Author's note: I've been sat on this AU for a while. Admittedly with a few decisions to make but other than that I have the general storyline. And I came up with this whilst watching The Dressmaker a few months back. Would recommend.


"Honestly Elichika, I don't know where this sudden attitude came from," Eli's mother shook her head as they were halfway down the street away from another dress shop, "You'll have to accept one shop sooner or later."

Eli sighed as she looked at the wedding band on her finger with no emotion other than disdain. She elected to ignore her mother's annoyed rambling as she absentmindedly scanned the shops.

"There's only one shop left and it isn't even that well known! But if you insist on being so fussy then we should take a look," Eli cast a glance at her, sighing inaudibly as her mother walked in front of her.

"Mother, there was nothing I found particularly interesting in those shops," Eli protested and it was the truth. The dresses were not to her taste at all. Either too frilly, too plain, or too puffy. Anything along those lines, and even the slightest excuse to get out of the stores and away from their animated owners was enough for her.

"Well, I found the last one just fine. You even rejected a Minami dress that your father and I were willing to pay all that money for."

"With all due respect, Minami dresses are overrated."

"If I was your age I would've loved to have gotten married in a Minami dress," Her mother sent her a curt glance, "I don't see the problem."

"Well, I'm not you, mother."

"Bite your tongue Elichika. I don't expect you to be, but I want some respect."

Eli didn't let her expression change as she swallowed down the words she was about to say. The topic of her wedding was a sensitive one; this didn't feel like what she wanted. Even if the date was fixed many months away, she was already feeling regret. It was mainly family pressure mixed with an (un)healthy dose of greed as well. Well, not greed on her part anyway.

They fell into silence at Eli's non-reply. Eli just wanted this day to be over if she was honest.

Her mother stopped and she very nearly bumped into her in her absentmindedness. The final shop she would have to slog through lay just in front of them.

It was fairly humble compared to the other places they had visited, with a likelihood that the person who owned the shop lived there as well on the top floor. Eli scanned over the sign quickly, taking a vague note of the shop's name, Tojo Designs.

Eli entered after her mother and the two were greeted with a relatively enclosed room; fabrics draped over partitions, mannequins in messy lines with labels pinned onto their fronts and a desk covered in sketches and notebooks.

Upon hearing the bell of the door ring, the woman in the store turned her head away from her current project, an elegant suit with a dark blue tie, and strangely enough, on the only mannequin without a name label. She took the pins out of her mouth and left the needle inside the fabric carefully, sticking the pins inside a small cushion on her wrist.

"Ah, welcome! Just give me a moment and I'll be right with you," She gently lifted the mannequin and put it back in line, drawing a wisp of hair out if her face and putting it behind her ear.

Despite the fact that she looked relatively tired, her green eyes remained bright and her hair still shone, despite the fact that some of it had escaped from the neat bun she had initially put it up in. With a contented sigh, she turned back to her entrants and approached them with a slight bow.

"Thank you for your patience. How may I help you?"

Eli's mother cast her a cursory glance before turning back to the shop owner. Eli didn't seem to have any objections, in fact she seemed relatively stunned, "We're looking for a wedding dress for my daughter."

"Ah, I see, what kind if thing are you looking for?" She folded her arms, that same warm smile still on her face.

"Elichika? It's up to you what you want."

"Oh?" Eli swallowed, "Y-yes. I was interested in something figure hugging, maybe elegant?"

The woman chuckled, "Maybe elegant?" She stepped closer and inspected her body shape, "Ah, I can see you in something like that."

Eli didn't raise any protests, unlike she had done with the other shops. Her mother seemed quite pleased at that fact.

"So, is this the place you want to go with, Elichika?" She turned to her and Eli nodded silently, "Well then, I shall have to take my leave. Your little sister's tutor needs to be paid," She pushed the door open, but she stopped before leaving, "Any and all payments shall be taken care of Tojo-san. Or at least, I presume that is you?"

"Ah, I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? How rude of me," She giggled quietly, "I'm Tojo Nozomi, but you can call me Nozomi."

Eli's mother smiled and nodded politely as she left and when the door was fully shut, Nozomi grabbed the tape measure from her desk and sighed, "I do apologise if this seems a bit candid, but I'll need you to take off your clothing so I can get accurate measurements."

Eli gulped and flushed red lightly, clearing her throat before Nozomi could take too much notice. Nozomi drew the blind over the door and the sign to 'closed' to allow her client some privacy and Eli couldn't quite get to the back of her dress.

"Nozomi-san, would you mind unzipping the back of my dress for me?"

Nozomi nodded and made her way behind her, holding the tape measure between her teeth and drawing the zip down, unknowingly holding her breath as it slipped off her to reveal a sheen of pale, well kept skin. She moved away as Eli worked off the rest of her dress to only be clad in her bra and underwear.

Nozomi was surprised to see that Eli didn't even have to wear a corset to retain her figure. She brought her over to beside the desk and flipped open a notebook and fountain pen, holding the pen between her teeth. She let out a long, silent exhale before she began to take measurements, allowing herself 'accidental' brushes to her skin.

"So, you're getting married then?" Nozomi broke the silence in a cheery fashion.

"Yes," Eli glanced at the ring on her finger, "I am."

"I never did get your name, do you mind?"

"Not at all. I'm Ayase Eli."

Nozomi penned down her name at the top of the page and on a label for a mannequin, humming quietly, "Ayase? I thought you looked familiar. You're getting married to Yamazaki Noburu, right? The politician?"

Eli delayed her response for a moment, "Yes, that's right."

"Ah, a lucky man from the looks of things," She said, bringing the tape round for a waist measurement.

"I suppose so."

Nozomi slowed her movements, as though assessing something in her head, but Eli didn't think about it too deeply.

"I've noticed that one of those clothes doesn't have a label on them," Eli said, observing it, "And it isn't a dress either."

"Ah yes," Nozomi hummed, "They wanted the utmost discretion regarding their suit. No mention of their name, gender, or anything like that. I can't say any more, I apologise. They paid me extra despite me insisting that I didn't need it to keep their identity private."

"Ah?"

Eli found it the most embarrassing when Nozomi had to take a bust measurement, but when it was over, she found she had been holding her breath as she did so.

"So, you wanted figure hugging? That will definitely work with you. Elegant as well, so perhaps just white with stitched patterns?" Nozomi wrote down the final measurement, "Oh, and you can put your dress back on now."

Eli did as she was told, allowing Nozomi to help her zip it back up before she replied, "That's fine."

"I'll have some sketches by tomorrow, can you drop by then?"

Eli nodded, "I can make that. I'll bring my mother along as well."

"Good. I'll see you then."

Nozomi sent her a warm smile and Eli managed one back as she left, quite honestly wondering how she had been flustered into buying a dress here. Then again, it wasn't like she had any more room to refuse. Surprisingly, she found herself looking forward to seeing the dressmaker the next day.


Author's note: I wonder if anyone can spot my spinoff bait :0