(IC) Dress the OC Above Up!

"Yer sure about dat?" Roswell lifted up his arms. Everything about this costume felt heavy. Layers upon layers. Feather upon feathers. He grimaced as he reached for the feather's on his hip, but eased his fingers when Beck gave him a look. "Oi feel loike a stuffed parrot. Do yer eat parrots 'ere?" Roswell asked in passing. Half jokingly.
"Oi think dat if oi flap me arms, oill fly," he said. With a snort. Slowling moving his arms.
"Oi do loike de shirt though, mind if oi keep dat one after… Yer know." Roswell flicked his hand. After their heist. Surely Roswell felt like a badly reanimated dead parrot, but at least he would soon have the money to feel a but better about himself. Coins, duiten. It was the only thing that let Roswell allow the draakfol to stuff another feather into him.
"Oim gonna to ditch de tail though," he said. Before giving it a flick.
Roswell frowned from the feathers that got stuffed behind his ears and lifted his head. Trying to dodge the itching feeling in his neck. With no avail. Roswell's eye slightly squinted as she painted the lines underneath his eye. His hands clenched.
Void, did he hate people's fingers near his sole eye.

"With dis outfit?" He replied before laughing. "Oh yer don't need to worry about me ego."
Roswell gave one of the many feathers a soft pat. "Listen oi trust yer. So yer better not be lyin'," he said.
"Oi do. Oi do," he said as he pouted his lips. "Me late aunt oh may her soul rest in peace, would 'have introduced me. If she wasn't dead. It was a very tragic passing too, illness. Blackwater got her. " Roswell spat on the ground. "Dat but 10 times as sobby."
He laughed at her. Like a pained animal. "Beck, my dear sweet friend. Oi cannot move me legs in dis outfit. Let alone run."

Salvador thumbed the sweater he was holding. It was an ugly thing. Pink, fuzzy with a cat print. Besides, it was two sizes too big, not stealthy nor subtle and there was no chance the small thief would wear it. He eyed NV. With the sweater still in hand.
"I think you're dressed properly," he said. A genuine compliment.
Salvador perked over his shoulder, stared at the customers who in return, stared at them. He shrugged. Salvador returned his gaze towards his friend and frowned. "I'm sure your face looked fine too. I do need your help though," he said. Rubbing the fuzzy sweater. "I'm bad. Bad with clothing." As if the sweater hadn't given that away.

Salvador looked up from the dark jacket, lifted his arms, and looked down.
He eyed his friend for confirmation, and let out his breath with relief when they removed the jacket.
Then they held out the vest. Salvador started to nod. Fiercely. "Maybe this," he repeated. Already sold in the idea of wearing it.
"I want to have style." Salvador finally put down the cat-sweater and took over the vest. Beaming his friend a rare smile. "Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for." He then paused. His eyes drifted back to the cat-sweater when NV expressed their previous desire to stand out.
"Maybe you should try out the sweater," he said. "It suits you."
Salvador's head piqued from the gloves.
"Thank you friend. You saved my life."

     NV both enjoyed and hated walking around busy streets. On one hand, they loved to appreciate the sights, both from the looks of the buildings to the vast variety among people's appearances. On the other, they stuck out like a sore thumb, and everywhere they went they were met with curious and confused stares, giggled whispers. They tugged harder at their hood, then slowed to a stop as their eye drifted to an upcoming display.
     Several mannequins stood in different, elegant poses, all adorned with the latest fashions. Spotlights shined down on them from their display, and in some angles it was almost like they were beckoning to them. A marketing ploy, no doubt, but it was working. Even with no faces, those clothes showed that they were beautiful and wonderful people, and to think that even one would be facing the Sin...
     Hearing a voice besides them, NV glanced over. Their eye slightly widened. Was that...? They turned away. No. No, this man was different. He dressed differently, and even had a different accent. It must be that they're starting to associate everyone with Caelestis. How stupid of them to long for him after it was them themselves that had pushed him away. Besides, it was a one-sided mourning. He was surely with the other person he loved, and much happier.
     NV's eye narrowed slightly. Ah, it stung thinking about that. Fortunately, the person had spoken up again to distract them, talking about their fashion and offering to help pick them an outfit. "Oh, no, that's okay," they murmured. "I couldn't--" They were dragged off before they could finish.

