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[Setting] The Flora Workshop
| >a creepy guy hunched over, and appearing to have lost many days of sleep approaches the shop, leaning against it's windows and heavily breathing, fogging the glass
| >A tall young man arrives through the entrance, carrying a deck on his back and an over the shoulder bag.
| >The inside of the shop and it's display feature a large amount of cute dolls, dressed in sharp dresses and other clothing...
>Seems like the sales area was cleared to allow a large table and sets of tools to be placed
>Behind a counter is a smallish girl with a fluffy bob cut, next to her is a tall women dressed in a large gothic dress and leather gloves, she has long cream hair and red eyes
| >The Creepy guy notices the small girl beyond the counter, and almost instantly starts reddening, he rushes into the store mumbling
"D-dolls.."
| >>533522
"H-Hello. Uh... this is where Master Taisho is going to be correct? Or is one of you said Master? Sorry I'm still pretty new to this doll stuff."
| >A single person wearing a long brown trench coat and a berret enters the shop, small with long blonde hair, although it seems to be clearly bleached, the roots being still black, they wear sunglasses and have bandages wrapped around one of their arms
"So this is the place, Dolls huh"
| "Dolls eh? Interesting enough i suppose"
>a man in a blue jacket and strange headset walks in
>dudes eating a hotdog for some reason
"I wonder what kind they are...?"
>followed by a girl with black and white hair
>she uh...oh dear she is wearing one of those ahegao hoodies with matching skirt and garterbelt thigh highs
"Dear lord must she wear that everywhere...?">the boy laments under his breath
| >>533534 >>533587 >>533584
>The tall women turns to the group with a soft smile, while the smaller one is panicking
"I am indeed the one called Taisho'ha. And yes, this is the place where I will be holding a small demonstration."
>The small girl is still panicking, but manages to squeeze a few words in
"W-Welcome to t-the Flora Wor-Workshop! W-We make ha-handicrafs!"
>She bit her tongue
| >>533658
>He gives a slight bow in return
"I-It's good to meet you, I've become a sort of new fan recently of your works."
>He looks to the small girl, concerned
"Are you okay?"
| >The shady shorty with the berret just looks with concern at the girl with the buzzcut before turning their head away towards the tall girl
"Thats an interesting name, any history behind it'"
>Their accent is kinda bizzare, not noticeable enough to affect speech but just enough to make one wonder of their origins... Or it was just annoying, you decide
| >>533658
"I suppose this is considered a honour is some circles hmm?
Then allow be to respond"
Bonjour demoiselles"
>the jacketed fellow raises his hand to his chest and bows
"My name is Cassius Vanderbilt.
Tis a pleasure to make thy acquaintance."
>the girl follows suit and does a curtsey
"Hello there. My name ks Gemini"
>She giggles
| >the girl produces a small mouth spray from who knows where and approaches the small girl
"Now then say 'ah' this will make the pain go away"
>she offers
| >>533667
>The short girl panicks and goes to hide behind Taisho'ha
>>533661
"I wished there was. But it's just that my parents had a weird sense for these things."
>Taisho'ha chuckles
"I'll be starting soon. Please, look around while I get ready."
| >>533671
"W-was it something i said..?"
>she laments
>the boy just chuckles at the sight and looks around
| >>533671
"Will do, I always liked handiwork"
>They go and start checking around the place, its hard to see what their eyes are looking at behind those sunglasses
| >The shelves around the shop are filled with cloths and a wide variety of dolls, going from bisque to ball-jointed, French and German along with a few original creations. There is even a corner dedicated to more conventionally cute dolls, with similarly cute simple clothes.
>Taisho'ha picks up her tool sets and begins prepping something on the table, seems like a bunch of clockworks and other items
| >>533709
>The young man who first entered looks at the dresses, looking for something that may fit a larger doll.
| >>533709
>cassius browses through the french dolls
"Huh just like the ones grandma had
..."
>gemini continues to try and befriend the little girl
"Umm i dont bite...please forgive me for scaring you..."
>A small tear forms under her eye
| >>533717
>There is a large selection of clothes meant for humans and lilims, along with the matching accessories
>>533719
>The girl steps out from the shadow and sniffles
"S-Sorry, I-I'm so N-Nervous... T-This is m-my first t-time op-opening sho-shop for the common fo-folk..."
| >>533727
>she giggles again
"Ara ara~"
>"yesss i always wanted to do that"
>she thinks to herself as she checks out "ara ara a little one" off her mental to do list
"Its quite alright everyone is nervous at some point in their life."
