Faller, Noun: Someone Experiencing Interesting Times - Chapter 7

“So, what sort of essentials require a legal identity to get?” Neil asked conversationally, one hand thoughtlessly petting the steel fur of the little lady perched on his shoulder. They had been walking towards the shopping district for a while now and the question had been bugging him for longer. He couldn’t really come up with anything, so.

“Technically nothing.” Raiko responded after a few moments, releasing a squirming Eevee to the floor with huff filled with fond amusement as she did so, “None of the stuff you’re looking to buy is regulated by the League so none of it will require you get carded.” The small girl paused, coming to a stop briefly as she began softly muttering to herself, words too soft to hear pouring from her mouth before she resumed walking again moments later, still doing the same.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked with an arched eyebrow. He kept his voice soft and friendly, but a thread of anxiety tinted his undertone.

“Ah, I’m just wondering out loud what kind of gear would be best for you and Mawile. I haven’t gone on my journey yet so I’ve had nothing but time to look up the best kind of equipment, browse forums, and otherwise try to entertain myself until my parents decide to finally grow up and let me go on mine.” She huffed, Eevee trilling their agreement from their position alongside Raiko. Eevee had been weaving in and out of Raiko’s legs between each stride the girl took.

“I’m just going to let that lie there.” Neil drawled with clinical detachment, before quirking his head to the side, “Unless you want to treat us to a meal and spend a quality hour bleeding out the poison?”

She shook her head with a smile, “I appreciate the offer, but it’s something I’m largely over. They’re having a trauma response to something that happened while they were on the job and I’ve already made my case and ultimatum to them perfectly clear.” With a cough, she shook her head, “Regardless of all that though, if you do want dinner later I’m happy to treat you. The Pokemon Center serves pretty generic stuff for Lilycove and our fair city has a lot of good food. Comes with being a tourist hotspot.”

“I’d call it a date, but I’m pretty sure I’m twice your age.” He chuckled. He’d officially become a Christmas Cake on his last birthday. “Unless you have the petite woman curse of getting carded until your fifties?”

“I’m about sixteen.” The girl giggled, sounding more than a little amused at the prospects of a date, “Bit too young for you at the moment, but I’ll likely never grow beyond this even when I get older.” She looked sombre for a moment, recalling a memory of something long since past, “It’s not natural, but my life’s a bit weird so that’s not all too surprising.”

“Petite girls you can lift with a single hand have a lot of charm, so don’t worry about your prospects when you start getting out there.” Neil reassured with the confidence of someone whose strike zone was wider than Alaska.

Reiko laughed, her partner Pokemon joining in moments later with an amused trill that sounded something between the sound of bells and the sounds foxes on Earth made, “Heh, I appreciate it.”

Things fell silent once more as the pair plodded onwards towards their destination. Not even five minutes later, they arrived at a bustling marketplace by the seaside, trainers and Pokemon weaving in and out of each other as they visited a variety of shops. The smell of sea salt, of incense, of food, and various other smells associated with the city mixed into a truly unique odor. Not wasting a single moment, Raiko grabbed Neil’s hand and began to deftly lead him forward. They weaved through the crowds with hard earned experience, Mawile even forced to dismount from Neil’s shoulder if only so that they could tighten their profile a bit more.

That state of affairs continued for a bit, then the girl ahead of him pushed open a door into a cozy little shop, the recognizable sound of a bell briefly tinkling as the wooden door opened.

“Welcome to Anna’s Threads, someone will be with you in a moment!” A peppy, cheerful voice called.

“Retail workers are just so fucking cheerful in this world, it’s unnerving.” Neil confessed to his guide in a quiet mutter.

For a moment, Raiko was silent, tilting her head in confusion as she muttered to herself again, only to perk up, “Earth?”

“Yep. From a world-renowned tourist destination city, too.” The transmigrator confirmed with a bob of his head.

“I see.” His companion commented, an awkward silence following for a bit before thankfully, it was interrupted.

A red-haired woman with bright green eyes sauntered into the lobby of her store in a confident gait, accompanied by a Meowth.

“Hello hello! What can I do to help you today, young lady and gentleman?” She chirped.

“I need to rebuild a wardrobe from scratch, so I’m about to make you a very, very happy businesswoman.” Neil said with a roll of his shoulders as he switched mental gears to equipment and fashion. He wasn’t sure Raiko knew what she’d signed herself up for, leading him here.

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“...You know, I didn’t exactly have you pegged as the most fashion conscious person ever.” Raiko began, still sounding more than a bit dazed as she took in one of the outfits she had been pressured into wearing; a gothic lolita ensemble that worked with her albinism like a dream. A vivid red trim around the neckline, a strategically placed vermillion ribbon and the whole thing played her complexion and figure from an entirely different angle than her booty shorts had. “But I am starting to realize that you are an extremely fashion conscious person.”

“Back home it was way too expensive and too much of a hassle, so I just kept it simple and safe outside of videogames. Speaking of too safe, one second.” Neil said, capering off to snag a black newsboy cap with a red trim, plonking it on the tiny girl’s head. “There we go. Your hair didn’t quite work for the braid I was thinking of, but with this and a swap to boots it’ll give some outdoorsy tasting notes so it isn’t just dime a dozen gothic lolita. Could maybe swing you more towards punk with the right pair and a good belt plus a few extra accessories, but - honestly, I’d be better off using your regular outfit as a base for that. This dress is too frilly and has too little leather to really work, although perhaps with a cropped vest jacket and some feathering on the hair… Ah, sorry.” The man chuckled sheepishly as he snapped himself out of his creative fuge. 

Raiko shook her head quickly, clearly not all that bothered, “Don’t apologize! I didn’t even realize I could look this good.” She paused, blushing a bit, “Fashion’s never really been my thing. Never interested me much, and still doesn’t really, but I can definitely appreciate it.”

Before Neil could respond, Mawile chirped insinstantly, hands on her hips as she stared towards the door. They had tried to find something for both Eevee and her, but had been utterly unable to. Which, mind, was not a slight on the store. This one was intended to cater largely towards humans and their fashion, not the fashion that Pokemon generally vibed more with. Eevee also looked vaguely intrigued by how much her trainer had changed, and was shooting her fellow Pokemon some intrigued looks.

“Right, right. Your turn is up, ladies. Just let us bag what we’re taking home.” The brown haired man said with a smile, turning towards the ‘keep’ pile that the redheaded store owner had blessedly kept sorted for them throughout that two hour long storm of fashion. Anna made her own stuff and had been a delight to talk shop with.

Only thing he wasn’t coming out of here with was black tie grade formalwear, but he’d gotten some rock solid slacks and button-ups. Also a good traditional overcoat that’d see him through rain, snow, wind and more. Nevermind the endless pockets the damn thing had.

“Thank you for your business!” Anna chirped as she professionally bagged the items that they had all agreed to purchase, separating them into two different bags rapidly and efficiently. Thankfully, Neil had the foresight to pay for all of this earlier (Raiko had paid for the items she had chosen to keep as well) so they simply grabbed their bags and swiftly made their way out of the shop, wallets lighter but hearts buoyed.

Retail therapy was a thing for a reason, after all.