"I still don't understand what's going on," Hemlock said, under his breath as Rowan disappeared into a partition out of view.

Cassio strapped the holster to his hip and placed his tactical gear in the slot, toying with the safety. Hemlock wasn't sure whether it was a stun gun, a handgun, or some off-ship technology that makes brains melt. Rowan hadn't exactly explained when he tossed the firearm to Cassio, not even bothering to look over his shoulder.

He also harnessed what looked like three tiny marbles, coiled together against the belt. It latched on with a magnetic tug, clicking into place. Lastly, Rowan slid out a drawer and pulled out a pair of normal holo-visors. Except, he had a feeling it was more than just holovideos Cassio had access to.

"Anything else for you Cassio, besides your regular?" Rowan cocked his head, leaning forward on the tempered glass case.

Cassio glanced at the rack behind Rowan. "Actually, there is something. We need to look more discreet."

Rowan winked. "I know just what you mean." He disappeared again, this time into a slender opening where the rack had twisted open. Hemlock gawked. There was a nook and cranny for every type of weaponry or remotely tactical gear, as well as far more options than he could count.

"Is it… legal? To have all these?"

Cassio shot him a side-eyed glare. "For you, yes, but Rowan is the head controller of weaponry. This is just his private collection."

Head Controller. His head spun. These were the highest ranking individuals on the ship. People who actually had power over relevant things beyond soap suds. He tried not to question the title when Rowan, the slender, young-looking man, with a face of a friend returned with two garment bags.

"For you, princess, and for our newest friend." Rowan tossed them onto the table for them. Cassio snorted. Hemlock shrank a little.

Rowan waved to either sides of the rooms. "There's a changing space for each of you."

Cassio disappeared into the one closest to him and Hemlock hesitated at wandering over to the other. Rowan smile, hair covering a bit of his left half-moon eye. "Don't worry, if you don't like them I can see if there's something you'd rather prefer."

He pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile and winced as he opened the door. If that wasn't the most awkward smile he'd ever made, his sire was a Traglian turkey.

The changing space was more a hall of mirrors, angled to facet all the relevant perspectives. The light shown from the edges of the mirrors, creating a kaleidescope effect. The outfit he'd been provided was heavy material. Far more fabric than he had ever possessed in his life.

The first article was corded overcoat. The kind he'd seen in holovids of the chief sector, except these were a earthy olive tone. He pulled it out and marveled at how the fabric felt soft yet sturdy. He rubbed it between his fingers. There was a third layer inside. Something stiffer, something tough to prevent punctures. The inner layer was a satin liner, patterned with flourishes and tiny embellishments of silver. The cords at the shoulder also shined the silver tone, looped graciously around the front and back, and tassled at the ends for tightening.

He hung the greatcoat on the hook behind him. Next was a vest, made of a warm beige tone, slightly stretchy with a sheer back and silver buttons. It had one pocket, on the right side. He hung that up as well on a second hook.

The shirt had been what he craved most to wear. The material was known as Alsantin fabric, made from the long hairs of the humanoid-like creatures that lived in All Saints Dominion. The fabric molded to your body, clinging to your body heat if you were cold and loosening when you began to overheat. It was like wearing air. This one was dyed a deep indigo, embroidered with tiny star dots in even pattern. Of course, the star dots had their function too. From what he knew, they were embedded with small crystals that burst and activated if a tear or rip occurred In the fabric. The nanomolecules could essentially heal the tears in the fabric, making it last far longer than any other type of fabric available on the market. Needless to say, it was by far one of the most expensive types of material on the ship.

He pulled it on, eager to test the feel. It was luxurious. He could barely feel a thing. In a way it made him feel exposed.

The pants were designed to match the three piece combo, with arching streaks of color following the lines of his thighs and calves. The compressive material felt thick when he touched it, but allowed for unhindered movement around his joints. It didn't seem bothered by the strange twist in his right knee and sure enough, it hugged his legs so that he didn't chafe as much, despite the limp.

Outfitted in these clothes, he could pass for a high pool rank. If it weren't for the scars and the limp. For once, he allowed himself to turn about in the mirrors, marveling at how the change in tailoring made him look almost handsome. The colors matched his dark green skin tone well. After a few more minutes of admiring the clothes, he stepped out, the medic clothes folded in his hands.

"Amazing!" Rowan clapped as he stepped out, his twinkling white eyes gleeful at his appearance. "You look absolutely dashing."

Cassio's brow lifted. "Finally, you look quarter-human."

He smiled, nervous at the reactions. Could he really pass for someone of high pool rank? Would they notice his awkward gait?

