Page 144 of Vameer

Iduck through the doorway, Rune at my side.

I have to stay ducked. And halfway across the entryway, the ceiling is even lower.

Haruto is only a few steps ahead of us, and the ceiling is so low he’s also ducked down. The only one who can stand up straight is Rune. Barely.

I stop and glare at the clothes maker. “Old man,” I snap.

Hunched over, he turns around. When he sees me, bent practically in half. He starts to cackle.

I send my gravito across the floor toward him, churning a dark gray.

“Fine, fine.” He waves his hands as he turns his back to me again. There’s a creak of wood and metal. Then the ceilings lift, until they’re ten feet up.

I stand straight. “How low would you have brought it?”

He snickers as he walks. “That’s the lowest it’s gotten. People are too polite now.”

We follow the crazy man into the main part of the warehouse, filled with whirring machines, stacks of crates, hanging fabric, and a ceiling in the middle that’s a couple stories high. There are more floors above, and I wonder if Haruto lives here or if it’s just storage.

“There has to be an easier way to mess with people.”

“We all have our hobbies.” Haruto shrugs. “Now, let me guess. You are in need of new clothes, and you are in a hurry.”

“Sí. One outfit that fits is all I require today.”

He waves for us to keep following as he weaves between crates. “I have some items I made for your brother. With some adjustments, they should work.” He glances back and down. “You may have to remain barefoot though. The shoes are not adjustable.”

“Why is everything red?”

Haruto shoves the pants into my hands. “Volik made a comment about all my fabric being black. So I made red.”

“What’s wrong with black?”

“Nothing. And there is nothing wrong with red, Kodomo. Put them on.”

I jerk the pants out of his hold.

The color is darker than wine. A deep, rich red. But still… It’s red.

With my free hand, I tug on the hem of my drawers.

Haruto snickers. “I’ll make you your own boxer briefs.”

I look down. “These?”

He nods. “In red.”

I roll my eyes and step into the pants.

“What do you call this?” I tug on the piece of metal.

“A zipper. But do the button first.”

I do as he says.

Haruto hands me a shirt in the same dark red as the pants.

Sighing, I pull it on, do the bottom two-thirds of the buttons, but leave it open around my throat.