After leaving the Godsmith with a promise that their various idols will be ready by nightfall, the group splits up for practical purposes – those with wings forming one mob while Arkold and Ravenia pair up to find clothing more suitable to those who keep their feet on the ground.

The first stop they make, however, isn't at a clothing store, but at a leatherwork shop. Tulani is able to pick up a suitable sword-belt and flyer's scabbard here, to make carrying around the Light of Nala less of a hassle. With the Light sheathed, Kaira is forced to shrink down in order to remain semi-substantial, and is now only about a foot long as she rides on Alptraum's shoulder.

The leather worker points the group to a popular Eeee clothing shop, at least.

"Well, this looks like a good place to start," Alptraum tells the women as he walks into the wing-biased storefront. "The name I have to wonder about. Who ever heard of Bats hanging out in a Belfry, though?" Grinning, he looks around, saying, "I would like to find something new and I was hoping you could provide some advice. I want something that gives me an air of danger, perhaps, maybe seductiveness. What do you all think would look good on me?"

"A bow-tie," offers Phlagaea. "That's all, just a bow-tie."

"Maybe a nice vest and cloak," Lilith suggests.

"Nothing but a bow-tie? That would make me look like a present," Alptraum notes and looks at Phlagaea oddly.

"Something shiny that deflects arrows," Kaira pipes in.

Shifting her wings slightly the Sphynx gazes upward upon entering the unusual store, her eyes flicking to the various racks of clothing before wondering out loud, "I wonder if there is any particular order they separate the clothes by… " Tulani thinks for a moment before suggesting to Alptraum, "A vest like Lilith suggests with a nice shirt underneath?"

"You're still worried about me? We should have a talk later about a few things," Alptraum says to Kaira, "About my future and ability to assist you."

Mave remains quiet, looking around the shop without much interest.

"And no suggestions, Mave? You're one who follows fashion, I would have been interested in your opinion too," Alptraum notes to Mave.

"Armor is always fashionable," Kaira opines. "Plus, you can usually reuse it after you patch up the holes and get rid of the body."

"The Yodhinala do not follow fashion," Mave states. "Fashion follows us."

"Then what do the Yodhinala find fashionable on men?" Alptraum asks as he shakes his head. He starts looking through some of the racks of clothing while idly listening to any conversations going on.

A salesbat approaches the group, dressed in a puffy padded shirt with lots of loop-buttons on the front, and with a stiff collar that rises as high as his cheeks. "Can I be of assistance?" he asks the group.

"Yodhinala, of course," Mave replies to Alptraum, before sizing up the salesman. She seems fascinated by his shiny black and white shoes.

Tulani also begins looking through some of the clothes, starting with racks near the bottom of the stair well before turning to the salesbat. "We're browsing at the moment. Would you have some vests our friend could look at?" she says, gesturing at Alptraum as she volunteers him.

Alptraum grins playfully to Mave and loops his arm around hers. "Well, then be careful or I may expect you to escort me everywhere as my personal Yodhinala." He then releases her arm and returns his attention to the salesbat. "Well, I'm looking for some new clothing," he says, "Something to look dashing in, and yet durable for hard times on the road." He then dips his head to Tulani and says, "And that would be a fine start, yes."

"Men's Casual Wear begins at three-quarters-of-a-turn along the ramp," the salesman says, pointing to where the women's 'Casual' clothing ends. He then looks over Alptraum, and suggests, "Specialty leathers are at the top of the ramp. They are certainly durable."

Phlagaea, who probably has the least experience with normal clothing, sticks close to Tulani. "Everything seems to be black or red," she comments to the Sphynx. "Do you think they'll have anything in green?"

"Specialty leathers?" Alptraum says with a tilt of his head. He looks as if he was going to take Phlagaea with him, but when she goes to Tulani, he turns to Mave and Lilith instead. "Which one of you will give their opinions on things I try?" he asks.

