roneal | (no subject)

"Yeah, and I could listen. Or not." He turns his head just far enough to glare at Jade. There's a second where he considers sticking his tongue out at Jade, though he doesn't in the end.

Sitting up straight again, he tries to mentally prepare himself for getting out of the car. He's talking nonsense, he knows, and it's a pretty pathetic rebellion, too, but it's hard to stop now. "You can't just tug at the chain or whatever if I don't do as you say."

Sometimes, it's better not to argue, especially when they both know how futile Shinjirou's protests are. Jade finds that he's happy to hear them. His spirit hasn't been entirely broken; that's good.

"Now that we're out in public, no I can't," he agrees placidly. "I suppose I'll just have to hold your hand instead."

Hold his hand like you'd with an upset toddler? His face flares up bright red merely picturing it; his rebuttal is much quieter and less forceful than before. "No."

He spends the rest of the time cringing. It's easier to deal with bruises and cuts, in Shinjirou's opinion. Just sweetly holding hands in public ... his palms are sweaty and uncomfortably hot thanks to just the threat of it. Wiping it off on his pants, he silently prays this will be over soon.

For once, Shinjirou's prayers aren't thrown back into his face - yet. The car slows as Jade pulls into the parking lot of a mall and parks in short order. He climbs out first, then opens Shinjirou's door for him, smirking as he offers him a hand.

"Let's get started."

Rolling his eyes, he pushes past Jade. His arms go back to being crossed over his chest and anyone that might be insane enough to look his way gets a death stare that makes them speed up towards their car. Well, at least some things never change.

"Yeah, let's." Actually, he doesn't wait for Jade to lead the way; however, he's nice enough to wait at the entrance.

He follows at a leisurely pace, smiling briefly as he walks past Shinjirou. Then he stops, blocking the entrance. The mall is quiet at this time of the day, but there are still enough people around that he gets a dirty look or two as they squeeze past him. Jade doesn't seem to notice.

"I'd like you to behave more appropriately once we're in the mall," he says. "It would be a shame if we attracted too much attention."

"Y-yeah, sure. Whatever." It's not like he wants people to stare at them. So perhaps it's best after all if he just quietly does whatever Jade wants and, if need be, let his frustration out later. The entire situation is awful enough already -- looking at Jade reminds him of what has happened over the past few days and then there's other people glancing at him and all he wants to do is hide somewhere. Which he can't.

Nodding, Shinjirou drops the aggressive stance and follows Jade inside without another word.

It's fascinating how quickly Shinjirou deflates. Jade watches him for a second longer before he turns away and starts walking again.

The mall is a big one, not exactly high-class, but there are quite a few brand name stores around nontheless. Jade steers clear of the more expensive ones.

"Would you prefer getting shoes first? Or clothes?"

"Uhm, shoes, I guess?" Shrugging, he stays just about close enough that it's obvious he won't suddenly bail out, and far enough away that it'd be difficult to grab his hand. "If that's alright."

In a way getting shoes first means getting the possibly easiest part out of the way. He can't see Jade letting him wear anything too casual anywhere on his body, but with shoes that's not so bad. Start with something that isn't so bad, get used to whatever Jade's going to throw at him.

Somehow survive this trip without starting a fight.

"It's your choice." It's almost a pity that he doesn't have to train Shinjirou into being a proper companion; that would have produced amusing results. And, compared to everything else, it would be all but harmless.

Jade walks past a few stores before he finds one he likes. A salesperson greets them as they enter, but Jade waves them off.

"Pick something appropriate." He's curious to see what Shinjirou thinks will satisfy him. "If you like it, that will be an added bonus."

Choices are bad. They've always been, seeing as he tends to make the wrong ones. In this case, Jade ridiculing him is probably the worst result any choice will get him. Annoying, but he'll be able to stomach it.

Shinjirou doesn't stray too far from Jade, checking if he's being followed from time to time. There's a pair of brown leather boots that aren't too different from the ones he used to own. A simple design, nothing flashy nor too elegant. He lifts them up, tilting his head.

"Something like that okay?"

He reaches out to take them, testing the sturdiness of the leather. "They're fine." Though they did look rather familiar, now that he thought about it. Had Shinjirou been wearing them when they first met? Jade wouldn't be terribly surprised. Something familiar must seem like a comfort to Shinjirou right now, and people had a habit of picking the same things over and over again anyway.

"Would you like try them on?" He's already leading the way over to a seat, looking at him expectantly.

"Uh. Sure." He plops down, slipping out of Jade's shoes and reaching for the boots. They fit and after taking a few steps with them on his feet, he'd say they're comfortable, too. He comes to a halt in front of Jade, looking down at the boots, then up at Jade.

