Akashic Arcana The Search for AlcheTea

Artoria let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck "Actually, it didn't diddly squat against Vikki. She sliced through my armor like butter.. That body morph ability of hers is no joke." Her voice lowered, and she almost seemed to pout "The scar on my back is clear evidence of that." Then she perked back up again in an instant when Mago mentioned his poor upbringing. "That's why we have to get you looking all nice and fancy, Mago."

The Princess gave Viola a small glance, then continued her passionate rant. "When we're done, Mago, you're going to want to wear it constantly. That's how good it's going to be. And who says a warrior can't look his best? My Uncle Lancelot is one of the best warriors in the world, and he's always got the finest wear when he's not in his armor." The poorly worded idiom seemed to fly right over Artoria's head, as she seemed absolutely adamant on getting the big guy a fancy outfit that he would love.
 
"Yeah, her abilities really are no joke." Viola agreed with Artoria, feeling the chills run up her spine just remembering how strong Viktoriya had been during their entrance exams. Hearing about the scar on Artoria's back reminded her of how lucky she'd been, especially considering she hadn't been wearing magical armor. "I had nightmares about all of that and I didn't even have to fight her. I don't think I would've passed if it hadn't been for you two."

Viola may have continued onto some more heartfelt remarks, but at that moment she was a shark... and she smelled blood in the water.

Turning back towards Masego, she jumped off of what Artoria had been saying. "A warrior is not defied by their outfit, but they are defined by their actions and who they are on the inside." She placed a hand against her heart, then motioned to Artoria as well. "Besides, you'll have it easy with your outfit. I'd like to see you fit into a corset..."

Viola trailed off, her mind going to places that Masego probably didn't want them to go. Especially if the idea of just wearing Victorian clothes just made for men. The look of disgust that her mental image of Masego gave her put Viola in a laughing fit that forced her to look away from her fellow classmates. Because if she looked at him for another second, she'd probably die instantly from amusement.
 
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While Artoria's more superfluous approach to getting him to put on a suit did nothing to change his feelings on the matter, Viola's words struck a chord with him. 'A warrior is not defied by their outfit, but they are defined by their actions and who they are on the inside'. But of course they don't know what you really are inside, do they? It was like Shaka could feel the moments when doubt entered his mind. He muttered a curse in Afrikaans to send him away.

He briefly looped back to what Viola said earlier. "Don't be modest, you managed to beat the Secretary one on one, no help at all. That's more than worthy of praise. All I managed to do was break both my arms and nearly kill everybody." He said his tone dropping a bit before he went back to the main topic. "Fine, I'll get a suit. But if it makes me look silly, I'm out." He said, another pout on his face.
 
"Nonsense!" Artoria stomped the ground, getting rather upset with the negative comments her friends were giving themselves. "Yes, it was a tough battle. But we won. And we did it together, because we are a team. I won't hear of any insults, not even self-inflicted, because you are both splendid warriors who have both earned your places at this Academy." After her little speech, Artoria looked a bit flustered, and let out a small sigh. She desummoned her armor, reverting back to her sundress and sandals. The concrete was cracked where the Princess had slammed her foot.

"Anyway.." Artoria's smile returned, and she looked straight at the big guy. "Don't worry, Mago. We'll make sure to get you an outfit that you will be proud to wear. I swear it."
 
Viola's laughter was cut short as Artoria slammed her foot on the ground with enough impact that she had cracked the ground. The action was surprising, but that was mostly because Viola hadn't been aware of the more somber tone their conversation had taken. Though it wasn't rare for her to not realize the affect her words may have on other people.

Still, when it was needed, she could be serious.

"She's right, you know. You were good out there Masego. The both of you went head to head against Viktoriya and you both pushed her." Viola nodded, faltering just a little as she banished another mental image of Lady Masego of House Zulu. "From now on, we no longer worry about what happened during the exam."

Viola stomped her foot down as well, with far less force than Artoria could manage and pointed her finger towards where she assumed their next destination would be. "We have an idea now, so let's go buy the important stuff! Onward!"
 
He scratched the back of his head as his friends complimented him. It was easier for them to sing his praises since they got into Class A. Meanwhile, he only managed to scrape into Class B thanks to points of pity from Xena Saihara, an act he still needed to thank the Secretary for. Nevertheless, he shook the somber thoughts from his mind and gave the girls a small smile. "Very well, onwards we go."

Unfortunately for Mago, the closest store they wound up at that fit their list was that of a retro fashion shop. Complete with novelty sections for each major fashion empire that dominated history, the three made their way to the Victorian era of dress. Masego instantly felt like he'd entered an alien world, ties and cufflinks, suit jackets, along with corsets and frills that made no practical sense. He was dizzy just looking at them. Letting out a bit of a shudder, he spoke up. "Hopefully this part wont take long."
 
Artoria pushed Mago along from behind. They eventually found themselves in a shop, in which they sought a tailor to take the big guy's measurements. While this went on, Artoria would listen in and keep note of said measurements, jotting them down in her ORB. This would be important for later.

