Shopping Continues But Not Everything Goes Smoothly

"Just past the Pizza Place," Dave said driving around in the truck and looking out at the storefronts along the towns Main street. "Otherside of the road. Fancy name."

He spotted something that looked likely to be the place they were looking for. A renovated and modern store front that was hardly in keeping with the towns more rustic appearances with mannequins in the window wearing trendy clothes and other merchandise on display. "I think this might be it? "Belle's Boutique"?" He shrugged. "Sounds pretentious enough," he said signaling and pulling into a parking space nearby. "Kea want try this place?" He asked indicating the store with dresses and purses in the window.

Kea nodded and smiled, her confidence bolstered by her last couple of interactions with unknown hoomans going quite well. Maybe there was little to her fears after all. "Yes," she said excitedly. "Kea want try!"

Dave smiled and nodded. "Okay," he said and got out to open her door for her and help her down from the truck for which she rewarded him with a quick happy kiss. He took her little green hand in his. "Let's go try!"

Walking towards the store they noticed they were getting a lot more attention than before. Dave wasn't surprised. They were in the center of town now, midday on a weekend. It was about as busy as the small town got and they were quickly drawing attention. Someone almost caused an accident driving while rubbernecking. Thankfully they didn't have far to go. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as they approached the store and entered.

Kea's face lit up looking around the trendy little shop with it's fine clothes and jewelry on display. It made him smile... until he saw the looks of the staff.

Two well-dressed and perfectly coiffed young women. One blonde, the pther brunette. Both were beautiful... or would be if it weren't for the ugly looks of disdain on their faces. Dave started to get a sinking feeling and slipped his phone out of his pocket. Still he tipped his hat to them as Kea started to browse, "Afternoon, La-."

"Stop!" One of them said imperiously in a cold tone.

"-dies," he finished as he and Kea froze in their tracks, Kea with her hand extended halfway out towards touching a dress. He could already sense the spirits of civility and tolerance leaving the room like a physical presence deciding that now was a good time to pack their bags and take a vacation. He prepared to work extra hard to convince them to stick around for a moment or two if possible. "What seems to be the problem?" He asked grabbing Kea who'd frozen in place and putting her and himself right where a security camera was pointing. He also hit record on his phone and handed it to Kea to hold.

"She is the problem," said the young blonde, pointing and making a face like she'd bitten into something rather distasteful.

Kea wasn't quite sure what the exact issue was but she understood that part. "Kea praw-blem?" She asked her ears drooping as her heart sank.

But Dave patted her head. "Kea no problem," he assured her with a smile before turning his gaze upon the other two who were the ones making the problem. Still he was going to try his best to make it go away. "We only just entered the store. What seems to be the issue? As far as I know we've done nothing wrong since arriving moments ago." He looked at the door and nodded checking their signs. "You all are "open" and we're both wearing shirts and shoes," he said glad they'd just gotten her some boots and that his friends place hadn't minded or made an issue of Kea being barefoot at the time. "As far as I'm aware we've done nothing wrong yet."

This time the young brunette responded. She crossed her arms with attitude and said in a sarcastic tone. "Oh good. You can read. Then read this," she pointed towards a sign on the wall behind the counter.

Dave sighed but nodded. "Management reserves the right to refuse service," he read aloud trying to keep his tone civil as memories of his childhood and the way that his mother and grandmother had been treated in certain establishments came flooding back. "Alright but just so we're clear are you refusing service to us because of who Kea is or is it because of my own native ancestry?" He narrowed his eyes as he stood even taller.

The two girls reacted with shocked surprise only then noticing his darker hair and features. "What? N-No," said the brunette backpeddling as the blonde chimed in indignantly only just then noticing, "How dare you? Don't imply we're racists! It's because she's a-a... a "thing" from another world! A monster! I'm Belle, the store owner, and we don't serve their kind here!"

Dave nodded and shrugged. Their answer was mildly infuriating but he knew from past experiences there wasn't much he could do about that. "Alright. Y'all aren't racists. You're speciesists and you don't like non-humans. Understood. Thanks for setting the record straight." He patted Kea and said, "Let's go. I don't like this place much. If Kea isn't welcome, Dave isn't either."

Kea nodded. There were places in the otherworld where goblins weren't welcome too. Prejudice wasn't anything new. She understood that something like that was happening here. "Ok. Goblin no good," she said smiling sadly but she was also happy that Dave was saying that where she wasn't welcome, then he wasn't either as far as he was concerned. "D'hayv-Kea go," she agreed.

Dave took her hand and turned towards the door. The brunette seemed chastened by the turn of events... but the blonde shop owner, wearing a name tag proclaiming her "Belle" and likely the proprietor, was the opposite as she doubled down on her attitude and said, "I said "Stop"! I think she stole something!"

Dave froze in place giving her a hard look at the baseless accusation. "What?"

"You heard me," Belle said rushing to the front door with her keys in hand and locking it, then crossing her arms with a nasty look on her face. "If you want to leave she'll have to be searched... strip searched! By us! Otherwise-"

Dave shook his head and took his phone from Kea and started dialing. "No."

"What did you say to me?!" Belle said indignantly furious. "How dare you tell me what I can or can't do in my place of business!"

David almost completely ignored her as the phone picked up quickly. "Sheriff's Department," said a voice on the other end.

"Hello," Dave said calmly. "This is David Stark. We have a minor dispute going on at Belle's Boutique on Main Street regarding unlawful detainment and search and seizure. Could you please send a deputy as soon as possible?"

"You can't call the cops!" Belle shouted at him as the voice on the phone assured him that they were sending a unit that was in the area immediately. "If anyone should I should be the one calling them!"

Dave ignored her completely though and patted Kea. She looked up at him smiling but nervous. "Kea saw-re," she said.

He shook his head. "No sorry. Kea do no wrong. Kea did good," he reassured her, smiling. "Dave-Kea wait. OK?"

She nodded and hugged his waist as the hooman women ranted and raved about things in words she didn't understand. But D'Hayv seemed unconcerned and kept smiling. If he said things were going to be alright, she believed him. "OK," She agreed. "D'hayv-Kea wait." Hoomans were strange. They could be intolerant, mean and hurtful and yet others could be the thoughtful, caring and gentle. They were scary and surprising like that. She supposed as scary as the former were they might be necessary for the latter to exist... or maybe not. She squeezed D'Hayv tighter and felt him do the same back reassuringly. She just knew the kind of hoomans she preferred.