PART I: TRIELA & HILLSHIRE
Hillshire stood surveying a seemingly endless shelf upon which were stacked hundreds of boxes. Behind him, Triela stood with her arms crossed. Her handler ran a finger down the different labels, muttering to himself.
"No…no…no… What about these?"
"I don't think so! It can't be comfortable. I mean, look at those studs!"
"They're supposed to prevent too much slippage."
"We're not talking about a river, here."
Hillshire put the rubbers back on their shelf. "Why are we even here?"
"It's a necessary precaution. You don't want to catch some horrible illness, do you?"
"You're exaggerating the risks, Triela. Besides, I find them very uncomfortable."
"Well, it's a small tradeoff for safety, so stop complaining."
"That's easy for you to say," grumbled Hillshire. "You're not the one who has to wear them…"
Triela cleared her throat and tapped her foot. Hillshire selected another box.
"Fine. What about these?"
"Hillshire! That's totally unsafe."
"What do you mean?"
"This brand wears out all the time. Don't you know anything?"
"I haven't been in the market for this sort of thing in a long time, you know."
With a growl, Triela snatched a seemingly random box, tucked it under her arm, and headed toward the checkout, shouting over her shoulder, "That much is obvious! Who takes so long to find a decent pair of rainboots? I hate shoe shopping with you."
Hillshire ducked his head and followed her meekly.