Silk Touch

About a week ago Inari finalized a business deal, purchasing a suite in one of Sunagakure's many plazas quite dotted the streets. Vixen's Valor was not an ordinary department store. No, Inari was an artisan and an entrepreneur. She had spent a great deal of her hard earned money in not only stocking her shelves with various bits of traditional clothing and sandals, but hiring apprentices to work beneath her. These apprentices learned from Inari and in hopes of one day becoming an exceptional tailor such as herself. Equipped with the knowledge required to buy the finest material found locally and abroad, there was no doubt she became increasingly successful, attracting those who had the ryo to spare. Her goods were quality as she rarely saw the same customer more than twice. And before she knew it she began to notice a lot of local villagers were dressed in her product.

Inari peddled traditional clothing, such as yukata, kimono sets, jinbei, geta, selta, bows, and ribbons. The men donned in her clothing looked neat, refined, and greatly satisfied upon stepping into the harsh sun of the desert knowing the heat no longer punished them like it did before. The women looked more feminine and sharing the same sense of satisfaction. What was her secret? Well, she wasn't prepared to share it just yet. Inari herself wore her prized clothing daily having the privilege of different designs and patterns at her disposal. Today she wore the minimal of what she could. Inari wore a pair of geta sandals on both feet, made of blonde desert willow and threaded with a black silk thong. These were paired with a set of pinkish red hakama pants, a cerise pink Obi bowed at the front, and a bleach white haori with hanging sleeves which were lined with a perforated red dash pattern around the ends.

Her pink locks fell down naturally down her back and down her shoulders. Her skin was fair and eyes a mellow amber. Naturally she stood at a measly 5'2, but the geta added a couple inches to the young woman's height giving her more of a mature appearance. Matching her outfit were two abnormalities, as many would guess, her fox-like traits. A bushy tail and a pair of fox eyes resembling that of a red fox. And anyone with a greater knowledge of what was commonly known would be able to recall these traits not being a prop or abnormality, but a gift. Inari did not have to deal with prejudice, fortunately enough. Her natural charisma and presence she emanated lulled most customers into her product over her appearance.

When the day died down towards the late afternoon the amount of customers dropped steeply as the parlor was near closing. Inari occupied herself in one of the corners of the room where she worked a loom with a cheery hum and an ever present smile enjoying her labor and the bit of honest money she earned on the way. She was another day closer to her dream.

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Casual Pants x2
Casual Shirt x2
Casual Sandals x2
Casual Arm Warmers x2
Casual Obi x2

The door to Vixen's Valor would be pushed open, a bell dinging to announce the arrival of another customer entering the shop. A tall figure would enter the doorway and stop--his head was tilted down and his hair obscured view of his face for the moment, the sound of him tapping his shoes toe first on the doorway frame to knock off any access sand he'd collected walking the streets of Sunagakure. The place seemed new, it was only fair to make an attempt to not track anything in. The tall man finally fully stepped through the doorway and he'd look up, two mismatched hues gazing across the shop--one eye an off white, the other amber.

The Desert Rogue had stepped into Vixen's Valor, his skin fairly pale, and an aged scar crossed his features, a story clearly behind the off-white eye. He stood tall, 6'2", with hair hair let loose, somewhat wild long dark locks framing his face and falling past his shoulders. His outfit was fairly casual--but lined with details of a warrior. Basic black pants, with two kunai holster on his thigh--and an equal number of pouches along his back. He had on a white Yukata, but it was visibly in rough shape. It wouldn't take an eagle eye to spot one sleeve had completely been burned away, and the Shinobi's entire arm--shoulder to knuckles--was bandaged up. A simple guess could lead to figuring the bandaged hid some burns. His Yukata was slightly open, chest and his upper stomach shown--a necklace hung across his chest and bandages was wrapped about his lower torso--unlike the arm, this was simply for looks.