>headpat attempt
| >>533727
>The young man overhears the conversation
"Hmm? Do you usually only open to enthusiasts or something?"
| >>533728 >>533733
>The girl subtly dodges the attempt, her fluffy hair bobbing as she does!
>She then turns to the young man
"Y-Yes! No-normally you-you'd need a mem-membership to come h-here!"
>Taisho'ha seems about done, and claps her hands
"I'll begin now, if you want to watch. Take a seat anywhere really, and if you have questions, ask them as we go, okay?"
| >The young man nods towards the girl
"Thank you."
>He then moves to take a seat towards the middle of the available spots, trying to be conscientious about his height
| >>533790
>Cassius pulls out two plastic chairs from a corner and takes a seat
>gem looks like she will not give up on befriending but relents and takes a seat
"You'll get em next time champ"
"Shut up-"
"Kek"
| >The sunglasses wearing person also stops examining the surroundings and instead takes a seat, putting away a crutch that was hidden under their coat
| >Taisho'ha finishes placing her tools on the table
"Well, hello everyone, good evening. I'm Taisho'ha, you can call me Taisho, Tai or anything else really."
>She smiles
"Do any of you have an interest in dolls? And if so, why?"
>She takes a smallish doll out of her toolbox, it's around 60cm tall, and looks just like her
| >>533993
>The young man raises his hand
"Well to be honest I do like how life-like they can be, but in the case of your work specifically, I also enjoy the meticulous work you put in "programming" them."
| >>533993
"My grandmother had some at her house.
I would be see them alot as a kid hehe"
>Cassius chuckles
"I just like the dresses.
One can make them so simplistic or extraordinary.
Its fun in a way"
>Gemini answers
| "All good answers."
>Taisho'ha smiles
"For me, it was the appeal of making cute works of art... and to replicate the human form."
>She takes a hallow piece of some kind of material... it looks like a hollow torso
"Let's begin, then?"
| "To begin with, this is my first time doing a public assembly like this. So I want to make use of feedback... what kind of doll should I build today, ladies and gentlemen?"
*Taisho smiles*
| >>534387
"Ummm..hmmm..
How about something similar to the first doll you've ever made?
Or a type of doll that has a close place in your heart?
People say stuff about" ohh i get to see an expert make a masterpiece" and the like in these situations but if you ask me, i pales in comparison to something you made with passion no?"
>Cassius recommends
| >Taisho smiles again
"Great idea. Now, let's begin..."
>She picks a few pieces, a torso, legs, arms and a head... and begins carving them
"The parts are easy to find, these very ones come from this shop. Doll making is extremely easy with the right know how and enough time. If you ever need a hobby, give it a shot. You can even ask Haru here to sell you all you'll need."
| >She takes a good look at the head
"Hmmm... good. Shaving shouldn't take much time, but if you're using bisque or ceramic, you'll need to buy them already done, can't shave that."
>She begins using a file on the head to smooth the edges
"I use a product of Haru's and my creation. It feels a bit like skin, so you need to be gentle with it."
| >Gemini raises her hand
| >>534697
"Yes?"
>Taisho turns to you with her gentle smile
"Feel free to ask any question you might have."
| >>534749
"Are you able to disclose a bit about this product you made?
Or if not, are we able to purchase some?"
>she asks
"Also, can i eat a chocolate bar here?"
| >>534869
"Cassius was eating a chilidog earlier! Im hungry..."
"I was not and you have no proof that i was. Anyway be patient, well get Chinese food later or something"
>he totally *was* eating a chilidog earlier though
| >>534797
"W-we se-sell it!"
>The small shopkeep, Haru, stammers
"You heard her, and so long as you don't sully the place, eating, drinking and anything else is fine, within reason of course."
>Taisho gives a wink and resumes
"Once you've made the parts to your liking, you need to assemble them. I'm going to use simple ball joints for this one, but you can use a plethora of means to assemble the limbs."
| >>534953
"Hm, that's a tough question... But I've always had a soft spot for number 8, Yuu'en... the pieces I used were much different."
