Roary cleans off the sugar on his face with a napkin and clears his throat before standing up and staring at Gareth seriously as he interjects with his own opinion.
" Tell me, am I missing something? We both made a deal with Tom that he'd be the one in charge if he bested us in the challenge, which he did, and yet here you are making decisions without him. I don't know how deals normally work in Voldoor, but when you make a deal in Moriarch, you have to be honorable and uphold the agreed upon terms between both parties. "
Gareth looks at Roary with an irritated glare, but after he sees that everyone is questioning his actions, he immediately changes to a calm demeanor and apologizes to appease everyone.
" The decisions that I made regarding the cruiser and the plan that I organized for once we reached the city were already made before our challenge. Still, it was wrong of me to withhold these things from everyone and I apologize. You have no need to question the honor of Voldoorians based on my actions alone, Roary. I was wrong, and no further decisions will be made from me without consulting Tom first. "
" Thank you. "
Tom says as Gareth's third clone enters the main room as well. Mimi stands up with the clothes in her hands and speaks to Tom in a cheerful tone.
" I really like these clothes! Can I go try them on? "
Tom nods his head as he answers her kindly.
" That's a great idea, Mimi. I suppose we can make sure that everything fits and we're comfortable in our new outfits before we arrive in Voldoor. "
" YAY!! "
Mimi yells as she runs off into the hallway and disappears into the master room. Tom then motions for Roary to get up and go into the guest room and change and he nods before disappearing into the hallway as well. Once Roary and Mimi are in their own rooms, Tom then stands up and looks at Gareth awkwardly. Gareth then immediately stands up and speaks embarrassedly as he and all of his clones begin heading to the kitchen.
" Ah, yes, of course. I'll leave you two here to get changed in private. "
Once Gareth and his clones are out of the main room, you examine the clothes that you were given. You're holding a green shirt and black pants, both of which seem to be baggy and too big for you. Still, the quality of the cloth is incredible, as it's the softest and silkiest material that you've ever felt. As you rub the cloth between your fingers, you can feel a faint wiring inside both the shirt and pants. Surely there's something technologically advanced about these clothes as well.
Tom gets up and turns around with his back towards you and you do the same as you both start taking your robes off. Tom talks to you as you're both facing away from each other while you're putting the new pants on.
" It may seem crazy, Donny, but it's been several thousands of years since I've worn a shirt. I crafted my robes out of a mythical cloth that regenerates from any physical damage and the cloth was fabricated by the gods of a different universe. I haven't worn anything else since… "
Instinctually, you turn around to look at Tom's robe after hearing that and the first thing you see is several large scars from deep cuts and harsh wounds all over Tom's back and shoulder blades. Tom then turns around and looks at you out of the corner of his eye with a smile, playfully teasing you because you turned around to look at him.
" It's too late, Donny. I already got my pants on. "
You shake your head and ask Tom a question in a concerned tone.
" Your scars… I didn't think you'd have any after watching you regenerate from being impaled back on that forest planet. "
Tom puts on his shirt and tucks it in as he responds to you.
" Even when you're more powerful than gods are, some scars never fully heal, Donny. Why'd you turn around? Were you interested in my robe? "
" Uhm… yeah. It just looks like normal cloth. I was wondering if I could get one too. "
Tom remains silent and a wave of sorrow washes over his eyes as he looks at you. You immediately understand his implication.
" The None already consumed their universe… "
You say before Tom nods and turns back around to adjust the collar of his shirt.
" They were good gods, Donny. They were my friends. I'm sure they would've been more than happy to help you make a robe of your own had you met them before they were killed. Unfortunately, I haven't ever found another universe with a similar material. "
" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. "
You say as you put your shirt on as well.
" Don't be. That's why we're doing what we're doing. By the end of all of this, hopefully we can make things right by stopping them and avenging the gods and mortals who've lost their lives to The None. "
Tom then turns back around and holds his arms out as he asks you a question.
" So? What do you think? Is it baggy enough? "
You can see that Tom's blue shirt and black pants are hanging off of him and don't fit him at all. You make a remark in an attempt to humor him.
" You look like a kid trying to wear his father's clothes. "
Tom smiles and replies, matching your humorous energy.
