Uriel’s mind was racing as the strange tailor pulled him toward the back of the shop and her Emerald Caste Strength made it completely impossible for him to resist. Not that he particularly wanted to if she was going to help him, but he felt extremely vulnerable at the moment realizing he didn’t have underclothing on for her to take measurements properly, the armor was much too bulky to allow for it otherwise.

  When she led him to a small dais surrounded by mirrors like he was more accustomed to from his last time at a tailor’s shop, he awkwardly stood upon it as she commanded, “Show all movement.”

  He owlishly blinked at her for a long moment before she gave an exasperated huff and said, “I need to see your range of motion.”

  “Oh,” he replied, feeling like an idiot himself as he awkwardly tried to lift an arm and explained, “Um, I might have to take off the armor for that.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gagging slightly, and he wondered if he probably should have showered before coming here, then reached into her hair and pulled out a towel. As she tossed it at him he wondered if the transfiguration actually was a portal into some kind of personal dimensional space like Dazien’s [Armory]. Could she go into her own hair? How would that even work?

  When she turned around to give him a moment of privacy, he dismissed the armor and wrapped the towel around his waist, actually distracted for a moment by just how soft and plush the fabric was. “I’m good now,” he announced and as she turned to watch him, he slowly moved his body around. Stretching up and down and twisting, blushing the whole time under her intense gaze as he tried to make sure the towel stayed put.

  “Okay,” she said after a few moments, stepping a bit closer to him as she asked, “Any shapeshifting, extra limbs, constructs, or other physical or magical transformations I should be aware of?”

  He silently shook his head at first, before remembering something Phoenix had mentioned to him before, “Not for me, but my friend out there, with the red hair, she has mentioned needing boots and gloves that can better adapt to her temporary shifting ability. She gets claws on her hands and feet that’ll destroy her stuff if she doesn’t remember to put them in her dim-space.”

  “I can do that later. We are on a time table. Clothes first.” she replied before her hair started to move on its own. While he was distractedly looking at the massive amount of hair wrapping around him, she grabbed his arm with her furred hand and repetitively stabbed him.

  It surprised him more than anything, but it really was just a tiny needle she was pricking his arm with. What concerned him more, and caused him to try and jerk away was that she had grabbed the arm with his Soul Mark that he had been trying to avoid showing in his awkward movements.

  “I can explain—” he began to quickly try and defend himself, but she interrupted him with a fluffy tail to the face as she scolded him.

  “Stop moving, concept Chosen.”

  Uriel was taken aback and it was enough to make him still under her touch. Instead, he quietly asked, “You’re not afraid of me or going to try and lock me up? You’re still willing to help one of the Destroyer’s Chosen?”

  “No different from those other gross concept gods your friend has in her atrocious aura or the clergy that buy my custom goods,” she replied as her hair seemed to weave itself into clothing directly over him.

  He raised a brow at that, “You don’t like any of the gods?”

  “No. Kitsune is better.”

  That surprised Uriel for a moment before he realized she was talking about the Progenitor that the original voxen came from. He had learned a lot about Progenitors in his own readings on avals and various Vanhin that monsters would often spawn as.

  They were normally the very first Divine beings in a reality, who were the ones that created every species within it. He had never learned exactly why, but for some reason, their Progenitors had stopped creating new species thousands of years ago, and the Cultivator seemed to do it now whenever a Wayfarer showed up and decided to have kids. That was why the only new species in the last five thousand years or so had been Wayfarer-forged.

  “Gloves and boots as well? And a hood. You look like you need a nice hood.”

  He nodded, “I don’t want to accidentally touch something and destroy it. I can’t turn it off at all and I don’t think I’ll always be quick enough to remember that others shouldn’t touch me anymore.”

  Teal briefly paused, hopefully done with assaulting his arm, and lifted the offending needle up as she incanted, “I have taken your measure.”

  He noticed an odd-looking fabric around her arm at that moment, it was a black void that seemed to sporadically spark with colors before fading into the abyss of it. It began to unweave itself, the threads vanishing into the needle she held, before she pushed it into the sleeve of her opposite arm, which he could only assume was another personal storage space as her hand came back without needle or thread.

  “Please do not move now,” the tailor warned before a mass of glinting razor wire materialized around him and began creating enchantment diagrams directly onto the new material her hair had transformed into.

  He didn’t even dare to breathe as he tried not to get sliced by the silvery wire thread. This was nothing like what that last tailor he visited had done.

