setting the paper briefly on a table and making a few quick notes on the side. Straightening, she turned to Callie. “I’ll be back shortly.” The Tigerkin then walked through the rear doorway, leaving Callie and Xin standing alone.

“Why have you come, Little One Callie? Do you also require a shawl? Lena said that you and Pixyl are now mating.”

Callie coughed again. She was always caught off-guard by Xin’s outright bluntness and lack of tact, and this time was no different, especially with the memory of the previous morning still in the back of her head. “Yes, we are together,” she finally choked out.

“Then may you find much happiness, although I did not know that two females could be a mated couple. Pixyl is indeed a female, right? She is lumpy like most females, but I wish to be sure.”

Oh boy! “Yes, she is. It’s less common, but two females being together happens sometimes.” It was the best, and simplest, response she could come up with that hopefully wouldn’t lead to more awkward questions.

“What does an Earth mating shawl look like?” Xin asked, genuine interest in her eyes.

So much for no more questions! “Umm…” Callie wavered, trying to figure out how to describe what she was looking for in a context the Lizardkin would understand, especially given her limited knowledge of culture outside her home valley. Seeing blank paper and pencils on the next workbench, she motioned Xin to follow.

“I don’t draw as well or as artistically as you do,” Callie said as she began to work, “but this might help.” Holding the image in her mind’s eye, she quickly sketched out a front view, and then a second from the back.

“You draw very well, but how would you mate in this, Little One? It seems quite confining.”

“You … you would take it off at that point,” Callie said, her voice croaking again and face blushing.

“So you must wear this to attract the mate then, yes? I thought you were already bonded? Or is this simply to entice her to mate more?”

Callie was about to try embarrassingly to explain further, but then plain gave up. “Something like that, Xin.” Depending on how you look at it, she sort of had it right, or at least close enough.

Xin smiled and stood proudly, happy she had understood the purpose for the strange clothing. In fact, she realized she could help to make sure Callie got what she was looking for. Without saying anything, she took another piece of parchment paper and a pencil from the small workbench Callie was standing at, and moved to one that was a more-proper height. She glanced at the Gnome, sizing her up and picturing the Little One’s mating shawl in her mind.

Quickly starting to sketch, Xin took the simple, almost technical drawing that Callie had made, and added an artistic flare to it. Instead of an undetailed figure of a vaguely bipedal shape, the face and body on Xin’s picture was unmistakably Callie, detailed enough to show a choker made of flowers at her neck while the clothing showed off all the curves that would be emphasized.

While Xin had been drawing, Callie had moved close, watching on tiptoes as the picture simply appeared before her, almost capturing exactly what she was hoping to talk Fullo into making. It took only a couple minutes from sketch to details, and Xin finally slid it over for inspection.

“Like this, Little One?” Xin asked.

“That’s great, Xin! Amazing, even!”

Again, the Lizardkin beamed at the praise. “You will look very nice in this mating shawl, Little One. May you entice your mate many times.”

“Entice her mate?” Fullo asked, having returned to the room.

Xin flashed the new picture to the Quartermaster. “Yes, Callie wishes for a mating shawl as well.”

Taking the drawing, Fullo furrowed her furry brow. “A mating shawl? This is just a …”

Callie waved a hand dismissively in interruption, before handing over her own drawings. “It's easier to just let her call it that, trust me.”

“I see,” Fullo said, examining the drawings again, this time with a little more scrutiny. “This is what you came to ask for?”

Callie nodded. “If you’d be willing.”

“This is very out of the ordinary. What would you need this for?”

“Because I’m trying to look pretty?” Callie said with a questioning inflection.

“And black? In the summer?”

Callie shrugged. “It’s for the dance party that night, so yeah.”

Fullo shook her head, mumbling, “It must be some strange, Gnomish custom then.” Looking up at Callie, she flatly stated, “Making those hats for you and the other Rangers was one thing; we could at least say they were training related. We don’t really have the time to be making custom clothing that isn’t part of the uniform for everyone. At least Xin’s request is for something special and culturally important to the Lizardkin people.”

“The Little One’s shawl does not appear to be complex,” Xin said, pointing a claw at the picture she had drawn, as well as Callie’s.

“That isn’t the point,” Fullo replied crossly, looking side-eyed at the Shaman. She then glanced down, seeing the big, almost pleading, purple eyes on the little Gnome, and the hard resistance she was trying to put up seemed to melt a little. “Alright,” she said with a resigned sigh. “I’ll go ask my people if they are willing to make the time. But if they say no, then that’s the final answer, understood?”

Callie quickly nodded. She had sort of expected it might be a longshot anyways.

