Sol's hands flew up and covered his chest. He gave Rulo a scrutinizing look, glancing him up and down. The auburn in his eyes started over taking the yellow and Rulo started getting nervous. "No, no! It's not like that! It's part of an initiation ritual! It's not like that I swear!" Rulo said, holding his hands up in front of him in a pleading manner. Sol still looked at him with suspicion but at the very least he stopped covering himself up like he was dealing with a peeping tom.
Sol narrowed his eyes. "Explain. In detail." Sol said. Rulo nodded profusely. "Well, you see, the clothes can't chose you if your wearing anything else. Other than undergarments of course." Rulo explained. He was intertwining his fingers and then separating them in a nervous fashion. "Even I had to do it." Rulo added when he looked up and Sol had only raised an eyebrow in response.
"... Are you sure?" Sol asked. Rulo nodded so fast that his head looked like it was going to fall off. Sol clicked his tongue with a tsk sound. "I don't really think it's necessary for me to-" He cut himself off as a feeling built beneath his skin. Rulo watched as the yellow almost completely took over Sol's eyes and he began removing his cloak. "It's those damn eyes of his. How has he not realized?" Rulo thought as he watched the cloak drop to the floor.
Sol on the other hand was completely oblivious to the fact that the other person in the room was looking at him with something between fear and concern. In fact he was oblivious to the fact that there was even another person in the room. He tugged the bottom of his shirt up and over his head. Rulo had felt Sol's muscles through his cloak but actually seeing them was slightly embarrassing. Then he watched as in that same daze Sol stripped off his black trousers. Rulo slapped his hands over his eyes and turned around.
He heard the rustling of fabric and Rulo peeked over his shoulder. Clothes of all color and cut were swirling around Sol, making it impossible to see his figure. Rulo turned fully to face him now. He was in complete and utter shock. "I've never seen this happen before. Master said that everyone was only compatible with one set. What the hell is happening?" Rulo's mind raced as he tried to figure this whole thing out. Before he could get entirely lost in his thoughts though Sol's hand shot out from the mass of cycling clothes.
Sol reached out searching for something he instinctively knew was there. He reached further and felt the warmth of his father holding his hand, urging him forward. He reached even further and felt his mother's gentle hug, urging him forward once more. Sol reached forward one final time and found purchase as his hand clasped down on a piece of fabric. "This one. This is the one that I need. I was not wrong for coming here." Sol thought. He'd let his curiosity lead him here but now his instincts were telling him he was right to do so.
The clothes that had been swirling around him fell to the floor as a few pieces of cloth quickly wrapped themselves around Sol's form. Sol looked down and he was now wearing an emerald green blazer with black accents. A black undershirt and pair of dress pants were tucked underneath the blazer. A pair of black half gloves had found their way into his hands and a pair of black loafers had done the same on his feet. Sol mindlessly wandered over to the vanity to get a better look at himself in the mirror. The moment that he stood in front of the vanity pieces of jewelry and chains that had been laying still flew up and attached themselves to his outfit.
When Sol looked down again he had a few gold chains on his clothes. From one side of his shirt collar to the other, a chain from the blazers front right pocket to the back somewhere and a set of chains closing the half gloves around the back of his hand. Gold bands had slipped into his fingers above his gloves on his right pinky and index finger and on his left middle finger. Sol turned to look at Rulo. "Is that normal?" Sol asked. Rulo gave him a look of 'are you serious?' before realizing that he was, in fact, serious.
"No you fuckin idiot! If it was we'd have run out of budget years ago! Not to mention each persons only supposed to be able to attune to one fucking article of magic clothing! What the fuck is wrong with you!? Where the hell has your common sense gone?!" Rulo shouted as anger clearly overtook his features.
**********
Sol trailed slightly behind Oregrulous as they walked through the darkening streets. After about 30 minutes of being yelled at for lack of basic knowledge Besin had come up stairs to check on them. In that moment Sol regarded him as his savior. Besin had basically explained that the way magical items were responding to him was abnormal. "I still don't understand why he yelled at me when he didn't even explain that the uniforms were a specially made defense item for the Mercenary Mages. Something or other about them being bound items that most never attune to even once in their lives or whatever... I still don't understand most of it though." Sol thought, scratching the back of his neck.
The two were currently on their way to a clients house. After Besin had seen the pleading look in Sol's eyes to be anywhere but where he was they'd been given an urgent task to complete. Besin had mentioned that they didn't get all the details but that the client would inform them of more when they arrived.
Sol felt the pressure of eyes on him and was about to turn his head to see who was staring at him but Rulo spoke before he could. "Don't look at them. It's probably why you were considered an easy mark just a bit ago. Also stop fuckin slouchin'. Makes you look shorter, less intimidating." Rulo said still not looking back at him. Sol nodded all the same and took his advice. He straightened to his full height. The well tailored nature of the uniform lent itself well to showing off his slightly muscular form.
Sol felt as the number of eyes decreased almost instantly and relief washed over him. Rulo stopped and spun on his heel. He looked Sol up and down then nodded. "Yeah, this is how your ment to be." Oregrulous said. Then he turned and continued walking. "We're almost there. You can see it if you look over there." Rulo said pointing towards the inner most part of the city.