"Yeah, they're ... good, I think." They pretty much only need Jade's approval. Shinjirou doesn't expect picking clothes will be this easy, but for now he's thankful that Jade's taste isn't too different from his own when it comes to footgear.

"I'll take your word for it." He asks the shop assistant for a new pair, then pays for it without any fuss. It isn't expensive, exactly, but it was still pricey.

Jade hefts the bag onto his shoulder once they were done. "Would you rather wear them now, or later?"

"No, later's okay." He politely bows at the shop assistant as they leave. "Shouldn't I be the one carrying stuff?"

Apart from that fitting more into the picture of a slave he has, it just seems fair to him. Jade's paid for the boots, Shinjirou could at least -- literally -- take the weight off his shoulders. Shinjirou doesn't press the issue, though, just extends a hand should Jade want to put the bag into it.

"Next stop?"

"Next stop," Jade confirms.

He had been planning to wait on Shinjirou hand and foot, not out of any real fondness, but just as a way to disturb him. Still, if Shinjirou is offering to carry it...

Jade shakes his head. "And thank you, but I'm fine."

This time, they pass even more shops before Jade finally finds one he's satisfied with. It's the largest one they've passed yet, with a good selection of both casual and semi-formal attire. Jade looks expectantly at Shinjirou once they're inside.

"Alright." Shrugging, he follows Jade without showing any real interest in where they're going. Not like he could ask for a detour. Once they arrive, though, he takes a good long look around ... and lets his shoulders slouch at what he sees.

It's obvious what Jade wants him to pick. Far too obvious. Shinjirou grimaces at him, hoping that he won't be forced to act like it's his decision. There's some sweaters he would be willing to wear, but all the shirts and jackets make his skin crawl. He's going to leave this shop and still look like he's wearing a uniform.

Groaning, he takes a forceful step forward and grabs a white shirt and dark blue cloth pants his size. Better to get this over with quickly. If he's really lucky, and behaves himself, maybe he'll get a comfy sweater for the colder months at some point.

"What about this?" He holds the clothes up for Jade, far away from his own body. "Perfect for a funeral?"

"You certainly act like I'm asking you to attend a funeral." Gently, Jade sets the bag with the shoes down on the floor, taking a step closer and looking over the chosen items with a critical eye. Shinjirou had chosen them far too quickly for them to be of high quality, but he'll humour him for the moment. "Stand up straight and hold the shirt closer to your body."

"The most morbid funeral, yes," he mutters under his breath and straightens, holding the shirt up to his neck. "So?"

The ceiling isn't all that pretty. One of the lights is flickering. They should change the bulb, he thinks, waiting to hear Jade's opinion. This won't be as easy as the shoes; hell, it already is far more annoying. He can't tell the difference between the different shirts, apart from their color.

He doesn't look at the shirt yet. His eyes are firmly fixed on Shinjirou, watching the way his gaze slides up to the ceiling, clearly trying to avoid the situation at hand.

"Shinjirou." He's frowning slightly, a note of warning in his voice.

Instinctively, he jumps and glances at Jade before looking down. "Yes. Sorry." This sort of behavior won't get him anywhere -- anywhere but into trouble. He's got enough to deal with already. Taking a deep breath, he presses the fabric flat against his stomach. For a second the chain's visible between his fingers, then he drops his hand.

"What do you think?"

Finally, he turns his attention to the shirt, scrutinizing how it lays against Shinjirou's body. He's still frowning slightly, having no intention of letting Shinjirou off so easily. These are still the early days; he can't be too lenient.

"The collar is a bit wide. I'm not very fond of the cut either, it might be too loosely-fitted for you."

"The ... cut?" Shinjirou turns the shirt around, for the first time really looking at it. It still seems to be absolutely identical to every other shirt in the room, but Jade doubtlessly knows more about these things. "Huh, fine. Don't see why loose's bad, but alright." He puts the shirt back, shrugging to himself, and blindly picks another.

"Uh. This?" This time, he holds it up to his chest right away. "It's not the same, right?"

Jade adjusts his glasses, looking disappointed. "Unfortunately, it's the exact same." There's just a hint of a sigh in his voice. He hadn't expected Shinjirou to be quite this hopeless. Perhaps another approach will be necessary.

"Oh." He hangs his head. Well, maybe that's a thing he should learn about when Jade leaves him home alone in the future. It's not a topic that interests him, at all, but the shame, heavy and hot in his stomach, tells him that there's at least one reason he should look into it.

"Uhm. Maybe ... maybe this one?" The fabric feels different, softer, and stretches more easily when he pulls it against his body. So it's probably not exactly the same -- he mentally crosses his fingers it isn't. He can't possibly be this dumb about something as simple as shirts. Hopefully.