They arrived back at the market which had become much more bustling than when they'd initially arrived. Weiss checked her watch. About four thirty. So they had about half an hour until her recipes were done. Shop till they dropped, huh? She really didn't know how to shop at all. She'd never been in a store until the previous day. What did shopping even entail? She knew that, on the basic level, it was the exchange of goods or services for money. She'd picked out a couple of pieces she'd liked with the watch and her pearl, but that was aesthetically based. Shopping had to be more complicated than that, right? It couldn't be so simple as to be based on aesthetics, right?
The pair started walking and a shop caught Weiss' attention. The window was full of stuffed creatures. From unicorns to birds to cutesy bears… They were adorable. However, most of the occupants appeared to be in children, accompanied by adults.
She bit her lip. She didn't want to come across as childish by going into a child's shop. But she wanted to look at the strange but cute animals.
"Want to go in?" Blake asked gently.
Weiss didn't answer. She did but she would come across as childish. "I…"
"If you're afraid of appearances, don't be. Half of the 'adults' you see in there are still kids by fae standards. They're buying toys for themselves." Adults that still played with toys? This living for millennia thing was really messing with her perception of time. "We won't be too out of place. I promise."
"Well, all right…" She still felt horribly out of place. She was practically an adult by Remnant's standards. To go into a toystore felt so very wrong. She wanted to find something wrong with what Blake was saying, but what point would it have? Why bother lying about fae aging?What would going inside accomplish for Blake? She would only make herself look ridiculous by going inside.
They walked into the store where a sea of young children came up to Weiss' waist. However, she did notice a lot of the adults were trying out the toys and playing for themselves. It was odd to see people that looked in their mid-twenties to be playing with toys. Granted, Weiss had never had toys as far back as she could remember. All she could remember were lessons and beatings. She could remember wanting to run around instead of sitting still, but that had quickly been beaten out of her. SHe had learned to sit still and quiet by about age four. Crying had never gotten her anywhere. It only resulted in more pain, so she had stopped crying while being punished a long time ago.
Blake led her to a somewhat quieter section of the store where a lot of the different stuffed animals sat. They came in all different species, sizes, and materials. It was an amazing array to see, especially the really large ones. Some had small children climbing all over them and were worn down. Clearly they were displays and not meant for sale with how beaten up they were.
She blinked when she saw Blake holding a moderately sized dragon doll with long arms out to her. "Here. Hold it. I think you might like it." Weiss hesitantly took it and almost dropped it due to the unexpected weight. What? It felt like it had rocks in it! WHy would she like—
Blake placed the long arms around her neck and adjusted her arms until she supported it more.
Oh.
It actually felt kinda nice. She really liked the weight on it. It reminded her of when Winter held her tight. A few tears did make their way to her eyes but she forced them back. Plus, the material was soft and plush, making it pleasant to touch. She did like how. How had Blake figured that out?
"I can see the question in your eyes. I remember Auria mentioning deep-pressure therapy once. Plus, you like my presence when you sleep. I figured you might like something that would feel like a person without actually being one." She lightly poked the fuzz and she could feel it heat up in her hands and on her neck. Not ungodly hot but about body temperature. It would be quite pleasant and really did feel like having another person next to her. "It doesn't have to be this one. There are others." Blake pointed to several shelves of them,
Weiss placed it on the shelf and looked over the others. She settled on a butterfly with a yellow body and shiny, iridescent wings. It was going to be a lifesaver. Now maybe she wouldn't have to sleep with Blake. She still felt so vulnerable in her new environment. Sleep didn't come easy when she was so stressed.
They walked a bit deeper into the store and came to a large display with a lot of different stuffed animals in it. They ranged from small to large and most of them looked absolutely adorable. "Want to look at them?" Blake smiled at Weiss and she hesitated. It felt so wrong to be here. She was nearly an adult and she was looking at toys. She was pretty sure Winter would be appalled. She was better than this but she was enjoying looking.
She hesitated before handing the butterfly to Blake then approached the display. These ones also had a little bit of weight to them but not nearly as much as the butterfly. She found a soft, fuzzy unicorn, a cat, and a what could either be a dog or wolf. She wasn't too sure. That one sat like a human did and was a good size to hold. It was hard to deny how adorable these little things were and she did want some. They were soft and perfect to hug. She was alone in her room, so if she didn't have to rely on Blake anymore, she would welcome it. Trusting others wasn't something she was keen on. She'd welcome anything that would help her be a little more independent.
Even if it was childish.
"Do you want to look more?" Blake asked.
Weiss shook her head. "I think I'm good." It was so embarrassing to be in here. She might be a child by fae standards, but she was nearly an adult by Remnant's. There was no way any adult would be caught dead doing this. It was so awkward. If they were buying for their child, it was fine and would make sense. But why would an adult buy toys for themselves? It was awful and nobody would do it. She could only imagine the scandal that would erupt if Atlassian society knew she was doing this. At least she didn't have to worry a bout that here…
They started to head back to the front but another large, spotted dog caught her attention. She glanced around nervously before going over to it. It was the softest one yet. Plus, it was huge… It had to be about the same height as her. It looked like it would be nice to cuddle with… Holy Father, she was really being childish now. Cuddle? Schnees did not cuddle! But it was the first word that had come to mind. It would be really nice to do with though…
"We can ask about it at the front desk." Blake smiled and pointed to a sign. 'Please ask an associate for help.' It was pretty big, so she supposed it made sense. Best to not drag it around the store and not mess it up.
