163/Yukata look good!

Yukata look good!
Date of Scene:	27 July 2023
Location:	Clover Tower
Synopsis:	Mio, Coco, Amy, Cho, and Rashmi go Yukata shopping!
Cast of Characters:	Mio Morita, Rashmi Terios, Amanda Faust, Coco Kiumi, Cho Konishi

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Mio Morita has posed:
Things had gotten chaotic after the events with the eggs. Mio hadn't been joking about the whole getting sick over the smell of those eggs. So the yukata shopping got rescheduled to today! Thankfully she has since recovered.

Mio also has spent her time dealing with the aftermath of the bake sale. She is still trying to figure out how exactly she is a going to talk with her dad about the issue at hand. Still, That all can get set aside to go shopping with her friends.

Finally it's time! Mio called her friends and suggested to meet at Nishikiori Textiles At Clover Tower. Thankfully its in a section of the tower that wasn't exploded recently. Mio is there already and waiting.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
They say criminals always return to the scene of the crime. After the monster she fought in the Clover mall yesterday... does this make Rashmi a criminal, now?

No. No, that's silly.

*Very* silly.

And anyway, Nishikori is in a completely different section of the tower, because commerce must go on! And besides, yukatas are *adorable* and she hasn't had a reason to get a new one for some time. So when the meet is announced, she turns up in a light summerweight blouse and long patterned skirt, with good sensible flats for shopping endurance, and a broad-brimmed, floppy hat to keep the sun off. For a moment, she pauses in the entranceway of the shop, glancing here and there... and upon spotting Mio, gives the girl a cheery wave and heads directly her way. "Hallo!, Mio-san! How're you doing?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's text replies about the rescheduling are terse. She comes back to campus early the next day ravenous, apparently not so serious about that diet or deciding to have a cheat day, and then ends up gaming in the dorm room for a couple of days, not really inclined to do much else besides tend to biological needs and talk briefly. This is how she's unwinding after all the stress of the past couple of weeks, apparently.

    But it seems her socializing batteries are recharged enough that when yukata shopping is raised on -- "Wait, it's Thursday? I thought today was Wednesday..." maybe she gamed a little too hard, Mio didn't actually see her SLEEP Monday or Tuesday night, although she was napping for some of Tuesday morning and afternoon -- Amanda is up for it! Wearing dark slacks and... let's say a pink T-shirt, she happily accompanies Mio!

    Seeing Rashmi again, she offers a friendly smile and wave, "Hi-eeee!" If also asked how she's doing, or just to be conversational after Mio, she says: "Kinda been taking the past few days to relax... it's been kinda stressful getting used to, uh, a whole new situation, you know? But... It's nice to get out with friends!" She hugs Mio enthusiastically, then steps back looking a little uncertain and confused about if that was too forward.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The time Coco has been waiting for has now come. She has been super enthusiastic about the plan for the yukata shopping and nothing was going to come in between them. Nothing except a bunch of badly cooked eggs, apparently. But now Mio has recovered from the illness induced by the terrible smell and Coco is raring to go! One of the first things she did after knowing of Mio's recovery was invite Cho, who thankfully said yes! They are all going to look absolutely spectacular. For the occasion Coco was wearing her yellow sundress with a wide straw hat and star-shaped sunglasses.

Sadly the address Coco had looked up had since been rendered unavailable after the monster attacked the mall over the Obsidian company's Black Jades, but thankfully Mio came through and suggested a perfect place. "This is going to be amazing, Cho! The place we are supposed to meet at is called Nishikiori Textiles!" she explains to her roommate as they walk around the Clover Tower. Coco's excitement was so palpable her flaming aura was acting up again.

"There they are!" Coco yells, pointing out to the trio of Rashmi, Mio and Amy. "Hey, we are here!", she says, waving and smiling at them. "This is going to be awesome! I'm so glad you could come." Turning specifically to Mio, she asks if she all right now.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi had, of course, laughed at first when she heard that they could go Yukata shopping. Of course, when she realized it was a true offer, she yelled 'YES!' so loudly Wuwu had fallen off the fridge he'd been napping on.

Of course, Cho had tried to cover it up, but wellllll... She'd NEVER hada yukata before. Never, ever. In fact, all memories involving yukatas were of her as a boy and seeing girls in yukatas and being so jealous and then going home to hug her pillows to her chest and cry because she wanted to wear a yukata too. Okay, so it wasn't so much a 'yukata' as a 'GIRL'S YUKATA.' She had a lil boys yukata BUT IT WAS DIFFERENT! Don't ask, if you have to ask you wouldn't understand!

Yuyu, being the wonderful bastion of good advice he was, then just asked them why Cho didn't just steal whatever ones she thought would look good on her. She was Wukong, she could do what she wanted. He'd even taught her the 'write your own permission slip' trick. She responded by spritzing him with a water bottle before getting ready.

And then coming out looking like she had picked her clothes out in the dark. A white hoodie, an orange plain t-shirt, a knee length green skirt... Seriously, someone REALLY needed to help get the girl some fashion sense. And blouses.

Still, she was excited. And was actually matching Coco's enthusiasm, her eyes alight with glee. "This is going to be so much fun!" she said, hopping, skipping sometimes... if she was in henshin and had the monkey tail it would have even been wagging.

Unfortunately, unknown to her... Wuwu had decided to follow them. So far behind, zipping from tree to window shill to tree... a little monkey tracked them. Eyes narrowed. Watching. Plotting. Scheming... memorizing.

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio smiles and waves to Rashmi. "Hey Rashmi-san! I am pretty okay. Not sick anymore and I got to sell my baked goods the other day! Everything is really cool. How are you?" She asks with a smile. She happened to find a place to sit down and just wait. It was kind of nice being at Clover Tower without having to fight an overpowered terribad.

