I don't own digimon.
Lost Story
Convergence Point Pt 0.5
Usagi Renja could tell tonight was going to be different.
Not in the way that it was the first time that she had accidentally breached into this world, but a feeling of nostalgia. Quite an ironic feeling ahead of what was likely a busy day at her boutique. At least, busier than the day that Victoria fucking Arcana brought her personal attack demon lady thing right outside the shop. At least she remembered to pick up her coord and the rest of her outfit as well. While a fun project, it didn't stop the rumors from popping up at DA03. Though, she was covered in just as many rumors.
"Yamuwoenai kotodatta to omoimasu. (I guess it was inevitable.)" the seamstress thought and looked over the stitching she was working on. A black bustle, it was intended for someone special.
Of course it was on the project for the person she cared about the most. Perhaps too much, in fact. That day was very much puppy dog love in the worst possible way. Just with zombies, dismemberment and people without any morals. Couldn't forget about that last one. The blood stains were long gone, but Usagi could still see where the limbs were torn apart and they impacted the coord. Couldn't be helped. The past was already written. Now, only the future could be changed.
"Chacha, yurushite kureru? (Chacha, do you forgive me?)"
Her words fall on dear ears at the moment. She was bereft of customers, unless one counted the passers by who looked at her displays. While a handful of them did stop and stare, there would be bound to be a better attraction than her place. Yes, people came to shop for all kinds of weird and wonderful things in Harajuku, but lolita coords and neo-victorian fashion were an overflowing market in this ward. She had little to stand on as a gimmick. At least beyond accepting more than the regular currencies and doing jobs for digimon and hybrids.
"To omou hododeshita. (I thought as much.)" the seamstress thought as she looked over her handiwork. Satisfactory, but it felt as if she was missing something key. Drive? Ambition? No, she had tons of that. Forgiveness. That's what it was. She had been unable to forgive herself for the actions that hadn't even occurred in this timeline. No, it was the previous loop. Or cycle. But only Ms Arcana referred to it as that. "Kore wa yakunitachimasen. Koko de betsu no koto o kangaeru hitsuyō ga arimasu. (This isn't helping. I need to be thinking about something else here.)"
Closing her eyes, Usagi let thoughts of her older sisters flood her mind. While not related to her biologically, they were likely surfing in Greece. Yeah. That sounded right. Probably living a far better life than she ever deserved. No, those thoughts were exactly what she was trying to avoid in the first place.
"Watashi ga suru koto ga dekimasu. (I can do this.)" Usagi told herself, wiping away the tears. The last thing she needed was to wreck her work after so much work. Though, a single tear would not be noticed by the client. "Watashi wa watashi no akuryō ga watashi o taosu koto o yurushimasen. (I will not let my demons take me down.)"
Letting out a sigh, she moved the bustle up. Moving to the ruffles of the skirt, the white lace looked to have taken a bit of a beating. Mostly in the form of opponents grabbing at it, or something in the way of a hook attempting to grab at it. Yeah. That was probably it. Definitely not her. She had died in a single blow. But could the seamstress be completely certain on that front? Closing her eyes, she let the memories flood back in. Once more, she found herself within the accursed underground facility. Except, there was something else there. A castle, and a princess dressed in orange.
"I'm sorry, Usagi." Polly announced, her gaze falling on the multi-colored blood covering her fists. Very much Usagi's own blood spilled, the seamstress collapsing to the ground. Staring up at the woman who fell her after a hard fought battle, she felt at peace. Yet, that wasn't the only thing here.
"I'm sorry, my guard. You didn't deserve to hurt for my foolishness." the princess cooed and wrapped her arms around Usagi's body. Her body is cold. Too cold. Hypothermia has no doubt set in, taking with it all feeling in their body. Fighting to keep her eyes open, it was a futile effort.
"U ̄ n... (Ugh…)" Usagi muttered as her eyes fluttered open. Back to looking at the bustle, she got to work fixing the lace. Reaching out for her spool of a similar color, it did occur to Usagi what had happened. She had likely just messed up that part of the garment the other day and convinced herself that someone else had done it. An easy fix, but still annoying.
