Devillic Log: Kaiya is Very Popular
Kaiya was a little surprised at Naoto's willingness to strip right down that way, but was also quite happy. Funny thing about meeting your idols and becoming friends with them: silly things like crushes based on their looks and fake personalities seemed to just fade away. So, even though Naoto was still a very cute boy, and she still *noticed*, she didn't get all silly about him basically being in his underwear in her room anymore than she would Mikoto. Instead, she was quite professional as she did all of the measurements she wanted, jotting them down next to the notes she had of his 'official' sizes. As she'd anticipated, her measurements and the ones provided were just slightly different. Possibly due to weight fluctuations, where, exactly she had measured, or even the time of day. But, she was glad to have her own measurements to work with. "Okay, all done~" She announced as she got the last number written down, then began winding up her tape measure to put away.
Naoto simply works in, and has gotten used to, an industry where he has to strip down sometimes. To have measurements taken, to get ready for a show - heck he'd been in this level of clothing OUTSIDE with the guerilla live (hidden from view, but still outside and cold). He gets dressed again, doing it pretty quick considering all the layers and details required. "ok?"
... that's said mostly because he doesn't know what they're doing now.
While Naoto got re-dressed, Kaiya went to her closet. At that unsure word, she looked over her shoulder, already having a few outfits in her arms. "You wanted to see some of the stuff I've made, right?" She confirmed, turning around and revealing some of her edgier skirts, tops, pants, and dresses. Some were complete originals, and some were modifications of cheaper items made to look like higher end name brands.
"Oh! Yes," Naoto replies, quite happy that that's the plan. He had put his glass of water down on her bedside table earlier out of desperation, but now he's noticing -- there isn't really any place good for him to sit, unless he sits on her bed? Would that be weird? He'd kind of like to sit, but not enough to ask about that so he doesn't. He takes a step closer to her, to take a better look at her creations.
Kaiya kind of noticed Naoto looking around before he stepped forward. "If you want to sit, you can sit on my bed. Or there's a stool tucked under the sewing table." Not the most comfortable stool ever, but it worked for her sewing and homework purposes. "Anyway, these are some of the things I'm most proud of~ At least that I made for myself." She amended, since she was quite proud of things she had made for her brother, her boyfriend, and for the other shotgun members. First, she held up an edgy skirt and top set that she often liked to wear when seeing Setsuna. The layered black tulle and heavier black material of the skirt made a satisfying swish while worn, and the deep purple, long-sleeved shirt was breathable without being sheer.
The idea of a little stool doesn't appeal much. Assuming Kaiya really is fine with him sitting on her bed since she'd offered it, Naoto delicately perches on the edge of the furniture piece. He's very interested in seeing more of Kaiya's work - when he sees her, he's never quite sure if she's wearing something she made or altered, or something from a store, honestly. While the outfit shown is definitely not his style, he admits, "That's really cool. Like rock but still femme?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I was going for." Kaiya agreed, not even batting an eyelash at the violinist settling on her bed. She had told him he could, so it wasn't surprising he had taken up her offer. She set that outfit aside, then lifted a dress out of the things she'd pulled. This piece was still dark, but while the base was black, the bodice had been intercut with a patterned fabric in black, blue, and purple, and the skirt had layer upon layer of sheer blue and purple fabric to match. "This I actually made by taking apart a couple of really cheap second hand finds~" She advertised, thinking it had turned out quite neat.
"Oh wow.... I don't even know how you did that," Naoto has to admit, definitely feeling like putting a bunch of different pieces together seems harder than just making something from scratch -- not that he actually has any idea.
"Well, it helps that they both started out too big for me, so there was excess material to work with from both of them to be able to rework everything, and cut some pieces in a different direction than the original." Kaiya explained, then grabbed her phone. "I thiiiiiink I have a photo of the original pieces?" She said, starting to scroll through her photos to see if she still had the picture in question.
Kaiya has mostly been holding the items, but while she looks through her phone, he asks, "Can I look at the bodice?" He wants to see it a bit closer to try to understand what's going on with it.
"Hmm? Yeah! Of course!" Kaiya agreed brightly, handing the dress over for Naoto to look at. "You can look at anything you want." She added, still looking for the picture she wanted. After another thirty seconds or so, she found it, "Aha! Here it is." She announced, offering her phone so the violinist could see how this dress started life: one large-size little black dress, the other dress with a base of the black, blue and purple patterned material paneled between pure white, and completely overlaid with the sheer blue and purple materials.
Naoto is still running his hands over the seams and looking at how Kaiya had gotten the effect done in the bodice. Not that he could replicate it - he knows maybe enough to sew a button back on, but he also is accustomed enough to quality to be a decent judge of that regardless. He looks up at her comment and looks at the picture and blinks, "... yeah I still can't imagine it. That's amazing."
Kaiya smiled brightly at the praise. "Thanks! I originally wanted to do the whole bodice in the patterned material, but because of the way it was cut into panels in the original, it would have ended up looking kind of Frankenstein-esque if I did that, so I thought it would work better just using it as an obvious accent in the black instead." She knew he hadn't asked for her reasoning, but she loved describing what she had done, and the process for making those decisions.
"Hmm, that's really cool," Naoto replies.... which sounds pretty similar to what he'd said before. But he's thinking about the way she'd had to change her plan to go with what she had, and he sympathizes since that happens in music, in makeup, and especially in live shows so he kind of gets it.
That praise made Kaiya practically glow, but she got the feeling that gushing more about the creation of this dress wouldn't be all that helpful, since Naoto didn't really know, or want to know, much about sewing and fashion design itself. "If you want to look at, or ask about anything, definitely let me know, okay?" She told him before looking for her next piece to show off. This time, it was an oversized shirt meant to be worn with tights. It was less edgy than a lot of the things she tended to make, but it was cozy and cute, and had been an experiment in iron-on designs. The shirt itself was an emerald green, and the design was of gold hearts and purple stars. She'd found the colour choice amusing, since she thought the expectation would be for the colours and symbols to be flipped. "I did make the shirt, though that part was pretty simple. I made this to try iron-ons. I think it turned out pretty well, but I'm not sure I really like the idea of iron-on designs overall." The reason she'd never done another piece like this. Still, she enjoyed wearing it around, and it *had* been an interesting learning experience.
