Going Shopping

Rosamund and Ekliptik walked into his parents' manor in the Capital.

Yesterday, after the teenager calmed down and after Rosamund stopped considering creative ways to murder a royal prince and get away with it, they all sat down and talked. Their explanation of the situation they found themself in was that they wanted to be useful. He wasn't sure how to explain to a traumatized kid that his care for them wasn't conditional without them simply brushing it away as pleasantries, so he put it aside for now. Adanita very clearly ordered them not to put themself into danger again, especially when the danger wasn't something she could easily cut down with no consequences. They started retreating into their mind, so Rosamund distracted them by asking what was it that they wanted from him.

"I just... wanted t' look cute."

He needed to physically fight the urge not to get adoption papers on the spot. He gave them another hug, cleared his schedule, and arranged a reservation at several places for the two of them to visit. When the new Governor demands a table at the renowned gathering spots of nobility, he finds it with remarkable ease. By the time he returned to them, Ekliptik was sleeping with their head on Adanita's lap while she was studying.

Adorable. Adopted in all but name.

The two of them mercilessly woke him up in the morning, and to his surprise, Nivelir joined them to the teleport circle too. He had some shopping to do in the Capital, but he declined the offer to join them. Adanita didn't come along either. She still needed to keep a low profile and begin her lessons with Baroness Mayberry.

In either case, first things first - Ekliptik needed something to help them at least marginally blend in with the high society, and his mother was more than happy to bring out old outfits he and Lilac wore as children. Lilac was a chubby teenager, so his clothes were too wide for them, while Rosamund's clothes from when he was 16 were too large. They fit nicely in his outfits from when he was 13, though, although the fashion was both outdated and meant for someone younger than they were. Oversized it was. They were going to the tailor anyway.

"Rosamund, dear," his mother said while they were changing. "What did you tell to the young prince yesterday? He has been incessantly pestering your father for a meeting since last night."
"Nothing of relevance, mother. He drew some conclusions from a conversation we had, but I do not know what precisely."
"He informed me that you threatened to shoot him."
"I did."
"I keep telling you and you ignore me. Pistols are for commoners. If you are shooting at nobility, you need a proper musket to be sure."
"I will keep it in mind, mother. What does Alberic want?"
"A meeting between the four of you."
His father, him, Adanita, and Alberic. Quite a combination. "Let him know I am busy today. We can speak tomorrow, if he insists."
"Ah, yes. Another orphan of yours. May I dare hope they would be my grandchild?"
"Another?" they asked from behind the screen.
His mother put a hand over her smile. "When Rosamund was your age, or perhaps somewhat younger, he turned it into a habit to go into the city and bring home orphans and homeless children. He forced our hand into opening two orphanages, you know. It was rather endearing, although none of them ended up formally joining our family."
"I don't think I'd mind."
Rosamund's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

As much as he genuinely wanted to take them in as his own, it would only be to their detriment. The world of nobility was a cruel and stressful place, and a commoner rising through the ranks in this manner would paint a target on their back. He could never do such a thing. They already had to take on so many responsibilities at such a young age. He wanted to ease their burdens and let them live as someone their age should, not drag them into a world of politics and intrigue. He will explain it to them one day, but not now. Today was going to be a perfectly pleasant one.

Hm. He really had a phase with bland black clothing when he was younger. The outfits he wore at that time resembled more closely to a modern suit, although they were still very clearly suitable for the time period. The most notable was the lack of embroidery. He recalled when his fashion choices sparked a bit of a sudden shift among children his age, but the sudden fad was gone as quickly as it came. In time, he gave in to the current trends, too. Flowers on clothes looked nice. He felt rather handsome in brighter colors, too. Ekliptik must've felt more at home in his old outfit, though, considering their usual fashion. In either case, the most important issue was that they were warm enough for the winter outside. Rosamund found his old coat they could use, and his mother provided them with an additional soft scarf, a hooded cape, and a muff made out of warm fur for their hands. It was time to head out, before Alberic finds them here.

