Chương 146: Chapter 145 [Looking the part]

The room on the other side was small and warm, bolts of fabric stacked along one wall, a long table down the middle covered in cut cloth, thread, and tools Leo didn't recognise. Two women stood at the far end. One was a cat beast-kin, short, reddish hair, with green eyes and a figure similar to Shai's. Apparently, he'd been right when he thought the people themselves were just naturally curvy. He kept that thought entirely to himself.

The other was a wolf beast-kin, tall and lean, her ears alert, brown eyes already looking between the three of them.

"Nice to meet you, name's Kira," said the cat beast-kin.

"Shiro," said the wolf. On the table in front of them, laid out flat, were three sets of clothes. Leo looked at them and felt something click. The cut was sharp, like a well-tailored suit, but the silhouette was different: a fitted jacket over a high-collared vest, a half-cape falling from one shoulder, chain detailing across the chest connecting it. White and blue, with gold accents. He thought of every Korean romance manhwa he'd ever read, where the nobles all looked stupidly attractive.

"These are incredible," he said. Parmo looked at them.

"What are they?"

"Like a suit but better. You ever read manhwa?"

"What?"

"Korean manga, more or less."

"Oh. Of course not. Why would you ask that?"

"Well, I know Luka is a closet anime watcher. You never know. Anyway, think noble at court. You'll get it when you put it on." Kai picked up his set and checked the fit without a word. Kira produced a measuring tape.

"Arms out." He did as he was told. Kira pulled a small pair of scissors from her belt and made a clean cut along the seam at his side. Leo tensed, half expecting the jacket to fall apart, but instead she pressed a strip of spare fabric against the cut edge and it sealed itself back together, seamless, the jacket sitting wider across his shoulders than it had a second ago.

"Is that magic?" he said.

"It's the tools," Shiro said, doing the same to Parmo's sleeves, the fabric closing up behind her scissors without a single visible stitch.

"They're enchanted. Cut and reseal. Add more material where you need it, take it away where you don't. Faster than measuring and stitching from scratch."

"Those would be worth so much money back home," Leo said.

"They're pretty common. I guess you being from a world without magic makes that true, though," Kira said, tugging the cape into position over his shoulder, the chain links settling against his chest with a soft click.

"When people think of enchantments, they think weapons, armour, or protection on buildings," Shiro added.

"Marcus is great. He's made so many that make things easier out here on the border. Life would be a lot harder without him." Parmo watched his own sleeve seal shut around his wrist.

"Amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Kira with a smile. The jacket sat exactly right, the cape fell from his left shoulder, the chain detailing caught the light. The blue of the vest was deep and clean, the white of the jacket sharp against it. He looked over at Parmo.

"Well?" Leo said. Parmo looked up.

"I look like I should be in a drama."

"You look smart, man. I bet Phil tries to take the piss, but we both know he'll want something like this." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. A knock at the door. Koss's voice came through it.

"Five minutes." Leo looked at Parmo, who straightened his cape.

"No pressure, then," Parmo said. Leo laughed.

"You'll be fine."

"At least Shai showed you the steps."

"I thought Rika was supposed to be showing you them earlier?"

"She was." Parmo looked at the ceiling.

"She got distracted showing me round the village and by the time we got back there wasn't enough time."

"It's nice she wanted to do that, though. Shai showed me around as well. I saw where she grew up." He looked at Kai.

"She introduced me to her parents as well."

"I thought she might. They were wonderful people and my greatest friends. They would have liked you."

"Thanks, Kai. That means a lot."

"She showed me her house and some other places she likes to visit. We went to the pub and spent more of the time there." He paused.

"Which means this is going to be a nightmare for me."

"It's more or less just slow dancing. Not knowing the exact steps isn't going to be the end of the world." Leo held his arms out like he was holding someone and moved his feet in a slow, basic pattern.

"You put your feet here and you more or less do this on repeat." Parmo watched him for a second.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay." He looked noticeably less worried.

"That makes this way easier. Cheers, dude."

"No worries." Kai watched them with his arms folded and smiled. Phil had been standing with Shai and the others for a while now.

"They've been gone a while," he said. Shai nodded.

"It won't be long now." The square was full, people pressed in from the connecting streets as well, the noise of it rising steadily. Phil was about to ask what exactly they were waiting for when the crowd shifted and went quiet. Koss walked up the steps onto the stage, turned to face them all, and began to speak.

"Thank you," Koss said, her voice carrying easily across the square.

"All of you, for travelling here, for celebrating with us. This festival exists because of you as much as it does because of Stonehall, and I am grateful every single year that so many of you still choose to come." A ripple of applause went through the crowd.

"The tournaments this year were some of the finest I've had the pleasure of watching. The feast, the games, the different food stalls. All of it has been wonderful." She smiled out at them.

"I won't keep you waiting long for the dancing, I promise. But there are a few things that need saying first." Phil glanced at Shai. She was watching the stage, her expression unreadable.

"As is tradition, our champions will lead tonight's dancing." Koss gestured toward the fabric flap at the side of the stage.

"I'll introduce them properly in a moment. But before that, I want to speak about something else. Something that concerns all of you, not just Stonehall." The square had gone properly quiet now.

"I'm sure some of you have heard rumours while you've been here. About a town appearing out of nowhere." Koss paused.

"It sounds made up or like a story that has grown out of control with each new whisper. Well, the rumours were true. A town from another world arrived on our border, several thousand people, and Stonehall has spent the months since getting to know them." A murmur went through the crowd.

"Their town is called Monkhaven. They didn't choose to come here any more than we chose to have them arrive. But they have, and what I can tell you is this: they have knowledge that none of us have. Methods for instant communication across great distances. Understanding of crops and medicine and a hundred other things that could change how all of our villages live, not just Stonehall." She looked out at them.

"They have already started sharing what they know with us. They want to share it with all of you as well. We are all part of the same border community. We live and die together out here, and I believe Monkhaven could be one of the greatest things to happen to that community in a very long time. Beyond that, they are good people. Humans all of them, but not the kind we know from the core. They are far closer to those of you who have grown up here on the border.

They see all of us as people, regardless of our differences. A town like that is worth befriending." She gestured to her side, where Mike stood.

"This is Mike. He leads Monkhaven, much as I help lead Stonehall." Koss nodded to him. Mike raised a hand briefly.

"Thank you for having us," he said, his voice quieter than Koss's, but clear.

"We're glad to be here." Koss continued.

"I would ask something of all of you, and I don't ask it lightly. For now, while Stonehall and Monkhaven work out exactly what this relationship looks like, I would ask that what you've heard here stays here. Among the border villages, among friends. Not beyond that." She let that sit for a moment.

"You may ask why. The answer is simple enough. The core does not know Monkhaven exists. When they find out, and they will eventually, I have no doubt some among them will see an opportunity rather than a community to welcome. We have all heard what the core does with things it decides it wants." Her voice hardened slightly.

"I would rather Monkhaven have time to grow strong here, among people who will treat them as neighbours, before that attention arrives. And with the unrest we've all been hearing about to the north, the timing could not be worse for any of us to be distracted by outside interference." She looked out at the crowd, the silence near total now.

"We have a new sword in our arsenal, out here on the border. I would ask that we protect it the way we would protect any of our own. Because I believe, in time, it will protect us in turn." She let the moment hold, and then her expression eased, warmth returning to her voice.

"That's quite enough seriousness for one evening." A small laugh went through the crowd.

"Now. Let's get to something far more enjoyable."