Chapter Two: D-Date!

Alia tugged nervously at her outfit as she waited by the entrance to the park. She knew that she was ridiculously early, but her anxiety had her booting up nearly five hours before the event and two hours before Layer and Palette had shown up to help her get ready.

She looked down at the dress that Palette had chosen for her and sighed. It was a bright pink dress that covered her from her neck to her knees, with sleeves that went to her elbows. White lace decorated the neck, the end of the skirt, and the ends of the sleeves. "It looks girly!" the small navigator had decided before pushing Alia into the changing area over Layer's protests.

She sighed as she hesitantly tugged at the lace at the hem. She wasn't sure if the dress was a good fit for-

"Hey!" a newly-familiar voice greeted, and she looked up to see Max jogging up to her. In contrast to her bright pink and white, he looked more subdued in his black polo shirt and tan shorts. It managed to look professional and casual at the same time. "Sorry, am I late?"

"Not at all," Alia replied, feeling self-conscious. "I just got here a little early."

"Good," he said, smiling in spite of his noticeable shortness of breath. "I didn't want to keep you waiting." He gestured toward her. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Alia mumbled. "One of my coworkers picked this out for me."

"You're not much of a fashionista, then?"

"My job doesn't exactly lend itself to dressing in the latest styles," Alia explained, thinking of her usual 'bodysuit and upper armor' uniform.

"Well, you go with what works, right?" he asked with a lopsided smile.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Right."

"Are you ready, then?" he asked, gesturing to the park entrance.

She looked from her 'date' to the park entrance and back. "S-Sure."

"So, tell me about yourself," he said as they started through the gate, surprising her with his forwardness. She'd seen a hint of it at the restaurant, but still… "I mean, other than your work, of course; I get that you can't talk about that."

She gave a grateful smile as she pushed her hair over her ear. "Well…to be honest, there's not much to me other than my work."

"Your work is your life, is that it?"

"You could say that," she replied as she played with the lace on one of her sleeves. "I power on in the morning, meet up with the other navigators, and head to work."

"Let me guess; you're X's navi, aren't you?"

She stopped in her tracks. "How…How did you know?"

He stopped as well, moving to stand before her. "I didn't; the way the media reports on all of you I figure that you're X's navi, while Palette is Axl's and Layer is Zero's." He shook his head with a smile. "Man, I'd love to meet Zero sometime."

"Why?"

"I like his intensity…and that he uses a sword," Max replied as they started walking again. "Don't misunderstand, though; I'm not trying to sweet-talk my way to an interview or anything."

"I didn't think you were," she said. "Well, it's not like he's never out-and-about. I'm sure if you keep your eyes open you'll run into him eventually." She glanced over at her date. "What is it about his sword-use that you like?"

"Truth be told, I'm training to use two swords myself."

"Two swords? Why is that?"

He shrugged. "So I can protect the ones I love."

"That's a good reason," she said approvingly. "Well, if you get good enough at it, maybe HQ will want to bring you on."

"Maybe," he said, then smirked. "The only problem is, you're already X's navi."

"What does that have to do with…" she trailed off with a blush as she saw the smile on Max's face as he looked at her.

"I'd want you to be my navi, of course," he clarified, "and I'd be a little jealous if I had to share."

"I wouldn't be your property, you know," she pointed out, feeling a little indignant.

"Of course not," he said, smile still in place. "But, I figure that by the time I'd be good enough, we'd be further along in our relationship."

"You've got this all figured out, then?"

"Naw…if we don't work out, then we don't work out," he said matter-of-factly, which surprised her. "But I figure that even if this doesn't work out, at least I've made a new friend." He shrugged. "Provided I don't screw up completely and chase you away, of course."

A smile crept across Alia's face. Of all the Reploids she had known – or even humans for that matter – Max was certainly unique. "I'm fine so far."

"Cool." He appeared to look her over. "Hey listen, could I shoot you straight?"

Her eyebrows jumped at the euphemism. "I…suppose."

"You said that your friend picked out your dress, right?"

"That's right."

"Okay. How do I say this…?" He came to a stop, and she followed suit. "That dress looks good and all. But it…it's not you."

Part of her was relieved to hear it, but… "What do you mean?"

He sighed heavily as he pressed the side of his finger to his mouth in thought. "Well, you're a pretty girl and that's a pretty dress, but…" He gestured toward her. "…you and that dress are different kinds of pretty."

"Thanks," she said, looking down at herself. "I was thinking that something wasn't right about this; I just thought it was because I'm not used to wearing anything other than my uniform."

"Nah, trust your instincts," he said with a lopsided smile. "You girls are all about being pretty, so if you don't think something looks good on you, you go with that."

"O-Okay."

"I think I got it," he said, gesturing toward her again. "Did Miss Palette choose that for you? She's the short blonde, right?"

