Valerie
Kahlo had quite the notorious army, and as grand and sturdy as it was, even it had its backbone. His appearance to the public was quite seldom, not often could you find yourself doing more than just imagining him. When people heard of "The Iron Knight", either a shiver ran down their spines, or a sense of excitement burned in their hearts. Unless you were one of the few who hadn't heard of him, then you might think, "That's a stupid name, all knights wear iron.". The knight's name, however, did not originate from the armor that he refused to take off, but rather from his will, his mental state proved to be tougher than even a psychic. This is why he was called the backbone, as few people were as coordinated as him, and even fewer were as strong. The city of Kahlo saw many enemies, most of which were fodder to the city's first battalion, the baseline of their army. However, on occasion there were the lucky few, who were a big enough threat to Kahlo that they had to send their biggest asset, The Iron Knight. That was when the enemy's luck ran out.

** **
 Four heavy footsteps trotted through one of the city's commercial districts, eyes followed as a large black stallion made its way. Atop of the warhorse, and even bigger man, his eyes panned around as if he were looking for something. Occasionally, silence was broken by small fits of clapping, gasps, and even cheering. For some people, this was their first time seeing the Knight, many of them had heard stories, but none of the fairy tales could have prepared them to see the actual thing. Clad in heavily damaged silver armor, the night stood at an unimaginable 6'5, and when you peered into the face of his helmet, all you saw was an abyss. Knight was so focused on whatever he was looking for, he didn't even acknowledge the people, and even if he hadn't been occupied, he still would've refused to do so. Authors wrote that all the knight cared for was his objectives, the only thing they spoke of that was accurate. The horse came to a sudden halt, you could hear the faint "Hmm" From the Knight as the darkness in his helmet faced a building in front of him.

A seamstress. That would have to do, he didn't have the patience to look any longer, there were always things to do. A loud crashing noise could be heard as the knight dismounted his horse, landing heavily on his feet. Some flinched, some looked upon him with amazement. He could feel the piercing eyes, again not paying them any attention. A jingle could be heard as the door to the shop opened, and if you couldn't hear the jingle, then you could certainly hear the footsteps that followed. The knight looked around, he took in his surroundings, the shop was very homey. It smelled of wood, some clothes lined the walls, others were hung on racks that stood in aisles. All customers disappeared into the aisles as the knight passed, he made his way to the front counter, expecting a merchant. He didn't say anything, but rather let the damages in his armor that flashed his pale white skin to the talking for him.
Rosie
The shop was full of bright fabrics, some carrying intricate designs that cost an ungodly amount of money. Elaine was a professional though as well as a perfectionist of her art she knew how much her raw talent and time was worth. She wasn't only just a talented hand that wove, but a socialite of sorts. She made her name known around the city, her fabrics and garments could be found on many important public figures of the area. Although she had a wide array of expensive and elegant pieces she also kept lesser quality and more mundane pieces in her store to keep newer and poorer customers coming into her shop. Money was money in her eyes it didn't matter from whom it came from. Being poor didn't mean you were lesser, it just meant you had less. 


The chatter of shoppers and jingling of jewelry and coins, although muted in the seamstress' ears, had become noticeably more quiet the silence following the sound of the bell ringing and footsteps pounding on her freshly swept floors. She had yet to let the silence interrupt her focus as she continued to embroider a fabric behind the counter in the corner, a deep emerald colored dress laid across her lap as her thick needle darted in and out of the luxurious fabric. She figured either one of her hands would deal with it. She continued working on her design, her lower lip becoming victim to her teeth as she gently chewed on the plush flesh. Focus was hard for her to start but even harder for her to break on a task. She wasn't about to let some hushed clients break her flow of creativity. Although something in the back of her mind told her to go investigate, the deadline of this dress that hung in the back of her mind pushed out the other thoughts.

