The trio had made their way from the hotel lobby to the NSC mall. Having had a good night's sleep, the intricacies of the marble pillars leading to the central hub were particularly enticing to Horace and Dillee.

"That is some particularly fine craftsmanship. Looking at the icy leaves hand-carved into the stone with such precision, sirs."

He scoffed. Phoo, phoo.

Horace agreed, replying. "HOW LONG DO you think it TOOK TO DO that?"

MC joked back at him. "How long is a piece of string?"

"RUDE."

"Just kidding, bud. I'd say ask Wardi, but you're better off asking Lucy. She loves history."

"True. BUT SHE'S not AROUND."

"Just make a note of it then. What's up with you, chicken? Are you missing her?"

Horace nodded, kicking the floor while sulking. Dillee rubbed Horace with his leafy appendages, earning him a smile from the others and morbid staring from the shoppers.

We need to figure something out for him. He's drawing too much attention. MC made a note of it while trying to keep Dillee out of view of the public. It was proving to be difficult to manage, however. Bright lights and the hustle & bustle were something of a sensory overjoy for the vegeflower geezer.

"Sirs, look at all the wonderful stores around us! I want to see the bookshop and read all I can. Then I want to visit the food court."

Bloody heck, buddy, can you not keep drawing attention to us!

"Hey buddy. We need to do something before we can take you anywhere else, mmkay?"

Dillee wasn't listening to MC. Bright neon lights of a shop that sold clothing for teens caught his attention.

"Horace. Get your little brother, please. He needs a daytime outfit." MC said, trying to put on his best mother's voice.

Horace scoffed in response.

"Why do I HAVE TO?"

"Because I'll tell Rhua otherwise. She said, 'Look after the newborn,' did she not? If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

"CAN'T ARGUE with that."

The pair found themselves showered in public shame as they attempted to drag Dillee through the mall. Why are you trying to get us arrested, you traitorous cooking ingredient! MC was frustrated and livid at the same time, partially for the societal judgement, but also because Dillee seemed to have piled on several pounds overnight.

"What the sodding heck have you eaten, ya lump of a child?"

"I WANT TO GO IN THE STORES, SIRS. JUST LET ME LIVE MY DILLEAMS!"

The loud and obnoxious shouting was earning comments from the passersby, causing Horace to be embarrassed.

"MC...this doesn't look so GOOD."

"Yeah, I know, mate. Have you got anything to knock this little shit out?"

"KNOCK ME OUT, SIRS? All I want is to experience shopping delights at my own pleasure!"

Dillee's loud outbursts quickly grated away MC's sanity.

"Shut UP, DILLEE! We're trying not to get security in our direction."

Covering his mouth using his arm and dragging him with all his might was probably not the best look as they stumbled backwards toward a costume shop accidentally.

The door swung back, hitting a cardboard cut-out of a Ku with a bang! The poor thing crumbled to pieces courtesy of the bumbling idiot trio, though it was of course because Dillee was prematurely in the terrible twos age bracket.

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Horace noted the shoppers staring and pointing the mall security in his direction. All of their gear was pulled from riot squads used by Terra police stations. The gear was pitch black in colour and fully covered the security personnel from head to toe. They wielded elemental mace spray and pepper-breath flame throwers, which they activated while approaching the trio.

Trying to ease the concerns of everyone nearby, Horace piped up in an attempt to take the heat off the trio.

"HE'S GOT a disability. Hates large CROWDS."

The rollercoaster speech and waving his hands around like a madman quickly deterred attention. The security guards groaned, letting out a loud 'HMPH'. Wow, someone was desperate to get physical today, weren't they!?

"Oi, you three. You just trashed me, cardboard Ku!" The scathing words came at the trio.

MC looked up, still holding on to Dillee tightly with one hand, pulling at his stretchy fragrant backside. Marching toward him, wielding a fly swatter that was several feet in length, with a hitting end that could swipe your head off in one swing, was a short and angry Huum, with long purple hair, shaved at the sides and tied up in a ponytail.

MC, trying to calm her down, spoke up with a joking tone. "Sorry, mate. This one has behavioural problems. He doesn't go out much, heh."