"You can say that again. Its always nice to be out and about with friends." She smiles happily to Coco and gives a wave to her. "Hey Coco-san. Good to see you. Thank you again for your help at the bake sale. It was a real help." She beams happily over that. "Ready to get your shopping on? I am totally going to find a cute yukata for the festival."

Wuwu isn't the only mascot who trailed along on this trip. Pin is with Mio, though she is actually acting like a plush toy. She is laying on Mio's head at the moment. "Is everyone here?" Mio asks as she stands up and smiles to, Well Everyone! "I hope they have something in purple and orange!" She comments as she turns to the store and starts walking towards it.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Long day yesterday," Rashmi admits, lifting a shoulder with a chuckle. "But definitely planning to make up for it today! I can *definitely* understand that, Amy-san, but getting ready for a festival? It'll *really* help, trust me."

When Coco and Cho show up, they likewise get a cheerful wave. "Hiii Coco-san, Cho-san! It's great to see you too!"

As Mio leads the group into the store, Rashmi falls back with the others, laughing and chatting. "So is there anything anyone's looking for specifically?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco smiles at her. "No need to mention it, it was really fun spending time with you. And of course I am ready! We will be super pretty for the fireworks!" As she notices the "plushie", Coco extends her hand, giving it a pet. "How are you doing, Pin?" she whispers to the fairy.

As Amy starts exchanging hugs, Coco moves in too to give her one. "Yes, an outing is exactly what we need after these hectic days."

"I have been looking up a lot of videos about how to wear a yukata, this will be my first time with one!" she reveals, a tinge of apprehension coloring the excitement of her tone now that it comes to put what she learnt to practice. "Do you already know what you are looking for? I think something floral or with cloud patterns would be great."

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi gave Mio, Rashmi and Amy a somewhat nervous smile. Crud. TWO girls she didn't know. But... but she could do this. WOULD do this! She was a strong, independent girl! And she had a shielding mermaid/atlantean with her!

"Looking for? I uhhhh.... I want it to... be pink," she said, before her cheeks went red. "A-and... and... c-cool. I guess? I uhhhh... err... I've never... actually worn one. M-my family isn't really big on the whole festivals thing is all. So I've never gotten a chance. I mean, I've always wanted to, but I never could, you know? A-and they sound fun. Cute! Cute and fun. I think they'd be fun. To wear. I mean. To... to a festival. Maybe? I think. S-so... y-yeah. I-I can't wait. I-I've never gone shopping with gir-- other girls like this before, I mean, cause we didn't usually have places like this back home. Small town. You know? Eh heh heh heh," she said.

Oh gosh she was so nervous. All of them were cute and girly and she was NOT and they were going to out her and know she was a fake and hate her and she was going to lose all her new friends and they'd hate her and--

Cho took a slow, deep breath and told that voice to SHUT! UP! "Sorry. Just a little nervous. First festival in a new place, you know? So uhhhh. I don't wanna mess it up. Something... pink, bright and pretty, I think. I'd love to send pictures home to my parents after, to let them know I'm doing well."

Mio Morita has posed:
Pin whispers quietly to Coco, "Shhh. I'm doing well. I just wanted to come along and see the pretty yukatas!" She whispers to Coco as she returns to pretending to be a plushie.

Mio smiles to the girls and walks into the shop. She immediately makes her way to the Yukatas. She starts looking around curiously. "Hmmm I wanna find one that is Purple!" She exclaims to whoever is closest to her. She doesn't really know Rashmi or Cho for that matter. She only knows Amy and Coco. "Oh this ones super pretty! I don't think I wanna wear this one though. Its still pretty. Amy what do you think?"

The Yukata in question is blue with a bunch of stars and a variety of other spacy shapes. Its really neat looking. "It looks like it could be in your size too. Its up to you tho... OH!"

She turns her attention to a white yukata with purple and orange flowers. "Oh wow. This is super pretty. I was hoping to find a purple one but this could be the one." She looks around for one that would be her size.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Oh okay, lots of first-timers!" Rashmi says as they walk into the shop. "If anyone needs help tying the belt, let me know! It's kinda difficult until you get used to it."

Her eyes roam the clothes on display, and when Mio points out the spacey one she chuckles. "Yeah, but with my hair and skin it wouldn't look *super* good. It is really cute, though! Sorry for not introducing myself by the way... I'm Rashmi Terios, grade 10. Ummm..."

Looking about again, she moves to a vertical-striped purple one with a sakura motif. "...How about this one, Mio-san?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    It's nice to be out and about with friends. Amy smiles and nods, "Yeah, it kinda is." When was the last time she was comfortable out and about?

    ...

    ...

    ...

    ...Huh, she really can't think of any such time, well, she kept to herself and existed online whenever she could for a reason, right?

    Of course, *this* activity would be *massively* uncomfortable if she still had her true appearance. These girls wouldn't--

    Something in her brain recoils so strongly that thought processes imagining that are aborted.

    The expression on Amy's face is a bit more troubled. She tries to rationalize this as being forced to deceive by supernatural circumstances. It's not really... practical for him to, with whatever magical shit is going on, exist and present as Mallory Faust, 36-year-old IT guy who is presently turned into a teenage girl. He cringes a bit even at the thought. People wouldn't understand, they'd think he's weird, they'd-- wait, the girls have been talking.

    Amy tunes back in while Cho is explaining, and offers a nervous, awkward smile. "I've never worn one either! And I've never really done... clothes shopping *with* people either, but... It's like Mio-san said, it's nice to do stuff with friends, right?" She makes that same smile again. "I don't really know about fashion, either." Although, she suddenly remembers Hannah suggesting blue, black, and gold. Maybe she'll keep that in mind.

    Mio's already found something. Amy looks at it. "Uhh.... I said I don't know anything about fashion... I guess see how it looks on you?" She smiles. "I do like the theme. The stars and stuff. Even if the constellations aren't astronomically accurate." She smiles more at some private joke only funny to her.