"Are you warm enough? Would you like to sit next to me?" he asked as the carriage drove them away towards the Capital.
"Aye," they said, sitting across from him. "I'm fine."
Were they afraid of him? It felt like an insulting question to ask. Besides, they were at ease around him up to this point, more or less... while he was teaching them how to work. Right. Perhaps he managed to be an extremely distant boss while also neglecting to ensure they were safe. He'd make a marvelous parent, wouldn't he? Honestly, he was at a bit of a loss on how to breach the subject...

Sitting in awkward silence was not an option. He also knew from experience that Ekliptik was quiet by nature, so there really was only one thing he could do. He started talking about little things that came to mind. He told them all the places they will visit today during the shopping spree, where they will eat, who they might run into. It occurred to him they needed friends their age. Unfortunately, he had no other teenagers in his life, but perhaps something could be arranged.

Ekliptik listened in silence at first, but started expressing some interest as his monologue went on. The tailor they were going to see had a high fashion salon where nobles of all ages gathered during the day. There were tea and cookies for Rosamund, and many dresses that could be adjusted for Ekliptik. They were going to be classy and expensive, of course, but not made from scratch like Adanita's outfits. Before that, however, he had some other little matters to attend to.

Their first stop was a store where the owner was an acquaintance of his. They finally finished developing a way to mass produce fountain pens and the tool was just about to hit the market. Rosamund talked business with him for a bit, careful to keep it short while Ekliptik looked around the store. An employee was happy to show them around so they wouldn't get bored. Other than pens, which was a business they ran with and for Rosamund, they had numerous other little tools for drawing and writing, as well as papers, notebooks, and blank books.

"Tiktik, come here for a moment, please," he called them. "Which of these ink samples do you like the most?"
"We are developing more colors, of course. A few artists showed interest in the inks. Fountain pens will certainly prove an interesting new tool for their expression, I cannot wait to display some commissions at the store," the owner said, handing them a piece of paper with samples. There were black, deep purple, blue, vibrant red, dark green, gold, and pink options for the ink. "White ink is giving us the most trouble. You wouldn't happen to have any clever little ideas about that, Lord Governor?"
Hm... white was made out of titanium, was it not? He remembered it in sunscreen. But where to find it? Was it even discovered yet? And how does one use it? Metals were gray, were they not? Something else had to go into the mix... "I will ask my brother if he can think of something for you."
"Do you often ask governors to help you with pigments?" Ekliptik asked.
He let out a laugh. "Goodness, no. Lord Governor is simply a business partner. I feel at ease asking a colleague for assistance, even if it is someone as strange and pedantic as he is."
"Hm. Dark green."
They were looking at the pink sample the most, he noticed. "In that case, I will have seven pens. Fill two with black ink," him and Lilac, "one with purple," Nivelir, "one blue," Teodolit should like it, "one red," fitting for Adanita, "one pink, and one dark green. Wrap each as a gift and send it to the Earl's estate. Add two bottles of ink for each pen."
"Yes, my lord. A pleasure doing business with you. Oh, and regarding those little tools you asked us to make, they are finally delivered. The high precision you demanded was quite troublesome. Here, have a look..."
Rosamund carefully examined the contents of a wooden box before giving him a nod. "Send it to the estate along with the pens."
"Yes, my lord."
"Would you like anything else from the store, Tiktik?" he asked.
"Uhh... dunno..."

