NEMO: Into The Depths

Chapter 31: Playing Dress Up

"Wish me luck," Her partner remarked, his white grin almost blinding her even under the lights that ran along the edges of the ceiling. Sitting up on the couch, his legs swung from the armrest opposite to him, meaning they very carefully avoided landing on Elyza's thighs. She looked up from the book she had forced him to carry in his shadow, ever since they left his house, for the sole reason that it was full of interesting information and tales about the heroes of old. Ever since they were waiting for the end of the week, and since they had arrived before dusk at the shop, she had been scouring for an illustration that matched the sketch of the foreign general. Something in her brain recognised who the man was, but it still needed something to recall what she knew in its entirety.

As Alex stood on his feet, forced to stretch every muscle in his body. Most of them had been rendered unused since he had laid down on the couch three hours ago, waiting for Kurven to finish the final touches on their outfits for the evening's event. Turning towards her, he unhooked the two emblems that attached his cloak to his leather chestplate. Swirling the light consuming fabric across his shoulders, letting it flutter in the air as he did, he handled it with more care than she had ever seen from him, folding it slowly, ensuring no creases could survive. He bent down on one knee as he handed it to her, his face faking his heartbreak as he said, "Make sure she lives a good life without me."

"It will just be a few moments, Alex..." Kurven replied from behind the cloth screen that divided the room in half, rubbing his head as he chuckled.

Receiving his cloak as respectfully as she could, she reminded her partner, "Do not be so dramatic, and even if you get kidnapped again, I am sure it will find its way back to you again."

Grinning, he pulled his armour over his head, which had patches staining the brown surface, the stitches in the fabric leading to the edges of the material disintegrating into an orange powder, revealing the metal mesh that reinforced it. He threw it to the side without any remorse. It was time for him to replace it, something he planned to do the next day, but other than the natural flow of time, it was relatively untouched. Thankfully, they had both had a rigorous bath to cleanse, according to her partner, the stench of the commoners.

So, while sweat had collected underneath him, no stench wafted from him, only making the white fabric of the shirt semi-transparent, and she caught a glimpse of the scarred body beneath. She had never thought of him as healthy or well-built. The months she had spent with him, witnessing him putting all manners of things in his mouth, had made more of an impact than the little physical feats he performed. Before her mind had any more time to linger on what it saw, her partner pulled on the shirt, letting it puff so that some air would flow through.

Shifting her focus back to meet his gaze wasn't quick enough, Alex's eyes narrowing with glee as his grin turned wider. He turned away, which gave her time to stew a bit in embarrassment before the inevitable comment came as he was about to duck behind the screen, "Make sure my partner doesn't exploit me by peeking through the curtain."

Embarrassment and annoyance melded into one, and the book went flying, aimed squarely at his head. She made sure to throw it with as little rotation as possible, to ensure that the pages didn't flutter and make it lose momentum, but it was never going to be enough. Her partner clapped in front of his face, catching the book in between it, twirling it on a finger before letting it drop into his shadow. Before he followed the tailor behind the sheets, his head in the process of disappearing behind the cloth, he stated, "Page number 247, Ears."

Sighing, Elyza lied down on the couch, noting the number in her mind for later, letting her body rest for a moment. Her eyes occupied the free time by glancing across the various mannequins that showcased Kurven's various outfits. She had never been in this part of the house before, and the only stuff of his she had seen before were the ones down on the ground floor. Those were woven specifically for adventurers, meant to be long-lasting and protective, but the top of the building was filled with the finest fruits of his labour. Of the mannequins, except the first, who donned the replacement clothes for her dear partner, the rest of them displayed outfits she could easily imagine emperors and empresses donning during their daily lives. There were some outfits for brides, as far as she could tell, inspired from both dwarven, and bakaneko's cultures, with hints of elven. Some of them were night gowns of both sorts, those that revealed as much as possible while leaving the important things to the imagination, and a standard pair of pyjamas, for both men and women.