The bells and cheers of the bustling city atmosphere faded the moment they stepped inside the tiny shop.
It was like walking into an incredibly old attic. Dust floated in the air, adding form to the lazy beams of light coming through the window. Shelves sagged beneath piles of fabric, and dozens, maybe hundreds of mannequins filled the small store.
The wooden floor creaked under their steps, and in the back of the shop, leaning halfway across a counter covered in parchment and thread, sat a man with ruffled hair and an extremely bored expression.
He perked up when the doorbell rang.
"Oh, customers! And... four of you. Right."
He held his glasses up to his eyes, which drifted from Alwyn to Linnie to Aliza to Lady, and then to Liora. His brows furrowed.
Alwyn didn't bother with pleasantries. He marched straight up to the counter with the confidence of someone with... a whole lot of money.
"I'm here for robes. For my apprentices. Two sets, hat and robe both. Nothing too... er, gaudy. Fit for battle, too."
The clerk blinked at him, clearly thrown off by his assertiveness. And probably the extra demand, too. It wasn't often that apprentices did anything but studying, so battle robes weren't all too common. Not that rare, either, though.
The only difference was the amount of protective spells and perhaps a slight difference in the form of the robes themselves.
"Right, right. Apprentice sets. Should be simple enough." He stood, brushing off some dust. "So, which two?"
Alwyn jerked his thumb towards Linnie. "Him."
The clerk nodded. "Hmm... looks the type. Scrawny, a bit starved, dead tired eyes. Real classic wizard look, ha."
It was a joke that may have been funny if his delivery wasn't so... monotone.
"I sleep fine, actually," Linnie said.
It was a lie, but the man wouldn't know that. Well, the clerk just ignored him anyway and kept looking around for the second apprentice.
His gaze slid past Aliza as if she were a piece of furniture or something. The sheer lack of mana permeating her body made it very obvious she wasn't the one. Obviously, he didn't consider Alwyn. He even looked at Lady, who was grooming herself openly on the floor.
'Can't be. So, who...?' the clerk thought.
Alwyn jerked his thumb at the only remaining person in the store.
The clerks eyes then landed on Liora. He stared far too long. She pridefully straightened her back a little, but when she met the clerk's eyes, she shrunk. Her eyes fell to the floor, and she started to fidget with her wild locks.
The clerk raised his eyebrows, and his confusion transformed into something else. Something... uncomfortable.
"Sir," he said, monotone as before and scratching his temple. "I think there's a mistake."
Alwyn rolled his eyes, sighing. "There's no mistake."
The clerk's voice dipped a few decibels, as if he was afraid someone might overhear. But there was no one else in the shop besides them.
"She's a southerner."
Linnie blinked, tilting his head to the side. He glanced at Aliza, whose calm expression betrayed the fury blazing in her eyes. Then he looked to Liora, who was still fidgeting awkwardly with her hair.
The clerk swallowed.
"I'm just saying... she can't wear something like that. It wouldn't look right. Wouldn't, erm, be right, ehe..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "People will assume—well, you know. It'll reflect badly on my shop. You understand, don't you?"
Alwyn's expression darkened. He looked livid. Disgusted, even. The clerk flinched a little at the sudden change, as if he was scared of an attack.
"Listen, listen," the clerk continued, raising his hands in submission, talking faster as his nerves built. "Even if she's not a slave—which, aha, congratulations if she isn't—it's just not normal. When have you ever seen a southerner wearing wizard robes? They don't. I mean, they don't study magic. She shouldn't—"
Alwyn's staff slammed into the clerk's desk, causing a loud slamming sound that startled the man.
"That's enough," Alwyn said sharply. It lacked the typical amusement that could be heard in his words. "Really."
Liora finally spoke. She, too, sounded a lot different from usual.
"Alwyn, really... it's okay. I don't even really need robes anyway."
"Like hell you don't."
She flinched at his tone, but he didn't soften. In fact, he took a threatening step towards the counter, the dust shifting beneath his boots.
"No apprentice of mine is going to look like some fool, okay? So, you're going to get her robes," Alwyn demanded. "You're going to let her try them on, and you're going to keep your dumbass mouth shut for anything except measurements."
"I'm afraid—I just don't think—"
Alwyn squeezed his eyes shut and looked up at the ceiling, cupping his face in his hands. He sighed, calming himself.
He started to laugh quietly, saying something under his breath that only he could hear.
"Fucking hell... I've really got to work on my anger management." He turned back at Aliza, grinning. "I nearly blew his head off, can you believe that?"
"Yeah, I can," she replied, gritting her teeth.
"Do you... know who I am?" Alwyn asked, now facing the clerk again.
"I—" The clerk stumbled over his words. "No, I don't. Are you with the tower? If you are, my apologies, but that doesn't really change... anything!"
Alwyn grabbed him by the collar and moved to the man's face. He turned and whispered something into his ear, causing the clerk's eyes to widen. Then, Alwyn shoved him away, nearly throwing him to the floor.
"Good, it seems like you finally get it."
Alwyn grabbed his hat from his head and reached inside, pulling out his money pouch. He took out an unbelievable sum of three ledgers and slammed them violently on the table.
He opened his mouth to speak again, saying:
"If I hear one more word out of you about where she's from, or what my apprentice should or shouldn't wear, or what people will think, I'll make sure there's no shop left here to offend anyone else. Now go get their robes, bitch. And I better get a discount."
Liora tried to shrink behind her hair. Linnie still had no idea what the hell was happening, only that everyone looked super tense and Liora wasn't smiling—which was probably the most unsettling part.
The clerk finally caved, shoulders slumping.
"Okay, okay. I'll get the robes. I didn't mean anything by it, alright?"
He looked down at Liora, who didn't meet his gaze this time.
"Really, I didn't mean to offend anyone."
As the clerk scurried off into the backroom, Alwyn exhaled sharply. Liora kept staring at the floor. Linnie wanted to say something—anything, really—but the words fumbled between his brain and his throat.
So he just stayed quiet, unwillingly basking in the extremely awkward silence.