Oh well, I look at you and say it's the happiest that I've ever been

“Well? What do you think?” The beaming smile on Little Miss’s face was almost as unnerving as the image Kim saw staring back at her in the mirror.

“I… I don’t know,” the tomboy said hesitantly. “This… really isn’t my style.” In fairness, Kim didn’t have anything that could be considered “a style” other than the schoolgirl uniforms she wore.

But fancy rich clothes like these? This was something Vivian would wear, or Rose. Kim definitely wasn’t the type of woman to wear something this glamorous, she couldn’t afford it!

And yet… she still liked the look of herself in the mirror all the same. The golden silk was so soft it seemed like she wasn’t wearing anything at all, and the way it contoured to her body and her expanded assets really made her look like a completely different woman.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know!” Little Miss pointed out, tapping her toe on the floor. “You normally have a clothing transformation, right?”

“…Yeah, I’m always wearing a schoolgirl outfit,” Kim said, thinking back to her usual clothing transformation. “But I do have a couple of outfits I can wear without it,” she pointed out. “Like that qipao I was wearing…”

The face Kim made showed just what she thought about that. “…That isn’t my usual style either, just so you know!” She said, her cheeks turning crimson. “The only reason I was wearing it was because my other clothes don’t fit me right now! I-I got a few… enhancements… …Why am I telling you all of this, anyway!?”

Little Miss giggled, enjoying seeing the other girl get flustered. The fact Kim was talking casually now was a good sign, it meant that she was getting more comfortable with their interactions. On the other hand, she sounded a little high strung. And that wasn’t conducive to the positive, relaxing environment that Little Miss was aiming to cultivate!

No, this wouldn’t do, not at all.

Little Miss clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Kim, Kim, Kim, I understand. You’re stuck in your routine! I could give you the fanciest, nicest clothes I have in stock, silks worn by Queen Nefertiti herself, and you wouldn’t even care! Like casting pearls before swine.”

Kim’s eye twitched. “Are you calling me a pig?” She grumbled.

“Not at all!” Little Miss’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “All I’m saying is that if you want to relax and have a nice time here, you’ve gotta open your mind to the idea that you deserve to be pampered! How would you like a nice foot massage with a pumice stone, to smooth out those rough calluses? I know how hard it can be to stand on your feet all day!”

Kim winced. “That sounds like it would really hurt,” she said, cringing.

Little Miss giggled again. “I know! It does!”

“Then… no thank you.”

“Aww… well, what would you like then?” Little Miss beamed at her. “You’ve had a delicious breakfast, hot cocoa made from the finest and most rare and expensive chocolate out there, a backrub from yours truly, and even the privilege of sitting in the patented ‘Seat of Perfect Comfiness’! What more could you ask for?”

That chair had been pretty nice, Kim had to admit, even if she wasn’t sold on the name just yet.

“Look… I don’t know, okay?” She said, shrugging. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do, Little Miss, because I get it, your job today is to serve me. But being pampered, it’s just not my thing, you know?”

Even as she said that, Kim knew that was precisely the point. Dakota was trying to get her to be comfortable with being taken care of. Maybe she thought that if Kim was spoiled and pampered, she’d overlook all the shitty stuff Dakota had been doing and they could bury the hatchet; but if Dakota thought she was so easily bribed, the host was in for a rude awakening.

…But that didn’t mean Kim had to be rude to Little Miss, when the shopkeeper was obviously just trying to do right by her. And Kim wasn’t exactly making it easy for her.

Kim sighed. “…I’m trying, I really am,” she said sincerely. “And you’re doing great, you are. But this… it’s just not me.”

She gestured to the fancy dress. “It’s nice, but if I want to relax, I need to be wearing something relaxing, you know? I can’t get comfortable when I feel like if I spill something on this I’m going to be in debt for the rest of my life.”

“Oh Kim, don’t be silly!” Little Miss laughed. “You could never make enough in one lifetime to reimburse me for that dress! It’s one of our premier brands!”

That didn’t make Kim feel better.

“…Exactly my point,” she said dryly, her eye twitching in frustration. “Look… Little Miss, you have literally everything for sale here, right?”

