Chapter 41 - He Shines So Brightly In This Little Store

They both walked along in the shopping square, Legosi holding the bag of clothes, tail wagging wildly as he walked next to Louis.

Louis was grinning. "You're so cute...As a friend..."

Legosi looked back at him. "So are you!...As a friend. Anyway, where should we go next?" The early winter sun was already low in the sky.

"Hm...Let's just walk and see what we come across." He said, moving alongside him. "What do you think of the cold weather?"

"I...enjoy it well enough, I guess. Wolves tend to like cold weather and I do too, but I also really like the summer." Legosi knew this was due to his heritage, but now wasn't the time to talk about that.

"I don't know how I feel about weather in general. It's so random. One day it could be pouring and the next day it could be clear skies. I suppose that's how I feel about emotions."

"I always like rainy days. Jack thinks I'm crazy for it."

"I can see him thinking that," Louis said. He looked at the windows of shops as they passed by. They walked past a scarf shop with a bored looking bear female inside at the counter.

Legosi slowed down, looking at it with a cock of the head. "Huh, a store that just sells scarves?"

"Well, scarves can have tons of designs, I guess." Louis kept walking. Don't go inside...Don't go inside... Truth was, he loved scarves too much.

"It's only going to get colder out. We should each get one."

He looked at him. "Uh..."

"You'd look really cute in this one, Louis!" Legosi was at the window now, pointing to a white scarf with a green mosaic pattern.

Louis turned, blushing. "Would I...?"

The wolf nodded. "Oh, and there are others with the same design but different colors! We could get matching ones..."

Louis blushed more. "Well, um."

The canine stared at him with those kind eyes, his teeth showing slightly.

The deer came closer. "See any...others you like?"

"Well, we'd have to go inside to see." His tail was wagging, but of course it had barely stopped since the trip started.

Louis grabbed it. "Calm down there, buster."

Legosi made a noise between a gasp and a hiccup, and his foot began to tap to make up for his tail being restricted.

Louis stepped on it gently. "Legosi."

Legosi squeezed his eyes shut tight as his arms began to twitch. He took a few deep breaths before he could completely calm down.

Louis put a hand on his arm. "Are you good now?"

He opened his eyes. "Yeah. I'm just so excited to be out with you, finally."

"Yeah, we have been in the dorm a lot lately."

"So, wanna go in?" Legosi gestured toward the door with his head.

"Okay fiiine." He pulled him along and opened the door, the little bell chiming. The bear looked up, head leaving her hand.

Legosi's ears flicked. It was nice and warm inside, and had a pleasant smell. Probably from candles. Colorful scarves of all sorts were folded up on display all along the walls.

The bear smiled. "I see you two are a lovely couple looking for some scarves." She had a very chill tone and heavy eyes.

Legosi froze in his tracks, eyes wide and unblinking as he was facing away from the shop owner. He looked behind him, to see who she might have been talking to.

Louis looked at her. "Just friends."

"Oh? And I suppose my fox girlfriend and I are 'just friends'?"

The wolf walked up close behind Louis. "I think she saw us outside the window." he whispered.

Louis looked at her. "Were you watching us?"

"What else is there to do?" She asked, looking around at the empty store.

Legosi looked at her. "Do not many animals come in here?"

She shook her head. "My girlfriend actually makes the scarves, they're all handcrafted."

Louis looked at her. "You mentioned her earlier as if it was the same as our situation. You're both carnivores, though."

The bear scratched her cheek. "I was more meaning interspecies. And gay couples."

Legosi looked around the store in awe. "She made all of these?"

She nodded. "Her name's Kasumi. She loves her work."

Louis put a hand on the counter. "And do you?"

The bear tapped a claw on the glass. "We're a team. She makes, I sell."

Louis leaned forward. "That's not what I asked."

She made a nervous face and then a defeated one. "Okay. Fine. Sometimes managing the shop is really boring, especially in the summer."

Louis started slowly walking around, looking at the scarves. "These are all beautiful, you know. It's obvious the person who made them is passionate about their work." Legosi followed behind him closely.

The bear blinked. "Your point?"

Louis finally walked the perimeter of the store. "I think you're limiting yourself too much."

The bear raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

Legosi looked nervously at his boyfriend, wondering what he was going on about.

