[Unfortunately, the cover story here is being a couple. And they don't need a cover story! That's stupid! The actual reason is completely legitimate! Kadoc could literally just say that they're doing the scavenger hunt and need a cat ears headband. That's not even embarrassing. But he's so caught up in the embarrassment he's feeling anyway, and in Ritsuka's equally embarrassed reaction, that his brain is convinced they need to lie their way out of this, and unfortunately the easiest lie to yank out of his head is the worst possible thing.]
—She promised me she'd dress up like a catgirl for me!
[ The employee laughs, a polite tittering giggle behind one hand, which thankfully means she misses the look of sheer overwhelmed embarrassment Ritsuka shoots at Kadoc. That's his idea of a cover story?! For real?! She trusted you, Kadoc!!
But it's too late. He's said it, and she doesn't want them to look suspicious! So after a second, she clears her throat and gently ("gently") smacks his arm with her free hand, because she's still holding onto his wrist. ]
Y, yeah. And she looks super hot in costume. So . . . she's gonna do it for me.
[The part about her looking super hot in a costume . . . he doesn't have to act for that. He remembers the ball where they'd ended up in costumes! She had been hot! Of course he hadn't been about to say that to her, but he hasn't forgotten that, or their awkward kiss.
He moves his hand to hold hers properly, because it's convincing that way and stuff. The employee gives them a warm, supportive smile.
[ She shoots him a startled look when he says that, something genuinely confused and bewildered in her gaze. "Super hot"? What?! Isn't that going a little too far?! She knows she can clean up decently if she puts time and effort into it (or someone does it for her, thanks faerie magic), but even then, that has to be an exaggeration...
At least the employee has already turned to walk away. Ritsuka doesn't know what else to do than follow. Her hand grips Kadoc's tightly in response, because of reasons she is choosing not to think about too deeply. If questioned, she'd say it was for solidarity, because they're both embarrassed and saying stupid shit.
[ . . . He squeezes her hand as they begin to follow.
Who knows? Not him!
The employee leads them back to the clothing racks at the back of the shop, where there are also dressing rooms. To her credit, she doesn't spring one of the really out there outfits on the two of them. She clearly knows better than to go for the stuff that's nothing more than half-inch wide strips of black leather just barely laid over sensitive areas. But she pulls out acouple that look a little more on the level of this shy young couple. They both have cat ear headbands! Mission accomplished! . . . Kadoc has temporarily forgotten the mission!]
[ Ritsuka had been briefly distracted by staring in gentle horror at those more extreme constumes, but the moment she hears Kadoc's voice again, her gaze snaps up to... ah.
What a nice lady, some distant part of her thinks. I wonder if there's a way to give her a tip for not murdering us both on the spot.
She hasn't entirely forgotten the mission, but the thought is drowned out by the terrible(?) awareness that she might actually have to try one of those one. Is the lady going to insist? If they're supposed to be a couple, then that means-- ]
[Ahem. So what if that's the one he likes too? It's also not the one he expected Ritsuka to go for, and that's . . . something to think about later. Isn't this one more revealing? Not that she's actually going to put it on. Obviously. Is she? Is she going to put it on?!
The kind lady, who of course thinks Ritsuka is definitely going to put it on, grabs a couple of likely sizes off the rack.
"That sounds unanimous! Shall we go try these on, dear?"]
[ Of course. Of course. She knew this was going to happen. Do they even have the time for this?! But they can't just back out now, not after this nice lady has helped them so much... ]
O...okay...
[ She can't look at Kadoc when she says it. Her face feels like it's going to catch on fire at any second, but also, isn't this kind of his fault? He was the one who came up with this cover story in the first place, so he's just going to have to deal with waiting for her, and for having to look at her modeling this. (It's so much skin! What was she thinking?!)
"Excellent!" the lady says happily, and gestures. "The changing rooms are this way."
And with that, what else she can do? She can't even look at Kadoc to convey something like take a photo of the costumes while I'm doing this, because she is being swept off to her fate. Oh no. ]
[Luckily, Kadoc is clever enough to realize that he should get a photo to complete the task while he's alone and not being chatted at by overly helpful employees. . . . But it takes him a minute. More than a minute. He spends some time just kind of standing there staring at the nothing in the space where Ritsuka went off with the worker.