  When she finally seemed finished with her work, the threatening wires vanishing and excess hair returning to their previous state, she took a few steps back to admire the work. After a few moments of assessment, she made a twirling gesture with a tail to indicate he should turn around. He obeyed the unspoken command and lightly gasped when he caught his reflection in the mirrors.

  It was a simple enough design, the tunic fitting comfortably and falling just to his thighs and the pants looser before tucking into firmer cloth boots just below his knees. His sleeves did much the same, tucking into woven gloves just below his elbows. It almost glistened as it absorbed the light, entirely black like the Void magic it was attuned to.

  His new perception had him easily able to smell the magic suffusing the material, and he wasn’t positive at first if he actually enjoyed the scent of Void. Part of his mind screamed that he shouldn’t, but the darker part just confirmed that he truly was an Annihilator for not being repulsed by it.

  The Arcane scent of the previous armor had smelled like he had been dipped in a sweet syrup and he was thankful to be free from it now. In contrast, this clothing smelled… refreshing. Completely clean from any other influencing odor or magic.

  His gaze trailed back up to the large hood that was attached to the tunic, it was wide and open enough that he could easily move within it and keep his hair up in its messy bun he had been keeping it in, and his long tapered ears didn’t feel strangled within it like smaller hood sometimes did. He was grateful that the extra large size meant he wouldn’t need to cut holes in it for his ears since the whole goal was to cover his skin as much as possible.

  After a moment of just staring in awe at the void-like cloth and how comfortable it felt on him, his skin trying and failing to eat away at it, Teal asked, “Any preferences for adjustments?”

  He thought about that for a moment and hesitantly asked, “Can you make the shoulders and gloves slightly looser? Sorry, I forgot that I’ll be needing to get new Chains of Silence later and I usually wear those under the sleeves so people don’t notice them as much. I’m not sure how the cuffs will sit under the gloves but I would prefer if they did. The neck area seems fine though.”

  Teal gave him a pained look as her ears flattened, and she practically hissed at the mention of a Silencer and he took a step back from the Emerald Caster. “Why would you do that to yourself?” she asked and he flushed in embarrassment.

  “I’m not really great at controlling my aura,” he tried to explain, “I’ve been forced to practice a lot more lately and have been doing fairly well in town and when we sleep. But I was also forced to wear one back in Tulimeir because of one of my Talents. If I get angry when I channel magic, I get a bit… destructive. The Silencer helps keep people safe when I’m not fighting monsters.”

  She sighed but didn’t look so repulsed anymore as she said, “Then you’re going to need to practice a whole lot more. Your Void issue is a transfiguration. A Silencer won’t stop it and would disintegrate as well.”

  Uriel froze at that realization, and hopefully asked, “You don’t happen to make Void-resistant Chains of Silence, too, do you?”

  Teal shook her head in response, “No. I could on the other paw make an accessory that could help soothe anger? Though, that’d take longer as that is outside of my normal expertise.”

  He slowly nodded as he said, “That would be helpful. I had earrings already doing that for me. They worked better than my old set, but that kind of magic has never been completely perfect when I get too upset. I can’t wear them anymore either, though, so I’m not sure what to do now,” He glanced down at his gloved hands, flexing his fingers a bit before adding, “I can’t risk murdering my friends just because I’m cursed with this and got angry.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  He rubbed a hand over his tired face, having refused to sleep for the last two days while riding in that coach so close to other people. The action made him realize his face was still bare and eventually he would need to sleep, so he asked, “Is it possible to get a scarf-like facemask that I’ve seen people use when it was windy on the tundra? I’m hoping it will save whatever I end up falling asleep on.”

  “Yes, though I think you are going to need a bit more than just that,” the tailor replied and started to list off items while pointing to a claw with each one, “More sets of clothing, casual and formal since you hang out with Regent Wayland who’s a noble. Accessories, equipment that’s actually meant for combat, pillows, cushions, full bedding sets, maybe a tent, comfy slippers, a full cloak. Oh, and towels. And maybe bath wear as well…”

  He glanced down as he remembered that he had been originally wearing a towel as she worked and never noticed it getting removed. By the feel of things, though, it wasn’t just tucked into his pants. He gave an involuntary shiver at the idea of being stripped without even knowing but decided to push that thought aside and replied, “I don’t have any idea what you mean by ‘bath wear.’ I don’t normally wear clothes to take a bath… that seems counterproductive. I also don’t need slippers or beddings if I can just wear this and that facemask. I don’t want to spend Bits on unnecessary things. Unlike Regent Wayland, I am not a noble.”

