To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch52 Ice Cream

Ice Cream

The tailor in question ended up being a back-alley shop only a few blocks away from the university district. They entered through an unassuming gray steel door into a very industrial looking space. The walls were made of rust-colored bricks and had been patched up with bland grey concrete, rusty girders and I-beams held up the ceiling, and huge dirty windows let in grimy light. Long chains dangled from the ceiling holding up bolts of cloth in every pattern and color, human looking mannequins were randomly scattered about the space displaying completed outfits. Alwen followed Gato in as the door slammed behind them, he led her forward through the maze of haphazardly hung shelves and cabinets to the center of the mess where the owner had set up her workstation.

There an older women was hunched over a sewing machine as she worked on a pretty floral print robe. She didn't even spare them a glance as she finished working on the clothes in front of her. When she had finished her work she straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and fixed her gaze on Alwen. During Alwen's time with the Hellworlder's she had learned how to recognize and differentiate many of the different Terran ethnicities. The women before her was almost Alwen's height and had straight black hair and slightly differently shaped eyes which placed her as being someone from the eastern side of the Eurasian continent, and since this was a shop that dealt in Japanese clothing she assumed she was Japanese. From her looks she seemed to be fully Japanese, rather than the half heritage Astarte claimed.

"More Torweni" she grumbled in heavily accented common "Speak English?" she asked.

"Yes" Alwen responded in English.

The women smiled "Good, I speak that better than common" she said in a slightly less accented tone. Her words almost had an additional vowel at the end of every hard consonant "Do you speak Nihongo?"

Alwen shook her head "I've learned a few words, but not many. I'm still learning English"

The seamstress shrugged "Still better than the others, you from Asmodeus or Moloch?"

"The Astaroth actually" Alwen answered.

"Should have known" The woman said with a glance towards Gato. "I told you stop growing, to big already." She grumbled and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"No can-do Madam Ito, my job requires me to be big and strong" Gato said wryly.

She harrumphed "Too big, I need to make new clothes for you, already too tight in the shoulders" she then turned her gaze back to Alwen "How long have you been on Astaroth?"

"Uh, close to a year"

She blinked "And your only now getting proper clothes?"

"I brought clothes from home, but now they're worn down." Alwen explained.

"I meant proper clothes, my clothes" she said as she walked forward and began to lift and examine Alwen's arm, feeling along her musculature. "Hm, you already put on muscle, good. I won't need to guess how big you'll grow. First Torweni girl I've gotten to measure though, I'll need to get all your measurements properly, slightly different proportions from Human girls. Do you wear shirts, or walk around topless?"

"Yes, to the shirt part I mean." Alwen answered as Madam Ito began to poke around her belly.

"Hm, bigger hips than human women, plenty to hang off. What's your job, are you another marine brute?"