It wasn't until one of her helpers had spoken up and called Elaine's name that she finally looked up and noticed the large and worn figure that stood in her shop. She recognized The Iron Knight but didn't feel any sort of way towards renowned status. She took in his current state and slowly arose from her chair. Her hands immediately ran to throw her hair in a quick ponytail to get it off her neck. She got up to the front of the desk and gave him another once over. 

"I'm afraid this isn't a medical site, if you're injured I can guide you to one but I stitch fabrics not wounds my friend."
Valerie
While the knight had never been in the shop before, he knew of it. He knew of the seamstress. He knew of the Kahlo royalty that had gotten custom outfits tailored for them on many occasions from this very place. There wasn't exactly an armorsmith in the city, for most knights, if they damaged their armor they just threw it away and got a new set. Such wasn't an easy task for this knight, one look at him would tell you that he didn't just have another pair of armor in his size lying around. 

When one of the shops employees called in the direction of whom the knight could only assume was the shopkeeper, his gaze shifted towards the woman in her chair. She was a beautiful and slender woman, she was dressed elegantly, it didn't take a wizard to tell that she was the esteemed seamstress of Kahlo. The knight had no desire to admire her, he didn't care much for renowned status, and by the look of the calmness in her eyes she didn't seem to care either. Perhaps they both agreed that business was business. When she stood up and approached the knight, the first thing he noticed was her height, he towered over most people, but she looked to be only just over a foot shorter than him. Must've been an elf, and quite the sizable one at that.

** **
She spoke professionally, it was almost refreshing to hear someone speak to him like that. The knight had to admit that sometimes it was quite obnoxious when others talked to him with a frog in their throat. In fact, her tone of voice made the knight feel a flash of respect. When she offered a guide into a medical site, all he did was shake his head and sigh heavily. **"No,"** The knight spoke with his usual sense of authority, and even hushed, his voice boomed slightly. He didn't care for any wounds that he had suffered, he healed fast enough, but what he didn't need was any more openings for more of them. Just because he could handle them, didn't mean they were welcome. Slowly, the knight raised one of his arms, and he dropped a handful of coins on the counter.

**"Repair."** He said, gesturing his broken armor.
Rosie
Elaine sighed at his few words. She figured from what she's heard about him from her now giggling apprentices and just from rumors that he wasn't going to be the type to talk her ear off but this was a new level of "A man of few words" She took a moment to shoo off her ogling apprentices and send them off to go help other clients search for apparel before returning to the hulking figure that stood in front of her. Her eyes snapped to the coins on the table before gliding back up at his exposed arm and its surrounding metal. She noted his pale skin and whatever sense of ID she could get a grasp on. Not that she thought he would do any harm to her or her clients, she just wanted to know who she was working with... Well other than of course "The Iron Knight".

"I do apologize for my girls, they mostly see high class ladies in my shop or the occasional noble man, rarely do they see a working man like yourself strolling into my shop"

She spoke softly which contrasted highly against his booming voice. Her hands slowly crept up to his arm to gain a greater understanding of the damage as well as how the metalworking had been done previously. She knew not of any blacksmith or metal worker who not only carried armor that could compensate for his ginormous size as well as anyone who did metal working in this manor, definitely something outside of the city, possibly a one of a kind piece if she had to guess. She wasn't well versed in the art of metal clothing but she believed not much lived outside her area of skill. It might take her a minute to figure it out but she was confident she could manage a fixture of sorts for this man's wrecked suit.

"I can fix it to a certain point, if you know the metals used that would help me greatly"
Valerie
The knight glanced in the direction of the giggling, he didn't expect it, but at the same time he didn't much care. He was well aware that the way he spoke probably made him sound like some sort of lesser species, some sort of neanderthal, but he never was a man to talk much. If one word was all it took to get his point across, one word was all he would use. Besides, it was much more intimidating. The knight turned his attention towards Elaine once again as she shooed her employees off, he was glad that she kept her composure. He could be as stoic as we wanted, but nobody liked when people laughed in their face. He watched as Elaine took him in, it seemed he had enough gold on hand to pique her interest. Sure, she may have been a seamstress, but she seemed well-versed enough in attire not to find armor as much of a challenge. 

