Mythran's Master Of All

Ren stood up from the table. “I guess I better head to the Garrison.” Ren said and turned to Gausen. “Thanks for coming by and not really doing anything.” He said and grinned.

“Hey! That was an Imperial Order! I'm only an Ambassador to a foreign city. I can't do anything about it!” Gausen said, a bit heatedly.

Ren clapped him on the shoulder. “I know. I was just teasing you.”

Gausen frowned. “You have a strange sense of humor.”

Ren laughed. “You have no idea.” He said and turned to Nathalia and her mother, Narhilda. “I don't know what the situation will be like when I get to the Garrison, but I should be back by tonight.”

“Wait.” Narhilda said. “You can't go dressed like that.”

Ren looked down at himself. He wore his Spider Silk Cloth Traveller's Clothes (High Quality). “What's wrong with it?”

She shook her head. “You'll lose Honor faster than water through a broken dam if you show up like that.” She said, then sighed. “I know just the thing that you'll need. It may take a few minutes to find, but I'll be back.”

Narhilda left the kitchen and walked through the main room and down the hallway. Ren heard a door open, and a moment later, a loud shriek. Ren ran as fast as he could and was at the open door a moment later, to see Narhilda kneeling on the floor of her old bedroom. She was in front of the workbench, crying.

“What is it?” Ren asked as he knelt beside her and Nathalia came into the room behind him. Narhilda pointed to the neat and tidy shelf of patterns, and between sobs, told Ren how she had left her husband's old workbench the way it was, because it was the last thing he'd touched before he died. Ren reached out and rubbed her back, consolingly.

“My Lady, I'm terribly sorry.” Ren said. “This was my fault. The first night I spent in here, I saw the shelf of mixed up papers, and it bothered me that it was such a mess. I thought... I thought that the least I could do to repay your kind hospitality, was to straighten it up for you.”

Narhilda looked at him with tears in her eyes. Ren pulled out a scrap piece of cloth from inventory and wiped her face with it.

“In my ignorance, I thought they were just bills and contracts, and started to sort them. It was then that I realized what they actually were.” Ren said. “Once I saw that they were patterns, I was consumed with them.”

Narhilda's face was filled with shock. “You... you read them?!?”

Ren nodded. “I did. When I was done and had them all put away properly, I knew your husband wasn't just a great man like your daughter had told me.” Ren said. “He was a Master Tailor.”

Nathalia gasped. “Ma, is that true?”

Narhilda nodded.

“I knew he was a great tailor and that everyone wanted him to make them something... but a Master Tailor?” Nathalia walked over to the bed and sat down. “I never knew that.”

Narhilda took the cloth Ren held for her and wiped away another bout of tears. “It's not something that comes up in normal conversation, dear.” She said and then laughed a little. “How would that go? Good morning, Nathalia honey. Your dead father was a Master Tailor. I just thought you should know. Eat some breakfast.”

Ren snorted a laugh and Nathalia smiled.

“Okay, I guess it wouldn't just come up... but you could have told me once I was older.” Nathalia said.

“It didn't really matter after the House lost most of it's Influence.” Narhilda said and sighed. “It just wasn't as important as keeping this place running.”

Nathalia nodded, and Narhilda turned back to Ren. “So... you read them.” She said. “What did you think?”

“I think that if he were alive today, there wouldn't be a single dwarf that wouldn't own a piece of his clothing.”

Narhilda caught her breath. “You... you understood what he was doing!”

Ren nodded. “The patterns, once I had them sorted and organized, told me exactly what his intentions were.”

“Show me.” Narhilda said and stood up. “Find the 'Dwarf Recruit Uniform' in there.” She said and waved to the organized parchment paper stacks. “You have my permission to use the workbench to make it.”

Ren stood up and pulled a bolt of white cloth from inventory. He measured out the proper length, cut it off, then started to cut out the pieces he needed.

“What are you doing?” Narhilda asked.

“I'm making the Dwarf Recruit Uniform like you asked.” Ren said, but didn't stop cutting out pieces.

“But... you didn't take out the pattern yet!” She said.

Ren smiled. “There's no need. I memorized them all.”

Gasps were heard from behind him, but he ignored it. Definitely a default response. He thought and finished cutting out the pieces.

“There are hundreds of patterns! How could you...” Narhilda's eyes widened as Ren took out the portable dying station and dyed the cloth pieces to be the mottled grey of the uniform. He stored it again and began to sew. He took his time, as this was his first attempt at making one of Lord Neram's creations, and he wanted to do it justice. When he was finished, he stepped back and examined it.