bask in the glory [ruari]

It was early morning in Dublin. It had that sense of being almost busy, like the city was still waking up too. Circenn Kekoa Teague had been up for hours though, as was his usual. A 6 mile run, breakfast, and some agility exercises had already been crossed off his to do list. And now he was on his way to Tempt Dress to make the 9 am appointment he had made with the shopowner, a Miss Regan. He hoped an early appointment would mean there would be less chance that he would run into a large shopping crowd at the store. Crowds often meant chaos for him when someone recognized him.

As he stepped in to the shop, he got the distinct feeling that he was out of place. It was bright and airy, but very ... feminine. If he hadn't double checked the address and the name of the store, he might have thought he had walked into the wrong shop. But no, he was in the right place. He was certain, he just had to rely on the recommendations he had received to go here for his next set of robes.

There was a charity function coming up for the Magpies and as captain, he was obligated to go. Not to mention that he actually liked attending as most of the funds raised went directly to the Children's Wing at St. Mungo's. He had visited a few times for one of the team appearances and had enjoyed meeting the kids and talking with them and knowing that a hour or two out of day made all the difference to them while they got better. A friend had recommended Miss Regan to him so here he was, all big and tall and dressed in big, heavy boots in a dainty, lavender-smelling shop.

He heard footsteps and he glanced over his shoulder before turning and offering a polite smile. "Miss Regan?" he guessed.


@Ruari Regan

"Ow!"

The noise came from a tall young woman who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a mirror and tugging a hairbrush through her mane. Ruari winced as the bristles pulled and she let out a grunt, yanking the tool down. It was so lucky that she was dating someone who didn't really mind her daily battle. Hal was pretty easy-going but always said she looked beautiful and that was the one lie she didn't mind him telling her.

9 o'clock appointments were rough going. She didn't usually offer them normally but the fact that it was requested meant she couldn't refuse. After a solid ten minutes of trying to tease her knots into something resembling a style, she shrugged and used deft fingers to weave into a loose fishtail braid that hung over one shoulder as she dug underneath her bed to find a pair of shoes that matched.

Outside, trucks trundled by as the Irish capital woke up. Ruari tended to like mornings and was up at the break of dawn, which was why she happily trotted down the stairs to her shop, just bang on time. Her first thought was gosh, he's punctual followed by holy shit, he's huge.

The flicker of surprise that crossed her pretty features was brief as she reached her hand out to him to shake with a smile. "Hello," she said cheerfully, looking at how massive his hand was enveloping hers. She had a fleeting thought that his girlfriend (or boyfriend) was a very lucky person to have those all over them. The thought was swiftly derailed because she faintly recognised him from somewhere but she was certain they'd never crossed paths before that morning.

Ruari squinted her rain cloud grey eyes at him for a second before she gave up. Her memory had a lot of holes in it so maybe he was some sort of model or maybe she'd passed him in the street. She was bad with both faces and names which made remembering all of Hal's family members both hilarious and traumatic in equal measure.

"Shall we?" Ruari asked, gesturing for him to follow her a little deeper into the shops and away from the window. He needed a suit, she surmised. Her tape measure was out in a jiffy and she paused. She was a tall woman but he was at least a foot and a half taller than her. "Excuse me for one second," she said with an apologetic smile as she dashed off, returning soon, dragging a cream armchair behind her. They were mainly used by exasperated boyfriends who wanted to sleep whilst waiting for their other halves to come out of the dressing room.

Her long legs stepped onto the chair, bringing her head almost level with hers. She offered him another smile, trying to ease any awkwardness he might feel. "May I?" She asked as she unfurled the tape, carefully pressing it against the width of her shoulder and making a mental note to give the fabric a little stretch because of he flexed, the shoulder pads might rip. "Have an event coming up?" She asked, genuinely interested. "Could you turn for me?" She asked Circenn so she could measure the span of his back. "I'll take some quick measurements and then we can pick out fabrics and colours."

Circenn's smile as he greeted her was friendly, but there was something in his gaze that was a little reserved as he noticed the surprised look in her eye. He hadn't told her when he made the appointment who he was as far as his occupation, but there was always that chance that he'd be recognized. Which he was mostly fine with. He understood it, he accepted it. He was just wary because some business people would use that to his advantage and he just hoped that Miss Regan was someone who could be trusted like his friend had suggested when he recommended her.

He nodded and motioned for her to lead the way, relieved the scrutiny was over. He wasn't sure if it was professionalism or ignorance kicking in, but Circenn felt a little better about coming in to this shop that made him look like a bull in a china shop. As they moved through more of her shop, that only became every more clear to him. As she excused herself, Circenn mumbled an "of course" and took a second to glance around. He pictured himself in here more to hold a woman's bag as he waited for her in the dressing rooms rather than in here to purchase any clothing himself and the idea made him smile, but he waited patiently nonetheless.

When she came back, she was dragging an armchair and Circenn frowned as he took a few steps closer as if to help. She had it situated away before he could step in though and she agilely hopped up onto the chair, her eyes on his level now. It made him grin. "Guess I'm a little different than your usual clientele," he said amused, as he stepped closer so she could measure him with her tape.

"Yes," he told her as he turned and gave her his back, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke. "There's a charity function coming up that I'll be attending. All the proceeds will go to the Children's Wing at St. Mungo's so it's a good cause." At her comment, he nodded, fine to leave the specifics to her. He wasn't exactly someone who dressed to the pinnacle of fashion. He just knew what he liked. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for taking me so early," he added as he felt her fingertips against his back. "I appreciate it."

Ruari offered Circenn a bright smile. "Not at all," she said politely. He seemed uncomfortable and she was absolutely not going to make him feel embarrassed about the way he looked. She thought he looked fine and healthy. She sort of assumed he couldn't wear off the rack. From a dressmaker's point of view, his shoulders were broad and his waist was slim. He would have to size up in shirts to fit him around the collar but then his clothes wouldn't fit him elsewhere.

Swiftly, she wrote the measurements down on the back of her right hand. Her usual clients were women so she was excited to work with a man for a change. Making a suit was a precise art. If she got it right, he'd go from handsome to beautiful. If she got the fit wrong, he'd go from handsome to troll.

With a light touch, she measured his shoulders. "Extend your arms for me?" She asked, measuring those and making a note where to cut the collar and the sleeve cuffs so they sat correctly before writing those down, too. Ruari brightened as he explained what the suit was for. "Oh, lovely!" She gushed, her pretty face brightening as she neatly stepped off the chair and back on to the floor.

"Absolutely," she nodded in agreement with Circenn. Hal hadn't mentioned any gala or if he was going but she presumed that if he was, she could go with him; Ruari loved a party.

"Oh it's no problem," she said breezily, flushing pink delicately at his thanks. "Had I known what it was for, I would have fitted you in sooner. Do you want to follow me?" Ruari asked, shoving the chair back as she lead Circenn further into her shop and to the fabric room. It was organised chaos but that was how she worked. She looked over at him once more with keen eyes as she imagined what might suit him. Wool was warm but maybe too warm in a room full of people. Cotton was too casual.

"A wool blend might be good," she told Circenn distractedly. "Maybe cashmere?" She turned and pulled fabric samples of blues and greys and blacks, holding them up to his shoulder to narrow the selection. "Did you want some sort of dickie bow?" She asked, wondering how smart he wanted to be. Absently, she thought that he'd look infinitely better without a tie. Something more easy going fitted his look.

"Did you want to match your date?" Ruari asked with a smile. "If so, I can make a pocket square to match whatever colour she's wearing."