"I don't give a fook, la. You break it, you pay for it."

'You're going on the naughty step at some point,' MC thought, as he stared at Dillee, still desperately trying to run off.

"I'll pay for it, lass. It's lucky we bumbled in here, actually. We're looking for something we can dress this one up in."

The woman stared at Dillee for a moment before waving her hand. "I'm charging you extra. Hurry up and look around."

Yes, dear.

The woman walked away, heading to a back room.

MC closed the doors after he managed to drag Dillee inside, finally regaining a little bit of control of the situation. Now that he wasn't focused on managing Dillee, he realised they were in a costume shop that seemed to sell animal clothing exclusively.

"Well, this shop is perfect! What would you like to be?"

Horace eventually wandered in, earning a shrug from MC, and shrugged a shrug right back at him.

"Help your little brother pick a costume, and don't pick something stupid. We do not want to get our teeth kicked out by Rhua."

"YOU DON'T ASK for much, MC..."

Dillee wandered around the four aisles in the store. Its offerings were surprisingly huge, considering the store itself could barely fit more than twenty or so customers without it being like a can of sardines.

A few animals took his fancy. Initially picking up a black and white Ku costume, they stood next to him, trying to gauge which size would suit him best. Horace picked out a medium, since Dillee was oddly bottom-heavy, and they took him over to the changing room.

Udderly ridiculous. I'm not being seen in such a tragic-looking thing. Look at the way it shapes my derriere. It's not pancake day!

"Please hand me the bokbok-looking thing, sirs." Dillee shouted, throwing the Ku costume over the locker room, landing on Horace's head. He pulled it off and walked away with the hanger, while MC passed Dillee the Bokbok costume.

Dillee was already turned off from wearing it after wondering how his stringy, scalpy bits would fit into the bokbok crown.

These browns in the body are... divine, and this red is dazzling too. Hmm, no. It's sagging too much at the front. "NEXT!" he yelled.

"You fussy sod. You only have to wear it in public places. Why are you being so difficult, buddy?" Annoyed with Dillee, MC next threw a frog costume into the changing room.

"UGH, REVOLTING." Dillee immediately let him know.

Sigh. "What's wrong with this one then?"

"The colour is all wrong."

I swear to fucking god, boy.

While MC was learning that he may not be ready for life as a parent or in a relationship, Horace was searching around, looking for a star purchase. And by star purchase, he wanted an item from the bargain bin.

Horace eventually found the thing, tucked away behind a row of Gigantobison costumes, a large Tupperware container filled with various spooky-themed costumes. He first pulled out a white cloak with a cringy pointy hood and a blue and red flag cross sewn into it.

Horace thought to himself, 'Dillee may be a misogynist, but he's no racist,' scrunching it up into a ball and throwing it straight in a nearby bin.

A grey uniform and black cap caught his eye next. The embroidery was well crafted, but the menacing skull pin in the cap and lightning stripes on the shoulder pads triggered a memory. Wardi told us about this. The dumbzies that started a world war...is this shop a front for far-right material? ...OH.

Horace noticed a book at the side. He remembered it well from his elementary school days. He and his friends would joke about the famous book, calling it the 'Works in Theory Manifesto'. It went straight into the bin as well.

The container had been enchanted, something Horace didn't pick up on initially. It was only after clearing the initial layer of clothing that it just continuously refilled itself over and over. Horace spent ages searching through the thing. Hearing how picky Dillee seemed to be, it was going to take some time.

Horace had found an arachne costume, modified so four of the legs were in the headpiece, and with googly eyes replacing the ominous black ones that particular species used.

Bringing it over to the pair, he spoke up with his suggestion. "It's both CUTE and FUNNY AT THE same time!"

MC had to double-take at Horace's stupidity before eventually gathering the sanity to respond to his pick.

"Most people are afraid of those things… Remember... we're not trying to give anyone a heart attack here." Scoffing and face-palming.

Dillee, however, was overjoyed. "YES SIRS! This is the one!"

Putting it on and exiting the changing room.

I'm so done with you pair right now; MC had lost the will to live.

"Alright then. Keep it on. It's time to pay for it."

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