Reader Believes

Chapter 6

            The mall was overwhelming. Not the crowds of people, Rika had gotten used to worse in the other world. It was the sights and sounds that were assaulting her. The flashing lights of the video game store, next to the movement of the escalator, along with the music that permeated every inch of the building. At least, Rika thought. This smells infinitely better than any of the markets.

            She glanced at Ahisu, checking to see how he was doing. With the exception of his eyes, which were darting all over the place, he looked much as he always did. With a few, cosmetic changes.

            It had taken some bullying and threatening to go to a hotel again, but Rika had managed to get Conner to lend Ahisu some clothes. While the black T-shirt and jeans were loose on her brother, all his clothes were, on the mage, they were snug. Distractingly snug. Especially the shirt. Rika couldn’t help another sidelong look at him. His shoulders looked much broader than they had in his robes, and the thin material of the shirt clung to him, hinting at, and in some spots, outlining the muscles she knew were there.

            He caught her gaze and Rika looked away, flushing. She shook herself. They were on a mission. Ahisu had arrived with only the clothes on his back, and like he’d done for her, she was going to supply him with the clothes he needed to fit in. And she’d come armed with her debit card.

            Taking a deep breath, she set off. After a few steps, she looked behind her, to make sure Ahisu was following her. It was odd, how reliant she’d become on the sound of his staff against the ground to know where he was. Not that she regretted making him leave it at home, even if the debate had taken even longer than the one with Conner.

            Rika slid into the crowds, dodging around people with ease, a skill she’d mastered during her near weekly forays out for more books. She had just gotten past the thickest part when she glanced towards Ahisu. She blinked and stopped. He wasn’t behind her. She looked around, finding him with some difficulty. Without his usual black robes, he blended. Which had been the point.

            She jumped back into the mass of people, hurrying past and around people until she was back beside him. He looked down at her, his eyebrows lowered. Rika shrugged. She suspected he problems he was having were due to his clothes. In his black robes, people moved away, his evil sorcerer look telling them he wasn’t to be trifled with. Now…

            Rika grinned inwardly at her idea. She reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. When his gaze went back to her, she smiled. “We won’t get separated this way.”

            He nodded. Rika started off again, towing him behind her, feeling satisfaction creep across her face. While she knew that this expedition wasn’t anything of the sort, holding hands while shopping with Ahisu felt like a date to her. And she decided to treat it as such, not that she’d admit it, if anyone asked.

            Still, the thought had her humming. Weaving them both through the crowds that filled the centre square of the mall, she finally got them across safely. With more space, Rika slowed, so that she and Ahisu were walking side by side, keeping her hold on his hand. They passed a jewellery store, a pet shop, and two accessory stores before they finally reached the first of the clothing stores Rika intended to hit. This one she was familiar with, having been dragged there by Conner before, when he wanted a girl’s opinion on his clothes. Not that he actually listened to what she said.

            Rika led the way inside, turning towards the men’s section on her left. Wading into the middle of it, she then turned to Ahisu. “You should pick out stuff you’ll be comfortable in. I’m guessing, since Conner’s a medium in shirts, that you’ll be a large. Pants will be a bit more interesting. Conner’s a 34, and they’re long on you, so I think you’ll probably be a 32. When you find something you like, grab your size and we’ll go try it on.”

            Ahisu looked around, at the racks of clothing that surrounded them, then back at Rika. She smiled encouragingly. His gaze swept the area again. After a minute of his motionlessness, Rika frowned and released her hold on him. His black eyes met hers as her hands dropped to her hips. “Fine,” she said, turning away. “I’ll pick some stuff out, so you get an idea. Stay here.”

            In moments, Rika was flicking through the racks, stopping every so often to look more closely at something, before continuing her search. It didn’t take her long to acquire half a dozen hangers. She aimed for variety, so that Ahisu would have an understanding of the different kinds of clothes most people wore here.

            After a similar search of the shelves of pants, and because she couldn’t hold anything else, Rika went back to Ahisu and dumped the lot on him. He took the clothes without complaint, but turned to her. “You attend school?”

            She blinked and nodded. “Yeah. It’s five days a week. Why?”

            “Many here are talking about it.”

            Rika nodded. “It’s the mall and the weekend.” When he only stared, she elaborated. “This is where a lot of people my age come and hang out. And since most people graduate high school, that means most teens are still in school. We’ve got something like six hundred at my school.”

            “Everyone attends school?”

            “Yeah, more or less. It’s mandatory until you’re like fifteen or sixteen.”

            His lips turned faintly downward. “I see.”

            Even after a few seconds study, Rika couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. She shrugged. She had more important things to do. With that in mind, she herded him towards the dressing rooms.