     NV had never gone into this store before. It was as intimidating as it was luxurious. Just at the front could they hear the deep, repetitive beats of the sultry music inside, and the brief smell of the faintest perfumes and colognes. Those that were inside were already so well-dressed, smiling and laughing among friends. That was something they couldn't have, and every time they grew close to entering they would end up retreating.
     Yet here they were, surrounded by the sultry music, surrounded by the music, and with someone that fearlessly held their hand. They gazed at it, their hands, dazed. It was warm. It felt nice, but it also reminded them of him. Right now, was he holding the one he loved's hand?
     The man let go and grabbed a green shirt and black pants. NV felt themselves shrink slightly. Clothes like that on them? They didn't think it'd look good-- they didn't think anything here would look good, not because of the selection, but because they wouldn't be able to make it work. Did this man think it would work out? Why was this man trying to help him, anyway? Was he the manager in disguise? Or did he pity them?
     The man's focus shifted to the coats, and NV subconsciously tugged at theirs. This one felt like a security blanket of sorts to them, it covered so much of them and even masked their figure. Without it, they'd feel naked. They distracted themselves by glancing away, looking towards the jewelry. Rings, bracelets, and even necklaces.
     Necklaces.
     The Sin felt the weight of the golden necklace in their coat's pocket. They'd kept it close with them ever since that letter, but never put it on; it didn't feel right for them to wear it. Did this make them strange, they wondered, to keep something from someone they abandoned?
     Suddenly, the hood had been pulled down, and NV flinched. Even though all that was revealed were more wraps, they still felt exposed. It was slightly eased by the beanie put on top. They hesitated, then reached up to touch it when the man asked if they'd like to put everything on. "Oh, I--" They paused when the outfit was offered to be paid for. "What? No, you don't have to do that. Please, I--" Before they could as much as finish their sentence, the man grabbed all items and hurried to check out. NV blinked slowly. Had they done something wrong? That man suddenly grew so cold, did he regret this? And his voice, it sounded... No, they were just imagining it.
     Soon the bag of clothes was handed to NV, and the man wordlessly drifted off. They watched him linger at the door, then looked down at the bag, then back at him. Would he want to spend more time with them? What if they did this to get away faster? As much as they wanted to run away too, they couldn't leave things like this after so much was given to them.
     "Excuse me," the mummy said after approaching the man. "Thank you for the outfit. I'm not very good with looking at clothes anymore, but you're amazing at it. Everything you picked I know will look great. You have a very talented eye for this. If there's anything I can do to repay you, I'd like to. I can even pay you back now, if you'd like." They paused. "My name is... Call me NV. If you want. What's yours?"

Caelestis found himself hesitating once finally reaching the door. Wouldn't it be easy for them to misinterpret him suddenly running away like this? But what else could he do? It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up the act by the second, and if NV hadn't noticed already, they surely would before long.

Unfortunately though, just as he'd gathered up the willpower to reach towards the door, NV called out from just behind him. And he froze. Turning to them slowly, he mustered a soft chuckle. Habitually. Maybe he shouldn't have, actually. "No, you flatter me," he replied. A fairly generic, humble response. "And please, there's no need to repay me. I simply wanted to help you out a bit—drawn to you, in a way, I suppose." The Sin introduced themself afterwards, and Caelestis wondered if he should react to their name. But next thing, they asked for his own.

Shit… He hadn't thought that far. "Oh—I…" There was a flustered pause as his mind scrambled to catch up. "Akasa," he blurred out. Only, instantly after he said it, he recalled that he'd actually somewhat revealed that name to them already. Written, fortunately, so they hopefully weren't able to read it at least, but crap. Very much so living on the edge, wasn't he? "Yes, I'm Akasa," he repeated after a moment with a nod. At this point though, there wasn't much choice other than to go with it. Accept his fate if he must, and pray for the nearest chance to escape. It genuinely hadn't seemed all so poor of an idea at first—in theory, at least—but acting as someone else in front of NV would naturally be far different from any random person who meant nothing to him. While he'd long-since prepared himself for experiencing these sorts of first introductions with them once more, it was only in the context of them not remembering anything about the past him at all. Not so much... whatever this was.