"Kanojo ga kore o kiniitte kureru koto o kokorokara negatte imasu. (I really hope that she likes this.)" Usagi thought and got back to work. Cutting the section of ribbon necessary to complete the work, she got to removing the old section, attaching the new lace in its place. All without making it look as if she had torn that lace out and done it again.
While easier said than done, the seamstress was more than happy with the results. Looking towards the boutique's showroom, she found it still to be empty. That was one less problem to deal with while she got the rest of this one outfit ready for Chacha. While she had no way of knowing whether or not the robot had returned to the 'Real World' (an awfully odd way to refer to a place like Earth, all things considered), the way her night had been going suggested it would occur relatively soon. Especially with a new job to do in the form of cleaning up, sewing and possibly refurbishing whatever outfit Chacha brought back down. While it was likely to be in good shape, that didn't stop the seamstress from wanting to work with it. Perhaps even get in a conversation. It had been a bit since they had gotten to talk. Though, part of that could be chalked up to the fact that she couldn't speak coherently for a time and her opponents being in a rush to get the fuck out of here. To be fair, she would've been too. That facility absolutely sucked. Nothing like dealing with the spirits of your fuckups made manifest to haunt you until your death. On the bright side, that accursed place no longer existed. Neither here in Japan or in dimensional space. Not that one could say for certain if that was the case. The researchers at DA03 kept that kind of thing under lock and key. Mostly to prevent the more foolhardy adventurers in their employ from fucking around and finding out. A good policy, all things considered. At the same time, it could easily bite them in the ass. Only time would tell the answer here. For now, she shoved the thought away. Wasn't worth dwelling on it at the moment.
Getting up from her desk, Usagi walked over to a bookcase. Instead of books, shoes of all kinds stared back at the seamstress. Heels, ankle boots, flats and even wedges just to name a few. All different colors, materials and patterns. If you knew the right things to ask her, she could hook you up. Within reason, of course. There were limits. Limits that Usagi very much knew to stay within for the sake of keeping her license and continue working. Yeah, that sounded right.
"Usagi?" a voice announced and Usagi froze. Poking out from the side of the 'bootcase', she could clearly make out Chacha. Dressed in much the same bustle she had appeared in the last time their paths crossed, it looked absolutely wrecked. The gloves and heeled ankle boots perhaps could be salvaged, but the dress was very much in need of repairs. Between the stains, rips and god knows what else, it was clear her services were needed.
"Uh… give me a moment." Usagi announced, taking a moment to look at her own attire. The pastel green lolita jumper coord decorated with rabbits felt like a good choice here, but the plain stockings with the dark green flat shoes were kind of not a good call. Her hair was a mess and she hadn't gotten a chance to touch up her makeup. Yet, her hands reach out to the completed bustle. Grabbing hold, she lifted it off of the table. Letting out a sigh, an earnest effort is made to push out the butterflies. A couple of the nasty buggers disappeared, but a majority remained. Gulping for good measure, Usagi tottered out. "Good night, it's been a while."
Watching Chacha raise an eyebrow, Usagi prepared for the worst. Instead, her former classmate walked over and pulled her in for a hug. Memories of days long since passed flooded into the seamstress's mind. Of falling out of the sky as the result of her own stupidity, meeting Chacha and accidentally causing the end of that place
"Do you want to try this again?" Chacha cooed, feeling Usagi shift about against her chest. While very much on a timer right now, she could take some time here.
"Yes." Usagi whispered and felt her friend break away. Afterwards, Chacha's gaze turned to the bustle. "I get that you need to get to your godmother, but not dressed like that you aren't. I have a nice new bustle and I'll clean and fix this one up. Okay?"
Chacha nodded, her cheeks turning red. Grabbing the bustle right out of the seamstress's hands, she headed for the changing room as Usagi watched on. Breathing a sigh of relief, the seamstress let her mind calm down. Just a touch. Not too much.
"Here you go." Chacha announced and threw her old bustle in Usagi's direction. Usagi caught it, watching her friend exit the changing room.
"There! Now go and see your god mother!" Usagi announced, watching Chacha make her exit. Letting out a yawn, she took the time to lock up. While the temptation to just turn the lights on was there, it could wait until business hours. Proper business hours, not the business hours she ended up having to get up and/or stay up for.
Harlequin's Notes:
Oops. Forgot I had this one. New chapter in a day or two.
