After a lot of questions, the amazement over my achievements finally began to settle, and the room slowly shifted from stunned admiration into the warmer, more familiar rhythm of conversation. The tension that had filled the workshop a few minutes earlier melted away, replaced by the sound of overlapping voices, quiet laughter, and the occasional burst of surprise whenever someone remembered another detail about the tuxedo. What had started as a demonstration had turned into something much more personal, and before long our families were speaking freely with one another as if no time at all had passed.
Luka, who had been quiet at first, found himself drawn into conversation with Marcus almost immediately. The moment they looked at each other, the years between them seemed to vanish. Their first exchange wasn't cautious at all—it was the kind of reunion that happens when two brothers have gone too long without seeing each other and suddenly have too much to say at once. Luka clapped Marcus on the shoulder, Marcus answered with a grin and a sharp remark, and just like that they were talking over each other in the easy, familiar way only siblings can. Luka asked Marcus about his work, and Marcus, to my surprise, answered with genuine enthusiasm. The two of them began comparing notes on craftsmanship, materials, and the strange balance between practicality and elegance, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of old memories in everything they said. Luka, who usually had a sharp tongue and a skeptical expression ready for almost anyone, seemed almost proud of Marcus's knowledge. Marcus, in turn, looked genuinely pleased to be teased by his older brother again. Their conversation grew more animated with each passing minute, and I could hear Luka laughing at something Marcus said about the absurdity of noble fashion trends, followed by Marcus firing back with a comment about how Luka had always been impossible to impress.
Across the room, Marcus's wife, Elara, had settled into conversation with Celest. The two of them seemed to click almost instantly. Elara had a calm, graceful presence that made it easy to listen to her, and Celest, as always, carried herself with quiet confidence and warmth. They spoke first about the tuxedo, of course—Elara asking careful questions about the enchantments while Celest explained how much work had gone into the design—but soon the conversation drifted into more personal territory. They talked about family, about the challenges of raising children in a world where magic and politics were always tangled together, and about the strange pride that came from watching someone you cared about create something extraordinary. Elara listened with a soft smile, and Celest, who rarely seemed at a loss for words, looked genuinely pleased to have someone who understood the balance between admiration and concern.
Meanwhile, Adrian and Elise had wandered closer to where I was standing, and that was when I learned something that made me pause for a moment.
The twins were the same age as me.
I blinked at them, then looked between the two of them and back at their parents, trying to process it. They didn't look especially young to me at first glance, but there was something about the way they carried themselves—equal parts curiosity and confidence—that made sense once I knew. Adrian had an easy grin and the kind of restless energy that suggested he was always looking for the next interesting thing to do. Elise, on the other hand, had a sharper, more observant expression, as though she was already analyzing everything in the room and filing it away for later. Even though they were twins, they were easy to tell apart at a glance: Adrian was a boy, while Elise was a girl, and beyond that their personalities made the difference even clearer. The two of them stood side by side with the effortless familiarity of siblings who had spent their entire lives competing, cooperating, and finishing each other's thoughts.
I reminded myself, not for the first time, that I was still in a child's body even if my thoughts were not. That meant I needed to be careful how I spoke. It would be easy to slip into the habits of an adult talking to adults, but these were children, and they would hear the difference even if they couldn't name it. So I softened my expression, kept my tone light, and made sure I sounded like someone who was interested rather than someone trying to lecture them.
"Wait," I said, looking at them more closely, "you're both my age?"
Adrian laughed first. "That surprised you?"
"A little," I admitted with a small smile.
Elise folded her arms and gave me a knowing look. "You expected us to be younger?"
"I don't know what I expected," I said honestly. "You both seem much more composed than most children your age."
That earned me a smirk from Elise and a grin from Adrian.
"We get that a lot," Adrian said.
Elise tilted her head. "Especially from people who assume twins are either identical in every way or impossible to tell apart."
I glanced between them again. "Well, you're definitely not impossible to tell apart."
"Good," Elise said dryly. "That would be inconvenient."
Adrian laughed, and even I couldn't help smiling. The two of them had a rhythm to their banter that made it obvious they were used to each other's jokes, interruptions, and little jabs. Adrian was more openly expressive, while Elise seemed to prefer dry wit and precise observations, but they balanced each other well. Before long, they were asking me questions about the tuxedo, about the runes I had used, and about how long it had taken me to figure out the mana-collection system. Unlike the adults, who were still trying to wrap their heads around the broader implications of what I had made, the twins were fascinated by the details.
I kept my answers simple at first, not because I thought they couldn't understand, but because I wanted to meet them where they were. Children, even clever ones, usually appreciated clarity more than complexity. If they wanted more detail, they would ask for it.
Adrian leaned in slightly as I explained the adaptive fitting rune. "So it changes shape automatically?"
"Not exactly shape," I said. "More like it adjusts the fit based on the wearer's body and movement. It keeps everything comfortable without losing structure."
Elise's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "And the gravity reduction doesn't interfere with the reinforcement?"
"Not if the rune matrix is balanced correctly."
She nodded once, clearly filing that away. "Interesting."
Adrian looked at me with open curiosity. "How long did it take you to make all this?"
I hesitated for a moment, then gave him the truth. "Longer than I wanted."
That made him laugh again. "That sounds about right."
The three of us talked for a while longer, and I found myself relaxing more than I had expected. There was something refreshing about speaking to children who were curious without being rude, intelligent without trying to prove it, and honest enough to ask the questions they actually cared about. Adrian and Elise were simply interested, and that made the conversation feel easy. They asked smart questions, made sharp observations, and didn't hesitate to challenge me when something I said sounded too vague. In return, I found myself explaining things more clearly than I had during the earlier demonstration, which only seemed to make them more interested.
At one point, Elara glanced over at us and smiled faintly, clearly amused by how quickly the twins had attached themselves to the conversation. Marcus noticed too and said something to Luka that made both of them chuckle. It was the kind of laugh that came from old memories—shared childhood mischief, long arguments, and the easy comfort of brothers who knew exactly how to push each other's buttons without ever meaning any harm. Celest, standing nearby, looked pleased in that quiet way she had whenever the room was full of people getting along. Even Bradly, who had been skeptical at first, seemed to have softened now that the initial shock had worn off. The whole workshop felt different—less like a place where I had just unveiled an invention and more like a gathering of people who were beginning to reconnect.
For the first time since finishing the tuxedo, I felt like I could actually breathe.
The questions kept coming, but they were no longer the kind that made me feel like I was being examined under a microscope. They were curious questions, interested questions, the kind people ask when they genuinely want to understand what you've made and who you are. Luka and Marcus were still deep in conversation, though now it was less like a formal discussion and more like two brothers catching up after far too long apart. Every so often Luka would shake his head in disbelief, and Marcus would answer with a grin that made it obvious he had missed this kind of teasing more than he wanted to admit. Elara and Celest were speaking quietly nearby, and Adrian and Elise had become my unexpected companions in the middle of it all. What had started as a moment of triumph had turned into something even better: a room full of people talking, laughing, and reconnecting over something I had created.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, I realized that the tuxedo wasn't the only thing I had built that day.