[OPEN] A guaranteed personality

[spes_phthisica]

WHO: Souji, anyone who agreed to go shopping with him, and anyone else who wants to tag along.
WHAT: You know in high school movies / chick flicks when there's this awesome empowering shopping montage where everyone is laughing all the time and no one isn't fabulous?
This probably isn't going to be like that, let's be real.
WHERE: New York, I'm guessing. No, they didn't take the jet there, sorry.
WHEN: Saturday, 13/9
WARNING(S): This is a company consisting of a man who used to eat people, a woman with a PhD in Sexual Innuendo, a teacher who still has romantic feelings about someone who is technically a high school student, a high school student suffering from mutation-induced violent tendencies, and a rape survivor with PTSD. So, probably yes. Only Bridget isn't a walking CW/TW in and of himself, but people's reactions to him might warrant it.
Will add more specific things if required.

This will be a collection log of random things, so just throw up a header inside and play things out at leisure <3

Comments

[seduceme]

While for most of the day in the shops Christelle has kept to her normal self (albeit with carefully applied makeup to hide her scars and large sunglasses to hide most of what was usually covered by her mask anyway), when they approach one of the shops she promised to take Souji to, she transforms into a somewhat older version of him so she might look more like his older brother, dressed in the same outfit she'd demonstrated to him over the network the other day. If Hijikata had any proper reasons why Souji shouldn't try out some gothic fashion, she might have listened, but since he didn't... Well, Hijikata and Bigby are welcome to wait outside while Chris busies herself with finding all the outfits for Souji to try on. Or they can try to dissuade the not-quite-teen from some of the outfits.

[spes_phthisica]

Souji is already pretty hyped up on excitement about everything by the time they reach their particular store, it's even been a little hard at times to actually get him to focus on the whole trying on clothes thing. And of course there's been the whole crowds thing. But, well, it's a different matter entirely when Christelle as specifically taken him to this place on his request, right?

And so he detaches himself from Hijikata's arm, leaving him to carry everything that has already been bought during the day, and flits over to Christelle. He laughs as she transforms to look almost like him, reaching out to poke her cheek experimentally, and then grabs on to her wrist and tugging her inside. Then he hesitates a bit, as if suddenly realizing that he's not sure where to direct his momentum. "So... where do we begin?"

[seduceme]

She wrinkles her face at the cheek poking but lets herself be tugged along, behaving just a bit like an exasperated older brother that's been dragged out for shopping. When Souji wavers, she immediately puts her hands to his shoulders and leads him to the shirts and waistcoats. "What colours do you like?"

[spes_phthisica]

Souji is only too happy to allow himself to be led - he always has been, really, because he was practically born to be someone's follower. And this is a new world for him in so many ways, it only makes sense for Chris to take the lead.

"White. I mean... light colors, soft colors, pastels." He laughs and wrinkles his nose a bit. "I guess that's not very goth in itself, but I guess I'll have to compromise."

[spes_phthisica]

Whether Souji's memories are real or not, this is the first time he can actually remember being on a proper shopping trip like this. Vague memories of his sister taking him to try out shoes when he was nine, or being taken to some exclusive shop and getting dressed up to be someone's arm decoration for an evening don't really count, right? This is him, with his own money (albeit money that he was given) going out to buy whatever clothes he likes in the company of friends (or well, three teacher escorts and some other students that he doesn't know all that well yet). The details are actually unimportant. The important thing is that this is incredibly exciting, and he wants to do everything.

A.
Trying out clothes really is a lot of fun! It's too bad, really, that Souji's life has left him somewhat fashion damaged, since no one has ever been there to tell him what looks absolutely ridiculous. Someone please inform him that buying something like this isn't even okay for ironic purposes, and definitely not when you're absolutely serious.

B.
Clothes are fun, but you know something that is really distracting? Candy. Admittedly Souji wasn't given money so he could throw it away on sweets, but there is no harm in just looking around in this huge candy store, right? And mmmmmmaybe buying one or two things?

C.
Something that is not so fun is the fact that Souji's entire body, due to his mutation, basically is an emergency alert system. And now there are a lot more people around than he's used to, and he's in an unfamiliar environment which he has no means of controlling, which means he has all systems running turned up until the gauge breaks. Sooner or later, this was bound to start getting to him, and it really is just typical that it has to happen when he's managed to run off from the main group.
Anyone who comes looking, or who just happen upon him, will find him slumped forward on one of the padded benches in a shoe store, fighting for breath as he tries not to hyperventilate.

C of course

[whosafraidofthe]

Bigby had been trying his best to at least keep his nose on him, but Souji is a new scent and managed to slip past him for a bit. That worries him enough, but finding him in this state...

"I don't have to worry yet, do I?" He speaks casually, while he mentally starts a timer for how long he can be in here without needing a smoke break. Hmm... Best not to cut it too close.

[spes_phthisica]

Souji tenses a bit further at the sound of a voice close by, looking up and attempting a smile in between dragging down more breath in his lungs, shaking his head briefly. It appears to be an indication that Bigby shouldn't worry, though the general state of him suggests that a little bit of worrying might be in order, more for his health than that of others.

