“Weren’t you going to show me something interesting?” Shen asks.

“Excuse me? Discovering yourself is very interesting!”

Semester break is in full swing as even the last few university courses are bringing an end to their hellish testing phases. Shen is finally free to do whatever he wants, though that usually doesn’t amount to much, as he tends to take on lots of overtime just to keep himself busy. Two years of uni are behind him, and just one more is ahead if he performs as well as he has done so far. Entirely clueless and full of dread, he knows not how to handle the coming years. As such, Nikolay’s response to his plights is shopping and rediscovery.

“And tattoos!” Nikolay adds.

“No.”

The sun’s welcoming rays of grace are a horrible form of torture for someone who only ever leaves home for work or uni. Even ice cream, a day at the beach, and a pleasant stroll through town are arduous tasks for Shen and rather unusual. If he leaves the house of his own volition, then only for the silent nights and empty streets. As such, almost anything he wears is neutral and often unfit for more extreme weather.

Nikolay even went as far as heading to another city so they could also enjoy the fine sights and activities there. Though Shen is worried about having to drag around bags of clothing for the entire day, he’s reassured over and over that magical means can deal with any problem that may arise throughout their day trip.

“Are you sure? I don’t think my parents would approve of-”

“Who cares? They’re not here, so may as well do whatever the fuck you want.”

“But my bank account would-”

Once again, Nikolay interjects, waving his finger at Shen.

“You can pay me back when you ditch them, or they stop having a massive stick lodged up their rectum. Now stop worrying and enjoy yourself.”

A lovely day off and he doesn’t have to pay for any of it? There’s not much else left to do other than enjoy himself.

The bus finally takes the two of them to their final spot and their grand destination. The only task Shen was given beforehand was to create a list of things that needed to be done at each pre-planned destination. Since the Olympia Mall houses all kinds of shops, they only have so much time for so little. First on the list is to get new shoes, even if Shen’s pair of sneakers are only a few months old. A redefining look means a redefining walk, which cannot be achieved without redefining shoes.

“How do we feel about sandals, huh? Those look great, right??” Nikolay asks. It’s more of a request than a suggestion.

“I’d rather not expose my feet… Sneakers are fine and summer’s ending anyway.”

“Exactly! Summer’s ending and we’ve only met thrice in two months!” replies Nikolay feeling neglected.

“We have to make more time for next summer! And for that, we need to be prepared!”

He pushes Shen onto a stool and runs off to pick up more pairs of shoes. It’s strange. He’d pick a new outfit maybe twice a year and stick with that. Since he hasn’t been growing these past four years, new wear wasn’t much of a need.

“He’s been so nice and I barely could make time for him? Is he like that with everyone?”

Trying on his new pair of shoes he can’t help but wonder if Nikolay always acts like that or only acts like that for him.

“He even picked shoes my size. How’d he even find that out? Magic?”

“They’re more colorful than expected. How’d he even find these?”

They’re form-fitting and incredibly comfortable. Though he’s a little off-put by the white sneakers with rainbow streaks, something about them truly speaks to him. Strangely, a sense of belonging fills him whenever he’s around Nikolay.

“Here’s some more! I can’t grab anymore without getting in trouble with the staff.”

All jolly and overjoyed, he tries on a few shoes of varying sizes. They all seem to fit him perfectly, and his feet always have the right shape. It’s another one of the oddities that surround him and his origin.

“You said you’d show me something worthwhile,” Shen remarks.

“Ah, right… If you want to know, we can cut all this short. I didn’t mean to waste your time.”

Shen ponders for a second before giving an answer.

“No. We have time. There are a few more weeks of summer. But you’re kind of avoiding all that, aren’t you?”

“A little bit… I only know so much, so I hoped that two heads would help me learn much more.”

“I guess that kinda makes sense… I should have just said so from the beginning. It’s not like I HAVE to learn how to fly.”

They continue trying out all kinds of pairs before buying several. For now, carrying them by hand should suffice. A single bag should be enough to carry just a handful. Their next destination takes them straight to a clothing store. Shen would prefer Nikolay just walk around in the mall to kill time, but he can’t seem to shake him off, and once again, this devil is bugging him telling him to do all kinds of things.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

With destination two come even more choices and even more people exchanging glances and stares of disapproval with some even grimacing at what they consider odd. While Nikolay waits for Shen to test out his first outfit, a teenage couple walks into the stall next to Shen’s.

“Excuse me,” says a disgruntled retail clerk. “What you’re doing is inappropriate. On behalf of the company, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Nikolay knew just what exactly she meant by “inappropriate”. She begins to cry and pee herself as if she had lost control of her bladder. Embarrassed and teary-eyed, she steps away and disappears into what is likely to be a storage space only for employees.

“Bye Bye,” he says as loudly as possible to attract as many onlookers as possible.

Shen heads out of his stall clothed and ready to be judged on his fresh new appearance. Confused by the onlookers staring at the small puddle and the trail leading away from them, he points at what the clerk had left behind. Nikolay simply waves his concerns away, grinning.

“Red cargo shorts, a beige shirt, and a blue vest… I was hoping it would look better than that.”

He takes a few seconds to think.