The Sphynx looks in the direction the salesman indicated and starts looking through the women's casual wear on her way up the ramp. Turning, she gives the greenish Eeee a small smile. "They probably do, black and red just tend to be the prevalent colors out this way."

Lilith volunteers to take care of Alptraum. "I used to dress up my little brother all the time," she says, smiling.

The 'casual' wear for women still seems pretty formal, with serious gowns and skirt-pants, fancy blouses and even jackets. The definition of casual for this store seems to be: "If you can fly in it, it's casual."

"You think of me as your little brother?" Alptraum teases, brow raised. He offers his arm to her, noting, "Let's go, then."

Lilith takes the arm, but doesn't get too close – Alptraum has a dragon on his shoulder, after all. "No, you're much bigger than he was. And you're probably harder to tie up too."

"Depends on how nicely you ask," Alptraum remarks, then heads up the walkway towards the specialty leathers first.

Tulani frowns a bit at some of the gowns in the women's section, put pulls out a divided skirt to take a look at it, holding the thing up for the green Eeee to see and asking Phlagaea, "What do you think?"

The specialty clothing is just past the accessories and jewelry, and is certainly specialized. Most of the pieces would not look out of place in a torture chamber of some sort. There are lots of shiny chitin studs and D-rings and other embellishments that don't seem to serve any purpose. And the studded and spiked collars imply a distrust of vampires.

Alptraum blinks. Several times, in fact. "Okay, this is not what I was expecting," he admits. "Do you think he was just trying to mess with me? I don't know about this… "

It takes a moment for Phlagaea to work out that the 'skirt' is really a pair of trousers, with the legs pleated in such a way that it looks like a skirt. "The legs seem fairly roomy," she comments. "I should be able to wear these over my bandages."

Lilith holds up a pair of leather shorts, and looks for vests. "Well… there may be some things you can use," she says. "Oh look, whips!"

The Sphynx smiles at the Eeee woman's thought on the skirt and calls out to the salesbat, "Would you by any chance have something like this in green?"

Alptraum rubs the bridge of his nose. "Do people actually wear this stuff?" he asks Kaira and picks up one of the spiked collars between two fingers. He peers at it critically.

"Well, some people do," Kaira says. "But they throw lousy parties and have poor taste in music. And the poetry… ugh… "

"This might look good on you," Alptraum suggests and holds up the collar for the dragon to see. He grins playfully.

"It might work in lieu of brass knuckles," the dragon admits.

The salesman comes over to Tulani and Phlagaea, and looks from the pants to the green Eeee and back again. "Might I suggest you try for a more… complimentary color?" he asks. "The monochrome look is a bit dated."

Tulani frowns at the salesman before looking at Phlagaea and suggesting, "Blue perhaps? Or would you just rather try for a shade of green different from your fur?"

Phlagaea chews on her lower lip with uncertainty. "How about white?" she asks, falling back on the color of her bandages.

Alptraum actually tries on the collar, before breaking into a fit of laughter from seeing it on him in the mirror. He gets serious this time and actually just starts looking for more normal clothing that is just made out of leather, such as pants, a vest, and so on. "Say," he says quietly to the dragon as he looks, "I've been thinking on my ability to keep helping you. I want you to think of ways to make sure that I will be able to. I promised to help, for one. And for two, I'm probably one of a select few who would be willing to, anyway."

Smiling, the Sphynx nods and sets the skirt back on the rack, looking for another pair in white or a similarly light color saying, "Yes, white would look nice on you, or maybe a light off white color."

"Oh, I've got some… ideas," the dragon admits.

"How safe are they for me?" Alptraum asks quietly, finally finding a rather ordinary looking pair of pants and a vest. "Any luck, Lilith?" he calls out, "Whatever you bring, I'll try. I'm in a silly mood, I'll try anything."

"Here are some pants," Lilith claims, holding out a pair of leather trousers. They are, like most of the leather goods, decorated with needless shiny bits and loops however.

"Bring them, I'll try them," Alptraum says and waves to the Eeee. "Now, where is the dressing room?

