Bonus Short Stories
What Is Asked of a Garment?
Layer after layer of cloth rolled onto the table, drawing an ecstatic squeal from the wraith professor at one end.
“Oh! Every single one is so wonderful! If only we could use them all!”
Across from her, a young changeling and student-to-be made every effort to remain calm. Had this been her old self, her face would have scrunched up with beads of sweat streaking across it—that was how uncomfortable this occasion was to her.
“The gods must be truly heartless to ask me to pick only one. Why don’t we simply have you change dresses throughout the night to debut in more outfits?!”
“P-Pardon me, Great-Master. I think my master would be rather upset if we did that.”
Packed as the College was with eccentrics and cranks, Magdalena von Leizniz was singularly unique. Today, she stood before a lively collection of designs each detailing a front, back, and side profile, all made to adorn a little girl to be as pretty as could be.
Every single design had been drafted by crown jewels of the fashion world: some of the oldest money in the capital was willing to wait a decade to commission their work. Yet Lady Leizniz, as a longtime patron and the first to preach of their talents, could mobilize them in shockingly quick fashion—though perhaps not as shocking as the budget she had allotted for the project.
The task at hand was to make something for the young Elisa to wear at her official enrollment-cum-debut. Just from a glance, the girl could tell that the eastern velvets and satins and the southern silks sprawled out before her could feed a rural family for three generations; that was to say nothing of the handwoven lacework and gems slated to adorn their final forms. Factoring in the cost of design and construction, the total price exceeded her capacity to imagine.
“Goodness, that disciple of mine truly understands nothing of the finer things in life! Preparing an apprentice’s formal debut should take all one’s attention and more. How can she live with herself, not even showing up to help select your dress?!”
“Um, but this isn’t an imperial wedding or anything so grand. I don’t think I’ll need more than one outfit.”
Although her brother had brought along a patron who would merrily sign off on any expense, Elisa couldn’t overcome her pause. Besides, the designs had all been drawn up to suit Lady Leizniz’s inclinations: that is to say, they were far too mature for a girl still a ways out from her second decade. Had her brother been present, the gloves as long as a grown noblewoman’s and drooping veils to obscure her face would have gotten him to consider an anonymous tip-off to the closest church.
“Mm... Well, you’ll need everyday clothes anyhow, so we shall order at least five or six sets. But still, to narrow that down to one for your debut... Oh, how vexing!”
Nobles were not to show their emotions on their sleeves, but evidently, moral dissolution outweighed classist pride; the professor took the documents in hand, poring over them with just as much interest as she brought to thaumaturgic treatises, if not more.
Having grown much in the past few years, Elisa instinctively recognized that things were sure to get out of hand if she left the woman to her devices. Hurriedly, the girl reached over to sift through the papers herself; she needed to find the least objectionable outfit she could while the wraith was busy squealing and making herself more transparent. To this end, Elisa steeled herself against her peasant instincts. Any attempt to deny wanton luxury would be vetoed with the dubious excuse that it was fine for a professor to spoil her great-apprentice.
“Look, how about this?!”
“That may be a touch conspicuous for me.”
In her heart, the changeling wondered why she would ever be recommended something fit for a royal bride; on the surface, though, she managed to turn the suggestion down with a smile.
Suddenly, a single design caught her eye. Amidst the sea of novel and ostentatious concept pieces was one relatively simple sketch: a robe. Though its sleeves were tapered off into cuffs and the hem went down to a traditional length, the garment managed to remain cute. Hoods were prone to looking dull and unrefined, but this design sectioned its hood away to a small shoulder-length cape to minimize its overall effect.
The robe was both charmingly girly and the spitting image of a mage; it captured Elisa’s heart in an instant.
“Are you sure you want this one? Isn’t it a tad...drab?”
A great deal of embroidery embellished the collar and every edge, and Elisa’s master Agrippina would surely add more in the form of protective enchantments; the final product would be far from what anyone could consider drab. The young student-to-be insisted that this was the one.
“If Dear Brother—oh! Excuse me. If Brother Dearest is to see me wearing today’s order, I’d like to show him that I’ll do just fine as a student. And this looks like something a magus would wear.”
Elisa firmly stated her mind. But not a moment after, she became worried: the woman she’d spoken back to was her master’s master—nominal though the relationship was—and the dean of her school. What if her insistence upset Lady Leizniz?
The next instant, the girl discovered her fears were unfounded.
Hands covering her mouth, the undead dean somehow managed to wet her eyes as she trembled with emotion. Eventually, she could contain her elation no longer.
“So! Precious!”
And so, Elisa got to pick her debut outfit without a hitch.
Looking at the schedule, it was anyone’s guess as to whether the robe would be finished by the time her brother left the capital, but Elisa held onto hope: she wanted him to see how hard she was trying to grow up. With an unspoken prayer, she hugged the design tight.
[Tips] A College student’s debut is ordinarily an opportunity for their master to introduce them to friendly professors and researchers. However, particularly powerful magia may instead host larger galas and invite non-Collegiate nobles or members of other cadres.
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