[FIN] Getting Started

[Suudonym]

The expression of sympathy was somewhat surprising until he realized that his momentary feelings of regret must have been showing in his disposition, and he shook his head, bolstering his spirits, "It's okay! It would have been cool and all, but there are pokemon and trainers and stuff here, and that's really cool too!" Positive thinking was one of his best talents, after all.

He took her confusion as meaning that he had misunderstood, and so he corrected himself, "Oh, sorry! I kinda figured that those weren't your athletic clothes since they look so fancy and nice, but if they are then never mind!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She nodded at his more encouraging words, feeling a little better now that he emphasized that it was okay, but one hand remained on her cheek, her expression mildly distressed. "Oh, um, well.. They're not.. They aren't athletic clothes," she admitted, lowering her hand finally but only so she could twist her fingers together rather fretfully. "I don't actually.. have any, and I didn't know I needed them, so.."  

[Suudonym]

"Oh..." He was silent for a moment, watching Nicolette thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "it's not like athletic clothes are a requirement, but since there's still a little while before we can go in, do you want to get some at the department store or something? It's important to have clothes that are light and easy to move in when you're exercising or playing sports so you don't overheat or hurt yourself!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh!" Oh, they could just go and find some at the store? That would solve her problem perfectly! "That would be wonderful!" She said as she stood up and turned to face Shoyo, bringing her hands together as she did so. "Do you have clothes to change into, or do you need to get some too?"  

[Suudonym]

Shoyo checked the time on his phone again. About half an hour... It wasn't as though he would lose the reservation if he wasn't exactly on time or anything, and half an hour was probably long enough anyway, right? Sure, no problem. He sprang out of his seat, "I'm good! Almost all of my clothes are athletic clothes; I just need to put on my volleyball shoes!" He shouldered his bag and tucked the extra ball under his arm, 'hrrmm'ing thoughtfully. "I haven't been to a department store here yet, but it's probably not too far..."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, okay!" How silly of her, of course he came aptly prepared. He had been playing for she didn't know how long, and was very passionate about the sport - it was silly, in retrospect, to wonder if he had the necessary clothes or not. Pushing that aside for the moment, she instead thought back on the various stores she'd been to. "I have, and nope, they aren't very far at all," she reassured him with a bright smile, moving to leave the facility. "There's a few around here, and more in the mall, though I admit I don't know which one would sell athletic clothes or not."  

[Suudonym]

He followed at her side as she moved to leave, passing through the sliding doors and beginning down the steps in the direction of the bike rack. "A mall would definitely have some!" he confirmed. "I think most department stores have athletic sections too, though! Unless they're like... super high class fancy pants places or something." As if he could afford to shop in places like that on his allowance anyway, regardless of what was offered.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Okay," she said with another nod, similarly passing through the door and down the steps. Oh, the bike rack - that's right, he did have a bicycle, didn't he? "Are you going to ride your bike?" She asked as she pulled Epona's ball out again. If he was going to ride, so would she, but if he were going to walk, she would do that too.  

[Suudonym]

He stopped in his tracks. "Uhh. I dunno, actually. Is it far to walk?" He'd gone for his bike out of habit, but it was already all locked up; now that he thought about it, it would probably be a lot easier to just leave it where it was if their destination was within easy walking distance.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Nicolette paused and raised her hands, one still holding the minimized pokeball as she tented her fingers against her lips and frowned thoughtfully. "Um, I think the closest one is definitely within walking distance," she said after a moment and lowered her hands, her frown fading, "but the other ones are further away and it'd probably be faster to ride."  

[Suudonym]

He considered it only momentarily, then shrugged, "I guess we might as well go to the closer one. If they don't have what you need, we can check one of the others!" That seemed reasonable enough. He abandoned his approach on the bike rack, moving to join Nicolette, "Lead the way!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She nodded and offered an "okay" as she put Epona's ball away again, and happily began walking with Shoyo towards the department store. It didn't take too long to get there, and once they entered the air conditioned department store, Nicolette stopped and looked around, attempting to pinpoint the specific section they needed. "D'you see the athletic section?"  

[Suudonym]

Shoyo never got tired of the feeling of air conditioning in the summer, especially that cool puff of breeze that welcomed a person out of the muggy heat and into a pleasant refuge. There weren't there to beat the heat, though, and so the small boy advanced into the department store, scanning the signs hanging from the ceiling that indicated the different sections. "Hmm," he frowned in concentration, "I don't think-- Oh! 'Scuse me!" In a few short steps he had flagged down one of the store's employees, and though it was somewhat embarrassing to ask after women's clothing, he was able to manage as long as volleyball was on the line. After a brief word with the employee, he gestured to Nicolette, waving her over with one arm and pointing further into the store with the other, "It's this way! There's shoes and stuff too!" They wouldn't be volleyball shoes, no doubt, but they'd certainly be better suited than what she currently had on her feet.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Oh! Asking someone, perfect! Nicolette hastened over when he gestured for her, expression brightening with the confirmation that the store did indeed sell athletic clothing, and nodded as she joined him in heading towards the direction he'd pointed. "Shoes too? It sounds like they have everything I'll need," she said happily, but the thought made her frown almost immediately after, "though I must admit I don't know exactly what I'll need..."  

[Suudonym]

"Umm, a shirt and pants," he said, counting off on his fingers, "or probably shorts, actually... Multiples would be good if you end up doing stuff every day, so you don't have to wash the one set every day. Eventually, if you decide you wanna stick with it," because, optimistic as he was, it stood to be decided if she would really want to continue with the sport in the long term, "you can get some specialty volleyball shoes, but normal sneakers will be fine for a while. Knee pads are a must, elbow pads are a maybe, if you think you want them - sometimes you can find full arm pads too." He gestured to his forearm, where he had emphasized the previous day as the best place to perform a receive. "They're mostly for beginners, for until you get used to the feeling. And, umm... Oh, a hair tie!" He gestured to the back of his head, and the women's athletic department came into view from around the corner. "So your hair doesn't get all in your mouth and stuff!"