Work Text:
Chiori was bored.
This was quite an unusual situation for her. Most of the time, if the current task wasn’t interesting enough to keep her attention she would simply go and do something more engaging instead. However, today everything was stacked against her – or at least it certainly seemed that way. She ordered a batch of textiles for her new designs, and she couldn’t tailor anything until they arrived. The worst part was that all of her staff decided to take a holiday leave today – which would be fine any other day, but it meant that she couldn’t leave the boutique to travel the wilderness in search of inspiration as someone needed to wait for the courier. Chiori already cleaned up the shop, finished some orders, wrote a few letters with the new information she had gathered from gossiping customers and even did paperwork for this month – there was, quite literally, nothing for her to do.
Thankfully, her boredom was alleviated as the door was suddenly opened, followed by a familiar blonde girl carrying a large box.
“Chiori! So sorry for being late, but here is your delivery!”
“It’s okay.” Chiori takes the box and carefully sets it on the floor before checking inside – the fabric is in pristine condition, as expected of Kirara. “Did you get into any trouble?”
“Nope! No bandits, ship delays, or sudden monsters!” The courier rises her chin and sets her arms at her sides with pride as Chiori signs that she did receive the package. “And I’m not lying to you this time, really! It’s just that there were so many interesting things going on in town, and I couldn’t help but check it out.”
Chiori quickly scans her up and down – the tails only move slightly in embarrassment and there are no tears on the clothing – so the girl is honest this time. Her hair is a bit tussled and there are a few smudges of dirt, but this is to be expected of a courier. What makes Chiori sigh, however, are a few loose threads and seams that look like they are about to come apart. An unfortunate but undeniable fact about clothing is that it doesn’t last forever, and sooner or latter you will have to replace it. It’s only amplified by Kirara’s profession, as trekking through the wilderness every day doesn’t do any favours for the longevity of the attire. Nothing that can’t be fixed, but maybe… it’s time for a new design for the courier. She has been wearing the same uniform for a couple of years now, and it’s good to change your style once in a while.
“Oh, Chiori, are you done for today? This was my last delivery, and if you’re free we could go and grab dinner together!”
Chiori pauses, quickly thinking over the proposal. Dinner with Kirara does sound nice, but she also planned to start working on the new designs today with the new fabric she just got. Going out somewhere and probably bumping into someone she knows will definitely start a long conversation – that would take too much of her time, and she’ll have to work late at night and even forgo her usual evening bath. Still, spending free time with Kirara is a rare opportunity considering both of their schedules, and Chiori doesn’t want to just miss it like that.
“I still have some work to finish, but we can go out after that. If you’re very hungry, I have some leftovers at home that you can eat – or we can order a takeout.”
“Sure!” A small smile found itself on Chiori’s face as she watched Kirara’s tails wiggle in excitement.
There is a small problem to this whole arrangement, however. Just like Chiori, Kirara is not the type who can sit idly for a long period of time. And she has been to seamstress’s home a couple of times before, so there isn’t much to explore here. Fortunately, Chiori can still concentrate on her work even with the constant sound of footsteps as Kirara goes around her house trying to find something to do.
Suddenly all the noise, except for the wind whistling and some music coming from the outside, stops. Chiori doesn’t pay any mind to it at first, but then the silence becomes too noticeable to ignore. She figures Kirara must have curled up somewhere and fallen asleep, until there is a soft, almost wistful sigh. Chiori carefully puts down her blades and the fabric she was cutting, and stands up.
Kirara is sitting by a window, her ears lax and her tail flat on the ground. Chiori slowly walks towards her and looks outside as well – there is a group of street musicians next to her house performing folk songs, as well as a few couples dancing to the music.
“Is everything all right?” She asks softly, since it is unusual for Kirara to be so quiet and almost… solemn.
“Oh, it’s just… I’ve seen quite a lot of humans dancing on my travels, but…” Kirara starts fidgeting with her hands, and look awkwardly away. “I never tried it myself, and I always wondered what it’s like… and I don’t really have anyone who would be my dancing partner, too…”
“First of all, you can always dance on your own – you don’t even need music for it, just focus on your inner rhythm. Although I have to agree that it’s better to have an experienced dance partner when you’re still learning. But a lot of people in Fontaine are either amateurs or stick too much to the rules, so you are better off finding a teacher in Natlan or Mondstadt. Still…”
Chiori opens the window just in time for the crowd outside to burst out clapping as the song ends, and reaches out her hand to Kirara, whose eyes widen in surprise.
