Well, that chapter took a while to write. Somehow, group scenes just come naturally to me, but one on one situations really require some thought as to how to have them communicate everything I want them to, without it feeling like it's obviously staged. On that note, I would really appreciate some input as to what you guys thought about the conversations in this chapter; too short, too long, too much rambling? Anyway, thank you to those of you who have already taken the time to review. So without further ado, let's get on with the story!

-CS


Volume 1, Chapter 4

Immersion Part 4

Shopping; for most heterosexual males, there's not a single word more exasperating than that one, especially when a member of the opposite sex is the one doing said shopping. But as much as I would have liked to skip the trip and just let one of the ladies handle it for me, I knew that actually attempting to do so would be a very bad idea. For one, I could already tell that Cinder was the type of boss who you didn't say no to without a very good reason. And second... Well, she had tasked Neo with accompanying me. While I trusted her fashion sense, based on what she chose to dress herself in, I most certainly did not trust in her ability to resist the urge to mischief; if I had simply let Neo pick for me, I probably would have ended up in a clown suit or something equally ridiculous. So I made the obvious choice and swallowed my disdain, allowing myself to be dragged to the mall by Neo so we could shop for clothes...


"Couldn't we have just gone to Dust-Mart or something?"

Caerulean was anything but pleased with how his day had been going so far; while it had started out pretty well, things had quickly turned south once he became little more than a living punching bag for the moodiest teenage girl he knew. Which, granted, was not a difficult title to obtain seeing as he currently only knew two teenage girls, but Emerald in particular seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in whittling him down until he could barely stand. Not that Lee blamed her; despite befriending her, he had been just a little bit of a douche nugget to her over the last twenty-four hours. So he supposed that he could live with the results of that particular sparring session; painful as it was, it had also been informative. But what his already sour mood could not take, was the prospect of clothes shopping with a teenage girl... Even if they were currently only buying things for him.

"Please, as if any friend of mine is going to wear something as plebeian as to have been purchased at Dust-Mart."

"Hey! I'll have you know that most of my wardrobe before coming to Remnant consisted of articles purchased from my world's equivalent store!"

"Which would explain why you look like a pleb."

Lee growled at the diminutive, smirking girl, earning more than a few odd stares from other clientele.

"Lee, you're making yourself look crazy."

"What?"

A quick glance around the store showed that, yes, people were indeed looking at him with some amount of concern. So he quickly shot a glare back at Neo before turning to inspect the racks, in hopes of simply getting this over with quickly.

To better explain Lee's current predicament, one must remember: he had arrived on Remnant with nothing but the clothes on his back. And considering that he'd been in a rather bad automobile accident just prior to his arrival, said clothes now sported several rips and gashes. Which wasn't the end of the world, seeing as he had been wearing a black graphic T-shirt and dark jeans beneath his completely unsalvageable jacket, but the fact remained that he couldn't very well make do with just a single set of clothing for any length of time lasting longer than a couple of days. So, after his sparring session with Emerald (and subsequently taking a shower), he had been all but dragged by Neo to what, to him, appeared to be a high end clothing store in the local mall.

"We'll get you a few sets of T-Shirts and sweat pants for you to sleep and train in, but I refuse to let you go out in public looking any less stylish than Mercury or Emerald... And preferably more. So unless you plan on copying Mercury's tracksuit, you're getting a collared shirt and a coat."

"Okay, Mom."

Bickering aside, Lee actually did appreciate the style Neo was attempting to get him in to; while it was certainly different than what he was used to, he couldn't deny that the employees of this particular store looked good wearing the merchandise. And he had no doubt that he himself would probably look good too, especially with Neo providing a feminine opinion on his selections. But he still didn't want to go through the process that every female on Earth seemed to enjoy, of trying on half the store to find the right combination of colors, size, and style before leaving with maybe two complete outfits.

'Oh well. May as well get this over with...'


Several hours later, Lee and Neo finally left the shop, the former wearing a brand new outfit and carrying a few bags containing about a week's worth of similar garments. To both complement his eyes and make a play on his name (Neo had insisted, and seeing as she was paying, he couldn't really argue), each of his shirts were two toned, with one dark shade of blue and one lighter shade, both reminiscent of the sky at different times of the day; half of them were long sleeved, while half had short sleeves, and he was currently wearing the latter. Over this he wore a jade green clip-on tie, also clipped to the front of the shirt to prevent it from flying in the wind (the tie clip, of course, was cerulean). He also wore black pants and belt, the same boots he was already wearing (even Neo hadn't been able to find a decent pair there), and dark blue socks. All of it made with dust-treated fibers that would provide it with some resistance to wear, tear, and the elements. What had left Cerulean the most in awe, however, was the watch that seemed to very nearly complete the outfit.