  He didn’t realize until after he said it, but his gaze narrowed on the space-themed voxen as he slowly said, “And I don’t remember any of us mentioning her name…”

  “She’s a Chosen Aurabreaker Wayfarer according to her aura… you didn’t need to say her name.”

  “Exactly how far has news of her traveled? We’re at least a month away by sea and airships can’t reach us there yet,” he replied in exasperation. Would it be like this everywhere they went now?

  “Starfall portals go much faster,” she replied, then prompted, “And bath wear is definitely necessary for living, unless you plan on putting holes in the bathtub. How many sets of clothing will you need?”

  He grimaced at the mention of destroying the tub and realized he would never get to properly bathe again either and would likely need Saiya to just use her ability on him from now on. He shook his head and refocused on her question, beginning to wonder if she was trying to upsell him as he awkwardly answered, “Um, just two? One to wear while I wash the other.”

  She looked at him with wide silver eyes like he was the god of madness himself. “Does your power destroy your mind too? I don’t think I can make something for that.”

  “I don’t need a lot,” he replied, “I never have. There’s not much point in having more than what I need to survive. I don’t have a convenient storage ability either, so unless you can make a dimensional bag that won’t turn to ash from me carrying it, I won’t be able to drag a mountain of clothes around with me.”

  Teal gave him the first smile he had seen from her as she rubbed her starry portal-looking hands together and answered, “That is very much something I can do! So, you will need an extra large dimensional bag for holding a mountain of my very fashionable and necessary clothing options. Would you like the accessories to match your laval markings?”

  His jaw hung slack as he stared at the tailor before he finally gave a sigh and replied, “Just… nothing in red… and please be gentle on my Bit bag. Dazien will die of a stroke if I spend too much.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be more than a Ruby Bit.”

  Uriel groaned and wondered if he could get a loan from someone here. He had saved up quite a sum from all their missions and not needing to spend much on himself, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep up with his noble friends and the financial cost of ascending. He’d need to see about taking AOA missions while he was here…

  Phoenix idly explored the tailoring shop as Uriel was busy in the back. All manner of sewn items were on display that didn’t only include clothing. Like the flying carpets, there were also magical blankets that she was sorely tempted to buy, especially the super fluffy one whose tag announced it was self-warming and smelled like fresh-baked cookies.

  There was a section for enchanted tapestries, self-erecting tents, and dimension storage bags. The section of “consumable” accessories caught her attention as she looked through various tassels, picture patches, and bows that gave various effects that would consume the magic with every use of it. She contemplated getting some of the tassels after the cheerful merchant explained that they would be attached to weapons to give bonus effects. There was also a purple hair ribbon that not only looked pretty, but could boost the range of portal abilities when worn, but that would also eventually run out and just become a regular hair ornament.

  Camilla was resting by the entrance for a bit after their long journey and her constant reapplication of Uriel’s magical armor. Meanwhile, Rayna and Saiya were currently interrogating the merchant, who she hadn’t caught the name of, as they requested the options Teal might have for combat armor for both of them.

  He explained that they would also need to get fitted in the back room if they wanted the equipment to be higher quality that best suited their Aspects and they would likely need to return later for it. He made sure to acquire the location of where they were staying in the city as well in order to send a message whenever any of the orders were ready for them.

  Ren and Tala also seemed to be enjoying themselves as they flew around the shop, checking out the flying carpets and sparkly treasures. “I can pick out something, right?” Tala pleaded, and she chuckled in response.

  “Just one something, alright? I can’t keep buying everything sparkly you find in this shining city. Even with the Ruby Bits I still have on me, I’ll run out too fast at your rate.”

  As she continued wandering the store that she was pretty sure by this point was entirely made from fabrics, she passed a few sections dedicated to combat in various types of biomes before arriving at a smaller display filled with different colored torcs.

  It had almost every combination possible available and woven with a very stiff type of rope that almost seemed like wire to her but was definitely some kind of fine thread tightly woven together. A silver and emerald one caught her eye and reminded her of Paul.

  According to the inn attendant, Tylen, he had worn this combination while he was there which meant he had been seeking a woman who wanted a long-term commitment… he had been looking for a wife… It was hard for her to picture him with one. He had been so… solitary when she met him. Gruff and unyielding. He had helped her, though. Mentored her, and they had found their balance with one another. She had honestly thought at times that he might have been more like her… not really interested in romance with anyone at all.

