Kira stared at him for a moment, forgetting himself in his shock, then looked down, flushing. Clothes? For himself? It wasn't that he had never received anything new to wear, but it was usually limited to the distinctive, short tunic of the sex slave, or some other kind of 'fetish wear', none of which belonged to him. These were never bought after seeking his approval, or with his opinion at all. They were just handed to him off-hand.
Told now to pick out his own clothing, Kira felt wonder, and a greater share of warmth, spreading through his chest and limbs. The tacked-on 'command' at the end didn't diminish the fact that William had spoken of what his slave would 'rather' have. Somehow, William always put it that way, as though what Kira wanted had any weight at all. It was a new and somewhat frightening concept, for the slave still expected to offend in his choices. Yet, he steeled himself and approached the displays of ready-made clothing, daunted but determined to at least do his best.
Though this shop was not where the wealthy would have purchased their clothing (since that was always special-ordered and made by private tailors), this concept of ready-made clothing was a cheaper alternative for the townsfolk who had no time to make their own. It was a luxury in itself, and showed how prosperous the town was. The selection was good, and so was the quality. William's servants usually bought for themselves and their families here, as it was easy enough to come in and find a few things ready to go in an afternoon.
Having never had to choose his own clothing, however, the slave remained in front of the racks for quite awhile, at a total loss as to how he should go about this. Panic began to rise in his throat as this seemingly simple task rose up before him like a mountain. William was just trying to be kind, but for one who had been given as little choice as possible in his own life, everyday tasks like this were utterly foreign. Only when Kira put it in another light for himself did he start to wrap his brain around it. He ceased to think of this as looking for what he wanted, since he had no clue about that. Instead, Kira thought in terms of laying out clothing for his master, which he had done with a few of them. It was often part of his duties as a sex slave to dress his masters. If he could think of it that way, he found himself easing a bit. Plus, he knew enough about clothing from his former masters to know what kind of cloth was permitted someone of his lowly station, with a high-ranking master. These were not truly his clothing, but William's rank and ownership on display.
Kira was finally able, with those thoughts in mind, to pick out a few simple pieces- tunics and breeches. Laying them carefully across his arms, as though he was holding out his master's clothing for the morning dress, he presented his choices to William with a humble bow of his head. He just hoped the cloth and color choices were right- he'd made sure to pick something that matched the livery of the royal house. He was also conscious of the cloth and make being expensive enough to show his master's status, but not too expensive, since he was still just a slave. They were well-made, though unadorned, and smelled wonderfully new. Kira couldn't help feeling a little thrill that he might be allowed to wear these nice clothes, more because they would be soft and cover him. he just hoped William approved, and wasn't angry at his choice. Even when picking out his masters' outfits in the morning, Kira was in constant danger of being beaten for not reading their minds.
