Kai left the changing booth, dressed in the suit Felicia had picked for him, and came to stand before the mirror. She strutted around him in her heels, nudging him to turn left, then right, while scanning him carefully with her golden eyes. He did the same to her, noticing once again that she wore different clothes than she had last time—dressed in an off-shoulder blouse and a loose pair of pants, with a red bandanna tied around her neck.
"How are you getting new clothes every time I see you?"
"I work."
He blinked. "Here? At the store?"
She scoffed. "I wish. Working for Evelyn would be a dream come true."
"A strange dream for a fox…" he muttered, but she heard him.
"If humans can find animal fur beautiful and alluring enough to wear, why can't animals think the same of human clothing?"
"Ah…" He furrowed his brows, considering. "I guess I never thought of it that way."
"The suit looks good, but I'd like you to try on at least one more," she said and handed him another suit. "Where are you taking the girl?" she asked as he returned to the changing booth.
"We are going to the movies for the next date, but the suit isn't for that."
"I was about to say… you'd probably want something casual for a movie date."
"I was planning on taking her somewhere fancy for the third date. I heard Monarchy is a good pick."
"No, no, absolutely not!" she snapped.
Kai lifted an eyebrow at the fox-girl's overblown reaction, and though she couldn't see him beyond the cloth veil of the booth, she knew she had overreacted.
"That restaurant is too expensive, and the food there isn't nearly as good as people claim," she added nervously. "You should take her to Caesar instead."
He shrugged. He wasn't particularly familiar with either restaurant… or any restaurant, for that matter. "Alright, if you say so. I'll take her to Caesar."
Felicia let out a sigh of relief. "And what then? Do you have plans for after dinner?"
"Well, it being our third date and all—we'll go back to my place, and… you know," he said, stepping out. The current suit was in a slight shade of blue, as opposed to the previous one, which was all black. "I think the black looks better."
"It's not just about the color; it's about the figure—the way it shapes your shoulders, how it hugs around your waist…" She scanned him. "The black does look better."
He went back into the changing room to put on his clothes.
"Did you think about your route?"
"My route?"
"How are you going to get to your house after dinner?"
"By taxi, I guess, or if it isn't too far, then by foot."
"If it is by foot, then all the more reason you should think about your route. You don't want any surprises, especially if you walk through the streets at night. There are all sorts of things that can sully the mood."
The Oathless fell quiet for a long moment. He hadn't considered that. "I could take her through the park," he mused.
"A luxury dinner, followed by a romantic walk in the park… not bad," she agreed.
He left the changing booth for the last time, dressed in the clothes he came with—a yellow bomber jacket and a slick black shirt. He carried the suit he had settled for over his forearm.
She eyed him with pride; he was almost good-looking. "Not bad at all," she repeated. "Good luck, Oathless… You'll need it."
***
He waited for her at the mall, outside the theater, his foot tapping nervously. Maria was late… again. What if she changed her mind? What if she wasn't going to show? She picked the movie; she said she was excited to see it. She wouldn't bail, would she?
"Can't believe they are making another one," a familiar voice came to Kai's ears, and he turned. Mason was standing with a couple of guys in front of a hanging monitor, watching a showcase of upcoming movie trailers.
"Didn't BLOODRAGER initially come out, like, over ten years ago?" asked the short man to his left. "And it had, like, three movies already."
"Something like that, yeah, but it is still a super popular anime," answered the tall, lanky man to his right.
"I kinda want to go see the new movie," Mason said.
"Have you been keeping up with the new seasons?"
"No," he responded. "But this seems like a standalone movie, and besides, it's BLOODRAGER, who cares about the plot?"
The two chuckled and nodded in agreement.
Kai smiled. Maybe I should come back for the movie when it's out, the thought occurred to him. He could go with Mason, or… if Mason and his friends didn't want him tagging along, he could go with Vermallelia; he had started his third re-watch to catch her up with the latest season, and the rat-girl seemed to be enjoying it.
"Hi, Kai Bear," Maria said, drawing his attention away.
"Hey," he gave her a hug. When they separated, she sent an odd glance at Mason and his friends—they were still gushing over the anime's first couple of seasons, which they referred to as the 'good ones'.
"I really don't understand how grown men can get excited about cartoons," she shook her head, a wry smile on her lips.
He blinked, cartoons?! The ignorance of the statement threatened to stagger his soul out of his body. It's an anime, idiot, not cartoon! The thought was an instinct that his mouth opened to express, but which he restrained.
"We should go in," he said instead. "Would you like some popcorn?"
"Yeah, thanks."
***
When the movie ended, the Oathless came out of the theater, annoyed. The movie started out alright, but very quickly he realized it was a rip-off of that awful flick where an average girl finds herself in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf. Only in this movie, instead of a vampire and a werewolf, it was a mobster and a cop. At least the other movie had a supernatural element to keep it interesting; this one was just dull all the way through.
And of course, the girl ended up with the mobster, he thought bitterly. Even though he lied to her, threatened her, and abused her—in the end, all he had to do was kneel down and apologize, and all was forgiven. It didn't matter that the other guy treated her well, or had principles, or… you know, followed the law. He scoffed. I guess following the law is for simps.
"Kai?" Maria's voice pulled him out of his daydreaming.
"Ah… sorry, did you say something?"
She smiled. "I asked if you enjoyed the movie."
He hesitated, his mouth hung open. "Ah… did you?"
"I thought it was great."
Of course you did.
"You look like you hated it," she said.
"No, no—" he panicked. What was he supposed to do? Be confident? Be kind? Be himself? Yeah, right. He knew what would happen if he told her what he really thought. On the other hand, he also knew what would happen if he agreed with her on everything. He had to find a middle ground, to be honest without being hurtful. "I just got the feeling the movie wasn't really made for me."
She gave it some thought. "I suppose it is kind of a girls' film."
He hid a sigh of relief.
"Next time, you can pick the movie."
He forced a smile. Next time, you can pay for the tickets, a small voice in his head retorted. This girl hates video games, she mocks anime, and her taste in movies is garbage. We have nothing in common. Why am I even dating her?
Because she is hot! The response echoed through his mind—ending the discussion.
Maria was satisfied with the date, and she would go out with him again… that's all that mattered.