"Hmm... I mean, I feel like I don't even know what to ask? But I like hearing you talk about it," Naoto replies. Even if he doesn't understand the details -- maybe that's how Kenta feels when the violinist starts talking about musical theory. "The colours are interesting -- and not really what I think about you wearing?" At least he usually sees her in mostly black stuff.
That admission made Kaiya smile. "Well, I definitely don't mind talking about sewing stuff~" She told him, happy to natter away if he didn't mind. The admission that the shirt didn't seem like 'her' made her laugh. "Yeah, that's fair. I was trying to 'add some colour' to my wardrobe after some girls at school commented on whenever they saw me outside school I was always wearing black and super dark colours. It was kind of like a challenge for myself. And I *do* like this colour of green with my hair, so it wasn't a waste at all. I mostly wear it around the house, though, since it really *isn't* my style."
"Oh, it definitely looks good, especially with your hair and skin tone," Naoto agrees. He gets the slightest frown at the idea that she'd done it to address a comment like that -- better just ignore those type of people and continue being you. But at least she doesn't really wear it outside of the home. "You should like... maybe a dress that's mostly this green, but is more goth in style, and has like black lace or trim or whatever?"
The suggestion of a dress in this green but in a goth style and black lace was one that really struck her fancy. "Oooooh~ I like that idea! maybe when I have some free money and extra time I'll try making that a reality!" Kaiya responded excitedly. Blending the brighter colour with something more her actual style sounded like a fantastic idea to her. And she could totally see Mikoto wanting one in pink, or something, to go with his blond hair.
"Some of the most unique pieces of goth clothes I've seen are ones that found a way to incorporate a colour you don't expect. And there's more to the style and the attitude than just 'black', right?" Naoto reasons.
"Well, that's true." Kaiya agreed about goth clothing being about more than just the colour black. She wasn't sure she agreed that the *most* unique pieces had unexpected colours, but she couldn't deny that many of Mikoto's more eclectic colour choices worked surprisingly well... even if the blond's style would never be called 'goth'. And she did like the idea of blending styles, rather than sticking to just one. "Now I want to try blending more goth and rock styles with sweet lolita, or more bubble gum pop type stuff!" She admitted, her mind already running with the idea and coming up with interesting possibilities. Hopefully she'd get a chance to draw some of them in a little bit.
Naoto gets a small sweet smile, having somehow managed to pick up on the idea that he seems to have inspired Kaiya somewhat with his comment. He eagerly agrees, "That all sounds like fun. It's kind of like the mix and match experimenting Shotgun always does with their music."
Kaiya blinked at that observation, then laughed in delight. "You know? It kind of is! I wonder.... maybe I could incorporate that into their costumes somehow..." Oh, now Naoto had done it! The redhead's mind had started to spiral out into the possibilities, and her fingers were practically *itching* to sketch out her brother's and Mikoto's forms (the ones she knew best) to try out some of her ideas.
In this moment, weirdly, Kaiya is reminding Nao of Yamato, since that redhead sometimes busts out paper to sketch things out of nowhere when he feels inspired. He doesn't really want kaiya to hold herself back on his account, so he says, "Don't mind me."
Until the violinist had spoken up, Kaiya had half forgotten he was there. "Huh? Oh! Oh, sorry, no, it's okay. I can get these ideas down later..." She apologized, blushing fiercely at getting caught in her own thoughts like that. She knew that her little family of her brother, Mikoto, and Setsuna understood her sudden need to draw sometimes, but she was used to anyone else finding it weird and antisocial. "Umm... did you want to look at other stuff I made? Or maybe work on shapes for that bunny tail?" She added, looking for something to distract from her momentary lapse.
Naoto tilts his head. Had he been wrong, associating that look on her face with a desire to sketch something out? Before he'd started dating Kenta, he probably would have just let it slide out of not wanting to possibly admit to being wrong. But he's gotten more confident recently, and he does feel safe with Kaiya-chan, "Oh, do you... I thought maybe you wanted to draw?"
The fact that Naoto just... got it made Kaiya blink a little in surprise. "Oh. You're not wrong... I wanted to get out my drawing pad and sketch out some stuff for my brother and Miko-chan. But... that wouldn't be very good of me as a hostess." She admitted, definitely feeling the pull from both directions. Still, if Naoto didn't mind...
He blinks, because he thought he'd already made his opinion on that obvious, "I mean... like I said, don't mind me?" The whole reason he'd said that earlier was so she'd feel like she could go ahead. He has a comfy spot to sit and some water so he's happy to wait. "Yamato-sempai gets like this sometimes, so I'm used to it?"
"Oh... I just... I guess I'm used to people saying that kinda sarcastically..." Kaiya admitted, a little sheepish. Nothing that she knew about Naoto would lead her to believe he was being sarcastic, it was just her own past and hang ups that had caused her reaction. "Okay. You can watch, if you want?" She offered, not having any issues with people watching her while she sketched. That said, she got out her sketchpad, and her slightly nicer charcoal that Mikoto had insisted on getting for her, then settled on the bed as well. Sure, her little desk was great for proper work, but sketching down her ideas? She needed to be comfy~
Really, we're not sure if Naoto and sarcasm are even acquainted with one another. "Oh, sure," Naoto replies, pleasantly surprised at that because Yamato does *not* like to be watched while he sketched. He picks up his glass of water, holding it in two hands in front of him. He shifts to get comfy and be able to watch her, and does so quietly. He occasionally has a sip of water but mostly he's just enjoying watching her work.
Obviously, Kaiya had no idea that being able to watch her while she sketched was something of a novelty for the violinist. She hadn't had the pleasure of seeing the drawing whim take over the redheaded guitarist yet to know that he did *not* appreciate people watching as he drew. She started with the familiar proportions of her brother's frame, just getting the right light stick figure and general musculature in place. Then she got to 'clothing' the figure. Often for Keiji's shotgun costumes she liked to keep him close to his idol, Isshi's, style: more traditional, or kimono-esque. For this, though, she sketched in what looked like a tube top, but then added lines to make it more 'bandage-like' and labeled it 'purple'. Then she sketched what looked to be a one-armed kimono top that cut diagonally across the figure's torso and labeled it 'black'. She added an obi that she labeled 'red'. Finally, she added what looked like nearly skin-tight pants and labeled them 'leather/leather-like - black' and some platforms. Her brother's sketch done, she moved on to starting Mikoto's stick figure base.
