Chapter 118

Celeste walked forward and glanced at the shoes in William's hands. They were simple and unlike those she had seen before. They were also kind of big, which might be driven by her lack of common sense or views of Australia, or she wasn't aware of what shoes should look like.

She never saw young people, or anyone close to her age, so this boy was interesting to her eyes. She approached his right, numbing into him with Hound, who greeted him with a little growl. Anyone who ever entered her region was far bigger than some kids. Shoes followed suits and shirts, so that was why she had never worn anything proper.

“Want some?” William asked her, but that strange dog almost snapped upon hearing his words.

Celeste diverted it aside, putting Hound further away from this boy. It howled and whimpered in disappointing distress, and one tight and quick slap on its nose from Celeste calmed it down. She grunted as she re-positioned her hug, trying to be curious and do what Dreadus wanted.

Wagner lost his voice and hoped this dog would calm down.

Celeste didn't reply. Maybe these shoes will fit her for the first time in her life.

Without a change of expression, William understood who this girl might be and what was going on. It was obvious from her face, demeanor, and aura. She had seen some shit and that mesmerizing cut in her arm spoke thousands of words against her wishes.

Which William took with unlike manners that those like Dreadus or even Wagner wouldn't normally consider or bear.

He gripped some other pair of shoes which he assumed to be more suitable for her, and tossed them to her.

Instinctively, Celeste dropped Hound to the ground and caught them with her swift hands. Sizing and looking at them, she was surprised at how light this stuff felt.

“Try them. Sir doesn't mind, right? She is a bit dirty but...” William stopped speaking. It seemed Wagner was glad at this suggestion and was willing to get some losses if it meant helping Dreadus out. He nodded and let Celeste do what she wanted.

Meanwhile, Hound was free at last! It grew a few inches once again and dropped to its feet. Happy, it sniffed and watched an unfamiliar world without any hugs or hands in the way. This place in natural height and reality felt very charming and new and there was something great about it. It stunk of many wonders as well, giving it endless charms. It was a long time since it felt some ground before its feet.

It got so silly and strange that Hound started to run around and sniff every corner of the shop, causing small wind turbulence because of its shaking tail. William was included in this as well; Hound was dubious of him at first, but it didn't bite its head or arms off, so it let it go. Approaching him like a hunting toy, William stepped back like Wagner when Hound's head came closer, sniffing their feet.

Only then did Celeste finish putting her shoes on. It was challenging by itself, and no matter how, the laces weren't how they should be. She knotted them randomly together until they became a mess.

Still, she had them on, feeling closer ground than ever, as well as pressure and some comfort around her feet and fingers. She wasn't sure if this was prison or something nice for her feet. For now, she didn't like them in the slightest, and she had ways to see if they were proper or not.

Standing up was easy, so how about walking? Also easy. What about... the other stuff? Celeste approached Hound who was sniffing William's old shoes, trying to lick it, but William grabbed its head and tried to force it away. It was difficult, and Hound had this mischievous grin that didn't want to disappear. William was pressed in a corner against his willingness, arms trying, one shaking, and Hound was bolder than ever.

There was no anger. No fear. William was taken aback by this because he had never seen Hound like this. It was... weird. It didn't even put anything to his arm besides some healthy heated curiosity.

It started to growl and its many eyes twitched as if it wanted to test some things out. That went on until Celeste smacked Hound until it shivered and shrunk. It was exemplary scolding, yet wordless and without much time to waste. Hound whimpered, feeling kicks and loss close. William remained in the corner, as opposed to Wagner who rather hid around a corner.

Then, Celeste danced forth and tried her shoes on a perfect target. Hound scowled and howled, but never fled or ran away from her. It stood there, having fun playing and testing her kicks.

Wagner lost his voice of reason and approached William while that insane part was busy. “So, does young man have enough credits? If not, I will still reserve some shoes for you after you will have enough credits. Fourteen is the lowest I can go for your pair.” Loose nerves were obvious in his voice and he ended up stating yet another price. He could see Celeste and how her shoes became a complete mess with each kick. That dog wasn't looking sane either. The girl was even worse.

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Fourteen was the regular price for the shoes that William chose. It was clear that Wagner lost the shopkeeper within him. Including his set of clothes for ten credits, Wagner gave William a good offer, but he didn't have money for everything. A choice was clear.

William grabbed the credits that he had on hand and counted them just in case. “Eleven. Oh well. I will take those clothes if that is fine with you. Reserve me some shoes. Perhaps... better than those, as they....” Eying that girl who kicked and fought that dog, he figured some better-quality shoes wouldn't hurt. That, or either her kicks were impressive, or that dog was way too sturdy.

Either way, both of them didn't want to look at Celeste and her experiment any longer. She snickered, disappointed at how little these shoes lasted.

“Good.” Wagner nodded. “Has the young man decided on what set you want? I have many sets for many preferences. Summer? Training? Work? Which is it?”

