Iris was uncomfortable. Delia knew that the girl was uncomfortable but still continued on despite that.
The mother just gave the young girl a gentle smile as she wrapped the tape measure around her waist to get the girl's proper size. Ash was usually never this quiet or embarrassed when she took his measurements, though Delia had been making him clothes for his entire life so it was hardly a fair comparison.
"Alright Iris, that should be good. Thank you for bearing with me on that." The mother stated gently as the girl finally lowered her arms with a relieved sigh. She turned in her chair to leave the girl to stretch as she examined her measurements.
While she didn't know much about girls' health compared to boys, Iris' waistline and height seemed… fine. Iris was a little shorter and skinnier than Ash was at that age but Delia could only guess that that was normal. Though aren't Unovans typically taller than Kantonians? Oh well, it'll be fine. She will worry about it and do some research about it later.
"I've never had someone make clothes for me before…" Iris muttered while looking over the large array of fabrics that Delia had pulled out in preparation. "Are you sure about this? I mean, I can just go in my normal clothes…" Iris suggested as she looked down at the clothes that she was wearing with a nervous look.
"Of course I am, Iris." Delia smiled at the girl genuinely. "I love to sew and make clothes. Some of the clothes that you've seen Ash wear are the things that I've made him. It's my pleasure. Now hurry up and pick a fabric already so I can get started."
She turned and watched as Iris nervously looked and touched at the arrangement of fabrics that were laid out on Delia's bed. She didn't mean for the girl to be this nervous about the decision but wasn't going to rush her. It's only natural for her to want to wear something nice now that she gets to pick out her own design instead of being forced to wear that bargain bin trash that she currently had on.
"How about… this one?" Iris finally spoke with a curious tone as she picked up a piece of white fabric that was decorated with light blue flowers sprinkled about. "I… erm.. You have enough, right?"
"That is an excellent choice, Iris," Delia said as she got up and walked over to the girl. Smiling at the nervous girl while looking at her straight in her maroon eyes. "I think that you'll look fantastic in this." She said gently before taking the fabric from her and sitting down in her chair to get started immediately.
There were a few minutes where all that could be heard was the humming of the sewing machine doing its magic as Delia worked away with focus and commitment to making the girl a yukata nice enough that she would hopefully be comfortable in it, even if it belonged to an entirely different culture than she was used to.
She took a small look behind her to see that Iris was silently examining the pictures that Delia had displayed on the wall and Delia's nightstand. The woman just left the girl to her curiosity for a few minutes in order to let the girl feel like she wasn't being smothered or anything.
"So, Iris," Delia stared after a little bit. "You wanted to ask about the festival? I would be happy to answer any questions you have."
The woman couldn't help but smile at seeing Iris nearly jump when she spoke again. Watching the girl walk over and sit on the edge of the bed as she thought for a bit.
"So… I guess this should be obvious but what are we celebrating?" Iris asked genuinely while Delia returned to the sewing machine to get back to work.
"Well, let me tell you the story. It dates all the way back to my Grandparents when they moved here to Pallet Town when their baby, my mother, was little. Back then, tensions between Johto and Kanto were really high so people over here in Kanto didn't want to do any old festivals or ceremonies because they were afraid that they would be seen as against Kanto or something like that. Well, in comes my grandmother and her Chimeco. She was friends with everyone in town, you see, and she wanted to help the farmers in her own way so she asked if she could try and bless the fields during the winter so that their crops would hopefully do better in the spring."
The woman took a small break to grab some scissors and cut some loose fabric off while Iris leaned in closely with elbows resting on her knees. It seemed like she had become interested in the story and that fact couldn't have made Delia happier.
"So anyway, the first year, it's just my grandparents. Everything went well. It was hard because you usually use salt and other things as a means of blessing, but you can't use salt for farm fields, so my grandparents and their Pokemon spent close to three days doing it all with Chimeco's ringing to scare away bad spirits and invite good spirits to the land. It worked and they resolved to do it next year."
"Why can't you use salt on farm fields?" Iris questioned while looking at the woman expectantly with a simple smile. While that question made Delia raise an eyebrow, she ultimately shrugged it off as not everyone was born and raised in a farm town like she was.
