The suit fought him every inch of the way, giving his uncle no choice but to take each step with difficulty. It was bloated as if an invisible man was wearing it, an invisible man almost as big as his uncle. Its hands kept trying to wrap themselves around Jonah's neck, and its legs had already coiled around his legs, squeezing with all their might but only eliciting a grunt of two, at most. Jonah had his hands firmly around its waist, pressing it close against his body, and amidst all the absurdity of the scene, Al found himself strangely remarking on how soft the fabric looked despite being crushed at the moment beneath the skin of its captive.
A wild grin appeared on Jonah's face when he reached a spot near Al, whose wide-open eyes were still flitting all over the image, absorbing details but not understanding any of them as it seemed like something straight out of a nonsensical movie, destined to be lambasted by all the critics of the world. He blinked when his uncle nodded at him, as if expecting him to understand something, but he only moved after he heard Jonah speak to gather his attention.
"Step forward, dammit! This thing is strong enough to overpower three normal people! I can't hold on for too long! Come here!"
With a jolt, he stepped forward before recoiling and taking a step back, not wanting to go anywhere near this vicious creature. He had no clue what it was. Every instinct of his told him that if he came even within an inch of those empty, puffed up arms, he would be the one being strangled next. It had failed to do any harm to his uncle as the veteran's neck was thick enough to resist its attempts even when it did succeed in finding this weak point, but comparatively, Al was like a twig, primed to snap if just an ioata of the strength it was displaying was used on him.
His uncle's face made him take a step forward, again. With each second, it had been getting redder and redder, showing the effort the man was putting in. He trusted him more than probably anyone else in his life, and in that instant, he realized that this meant that he was ready to trust him with his life, too, even though his heart pounded at the very mention of such a thing.
With a gulp, he somehow took two steps forward. The moment he took that last one, he was right in front of the suit, and as if sensing his presence, the invisible man wearing it tensed before turning his attention completely onto the newcomer.
Al almost jumped out of his skin when it suddenly begain to fight against his uncle, trying its very best to get to him as if realizing that he was an easier target. Its hands were just a bare inch away from his face, and it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do in his life to stay where he was without giving in to the urge of his body to get as far away as possible. When it didn't succeed in its attempts even after five seconds, with a nervous chuckle, Al opened his mouth to ask his uncle the most pressing question on his mind…but at that exact moment, something happened that made his heart stop, then leap to his throat.
His uncle let go of the suit.
It sprang forward, the buttons of the coat, and then the shirt and waistcoat within opening in midair as it careened through the distance between them with a gleeful shout that he was sure he had heard. Even the pants split open in the middle, and barely a second later, he was wearing it above his clothes.
It somehow fit him now, even though it had seemed three sizes bigger in his uncle's arms. For a brief moment, he found himself reveling in the absolute comfort that came from wearing something luxurious tailored for him, but after that… all the viciousness returned, and the fabric pressed down, as if determined to wring him like a human-shaped cloth filled with blood.
A horrific image entered his mind. It was one where all the blood burst out of the skin due to the pressure, and a minute later, all that would be left of him would be a pile of bones that would drop to the ground while his uncle watched on. His mind almost going blank due to the panic, he turned to his uncle with desperation, but before he could voice his plea, the man stepped forward, himself, and Al felt something prick his wrist.
Compared to the pain of feeling as if he was being embraced by a giant who had no control of his strength, this was minor. He saw the blood appear from the pinprick, and he understood what was happening only when his uncle bent that hand back, making the drop of blood reach for the plush fabric of the suit.
The seconds during which the blood travelled along his skin were some of the longest he ever experienced in his life. The excruciating pain from the suit only grew with each moment, and at one point, he even wondered whether he would survive, or burst like a melon.
When the droplet finally reached its destination, he let out a sigh of relief even though he didn't know whether it would solve his predicament. His uncle seemed confident, though, but after what had happened before, Al only cursed that cool assuredness.
His blood touched the suit. For an instant, nothing happened. And then…the fabric completely stopped moving as if it had never been animate in the first place, and Al let out the loudest groan before collapsing to the floor.
His uncle caught him before his back hit the ground. With a wide smile on his face, he tucked something into his pocket with his other hand and said, "I didn't know whether that would work, but the blood runs strong. It sings! This was supposed be a gift for your 20th birthday, but I decided that it was probably better to give it you now, as you have need of it. It's name is Scudo."
When that name echoed in the empty shop, he felt a faint stirring in the suit, as if it was looking around to see whether it had been called. It was a very strange feeling, as for a second, Al felt as though he had a second layer of skin that could move on its own accord.
Shakily, he got to his feet, still in awe and terror of everything that had just happened. His uncle took a step back and clapped once, before whistling and saying, "Don't you look dapper! All the ladies will be on your shoulder, I tell you. Oh, and…"
As if he hadn't had enough shocks for the day, he saw uncle Jonah's hand blur, then emerge with a revolver. The hammer was drawn back. The trigger was pressed. And before Al even formed a single thought, the bullet was whizzing through the air, straight at a spot in the middle of his forehead.
He couldn't move. He couldn't react. There was nothing that could be done, but miraculously… a sound akin to metal striking metal appeared out of nowhere, and Al found himself cocooned in a translucent, oval barrier the protected him on all sides.
His hands also rose by themselves, and he entered a perfect fighting stance with one leg behind him and both his palms flat, like two swords. With wonder, he looked down, unable to understand how even the body parts outside the suit were being controlled, and with growing shock, he saw that it felt as if something invisible was holding them in that manner.
Hearing his uncle guffaw, he looked up. The suit went still again after a few seconds, and when Jonah spoke, Al felt his mind go blank.
"In that suit, you can take on the world. In that suit, someone I admire, someone I dearly miss did take on the world. No, don't ask me anything. I won't talk. But in the party, if anyone asks you where you got it, say that it belongs to family. That'll get 'em talking."