The Knights Himura

"Alright, let's get going!" Tsuki started for the exit of Aurelia's shop before a hand grabbed her collar.

"Nope." Haruka pulled.

"But we know where the guy is!" Tsuki resisted.

Sylvie looked at Tsukiko. "The club doesn't open till Saturday night, idiot."

"But…"

Sylvie shook her head. "We can't do anything till then."

Tsuki frowned. "But we're so close!"

"Weren't you the one saying that you weren't in a hurry?" Sylvie glared.

"…Fine." Tsuki sighed.

"Just relax for a bit, will ya?" Sylvie whined.

Tsuki slouched a bit. "It's kinda boring around here though."

"Why don't you hang out with Haru and Kaz?" Sylvie suggested.

"Nah." Haruka shook her head.

"Why not?" Sylvie asked.

"Third wheels are never fun." Haruka joked.

"Third wheel for what?" Sylvie cocked her head.

"A date, of course." Haruka blushed.

"What?" Tsuki turned to her sister.

"I don't want you to get in the way. Y'know, if we decide to head to a hotel or something." Haru showed a toothy smile as she mocked her sister.

Tsuki closed her eyes. "Man, I don't wanna hear that."

"Jeez, Tsuki, get your mind out of the gutter." Haruka chuckled.

"Why else would anyone go to a hotel on a date?" Tsuki protested.

Haruka faked disgust. "My, I don't know what you and that girl do on your dates, but--"

"Yeah, yeah." Sylvie interrupted. "I'd hang out with you, Tsuki, buuuuuut I got shit to do, soooooo..."

"Yeah, I get the hint." Tsuki moped.

"Shizuka's always open." Haruka suggested.

"I don't think I should spend too much time at her place. Don't get me wrong, she's great, but I can't just force myself into her life." Tsuki explained.

"What about Fumiko?" Sylvie suggested.

"Back in the hospital. She's fine, they just need to do some tests, blood work, that sort of thing." Tsuki frowned.

Haruka tried to help her sister. "Can't you hang out with Lily?"

"She's busy." Tsuki sighed.

"With what?" Haruka narrowed her eyes.

Tsuki just shrugged.

"Any other friends?" Sylvie asked.

Tsukiko put her head down in shame. "Not really."

"Am I not a friend?" Aurelia spoke from across the room.

"Huh?" Tsukiko turned to her.

"If you are not busy, you could help Claudia and I run some errands and manage the shop. Maybe you would learn something." Aurelia smiled at her.

"Not like I've got anything better to do." Tsuki agreed.

"Oh, then come sit with us!" Aurelia stopped working and waved.

As Tsukiko stood up and took the first steps, Haruka and Sylvie both left through a back door back to Tokyo. Tsuki sat down across from Aurelia, who was sewing up a dress.

"Who's this for?" Tsuki touched the fabric.

Aurelia's gloves very carefully maneuvered the delicate cloth. "A frequent customer."

"How much do these run for anyways?" Tsuki inspected the high quality fabric.

Aurelia blinked. "I would not know."

"Huh?" Tsuki leaned forward slightly.

Aurelia smiled. "I have everything I could possibly want."

"I'd imagine giving out clothes for free would make you a pretty popular tailor." Tsuki sat up straight.

"I only give my clothing to a select few. There is a price, in a way, but profit is not my goal." Aurelia's fingers very carefully danced with the needle.

"What is the price then?" Tsuki watched her.

"I would like to see them happy. I would like my work, be it clothing or fortune-telling or anything else, to lead people to a better future." Aurelia's lips curled.

"Huh… That's deep." Tsuki scratched her head.

"It is a simple pleasure." Aurelia looked at her.

Tsukiko adjusted her hat. "You're really weird."

"I am only a woman." Aurelia smiled.

Tsuki nodded. "What did you want me to help you with anyways?"

"It is a short delivery to a rather important client of mine."

"Important?" Tsuki asked.

" I enjoy their company. I enjoy seeing them grow. You might understand it better once you meet them." Aurelia seemed warmer than usual.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"So no sewing?" Tsuki asked.

Aurelia laughed. "No sewing."

"Oh thank god…" Tsukiko sighed. "I don't know how to sew."

Aurelia chuckled. "That much is obvious."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A young woman like yourself would not know how to sew, especially in current times. I could teach you if you wished." Aurelia offered with an extended hand."

Tsuki thought about it for a second. "Ehh, I wouldn't wanna get in your way. Maybe someday, but not any time soon."

"Maybe someday you will make your own jackets." Aurelia joked.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. If I did all my own clothes, I'd end up missing you." Tsuki watched Aurelia work.

Aurelia's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Yeah. Though, it would be nice to take some of the work off of you." Tsukiko admitted. "I always feel a bit guilty taking things for free."

"If you wanted, you could wear that jacket your whole life." Aurelia seemed proud.

"How?"

"It adjusts to you by itself. It fits well, right?" Aurelia stopped working for a second to look up and admire her other work.

"Weird. These clothes do fit really, really well. They look tight but they aren't restrictive at all." Tsuki tugged at her sleeves.

"The fabric itself is… special. Shizuka's jacket must have surprised you." Aurelia reached across and touched the sleeve.

"Yeah. It looked spotless, but it had been in storage for a while. Not to mention how much she used it before retirement. How'd you manage that?" Aurelia asked.

"I studied fabrics for centuries." Aurelia grabbed her needle again.

"Centuries?" Tsuki's eyes widened.

Aurelia nodded. "Clothing has always fascinated me. It could mean so much or so little."

"Centuries." Tsukiko repeated.