His gaze would peer across the shop, taking in all the details, and searching out an employee who may be able to help. The most obvious one became apparent to him, a young woman--teen even--working at a loom in the corner of the room. Sharp eyes picking up on her features, it made him raise an eyebrow. 'I see why its Vixen's Valor now...' crossed his mind as he'd move to approach the fox featured female. The way the Shinobi carried himself spoke volumes, he moved with some grace, while dripping of the confidence of a warrior. Basic black shinobi shoes would bring him to a stop a few meters from Inari, not invading her space--but close enough to speak without hollering across the room. His voice escaped his lips, a smooth deep tone, polite--friendly--charming even.

"Call it a hunch, but would you be the owner of this store?"

Inari worked the loom as if it was second nature. She was experienced enough in her craft to do it subconsciously, working the pedals and weaving her threads. The strands of cotton and another fabric were woven tightly together forming a large piece of cloth. The quality alone was more than what Akuma wore, prior to the destruction of his yukata. Anybody who was familiar with different brands of clothing would know quality when they saw it, and this was one of those. The cloth was still unrefined, however, as it needed to be cut, threaded, and trimmed into an actual article of clothing. But what Inari had before her was a fairly expensive sheet of cloth. Something tailors would pay a good sum of ryo for. And that was before the secret of the material was actually revealed.

The vixen lifted her head as Azuma approached her workstation, the same smile of satisfaction present on her face. When the tall man asked if she was the owner she was filled with much joy and self-satisfaction. Yes...Yes I am! She smugly said to herself mentally, though for all things professional, she needed an actual response. Inari took her foot off the pedal and slipped it in her partnering geta before standing on both feet. She'd march over a few steps to get within Azuma's personal space and offered a handshake.

"Yes...I am Inari Osaki, founder of Vixen's Valor! I can see you're in dire need of some new clothes." She said, giving new audible whiffs of her nose and wrinkling it at the smell of charred cotton. "If your clothes can't withstand fire, you can never rely of them to shield you from the summer's heat. Lucky for you, that is my trade secret. My clothes will keep you cool during the hottest parts of the day. Come!" She said eagerly locking arms with Azuma and guiding him towards a row of seats along the wall primarily used for testing footwear. "Take a seat, please. Before we decide your outfit you will need a set of geta." Inari trotted off to one of the aisles grabbing four pairs by the thongs, each of them entirely unique but also the same. She knew the store's layout by heart and judging by his own footwear she could tell the size he needed, as geta were not entirely picky unlike closed toe shoes.

Azuma would be left in his chair with the nostalgic hum of a steel bladed fan and the soft sounds of low activity retail in the foreground giving a general inviting atmosphere. Several seconds would pass by and Inari came back returning to her eager customer. She'd take her seat on the floor in a wariza fashion while setting the pairs of sandals on both sides of her. "Those sandals you wear now are no good. Standard issue stuff meant to give new ninja soles on their feet, but they're cheap, easily destructive, and soon you will discover, uncomfortable." Inari worked both of them to remove them from his feet being gentle to undo the fastens before sliding them off one by one. She'd grab the closest pair to her. Out of the four pairs they were each designed differently. Two of the pairs had a black silk thong, but with different wood finishes. One was a lighter tone resembling that of birch while the other was darker resembling walnut. The other two pair were the same, though the thongs were red instead of black.

Inari would slip the birch-colored black thong geta on both of his feet and pushed it in for a firm fit. The thongs were silk in material making them soft against his bare skin, and soon forgettable that they were even there. The geta were open allowing his feet to breathe and overall give his feet a different feel. "The thongs are silk and come in all sorts of different colors, as does the wood's finish. This wood, however, is not your ordinary firewood. This is desert willow, an incredibly durable hardwood bred for its strength. It is said to be as strong as iron, and as an artisan I can vouch. We had to order a new set of titanium tools to even work with this stuff. It's crazy. Go ahead and walk around a bit!" Inari said, scooting to the side giving Azuma the freedom to try the product for his own.

