Dancing Shoes

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Location: Truesdale Business District

((OOC: March 19th, 1622. Open to anyone.))

Lightfooted steps padded through a shoe store quietly. Matthew was a clockwork on a mission; he needed a new pair of dancing shoes for a performance and he wouldn't go for just any pairs. It had to be a rich red pair that would match the red fedora he'd gotten for his first activation day.

So far, he'd seen none that fit his desired specifications. So many black pairs. And blue pairs. And the only red pair that didn't fit his clockwork feet because it was two sizes too small.

He sighed, forcing himself out of that shop, storming down the street, an expression of disappointment crossing his nearly-human features. If one looked closely, they could see a little steam billowing from his brass ears and the nares of his nearly-human nose.

While he skulked down the street, he sighed heavily. Oh, how easy it would be if he could just steal shoes he wanted. But no. That'd be bad, especially when his creator had been trying to make him a morally good kid.

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Anita was the one managing the shop today, as it would be a good experience for her. Milo and Julia were available in the case that she needed them or encountered an extremely difficult customer, but usually she was able to manage on her own. Today, there had been a normal amount of business. No more, no less than normal, either.

"...Hm."

There was no one in the shop at the time, but that didn't mean a customer couldn't pop up at any moment. And it was best to be quick and understand things the first time when that happened. Ah, potential customer? There was a Clockwork going shop to shop, and coming out with nothing. Maybe a potential custom order, too? She waited for him to come near the shop before calling out to him.

"You look like you're not having much luck in your shopping."

With any luck, she could help. Anita hoped.

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Matthew could feel the steam just billowing from his nose and ears. That had been what, the third or fourth store? What was so wrong with finding a pair of bright red shoes in his size to match his beloved fedora that Quinn had bought for him as a special gift? He heaved a sigh, feeling the steam slide out his mouth much like a wisp of smoke.

His eyes fell upon one of the other stores that he was getting closer to. He hadn't expected much, until a lady called out to him. Not much luck in his shopping? That was the understatement of the year. He heaved another steamy sigh.

Dark brownish-red eyes then looked up to hers. "That's quite the understatement. I'm looking for something specific, but I haven't had much luck in it." He shifted the red fedora on his head slightly. "You see, I'm trying to find a pair of dancing shoes to match this fedora of mine. It's for a performance."

He didn't specify when his performance was. Mostly because he had no idea when. He just knew he needed things to go perfectly if he was going to make a name for himself--and for his creators Quinn and Peter, who he called his father and his brother.

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Well, the Clockwork seemed to stop and listen to her, so Anita moved a little closer to him and patiently listened, her green eyes meeting his reddish-brown ones. She placed her hands behind her back. Hm. He was looking for a pair of dancing shoes to match the fedora on his head, eh?

"Hm..." Anita stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at the fedora on his head. It did look like a fairly unique shade of red. She was sure that the shop had the colors, but she didn't know whether for certain whether it was in the already made shoes or whether it would require digging the correct colored material out and making a custom job.

"That's a very specific shade of red," Anita said. "I know we have the color, but because of how specific it is, it might need to be custom made. We do that and have the shoes done in a few days, maximum, but you're free to browse and see if we already have an already made pair or whether you want to have it custom done."

Ooh, a performance? Anita smiled. "You're a dancer? Do you do any particular style?"

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Matthew would watch closely while Anita moved closer. It wasn't a matter of being harsh or extremely mistrustful. It was just that he liked to keep his eye on someone while he spoke to them.

When she moved on her tiptoes to get a better look at the fedora, he lowered himself just slightly to make it easier. The fedora seemed to be a fairly rich shade of red, one he'd been fond of since the day he first opened up his eyes in Quinn's home. "Here, that should help you see it better."

His eyes lit up when Anita mentioned that they had the color. Even if he had to order a custom pair for his clunky size, he was happy to hear that at least someone could finally match it. "Custom made will be perfect. I know my size is rather hard to find in general--even if dad tried to make me with the smallest feet he could." Here he glanced down to his feet and back up to Anita. "I assume you'll need to take measurements to be able to size them properly?"

His eyes lit up more when Anita asked about his dancing. "Oh! I've mostly been doing tap-dancing, though I'm branching out into a new kind that no one's ever seen before. I'm not quite sure what to call it yet, though dad once suggested I call it 'break' dancing after I accidentally broke part of a banister on accident."

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"Oh, thank you!"

Matthew lowering his head did in fact make it easier to take a look at the fedora on his head, even if Anita still needed to tiptoe - she was a fairly short girl, after all, and this man looked about half a foot taller than her. Either way, she did take note the rich red color of the fedora on his head. What a beautiful color!

"Custom-made it is, then! Yes, I'll need to take your measurements, so if you could come inside and we'll get started on that?"

Upon stepping inside the shop, she first pulled out a box of old scrap materials typically used for small designs on shoes, and rummaged through it until she found a scrap in the same shade of red as the fedora.

"Here's a sample of the material that I felt match your fedora." There, now Matthew would know for sure that she did in fact have the material. Afterwards, she grabbed a notepad and a pen to write down the measurements, as well as a tape measure, and began to measure Matthew's feet once he allowed her to.

"Oh, and is there any particular style you wanted the dancing shoes in? A custom style, or any of the several simple or complex styles that we have here in the store?" There were some that were plain, with nothing but the base shoe, and then there were others with more elaborate stitching and patterns in either the same color or a different color, or even with buckles or laces.

"Sounds wonderful! I'm sure you must be quite an accomplished tap dancer." She giggled a bit when he mentioned that he accidentally broke the bannister due to a new style of dancing. "As long as you're enjoying it! Oh, where and when will you be performing?" She did love watching a good show, and if it fit her schedule...