The Costumes That We Keep [Valerie/Komachi]

i am not interested in fulfilling borrowed dreams

❝

The Château.

Two words emblazoned on a placard and embedded into a facade of stone brick above a wooden door. Komachi Ikezawa was three hundred kilometers from her hometown in Metro Tokyo, but in her sightseeing of Fukui City, had somehow stumbled upon this unassuming cafe. No, not just any cafe, a maid cafe.

Komachi's eyes narrowed as she examined the facade. Behind the frosted glass of the door she could see figures moving about, the silhouette of a French Maid uniform distinguishable despite the distortion. The aspiring tailor had heard of such establishments before, but tended to look down upon them. The ones in Tokyo felt too fetishist for Komachi's taste, and the little experience she had with a true maid-and-butler setup made her feel extraordinarily uncomfortable. However, from the hearsay that Komachi was able to from her peers, The Château was a little more in-between, and had good food to boot.

"This is...more of Misha's world...isn't it...?" Komachi muttered to an empty street. No, it wasn't just Misha. Many of her friends, despite their humble appearances, were actually wealthy. But that was because they were from old, established families. Komachi didn't fit in there. And in a way, Komachi didn't want to.

The clothier looked down to her clothes with a frown. It was one of her favorite "ace custom" sets. Despite being tailored to let Komachi carry an absurd amount of things in hidden pockets without hindering her movement, the combination of a white frilled blouse, a dark pleated skirt, and knee-high boots, all trimmed with Komachi's 'add-on' style of thin ribbons, still gave off a sort of high-class image. At least she wouldn't look too out of place, Komachi figured.

Curiosity tugged harder at Komachi as she stood in front of the doorway, and with a sigh, Komachi gave in. The door gave more resistance than she expected, but resisted the temptation to punch it open as she entered. Inside was a surprising, but comforting scene. An array of elegant yet not overbearing set of tables and chairs were scattered through the dining area, with only a soft murmur of quiet conversation filling the air.

A girl in a maid uniform greeted Komachi politely, and Komachi responded politely in turn. The tailor was so stranger to proper etiquette; she knew how to walk and talk and act like a proper lady. It just annoyed her so much to do so. But it wasn't worth it in Komachi's mind to be so rude in this situation, so she simply followed along, matching the proper poise and grace of the girl who seated her and handed her a menu.

Komachi gave the girl her thanks and quickly looked over the menu. As her peers had said before, there was a lot of choices, and the prices not as high as a price point. However, the tailor's appetite was not fully engaged, though she managed to pick out what she wanted as she saw someone approaching her from the corner of her eyes.

Valerie Belrose ● notes: ● 524

MADE BY MIZO

 i am a flower quickly fading 

"Welcome home, m'lady." notably non-Japanese voice calmly stated... with the last word in English.

The shoe was perhaps on the other foot, even if she was usually a glorified errand girl. Valerie's mature, calm, but take charge demeanor made her perfect for the role of the stoic female butler... and combined with the fact she was an 'exotic westerner', she'd gotten hired pretty easily. She was wearing a butler costume appearing to be a black suit that hugged her just well enough that the curves accentuated her femininity, showing she wasn't trying to 'cross dress', while seeming sophisticated, as well as a blue tie.

Valerie did a fairly graceful bow, giving her a friendly wink meant to remind Komachi that she was just playing the part. The student had looked uncomfortable, so while she usually focused mostly on people who preferred female butlers over maids, she felt that having someone she knew play the part might make it just a bit more comfortable. It damaged the immersion slightly, but hopefully that would have her be more at home.

She readjusted her glasses, "If I may, you have been out for some time. If you desire something to drink, you need only ask, of course."

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ulla

i am not interested in fulfilling borrowed dreams

❝

The voice, the green hair, and the glasses. All unmistakeable elements. Of all the people who could have ended up serving Komachi today, it had to be Valerie Belrose. Behind a stoic mask, Komachi pondered whether it was fortune or misfortune that had brought about this situation. So this was what Valerie's part-time job was. Or perhaps one of many. The suit was something that Komachi did not expect, and despite still showing off Valeries feminine features, the tailor felt it unsuiting. Komachi had many questions, but now was not the time to ask them.

Milady.

Technically speaking, Komachi could qualify for that word, but it still was a rather uncomfortable title to be called. Valerie's wink did not go unnoticed, and for that alone Komachi decieded to keep up the illusion. This kind of forced civility was something Komachi disliked for being transparently pointless, but for now, she figured that she could still stomach the indignity.

