Yet Again... [OPEN]

In an odd and usually unreasonable string of gestures and events, Xavier had disappeared within a crowd and reappeared hiding around the corner, trying his best to hide from what was pursuing him. As he took a moment to compose himself, he noticed a man wearing some sort of strange red and brown clothing, lying on the ground as if he had given up on everything in life. Xavier regained his breath, and looked down at the man once more.

'Umm...' and that's all he could manage to say: as soon as he had barely uttered the one word, his ear twitched and his eyes widened, his face then being replaced with his typical scowl.

'Ugh, here they come again...' He noticed the man was lying right in the middle of general traffic; he would surely suffer injury if he didn't move...and as much as Xavier didn't care about this man, it would be quiet the injustice on his part if he just let him die there. Xavier sighed, then bent over and grabbed a piece of the man's collar between his thumb and pointer finger. '...It's time to go...' He muttered, then disappeared and reappeared around a corner further away from their previous location.

Xavier slowly glanced around the corner, then immediately shrunk back as a stampede of angry humans and faunus alike stormed right on by, shouting phrases like 'cheating faunus scoundrel' and 'thieving bat boy' as they went. Soon there were no shouts, only kicked-up dust and playing cards littering the street.

Xavier sighed with relief, then turned his attention back to the man. 'Look...dude, I don't care what your issue is, you can't just lie in the middle of the street.' he grumbled, then took a squirrel-snack out of his pocket and began to munch on it. Were the man observant enough, he would notice the bulging pocket of Xavier's brand-new black jeans.

Not only had the man not ever acknowledge the favor Xavier did for him, but he even had the nerve to get ornery with him, and accuse him of a misdeed.

Boy, the more I get to know male humans, the more the just seem to be straight up not worth the effort. Xavier let out a low snarl, showing his fangs in a sign of frustration.

'Look here, human, I saved you from becoming one with the road by an angry mob. The least you can do is return a favor for me.' Xavier reached into his pocket and pulled out what, to him, was a bunch of plastic cards. Any other beings that were not a wood-secluded dweller like himself could tell he was hold a decent stack of Lien. 'I went into this building that had a whole bunch of lights and stuff with weird machines, and this guy in a black hat told me that I should hit up the 'card table' because I was a natural. So I did, and I used the card like this that I had to enter. I'm still no sure what happened, but I guess the cards the dealer guy gave to me were just better than the ones he gave everyone else, didn't seem very fair but apparently that's how it worked.'

Xavier reached into his pocket again and pulled out another decent stack of Lien. 'So, about an hour or so after I started, a couple of guys came up to me and said I couldn't play anymore. When I asked them why, they said I knew why and tried force me out. I evaded them of course, and since then that mob has been after me.' Xavier had reached into his pocket and pulled out yet another decent stack of Lien. 'I mean, it's not like I did anything wrong: I don't even know what was going on, but I apparently kept winning. How is that my fault? If that is how they are going to react, they need to up the difficulty of their game, not kick out players.' Xavier then pulled out yet ANOTHER decent stack of Lien.

'I ran into a nice older lady who told me that these things could get me whatever I wanted, but only if I had enough. When I tried to ask her what I had enough for, she was walking away and the mob was on my tail. I just wanna know how these things work, because I gave one to this guy selling these pants, and he gave me a pair.' Xavier pulled out one final stack of Lien from his pocket...and that concluded the contents of his right pocket; his left pocket remained packed with something.

'So, if you could please tell me if I have enough? I need some new clothes and supplies for the academy. Xavier walked over to the man as he inspected the first stack of Lien. If it helps at all, this one says "SO", and I have a whole bunch of them. This one says "IOO", and I have a whole bunch of those as well, as well as the one that says "SOO" and "IOOO".' he did his best to explain the cards to the man, but you honestly had no idea what he was looking at.

(In case you didn't, Xavier is teaching himself to read, so he thinks the numbers or letters.)

As he waited for the man's response, he organized the plastic cards that he was given. The man was wondering how long he had been in the city.

'Today was my first day going outside of Syne Academy, other than the woods. I haven't been in the city for a while. That has nothing to do with the situation at hand, however.'

