Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[ArcticFox]

"Dan, come on." Lianna placed a hand on his upper arm, trying to get him to focus on something else. "I want a proper lunch in a restaurant with a finely dressed gentleman. I have been almost dead for days, I think I deserve that much. Are you saying that I'm such bad company that you'd rather stare in diagrams for the rest of the day?" She pouted.

 

[Cartoonicat]

At first, he waved her off, too wrapped up in his own thinkings to pay her much attention, but then Lianna pulled the pity-card and his head shot up from the notebook. "Oh certainly, you do, yes," he said, then he backtracked: "Wait, what? That's not what I- No, not at all!" Shook his head vigorously. "You are the best of company, Lianna, but I..."

Dan looked longingly at the notes in his hand, at the chalkboard writings, at the marked map. Chewed at his bottom lip. Then he looked at her and sighed. Closed the notebook. "Alright, you have my attention," he said. "What did you say we were doing today? I, uh..." He needn't finish the sentence; it was obvious he hadn't been listening until now.

Now that Dan was on board, Lianna needed to decide what to do first.

- Visit Brackett Emporium
- Take him to a barber
- Go out to lunch
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna smiled with satisfaction. She managed to sway someone at least. "Great!" She clapped her hands together, eager to see what would Dan look like when he was all dressed up like a regular human being. "Let's get you a new suit first. Brackett Emporium is just around the corner." She turned to leave, then stopped and gave him a suspicious look. "When did you last take a bath?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan followed her, only to pause as she turned. "Yesterday, in fact," he smiled quite proudly. "Poppy and Ms. Peterson insisted. Multiple times. Speaking of which, when might they be returning home? The basement can only accommodate so many."

The basement was plenty big, it just had a significant amount of clutter still left to be sorted through and a hermit inventor who did not like to be nagged. Both of the women were still wanted by the vampire coven, though Poppy could return to her mother if she so chose. Unfortunately, due to a rift between Ms. Peterson and her daughter, the elderly woman only had the asylum to return to.

- Answer his question
- Ignore his question
- Ask about Poppy and Emma
- Head to Brackett Emporium
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna narrowed her eyes at him. "You have plenty of room there. If you don't want them in the basement, I'm sure there's a vacant room somewhere in the Hub for the two of them." She shrugged. "I kind of like the idea of you having company. You might not admit it, but it must get lonely down there among your inventions."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan hummed and looked away, appearing quite like a child who was ignoring getting chastised. "I suppose," he shrugged. "Poppy likes to help with the inventions - she's rather smart, if not a little brutish with the equipment - and Ms. Peterson, should I call Emma, has many interesting stories." Scratched at his chin again. "Her tales of evading the vampires are especially helpful."

Turned out Dan enjoyed their company after all, even if the two women obviously annoyed him at times.

He stepped forward and plucked a tattered overcoat from a rack beside the door. Placed an equally worn hat atop his head. "Shall we go?"

- Head to Brackett Emporium
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"See, I knew you don't mind the company." Lianna smiled, then hooked her arm through his and pushed the door open. "Let's go, Dan. We'll make a gentleman out of you yet."

 

[Cartoonicat]

And so they left the Hub behind, eyes set on fancy suits and gala dresses.
---

Brackett Emporium​

"Raise your arms, please," Sophia instructed. When the inventor did as was told she held a measuring tape to him and marked the numbers down in a notebook. "Thank you. Now, turn around." Again, he did as was told. "Thank you."

Despite his obedience, Dan looked terribly bored. He'd asked Sophia a number of questions about the boutique's style of architecture and the building's overall history, but they were questions to which she did not know the answers. "Will I have a short tail coat or long? I find the short ones flatter my shoulders."

"With your height, most definitely long."

Dan's eyes rolled to the ceiling and he sighed. "Perhaps a new pair of glasses, then."

Sophia crouched to measure the length of his legs. "I suggest a monocle; they're currently trending."

As Sophia took measurements for fitting, it seemed the two could not decide on a style for Dan to wear. Sophia knew fashion and fashion trends - she needed to for her job - but most of her suggestions would likely place Dan outside of his comfort zone. Lianna could side with either one or try to bargain a compromise.

