Chapter Text
You’re not sure if you find it amusing or overwhelming how quickly the fashion changes in Jouvente. One week, everyone is wearing elaborate but somehow still unique fruit-themed hats, the next they may have traded those hats for asymmetrical skirts, and so on. You can’t keep up…not that you’re really trying. It makes sense that fashion design is a sought after field here, since not everyone has the skills Isabeau does. You can actually see a few of his designs out and about while you sit with Loop, enjoying a quiet morning together. Sipping tea, people watching, gossiping, retirement stuff!
You look back at the dancing ones wearing Isa’s design. The latest trend are these flowing garments with wide sleeves, but you can easily pick out Isa’s signature visible darkless stitching.
“Oh Loop, look, those dancing ones,” you say, setting down your tea. Loop doesn’t respond, which is weird because usually you can’t get them to shut up. You look over at them and open your mouth to tease them, but you notice they’re staring, very intently, at the dancers. It’s hard to read their expression (not that you’re very good at that in the first place), they’re just very. Focused.
“Loop?”
Loop blinks and moves their arms under the table to rest on their lap, hiding their hands within the large, billowing hooded cloak they’ve been wearing since they arrived in Jouvente. Well, you actually don’t know how long they had been in the city when you found them. They were leaving one of the nearby Houses when you and Isabeau just happened to be walking by. They seemed to have some craft suppressing the light of their head but, you could sense it was them. You knew it was them. And you’ve been meeting with them like this at least once a week since.
“It’s remarkable how their movements are so fluid with all that fabric,” Loop scoffs, “I feel like I can barely move in this thing.” They shake their arms slightly, their sleeves swinging. You realize you haven’t seen Loop wearing anything other than this cloak, were they…naked during the loops? You decide to stop thinking about that because that’s a weird thing to think about when they’re here with you. Even if they were, which you are NOT thinking about, that part of their body isn’t really…shaped? The same way—nope ok you are not going there nope
“Stardust, do you think…” Loop trails off. They caught you. They caught you in your thoughts of course they know what you’re thinking about, because they would be thinking about the same thing! You need to make this less weird.
“Oh Loop no no no, it’s not like that, let’s not talk about this PLEASE,” you hide yourself in your cloak, trying to escape this situation. It wouldn’t be so weird if Isa didn’t keep making jokes about you and Loop being “made for eachother” (You make a mental note that you NEED to tell Isa soon about why you and Loop are so similar. You don’t know how much longer Loop is sticking around. You don’t even know how much longer you’ll stay in Jouvente. You’d want to make sure Loop is comfortable with it, of course)
“…You don’t think Isabeau would make one of those, for me?”
You look up at Loop, who is still focused on the dancers. Their eyes are glowing brighter than before, and—oh stars oh stars oh STARS YOU MADE LOOP CRY
You jump up out of your chair. “Oh Loop no no no that’s not what I thought you meant!!!” you cry, Loop looking up at you with a bewildered expression, as if to say What could you possibly have thought I meant? You have to continue to reassure them, “Of course Isa would make you one, he’d be so happy if you asked!!! I’d even cover the costs!!! Let’s go ask him now, he doesn’t have any clients I think until four” You’re both delighted and utterly embarrassed but you’re going to just push those original thoughts away with three taps on your wrist. You start to move toward the door when Loop grabs your cloak.
“Not right now, not…not yet. I’ll ask him myself tomorrow,” Loop stutters, sounding like they’re speaking through gritted teeth. You got a little too excited it seems.
“Okay, if you come in the morning, he should be free.” You attempt to sound reassuring, but you see their shoulders are tense. Sitting back down and holding out your hands, you say, “Loop, hey c’mon, breathe with me, ok?”
Loop hesitates, but eventually places their hands on top of yours. You can feel the crackle of energy even with your gloves on. They raise their shoulders slightly as you both breathe in
…
…
…
And out. Phew!
“Siffrin, can you be there when I ask?”
“Of course I can, Loop, whatever you need.” You held back a few good puns that you’ll save for when Isa’s around. Loop doesn’t really… appreciate them, which you didn’t pick up on for a bit (you still like puns, so why wouldn’t they?)
