The Grey Freelancer of Remnant Volume 2

Chapter Seven

Black Tie Affair

To Councilman Julius Aurelius, from headmaster Ozpin:

Dear Councilman, these accusations are most troubling. And most grievous.I assure you, we at Beacon have had nothing to do with the modification of any weaponry not used by officially-registered students. I would, if I were in your position, more closely examine the operations of the recently-arrived Atleasians, If anyone would be in the business of modifying strange weaponry or undertaking otherwise covert objectives, it would, I think we can both agree, be them.

Over the course of his many years of experience, Agent Washington had faced many a deadly mission: fighting hordes of killer aliens bent on the annihilation of the human race, taking down violent extremists, and retrieving ancient artifacts from a highly-guarded skyscraper, to name a few, but the one facing him now had to be the most daunting and meticulous: he had to buy a suit. Now, he'd attended no shortage of military balls and other such functions in his time, but, for those, it had always been clear what he was going to wear: his dress blues. But this? This was no military ball, it was a highschool dance, and that was far more daunting to Wash than any formal function in his time in the marines or Freelancer.

He was standing in front of a ostentatiously-decorated tailor's shop, with a purple cloth reading, "Gilderoy Gilgamesh's Suit Emporium," in swirly, gold font draped above the doorway. wash let out a hefty sigh, before pushing into the tailor's store. Inside, he was greeted by the overwhelming stench of lavender and lilac. Suits, dresses, and clothing of all manner was displayed proudly from gaudy racks in every color on the spectrum. Wash even saw a shiny, purple tuxedo with gold polka dots and a matching bow tie. There were also more exotic or antiquated garments; gorgeously-embroidered sashes and togas, doublets befitting of a medieval prince, and gowns that would be perfectly at home in a Victorian gala. And, against the back wall, standing behind a quartz-topped counter, was who Wash assumed could only be Gilgamesh himself.

Gilderoy Gilgamesh, swathed in silks of plum, lilac, and lavender, had lustrous, black hair and a neat goatee, with olive skin and bright, hazel eyes. "Ah!" he called out, as soon as he saw Wash enter. "A new customer! Well, well, good sir, what brings you to my fine emporium. I see you are in most desperate need of an update to your wardrobe. Come, come, let me have a look!"

"Uh-"

Before Wash could move, Gilderoy bounded out from behind his counter and, seemingly in an instant, he was inches from Wash, looking over him with critical eyes. "Yes, yes, you're a well-built lad, i see. Must be one of the trainees up at the academy, yes. Getting ready for the dance, are we? I tell you, I've been rightly inundated with youngsters just like yourself looking to get a tune-up before the big night. Well, never fear, my good man, you've chosen the right place!"

"Um-"

"So, my good sir, what are in the market for today? Suit? tux? Something a bit more daring? Say the word and I guarantee I have it!"

"Um, a suit, please, I guess," Wash stammered, still trying to catch his bearings.

Gilderoy studied him carefully. "Hmmm, not sure, are we? Well, never fear, I can always be of assistance! I'll just need your measurements and whatnot..."

Suddenly, the door to one of the changing rooms lining the back wall swung open, revealing none other than Pyrrha Nikos, clad in a form-fitting, open-backed, red dress that reached almost down to her ankles, stepped out of the changing room and went a few steps before noticing Wash, stumbling on her heels and muffling a surprised, 'oh!' with her hand.

Wash momentarily froze, but quickly shook his head clear. "Hey, Pyrrha," he called awkwardly, as Gilgamesh told him to hold his arms out so he could get a good measure, mumbling on to himself as he wrapped a tape measure around his lean arms.

"Hello," Pyrrha called back, in her typical greeting.

"Oh, um, Mister, uh-, what was your name?" Gilderoy snapped Wash's focus back.

"Huh? Oh, Wash, Washignton."

"Right then, Mister Washington, I need you to take off that jacket of yours. it's making taking these measurements quite the ordeal."

Wash grimaced and nodded, pulling off his only slightly-torn jacket from his night on the town, leaving him in a plain, white t-shirt. Gilgamesh nodded and went about his work, measuring the circumference of his arms and legs, his waist, his chest... everything.

"Hm, well, with your build, I'd recommend a suit or tux, if that is to your liking, of course," suggested Gilderoy. "Though, if you wanted to be bold... perhaps one of my Vaccuan togas would be to your liking? You certainly have the build to pull it off."

'Oh, uh, no thanks," Wash wanted to slap himself in the face as he heard his voice crack a little.

"You know, I never thought you were the type to dress up. I mean, most of the boys are just going in their school uniform," Pyrrha chimed in.

Wash mentally face-palmed. So he had had an easy out after all and this whole venture had been worthless. Well, maybe not entirely worthless... "Well, I'm full of surprises," replied Wash, lying but also telling the truth.

"So I see," giggled Pyrrha.

"Mister Washington, suit or tux?" Gilderoy once again had to bring back Wash's focus.

Wash thought carefully. "Suit," he finally decided.

Gilderoy Gilgamesh nodded about a dozen times. "It'll be slim fit, to be sure. Oh, and the colors... how do you feel about all black with... oh yes, yes, with a golden bow tie and a yellow pocket square with black geometric patterns?"