"Wearing white after Unity Day?" the salesman asks, as if this were some sort of blasphemy. "Well… we do have some in storage, if you really want white… "

There aren't any dressing 'rooms' so much as 'closets' with draw curtains, a pair of them at the border between each section.

Looking over and up the ramp a short ways at where Lilith and Alptraum are looking, the Sphynx notes with a grin as she sees all the shiny rings and studs, "A Vartan would have a field day in here."

Tulani frowns deeply at the salesman's rather rude commentary.

"I would prefer white," Phlagaea says, her bandaged face covering whatever emotion she me be feeling towards the salesbat at this point.

Peering at the closet, Alptraum notes, "Well, I guess you're going to get to see all of me today while I try this stuff on." He considers it, then just shrugs it off. To Kaira, he notes, "I'm willing to do fairly drastic things, just so you know, as long as it wouldn't alter me into a completely different person." The Eeee then waits for Lilith to head over with whatever assortment she picks out.

"You know… not all people are interested in trend-setting… and it never really pays to be rude to your customers… " Tulani mentions to the salesman coolly.

Along with the pants, Lilith brings over a vest and a truly garish jacket. "There's a cloak too, but it was too heavy to carry along with all of this," she notes. On top of the armload is a little leather bikini bottom too.

"Is all that for me?" Alptraum has to ask and eyes the bottom bit. He steps into the closet, adding, "Just hand me the bits you want me to try on. Kaira, you may want to find another place to perch."

"I'm a foot long, it's not like you wouldn't seem impressive to me," the dragon notes, but transfers over to Lilith's shoulder. The raven-haired Eeee passes Alptraum the jacket first, since it will be the easiest to try on (and because it's the heaviest piece, too).

The salesbat vanishes through a ground-floor door, only to reappear a few moments later with a selection of white clothing.

Alptraum hangs the jacket on a nearby hook. After adjusting the curtain so only Lilith and Kaira can see him, he pulls on the rather ridiculous looking jacket. Before even asking their opinions, he can't help but fiddle with all the bits on it and try to understand their purpose (which is more or less, none). In the end, he just gives up and poses for the two. "I think it's a bit … much," he admits.

Tulani thanks the salesbat vaguely and takes the white clothing from him, spreading it out over the top of the nearby racks so that Phlagaea can have a look at it, "See anything you like?"

"I have no idea," Phlagaea admits, holding up a blouse with ruffles on the front. "It looks fancy, but fragile."

"Welllll," Kaira says, eyeing the jacket. "You might be able to throw of pursuers by catching the sun right and blinding them with the glare."

Lilith isn't as positive. "It's not you, Alptraum. Too flashy. Makes you look a bit too… obvious."

"That's a second vote of no, I think," Alptraum says as he slips off the jacket and hangs it back on the hook. "Next," he says and holds out his hand to Lilith.

Without turning Tulani taps her chin as she looks at Phlagaea examining the various pieces of clothing and asks of the salesbat, "Do you have anything a bit more durable than this?"

The girlbat hands over the vest next. At least it comes with short sleeves and some pockets, with just two shiny bits near the oversized collar. Like the salesman's, it's probably meant to be turned up.

The salesman glances at Phlagaea, noting the bandages, and replies to Tulani, "We strive for comfortable clothing, my lady. Is your friend… accident prone? Heavy clothing does not suit Eeees very well."

Alptraum takes the vest. He then strips off his current worn shirt and hangs it, then spends some time trying to smooth back down the fur on his chest. He pauses and gets an idea … then poses for a moment shirtless, just to be silly. After he's done, he pulls on the vest and straps it down and around his wings, before flipping up the collar. "Well," he asks, "This isn't so bad. With a white shirt under it, it would probably look good."

"It's not bad," Kaira admits. "I mean, at least it's not frilly." "It's fine," Lilith says, nodding her head.

Arching an eyebrow at the salesman at his question, Tulani doesn't seem entirely sure how to reply for a moment. "No… she is not, this just happens to be part of my friend's personal style. And the clothes don't have to be heavy just a bit more suitable for traveling." she finally answers.