Little Miss beamed proudly at her. “That’s the point of the shop!” She declared. “And all of it is freely for your usage!”

“Great. Then what I’d like is for you to bring me some clothes I can actually relax in. Something comfy.” Kim knew that if it was up to her, she might find herself paralyzed with choice. It was better to leave the selection to someone else; that would help reduce her stress a little bit. “How about just a nice sweater, and some sweatpants? A comfy shirt?”

She tugged at the hem of her dress. “…And some underwear with actual support, please. Sure the fabric is nice, but this isn’t exactly doing the best job.

“Don’t have to ask me twice!” Little Miss said with a beaming smile. “I’m happy to help, Kim!”

She made a little salute and dashed off. A second later she returned with some very nice-looking clothes, soft browns and cream, instead of the fancy and ostentatious gold silks. Kim couldn’t get out of that fancy dress fast enough, slipping on the soft garments and practically sinking into them with a nice, long sigh.

“Oooh… now this is niiiiice…” she murmured, rubbing the sleeve of the hoodie against her cheek. It was the perfect texture, and it called to mind the notion of being wrapped up tight in a nice, soft cloud. “Oh yeah, this is just perfect. Thank you, Little Miss.”

“Happy to help!” Little Miss saluted.

The bra was just like the bras Kim wore back home, except it could support her current assets. That was important. What was also good, was the fact that Kim could really feel the touch of the wool in her clothes. Everything seemed like it was designed for her distinct comfort. Finally, she felt like she could relax!

…Man, if only she could wear clothes like this all the time!

“…What is this even made out of?” Kim asked, running her fingers across the soft, brown material of her hoodie. “It’s the softest jacket I’ve ever worn.”

“That’s vicuña wool!” Little Miss was happy to answer. “The most expensive fabric on earth! It used to be restricted to only royalty and high nobility, it was so prized! It was a bit of work using such valuable materials to make such cheap mass-produced clothing, but as they say in my store, pleasing the customer comes first!” She winked saucily at Kim, hinting at every possible meaning behind that little phrase.

Of course, it went right over Kim’s head, because the only thing she was focusing on right now was the price tag.

“WHAT?!” She looked down at the comfy hoodie, covering the equally-comfy shirt, and the just-as-comfy wool sweatpants below it. Even her socks were made out of the same comfy fabric.

And it was the most expensive fabric in the world!?

“More expensive than cashmere, even,” Little Miss answered the question Kim didn’t even have an opportunity to ask. “…You’re welcome!”

Kim just stared at her in shock.

“How am I supposed to relax in something like this?!” She groaned, while at the same time bitterly acknowledging that the warm clothes WERE very relaxing.

Speaking of relaxing, Nick had finally reached that moment of perfect calm. For the first time, it felt like he had actually reached an understanding with Cinder. When she looked at him now, she wasn’t even tense and hostile anymore! She actually seemed to be open and understanding!

Even friendly! Although that was rarer.

He had never felt so relieved.

“So… how’s the food?” He asked tentatively. Things may have calmed down between himself and the landmine of a woman in front of him, but that didn’t mean all the awkwardness between the two of them was gone.

He and Cinder were sitting across from each other at a picnic table, eating food from one of the stalls set up in the zoo. He didn’t want to ask where the food came from, he just hoped they weren’t eating any of the exhibits.

“It’s okay,” Cinder mumbled, biting into her chicken sandwich. Juice rolled down her lips as she gorged herself, not caring in the slightest for her table manners. At least Ella tried not to look like a pig; Cinder would have given Amelia a headache.

But Nick didn’t care about any of that. What was some sloppy eating, given their relationship with one another? Pushing Cinder about it could just make her get defensive.

“Did you like the Petting Zoo?” Nick asked her next, still trying to maintain a conversation with her. Cinder wasn’t outright hostile towards him anymore, but engaging her in constructive conversation still felt like pulling teeth.

Cinder chewed for a while, her eyes meeting his. “…What was the point of it?” She grumbled. “I mean, isn’t this whole place a fucking petting zoo to begin with?”

She raised a valid point, though Nick wasn’t the biggest fan of her harsh language or cynicism. He sighed wryly and shook his head, amused.