The Citizen brand quartz wristwatch with sterling silver band and some 18-carat gold accents, had belonged to Lee before arriving on Remnant. While not the most expensive wristwatch ever produced, it most certainly had not been cheap at the time he'd purchased it, and it was the only thing he owned that had not been either left behind on Earth or mutilated since arriving, making it his most valuable possession. Neo had presented it to him after they'd decided on his outfit, mentioning that Cinder had taken it to a watchmaker in order to have it repaired; apparently, the interior workings had been damaged either in the crash or the fight in which he'd met Cinder. And it would also appear that Cinder was kinder than she had seemed earlier... Either way, Lee was just glad to have it returned to him, for which he had thanked Neo and made a mental note to make sure to thank Cinder as well. In the mean time, however...

"Neo, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me so far, but I'm drawing the line! I am not going to wear a scarf and fedora!"

The diminutive fashionista still only considered him to be casually dressed. Which, compared to her, he'd readily admit that he was, but it was still more than enough to be considered appropriately dressed; compared to the average teenager wandering around the mall, he was practically formal!

"Awe but Leeeee! You'd look so handsome if you wore those with that coat I wanted to get you!"

"No means no! We're trying to make me look respectable, not like some pimp or mobster! What heterosexual man even wears a white coat and a feathered fedora nowadays? Seriously, Neo, I thought you had better fashion sense than that! Next thing I know, you'll be wanting me to wear make up and dye my hair orange! Maybe carry around a cane?" (A/N: Shots fired. xD)

.

..

...

"Oh dear God, you have got to be kidding m- Really, Neo?! I am not a dress up doll!"

A quiet "giggle" was all the response Lee got as they began to make their way towards the exit... Though he could have sworn that he saw a light flush to her cheeks... Focus...

'Yup, she's blushing. Jeez... Don't know if I should be flattered or offended by that...'

Lee spent a few more moments pondering that as they walked along, but decided to just shrug it off for now; he could always tease her about it later. But, then again... why let such a perfect opportunity go to waste?

"So... It's getting kind of late. You wanna go grab lunch? Maybe see a movie?"

Lee's instincts were proven correct, as a quick glance down to his companion... Focus... revealed her blush becoming more prominent.

"My, my, Lee, so bold. Are you asking me out on a date?"

Lee didn't even break stride. "Only if you're paying, my dear."

Neo's stride... Faltered. As did the coquettish grin she was wearing.

"Oh yeah... You're broke."

Lee chortled like a maniac. "No need to sound so disappointed. After all, I do owe you at least one nice date after you just bought me a full wardrobe. Soon as I'm making my own money, it'll be you, me, and the nicest restaurant I can afford without going broke again! What do ya say, my dear?"

Neo winked coquettishly at him. "I'll hold you to that, handsome."

This time, it was Lee's turn to falter, nearly tripping over his bags in the process before he recovered. A charming smile making its' way to his lips.

"I'll be anxiously awaiting the day you do, beautiful. But in the meantime, well, I am kind of hungry..?"

"Yeah, yeah, we can stop and get something to eat on the way back. I'll even pay for you, you worthless bum."

"Yay! Free food!"

"So shameless..."


After one more stop (this time to Dust-Mart, in order to pick up some sleep/training clothes as well as personal hygiene items) and about an hour later, the two friends found themselves seated at a casual restaurant, sipping away at their beverages and making idle conversation while they awaited the main course. At least until something occurred to Lee.

"You know, with how easily you're able to speak with me, I had forgotten that you can't really talk to other people all that often. That's gotta be rough."

Neo, for once, let out an audible sigh, somewhat surprising Lee, before she brightened up.

"You have no idea...But that's okay; I have you now."

Well... If she didn't want to talk about it, Lee wasn't going to force her to quite yet. Especially while she was being so chipper about it.

"So... You teach me badass martial arts moves and all I have to do for you in return is be your friend slash interpreter? I think I can live with that."

Small smiles adorned both their faces at the humorously spoken comment, but did nothing to take away from the sentiment.

"You know, I can't decide if this is sad or just plain lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"We're kind of best friends by default, hon."

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean; you're the only one of my associates I can physically speak t-"

Lee took the opportunity to interrupt. "Telepathically."

"...Fine, smart ass. You're the only other person I can telepathically speak to on a regular basis, which in turn is leading me to interact with you the most out of everyone I know, especially since Emerald and Mercury are already all but joined at the hip most days and Cinder is hardly ever around unless she's either supervising our training or giving us orders. If I had to choose, I'd say lucky."

"I don't disagree, but why?" He felt like he had an idea of what she would say, but he didn't think it could hurt to confirm.

"Well, from your side of things, you could have died, either back on Earth or when you tried to help Cinder."

"Staying alive is always a positive."