"A possibility, then," Alptraum agrees and slips out of it. "Next?" he asks and extends his hand to them.

"Well, there is the leather section, or… ," the salesman begins to say, then looks around to see if anyone is listening in. "… the denim section," he whispers.

Lilith hands over the leather pants next.

Alptraum looks at the women, then the pants. He hesitates, then slips out of his own pants in full view of them. After he finally figures out how to undo all of the buckles on the pants, he slides his legs in, then refastens down the buckles. "Well, they're … tight," he describes it as. "It's kind of like flexible armor."

Tulani's ears perk, "Denim? Durable, fairly light, good work-clothes. Perfect. Could you point us in the direction of that section? That is, if you don't mind, Phlagaea?"

Phlagaea just shrugs, having no idea what denim is. The salesman seems to consider it for a bit, then says, "I will have to bring you to the head salesman. He's the only one with the key to the denim area."

Tulani nods to the salesbat in an agreeable manner, "Alright then, lead-on.

The salesbat leads Tulani and Phlagaea down to the main floor, and then over to a desk where another Eeee sits. "These customers would like to view the denim selection, sir," he whispers.

"Well, they look durable if a bit… revealing," Kaira comments. Lilith nods, noting, "More revealing than when you had them off, even."

"Is that good, or bad?" Alptraum has to ask as he starts unbuckling the odd pants. It takes him a bit of time to get back out of them, for that matter, involving a hopping-on-one-foot sort of dance. He drapes them over the top of the closet, then asks, "Next?"

The Sphynx just hangs back and watches as the salesbat and the other Eeee converse in whispers.

"I think we can skip the thong," Lilith says, and holds up something that might be a full body suit, held together with lots and lots of laces. "If the pants were hard to get in and out of though, this might be too much."

"Eh, we're here, let's try the stuff anyway," Alptraum says and extends his hand, "You may have to help, though."

The Eeee behind the desk turns in his chair and stands, giving the group a wide, toothy grin that looks entirely too tight for his gaunt face. "Nnnnnyeeees?" he says, and glances between the visitors, taking them in. His own clothing is impeccably fitted to his beanpole frame, with a doublet over puffy shirt, and a ruff of crushed Zolk spilling from the throat. At the mention of the denim, he's given pause, his grin faltering. "The denim, you say?"

With a shrug, Lilith hands over the leather unitard. "It can't be harder than getting into a corset," she says.

"You'll have to handle the trying, then," Alptraum notes. The Eeee then goes about the rather complex affair of fitting the unitard over his form. Now and then he has to pull the strings a bit because it hangs too loosely and gets in the way of the next parts. After about fifteen minutes of fighting, he turns around so Lilith can reach the cinching strings and says, "Finish it up and we'll see how odd this looks."

Lilith yanks on the cords to cinch up the suit, commenting, "Even if this looks fabulous, it isn't worth it!"

Tulani's ears flick back slightly at the overly drawn out yes but nods to the manager, "Yes, myself and my friend here would like to see your denim."

"Yes, sir," Phlagaea says. "We have an expense account from the government." She hands over the credit slip that Agatha gave to each of them.

Alptraum actually grunts as it pulls tight. "I agree," he mutters as the suit is fully cinched. When it's finally done and Alptraum can see himself, he says, "Uh. Well. It looks like I had a horrid disease and all my fur fell out. Does it look any different to you?"

"Makes you look like a… darn, there isn't a good translation," Kaira complains. "It looks bad."

The head salesman looks skeptical, taking the slip in one white-gloved paw and donning some glasses that sit way at the end of his nose to read it, sniffing as he does so.

"Maybe leather isn't right for you," Lilith says. "Except for the vest."

That's enough to get Alptraum undoing the ties as quickly as possible and pulling the bits apart so he can work out of it. "What's next?" Alptraum asks as he works on freeing himself form the leather monster.

