Grim, Speak the Shadows

Part 18

Hunter seriously had no idea what he was doing. There was a whole array of different clothes in front of him, but he didn't even know where to start. He was told to "Find something that's your style!" but that was the problem--he didn't even know what the heck his "style" was.

"Just see if there's something you like. If anything catches your eye, or you think you'd want to wear it, add it to the pile," Viney said.

And so Hunter looked around for a while, looking at each-and-every shelf and clothing rack there was. He wasn't going to lie, he felt much more comfortable around Willow than the others (she was the first to talk to him and accept him, and she was the only one he had a private chat with on Penstagram), so he unintentionally ended up following her around the store like a lost puppy at one point. It was easier that way anyway since she helped him pick out several articles of clothing. He had three simple t-shirts so far (since they were cheapest--two of which had graphics on them), two pairs of pants, and a yellow hoodie. He'd get more clothes a different time, he didn't want Willow to spend anymore on him than she had to.

"Anything else?" Willow asked him cheerfully as he held the pile of clothes in his arms.

"No, this is plenty," he replied. Willow nodded, and the two of them got in line to purchase them. Skara, it seemed, did some shopping of her own and was right in front of them. "I'll pay you back as soon as I can, I promise. Thanks...For this."

Willow smiled and shook her head. "No need! It's the least I can do right now." Hunter opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Willow held a finger up to his mouth to shush him. "And before you ask 'are you sure' yes, I'm sure."

Hunter was honestly kind of...surprised...that she didn't want him to pay her back. He wasn't used to people doing nice things for him just because they could. If they did, it was because they wanted something from him in return. So Willow...Let's just say Hunter appreciated her a lot right now. With all the stuff he was dealing with right now, her doing this, taking him out today and everything, it...meant a lot. It meant more than he could ever express.

Once everyone met back up outside the store, bags in hand, Willow turned to the group. "Anywhere else you guys want to go? Caleb and I should probably leave soon, but we can stop somewhere else first if we make it quick!"

"What about lunch real quick?" Viney suggested. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Plus, I bet Caleb's never eaten out before, right? What d'you say, it's on me!"

"I could eat," Gus said, shrugging.

"Me too," said Skara.

Willow glanced at Hunter. "What do you think?" she asked him in a whisper. "You up for getting lunch with everyone? You don't have--"

Hunter shook his head. "Lunch sounds good. Viney's right, I've never really gotten the chance to eat out before." He did want to spend a little more time with the others, afterall, and they did come all this way to meet up with him and Willow.

"Where do we want to eat then?"

Was sitting down for lunch really such a good idea though? They'd been moving around so far, but would sitting in one spot long enough to have lunch be safe?

As the others discussed where they would go for lunch, Hunter quickly observed the area around him. He hadn't seen any wanted posters yet, but he was careful to look at every inch of wall he could see so that he didn't accidentally miss anything. So far so good...Even the scouts in this area didn't seem to be on high alert for anyone or anything, so it was safe to assume that they didn't have orders to bring him in right now. Hmm...Maybe Belos really was going to keep this whole thing a secret. He couldn't be too sure though, he still felt nervous about being here, out in the open, even if he was wearing a cloak to disguise himself.