For the sake of convenience and awkwarvoidal (Which is DEFINITELY a word ;D), I've ommitted bra shopping. Meh.
Within several minutes of entering the first shop in the Domino Shopping Centre, Millie had literally removed a sample of every item of clothing from its rack and one-by-one bolted up to Tea, showing the item in her hand to her with a questioning glance before dropping it and darting off for the next one.
Despite the girl's complete disregard for leaving things where she found them of her utter lack of the ability to stand still long enough to actually offer her advice on the clothing she was holding, Tea didn't stray from her usual good nature, and simply kept putting everything back into its rack, an amused smile on her face.
From the front of the store, Yugi, Tristan and Joey peered in, too chicken to venture into a girls' outlet store. Content with waiting for Tea to find something that Millie liked.
Still darting erratically from rack to rack, Millie had, in reality, no idea what she was supposed to be doing. Even Yugi had never taken her on a trip such as this. It was only when Tea managed to calm her down enough to actually speak to her when they began to make progress.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Tea asked gently, her voice a completee contrast to the way Millie felt. Millie blinked, only now realising that she had absolutely no idea.
An image entered her mind; a full-length dress made of linen, from flax grown along the Nile. Adorned with all the jewels and accessories fit for a queen. That was the last item of clothing she had worn. Before...
Millie blinked, aware that Tea was still looking at her expectantly. She laughed hesitantly. "I- I really don't know..." She looked Tea up and down, considering the clothing she was wearing. "Something...? I'm not sure; something..." She sighed, wishing she could give Yugi's friend more to go on.
Tea didn't seem to mind. She just laughed good-naturedly. "Okay, don't worry about it. First off; do you want a dress or pants?"
Millie grimaced. "I don't like pants. They aren't natural, especially on girls."
Tea laughed. "Okay, we'll have a look around. Here..." Absentmindedly, she picked a few different dresses off of the racks - the ones that were in fact still on the racks - and handed them to Millie. "Why don't you just try these on for starts and see how they fit? There's no rush."
Millie took them hesitantly and, after giving an excited nod, dashed for the fitting rooms. There was a resounding bonk as her forehead collided with the door, before she hurriedly pulled it open and ventured inside.
Millie could see the backs of Tea's feet as she leaned against the door to Millie's room, waiting patiently.
"Say, Tea?" Millie asked while she changed. "Thanks for doing this. I never actually said that, did I? No I didn't."
"You're welcome." There was a pause. Millie imagined Tea smiling. "We girls have to stick together."
"Hells to the yeah!" Millie exclaimed happily, already growing on this new catchphrase. "It must seem a bit strange to say that, though, mustn't it? I mean the thing about the girls; you aren't used to me being a girl," she observed. "Nobody is."
"No, we're not." There was an amused edge to Tea's voice that Millie liked; something friendly and nice. She was already starting to like Tea.
Millie suddenly sighed. "I guess I'm an extra wheel, though; I'm sorry I had to show up and change everything..."
Tea burst out laughing. "You have absolutely no need to be; you were always one of us to begin with. That's why everyone accepted you so easily."
Millie's eyes brightened. "Really?"
"Really," Tea assured her. Her feet suddenly dissapeared from view, and Millie had to assume she had walked across to lean against the wall opposite Millie's door. "Having you around...like this, is going to be normal before you know it."
"I hope so," Millie admitted.
There was a pause. "Why...why did you suddenly become...like this?" Tea asked after a pause.
Millie bit her lip. "There really wasn't any reason...things are just...easier this way."
"Not for Yugi," Tea pointed out tersely. "You've made it a lot more difficult for him."
Millie's heart dropped. "Really? Have I? I have!" A tear instantly formed in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
There was a pause. "Don't be, Millie...I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. It was horrible of me," Tea said, her voice heavy with dismay at having caused the Millennium Puzzle anxiety.
Millie laughed tearily. "You shouldn't be sorry, Tea; you were just worried about Yugi."
A sigh.
Millie bit her lip. "He worries about you, you know. Yugi does..."
Tea's reply came with interest and excitement but a slight aura of withdrawal, as though she were trying to keep herself from becoming too involved in what Millie was saying. "Does he really?"
Millie grinned and nodded, then realised that Tea couldn't see her and spoke. "Mm-hmm!" she said excitedly. "All the time. It's kind of cute. And he gets jealous when you talk about the Pharaoh."
There was silence. Instantly regretting opening her mouth, Millie inched the door open and peered around it to see Tea staring at her with the most unreadable expression. At least, unreadable to a girl who hadn't independently read expressions in over five thousand years.
"Erm..." Millie suddenly laughed. "I tried this on, by the way," she added, stepping out into the open to reveal the dress she was wearing.