>Her face goes a little dark before a smile blooms back on it
"I never did see her turned on, though."
>She finishes assembling the doll's frame
"As easy as that, the next parts are where practice makes perfect."
>She grabs a brush and begins painting the legs
"Let's give her some pretty skin, shall we?"
| >Taisho'ha paints with great skill... giving the doll realistic pale skin, with a rosy complexion
"A shy girl, I could see her father doting on her."
>She puts down the brush and lifts up the body
"That does it for the painting... the next part is a real toughie, we need to give her some innards."
>She takes out a large set of clockworks, all connected to a large sphere in the middle
"Well, I already completed the system. We don't want to be here all year."
| >>536763
"It takes around a month for me to work out all the kinks. But if you don't have a month and the money for a whole set of clockworks, you can get more normal parts, like servos and the like."
>She takes apart the body and reassembles it around the innards
"And there we go... now all that's left is making the eyes and polishing it all up."
| >>536765
"I have lots of practice, and to be honest, anyone can reach my level in a few years. Plus, I tend to overcomplicate my work, which actually slows me down compared to others."
>She smiles
"But that's why it's fun. There are so many ways to make a doll, and so many dolls to be made that were never made before."
| "Definitely different from how Cassius makes lilim frames."
>gem comments
"Not really. actually this is rather similar.
Base,joints, fake skin, internals."
>he responds
"Really? Then again you never let me in the lab.?"
"I *would* if you didnt keep blowing things up.
Ummm madame taisho, if i may ask, what was that orb in the middle of the clockworks?"
| >>536921
>Taisho pauses for a second
"Oh, that? It's the programmed core I use. In Lilim or Robot terms, the AI module. Getting something like that to work with clockworks is probably the toughest part of my work."
>She chuckles and finishes the assembly
"Next up are the eyes... and I have a few here."
>She takes out multiple sets of glass beads fitted with small cameras, covered in synthetic irises
| >>536943
"Indeed, I'm surprised you've heard of it."
>She takes the doll and begins dressing her
"Dresses are a big part of a doll's identity, so you should focus a lot of effort on them... in the interest of saving time though, I bought these all pre-made."
>She finishes clothing the doll and shows her off... she's quite cute, and stands at around 70cm tall
"The finishing touch is a coating, to make sure the skin stays soft and pristine. I use CRI's Elec-Proof C98."
| >>537133
"Truly? It's quite the good product. I don't care much for it's EMP and Shock resistance, more that it's the only thing that's thin enough to not feel like an actual hard coating."
>She chuckles
"I guess some shadowrunners would like it, it's pretty resistant and it can be used on guns, armour and anything else. CRI does great products, too bad it needs to be exported to GC, what with the huge tariffs."
>She finishes coating the doll in a thin layer of the product
| >>537139
"That's got to be a good story... say, all of you. Have any clue about a good name for this little one? She's about done and ready to wake up."
| >>537140
"Uhmmm how about colette?"
>cassius asks
"Or how about tia?
Thats sounds cute"
>gemini also presents
| >Taisho'ha thinks it over for a second...
"Tia is cute enough, and I feel like she's definitely a Tia."
>The doll is quite cute, with a shortish haircut and pale, rosy skin, all paired with cute drooping grey eyes and a sweet summer dress
"Let's wind her up, then."
>She puts a small key into her back and gives it a good whirl
>...The doll's eyes open slowly
"Good morning, Tia."
| >He waves at the small doll
"Hello."
| >The doll looks at the crowd... and visibly pales
"H-H-Helbo!"
>She bit her tongue
"Aw, Tia, calm down a little, will you? They're all my friends."
"Friends of Yuj-Tai? I-I see..."
>She heaves a sigh of relief
"How is she, ladies and gents? A cutie, is she not?"
| >>537157
"Absolutely precious"
>cassius comments
>gems face just lights up as she creeps ever closer with a silent
"Eeeeeeeeeeeekkkk"
| >The doll, Tia, stands up and moves to the edge of the table...
"Hm... it's huh... tall..."
"Scared of heights, such a cute one you are, Tia."
>She picks her up and takes her to the floor, where she keep observing and pacing through the room
| >>537161
"bonjour mon petit"
>the boy smiles in just a way that could put her at ease
"*☆*eeeeeeeeeeekkkkk*☆*!"