As he waited for the man to make a decision, in which he was either a bit on the slower end or was really taking his time on such a simple request, Xavier dug into his left pocket and pulled out the other plastic cards. There were a few more with the letters 'IOOO' written on them, followed by a chunk of ones that read 'ZOOO', and finally the last of them reading 'SOOO.' He was trying to organize them alphabetically, but for some reason it didn't seem correct to his eyes, so he began to sort them by the amount of letter they had: Lowest, to highest.

He had gotten to the point where all he had left were the ones that all had four letters, and he was just starting to struggle with their organization when the man spoke up again. His tone had changed completely, and his demeanor was also a complete reverse from earlier. He put his arm over Xavier's shoulders, and he couldn't help but show his fangs in distaste. He was about to help this man remove his arm from his shoulders when he decided to do it himself. He spoke as if they were friends all of a sudden, offer his hand, and mentioned that he called himself 'Kei.' Xavier didn't trust this man at all, especially not with the sudden shift in persona.

What is it with male humans and always having to hide behind some sort of false face? Are their true selves really that terrible?

Xavier brushed off the man's offer of a handshake: he just looked him in the eyes and spoke. '...Right, I really just asked you to answer a simple question for me. I don't need your help finding anything, just if these plastic things will cover the clothes and other supplies I need. I guess if you want to tag along, you could be useful in explaining this at each shop, and if you are useful to me I can't object...at least you won't be lying in the streets, so I guess it works out best this way.' Xavier had decided to order the last four types of cards starting with 'IOOO' and ending with 'SOOO', and after sorting them, threw them into a special side pocket of the new jeans he bought.

'Name's Xavier, and I have an idea of where I'm headed. That lady told me where the jeans were at, and I saw some other places that seemed useful to stop by. I only need you to let me know if I have 'enough' for the items I desire, and I need you for no other reason, so keep that in mind.' Xavier began to walk around the corner and head off towards the shops.

(If Kei was observant enough, he would note that Xavier revealed to have around 95,000 Lien. You will find out what happened to 5,000 of it soon.)

The man named Kei was more focused on talking some sort of game instead of focusing on heading to their destination. He mentioned that people kill for 'money' and that he shouldn't let people know how much he has on him. Xavier could only assume that meant he was one side of the spectrum: he either had a lot, or he had very little, of which he still wasn't sure yet.

Then male then rambled on about not doubting Xavier's fighting ability, and mentioning a coined phrase that advised avoiding fights was the best strategy. He even mentioned that he would be more useful than as a counter, and that he had great fashion sense. That last comment made Xavier chuckle.

'Look human, I'm not sure what sort of song and dance you're trying to perform here, but I really don't care. As for your statements, I would have to disagree other than my fighting skill: there are times when a fight is unavoidable, I care not of your other skills or uses, and...' Xavier looked him up and down briefly, 'Even if it was your job to dress up others, I'd have to past on your tastes. I have no idea what a 'fashion star' or an 'autograph' is, but the one sounds overly extravagant and useless to me, and I don't want people coming to me for anything.'

Xavier had turned to speak with him, and now turned his back to him again. 'I asked for your aid, nothing more or less. You can choose to come along and do so, or you can go back to lying in the street. I don't care either way, as I'll just go back and do it how I did before and just give them what they ask for, it matters not to me.' Xavier was done wasting time on this conversation, and as such he began walking once more towards the clothing shop the lady mentioned.

The man named Kei kept talking about the importance of fashion, which meant nothing to Xavier, other than the fact that the academy had a strict 'dress code' which meant that he couldn't wear the clothing he had made for himself in the woods: apparently it was considered 'too revealing', and he was given temporary replacements until he could obtain his own. Xavier found that his garments weren't really all that revealing, but rather not as restrictive when it came to movement, but it would seem that the academy cared more about appearance rather than performance.

Xavier duly noted the manner in which Kei accepted coming with him: He had put up some sort of verbal argument about being more than just what Xavier needed him for, and when he was shot down he decided to come along regardless, and his tone didn't seem to change the whole time. Xavier knew enough about male humans to know how badly they cared about only themselves, to go so far to even fake being loving and caring just to get what they want, and this man did not seem genuine in the slightest...however, after a short mulling-over, Xavier decided that it would be worth bringing him along if only for amusement.