When she apologized, he didn't say anything, but instead nodded in acknowledgement. He understood that his untimely entrance wasn't something they saw everyday, nor did they ever see such a customer. Elaine's soft voice paired with the silence of the store brought a tingling sensation to the knight, like a massage to his eardrums. It was calming. Even more so when she took his arms, and he felt her hands travel across his armor, he almost winced when her warm touch reached his exposed forearm. He wasn't used to feeling anything except his armor, in fact, sometimes he even felt like the armor was a part of him. The knight only ever removed it when he slept.

** **
He continued to let the women do as she needed, the quicker this was done, the better. He could never escape his racing mindset, his brain always repeated the same thing. No distractions. No time to rest. Things to be done. The knight only ever slept if he had to, and got back to his duty the second he awoke. It gave him a purpose he spent his childhood searching for. If he ever gave it up... He never thought about it. There was no point, because it wasn't going to happen. The day he stopped would be the day he died. His thoughts were then interrupted by the woman's question. The knight thought for a second.

**"Titanium."**
Rosie
She hummed in response to his words, after her sharp eyes scanned the destroyed armor that clung to the man's body. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth stuck in thought, she was still not sure how to properly approach the situation in a way. Silence isn't something she surrounds herself with and the loudest yet at the sametime quietest person she's been graced with meeting was standing in front of her. Only speaking a total of three words to her so far. She couldn't tell if she should be insulted or grateful. She was so used to people talking her ears off, not that she didn't enjoy the conversation she would rather be around someone who knows nothing but how to talk than the eerily silence she has found herself met with the knight.

"High quality metal, expensive too though it's a harder metal than I'm used to working with. I think I have some in the back, worse comes to it I'll send Stella, one of my apprentices to fetch me some sheets from somewhere."

Her fingers slipped away from the man, finally done with her mostly mental consultation. She turned around on her heels, she took a few long strides, her heels clicked against the wood. The seamstress abruptly stopped as she stood in the doorway of a darkened room. She stopped, her head turning over her shoulder to look behind herself at the knight. Elaine's piercing eyes looked him up and down before nodding her head motioning for him to follow her behind the counter into the shadowed room. 

"If you follow me to the back it'll be easier and a little less public, unless of course you enjoy the gawking then we can continue out here friend."
Valerie
Only after telling the woman what his armor was made of, did the knight feel a little dense. Titanium was the strongest metal in the world, save for tungsten, which wasn't exactly a battle material, so titanium was the best there was. That fact made it quite obvious that the metal was pretty rare, but here he found himself asking for repairs to his titanium armor. It didn't need much, and the city was rich enough to produce it to him in the first place, so he supposed if he were looking for some it might've come to him naturally. The look in the woman's eyes following his response made it unclear to him whether he was in for good news or bad news. For a supposedly simple seamstress, the woman had an aura to her that told you there was more than what met the eye.

Relief washed over the knight when Elaine said that she'd possibly be able to give him the repair he needed. The long silence beforehand while she examined his armor had the knight thinking he might have needed to go elsewhere. He thought about it some more when she brought up the possibility of sending her assistant to fetch some for her. No time, he thought. It was only a possibility, however, and the knight was more inclined to risk the possibility that they didn't have what he needed instead of setting out once again to find a repair. He wasn't a fan of searching for necessities anywhere else but the city he served. The knight especially hated the idea of going somewhere like Celestia, too much magic, he hated it. Kazumaki city, maybe, but there were too many thieving pirates.

** **
The knight watched as Elaine pulled away from her examination of his armor, making her way toward the opening of a darkened room. Such was never a welcoming sight, but what could've gone wrong in a seamstress shop? She stopped and turned her head to face the knight, offering a more secluded area for his repairs. The knight looked around him, the customers he passed earlier still hiding themselves in the aisles, their gazes quickly snapped away from the knight when he looked in their direction, but came right back when he faced away. The knight nodded curtly, following Elaine into the back. So far, he had only spoken three words to the woman, he understood how that might've come off as disrespectful, although it was hard to tell what the woman felt when she was nearly stone faced. However, all knights were supposed to be noble, so he spoke as he trudged past her.

