Pep Talk from the Fierce Cat [Eli]

Elliot blinked in surprise as he looked at Karin and Shibe-sensei's shocked reactions. What did he say? He just pointed out that Isaac wasn't really talented at anything. Okay, going over that again in his head, he realized how that could've taken badly. Immediately he blushed, trying to worm his way out of such poor word choice. "I-I didn't mean it like that," he stammered, somewhat nervous sounding. "I-I didn't mean it like that," he said, a bit of worry in his eyes that the two would get the wrong idea. "He just . . . never really pursued any talents much. Like, he wasn't really into sports or instruments, and he kept switching between interests on a dime. So he doesn't really have any big, refined talents he'd be getting special training for. Closest I can think of there besides drama is his parkour phase, and that's when he was twelve."

With that resolved, now they could focus on more important matters. Like excuses and video editing, for example. "The bad leg won't be a problem, will it?" he asked all of a sudden. "I can try my best, but there's always going to be just a little bit of a dip when I stand. So even if I'm filmed from the waist up, that might be a bit risky." It'd be better to be honest with Shibe-sensei than risk a problem later, after all.

Elliot took the badge with a smile, pinning it neatly to the collar of his uniform as he listened to Karin's first suggestion. "That's a smart idea," he said, pondering on the matter. "But I don't really have much money on me right now. Do you think I could stop at home and pick some up? Mom should still be at work, so nobody would catch me off guard around there." Somehow, I get the feeling that Elliot is missing quite the obvious hint here. But maybe by narrator's intuition is off.

He turned to Shibe-sensei as well, bowing in gratitude. "Thank you so much, Sensei," he said, smiling. "I swear, I'll use it responsibly."

That made a lot of sense. Honestly, Elliot was surprised that Shibe-sensei needed him for this. With how sophisticated this editing technology sounded, they probably could've grabbed anyone off of the street and made them into an Isaac. Doing it with someone as close to Isaac as possible probably spared those Digimon from a world of stress. "I would love to see how that all worked one of these days. It's always really cool seeing Digimon in action," Elliot admitted. He wanted to learn more about the Digital World, after all, and something harmless like video editing was way less terrifying than the current associations he had with the Digital World.

Wait, Karin was paying? That wasn't fair! Clothing was expensive! Besides, she was already going out of her way so much for Elliot. He really didn't deserve this much attention, did he? Nevertheless, it'd be even less grateful to refuse a gift from someone trying to currently give him the world, so instead he bowed deeply. "T-thank you so much," he said, voice soft from how amazed he was by the offer. Someday, somehow, he was going to repay her for all of this. "I swear, I'm not going to forget this."

The two started their journey, although quickly two became three. Elliot smiled as Jeanne approached. "Hello, Jeanne," he said. Frankly, the difference between now and when the day started was astounding. It seemed as soon as Elliot's defenses were pierced, any of his discomforts crumpled like a house of cards. Karin had done the boy a massive favor by pulling him out of his head and onto this trip.

His eyes widened in excitement at mention of the arcade. Now there was something he was interested in for sure! There was a new pep in his step as he made his way to Cat Street, barely able to contain how relieved he was.

"Personal interest?" Elliot found himself quietly repeating. Just what did Karin mean by that? She was basically giving him the world on a silver platter today, and didn't even seem to think any thanks would be necessary for it. If this was the kind of thing that Karin was personally interested in, then Elliot was fairly convinced she was one of the kindest people that he had ever met. Still, judging by how she warned him not to skimp on the expenses, Elliot had the feeling that he definitely shouldn't be looking this gift horse in the mouth. It seemed, like it or not, he'd have to let Karin spoil him rotten today.

Unfortunately, the spoiling wouldn't be done by her hand. Now Elliot was forced to fend for himself in the wonderful world of clothes shopping. He had no maximum budget, no idea what he wanted, and not even a chance to go home and check his current wardrobe to see what needed updating. Then again, the answer to that was probably "everything." Elliot may have ended up the golden child in most regards, but when it came to clothes Isaac was the trendy one. As soon as the divorce happened, Cassandra was all too happy to indulge in what her son wanted, and Elliot was all too happy to step back and allow that.

Come to think of it, what size was Isaac, again? Maybe this could be a good chance to make things right.

He quickly turned to Karin, calling out to here before she left. "Before you go, any tips on stuff you think'd look good on me?" he asked, hoping to at least have some sort of tether to cling onto before he could start diving into the giant mass of clothing. Without a direction, he had a feeling he'd chance into the least stylish assembly of clothing possible.

