Window Shopping (open)

Emily stepped out of a bookstore and into a bustling sidewalk. She had come out to get a new fiction she'd been looking forward to, but had also found herself enthralled with a couple of new manga's and graphic novels she hadn't seen, as well as a set of stylized tarot cards by a fantasy artist. As a result of this, she'd spent more time here then she'd intended too... and also more money. She really needed to stop buying everything that caught her interest

Curling in on herself a little as she navigated the crowded street, she began heading back in the direction of the dorm. It was slow going, as she was both going out of her way to not be in the path of other people, and slowing down and sometimes doubling back when she found a taste she liked lingering off of someone. Progression was made gradually, until a large crowd suddenly filters down the path. Emily squeaked a little and dodged behind a decorative pillar jutting out from one of the buildings. This is when she saw it, a lovely, frilly red dress, covered in red and black lace and made in some Gothic fashion, sitting in the window.

Emily usually wore practical clothing, but that didn't mean she disliked wearing dressy clothes. She just sat there, trying to envision how that dress would look on her, what she might wear it for, a dance perhaps, or some party like in her novels. She caught herself daydreaming and shook her head to clear her mind. She wouldn't have money for such a thing, so she turned to leave, but hesitated and glanced at it one more time...

Emily shook herself from her daydreams only to see them come to life, well, sort of. She saw Lei step out of the dressing room looking absolutely amazing. The shy girl watched Lei curiously as they examined themselves in the mirror, glancing between them and the dress she had been admiring. Her courage was slowly growing as she watched, until Lei spotted her. Immediately her face turned a bright red and she turned away from the window, fidgeting frantically as her eyes darted about the sidewalk.

How could she be such a creeper? Emily was so embarrassed right now. She should just go home and pretend this hadn't happened. She was just about to step back into the throngs of people when Lei spoke to her, rushing out of the store to her. Her eyes locked onto him for a full second before darting about again as Emily curled in on herself. "I-I-I'm s-sorry... I-I d-didn't mean to st-stare..." She fidgeted with her hands a lot as she tried desperately to come up with something to say. "Y-You... you were... v-very pretty..."

She shouldn't have said that. That wasn't a thing that helped the situation. A savory taste with just a hint of strawberries suddenly filled her mouth as her embarrassment grew to a level were she could taste it. Emily was forced to just stare at the ground, making a distressed "Aaaaaahh..." sound as her own emotions locked her in place.

Emily licked her lips and fidgeted, eyes darting all over while only occasionally examining Lei. She could taste the embarrassment emanating off of him almost as strongly as her own. She began to calm down a little at this revelation, just focusing on breathing and letting herself come down from the franticness.

Lei managed to get a giggle out of Emily with his awkward attempt at comfort. It wasn't bad at all, and Emily could taste his remorse so she understood, but there was just something funny about it. "...D-Don't be cry? Y-you're not very g-good at this, a-are you?" That wasn't to say it hadn't worked. She was much calmer now and had been cheered up.

Emily took a step back and turned to Lei again, fidgeting with her hands a little. "I... I think w-we need to start o-over..." She gave a small smile to Lei even though was still sort of a ball of shy. "...I-I'm Emily... I-It's nice to m-meet you..."

@"Poptart"

Emily giggled a little bit again, licking her lips a little. "W-Well... I guess you're l-lucky I can taste r-remorse..." She started fidgeting again. "I-I mean... n-not just... I-I can taste... o-other things t-too..."

She turned back towards the window, twisting the handles of her bag in her hands. giggling again as Lei flubbed the greeting. "y-yeah, I saw this d-dress in the window, and it looks lovely..." A slight blush crept over her features and she averted her eyes again. "I kind of..... wanted to... t-try it on... i-is all..."

She looked at Lei again, still kind of shyly. Lei was pretty interesting since his emotions shifted so drastically. "I-I mean... y-you looked nice in one of their dresses... w-well not that y-you don't l-look nice w-without one but... y-yeah..."

Emily took a small step back. "Wh... What?... Wh-Why are you s-s-suspicious... D-Did I do something wr-wrong?...." Emily fidgeted a little bit, until the conversation moved on to an equally uncomfortable topic. Em just tilted her head, her eyebrows pressing together slightly in a confused expression. "I... didn't think y-you were..... Do you f-feel like you a-are one for some reason?" Therapist mode engaged. Emily wasn't trying to be either cruel or accepting with this question, she just actually hadn't clued in yet.

She stared at the dress again, think over what Lai had said. "Y-Yeah... b-but... Oh! I-I know!" She turned back to Lai and skipped closer, just outside of his personal space. "W-Will you come try them on w-with me? I-It's no fun if no one gets to see it...."

@"Poptart"