"I-I'll be fine. I don't need it." She really didn't. She didn't need any of this. She shouldn't have been getting any of this in the first place. It was so childish and below her. Whitley would've ridiculed her to no end if he knew she was getting toys. She knew this was far beath her, yet she was indulging. This really was so embarrassing…
Blake took her hand and continued to smile at her. "Shopping isn't usually about what you need but what you want. Most people don't need to buy a lot of toys but they want them. Clothes are something you need and so are pearls. But you don't really need toys. You can let yourself want things, Weiss." It certainly didn't feel like that Of course, she'd never been in a store before, so she really didn't understand the feeling of wanting. She'd never been allowed to do anything like this before. It was selfish to want things. Gelé had told her that time and again if she ever said she wanted something. Well, usually beat her over it. "Do you want it, Weiss?"
She very hesitantly nodded. She really did. She shouldn't but she did. It was cute and would be nice to cuddle up to at night. Maybe she would be able to sleep by herself if she got it. So maybe she did need it. She hated having to rely on Blake to sleep. She wanted to be as independent as possible. Unfortunately, she had a lot to learn, so she would be reliant on the Belladonnas for the foreseeable future.
Blake dropped her hand and they got into a line of people with their purchases. How odd. "Can't you use your noble status to get to the front?" She wasn't used to waiting for things. About the only thing she couldn't get right away were her skin and haircare products, but at worst, she had them the next day. A servant would go out and pick them up. Why should nobles have to wait to get things?
Blake shook her head. "It's really not that long of a wait, Weiss. Plus, manners dictate we wait for anybody. What you're suggesting I do is called 'cutting' which isn't very polite." Manners, manners, manners. Fae were possibly even worse than Atlassians when it came to manners. Blake was a noble; she ought to get what she deserved!
Thankfully, it didn't take too long to reach the front of the line. They asked the associate for help and brought out the large stuffed animal to the front. They checked out and Weiss put everything in her bag. It really was nice to not have to carry it all in extra bags. She did see some people with brown paper bags and their arms full. "Are these sorts of bags really so expensive people can't afford them?" They were in what seemed to be a relatively general store for anybody to buy.
Blake nodded. "For serfs, they are on the expensive side from what I understand. But I'm a noble so I don't entirely know what their salaries are or anything." That did make some sense, she supposed. It wasn't like she herself understood how much a normal SDC worker made. She really didn't understand costs of living or anything like that. She and Blake were cut from the same cloth in a lot of respects. But Blake was still able to interact with the outside world whereas Weiss had never really been without supervision before. She did have Sayaka at the manor, but that was to help with navigation and not much else.
"I see." She really was learning a lot, but she was looking forward to starting her lessons. Magic, manners, and a whole lot more. She really couldn't wait to stop sitting around and start learning. And if she had centuries ahead of her, she really needed to get herself in order and learn more skills. She was looking forward to learning more about falconry and birds of prey.
She did hesitate before she spoke again. She hoped it wouldn't come across as rude. Blake seemed pretty understanding of her shortcomings. "By the way, if it's not too rude, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to hear you speak without the earring later? I'm just curious what the language sounds like." She bit her lip a little, tensing. She would probably be hit for this one. She had to be. This was so unacceptable… Well, most likely.
Blake tilted her head a bit, one ear twitching. "It's a bit of an odd request, but sure. We can do that when we get back home. You don't need to learn the language, though."
Weiss shook her head. "I don't want to learn it; I'm just curious what it sounds like naturally." Well, Blake hadn't hit her yet. But it really did feel like it was only a matter of time. Same with her parents. Maybe even Turi. She rarely went a day in her life without being beat. If she went more than twenty-four hours without it, she felt like she was doing something wrong. It actually meant she'd been perfect for a stretch of time, but it was terrifying. She really didn't see rhyme or reason for why the Belladonnas hadn't struck her yet. She had objectively messed up multiple times, namely with the dutchesses. But she still hadn't been beaten for that yet… She couldn't fathom any of this. Why was she not being hurt? People broke laws all the time for their own benefit. Why weren't the Belladonnas doing that? She just…
"Are there any other stores catching your attention?"
"Huh?" Weiss looked at Blake.
"We're here to shop, Weiss. Don't spend the whole time wrapped up in your head. You didn't even hear my response."
Weiss felt her cheeks heat up. "O-Oh. Sorry." She could get pretty wrapped up in her head at times. But it had never been so bad she'd stopped a conversation dead. She really ought to have been beaten for that one.
"I said it was fine you want to hear it. Most changelings grow up speaking either Lidi or Misu so it does make some sense you'd be interested."