"Pouring salt onto soil kills all the plants there and makes it so that nothing can grow on it." Delia turned and explained to the girl with a patient smile.
"Ohhh…" Iris responded while nodding quickly. "Gotcha! Keep going! Keep going!"
Delia couldn't help but smile at seeing the excited girl's expression as she continued her story. "So anyway, next year, the farmers were really grateful to my grandparents, and the produce was really good that year so more people started to come and join in. Then next year, people started bringing food and games, and then the next year, someone set off fireworks by accident and everyone loved it! By then, it was a big town get-together filled with games and cooking and all sorts of stuff! By now, it's the biggest event in Pallet Town and people from all over Kanto and Johto come to visit! We are proud of it so it's wonderful to have you here for it!"
Delia finished her story before turning to look back at Iris who was sitting on the bed with a smile on her lips. It was always nice to tell stories like those that she heard from her mother to others. She had never met her grandparents as they had died before she was born, though Delia liked to think that they were proud of her and this festival.
"Wow… That's such a good story! And really cool, too! But I did wanna ask a question." Iris states while raising her hand a little like she was a schoolgirl, causing Delia to giggle a bit.
"Ask away, dear. I'm happy to tell you everything that I know!" Delia responded with a patient smile.
"What does produce mean?" The girl asked with a genuinely curious smile on her lips. Delia's eyebrow was raised again at the question but she decided to answer anyway instead of questioning the girl.
"Produce is crops. The veggies, fruits, and berries that you can buy in stores are all labeled as produce, Iris." The woman explained to the girl while looking her in the eyes, just trying to see if she still had that curious or confused look in them.
"Oh okay! I get it! That's like the uh… um…" The girl snapped her fingers a bit as she looked up at the ceiling while probably trying to remember something. "The thing that goes over lots of different things…?
"Blanket ter-" Delia guessed but was cut off.
"Blanket term! Thanks!" The girl exclaimed, followed by an embarrassed smile. Delia just shoots her a crooked smile before returning to work on her yukata and thinking silently to herself.
There was a small pause from her guest before the dark-skinned girl spoke up from behind her again. "And yeah, that story was great, Miss Ketchum. Thank you for that." The young girl spoke with a soft and genuine tone that made the woman smile. "I remember when the Elder of the village used to tell me stories like that when I was little. You just reminded me of that."
"Oh yeah? Do you want to tell me about her? If I recall correctly, you said that she was the person who taught you how to read, right? You must think highly of her." Delia asked with a bit of mixed emotions in her chest. She had decided last night that she absolutely despised this 'Dragon Village' which Iris had come from and would happily sic all of Ash's Pokemon on Iris' would-be 'guardians' if they decided to show themselves in Pallet town, but at the same time… This 'Elder' that Iris was talking about seemed to treat her well, at least as long as she reasonably could if the name 'Elder' had any truth behind it.
"Yeah! She's like, super smart! Not only do I think that she's awesome, but the entire village too! Everyone comes to her for advice and guidance on what to do and stuff. It's so cool!" Iris said as she hopped off the bed to stand with excitement her arms came up to the side of her chest with fists clenched to add emphasis to her words.
"And you learning how to read? She was the one that helped you with that as well?" Delia smiled genuinely at the girl, being in awe at her excitement. If only her son respected old people as much as this girl does.
"That too!" Iris nodded quickly before raising her head a little and tilting it to the left slightly as she was probably trying to remember something as she sat back down at the foot of the bed. "Well… I guess, not totally. She helped get me started and everything but started getting really sick after I can only read like, a sentence."
"I'm very sorry to hear that dear…" Delia spoke calmly while turning to look the girl in the eyes again. "Though, based on how you talk, I take it that you got better at reading?" She asked with a small, proud smile on her face that she usually gave Ash.
"I did! I totally did! I came back and read her a story from one of her books all by myself and everything, too!" The girl yelled out in excitement at her past triumph. A wide smile was clear on her face from ear to ear. However, said smile soon fell as Delia watched the girl's shoulders slump while she leaned back a bit with a deep frown on the girl's face.
"Iris…?" Delia asked with trepidation and worry in her voice. "Are you okay? Do you still want to talk?"
