[Fin] Clothes Maketh the Man (not freeze to death)

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh I don't know about that, so many girls I see have their wings so perfect and sharp you might think they had used a stiletto to etch them," Zevran replied with a grin. "I would not have the patience to do that every morning, I admire the dedication they have to their look!" Power eye makeup did not suit him well, he had worn it now and again for various purposes - well, one purpose mainly - and he could pull it off no trouble in the right outfit but he never looked like himself in it when he caught his own reflection in a mirror or window.


Before too long they found the section that seemed to be dedicated to outerwear and, suddenly confronted with what he was actually supposed to be doing, Zevran paused abruptly. "Ahh." So, what did he actually need? "I think... a long coat? But not full length. Something to the mid thighs perhaps?" That would narrow it down a little.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

...wings? What? Etching them.. Makeup wings then? While some of the girls he'd dated wore makeup, the more detailed terminology completely escaped him. He knew the most basic terms, but that was about it. Still, makeup though. "Yeah, I dunno how they do it honestly. I could never do that." Partly because he wouldn't have the patience to, and partly because, well, what reason would he ever have for wearing makeup? None, that was what.


While the department store wasn't too far away, they still had to navigate through it to find the men's department and then to the section of coats, and unfortunately for Abel and his damaged lung, walking for more than a few minutes at a time made him rather breathless. A slow pace was required, as were several stops along the way, but finally they made it to the coats. Abel hooked his thumbs into his pocket and exhaled his frustration, then turned a smile to his friend after he pondered the description for a moment or two. "That sounds like a good choice for winter, yeah. I think most coats are made a little shorter than that, so it might take a bit to find one, and in the right kind of material too. You don't want one that's too light," he said as he scanned the various racks of coats, already trying to search out suitable options that matched what Zevran was looking for. "D'you care about color?"  

[TawnyAngel]

The frequent stops frustrated Zevran too, not with Abel but with life. He still wished he knew who had done it, if he knew he would very happily make them suffer the same or worse. As it was however he just tried to keep at a pace that Abel was okay with, and stopped whenever his friend seemed out of breath. The walking would be good for him, he told himself, but that didn't make him feel any better about seeing Abel this way.

"Ah, I could go a bit shorter than that if it is easier?" Zevran replied as they surveyed the racks of coats. "Wool is warm? But expensive. As for colour, so long as it suits me I do not mind." He grinned again then and winked at Abel. "I must confess this to you; almost any colour suits me. If anything I think we may have trouble finding a men's coat in my size? I am a little on the shorter side. Something from the ladies' section could work well though if it is not too heavily tailored to a curvaceous shape." What it said on the label was not at all important to him; so long as it was warm, looked alright, and was not too expensive he didn't mind.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, you'll probably want something a bit more weatherproof than that," the taller blond suggested as he peered more closely at a particular rack of coats, then pulled out the sleeve of one to display it without taking the whole coat off. "Something with this kind of outer material, so the inner lining isn't subjected to any rain or snow. Wool lining is warm though, but so are a few other ones." He dropped the sleeve and moved on to another rack. "But that's a good point I didn't even think about; you'll probably find one long enough for what you want just because you're a bit short, especially if it's a size too big." While he knew Zev was on the short side, he tended to forget about that fact because it normally never mattered.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Humm, you are probably right," Zevran agreed with a brief frown as he reached out to touch the coat. The material didn't feel very nice to him, he always preferred natural materials - cotton, linen, wool, leather - but it wasn't as though he would spend much time touching the outside of the coat and being warm and dry were definitely higher on the priority list than tactile concerns.