Weiss nodded a bit. "Okay. Thank you." She was interested to hear it. But it would have taken her years to learn it naturally which was time she simply didn't have. She needed to learn to stand on her own as quickly as possible. She couldn't and didn't want to rely on the Belladonnas forever. But she would need time to learn manners and everything else before she could function in fae society. But where would she even go without the Belladonnas? She really didn't know the first thing about working. She would have taken over the SDC but that was it. That was all she knew about jobs. She wouldn't have survived a day as a toy store associate…
"For now, though, look around. We're here to shop." Blake motioned around and Weiss nodded a bit. It was so odd to be out wandering like this. She would have been in so much danger if this had been the streets of Atlas or, Holy Father forbid, Mantle. How could a noble like Blake come out like this and not fear for her life? It didn't make much sense to her. But she was glad… The manor felt stifling even for as large as it was. She was really looking forward to more falconry lessons though. That really did pique her interest.
But she followed what Blake had said and looked around. Wares of all sorts sat in the windows all around them. Paintings, jewelry, and more. What should she pick? It was all so overwhelming. How did people spend entire days doing this? ANd Kali had told them to spend the out here and to spend money. It all felt so frivolous. Her room was fine as is. It didn't really need decorations. The one back at Schnee manor had had pictures of her in it and not much else. Of course, it had been President Jacques that had decorated the room, not her. She really didn't need need to decorate. It was fine. "I don't really need to—"
"What did I say earlier, Weiss?" She sighed internally. Shopping wasn't always about what one needed but what one wanted. And she didn't really want anything she could see. She was happy to get out but this was all so uncomfortable. She really didn't see a point in decorating a room individually. "How about I show you some of my favorite shops?"
"I guess…"
Blake took her hand and led her to a shop with strange art displayed. It was a bunch of colors in thick bands on the canvas.
The bell dinged as they entered. Not many people were inside and most of them looked a bit older. They all appeared in their thirties so who knew how old they were? They were clearly the youngest in here. Were they even allowed in? Children were so rarely left without supervision so would they be allowed in most stores? Blake seemed perfectly calm and content though. She'd follow her lead.
"Hey, Dutchess Belladonna." A young man with long, black hair approached them. Blake offered a dip of her head and Weiss copied her.
"Hello, Henry. We're mostly here to do a bit of window shopping. This is Weiss Schnee. My family adopted her a few days ago. We're looking for pictures for her room."
Henry's eyebrows raised but he said nothing. "All right. Well, if you want a commission or anything, lemme know, all right?"
Blake nodded. "Will do. I might have to do that." She smiled at him before he left them alone. She lightly nudged Weiss. "Go ahead and look around. I'm going to the other side of the store." She headed to one wall, leaving Weiss alone.
She scurried to the other wall but avoided being too near to anybody else. She looked up at the wall and studied the pantintings. Now that she could get a better look at them, they were interesting. Thick bands of color swirled around the canvas with little cells of color interspersed throughout. She'd never seen paintings like this before. She'd only seen realistic paintings before, so this was far beyond her normal experience. It wasn't bad, though. Just different. Strange but not in a negative way. All the swirling colors were kind of pretty.
She spent a little while looking at the paintings though nothing really struck her fancy. She did notice differences in the color distribution and how things flowed. Different techniques, maybe? She couldn't be sure. She guessed she wouldn't mind one in her bedroom, but none really caught her attention.
She found her way back over to Blake who looked at her. "Find anything you like?"
"Not to buy. But those are pretty." She pointed to a specific section. None of the color combinations really jumped out at her. But the way they laid on the canvas was pretty.
Blake smiled and nodded. "Well, we can commission him. Are there any colors you think you might like?"
"Commission?" She hadn't heard that term before. It was a strange and alien word on her tongue.
"Meaning we pay him to make what you want."
Weiss' eyes widened. "You can do that?" It made some level of sense, but she'd never actually known it was a thing. To pay an artist for their work but to do exactly what the person wanted… She might have to look into that more. Depending on what birds she got close to, she might want stuffed animals of them. Would that also be a possibility? There were so many possibilities now…
They went to Henry and he helped walk Weiss through what a commission would involve. She chose the colors, technique he would use, canvas size, and more. It was hard to remain professional when she was so excited by this. She was getting something made specifically for her that wouldn't exist for anybody else. She would never have been able to do this in Atlas. Nothing individual was allowed. She had only been allowed to choose her outfits and that was it. How did people get to live with so many choices in their daily life? Blake really was privileged to be able to commission her own artwork. She'd never done this before
After the talk, Weiss looked at her watch. It was a few minutes past five. "Oh, Blake, my stuff should be done." Plus, dinner would be relatively soon. She didn't want to be late for that. She skipped lunch so she was feeling the hunger pangs. The snack really hadn't done much to help her feel satiated after missing a whole meal.
Blake nodded. "All right. We can go pick them up, then head home." And they did exactly that. They found themselves at the manor again, heading for the dining hall.