The dancing ones begin to move to a different storefront to entertain, spinning out of sight. Loop stands up, puts their hood back up, and turns to you. Their eyes squint to show that put-on smile you know so well.
“~Well, Stardust, I’d better be off! Thank you kindly for the tea!” They blow you a kiss and wink. You stop yourself from rolling your eye as they start to walk off. After a few steps they stop, turn their head slightly, and say,
“I’ll see you tomorrow”
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“Isa, do you have an appointment tomorrow morning?” You ask while cleaning your plate off in the sink. You and Isabeau had gotten some take-out from a local restaurant, delicious haricots vert and well seasoned chicken that is now happy in your tummy. He ended up working later than he had expected, and you’re not much of a cook.
You think of Bonnie. They’re, what, 16 now? They are your next stop once you’re ready to leave Jouvente. They’re probably a super master chef cooker by now. They’re also probably taller than you now, if Pétronille is anything to go by.
“Nope! I’m a free bird tomorrow morning, Sif. Why? Is there something you wanted to do?” Isabeau asks while cleaning off the table. He’s so different now than who he was 5 years go. His hair is longer in the back, he wears thin, square glasses, and while he isn’t as “beefy” as he was when you were on your quest to save Vaugarde, his work keeps him healthy. He’s softer now, more refined. A well-aged port wine.
“Not me, my friend, Loop. They’re going to come over tomorrow and… ask you something. About fashion.”
“Siffrin, that’s extremely vague.” Isabeau laughs. This is perfect. Time to go for the kill.
“Isa, don’t you mean that’s SEW vague?” You wait for what you know is coming next, and your patience is rewarded with a loud laugh from Isa. You’re so glad you get to spend time with him again like this. A little while after your loops, you knew that you certainly loved him, but you realized that romance and dating and bonding wasn’t really for you at all. Especially when the memories of him failing to confess and pushing you away would come back anytime it was brought up. He was, understandably, a little hurt but not upset with you. That was years ago though, and you know that it was for the best.
“Oh, Sif…hah” he wheezes, putting a hand on your shoulder. You still jump a little at the sudden touch, but he doesn’t stop touching you. You smile at him.
“Ok, but really. My friend Loop is going to come over tomorrow morning. Do you have the space for what will basically be an appointment? I’m going to be paying for it.” You ask, dropping your smile to show just how serious you are. Isabeau raises his eyebrow and smirks.
“Sure, Sif, but if it’s a friend of yours you don’t gotta pay.” His hand is still on your shoulder. “Well, I shouldn’t say that. Depending on what it is. I’m not going to make a full length ball gown for free or something like that”
“Oh no no no, nothing like that. I’ll be there too, so we can all talk it over.” You stretch and move away from him, that extended period of touch was getting to be a little much.
“Well, alrighty then Siffarooni, I think I’m gonna call it a night,” Isabeau yawns as he walks to the bookshelf in the corner of his dining room. He picks a novel out from the many books that fill the bookshelf, walks toward his room, and opens the door. “Good night, Sif. I’ll see ya in the morning.”
You wave to him as he closes the door. You’ve always been more of a night owl, but since you think it’ll be an early morning, you decide going to bed would be a good idea. (You’ll miss sleeping in but this is important). You walk to the guest room you’ve been staying for the past few months and change into the soft, darkless sleeping robes Isabeau made for you. Simple, loose, and made of natural fibers. You stopped sleeping in your cloak once the frequency of your nightmares started to decrease. (Also it can get kind of stinky)
Laying in the bed, you struggle to rest your mind. Loop and Isa have hardly interacted, and you’re surprised Loop wants to ask him themselves! Loop seems to always disappear or stay quiet whenever Isabeau is around. You can imagine it’s tough for them, if what they said about their Fighter is true, seeing Isabeau is probably a knife in their weird star heart. You struggle to get comfortable, your mind racing with hopeful thoughts for tomorrow, but eventually, sleep calls for you.
