Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

Twenty

Therias stood in front of the mirror trying to form an opinion on the clothes he'd changed into. A loose-fitting, pale mauve shirt and gray sarong made up his provided outfit. The colorful nature of Taëlan fabrics truly was a marvel unto itself, but upon wearing them for himself, Therias thought it a bit less so.

Though he worried about his appearance, the bulk of Therias's concerns rested with the boys that were practically in his care. Lev had yet to tell all of the events of that occurred in the Prison District, nor what had happened to Khel that lead to the surfacing of Ydris's power. Khel most definitely didn't have those abilities before, so he must have gained them in the Prison District. And those injuries he was covered in before he was healed; Therias figured that Khel had sustained the more recent ones during his escape from the prison and his fight outside of the Flying Fox, but what of the older ones? Khel might have received them as he fled from Castle Tyveren, but something about the wounds still made Therias uneasy.

As for Reif, the sudden affliction he was struck with earlier nearly made Therias's heart stop. From then on, Therias tried to remain close to Reif until they reached their rooms in case the affliction attacked again. And then Telk- what was he currently feeling? He'd been rather quiet since reaching Castle Ralhana; hopefully, the experience thus far wasn't too unbearable for him.

With a heavy sigh, Therias allowed himself to focus on his clothes once more. All of his worries would be answered in time, once he and the four boys were situated in their temporary quarters. For now, it was best to focus on the current moment he was in. Unfortunately, that current moment involved a strangely colored shirt and an awkward fitting garment around his legs. He truly didn't understand how Taëlan men comfortably walked around with a simple strip of cloth around their legs rather than a pair of pants. The feeling was much too foreign to him.

Just then, Therias heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," he said, instinctively.

Instantly, he wished he'd said nothing. He wasn't prepared for anyone to see him in his silly outfit. It was too late, though. In the next moment, the wooden door created open and Lysidia peeked her head in. She had a mischievous grin on her face, clearly excited about something.

"Hello, Sir Therias," she eagerly greeted. "Would you mind if I showed you something?"

"No," Therias responded, though it sounded more like another question than an answer. "I suppose not."

"Perfect!" She stepped inside and fully opened the door, dragging Reif in behind her.

As Reif allowed himself to be pulled in, he refused to make eye contact with Therias. The first thing Therias noticed about Reif was his Taëlan garb, specifically the breeches, or rather the fact that Reif was provided with breeches and Therias was not.

Reif's face was burning red with obvious embarrassment as Lysidia placed him directly before Therias. She twirled her finger in a circle, signaling for Reif to turn around. Begrudgingly, Reif slowly obliged so that Therias to see him. Immediately, Therias's attention shifted from Reif's clothing, drawn to the young priest's hair instead. Rather than being simply tied back as it usually was, Reif's hair was styled in a fashion Therias had never seen before. His hair was now very ornately braided like many among the Taëlan nobility. In the back of his head where the braids met, his hair was no longer braided but tied back in a ponytail. Gold pearl-like beads were strewn into his braided hair as well. On either side of Reif's head was an extremely thin braid, similar to Lysidia's, both of which ended in a golden bead.

"Well?" Lysidia prompted. "What do you think?" The excitement in her voice told Therias she was the one responsible for Reif's hair.

"It's nice," Therias answered plainly with a small nod.