The question from the elf that was probably being asked for the hundredth time elicited no response from Daneel, who was busy checking on the silver fringes of the lavender-colored coat he was wearing.
Beside him was Alex, dressed in an equally grand manner in a black coat with edges worked in gold. The most ostentatious of them all was the elf, in fact, whose garb was like that of a villain from one of Daneel's favorite children's shows back on Earth that dealt with kids gaining the power to transform into heroes wearing leather tights.
He had chosen gold, of course, but this time, it didn't match his eyes. His coat reached his knees, the entire length of it embroidered with gold thread, shining in the sun from above, showing off the various patterns that arched from his chest to his waist to his back and even to his legs. The part that drew the most attention was in his upper body, though. His shoulders looked like they had plates of armor placed inside them, bulky and heavy with sharp points to each side. And behind his head…was a hood shaped like a six-pointed star.
It curved at the sides, framing his ears artfully in a way that they were emphasized despite the eye-watering effect of everything else, and overall, it definitely did look like a sight that might scare children into eating their cerial.
"Hell yeah, he's sure! This is awesome! I'm telling you, if you were a thief, you would have done very, very well. I've carried out my fair share of scams…but this is really something else! Where did you learn to knit things, anyway? If I didn't know better, I would have taken you for an old grandpa with strange hobbies rather than a strapping teenager! Really…this is fucking awesome!"
Alex's excited words almost echoed over the island. The dome kept out all sound, thankfully, so without worrying too much, Daneel turned to the elf who looked more uncomfortable than he had ever seen him.
When Daneel had innocently asked about the formal garb of Forn elves, Mors had answered the question with delight, not suspecting, at all, what he had in mind. Hence… When he had seen him buy large quantities of materials made to use them, he had been confused, then downright appalled when he had watched the clothes he was now wearing take shape and form under Daneel's skilled hands.
The skill all belonged to the system, of course, with Daneel just acting as if he was paying as much attention as possible. They needed to look their part, so he had gone all out, and at the moment…he was happy with the end result.
Bending his head, the elf muttered to himself for the first time.
"This is exactly what I ran away from…but it has found me again now. Like my teacher used to say, some things are just destined to happen no matter how much one tries to flee from them…"
Curious about the elf's true background, but still once again harboring the doubt within himself without asking, Daneel walked to Mors and said, "You're actually the backbone of this plan. From what Alex explained to me, the family from the Mainland that we're masquerading as has close connections with Forn elves. Everyone knows that they only speak the truth, so, without fail, when they see you, they will believe that we are who we say we are."
Shaking his head, the elf brought up the opposition that he had already voiced before.
"But I really can't lie! What if I'm put in a situation where what you suggested does not work? What if I cannot really spin my words in a manner that makes it seem as if I'm supporting what you two say, while in fact, I'm not really saying it outright?"
Letting out a patient sigh, Daneel answered, "Just trust me. I'll tell you exactly what you need to say; you just need to repeat it. The spell will work, right?"
The elf nodded impatiently, already showing much more emotions that he had in the couple of days before.
What they were talking about was a neat trick that made it so that even something muttered by Daneel under his breath would be heard by the elf even though it wouldn't even be audible to someone standing right in front of him. In this manner, he could converse with his companions even while sitting in front of their targets, so anyway he looked at it, it didn't seem as if there was a way for things to go disastrously wrong.
He had been proven wrong on this judgment before, though, so not intending to jinx it, Daneel removed the thought from his mind and began to walk in the direction of the teleportation matrix of the island they had returned to to finish their preparations. It had taken two days because they had covertly sneaked back into the beggar king's city to find all these materials, and during their stay there, they had seen just how much more warmly everyone had treated each other, as if still making up for the misunderstanding that he had led them into before.
On the trip, he had been tempted to try to contact the man, but he had let go of the notion after remembering just how scared he had been of the one who was pulling his strings. They had left without any incident, and now…they were ready to begin the plan that would fill their pockets, and deliver justice where it was due.
With a nod to both of them, Daneel stepped into the matrix, first. Soon, they were standing outside the dome of Larefa, and for the first time, without making any effort to conceal themselves, they marched into the curved, opaque layer in front of them as if they owned the place.
As soon as they passed it, they paused. With a nod to the elf, Daneel turned around, handling the train of his coat artfully so that it didn't touch the ground, and while the air shimmered and shifted around him, the elf worked his magic.
Around two minutes later, he spoke quietly to Alex.
"Now."
Daneel turned around, knowing that the elf was done, and sure enough, the dizzying pattern in front of him was even more complex than the one that he had seen used to summon the doppelgänger. With a wide grin that showed how happy he was with what they were about to do, Alex took a step forward and spoke into the air.
"Leaders of Larefa! If you value your rotten lives, come prostrate to the representatives of the grand family that have arrived to grace you with their presence! Your land is blessed by us stepping onto it! Be here in two minutes …or heads will roll!"
His voice thundered over the island, and lightning that was somehow covered with flame struck down from a clear sky at the very center of the town they had visited secretly a few days before. The screams that erupted as a result were heard even where they stood; with his smile widening, Alex waited, and Mors smoothed his expression that showed slight worry until now, finally stepping into the role he had been given.
As for Daneel, he put on the cockiest expression he knew. His head rose into the air so much that his chin was almost parallel to the ground, and his eyes now had a laziness to them, able to dismiss anything that they saw without the slightest effort.
Exactly one and a half minutes later, people appeared on the red, empty land in front of them. The three that had spoken before were now visible to them. Their clothes weren't worn properly, as if they hadn't had the time to dress, and the woman even had a thick mark of lipstick made on her cheek by mistake.
Soon, they stood in front of them, heaving for breath. The plan, here, was to demean them in some way…and as naturally as if he was born for it, Alex took the lead.
With a humph, he spoke in a tone that showed slight irritation.
"This is how you look when you are summoned by a grand family from the Mainland? Run back to where you came from, right now, and return in the next three minutes, properly dressed and fit for an audience! Well? What are you waiting for? Go!"
The three looked between each either, eyes showing mortification and humiliation of the sort that they had never thought they would have to endure. All of them turned to a fourth man who stood level with them, and the moment he mouthed the word 'Forn Elf' after shooting a fearful glance at Mors, they took off running, together.
When they were alone, again, both Mors and Daneel looked at Alex.
With a shrug and a chuckle, the thief said, "You said we had to put them down, right? Just leave it to me! If anything goes wrong, you two are in charge of keeping us alive, of course…but until that happens, I'm gonna have some fun!"
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