17-- Raikas in Stitches

I coasted to a stop in front of a closed up tailor’s shop. It had a discrete sign in polished black wood and white painted lettering. “Dinikaias” The two chairs stopped behind me, pulling into empty waiting space off the lane. There was a thick crowd in the street, and my entourage pushed a bubble of quiet all around. A street musician dropped his feda bow and silenced the strings with a hand clamped on them.

“Joras. Knock and announce us.”

He did the usual Mahid knock, the hard rap with intent. It got people’s attention fast enough. I could hear the panting of the bearers where they’d stopped, all four crouched down on their skates, knees up, arms crossed. One stood up and then down again, to not stiffen up.

The door opened fast, the man angry at being disturbed during Jitzmitthra. “Oy! Who the fik do you think you --- Ssss sssser Mahid….” Then his eye settled on me and Raikas, behind Joras. With his teacup still in one hand, trembling, he bowed down in the Heir’s obeisance.

“Get up, stop that,” I said. “You are Dinikaias Oren, fessas? The tailor?"

The man had turned the colour of off cheese, pale and almost greenish as he took in my entourage. “This one… yessss.” He cleared his throat. “This one is the Dinikaias. Tailor to Mil Torii Itzan, if the honoured Chip of the Light Ascendant should wish to know.” He got his colour back as he spoke."

“Yes, yes I’ve heard Itzan talk about you and I have a commission for you.” I waved at Raikas who had come up with his boy. “My new gladiator. He needs a wardrobe. I want him to be a credit to my gracious patronage.”


“Certainly, certainly, Glimmer in the Eye of God –“ He was bobbing up and down with a kind of eagerness to please me, vaguely dog-like.


“I will have his company for dinner and don’t want to be put off my food by looking at the rag he’s wearing.”


That shut him up a moment, his mouth snapping shut. “Um – Spark of the Sun’s Ray – tonight? Something that will fit him? This humble one is not sure –“


I dropped my smile to something cooler. “I realize that pre-made is beneath you, but it will give you some time to make up the rest of his wardrobe. Of course if you have nothing I suppose we could see what Grand Tailor Maninas is able to do for me –“


He nearly fell over himself. “Oh, this humble worm has something to try, Spark of the Sun’s Ray – that may be modified with a tie or sash, something… This worm might have something worthy of the gladiator.”


“Enough, stop babbling and start working.”


Skorsas led Raikas over to the large mirrors set to catch the light from his windows. “I think you could get far with ties and sashes. They look good on him.” He urged Raikas up onto the dais. “Of course rotten fishnet would look good on him.”


“This one hears and understands, Spark of the Sun’s Ray. This humble one is most grateful that one so exalted deigned to remember this one’s name.”


He bustled to fetch me a chair. He made the transition from man-on-a-holiday to tailor-with-a-customer in a single breath. Upstairs I could hear children and a woman shushing them firmly. “Ellllaaaa – fetch a bottle of the Hyerne white!”


I watched the tailor pulling out bolts of cloth and several shirts, -- Skorsas chattering to his fighter even though he couldn’t understand more than one word in ten, getting him positioned just perfectly. “Skorsas!” I called him over as the tailor began measuring Raikas. The boy was a beauty. I really looked at him for the first time. He might have been fessas but he had Aitzas fine features and clear blue eyes. I resolved suddenly to never draw him to my father’s attention. It would not be good for him. I could see the love in his eyes when he looked at Raikas.


Such power the man had, dark hair and eyes and all. It was so strange. He could make people love him, simply by loving them. I put that thought away to think about later, turning my attention back to the waiting boy. He was certainly made uncomfortable by my scrutiny. I sipped at the glass of wine the tailor had provided me and I had made Joras taste for me. “While we’re talking you can take my skates off. And you can tell me how you want to dress him.”


“Spark of the Sun's Ray.... the great one cares for some of this one's humble and yet extensively-well-informed fashion advice?” His fingers were nimble and gentle as he tugged my skates off and set them aside.