It was, what he would like to consider, a very thorough disguise. Dark sunglasses to cover his eyes, a black wig tied in a long side braid, unusually brightly colored clothing that he wouldn't typically be seen in, and a brown sun hat. The only problem was that it wasn't truly an entirely uncharacteristic look at all, but hopefully still not something NV would recognize. Such an idea almost felt shamefully cowardly, but to simply walk up to them normally at this point felt nothing short of terrifying. He had no idea what to do, and still questioned as to whether it was even a good idea to do so at all. And so, here he was, repeatedly tearing his eyes away from the restaurant he'd bought lemonade for them from before while waiting for an opportunity to approach them without it seeming suspicious. It didn't even truly make sense to approach NV like this, but a part of him just wanted to see them. To see them without being weighed down by the consequences of his mistakes…

Noticing them appearing to linger at the displays outside a clothing store, he finally walked over with what seemed an indifferent confidence. "You interested?" He asked with curiosity, pitching his tone slightly and masking his typical accent with another similarly familiar to him. It wasn't the first time he'd done such a thing, but it'd been long enough that he'd gotten undeniably rusty. Unfortunately, even just seeing NV face-to-face once more seemed enough to make his heart ache unbearably, and he found himself staring silently for a moment longer than intended. "Well," he mustered, using the opportunity to instead feign surprise at their appearance, "you've already got… quite the unique style going on there already, don't you? I like it, but if you like what's here…" Looking over to the store entrance, and back to them, he tilted his head to the side invitingly. "I know the place well. I'll help you." Without leaving much choice in the matter, he quickly pulled them inside.

Fortunately, Caelestis did happen to know the place fairly well, actually. It specialized in a sophisticated sort of style, which was very much so reflected in the prices as well. Having instinctively grabbed their hand as he'd gotten into the habit of doing, he quickly, but… hopefully casually let go once realising. He looked back over to them. "Let me know if there's anything specific you have in mind, of course. But in the meantime…" A moment of looking about, pondering where to start, before he lead them over to some of the tops. Considering the things they typically wore, he wasn't sure whether it would be the best idea to bother with the more formal sections, so he instead sifted through the various casual shirts, soon pulling out a dark green one with a satisfied smile. It looked like something that would fit somewhat similarly to their typical one, but was different enough that it could still bring forth a sense of freshness.

"Green looks good on you," he commented, thinking of that usual green jacket of theirs. It really did... He let out a quiet, longing sigh. Moving on to another section, Caelestis picked out some basic black pants before long, and finally headed over to the various coats. It seemed like something they would prefer to have, although few of the options involved any hoods. Hopefully they wouldn't mind too much. The decision took a bit longer, with many of the designs only holding slight differences, and little variation to be found in even the colors. After several minutes of examining the fabrics, making note of the ones with pockets, and holding the occasional one up before NV to better visualize how it might look on them, he finally settled on a particularly nice-seeming light gray trench coat. It looked loose, comfortable, and quite sleek, really.

It was enough of an outfit for now, but Caelestis hesitated in heading over to the checkout counter even so. Somehow, it still didn't quite feel complete. He'd spare them the headache of looking through the shoes for now, but it wasn't the sort of thing that came to mind regardless. A necklace of some sorts, he'd consider, but the thought reminded him too much of the one he'd given them before to bear. Had they kept it…? He wondered, even though he himself had said that they had no need to. Standing silently in thought, it finally crossed his mind how odd of a situation this must have been for NV. A complete 'stranger' randomly dragging them into a clothing store and deciding to shop for them—not to mention they likely didn't even feel the most comfortable in the store itself regardless. It wasn't a very busy place, but they still undeniably stood out, and that didn't typically seem to be a pleasant thing for them. Had he messed everything up yet again? The anxiety fortunately hidden behind his sunglasses—which to be fair, stood out in the indoors location in their own right—his gaze finally landed on a small area of hats. Of course! Perhaps not quite enough to make up for a necklace, but still certainly quite necessary regardless, and it was also simply a relief to be distracted from his earlier thoughts.

A similarly light gray beanie newly in hand, he found himself unable to resist pulling back NV's hood to put it on them. Although unsurprisingly, perhaps, he accidentally lingered a bit longer than would be natural. He blinked a few times before remembering to take it off. "Sorry—" averting his gaze, "actually, would you rather try it all on first? Before… I purchase it all, that is. Just in case." Although… as much as he still preferred their normal style, he also merely wanted to see how it would all actually look on them. Otherwise, he might never have the chance, would he? Only, wasn't it only even more odd for this complete stranger, after shopping unsolicited for an entire outfit for them, to also pay for all of it in addition? "…Oh, and don't worry. I have a bit to spare," he reassured in excuse. Not… actually a whole lot, but enough for it to be more than worth it. He would willingly go penniless in a heartbeat if it were for NV's sake, after all. "But you don't need to of course, either. There's no need to wear any of it at all, truly, if you would rather not."