"I doubt we'll find anything you really like here, but take a look around regardless." Artoria was already eyeing a dress that they had passed by on the way to the back room. She only hoped that it was close to her size.
 
Viola could hardly contain her own excitement. After all, this was technically the first time she went clothes shopping with a group of her friends. Sure, she may not have thought that the main goal would be to get a guy to wear fancy clothes, but the experience was still there for the taking.

She glanced away, eyeing dresses and other clothing items that she thought may be good for herself or Artoria. But she was mainly just interested in looking for good suites for Masego to wear. Which meant that while he was getting his measurements done, Viola was busy wandering around looking for all kinds of interesting clothes to wear.

Viola came back a few moments later, wearing a fake monocle and an even faker mustache. "This place is so cool! I wonder if our teachers would be fine with us wearing stuff like this all the time." Viola hadn't gotten to the good stuff yet, she'd been distracted by the novelty items.
 
Masego felt awkward having his personal space invaded by this stranger while Artoria sat off to the side taking notes. As the tape measurer went around his entire body, he seriously prayed to any god that was listening that he'd be allowed to leave this place soon.

Then Viola came back wearing a monocle and fake mustache and Mago burst out laughing. "Ok, if I get to wear comedic stuff like that with my monkey suit, I'll be a lot more open to the concept." He asked Viola where she found the stuff and ran to that section of the store. He tried on a variety of hats, fake mustaches and glasses/monocles, before eventually deciding on a stylish burgundy fez and quite a bushy brown mustache that covered his entire upper lip. Frankly he looked ridiculous, but he had his trademark smile back.
 
Unfortunately for the others, Artoria was easily distracted when in clothes stores like this one. Once Mago's measurements were finished, she had taken off and disappeared. The Princess returned about 10 minutes later, walking up to the other two trying on the dress she had spotted earlier. Upon seeing Mago and Viola with the fake mustaches, with the big guy also wearing a fez, she couldn't help but burst out into laughter. "That's a good look for you, Mago!"

Once calmed down, Artoria would show off the dress, asking "What do you guys think?" She seemed to be quite pleased with it, even though it was a bit big in some places, as it was meant for someone... older.

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The way Masego looked like in his costume was enough to make Viola laugh so hard that her legs no longer knew what it was to function properly. She plopped onto the floor, legs curled up underneath her in a proper manner, pounding weakly at the floor in between fits of laughter.

"I think you need to wear things like this more often." She responded, wiping away a small tear, her breath coming back to her enough that she could stand up again and truly take in Artoria's appearance.

"You look so amazing!" Viola exclaimed, walking up to Artoria to get a better look at the dress and the fitting that was required. "You could probably have the tailor work on it some more. But I think this could be a great choice for you. I wonder if they have anything in my size, too."

Without waiting for too long, she took off further into the store to find something for herself.
 
He couldn't help but laugh along with his friends, the sheer absurdity of it all helping him grow more accustomed to having to wear these formal clothes. But even so, he looked at one of the mirrors in the aisle and he had to admit, the fez worked with his skin tone and the mustache matched his hair color. Put him in a legit suit, they might have a winning formula here. "Hmm, think I could get away with wearing the mustache full time?" He joked, with a hint of seriousness behind it.

Masego nodded in approval at Artoria's dress choice. "You're looking radiant, and regal if I may say so." He added to Viola's comments. It was then he found a clothing set that caught his eye. On display with a mannequin there was a suit, black jacket, white shirt, burgundy vest to match his fez, and gray striped pants. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it and went to ask if the tailors had any of the items in his size.

He rushed to the dressing room, hope forming in his mind, and came out in the suit combo, with the fez on, but the mustache in his hand for now. He found the girls again, and showed his combination off. "Think this is decent enough to work?" He asked hopefully, before smirking and putting the mustache back on. "Or does this complete the look?"

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Artoria was absolutely beaming at the compliments she got from her friends. Friends.. Such a term was almost alien to her, given how she was practically isolated from other kids her age. Grinning widely at the other two, she nodded "I'll order one for my size." Picking up the hem as she walked, the Princess followed Mago as he went to pick out something for himself then head to the dressing room.

Waiting patiently while Viola went to get herself a dress, it didn't seem to take Mago very long to get changed, and when he emerged, her eyebrows shot up. "Mago.. I've gotta say, I'm very impressed. That looks really good on you." She stifled a laugh, and added "I suppose you can keep the mustache. Though either way, I'd say this is a fine outfit for a warrior such as yourself." She walked up and adjusted some small parts of his suit to make them fit better, then turned him to face the mirror. "Now, there's a fine gentleman, I'd say."
 
Viola took some time to find the right dress and then some more time to even fit into the dress. It was her one real gripe with clothes shopping. She was too short for most adult clothes, and most children clothes just didn't have the right measurements for her size. But thankfully, they had a dress that wasn't too far off from her size or height.

