Editing Story:ROAD TRIP! (Warhammer High)/Part Three (section)

===Playing Dress-up===

Remilia looked over the small selection of formalwear in the shop they had chosen, impressed despite herself.  Even the most remote of Nocturnean cities, it seemed, possessed master craftsmen.  She ran her fingers along the sleeve of a formal blouse, doing some quick mental math.  It was well within her budget.  Venus waited outside, having already decided that her full formal uniform, sans the crown, would do for the formal dinner tonight.  Jake stood nervously beside her.  “Venus, I’m a bit worried about tonight,” he admitted.

“How come?  Does your head hurt?” Venus asked.

“No, it’s just…what am I going to do?  Everybody there is either going to ignore me or ask forgiveness of me the whole night,” Jake  said.  “And what will I wear?  I don’t have anything more formal than a collared short-sleeve polo and cargo pants,” he pointed out.  “Don’t get me wrong, I want to go, but I’ll stand out.”

“Well, the obsequiousness I can’t help with, but I can help with clothes,” Venus said.

Remilia emerged from the shop, shirt draped over her arm.  “Let me,” she said.

“Pardon?” Jake asked.

“When we started out, we agreed I would cover your clothes, right?” Remilia pointed out.  She passed him a credit card.  “That’s a pre-paid.  Get something nice and keep the change,” she said.

“Keep the…” Jake stared at the card.  It was worth fifty thousand credits.  His father didn’t earn fifty thousand credits in a year.

“It’s mostly spent, actually,” Remilia said, noting his expression.  “Seriously, go get good clothes.”

“Thanks, Remilia,” Jake said, taken completely aback.  “Really, this…well.  I’ll…uh, I’ll see you both tonight, then?” he asked.

“If you want.  See you at the dinner,” Venus said, pecking him on the cheek.  “Bye,” she added.  She and Remilia departed with the majority of the plainclothes unobtrusively drifting along with them.

Jake walked into the shop Remilia had used and started his browsing, selecting a deep gray jacket and black pants that looked a bit old-fashioned to his taste, but fit comfortably within the card’s lingering funds, and at least fitted him perfectly.

As he paid, his eyes went up as he saw the money left on the card.  Five thousand credits cold.  “Remilia, you’re making me blush,” he said under his breath.  With a glance at the jeweler’s across the street, he decided that Venus would probably want to make any jewelry the two of them would wear, and slid the card into his pocket.  Gathering his purchases, he trudged up the rampway to the castle, already wondering how he would explain the day’s activity to the governor.  From what he had heard, he was the easily intimidated type.

Alex sat at the bar, clenching and unclenching his fist.  His father remained standing.  “Alex, that’s not fair.”

“How the hell is it unfair?  You came here when I told you not to, and you waited to tell me you were already here so that I couldn’t ask you not to come.  It’s plenty fair of me to call you on it.”  Alex glared at the man.

“It’s not all right for me to want to know how you’re doing?” Joseph asked.

“Of course it is!  It’s NOT okay for you to completely disregard my explicit instructions!”  Alex slammed his hand on the marble bar.  “Damn it, Dad, this isn’t even the first time!  And what about Venus?!”

“What ABOUT Her Highness?” Joseph asked coldly.

“This is HER FUCKING PLANET!  Did you even ask her if it was alright of you to borrow me for a day?  Or whatever you’re here for?”  Alex stood, fists clenched.  “Is this about the dinner with the Governor tonight?”

“I was invited to dine with the Governor and over a hundred other planetary nobles and Salamander representatives,” Joseph said angrily.  “I didn’t even know you were coming!”

“If I go into my room on this ship right now, will I find a formal uniform of the Carlin Trade Fleet?” Alex asked frigidly.

His father grimaced.  “Yes, because you left it there after last time!”

“That was a year ago.  I’m two sizes bigger now.  Let’s see if it fits,” Alex said, stomping off to the cabin.

As soon as he walked in, he groaned.  “Not even subtle,” he said, glaring at the uniform.  He didn’t even have to put it on to know it was bigger than his old one.

The uniform was a gaudier version of the white formalwear Imperial Navy dress shirt, with purple stripes running from right hip to left shoulder across the chest and silver epaulets, with ceremonial miniaturized laspistols on both hips.  The uniform was cinched with a black belt and gold-chased black boots.

Alex hated it.

“Alex, it’s not like I don’t get a say in this,” his father said coldly from behind him.  “You’re my son.  And whether you accept that it’s there or not, you have a responsibility to the family.  You think Venus likes every part of her duty, since you brought her up?”

“You leave her out of this,” Alex warned his father.  “This is YOUR fault, not Vulkan’s.”

“Alex, if you don’t want to attend the dinner tonight as a representative of the Carlin family, fine, I can deal with that, but the very least you could do is look presentable,” Joseph said, switching tracks.  “Do you want to show up in front of your friends wearing that?” he asked, pointing at Alex’s thermo kit.  “The dinner’s in two hours.”

Alex glared at his father, but he had been outmaneuvered, and he knew it.  “Fine.  Damn it.  Get out so I can change,” he snarled.

Joseph withdrew, having obtained what he had been there to obtain.  Alex pulled his clothes off, stepping into the little cabin’s steam shower to rinse off.  “Arrogant bastard,” he muttered under his breath.