Debts To Be Settled

11

Tommy stands on his feet in front of a mannequin, leaning down to make sure the folds of the skirt are secured to the waistline. He tugs on them experimentally to make sure that it won't come loose when Nymph is in the middle of a fight. When the cloth remains secure, Tommy takes a step back. He glances up at the head attached to the mannequin. The featureless structure is adorned by a circlet made from double-helix metal. The centerpiece of the circlet, a gemstone, glimmers in the lamp lighting of the room. Tommy reaches his fingers to hover in front of the gemstone. He does not touch it for fear of what it will do, but he does sense a faint heartbeat the closer he pushes his fingers toward it. This is proof that the eye of the elder guardian bonded with Nymph, and a further deterrence against Tommy touching it.

Tommy takes a step back. He admires his handiwork, but he is searching for mistakes in every shadow. He needs this suit to be perfect, after all. In his day-to-day life, the worst that could happen is a customer gets caught in a fashion malfunction. The same cannot be said for Nymph. The worst that could happen for her out in the field is if her clothes are made of poor quality. The armor needs to protect her. The style needs to identify her. The general vibe of the costume is meant to terrify her enemies, make her reputation known with a single glance. If anything tears or breaks, Nymph's life could be forfeit. Tommy cannot let that happen to the closest thing he has to a friend.

He also can't do that as a businessman. Tommy doesn't have plans to start selling suits professionally, but he doesn't think it would be so bad to do commissions for people that come looking for him. Making these costumes is as fun as it is stimulating. It also provides Tommy with the opportunity to meet interesting people and see fascinating sights. The other tailors at this shop have never seen Netherite, phantom membranes, or the eye of an elder guardian before. They have never gone on a ship with the Hunters, and then went on the Hunters' submarine to see an ancient sunken temple. Tommy was terrified every single second of all these occurrences, but his heart is leaping in his chest at the thought of being able to do it more.

No one will come to Tommy if he's not able to make quality clothing. Phantasm's suit is still holding together, but Tommy isn't confident in Nymph's outfit. One blunder, and she's suddenly naked and defenseless in the field. Tommy bites his lip, tilting his head to the side. He makes a slow circle around the mannequin. He uses his hand to push aside different parts of the material. They bend when they're meant to, and they remain firm in the place they're meant to. Everything about the suit is perfect, and yet, Tommy feels like it will turn into threads on the ground the moment Nymph takes it out of this shop.

Tommy shakes his head. His power is not illusion-making or an area of effect that makes his creations stable. If the suit is holding up right now, it will hold up with a little wear and tear. Even if it doesn't, it isn't going to disappear at a moment's notice. Nymph is going to be fine. Tommy shouldn't assume that he's already failed when the suit hasn't even come off the mannequin yet.

The radio cackles with static, falling silent. Tommy glances over at it. He watches as the window starts to open. Tommy jumps into a defensive position, his fists pounding both with his own heart beat and the one of the person putting one leg through the windowsill. A man is staring at Tommy. He wears a pair of goggles with a hood covering the top of his head. The rest of his outfit looks like stolen pieces of Enforcer garb, some of it ill-fitting and other parts smudged with ashes. Even though he doesn't wear anything that hides his identity particularly well, the secret charm hanging off his outfit somewhere is extremely thick. Tommy can barely keep his eyes on the man, but he forces his eyes to stare into the man's eyes as they both look at each other. There is a beat of silence on the second floor of the tailor's shop.

Tommy shoves his hand at his desk. He shoves a lot of random items off the edge. They make a loud noise as they crash, but Tommy's fingers curl around the handles of a silver pair of scissors. He holds the scissors in front of him. The light rolls across the edge of the scissors. Tommy feels safer with the blade pointed at the mysterious man, but the man with the secret charm doesn't seem intimidating. His expression only sharpens, eyebrows narrowing his eyes as he looks Tommy up and down. His lips curl into a sneer as he asks, "Where is Nymph?"