He came back to the counter and smiled at her. "I think Kasumi should branch out into more than just scarves. Slowly, you can add more and more and before you know it..." He tapped his eyepatch, remembering the store from before. "You'll be selling these." Another pause. "Meaning something else, not specifically eyepatches."

The bear blinked. Who was this deer? "Um...Wow...You're...actually right, you know."

Louis turned and spread his arms. "Eventually, you can have two seasons for your store. A cold season and a hot season. It will take time and energy after a while, your shop will be flourishing with customers and sales. What's your name?"

"Um...Himiko."

"My name is Louis. In order for this plan to be successful, you're going to have to put in your own work. Set up a schedule. Teach one other your crafts. Teach her selling and she can teach you making. Soon enough, both of you can run the store together and keep making new products. It will be a good bonding experience."

She scratched her chin. "I feel like I'll be terrible at making things...I've never been that creative..."

Louis only smiled. "If you have a strong will, then it will happen. I'll come back next year to check on how the store is doing."

She looked inspired, eyes shining. "Have you ever considered becoming a Beastar?"

Legosi's fur stood up on end. "No, he isn't!" He blurted out, looking panicked

Louis blinked. "I..."

"You'd be really amazing at it. We need people like you, Louis."

He blinked rapidly. "That's not..."

"We...want a quiet life, so that wouldn't suit him." Legosi rubbed Louis' shoulder, calming him down. "Let's pick out some scarves, now."

Louis shook his head. "Beastars are a lie. Do you hear me? They're a lie."

She blinked. "It's better than starting a cult, you have the qualities for that, too."

Louis blinked. He sighed. "I just want things to change, okay? That's all. There doesn't need to be restrictions for that, like becoming a Beastar. I'll start small. With you."

He looked at Legosi, then back at her. "You can put an 'interspecies welcome' sign outside if you're just going to call them out, anyway."

Legosi walked over to the display window, taking the white and green scarf he saw before and bringing it over. He kneaded it in his hands, waiting for Louis to finish.

Louis turned to him. "You really love that scarf, don't you?"

Legosi nodded before attempting to drape it around his neck, but it got caught on one of his antlers. He whined softly as he tried to set it free.

Louis smiled and laughed. "Here." He easily got it free, having been used to having things caught in his horns.

Legosi then tied the scarf around his neck, his tail wagging once again. "Green looks good on you," he stated quietly.

The deer smiled and started unzipping his satchel, getting money and handing it to Himiko.

She looked down at it. "This is way more than it costs."

Louis looked at her. "This is to help you start growing. Use it wisely."

The bear blinked and then bowed. "Thank you!"

"Also...I want to pick out a scarf, too!" Legosi piped up.

Louis smiled. "Okay, one second while we get that."

He started looking around. "I know exactly what I'm looking for. I bet they have it, too." The large wolf walked next to Louis, grabbing out for his small hand.

Louis took it and not long later, he grabbed the scarf. It had light and dark blue stripes. He started putting it around his boyfriend's neck. "Trust me, I know I said stripes don't look good on you, but these stripes are vertical and have nice colors."

Legosi put his free hand up to feel the scarf. It was a nice warm material. He nuzzled his face into it. He turned to Himiko. "Your girlfriend is really good at making these!"

Himiko blushed. "I know! That's why we have a whole shop." The money was clutched in her hand.

Louis huffed. "God, you look gorgeous. I knew I was right."

Legosi rubbed the scarf up to hide his face. "Thanks. Yours is really nice too." He leaned down to nuzzle his face with his nose.

Himiko blinked. This was so strange. Louis had just been acting so serious but as soon as he turned away and talked to his boyfriend, it was like he was a completely different person. It inspired her to make her relationship even better.

Louis grinned and then went back, handing her more money from his satchel.

"Thank you so much." She printed the receipt.

Louis grabbed it, then pulled a pen from the cup and slid the paper and pen to Himiko. "Give me your phone number."

She blinked. "Uh...okay..." She looked down and began writing and then slid the paper back to the deer when she was finished.

He put it in his satchel. "I'll call you soon."

She blinked, bewildered. "A-alright."

Louis let go of Legosi's hand, preparing to go back out into the square. "Come on, Legosi."

"Okay." He waved to Himiko. "Thank you!"

They exited the store wearing their newly acquired scarves and disappeared from Himiko's view. She was shaken, to say the least.