**"Thank you."** Were his fourth and fifth words.
Rosie
Anything to help a defender of the city, God knows we need them" 

 Elaine's voice had died down to a whisper in the end, almost as if she was talking to herself which she did feel as if she had been for most of their conversation. She wanted to crack the knight's tough exterior and see what made him so different from the gaudy and loud knight that she had seen usually parading around the town and throughout noble homesteads. So far she wasn't sure how to even attempt her mental goal, but Elaine was a lady of the people and was determined at this point to see what lurked in his mind although she kept this goal to herself, any attempts she would make currently and in the future were to be sneaky as to not possibly lose the trust of her newfound client. It's not that she wanted his darkest secrets or anything, it was just that she had become intrigued on what made this man tick.

 As she walked in behind the knight into the darkened room she carried a torch from the shop into the room as she slowly strolled around the private parlor. Its bright colors became illuminated, the room possessed no windows so the orange tint of flames brushed against each surface. The room was filled with shelves, each one filled with fabric bolts, spools of thread and the likes you'd imagine to see in the private sector of a seamstresses shop. In the middle of the room lay a large table that was covered in small metal workings, seemingly the seamstress was trying to mix armor into the fashion world. If you peeked at the sketches that were strewn across the table she had designs from chainmail skirts to scale mail shoulder accessories. 

"New project I've been working on works out in your favor, it seems, although I'm not sure how much titanium I have. I've been using softer metals as my royal clients aren't really going into the middle of a battle."

Elaine pushed some of the project to the side, loud metallic clatters and the shush of paper following her motion. She pulled a secondary chair from beneath the table and sat it next to herself before she settled herself in her own chair. She took her hair down again, the auburn locks falling over her shoulder before she bunched it up and stabbed a pencil through the hair and twisting it into a large but secure bun.
Valerie
The knight wondered if the woman had any ulterior motives, most of the time when he sought out help from those of which he did not know, they weren't so calm and collected. So many shaky "Yes sirs" And "Right away sirs" Had the knight thinking that was what he was in for wherever he went, but this was a pleasant surprise. Everyone loved being respected, but respected out of fear? That wasn't the knights tempo, and when the woman spoke to him as if he was just another customer, his lips curved every so slightly within the abyss of his helmet. Being treated as if you were normal was more respectful than watching someone flinch at your slightest movement. 

He entered the dark room, trying to find his bearings as his eyes tried to get used to the darkness. However, he was soon met with a sudden light as Elaine appeared from behind him carrying a torch. The burning orange painted the room with an identical color, highlighting the many shelves that contained Elaine's products that were used for her array of projects. Also highlighted was the table sat in the room center, which the knight had almost trampled over until Elaine provided the room with much needed light. Seeing the sprawled out metal workings on the table made the knight glad that he didn't crash into it, chainmail skirts and such made the woman a lot more trustworthy. It seemed she knew a lot about armor.

**"Hmm."** Was the only sound he emitted when she spoke of her projects. He took a moment to look at them, even picking up one of the sketches to look at it more closely. The knight sat it down gently, shifting his attention back to Elaine as she pulled out a chair for him. He nodded, making his way over. As she fiddled with her hair, the knight took the seat meant for him, but it seemed they both forgot about his unusual stature. A loud crash echoed throughout the entire shop, and the knight found himself on the floor with a broken chair under him. Embarrassed, he heaved a sigh.
Rosie
Lost in her own thoughts as she finished tying up her hair the loud crash and clatter caused the woman to damn near jump out of her own skin. A loud gasp had escaped her mouth following the ruckus. She looked over at the giant figure on her floor and the splintered wood and couldn't help but giggle, although trying her best to hide it with a hand cupped over her mouth along with turning her head into her shoulder it was still obvious from the quaking of body and the stifled giggles that escape her lips. Although she tried to keep her composure she was failing to an almost embarrassing degree. After a few moments longer of stifled giggles she cleared her throat, got up and dragged another stool over, but rather this time she offered her sturdier chair to the knight whereas she would sit on the stool herself.