    Mio points out another one! "It's... flowery. I really don't know fashion stuff..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
At Rashmi's reply, Coco nods thankfully. "I will gladly take you up on that offer, then, thanks!"

Between Cho's nervousism and Mio's inquiring expression about the other girls' identities, Coco steps in to do some presentations after Rashmi gives out her name. "By the way, this is Cho Konishi, my roommate. She may be tense now, but she is great in her element."

"Hey, Cho, what do you think about this one?", says Coco, showing her a white yukata with pink and red flowers. "I think it would go really well with your hair."

Coco's smile becomes a bit fake as the conversation steers towards never having done these things with friends. "Yeah... I guess these occasions don't come up often, huh? But it's great that we are now here together!" She is certainly not avoiding to think about any orange princesses, nor any indigo or purple variants.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi nodded along, letting herself get swept up in everything. She had no idea what she was doing, but gosh darn if she didn't enjoy it. The yukata's were pretty. So she just kind of... giggled and nodded. Yup. Pretty. Ohhhh. Stars. Spaaaaace. Bluuuuue. "Hee hee, pretty," she said softly. Ohhhh, she was ENJOYING this. Though she possibly looked a liiiiiittle dazed.

"I... uhhhh... c-could use some help with the belt, though," she admitted. She knew how to tie a boy's yukata... but was a girl's yukata harder?! Or different? Best to find out by just saying she had no idea.

Oh, right! Introductions! YAY! Coco's got her back! She gave a feeble little wave. "O-oh, I think it looks really pretty. It-- o-on me? Y-you think... that'd look good... o-o-on me?" Oh. Ohhhh. Now her eyes were shimmering. "I-I'm going to try it! Where... where do we try things on?" Eeeeeee!

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the store... Wuwu's head popped down, hanging upside down and peering at them. So, this was the place... seriously, why did his magical girl insist on paying for things? Geez. Did HE ask before he ate all those peaches? No. Because if you were awesome enough you didn't HAVE to ask for permission.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Amy is not just nervous, but *noticeably* so, and the answer to every question? 'I don't know about fashion.' Hm...

<<FLASHBACK>>

"I should go on a diet."

<<END FLASHBACK>>

"Hey," Rashmi says gently tilting her head to one side. "I don't know much about fashion either, I just... try on what looks nice to me, and see if it works. If you do that long enough, you know what works. So... don't worry about fashion, and find something that makes you happy to look at. You can start from there."

With tying help asked for from multiple quarters, the dark-skinned redhead bobs her head, smiling, and moves toward a relatively simple yukata colored a deep red, with flowered branches creating interesting paneling, and dips into the dressing room to try hers on.

People are going to need help, after all, so best to get her shopping done and out of the way to free herself up to help!

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio smiles a little. She didn't know about the fact that two of the group present weren't always girls. Nor did she care. What she does know is, "I can help with tying the yukatas as well. I had to learn a few times." She winces remembering that she had forgotten a few times.

She turns her attention to the purple striped Yukata that Rashmi pointed out. "Oh that is adorable." She goes over to it and pulls it close to herself. "Huh. I do think its my color sadly. What do you think Coco?" She asks as she turns her attention back to the white yukata that she had seen before.

Her attention goes to Amy. She smiles to her. "What do you like? Flowers? Stars? Cute animals? We can start there. Then we can go from there to find something you will like." Mio steps away from the striped one yukata and goes to the white yukata. Collecting it she smiles and looks to the dressing rooms. "Okay I am trying this one on." She walks over and into one of the rooms.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods slowly and uncertainly at Rashmi. But... she has been looking back at that purple, cosmologically-themed yukata Mio put back a couple of times. What does she like? "I... don't know... I mean I like anime and stuff... But..." She makes her move, a bit skittishly as she imagines that if anyone knew who she really was she'd never hear the end of what she's about to do. She reaches out and snatches the purple stars-and-planets yukata, as if she's trying to quickly grab a cookie from the jar while mom and dad aren't looking, and then quickly folds it and holds it close to her chest as if she has to hide it. She scurries after Mio. "I-i-i-i... I think I'll try this one..." quietly, she reminds, "I don't know how to put it on either, umm..." She glances at Cho asking where the fitting rooms are. "I-I guess this way...?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Now that Cho seems to approve of her suggestion, Coco goes back to spending some time for herself. "This shop has some pretty great selections. Way to go, Mio!", she compliments her friends.

Coco quickly grabs three good yukatas for herself: a white one with cobalt blue leaves and a white belt with golden flowers, a dark magenta one with yellow trees on white cliffs and a black belt with white leaves, and finally a yellow one with big red flowers outline by blue and an azure belt with a black string decorated by pale blue flowers. "I think I am going to try these ones! Rashmi, can you give me a hand with the belts, please?"

"I think the fitting rooms are down that way, Cho" Coco says at her roommate's question, pointing down to the left, recollecting a map she had seen while gazing at the yukatas. "I am about to head there myself. Want to go with me?"

Before going she addresses Mio's question. "I actually don't think the purple is a bad idea on you. Not that one admittedly - it would be bad by itself - but I think that if you find one balanced by a light green, it's going to complement you perfectly."

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi nodded. "I'd... really appreciate it, thank you," she said sheepishly. Which would prove beneficial, as it turned out boys and girls DID tie them differently. Today she would learn. She nodded to Mio's suggestion.

Of course, she now realized they were basically a pack. As nervous as she was, if she did it as a pack, it would make things easier. She then glanced to Coco. "Y-yeah. Mio-san is really smart. Uhhhh... T-thank you, Rashmi-san. For helping," she said nervously. "C-come on, Amy-san. Let's go g-get changed." Yes, trying to NOT be too nervous. GAHHHHH!

Wuwu, meanwhile, wondered how he selected such a dork to be Cure Wukong. Dependability, he thought. It'll be fun, he thought.

