Madame Mulberry's shop was her pride and joy. It took decades of hard work and catering to nobles to get as far as she did. Not having a sewing job ability slowed the process down considerably. Her job abilities were related to drawing and negotiating. Hiring someone who had the sewing profession was just her good fortune.
Eleanor was alone and in need when they met. It was the perfect set of circumstances that brought them together. Because both women needed each other to thrive, they set up a harmonious working relationship. It soon turned into an unspoken mother and daughter relationship through the years.
When Eleanor fell in love and got pregnant, Madame Mulberry turned a blind eye. The man was an adventurer, he would leave sooner or later. Thus it suited her needs just fine. Eleanor would need a job to support her child and she wouldn't leave for another sewing studio.
Everything was perfect, including the child. Rosa was a child doted on by all the customers, she was cute, polite and very willing to be dressed up. Then, disaster struck and a boss raid took her grandchild away, all her hopes for the child dashed.
Then a miracle happened and Rosa was returned. It seemed from then on, her good luck was balanced by bad luck. The nobles took an interest in her. The accolades from people at the wall. Now she had her worst nightmare come to life.
"You're moving out!?! Why?" The madame knew to put her tea cup down as she sat across from Eleanor. The fine china would give away her trembling hands.
"Rosa wants to use the reward money to buy a home for us in the lower city. More specifically, she wants a place to have her own garden."
"Garden?" Madame Mulberry was bewildered. The child had never expressed an interest in anything to do with dirty things, it was one of the characteristics she loved about the girl.
"She wants a yard to run around in and a home that's private. I think I need to give her that security right now." Eleanor looked to Madame Mulberry with a pleading look as if to ask her to understand.
'This is bad. I need Eleanor to stay nearby.' Madame Mulberry's thoughts raced in her head. Plans being made and discarded at frightening speeds.
"But buying a house is a big responsibility." Madame Mulberry urged.
"It's her money." Eleanor said helplessly. "She can do what she wants with it." The madame sat back in her chair deflated.
"A yard huh? Why doesn't she use the community garden if she wants to play in the dirt?" The madame asked trying to buy time.
"It's not about playing with dirt-" Eleanor replied."-it's about permanence. Rosa wants to be able to change things and express herself creatively. She wants to do that from safety."
The words 'permanence', 'change' and 'express her creatively' echoed in the madame's mind. A new plan unfolding, one where they all got what they wanted.
"Hmph, why the lower city? There are plenty of houses around here that are unoccupied."
"The housing is too expensive, it would take all our savings and the reward." Eleanor sighed. The madame was quick to catch on the reluctance in her tone.
"How do you feel about roommates?"
"Huh?" It was Eleanor's turn to be blindsided.
"I'm getting old. I don't get up stairs very well anymore. I've been thinking I need to sell my flat and move into a place with no stairs." The madame winced at loosing her comfortable flat in the upper west side of Aurora City.
Sacrifices needed be made to secure access to Eleanor and her daughter.
"What? Really? You'd be willing" Eleanor was dumbfounded. The older woman imperceptibly tilted her chin up.
"I have a few conditions. We'd have to find the right place, I'd need my own space and it can't be too far from the shop. There's also the matter of splitting the property fifty-fifty and having it all in writing."
"Oh my goodness. That's wonderful!" Eleanor gushed with excitement. The madame felt the sudden tightness in her chest ease a little.
'That should buy some time. Those requirements won't be easy to fill.' Madame Mulberry had miscalculated a little in her planning. 'The mother follows the daughter, not the other way around. I wonder if she has her mother's talent.' Madame Mulberry felt safe enough to reclaim her tea cup.
"Oh! That reminds me, I have something to show you." Eleanor had a certain tone to her voice that piqued the madame's curiosity. "Look! It's my baby's first sewing projects!"
Madame Mulberry spat out her tea in shock.
"That's a rainbow silk pillow!" She sputtered, coughing.
"It's also has a quality of one and a half." Eleanor stated in teasing tone as she grinned mischievously. The madame was choking on air.
After the madame regained her dignity, she studied the two different pillows in front of her.
"This one was her first try." Madame pointed to the brown pillow. It looked every bit the typical first try at sewing something. "But this-" the madame pointed to the shifting rainbow colored one. "-is her second!?"
"Yes!" Eleanor chirped happily.
"That's- why would you give her the magic silk to use!?" The madame's mind was spinning in circles, trying to make sense of the reality before her.
