Tah and the tailor

Posted on Tue Jun 18, 2024 @ 8:55pm by Civilian Eris Tah & Civilian Thavas Th'Omtala

1,438 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Tergum In Tempus
Location: Sartorial Splendor
Timeline: si Vis Pacem MD minus 2

[ON]

Thavas technically wasn't even open when the chime at his door announced a visitor, and a glance at the security camera revealed another andorian standing expectantly at his door; a tall female with a severe bob, the flared tipped antennae of a Bish'ee rising up out of a fringe cut so straight it could have been trimmed with a laser . In her shadow, shoulders hunched and hugging several large padds to her chest, was a another woman, a mousy haired human.

Thavas, seeing his guests had arrived, went to the door and opened it, wearing a suit of his own making, cut from Omtalan cloth. In his left hand was his sheathed hrisal. "I welcome you, Eris Tah, Secretary of the Promenade Merchants Association," he said, and then glanced at Tah's assistant and smiled. "And you, little human, whatever your name might be, to Sartorial Splendor! Please, enter." He stood aside and gestured for the two women to enter his shop.

Sartorial Splendor placed heavy emphasis on the "Splendor". The lighting was subdued and the shop was decked out in stained wood and luxurious Omtalan fabrics and brass furnishing and combinations of clear and stained glass. It had a warm, rich, but cozy feel to it. There were several custom made oufits for men, women, and those who had yet to make up their minds, ranging in style and design from casual to business to formal wear, and ties, and scarves, and cloaks, all of them constructed by hand from more Omtalan fabric. The color of the fabric was different depending on the angle and perspective of the viewer. Thavas led the pair to a sitting area, with four chairs, a coffee table. On the wall nearby were mirrors for clients to see themselves as they tried on their newly made clothing.

Thavas had sent very detailed and specific instructions, along with the appropriate supplies, to create the interior and the facade of the store. As for the stock and the final touches...

"It's just me today," he said. "My small staff worked very hard with me to get the shop ready. I gave most of them the day off." As he spoke, he walked over to a stand on a table that was designed for his hrisal. He placed the weapon in its stand and turned back to Tah and her assistant. "Please sit. Would either of you a refreshment?"

Unlike some Andorians, Thavas had trained himself to be extremely agreeable and personable. It either put people at ease or put them off. Either could work in his favor.

"Katheka would be more than welcome." Tah sat, but the human moved to stand meekly behind her. "I want to thank for the invitation to meet. We don't normally get notified in advance of new openings. So on behalf of the merchants of the DS5 Promenade, let me welcome you to our little frontier home."

"Of course," Thavas said, walking over to his brewer. "I just made some. The real thing. Only the best for clients and other visitors." Thavas poured a cup and brought it to Tah. It wasn't lost on the tailor that Tah had not introduced her assistant, nor that she had not introduced the timid woman. Thavas poured himself a cup of katheka and took a seat opposite the other Andorian and got right down to business. "So, Madame Secretary, I assume you would like me to join the Promenade Merchants Association. May I assume that in exchange for any dues I might be required to pay, that you will advocate on my behalf with Starfleet?" Thavas had his own relationship with Starfleet, but felt no need for Tah to advocate for him in the buying and selling of information and favors. That was something he could do quite well for himself.

Tah raised a hand and her assistant handed her a pad which she then passed to Thavas. "We engage in collective bargaining with Starfleet over rents and service fees, offer preferred rates on insurance and other financial services, and work together to raise awareness of all member companies, consultants and traders, amongst the station population and beyond."

Thavas had figured as much. It was a bit like a legitimate protection racket, without the actual breaking of legs. These types of schemes could sometimes involve figurative legbreaking through rules and consequences for breaking those rules.

"And what rules and restrictions can I expect?" Thavas asked. "For example, restrictions on advertising, marketing, hours of operation, what products and services I offer, or anything of this nature."

"Little enough, we work to keep such things to a minimum. We don't even have a non-compete clause." She passed another padd to him, already open on the correct page. "Restrictions, such as they are, are more in the order of expectations of solidarity and showing a united front. For example, should a establishment ask that a persistent trouble maker become persona non grata, that you honor the decision of the association. You are, of course, totally free to admit or reject whomever you like from your own premises, but should a association wide notice go out, we'd hope you'd co-operate with the continued safety of our members."

Thavas thumbed quickly and efficiently through the summaries on each PaDD. "These seem straightforward enough." He glanced at the price and wondered if he should haggle for the sake of haggling, or just agree to it. Instead, he decided to ask other questions before aggreeing to join. "Would you say you are a congenial group? Willing to work together for the betterment of all members? Out-of-brand cross promotions? Things of this nature?"

"As a rule. The rising tide lifts all ships, as the humans say." A third padd was handed over. "Some examples of how we've helped each other in the past, which stores offer discounts to PMA members, and the extra ship services, such as key importers and exporters for any goods or materials you might require that cannot be generated by the fabrication department."

Again, Thavas carefully and quickly looked over the information he'd been handed. He nodded. "Alright," Thavas said. "I'll join your merchants association." He smiled mischievously. "Of course, once I'm a member, I'll be a part of your merchants association. So, perhaps I should start getting used to calling it 'our merchants association'?"

"Indeed." Tah smile was bordering on patronising. "Welcome to our happy family. Do you have any other questions. Or anything we can do for you?"

Thavas had been patronized by beings far more impressive than Eris Tah and he took no offense. "Thank you," he said. "I need nothing I can think of at this time." The Andorian tailor and weaver put his signature on all of the documents he'd read and handed the PaDDs back to Eris. "If that is all, I should really open the shop for the day. And if you find yourself in the market for new clothing, please, stop in. I'll do my best to make you a good deal." Thavas purposely didn't say he'd help Eris find something she could afford. That's what he would do, but she had given him no reason to insult or demean her. Besides, even the meanest of Omtalan cloth was a luxury, and he was a wizard when it came to tailoring and dressmaking.

Tah rose, setting aside her empty cup. "I look forward to browsing your designs when you're all settled in." If she picked up on the subtext, she hadn't shown it. "We're all in this together after all, if one of us thrives, we all benefit. And if you need anything, please contact Jones. She has my diary."

Thavas rose as well. "A pleasure, ladies," he said. "Miss Jones, my offer extends to you as well. It was a pleasure to meet you both. If you'll come this way, I'll walk you out."

After his two visitors had left, Thavas thought to himself that the encounter had gone quite well. "So far, so good," he said. "Now on to other business."

He waved to his apprentice, Viza, as he saw her approaching. She helped him open up the shop and they waited for their first customer. It wasn't long before the woman arrived. Prior to his arrival, Thavas had reached out and made contact with some private clients of his. A few were passing through DS5 in transit elsewhere, others had friends stationed on DS5 or who were residents there. Word of mouth would soon spread.

[OFF]

Eris Tah,
Secretary, The Promendate Merchants Association
DS5
(NPC by Soran)

Thavas Th'Omtala
Proprietor, Tailor, Master Weaver
Sartorial Splendor

 

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