Vameer
Iduck through the doorway, Rune at my side.
I have to stay ducked. And halfway across the entryway, the ceiling is even lower.
Haruto is only a few steps ahead of us, and the ceiling is so low he’s also ducked down. The only one who can stand up straight is Rune. Barely.
I stop and glare at the clothes maker. “Old man,” I snap.
Hunched over, he turns around. When he sees me, bent practically in half. He starts to cackle.
I send my gravito across the floor toward him, churning a dark gray.
“Fine, fine.” He waves his hands as he turns his back to me again. There’s a creak of wood and metal. Then the ceilings lift, until they’re ten feet up.
I stand straight. “How low would you have brought it?”
He snickers as he walks. “That’s the lowest it’s gotten. People are too polite now.”
We follow the crazy man into the main part of the warehouse, filled with whirring machines, stacks of crates, hanging fabric, and a ceiling in the middle that’s a couple stories high. There are more floors above, and I wonder if Haruto lives here or if it’s just storage.
“There has to be an easier way to mess with people.”
“We all have our hobbies.” Haruto shrugs. “Now, let me guess. You are in need of new clothes, and you are in a hurry.”
“Sí. One outfit that fits is all I require today.”
He waves for us to keep following as he weaves between crates. “I have some items I made for your brother. With some adjustments, they should work.” He glances back and down. “You may have to remain barefoot though. The shoes are not adjustable.”
“Why is everything red?”
Haruto shoves the pants into my hands. “Volik made a comment about all my fabric being black. So I made red.”
“What’s wrong with black?”
“Nothing. And there is nothing wrong with red, Kodomo. Put them on.”
I jerk the pants out of his hold.
The color is darker than wine. A deep, rich red. But still… It’s red.
With my free hand, I tug on the hem of my drawers.
Haruto snickers. “I’ll make you your own boxer briefs.”
I look down. “These?”
He nods. “In red.”
I roll my eyes and step into the pants.
“What do you call this?” I tug on the piece of metal.
“A zipper. But do the button first.”
I do as he says.
Haruto hands me a shirt in the same dark red as the pants.
Sighing, I pull it on, do the bottom two-thirds of the buttons, but leave it open around my throat.
“You want to keep using that chain?”
“No.”
“Then tuck your shirt in.”
Rune smothers a laugh behind me as I do what Haruto says.
I’m not used to clothing this tight, but I’ve spent a lot of my life in a robe, so anything would feel constricting in comparison. And from what I’ve observed, these items fit as they’re meant to. Meaning he worked his magic well.
Haruto disappears around a partition, and there’s some rustling, a flash of gold, some muttering in Japanese I can’t make out, followed by a trunk slamming shut.
Reappearing, he approaches with a large bundle in the same dark red color. And a black leather belt with an attached black leather scabbard.
He holds the belt out. “See if I got the length right.”
I loop it around my waist so the scabbard is at my left hip. Then I secure it.
The belt fits perfectly.
I use my gravito to lift my sword from the ground, then slide it into the scabbard.
When it’s in all the way, there’s a click.
I tilt my head at the sound.
Haruto grins. “Only you can remove your weapon.”
I lift a brow.
“May I?”
I nod.
The old man steps forward, grips the hilt, then yanks on it as hard as he can, shaking his arm around wildly.
Rune doesn’t smother her laugh this time.
“Okay, I get it.” I pry the man’s fingers off my sword.
He cackles as he steps back to the bundle he dropped on the ground. “Last item.” Gripping it tight, he shakes it out.
“A new robe?”
He nods. “A new robe.”
I take it from him and pull it on.
The wide sleeves reach my wrists. The hem just brushes the floor. And it’s light. Very light.
Haruto claps his hands together once. “Perfect. It’s made of the same stuff as the rest of your items. I know, I know, too red.
” He waves off the complaint from earlier, even though I’ll secretly admit I don’t hate it.
“It’s an upgrade from the black fabric your brother has.
It’s resistant to your Fire, like his. Best I can test for at least. Bulletproof.
Water repellent. But this one is fully venom proof. ”
I make an impressed expression. Glad I know about the venom, even if I don’t know how to access mine yet.
“You like?”
“I like.” Hands at my sides, I give Haruto another small bow. He’s crazy. But he’s good. “I would like one for my mate as well.”
If this fabric is a form of protection, I will wrap her in it head to toe.
“Yes, yes. I will have new robes delivered for everyone. You can get them at Volik’s house… tomorrow. Or the next day. By the end of the week. Probably.”
Rune doesn’t say anything to this news, so I turn to see what she’s doing.
She’s staring at me.
At my body. My chest.
Hers is rising and falling. And through her clothing, I can see the outline of her nipples as they harden.
I breathe deeply.
Chocolate.
My girl is turned on. From the sight of me.
Haruto cackles again. “Everyone approves.”