Well, if they were on a shopping spree, this attitude was simply unacceptable. Rosamund crossed his arms, pondering how to go about this. "Most of nobles your age would go about and shamelessly ask for items," he let them know. "I am here to buy you anything that catches your fancy."
"Quite so! The youth should be a little spoiled," the owner chimed in. "Would the young serah prefer a notebook? We also have diaries with locks, nothing magical of course, but it will certainly prevent your siblings from reading your deepest thoughts, or learning about the young nobles that catch your fancy."
Those tiny locks could likely be picked with ease by any pirate. Or just broken. Ekliptik seemed to get the same idea, frowning at them. "How about a simple notebook or two? Perhaps our friends would appreciate them as thoughtful gifts, too," he asked.
"Is that why you got so many pens?" they asked.
"Yes, I thought they could be of use to us. We will all need to write a lot in the future. It is important to give people practical gifts as much as little thoughtful trinkets. The pink ink pen is for you, too."
They got a bit flustered and turned away to look at notebooks. He patiently waited while they picked out a few for everyone, including one bound in elegant black leather that they seemed to like the most. He hoped it would serve them well.

"I plan to go to a few more stores before we visit the salon," Rosamund said as they went outside. "Would you mind walking? They aren't far, but I do not know if you are cold."
"Aight. I'm fine."
"Let me know if it gets too chilly. I will send for our carriage while we rest somewhere warm." There was still snow on the ground, mixing with the dirt of the streets. Luckily the strong winds stopped a few days ago, and it wasn't snowing anymore, but it was still very cold. He doubted they experienced these temperatures before, so he needed to pay extra attention to be sure they were warm.

They visited several weapon and blacksmith stores, where Rosamund picked up his previous orders and had them sent to the Earl's manor. Ekliptik looked at the weaponry with interest, but declined anything. They left a few of their daggers to be fixed and bought a nice little sharpening stone to deal with the rest, so he didn't insist on getting them anything else. They visited a makeup store, where Rosamund bought Nivelir's birthday present. A set of magically enhanced cosmetics that wouldn't get smudged from sweat was a perfect present for someone as fashionable as him. They visited a store for fine clockwork, where Ekliptik picked out a small pocket watch and Rosamund sent home the final necessary pieces that he ordered. Next stop were the leather workers, who completed his request for a new holster. He tried it out by taking off his cloak and coat, putting it over his shirt and warm vest. The size was right, and if it was done to precise measurements he ordered, it was going to be perfect.

"Do you notice this when I put my coat on?" he asked Ekliptik. The gun would be hidden under his right arm, just like before, but his current holster wasn't made for what he had in mind for the future.
"No, I can't see it. It's weird, though. Strange shape."
"Lord Governor is an extremely pedantic man! This was done following his precise measurements," the shopkeeper said defensively.
"This is exactly what I had in mind," he assured her. He took it off and dressed up again, including the usual flintlock he had. Of course he was armed while on a walk around the Capital. He had no intention of having Ekliptik be his bodyguard when they were out to have some fun.

He noticed they liked a leather belt with elegant flowery patterns stamped into it. Bought. He took them to a shoemaker, too. They managed to find elegant black boots in their size. Bought.

Finally, it was time for the salon. They entered right on time, he noticed they started to shiver as the wind picked up again.

"Lord Rosamund!" a noble lady at the foyer exclaimed. They shook hands, Rosamund offering her a small polite smile. "Goodness, it is so nice to see you again. How have you been doing? How is the family? Who is this charming young man?" she gleefully chattered.
"Good afternoon, Lady Elodie. This is Serah Tiktik, the one I mentioned yesterday. They are looking for new outfits for their daily life. I am a friend of their family and I had some duties to attend to in the city, so I brought them along. Tiktik, this is Lady Elodie Agate, an old friend of mine."
"Charmed, my dear," she said, giving them a warm smile. "But, my lord, which family does Serah Tiktik belong to?"
"They would prefer to remain anonymous today." Let her draw her conclusions from that. Not many would dare ask a governor to accompany their child around the city, after all.
"I see, I see. In that case, follow along. I reserved a quiet corner for the two of you while you wait. Please excuse me, I must tend to the other guests first. I will join you later when it is time to choose clothes."
"Thank you."