Rowan tapped his chin. "I think I may have something else that might help you." He disappeared into yet another crevice amongst the panels. When he returned he had a long silver contraption in his hands. Hemlock didn't dare touch it, not knowing what it was. "It's the leg of an exo-skeleton project we decided to scrap a few years back. They were too decorative, rather than formidable, but this might do just right for you."

Rowan knelt down in front of him, hands running along the inside of his bad leg. He cuffed the feather like half rings against his hip, knee and calf. It looked more like a giant piece of jewelry than a exo-skeleton. He couldn't help but feel a tremor of foreignness at the sight of Rowan's bent body, meticulously tapping and adjusting the various pieces of the exoskeleton to his leg.

Rowan stood and still staring at his work, he said, "Try it."

So Hemlock did. He swung the leg forward, and it stepped like a normal leg would. It didn't twist his leg uncomfortably. His knee didn't creak. He didn't have to swing it around like a dead thing. Instead, he could bend and step, putting all his weight on it. A burning sensation formed under his eyes. He couldn't quite believe it as he strode about the room. He was walking normal.

He didn't know he was crying until Rowan handed him a handkerchief. "Is it to your liking."

Hemlock's face split into a grin. "It's perfect."

Rowan's gaze turned soft and he raised hand to rest on Hemlock's shoulders, as if watching a fledging take its first flight. "You can keep it."

His throat bobbed up and down, as he tried to search for words of gratitude or rejection, considering how much this thing must be worth. Instead he just cried some more. His face hot and purple. Rowan patted him again and Cassio whistled. "Now you're practically half-human."

Rowan smiled again, clasping his hands together, shoulder rising with excitement. "Let's pick out some stuff for you!"

He hadn't any clue on any of the stuff Rowan had so he let Rowan do the picking.

Firstly, Rowan handed him a gauntlet that attached to the tips of his fingers, down his palm and around his wrist. It had three lit bars tucked just within the cuff of his sleeve. "Just hold it out in front of you. It'll charge the stacks. The stun load won't take more than a jiffy to discharge. It's got long distance rebounding tech, so anything else within a certain distance from it, will also be affected. But there's only three loads on this one. It's a lightweight version, so it can't carry much. Once it's done, it'll take a few days for it to recharge the stacks."

He rotated his hand around to see all the little tiny mechanisms that shifted as he curled his fingers. He could barely feel it. They seemed to move with his hand, instead of separate.

Rowan then handed him a belt of small disc cannisters. "These are what I like to call Cocoons. There's a few ways you can use it. You can use it on yourself, and press it against your chest. It'll create a hard shell that'll protect your most important organs. Or you can throw it, and it will stick to whatever you threw it at and explode, creating a hard casing around them. They will not be able to move. Or the other option is to throw it at something to keep it together. Once it's hardened, it's nearly impossibly to break, but if you did want to get rid of it. Just spray it with a bit of water and it'll evaporate."

Hemlock nodded, half understanding what Rowan was saying. Then Rowan handed him glasses similar to Cassios, but only one half of them. "Normally, this is all you get, but Cassio is special and prefers more advanced functions, but I figure you should both match, so here's one for you."

He slid it over the bridge of his nose and clipped it to the side of his head, just above the ear. The screen flickered and connected to his cerebral network. Rowan pressed a button on the side that made the small annotations light up around him. "It's installed with an AI system that picks up important information and details. It can also read your vital senses and let you know how to fix it in case something happens. It's tapped into your brain, so it can predict what you need and want. It'll adjust within an hour and calibrate to you."

He blinked and reared his head a little as the small lights crossed his vision, a little too fast for him to process. They slowed down and it annotated Rowan's name and rank beside his face. Useful, considering he knew practically two people on this ship personally. Yngvir and Hawthorn. Neither of which needing much introduction or fanfare, considering their respective infamy and fame.

"Anything else you might want to take with you?"

He peered around the room and his eyes caught a slick black blade. Rowan's eyes followed his and he grinned. "Oh, you have a good eye."

Rowan pulled the blade off the rack. "This is a hexian blade. It will turn into whatever shape you need it to be. The metal comes from the Aelish white dwarf, and has psychic powers. That's how it knows what you need it to be."

As Rowan placed it in his hand, it shifted into a metal collar with a small dagger dangling from the center. Cassio snorted loudly and then cracked in laughter. "Hawthorn is going to love the sight of you."

Rowan smiled and nodded, so he ignored Cassio's cackling and placed it around his neck. It was cool to the touch. The pressure felt reassuring. Safe. He liked it. Between this and the leg, he was plenty happy with his day, even if he might end up dead by the end of it.

Cassio choked down the rest of his laughter and wiped away a tear from his eye. "Alright, mutt, let's get a move on. We've only got till the end of the day to find Yngvir."

Hemlock nodded and Rowan waved at them.

"Come back soon! And in one piece!"

Hemlock waved back and smiled.

He liked Rowan.