- Fashion first!
- Comfort first!
- Why not both?
- They can handle it

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna listened to the argue an she wasn't surprised. Dan always thought that he knew everything about everything. Fashion was not his thing, though, but she also did not want to see him trip or struggle with an overly complicated collar or something, while on his important even.

"Can you not compromise?" She asked Sophia. "Maybe add in a couple fashionable trinkets, like the long tails and the monocle, but keep the suit comfortable enough for Dan to move around it. I suspect the event will be long and tiring without him having to struggle with clothes."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Humming thoughtfully, Sophia straightened and looked him up and down. Dan squirmed under her scrutinizing gaze. "Our inventory consists mostly of the newest trends, but I will see what I can do on such short notice." Tapping her fingers together, she motioned for him to spin around again. "Perhaps a sack coat. Pairing it off with a short top hat - or even a bowler, really - might do the trick..." Most of what she said seemed more of a conversation with herself than Lianna or Dan.

With a decisive scribble in her notebook, Sophia gestured for Dan to step off of the fitting platform. "Your turn," she told Lianna. "Have you looked at the dress catalog yet? I can match the color of his suit accents with your dress if you'd like." She seemed to be under the impression that Lianna was in the market for a gown of her own.

Lianna had dresses at home, but nothing so formal as what would be seen at the gala.

- Look in the catalog
- Give Sophia creative liberty
- Don't get a new dress
- Other
- (Optional) Match colors with Dan

 

[ArcticFox]

"Thank you, Sophia, but I'm not buying a dress today. I've been out of commission for a while and in turn pretty short on money." She shrugged. Her dresses were good enough. Besides, Dan was supposed to be the star of the evening. "But, if you make his suit accents emerald green, I have a gown at home of that colour."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Sophia smiled. "I can do that," she said. "We have a lovely selection of greens left over from last season."

"How long until the suit is done?" Dan asked. "I'm a bit hungry."

"Likely not until tomorrow morning, so you may go for now." She turned to Lianna, however, having apparently picked up on her authority in the matter. "Make sure he is here right at opening so we can make any last minute adjustments. If the suit ends up too baggy or too tight, I'd like to fix it before the gala."

With the suit order and its down payment taken care of, they had the rest of the day free to do what they pleased.

- Visit a barber
- Grab a late lunch
- Go somewhere else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Got it." Lianna nodded, before saying goodbye to Sophia and walking out of the parlour. Then she turned to Dan. "Can you hang in there for just a moment? Let's go to a barber first, then continue to lunch."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Dan's stomach grumbled loudly as if protesting for him, but he nodded nonetheless. Having become such a good friend to him, Lianna had the inventor wrapped around her finger. Luckily for Dan, on the same street was a salon. It'd be a bit more expensive than a typical barber shop, most of which were run-down and found in Downtown, but it'd offer more options to choose from in regards of style. Not to mention, it was bound to be cleaner.

"Hmm," Dan gestured to the shop sign titled 'Tres Beaux'. He looked to Lianna, "Is this what we want?"

Looking inside, Lianna could see several men and women getting their hair done while sipping drinks. The salon's interior looked charming and rustic-chic but with an inventive, almost technological twist on their tools, and it appeared unfathomably clean.

- Go in the salon
- Find a Downtown barber
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"If you can afford it." Lianna looked at Dan. "It's bound to be very expensive, but it just might be worth it. It's not every day that you get invited to a fancy dinner party." She hoped he'd agree to it, but wouldn't want him to overspend.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Again, scratching at the hair on his chin, Dan hummed. "Money is no issue," he said, "my inventions and schematics, especially when completed, go for high prices." That would explain how he managed to fill the basement with machinery and other equipment. His explanation came almost absently, though; he appeared focused on the people behind the glass.

A man with a long, slicked-back ponytail and freshly shaven face stepped out. "...Can we help you?" He looked more at Dan than he did Lianna but, then again, Dan was standing oddly close to the glass and staring right in at the people inside, like some awkward observer.

- Go inside the salon
- Find a Downtown barber
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She didn't know that Dan was rich. She doubted anyone did. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man greeting them and she quickly answered.

"Yes, my friend here would need a shave and a new haircut. Something fashionable yet not too wild." She took Dan's hand to lead him in, just in case he decided it was to much and tried to run for the hills.