"My clothing is a bit outdated, at least by the standards of today." Aurelia started sewing again. "It is difficult keeping up with modern fashion trends."

"Are you gonna keep dodging the question?" Tsuki put her arm on the table.

"What kind of modern clothes do you think would suit me?" Aurelia looked up at Tsukiko for a second, then back down to the dress.

"Kind of hard question. I'm not too fashionable. Maybe Fumi could pick something out for you." Tsuki stopped for a moment to think.

"You don't know what you'd like to see another woman wear?" Aurelia teased her.

"That was mean." Tsuki went red.

"Am I wrong?" Aurelia looked at her.

Tsuki looked Aurelia up and down. "I've worn blouses and skirts most of my life, so I wouldn't really know much. If I had to say…" she went silent for a second. "Have you ever worn anything simpler?"

"Possibly a few decades ago." Aurelia answered.

Tsuki looked at her again. "How long have you been wearing those clothes?"

"I wear other things from time to time." Aurelia looked down at her black corset and red brooch. "I find myself gravitating toward clothes like these."

"…so, centuries." Tsuki responded blankly.

Aurelia nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"Hey, if you're comfy, you're comfy. I've been wearing this jacket for days." Tsuki regretted saying it aloud.

"I would hope so." Aurelia nodded, grabbed the dress she was working on, and stood up. "Would you like to join me?"

"Join you in what?" Tsukiko looked up at her.

"Delivering this to my client."

Tsukiko stood up. "Oh, shit, yeah. Definitely!"

Aurelia approached one of the doors and swung it open. "After you."

–

Once again, Tsukiko returned to the spot in front of the fountain, the little town looking the same as it did before. Aurelia fit in in this place, at least somewhat. She still stood out a little, but not nearly as badly as she did back in the much more modern looking Tokyo.

Aurelia took a deep breath. "The air here is wonderful."

"Yeah. This place's really pretty." Tsuki looked around.

They'd arrived at noon, during which the town's picturesque qualities were thoroughly enhanced by the favorable lighting, though the place looked just as nice any time of the day.

"This way." Aurelia started walking away from the door.

"Alright!" Tsuki tagged along.

"Ahh, Claudia would have loved this." Aurelia's heels made a loud sound with each step on the cobble paved road.

"Where is Claudia anyway?" Tsuki looked up at Aurelia.

Aurelia paused. "She left on private business."

Tsuki became somewhat curious. "What kind of business could a girl like her have?"

"She deserves privacy as much as you and I do." Aurelia gently reminded her. "She is a multi-talented person. Though, you should ask her yourself if you want to find out."

"Hmm." Tsukiko stared down at the pavement. "It's not exactly easy to talk to her…"

"Ahh, here we are." Aurelia turned and approached a building before knocking on the door.

The door swung open and the Doctor that Tsukiko had met before answered. "Ahh, hello, Aurelia… and Miss…"

"Himura." Tsuki proudly responded. "Himura Tsukiko."

The grey haired girl from before appeared at the Doctor's side, looking up at Aurelia with a sort of worried face, before it faded into a muted look of joy.

"This is for you." Aurelia kneeled down and held out the dress for her to see.

Aurelia held out a small white and blue dress to the young girl, with frills around the neck and a bow on the chest. It didn't look like much, but the girl looked overjoyed.

"For me?" The girl seemed shocked. "It's beautiful…"

"Of course." The blonde replied.

The girl hesitated, but she eventually reached out and grabbed it, holding it close.

"Thank you." The girl smiled wide.

The doctor turned to the girl. "Go ahead, try it on."

The girl nodded and hurried off.

"Sorry." The man held out a small bag. "She feels guilty if she sees me pay."

"You know I do not like to take anything from you." Aurelia shook her head a little.

"It's a gift." The doctor shook his head.

"I cannot reject a gift from a friend." Aurelia grabbed the bag.

"At least that girl looks happy." Tsuki tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah…" the man brightened slightly.

"Miss Himura and I must get going now." Aurelia raised her hand elegantly.

"Oh, no problem. Thanks." The man smiled.

Aurelia immediately turned and started walking back toward the shop.

"That's it?" Tsuki walked alongside her.

Aurelia smiled. "Did you expect something more important?"

"No… Just… I feel like you'll trick me into doing some busy work if I keep talking." Tsuki struggled to keep up.

"I would not do that to you." Aurelia chuckled. "You have enough work as it is, Tsukiko."

"Ehh, it hasn't been too hard." Tsuki put an arm behind her head.

"Not yet." Aurelia cautioned.

Tsuki sighed. "Let's hope I can toughen up."

"Tsukiko?" Aurelia switched subjects. "Do you have any talents?"

"Fighting?" Tsuki shrugged.

"Do you study the arts? Are you a musicienne?" Aurelia spoke in a strange dialect.

"Musicienne?" Tsuki looked up at Aurelia.

"You seem to be someone who enjoys music." Aurelia said.

"Hmm… I'm more of a listener, but a little this, little that. I took piano lessons as a kid, but I never really finished them." Tsukiko yawned.

"I could teach you something." Aurelia looked down at Tsuki.

"Like what?" Tsuki asked.

Aurelia turned to Tsuki as she walked. "What would you like to learn?"

"Hmm… What would you recommend?" Tsukiko spoke indecisively.

Aurelia turned to Tsukiko and looked her up and down. She analyzed nearly every inch of her body before looking away to think.

"What?" Tsuki asked.

Aurelia turned to a house on the side of the path and turned the knob to a black room. "After you, dear."

"Dear?" Tsuki hesitated for a second before stepping in.