Tulani's look shifts over to being rather annoyed at the manager's skeptical look, especially after dealing with the salesperson's rudeness. She comments, "Look, If you don't want our business I'm sure we can take it elsewhere… "

Lilith hands Alptraum back his regular clothes at that point. "Maybe we should try for something nice looking instead of durable first."

"I'll hold onto the vest," Alptraum notes as he hands back all the other stuff. Quickly he pulls his shirt back on and then offers an arm to Kaira so she can climb back on him if she wants while Lilith returns the sillier items.

The Eeee squints at the slip, then raises his eyebrows. "Hmm! Well, Madame, everything seems to be in order." His oily smile returns, face looking strained again. "I assure you, we want nothing more than to serve you. It wouldn't do for the Countess' own to be seen looking like ragamuffins, hmm? Please, right this way." He sweeps an arm dramatically, and a wing along with it.

Kaira doesn't weigh anything at all by this point, and is becoming more transparent.

"Is the sword getting too far away?" Alptraum asks the dragon quickly.

Phlagaea shrugs to Tulani, and asks, "Think we should get the others?" Mave is up the ramp now, looking at underwear.

"It's sheathed, the initial charge is wearing off," Kaira explains in a whisper-thin voice.

Tulani rolls her eyes at the manager's overly-grand gesture before nodding to the green Eeee. "Yes, we probably should." The Sphynx politely asks the manager to wait a moment before wandering over to Alptraum. "Phlagaea and I are going to go look at the store's denim." She puts emphasis on the word in an almost mock copy of the salesbat's. "Want to come look too? It's durable, but probably more expensive."

"Pull me in later tonight, then. Or I'll come to you," Alptraum says quickly, "We can discuss what I mentioned earlier in private. Take care." The Eeee finishes dressing quickly and steps out to Lilith. Hearing Tulani's explanation of what she just found, he offers his arm to Lilith, asking, "Would the most charming Lilith Draco accompany us, then?" Apparently Alptraum is in a rather silly or playful mood.

"Oh, denim is nice stuff," Lilith comments. "It lasts a long time, that's why it's so expensive."

Even Mave tags along, either out of curiosity or because the dragon has faded.

Tulani nods in confirmation of what Lilith mentions, "Yes, very durable, good for travel." and walks back over to where she left the manager waiting.

The manager is already leading the way, walking with brisk, if short steps, and entirely too much movement of his arms to look natural.

Alptraum walks along towards the denim section.

The head sales-Eeee reaches a tastefully carved wooden door at the back of the shop fitted with a lock, and he reverently takes a key hanging from around his neck, stooping down awkwardly to unlock the door without taking the key off its loop. With a bit of fussing and muttering, he gets the lock open and flings the door open, striding through with arms outstretched. "Here we are!"

"He must be the one who makes the hats," Alptraum whispers to Tulani and then spins a finger near the side of his head. "You know what I mean, yes?"

The Sphynx, still seeming a bit annoyed at the shop's staff, grins at Alptraum and nods, making a similar gesture herself before she follows the manager in and takes a look around.

The room is well lit, with tall mirrors of much better quality than those on the ramp outside are. There are few selections here, but most of the styles are actually mounted on manikins for viewing. There are pants, slacks, pant-skirts, vests, jackets and other bits in various colors and weights.

And unlike the fashions outside, these don't use fancy frills or studs or other gimmicks to draw attention.

"Okay, this is better," Alptraum says with an approving nod. "Much better than that leather section. I cannot believe people buy that stuff." Alptraum then goes looking for some durable, relatively nice looking, pants and a shirt.

Tulani is immediately drawn towards the vests, looking for something of a slightly heavier weight.

The Eeee takes a sleeve hanging from a nearby rack and strokes it lovingly, then turns to give the group that tight smile again. "I'm sure you'll find our selection is the finest available. Fashionable, but durable, the choice of the Countess' most rugged adventurers and discerning socialites alike. Nothing feels like denim, nothing holds like it, and nothing ages with so much character. What would the sir be dressing for, mmmm?"