>only to be ruined by the girls overexcitedness which may scare her
| >She thinks a little
"As far as I know, the program gives them a random one. But it's also based on basic inputs. I tell all my dolls to see me as their creator, for instance."
>She pats Tia on the head as she approaches Gem
"Hm? You! Please put me on your shoulder!"
>She doesn't seem scared
| "I need to get o-over it!"
>She does seem a little pale
"Hahaha, such a cute child... If you have any questions for me now, I'll answer them as best I can."
| >>537201
"What do you mean by that..."
>Her gaze sharpens
"I hope no harm comes to my children, if that's your question."
| >>537235
"Repairs? I suppose it would depend on the doll. But anyone can fix them easily enough with new pieces. Save for Yuu'en, fixing her would prove extremely problematic. I did build her in an unconventional way, even for myself."
>Tia is still shaking a little
"I-I can do this..."
| >>537237
"You seem oddly caring about the matter... Did something happen to number 8?"
>She eyes you suspiciously while she goes over to retrieve Tia
"Tia, want a nap?"
"A nap? I am kinda sleepy..."
>She pets her head and takes out the key on her back, the doll goes limp
"Well, well, now, I must ask a question. Who of you here would like to take Tia home?"
| >>537244
"Ahaha, you seem quite eager young lady... and I suppose that since you chose her name, she should go to you."
>Taisho smiles and hands you the doll, along with a small case to fit her into and the winding key
"Number 9, Tia. It has a good ring to it. Treasure her well."
>She then turns to >>537245
"Yes, indeed, please explain in detail."
| >>537248
>she turns to the boy who just shrugs then back to taisho then to the case
"☆kyaaaaaahhhh☆ thank youuuuuu"
>The she looks rather star struck
"Dear me isnt she happy."
| >>537248
"Well I guess the short version is shortly after I got her she ended up being possessed by a certain REALITAS using entity and attacked me, where she got damaged in the process. The damage is mainly externally only however, and her choker and key are fine as well."
| >>537253
"That sounds complicated. No matter, wait for a bit."
>>537251
"It's my pleasure, truly, but I'm afraid I can't remain here much longer, matters require my attention... if you ever need help with her, go to Haru."
>Haru nods a little from behind the counter
"I-I'm r-really kno-knowlegal-"
>She bit her tongue
"Uuu..."
| >>537289
>Taisho picks up her tools and goes to face you
"Well, what are you waiting for? I won't stand still knowing one of my daughters is hurt."
>She grins, but her eyes aren't smiling
| >Taisho gives a final wave to Haru and leaves with the man...
>Haru sighs and gets behind her counter
"W-Well, if y-you guys a-are int-interested, I have many w-wares..."
| >>537275 >>537292
"Oh no here it comes..."
>the boy sighs
"Do i need to come for regular maintenance? How much for these?
Is there something big enough for me?
Can you recommend any dress for tia?
Does she need to eat like us?
How about sleep, does she need to sleep?">haru is overwhelmed by a barrage of questions
>she continues to ask even more but the further she goes on the faster and more incoherent she gets
| >>537632
"A-Awa-Awaawa!"
>Haru is clearly overwhelmed, but manages to answer with a squeaking voice
"Sh-she only needs min-minimal maintenance like cl-cleaning her bo-body and making su-sure she doesn't get chips, if she get-gets injured, ju-just buy n-new parts an-and fi-fix it."
| >>538331
"Sojusttoclarifydoessheneedtoeatandsleeporisthatfinetoo?ifshedoeswhatdoesheeat?"
>her questions only get faster and more incoherent
>the moment haru blinks she opens her eyes to the counter covered in clothes
>mostly for Tia but one dress looks like its for gemini herself
>how this this girl that fast?!?
"Andhowmuchforthese"
"G-gem? I know your exited but please calm down"
"*exited gem noises*"
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| Located on a side street of the Neon District, The Flora Workshop looked like any normal handicrafts shop. But any real connoisseur would recognize the name. The Flora Workshop is a heaven for those who fancy classy dolls and clothes, a place where many priceless works and pieces had been traded and sold.
And today, a special event was going to be hosted, the Mysterious Doll Maker Taisho'ha would be making her first appearance in years. And to teach no less.