The buildings Sol had seen in Wormwood up until this point were mostly made of a dirt like brick or wood. Some on the occasion even had very crude stone segments that had clearly been added after the building was completed. The buildings here however were almost entirely made of flawless masonry. White, tan and grey stone made up entire establishments. Some had complex patterned mixes of both and although it was clear that it had been a long while since the building had been made, they were all still in excellent condition. The building that Rulo had pointed to was the cleanest and most well kept. It was also the largest, lording above the rest of the city as it rested a top a hill.
After another 10 minutes of walking they had arrived at the stone fence that surround the enormous manor. Two well dressed guards stood watch at the gate and crossed their spears when Sol and Rulo started getting too close. Rulo sighed and muttered something about "It's always like that with these damn Lord's." and then pulled his pendant from under his shirt again. When the guards got one good look at it they both pulled away and bowed their heads to him.
"Please enter! The Lord has been awaiting your arrival." The guard on the left said as the two were beckoned into the manor. A panicked maid was pacing in front of the manor, biting her nails. When she spotted Rulo her face lit up. She rushed over and bowed her head immediately.
"Please come this way, Sir apprentice mage." She said while ushering them both inside. "His Lordship has been waiting for an hour already. He's bound to be upset. Please allow me to tell you the details as we walk." The maid said while guiding them through the glorious halls of the manor. Sol was eagerly drinking in the sights or the manor. Each elegant painting with its delicate details that seemed impossible to capture and intricately carved frames. Sol passed a mirror with a similarly intricate frame and paused slightly. Although he'd always looked handsome there was now a noticable glow to his slightly tan skin. He looked as though he'd eaten a hardy home cooked meal. Before even he'd thought that he looked a little sallow. The cut on his cheek that Oregrulous had caused had disappeared as if it never existed.
"Please keep up. I won't be repeating myself." The maid said and Sol rushed forward the next few steps to catch up to them. "Why? I didn't look like this when I was wearing just the clothes. Does that mean that the jewelry and golden chains had something to do with it?" Sol thought. He was still keeping pace with the maid and Rulo but he wasn't paying any attention to the maids explanation. "- that's why you'll need to be extra careful when dealing with his Lordship today." The maid said finishing her explanation and stopping in front of a door. Sol tuned back in at the end. A bead of sweat formed on Sol's face and ran down it.
The maid motioned to the door in front of them and Sol tugged on Rulo's blazer. He leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I had a lot on my mind so I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry. Could you please tell me the jist of it?" Sol asked in a whisper. Rulo turned his head slightly towards Sol and clicked his tongue. "Just be fuckin polite, newbie." Rulo said. He turned his head back to the door in front of them and nodded his head to the maid. Rulo hit Sol in the chest making him stand up straight.
The maid knocked on the door. "Excuse me, my Lord. The guests you have been waiting for have arrived." The maid said. A muffled voice called through the door. "Let them in! Quickly! Maridax!" The maid, Maridax, opened the door quickly and guided them both in. She closed the door behind the two with a soft click. Looking around the room it was very clear that it was an office of some kind but it was decorated in such an over the top way that it was almost hard to tell. Huge golden busts sat on pedestals all around the room. Large grape vines climbed bookshelves that lined the walls. A huge desk sat at the back of the room stacked high with papers in all variety and color. The desk had gold and silver trim all around it. A man was sitting down in a large armchair with similar gold and silver trim. A wall of windows was at his back.
The man behind the desk had salt and pepper hair that was more gray on the top and orange on the bottom. He had a pudgy face that was flushed red. His sausage like fingers were pointing at pages and making big motions. The movement made the silver and gold jewelry that hung from almost every possible place jingle violently. He was wearing long black robe like clothes that draped over his protruding stomach. The large sleeves had the insides lined with a shimmering gold fabric. The man was arguing with another man that was holding a few papers of his own. The second man was standing next to the first and showing him papers whenever they seemed relevant to the argument they seemed to be having.
The second man had dark skin and vibrant yellow hair that was styled into several thin cornrows. The cornrows were tied up into a low messy bun at the nape of his neck. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. A sliver monocule hung from his neck clearly having been removed before this point. The dark grey overcoat that he was wearing over his shoulders got caught by a black chain that was clipped to both sides of its lapels. He was wearing a silver grey shirt underneath with a white embroidered vest on top. He also was wearing dark grey slacks that were embroidered with white thread at the bottom. He ran a hand down his face and you could clearly see the silver ring on his right hands ring finger.
When the man who was standing was done running a hand down his face he realized that they were no longer alone in the room. He cleared his throat and motioned to the small group that was now standing in front of the rooms door. The pudgy man looked at his guests and his face went slightly pale then he looked at the man who was standing with anger. The pudgy man stood as quickly as he could and started across the room towards Rulo and Sol. When he finally got before them he bowed to Sol and spoke.
"Thank you for coming here, apprentice mage. Or, I suppose you people prefer to be called Mercenary Mages. Ahem. What I mean to say is that I'm very appreciative of your visit today." The pudgy man said. He'd stood up straight when he corrected himself. He continued on as though he couldn't sense the strange tension in the room. "I'm the local Lord of this city, although I'm technically officially a Baron this is nothing more than an annoying babysitting job. Anyway, my name is Baron Gelei Histeria. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Baron Gelei said, holding his hand out to Sol to shake. Sol froze in place for a few seconds before he said anything.
"I'm not the mage in question. This is my first time going out on a job with the Mercenary Mages. This is my superior." Sol said, motioning to a barely holding it together Rulo.