The man had found her busy at work, a perceptive eye glancing over the cloth she worked on--but not being one for clothing and such, the man really couldn't tell you if it was better or not then anything else around here. To him it was as simple as 'Is it made of cotton or silk'...but he also wasn't stupid, and had knowledge of cloth in Sunagakure meant to fight off both the heat of the desert, and even the licks of flames of attacks, and this is what he'd hoped to get his hands on. Even if he had no clue what he was truly looking for. When Azuma had inquired if she was the owner of this establishment, he'd find the fox-eared and tailed woman slip into her Geta, and stand--approaching him and offering a hand for a hand shake. Azuma nearly had an entire foot of height over the girl, even with the help of her shoes adding to her height.

Azuma would reach up, giving Inari a hand shake as he listened to her--she was quick to access why he was there...not like the burnt away sleeve was subtle, and Inari seemed...sprightly. Maybe even enough to surprise the man nearly a decade her senior, the 24 year old finding the Foxy Female locking her arm around his, and nigh dragging him to a row of chairs. He let out an audible 'ah' as she did so, having not expected the sudden pull from her. But he went with it, and was brought to a chair, sitting. He hadn't even had a chance to respond with his own name, and she was already trotting off. A comedic sweatdrop would be appropriate here.

'Geta? Ehhhhhhhhhhh...' was crossing his mind, its not really the type of footwear he would wear. But she would soon return, Azuma watching as she came back with a number of sets of Geta. "Kinda...was unable to say it before. I'm Azuma. Its nice to meet you Inari." he'd finally get his own introduction out of the way. He'd go on to listen to what she had to say about his shoes--but...they was fine? He was a guy, even with some sense of style, the man was still a bit utilitarian. Azuma recoiled if only a little when she went to take off his footwear, maybe it was an involuntary reaction, but the man wasn't exactly fond of people touching his feet. He'd instead insist to do it himself instead of letting Inari take over, maybe she'd found the one quirk he had when it came to someone messing with any part of his body. She could grab his hand, pat his shoulder, even hug him without it bothering him...but his feet? No go zone. He wouldn't even let Ei touch his feet and he'd known her literally half his life.

Still he'd listen to what she had to say while eyeing the sets of Geta. None of them really appealed to him, wood finish wasn't his thing--but surely he could ask if she had them in black. He'd go ahead and try on a pair, and come to stand once she'd moved a bit to allow him to, even an invite to try them out. He'd stand at a solid 6'4" with them on, the Geta adding to his already impressive height over his flat-footed shoes before. Now he literally did have an entire foot of height over the girl..not counting the ears, of course. Azuma had seen many things in his time, frankly seeing a woman with animal-like features didn't phase him in the slightest.

The man was coordinated enough to not stumble with the taller, odd footwear, walking around a little bit in them. "Hmm...they do feel pretty good, I'll give it that...I wasn't really coming here to shop for new footwear but these are pretty nice...do you have them in black?" he'd go on to ask, looking to her with his mismatched hues. He'd go ahead and have a seat again, removing the sandals and offering them back to Inari.

"I was hoping I could get a new Yukata, made to fit me nicely and I was hoping maybe you'd have access to Heat Resistant Cloth. By the sounds of what you said earlier, you do." he'd say, his voice still smooth. The only time it'd lost its hint of confidence was when he introduced himself, simply due to the situation it was within. Azuma wasn't really the shy type, he had no issues speaking to others, and spoke with a confident tone. It'd seem the females of Suna had a thing for knocking that confidence right out of him for brief moments in time lately though...

Inari picked up on what Azuma was trying to get across, though Inari wasn't a pushover. She took the sandals from the man after he offered them back. It was clear that he wasn't comfortable with her being as hands-on as she was...but Inari was stubborn. And part of her had a feeling he just wasn't used to higher quality customer service. "A Yukata? For you? Blah." She said, standing up and taking the shoes with her back to the aisle. "You are too masculine to wear such casual clothing. You should be proud you've grown into success." The vixen said speaking in an elevated voice a few aisles away. She'd set the geta back where they were and retrieved some with a black finish. These were all black, sharing a black thong as well. Something the man would likely prefer since they were very similar to his disposable, previous footwear. "My wares are sold in sets. We don't sell clothing in pieces like cheap retail. An outfit should be complete and represent the wearer. My professional associates and I help guide customers into fashion. Here are the geta in black, as you requested." Inari set the sandals down at Azuma's feet to try them on. But not before giving a quick admiration of his current outfit. Or what was left of it.