"I'm so sorry I didn't think about that nor expected it, you can have my chair, it should keep hold." 

She offered a hand to help him up but quickly retreated back to her side as she realized she was nowhere near strong enough to be of assistance. The awkward air around them could be cut with a dull knife it felt like, well at least for Elaine it felt like that. She walked off into a corner of the parlor, her heels clicking against the cobblestone flooring it was so silent her heels were almost echoing. As she emerged back into view she carried a broom. She was quickly trying to sweep away her mistake she had made thoughtlessly. 

"I'm sure the whole store thinks one of us died or something." 

The seamstress laughed to herself as she swept up splinters of wood that scattered the floor. 

"Are you alright though? That wasn't the most graceful of falls
Valerie
The knight couldn't even blame her for laughing, it was an unexpected and humorous sight. The bigger they were, the harder they fell. If the knight had been any higher off the ground, Elaine would need some repairs of her own. He noticed her giggling, despite her attempts to hide it, it was the first break in her professional character. The knight looked up at the woman, taking in the hidden grin behind the cover of her hand, at least she was enjoying this. He stood up slowly, dusting himself off as he took a step away from the debris. He was going to offer to clean it, before he heard the dragging of wood across the floor. Elaine had brought a stool over, the knight mistook it to be his, what was she thinking? Perhaps she just wanted another fall to entertain her, but then she offered her own chair to him. It looked bigger, but not as big as the knight.

The knight shook his head at her offer, opting to stand. He didn't want to risk breaking anything else, especially what seemed to be the shopkeepers designated seat. He felt the air, it was filled to the brim with awkwardness, it actually bothered the knight a little. It subsided when Elaine returned to business, fetching a broom from one of the dim rooms dark corners, and using it to begin cleaning the broken wood. Out of humility, the knight gently pulled the broom from her hands and used it to clean up the wood himself. It was the least her could do, having broken her chair and having her repair his titanium armor which didn't even fall under her expertise. The knight hoped he hadn't been too much trouble for her.

** **
He nodded when she asked if he was alright, setting the broom against the table after he was done with it. She was right, the fall wasn't graceful at all, just violent and loud. That was something he'd think about for days to come, and if he ever saw Elaine again after this, he would only be reminded of it. Already, she'd seen a side of him that nobody else had. The world has never seen the knight as anything but a man who meant business, never making mistakes and always getting things done the way they were supposed to be. Who knew that seamstress shop would be the one thing to prove them wrong. The knight simply stood still, his silver armor illuminated in orange light, he was patiently waiting for the woman's next course of action, hopefully not interrupted by another loud incident.
Rosie
Elaine's hands swept the torso of her dress, not necessarily wiping any debris off of it but rather the awkward tension that found itself sticking onto her. She cleared her throat and scurried off onto another workbench that was tucked away into a corner. She picked up some sharply cut metal sheets and briskly walked back to the table. The metal sheets clattered loudly onto the table as she simply dropped them from where she stood. She seemingly had no cares for them either that or she trusted no damage would become of them. Each one was a thin strip of metal that rather than be cut straight had been curved slightly.

"Was going to use these for another project but this seems to take precedence over that, not pure titanium though it's alloy but should get the job done. You'll have to take at least a part of the armor unless you want burning hot metal to have The chance of dripping onto your skin."


She gave a soft smile and dragged the stool out so she could sit back down. Her long legs were crossed over and her elbows rested on the table's edge, each hand cupping a half of her face. She was awaiting the knight's response, honestly she was unsure the knight would agree to taking off even the tiniest bit of armor. She prayed that she was wrong as it would make her job harder and put her newly found client in more danger than necessary. Silently she hoped she would get more than a two word answer to her statement as the silence was slowly killing the socialite.
Valerie
The knight watched as Elaine left and returned with sheets of metal, and dropped them on the table. Careless behavior, but assuming this was the titanium he asked for, it didn't really matter. A simple drop wouldn't be the end of the world, his armor had taken hits from much more dangerous things. The metal was curved, which would've been good for the knights armor when it came to wrapping around the tears. 