I got up and sauntered over barefoot on the polished wooden floor. I wouldn’t need to worry about not walking on the ground until after I ascended to the Crystal Throne so I indulged myself. I turned and looked Skorsas up and down. "You certainly are attractive enough... yes. You have ideas how Raikas would be best displayed?”


He fluttered his eyelashes, modestly lowering his eyes. “Why thank you, Spark of the Sun's Ray.... this one blushes furiously to be so honoured by one so high....


"Let me see some of your ideas then..."


He lit up as though he’d walked from shadow into sunlight, smiling. “Well, Spark of the Sun's Ray, that one’s magnificent self sees his natural coloration. The ebon hair against the fair complexion, with that strong touch of red in his cheeks...


Raikas turned against the tailor’s measuring tape. “What in heck is he saying?” His eyebrows were very high. I waved a reassuring hand at him.


“He's commenting on your colouring,” I translated for Raikas.


“On my what?”


Skorsas shushed him, though he didn’t understand what he was saying. “He’s a study in contrasts... so contrasts is where one would want to go in the couture. The basis is the colour-scheme, of course... imagine... red... the most brilliant red -- Setting off that ruddiness.”


Raikas brushed the boy’s illustrative hands away. “Quit touching my cheeks,” he said in Enchian. I leaned against the mirror frame, watching Skorsas sketching out his idea of what proper clothing would be on the Yeoli’s dark looks.


“-- With black, to match his locks. Black that the eye either sinks into, as in velvet, or that shines like the flank of the finest black stallion, as in silk.” The tailor was nodding as he, on his knees, measured the inside length of the gladiator’s leg.


"Is the illustrious one seeing it, Spark of the Sun's Ray?”


I could, and he did have a good eye. “Excellent!”


"Ah, but it’s not complete! The crowning touch –“He took a tiny gold pendant off his own neck and held it up against Raikas’s hair where the gold glittered like a warm star. He ducked as though the boy had tried to put a dead bug in his curls.


“Skorsas, stop that! I don’t wear metal jewelry,” Raikas said, forgetting again that the boy couldn’t understand him. “I’m a Yeoli.” As if that explained anything.


“It’s beautiful. An inspired idea.” I said to the boy, ignoring what Raikas was saying. Skorsas blushed and fluttered again.


“Your incomparable self is too kind to this miserable one, Spark of the Sun’s Ray.”


“We shall have a set of sun-stone ornaments as well. And of gold glass.”


Raikas looked at us suspiciously. “What are you two planning?”


“Nothing you need to worry about, Raikas.”


He crossed his arms across his chest, starting to get a mulish look on his face. The tailor pulled a cloth up and draped it over Raikas’s shoulder.


“No. That colour gold is absolutely wrong,” I said. “I forbid it.” Then I went back to my chair.


Raikas balked several times. “That bright a red? You’re joking? I hope.”


“What did you say?” Skorsas looked up from the sweep of cloth over his arm and answered the tone at least. “I don’t understand, Raikas. It’s good. Shh.”


“He can tell you’re complaining. Why not humour your boy?” I asked. He set his teeth as the tailor tacked up the too long pants he was wearing, and the boy tried various sashes with the scarlet shirt.


“He’ll turn me into a peacock. And I am humouring him – and you. I’m standing here tolerating this instead of running for the door.”


The tailor bit off the thread and said to Skorsas… “I’m not a jeweler, lad but I have gold silk notions that will shine nicely in those black curls.”


“Perfect!”


“What now?”


“You don’t need to worry, Raikas, these aren’t metal except for a little thread.”


I could see he was about to balk completely as they clipped the tiny gold leaves onto his head and I put my glass down. I wanted to give him all this stuff but I wanted him to be happy too. He flashed me a look that asked me to get him out of here.


“Surely that’s enough. He’s presentable. Joras pay the man three gold chains. Dinikaias, as I said that is the beginning payment for a complete wardrobe, sandals, boots, cloaks. Pick a good jeweler, a good cordwainer, and a good hatter and inform me of them. Anything you charge over that amount, send the bills to my household.” I got up and looked Raikas up and down. “I’m bored of this and I’m hungry. Let’s go.”