'Good thing I don't care about being liked then, I suppose.' he muttered in a snarky manner, then proceeded to lead the way towards the shop the lady had mentioned earlier. He knew it wasn't too far off, but the mob chasing him had thrown him off the path her was originally taking. After about five minutes though, they arrived at the bazaar-esq district, with multiple shops that were setup outside the buildings. He wasn't sure whether some of the shops were always set that way with smaller stands outside in the street, or whether this was some sort of special event.

He remembered the lady's instructions, and as he weaved through the street plagued with moving bodies, he found the stand he was looking for: the sign read 'Mrs. Finnley's Fashion Fabulous'...not the Xavier could read the sign of course, but he knew it was the right one because of the colors of the sign and the fact that it had a four-leaf clover on the sign, which is what the lady had mentioned to him. He stood there and studied the different kinds of clothing for a few moments until a lady came to great him from behind the stand to greet him.

'Well, hello there young man. Welcome to Mrs. Finnley's Fashion Fabulous!' she sounded like she had said that many a time in her life, yet was always excited to speak her lines. Her voice also sounded very different, even though she spoke the same language, and this puzzled Xavier a bit. 'How can I be of service to you?' Xavier decided to look around a moment longer, then focused his attention on the lady. He pulled the black slacks he was allowed to borrow out of his backpouch, and then unfurled them and held them up to his waist in an effort to give the lady an idea of how the whole outfit looked, as he was still wearing the upper portion.

'Well, as you can see, this the outfit that Syne Academy has chosen for me to wear until I get my own. I would like to get that here, and I like the colors being black with a sort of dark pink interior...but whatever this is made out of is hard to move in, and being a hunter I can't have that. It's also very hard to get out of for me, I'm not used to all these different parts to mess with, so if you had something that was simpler to put on and take off that would be great.' He did his best to describe to the woman what he desired, but he wasn't sure if he had explained well enough.

'I see. It would seem that a button-up would be the best choice for you, as it would be easier to manage, but also within Syne's dress code. You would also need some black slack to go with the button-up, do you know your measurements?' the lady finished with a question, and Xavier recalled that he had been asked this question at the stand he went to before.

'Umm, well I know I'm supposed to get any pants at size...thirty? I think that's what the man said. I'm not sure about anything else.' he admitted honestly.

'That's fine, most men don't know their sizes when it comes to clothing, at least not the first time around. Let's just find that out real quick. Mind taking off your top very briefly for me? If you want, we can go into our room in the back if you're uncomfortable with-' she cut herself short as she looked and saw Xavier was already working on taking his top off. It took him a minute or so, but he got it off and the lady came up with some weird tools that he assumed would determine what size he was...somehow.

She began to speak to herself a bit as she moved around him, then she rolled something out and put it against his chest, near his shoulders. 'Oh my, no wonder you were uncomfortable in this getup sweetie, it goes against your body type. You are very lean, yes, but you are also rather...well...'in shape.' It's a wonder you didn't rip right through this top! Okay, I've get the measurement I need, so we need something that's about a large, but has some breathing room for those...muscles of yours.' The lady's face had changed in hue very slightly, a bit rosier than earlier Xavier noted as she went into the back portion of her stand and disappeared from view.

He assumed it would take her a while, so he looked towards the man named 'Kei.' 'Why is her voice so different, if you can answer that? Also, Out of pure curiosity, any particular reason you chose the middle of the walkway as your sleeping quarters?'

Xavier had listened to nearly ever word the man 'Kei' had said...up until he began is reasoning for lying in the street. Xavier had noticed a pattern in his speech, and he could identify when he was making things up. Why he felt the need to make up such fallacies was beyond Xavier, but he figured that not everyone agreed with the forward and honest approach.

'Right...that explains it alright.' He muttered sarcastically. As it was turning out so far, Xavier was right: this male had so far shown himself to be of no use outside the initial purpose he claimed him for. His comments about long-standing relationship issues between Faunus and humans seemed legitimate however, and while Xavier didn't mind humans fearing him, the idea that someone would view him as a simple animal was irritating. Was there little to no good nature when it came to humans?