With a single glance she got an idea for his tastes. Very clean and simplistic. White was the color of death, and black went well with just about anything. "Heat Resistant Cloth is a treated cotton that we do have, but there is something better in the market that is sold with all of our kimono sets. Unlike the heat cloth, Silverthread has a much higher tensile strength and doesn't destroy when exposed to high heat, unlike Heat Resistant Cloth. I see you're no fan of fire. Heat Resistant Cloth would suffer the same fate as your current clothes, though you would be saved the burn. Silverthread on the other hand will absorb the heat and keep you unscathed while maintaining its integrity." Inari explained to Azuma the benefits of her clothing while retrieving what she presumed was his tastes in clothing: a set of black Hakama pants, a white Kimono with black trimmings down the collar, a white Haori with black trims around the sleeves, and a black Obi belt.

"Follow me to the changing room, if you will. Or you can change here. I don't think anybody minds. Or myself." She said sheepishly giving a cheery grin. The clothes she offered were exactly as advertised. The silverthead would prove to be softer than silk and sturdy enough by the touch. It kept external heat off while preserving his body temperature in the excess cold. His body would be help at the most ideal temperature no matter the case.

The man would have the Geta taken back by Inari, before his ears burned with her distaste of his idea of a Yukata. He could hear her explanation from a couple isles away, him shutting his eyes and letting out an audible sigh--at least for someone with sensitive ears. When she returned his eyes fell on the black pair of Geta...these didn't seem as bad. He'd never really worn Geta, not since he was a kid anyways--the first time he came to Sunagakure from his little border village was the last time he had Geta. The man would listen to her, eyes shifting to meet Inari's eyes before she presented the footwear to him. He'd go ahead and try them on, looking down for the moment, the man keeping his ears focused on listening to the Vixen go on about the materials, she was the clothing designer, and knew more about this stuff then Azuma likely ever would. Although the thought of something even better then he knew existed for a material to be used in clothing did appeal to him, him looking back up from slipping the Geta over his feet to look at Inari.

He seen her gathering some items, what would make up an outfit she seemed to deem within his tastes after she had taken notes about his outfit. Or what was left. "Well...that does sound much better then what I was thinking, if it can do that." he'd say in response to hearing about the Silverthread she used to create these more expensive items. Nothing casual here it seemed, at least not for Azuma's needs. She invited him to follow her to a changing room, before a suggestion that she wouldn't mind if he changed right there. Azuma's eyes shut in what looked like annoyance, but the slight blush that crossed the bridge of his nose told the tale he was a bit flustered rather then annoyed. Great, having a 16 year old make him blush...she'd been only the second to ever make him do that. Bit of a suggestive thing to say, coming from an underage girl. He'd stand up, getting a feel for this new set of footwear as he looked down, tilting his foot to the side to check them out before looking back up to Inari, and accepting the invite to follow her back to the changing room, stepping likely to the back of the store assuming it was made like most places with a changing room, following Inari's lead.

He'd go ahead and check out what she had grabbed, a hand reaching up to feel the material of the Kimono she had picked based on what she figured his style was. Luckily she was pretty on point with it, he had a simple and clean style, and the soft Silverthread Kimono in white with black about the collar surely was fitting. Once he got the feel for it, The Desert Rogue would take the clothing she'd picked and would slip into the changing room, the man shutting the door behind him--albeit maybe not fully, only closed-too. It'd be a few minutes for him to go ahead and remove his current outfit, his damaged Yukata put off to the side. His torso was wrapped in bandages from just under his rib cage and disappearing somewhere into his belt line. Not to mention the entire right arm of the man wrapped to hide the burns from his previous encounter. He finished getting rid of the old for now, and put on the speculative purchase Inari offered, him a bit unsure about it all until he finally got the entire outfit pieced together. It was a bit different then he was used to, but it felt comfy, and offered him protection some the heat and cold...while even able to withstand flames licking at the threads? It was almost hard to believe such a material felt even softer then Silk. Maybe Inari was onto something.

