Needle Little Something

Today Béatrice and Ade were the ones managing the shop. Remi and Arjean were off in school, and then, later on, Remi would babysit Arjean until it was closing time. Archard was back at home relaxing, but they told Béa and Ade that they would be leaving out soon to go back to Ilada. So now Béatrice was drawing up some new designs—as well as finishing up designs customers ordered—and Ade was making sure the shop was clean and everything was in place.

Béatrice moved quickly towards the door when she heard the bell ring. She was always the first to greet the customers, while Ade stood in the back, only once in a while greeting them. Often people were intimidated by her strong look and shit-eating grin. Didn't help that she spoke in a way that made even the most sincere of her words sound like they were dripping with sarcasm.

"Hello, I'm Béatrice Afolabi-Soie," Béatrice told the red-headed woman in a cheerful tone. "Welcome to Eternal Youth Designs. If you need anything, don't hesitate to talk to me or my wife, Ade Afolabi-Soie."

Ade gave a small wave when introduced, then went back to checking up on the shop.

"Of course," Béa chirped. "Here, I'll show you the way. Just follow me." Without looking back at Lilian, she walked over to where all the embroidering threads were. They came in a rainbow of colors, including colors that weren't on the rainbow. "Pick out what you need. Are you looking for anything in particular? Silk? Wool? Cotton?"

Now that Béatrice thought about it, she realized that she would need to stock up on more embroidery thread. She hoped that she kept her stock safely in her room. Sometimes she was forgetful and used up supplies without getting more, leaving her with little to work with until she got materials.

It was always nice speaking to another person about tailoring. Béatrice didn't get to do that enough, the only ones available to her was her parent Archard and her child Arjean, though the latter was only available to be taught the subject. Ade and Remi knew more about accessories and performance arts than they did about most things in the tailoring world. Despite Béa's disappointment, those two were learning fast. Probably because their interests often merged with fashion design.


"I can never resist the feeling of silk," Béatrice responded. "I guess it depends on what you need them for? Why not get an even amount of both, then if you find one more useless than the other you stock up on what you need more of. And if you haven't used your materials, and they're still as good as new, you can just return them."

"That's true. You can always find some way to put your extra supplies to good use. That's what good artists always do," Béatrice responded. Having extra supplies always made her feel comfortable and happy. Additional supplies meant more chances to make new things.

Béa had a feeling she missed some important information she should have known about. There was something about Lilian she wasn't catching on quick enough. It made her bite the inside of her cheek, struggling to recall what it was she was noticing subconsciously.

"It is," Béatrice answered to Lilian's second response. "I guess this all depends on how much you're willing to spend? I try to keep my prices reasonable, but—Oh!" She realized what she was missing: it was her last name! "Lilian Blight! You're Joseph's mother, right? I can't believe I didn't notice this before." Internally Béatrice was calling herself stupid for not realizing this sooner.

"Lilian?" Ade asked. "Your son is Arjean's friend, yeah? Wish I met him. I got too sick during the virus to meet him with Bun—er, Béatrice."

Ade snickered at the nickname "JoJo." She wondered if Lilian knew about anime, but to avoid coming off as some weeaboo, she held herself back from mentioning it. It wouldn't do well to insult her child's friend's mother during their first meeting. Arjean had their fair share of nicknames too, which she was excited to tease them about when they got older.

"I was half-conscious during the threats. Had no idea what was going on. Béa helped out with finding the bombs and getting everyone to safety," she held her wife's arm and laid her head on her shoulder. "Apparently she met this woman with long hair just like her," Ade brought up with an edge of bitterness in her voice. She wasn't happy about how her wife described the woman in a way that hinted that she was attracted to her appearance.

Béatrice waved her hand nervously. "A-Ah, yes. Malara Tor I think her name was. Everyone looked very young; I couldn't recognize a lot of people... B-But anyways. It's great you got him helping out. What does he do? I'm training Arjean to help out with our shop, maybe even working on it in the future when they're older. I think they have a natural talent for art." There was never a time Béa could resist bragging about her children. She tried not to be too obnoxious about it, but she took a lot of pride in how well she was doing as a mother. There was nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for a job well done.