Clothes

After going through at least twenty or so bottles of cologne, Andrew was tied between two of them, and couldn't make up his mind so he decided to mull over it while the girls were trying on clothes. Matt was dragging Bria nearly everywhere in the store, commenting about a skirt, or a shirt, pants……nearly everything! Matt picked out a dressy baby blue shirt and a light purple colored skirt, "What do you think?"

"How many times do I have to tell you…I dislike skirts," Bria laughed, "I love the shirt, however."

"Come on, you gotta dress up once in a while. Show off some leg." Matt demonstrated with the skirt she was wearing and pulled it up just a bit, even though the skirt was to the tips of her knees.

"That's why I keep trying to tell you to find me skorts," Brianna giggled but did a sexy leg-pose just for the hell of it.

Matt shook her head, highly amused, "Okay then little-miss-picky, and tell me two things."

"What two things would those be, Matt-nii-chan?" Bria grinned.

"Number one, if you don't like skirts, how are you going to win Andrew over? Raph got himself attacked by the Volleyball squad already, and Andy? Andy's eye candy for the straight and sane female. Any girl would try to win him over, just to spite you. A skirt and showing off the legs you showed off to me, would be a perfect way to ward off the no worthy ones."

Matt paused and then turned back to the racks, "Number two, think of Andy. Are you scared of being judged about the skirt? I mean, no offense or anything, nii-chan, but if your scared about being judge about Andy, then……what's the point of dating him?"

"That's why I wear leggings," Bria shook her head for the answer to the first part. For the second she huffed, "I'm not scared to be judged. I'm the /modest/ type," she rubbed her temples, "My parents and friends always said the same things you are. One in particular came straight out and said I look like I'm swimming in my clothes...that day I was wearing one of my larger shirts and a pair of jeans. I was dressed comfy that day because I didn't feel like dressing up."

"Sweets, this isn't about dressing up, or about feeling uncomfortable." Matt turned and looked at her squarely. "You are modest and literally, I'm glad for the change, because Rachel, I swear can look like a whore and I'm sure a few guys tried paying her to get their way, but that's beside the point. The point is, is two things. Looking good for yourself and setting the status quo on the other girls…"

"……" Brianna pursed her lips, "I keep forgetting I'm not in Parker anymore. This is New York…and how long have I been living here? Heck if I even know, "She looked at her skirt, "Okay, fine," she said, defeated, "That 'status quo' is really tempting, but one condition…"

"And that would be?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Really simple…find me 'medium' colored clothes...the...warm colors? I'm more for reds, coral, peach, and oranges…though, I do like the purples as well as nature colors…greens, browns, beige, and tans."

"Just like Rae...then again you both do have the same completion, pastels would just kill you." Matt titled his head to the right and then to the left, watching her. "Make up, would be pastels, clothes dark. For Rae it's all dark that's all her complexion allows…

"Has anyone told you that if it wasn't for the fact that you both aren't blood related, you guys could pass off as twins?" Matt shook her head, "Unbelievable." She started moving around in a different section of the rack to find the clothes Bria mentioned, "Warm colors."

"Why else don't you like black, Matt?" Bria asked, "Did you spend to much time with it yourself that now you regret it and hate it?"

Matt stopped. Completely and utterly froze. Sighing she looked at Bria with a sad smile on her face, "Regret? Hate? No…" She looked back at the clothes and then replied, "I don't hate the color, it's just that it reminded me of Rae when she had walked out. All of her life she was searching for a way to die, wearing black all the time, telling us that it couldn't belong. It shouldn't be." She laughed, "Stupid right? Black reminds me of the past. It's pathetic."

"No…it's not, Matt-nii-chan," Bria smiled sympathetically and rubbed her back soothingly, "Being a Child of the Past I understand. I'm sorry for bring up a bad subject…though, it's nice to know more about my family," she smiled and hugged her, "Gomen if I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, nii-chan." Matt hugged her back. "I'm sure you already knew all of that though."

"I still feel like I need to say it," Bria chuckled.

"Of coarse," Matt smiled, "Any questions just ask. It's not like we have anything to hide from you." She went back to searching for the clothes.

Bria chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated that. "Any question?" she murmured as she picked up an orange sweater and looked at it.

"Yep," Matt said as she picked out a nice long dark red skirt. "Now to find the shirt or blouse that'd go great with this. I'm thinking a lighter color of red, so it's has a good contrast. Still warm colored but light,"

"How about this orange sweater I just picked out?" Bria held it up.

"Looks like a flame…" Matt murmured, "It would look nice would it?" She held the skirt underneath the sweater Bria was holding. "What do you think? I think it looks wonderful……"

"Now we're getting somewhere because I agree," Brianna grinned.

"Alright," Matt took them in her arms and started looking through the racks again.

"Tell me what you meant by 'Hostage' back in the car."

Matt pursed her lips and then looked up at Bria, "Each of us was or were once hostages. Rae, myself, and Andy, we all were hostages at some point in our work area……some were pretty hysterical after it happened and it was forgotten…others……are unforgettable."

Matt thought for a minute and then sighed. "Once, Andrew was…um……caught. I and Rae were in the building and Andy was hacking…someone caught the drift that we had someone in the car. Someone saw Andy, and……well……Andrew had a knife to his throat and was beaten pretty badly. Rae threw one of her poisons, got us out of there, gave us the antidote and Andy……he was so shaken. That knife carved him pretty good. He had cuts all over his arms…I think their deep scars now. Rachel...she felt so bad……she almost drank herself to death blaming herself."