"That's right," Alia replied. "And yeah, she did."

"I knew it!" he said, snapping his fingers. "See, she picked a dress that would be perfect for her. She's short and cute, so something like this would be great on her."

"I wonder what Axl would think, though…" Alia mused.

"It'd be perfect for her, so I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it," Max said confidently. "Anyway, you're more…your beauty is more…sophisticated?" He started to tap his chin with his finger, then decided. "Yeah, that'll work; your beauty is more sophisticated. I'd say 'mature' but I wouldn't want to imply that Miss Palette isn't."

"I think I understand," Alia blushed. "Th-Thanks."

"Soooo…" He rubbed his hands together. "If you don't mind, I know of this one place that sells women's clothes, and…"

It didn't take Signas' processing abilities to figure out what he was getting at. "I don't know… I mean, this is our first time together. I'm not really comfortable with…"

"No, I think I understand," he said, hands raised. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"It's okay; I believe you meant well." She studied him for a few moments, looked down at herself, then a smile spread across her face as she looked back up to him again. "You know what? Why not?"

"Sorry?"

"I've changed my mind," she declared. "Would you take me to this store of yours?"

He blinked a few times, apparently surprised by her about-face. "Uh, sure!" He pointed back toward the entrance to the park. "It's this way. Let's go?"

"Lead the way," she said, beaming.

"Cool!"

Alia shivered slightly as she followed Max into the small shop; the temperature inside was noticeably lower than that of outside, and it took several moments for her internal thermostat to adjust her heat output to compensate. "Wow…" she breathed at the sight of rows upon rows of colorful garments. "So many clothes…"

"Now, I'm not a fashionista, either," Max admitted, "but I'm sure we could find something for you here."

"Hello?" The couple looked toward the back of the store to see an older woman, not quite elderly, entering through a door in the back. "Ah! I thought I heard voices!"

"Hey, Ginny," Max greeted with a raised hand.

"Ah, Max!" Ginny turned back toward the doorway to the back. "Jaxon! Max is here! And that stupid door alarm isn't working again!"

Alia hid a giggle behind her hand at the annoyed grumble that came from the back.

"Never mind him," the older lady scoffed as she waved a hand behind her. "Anyway, what brings you here today?"

Max gestured toward his date. "We're here to get something more…appropriate for her."

"Well, let's take a look," Ginny said, smiling as she weaved her way through the racks of clothes. "My, you're a pretty one, aren't you?" Her smile faded as the outfit the young woman wore came into view. "My…that is…"

"A friend of hers picked it for her," Max explained helpfully.

"I'm sure," the older woman said as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand as her shoulders shook. "I'm sorry dear, but…that dress is cute, but…"

"We know," Max interrupted in an effort to save his date's dignity. "That's why we're here; we're hoping you could hook her up with something that's as beautiful as she is."

"My!" Ginny exclaimed, fanning herself with her free hand as she looked to Alia. "So, he's managed to charm you as well?"

"As well?" Alia looked over at her date. "Are…there others?"

"No!" Max exclaimed, giving the older woman a dirty look. "At least…not anymore."

"You're the third girl he's dated this year," Ginny said, giving Max an amused look. "He goes through them so quickly…"

"Three?" Alia couldn't believe her ears, and she whirled on Max. "What kind of guy are you anyway?"

"Hey, not what you think!" Max exclaimed, taking a step back with hands raised defensively.

"Calm down, dear," Ginny told Alia in a gentle tone. "He's a…unique individual, as I'm sure you've already noticed. Most modern girls can't handle his more…old-fashioned way of looking at relationships."

"It's not 'old-fashioned'," Max protested. "Anyway…can you help us out?"

"Absolutely." Ginny reached out and took Alia's hand. "Come on, dear; let's see what we can find for you."

"O-Okay," Alia stammered as she allowed herself to be led to another part of the shop and away from Max. When she figured they were out of earshot she asked, "What did you mean when you said that I was his third?"

Ginny chuckled warmly as she released the navigator's hand. "I was mainly teasing him, dear, but it is true that he dated two other girls earlier this year."

"What happened?"

"They broke up with him," Ginny said as she looked through one of the racks of clothes, "which doesn't surprise me, really." She glanced over at Alia before handing her a skirt. "You know, Max's opinions are strange to the modern mind, but I really do think he really wants the best for everyone."

"Why do you say that?" Alia asked as she accepted the proffered skirt.

The older woman straightened to fix her with her gaze. "Because, ultimately, he's seeking the truth."

"The truth?"

Ginny nodded sagely. "You know how two plus two equals four and the like?"

"Of course."

"Well, there are truths having to do with the nature of people, and Max believes that we have either forgotten them or chosen to ignore them." She returned to searching the clothing rack. "He just wants to find those truths again and live them; share them with others, if he can."