Meanwhile, Cho... Cho just followed Coco and tried to ignore the voice in her head saying it was wrong for her to do this. That she should be trying things on at home, alone, and asking for help was wrong and just... shoving that voice in a barrel and tossing it in a river.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi Terios emerges from the fitting stands with her yukata hastily tied on, arms outstretched and turning in place to see if the other girls have opinions. "I think this one's a winner, myself, how about you all?"

Looking up to see that Coco has a selection, the redhead chuckles, nodding. "Sure, that won't be a problem! Oh also, Amy-san? Cho-san? You can put it over your clothes when you're trying it on, it'll be a little bit tight but you'll know if you like how it looks."

As Cho also approaches the fitting stalls, the redhead prepares herself for an afternoon of helping to teach to tie belts. <<I wonder if there's a Utoob video,>> she wonders absently.

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio sighs, "Amy, put it on over your clothes for now. We don't need to strip down or anything." She steps into the changing room only to come out a minute or two later. The belt is hastily tied but tied right at least. She smiles a little as she steps out and shows off the yukata.

She is wearing a white yukata with purple and orange flowers.

She smiles bright. "I really like this one. I think I look kinda okay in it." SHe looks over herself and giggles. "I think I'm going to buy this one."

She turns her attention to Amy, "Well put on the yukata! I will help tie it. You will look good in it." She smiles and steps back into the changing room to get her yukata off.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> I think this one's a winner, myself, how about you all?
    Rashmi in a deep red yukata with flowering branch patterns. Amy said she didn't know anything about fashion, but, as she looks the other girl over thoughtfully, something clicks into place. Seeing her wearing it... it's a lot like evaluating a character design, right? Rashmi stands out here with her dark skin and red hair, and with the red clothes she makes it *work*. It's eye-catching and aesthetically appealing. If Rashmi (summer festival ver.) were a gacha character, Amanda would expect the internet to rate her a solid 3 or 4-star waifu.

    Amy grins and gives a thumbs-up. "Looks good! ...I guess I really need to see them on people to judge."

> C-come on, Amy-san. Let's go g-get changed.
    Uh oh. YOU DIDN'T THINK YOUR CUNNING PLAN ALL THE WAY THROUGH, MALLORY.

    Amy looks like she's realized *something* shocking. Her mind races. Okay, look, you knew this was gonna come up sooner or later. You probably can't wait until everyone else leaves in PE all next semester. You already race from the door to the dorm showers keeping your head down and eyes glued to the floor. Just... do the same thing here, look away from everyone else. You're a perfect gentleman, YOU know you won't perv on them, this would only look bad to someone who knew you were really a guy but didn't actually know YOU. This is simply a necessity of being brought along for clothes shopping with the other girls. She starts to wonder, what DO lesbians and gay guys do in the changing rooms to avoid problems, anyway...

> Oh also, Amy-san? Cho-san? You can put it over your clothes when you're trying it on, it'll be a little bit tight but you'll know if you like how it looks.
    OR THERE COULD BE THAT VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF THAT. "O-oh." She nods at Mio, and starts trying to figure out how to get the cosmic purple yukata on. Then Mio's back out with hers on. Amy steps out with the yukata on but open and untied like a weird coat to looks her over. "Ohhhh, that looks *good*!" Although she's not sure *why*, exactly. Is this the fashion equivalent of being able to enjoy food vs being a food critic who can say WHY you enjoy the food? Hmm.

    Help her tie it? "Oh, uh, thanks, yes please..." she blushes, "You really think I'll look good in it...?"

    while Mio's gone back into the fitting room to take hers off, Amy continues to stand outside, curiously trying to work out how to close and tie the yukata properly on her own just to see if she can. Since they're keeping clothes on underneath, there's not really any need for her to step into a fitting room to do this anyway.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
With Rashmi's help, Coco manages not to mess up anything. "Thanks a lot, Rashmi, it would have been much harden without you".

'I think I will reserve the yellow one for last: I get the feeling that's going to be the winner', she decides, eagerly starting to put them on.

In quick succession, she changes in and out of the three yukatas she had brought with herself, showing them to the others before the change to the next, ending, as she wanted, with the yellow yukata.

Rashmi does a bit more of a rush job with the first two are a much more of a rush job than the last one, because Coco really liked them all and couldn't bear to leave one behind. 'Not like I can afford all three yet. One has to be the winner', she ponders as the put the last one on.

"So what do you think?" she asks the others looking at herself in the mirror with outstretched arms, a pensive expression soon replaced by a satisfied smile. "I'm pretty sure the one I'm currently wearing is my favourite."

"That looks amazing on you, Cho, you are so pretty!", she says, admiring her friend now she has put on her own yukata. "I bet you are going to slay tons of hearts."

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi eyed Rashmi upon seeing the yukata. "Y-you look really cute," she said sheepishly. "D-definitely adorable. I ummmm... oh. Over my clothes. That... that's really smart. S-sorry. I uhhh, haven't... really done this in a group before," she said weakly. "Only my mom and dad ever helped and well. It's a lot different when someone who changed your diapers sees you in your underwear, right?" she said, laughing nervously.

Wuwu, still watching, shook her head and rolled his eyes. Why was she so nervous? She was awesome, like him! He really needed to help her work on that.

"I-I do?" Cho asked. "Y-you really think so? I mean, I-I, I haven't even gotten my hair right a-and my nails aren't done and I'm too--" She stopped herself and shook her head. "T-thank you for the compliment!"

As for the belt, well... she... actually... after watching Rashmi doing it once, she kind of flubbed it. But after the second time, she got it right. And the third attempt she did it almost flawlessly. Almost as if she'd done it before and it was only a little different this time around or something. But nahhhhhh. That'd be silly.