Matt sighed and then smiled, "We learned, and we learned fast. We started practicing hostage situations on each other. Preparing for the worst. When it happened in real life, we took consideration, planned a bit differently, and got us out safely. None of us are innocent enough though, to say that the situation didn't leave us with scars. It left us with deep ones. Andrew doesn't like fighting because of the knife attack. He's afraid of being hit or being hit at. Dodges all attacks… I think in the Foot HQ he actually attacked and dodged and attacked back."

"That's why he said it was the second fight he's been in…" Bria whispered hoarsely. She had her hand wrapped around her throat, and because it was her own pressure she knew how to apply it so it didn't bother her…but her throat was thick with the lump that had formed. She flashed back to the car and remembered what her eyes had not caught on the first glimpse.

"I'm sorry…" Bria squeaked, "That's what you meant by 'sure' back there with the colognes…I'm a baka…"

"Its okay Bria." Matt looked at her. "How could we expect you to know if you were never told?"

"But…still…" she murmured, "I didn't think about it…" she took a shaky breath. Now she'd have to recalculate…Andy wouldn't stand a chance against Leonardo for more reasons than she had known before. "Damn…"

Matt smiled, "Its fine, Bria. Some of us get so confidant in others…we forget to see their weakness to why they may not be able to perform the tasks we give them."

Bria nodded, but said nothing. The flashes she had seen before did not waver, however, and she wondered what she had not figured out yet to make them look so strong?

Matt found another item and looked at it before holding it out to her. A dark blue shirt that could show of figure of the body… "Maybe this?" She held up to Bria, "If we find a pair of white or even black jeans it'd look great. Blue jeans too…"

"I love it," Bria nodded and grinned, but it was unfocused since she was thinking other things. "I have white and black corduroy pants back home," she added.

"Alright, so cross the pants off of our list……" Matt traveled to a different rack and said, "Your thinking about something…"

"Mm…yes, I am," Bria answered her newfound sister.

"What are you thinking about?" Matt asked looking through the racks.

"I have Star Sight, Matt-nii-chan," Brianna told her, "So about something hopefully in the far future."

Matt smiled at Brianna and then looked over at the racks again before saying, "Something far in the future. How far?" She looked at Bria, "Distence will always catch up, just like time." She pulled out a pair of long jeans that looked nice. "What do you think about this?"

"Eh…I'd have to tailor them, and I don't want to take the time to do that…" Bria waved her hand dismissively. "I honestly don't know how far," she sighed, "When it happens it happens. I'm not like Rachel. I don't just randomly or forcibly See what's going to happen. I have my visions through dreams…they can be in the present, hours in the future to days, weeks, or even months."

Matt nodded, "Understandable." She put the jeans back, and started looking through the racks again. "You can't serious tell me that those are the only questions you had. You must be brimming with them." Matt didn't sound very surprised or anything. Just talking…

Bria chuckled, "Fine then…what do you do?"

"For a job?" Matt blinked. "I work in a salon."

"No, for the group, besides hack and get info," Bria laughed, "Though the salon sounds just as interesting."

"Hacking is Andrew's job thank you." Matt smirked. "I read minds, I go down the streets where our enemies and allies lay and I read their minds, figuring out the plans they hold in store for us. Sometimes, I sabotage. Rae nearly killed me once because I sabotaged the information. Once I swear."

"You're telepathic?"

"Telekinesis as well," Matt smiled, "Only I'm more telepathic than telekinesis."

Bria stared at her, dumbfounded. She tittered and then palmed her forehead, "I'll have to put my barriers up more, then," she muttered.

"I only sensed you were thinking, I don't know what you were thinking about. I can control that stuff you know." Matt pouted, "I can't read it……not like I can with anyone else."

"You can't read my mind?" Brianna blinked.

Matt shook her head. "I can't read your mind."

"That's sort of a good thing, actually...because you don't want to know my mind," Bria smirked and then laughed, "But it must be because I'm also telepathic."

"Must be..." Matt said softly.

"What? Does your curiosity want you to know me more?" Bria smiled lightly.

"I want to know something," Matt looked at her squarely in the eyes to show that she was serious. "What made you take Rachel? She told me you guys met at the shop, but she never ever mentioned you. She told me that you made her a proposal……something she couldn't refuse. I want to know exactly what it is."

Bria was completely taken aback, but then she bit her lip and looked away, "Something I hope I can still keep…" she shaded her eyes, "I told her…that if I let her become part of the Aka Ryuu, she had to promise not to return to the life of crime. The Aka Ryuu then offered protection and complete secrecy that she even switched sides."

Matt was frozen. 'But at the party she was just talking about getting the alliances back up...why?' She coughed and then bit her lip. "I understand..." She looked at the racks and started looking through them again.

"You have to be fast…or my flashes are telling me there's trouble on the horizon…of what kind I yet do not know," Bria whispered as she brushed passed barely noticeable. She moved on to a completely different area of clothes.

Matt bit her lip. Damn it… "Hey, Bria? You don't mind if I bail do you? I'm sure Andy wouldn't mind trying to help you pick out things…"

Bria didn't respond right away. She was staring at the collage Drill Team outfits. She felt like she'd died she felt so stupid, "Dancing…of course…" she breathed an air of relief as she realized why her flashes brightened, "Actually, Matt, go right ahead."

Matt smiled and then handed Bria the outfits, "See ya." She gently kissed Bria's cheek before running off.

Bria ran her tongue along her teeth at her wide smirk. She knew what to do know. She hurried to the nearest buy-n-go clerk for that area, paid for what she had, bagged it, and then ran off to find Andrew. "Andy! Andy, Andy, Andy!" she called eyes bright.

"Four times," Andrew turned around, "What's up?"

"You counted?" Bria was perplexed only for a moment before she shook her head and grabbed his arm, "Come with me! This is important," she grinned hugely.

"Alright, alright," Andrew muttered with a slight smile. He was happy that Bria was so excited. He wished that she was always this excited.

Always…