"O-Oi! Do you even know where you're going?"
"Home!" I shed a tear, "I'm going home."
"And do you know where that is?"
"Don't ruin the moment."
Running at top speed through the busy streets once more sure felt nostalgic, but it didn't last long, as I had to constantly fix my clothes up so as to not drop Energy by accident. I'd carry him in my hands, but it'd attract way too much attention from passers-by, and I'd rather not get stopped for interrogation midway through the mission.
"Okay, this obviously isn't working." I stopped, "I'm still wearing Vastoria's dress ever since that day we swapped clothes."
"I was wondering why you had her clothes on you." He acknowledged.
"Oh right, you were with her when she wore this." I inspected my clothes, "And you didn't bother to ask about it?"
"Clothes aren't permanent. You should change them as often as possible to avoid the spread of bacteria."
"Hrm..."
"What?" He snickered, "Did you think I was gonna say something cheesy like "your girlfriend wearing your clothes is completely normal"?"
There it is! Ehe, hearing an old-fashioned fart like him say something so cute and wholesome just makes me all giddy inside. Then again, he's gotten a lot more mellow as of recently. I guess Vastoria is his friend after all, so it'd make sense. Then there's the fact he and I are related, and he really ends up having no other choice but to be accepting. Jokes aside, he is a lot more approachable now.
"Hey gramps, where do your era's clothes look like?" I inquired out of curiosity.
"Nothing like the one's they sell-well, give out here." He chuckled, "Leather has grown out of fashion, it seems."
"So you're into that, huh..."
"I don't know what you're alluding to, but I get the feeling you've gotten something majorly wrong." He buzzed back, "Leather is quite warm, durable, and most importantly easy to wash off."
"You and your hygiene..." I rolled my Eyes, "Anything else?"
"Chainmail."
"Come again?"
"Hard metal chainmail. Preferably one made of a non-rustable material." He elaborated, "Plop on some metal plating over that and you've got yourself a fine defense against the Rotted's bites."
Knight armor against zombies? That's a novel take on the genre. I suppose it's fitting if he's from a distant past, especially if it's a pre-guns era, but to think that's all that they wore back then. Desperate times indeed.
"Well, we're gonna be stopping by for a little makeover, you okay with that?" I smiled.
"You wanna stop for clothes?" He exhaled.
"I know, I know, you're gonna miss being nestled neatly in my chest, but I can't run without having a proper place to carry you around."
"On second thought, maybe a tote bag would do us good."
That's the answer I was looking for! Now gramps is thinking with his brain! Ah, well, it's the only thing he can think with nowadays, but I digress. Really, Heaven 2.0 has no shortage of clothes shops. The Gods must really love their fashion, huh... That's lucky for us, though, since we found one not too far from where we were. The lady working there didn't quite look too good, however.
"Hello." I politely greeted her.
"Ah!" She jolted.
"Bwah!?"
"Oh, sorry, dear customer!" Her Eye twitched, "I was sleeping, hope you don't mind. Yaaaawn, what can I get for you?"
What a jumpy reaction just now. Tired and overworked must be her two most favorite adjectives, I'd wager. Then again, with the amount of people she has to serve on a daily basis, I could see how this would start to affect the clerks here negatively.
"Sleeping? With your Eyes open?" Energy poked out of my dress.
"Wahh~" She smiled tiredly, instinctively reaching out to pet him before slapping her outstretched hand with the other one, "A-Ahem, cute doggy!"
"Thanks." I smirked.
"What breed is he?"
"Brainiac."
"Oho~? Brainiac, is he~?" She nodded along drowsily, "And his name?"
"You're never gonna believe it." I curbed my smile, "Brian."
"Stop messing with the poor girl already!" Energy cut the fun short, "And my name isn't Brian!"
It seems the girl was so tired from overwork that she hadn't even fully processed a single part of this encounter. I'm sure she'd brush off whatever I told her with that cute drowsy smile on her face. Actually, that gives me an idea...
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"Hey, how many outfits can I get a day?" I asked.
"One article of clothing per day..." She snored, "Per person..."
"Okay, so one outfit per day per person."
"Yeshhh~" Her Eyelids drooped.
"Then, I'll just help myself to whatever." I hopped the counter.
"Mn? Heyy~, you can't do..." She weakly tried to stop me before giving up, "Eh, whateverrr..."
I'm in. Ohh, how cozy. This place is a lot more spacious than I initially thought. It's got an entire basement filled with rows upon rows of clothes. How fun, I get to pick and choose only the best of the best!
"Finally." I placed Sheep aside as I took my clothes off, "I get to wear proper clothes."
"Hey, get this one." He pointed... actually, he had nothing to point with, so I didn't quite get it.
"Which one?"
"The one to your left."
"Huh!?" I blushed, "O-Oh, I get it. You wanna make me feel embarrassed, is that right?"
"It's leather, I'm being serious."
"It's a gimp suit." I tossed it away, never to be seen again, "Don't even joke about that stuff."
He was left confused in spite of my explanation. I guess he really didn't know what it was, but surely just seeing it should have been enough to give off some signals. Wait, could it be that gramps is actually pretty naive and innocent when it comes to that stuff?
"Gramps, quickly now. What's your favorite position?"