She looked up at Coco and grinned. "Oh, I think..." And then she leaned in to whisper to Coco's ear. "Definitely mermaid. Too fairy tale gorgeous to be anything else," she said in a teasing tone before pulling back. "You look great! And I think you'll slay many hearts as well. Though, really, I doubt I'm going to do anything like that. I'm hardly the type to get confessions or anything like that. Speaking of..." She glanced towards Amy.

"So, how many confession letters have YOU gotten so far?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio steps out, now with the white yukata on a hanger and ready to be paid for. She sets the garment aside for the moment and quickly begins helping Amy out. First she adjusts the yukata so it looks as it should. Then she begins tying the belt around her waist and getting it to look just right. Within moments the deed is done. She smiles and even tightens the back bow a little to make it look fantastic.

"Well take a look in the mirror." Mio smiles as she collects the white yukata she picked out for herself. She turns to look over Coco and smiles bright. "The yellow really suits you! Did you see the one I am getting?" She smiles and holds up the white yukata with the purple and orange flowers on it against her body. "I can't wait. This festival is going to be so awesome! You know I didn't really have many friends during the last one. People just kinda brushed me off as the weird baking girl who is always trying to feed the homeless." She shrugs.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Of course, hairdo, makeup and nails are an important part of the whole, but the yukata really complements you. You bring out the pattern's best qualities, trust me", she encourages her, taking her hand in sign of affection.

Cho must have gotten in a good mood, or maybe her internal Sun Wukong just got freed from the Buddha's mountain by Tripitaka the yukata. Whatever the case, Coco wasn't expecting to be teased right at that moment, and if it were any other teasing, she would have playfully played along.

With that subject matter, however, if it were possible for someone to jump out of their skin, Coco would surely be doing it now, the expression she has on her face shouting "busted!" to anyone who would look her way.

Thankfully for Coco, the rest of Cho's comment spares Coco from having to come up with an answer. "Hahaha, thanks you", she replies nervously. "Though, you are really going to do great, Cho, you were already going along great with the guy at the dance, and that was just your first attempt."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Cho laughs nervously at the changing issue and Amy also offers a nervous chuckle. "Yeah... not like any of us has anything we haven't all seen, but, it's faster this way. And easier."

    Slay hearts? Is that... what the others are hoping to do? Amy doesn't understand, still, why anyone would *want* people who are so shallow that they'd fall in lover over how someone looks. Wait, didn't Mio say something about, they're different but most people are like that...?

    So, how many confession letters have YOU gotten? The red-head blinks, and looks away awkwardly. She didn't count them, but in a rare moment of social tact, she realizes that if she admits she got letters and didn't respond the girls will ask WHY and she doesn't have an answer for that. she's not sure how to explain why she didn't answer them. She could say she has Hannah, but... Oh no. Oh no. She's really an ugly guy who, *somehow*, has gotten the attention of the pure-hearted innocent Hannah and is decieving her and...

    Amy's thoughts become a confused, tangled fog, until some random thread surfaces and gets pulled:

    Cho was nervous about-- Amy's eyes widen as she looks at Cho with head cocked slightly to one side. "Wait, there's *other* people who don't like changing in front of people either?? I thought... everybody just keeps acting like locker rooms are *normal* and *I'm* the weird one..."

    She somewhat mechanically moves as directed by Mio as the yukata is tied, not even paying attention to how it's done. And then it is done, and she can look down, and that sure is a yukata on her, yup. She runs a hand down it. "It's soft..."

> Well take a look in the mirror.
    Amy lifts her head to nod blankly at Mio, and turns to step into the changing room.

    Out of the corner of her eye she can see another girl next to her, and she turns to look because that's rather unexpected when you step into an empty changing room.

    The girl turns toward her and looks back. An adorably cute western redhead in a blue-and-white (it's really more of a blue than a purple) yukata, colors that contrast with her long red hair and eyes without clashing, and she seems to be just as surprised to see Amy here as Amy is to see her, her mouth hanging half-open in dull shock. Even that expression looks cute on this girl.

    Amy's brain takes that in in a fraction of a second, and is just about to start figuring out how to respond when other parts of her brain catch up, her perception abruptly shifts, and she's looking in a mirror.

    She stares at herself, mouth hanging open. The shocked expression looks cute.




    She looks... *good*?!

    Amy turns a little this way and that to see how more of the yukata looks. The girl in the mirror smiles cutely at what she sees. She starts doing various poses, grinning more and more. She fumbles to get to her phone and starts taking pictures, giggling a little and *oh god she just giggled like a schoolgirl* and regardless of the fact that in some sense she *is*, she blushes and awkwardly looks away, and out of the corner of her eye she can see the adorably embarassed girl, and...

    --Uh-oh. She knows THAT feeling. The flush-cheeked, shocked-but-curious reflection looks back at her as their hand reaches out and presses fingers to cold glass. That's exactly the same expression that was looking back at her from her bathroom mirror that first evening-- Amy swallows. She takes a deep breath. Get ahold of yourself! You're a 36-year-old man. In a store. ...Okay, remembering that last part helped.

    She takes a couple more deep breaths, but can't help smiling at the girl in the mirror. One thought on her mind as she turns back to the curtain.

    This looks GOOD on me!

    Are there other things that will look good on me too???

    *I WANT TO FIND OUT!*




    Amy steps back out of the changing room, grinning wide. "I *LIKE* it! Are there more you think I should try???"

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi glanced to Mio. "Wait, you're... wow! That's so generous of you! Your heart must be as wide as the ocean!" she said, before her cheeks went pink. "That... that sounded less cheesy in my head. But... y-yeah. I uhhhh. Didn't even... attend... many back home. I was usually..." Staying behind, doing work.

She quickly focused back on Coco. And that reaction? That reaction brought a smug, knowing grin to her lips. Oh. She GOT IT! She honestly wasn't... entirely sure, but that was it. And now she knew and knowing was half the battle!