Wash couldn't help but smirk. "That sounds perfect," he said genuinely.

"Yes, yes, I'm quite good, aren't I? After all, you wore grey and yellow in so I figured, well, why not make it a bit more formal? More sharp, eh?"

"That sounds... perfect," Wash agreed.

"Wonderful, wonderful... I shall fetch it now," he stated enthusiastically.

"Wait, off the rack? I thought you-"

"Had to take your measurements? yes, yes I did. You see, all my clothes fit their wearer, so long as I know their measurements, of course," Gilderoy explained enigmatically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, this should only take a moment." And, with that, he dashed into the backrooms, leaving behind a faint hint of lavender in the air around where he had just been.

With the eccentric tailor gone, Wash turned to Pyrrha. "Well, he's certainly... quite the character."

Pyrrha giggled. "Well, he can be quite eccentric sometimes," she admitted.

Wash was taken aback. "Wait, you know him?"

"I was quite the avid customer of his branch in Minstral. He travels there every now and again, so we've met," she explained.

"Huh."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, just I sometimes forget you're a celebrity, I guess," replied Wash. "Sorry."

"Believe me, it's very refreshing," Pyrrha assured him. "For most of the people at this school, 'hi' is almost always followed with 'can I get your autograph' or 'we could be great friends, you and I'."

Wash raised an eyebrow. "That last one sounds... familiar," he noted.

"Well..."

"Weiss?"

"Yeah..." Pyrrha confessed, embarrassed.

"Yeah, she certainly has her way with words," said Wash. "You know Jaune is infatuated with her? I personally don't get it, but he's smitten"

The amicable smile slipped from Pyrrha's face and she suddenly seemed to find the ground very interesting. "Yeah... well, how could I not? He's very... vocal, shall we say."

"I'll say," replied Wash, with a grimace, as he recalled the leader of team JNPR stroking chords on an out-of-tune guitar and serenading his team with off-key verses of a self-composed love ballad.

Pyrrha smiled sadly. "He even picked up guitar..."

Everything suddenly clicked in Wash's mind. The sidelong glances, the physical proximity, the never-ending support she always offered her oblivious team leader, it all made sense. He opened his mouth, not sure what to say but knowing he should say something. Only-

"Mister Washington!" an exuberant voice called out from behind the counter. "You're suit is ready and, might I say, it might just be some of my finest work yet, and that is saying something, yes it is."

Wash couldn't quite decide if the tailor's interruption had been timely or the exact opposite, and so decided to focus on his new duds instead. Held as though it were a holy relic, Gilderoy presented his masterpiece. Though, funnily enough, Wash couldn't even see it, as it was confined in a sleek black suit bag, proudly emblazoned with two golden Gs.

"Erm, thank you very much, Mister Gilgamesh. I'm sure it'll be great," Wash accepted the bag.

"Oh, it is, my dear boy, it most certainly is," Gilderoy assured him. "Be sure to come again should you ever have an fashion needs."

"I will, come on, Pyrrha, I think it's time we-" but, to his astonishment, the red-haired warrior was nowhere to be found.

Wash left the tailor's shop and looked down the street, trying to catch any glimpse of his vanished companion, but all he saw were the milling masses of the city of Vale. "Ah," he muttered, "shit."

Some areas of Vale were certainly nicer than others. The shop belonging to Jax Coleman was not in one of those areas. His store, simply called "The Need," was in one of the seedier areas of Vale, kept well out of the way and under the radar. Only a select few of the locals new about it, so one could imagine almost no newcomers had ever even caught wind of the place.

Yet Washington was an agent first, and a poor agent he'd be indeed if he didn't have his own network of contacts in the city he now called home.

A bell hung above the door rang shrilly as Wash pushed his way into the store. Jax Coleman, a big, burly stump of a man with scarred forearms and a set of massive ram horns, looked up to greet his new arrival... only to find a mere boy.

"Get lost, kid," he advised his curtly. "This aint the place for you."

"I respectfully disagree," replied Wash smoothly. "I have need of your services.

Jax raised a thick eyebrow. "And what would those services be?"

"I need a pair of dress shoes. Black. Fitted with retractable blades beneath the toes, preferably activated at the heel. Would you happen to have anything like that?"

As it happened, he did. He had exactly that. But this kid wasn't supposed to know that. "Just who the devil are you?" he asked lowly.

"Just an interested customer," responded Wash. "I can pay."

Jax nodded. Money is money, after all. "Fine, I'll get you your damn shoes."

He got up from the desk to go retrieve the goods from the back room, only for the kid's voice to suddenly cut him off. "One more thing," he said.

Jax grit his teeth. "What now?"

"I need to get a jacket fitted with something, An accessory. Something discreet, unnoticeable, even to a trained eye" Wash produced his new, sleek suit jacket. "Just try not to mess up anything. It did cost me quite the pretty penny."

"One of Gilgamesh's pieces, eh? Don't worry, I'll make sure she's just as pretty as she is now. What d'you want for it?"

"A holster."

To Be Continued...