"Ah, I am glad to see you again, thank you." Komachi replied calmly as gently folded up the menu and placed it back onto the table. "For now, I think some black tea will do well for myself, if you please. And if it is ready, I would like some of the french onion soup as well. Thank you."

Gone was the boisterous energy that Komachi displayed in the theatre, replaced now with deliberate grace and measured speech. It was all mimicry the way her rich friends treated their maids and butlers, which was at the very least respectful and composed, if not a little moreso. It was as if Komachi was a completely different person.

Valerie Belrose ● notes: ● 276

MADE BY MIZO

 i am a flower quickly fading 

Valerie gave a small smile, though she restrained it a little, in the interest of maintaining her faux stoicism, "I shall have it ready at once, m'lady." Valerie told her, before bowing again, before moving to the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Valerie misread the situation. She was missing a few points about Komachi's background - she seemed so normal that she didn't know she was uncomfortable with it. She thought it was intimidating just for the reason of being served like this, and that Valerie doing it would dampen the immersion just enough to where it wouldn't be. She was surprised Komachi took to the act so quickly, herself. She wondered how often she'd been to a maid cafe before.

Valerie would return with a polished tea set, including a pot of tea, a cup, a small spoon, a metal kettle that likely contained milk, and a small glass bottle with lemon juice. Oddly enough, there was a glass bottle with a pink and purple silk flower in it. The The producer-butler sat the bottle on the table to decorate it, before she picked up the kettle of tea, began to pour the glass,"M'lady, how would you like your tea, today?"

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ulla

i am not interested in fulfilling borrowed dreams

❝

It was strange seeing Valerie like this. During the times Komachi watched her during the rehearsal, she seemed like an indomitable commander. Now to have her take requests in a such a manner was jarring, though she still seemed to retain her dignity somehow. Yuki would never stand for this kind of treatment, on either end. Komachi shook her head. She didn't want any reminder of Yuki right now. She was happy for her friend yet...something still stung.

The vibrating phone in her dress pocket bore even more frustrating news. An adviser to her father was asking for her attention, and old friend of his. Komachi kept herself in the loop as little as she needed to so she could at least understand the day-to-day, but otherwise left the decisions to those whose job it was to decide. That didn't stop people from trying to drag her in, and today, this ambitious adviser had the misfortune of depleting what little patience Komachi had left. The tailor pulled her phone out of her pocket and closed her eyes, holding back the bubbling rage as she quietly made her call.

"Tobiichi-san, I must thank you for keeping the future of our company in mind, but to think one can take advantage this recent spate of tariffs and trade warring like your day trading is hubris, and will, and I say will, cost us later on the line. Lastly, I do not appreciate you trying to influence President Ikezawa by going through me. You are a coward if you cannot submit this proposal directly to him. You are lucky I have not told him of this yet." The voice of a man who was caught off-guard and now fearful for his livelihood squeaked through the speakers of Komachi's phone. With her message having it's desired effect, Komachi sighed and opened her eyes to see Valerie returning, tea tray in hand, and hung up with a more relaxed, "Have a good day."

Komachi sighed again and pocketed the phone as Valerie set up the tea tray. Despite her best efforts to hold it in, Komachi's frustration could be seen written across her brows. Still, she managed to keep her tone of voice soft and very respectful.

"My apologies, I had to scold someone for being out of line. There is no need to add anything else to my tea, thank you."

Golden eyes watched the tea being poured. As much as she enjoyed drinking tea, brewing it was something she still sometimes struggled with. Trying to brew tea now would only add to her growing list of aggrivations. Maybe that's why, at some point, people had others make it for them.

Valerie Belrose ● notes: ● 458

MADE BY MIZO

 i am a flower quickly fading 

Well then, either Komachi was an absolutely fantastic roleplayer, or... yeah, that was probably it. Rich people went into business or law or politics, not tailoring, right? Plus, since when did teens have authority over adults. Her visible surprised faded as she quickly rationalized it.

She gave her a reassuring smile, "Ah, I suppose that is the nature of business ma'am." She took a few steps back after pouring the tea, upon being told that she did not wish

"Perhaps I could take your mind off of your more professional affairs, ma'am. Perhaps something to eat?" the suddenly servile producer asked her. To her, this was fulfilling in that someone was 'dependent' on her, but it was ultimately a sort of game. She wasn't really being servile to a master; it was all part of the act. An act that she got paid for.

