Tightening the eggplant-colored cloth bow adorned with a yellow-hued gem, Ewan couldn't hide his embarrassment and bad mood from the other people around.
"So, what do you think?" Asked an elderly woman dressed in men's clothing.
"Um, I don't think we can do any better with what we have on hand," replied the blonde-haired Quartermaster General.
"I did what I could with the time you gave me," the old woman added.
Ewan couldn't help but wince slightly.
"I can hear you, you know..." He grumbled, a little offended.
"We know!" Replied Carciem, smiling with all her teeth. "But what do you expect, it's hard to make a country boy like you look like a nobleman!"
"And who had this brilliant idea?" Retorted the young hunter.
However, Carciem was already not listening to him, busy thanking and escorting the old woman named Fernance to the door.
Ewan then took the time to observe in the foot mirror the uncomfortable outfit in which he had been confined.
He hadn't worn such tight and stuffy clothes since the military academy days, and he had hoped he wouldn't have to wear them anymore.
A three-piece suit consisting of a gray sleeveless vest, brown slacks, and an olive green jacket adorned with gold threads made up the ensemble, embellished with a simple purple ribbon bow and the yellow gemstone which color reminded one of a daisy's center.
Cufflinks composed of jewels of the same color adorned the ends of his sleeves, while impeccable-looking dress shoes had replaced his usual reinforced boots.
He looked up slightly to observe his own face, and winced again when he saw that his hair had been completely combed back with hair gel. He brought his hand to it to quickly undo a few strands.
Carciem would probably still berate him for undoing the work that had been done to his person, but so be it.
What he saw in the mirror, it wasn't him at all.
He was about to release more hair from that uncomfortable hairstyle when Carciem, who had been absent, entered the room again, followed by a man dressed as uncomfortably as Ewan.
"Ah! You've messed up your hair again?!" Carciem exclaimed when he saw the appearance of his friend.
Ewan did not answer anything, only staring at the military officer and the other person who had just entered.
It seemed to the young man that the other person was also a man from the barracks, given his somewhat too serious and calculated gait; like a posture that had been engraved in his mind and muscles, and that he took by habit rather than by choice. It was something that could be easily detected, even if the person had dressed in a civilian and casual outfit like the clothes this man was wearing.
"Well, this is Finn," Carciem said, pointing to the red-haired man beside him. "He will act as your escort as a 'noble' during the auction. It will also allow us to have someone already inside to let us know how things are going."
Ewan looked at the man named Finn, whose stern face seemed to indicate that he was no happier than the young hunter to have to fill this role.
Another detail also bothered the young man, and he could not help but point it out.
"Isn't the purpose of the operation to go incognito?" Ewan asked, suspicious. "Going in there with someone who can be recognized as being from the army is not exactly what I call going unnoticed..."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Carciem quickly swept her hand away. "For reasons of his own, this guy has never left the barracks once!"
Which meant that no one could recognize him... Even though this particularity made Ewan all the more curious and suspicious. This guy had never left the base to patrol the city. Which meant that he was either a new recruit, or that the orders had been to stay inside; and not having yet been able to see how the currently calm man fought, he couldn't assess anything for the time being.
However, he supposed that if Carciem had assigned him this guy, it was because he could defend himself while leading the operation.
Ewan wouldn't have to protect anyone else but himself; especially as the man who was going to accompany him hadn't stopped observing him since earlier, without even saying a word or showing the slightest emotion.
"Well, to get back to the details of the plan pertaining to you two," Carciem said to draw the other two men's attention to him. "Ewan and Finn, you will pose as clients. We already got a pass a while ago from one of the nobles we arrested last month. The most important thing being to not arouse suspicion until all the targets are present inside the structure."
"You said we couldn't get our swords once we were inside, right?" Asked Ewan.
"Security is pretty strict on that, yes," replied Carciem. "So you'll have to figure it out by the time we get inside."
"Figure it... Out?" Ewan repeated, dumbfounded.
"I know you won't go empty-handed either," smiled Carciem. "And the reason I put you in a duo is because I know you'll manage, even in the midst of the enemy."
Ewan threw a quick glance at the one called Finn, who once again, did not let anything appear; before refocusing his attention on the tall blond man in front of him.
He wasn't worried at all, and clenched his right fist while frowning, before giving a big smile and adding with confidence:
"This time we're going to get them all!"
Finn didn't react, remaining impassive. He must surely be used to his superior's behavior.
As for Ewan, he wondered if the Quartermaster General wasn't a little too enthusiastic about the results.
Carciem had always been like that, come to think of it: forcing his way to get the result he wanted, even if he crushed people in the process. Perhaps that was what had earned him his current rank.
As for the military man who had been assigned to accompany Ewan, he had remained silent and motionless the whole time; looking at the young hunter as if he was trying to evaluate him visually. Perhaps he was wary of seeing someone completely unknown in such an important role.
There was a hurried knock at the door of the room where the three men were, and after Carciem had allowed him access, a soldier had appeared.
He was distraught and unsure of who to look at in the room, which forced the base leader to call out to him to get him to talk.
"What's going on?" Carciem asked.
"Sir, a woman is urgently requesting to see a man named 'Jesabell'," the soldier quickly explained.
Judging by his clothes, he must have been on guard at the entrance to the base, and had run to the main building to relay the message.
"It's me," Ewan manifested, stepping forward slightly. "Who's looking to see me?"
This reassured the soldier, who relaxed a little.
"She says she is the director of an orphanage and must see you urgently regarding a child you have entrusted to her..." Said the man.
The words that had been spoken, as well as the anxious attitude of the soldier did not bode well. Ewan knew it. And he hated it when his hunch turned out to be right.
With haste, he left the room, preceding the man who had come to deliver the message and leaving Carciem and Finn on the spot.