This guy is really good at this, even if something insane is going on right beside him. Is it the age? He seems old. He must've met his fair share of weird situations. Wait a second. Hasn't he said ten credits for shoes before? Well, I need clothes first. Whatever, William thought in his mind and proceeded to walk aside with him to the clothing section, leaving Celeste alone, trying new shoes, and testing them on Hound.

Sets had good pricing across the board because of large-scale orders and no customization. Anything custom was at least twice or thrice more expensive than regular sets. Wagner showed them off, setting examples, and giving William that kind of attention that this boy had never seen.

“Oh, how nice. Alright. I don’t mind any set as long as the shirt has long sleeves and the trousers are not too tight. No need for shorts.” Those were the right preferences, albeit one was purposeful and the other was for comfort.

“Oh, those are reasonable requests,”

Wagner got him what he requested. Unfortunately, Celeste appeared behind them right afterward, giving back broken shoes with disappointment on her face. Whole ten pairs.

“New...” She said unapologetically with Hound whimpering beside her on its own feet, chewing on some laces, with some shoe in its throat. Standing and feeling like those kicks showed remarkable times, Hound was satisfied. As for these shoes, they were worthless even when old or new.

Wagner scowled. “This... reeks of some troubles, young lady. I suspect what Dreadus expected is different, or... exactly what he assumed. Alright. I don't think my shoes aren't enough for you, so how about....”

It hit him right there.

That sight and glint. That tight Emblem. Wagner noticed what William had seen a while ago, and it was glowing and looking much more apparent now than before. This girl was a Walker, albeit young, and not normal. The colors didn't lie. The waves prevailed over weakness.

Wagner paused for a second and Celeste didn't know why he tensed up so suddenly. All she wanted was some better shoes to test out.

If this was the best they could offer, she would rather remain barefoot. Thus, she pointed at some clothes that William picked.

“Want... some?” William asked hesitantly and went back to normal, offering her some shirt. So what if she had an Emblem or some beast? He had his own as well, so she didn't concern him that much.

Her Emblem was in the opposing forearm position to his own, looking unique and long and dense. It was thin and long. Bright and white, small bits of black shadows created dark outlines, making it seem as if it was breathing and leaking into her arm.

Wagner and William hesitated and almost gave her some clothes. What if she would destroy them as well? That wasn't something either of them wanted, albeit one of them was truly fitting for such an opinion.

In the end, Wagner snatched what William had offered, and had to give up. It was time to use his private collections, as per what Dreadus requested. Celeste hated trousers straight away, and her overall sensibility wasn't there as well. She started to change right before them, which flustered William more than he was willing to admit.

Wagner was forced to grab Celeste and drag her to the changing rooms before she would remove everything. Thus, in a matter of a few seconds, William was alone with one hellish yet sniffing dog right before him, once more growing, and looking at him like a devil.

They exchanged looks, each hesitant, jerking in their arms, but Hound wasn't willing to sniff and play with this boy too far. It wasn't ready, so it sat on its ass and began to howl lowly at this boy, either arguing or trying to appease something. Its eyes squinted, but nothing else happened.

“Do you want something?” William asked, holding onto nothing but his fists. It still sat, so William poked his left fingers underneath his right sleeve and revealed a bit of his Emblem. “Don't try me, beast. I know your kin. I know your tricks and how you do them. You sit and follow that girl, eh? Is this your will?”

Squinting and blazing some storm in its eyes, Hound hissed and glanced left and right. They were truly alone, though that bad guy was close, hag aside, and its purpose briefly out of touch. It considered something until it did nothing. William hid his Emblem, wondering what was its deal. He ended up fine, albeit he discovered something very surprising. This Hound had quite some awareness, instincts, and ego. It definitely regarded him differently after he revealed his Emblem. It almost got out of its ass.

“Alright. Sit. Sit. I am just shopping around. Not as if I want to tame or skin or train you.”

William was less than keen to pat it or play with it. But both were more than willing to stare, knowing their time wasn't theirs, while something about them wasn't very reasonable. One would almost bet they would start to bark at each other, play, or fight.

Around this sizable shop, there were many clothing styles. There were sections for girls and boys, both genders, or those specifically made for some jobs or grown-ups. Those included sturdier clothes with proper cuts, protection, and unique requirements. There were also some cloaks, hats, and all kinds of shirts like tank tops, jerseys, and polos.

Everything had a functional design and purpose, but also quality. Especially the section made for women had a rather large variety that wasn't very important for William. Those were more unique than men's sections, including skirts, dresses, and all kinds of things that he considered weird. They would never work or do anything for Canada.

William didn't wait for more than ten minutes, even if he had good company to pass this time with. He even crouched down and observed this beast of a Dark that remained seated. Dogs and wolves had numerous kinds of appeals to Corruption, creating a variety of crazy beasts on four legs. This one was bizarre. Tamed? Sure. That wasn't very difficult with some dogs.

Maybe it was trying to fit in or its instincts made him recognize its insanity. For once, this little of a Hound did not exist.

“Where in the world had you come from?” He regarded right as Wagner returned.