Titanium alloy. That would've sufficed until the knight could consult his higher-ups about importing him a new set of armor. His relief faded quickly at the request that he take off his armor, and he had no choice but to accept it, anyone would be stupid to take hot metal to the skin over undressing. No matter how big you were. After a moment of thinking, the knight nodded.

As Elaine took her seat, the knight obliged her idea. He'd reach for a latch on either side of his abdomen, snapping them both open. The knight's chest piece split into two down both sides, and he'd carefully removed the damaged armor, setting it onto the table as gently as he could. Then came his wrist covers, his shin guards, and lastly, his helmet. When he removed his helmet, he moved the light away from his face in order to shroud it in darkness. He preferred that nobody had seen it.
Rosie
As the knight slowly detached himself from his armor she could feel the tension rising yet again in the office. Elaine felt as if she was witnessing an illegal act, something she shouldn't be seeing although she was the one who had asked him to do she still felt as if she was invading on something she wasn't allowed to see, Top secret information if you would call it such. She glanced around the room, refusing to lay her eyes on the knight for some odd reason. She sat for a split second staring at the shelves of fabrics and failed project, her lip becoming victim to her antagonistic teeth before waltzing off again into a shadowed shelf of the parlor. 

"I should've thought of this before I asked you to remove your armor, of course you would like to keep your identity hidden." 

Elaine's oice called from the shadows before she emerged back into the light with an abnormally large facial covering... Well large compared to her sleek and thin frame but would be able to fit the knight's face just fine. Although it was a deep royal blue it would have to do the job. The seamstress handed him the covering, her eyes averted, although her chin wasn't lowered, her eyes were to the floor. She in no way wanted to disregard her clients comfort so if his identity was to remain a secret to even herself she'd keep it that way. She was a reasonable woman, he was being awfully respectful of her so she was simply able to return favor. 

"Now let's get to work on this beautiful piece of art." 

Elaine muttered as she turned away. She dragged her designated chair up to the work table and picked up a shin guard. She let each curve and corner of the metal glint in the orange torch light as she slowly examined the damage. Low hums of thought escape from her throat as she considers her approach of this fine craftsmanship
April
The man felt Elaine's piercing gaze snap away as he removed his armor. More respect simmered behind his unseen eyes. All you could hear in the darkness was the loud silence of the nights brooding in the shadows he submerged himself in to conceal himself the best he could. Although he had made himself practically invisible, Elaine continued to stare off into the distance to avoid him, it was hard for him to say "You can turn around now". He opted to stay thankful, hoping she'd find it appropriate to look back soon.

Without his armor, the man felt vulnerable, it was even worse without his helmet. It wasn't in a physical sense, if you saw the scars along his body you'd know that he'd been hardened under the armor already. Rather, his mental state had begun to break down the moment he removed his chest piece. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he felt like nothing without a suit of armor to shield him from the public. The man gained a purpose in life when he put that helmet on for the first time, and when he saw the empty eye openings staring back at him from the table, the purpose was gone. He knew it wasn't going to last forever, but his attachment to his anonymity was so large it felt like the piece of him he valued the most had been stripped away.

** **
The man perked up when Elaine left and returned with a face covering, coincidentally in a size that would fit him. It was a deep royal blue, dark enough for the knight to wear without feeling stupid. His pale hand emerged from the darkness to gracefully take the mask from the woman, and after putting it on he'd leave his place in the shadows to have a closer look at the woman and her new project, that being his armor. The man wore thin, black clothes that stretched across his entire body up to his chin. You could see the fabrics many tears, with freshly bled wounds that had already begun to heal, the holes around them were lined with dried blood. He didn't look to be in any discomfort though, and patiently watched Elaine do her thing.