She had no idea what she would do with this information. "I... I guess I did pretty well, huh? Who knows, maybe I'll have a whole swarm of people chasing after me by graduation. I doubt it, though. I don't think I'm really the kind of person people... date. I... I..."

And then Amy was looking in the mirror. And that... look on her face. That made Cho stare, her eyes wide. She... knew that look. She actually DID know that look. She wore something akin to it the first day she'd henshined and... saw herself and thought...

Granted, Amy pulled it off WAY better than she did. But when Amy came running out, Cho was just staring at her. Eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

No. No way. It wasn't... but wait, hadn't she said something like that... were they the... Was she... Cho shook her head and glanced to the others. "Welllll, it couldn't hurt to do a bit more shopping, right? And we could get accessories! Is... is that a thing? For festivals? Accessories? C-can it be?"

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio just smiles brightly as she sees Amy actually enjoy how she looks. "There is nothing like clothes that just fits you perfectly." She comments softly, almost to herself. Sure the others can hear her. She doesn't really care about that right now. What matters is Amy feels comfortable in her yukata.

We can go shopping after the festival if you would like. I kinda noticed you don't have a lot of clothes that actually umm... fit you?" She smiles a little. "I mean your clothes are really baggy. I am by no means a fashionista but I can help you find some stuff if you'd like."

She turns her attention to Cho. "Oh thank you. That means a lot. I like helping people. I like bringing hope where there is none or very little." She smiles. "I like to think my mom was the same way. Its hard to say since..." She trails off and shakes her head. "Don't worry about that. We are here to have fun! Lets get some accessories. I wanna get a parasol to go with my yukata. What about you all?" She asks curiously.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Cho's knowing grin gave Coco the message loud and clear: the secret was out. 'Well, wouldn't you know it? That was faster than expected, since I gave her next to no reference points for how to proceed', she thinks, gaining a small smile now the shock was over. And now she can stop worrying of turning into seafoam, at least with her roommate.

"Congratulations", she whispers to her currently smug friend, before giving her a sudden hug. "I'm actually really glad someone got it. I will explain, but this is just so helpful to me. What do you say I pay for your yukata in exchange? I insist, you have given me a great gift."

She disentagles herself from the sudden hug, before addressing Mio's comment with a big smile. "Thank you, I love mine! And I do see it, you wear yours really well", she says, actually really appreciating Mio's taste.

"We are going to have so much fun at the festival. Those shallow people wouldn't have made good friends anyway. I am glad you never stopped persevering and let your qualities shine through."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Mio is smiling and Cho is staring open-mouthed. Amy's cheeks redden a bit, but she puts her left hand on her hip as she looks up at Cho. "Damn, I really look THAT GOOD, huh?" She can't help giggling a little... and then giggling more and more, giddy at the sound of her own voice until she runs out of breath and has to take a big gasp. She takes a calming breath, then nods to Mio after it's pointed out that she needs more clothes suited to her. "Yeah! Maybe we... like, can... wait so like, every day clothes can look good *too*?? Not just yukatas?!"

    Amy thinks about this. "I guess the school uniform *does* look kinda good, just... I hate the feeling of sitting in a skirt, y'know? Like... I guess you get used to it but..." She glances at Cho and then back to Mio. "It's like the changing room thing. Feeling your butt and underwear against the seat is just *eugh*, for me, even if other girls get used to it." Mio *did* see that Amy switched to the slacks after a couple days of school.

    Accessories are brought up! Amy looks at Cho, considers the other girl's words thoughtfully, and looks at Mio. "Wait, so there's stuff we can add to look *even better*?!"

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi was a bit... still in shock. Was... No. Amy couldn't be like-- 'None of your clothes fit you'? Well, not exactly what she said. But close enough. Another piece. "I... I don't know. What do gi-- people usually get with yukatas? What's... something cute?" she asked. Only to suddenly get HUGGED! Her cheeks went bright red.

"W-what? What'd I... oh. I... I'm uhhh... h-happy to help." Did helping mean hugs? If so, she wanted to help EVERYBODY! "A-and sure. That, uhhhh, s-sounds fair. I think. I'll need to ummm, figure out more later."

Oh, she was... feeling a little light headed and disoriented. "G-good clothes? I mean, err, y-yeah. I think everyday clothes can look... good on some people." Not on her. She couldn't choose proper clothes if her life depeneded on it.

However, the comment on the skirt made her say, almost instantly. "I don't know, the first time I put on a skirt I decided I never wanted to wear pants again, even if it was cold out. I--" And then stopped, her cheeks going red. "I-I... guess I just... w-wear longer skirts though, y-you know?"

WUWU HELP HER!

Wuwu, meanwhile, was helping himself to some cake in the lunch room. Thank you, random girl who apparently was celebrating her 3rd year as manager.

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio begins looking around. She starts looking at parasols and smiles as she finds one that kinda goes with her yukata. "How about this!" She takes the parasol and opens it. With a little twirl she puts the parasol over her head. "I think this would go nicely with my yukata."

"Oh and how about this!" She looks around a little more and finds a bag. This one looks like it matches Amy's yukata. "Here put this over your shoulder. See if that works as well." She grins as she looks at Amy. Mio then goes back to hunting for a bag for herself. Or worst case scenario, she could just use a basket. She didn't really want to use a basket. Nah she'd prefer a bag. She looks around and finds one that is bright yellow. "I think this one would look good with Coco's yukata."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco subscribes to others' comments. "Yes, you look really good, Amy. It suits you great, no additional help required", she adds, with the implicit reference to whatever is going on with her magic. "And they are right, I can't wait to try out some accessories." In a second, she gets given a bag by Mio. "Like this one for example. I think you are right, they do match. Thanks, Mio!"