Give him a moment to calm down somewhat.

"This is just... a byproduct of my mutation." He sounds kind of tired. "They used to think it was... PTSD, because of the panic- the way it-" He waves a hand a bit aimlessly as he tries to regain his breath a bit. "This doesn't actually make me attack anyone. They have to strike first for that."

[whosafraidofthe]

"You don't have to talk until you're ready."

Bigby slowly takes a seat beside him and places a hand gently on his head. "Just try and take deep breaths, focus on your heartbeat until it slows down. Think about sleeping in the sun or something. You can explain to me when you don't sound like you're about to keel over."

His posture is a bit tense, though, as he's still not sure how short Souji's trigger is. And he's ever-alert as to the locations of the rest of their ramshackle crew.

B, for maximum canon parallel!

[koukai_kirai]

Hijikata follows him into the shop like a tall, dark, bag-toting shadow. He's dressed sharper than ever, in a new suit for the Fall season -- there's a shade of russet in the dark brown of his waistcoat, and while he's without a tie, his seams and folds are flawless, his jacket tailored to perfection -- and it only makes him stand out all the more starkly amongst the late-summer tourists and the greedy-eyed children. Some people, he's aware, are staring. In a different way than some people usually stare at him.

He stays near Souji (in case he's needed, he tells himself), occasionally speaking out in a low voice.

"If you buy one that size, you'll make yourself sick. We haven't had dinner yet, either."

For maximum sweetness B|

[spes_phthisica]

Souji looks up from where he's squatting to study some truly enormous candy canes, and like a mature adult sticks out his tongue at Hijikata. Then he laughs and bounces to his feet, reaching over to yank teasingly at his hair. "I was just looking. They'd be far too impractical to carry around, and they'd probably get sticky and gross before I manage to eat even a tenth of them." See, he knows how to reason in a mature way about this!

But then again, he is definitely going to grab the sleeve of Hijikata's impeccable suit and tow him along, because they're certainly not leaving yet. "You're sounding just like my mother. Or, well, like I imagine a mother sounds like, I suppose." It's said so casually, it's obviously meant as nothing more than an offhand correction, but probably sounds fairly sad nonetheless. "Is it really your job to make sure I don't ruin my appetite before dinner?"

a

[kickstart_my_heart]

"Where... did you even find that?" Bridget was completely flabbergasted. He had seen pictures of jackets like that. He'd heard rumors of their existence. But to be presented with one in real life...

[spes_phthisica]

Souji blinks, and actually has to follow Bridget's gaze to figure out which garment he means. "Oh, that! I found it over there, in the Retro Corner." He hesitates just a little bit, putting back the shirt he's been looking at. "Retro is good, right?" Bless this child...

[nobodysweapon]

Laura went along on this trip as, from what she saw during her time trying to be a normal student, the mall and off hours socalizing was a very important to your social standing. She did not understand how a place built around commerce was a thriving social area for people who were, by definition, unable to put all of their efforts into gainful employment. But that was just another in a long list of things she did not understand about humanity (or mutantanty, which worked with the same rules).

She, however, had a sizable nest egg, mostly because if crime happened to end up involving her, she made sure to raid the petty cash off of the local criminal organizations. Usually it was just breaking up gangs that decided she was an easy target, but there was an A.I.M. base or two that she leveled because they figured out who she was. So she was working on replacing some of her clothes that were ruined by blood, fire, bullets, corrosives, small yield explosives...

She wore a pale gray sundress (easiest garment to get out of) and took her collection of tight pants, shorts, miniskirts, dresses, and tops to the changing room to try on. In a rainbow of styles and colors, no real rhyme or reason to it. Maybe one of her classmates would make suggestions for what feels like it really suits her, and what seems wrong.

[spes_phthisica]

Wait, where did Laura go? Souji appears to have something that in a dog would probably be referred to as herding instincts, in that he usually tries to make sure people stay together within the group, and if anyone strays he feels compelled to go looking - nevermind that he himself has a tendency to run off on his own at times.

At least there is no sign that she would have left the store, and after some maneuvering around, he realizes that the only place she could be where she wouldn't be seen is in the changing rooms. So naturally, that's where he heads.

"There you are." And no one has apparently taught him in nineteen years that it's kind of impolite to stand on his tiptoes and look over the door to the changing room when someone is changing on the other side.

[nobodysweapon]

If this was anyone else, there would be screaming. This was not anyone else, so the fact that she's wearing only her underwear is just... a state of dress. She did not know she was required to stay with the group even when she was going to the changing rooms. But Souji did not seem to be the most naturally functional at human social interaction, "I am trying on new outfits. I am not sure what I like."

In-Person Or Text

[diabhal_beag]

[In-Person]

Officially, Carlyn Niamh Caimbeulach was on the trip as a teacher-supervisor, there to make sure everyone was safe. Then again, the trip already had Christelle, so most people were rather convinced she just wanted to do some shopping. The three boxes she'd brought back to the van certainly represented as much. They were taped shut, but one clearly read 'Barnes & Noble' on the side - she was on a media binge again. Realistically, she'd probably max out at least one of her cards and spend months paying it off. She'd be easy to run into either in transit to or from a shop or the truck, or just sipping coffee from a local coffee shop with a 'friends don't let friends drink Starbucks' pin on her shirt.