"Mmh, and a big coat might not be so bad?" Zevran continued, moving along the rail a bit to feel the lining of another coat; this at least felt quite pleasant, fleecy. "More layers underneath yes?... How cold does it get here in Kodo in the winter anyway? It is seldom below fifty degrees even in August in Antiva."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yeah, a big coat would be better I think, in case you wear a thicker shirt or sweater under it. You'll have more room to move around in; you don't really want a thick coat to be too snug on you. Ah," he frowned a bit as he tried to think of a response. "Well August is normally the hottest month here, but when it snows it's usually about 30, usually less. I think sometimes it can get lower than that, though I usually don't pay attention to how much. Way too cold for such a light jacket," the taller blond noted with a smile as he reached out to give the sleeve of Zev's own jacket a gentle tug, then focused down at the coats his friend had started looking at a bit closer. "So yeah, you'll want an outer layer to keep the rain and snow out of, and a soft, warm inner layer to keep you warm. One of these might be good actually, why don't you try one on?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"¡Thirty? ¡De verdad?" Zevran exclaimed with a laugh, which quickly became a groan. "Yes, yes I think a big coat will be required; maybe two!" Zevran studied the coats Abel was indicating for a few moments and then nodded. "Humm, yes, that one looks alright? Ahah, could you reach one down for me? I could probably stretch up and reach but I am a little afraid you would take the chance to poke me in the ribs."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"And now you see why I've been on your case about getting warmer clothes," Abel retorted with a grin. His gaze wandered back to the coats on one of the higher racks and he hummed thoughtfully for a moment or two, then smirked at his friend. "Ah, I knew that's why you wanted me to come shopping: To reach everything for you, so you don't have to. And I'm insulted, deeply offended, you would even think I'd do such a thing," he said before he reached up to fetch one of the coats that looked like it would be the right size for Zev. He absolutely would've poked him in the ribs without any hesitation, just because. "Unless you're ticklish, that is, in which case I might consider it."  

[TawnyAngel]

He nearly poked, or in fact tickled, Abel's ribs but as it happened there was something much more fun to do. "Oh I'm ticklish but I won't tell you where!" Zevran replied with a smirk. "You would have to find that out for yourself by trial and error, the true spirit of experimentation yes? Or exploration perhaps?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

A breath of a laugh escaped him as he pulled down one of the coats and offered it to his friend, his smirk widening. "Well when you put it like that, now I have to find out where your ticklish spot is. It sounds like too much fun not to!"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Certainly it will be a few hours well spent," Zevran grinned as he shrugged out of his jacket and accepted the coat Abel was holding out to him. "We must be thorough after all yes? Scientific rigour. I think you also have to do it more than once, to prove you can replicate the results? Ah, and would you hold my jacket for a moment please?" Once Abel had taken it from him Zevran slipped on the coat; it was a little long in the sleeves and a loose fit but that was what they had been discussing as a good idea. "What do you think?" Zevran asked, doing a little twirl before turning to peer into a nearby mirror. It looked fine to him? Not especially distinctive but certainly not ugly either.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, definitely. I would want to be very thorough.. And I'd hate to get a false positive or something, so yeah, I'd definitely want to make sure I can replicate the results. Several times, if necessary," he said with a firm nod as he accepted Zevran's coat without issue. his smirk still present. It faded to more of a smile though, and when prompted for his opinion he hummed a bit and studied his friend's new attire. "I think it looks fine, it seems like it'd be rather weatherproof like I mentioned before. What's important though is how it feels. Does it feel warm enough?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran nodded his answer, still studying his reflection in the mirror. "Yes it feels very warm, much more so than my jacket. Good pockets too," he said as he investigated them, "inside and outside.... I think this one will be fine, yes." There were lots of others around but it would be much easier to just take the first one that did what he needed it to do, giving himself too many options with only nominal differences between them was not something he wished to inflict upon himself.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel nodded as well as he slung Zev's lighter jacket over his shoulders so he could step closer to study the new coat better. He remained just a tad skeptical - probably anything would feel warmer than his jacket, but was it as warm as it needed to be? - so he held the bottom corner in his fingers so he could feel the inner lining. "That's good. Good pockets are always a bonus too, especially if you have a lot of stuff you need or want to carry and you're wearing a longer coat that covers the pockets you normally use. This does feel warm - nice and soft, too - and it feels pretty thick, so that should definitely keep you warm. Yeah," he said as he let go and took a step back, then circled around Zevran once more to see how the coat fit him; quite well, in fact, even if it was rather big. But then again Zevran had a habit of looking good in almost anything, so that wasn't too surprising honestly. "I think this'll be good for you."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Good," Zevran agreed, shrugging out of it again and then checking the price tag. He then read it a second time with a look of mild disbelief. "Really? That much?" That was nearly as much as he had on him! "Ah, s**t, forget that then," he muttered, a scowl forming on his face as he wrestled the coat back onto its hanger and stretched up to hang it back on the rail. "Next time, I check the price before anything else," he said, his usually good-humored tones edged now with frustration; he had found one he liked well enough, that did the job, and fitted first try but it was too expensive! This shouldn't be complicated, everyone else did it all the time!

"Ah, right, let's try something else," Zevran said, obviously making an effort to let go of his frustration with a soft exhalation. "It's hardly the end of the world that the first one was not perfect." Except he felt foolish for not looking at the price first, and doubly foolish for reacting as he had. It didn't matter, there were many more coats here and one of them would be fine.