"Sitting down." He replied calmly, "I dislike standing around, but lying on my side is also pretty underrated."
Yep, that settles it. Gramps is purer than a nun, somehow.
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"This, then this..." I picked out a bunch of random items, "Ooh! And this'll pair nicely with the sunglasses!"
"And you need those glasses why exactly?" He scoffed at my fashion sense, "Your Eyes should work well enough to not need prescription."
"They're for blocking the Sun from getting in your Eyes, not to make you see better." I corrected him, "They also look pretty fly!"
"I don't understand. The Sun isn't deadly?"
"Stare at it next time you see it and you'll see what I mean."
"See that's what I don't get about these younger generations!" We went on a weird tirade all of a sudden, "Do you all seriously lack the common sense to NOT stare at the Sun all the time? It's not even in your face most of the time, you really have to go out of your way to look up at it."
He can't be serious. Where exactly did he live in the world for the Sun's rays to not pose at least a mild amount of annoyance to him. Besides, dusk exists, and that really does get in your face sometimes. I would have imagined a germaphobe like him to be more keen on taking care of his body, but I guess not.
"Here, you try them." I burst out laughing the moment my Eyes gazed upon a brain with sunglasses on, "Phahaha! They fit you surprisingly well!"
"...Take them off." He pouted, "Now."
"Not a chance. In fact, let me see if there's something to keep them from falling off in here."
Alas, I didn't find a single thing that would allow for that, so the sunglasses had to temporarily return to my head again. I say temporarily, because there is no way in Hell that I will allow Energy to continue living without these snazzy sunglasses. Surely I'll find some glue somewhere...
"Well?" I twirled around, "How do I look?"
"Sweatpants, severely undersized shirt, severely undersized jacket, and a cap with these "sunglasses" resting on the brim." He sighed, "Just awful. The only thing I agree with is the footwear."
"No no no! You got it all wrong! The Colors are important!" I refuted him, "White sneakers, beige sweatpants, a navy Blue CROP TOP, a black jacket, and a black cap with navy Blue highlights to finish it off! Though I do agree the sneakers are really comfy."
"I suppose I'm just behind the times." He chuckled.
"Hey, you sounded just like a real grandpa just then!" I pointed out.
"I'm not old!" He fussed, "And I'm way older than your grandpa! I literally started our lineage, for your information!"
Those two really don't coincide with one another, but I'll let it slide so he doesn't stay angry. But dang, these clothes would've made anyone turn to gawk at me, I'm surprised gramps isn't the same. Senior citizens, am I right?
"Ah, one final touch." I looked around in the back before rushing over to him, "A tote for the old man!"
"I'm not old!"
"Yeah, yeah..." I stuffed him into the bag, "Let's get a move on now, Sheep's probably dying inside with each passing second."
"Didjya' get everything you need~?" The poor girl working the till teetered from left to right.
"Yep, you've got a really fine selection." I hopped over the counter, "You're a really good clerk. I'll be sure to put in a good word with your bosses."
"Ehehe~" She giggled, "Thank you... Zzz..."
Naww, just look at that sleeping face. Now I see why there wasn't any traffic around, who'd wanna wake her up from such a nice looking nap? By the way, I didn't just say that to lie to her. I'll genuinely praise her to Selz and Pry. I've got the chance to, after all, and she let us take more than we deserve. Actually, on second thought, that might get her punished if they find out, so maybe I shouldn't...
"Ahh, running feels so much better now!" I smiled from ear to ear, "And we're a lot faster thanks to this as well!"
"I have to admit, it was a good call." He agreed, "You've made me proud as a descendant yet again, Migu."
"That's great news! And you wanna know how you would make me proud as an ancestor?" I threw on a wry smirk.
"I will not wear the sunglasses."
"You don't get a choice."
"Wha-!? Migu!"
Laughing maniacally as I ran through the crowd and occasionally talking to my tote really made me look like a madwoman, which attracted a few unwarranted gazes, but I just attributed it to my sick new style. Hehe, what's the matter, plebeians? Never seen such pristine clothing in your lives before? This much is nothing special, don't worry! Ah, maybe in a few dozen centuries, you all will attain this level of fashion that I have long since mastered.
"Wait, isn't that my house in the distance?" Energy peeked out of the bag.
"Bwahhhh!" A group of people fell off the giant cube as a large explosion blew the house on top sky high, "Oof! Dammit!"
"Elegy, let's just quit already!" Sab complained, "Nerys thinks it's time to let go as well."
"Oi'm notta' quittah!" She disagreed with him immediately, "Laddie 'ere be feedin' ye' lies!"
"Shut up, no one asked you!" Sab shot back a nasty glare.
"My head..." Hats whimpered.
"Guys, no use stopping now when we're so close." Elegy turned to finally notice the two of us, "Migu! You're back!"
"Hm?" The others turned as well.
"Missy..." Nerys pointed, "Wot's dat outfit s'pos t'be?"
"Huh?" I yelped.
"It's weird." Hats made a difficult expression.
"Now now, everyone." Elegy didn't wanna sound harsh, "It's probably normal to show so much skin for her era!"
At least he gets it. And Sab?
"Hm..." He looked me up and down until I started blushing, "Last century called, they want their clothes back."
Seriously!? You're from the future, idiot! You actually have the audacity to call ME outdated!?