#And Argent is a new character that I haven't fully fleshed out yet lol

[maple-writes]

Scene - Asher and Argent go shopping

I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing in anticipation of potentially writing a sequel/continuation to the city of Eventide, and also trying to get back into posting writing so here's something!

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The store was quiet, as it usually was, after work on a Wednesday. Not that I didn’t think Argent could handle a busy store but she’d already had a long week and I didn’t want to be anywhere busy. She stuck by my side as I led her in through the doors and grabbed a cart. It rattled over the smallest bumps and drifted ever so slightly to the left regardless of which way we were going.  

I squinted a little at the lights when we first stepped into the store itself. They were always just a little too bright but there wasn’t much I could do about that now. “So,” I turned to Argent. “Where do we want to start?”  

She blinked, surprised, and hesitated as she took in the department store. “That... Is a good question.”  

Fair. I leaned over the front of the cart to lazily push it along as I glanced down at her shoes – a borrowed pair of mine – that were at least a size too big but the closest match between me Ember and Striker. “How about shoes?”  

“Right.” She nodded. “That’s a good idea.”  

The small little shoe section in the corner of the store was near dead besides a young mother and her daughter, stomping up and down the aisle testing a fresh pair of light up running shoes.  

I stopped by a section that looked like it might be her size, leaning on the cart again with my foot hooked on the bottom gently pushing and pulling the cart back and forth. “Anything catch your eye?” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I’d never gone shopping for someone before. Especially not a kid.  

She scanned the shelves, eyes trailing up and down before turning back to me. “Should I just choose one?” 

I shrugged. “Maybe?” How many shoes did people usually have? My eyes drifted to the ceiling as I tried to remember and count my own. “Maybe two or three? Running shoe, something waterproof, and something nice?” It would be pricy but I couldn’t justify not getting rainboots at least. Not with how often it rained these days.  

She nodded and quietly started to pick some to try on, and I leaned heavier on the cart. She needed shoes, but what else? Clothes probably. As much as she seemed to like borrowing from Ember and I she’d probably need her own at some point. I tilted my head and furrowed my eyebrows. Would she need her own soap? Was it weird to share soap with adults? I couldn’t remember if I ever thought so. It wouldn’t hurt to offer I guess. I glanced over at her as she bent over on one of the little stools provided, tying the laces to a pair of white running shoes.  

Argent was also a girl. Huh. Maybe I should have asked Ember to come with me. I had an idea of what she might need but nothing about how to choose the right ones. Would it be weird to ask if she was having periods? Or was that something best snuck into the bathroom one day and mentioned offhand after consultation with Ember? Then again... Ember didn’t really strike me as an expert on what was on the market these days after spending so long living away from society. Kyra might know, but also might not know, and Ginger’s technically dead so would she still need to know? Charlotte might but was I really close enough with her to ask?  

Probably best just to ask Argent what she’d want. If she didn’t know there was writing on the boxes for a reason.  

Argent brought a couple of shoeboxes and set them in the cart. I leaned over, curious, at the images on the sides showing a pair of running shoes and a pair of rainboots coming up just past the ankle.  

“These the ones you want?” 

She nodded, not quite looking straight at me. “If it’s alright.”  

“Sure.” Striker mentioned he’d help pay for some of this so between the two of us it should work out fine. “Clothes next?” 

She nodded again let me lead the way to the clothes in the middle of the store. There wasn’t anything fancy here, but there would be enough that was comfortable, warm, and maybe something nice. I followed her as she looked through shirts and pants, casually sifting through in case I found something that she might like. Maybe. Would I even know what she liked? She didn’t like to divulge much it seemed. I mean, we weren’t much more than strangers to her yet.  

“Asher?”  

“Hm?” I hooked a shirt I was looking at back at the rack. “Yeah?” 

She hesitated, pretending to inspect a sweater to avoid looking right at me. “Are you really a demon?” 

I paused. Why ask that now? “More or less.” I leaned over the bar of the cart and let my gaze wander over the tops of the clothing racks and the aged department signs. “My father was a demon, and my mother was a human. Ember is the same.” Though, she’d likely figured that out just by looking at her that she wasn’t quite human. “Does that make you nervous?” 

“No,” she shook her head quietly. “You’re just not what I thought a demon would be like.” She paused, glancing up at me for just a moment before looking back down at the sweater, or maybe even the ground below it. “You’re not as scary as I thought a demon would be.” 

My smile slipped for just a moment. Sharp teeth, the rain soaking my clothes and mud and blood and dead grass and my hand on Striker’s throat and Ginger’s cold blood in my mouth... She didn’t know any better. “I try not to be. I mean, I’m not a full demon either.” Hopefully, she would never have to know any better.  

“Oh.” She turned over the sweater for one last look and set it in the cart next to the shoes. Hangers creaked as she moved on to the next rack. “Is it hard?” 

I looked up, face scrunched. “Is what hard?” 

“Not being, I don’t know, scary?”  

Sometimes. I let my head fall, rounding my shoulders and nudging the bottom of the cart with my foot. “I...” What should I say? If she wasn’t human I didn’t want to discourage her but at the same time... “Sometimes it’s harder than others. It used to be worse but I think I have a handle on it now.” For now. Until something changed. Would it ever change?  

“That’s good.” She set another shirt in the cart and wandered into another section. Her silence resumed as she browsed pants. 

My eyes wandered over to the far end of the store, not looking at anything in particular. Hopefully I didn’t scare her. That was the last thing I wanted to do. She didn’t need to know everything I’d done but I didn’t want to lie to her either.  

“Hey Asher?” 

I looked up again, trying not to let the worry show on my face. “Yeah?” 

She paused, half-hiding a hopeful smile as she stole a glance my way. “Can I still keep your hoodie?” 

“My hoodie?” I blinked. “Are you sure? I’m sure we can find one that’s a little less worn out.” There were holes where the cuffs joined the sleeves, and the back was pilled and worn out. I couldn't have even been that warm anymore and the drawstring from the hood had gone missing sometime last year. I probably should have replaced a long time ago.  

Argent tucked her hands into the pocket, the one that had a small hole right at the bottom just big enough for a coin to slip through. “I like it.” 

It was the same hoodie I’d lent Cirrus when I first found him in the sea. The same one I wore when I killed Vena. Maybe that’s why I’d never gotten rid of it. It was the same one too that I’d lent Argent when I found her, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t hurt to let her keep it I guess...  

“I guess so, it if you really want it.” I shrugged, but a part of me already missed it. It was past time to replace it but somehow I never could get myself to part with it until now. Maybe this was for the best. “I think we should probably get a raincoat or something without holes in it though.” 

She smiled and nodded to herself. “Thanks.”  

It wasn’t like I’d given her anything valuable by letting her keep it. But if it made her happy, why not? I nodded to the clothes in the cart. “Do you want to try those on?”