Kaiden returned the bow with a small nod and an easy smile. "It was only natural. I did what anyone should have done."
His eyes moved between them again and lingered briefly on their clothes. They shed their tribal wear and wore what one might expect girls and women to wear around their home. "Those look good on both of you. But are they comfortable? I imagine this kind of change isn’t easy."
Naira laughed and nodded. "At first, it felt strange. Lady Vespera thought of that, though. She brought us a lot of clothes and even had a tailor come with fabrics for us to touch and choose from. She said we should wear what felt closest to ourselves instead of forcing anything new."
"Mother did that?" Kaiden let out a low whistle. "She’s getting better at not seeming like a monster wearing human skin."
Both women looked at him with polite confusion that bordered on concern. Naira tilted her head and frowned slightly. "You shouldn’t speak badly about such a nice lady," she said carefully.
"Nice lady? This is the woman who disowned me for no particular reason."
"Uh..." Naira was confused. Kaiden opened his mouth again, but Aria moved faster. She stepped in close and pinched his cheeks. "He’s joking," she said with a bright smile. "Kai loves his mother even if he pretends otherwise."
That seemed to ease the tension, and Naira relaxed again. Aria’s attention shifted immediately to the clothes, and her eyes lit up with genuine interest.
Aria stepped closer to them, eyes already scanning the fabric with open fascination. "Wait, this is really nice," she said, lightly touching the sleeve of Naira’s top. "It drapes well, and it doesn’t fight your skin tone at all. What is this, cotton blend? Or linen?"
Naira smiled softly, clearly pleased by the attention. "Linen. The tailor explained it, but I don’t remember all the words. It breathes well, though. This one feels the most natural to me."
Her mother nodded. "The softer fabrics were easier at first. Anything too stiff made us feel like we were wearing armor."
"That makes sense," Aria nodded earnestly. "You want clothes to move with you, not remind you that you’re wearing them." She glanced between the two of them, then smiled wider. "And honestly, with your skin tone, you have so many options. Warm colors, earth tones, and even jewel shades would look amazing. You could absolutely pull off deep blues or soft golds."
Naira’s eyes widened a little. "Really?"
"Absolutely," Aria said without hesitation. "I like fashion. I’m not an expert or anything, but I’ve tried a lot of styles. I could recommend more things if you’d like."
Naira hesitated, her excitement dimming just a touch. "We... don’t want to ask for more. Lady Vespera has already done so much. It would feel wrong to impose."
Her mother inclined her head in agreement. "We are forever grateful for what we’ve been given."
Kaiden, who had been quietly watching, spoke up without looking bothered in the slightest. "Don’t worry about that. I think she wants to help you two. And if asking feels awkward, I’ll do it in your stead. That way you don’t have to deal with the formalities."
Naira looked relieved immediately. "You would?"
"Of course," he said simply.
Nyx, who had been listening with a small smile, leaned in slightly. "Aria’s right. Your skin works beautifully with layered fabrics, too. Shawls, light wraps, things that add movement. You don’t need anything flashy for it to stand out."
Bastet gave a thoughtful hum and stepped closer, her sun-kissed skin and bold, flowing attire making her presence impossible to ignore. "And if you ever want something bolder, don’t rule it out just because it feels unfamiliar. Similar tones work very well together."
Naira and her mother both glanced at Bastet, their eyes drifting over the confident lines of her outfit, the exposed skin, the proud way she carried herself.
For all intents and purposes, Bastet was wearing an Arabic harem-themed dress, just with a lot of jewels and fabrics to make her look like a proper Sun-Kissed Pharaoh.
Naira laughed softly and shook her head. "We couldn’t pull something like that off, Bastet. We don’t have the figure that you do. I think only you can do it and appear so formidable."
Bastet waved a hand dismissively. "It has nothing to do with the figure. It’s all about confidence. Both of you look great; you will look good in anything you decide to wear. That’s all."



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