“There was also a vest in white, but white’s gonna stain just by stepping outside. Let’s get rid of the vest.”

“Are we going to do that for everything you brought me? Even the plain jeans?” Shen asks, somewhat embarrassed. His shyness is getting the better of him.

“Yep. So get ready for more. Be glad that I didn’t bring you lingerie!”

Shen throws the vest at Nikolay quickly closing the door before this fiend can recover. He takes a proper look at himself hating the bit of gut he has slightly spilling out from the sides. He’s perfectly average in height and weight but usually doesn’t take a proper look at himself and whatever he’s wearing. Just underneath the door, he can see Nikolay's foot tapping. Whether that is a sign of impatience or restlessness is up to Shen’s mind.

“He didn’t have to bring me that much… Is that even allowed? There’s even a sign telling me to take only four items with me, and I have four SETS. Was that why the store clerk talked to Nikolay?”

He puts on black skinny jeans… too skinny jeans. He barely fits into them and feels like they show too much form. The pink and white checkered T-shirt looks quite nice atop the jeans. Nikolay has more of a fashion sense than expected.

“You know… a size bigger could be nice. Should I head out like that?”

This time, Shen struts out with his head held high and great posture. Like a model atop a catwalk, he starts posing, trying to entertain Nikolay. Stopping after just a few seconds of presentation because of embarrassment, he heads back into his chamber with an awkward grin. Nikolay was enjoying the show and almost booed when it ended.

“Too skinny!” Shen says as he hands Nikolay the pair of jeans through a small crack. Immediately, he almost pokes out Nikolay’s eyes to prevent any peeping.

After several trials and challenges, they finally depart just as the irritating clerk returns after a change of wear. As they walk past her, Nikolay acts as if he’s wiping away tears, playfully scowling and cowering as they leave.

“What was that?” Shen asks.

“I’ll tell you more about it later.”

Shen and Nikolay head to the restrooms along with their endless amount of bags. Locking the two of them in a stall, Nikolay finally reveals how they will handle their baggage. His hands turn bloodred, as do the bags in Shen’s hands. With a simple touch, they turn into blood. Upon their liquification, they turn into bloodred orbs and disappear into Nikolay’s hands.

“See. Nothing to worry about.”

“So where did they go? They’re not stuck like that, right?” Shen asks trying to decipher the mechanisms of Nikolay’s powers.

“I’ll show you later. Let’s enjoy this day as much as we can, okay?”

“Lots of shrinkage I’m seeing but not a lot of explanations,” he snarkily remarks.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh??”

Nikolay leaves the stall as Shen tends to his business. Since it’s already well past noon and their main quest is completed, their stomachs ask for nourishment. Nikolay was trying to convince Shen to just let the two of them splurge on lavish meals that he alone would finance, but his companion wasn’t agreeable when it came to spending even more on someone he barely knew.

“So? You still haven’t told me why you’re doing all this? What’s with the excessive spending on a stranger?”

“You’re not…” He hesitates for just a few seconds.

“There are a few things I have to ask you first.”

He looks rather serious. For now, Shen’s just listening even putting a stop to eating.

“What do you think I do?”

Shen ponders for just a few seconds.

“I’ve never thought about that… Loiter around? But then where would you get all that money, huh?”

Nikolay hands Shen his ID. “Mustermann Müller” born December 9th 1973… None of it aligns with anything Nikolay has claimed so far about his identity. The only thing these two people share is their nationality. How could Nikolay be a bald, blue-eyed 40-year-old man?

“Did you steal that? From who?” Shen asks.

“This guy died just before his 39th birthday. No passwords on any of his electronics, an endless amount of pornography, a filthy apartment that clearly hadn’t been cleaned for a while… Since no one was missing him, I could just assume his identity.”

He looks downtrodden and cannot look Shen in his eyes. Dread and guilt seem to fill him.

“I’m not human either. My home life wasn’t great, and I just snapped,” he claims, trying to look cold and detached.

“I went berserk, and they combusted while we were away on vacation. Since we weren’t well-beloved, there barely was an effort to find us, and the news died down quite quickly.”

His thoughts spiral and wander.

“If I look up now, what will be his reaction?”

“Look at me,” Shen says.

Nikolay cannot lift his head as if something were weighing on him.

“I said, look at me!” Shen commands as he pulls at Nikolay’s hand. He seems to pity him to some extent. There’s not a hint of fear as his hands remain steady.

“Why are you telling me all this now? You could have lied and just had a nice day.”

“I didn’t want to lie to you.”

“Can you still use combustion?” Shen asks.

“I don’t know. I haven’t triggered it ever since.”

Shen smiles to Nikolay’s surprise.

“Then there’s nothing I have to worry about. I’m sure you’d like to find out why it all happened, right?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you be so vague if you had no intention of lying to me? Did you like touch them and set them on fire? Did you intensely stare at them? And you’re saying you’re not human, but you had family. And they were looking for you and the rest of your family on the news, right?”

“What are you saying?”

“Two heads are smarter than one. I don’t believe you’re some heartless demon. I think you’re just Nikolay, and together, we can figure out what happened to you and what you currently are!”