Aaaaaaaanyways, time to put on clothes, or something. Man, it's been a while since I've gotten to wear a suit. I think the last time was that school play I got roped into forever ago, but calling those costumes 'suits' might've been a bit of a stretch.
The suits were neatly stored in a hidden-ish compartment under the seat. How convenient. Good job, designers.
"Dang. Old Goldy really went all out, didn't he?" S said as we looked down at the sheer amount of clothing in that box. There were all kinds of designs and a colors in there. Well, shades gray and black and a couple dark blues, anyway. No tan or novelty suits. Good fashion sense, duke.
But no suit is complete without a tie. The duke, of course, being a man of wisdom, must have realized this, and provided us with what had to have been at least 50 ties neatly folded and stacked up in there. Ranging from simple, full colors, to tasteful designs, and even a stack of novelty ties. Of course, a wise man knows that a novelty tie is understandable, depending on the event. Provided you have the attitude to back it up, naturally. You can't wear that tiki tie if you're not prepared to bring that funk.
Truly, there are few burdens heavier than that of the novelty tie.
"Looks like this one's empty." Sis said, opening the container underneath the other seat. "I could probably fit in this."
"Right, you totally could." S said.
"Please don't ride in the box." I implored.
"Of course I wont. I'll be sitting next to you."
"That works." I said.
I think I'll go with a plan black tie. Simple, clean, and I think it best fits my aesthetic. Though, now that I'm thinking about it, black might be too formal. What kind of event with this? The use of the word 'party' leads me to believe it errs on the casual side, so a splash of color might be the appropriate choice. Although-
"Y'know," S began. "you guys really don't act like siblings." S said, as he effortlessly grabbed a tan tie, probably because it reminded him of sand. "N-not that I mean anything by that, or anything." He hastily added.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Sis said.
I didn't know what to say to that. I wouldn't know.
. . .
I ended up picking out a lighter gray tie. Seemed like a safe option.
"Dangit... Ugh, how the heck-" S began, obviously struggling with figuring out how to put on a tie. "Right, y'know what, I ain't wearing this crap. Where's the duke get off inviting us out of the blue like this, anyways? I'll just go in what I'm wearing."
"That's not happening." I said, carefully unfolding a simple black suit with classy white cuffs. There's certainly something to be said for darker blues and even light grays, but, for me, it's gotta be black. "This should go nicely with your tie."
"Come on, it's not like the duke's seriously gonna care. We're just numbers to that guy, it doesn't mean anything." S reasoned.
"I'll help you put it on." I said as I walked over to him.
"C'mon, do you seriously wanna wear some stuffy old-"
"Wear the damn suit." I said as I stepped closer and locked my gaze into his.
. . .
"Fine. I'll wear it." He reluctantly said as his head turned to the floor, his face wearing a slight shade of red.
"Thanks." I said, putting my hands together. The carriage, as nice as it was, offered little in terms of privacy. Hmm... The construction guys are already in our place, so we can't go there, and we might get the suits dirty if we head to the woods... Eh, Heremays's dressing rooms should be big enough. It's a slow day anyways, and I don't think he'd mind if we borrowed one for a bit, right?
"Right, good call." S said as the hole opened when I was pretty sure nobody outside was watching. "Let's get this over with..."
"I'll be quick, don't worry." I said as we all stepped through.
Wait, all?
"S-sis." I began. "You can't-"
"Bro, it's been two days since that thing in the arena. Word travels fast. Right now, there's a non zero chance you could be attacked at any given moment." Sis reasoned. "This isn't the time to be concerned about nudity."
"Dude, we're gonna be gone for, like, a few minutes." S countered. "Plus, we're just going into a dressing room. No one in there right mind is gonna take on the both of us in a place like that."
"I can't be certain they'll be in their right mind. That last guy you fought was a cannibal. Beyond that, you're weakened and a small room would only benefit an unknown attacker. It's a perfect storm."
S's head seemed to twitch a bit. "That's only fair if you assume we'll get attacked. Aren't you being kind of unreasonable?"
"Probably. I don't care."
This is taking too long. Technically, Sis is correct, but S is obviously in the right. We can't just let a little girl see us half naked. We just really can't do that. At any rate, S and I have already stepped through the hole, so...
. . .
"Kid, you can't-"
"Sis..." I accidentally interrupted. "I meant what I said when I made that promise."
"That's all well and good, but I can't gua-"
"Keep your eyes closed." I said. "I'll keep it open, just a little bit. You wont be able to see a thing, but you'll be able to hear just fine."
"... I s'posse that's acceptable." Sis responded after a moment of deliberation.
"Thank you, Sis."
And so it was. S and I stepped through, and Sis sat down in the carriage. I couldn't tell whether or not she closed her eyes, but I did notice her clutching her fishing rod tightly. I moved the hole near her ear, and placed it behind me on our end. Even if she does look through, for whatever reason, the worst thing she'll see is my back. That's acceptable, I think.
After a moment, S began to disrobe. Wordlessly, I stood on the other end of the dressing room.
"Right..." S whispered as he pulled off the undershirt beneath his robe. "I don't mean to tell you your business, but... Is it a good idea to keep babying her like this?" S asked with clear intent.
. . .
I covered the small hole in the air with my hand. Though, I never severed the connection.
I didn't know whether or not Sis would actually care about anything I, or anyone for that matter, had to say.
I got the feeling she wouldn't, but in reality, I knew so little about her. I couldn't even begin to comprehend how she thinks or why she does what she does. She and I are fundamentally different. The only things I can even pretend to know for certain are the things I've personally seen.
And because of what I've seen, or maybe despite how I feel... I could hardly bring myself to say what I needed to say. And I certainly couldn't say it to her. Thus, I covered the hole.
"I'm sorry." I whispered to S as quietly as I could.
S had no response, aside from a nearly imperceptible twitch of his ear.
. . .
"No." I finally answered his question. "It's never gonna help either of us. I know that."
Wordlessly, S kept his eyes low as he took off his shoes. I began to unfold the suit I'd picked out for him.
And S didn't ask anything more.
"Because..." I answered. "I can't bring myself to hurt her any more."
. . .
'... Does she see it that way?' He might have asked.
I didn't answer. I couldn't possibly know.
. . .
"Like hell she does, dumbass."
And the immortal sat and thought about fish, as she listened intently for nothing but a scream, as it was the only sound that mattered in that moment.
Thankfully, that sound never came, and the moment passed safely.
