“And of course this coat, despite its thinner appearance- is cold graded for -50 celsius.” the stout, dark-haired human salesperson said. “And in all honesty, while I have outerwear rated for at least -100, you won’t need that unless you’re heading to the poles. Of course-” He gave a deep laugh, “If you’re tourists and you’re intent on seeing every inch of Arkane, then that might be a good idea for you.”
Civilians had so much outerwear, and it left TO almost dazed. Waterproof rain jackets, sweaters, light jackets, overcoats, and cold weather coats to be worn when going to places that frankly TO didn’t think people should live at all! Why would anyone live in a place where you needed coats that could withstand -50!
DH was happy with the coat as soon as they saw it: it was long, it came in a beautiful dusty lilac color, and it had decorative stitching along the hems. Once they decided they liked the look of the coat, they didn’t need to know anything else. TO was the one who asked the more technical questions about how it would fare in water and more extreme temperatures while DH went to look at boots. When the salesman mentioned the higher graded coats, they looked away from the heeled boots they were examining - ones that TO was certain wouldn’t be any good for anything but very safe streets in mildly cold cities- to gape at the salesman’s comment.
“-100?” Do people live there? Why would anyone live there!?”
The salesman laughed. “My opinion exactly. It’s mostly for tourists though, and the only people who ‘live’ there do so seasonally, to lead tours and even camping expeditions. The scenery out there is exquisite though.”
The silent argument that TO had with themself was brief, “We’ll take the ones graded for -100.” They said, “They come in the same styles, I assume?”
“Of course! There are some minor differences in how the fabric flows, though. Let me go get that for you.” He ran off into the back to retrieve the coats.
“Do you actually think we’ll need that?” DH asked, their ears down with worry, “I didn’t think we’d be going anywhere that cold! I thought we’d be keeping to the cities!”
“I hope so.” TO said, “But it’s better to have it, just in case.” They really hoped that dealing with the insurgency wouldn’t bring them to such frigid places. It was unlikely as far as TO was concerned, but since they didn’t have to worry about the cost for their supplies, it made more sense to be over prepared.
A moment later, the salesman came out, and wisely presented the higher graded coat to DH, not TO, “Here you are, Mx.” They said as they opened the long box to reveal the new coat. “Like the previous one, this coat has extra space in the back to accommodate your wings. The shell is made of Lilac dyed Arkanian Arctic Seal pelt, which is denser than the North Seal pelt. It’s been insulated with top of the line nano-insulation fabrics and then lined with an exquisite spider-silk lining.”
“Can the lining come in not-spider silk?” TO said quickly, suppressing a shudder.
“Oh, yes.” the salesman said as they turned to TO, “We do of course have vegan alternatives for every piece. If you’d like a combination, though - say a plant-based silk and the seal pelt- that will require customization. It would only take-”
“The entirely vegan option is fine.” TO said. “And boots to match each coat - something good for walking over snow and ice, and -”
“If you’re looking for all the cold-weather accessories, I of course have everything you could need. Boots, gloves, scarves.. Shall I fetch them for you?”
“Will they all match!?” DH said, their eyes growing wide. They stopped, looked at the coat, then with pensive ears, they looked back at the salesperson. “What about in other colors, though? Would other colors look good?”
“I can bring you a variety of complementary colors.” He said with a big smile. He turned to TO, “And, for you-”
“Greys will be fine for me.” TO said. They had looked up on their communicator what common colors for coats were, and among those that they found, grey was the first.
“Might I suggest grey with black accessories? It would add a little drama to the outfit-”
“That would look fantastic!” DH said, their ears twitching rapidly. That ear gesture, reserved for when DH was so excited they could hardly bear it, made TO’s chest swell. They didn’t care about clothing so long as it fit them comfortably and was practical, but they loved seeing DH so excited and happy.
And they did like the idea of looking good to DH.
“Alright.” They said with a smile, “Let’s try that then.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
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The outerwear store was only the third place they had visited, but TO already felt exhausted. They hadn’t realized just how much stuff they had to get, and how much stuff civilians needed to have just to live on this planet!
Of course, civilians wouldn’t need clothing for both deep cold and extreme heat. “I can’t believe civilians have to worry about all this.” TO muttered, taking a deep breath of the salt-smelling Arkanian air.
“I know! They wear so many things! So many colors and they’re made to just look good! I mean, our uniforms were functional, but I never felt as…” Their ears suddenly flicked down, “I mean… I look great when I wear civilian clothes. They look so good, I almost forgot about this..” They raised their hand to the scars on their face, “There’s just so much more going on, and these scars look so pale in comparison!”
“I like your scars.” TO insisted. They stepped forward, and hesitated, glancing up and down the street before taking a deep breath and putting their hand on DH’s face. “I-I always liked your scars.” they said.
DH’s ears flickered with glee, flushing as they turned their face towards TO’s palm and kissed the base of their thumb, “I think you look fantastic in civilian stuff too.” DH said, ignoring the deep flush to TO’s ears, “Though… I know you don’t like shopping at all-”
“I don’t mind it-”
“You constantly pin your ears back when you have to look at stuff.” They said, grinning. “But you don’t seem to mind it when I’m looking… so I don’t feel so guilty about taking so much time.” They glanced away, but caught their reflection in the tinted window of the store they had just left and smiled as they looked over themself. The first shop they had gone to had been just to get more normal civilian clothing, which they were now wearing. TO had simply opted for jeans and a shirt that DH had picked out for them; a pale green backless top with a very loose, thick cowl that hung from their neck to the bottom of their ribcage. DH had, of course, been more extravagant in their choice, and had picked out a fluttery backless dress in a deep blue color. It hung to their knees and because of that, the salesperson had convinced DH that they needed different shoes to go with it. The colors contrasted with the red, heart-shaped pendant that they still wore around their neck and made it stand out more than ever.