" Yeah? Well if we tried putting on Our Father's clothes, we'd be more like ants wearing them than a kid. "
Gareth then returns to the main room and asks a question, obviously eavesdropping on your conversation with Tom.
" I don't think we'd be able to make clothes that big even if we tried. Are your outfits comfortable? "
Tom looks himself up and down confusedly as he answers.
" Comfortable? Sure. A little too big? That goes without saying. Please tell me that you brought something that fits better than this! "
Gareth then smirks as he walks up to Tom and pushes a button on his collar. Tom's outfit then immediately conforms to the shape of his body, but it doesn't shrink too much to where it's squeezing him. Tom looks down at himself with an impressed face as he makes a remark.
" Wow! That's more like it. "
You then find and press the same button on your collar and your outfit quickly shrinks and conforms to your body as well. After the outfit is fitted to your shape, you can tell that the wires that you felt in the fabric earlier are connected to the button somehow and the wires shortened themselves to fit around your body perfectly. As you move around, you can feel the wires constantly adjusting to your movements so your body doesn't tug at your outfit when you raise your shoulders or bend your knees.
" This is actually insane, Gareth. I've never felt anything like this. "
You say as you look at him. Gareth smiles as he replies.
" The outfit is yours, Abbadon. Take it as a positive gesture and an apology for my previous decisions. "
" Thank you. "
You say as you and Tom both look at each other up and down. Both of your outfits are very high quality, but they don't look like anything too pretentiously fancy. Then, almost as if it's right on cue, Mimi and Roary emerge from the entrance of the hallway. Roary is wearing the same thing as you and Tom but his shirt is orange, and Mimi is wearing a yellow sundress. Roary scratches the back of his head as he gives his opinion on the outfit.
" I'm incredibly impressed by these garments, but I feel like I'm wearing a suit of vile treachery. The technology that's inside these clothes makes me want to vomit up all of those sweets that I just ate. I'll tolerate wearing this for a couple days for the sake of our mission, but I'm gonna burn it as soon as possible and go back to my robes. "
Gareth ignores Roary and looks down at Mimi to ask her a question.
" What about you, little one? What do you think about your dress? "
" Uhhmmm… "
Mimi puts her finger on her chin as she thinks about it before she replies.
" It's really comfy. It feels like a blankey that keeps me warm but not too warm? Am I making sense? "
" Yes, Mimi. Each of our outfits keeps the core body temperature perfect regardless of the environment. In a blizzard or in a desert, these outfits will regulate your body temperature and keep you comfortable no matter what. Does anyone want to guess which corporation made these outfits? "
Gareth says eagerly and proudly as he looks around at everyone else. Roary scoffs and murmurs something under his breath as he sees Mimi's eyes light up.
" Don't say it… "
" Was it NaxTech!?! "
Mimi exclaims in an excited tone.
" Right, you are, little miss Mimi! "
Gareth shouts in an encouraging manner. Roary rolls his eyes as he plops himself down on one of the couches. He sulks and mutters as if he's annoyed.
" Geez, this is gonna be a long trip. All of this technology is really pissing me off. "
Tom walks over and puts his hand on Roary's shoulder, reassuring him in an understanding demeanor.
" I'm sure that's why the King gave this mission to Moriarch's strongest Champion. "
Roary looks up at Tom angrily, then confusion washes over his face once he realizes what Tom meant.
" You mean me? "
Roary asks in disbelief.
" Yes. I'm sure he knew that a loyal Champion like you wouldn't ever be seduced by the technology that Voldoor has to offer. Think of this mission as an opportunity for you to gather intel on Voldoor by going into the belly of the beast and behind enemy lines. If you think about it, you'll probably be the first citizen from Moriarch to ever visit Voldoor who's not turning your back on King Mori's ideals. "
Roary calms down as he mulls it over in his head, then he smiles as he looks at Tom and responds.
" You're absolutely right! It doesn't matter what I see or what I have to interact with! Nothing will break my morality and make me succumb to the evil that Voldoor endorses! "
Gareth smiles and speaks to Tom as if he is impressed.
" You helped him bounce back rather quickly. You're a natural leader. "
Tom looks back at Gareth and replies politely.
" I suppose, but I've also been alive for a hundred billion years. After that amount of time, you become a natural at pretty much everything. "