He was actually about to ask the male that when the lady returned to them with an outfit in her hands. It was a two-piece outfit, consisting of a black button up shirt and black slacks.

'Well, I managed to find not only your size, but also a fabric that would be less...restrictive for your...frame.' She told them, her face still hued.

'I appreciate that. There is one more thing, however...' Xavier then unfurled his wings fully, letting his weapon hit the ground. Doing so made a bit of a draft that may very well have rustled some nearby objects and possibly gently pushed the male human. It definitely startled the woman. Xavier sighed heavily with relief, gently wiggling his wings for a moment before he continued. 'I hate having these things clamped to my back all day, so if you could fix the shirt so that I can have my wings out, that would be great.' He finished, waiting for her response. As he waited, he noticed a top that was baggy and had something that looked like it was supposed to cover the head of the wearer. His eye caught the decal on the front: a man was standing on the edge of an extension of a clock tower, looking into the distance in the direction of a full moon, with what looked like bat people standing behind him . Xavier's ears twitched, and he pointed his finger at what he saw.

'That! I would also like that, fit for me of course, if you can.' He turned to look at the lady who still seemed to be stunned. He took this opportunity to study her a bit: she seemed still rather young, but older than himself or the male human. Her hair was rather red, yet looked natural, and her lips were also naturally rosy like her cheeks.

'Umm...right, of course. Give me just a moment.' she stammered as she quickly went behind the booth again.

He then turned back to the male human. 'I don't think her voice has anything to do with tone or attitude: it seems to be something she just...does.'

(She is a Scottswoman, and has an accent)

Xavier just stared at the male with a look of genuine disapproval. 'Right, as if lying on the ground in a hopeless manner is amazing in any regard.' he scoffed.

'Kei' then began on some sort of examination process, asking him what he thought of humans in general, but specifically females. He made an off comment about comparing them to 'cat girls', which he could only assume meant that particular sort of Faunus. He looked down just a moment to gather the thoughts he wished to express towards such a comment, then looked back up and into the male's eyes as he crossed his arms.

'I really don't have an opinion on humans in general, my interaction with them being rather limited. I've decided my outlook on one half of the species: males.' Xavier's wings twitched slightly, and he gave them a quick rub down before continuing.'Outside of skills in combat, I have yet to meet a male human worth his weight in dung. They always have some sort of facade to hide behind, like even showing remotely any of their true self is an impossible task, that putting on a false performance is somehow better than just being forthright about one's self. It doesn't help that so far, the only true self's I've seen out of them are selfishness and pride, but I'd rather see one acknowledge and accept that than try and hide under a mask. Not a single one has given me reason to think better of male humans as a whole, not a single one...' he admitted with no remorse, as there was no to be had for him, his eyes still focused solely on the male human.

'That of course, as with nearly anything, could change. As for human females, I really have no opinion, as I've had little contact with them.' Xavier uncrossed his arms long enough to gesture with his right hand towards the clothing stand. 'In all honesty this is the first female human I have spoken with in quite a long time, and I cannot base an opinion off a single interaction, not a fair one anyway. I would label this encounter so far as...interesting.' Xavier returned his arms to a crossed position.

'As for 'competing' and 'giving credit', I have no idea what you are talking about: I've never seen any such competition between human females and Faunus females, and as such I would be unable to give credit to either party.'

Xavier then decided it was his turn to question the male human. 'Let's flip the topic on it's head for a brief moment: What about you? What do you think about Faunus? Do you see us as equals, or just simple beasts? Are we something to be embraced, or feared? Is it really worth fearing another being just because of how different they are? Keep in mind that outside of minor interaction, I've never even heard of there being a widespread issue between the two superior beings. Maybe it's not even fear or hate, but maybe just plan jealousy among humans that causes such a controversy?'

Xavier bared his fangs at first when he heard the male human say he thought his kind were 'worse than animals,' but then he pretty much explained his stance on the subject as he stated how humans weren't much better and how both functioned on hatred and misunderstanding. Xavier paused for a while the male went on about a vacation and something that sounded laid-back and somewhat odd.

