The group of young Dragons entered the noisy mall. It was one of the rare days that no wu had appeared and Master Fung allowed the teenagers to have a day off. At first they had trouble deciding where to go, with such different ideas of fun it was almost impossible to make everyone happy.
That was, until Kimiko suggested the mall. There were plenty of clothing stores for her, an arcade for Raimundo, a western antique shop and buffet for Clay, and there was a variety of culture but it was small enough so Omi wouldn't get lost. The idea seemed perfect, it was ridiculous no one thought of it earlier.
Once decided they hoped on Dojo and he flew them over to a mall in Los Angeles; also decided by Kimiko. Which brings them to where they were now, entering a mall that seemed to touch the sky. It shined and voices echoed throughout the building, but Raimundo loved it. He missed the cities that reminded him of Rio.
"Okay guys, I don't want to hear any complaints from master Fung, so we're only spending a couple of hours here. Los Angeles isn't exactly around the corner you know, " Dojo complained before slithering up Raimundo's leg and resting on his shoulder.
"No worries Dojo, we'll be out before you know it," Raimundo said, patting the shrunken dragon on the head.
"Right, it only takes an hour to buy a new outfit," Kimiko confirmed.
"What do you mean, 'to buy a new outfit'?" Clay questioned, raising his hat.
"I thought we could all hit the clothing store first. Let's face it we could all use some new threads," Kimiko said innocently, waving her hand in her friends direction.
"Threads? But why would I need string?" Omi asked, still not up to date with the latest lingo.
"She means clothing, dude. You know, shirts, shoes, pants, that stuff," Rai clarified.
"Oh, most wonderful! We should get freezing strings," Omi cheered with a huge grin before marching off to the closest clothes store.
The others stayed put, confused at what their friend meant. Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo glanced at Raimundo for a translation.
"Cool threads," Raimundo stated. The others gave an 'oh' at the response before following their bald friend into a store.
Once they were in the large shop Kimiko seemed on a mission to find the perfect outfit for everyone. She began to rip through shuffles and racks, piling anything good she found on her teammates. It didn't take long to have a plentiful pile to chose from.
"Alright, Clay, you try on these," Kimiko ordered, shoving a small pile of fabrics into his arms. "And Omi, you try on these," Kimiko said before once again shoving clothes into the boy's hands. "Now, Raimundo, you-"
"I know, I know, try on these," Rai said, giving a dead pan expression as he picked up random pieces of an outfit.
Kimiko smiled and nodded before she pushed the three boys into separate dressing rooms. Dojo quickly slid off the Brazilian teen, letting him have his privacy. "I'll be in a changing room, but don't take off your outfit until I see it," Kimiko said, knowing her choices would look good on her friends.
Luckily Kimiko was the first one done, wearing a blue silk top with no sleeves and black tight jeans. She strutted out of the dressing room and twirled around, loving the new feeling.
"Wow, Kim, you look great," Dojo complimented, lounging on a comfy chair. Just then Clay walked out of his room dressed as a new man. He had on stylish new cowboy boots, a red plaid shirt, worn jeans and a black bandana around his neck to complete the look.
"Clay, lookin' good," Kimiko said, giving a smile and a thumbs up.
"I'll say, watch out Clay, the ladies won't be able to keep their paws off you," Dojo added.
"Shucks guys, I don't know. This get up makes me feel a little stupid," Clay muttered, his face blushing from the attention.
"Nonsense Clay, you look, as they say, like cold hips," Omi said, exiting his own changing room in a white button up shirt and black dress pants.
"Like what?" Clay asked, stumped at what Omi meant.
"Rai, translation please," Kimiko said, leaning closer to the closed door so he could hear her better.
"I think he meant 'like a cool hipster'," Raimundo shouted back.
"Thank you. Now hurry up, how long does it take to change?"
"Sorry, but this thing is like two sizes too small and it looks funny, where'd you get it?"
"In the store, duh," Kimiko mocked, as if it wasn't obvious.
"Well, either I got a shirt from your pile or you think I'm a puta," Raimundo grumbled, reverting back to his native tongue.
Omi raised his eyebrows, he wasn't fluent in Portuguese, but he heard the word used before when Rai would dis about a girl.
"I'm sure you look fine, Rai. Get your butt out here," Kimiko ordered, sure her friend was just over reacting.
The moment Raimundo left the room his friends knew what he was talking about. His pants were normal jeans, but his shirt was a thin black t-shirt with a low v-neck that clung tightly around his body. Laces were sowed through the back of the shirt and fish nets were used for the sleeves.
Raimundo was never the most feminine person in the world, but the outfit he wore seemed to make any soft feature stand out. His eyes seemed greener, his lips looked softer and Omi couldn't keep his eyes off him. The young monk was barely aware that his friends began to talk again. Dojo and Clay seemed to be trying not to laugh while Kimiko looked apologetic. She kept touching a hand to her face and wincing.
Raimundo's face formed a scowl, his lips forming to a small pout. He started to yell at Clay and Dojo, claiming he didn't care about what they thought. Of course they started laughing a bit harder causing Kimiko to jab Clay in the ribs and bop Dojo on the head. She gave one last apologetic look before giving a small bow and tearing through the pile of clothes to look for something more fitting for the tan boy.
For the first time since Raimundo came out he glanced at Omi and soon his frustrated expression turned into one of worry. "You okay, little dude?" Raimundo asked, waving a hand in front of Omi's face.
"Wha?"
"I said, are you okay?" Raimundo asked again, waving a hand in front of Omi's face.
"Y-yea, why wouldn't I be?" Omi said quickly, trying to recover from zoning out. Raimundo gave him a I'll-let-it-go-for-now scowl before he turned back to Kimiko and gathered the new clothes. Raimundo thanked her before entering the small room once again. Omi watched his friend close the door, but he couldn't get the image out of his mind. Not specificity the whole outfit, but the dark delicate laces. Not about what they looked like on the Brazilian boy, but how they would look unlaced.