"Actually, never mind," he interrupted yet again. "Don't mind anything." What was he doing? Retrieving anything he'd handed to NV to carry, Caelestis nearly fled to the checkout. Within what felt only a minute, but frustratingly long even so, everything was paid for and the newly bagged clothing was given to the Sin without a word. Feeling quite done with the place, he quickly retreated—tactfully—to the door. Unknowingly though, he'd also reverted to his usual manner of speech since the past few minutes, and oh, this was all a disaster, wasn't it?

(also, , i may or may not have ended up doodling caelestis' little disguise + the outfit he picked out for NV to help myself visualize it all. hahahha yeah i'm tired. sorry it's such a long-winded mess lmao)

It was nice being able to spend so much time with Wraith, only, Caelestis did wish it could be in a context more pleasant for the shifter. To be injured in such a restricting manner felt a nearly unbearable nightmare to imagine, but while he didn't seem to be all too bothered by it, the celestial was eager to help out however he could at any opportunity. 

Wandering about the city after Wraith had mentioned going out for the day, needless to say, a high-end clothing store wasn't quite the sort of place Caelestis would have expected to stop in next. If he were on his own, perhaps, but it was Wraith that had decided to come here. He turned to the shifter with a somewhat puzzled, but amused expression. "It's a bit soon for another of those fancy events, isn't it? Or… are you simply looking for a change of pace?" That was difficult to picture though. Wraith explained, and turns out it was intended for him, which did explain things a bit. "Oh, I don't mind," he replied to the other's small disclaimer. The man never exactly gave the impression of someone with many opinions in the ways of fashion, and it was already pleasant enough of a surprise as it was.

Looking around, the store was nothing short of paradise in terms of its options. Clearly Wraith knew what he liked, and it was difficult narrowing the outfits to try down to just a few, but Caelestis didn't want to make the shifter have to wait here for hours either. Eventually though, he was ready to head to the changing room, arms filled with various flowy, glamorous pieces of clothing. Expensive as well, but hopefully still things he could afford. Turning to Wraith before walking in, "Let me know what you think, if you'd like, too." Even if the other truly wouldn't have any thoughts on any of it, some form of outside opinion was ideal if he wasn't to simply buy everything. Admittedly though, he also simply wanted to know what sort of look on him Wraith, specifically, might happen to like. But at the same time, he still found himself only expecting relatively neutral responses at most.

And it went just about how he had thought. Not in a disappointing manner, but only, not especially unexpected either. Lastly was a shirt Caelestis found to be especially eye-catching. It would likely be a bit much for casual wear, but for anything else… it would certainly garner some attention. Once putting it on, he stepped out of the changing room as he had the past few times. "Hmm, what about this?" He asked curiously, turning side to side to display it better. "It's pretty, isn't it?" Only, it seemed Wraith must have thought so too, when the celestial was met with only somewhat stunned silence. And… a blush? Was he seeing things right? Surely it was only because of the shirt itself…? But a reaction like that wasn't something he would typically associate merely with impressive clothing. Even so, to get his hopes up would still be far too hasty. Deciding against thinking too hard about it for now, Caelestis only smiled with a sense of amused satisfaction. Oh, how he would love to see Wraith like that more often, though.

Caelestis waited patiently for the shifter to formulate a response, feeling all the more urge to tease him a bit about it, but somehow mostly holding back for the moment. "Stunning, you say…?" He repeated slowly, his smile only growing. Feeling quite decided for once, he walked over to where Wraith was sitting, unable to resist reaching down for a quick ruffle the hair. "Only a fool would not pick this one." Suddenly, he wanted to kiss him again, even if just on the forehead or cheek, but fortunately, it wasn't the most convenient positioning anyway.

The two headed over to the checkout, and by the time Caelestis had finished digging through the purse he had brought along, the shirt was already paid for. Oh. He looked over to Wraith with a slightly flustered expression, only to be met with a similar reassurance to earlier. There wasn't much point in protesting at this point, and it seemed like Wraith could afford it, but it still felt like no less big of a deal. A gift, though… He smiled at the thought.

Only a few minutes after leaving the shop, a lemonade stand came into sight. Caelestis stopped in his tracks, and it seemed as if Wraith understood what he was thinking as well. "A drink… would be good," he agreed, slowly. Very good. One thing was for sure, it was definitely a good day, and he could only hope it was good for Wraith as well.