Oh man. She's not actually going to come back wearing it. Is she? No way. She'll probably get back there, pretend to chicken out, and come back fully clothed and embarrassed but they'll have gotten their photo and they'll both get out of this intact.
That's what's going to happen. . . . Right?
Finally it does occur to him that he'd better do that so that he's not just standing here stupidly like this when she comes back (FULLY CLOTHED), having wasted the opportunity. Okay! Snapping a pic of the other costume with his phone! They did it! Amazing, good job, now they can go . . . ]
[ Unfortunately for Kadoc... Ritsuka is very bad at saying no to things like this. She's gone for long enough that he surely must start to suspect that this is happening, because it's a good ten minutes before the employee comes back to Kadoc, beaming from ear to ear.
"She's a little shy," she says brightly, "but it looks good on her. She's refusing to come out onto the floor, though, so she asked for you to come see her instead. Follow me?"
Though instead of just turning and walking back to the changing rooms, she gives Kadoc an expectant look. Well? Surely this nice young man is not going to leave his poor embarrassed girlfriend to languish without a compliment, right? ]
Oh, yeah, that's—yeah. Duh. I wouldn't want anyone else to . . . see her in it.
[That's true. He knows as soon as he says it. And he's going to try not to think about it, but there's the walk back to the changing room, and it feels like it takes forever. It's definitely long enough to feel like he has an entire hour to think both about that and about this woman claiming that Ritsuka asked for Kadoc to come see her. That's not true, is it? Maybe the woman needled her into it? Couldn't Ritsuka have gotten out of this somehow? Of course she could have! But she didn't, and, ahhh. Ahhhhhh. That's what his mind settles on as they make their way back. Ahhhhhhhh!
The woman leads Kadoc to one of the rooms and raps lightly on the door. Maybe Ritsuka escaped. Maybe she used her Cognitive magic to brainwash everyone in the area into not noticing her flee the premises. (In the costume?!)]
[ The door opens just a little, just enough for Ritsuka to peer out. All that's really visible of her is her face, though there's enough of her visible to show that she is, in fact, wearing the stupid costume. Her face is bright red--possibly even redder than her hair at the moment--and she looks both anxious and relieved when she catches sight of him. It had been humiliating to squeeze herself into this thing! This is supposed to show off the wearer's figure, and she doesn't really have that much figure to begin with!
But maybe fair is fair, right? He'd had to deal with being in that dumb bunny costume all those months ago... maybe they can call it even after this.
The employee, still beaming, makes a little beckoning gesture to her.
"It's fine," she says. "There's no one here but us."
Ritsuka continues to stare at Kadoc for a few more seconds, then drops her gaze and pushes the door the rest of the way open. She is definitely not looking at either of them as she steps out, dressed in the costume, complete with that cat-ear headband. Here it is! Here she is! Please let the ground open up and swallow her right now. ]
There's a whole laundry list of things. They all clamor for attention in Kadoc's head, against the background of the buzz of disbelief in her ears. Ritsuka is:
1. wearing the costume 2. relieved to see him? looking for him?? calling his name??? 3. uncomfortable. Ritsuka is uncomfortable, and being urged out of the dressing room by the employee, and
Kadoc doesn't like the way that feels. Why is she making her come out? Why didn't they just go in?! There's so much going on in his head that he can't focus on any of it, but finally, his dislike of this one is strong enough that he just takes Ritsuka by the shoulders and backs her back into the dressing room again. Not shoving her, but guiding her with his hands, making her step backward into the open door. And he goes with her, following her in and leaving the smiling employee (who deserves a damn raise) outside, and then he shuts the door behind them both, because . . . because that's just what he does.
[ She startles, automatically, when he touches her, but she doesn't protest at all when he nudges her back into the dressing room. Honestly, she's grateful for that--she hadn't wanted to ask for just him to come in and risk him refusing. (Because it would have broken the illusion, right, and not because it would have been humiliating on a variety of levels, most of which Ritsuka is not entirely prepared to think about.)
