A grand array of garments, bundles of cloth, accessories, gloves, and footwear were all unceremoniously laid out across the room. If there was a surface that something could be draped upon, it was covered by some manner of outerwear. The new jester only hoped that these surfaces were clean so that they didn't have to clean these clothes again later.
A maid rifled on the other side of the room rifled through the cloaks piled on top of one chair, trying to match it up with a brightly patterned top she already held in one hand. The jester watched her as she eagerly pulled cloth from the next pile and the thought crossed their mind that she didn't get to dress for occasion all that often, especially seeing the plain white and red drapes she was dressed in.
The maid, a human woman named Sine, was here to help dress the new jester of the court and construct a kind of "uniform" for them from all of the costumes that they had in the royal stores. Sine unloaded all of the chests and closets she could to try to see the "entire collection" in her words, even though it'd surely be a pain to put back when they were done.
The jester wasn't much help in picking anything out, they had barely seen these kinds of dyes outside of the occasional manuscript and flash sighting of a member of the court. Sine had admonished them a few minutes ago that bright orange and dark pink were not complimentary, so the jester resolved to shiver in their undergarments and let Sine have her way.
"Is there a color you do prefer?" Sine asked.
"I like the pink you were holding a little bit ago," the jester answered, pointing to a single stocking leg that had been hastily retrieved from a pile of ones much like them moments earlier.
"Well pink is a classic, very romantic," Sine nodded and went to retrieve the one stocking. "I didn't see one with a matching pattern though..."
"Wait what about..." the jester approached and pulled on the other sighting of pink in the pile. Out came a similarly striped pink stocking, but there patterning was striped in the opposite direction!
At the sight of this, Sine laughed and collected the stocking all the same. "Well it will certainly add more visual interest this way."
While she had them nearby, Sine held up what she had collected to their nearly naked form, trying to see how the garment would fit their figure. She immediately tossed two tops into the pile next to her, holding onto a red jumpsuit.
"Your eyes are so bright, and an unusual color at that," Sine commented as she turned to look for shoes. "It'll be hard to find something that compliments them well. Especially if you want something with some bright patterns."
"I don't want something with bright patterns," a cold, deadpan voice cut through the air making the two occupants of the room freeze.
Sine dropped the clothes she had in her hands and immediately bowed to the new arrival in the room, a quiet "your highness" on her lips, while the jester stood frozen in place from the shock of either seeing their new employer for the first time or from being caught in their smallclothes by a stranger.
Prince Cyrus stood in the doorway, wearing an unamused expression while scanning the dissary of the room. He almost looked bored, but there was a sharp attentiveness in his eyes.
"While the fool serves me, I don't want something so flashy and loud," He spoke directly to Sine, seeming to ignore that the jester was in the room. "I don't want a motley of colors following me around."
The prince finally acknowledged the jester by flicking his gaze over to them, snapping the jester out of their trance and remembering they were half naked.
"What's your name, fool?" the prince asked.
"B- Bel-" the jester stuttered.
"Bell? What an odd name. But I guess it's fitting."
The jester's face flushed but said nothing else.
The prince approached Sine whose gaze was still averted from prince Cyrus. In anticipation, she held out the clothing she held for him to inspect.
Prince Cyrus held up each garment, silently examining each. The jester tried to watch which held his attention longer, but his back was to them and their feet were rooted to the floor. The pressure of the prince in the room seemed to keep both the jester and Sine in an uncertain stasis.
"This," the prince said simply and quietly. The jester were caught off guard by a red body suit flung their way as prince Cyrus passed them on his way back to the door.
The jester finally found their voice again. "A-are you sure, your-- your highness? It's a little..."
Prince Cyrus spun on his heel. His gaze was piercing. "It's what, Bell?"
"Um..." the jester vaguely gestured at the lack of leggings that came with the suit, it was a leotard with a hood and sleeves, but no leggings. "It's a bit bold."
"It's what I want." The response was not snappy but the jester felt the edge to his words.
"Yes, your highness."
Without another word, the prince left and closed the door behind him and both the jester and Sine felt like they could finally breathe again.
I wasn't expecting that!" Sine chuckled, sounding winded. "Well, at least we have a direction for your outfit then, eh Bell?"
Bell didn't realize that they were being addressed for a moment. "Oh, um. Yes! It's a direction I suppose," they trailed off, rubbing the fabric between their fingers.