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Masok cringed apologetically. “The proprietor says it was made for a formal function Emperor Clajak attended when he was ten.”
Matt laughed. Clothes shopping in retail stores had always been an exercise in humility for him. Then he caught up to the rest of the message.
“This belonged to one of Kalquor’s emperors?”
“Can you believe it? It was auctioned off for charity after he wore it once. Apparently, the person who bought it died, and his heirs didn’t realize what they had. They sold it in a lot to the proprietor, who recognized it as a custom piece by Jeezaver. He contacted the designer, who confirmed whom he’d made it for. See? Here’s a picture.”
Masok showed Matt a shot of a young Kalquorian with silvery-steel hair…immediately recognizable as then-Prince Clajak despite the decades that had elapsed…wearing the very jacket Matt modeled.
“This must be worth a fortune,” Matt whispered, feeling he should pull it off immediately and unable to do so for fear of damaging it.
“It’s pricey, but we wanted to get you something particularly nice to celebrate our union.” Masok waved to the shop owner, an Adraf whose hopeful smile was particularly large due to his horsey face. “We’ll take it.”
“Masok, no.”
“It’s perfect. Don’t tell Ileg, but he couldn’t have designed anything half as incredible. Wear it to the spaceport so Avir and Kom can see it on you.”
Despite Matt’s protests, Masok bought it. He hushed him as they stopped for coffee. Matt felt unworthy of such generosity, but he loved the jacket too much to give it up since they’d left the shop. It was fancy, but it was comfortable, and he felt amazing in it.
He imagined himself on stage wearing it and playing the Rickenbacker. The vision filled him with excitement.
“Keep it up, and I’ll be too spoiled for you to stand,” he warned Masok as, coffees in hand, they walked toward the spaceport on the horizon. They had plenty of time to go on foot, so they didn’t bother comming a shuttle.
The Imdiko laughed. “Challenge accepted. What else can I buy you?” He made a show of peering at the shops they walked by.
Their timing couldn’t have been more perfect as far as going to the spaceport. They turned a corner and spotted Avir and Kom ahead of them, also walking and each hefting two small travel bins apiece.
“Wait up,” Masok called, and the pair turned with grins.
“I love it when stray handsome Imdikos and Earthers proposition me on the street,” Kom laughed as they drew near.
Matt stared at the bins. “My guitar?”
Avir’s expression froze. “Shit! You guys go on ahead. I’ll go back for it.”
He sped off without waiting for an answer. Kalquorians possessed speed no Earther could approach. Avir actually blurred to Matt’s vision when he ran all out, becoming a dark smear. He disappeared. Matt gaped after him, then looked at the other two.
Kom wore a guilty look. “It’s my fault. He was rushing to pack and tripped over the case a couple of times, so I pushed it under the bed to stop him from breaking his neck. You Earthers have a saying, don’t you? Out of sight, out of mind?”
“I’m at fault too. I usually keep him organized in such matters. He’s the worst when it comes to packing, constantly forgetting some important item,” Masok sighed. “If I hadn’t been so intent on visiting the store and having you try on the jacket, I’d have had his packing in hand.”
“It is a nice jacket,” Kom noted. “And we didn’t board the ship without the guitar, so no harm done.”
“Yeah. It’s no big deal.” Matt wandered to the corner and peered in the direction of their lodgings. It was in sight, an elegant shining gold-and-glass structure twinkling in the morning light. “I’ll go too, just to be sure he doesn’t miss it.”
“So you can cuddle it on the way to the spaceport,” Kom teased. “I’m not jealous of a musical instrument. No, not a bit.”
Matt flashed a grin. “Did you really forget the guitar, or was it left behind on purpose?”
Kom winked at him, but his grin was sheepish enough to all but yell, yes, he’d actually forgotten it.
“Want us to go along?” Masok asked as Matt headed back to the inn.
“It’s right there. I’m surprised Avir hasn’t returned already.” Matt hurried off, calling to them over his shoulder. “Don’t wait up.”
He expected Avir to appear before he’d taken a dozen steps, but he failed to do so. Maybe he was tearing the room apart looking for the Rickenbacker, somehow missing beneath the bed as its most obvious hiding place.
Knowing Avir, it was more likely he’d taken the opportunity to check in with his office to make certain his companies hadn’t folded during his absence from Kalquor. He hated to be compared to his parent clan, but in that regard, he was like them. Matt walked faster, worried Avir would be distracted and let time get away from him and miss the transport. Or he might forget the guitar again.