It was certainly nothing fancy; a simply little pale gold thing with two straps for sleeves and a small bow slightly off-centre at the waist. Despite this, it was a perfect fit on Millie's tiny figure, emphasising her body's curves despite her being even smaller than Yugi. It made her unusual golden hair seem completely natural. Even her ominous red and black eyes found a place as part of Millie's getup.
She gave Tea a quizzical look.
"It really suits you," the girl said, looking the dress up and down with a contented smile on her face. "I mean, wow; it's hard to find something nice on the first try."
"Yay!" Millie instantly leapt forward and flung her arms around Tea. "Let's buy it! This is fun; I like shopping. Do you like shopping? Yes you do. Come on! Let's find some other things! And then we need to buy something a little decorative; something gold. I like gold!"
"Interesting new installment," Joey commented abstractly, as he, Yugi and Tristan waited outside the shop, sitting against the wall, after Yugi finally finished filling them in, in detail, of the events of that morning.
Yugi nodded. "Yep; it sure will be something to get used to."
"What's going to happen with her?" Tristan wondered. "Have you told your Grandpa?"
"Not yet." Yugi sighed. "I'm sure he'll understand, it's just...I don't know."
"You'll have to tell him soon," Joey said. "If Millie's going to live with you."
"She'll have to," Yugi agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "She's the only connection I have to the Pharaoh."
"Speaking of whom," Joey added, "How is he dealing with all of this?"
Yugi shifted his feet sadly. "I've hardly even spoken to him since before the Puzzle changed."
Joey and Tristan looked worried. "Did you two have an argument?"
Yugi widened his eyes. "No - of course not; it's nothing like that. It's just that...well, it's impossible for us to talk without the Puzzle nearby, and she can hear everything we say."
The penny dropped. "I see," Joey announced. "So you can't talk as freely as you used to."
"See that's just the thing; we can." Yugi stared at the ground. "Millie's right; nothing has really changed. She could hear everything we said before now, we just never realised that she was listening. She knows everything about us; she can hear both our thoughts as long as she's nearby." Yugi sighed. "It's just that at the moment, we can't discuss the Millennium Puzzle without feeling like we're talking about her behind her back, knowing full-well that she can hear us."
"It's going to be hard for you two to talk to each other now," Tristan observed.
Yugi nodded sadly. "I know...I already miss the way things were before."
He sighed, twiddling his fingers. "I feel so, so, horrible for saying this, but...I wish she hadn't changed. Not because I want her to go away or because I don't like her as a human," he threw in hurriedly, "but because...well, even if she changes back, how can things ever be the same between the Pharaoh and I?"
He didn't expect a solution, and none came. Before either Tristan or Joey could speak again, he went on. "At the very least...she may be able to tell us more about the Pharaoh's past." He frowned thoughtfully. "She acts like she knows something; she just hasn't told us much yet." He scratched his chin. "I'm sure she'll tell us eventually, when she's more comfortable."
"She'd better hurry up and get comfortable, then!" Joey exclaimed. "If she knows the truth about the Pharaoh then it's not fair to just let him hang."
Yugi laughed. "There's probably more to it that meets the eye." His face grew serious. "But whatever the case, I trust her to do what she thinks is right. I mean, she is the Millennium Puzzle."
"That's true." Joey sighed. "She's helped us out of tight spots tons of times."
Yugi nodded, and they lapsed into silence again. Absentmindedly, Yugi's hand crept up to the place on his chest where he was used to feeling the Egyptian artefact hang.
Even so, I hope she tells us soon; for Yami's sake. I want to help him in any way that I can, and I...I miss the way things were.
"Ice cream and nachos!" Millie announced delightedly as she half-skipped out of the shop, jerking Yugi back to reality. Millie hurtled herself forward and onto Yugi's back as though she expected a piggyback ride. "I'm so hungry I could eat a- a...hm..." She looked thoughtful. "A pyramid! Yeah! Oh and buy the way, we bought a dress. Do you like it? Yes you do! We're buying shoes next! And a hat! And lots of accessories! Hurrah! But food first."
Millie was getting used to everything; she loved it. This whole process of chewing food, swallowing it, felling it go down her throat...those fruit loops hadn't stood a chance. And the shopping! There was something unbelievably exciting in simply buying having something of her very own to wear - a luxury Millie had never experienced in all of her fourteen lives. She could see why girls were so drawn to it - she was already feeling a great kinship with Tea.
After she reluctantly released the unfortunate Yugi - after a somewhat...intimidating glance from Tea - and started skipping alongside him, his hand still firmly clasped in her own, she felt a sudden prickle along her golden hairline. A thought, nothing like her own, rang out within her mind.
Can I talk to you for a moment?
For a brief second, Millie's step faltered. Then she just kept her pace, still skipping.
Of course you can, Pharaoh.