"And if you had, I would have missed out on the opportunity to meet you and regularly have actual conversations, rather than constantly having to play charades or resort to my scroll every time I want to communicate with someone else. And it certainly helps that you're not a half-bad conversationalist."

Lee grinned at her. "Really? It's kind of funny you would say that seeing as I was always the quiet one back home. I really didn't have more than a few close friends because of it."

Neo mirrored the expression. "Somehow I find that hard to believe, Mr. Forthcoming."

Eyes were rolled. "I'm not saying that I'm usually a boring person! Quite the contrary, if I may say so myself! I just wasn't overly social outside of a small group, you know?"

"You certainly fooled me."

"Did I ever mention that I was an actor in high school? A rather mediocre one, I'll admit, but I dabbled."

Neo scoffed. "Oh, shut up. I may have only known you for about twenty-four hours now but I know that you know that what I'm really asking is why are you able to speak so freely to us if you're actually so shy?"

"Even including Cinder, that's still small enough to count as a small group, Neo."

"Ass. I know that, but you've literally known us for about a day now. There's no way you're just suddenly that confident."

"There so is. A few different reasons, if you really want me to break it down for you."

"Do tell."

"First, I woke up suddenly much stronger and more physically fit than I used to be; I wasn't exactly scrawny back on Earth, but suddenly being this size and finding out that I have the potential to wipe the floor with people the size of a sumo wrestler most certainly served as a confident booster. Second, you guys are literally the only four people I know right now. Even if I wanted to be, I can't afford to just be quiet and observe; that works when I have a reliable knowledge base to draw from in order to supplement what I'm observing, but when I'm thrown into something brand new I learn best by fully engaging. Asking questions and such. And finally... While Merc and Emerald seem to have personality types that are bound to get on my nerves at some point in one way or another, they still seem pretty affable. And it certainly helps that you yourself are very easy to talk to."

"I have been told that I'm a good listener."

"And not just because you're a mute! Which reminds me that by all rights I should be the one asking you why you can speak so naturally."

"Meh. Like you said, I'm mute, not deaf; I may not speak, but I watch and I listen. But most importantly, I learn... In this case, that overly bubbly excitement towards someone you just met is usually off-putting."

Something about that statement just seemed... Sad. "You speaking from experience?"

"Maybe..."

"Well," Lee began with a smile, "Regardless of how things have gone for you before, you're doing just fine with me. Beauty, money, and a winning personality? Careful, Neo, or you might just force me to fall for you!" That smile may have become more of a smirk with that additional remark, but it was worth it to see the answering smirk.

"Yeah, right after you get over the fact that you're supposedly twenty-two and I'm only seventeen."

Scratch that thought. Abort mission, abort mission! "Which puts you below the age of consent where I come from. That's literally one intimate moment away from automatically being registered as a sex offender. And potentially tried for statutory rape, if it's an intimate moment."

"It's the same here... Except that the magic number is 16. Unless you're in Vacuo; theirs is 14."

"...That's barbaric."

"The average life expectancy in Vacuo is also lower than the other kingdoms. Harsh climate, high crime, Grimm, etcetera."

"Still... 14?"

"Yup. But we're not in Vacuo, so you won't have to worry about any 14 year old girls propositioning you."

Somehow, Lee wasn't reassured. "No, instead I just get to deal with an ice cream obsessed midget. And while she probably won't proposition me, she'll certainly have fun teasing me with it now that she knows that the thought bothers me."

"You don't know that."

"You know it's true."

"Who knows? You're easy enough on the eyes; maybe the totally awesome fun-sized girl would be serious when she did."

The spit take that followed that line was nothing short of magnificent; it was a shame that the perfectly formed arc of Bev-Cola couldn't be captured for posterity. But at least it would live on in the minds of all those who were fortunate enough to witness it, including a certain giggling, ice cream ob- awesome, fun-sized girl.

"That's exactly what I was talking about..."


Our food arrived shortly after that, so the conversation was quickly steered towards more mundane things, such as sports, the world's apparent color naming rule, and the leader of the White Fang stepping down and being replaced with someone new. Which I would later find out wasn't exactly mundane, but to a guy who had just woken up in a strange new world the day before, that didn't even count as news... Even if I had been here two years ago when it was new. But over the following months, it would quickly become apparent that this was a bigger deal than it had seemed. While we would eventually become caught up in the very center of the White Fang's actions in Vale, I myself was nowhere near ready to be getting involved. Sure, I was properly quartered and clothed now, and was beginning to learn about this world, but if I was to be of any use to Cinder and not simply be a leech, I needed to learn how to properly fight, and eventually be able to stand toe to toe with the very best. So, after several months of training and simply integrating myself into their daily lives, Cinder decided it was time to send me on a proper mission...