Still shaking her head slowly in disbelief, Fullo focused back to Xin. “We will be able to make your shawl. It will take about four days though, because of all the beadwork. They wish it to be perfect.”

“Very much thank yous,” Xin said, bowing her head gratefully.

“I’ll check on this,” Fullo said, disappearing into the back again, carrying the drawings with her.

“I must go, Little One Callie,” Xin said. “I must still report to Medical to get my Yogosi replaced. You have my much hope for your mating enticement shawl to be made.”

“Hey, Xin!” Callie quickly called out as the Shaman started to leave.

“Yes, Little One?”

“This is a surprise. Especially for Pixyl. So don’t say anything to anyone.”

“All the better way to entice her, then,” Xin said with an almost sly grin as she left.

Callie puttered and twiddled her fingers for a few minutes while waiting, idly picking up and setting down various things on the workbenches. She didn’t think she was making that big of a request, but she also had to admit she had no idea how busy things were in the back. The hats had only taken one day, though.

“Little One,” Fullo called out, finally walking back into the room, and looking about.

“Here,” Callie said from the other side of the area, quickly setting down the leather-working tool she was fiddling with.

“For some reason, the Brownies want to look at you before they decide,” the Quartermaster said with a sigh. “Have you ever met a Brownie?”

“I saw one that first day we were here, delivering a package to our cabin. But the others warned me never to talk to them, or they’d wipe my memory.”

Fullo nodded. “The Brownies are a strange, private people. They are completely devoted to their work, thinking it almost as a form of artistry, and wanting everything to be perfect. They have a great deal of strange magic to accomplish that artistry. This is wonderful for us, because there is so much to do here. For the Brownies, though, that work ethic runs so deep that they will defend their work and their secrets if anything gets in their way. And yes, they can wipe several hours from your mind to keep those secrets.”

“Okay,” Callie said, nervously.

“So,” Fullo continued, a strong warning tone in her voice as she held up a finger, “they want to come out to look at you before they decide. If you really want this made, don’t say anything. Just do what they tell you, let them do whatever they need to do, and answer their questions if they ask any. Understood?”

Quickly, Callie nodded her head.

“Alright, then. Remember, best behavior.” Fullo turned and called out, “Zyxengrisc, she’s ready for you.”

From around the corner poked a head, followed quickly by four more. The first Brownie walked out, the others trailing right after him. He was only about a half-meter tall, a little shorter than Pixyl, and looked up at Callie with seemingly skeptical eyes, while Callie simply swallowed nervously. With silvery hair and a few wrinkles on his face, he was obviously on the older-end of the age spectrum. He wore simple tan coveralls and carried a looped piece of string in one hand, what looked like the rolled up drawings in the other and a pencil wedged behind his ear. Behind him followed four younger female Brownies with the same clothing, padding along quietly, all also eyeing Callie carefully. In a lot of ways, their bodies were very similar in build to Pixyl’s and the other flying Fae, save for the lack of wings, and longer, slightly-droopy ears.

Gesturing to either side of the room, the silver-haired Brownie, who Callie assumed was this Zyxengrisc, spoke a series of words that Callie couldn’t understand. It was an almost musical language, and filled with occasional chirps, tones and pops; not anything she’d ever heard before.

Immediately, the other four fanned out, each grabbing a small booster by one of the work benches and carrying it back. One they placed in front of Zyxengrisc, that Brownie taking the loop of string from him. Two of the other boosters were set on either side of Callie, with the last being set in front of her.

The boss Brownie unrolled the drawings, laying them flat on the booster, using it as a makeshift table, before taking a pencil from behind his ear. “Call what?” he asked with a heavy, thick accent, gesturing to the drawings.

It took Callie a moment, but then it clicked. “It’s a dress,” she said simply.

Zyxengrisc rolled his eyes. “Yes, but mean?”

“It’s …. It’s just a basic little black dress,” she said, shrugging. Then she added, “To look pretty in.” Then she added more, “For the Midsummer dance.”

One of the female Brownies said something in their unique language, as if clarifying.

It took a moment, but then Zyxengrisc seemed to have a flash of clarity. “Make sexyful?”

“Uh …” Callie hedged. “Sure? It's supposed to be sexy, too?” She wasn’t sure she was answering the question right. He could be referring to the dress itself, or that it would make Callie sexy by wearing it.