Naoto is a very artistic young man; with the music, the styling and makeup, but the closest he gets to drawing is eyeliner, so watching someone sketch something out, something that looks so cool and so quickly -- well it's really cool. As for the outfit itself, he remarks, "It reminds me a little bit of qutie frash - but like... sexier?"
Kaiya looked up at that comment, her hand stilling while she wasn't watching what she was doing. "I actually have a dress from Qutie Frash." She replied with slight surprise. "I hadn't heard of the brand before finding it at Closet Child, but I really love it. I can kind of see what you mean, though." She admitted with a smile before going back to working on fleshing out the shorter-statured bassist, as it were.
"They're kinda... cybery? but mixed with traditional. Their mannequins always have a million layers. I've never bought anything from there because I'm honestly confused how to even wear the stuff they sell, but it does look cool," The violinist replies, showing a lot of knowledge about the brand despite fully admitting he doesn't own any.
That admission made Kaiya giggle a bit, just because most things that *Naoto* wore tended to be very layered. She knew what he meant, though: not separate pieces layered, but interconnected pieces that had to be put on a certain way so that they fell in the right layers. "Maybe I should look into them more! It sounds like a neat brand." She added, now getting into her idea for Mikoto. Instead of starting at the top, like she had for her brother, she started with a very pop princess kind of skirt: short, poofy, definitely a ton of stiff layers in there. And she labeled it 'bright pink and green with black edge'.
"I think they don't have as many retail spaces as they used to?" Naoto suggests, although honestly that's true of a lot of the late great Harajuku brands. He looks at the colour on the sketch, and since it's a skirt, it's pretty obvious even to him who it's for. "He really likes mixing colours, huh?"
Kaiya smiled and nodded at that observation, even as she started to work on a crop top for the blond. "Uh huh. If I want to do something bright and colourful, I *know* I can design it for Miko-chan. Rei-kun seems like he'd enjoy that too, but maybe not quite so wild." She labeled the top 'black with bright pink and bright green edging', then frowned at it. "Mmmm.... maybe....?" She considered, mostly to herself.
Just on the topic of people who tend to wear a certain kind of thing, he admits, "It feels like they keep making Yamato-sempai's costumes tighter and tighter." There's no real meaning to the observation, it just being something that had come to his mind. He has a sip of his water, not bringing in an opinion on the colouring.
"Have they had to literally sew him into a costume yet?" Kaiya asked, still mostly considering her drawing, trying to decide what was off about it. There was just something *missing*, but she wasn't sure exactly what. In an effort to make it clear, she turned the pad around to get a literal new perspective.
"Hmm, I don't think so? But the most recent outfits, he can't sit down without undoing the corset," Naoto reveals the secret to that ultra slim figure. And since undoing the corset is a pain, it mostly just means that once Yamato's in costume he stands the whole time.
Kaiya actually looked up from her contemplation at that. "Seriously? That's awful! Though.... he must have super strong legs from having to stand that much for so long!" She observed. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a solution that would allow the guitarist to maintain that almost impossible figure *and* be able to bend at the waist. Honestly, it was a problem she'd kind of like to consider at some point. Maybe when she had more resources and some extra money to spend on various things she could try making something both restrictive *and* flexible that would work for the man's purposes.
Naoto shrugs, admitting, "We work with our costume people, so I'm sure he at least agreed to it -- like wanted the look?" In fact he wouldn't be too surprised if it was Yamato who kept asking for tighter, but he wouldn't make that option himself. "Nobody's ever asked me to wear anything uncomfortable,"
.... at least not compared to his usual fashion.
"Oh, I definitely believe that it's a look that he wants and that he works with your costume designers to achieve it. And if something comfortable can't be made to give the look he wants, then he'll just endure the discomfort to have that look. I doubt that the costume designers are trying to make his life miserable, after all. They wouldn't have jobs if they did." Kaiya responded, sure of this. After all, there were lots of aspiring designers out there that would love to have an opportunity to clothe an indies band.
"Darou ne?" Naoto agrees, not having thought of it from that aspect, but it making sense now that she says it. He's gotten comfortable being on her bed now, not really thinking about it, and shifts in a way that's he's leaning on the large bulbasaur plushie as he watches her sketch.
Kaiya smiled at that response, then went back to considering her (now upside down) sketch. "Hmmm.... something is just off! I don't even know what. I think the top is just... too plain? But I'm not sure what I want to add to it..." She mused out loud, perhaps hoping that Naoto might give a helpful suggestion, though definitely not expecting that.
Naoto leans in to get a better look, not realizing quite how close that puts his face side-by-side to hers, and says, "Maybe... something to tie it in to the other look? Because they kind of have a different vibe?"
Kaiya did take note of Naoto being super close to her, but it didn't bother her at all. She did feel kind of amused, but she had kind of gotten over being star struck by him by now, so there wasn't that weirdness to contend with either. "Hmm.... should I lean more into the pop princess vibe? Or veer hard left into a more gothic aesthetic?"
"For Miko-chan it's definitely pop princess, right? it already has that feeling though..." Naoto replies, using the man's stage name as they're not really talking about him as a man atm, "But I was thinking like... there are a lot of traditional vibes to Kazuya's outfit and there aren't really any in Miko-chan's so it doesn't look cohesive?"
Kaiya blinked at that observation, then gasped. "Oh my god! You're right! That's what it was!" She exclaimed, then got out her charcoal eraser and got rid of the top entirely. Then she started over on it, making it look, superficially, like the top of a kimono, though the crossover was quite low, and it still ended short of the top of the skirt, showing off a bit of tummy. She also shortened the sleeves so that they would end at Mikoto's elbows and hang free from there, giving the impression of long kimono sleeves, but being out of the way for bass playing. And then she labeled it the same way as before: 'black with bright pink and bright green edges'.
Naoto gets a little thrill from clearly sparking something in Kaiya, and watches as she quickly erases and sketches anew. And the result is really cool, "Oh, I like that a lot! And now it looks like it goes with the other one!"