  Her fingers lightly brushed the torc, her mind wandering back to Zevan’s earlier question on what colors Dazien and Uriel would wear, and she jumped slightly when Uriel asked from behind her, “Are you planning to change your color?”

  She turned around to look at him and took in his new appearance. He almost appeared as a walking shadow with how dark his outfit was, but he looked a bit happier as he watched her, and she knew in that moment that she didn’t care what it looked like or how much it cost if it made him happy. He was one of the kindest and most selfless people she had ever met, and it wasn’t fair that his life and powers kept tormenting him.

  Uriel tilted his head slightly as he said, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just noticed you seemed to be thinking pretty hard about them.”

  “What?” she replied, her mind rewinding over his question that she hadn’t answered quickly enough, and she corrected, “Oh, um no. It just reminded me of Paul, and I was wondering…” She flushed slightly in embarrassment as she realized what she had been thinking, but her curiosity made her admit, “I was actually wondering what colors you would want to wear…”

  His face went blank suddenly and she wondered if something she said had made him angry and activated his earrings, but he wasn’t wearing them at all. Before she could ask what happened to them, he said, “Why does it matter?”

  His eyes trailed down to her neck and he said, “Dazien explained the torc colors to me long ago. Unless things have changed or he was wrong, white means you’re not interested in any of the other torcs, right?”

  “Zevan told me it means both not interested in romance or touching at all,” she nervously explained, “I figured it was just safer since… well, you know…” she trailed off, knowing that she had already explained how she felt about that. “Zevan had just asked before what you and Dazien would wear if you were both here. I thought you might both pick gold since you have each other, but wasn’t sure about any of the others.”

  His expression softened as he nodded, “You’re right. We probably would both wear that.” He glanced at the rack of torcs behind her and moved to stand beside her as he scanned them. After a moment he pointed to one that was entwined with gold, silver, purple, and blue, “Last time we talked about it, Daze said he would wear this one.”

  “Silver?” she questioned, having guessed the gold and blue before and the purple definitely made sense when he refused to bow to even gods.

  Uriel gave a slightly crooked smile, “I know it may seem unconventional in Tulimeir, but our relationship has always been open like that. I’m not sure how your old world viewed it, but as long as whoever he found treated him well and made him happy, that was all that really mattered to me.”

  “You never worried about him finding someone else and leaving you for them?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “I’ll admit I did at first,” he replied with a soft sigh, “I had seen him leave others before for various reasons, and I was nervous about all sorts of different things at the beginning. I think I was just worried I wouldn’t be… good enough. I wasn’t as nearly as experienced as he was at that point. I also feared that maybe I had ruined our friendship by admitting I wanted more.”

  He rubbed at his left forearm where she knew his Soul Mark lay before adding, “It wasn’t until he met Xera that I actually became more comfortable with my place at his side.”

  “Xera?”

  He shook his head, “That’s definitely a story for another time in a more private place, and only with Dazien’s permission. It’s not really my place to reveal details like that with anyone else.”

  She nodded in understanding despite her curiosity. Looking back at the torcs, she asked, “Which one would you wear?”

  He looked at her for a long moment, and she wondered if he was going to refuse to tell her for some reason when he finally pointed at one and said, “I told him I might wear this.” It was also gold, silver and blue but had black instead of purple. She should have guessed the black too, now that she thought more about it. While Dazien never knelt, Uriel preferred to.

  However, she was surprised that he would also choose silver…

  “But that was before this issue with me not being able to touch anyone anymore. I don’t think I’ll wear this one while I’m here. White would also be safer for me, I think,” he softly admitted, his hand dropping back to his side, then he added, “I also need to try and find someone who sells a Silencer that’s resistant to my Void damage. I don’t trust myself enough to sleep without it in a city as crowded as this.”

  “Your turn,” Teal said from behind them, and they both jumped in surprise. She hadn’t noticed the voxen get close at all while they had been standing there talking.

  “What?” she managed to reply, unsure what she meant.

  The tailor gestured with a tail at Uriel and said, “He mentioned you need boots and gloves that adapt to your transfiguration. Now it’s your turn to get stabbed.”

  She looked at Uriel with wide-eyed worry, hoping she was joking.

  He merely smirked and said, “Repeatedly.”