But she's relieved when he does it, and even though she's still blushing furiously when they're back in the dressing room, the door closing behind him, she gives him what feels like a deeply pathetic grateful look. Without thinking about it, she huddles a little closer to him, even though they're in this room now, and there's no one to look except for him. ]
Um. Thanks. I really didn't wanna go out there, but... I didn't wanna make you come in here if you didn't wanna.
[It's a small dressing room. It's definitely not small enough, though, that Kadoc should need to stand so close to her, blocking the sight of her from the door even though the door is closed now—but he does anyway, as if the space is half its actual size. It just feels very cramped. It feels like he'd better stand right here close to her and shield her with his body.]
. . . She shouldn't've made you go out there like that. Like . . . she's getting free advertisement for this thing outta you modeling it. That's creepy as hell.
[ The fact that he moves to accommodate her uncurls something in Ritsuka--something small and anxious that she hadn't even really noticed until it lets go. There's really no need for him to do that; there's only one door, and they're the only ones here, but... but there is some part of her that notices and appreciates it, and what it implies. He's a kind person, but also: they're friends, right? That's proof of that, right there. ]
I guess that's just kind of part of her job... she's probably seen people in a lot less.
[ Not that this outfit is great at covering up; she crosses her arms over her chest in a halfhearted attempt to cover more of her chest with that, rather than simply rely on the low cut of the lingerie. ]
So--uh--did you get a photo while I was in here...?
[Kadoc's standing close enough to her that he has to look down to talk to her, and that means looking down at her chest. Maybe it doesn't have to, but . . . it does. He does. It's right there, and he can't help it, and for a second his whole body demands he give in to the desire to grab a tit—he doesn't, of course, but he's briefly breathless with it.
Then she crosses her arms. Oh shit. Right, that's . . . creepy. His cheeks and ears flush bright pink.]
Sorry. Shit, sorry. Uh, yeah, I did. Just the costume on your rack. On the rack. The rack. Oh my god.
[ She's shocked silent for a moment, because he just said--he just said, while looking at her, and Ritsuka is not one of those girls who gets terribly offended by someone looking. Touching is one thing, but looking is pretty much a whatever! thing to her.
She chokes on a giggle, covering her mouth with both hands. It's not even that funny! It was just a stupid slip of the tongue, and she knows it! But it's such an unexpected thing from him of all people, and it's a welcome break from her own anxiety in this moment. ]
[But he doesn't mean it, and he barely even manages to say it around his own stupid giggles starting up. It's idiotic, and funny, and the release of tension is so welcome after all of this dumb shit they've gotten themselves into—for a moment, he just wants to do nothing but stand her so close to her they're almost touching and drop his head and start laughing.]
[ His laughing makes her laugh harder, even with her hands pressed over her mouth, her body shaking with the force of her laughter. For a moment, at least, she's completely forgotten how embarrassing this outfit is--this entire situation is!--only laughing for the sheer catharsis of it. ]
She's probably . . . standing out there thinking we're completely insane in here.
[Is the employee lingering still? Who knows? If she is, she's just going to be hearing the two of them giggling together in the stall, because Kadoc can't stop himself yet. The more he laughs, the more keeps spilling out, and it's even worse that she's laughing too. Egging him on!!
Without thinking about it even a little, he lifts a hand to rest lightly on the small of her back as they laugh, curling his arm around her body. Barely touching, really.]
[ Ritsuka doesn't even register the contact on a conscious level; she's still too wrapped up in the small catharsis of laughing. Even her hands over her mouth isn't enough to muffle it.
But even though she doesn't think about it, she does lean into his body with the touch, the way she might if a Servant had touched her. It's a thoughtless sort of trust, and it feels nice. She's as relaxed as she ever has been in... some time, really. ]
Oh well--we can see if we can at least tip her for her help. She probably deserves a nice one.
After all this, I feel like I've gotta buy this for you. I can't just walk outta here with a straight face and thank her for her time and leave. So congratulations, it's yours.
