[IO!-IJAIRC!] The Phoenix, the Fox, and the Finneas

[Demetri Malius]

How scandalous!

The young girl was far more devious and mischievous than her obliviousness led him on to believe. The alchemist could only blush and fail to avert his eyes as his instinctual mind forced him to watch her hips and tail waggle ever so dangerously. He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her when she turned to look at him. He began to open his mouth to speak, but her smirk melted into excitement over the leggings she happened upon. She held them up to him as he examined them, frowning slightly but giving a deep sigh as he nodded.

“Fine, you may wear that outfit… and I suppose yes, I can see the colors matching to that of the likes of autumn, though i wish it had more leave…” He gave a roll of his eyes. “Nevertheless, let’s proceed.

Kyda seemed to beam a bit, relieved that she could find some clothing that didn't completely restrain and constrict her. After picking more outfits similar to that one, including long skirts and flowy blouses, she began to waltz over to the checkout counter when Finneas called out her name.

“Kyda? What about your undergarments?” he called out, a bit nervous by the indecency of the subject.

“Undergarments?” she asked, turning around with a slight frown.

“Yeah, like you know… underwear?” She stood with a raised eyebrow. The alchemist sighed before averting his gaze and motioning towards the female section for undergarments.

“Brassieres? Corsets? Panties?” he said with a weak smile.

She replied with a straight face and a deadpan stare.

“Kyda--”

“Finn.”

The alchemist stopped for a moment.

“You need to--”

“Finneas.”

He looked away for a moment before turning back to look at her.

“Finn do you see how much clothing I am having to wear and I haven’t even put on the outfit.”

“But undergarments are an essential part of--”

“Finn it’s either what I am holding or nothing.”

He opened his mouth up, but decided to shut it. Opened it again. Shut it. Ope-shut it.

“Fiiine. You are so hard to bargain with…”

She gave a innocent smile as they headed over to the desk, Finn adjusting his goggles from moving around so much before paying the cashier. She watched the clothes become scanned and bagged, frowning a bit at the absence of underwear, but he supposed at least she wasn’t naked Much of what she grabbed was rather… thin and stretchy. If anything he could just hand her one of his many vests, if he found it to be too revealing.

Kyda took her purchased clothing and brought it to the dressing room, fixing herself up in the outfit and coming out with a bit of an uncomfortable frown on her face.

“These things are so uncomfortable… I can’t even comprehend why you humans wear them. Your games are so unnatural.” She spoke as she tried to stretch out a bit, testing the flexibility of her attire. “The legwear is okay though, in comparison to everything else. I actually kinda like it.”

Finneas gave a sigh of relief. At least she liked something, sure this wasn’t any sort of outfit he would have chosen, that is, if he was a woman. Still, it was a good first step. They soon walked out of the store and began to head home, but a sudden low grumble disturbed the silence between them, coming from Kyda’s stomach.

“Are you perhaps hungry?” The alchemist asked, stopping for a moment. “If you wish we can head over to grab a bite to eat? Any idea what you would like?”

“Oh um… sure! Oh do you know if this world has any wontons? Or maybe miso soup? What do you guys eat? Hopefully it’s not as bad as your clothing restrictions.” She spoke with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms a bit.

“Well if you want we can go to an asian restaurant, judging by the style of clothing you picked and the names you mentioned, unless you want to try something new?”

She seemed to think for a moment before giving him an answer. “Well, I suppose we can try something new. What do you usually eat?”

“Well, I eat fresh veggies from my underground farm, no sunlight but I used some mixtures to make the plants glow in the dark. But yeah, sometimes i go for a burger and fries at a local restuarant, want to head there?”

“Sure, lead the way.”

The duo strolled through the city, blending in with the crowd as they ventured through the plazas and the streets, until finding a small diner. They entered the restaurant, where smiling waitresses served people in red leather chairs, everything looking so organized , the bar having a row of red leather stools as well. They were greeted and seated rather immediately, with great service as they were given their menus.

“Just take the daily special, it actually never changes but it’s still pretty great.”

“Why is it called the daily special if it never changes.”

“I’m not quite sure, either the owner is lazy, or daily just means they have it every day.”

They spoke a bit about the diner, and the feel of it, all the posters and slogans plastered on the walls, and they were even given little decorative hats. Finneas refused to put it on, while Kyda playfully placed it upon her head, smiling at it.

“”I thought you didn’t like clothing?”

“And I thought you liked all of it? Why don't you have yours on?”

“I just… I dont want to wear it.”

“Well I want to wear mine~.”

FInneas looked away before realizing their food had arrived, grabbing a few of his fries and bringing them to his mouth, elegantly taking a few bites out of them before grabbing one half of his sliced hamburger. Kyda seemed to look for utensils of some sort until Finneas motioned with his hands.

“Just eat it like this.” He explained, taking a bite of his burger. Kyda looked curiously at the burger and did the same, her eyes widening at the taste. She seemed to take her next bite more eagerly, as well as grabbing a few fries as she began to enjoy her meal. Finneas giggled a bit as he took another bite, managing to get some of the sauce from his burger onto his shirt. Immediately he flailed and began to try to clean it up, but to no avail. Kyda giggled back at him before looking at the shake in front of her, reaching around the cold rink with her hands and taking a sip.

:”These are delicious!” she exclaimed, taking another powerful sip. She drank more as FInneas watched, reaching a hand out to warn her, but it was too late. Her lips puckered off the straw as she clutched her head.
“Hunghh! So cooold! Ow...” She shouted, trying to ease her brain freeze.

“Hey, just let me… here…” the alchemist chanted a few words placing his hand on her forehead as he warmed her up a bit, healing her from the frozen pain. She rubbed her head afterwards and gave him a soft mile of thanks.

“Careful, don’t drink it too fast…” Finn warned,, a bit late, but she nodded her head, knowing the consequences now. They continued their meal as Kyda tried dipping her fries into her shake, a decision she was quick to be glad for, as she began to dip every fry in it.

“Mister Finneas, you should wear your hat!” she exclaimed, a bit of of the shake on the corner of her lips as she suggested the action.

“I dont really want to, besides, it’s mostly for the children.”

“Oh come on, just wear it a bit, they gave it to you.”
The alchemist sighed again before putting the paper hat on and trying to give a stern look to Kyda, but her face forced a chuckle out of him.

“Alright, it’s not as bad as I had thought, you almost done?” he asked, just as she finished her last bite.

“Mhmm~!”

Finneas paid the check and almost took off the hat, but kept it on due to Kyda’s immediate protest. They walked all the way back to Finneas’s shack,stuffed full of lovely burgers, fries, and shakes. Once inside, finneas walked down the hall past the kitchen and lab, down to the study, kicking back onto his chair as he rested from the long day. It was already evening by the time they had gotten back, and Finneas had been up since the early morning in order to try to feed the Phoenix food.

Speaking of which, the bird had flown into the study after their entrance, perched on a small lamp that Finneas used when writing long notes, cocking its head to the side a bit as he looked at the tired couple.

“If you feel tired at all, you can rest in the bedroom, unless you still want me to show you more of my work. It is getting pretty late though.”