She starts going around through the accessories, grabbing yellow, red, pink and purple hairpins for everyone of one. "What do you think about this? I have been told the hybiscus symbolizes with yellow happiness, with red love, with pink friendship and with purple mystery. I think, they have some nice meanings, don't you think? What are you going to choose? Choosing all of them isn't off the table, of course."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks innocently at Cho at the first put on a skirt comment. Just picturing a six-year-old picking an outfit and being really happy about skirts. "Longer... huh, I guess..." She looks down at the yukata. It's kind of like a dress, huh?

    Seeing Mio with a parasol gives Amy the urge to grab one off the rack, prop it on her shoulder, twirl it behind her, then spin, aiming it forward towards Mio as she stops the spinning before lifting it, briefly covering her face before resting it on her shoulder again, grinning, before she puts it back.

    Offered a bag, she tries it. "Doesn't seem like it can hold much though, isn't it kinda small?" She turns to a nearby mirrored surface in the store, immediately smiling. "It does look c...cute though!"

    Hairpins are offered. Amy looks between pink and tellow, glances at her reflection, then picks a pink one, but... "Ummm... how do you, uh..." She holds it uncertainly, looking at it with no idea how to use it.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi couldn't help it. "That parasol is absolutely precious. You should definitely get it, Mio-san," she said happily. Oh, this was quickly ramping up to the best trip ever.

However, hair pins were offered. And, oddly, it was one of the few things she knew HOW to use... well. Sort of. "Here," she offered. Seeing Amy so happy... yeah. She remembered hearing her mom once say, in a joking tone, 'being woman was suffering'. But in her mind it never, ever was. She grabbed a purple one, a yellow one and then moved up behind in front of her. She locked the purple one on Amy's right side, making sure the hair couldn't fall back there. "Mystery, right? And so you can let the left side go a little wild, giving the air of mystery if it covers the eye..." Then the yellow one, she moved behind the girl and then swiped the pink one. Gripping her hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail... then used BOTH pink and yellow to lock it into place. "And there. Happy friendship. Perfect, right?"

And it was then she realized she kind of got... swept up in it for a moment. "I... I was sometimes asked to uhhh, h-help some of the other... girls in the student council in my last school so I uhhh... know... how to... put them in... girl's hair..." she said nervously. "W-was that too much? Uhhhhh... I uhhh... I think... I'll get a uhhhh... p-pink one. I-I think it'll... go with my hair. Or... or would that be wrong? since it'll blend in? Should... m-maybe... purple. Purple would likely be... better... Maybe?"

Mio Morita has posed:
Mio smiles a little. "It doesn't need to hold a lot. Its not a daily bag. Just one to wear with your yukata. It will hold your yen. That's what you need it for anyway." She grins. Thats when she sees it. A parasol that definitely goes with Amy's yukata. She grabs it and hands it to her. "Here you go. Good for if it rains or just to keep the sun off of you."

Mio smiles and turns her attention to Coco. She accepts the purple hair pins and puts them in her hair." At the questioning, Mio turns to Amy. Suddenly its as though there is a light in her head that starts flashing 'GETS IT!' "Okay they go in like this." She states but Cho jumps in front of her and helps her with the hair pins.

Then its back to the hunt for her own bag. Eventually she finds on in orange that would go with her outfit fairly well. "How does it look?" She asks and slings her own bag. This bag is a little bigger than Amy's but still small. Its solid orange dyed cloth. Not plastic or anything.

Her eyes catch one more bag. A red one. "Hey think this one will go with your yukata Cho-san?" She smiles and grabs it for her and hands it over.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods with an 'oh' as Mio explains it's not even a 'daily bag', whatever that means. "Actually, I'm not sure if these are made to stand up to rain. A parasol is to keep the sun off, an umbrella is for rain."

    As for hair, Cho to the rescue! Hair is pinned in place, falling over one eye -- woah, the reflection blushes back at her and then looks away awkwardly. Control yourself, Mal! A few failed attempts to meet her reflection's gaze later, she lifts the hair out of her eye and turns to the side a bit, trying to see ponytail although it's kinda hard since every time she turns her head *toward* the mirror, the ponytail goes *behind* her. She smiles, though, the happy girl in the mirror kind of looks like she'd look great in anything. "Mysterious happy friendship? I guess that does kinda fit my life lately, huh? Haha!"

    She gives Cho kind of a confused look at the 'explanation'. Why would it be weird for a girl to know how to use hair pins and clips? If anything, it's weirder that Amy *didn't*. She smiles and shakes her head at the question, "No, it's fine, thank you! ...I don't think I like the look of the ponytail as *much*, but it'll be good for keeping my hair out of my face!" is absolutely a normal thing to say for someone who has had long hair for so long it's been able to grow past her waist.

    Amy doesn't notice. To Cho, she answers, "I guess pink could be useful if you don't want it to show? Or if you get a different shade of pink... purple... yellow could definitely work... do they have black? Or does that mean something bad in flower language?"

    To Mio, she nods at the orange bag. "I wonder if they have one with purple trim... is that the word? To match the yukata?"She's looking at the reflection and twirling her parasol, before a bag is suggested for Cho. She smiles, "Oh yeah, that works! Although maybe if it had yellow... accents? Like something yellow on it, maybe the string or a design, it'd go even better? Since you've got the little yellow bits on the yukata too..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"They are not the exact same shade, so I think it would still stand out enough", she says gathering Cho's hair into a chignon, before using the two hairpins to hold it in place. "And hey, a mysterious friendship perfectly defines the two of us don't you think? Though, I would still like it to be a happy one, so why don't you do the same for me with the yellow and pink hairpins?"

She smiles, holding said hairpins up for Cho to take. "I mean, we have all been doing this for each other, though I don't know why Amy has it so hard." 'She already lived through life as an adult woman once, after all', she keeps for herself in her own thoughts. 'Unless she didn't?'