It had taken a while before Wraith was able to get out of bed due to his injured leg; but once he acquired a crutch and was stable with it, he decided to take Caelestis out for the day, though the shifter had to keep sitting down to rest his leg. He had felt bad that, Caelestis had to look after him over the last couple of days and wanted to do something nice for him. Though it wasn't necessary for Wraith to keep an arm around the celestial, he still did. Eventually they went into a store which sold a lot of elegant and silken clothing, some adorn in jewels whilst others simply used contrasting colours to make them look beautiful.  

It was safe to say the shifter was clueless when it came to clothing, but he could appreciate the craftmanship behind the clothing as well as the textures of them. He looked up at his companion as he spoke when looking at some clothing. "Huh? Oh no-" He said with a faint chuckle. "We aren't looking for me.....this day is yours, besides....I wouldn't even know where to begin when it comes to clothes shopping...." The shifter rubbed the back of his neck, whilst keeping the crutch tightly in his other hand. "....I'm afraid I might not be much help when it comes to opinions on which clothes you should get, I apologise in advance." He said before dropping his hand down.

It took a while, mainly due to the shifter having to keep sitting down, but eventually Caelestis headed to the changing room. Wraith had to admit, having to get changed in a room that was located in a public shop seemed strange, he shuddered at the thought, just thinking of it made him feel vulnerable. Granted this particular room seemed almost private for each customer, they even had a small sofa for Wraith to sit on whilst he waited, but even so, the scarred man couldn't grasp the concept as to why anyone would feel comfortable with undressing in such a place, especially since the door was technically a curtain. Even though the shifter had mentioned he wasn't good at opinions when it came to clothing, the celestial still wanted to know what he thought, so he would try his best. 

The first couple of clothing, Wraith tried to give his opinion, but ended up saying either "It's nice" or "The colour looks great." When it came to the third piece of clothing that Caelestis had picked out, Wraith was mentally preparing to give his opinion, hoping that he did better than the last few attempts in doing so. When his companion stepped out the changing room, it looked like it was a ordinary black tucked in shirt with long billowing sleeves and a half open front; however once the light hit it, there was a iridescent shine which shimmered throughout the fabric, and the shifter unknowingly widened his eyes at sight. It looked like the shirt was inspired by a magpie, especially with how the colours danced across the black fabric. It took him a moment to realise that Caelestis was talking to him. "Huh? Oh-" Wraith gave a slight cough, missing the amused look of his companion. The shifter rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze for a few moments. "I.....errr...." Dammit, why can't I think of anything to say? And why the hell does my face feel warm? Wraith thought before slowly looking back at the celestial. "Errm......it's....it's rather stunning." He managed to finally say before shrinking into the safety of his coat, feeling quite embarrassed. "But...but it's up to you, it's your body." He said looking back at the ground. 

Seemingly happy with Wraith's reaction, it seemed that Caelestis had made his decision and the pair of them ended up at the checkout to pay for the item. Without a second thought the shifter paid for it before looking at the golden eyed celestial and handed him the bag that the purchased shirt was now in. "I said that this is your day." He said plainly before limping out of the shop with Caelestis close to his side. The shifter looked up after a minute or so and saw a lemonade stand with chairs and tables outside of it. He gave a knowing look at his companion. "I don't know about you, but....I could do with a drink." He said with a slight smile. 

Wraith's attention snapped to Shin as he spoke, listening carefully from the shadows. The shifter looked down at his own clothes before looking back at the other man, tilting his head slightly in confusion. What was going on? Why was this man wanting to give him something? His eyes flickered to the building and then back to Shin, his eyes untrusting. It took a while, but eventually the shifter stepped out from the darkness and followed the other inside, his eyes constantly scanning every corner of each room as they walked through it. 

When then got to the top floor, Wraith couldn't help but half admire the view, it reminded him of the view from the rooftops where he spent most of his time, but he guessed that would make sense. His ears twitched as Shin spoke to him once more, to stay in a unfamiliar room or go with him to another unfamiliar room; without saying a word Wraith leant against a wall which allowed him to see all the entrances and exits to the room, and simply waited, his senses were all on edge. Once Shin returned, the scarred man was rather surprised when he was handed a thinner version of a bullet proof vest and a card, he held the items in his hands cautiously before looking back at Shin with suspicion. "Why are you giving me this?" He asked, his eyes scanning the other mans face for any insight on if this was a some sort of plot to harm, abduct or kill him. 

Wraith listened to the response and stared at Shin for a few more seconds, upon not finding a slip in the others expression, he dropped the gaze. "Thanks....."He said, not sure on what else to say, being social was not the shifters strong point.