"They have an audience with the Countess coming up," Lilith notes, her own gaze drifting to some of the fashions.

"Me? Travel," Alptraum says as he looks up from some of the mannequins. "We spend much time on the road and having clothes that don't fall apart is critical. It also helps if I don't look bad, for the reason Lilith notes. You wouldn't believe the looks I get just because I walk into town and my clothing is all torn and dirty. Why, some treat me like a monster."

"Yes, it will certainly help to look less rag-tag," the Sphynx agrees as she examines a dark colored vest.

Phlagaea is already looking through the available stock, and pulls out at least one green shirt that is fairly soft. Like most Eeee fashions, it fastens in the back, above and below the wings, which leaves the front free for decoration, and this shirt has scalloped folds in front. "I like this," the Yodhgorphat says.

Mave feels some of the fabric, but her own 'travel' clothing is denim already.

Alptraum turns, taking a moment to find Phlagaea. Seeing the shirt she picked, he looks at it critically. "Pretty nice. The folds remind me of your … ah, I see why you like it."

Tulani looks at Phlagaea and smiles, "I knew they had to have something nice in green. It's your color definitely." For herself, the Sphynx picks up a neutrally colored vest that looks quite durable. "I think this would work well."

The manager laughs airily. "Oh, I couldn't imagine, sir," he says, eyeing Alptraum. "Well then, perhaps the sir would be interested in our matching air crew jumps? A variant is becoming popular with sailors, as it's both rugged and light, inspired by Babelite designs." He shuffles over to indicate a mannequin dressed in matching trousers and jacket. They're double-stitched and liberally pocketed on chest and sides, at the hips, thighs, and even calves. Some of the seams are accented with chitin in the shape of actual bug parts.

"A pair of black denim slacks would be good for court," Lilith advises Alptraum.

Alptraum's attention returns to the salesman. He eyes the outfit indicated and taps his chin thoughtfully with a claw. "Lilith's suggestion is probably safer. All those pockets seem a bit … much. I was thinking a dark red shirt, a white shirt, a black shirt, and a couple pairs of slacks, perhaps. The vest we found will go with all if that, I think."

Tulani finds a beige vest and pair of pants. Holding them up to herself she pauses to ask the green Yodhgorphat what she thinks?

"Well, you don't look like a vampire at least in those colors," Phlagaea says to Tulani. "And they match your regular clothes more."

The Sphynx smiles and nods, looking pleased at the Eeee's assessment, "That's what I was thinking. And maybe something in a dark blue… " she starts shuffling through the clothes again.

Mave is apparently the first to notice something, or at least the first to comment on it. "There are no prices listed for these items," she says to the sales manager. "Is the cost negotiable then?"

The sales-Eeee threads his long fingers together. "Ahh, something a little more courtly, then? Dare we say… dashing? Then you, dear sir, are looking for… the Commodore!" He throws his hands up in the air at these last words, then oils his way over to another stand, this one with a trio of mannequins, all broad shouldered and of heroic proportions. "Rugged, manly, but also the height of chic!" They all wear black denim trousers fastened with tiger's-eye buttons at the hips and neatly pressed with razor sharp creases. Each has a differently colored shirt of thick material that folds over the front in a single-breasted style, buttoning down the side and at the cuffs. The last has one of the vests over it, leaving a 'v' of color at the chest.

The Eeee pauses in his grandstanding to laugh 'with' Mave. "Oh my, no. Cost isn't a concern for the discerning eye that shops here. We conveniently total the bill for you after you're done selecting what you like."

"Ah-ha, something just like that," Alptraum agrees. The Eeee heads over the three mannequins and starts to check over the clothing in detail. "So, how do I find the sizes that will actually fit me?"

The Yodhinala looks at the salesbat, but doesn't turn on any of her 'charm' yet. She's probably waiting until she finds something she likes.