Kaiya nodded quickly at her friend's observation and smiled at him once she was done with the sketch. "I wasn't thinking about making the physical designs similar, because last time I tied things together with colours instead of styles. But obviously this time colours aren't going to work." She said, stating the obvious. "I wonder how I could adapt styles for the others to kind of match..." She pondered, though she knew she'd have to do a lot more than a quick sketch for the other three men.
"I feel like -- the first time was kinda showing off their individuality a bit more? Which was good for the introduction? And the colour story was good... but this is such an interesting route. Though I wonder what you'll do with Marquis?" Since his first look was balanced around the pants before.
"Hmm... that's true. Though I don't want to take any of them too far from the established personas either..." Kaiya agreed, her brow drawing in with concentration. The question about Marquis made her laugh, though. "You know, I honestly have no idea what I would do for him in this sort of style. I really would have to do some proper kind of goth and traditional for him... For Satoru, maybe a mesh shirt and, like, samurai pants. Like in the samurai movies? Not sure for Gazelle either..." Though, maybe with Rei being somewhat interested in dresses, she could do something similar to Mikoto but with different colours?
"Kimono styled sleeves are hard for people playing instruments... mesh shirts have a kind of ninja vibe that works though?" Naoto reasons, although he's running dry on related ideas. Then he helpfully adds, "Well, it doesn't have to be today either."
"Yeah, that's why I made Miko-chan's shorter than traditional and stop at the elbow. Still the elegant fall of sleeve, but out of the way of playing." At least, she hoped they would be. She'd have to show her design to the bassist and see what he thought about it. As for Naoto's other thoughts, Kaiya gave them some consideration. "Mmmm... that's true. Going the ninja direction could be interesting with one of them..." She smiled at that addition, though. "Yeah, I don't think I'll get everyone done today. I haven't done enough designing for the other two to be able to just... do them off hand." She admitted.
Naoto nods. He knows he could play with sleeves like that, but he's obviously not a bassist. Other Japanese clothing details... "There's obviously the y shaped cross on the chest... Obis.... I guess if you have a skirt situation you have the kind of... slit? of a yukata?" he shrugs, that being his best effort.
"Mmmmm.... too bad I probably couldn't convince Marquis to wear a long skirt with super high slits on both sides..." Kaiya mused. She thought with his height and long legs, that would look super sexy, but the man just didn't seem one to wear skirts at all. "I was thinking, maybe, doing something similar to Mikot-chan's design for Gazelle, but in different colours, but I'm not sure I want anything too same-y either...."
"Maybe, but do shorts on Gazelle?" Naoto suggests, not sure it's actually a good idea, but definitely having noticed that the guitarist wore shorts in the current look - and it helps him to look leggy despite his height and objectively leggier bandmates.
"Maybe... maybe, like, flouncy shorts? That will kind of flutter around the edges when he bounces around?" Kaiya added to the suggestion, though she wasn't sure how *that* would look (or work) either, so maybe it would be a scrapped idea in the end.
"Ohh, maybe," Naoto replies, although he doesn't see the vision or get how it works with the traditional Japanese vibe. "Oh! Or like... if you get fabric that's like a kimono pattern...?"
"Mmm~ That's an interesting idea! I don't know how expensive that would be, though." Kaiya mused. Not that *she* would be paying for the material for the costumes, but it would be nice if she could keep the band's expenses down while still suggesting awesome designs, if she could.
Naoto blinks, also having no idea, and shrugs, "Dunno, but that would sell the theme regardless of what you make in it?"
Kaiya nodded along with that, then shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna keep these two designs, then maybe collaborate with the guys to see what would be good for the rest." She decided. She would certainly bring Naoto's idea to the table, but she wasn't *inspired* to scribble anything down right at the moment. That decided, she set her drawing pad aside and put the charcoal away in its box. "Sorry, have to go wash my hands. Be right back." She said to Naoto, showing off her blackened and smudged fingers from her work, and carefully got off the bed without touching anything. "You can look at the other drawings, if you want. Just be careful of your fingers." She warned, then disappeared to the bathroom.
Naoto had definitely looked somewhat confused about her needing to wash her hands, so the clarification and demonstration of how dirty they'd gotten prompts a, "Oh, yeah of course." and once she's gone he definitely makes use of that permission to look through her notepad, it being pretty exciting to him. He's very careful though, not wanting charcoal on his clothes especially.
Kaiya carefully cleaned and dried her hands, then headed back into her room to retake her place on her bed next to the violinist. "Find anything interesting?" She asked, only really glancing at the page he was currently looking at. She *was* eager to find out if he liked anything she'd drawn in there, but was trying not to seem *too* eager.
Maybe not as specific a response as she would have liked, he replies, "Your pieces are all so cool. I like your point of view." Even if most of them were things he wouldn't wear, he immediately thinks that whoever WOULD wear them would look great.
"Yeah?" Kaiya asked brightly, glad that Naoto liked enough things to not even be specific. She knew that most of her stuff wasn't Naoto's style, so it was really gratifying to hear that he liked it anyway. Then he turned the page and she blushed brightly. She'd forgotten she had done a sketch of what was clearly lingerie for herself in there, "Ah.. not that one." She said, quickly reaching out and turning the page to the next one: a much safer design she had done for Setsuna that she hadn't even begun to make a reality yet.
Naoto blinks, having barely taken in what he was looking at before she switched the page -- but he doesn't protest because he feels it's a bit special to be allowed to look through these designs as they are. "Yeah. I feel like I can often tell who you drew it for, even."
"Oh~?" Kaiya asked, latching onto this claim as a way to move past that nearly embarrassing page. "Can you tell who this one is for, then~?" She asked, meaning the page they were one now.
"Probably Setsuna-san?" Naoto reasons. She usually draws for herself, Mikoto, Keiji or Setsuna. This is obviously not for one of the 'girls', and it doesn't seem like her leggy model brother's style.
"You're right!" Kaiya praised with a smile, though, really, it wasn't that difficult to guess. Possibly harder would be one of the pages where she designed something for Mikoto's 'boy closet' instead. But... maybe not.
Naoto smiles, but then admits, "Well... there's only really 4 people you mostly design for, so there aren't that many options to guess from either, I guess..."
That reasoning made the girl laugh. "Well, you're not wrong." Kaiya admitted, "Though, there are a couple for Rei-kun, Akio-kun, Ayase-kun, and Yue-kun in there. Oh! And rough drafts for the ones I sent to you and Mitsuo-san." She added, though those would be obvious, and much closer to the end of the drawings.