The master Brownie tilted his head, then held up one of the pictures. He lowered the picture again to see Callie, and re-raised it. He did this several more times, comparing Callie to the picture, each time frowning a little deeper. He then started intensely speaking to two of the other Brownies in their native language. That chattering seemed to quickly escalate, both of the females putting their hands on their hips and raising their voices, before the other two ladies also joined in the argument. The four took turns gesturing towards Callie as they yelled at their boss, obviously irritated by something he’d said.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Callie whispered to Fullo. The Tigerkin just snickered.

“Much little,” Zyxengrisc finally said, looking at Fullo while gesturing towards Callie. “No …“ the Brownie trailed off, as if trying to find a word. Finally he set the drawing and pencil down. “Much little,” he said again, this time with more emphasis while putting both hands on his chest.

“Hey!” Callie scowled defensively, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to keep silent unless asked. “There’s enough there!”

Zyxengrisc shot Callie a glare of irritation, and then waved her off dismissively. “Much much little. Not able sexyful dress.” Turning he started to walk out, Callie, Fullo and the other four Brownies stunned.

“Hey!” Callie called again, this time even more sharply and with a little anger in her tone, causing him to turn back. “They may be little, but there’s enough. You just need to … squish them in a bit. See?” With her hands, Callie pressed her breasts together through her shirt, part of her not quite able to believe she was having this argument. “You just need to lift a bit, and then squish.”

As one, all four of the female Brownies went off on Zyxengrisc again, obviously angry about his attitude. While they argued, Callie stopped pawing herself and looked to Fullo, not really sure what to do? The Tigerkin was still no help, simply shrugging in return, while smirking just a little bit more. This shouldn’t be complicated. All she wanted was a simple, sexy little black dress that showed off her curves for the dance. This little guy was making it sound like it was an impossible task unless she had huge tits!

Unsure what else to do, Callie simply stood there, watching the four lady Brownies yell at the fifth. He said little, uttering just a few words of their language while seeming to simply wave off whatever case they were making, almost seeming snooty about it. Then remembering Fullo’s comment about the Brownies viewing their work almost as artistic, Callie had a sneaky idea…

“I mean, if it’s just too hard for you, I understand,” Callie said dismissively, shrugging and letting out a sad, over-exaggerated sigh.

A sudden silence filled the room, and Zyxengrisc slowly pushed the other tailors out the way as he took a few steps towards Callie. The silver-haired Brownie narrowed his eyes, putting his hands on his hips as he glared up at the Gnome. “What say?”

“It’s okay,” Callie said with a nod. “I completely get it. It’s really difficult to make someone looking like me all sexy. Fullo said you were all the best, but if it’s just too hard for you, you only need to say so. I’ll simply go to the party in my boring brown shirt and pants.” She was about ninety-percent sure she was about to get her memory zapped, so decided she might as well lay it on a little thick. “It’s too bad, I really just wanted to be pretty.” She followed that up with an even more-exaggerated sigh.

It took a few seconds, but then the four assistant Brownies started a taunting chant in their native language. They soon added a sing-song inflection to it, making it pretty evident they were calling Zyxengrisc the Brownie equivalent of a fashion coward, utterly impugning his professional skills. A quick glance at Fullo showed she had covered her face, and was working hard to hide outright laughter.

With a wave of his hand, Zyxengrisc cut off the chanting, taking a couple slow steps towards Callie and staring at her intently. “Bovas!” he said coolly, hands on his hips. Even without knowing their language, Callie was fairly sure that was the Brownie equivalent of ‘challenge accepted’. With newfound vigor, he gestured to three of his assistants, rattling off a series of orders and causing them to run from the room.

Returning to the drawings, Zyxengrisc looked through them, again holding one up to Callie as a comparison. Frowning, he set the drawing down, put his hands on his hips again, and said, “See squish!”

“What?”

“Squish! See squish!” This time he added a gesture of pushing breasts together as Callie had done.

“Oh,” Callie said, as she quickly repeated the motion, lifting and pressing inwards to show what it would take to make a little bit of cleavage.

“No, no! See squish.” Then he mimed opening a shirt, before gesturing to the remaining Brownie, who was holding the loop of string. “Get sizeness.”

“You want me to take this off? Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” There was a moment of tension.

“No squish? Then no ‘ittle sexyful dress,” the senior Brownie said smugly, basically passing the dare back to Callie.

“Don’t you have that stone for measuring through someone’s clothing?”

“Much little! Need tiny measure!” He held out his hand, showing a minuscule space between thumb and forefinger. “Much little!”

Callie looked to Fullo for help, but the Quartermaster just shrugged a ‘you asked for it’ response. For a long, hard moment Callie and Zyxengrisc stared each other down. Then, it occurred to Callie that well more than half the guys in the camp had seen her topless at some point already, so what was one more. Plus, she was on a mission now! She was going to get this damn dress! “Fine!”

