The Fourth Zaldizko 5 Louis & Cass's Boutique

My eyes widened with wonder at all the choice pieces I had only seen in pictures. I blurted with glee at the glorious sight of a sparkling bottle green boa draped over the neck of a mannequin.

My fingers trembled as I tested a feel of the boa's fluffy texture.

"Death! It's the Chloe limited edition feather boa with star sequins sewn throughout to form a pattern of the Ral constellation. 'Carry the stars with you,' was the boa's advertis.e.m.e.nt. I read that Chloe Zuddichi had made these sequins from starline gem dust only found in the harshest of Tempra underground caverns."

I blurted my irrelevant knowledge to an apathetic Death, not aware of the attention from one of the staff.

"I'm impressed! Your knowledge of fas.h.i.+on is impeccable!" said a voice that sounded like Saku's.

I turned and came face to face with Ca.s.s who was obviously some years older.

"Oh, um, yeah." I was suddenly lost for words.

The Ca.s.s before me had definitely filled out to be more of a tall, toned and handsome man in a conservative herringbone suit and simple dark broad toe shoes.

I didn't remember the Ca.s.s of the past being so tall. I peered closer at his face, which was still angelic looking with his fine high cheekbones, slender chin and heart-shaped outline.

His glove-free hands were solid, but carried a soft quality. Was there anyone of the Tsubaki family who wasn't an angelic beauty?

"Ca.s.s, I would like you to meet the Gat s.h.i.+em brothers; Death, War and this cutey is Famine." Saku proudly introduced us to his brother. "My older brother Ca.s.siopeia. We call him Ca.s.s."

"Like the stars, I'm not surprised your parents would give you a beautiful name." I blurted and slammed my hand over my mouth with bowed apologizes.

"Geeze, Famisto, can yah be any more tacky." War groaned.

An abrupt crash and bang drew our attention to the shop's white-grey marble counter and the fusuma door painted with gold sparrows perched on cherry blossom branches.

A shorter man pushed the door aside, cursing animatedly to another we couldn't see.

"Maurice! How many times I tell you not to touch the kohl powder?! Clean up this schmozzle right now!"

The man smoothed down his pinstriped suit over his pudgy belly; slicked back his messy tufts of hair with a spell, so it was clean cut with a wisp of fringe swept across his small forehead, drawing the eye down to the dainty mole on his right cheek.

His eyes glinted with delight when he saw us standing next to Ca.s.s.

"Oh my! What beauties do walk through the door?" He came at us with a customer service smile that made the crows feet to his segreen eyes lift cheerfully.

"You are a beauty!" He grabbed at my hands, cupping them within his own that was laden with gold and silver rings.

I yelped with surprise when he dropped my hands and did a circle around my body, pinching my b.u.t.t cheek at the end of his a.s.sessment.

"What the h.e.l.l?!" I cursed.

I heard Ca.s.s and the others groan pitifully.

"Louis, please, he's not a new induction," Ca.s.s said as he gave me an apologetic look. "They are part of the Evadale Knights who are buying new clothes."

"Oh, so I guess this will be on Monsieur Aueralius's tab?" Louis's smile widen at the mention of paying customers. "Of course!"

Louis clapped his hands, which magically transformed the shop into a sparkling labyrinth of clothing racks moving all around us.
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"A closet labyrinth." I groaned that made the others chuckle.

"Now my beauties! Stay right where you are and I'll shall pick out the perfect looks for your every occasion!" Louis beamed excitedly as he danced around the racks to pull out clothing pieces into various outfit options within the air.

I saw an outfit of a cool-blue suit with white spats and black shoes (that would make me look like a gangster man) form in the air before me.

"Ooh! That one! I'd look good with that one!" I pointed eagerly at the manly suit and frowned at Louis's instant dismissal.

"No. Too manish. Doesn't suit your big black eyes, sleek black hair and effeminate baby-face looks. This one will suit War better." He nodded and waved his hands, so another clothing combination formed in the air before me.

Combination after clothing combination I stood through, eventually Louis was happy with an everyday outfit I could wear out of the shop. I groaned when I realised it was no different to what I had been previously wearing.