"Some of those would definitely trick me," Naoto agrees, but he's still feeling pretty pleased that he'd called that one correctly in the first place. And then somehow it just turns into them curled up on the bed, the violinist guessing who things are for, and then listening to Kaiya talk about it.
Naoto simply works in, and has gotten used to, an industry where he has to strip down sometimes. To have measurements taken, to get ready for a show - heck he'd been in this level of clothing OUTSIDE with the guerilla live (hidden from view, but still outside and cold). He gets dressed again, doing it pretty quick considering all the layers and details required. "ok?"
... that's said mostly because he doesn't know what they're doing now.
While Naoto got re-dressed, Kaiya went to her closet. At that unsure word, she looked over her shoulder, already having a few outfits in her arms. "You wanted to see some of the stuff I've made, right?" She confirmed, turning around and revealing some of her edgier skirts, tops, pants, and dresses. Some were complete originals, and some were modifications of cheaper items made to look like higher end name brands.
"Oh! Yes," Naoto replies, quite happy that that's the plan. He had put his glass of water down on her bedside table earlier out of desperation, but now he's noticing -- there isn't really any place good for him to sit, unless he sits on her bed? Would that be weird? He'd kind of like to sit, but not enough to ask about that so he doesn't. He takes a step closer to her, to take a better look at her creations.
Kaiya kind of noticed Naoto looking around before he stepped forward. "If you want to sit, you can sit on my bed. Or there's a stool tucked under the sewing table." Not the most comfortable stool ever, but it worked for her sewing and homework purposes. "Anyway, these are some of the things I'm most proud of~ At least that I made for myself." She amended, since she was quite proud of things she had made for her brother, her boyfriend, and for the other shotgun members. First, she held up an edgy skirt and top set that she often liked to wear when seeing Setsuna. The layered black tulle and heavier black material of the skirt made a satisfying swish while worn, and the deep purple, long-sleeved shirt was breathable without being sheer.
The idea of a little stool doesn't appeal much. Assuming Kaiya really is fine with him sitting on her bed since she'd offered it, Naoto delicately perches on the edge of the furniture piece. He's very interested in seeing more of Kaiya's work - when he sees her, he's never quite sure if she's wearing something she made or altered, or something from a store, honestly. While the outfit shown is definitely not his style, he admits, "That's really cool. Like rock but still femme?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I was going for." Kaiya agreed, not even batting an eyelash at the violinist settling on her bed. She had told him he could, so it wasn't surprising he had taken up her offer. She set that outfit aside, then lifted a dress out of the things she'd pulled. This piece was still dark, but while the base was black, the bodice had been intercut with a patterned fabric in black, blue, and purple, and the skirt had layer upon layer of sheer blue and purple fabric to match. "This I actually made by taking apart a couple of really cheap second hand finds~" She advertised, thinking it had turned out quite neat.
"Oh wow.... I don't even know how you did that," Naoto has to admit, definitely feeling like putting a bunch of different pieces together seems harder than just making something from scratch -- not that he actually has any idea.
"Well, it helps that they both started out too big for me, so there was excess material to work with from both of them to be able to rework everything, and cut some pieces in a different direction than the original." Kaiya explained, then grabbed her phone. "I thiiiiiink I have a photo of the original pieces?" She said, starting to scroll through her photos to see if she still had the picture in question.
Kaiya has mostly been holding the items, but while she looks through her phone, he asks, "Can I look at the bodice?" He wants to see it a bit closer to try to understand what's going on with it.
"Hmm? Yeah! Of course!" Kaiya agreed brightly, handing the dress over for Naoto to look at. "You can look at anything you want." She added, still looking for the picture she wanted. After another thirty seconds or so, she found it, "Aha! Here it is." She announced, offering her phone so the violinist could see how this dress started life: one large-size little black dress, the other dress with a base of the black, blue and purple patterned material paneled between pure white, and completely overlaid with the sheer blue and purple materials.
Naoto is still running his hands over the seams and looking at how Kaiya had gotten the effect done in the bodice. Not that he could replicate it - he knows maybe enough to sew a button back on, but he also is accustomed enough to quality to be a decent judge of that regardless. He looks up at her comment and looks at the picture and blinks, "... yeah I still can't imagine it. That's amazing."
Kaiya smiled brightly at the praise. "Thanks! I originally wanted to do the whole bodice in the patterned material, but because of the way it was cut into panels in the original, it would have ended up looking kind of Frankenstein-esque if I did that, so I thought it would work better just using it as an obvious accent in the black instead." She knew he hadn't asked for her reasoning, but she loved describing what she had done, and the process for making those decisions.
"Hmm, that's really cool," Naoto replies.... which sounds pretty similar to what he'd said before. But he's thinking about the way she'd had to change her plan to go with what she had, and he sympathizes since that happens in music, in makeup, and especially in live shows so he kind of gets it.
That praise made Kaiya practically glow, but she got the feeling that gushing more about the creation of this dress wouldn't be all that helpful, since Naoto didn't really know, or want to know, much about sewing and fashion design itself. "If you want to look at, or ask about anything, definitely let me know, okay?" She told him before looking for her next piece to show off. This time, it was an oversized shirt meant to be worn with tights. It was less edgy than a lot of the things she tended to make, but it was cozy and cute, and had been an experiment in iron-on designs. The shirt itself was an emerald green, and the design was of gold hearts and purple stars. She'd found the colour choice amusing, since she thought the expectation would be for the colours and symbols to be flipped. "I did make the shirt, though that part was pretty simple. I made this to try iron-ons. I think it turned out pretty well, but I'm not sure I really like the idea of iron-on designs overall." The reason she'd never done another piece like this. Still, she enjoyed wearing it around, and it *had* been an interesting learning experience.
"Hmm... I mean, I feel like I don't even know what to ask? But I like hearing you talk about it," Naoto replies. Even if he doesn't understand the details -- maybe that's how Kenta feels when the violinist starts talking about musical theory. "The colours are interesting -- and not really what I think about you wearing?" At least he usually sees her in mostly black stuff.
