Looking at himself in the mirror, Chronos couldn't help wondering how he had convinced himself it was a good idea to put on a monkey suit again.
In the mirror a young man with light blue eyes and gray hair that had a few distinctive red markings in it stared back at him. He didn't remember the markings being that pronounced in the past, but he could be misremembering them.
He was dressed in a dark-gray military cut long coat with dull silver thread providing a decorative embroidery at the cuffs and collar.
Not something he would wear in the capital, but it was respectable enough for an afternoon meal.
The problem was that the previous owner had been one size smaller than Chronos, making it impossible to close the front of the coat and causing the shoulders to be a little tight on him.
They didn't have time to fix the issue, so the shopkeeper had him wear a black shirt and grayish silver tie with a black waist coat and pants, making the open front look intentional instead of desperate. Combined with the dark iron Ulv family seal ring on his finger and a small chain on the waist coat making the overall appearance look pretty good.
Just a little small for Chronos.
"Finished yet." Gregory asked from outside the changing room.
"Yep, I'm curious what the shopkeeper did with you. It can't have been easy to dress someone that naturally blends in with his surroundings."
Chronos chuckled as he left the room. But when he saw Gregory, he let out a low curse.
The clothes fit him a little too well.
What appeared in front of him was a young dark-haired man in a brown-black court suit with a narrow coat, soft collar, and dark green lining that only showed when he moved.
With his waist coat and shirt being the same color black as Chronos's, it was clear that they were meant to stand together. But the entire ensemble made Gregory look like a clerk or assistant, someone that would be looked at once then forgotten about.
Chronos raised an eyebrow at him wondering where he would store his daggers until he heard a faint clinking sound come from Gregory's sleeves.
Looking closer he saw the faint gleam of metal carefully hidden by the cuff. The sleeves were just large enough to hide wrist knives or a small bottle of poison without raising suspicion.
Gregory tapped the floor with his boot, then smiled when it didn't make a sound. The shopkeeper had set him up with soft soled boots, the man clearly knew what type of work Gregory usually did.
"Are the ladies finished? I can already see a coachman waiting for us in front of the store." Chronos asked.
Glancing out the window Gregory saw a carriage with the earl's house symbol on it and a man wearing a suit very similar to his own waiting in front of it.
"Almost, the shopkeeper's wife had to resize Sariah's dress and take in Lyla's waist."
"We'll be out in a minute, dears, now put this coat around your shoulders just like that, good..." they heard her say as she helped the girls put on the last pieces of their clothes.
It took another twenty minutes before the shopkeeper's wife had decided that they were ready to be seen but the wait was well worth it in their opinion. The sight that greeted them when the ladies came out nearly took their breath away.
Lyla was wearing a cream-colored dress that was old but well cared for and had pale gold embroidery at the cuffs and hem. It had a modest but structured bodice, with long sleeves and a high neckline suitable for a priestess. Around her waist was a faded red and gold sash that hugged her narrow waist.
If it wasn't for the stitching just above her waist Chronos would almost think that this dress had been made for her.
On the other hand, Sariah looked uncomfortable as she wore a dark-green dress with a charcoal-gray over jacket that did its best to hide her figure. At her waist was a brown belt that had several small silver curse trinkets hanging from it disguised as fashionable ornaments.
The only real flaw was that the hem at her feet had been raised by several inches so that it didn't drag on the floor.
The dress was clearly too big for her, but even then, the hem had been made to look intentional giving her an air of elegance.
"What cat got your tongue?" Lyla teased him while Sariah slowly turned red under Gregory's appreciative stare.
"No, but an angel might have stolen my breath. The only thing that could truly complete your look was if you had a necklace to go with it." Chronos chuckled as he gladly took in the sight.
A minute later the coachman opened the door and politely waited for them next to it.
"I believe our escort is tired of waiting for us. Shopkeeper, if you will tell us how much I owe you, I'll settle the payment and we'll take our leave." Chronos said as he offered his arm to Lyla.
She took his arm and waited by his side like a faithful companion while the shopkeeper tallied up their purchase.
"Two suits with various protection enchantments for 600 gild with minor adjustments comes out to 735 gild, and two dresses with similar enchantments for 800 gild with major adjustments comes out to 1400 gild. The total would be 2,135 gild, sir."
It was a bit more expensive than Chronos would have liked but they had needed to partially remake Sariah and Lyla's dresses so that they fit properly.
Sighing Chronos handed over five small gild bars and an additional 1,635 gild from his storage before following the coachman outside to the waiting carriage. This one shopping trip had cost him nearly half his funds. Until he received his payment from Rodney and the Eightfold Transit company he would have to be careful about how much he spent from now on.
He helped Lyla get into the carriage first before entering and taking a seat across from her. Sariah sat next to Lyla with Gregory entering last, taking a seat across from her, this way they could help the ladies down once they arrived.
Seeing that the inside of the carriage was made from cherry wood that had been carved into wheat fields and sturdy leather coverings for seats he couldn't decide if Earl Malric liked to show off or not.
The contrast wasn't bad, just a bit different from how a regular noble would try to show off their wealth.
Looking out the window, he mentally prepared himself for the afternoon meal as they passed through the gate to the inner district. No matter which direction the talks went it was looking to be an eventful day.