Ta'zhen's Shirt

I get enough exercise just pushing my luck.

A pink tee shirt, size small, printed with the above phrase in bold, block lettering with effects to highlight some of the words. Ta'zhen has worn the same garment on and off for several years, and it has been remarkably well preserved due to her consistent use of Insulating Mesh in order to avoid freezing to death. Originally a gag gift from her grandfather Cornelius Kavanaugh several months before Ta'zhen ran away, she packed it with her for her voyage when she had only a dim idea of when or if she would ever return to Earth. It has since become an item she subconsciously returns to time and time again when she is allowed to be in civilian wear.

Manufacturing process

Unlike garments manufactured on Mudewei, Ta'zhen's shirt was machine-sown on Earth (and likely has spent at least some time in a sweatshop). Consequently the fabric is generally weaker than fabric of Stenza manufacture, and has largely been preserved due to a lack of direct contact with Ta'zhen's skin and the oils thereon.

History

The garment was presumably made in a factory out of cheap fabric and screen printed, hitting store shelves in approximately 2490 or 91 (2008 or 09 local time). Thinking it would be a funny Christmas gift for his granddaughter, considering her circumstances, Cort Kavanaugh purchased it and wrapped it in a shirt box.
Ta'zhen, then Kayla, loved it but felt the need to hide it from her mother, so it spent much of its time in the ensuing months in a hiding spot that, as far as is known, Martha never discovered. After encountering and beginning to learn from Saeh'han, Ta'zhen packed for a voyage back into space, with a nebulous and potentially nonexistent return date. She retrieved the garment from its hiding place to take with her among what little she could carry.
As Ta'zhen immersed herself in Stenza culture she learned many of the rudiments of fabric arts that Stenza children grow up learning. Typically, when she is out of uniform, she wears the shirt over her Insulating Mesh, which has preserved it from wear. However, with time, she reinforced it, repairing many holes made by the claws of pups and lining it to allow it to better withstand the Mudeweian environment.

Significance

The significance of the garment is primarily personal and symbolic, representing life on Earth, the things and people Ta'zhen left behind, and a desire to return home at some unspecified future point. Much of this appears to be subconscious, as Ta'zhen herself keeps returning to the shirt over and over without thinking about it too much.

Item type

Clothing / Accessory

Current Holder

Ta'zhen

Rarity

The tee shirt is considered to be one of a kind and irreplaceable, even though in reality they are made in bulk on Earth in a host of sizes, shades, and sleeve lengths.