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ulla

i am not interested in fulfilling borrowed dreams

❝

Komachi watched the rest of her tea poured with a dour frown, her reflection in the dark liquid stream frowning back at her.

"That is indeed the nature of business. Two-faced, selfish, cutthroat," Komachi replied with a sigh. She looked up into Valerie's eyes, where a certain tired frustration shone through. "Why else do you think I came Fukui? Do you remember what I said about underlings trying to box you into making decisions?"

For a moment, Komachi had dropped the charade that the atmostphere demanded. Her phone vibrated again, and Komachi put it on the table where the name "Tobiichi Jun'ya" flashed on the screen before Komachi forcibly silenced the call and the phone with it before flipping the phone face-down.

"My apologies, he is quite...persistent. This isn't even my decision to make." Komachi explained. Slowly, Komachi eased herself back into the charade. "Please, again the onion soup. It's been...suddenly a tiring day. Thank you." The seamstress nodded before taking a sip from her tea. It was suprisingly good, enough to calm her nerves for just a little while longer.

Valerie Belrose ● notes: ● 189

MADE BY MIZO

 i am a flower quickly fading 

"I-I see." Valerie stuttered slightly, as the full nature of what was going on hit her all at once. It seemed that Fukui was an escape from... well, not so much a gilded cage. Valerie had always wondered what it was like to be wealthy, having come from notable poverty herself, but it seemed that Komachi's wealth had strings attached.

There was a little bit of the persona she could use here, one that, fortunately, matched her true feelings on the matter.

"I'll have it here right away." None of that 'ma'am' stuff added on. She acted just enough to stay in character. There was more of a genuine warmth. You could always melt her kind of 'character' a little. She was doing the bare minimum not to break the atmosphere, and was more concerned to.

Soon she came out, with a tray, a bowl, and a letter, "Pardon me, but it seems like someone dropped off a note for you." There was a folded piece of paper by her soup. It wasn't her bill... that would come later. It was something a little more personal. It read 'My shift ends in 18 minutes, we can do something afterwards if you want.'.

"I know I just brought you your meal, but... I recall my siblings. Oh, well, it's dreadfully irresponsible I know, but large quantities of sugar did always help them feel a little better. If you would like, I can go ahead and get you some desert."

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ulla

i am not interested in fulfilling borrowed dreams

❝

A soft smile and a relieved sigh escaped Komachi's lips as Valerie seemed to be quick on the uptake. The maid in front of her had such an intriguing duality. Not but a few days ago she had watched the green-haired girl order around people who were technically above her station, something that Komachi couldn't help but respect. And now, she was being...rather friendly. Komachi nodded in acknowledgement as Valerie disappeared, turning her phone over again to start sending out a few text messages. Cunning machinations were now set into motion through Komachi's network of contacts.

Komachi set her phone down as she saw Valerie approach from the corner of her eye. Just in time. The food looked especially appetizing, though admittedly the cafe's reviews did state as such. The letter threw Komachi for a loop, but she was able to contain her surprise to a raised eyebrow of amusement. Komachi unfolded the paper to read it, her eyebrows fluttering in surprise. Clever, very clever, and the tailor had to smile at how clever it was. Valerie already had Komachi's respect for her ability to heard cats, and this maneuver only proved how smart she was.

"Thank you very much..." Komachi said, trailing off. She had no idea what to call Valerie, but knew that calling her by name in this setting would be the wrong move. So she tried to segue into another matter. "You are too kind, but I am afraid I will have to pass on dessert for now, it seems like I have a sudden appointment with a good friend of mine nearby, scheduled in...eighteen or so minutes." Komachi chuckled, grinning and winking at Valerie, hoping that she'd get the proper message.

Valerie Belrose ● notes: ● 295

MADE BY MIZO

 i am a flower quickly fading 

Valerie smiled gently, even as desert was rejected. A bit of a shame; chocolate always was good to kill a bit of stress, and she knew a bit about stress. If it wasn't for the calories, it would have been a godsend. Still, her discomfort was obvious to her at this point, so it was best to keep it as short and sweet as possible.

"Well, I do hope you have fun with that." Valerie told her, resisting the urge to giggle just a little. She smiled, "If you excuse me, I have something I must attend to quickly."

Valerie then walked away from the table, needing to deal with another customer. She couldn't just focus on Komachi the entire time, But she was looking forward to her shift ending soon. She didn't know what she'd do, but she expected it would be fun.

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