That admission made Kaiya smile. "Well, I definitely don't mind talking about sewing stuff~" She told him, happy to natter away if he didn't mind. The admission that the shirt didn't seem like 'her' made her laugh. "Yeah, that's fair. I was trying to 'add some colour' to my wardrobe after some girls at school commented on whenever they saw me outside school I was always wearing black and super dark colours. It was kind of like a challenge for myself. And I *do* like this colour of green with my hair, so it wasn't a waste at all. I mostly wear it around the house, though, since it really *isn't* my style."
"Oh, it definitely looks good, especially with your hair and skin tone," Naoto agrees. He gets the slightest frown at the idea that she'd done it to address a comment like that -- better just ignore those type of people and continue being you. But at least she doesn't really wear it outside of the home. "You should like... maybe a dress that's mostly this green, but is more goth in style, and has like black lace or trim or whatever?"
The suggestion of a dress in this green but in a goth style and black lace was one that really struck her fancy. "Oooooh~ I like that idea! maybe when I have some free money and extra time I'll try making that a reality!" Kaiya responded excitedly. Blending the brighter colour with something more her actual style sounded like a fantastic idea to her. And she could totally see Mikoto wanting one in pink, or something, to go with his blond hair.
"Some of the most unique pieces of goth clothes I've seen are ones that found a way to incorporate a colour you don't expect. And there's more to the style and the attitude than just 'black', right?" Naoto reasons.
"Well, that's true." Kaiya agreed about goth clothing being about more than just the colour black. She wasn't sure she agreed that the *most* unique pieces had unexpected colours, but she couldn't deny that many of Mikoto's more eclectic colour choices worked surprisingly well... even if the blond's style would never be called 'goth'. And she did like the idea of blending styles, rather than sticking to just one. "Now I want to try blending more goth and rock styles with sweet lolita, or more bubble gum pop type stuff!" She admitted, her mind already running with the idea and coming up with interesting possibilities. Hopefully she'd get a chance to draw some of them in a little bit.
Naoto gets a small sweet smile, having somehow managed to pick up on the idea that he seems to have inspired Kaiya somewhat with his comment. He eagerly agrees, "That all sounds like fun. It's kind of like the mix and match experimenting Shotgun always does with their music."
Kaiya blinked at that observation, then laughed in delight. "You know? It kind of is! I wonder.... maybe I could incorporate that into their costumes somehow..." Oh, now Naoto had done it! The redhead's mind had started to spiral out into the possibilities, and her fingers were practically *itching* to sketch out her brother's and Mikoto's forms (the ones she knew best) to try out some of her ideas.
In this moment, weirdly, Kaiya is reminding Nao of Yamato, since that redhead sometimes busts out paper to sketch things out of nowhere when he feels inspired. He doesn't really want kaiya to hold herself back on his account, so he says, "Don't mind me."
Until the violinist had spoken up, Kaiya had half forgotten he was there. "Huh? Oh! Oh, sorry, no, it's okay. I can get these ideas down later..." She apologized, blushing fiercely at getting caught in her own thoughts like that. She knew that her little family of her brother, Mikoto, and Setsuna understood her sudden need to draw sometimes, but she was used to anyone else finding it weird and antisocial. "Umm... did you want to look at other stuff I made? Or maybe work on shapes for that bunny tail?" She added, looking for something to distract from her momentary lapse.
Naoto tilts his head. Had he been wrong, associating that look on her face with a desire to sketch something out? Before he'd started dating Kenta, he probably would have just let it slide out of not wanting to possibly admit to being wrong. But he's gotten more confident recently, and he does feel safe with Kaiya-chan, "Oh, do you... I thought maybe you wanted to draw?"
The fact that Naoto just... got it made Kaiya blink a little in surprise. "Oh. You're not wrong... I wanted to get out my drawing pad and sketch out some stuff for my brother and Miko-chan. But... that wouldn't be very good of me as a hostess." She admitted, definitely feeling the pull from both directions. Still, if Naoto didn't mind...
He blinks, because he thought he'd already made his opinion on that obvious, "I mean... like I said, don't mind me?" The whole reason he'd said that earlier was so she'd feel like she could go ahead. He has a comfy spot to sit and some water so he's happy to wait. "Yamato-sempai gets like this sometimes, so I'm used to it?"
"Oh... I just... I guess I'm used to people saying that kinda sarcastically..." Kaiya admitted, a little sheepish. Nothing that she knew about Naoto would lead her to believe he was being sarcastic, it was just her own past and hang ups that had caused her reaction. "Okay. You can watch, if you want?" She offered, not having any issues with people watching her while she sketched. That said, she got out her sketchpad, and her slightly nicer charcoal that Mikoto had insisted on getting for her, then settled on the bed as well. Sure, her little desk was great for proper work, but sketching down her ideas? She needed to be comfy~
Really, we're not sure if Naoto and sarcasm are even acquainted with one another. "Oh, sure," Naoto replies, pleasantly surprised at that because Yamato does *not* like to be watched while he sketched. He picks up his glass of water, holding it in two hands in front of him. He shifts to get comfy and be able to watch her, and does so quietly. He occasionally has a sip of water but mostly he's just enjoying watching her work.
Obviously, Kaiya had no idea that being able to watch her while she sketched was something of a novelty for the violinist. She hadn't had the pleasure of seeing the drawing whim take over the redheaded guitarist yet to know that he did *not* appreciate people watching as he drew. She started with the familiar proportions of her brother's frame, just getting the right light stick figure and general musculature in place. Then she got to 'clothing' the figure. Often for Keiji's shotgun costumes she liked to keep him close to his idol, Isshi's, style: more traditional, or kimono-esque. For this, though, she sketched in what looked like a tube top, but then added lines to make it more 'bandage-like' and labeled it 'purple'. Then she sketched what looked to be a one-armed kimono top that cut diagonally across the figure's torso and labeled it 'black'. She added an obi that she labeled 'red'. Finally, she added what looked like nearly skin-tight pants and labeled them 'leather/leather-like - black' and some platforms. Her brother's sketch done, she moved on to starting Mikoto's stick figure base.
Naoto is a very artistic young man; with the music, the styling and makeup, but the closest he gets to drawing is eyeliner, so watching someone sketch something out, something that looks so cool and so quickly -- well it's really cool. As for the outfit itself, he remarks, "It reminds me a little bit of qutie frash - but like... sexier?"