When she came back from the dressing, she wasn't as hyper or all over the place as she had been before. Instead, she came across a little hesitant. Her hands exploring her waist, where the dress had been tighter than it needed to. There were also other places that she hadn't been fully equipped for, but she didn't try to adjust that.

Instead, she smiled towards the two of them, trying her best to play off just how nervous she had been. Trying out clothes for her friends for the first time was rather nerve wracking, more than she could have imagined. "I think you look good in that, Masego. Really handsome. I think you should keep the mustache though."
 
He smiled at the compliment from Artoria, then she turned him to look in the mirror, and he hardly recognized himself. He briefly took off the mustache and more of Masego came back, but in his normal reflection, he always saw a bit of Shaka looming in his features, a bit of hereditary animosity. In this suit, Shaka Zulu was nowhere to be found in Mago's reflection, he felt truly himself for the first time in years. "I could get used to this." He muttered, earning a guttural Zulu war cry in response causing him to visibly wince.

He'd put the stache back on by the time Viola returned, but even with an obscured upper lip, his facial expressions were clear. If his jaw could've hit the floor, it would've done so when he laid eyes on Viola. "You look... just gorgeous." He said somewhat dumbfounded. His blushing only intensified as Viola complimented him in turn. "Definitely keeping the mustache. Gotta have a bit of fun with all this. Thank you both, truly." He was too flustered to say more at the moment, but right now he really appreciated the two women he was with.
 
Artoria's eyes were practically lit with stars upon seeing Viola in her picked out dress. "That looks so beautiful, Viola!" She hyper-actively darted around the poor girl, looking at each angle and inspecting the dress closely, occasionally moving closer to tweak a frill or fold. "Definitely needs to be fitted better, but I love it." The Princess looked between her and Mago, clearly very happy with the clear enjoyment they were getting out of this.

Smirking, Artoria commented "Of course, having fun is the main point, after all." She would push Viola to get her measurements taken, then take notes on them using her ORB. "Now that we have our fancy dresses and suit for the club picked out, it's just a matter of having them sent to get fitted, then we'll be set on that." Looking between her two friends again, she'd ask "Okay, what do you guys have next on the list?"
 
Viola was used to giving out compliments all the time during her everyday life, it was just something she enjoyed doing. Receiving them was another monster entirely, especially when they were coming from people within her same age group.

Feeling like her face was about to melt off, Viola let herself get led off towards the person who would get her measurements, spending more time in silence than she normally would have. By the time she returned back in her normal clothes, she'd had enough time to calm herself down.

"Well, " Viola began, letting out a long and deliberate sound of contemplation before she actually answered Artoria. "I think we have the most unpleasant part for the club. Now we just need the small things. The tea, dishes, the alchemy equipment and ingredients. Anyone have any idea where we're supposed to find something like that? "
 
As they all changed back into their normal clothes, Mago made it a point to keep his mustache on the entire time, a big heartwarming smile on his face. As the two girls began discussing all the other things they'd need to prepare for the AlcheTea Club, Mago curled his upper lip, letting the mustache move with him in contemplation. "Well Viktoriya did mark two well known tea places on our ORBs, and plates can be found at any general store. If you're talking about the fancy kind, that might be a little harder. Either of you taking an alchemy class this semester? Surely they'd direct us to the store where we'd buy supplies for that class in our syllabus."
 
"I think you mean the best part of the club." Artoria shot Viola a small smirk and looked to her ORB, bringing up the map app. It would show the entire surrounding area, labeling every point of interest. "I think the most difficult part will be sorting through all these shops, there's so many." She would sync up her map with the marked areas on her teammates, and they would set off.

The next few hours were spent browsing several shops as they picked out wares for their club. Tea cups, cozies, kettles, various flavors of tea leaves, rustic and elegant decorations, and the most crucial supplies; potion ingredients. Artoria and Masego had little difficulty hauling their cargo to the location of the club house, though the tiny princess would have some issues in terms of vision. Even though she showed great agility and grace in combat, she proved to be quite clumsy in her day-to-day activities. Luckily, nothing got damaged along the way. The three Solaris students eventually found themselves before their assigned headquarters.

"It looks rather nice. Or rather, that's what I would say if I could see it." With her face behind a stack of boxes, it was a wonder how Artoria was able to get anywhere without tripping.
 
Viola spent the rest of their time shopping in a perpetual blur of motion: looking at various items, trying to get them to go into random unimportant stores. Their overall time was probably increased because she couldn't focus on more than one task for an extended period of time. But she couldn't help herself, not during such a great day while spending time with her newest friends.

Still though, by the time that they made it back to their club room, she felt completely drained of her energy. The meager few items she had been able to carry were set down on the ground with an audible sigh. "Geez, you'd think with all that we bought, they could've shipped something over here." Viola stretched nice and long, then reached behind herself to give her lower back a nice rub. Because she had done sooo much heavy lifting.

"Let's put the boxes down for now and take a look at what we have to work with. I think we can get some ideas and then start decorating. Maybe even get it done and operational!"
 
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