Tulani looks like she's almost done looking, with only a couple pieces picked out. Finally the Sphynx tries to get both Phlagaea and Lilith's opinion, and even Alptraum's, on a dark blue shirt with small buttons down the sides as well as ties in back around the wings.

Alptraum calls out to Tulani, "That looks great. The blue works well for you."

The manager taps one of his fangs thoughtfully, sizing Alptraum up. "Oh, we'd do all the alterations right here, sir. The outfit would be custom fitted to you, though should you wish to try something on, I could bring something appropriate to your size."

Mave finds another of the scallop-fronted blouses, this one in white with the folds in gold, and considers it. "Custom fit, you say?" she asks the salesman.

Tulani hangs onto the beige vest and pants she had picked up earlier as well as the blue shirt, and a similar one in green, and a black divided skirt.

"Mmm, no, I don't think that will be necessary," Alptraum tells the salesbat, "I think I will take this with the shirt in blood red. Those are fitting colors for someone who will be meeting with the Countess. I think I will look for a few less formal things as well … but you have actually been a great help." He even sounds as if he's rather surprised by this fact.

Phlagaea seems to have settled on the green shirt and a pair of black skirt-pants that, oddly enough, come with suspenders.

The manager looks almost surprised, and certainly pleased. "Eeexcellent! You have impeccable taste, sir." He claps his hands somewhat daintily, and one of the other shop-bats hurries up. "The gentleman will be taking the Commodore in crimson, fitting room three." The other bat quickly hops to it.

Alptraum resumes looking for more causal wear. He ends up deciding on a couple of shirts that are simple and rugged, the leather vest he found earlier, and a couple of pairs of pants. Satisfied, he goes over to Phlagaea, noting, "Other than the fitting, I think I've found what I want."

Tulani certainly looks a bit surprised that the manager was helpful as well, but holds up the pants and shirts she picked out, telling him, "And I think I would like these here."

"Just this shirt for me," Mave saves, while Phlagaea holds up her own selections. Even Lilith picks out a white blouse with puffy shoulders and a black skirt. "Should we look at jewelry?" she suggests.

"What do they have? I've been thinking about a few earrings," Alptraum remarks, "I'll even let Phlagaea here pick one for me."

The salesbat snaps his fingers, and more underlings hurry up with sheets of tissue paper to carry Alptraum's selections in lest they mar them with their own commoner fingers.

"There were some pieces up by the leather goods," Lilith notes, then looks to the sales manager and asks, "Unless there's another hidden room for the good stuff?"

The manager threads his fingers together again. "The denim is our crown jewel, Madame, but we do have an associated shop next door for all your fine jewelry needs."

"Okay, jewelry later, then," Alptraum says with a nod. "Fair enough. We still have to figure out our sleeping arrangements tonight too. Anyway, let's get the items paid for and move on before Arkold wonders what happened to us."

"Alright, Alptraum," Phlagaea agrees, then asks, "What happened to your dragon? Did you leave her in a pocket?"

"I think Kaira ran out of power because I sheathed the sword" Tulani interjects to the green Eeee"

"The spell power faded. I'll have to speak with her later in her realm. We have some issues we need to sort out about that realm, anyway," Alptraum explains, then nods towards Tulani in agreement.

"Good to know," Mave comments, then heads back out into the main store.

Alptraum shrugs at Mave's odd behavior, then follows her out as well.

"Well, this has been a successful outing," Alptraum comments to Phlagaea. "Less painful than I was expecting. In fact, it was actually rather fun. You wouldn't believe the stuff they were selling in their leather section… "

"Let's enjoy it while we can," Lilith says, grinning. "But we'll let you hand Agatha the bill, Alptraum, since you're such good friends and all."

The salesbats troop dutifully after their customers, and the sales manager stretches his long arms out and cracks his knuckles, smiling. "And now my favorite part… the fitting… "

Tulani leans close to Alptraum at the manager's comment, whispering, "Is it just me or does the way he cracked his knuckles seem rather… worrisome?"

"So long as he does not have cold hands, I do not care," Mave comments.