[He's still laughing under his breath, and he dips his head to look at her, close to her and close to her face . . . ah. Finally the reality of their position sinks in. He can feel her against him. But he can't make himself move. He's paralyzed like this, with one hand on her back, leaning into her. In her . . . outfit. Her garb.]
[ She actually hiccups a little with that, still laughing, wiping at her eyes now, tipping her head to look up at him. Oh god, he's right. After all of this, can they really just leave without buying it?
It does not quite click for her yet, because this just feels oddly comfortable. As much as she feels awkward and unsuited for this outfit, being this close to him feels nice, like it's a completely natural place for her to be. ]
You're right, we're obligated now. Sorry, I'll pay you back when we're out of here.
Like hell you will. I got us into this mess. Besides, I'm not the one who had to wear that thing.
[Should he say it? He shouldn't say it. Should he? He shouldn't, but he's not sure why he shouldn't, even though it feels like it might be "every reason imaginable." Why is he even tempted? And yet . . . ]
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fujimaru
no subject
Date: 2022-07-08 06:02 am (UTC)[Unfortunately, the cover story here is being a couple. And they don't need a cover story! That's stupid! The actual reason is completely legitimate! Kadoc could literally just say that they're doing the scavenger hunt and need a cat ears headband. That's not even embarrassing. But he's so caught up in the embarrassment he's feeling anyway, and in Ritsuka's equally embarrassed reaction, that his brain is convinced they need to lie their way out of this, and unfortunately the easiest lie to yank out of his head is the worst possible thing.]
—She promised me she'd dress up like a catgirl for me!
no subject
Date: 2022-07-08 06:07 am (UTC)But it's too late. He's said it, and she doesn't want them to look suspicious! So after a second, she clears her throat and gently ("gently") smacks his arm with her free hand, because she's still holding onto his wrist. ]
I-it's his birthday soon, so...!!
no subject
Date: 2022-07-09 05:14 am (UTC)[The part about her looking super hot in a costume . . . he doesn't have to act for that. He remembers the ball where they'd ended up in costumes! She had been hot! Of course he hadn't been about to say that to her, but he hasn't forgotten that, or their awkward kiss.
He moves his hand to hold hers properly, because it's convincing that way and stuff. The employee gives them a warm, supportive smile.
"Follow me. I think I have just the thing."]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-09 05:22 am (UTC)At least the employee has already turned to walk away. Ritsuka doesn't know what else to do than follow. Her hand grips Kadoc's tightly in response, because of reasons she is choosing not to think about too deeply. If questioned, she'd say it was for solidarity, because they're both embarrassed and saying stupid shit.
In reality, who knows? Not her! ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-11 05:06 am (UTC)Who knows? Not him!
The employee leads them back to the clothing racks at the back of the shop, where there are also dressing rooms. To her credit, she doesn't spring one of the really out there outfits on the two of them. She clearly knows better than to go for the stuff that's nothing more than half-inch wide strips of black leather just barely laid over sensitive areas. But she pulls out a couple that look a little more on the level of this shy young couple. They both have cat ear headbands! Mission accomplished! . . . Kadoc has temporarily forgotten the mission!]
Uh, yeah, those are . . . these are both good.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-11 05:14 am (UTC)What a nice lady, some distant part of her thinks. I wonder if there's a way to give her a tip for not murdering us both on the spot.
She hasn't entirely forgotten the mission, but the thought is drowned out by the terrible(?) awareness that she might actually have to try one of those one. Is the lady going to insist? If they're supposed to be a couple, then that means-- ]
M... maybe the first one...
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Date: 2022-07-13 04:48 am (UTC)[Ahem. So what if that's the one he likes too? It's also not the one he expected Ritsuka to go for, and that's . . . something to think about later. Isn't this one more revealing? Not that she's actually going to put it on. Obviously. Is she? Is she going to put it on?!
The kind lady, who of course thinks Ritsuka is definitely going to put it on, grabs a couple of likely sizes off the rack.
"That sounds unanimous! Shall we go try these on, dear?"]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-13 04:53 am (UTC)O...okay...