"Oh, I uh… yeah. It's just that, after I finished reading to her, I asked if she liked it, and I… called her 'grandmother' by accident. She didn't really like that. Not at all." Delia could feel her chest drop as she heard the girl's words and see her eyes dim, now devoid of the wonder of the history of the festival and the excitement of telling the woman how she learned how to read. "She told me to go away and… she didn't really talk to me until she gave me Axew and said that I should leave on a journey… I mean, she talked to Drayden and stuff about stupid Trainer School stuff, but not to me much. I tried apologizing but…" The young girl eventually trailed off while deciding that the carpet on the floor was much more interesting to look at now.
Delia has decided that she hated this 'Elder' just as much as the rest of the people from the village.
The mother simply looked at the depressed girl for a few moments, trying to find what words to say or support to give that would hopefully drive the young girl out of the recesses of her memories. She got up out of the chair that she was sitting on and took the two steps over to where Iris was sitting to place one hand on the girl's shoulder while the other hand went to gently lift the girl's chin and head so that she could look up into Delia's eyes again.
"Iris. You shouldn't need to apologize for that. That wasn't your fault." She watched as the girl tried to open her mouth to probably try and make an excuse for the Elder but no sound came out. Delia instead, simply leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead before the girl could try and collect her words. Leaving Iris sitting there in stunned silence as Delia took a step back with that same, heavy feeling in her chest again as she observed the girl's expression.
"You just wanted to show her how much you cared about her." The woman tried to explain the best that she could to the dejected girl. "I'm sorry she hurt you like that. That must have been so hard on you, Iris. It… it truly wasn't your fault. You need to unde-"
"Can we change the subject?!" Iris unexpectedly yelled out, even to her own surprise if her expression was anything to go by. She quickly, and literally, shook it off before looking back up at Delia again. "How's the yukata coming along? Is it nearly done yet?"
Delia desperately wanted to continue this conversation but eventually relented as she saw the girl's pleading expression. She took a seat back on her chair while nodding. "Yes. Just give me a moment to finish the Obi belt, alright?" She waited for Iris' nod to finally look away from the girl and go back to work, leaving the room in complete silence again if not for the sounds of the sewing machine.
Those few moments, while not being the longest minutes of her life, still felt like an eternity for the woman as she could feel the nervous tension in the air due to how abruptly the conversation ended. Not wanting to look back and check on Iris as that would probably make the girl more nervous, so instead, she stayed focused on her work.
Trying to resolve some of the tension that resulted from the abrupt end of their previous conversation, Delia began to talk to the girl while remaining focused on completing her task. "You know… Ash always hated wearing things like yukatas and kimonos. Said they made him feel like a girl with a dress." Delia said with a giggle.
Delia could hear Iris scoff from behind her. "That's ironic. Did you know that he's worn an actual dress before? He did in Unova. Both he and Brock did. They had to pass as girls and it worked!" The young girl with a confident tone of voice with her arms crossed and chest puffed out most likely.
"I knew he did in Kanto to get into Erikas Gym…" The mother said with a large sweatdrop rolling down the side of her face as she imagined what her son looked like in a dress. "But not in Unova. What was the occasion this time?"
"Erm… well there were these rude girls that got on my bad side by insulting Emolga before they went back to their house so I kinda…" There was a pause before the girl spoke again with her voice two octaves higher. "Forced Ash and Brock to dress up like girls so that we could go and beat them in a Pokemon battle… I mean, we won so that's good!"
"Oh great…" Delia exclaimed while thinking about having to talk with Ash about whether his cross-dressing would become a regular occurrence. She would still love him either way but it is a bit strange that it's happened twice now… that she knew of. "I'm sure you all looked fabulous!"
"Eh…" The girl responded with an unenthusiastic tone. "It was way too gaudy for me. You couldn't do anything in those dresses! Don't get me started on the hair, either! Bleh…" The young girl sounded disgusted with the idea, making Delia giggle a little.
"So you don't mind dresses, Iris?" Delia hummed as she turned the fabric that she was working away at slowly. "From how Ash described you, I would have guessed that you don't like them."
"No, not at all! I'm not picky when it comes to clothes, usually." There was a small pause in the girl's words as Delia guessed that she was trying to figure out what to say next. "So… how does Ash describe me?" The girl asked in a very cautious tone that Delia found to be quite unfit for her.