She turns back to look at Amy with curiosity. 'Did she use to spend time with a male body? But that makes no sense. Even if she is one of the people that fluctuate, she is supposed to have reached a stability once reaching adulthood, which she did reach. Are things different for humans? Oh, well, I guess we can help her make up for the lost time then, whatever goes on the upper lands', she thinks.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi nodded. not a daily bag. A cute lil mini-bag. That seemed... inconvenient. Why even carry a bag, just put everything in your pock--

Oh. Right. Girls didn't get pockets. She always forgot that rule. And she gave Mio a small, nervous smile. "I think it's a cute bag. Uhhhh..." And when one was offered to her, she nervously took it and slid it over her shoulder. "Does it? I mean, err, if it.... if it looks good. I could put some things in it. B-better than jsut carrying around my book bag all the time, right?" she asked sheepishly.

"And, ummm... yeah. Ponytails are like... easy. It's why I usually do them, when I do anything with my hair. Cause like, anyone can do them. Right? My mom was never really... into things like hair pins and stuff, so she never really... taught me," she said nervously. Right. If she just pretended her mom ignored them, then surely that was a good cover? So long as nobody, ever, under any circumstances, actually saw her mom. And saw how pretty she was, or how she did up her hair in fancy ways, or anything.

"I don't... know the specific meaning, but black usually means bad things in most stylyzed things. I'm not sure if it's the same in flowers, though. A black hybiscus is probably dead, though..."

When Coco did her hair... Cho gave a soft, happy little squeak, unable to keep the smile off her face. "T-thank you. I uhhhh... r-right. Errr, this... might uhhhh... be a little... h-harder, but I'll try." Oh, she had NO idea how to do a chignon. It didn't look that hard, how hard could it be?

Yes. The answer was yes hard. And poor, poor Coco's hair was going to be pulled. A lot.

Mio Morita has posed:
"If they have something with purple trim, I haven't found it." Mio states as she gathers the items and takes them to the counter to pay. She gets out her yen and pays for the yukata, the bag, the parasol and the hairpin which is still in her hair. She smiles and bows politely to the cashier who promptly bags her things.

Then suddenly her phone rings. Mio answers and responds, "Yes I am just getting my yukata." She goes quiet as a male voice can be heard on the other end. "Dad I will be there shortly. I gotta pack up everything." She frowns and hangs up. "I've gotta get going. My dad wants me to come over for dinner tonight. I don't really want to but You know how it goes."

Mio offers hugs to everyone. "I Gotta go. I will see you all at the festival!" She smiles and carries her bag of goodies out of the store. From there she heads off to go visit her dad.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    'I don't know why Amy has it so hard.' Amy sweatdrops nervously. She nods to Cho, patting her shoulder. "My mom's a tomboy too."

    She watches Coco do some kind of MYSTERIOUS WOMANLY HANDIWORK to Cho's hair. "Oooh, hair up looks better on you than it does on me!"

    Following Mio, Amy hugs her, then pays with a debit card (after seeing Mio do it, she lets the cashier scan the tags on her clothes rather than taking them off) and looks a bit shocked at the numbers on the receipt... good thing she's not having to keep paying her old bills right now, how are girls' clothes this expensive?! They're *teenagers* for god sake! They should be affordable to students! She briefly considers returning the yukata after the festival but no. NO. She is not returning this. Not after how amazing it looked in the mirror.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
A few hair arrangement sessions, later, everyone is ready to go. Mio is the first to go away, having something else occupying her time.

"Thank you for staying with us, Mio", Coco says, waving at her friend as she rushes out. 'Her schedule is always so full', she thinks, wondering about the tenacity that lets her stay on top of everything.

She quickly grabs the remaining hairpins and put them back, before going to the cashier with Amy and Cho, paying for the hairpins and her yukata as well as Cho's.

The transaction goes through without a hitch, so she guesses it's time to go back. "I guess we will see each other at the fireworks, then", she tells Amy. "Unless Cho has another destination in mind, I think we are going back to our dorm room", she says, looking at Cho for confirmation.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cho Konishi was still in a bit of shock, honestly. She was getting a yukata. Her hair was all done up. She got a baggy. She was kind of cute. Sure, her hair was... a bit... limp. But it was in a thingy! Swirly thingy with hair pins and stuff! Sqwee! And another girl had done it up!

She gave Mio a small wave, mentally telling herself that she was going to find a way to thank all of them. Somehow. Some way. This was the best EVER. And she didn't even have to pay for things. Princesses were probably rich, anyway, so she wasn't going to argue. And all she had to do was pay for some hair pins. Double score!

"Nah, I figure we can head back. Rashmi-san, Amy-san, you should come with us. We can all head to the dorms together. Besides, no girl should be wandering the streets alone. You never know what kind of person might bother you then."

EEEEEE! Her first ever girl's day out! It was like... a normal day out! But with other GIRLS! and DRESSES! And she got to be PRETTY! Also, she lived with a mermaid. How cool was that?

Everything was so perfect... and would stay that way...

Until they got home and Wuwu arrived soon after to drop off his 'haul'. A bunch of random shiny accessories... and a golden yakuta.

And then she'd proceed to 'test' his immortality

Amanda Faust has posed:
Besides, no girl should--

    Amy starts to smile. Why does she feel like she got away with sneaking a cookie from the jar right now?

--be wandering the streets alone. You never know what kind of person might bother you then.

    Oh. Her face falls a bit. She's read manga like that too, though it wasn't really to her taste. A number of them were even about something akin to her specific situation, and the thought of that now makes her sick... oh wait, right, she's a magical girl, and so are Cho and Coco! She brightens up. With nothing to worry about, she pushes that thought out of her mind, and focuses on just enjoying being... one of the girls. Clearly she is very special indeed to be allowed this honor!

    Still riding some of that giddy euphoria from earlier, she's happy and bubbly as she talks excitedly with the others on the walk home.