[ She can't look at Kadoc when she says it. Her face feels like it's going to catch on fire at any second, but also, isn't this kind of his fault? He was the one who came up with this cover story in the first place, so he's just going to have to deal with waiting for her, and for having to look at her modeling this. (It's so much skin! What was she thinking?!)
"Excellent!" the lady says happily, and gestures. "The changing rooms are this way."
And with that, what else she can do? She can't even look at Kadoc to convey something like take a photo of the costumes while I'm doing this, because she is being swept off to her fate. Oh no. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 04:12 am (UTC)Oh man. She's not actually going to come back wearing it. Is she? No way. She'll probably get back there, pretend to chicken out, and come back fully clothed and embarrassed but they'll have gotten their photo and they'll both get out of this intact.
That's what's going to happen. . . . Right?
Finally it does occur to him that he'd better do that so that he's not just standing here stupidly like this when she comes back (FULLY CLOTHED), having wasted the opportunity. Okay! Snapping a pic of the other costume with his phone! They did it! Amazing, good job, now they can go . . . ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 04:21 am (UTC)"She's a little shy," she says brightly, "but it looks good on her. She's refusing to come out onto the floor, though, so she asked for you to come see her instead. Follow me?"
Though instead of just turning and walking back to the changing rooms, she gives Kadoc an expectant look. Well? Surely this nice young man is not going to leave his poor embarrassed girlfriend to languish without a compliment, right? ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 05:50 am (UTC)[That's true. He knows as soon as he says it. And he's going to try not to think about it, but there's the walk back to the changing room, and it feels like it takes forever. It's definitely long enough to feel like he has an entire hour to think both about that and about this woman claiming that Ritsuka asked for Kadoc to come see her. That's not true, is it? Maybe the woman needled her into it? Couldn't Ritsuka have gotten out of this somehow? Of course she could have! But she didn't, and, ahhh. Ahhhhhh. That's what his mind settles on as they make their way back. Ahhhhhhhh!
The woman leads Kadoc to one of the rooms and raps lightly on the door. Maybe Ritsuka escaped. Maybe she used her Cognitive magic to brainwash everyone in the area into not noticing her flee the premises. (In the costume?!)]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-16 05:58 am (UTC)[ The door opens just a little, just enough for Ritsuka to peer out. All that's really visible of her is her face, though there's enough of her visible to show that she is, in fact, wearing the stupid costume. Her face is bright red--possibly even redder than her hair at the moment--and she looks both anxious and relieved when she catches sight of him. It had been humiliating to squeeze herself into this thing! This is supposed to show off the wearer's figure, and she doesn't really have that much figure to begin with!
But maybe fair is fair, right? He'd had to deal with being in that dumb bunny costume all those months ago... maybe they can call it even after this.
The employee, still beaming, makes a little beckoning gesture to her.
"It's fine," she says. "There's no one here but us."
Ritsuka continues to stare at Kadoc for a few more seconds, then drops her gaze and pushes the door the rest of the way open. She is definitely not looking at either of them as she steps out, dressed in the costume, complete with that cat-ear headband. Here it is! Here she is! Please let the ground open up and swallow her right now. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 04:33 am (UTC)There's a whole laundry list of things. They all clamor for attention in Kadoc's head, against the background of the buzz of disbelief in her ears. Ritsuka is:
1. wearing the costume
2. relieved to see him? looking for him?? calling his name???
3. uncomfortable. Ritsuka is uncomfortable, and being urged out of the dressing room by the employee, and
Kadoc doesn't like the way that feels. Why is she making her come out? Why didn't they just go in?! There's so much going on in his head that he can't focus on any of it, but finally, his dislike of this one is strong enough that he just takes Ritsuka by the shoulders and backs her back into the dressing room again. Not shoving her, but guiding her with his hands, making her step backward into the open door. And he goes with her, following her in and leaving the smiling employee (who deserves a damn raise) outside, and then he shuts the door behind them both, because . . . because that's just what he does.