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

The man whisked Dan into an open seat, the inventor's head swiveling every which way in amazement. Truly, the inside of the room was no more advanced than his own basement, but the cleanliness and organization made it appear to be some sort of technological marvel. He sat down in a shiny leather chair and looked up to see some sort of wheel-cranked helmet hovering over his hair. Above that, a chandelier made of machine legs and designed to look like barber tools. "Incredible...!"

"Fashionable, yet not wild," the man looked Dan up and down, eyes landing on his facial hair, and murmured, "Already plenty wild..." before tossing a cover over his shoulders. He looked to Lianna. "How about a simple trim, style, and clean shave?"

Dan's hand immediately went to his facial hair. "Shave?"

- Accept
- Decline
- Compromise
- Suggest a different look
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna gazed around the barber salon in wonder. There were pretty things in Steamhaven, it was easy to forget.

"Maybe just a trim of the beard too?" She suggested to the barber, then looked at Dan. "I don't know, I think all men look better with a bit of beard."

 

[Cartoonicat]

The man, who himself was clean-shaven, quirked a brow. "I thought you wanted fashionable," he said. "Facial hair is out, the clean look is in."

"Then call me unfashionable," Dan said. "I'll be keeping this." Gestured to his beard.

Shrugging, the barber picked up his supplies and started at work on a simple trim. Upon touching Dan's hair, though, his brows shot upwards. He then proceeded to yammer Dan's ear off about how healthy his hair was, inquiring about the products Dan used. Which were none; the man hardly remembered to bathe half the time.

Lianna could sit and wait or walk around. She could also ask one of the available hairdressers flitting from room to room for something to drink.

- Sit and wait
- Explore
- Ask for a drink
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna had done her fair share of sitting still for a whole year as far as she was concerned. She observed the barber and Dan and smiled at their exchange, then circled the parlour, examining the equipment, but not touching anything.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Soft violin music played through electric loudspeakers situated in each room, nearly in sync. The soft ambiance and the smell of tea and wine probably made the place feel like a haven to most. Going room to room, Lianna would pass people getting their hair done or waiting.

One woman, in particular, stood alone at a mirror, combing out long, frizzy, bright pink curls without a hairdresser to help. Her outfit took the trends of Steamhaven to a progressive level; instead of a long dress, like Clara's, she wore a short layered skirt that stuck out from a layer of exposed tulle underneath. It, like her hair, was dyed vibrantly, but she had a fashionable corset and other accessories that women of Steamhaven were known for.

Compared to Brackett Emporium's style of clothing, this woman looked like she wore a costume.

The two made eye contact in the mirror and she addressed Lianna without turning around. "Are you lost?" If it weren't for her soft, rather high-pitched voice (that matched her small, dainty stature), she'd have come off as unfriendly.

- Introduce yourself
- Ask about her appearance
- Compliment the salon
- Say something else
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna watched the pink-haired woman for a moment in stunned silence. It's been a long time since she saw someone as beautiful as her and it made words catch in her throat. When she was address, she realised that she must look like a complete fool, so she quickly put on a smile.

"I'm not lost." Lianna said. "I was just looking around while my friend gets a haircut. It's a very beautiful salon." Then she added. "My name is Lianna, it's nice to meet you."

 

[Cartoonicat]

With a final stroke of the brush, the woman set it aside and turned to face Lianna properly instead of through a mirror. she said. Brushed fingers along the wooden countertop, eyes looking about. "I suppose it is," she said, "though I would prefer more color." Tapped fingertips leisurely against the surface. "Violette, a pleasure."

Violette pronounced her name with an accent though she did not speak with one otherwise. Eventually, her gaze settled on Lianna. Openly looked her up and down. She radiated aloofness until her eyes landed on Lianna's hair, but even then she still seemed somewhat distant. "You're very pretty. Is the red natural?"

- Take the compliment
- Deny the compliment
- Answer her question
- Compliment Violette
- Ask about her name
- Ask about the salon
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Ah, thank you." Lianna smiled, feeling herself blushing. She wasn't usually shy, but some people just got to her. "It is natural. I haven't visited a salon since I was a child. I... don't really like strangers touching my hair. Uh, no offence."