Kaiya looked up at that comment, her hand stilling while she wasn't watching what she was doing. "I actually have a dress from Qutie Frash." She replied with slight surprise. "I hadn't heard of the brand before finding it at Closet Child, but I really love it. I can kind of see what you mean, though." She admitted with a smile before going back to working on fleshing out the shorter-statured bassist, as it were.
"They're kinda... cybery? but mixed with traditional. Their mannequins always have a million layers. I've never bought anything from there because I'm honestly confused how to even wear the stuff they sell, but it does look cool," The violinist replies, showing a lot of knowledge about the brand despite fully admitting he doesn't own any.
That admission made Kaiya giggle a bit, just because most things that *Naoto* wore tended to be very layered. She knew what he meant, though: not separate pieces layered, but interconnected pieces that had to be put on a certain way so that they fell in the right layers. "Maybe I should look into them more! It sounds like a neat brand." She added, now getting into her idea for Mikoto. Instead of starting at the top, like she had for her brother, she started with a very pop princess kind of skirt: short, poofy, definitely a ton of stiff layers in there. And she labeled it 'bright pink and green with black edge'.
"I think they don't have as many retail spaces as they used to?" Naoto suggests, although honestly that's true of a lot of the late great Harajuku brands. He looks at the colour on the sketch, and since it's a skirt, it's pretty obvious even to him who it's for. "He really likes mixing colours, huh?"
Kaiya smiled and nodded at that observation, even as she started to work on a crop top for the blond. "Uh huh. If I want to do something bright and colourful, I *know* I can design it for Miko-chan. Rei-kun seems like he'd enjoy that too, but maybe not quite so wild." She labeled the top 'black with bright pink and bright green edging', then frowned at it. "Mmmm.... maybe....?" She considered, mostly to herself.
Just on the topic of people who tend to wear a certain kind of thing, he admits, "It feels like they keep making Yamato-sempai's costumes tighter and tighter." There's no real meaning to the observation, it just being something that had come to his mind. He has a sip of his water, not bringing in an opinion on the colouring.
"Have they had to literally sew him into a costume yet?" Kaiya asked, still mostly considering her drawing, trying to decide what was off about it. There was just something *missing*, but she wasn't sure exactly what. In an effort to make it clear, she turned the pad around to get a literal new perspective.
"Hmm, I don't think so? But the most recent outfits, he can't sit down without undoing the corset," Naoto reveals the secret to that ultra slim figure. And since undoing the corset is a pain, it mostly just means that once Yamato's in costume he stands the whole time.
Kaiya actually looked up from her contemplation at that. "Seriously? That's awful! Though.... he must have super strong legs from having to stand that much for so long!" She observed. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a solution that would allow the guitarist to maintain that almost impossible figure *and* be able to bend at the waist. Honestly, it was a problem she'd kind of like to consider at some point. Maybe when she had more resources and some extra money to spend on various things she could try making something both restrictive *and* flexible that would work for the man's purposes.
Naoto shrugs, admitting, "We work with our costume people, so I'm sure he at least agreed to it -- like wanted the look?" In fact he wouldn't be too surprised if it was Yamato who kept asking for tighter, but he wouldn't make that option himself. "Nobody's ever asked me to wear anything uncomfortable,"
.... at least not compared to his usual fashion.
"Oh, I definitely believe that it's a look that he wants and that he works with your costume designers to achieve it. And if something comfortable can't be made to give the look he wants, then he'll just endure the discomfort to have that look. I doubt that the costume designers are trying to make his life miserable, after all. They wouldn't have jobs if they did." Kaiya responded, sure of this. After all, there were lots of aspiring designers out there that would love to have an opportunity to clothe an indies band.
"Darou ne?" Naoto agrees, not having thought of it from that aspect, but it making sense now that she says it. He's gotten comfortable being on her bed now, not really thinking about it, and shifts in a way that's he's leaning on the large bulbasaur plushie as he watches her sketch.
Kaiya smiled at that response, then went back to considering her (now upside down) sketch. "Hmmm.... something is just off! I don't even know what. I think the top is just... too plain? But I'm not sure what I want to add to it..." She mused out loud, perhaps hoping that Naoto might give a helpful suggestion, though definitely not expecting that.
Naoto leans in to get a better look, not realizing quite how close that puts his face side-by-side to hers, and says, "Maybe... something to tie it in to the other look? Because they kind of have a different vibe?"
Kaiya did take note of Naoto being super close to her, but it didn't bother her at all. She did feel kind of amused, but she had kind of gotten over being star struck by him by now, so there wasn't that weirdness to contend with either. "Hmm.... should I lean more into the pop princess vibe? Or veer hard left into a more gothic aesthetic?"
"For Miko-chan it's definitely pop princess, right? it already has that feeling though..." Naoto replies, using the man's stage name as they're not really talking about him as a man atm, "But I was thinking like... there are a lot of traditional vibes to Kazuya's outfit and there aren't really any in Miko-chan's so it doesn't look cohesive?"
Kaiya blinked at that observation, then gasped. "Oh my god! You're right! That's what it was!" She exclaimed, then got out her charcoal eraser and got rid of the top entirely. Then she started over on it, making it look, superficially, like the top of a kimono, though the crossover was quite low, and it still ended short of the top of the skirt, showing off a bit of tummy. She also shortened the sleeves so that they would end at Mikoto's elbows and hang free from there, giving the impression of long kimono sleeves, but being out of the way for bass playing. And then she labeled it the same way as before: 'black with bright pink and bright green edges'.
Naoto gets a little thrill from clearly sparking something in Kaiya, and watches as she quickly erases and sketches anew. And the result is really cool, "Oh, I like that a lot! And now it looks like it goes with the other one!"
Kaiya nodded quickly at her friend's observation and smiled at him once she was done with the sketch. "I wasn't thinking about making the physical designs similar, because last time I tied things together with colours instead of styles. But obviously this time colours aren't going to work." She said, stating the obvious. "I wonder how I could adapt styles for the others to kind of match..." She pondered, though she knew she'd have to do a lot more than a quick sketch for the other three men.
"I feel like -- the first time was kinda showing off their individuality a bit more? Which was good for the introduction? And the colour story was good... but this is such an interesting route. Though I wonder what you'll do with Marquis?" Since his first look was balanced around the pants before.