[Text]

[Of course, shopping or not, she's still taking everyone's safety at least somewhat seriously. Unless someone tells her they're going into a movie or something, they'll get a text no less frequently than once an hour, usually to the form of:] Where are you? Do you need anything? [Occasionally with a reminder if someone had said they'd be somewhere at some time or the like. Honestly, it's probably a bit annoying, even if it is her job and at least theoretically why she's here...]

Text + image

[spes_phthisica]

[In response, she'll get a picture of a very long-suffering looking Hijikata with this thing in his hair from Souji's number.]

I think we need the fashion police
someone here is being dangerously edgy

Re: Text + image

[diabhal_beag]

... I'm not sure who would react how back at the Institute if you wore that around campus on typical days. But I'm reasonably sure someone would want to record the results.

Text

[littlerabbit]

[Melinda doesn't mind being checked up on, it's actually pretty comforting knowing that the chance of something happening to her without someone noticing is pretty low. So she dutifully answers each text with a description of where she is.

One text however, is not like the others.]

I'm lost in a sea of colors with names like "periwinkle" and "gamboge". I think I need a translator.

Re: Text

[diabhal_beag]

... I'm not going to lie, I'd be totally lost too. Google might be your friend? Maybe?

Open

[koukai_kirai]

It's not quite right to say that Hijikata got dragged into this, but it's not quite wrong, either, and he'd really rather prefer it if people thought so.

He'd really intended to stay out of it if possible. But the fact of the matter is that he doesn't much trust Bigby yet, and the way he talked to Souji so bluntly about the possibility of having to subdue him violently... it put him on edge. It didn't take much more to get him to come along -- really just the suggestion.

[A]

At the very least, he's dressed excellently for the change of the season, his dark suit not quite heavy enough for Fall proper, sharp and flattering in cut, a little half-there hint of russet in the shade of his brown waistcoat (the buttons are bronze, and match his cufflinks, not that the latter go seen with his jacket on.)

And if, while they're in one of the shops, someone else ventures afoul of good taste, it's possible that he'll be there, watching. Judging. They'll see it in his eyes, even if he doesn't speak up.

[B]

He spends most of the day following whichever group Souji is with like a sort of ill-tempered, protective sheepdog. While Souji is often latched on to his arm, he does occasionally detach to go look at something shiny; in those moments, Hijikata just hovers nearby, perhaps just outside the shop, smoking if the area allows, keeping a watchful eye on things. One might have to speak to him, to be spoken to.

[C]

Once or twice, something special happens. Hijikata catches a glance of something or other in a high-end menswear boutique window, and pauses, with a look of consideration on his face. That shirt...

"I'm going in here. Go ahead if you want. I'll text and find out where you are when I'm finished."

B

[seduceme]

After having gone through several shops and multiple transformations to suit some of them so she'd be able to see clearly without her sunglasses, even Christelle is just a bit tired and has to take a breather. With Bigby to watch Souji in one of the other half-milion candy stores they've passed, the frenchwoman settles on a bench next to Souji and takes out her cigarettes. "Your little man 'as far more energy than should be 'ealthy," she comments drily.

Next to Hijikata, I'm assuming?

[koukai_kirai]

He takes a drag from his cigarette, then goes into his pocket for his lighter, the same one he always keeps on him (discreet, silver, with delicate little etchings on the surface) and offers it over to her.

"I'd suggest he saved it all up in stasis, but he's been like that for years and years."

Not since they first met -- he was quiet and sullen then, with large eyes full of nothing. It had taken months of support for him to really come alive, and Hijikata wouldn't trade anything in the world for the liveliness he had now -- it might be a little bit of a nuisance, from time to time, but it sets his heart at ease to see Souji so able to smile, even when he can see right through it.

[littlerabbit]

A.
Melinda's lost. Not in the sense that she's wandered too far away from the rest of the group and doesn't know how to find them again but in that once faced with the reality of an actual clothing store she has no idea of what to look for. While she's beginning to feel ready to move away from the shapeless, oversized sweaters and jeans she's been rocking so far, which essentially hides the fact that there's an actual body under there at all, she's not at all sure what else she might be comfortable with. Maybe something with color would be nice?

She wanders around aimlessly, examining piece after piece with cautious interest but never going so far as to actually picking anything up. She's going to need some help to ensure she doesn't walk away for there completely empty handed.

B.
Shopping for clothes is potentially fun and at the very least necessary, but there are other things as well that a growing student needs to survive. In Melinda's case that something is art supplies. Sure, the school has a pretty good setup but she doesn't feel comfortable taking them for personal use.

Figuring that none of the others would be very interested in looking around the art store she doesn't really bother trying to announce where she's going. Besides no one's going to notice if she just slips away for a little bit, right?

B

[koukai_kirai]

They might not be paying attention to her, but who's to say they're not in the art store already?

Hijikata is over by the calligraphy supplies, examining a wood and hair brush. He doesn't seem to have noticed Melinda yet. What will she do?