Navigating Rilgar was not as easy as one would have hoped. For a dark, cold planet, it certainly was lively and a lot of people were running about. Perhaps it was the race that brought so many people here. Personally, I could not see the appeal behind it. It was so noisy and mindless to me, but it seemed to make the adrealine rise in organic lifeforms and that seemed to work like a drug for most. I could not understand such a thing.

But ignoring all that now, I needed to find a clothing store so I could purchase a new pair of clothes for Ratchet. With the amount of bolts, I should be able to get more than just one set. I did not exactly have a big wardrobe back at the ship, otherwise I would have given him more for this trip. I wonder if he was feeling cold on this planet. I could not ask Al to lend him anything, since nothing would probably fit nor did Al really have much of his own. Asking Qwark would have been pointless; even thinking about it was bound to fail.

Wondering about for a while lead me to a rather small store. It seemed quite peaceful, looking almost like it did not have that many customers. In fact, I could not even see the seller. "Excuse me?" I asked, looking around, hoping to spot someone. "Is the store closed?" The qeustion itself was rather foolish. Why would the door be open if it was? Still, it was better to ask than be sorry.

"It's open!" A male voice answered, loud clattering filling the store right after. A man came out of the backroom, covered in different accessories that he shook off. "Sorry, lil' man. I was in my own thought and made a mess." He brushed the rest of the accessories on the floor next to the counter, giving a wide grin as if nothing happened. "How can I help ya?"

"Well, I have a child that needs a pair of clothing." I simply said, to which the man snapped his fingers.

"Sure thin, lil' guy! Our store is filled with clothes for kids! I need more details, though." He chuckled.

Coughing into my fist, I smiled. "Of course. He's about my size, a lombax-"

"A lombax? Ya sure?" He interrupted with the question as if it was really strange. With a shake of a head, he just laughed it off. "Nevermind. I guess there's something here for the lil' rascal. We don't really have clothes with tail holes in 'em, so you'll have to be making them yourself." He said with another laugh. Something about his words did not seem too comforting, but he was just another seller among others. Most of them always liked to talk a lot, sometimes saying weird things along the way. I figured it was just better to not think about it too much.

"I will be fine with that." I said, receiving a nod from me as he lead me to one of the shelves that was equipped only with clothes for boys. None of them seemed that strong, though. "Is this all you have?" I looked up to the man, who crossed his arms while bearing a strange grin on his face.

"Depends on what you need." He asked, leaning against one of the shelves with a shopkeeper's grin on his face. It was something I occasionally saw when going out for shopping and it only meant one thing: they WILL make you buy somehting.

"Right." I commented, still browsing through the clothes on display. "He wears overalls like these here, but the fabric does not seem too strong. He is a very... Adventure seeking child."

"I see." The man rubbed his chin, possibly wondering what would satisfy my request. For a while, he did not say a word and even once he was done thinking, he motioned for me to follow him. This was getting strange. Still, I did as he desired and followed him in to the backroom that was rather messy. Well, the floor was. Everything on the shelves and hangers were very well organized. He stopped by one of the wardrobes, opening the doors and showing me what he had inside of it. "This is something I don't that often sell. I have to keep it hidden for the most part." The man got awfully serious all of a sudden as he took out a pair of clothes for me to look at. The way he spoke changed as well. "I tried getting armour for kids, but it was shunned pretty badly, you know." He let out a faint chuckle while I inspected the fabric of the clothing. "It's the closest thing I've got to an armour. It may not look like much, but it's very strong material. It doesn't burn that easily, either."

"This feels a little..." I began, not sure if I should continue my sentence. Luckily or not, he finished it off for me.

"Illegal? Don't worry, it's not. Just... You know. Parents. They can get really insane around here." He explained, giving me a grin that was nowhere near to the one he showed me before.

"Is that why you keep the act?" I asked, making him laugh a little.

"You'd be surprised how easily "idiots" get by around here." He snickered, making me laugh faintly.

"You would be surprised how well I really know that." With a short sigh, I took the clothes from his hands. The overalls were cadet blue with protection pads on the knee parts. The straps were very strong leather and on the backside there was a magnet. That, I could not understand and it seemed that my confusion was easy to read.

"Kids love to carry stuff on their backs." He said with a smile, but I couldn't help but question it.

"Do they now?"

"When they need clothes like this they do." After that, I thought it was best not to question it any further and just decide on whether or not I should buy this. The set also had a white t-shirt, which also made me confused. White would not stay clean for long, but it certainly was not like Ratchet to even want to be clean. Along with the t-shirt, it had gloves, shoes and a pilot's hat to complete it. They looked like regular clothes for kids (minus the hat, I suppose), but it was no doubt that they were heavier and stronger than normal clothes. "So, how about it?" The shopkeeper asked with a grin.

"I think I will take two sets. If, of course, the price is a fair one." My statement made the shopkeeper grin even wider as he took out another set of clothes that looked indentical to the ones I had. They were so oddly specific, as if they were made for Ratchet and him only. The odds really seemed to be in his favor, almost like we were living in a movie or a game. Funny.

"These do cost a fair bolt, my friend, but I could give you a discount." He offered the clothes to me, crossing his arms as he looked a little mischeavous. Shopkeepers... "500 bolts." The price made me blink in a surprised manner. It was a rather high price, but I did not doubt it much since the quality was rather good. Thankfully, I could offer such a price, even if our captain was a little cheap at times.

"Certainly." I opened the hatch on my stomach to get the bolts for the man and once I gave them to him, I folded the clothes a little and put them inside the hatch before closing it.

"Thank you, sir. Would you need anything else?" He asked, obviously hoping to get more bolts from me. With a smile, I slowly backed off as I shook my head.

"That would be all. Thank you." He gave me a nod as I left the store, letting out a deep sigh. I was certainly happy that it was finally over. While not threatening, shopkeepers tended to be rather weird around this galaxy. It would not surprise me if it was the case for other galaxies as well.

Knowing there was still time left with the race, I took the liberty of taking a look around the city. There was not much else I needed from here, but it did not hurt to take a look around. You never knew what you might find when you are not looking for anything. I watched the citizens pass by, some looking quite chilly in this weather. It made me feel a little worried about Ratchet again. Then again, he did have fair layer of fur so maybe he would not even notic-

My thoughts were interrupted by a call on my inner communicator. I was quite thankful for having that fixed; using the headset was really a pain. I accepted the call, hearing quite a lot of noise in the background. "What is it, Al? Is the race over?" I asked with a chuckle, slightly concerned by the lack of sounds of excitement from Ratchet. I was sure he would be overly excited over the race.

"Clank, we have a problem... A big problem." Al said with a slightly shake voice. Before I could ask him about it, he continued. "I, uh... Kind of... Lost the... Kid..." He mumbled, but I could hear him clearly. Had I been an organic and had I owned a heart, I was sure I would have found out what a stroke felt like. Raising my voice was also something I really did not wish to do, but in a case like this...

"You WHAT!?" I was just simply furious.