They took off their cloaks and scarves and headed inside. The main room wasn't as full as he expected it to be, but considering how cold it was outside it made sense a lot of nobles preferred to stay home. The social season was a few months away, too, so the only people that were here today were small groups of close friends. He could feel their eyes follow them as they walked to a quiet booth, separated from the rest of the room with curtains. They were served tea and warm cookies.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly. The place was distant enough from the rest of the nobles that they wouldn't be overheard.
"Aight. T-thanks. For all the stuff." They suspiciously looked at the tea and the cookies, but Rosamund firmly decided to dispel any possible doubts by having some. They were in no danger here.
"Think nothing of it. I wanted to apologize to you anyway," he said. "When I asked for your assistance with Khamil, I didn't expect you would take my question so seriously. I feel as if I made it seem that you can only ask me for favours if you do something for me. Which is wrong. I want you to ask me for anything whenever you need or want it. That includes my time." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I am aware I am a cold and not overly expressive man..." Despite Adanita having some strange ways to melt away his strict and distant exterior, and the people closest to him being able to break through to him, he realized he hardly ever even smiled at Ekliptik. Yesterday's hug was the first time he touched them, too. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if they only pretended to be this much at ease around him. "I hope I do not intimidate you."
"Ah- no. No, it's- I'm sorry. You're a good man," they tried. "I'm just, I'm sorry I messed up. I got y' in trouble. Nita too. I'm sorry. An' now y'gotta do all this 'cause y'promised wi' th' whole Khamil thing, even though I- y'know. Yesterday."
"Yes. As I was saying, I do not mind. The only issue I have with yesterday is that you needlessly placed yourself in danger. I am not angry with you, you didn't cause any problems for me either. I can handle Alberic, please do not worry about it. I am more than anything sorry that you felt... that this was necessary. I am well aware you are a highly skilled individual, you more than proved yourself with the way you assisted us with the arrest. However, now, and back when Nita had you as my second... Neither of those things sit right with me. I don't want you as an employee, and I don't want you to think of yourself as someone disposable. You are neither. You are so, so young for the role that was given to you. I wish your childhood was a more peaceful and happy one. I cannot turn back the time, but I can at least offer this much now. Please understand that whenever you need me I will be there for you." There, that was the most he could do right now. He didn't want to have to explain himself, because there simply wasn't anything rational to explain. In his previous life, the dealings he had with troubled teenagers working for criminals and living in violence occasionally managed to end well. Mostly, he failed to help them, both due to their own circumstances and his own lack of will to do something. That was why he now tried whatever he could, and why he genuinely wanted someone like Ekliptik to find some peace and joy instead of constantly being on guard. However, nothing here was something he either wanted or planned to share.

Nobody wants to be someone's penance.

Ekliptik wasn't here for him to correct the sins of his past. Much like Zaum and Cinda's involvement with the guards, this was simply something he needed to do, because it was the right thing to do. It wasn't a favour for them, it wasn't a redemption for him. It was simply moving on.

Doing better.

"In short, I have no expectations for you." He offered them a smile, trying his best, and they awkwardly nodded in return.
"Aight," they said. "Thanks. An', uh, I can take on Cinda, really. I'm- I mean I can't use swords, but Nita would've had us fight wi' daggers. I woulda won. Alberic just- I didn't wanna kill him an', well, he got me by surprise," they awkwardly explained.
"Yes, thank you for not stabbing him to death. It would certainly have been a bad look for me. And even if you would've won against Cinda, that isn't the issue. I do not want you to have to. If I need your assistance, I will ask you for help, and you can decline me whenever you want without me being bothered by it. I do not want to place more burden on you. Do you understand?"
"...aye."
"And please. No more solo missions such as this one. I almost suffered a heart attack when he brought you up during our conversation. I want to live for a hundred years and that exchange felt as if I aged twenty more."
They took it as a joke that it was, letting out a quiet laugh.