"He calls you wild, untamable, and a thorn in his side." Delia stopped her work for a moment to turn and stare into the girl's maroon eyes. "He also says that you are a great friend. One of the best friends he has from that look in his eyes when he talks about you, Misty, or Brock. He jokes about how his 'navigator' for Unova got him lost more times than she got them found but says that he wouldn't have it any other way. Don't worry Iris, Ash cares for you. More than any of us realize, I think." The mother told the now blushing girl with a smile on her face before turning back to add the last touches to the girl's yukata.
After a few moments of silence, Delia leaned back and gave a soft sigh as she rolled her shoulders before looking back to Iris with a smile. "It's done, dear!" She said before dramatically getting up and unfurling the girl's new yukata to show it off with a wide smile. "Now come and try it on. I'll probably need to make adjustments to it, anyway."
Seeing Iris' wide smile return made the woman's chest fill with pride. Making people smile was always something that she loved doing, and was so proud that Ash had also inherited that trait. Giggling as the girl hopped up off of the bed and went to go lift that ugly tee-shirt off of her head. Delia promised herself that she was absolutely going to buy Iris some more clothes that weren't as awful-looking.
"Now now, Iris. You'll be wearing Ash's old, white yukata under this one, so you can keep your normal clothes on." The woman interrupted the girl before she could get into a fight with the thing on her head that the girl called 'hair'. The mother watched as the girl blushed after she lowered her shirt back down while Delia giggled. "Go ahead and turn around. I'll help you into it."
Iris simply nodded as she turned away, seemingly in a hurry to hide the look of embarrassment over nearly stripping in front of the woman who truthfully didn't mind. She wasn't some weirdo or anything, though she did note that it may be a good idea to buy Iris a few training bras when they go out to buy Iris some clothes so that she can burn these awful, bargain-bin shirts that Iris was currently wearing.
Delia walked over behind Iris before calmly holding the girl's arms out gently in order to slide them through the sleeves with a soft hum. Bringing the right side into the girl's hip before folding the right side of the Yukata over the left tightly. Guiding Iris' hand gently to hold it in place while she wrapped the obe belt around Iris's waist just like how she used to do with Ash when he was little… just with way more hair. Speaking of hair, Delia had to step back and pull some of Iris' purple, curly hair out of her mouth as she had to lean in to wrap the belt around the girl's waist.
"Sorry about that, Miss Ketchum. I really need to brush my hair." Iris mumbled with an embarrassed look as she nervously tugged on her massive head of hair in the direction away from Delia while the woman just waved her hand a little as if it was no matter.
"I'll help you with it later, dear, but for now, let's have a look at you!" Delia said with a smile before gently grabbing Iris by her shoulders and spinning the duo around as she gently pushed Iris towards the full-body mirror that was in the corner of the woman's bedroom. Iris mumbled about something to do with brushing her hair but her words stopped completely as she merely stared into the mirror.
Complete silence.
There was nothing but complete, stunned silence as the young girl stood in front of the mirror with Delia standing directly behind her with her hands resting comfortably on the girl's shoulders. Delia let the moment hold for as long as the girl wanted as she examined her creation. The Unovan girl was wearing a snow-white robe that was decorated all over with light blue flowers that were connected to stems of the same color. The edges of the yukata, such as around the girl's neck, as well as her belt, were a slightly darker shade of blue that Delia found accented the girl's striking, maroon eyes. Not only that, but the woman couldn't help but note that the main color, white, went quite well to contrast with the girl's naturally dark skin and purple hair.
It seemed that even Iris agreed with the woman's assessment as she simply stood in front of the mirror motionless as she examined herself. Delia tilted her head a tad with a look of endearment as she just couldn't hold it in anymore.
"You look beautiful, Iris." The woman whispered to the young girl while gently rubbing the girl's shoulders. "Like a true Winter Maiden. I think it fits perfectly." She ended with her hand raising from the girl's shoulder to gently caress the girl's cheek as she was still seemingly frozen at the sight of herself. Delia almost pulled back from the girl when she saw a tear slide down her dark cheek but held firm. Instead, she let the girl admire her beauty in the mirror for as long as she liked as Delia realized something.
Iris had never been told that she was beautiful before.