Notes

We need to talk.

I stare at the blue paper while being very confused.

I was hoping that you’d respond, but I don’t have enough time for that if you’re going to be taking so long! I can only talk for a limited time!

‘Wait what!? Who are you!?’

Right, introductions, I’m Cy, Cy T. Adel, nice to make your acquaintance.

While saying this the top of the strip of paper bends, as though a person was bending their head while greeting someone.

Ah! I don’t have time for this!

At this the paper straightens completely.

I’m only saying this once so pay attention! This here book is broken! It’s lost a lot of its pages to greedy people who wanted its power for themselves! You’ve awakened a few pages of the book due to it wanting to help you, and when you gave back the notes page it was barely enough for me to come out, I can’t stay long enough to explain properly but you need to find the other pages! Or make more new ones! Either way works, just fill the book!

‘Umm… Sure?’

Whaddya mean “sure”!?

With the sound of leather rubbing against itself the straps attached to the book start multiplying and covering everything except for my face and I fall to the ground in surprise.

I need you to swear that you’ll do it! If you don’t I’ll make sure you’ll be stuck like this when I have to leave, I’ll make it so not even the book itself will be able to undo it!

I try to move myself to get back up, and find that , despite the forcefulness of the person talking through the book, I can still move just fine.

Grraahh! Curse this weak body! If I could actually leave the book I’d go and finish it myself!

‘Dude. Calm down. I’ll try and fix the book okay? It’s not like I would’ve ignored it if I saw a piece of paper that looked like the book’s in the first place.’

But the thing is that they won’t look like the pages of the book!

‘You mean like when the notes page went into my mask?’

...

‘Did they leave already?’

No, I just didn’t expect you to get it right on your first gue

At this time the strip of paper goes back inside the pouch.

‘Did they leave this time? Hey book, are you okay?’

The book shakes once and starts trying to take of the leather that was still wrapped around me, hwever nothing happens other than some more leathery sounds..

‘Wait wait wait, hang on a bit.’

In order to not get smushed together I phase myself out of the leather, letting the book undo all the ties and knots now that it had some leeway, I then put it back on and walk back out the alley while thinking about what happened.

-=Shiona POV=-

We stand next to the door, which was twice my size, waiting for Lizz to come back down, and once she does we walk into it.

“Charlie, you said this place mostly serves other species right? What types of species? Like, how tall are they?”

“Well most of them around between one and a half and two meters tall, how so?”

“And this door fits them all?”

“Yeah? What’s the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing.” ‘I’ve only been with people shorter than me so I thought I was pretty tall, I guess it was just them being really short.’

Charlie stares at me for a bit, smiling.

‘Right. Mind readers. It’s really creepy, please stop.’

“Well it’s your fault for thinking so loudly, it’s not something we can turn off, that’s like asking someone to puncture their eardrums, just think more quietly.”

I sigh and look forwards seeing that we’ve left the corridor we were in and entered a large room.

“Excuse me, anyone here?” Asks Charlie loudly.

“Yes, yes, I’m here, hang on, have a seat in the meantime.” Can be heard as a response coming from further in and we sit down on a group of chairs next to one of the walls.

Out from one of the doorways comes aa elderly pickit followed by what looks like a human carrying large rolls of cloth.

“Now then, what would you dearies like? Oh, and I hope you know miss pickit that only those two will be getting the discount.”

“Yeah I know, but only those two are going to be getting clothes here.”

“Boss, where should I put these?” Asks the human.

“Oh just put them on the desk in the workroom.”

The human then walks out through another door.

“Well then what would you like miss demi-bird?”

At first I’m a bit confused by her calling me a demi-bird rather than a harpy, but I soon recover.

“Uhm…” I say. “I don’t know a lot about clothing, but something easy to move in and not to warm? I do have a feathery coat after all.”

“And the little half-dragonfly?” She then asked, making me even more confused as to why whe called me demi but her half.

“Uhm… I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but doesn’t it look like it would be really comfortable to be like Plush?” Lizz asks both me and Charlie.

“I guess?” Charlie responds.

“You mean like a onesie?” I ask her.

The seamstress looks at me with doubt in her eyes.

“I thought you said you didn’t know a lot about clothes, but a onesie is a very rare thing that only enthusiast know about.”

“Err… It’s pretty common where I’m from? People use them as pyjamas there.”

With interest evident in her eyes she repeats the word with a questioning tone, prompting me to explain.

“It’s clothes that are specifically for wearing when you sleep so you don’t need to wash the blankets and stuff as often.”

*scribble* *scribble*

She starts writing down notes on a paper that she pulled out from her clothes and then puts it back where she got it.

“So something light and breezy without arms for the demi-bird miss and a onesie for the miss dragonfly, I’ll need to take measurements of you both before I can start.”

She gets up from her seat and grabs a cane which I swear she wasn’t using before, she then tells us to follow here to a part of the room partitioned off by a large cloth hanging from the roof.

“How about the dragonfly first? Should take the least time.”

“Okay!”

They both walk inside, I hear some more scribbling sounds and Lizz then comes back out after a few seconds while the seamstress asks me to come in from inside.

When I get inside I can see that the seamstress is standing on top of a half a meter tall metal cylinder with two levers on top, looking like someone stacked a bunch of roombas on top of one another, and a smaller wooden platform next to her.

“Stand there please, and if you could take of the mask and belt it would make it easier for me.”

I take off my mask and put it on a shelf.

“Huh, I called you a demi-bird before, but now that I see your face I can tell you’re a half-bird, excuse me.”

Feeling a bit confused I then tug a bit at the belt and when I don’t find a way to take it off I tell her I can’t.

“I see, then I will have to think about that to while I’m making it. Please stand here and I’ll start.”

She then pulls on one of the ends of the cane she came in with and reveals that it was actually a tape measure.

After a while we both come out of the partitioned area, the seamstress gives Charlie a small crystal and we all leave.

“By the way, how many days until the clothes are done Charlie?”

“Days? Should only take an hour or so. Now come here, though Plush doesn’t, you two will need some supplies for when you start traveling.”

We then walk through a lot of alleys, stopping every so often for Charlie to buy a leather bag, a few wooden sticks and some vials of liquid.

“What are these even? Soda?”

“Soda? These are potions, drink ‘em and stuff happens.” Says Lizz before Charlie gets a chance to answer.

“What kinds of stuff? I’m guessing red is healing and blue is magic, but what about the green and yellow?”

“they-” *pek*

Lizz begins to explain only to be interrupted by a forehead flick by Charlie.

‘Those claws have to have made that hurt.’

Charlie then clears her throat and starts explaining.

“The yellow makes your skin and flesh stronger, while the green has the same effect but for muscles.”

“Alright, well where to next? And what is this ringing sound?”

“Oh! I didn’t realize.”

She then picks out the crystal that the seamstress gave us, however now it’s glowing, shaking, and generating a ringing noise.

“This means the clothes are done, let’s go back.”