“H-huh? What are you doing?”
“They are starting a new song – it’s a classic, so I’m familiar with it – and I can try and teach you how to dance to it if you want. Be aware, I won’t go easy on you even if you are just a beginner.”
“Oh, sure! But um, don’t you have work to do? And we planned to head out after you finish?” Despite her words, Kirara eagerly jumps out and takes her hand…. And stands there, stiff, unsure of what to do. Right.
“I feel like teaching you how to dance now, and the other stuff can wait. Now, place your hand here-” She guides Kirara’s hand and then interlocks their free hands together. “-and try to follow my lead. You are a good fighter, so it shouldn’t be that hard, just be careful with where you place your foot.”
It’s a popular fast-paced and jolly song, and the clapping of the crowd to the beat helps as well. Of course, dancing is not something you can pick up on the fly – Kirara’s moves are still a bit awkward, and she spends too much time thinking about every move she makes, but they manage. Eventually, Kirara grows accustomed to the rhythm and Chiori’s style of movement, and she starts following her much closer and bolder with a happy grin on her face. She is clearly enjoying herself as they circle around the room, the flowing elements of their uniforms swishing in tact with their dance. The happiness is infectious – Chiori find herself enjoying it too, even if partly – she still has to be careful around furniture not to knock anything over, while Kirara’s feline grace allows her to naturally do it without spending much effort. Give her a proper teacher and some time, and the nekomata would become a great dancer – though it might be a bit unrealistic with her life as a courier.
“Hey, Chiori, you know, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone dance the way you do!”
“I dance however I want to. Most people are stuck with boring conventions instead of finding ways to do it better. Or…” Chiori narrows her eyes at the playful smile on her friend’s lips “Are you implying that I’m bad at dancing?”
“No-no-no!” Kirara starts giggling as they spin “I can’t really say if it’s good or bad, but I like it! Although it is very unusual… makes me wonder if you ever danced with other people before!”
Chiori rolls her eyes at her cheeky companion “It’s too much of a hassle, most of the time. But I danced with both Lyney and Lynette on a few occasions, and I was fortunate to dance with Emilie on one formal event as well. And I’ll have you known that none of them complained about my dancing skills so far.”
Her companion bursts into another fit of giggles, and then leaves her side to do a big bow as the song comes to and end. She stumbles a bit and flails her arms to keep balance, but it does nothing to dampen her enthusiasm. Chiori softly claps her hand, satisfied. The musicians outside start a new melody, this time a slow and romantic song.
“This one is easier.” She says as she takes nekomata’s hand. “And much calmer, too.”
Kirara doesn’t protest and quietly follows Chiori’s lead as they slowly spin around. Eventually, she places her head on Chiori’s shoulder and closes her eyes. She can’t blame her – dancing, after all, is a very exhausting activity. Plus, it gives her a perfect opportunity to study Kirara’s body – for research purposes, of course, she probably needs to take her measurements again for a new costume, as her last ones were from a couple years ago. Do yokai even grow the same way humans do? Chiori shakes her head to get rid of work-related thoughts – they can wait until after they finish dancing, and for now… she just wants to enjoy this rare moment together.
The music grows to a close, but they don’t separate this time. Instead, Kirara hugs Chiori and pushes more of her weight onto the tailor. The seamstress only smiles and brings one of her hands to brush nekomata’s hair out of the way.
“Tired?”
“Mhm…” Kirara’s voice is muffled by the fabric of Chiori’s uniform. “I think we can move going out to tomorrow morning… though I still have to find a hotel…”
“You can stay here if you don’t want to bother with that.” It’s not much of issue for Chiori anyway “However, I don’t think I have any empty boxes lying around – so you’ll have to take either my bed or couch, whatever feels more comfortable for you.”
“Oh…” Kirara blushes and slowly disentangles herself from Chiori. “Thank you, that would be nice… Will you continue working right now?”
“Well, I want to take a bath now, so I’ll do that while you get comfortable here. After that I’ll see if I want to continue with those orders… there’s maybe something new that I want to start on, actually. What do you think of a new uniform for a change?”