Xavier pondered the male's words: they rang true deep within his mind, and he very much agreed with what he had stated. 'It would seem both races are fueled by hate, a blind hate. I mean, it does seem easier to just cause grief and strife than take the time to understand something or someone. It would seem both humans and Faunus are much more alike than they would like to admit, and maybe that is where the true fear lies: being so similar to something or someone that is foreign or unknown can be rather scary, especially when one doesn't even truly know themselves, or does know themselves and are trying to hide from it. I guess that would explain the facades I witness on the daily. Hmm...maybe if both races could come to terms with themselves, then maybe they could come to terms with each other: accepting who they are as an individual and a group and being honest from within before engaging one another.' Xavier realized that he was looking off into the distance as he uttered such ponderings. He then turned back to the male human with a bit of an honest smile.

'Eh, but what do I know? I just hunt stuff and come from a primitive background. I obviously am not one to attempt such insights.' His ears twitched, and he turned to the booth in time to see the lady come out from the back. She was wobbling about, and rightfully so, as it seemed she to be carrying at least four different articles of clothing about her arms and the door had almost caught her in her hurry. She turned around, her face flush from what he assumed was strain or frustration, but her mouth quickly went from a scowl to a smile.

'I do apologize about the wait! I haven't had to make edits like this before, and I wanted to make sure I made something that would work for your wings, but was also still easy to put on in general. I've made changes for wings before, but yours are rather large in size, so it made things a bit difficult. I also realized that I would have to make changes to the the outfit as a whole, not just the shirt, so that took some time as well...' She set some of the clothing down on the booth which Xavier then realized was much more than four articles, then picked up something that resembled a top, but was a dark pink.

'This would be your undershirt, but you can wear this without a jacket if it's hot. It's just a typical button-up top, but...' She then turned it around, showing off the back of the top. 'I custom designed it for your wings. These openings here and here should be the perfect size for your wings to slide through without difficulty or discomfort, and I designed it so that you could button them shut, should you decided to keep in your wings for any reason. I also picked a more flexible fabric so that it would not only compliment your general physical for fashion and mobility, but also so that adjusting your wings wouldn't be a hassle.' She put the top down, and picked up three more. 'These are exactly like the first, except in color: I provided you with a red, a black, a white, and a gray top as well. They all seem to compliment your complexion and they go well with the jackets. You mentioned you liked the color from the rental the academy gave you, so I did my best to match that as you can tell from the previous top.' She set those down, and then picked up what Xavier knew was a jacket.

'Now this one was a bit tricky, but I managed to find a way to alter it so that it works very similar to the cuffs on the jacket you were borrowing, and works just like the button-ups from before. It may be a bit more difficult than the button-ups due to the nature of being slightly restricted by already having clothing on, but if you always fit your wings in first before your arms, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. Of course, I have a jacket for each of the previously mentioned colors, as well as slacks.' she then put down the jacket and picked up the baggy article of clothing Xavier had pointed out earlier.

'This was by far the trickiest part, trying to adjust something of this caliber of fabric, but I think I managed to make it work rather well. As you can see, this hoodie is a zip-up, and is a lot easier to manage than buttons or a slip-on due to that. To keep with that theme, I managed to fit in zippers that you can zip or unzip to let your wings in or out. I also took a bit of a liberty and found some t-shirts for you to wear on your off-days, and since you seem to like a bit more of the darker and slightly more Gothic style mixed with something that seems...well, 'more relatable' to you, I chose these. They are tailored towards your request, of course.' she held up both t-shirts, one in each hand. The one on the left was white and had a girl running through a forest filled with dead trees while being chased by a swarm of bats under full moonlight, detailed in black. The one on the right was black with a man with his back facing forward, only his right bat wing showing with lighting everywhere, and it was detailed in white.

Xavier's ears wiggled as he looked at the t-shirts, and he looked everything over before looking back to the woman. 'Everything seems great...' he then grabbed one of the button up shirts and tried it on, putting his wings through first, then his arms. He buttoned it up just to make sure, and it seems to fit well and it felt nice. He then tried on a jacket on top of it, and after a moment he had it on as well, and it felt just as good. He took off both the jacket and button-up and tried on the 'hoodie', and he really liked how it felt, so he decided to keep it on. 'I approve of all these items. How much is everything?' Xavier asked, his hand naturally guiding themselves to the pockets on the front of the hoodie.