Elliot nodded, listening as Karin tried to insist that she was totally doing this for herself and not for him. Maybe that was the case. Some people liked that kind of thing, after all, and she probably could've put Elliot in a metaphorical chokehold and forced him to do her a favor later. Even if it was the case, though, it was still one of the nicest things that anyone had done for him. Maybe this would be a bit damaging for her cool girl image, but Elliot gave her a quick, warm hug. "Well, whatever it's for, thank you," he said, voice very soft. "I think I really needed a day like this. And I know I was being a butt about it earlier, but it really means a lot to me you're doing this."

Yep! Not a bit of care for the cool girl image. Elliot was way too soft for that.

Of course, two very attractive looking girls picking Elliot up by the arms and parading him around probably did wonders for his cool image. Putting their heads together, Karin and Jeanne had whipped up one heck of a wardrobe for Elliot. He sighed in relief upon seeing that the pants were baggy. He really wouldn't be comfortable with anything skinny, due to the condition his leg was in. Baggy pants at least helped him hide it, making it only moderately incredibly obvious. The double layered shirt looked cool, although would it be a bit overkill with the vest? And would the hood on that be a bit overkill with the cap?

Oh well. The black and white on it looked really nice.

Elliot took his little ensemble into the changing room, taking a bit more time than most due to his leg. However, by this point, he was adapted enough to his leg to not drag on Jeanne and Karin's time forever. He came out awkwardly scratching at the fresh tag on his neck, but otherwise looking quite happy with himself. "How do I look?" Elliot asked, the slightest hint of shyness in his voice.

It seemed like Karin had read Elliot's mind on the subject of his clothes being a bit overkill. Still, despite the seeing redundancy each part of the outfit had a point. "Wow, that sounds really convenient," Elliot said, taking off the cap and admiring it a bit. It was the part he was most skeptical of, but at the moment it was the most stylish part of it as well. He had the feeling he'd be wearing it way more often nowadays, at least when not forced to wear a school uniform. And it all felt way less heavy together than Elliot thought it did, which was a surprise for how many parts the outfit had.

And hey, Karin actually thought he looked nice. Apparently Elliot cleaned up surprisingly nicely. "Aww, thanks," he said, smiling from the compliment. "I never really put much thought into this kind of stuff before, but now I really like how I look! I might start doing this kind of thing more often. When we get the money for it, that is." After a move to Japan, it was hard for the family to really have much else to work with. Their house was nice, if kind of cramped, but it took both Elliot's mom and Isaac working their butts off to keep everything going smoothly.

Karin proved she was great at picking outfits when she came back with her own set of clothes, too. Her choices were quite punk looking from neck to toe (speaking of, wow, that was a lot of leg), with the exception of the cat ears cheerfully plopped on her head. It was an interesting look, to say the least, but Karin pulled it off really well. "You look great," Elliot said, the very slightest hint of a blush lighting up his cheeks. What? She looked really good! "That rose looks awesome, especially."

However, Elliot found himself not quite wanting to leave yet, even if his own clothes had already been picked. "Do you mind if I pick up one more set, while I'm here?" Elliot asked. "I know, you've got a lot of cool stuff planned today. But I promise, I'll just need a few minutes!"

He had a plan, didn't he?

Karin was really good at advice, when push came to shove. Elliot rarely thought about treating himself, but it really must have been important for keeping people sane. Then again, for Elliot, one of the best treats was the smile on someone's face after being treated. Maybe Elliot was just in a giving mood, though, because he had totally promised himself that he would buy Isaac a little housewarming gift for when he got back. "That explains why Isaac's always changing up his outfits so much," Elliot said. "Maybe I should start taking a page out of his book there."

It turned out the worst thing anyone could do for a blush was call it out. Elliot's blush deepened a little when Karin called him out on it, but even worse was when she hooked him around the neck and pulled him in nice and close. Jeez, did she forget he had a bad leg? He had to quickly dig a foot in the ground to avoid being yanked too hard, because he had almost stumbled into quite a . . . sensitive area. If he was blushing before, what Karin whispered to him next had him blushing a bright neon red. "I-I," he stammered, trying to think of a way to even compile his thoughts while they were all racing so much. "I mean, you're really- but don't you have- I'm still just- what are you-"

Oh. Good. She said not in the way. Elliot let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that he wouldn't be tormented to death in the back of a clothing store. "R-right. I forgot how good you were at that," he said, his blush slowly starting to fade. If Karin was acting quick and feeling especially cheeky, though, maybe it wouldn't have time to go away.

Hopefully now they could walk and talk, because Elliot was ready to start picking out Isaac's outfit. A cool, dark red or burgundy shirt with black mesh on the sides, for example. Some matching black shorts with a ripped jean design. Not too ripped, though, or it'd be a major pain to wash. A slick looking white belt to tie it all together, adding a bit of contrast. A black bandanna to add a bit more accent, especially if Isaac started missing having one in his human form. And finally, a . . . black cat printed scarf? That didn't seem like it matched the others, but Elliot still included it in the selection he was currently assembling.

Yep. He definitely had plans.