"Because I wanted to humble her." Eleanor said softly with a bittersweet smile on her face. The madame stopped and really looked at the woman she considered as a daughter.
"Ellie?"
"I didn't want all that's been happening lately to go to her head. She came back with more food than we eat in a week. People are noticing her now." Eleanor began to softly stroke the rarest version of a circular pillow she'd ever seen. "Imagine my surprise."
"Yes, well. I bet that it was a shock. Serves you right. Using Magic silk to make a starting pillow. What were you thinking." The madame asked gruffly.
"Relax, it was from the scrap box." Eleanor sighed wistfully.
"Hmph!" The madame grumbled. "How's it feel to know your daughter's talented?"
Eleanor's face darkened.
"She's going to give me gray hair before she hits ten."
The madame laughed.
"Where is she anyways?" Madame Mulberry asked as she poured herself some more tea.
"Having a nap."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosa was, in fact, not having a nap. She was meditating. After seeing how drained her daughter was, Eleanor sent her right to bed.
Rosa had only used two action points, she'd only need to Meditate with Restful breathing for an hour to get back her energy.
"Ding! Your AP is full."
Rosa rose from her bed and stretched. After talking to her mother about needing privacy to explore her skills, she'd felt relieved. They'd use the money to get their own house in the lower city.
'If we're not having to pay rent, we can afford materials to feed my system. I can make things and sell them at market too.' Rosa felt at ease until she left her bedroom. Madame Mulberry was visiting.
"What do you think about turning the attic into the new workshop? That way we can have more room in the shop." Eleanor asked.
'Uh oh, mom broke the news.' Rosa thoufht alarmed. She quickly looked to Madame Mulberry and saw her casually sipping her tea. 'She's taking it well.'
"That's an excellent idea, my dear. We can convert one of the bedrooms into your private workstation. We'll have to leave a bed here though. All nighters still happen." Rosa winced.
'Mom hates those overnight commissions.' Rosa thought with a frown.
"Oh! You're up! Come and hear what Madame Mulberry has suggested." Eleanor once she saw that Rosa was up.
"Hm?" Rosa hummed a little curious.
"How do you feel about coming to live with me in a place we pick together?" Madame Mulberry asked, her tone gentle. Rosa was floored.
"Eh!?"
"I think that's a yes. We'll have to get a contract drawn up and look at appropriate housing-" Eleanor said getting excited.
"Eh!?"
"Do not forget that Rosa has school tomorrow. We will have to look at houses only after work is done." Madame Mulberry added.
"Eh!?"
"Oh dear, she's so excited that we broke her." Eleanor teased with a wink.
'Wasn't the entire reason we're moving is to keep my system a secret?' Rosa thought panicking.
"Oh Rosa, do you mind if we sell this in the shop? You can get a pretty penny for it." Madame Mulberry asked. Rosa looked at the rainbow silk pillow and nodded, she didn't need such a thing after all.
"Madame, I don't think that's a good idea." Eleanor protested.
"Psh. We can play it off as you having made it. You are a level thirty seamstress. It can be an embellished story as a stroke of good luck while you were teaching her. We can even put out her first try as proof."
"Oh, that makes sense." Eleanor said taking a calming breath.
"You have told her not to tell anyone about the crafting system right? We wouldn't want some idiot noble trying to carry her off." Madame Mulberry's words nearly stopped Rosa's heart in shock.
"She knows!?! Rosa exclaimed.
"Yes sweetheart. It's how we met after all." Eleanor said with an ashamed avoidance of meeting her eyes.
'Do as I say, not as I do. Mom you hypocrite.' Rosa thought as she gave her mom a pointed look.
"You are banned from working with magical silk. Things like this-" Madame Mulberry tapped the rainbow pillow. "-are a dead giveaway that you have access to a system." Rosa's look turned into a glare.
'And keeping secrets.' Rosa huffed.
"Is that why you want to move in together? So you can teach me in private?" Rosa asked. Her response was a slow blink from the madame.
"Well now..." Madame Mulberry hadn't thought of mentoring Rosa. Until it was mentioned, the thought hadn't crossed her mind.
"Oh! That's a wonderful idea! Madame can draw you patterns and teach you how to. Maybe you can follow her around when you're older to business meetings." Eleanor said while floating in the clouds. It was obvious she was envisioning the future.
"Does this mean I have to call you teacher?" Rosa asked making sure to pout.
"Of course not. I am no teacher." Madame Mulberry scoffed. "You can call me granny."
Both Starwright's were speechless.