So. Here they are.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 04:44 am (UTC)[ She startles, automatically, when he touches her, but she doesn't protest at all when he nudges her back into the dressing room. Honestly, she's grateful for that--she hadn't wanted to ask for just him to come in and risk him refusing. (Because it would have broken the illusion, right, and not because it would have been humiliating on a variety of levels, most of which Ritsuka is not entirely prepared to think about.)
But she's relieved when he does it, and even though she's still blushing furiously when they're back in the dressing room, the door closing behind him, she gives him what feels like a deeply pathetic grateful look. Without thinking about it, she huddles a little closer to him, even though they're in this room now, and there's no one to look except for him. ]
Um. Thanks. I really didn't wanna go out there, but... I didn't wanna make you come in here if you didn't wanna.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 04:26 am (UTC). . . She shouldn't've made you go out there like that. Like . . . she's getting free advertisement for this thing outta you modeling it. That's creepy as hell.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 04:31 am (UTC)I guess that's just kind of part of her job... she's probably seen people in a lot less.
[ Not that this outfit is great at covering up; she crosses her arms over her chest in a halfhearted attempt to cover more of her chest with that, rather than simply rely on the low cut of the lingerie. ]
So--uh--did you get a photo while I was in here...?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 05:10 am (UTC)Then she crosses her arms. Oh shit. Right, that's . . . creepy. His cheeks and ears flush bright pink.]
Sorry. Shit, sorry. Uh, yeah, I did. Just the costume on your rack. On the rack. The rack. Oh my god.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 05:15 am (UTC)She chokes on a giggle, covering her mouth with both hands. It's not even that funny! It was just a stupid slip of the tongue, and she knows it! But it's such an unexpected thing from him of all people, and it's a welcome break from her own anxiety in this moment. ]
Oh--okay, that's good, I'm glad.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 05:51 am (UTC)[But he doesn't mean it, and he barely even manages to say it around his own stupid giggles starting up. It's idiotic, and funny, and the release of tension is so welcome after all of this dumb shit they've gotten themselves into—for a moment, he just wants to do nothing but stand her so close to her they're almost touching and drop his head and start laughing.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-20 05:59 am (UTC)[ His laughing makes her laugh harder, even with her hands pressed over her mouth, her body shaking with the force of her laughter. For a moment, at least, she's completely forgotten how embarrassing this outfit is--this entire situation is!--only laughing for the sheer catharsis of it. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-21 04:37 am (UTC)[Is the employee lingering still? Who knows? If she is, she's just going to be hearing the two of them giggling together in the stall, because Kadoc can't stop himself yet. The more he laughs, the more keeps spilling out, and it's even worse that she's laughing too. Egging him on!!
Without thinking about it even a little, he lifts a hand to rest lightly on the small of her back as they laugh, curling his arm around her body. Barely touching, really.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-21 04:47 am (UTC)But even though she doesn't think about it, she does lean into his body with the touch, the way she might if a Servant had touched her. It's a thoughtless sort of trust, and it feels nice. She's as relaxed as she ever has been in... some time, really. ]
Oh well--we can see if we can at least tip her for her help. She probably deserves a nice one.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-21 05:31 am (UTC)[He's still laughing under his breath, and he dips his head to look at her, close to her and close to her face . . . ah. Finally the reality of their position sinks in. He can feel her against him. But he can't make himself move. He's paralyzed like this, with one hand on her back, leaning into her. In her . . . outfit. Her garb.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-21 05:36 am (UTC)[ She actually hiccups a little with that, still laughing, wiping at her eyes now, tipping her head to look up at him. Oh god, he's right. After all of this, can they really just leave without buying it?
It does not quite click for her yet, because this just feels oddly comfortable. As much as she feels awkward and unsuited for this outfit, being this close to him feels nice, like it's a completely natural place for her to be. ]
You're right, we're obligated now. Sorry, I'll pay you back when we're out of here.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-22 04:17 am (UTC)[Should he say it? He shouldn't say it. Should he? He shouldn't, but he's not sure why he shouldn't, even though it feels like it might be "every reason imaginable." Why is he even tempted? And yet . . . ]
. . . It looks good on you, though.
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