"Hmm... that's true. Though I don't want to take any of them too far from the established personas either..." Kaiya agreed, her brow drawing in with concentration. The question about Marquis made her laugh, though. "You know, I honestly have no idea what I would do for him in this sort of style. I really would have to do some proper kind of goth and traditional for him... For Satoru, maybe a mesh shirt and, like, samurai pants. Like in the samurai movies? Not sure for Gazelle either..." Though, maybe with Rei being somewhat interested in dresses, she could do something similar to Mikoto but with different colours?
"Kimono styled sleeves are hard for people playing instruments... mesh shirts have a kind of ninja vibe that works though?" Naoto reasons, although he's running dry on related ideas. Then he helpfully adds, "Well, it doesn't have to be today either."
"Yeah, that's why I made Miko-chan's shorter than traditional and stop at the elbow. Still the elegant fall of sleeve, but out of the way of playing." At least, she hoped they would be. She'd have to show her design to the bassist and see what he thought about it. As for Naoto's other thoughts, Kaiya gave them some consideration. "Mmmm... that's true. Going the ninja direction could be interesting with one of them..." She smiled at that addition, though. "Yeah, I don't think I'll get everyone done today. I haven't done enough designing for the other two to be able to just... do them off hand." She admitted.
Naoto nods. He knows he could play with sleeves like that, but he's obviously not a bassist. Other Japanese clothing details... "There's obviously the y shaped cross on the chest... Obis.... I guess if you have a skirt situation you have the kind of... slit? of a yukata?" he shrugs, that being his best effort.
"Mmmmm.... too bad I probably couldn't convince Marquis to wear a long skirt with super high slits on both sides..." Kaiya mused. She thought with his height and long legs, that would look super sexy, but the man just didn't seem one to wear skirts at all. "I was thinking, maybe, doing something similar to Mikot-chan's design for Gazelle, but in different colours, but I'm not sure I want anything too same-y either...."
"Maybe, but do shorts on Gazelle?" Naoto suggests, not sure it's actually a good idea, but definitely having noticed that the guitarist wore shorts in the current look - and it helps him to look leggy despite his height and objectively leggier bandmates.
"Maybe... maybe, like, flouncy shorts? That will kind of flutter around the edges when he bounces around?" Kaiya added to the suggestion, though she wasn't sure how *that* would look (or work) either, so maybe it would be a scrapped idea in the end.
"Ohh, maybe," Naoto replies, although he doesn't see the vision or get how it works with the traditional Japanese vibe. "Oh! Or like... if you get fabric that's like a kimono pattern...?"
"Mmm~ That's an interesting idea! I don't know how expensive that would be, though." Kaiya mused. Not that *she* would be paying for the material for the costumes, but it would be nice if she could keep the band's expenses down while still suggesting awesome designs, if she could.
Naoto blinks, also having no idea, and shrugs, "Dunno, but that would sell the theme regardless of what you make in it?"
Kaiya nodded along with that, then shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna keep these two designs, then maybe collaborate with the guys to see what would be good for the rest." She decided. She would certainly bring Naoto's idea to the table, but she wasn't *inspired* to scribble anything down right at the moment. That decided, she set her drawing pad aside and put the charcoal away in its box. "Sorry, have to go wash my hands. Be right back." She said to Naoto, showing off her blackened and smudged fingers from her work, and carefully got off the bed without touching anything. "You can look at the other drawings, if you want. Just be careful of your fingers." She warned, then disappeared to the bathroom.
Naoto had definitely looked somewhat confused about her needing to wash her hands, so the clarification and demonstration of how dirty they'd gotten prompts a, "Oh, yeah of course." and once she's gone he definitely makes use of that permission to look through her notepad, it being pretty exciting to him. He's very careful though, not wanting charcoal on his clothes especially.
Kaiya carefully cleaned and dried her hands, then headed back into her room to retake her place on her bed next to the violinist. "Find anything interesting?" She asked, only really glancing at the page he was currently looking at. She *was* eager to find out if he liked anything she'd drawn in there, but was trying not to seem *too* eager.
Maybe not as specific a response as she would have liked, he replies, "Your pieces are all so cool. I like your point of view." Even if most of them were things he wouldn't wear, he immediately thinks that whoever WOULD wear them would look great.
"Yeah?" Kaiya asked brightly, glad that Naoto liked enough things to not even be specific. She knew that most of her stuff wasn't Naoto's style, so it was really gratifying to hear that he liked it anyway. Then he turned the page and she blushed brightly. She'd forgotten she had done a sketch of what was clearly lingerie for herself in there, "Ah.. not that one." She said, quickly reaching out and turning the page to the next one: a much safer design she had done for Setsuna that she hadn't even begun to make a reality yet.
Naoto blinks, having barely taken in what he was looking at before she switched the page -- but he doesn't protest because he feels it's a bit special to be allowed to look through these designs as they are. "Yeah. I feel like I can often tell who you drew it for, even."
"Oh~?" Kaiya asked, latching onto this claim as a way to move past that nearly embarrassing page. "Can you tell who this one is for, then~?" She asked, meaning the page they were one now.
"Probably Setsuna-san?" Naoto reasons. She usually draws for herself, Mikoto, Keiji or Setsuna. This is obviously not for one of the 'girls', and it doesn't seem like her leggy model brother's style.
"You're right!" Kaiya praised with a smile, though, really, it wasn't that difficult to guess. Possibly harder would be one of the pages where she designed something for Mikoto's 'boy closet' instead. But... maybe not.
Naoto smiles, but then admits, "Well... there's only really 4 people you mostly design for, so there aren't that many options to guess from either, I guess..."
That reasoning made the girl laugh. "Well, you're not wrong." Kaiya admitted, "Though, there are a couple for Rei-kun, Akio-kun, Ayase-kun, and Yue-kun in there. Oh! And rough drafts for the ones I sent to you and Mitsuo-san." She added, though those would be obvious, and much closer to the end of the drawings.
"Some of those would definitely trick me," Naoto agrees, but he's still feeling pretty pleased that he'd called that one correctly in the first place. And then somehow it just turns into them curled up on the bed, the violinist guessing who things are for, and then listening to Kaiya talk about it.