He'd tighten the Obi around himself to hold the Kimono together, the man was used to Yukata, so a Kimono was a bit 'fancy' for him...he always thought them more for girls, but after getting the entire outfit together...it fit nicely. The black Hakama pants made it less 'girly' to him, while offering him almost more freedom of movement then his normal wears. Adding the Haori over his shoulders, slipping the loose but comfy jacket over the outfit completed it. He'd look himself over a moment before a slight push would let the door open, presenting himself to her assuming she hadn't already been peeking through the crack in the door, him looking a bit uncomfortable with the situation but overall looking great in the outfit. It fit the man nicely. "Mm...you're the clothing designer here...what you think?" he asked, feeling awkward asking someone's opinion on his outfit. He clearly had a sense of fashion but no where near some of the woman and girls he knew did, or in Inari's case, just met. While giving her a chance to respond, he'd shift the outfit just a bit, opening the front of the Kimono just a little to show more of his chest--akin to how he looked when he had walked in with his Yukata, enough to show his necklace about his chest.

Azuma would be in the changing room for a moment after being guided by Inari, the fox girl eagerly waiting for his reveal. She truly believed the clothing somebody wore told a lot about themselves. Somebody who didn't care about their appearance was apathetic and a slob. They had no self-esteem or desire to put any value in themselves. When the door opened Inari clasped her hands together as a small squee escape from her containing her excitement. "You look perfect!" She said approaching his personal bubble and giving a quick graze of her thumb nail across his kimono. Her claws were incredibly sharp, though against the clothing it didn't cause any damage. It was a bit of a quality test for her. Azuma would feel nothing being protected by the high quality clothing.

"I can guarantee you will be satisfied. All you need to do now is complete the transaction and you will be ready toke on the world!" Inari would beckon Azuma to follow her to the front counter where she would get behind the counter where the register was. "My, oh my! You'll make a special someone very happy. Your total will come out to fifty-thousand ryo, please!" Inari said eagerly with a tail having a slight wag to it. The money was always the best part about serving any customer.

The Desert Rogue earned a 'squee' from the girl upon his exit, followed up by her exclaiming it looked perfect on him. In retrospective of course Inari would say that, she was trying to make a sale after all. He blinked as she approached him, and gave the material a feel with her thumb--his sensitive ears even burning a bit with the sound of the teen's claw sliding across the material. Of course, this did nothing to it--it was pretty high quality after all.

He'd go ahead and follow her once she beckoned him to, watching the Foxy-female shift over to the counter where she eagerly awaited Azuma to pay for his new outfit. Someone less reputable might have used this chance to simply run off with the clothing, of course...Azuma wasn't that type of person at all. Azuma stepped over to the counter, opposite side of the side Inari had taken--after gathering his clothes he'd come in with of course, tossing them over his shoulder for now, and carrying the shoes. "Mmm...hopefully." he said in response to her 'You'll make a special someone very happy.' comment...the man did wanna make someone special to him happy, although his outfit probably had little to do with it. He'd rummage about with the Yukata he walked in with, pulling a Ryo pouch from it. A sweatdrop formed on his head when he realized this was nearly half his current money, but with a sigh he went ahead and put down the 50,000 Ryo. If it was as good as she claims, then it should overall be worth it...the man's Ryo Pouch hurt though. He'd look to Inari, giving her a faint smile. "Guess I can let anyone who asks know I got an outfit from the best designer in Suna..." he said, even if it didn't feel like something to 'brag' about...the man was too humble for something like that, in reality he'd just let the outfit speak for itself, and point anyone who asks Inari's way. After leaving the cash he sighed almost silently and gave her a small nod, turning to head towards the door. He stopped somewhere in between to look back to Inari.

"Been great meeting you, Inari-san."

He went ahead and carried on, the Desert Rogue passing through the door once more, facing the world in his new outfit.

--Exit Post