'Well, let me add that up for you. Keep in mind you'll need some shoes, and unfortunately I don't sell shoes here. I'm really good friends with Mrs. Cobblestone, so I would suggest you go her stand about five stands down that way, she makes great quality shoes. If you show her the outfits, she'll be able to make shoes for each one. Now, let's see here...' the lady reached for something under the booth, and pulled out some sort of device with buttons on it. She started pegging away on it, and it sucked in and spit out paper occasionally as she did. 'Hmm...now, we have eighteen articles of clothing, five of which are button-ups...then the five jackets...then the five pairs of slacks...two t-shirts, the hoodie...custom edits, parts plus labor...take out the academy discount...and he's a first time shopper...hmm...' she had finished pegging away, and turned around to look at her wares. She then grabbed two pairs of blue jeans and a package of socks and a package of boxers and set them down with the rest of the clothes.

'I can toss in these two pairs of blue jeans and a week's worth of socks and undergarments, and with your discounts, that rounds it up to about 250 Lien. The most expensive items are the t-shirts and the hoodie, but you're saving more here with parts and labor, because I pride myself on fast but quality work. Since I don't have to work as long at it, I figure that should save us both time and money. Whattya say?' she had a smile on her face, and Xavier could tell she enjoyed her job a lot. Xavier looked down to examine the new articles: he knew what the blue jeans and socks were from seeing other guys at the academy wearing them, but he was unsure about the other package.

'These...'undergarments,' what is their purpose? I've never seen them before.' Xavier asked in an honest manner. This made the woman's face go completely red, and she stuttered as she tried to explain to him. 'Oh...umm, well...ehehe. Well, you see, they go...they go on you before...well, before you put anything else on, you put those on first. I'm suddenly so glad that you knew your pants size and that I had the tools for it, I don't think I could have handled any further disrobement from you...'

Xavier studied the 'undergarments' further before looking back up at the lady as he slide his backpouch back and and reached into the hidden compartment. She had just finished bagging everything up for him when he had gotten his Lien cards out. He grabbed one of the ones that said 'SOOO', put the rest back in the compartment, and handed it to the lady as he grabbed his bags. 'Thank you very much, you've been very helpful. Hopefully that's enough for you.' Xavier stated as he began to walk away. She took the Lien and had assumed at first it was exact, but then recognized how much he had given her.

'Umm, sir? Are you sure y-'

'Of course I'm sure, you took care of everything and then some. Thank you again, though.' Xavier had cut her off, assuming she was just making sure everything was agreeable with her product.

'Umm, but sir I think y-'

'Hey, how long do I have to wait just to buy some t-shirts? We've been waiting for ten minutes!' Another customer had bustled through, at the head of a line that had formed, containing at least ten people.

'Give me just one moment, I'll be right with you. Sir, please!' She called out to him, but Xavier was over halfway to the shoe stand she recommended, and she was getting swarmed by impatient customers. 'Umm, well then, umm...uh...Welcome to Mrs. Finnely's Fashion Fabulous! How can I help you?'

Xavier was now ready to buy shoes for his outfits, hopefully this would be as productive as the last.

(Currently at 90,000 Lien out of originally 100,000 Lien. Will there be any left for Kei to try and get somehow?)

'Actually, food sounds good, but I still have things left to buy. The clothing lady recommended someone for shoes, and I need to get new hunting equipment. I was told that I can get better equipment here than I know how to make, and I would love to see said equipment. Once we take care of that, we can stop and eat.' Xavier quickly updated Kei, and just in time as they arrived at the shoe stand.

'Well hello there young man, how are you? I assume you need some new shoes?' she said in a very wobbly voice, which matched her wobbly posture.

'Yes, I was sent here by the clothing lady, Mrs. Finnely. I need shoes for these four outfits, and I also could use a pair of casual shoes.' he informed her, opening the bags for her to get a glimpse of the outfits.

'Ahh, I see...wow, that one outfit is rather bright and extravagant. You should save that for a special event, maybe for a cute girl you like. It would make a rather dashing first impression, maybe even steal her heart away.' she mentioned in reference to the crimson jacket and slacks. Xavier was about to respond with a casual 'he doesn't like any girls' response, but an image of Anput flashed through is mind, and he felt his face getting warm and his wings fully expanded without his consent. They were rather stiff, and he couldn't get them to collapse. 'Umm...' and that was the best Xavier could managed as he struggled to rub his wings down to a point were they would collapse.