I glanced at the decorative pink shopping bags of the other outfits he had picked out for other occasions. I frowned and pulled out a black and white frilly maid outfit.

"What the heck is this?!" I gasped.

"Something for your lovey-dovey time with your other half." Louis' voice chirped into my ear that made me blush like a fool and shove the outfit to the bottom of the shopping bag.

I was restyled in a white pinstripe b.u.t.terfly collar blouse, conservative brown tie, waistcoat and slacks with a black leather double belt and pouch that had more internal s.p.a.ce than the last one according to Small Cap. This belt had clips ready to fit gun holsters. Black gloves protected the softness of my hands (according to Louis). My shoes were replaced with ankle lace-up boots with patterned vamps and steel-capped toes. My look was wrapped up in my own version of the Evadale Knight's patchwork overcoat and drab-brown soft peak cap.

"Final touch." Louis declared with a twinkle in his eyes.

He carefully fitted an old gold Albert Chain (with a book charm) to my waistcoat b.u.t.ton and pocket. I frowned at the tingling feeling I felt around that area.

"Um, Louis, what kind of chain is this?" I wiggled about on the spot, trying to get used to the sensation.

"Your spellbook." Louise inched closer, so he could whisper away from the earshot of others. "I heard of your rare power. This chain is for such powers to contain and control."

He moved away and resumed his businessman's smile.

I figured I looked okay by Louis's bragging and praising of my new style with Ca.s.s who was politely accommodating the man.

I frowned when I saw how handsome Death looked in his patchwork overcoat, navy-blue double-breasted jacket, dark polka dot cravat scarf tucked into a grey wide collar s.h.i.+rt kept in place with a navy-blue waistcoat that also had the same Albert Chain feeding into a waistcoat pocket from the middle b.u.t.ton. A black double leather belt held up his navy slacks where the hems touched the tops of his black broad toe shoes. He wore a stylish black fedora.

I pouted at War's manly look of a pinstriped navy-blue suit, navy tie, white spats against black broad toe shoes, leather double belt, dark patchwork overcoat and dark-grey fedora.

"My brothers look like cool men!" I pouted bitterly. "I look like an errand boy!"

"Well, now that you mention it." Wilfred was about to say something sarcastic.

"Shut it, Gla.s.ses Boy!" I cursed at the smirking man.

"You look practical yet stylish, easy to slip amongst the ma.s.ses, but stand out in the crowd if you have too." Ca.s.s consoled me.

My ego felt better by his words. I realised my rudeness at Louis's work.

"Thank you, Louis. I'm sorry if I sounded rude, I do like the look you have picked for me." I rea.s.sured the pouting man with a grateful bow. His expression instantly lit up at my words.

"You are a good boy after all! I just want to eat you." He answered with glee and clapped his hands to reset the moving clothes to their ranks and the shop back to normal.

"Um, well, I think eating is a bit strong." I slowly backed away from him and yelped when he yanked me closer with a burning secret in his eyes.

"I think our Colonel is a very lucky man indeed," he whispered with a chuckle.

"Um, that's nice." I gingerly wiggled out of Louis hold on my waist.

We waited for the others to finish dressing in fresh uniforms before leaving the shop and making our way down a cobblestone lane with shopping bags weighing down our arms.

_Famine._

I felt my name pierce my heart as I pa.s.sed a window display of porcelain dolls sitting on shelves. Their likeness to real human beings was uncanny and scary. I gasped when one of them carried an image similar to Pesti.

"Death, War." I gulped as I peered at the silver hair and grey eye boy doll in a black suit. It was sitting on the far corner near a square mansion doll's house.

"What is it?" Death came up behind me with a frown. "Creepy dolls."

I gasped when the boy doll I thought looked like Pesti suddenly resembled someone else.

"Nothing." I shook off.

"Famine!" Ryoko called out to me with an unsettling tone to her voice. "Don't hover around this shop."

She seemed afraid for some reason. I wasn't in the mood to question further, so followed her lead out of the lane and back to the main streets.