"Regarding these clothes," he said. "Do you want to enter the high society? I can arrange some papers and etiquette classes, if you do. Or would you simply prefer to have something nice to wear from time to time?"
"Uhh... both? Nita an' Teo could use some backup. I could blend in, I think. Keep an eye on things from the sidelines without people noticing me."
"Nivelir already has some informants, you know. I wouldn't mind it if you brought me some gossip from time to time, I do admit you are extremely good at sneaking about too, but I need you to promise you will not enter dangerous situations. Especially not without warning anyone first." There, that should give them enough freedom and enough low-risk things to do. He trusted them, but at the same time they needed to be safe. Besides, visiting events among the nobility would certainly give them a chance to befriend some people their age, something he feared they desperately needed.
They nodded. "Aight. An- aye. You're pretty. Nita's gonna be pretty, too. I thought something nice would be, well, nice."
"Of course. Anything you'd like. And if you ever get in trouble with other nobles, please tell me. I will handle it for you."
They nodded again.
He offered them a smile, which they awkwardly accepted again. Was he getting through? Perhaps. They chatted about lighter subjects this time, mostly about how they liked the city so far. After a while, Elodie returned to them and took Ekliptik away to try some outfits. Now that he was alone, a few lords and ladies felt entitled to his time and approached him with some reasonably friendly questions about the colony.

It didn't last long. Elodie returned quickly.
"Lord Governor, could you please come over for a few moments? Serah requested your input regarding their appearance."
Normally, the people would come out to show off their new clothes and have other nobles and friends comment on them. Were they feeling shy? Rosamund followed her to the fitting room.

Ekliptik didn't yet change, but they were flipping through hand-drawn catalogs they were surrounded with. They looked up at him awkwardly.
"Please come closer, Lord Rosamund," Elodie said, approaching Ekliptik from the back. "Look here. This is a very poorly done black dye, which damaged their hair. However, they do not want us to remove it, and I fear that cutting off their hair to remove the damage would make it too short. Now, I am aware your dear brother and father feel it is acceptable for nobility to stroll in public with short hair, and serah doesn't seem to mind it either, but you know which family they come from and I fear making changes without some input."
"Aha, I see. Tiktik, is there a specific reason why you dye your hair?" he asked.
"I, um, it's a very noticeable color..."
"Which one?"
"J-jade-like?"
Hmm... a very vibrant green, then. He could see why a spy would try to have a more neutral and less memorable color. However, if it was damaging their hair, they really needed to handle it somehow.
"I could remove the color and dye it with something safe, however you would still need to cut off the ends..." Elodie mused.
Their hair was already too short to reach their shoulders. It would truly paint a strange picture for a young noble. Hm.

"Tiktik, I have an idea. You would look good, but blending into the background at events would become a bit more difficult. However, every noble attempts to at least somewhat stand out, so perhaps it would help towards anonymity after all..." He explained the way to cut their hair.
"Oh, that will be highly unconventional..."
"Short hair can be as difficult to take care of as long hair. Especially when a cut demands such precision."
"True but... what do you think, serah?"
"Uh, that's aight I think? I mean, if all nobles stand out..."
"Hm. Then I will begin by removing this dye. You can always pick a color later if you want to. Now, did you decide? Would you prefer a dress, a suit, or something more neutral like robes?"
"Uh, um..."
"Try out all three," Rosamund said. "See which fits you the best."

They gave him a smile and he returned to their seat outside, patiently waiting for them. This was going to take a while.

"Considering his age, that could very well be his child."
"Don't be silly, they look nothing alike at all!"
"Perhaps the Honorable-"
"Far too young!"

Hah. Let them gossip. Little guesswork like this never goes anywhere, especially not after Elodie gets involved with her 'breaking news'. This was alright. He didn't mind. The most pressing matter was making Ekliptik happy. As long as they were having fun trying out new clothes, then everything was fine.