Their original uniforms were in their bags now while they had shipped everything else they had purchased to the parking building to be stored with their vehicle; a service Strig had told them about.
At least the clothes were comfortable, but that was the only thing that was to TO on this day. They felt more than ready to be done with this entire experience of shopping. The bright sun was disorienting despite the sunglasses that they wore. There were too many new people, unfamiliar sounds and strange smells. They had been in three different shops which had three different atmospheres and they felt so confused about it all that they just wanted to go home. They wanted to be somewhere quiet and familiar.
They were also hungry. They didn’t know why, but they felt as though they had more of an appetite as of late. Perhaps it was just the effect of being on Arkane, the exposure to the air and the sun, and maybe the extra work they had been doing.
The subtle, low grumble of DH’s own stomach told TO that they weren’t alone in that feeling. DH gave a chuckle, “I guess it’s time to eat.” They said as they checked their communicator. Their ears dropped back as they checked the time, “TO… I think normally we would have eaten a while ago! No wonder I’m hungry!”
“It’s not that late.” TO said as they looked at their own communicator. They were only half done with the shopping they had to do and TO couldn’t imagine that could be so late in the day!
It was just as late as DH said; they should have eaten hours ago. It was at this moment that their stomach clenched at the realization that they’d be out shopping for the entire day.
“… We should eat.” TO said, giving a sigh. Their original plan had been to just wait until they got back home, but that clearly wouldn’t work. “We’ll eat quickly and then try to finish up this shopping before it gets too late.” They started searching on their communicator for a place to eat; somewhere close and fast. “I’m sure we can find something…”
“W-we’re not going to a fancy place… Are we?” DH asked, their ears twitching anxiously as they clutched at their bag.
“Hmm?” TO glanced up from their communicator, “Oh, no. I don’t even know if I could find a ‘fancy’ place right now; I think they’re in another district.” They looked at the results their communicator gave; the handful of results were all small cafes or take out places. “This way.” They said as they took DH’s hand and guided them down the curved road ahead of them, “There’s a small place up ahead.”
They pulled DH along, unaware of the slightest dip in their ears.
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The point of any food shop in the shopping district was to be fast and convenient. People didn’t come here for a ‘dining experience’ as far as TO knew, but to shop. Stopping to eat was an inconvenience and food shops here sought to minimize that, but still added typical civilian flair to the food. The place they found specialized in food on skewers, which was one of the first forms of civilian food that made sense to them; no dishes, no cutlery, just a single stick to be disposed of later on. If they could make an edible stick it would be perfect, but even so it was the best place that TO could find nearby; something simple and fast.
leave it to civilians to over complicate something as simple as food on a stick.
The chefs took grilled local fish and grilled imported vegetables and placed them in a spiral of near mathematical perfection along three skewers. They set different dipping sauces on the bottom of a black plastic bowl in such a way that it looked like a painting of a sunset, then set the skewers across the opening of the bowl, leaving the dipping sauces undisturbed.
It wasn’t food; it was an artistic endeavour which was beautiful and interesting to look at. TO didn’t want to eat it, they wanted to frame it!
They took their food away as soon as they had paid for it, the lineup behind them leaving no time to stare in awe at the work, and found a bench where they could sit.
“How many of these do you think they could have made if they didn’t bother with making it pretty?” DH asked as they sniffed at one skewer, “I mean, I can understand making clothes pretty and I can kind of understand making buildings pretty… But food just gets eaten! No matter how pretty you make it, it’s going to be destroyed soon after, so why go through the trouble?”
TO agreed in theory, but they still spent several minutes admiring the spiral of the meat and vegetables on the stick before they dared to dip it into the painting-like artistry of the mixed sauces and took a bite. It was sweet and savoury, with a mixture of textures that TO wasn’t sure if they liked right away. Still, it was food and even if they didn’t like it that much; it filled them up. It tasted better than their food bars at any rate, cleaning out the plastic bowl until only smudges of sauce remained on the bottom.
“Wasteful.” DH muttered as they finished their last skewer and placed the container in the nearby garbage disposal, “Entirely wasteful; The time spent to decorate it, and the packaging. What’s wrong with civilians?”
TO quirked an ear at DH in confusion, “I thought you’d like pretty looking food.” They said, “With the clothes and all-“
“That’s different!” DH said, gesturing to their dress. “Clothes last longer! Food is just to be eaten! Besides, it was pretty, but I just think it was wasteful!”
TO gave a low hum, but said nothing in response. They thought that they’d remember the perfect geometric spiral of the food and the elaborate sunset created from sauces far longer than they’d remember the mediocre taste of the food.
Still, the plastic was wasteful, and it was with a lot of guilt and a sense of wrongdoing that they threw it out. “Come on.” They said as they wiped their hands with one of the napkins that the servers thrust into their hands when they ordered, then threw the rest into their bag, “Let’s get this shopping finished.”