Alia mulled over the shopkeeper's words; they made sense, but… "Ma'am? I don't mean to be rude, but…you seem awfully philosophical for a clothing store owner."

Ginny paused in her search, then straightened again to face Alia with a smile laced with good humor. "That's what happens when you're married to a philosophy professor for twenty-five years." She turned and buried herself in a different clothing rack. "If you end up rejecting him, he'll be hurt but he'll understand. I will tell you that he is a good boy, though."

Alia looked over at Max, who was busy examining a dress near the entrance with a serious expression, and smiled to herself. "I'd like to give him a chance," she mused. "If he's trying to find the truth about things, I'd like to help him if I can."

"Then you may be just the kind of girl he's looking for," the older woman remarked in a muffled voice, her head still buried in garments.

"Wow…" Max clapped as Alia twirled slowly in her new outfit. "How does it feel? What do you think?"

Alia looked at herself in the shop's full-length mirror again; her long, blonde hair settled on a light pink jacket with tiny black buttons to close it over a white, button-up blouse with short frills on either side of the row of buttons. Long sleeves with buttons on the cuffs reached to her wrists. A pencil skirt the same color as the jacket covered her to her knees, where white stockings with black pinstripes covered her legs until they disappeared into a pair of simple black shoes. She looked every bit the professional woman. "I…I like it…I think."

"If you're not used to wearing business suits, it may take some getting used to," Ginny said as she brushed some stray lint from the jacket. "I will say that you look lovely, dear."

"Th-Thank you," Alia breathed, feeling a little overwhelmed as she continued to study her reflection. "Would it make sense if I said 'I feel pretty'?"

"Absolutely," Ginny confirmed, then glanced over at Max. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The man in question blew air noisily as though winded from a run. "Yes, ma'am…wow." He started to pull out his wallet. "How much do I owe you, Miss Ginny?"

"What?!" Alia blurted. "But…we barely know each other! This is our first time together! Why…?"

Max smiled as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Consider it an investment," he told her. "An investment in our future."

"Hopefully this one works out," Ginny quipped. "You've already made a couple of bad investments so far this year."

"But I learned from them," he countered earnestly as he shifted his attention to the shop owner. "I'm not the man I was then; I've learned."

"I hope so," the shop owner replied with a twinkle in her eye.

Alia smiled fondly at his determined expression; she could see that, like X, he was someone who wanted to do great things, and she found herself wanting to see if he would succeed.

"Hey, sorry about back there," Max said, gesturing back to the clothing store as they walked back to the park. "I'll understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me after this; I know that three girlfriends…well, two in one year can sound suspicious."

"It's okay; I understand," Alia replied as she pushed a lock of hair over her ear. "Miss Ginny told me your story."

"How… How much did she tell you?" he asked nervously.

"Enough," she replied, giving him a sly grin, causing him to avert his gaze to the ground. "Seriously, she told me about how you're trying to find the truth about things, both for yourself and for others, and that you've had problems with women because of it."

"Really? She told you that? With all the crap-sorry, with all the teasing she gave me?"

"Honestly, it surprised me, too," Alia admitted as they approached the entrance to the park. "Listen…I'm sorry, but I need to go."

"Huh?" He looked at his watch. "It's been four hours already? Man, where did the time go?"

"We did spend a lot of time in the shop," Alia pointed out.

"I guess," he said, disappointment clear on his face as he looked at the ground between them. "Sorry, I wish we'd had more time at the park."

"I had fun," Alia said consolingly as she dared to rest a hand on his shoulder. "But before I go, I'd like to set up our next date…if that's okay."

His gaze snapped up to hers. "Wh-What?"

"…so, we decided to meet up for dinner next week."

Emerald and sapphire eyes stared in disbelief. "Y…You really did?!" Palette exclaimed.

"Amazing…" Layer breathed. "And you're okay with this, even though he has been in two relationships prior to yours?"

"It's not that unusual, is it?" Alia asked, shrugging a shoulder. "Even humans engage in multiple relationships before finding the so-called 'right one', right?"

"Now that you put it that way, you're right," Palette admitted, then smiled awkwardly. "I guess I never had to think about it much, since Axl and I hit it off pretty quickly."

"I'm impressed with what you said about him searching for truth," Layer said. "You were a researcher once, weren't you? This sounds like something you'd want to help with."

"I hadn't thought of that, but you're right," Alia said, twirling one of her golden locks. "I guess he did appeal to that side of me. After Gate, I guess I just didn't want to remember."

"You could get some happier memories of researching," Palette prompted cheerfully. "And on something that could help everybody!"

"Yeah," Alia said, a smile starting to form as her eyes lost focus. "That would be nice."