With jerky, angry movements, Callie unbuttoned the top of her tunic, before untucking it from her pants and pulling it off over her head, tossing it roughly to the floor. “Pixyl better be really enticed,” she growled to herself as she put her hands on her own hips and stared back at the little Brownie.

“Squish!” the Brownie said with a clear ‘I’m waiting’ gesture.

Rolling her eyes, Callie angrily smushed her boobs together. “There! See? With the right cut you can make it work.” With a glare from the Brownie, she sighed and did it again, this time being much less rough and a lot more cooperative. “Lift and press together.” She then glanced down, gesturing with her chin to the rest of her torso. “Everything else you just make form fitting so it outlines my curves. That’s it, nice and simple.”

Looking down at the pictures again, Zyxengrisc picked up the pencil, made a tsking sound while shaking his head, and then spouted out a few Brownie-language instructions. Instantly, the remaining female Brownie stepped up on the booster in front of Callie.

Pulling Callies hands away from her chest, the Brownie had her hold her arms out straight, before uncoiling the loop of long string. Callie saw it had multiple colored markings along its length, similar to the string that Vonn had used weeks ago when she measured all the Rangers for their Heartwood bows. Immediately, the Brownie started holding the string up to Callie’s body, rattling off what must have been various measurements.

The little Brownie was thorough, measuring everything from the length of Callie’s arms, to the distance around her chest, both over and under her breasts. Then it was done again with Callie pressing them together. She then had Callie remove her pants, leaving her in just a pair of socks and her underwear, before returning to standing still with arms stretched wide.

Neck circumference, waist size, butt size, leg length, finger length, ear length. If it was a part of Callie’s body, it was ultimately measured, from the distance around her head all the way down to the circumference of her knee, with Zyxengrisc recording everything on the drawings. At least she didn’t need to take any more off! Occasionally, the master tailor would call out something, with another measurement quickly taken or retaken.

Callie, for her part, simply had to stand there, arms out wide, beginning to feel a little chilly and her chest showing it, and hoping nobody came through the office door behind her. “She better be really, really fucking enticed,” she grumbled again to herself.

Eventually, all measurements were completed about the same time that the three Brownies that had been sent off returned. Each of them had several long strips of cloth over their shoulders and were slightly winded. Nodding to them, Zyxengrisc walked towards Callie, still with her arms outstretched, and stepped up on to the booster. He tapped the top of Callie’s arms, finally allowing her to drop them.

One at a time, Zyxengrisc peeled a strip off the pile that each assistant had brought, holding it up to Callie’s naked torso, as if to compare it or make sure it was the right one. Most he quickly tossed aside with a dismissive snarl, while a few he threw over his shoulder, apparently for later reconsideration. None of the cloth was black, though, most of it being a vague, grayish-white, but Callie assumed it could be dyed black, maybe even with magic.

After a few minutes, the cloth testing had been completed, with Zyxengrisc rechecking several before narrowing it down to three. “Pick,” he said flatly.

Callie reached out, running a hand over each of them. They were all actually quite nice. None were the strong, linen-like cloth of their normal clothing or what was on their bunks. Instead, they were quite soft and two were mildly textured. They each felt almost perfect, but Callie eventually zeroed in on one that called to her. “That one,” she said, pointing. “It’s a little more stretchy, so it will hug tighter.”

Zyxengrisc nodded in agreement. “Yes. Most sexyful.” He flopped the strip of cloth over Callie’s shoulder, letting it hang down her back and chest, before stepping back a couple meters and considering, while tossing the other two strips aside. He returned his attention to the drawings, starting to make a few more notes.

“Can … can I put my clothes back …” Callie eventually began to ask nervously, but a noise that actually sounded a lot like ‘zip it!’ came out of Zyxengrisc’s mouth while he sharply held up a finger, silencing her while he concentrated on his notes. All this for a stupid black dress? Callie had really jumped in over her head with what she hoped would be a simple request, but maybe now the worst was over. And maybe, if she was lucky, she wouldn’t even remember any of this, once the Brownies scrambled her memory for talking back and being difficult.

Callie’s embarrassment suddenly increased tenfold as she heard the door open. She could tell by the voices immediately who it was, and instantly knew it was a thousand fates simply playing a joke on her. She closed her eyes, sighed, drooping her shoulders and waiting for the inevitable.

The first voice stopped in mid-sentence. “It appears,” Vanis said, carefully clearing his throat, “that the tannery is currently indisposed.”

“Callie!” Lena snapped. “Is there anywhere we can go where you actually keep your clothes on?”