The old cobbler just chuckled, which made her wobble even more so than before. 'Don't get yourself in too much of a tizzy, sweetheart. I'll go ahead and work on your shoes for you. Give me just a moment to get your measurements.' She came around with a device that looked like a metal foot, took off Xavier's shoes, and put his foot in the device one at a time while fiddling with knobs on the device. After a few moments she took the device and went into her back room behind the stall. Xavier kept rubbing down his wings, trying to get them to settle, bothered by why they wouldn't listen to him.

Xavier had just managed to get his wings to loosen up a bit when the male human 'Kei' opened his mouth about Xavier liking nice shoes, and going so far as to request him shoes that would make women flock to him. He didn't understand this human's obsession with females, nearly everything he spoke about involved them in one way or another, but the idea of having Anput come see him made his wings spread out against his will yet again, and he started working on rubbing them down again.

The older lady came out of the back room with what looked like a yard stick, and she was scowling at the male human Kei through her big glasses. 'It would be wise of you not to doubt my skills, sonny. I've been stitching soles long before you were a glint in your father's eyes. I make sure all my clients receive top-of-the-line footwear, and your friend here is no exception.' She then reached over the counter and bopped the male human over the head with her yardstick. 'You need to learn to respect your elders, sonny. My name to you is Mrs. Cobblestone, not 'granny', and I expect to be called nothing other than.' she then wobbled back to the back room and began working on the shoes.

With nothing else to do, Xavier turned to the male human, his face flush and wings rigid. As he continued to rub them down, he probed Kei for his response on his previous thought. 'I've noticed you've mention females a lot, you seem to have some sort of obsession with them. Why is that? Before you speak however, I desire the true reasoning behind the obsession, not some tale you've spun...and I will know the difference.' He eyed the male human, Xavier's face just beginning to lose some it's recent flush.

'You honestly make no sense to me at all. What do you mean going off and saying 'all guys like women?' What does that even mean? Then you proceed to say a 'homo' wouldn't like women, I'm lost at your statements. If we are referring to mates, then I guess it's a bit clearer...but then why wouldn't a male pursue a female?'

Xavier pondered the thought of a male not pursuing females. He then wondered what they would pursue...careers, money, fame?

As he pondered these thoughts, the shoe lady returned with five pairs of shoes, one of each color in relation to the outfits he obtained earlier. He turned and looked them over: instead of laces, they had some sort of spikey binding mechanism that worked in a similar fashion. The old lady started bagging them up, and Xavier got out his Lien.

'I approve of the product, you do great work and are also very quick. How much do I owe you?' he asked as he organized the Lien.

After looking over all his items and throwing in two packages containing more of the spikey straps, she then leaned over and took a total of 300 Lien. She then handed the bag of shoes to Xavier, and informed him that while there were no more clothing stalls he needed to shop at, if he needed anything else it would be farther ahead. Xavier ushered Kei forward, and they strolled on as Xavier looked for someone selling hunting gear.

After a bit of walking, they came across a tent with flashing lights, and Xavier assumed this was another place like the one were he had won all the cards before they forced him out. He began to walk into the tent, and anyone who paid half attention would know two things: The sign read 'Franky's Fiesty Faunus Floozies', and Xavier was way too young to be going in there.

Xavier felt like Kei's statement was rather off, the portion about people being more like him being a good thing anyway as he pondered possible responses. The notion that Kei was eager to go into the tent gave him the notion that they shouldn't, just due to the male's nature.

'We may return here later, once the errands are finished. I frankly see no reason as to why I would need to cause more problems with the owners, and so far I've been able to pay for anything, but should we need to return we shall.'

Xavier then headed on forward in his previous direction, and he noticed a stand that had a bow and arrows as well as an Ursa skull mounted on the front of the stand. As he got closer he noticed belts and knives as well as other hunting gear. He picked up his pace a bit, looking back only briefly to ask Kei a question.

'What exactly is a 'fluzee?''