“I guess you’re not wrong there,” he conceded with a chuckle and nodded his head. “Still, the Petting Zoo was basically to gather a lot of cute animals together in one place so you could interact with them all at once. Lots of zoos have them. It’s so kids have a place they can go to interact directly with the animals, it helps them develop.”

“Oh, so I’m like a little kid?” Cinder scowled at him, finishing off her sandwich in a couple ferocious bites. She grabbed her balled-up napkin and tore it in a smear across her lips, sloppily cleaning herself up while giving him the stink-eye.

Nick couldn’t blame her for that one; he should have worded that better. “Sorry,” he winced. “I just thought it would be nice. You know, getting direct, close-up exposure to the animals. Since real zoos won’t let kids go into the animal enclosures, a petting zoo makes for a good substitute. Helps them with sensory development and stuff, so they like animals more. …Like dipping your toe in the water or swimming in the shallow end first.”

“I can’t swim,” Cinder reminded him with another scowl.

Right, he almost forgot.

“Well… you sure seemed to like it,” Nick pointed out.

Cinder didn’t have anything she could say to that. Her own actions were damning.

“…So what if I did?” She pouted, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. “It was fun. But it’s still stupid! Are you telling me that zoos just let you touch a lion cub? That thing still has teeth, you know, what if it bit some kid’s hand off!?”

“…Most petting zoos are just, like, sheep and stuff, and bunnies,” Nick said, trying not to smile at Cinder’s misconception. The way she fumed at him and her face darkened only made that harder. Cinder hated being reminded about things she didn’t know.

“That… well, whatever,” she muttered, sinking into her chair in a huff. As soon as she “lost” a conversation she stopped caring about it altogether. “Not like it matters anyway.”

“You had fun though,” Nick reminded her again. “You can just admit it, Cinder, there’s no need to be proud and stubborn about it.”

His face softened.

“Part of this date is about us getting to know each other, right?” He reminded her. “That means letting down our walls and being **** with one another. Which means being honest when you had fun with the animals.”

“…Fine, I had fun!” Cinder grumbled. “They were cute. …But I’m not a ‘cute’ girl! Ella would have liked that way more than I would have!”

She looked down at her empty plate and that yearning ache in her chest returned.

Nick bit his lip. Seeing the somber shift in Cinder’s expression, it seemed that this topic was unavoidable. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked quietly. “What you said before, about Ella…?”

“No, I don’t,” Cinder sharply replied, snapping her eyes up in a glare aimed right at him. But with all the frustration in her gaze, it was nothing like the stares she used to give him, full of fury and loathing. This had a lot more vulnerability to it, and Nick’s heart went out to her because of it.

He didn’t say anything. He just kept staring at her.

Then her expression softened and she sighed.

“…But I have to, right?” She muttered, her tone aching with bitter regret. “Like you said, let down my walls or whatever crap…”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Nick winced. “Just because we’re trying to get to know one another, that doesn’t mean you have to tell me everything, Cinder. If it’s too much for you-”

“It’s not,” Cinder cut him off sharply. A look of hurt flashed across her face. “Listen… it’s fine. Seriously. I can tell you. It’s not… it’s not like I get it myself, either. Ella… what was she thinking? She was having such a fun date, and then she just turns her body over to me… so that I can have it, too?”

“Yeah, it sounds like she wanted you to have a good time,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully. Just because he and Cinder had developed a rapport, he wasn’t naïve enough to think that meant their relationship couldn’t sour again.

Right now, he was on her good side. But who knew how long that would last?

“But that’s just it, why bother?!” Cinder groaned. “I’m not the one who matters here! Ella’s the one who likes you, she’s the one who wants a relationship with you, I don’t!”

“Aren’t you the same person, though?” Nick asked. He tried his best to maneuver around what was more or less a third-party confession of Ella’s feelings to him, knowing how embarrassed she would be if she found out what Cinder was saying.

Probably about as embarrassed as Cinder currently looked.

“We like different things!” She spat at him, nearly jumping out of her seat. “Okay!?”

“Okay,” he agreed, knowing that saying anything else would just upset her.

“Okay,” she repeated, sinking back down into her chair. “Okay…”

Satisfied that she’d convinced him, Cinder continued, “It just seems so stupid of her… and I know she’s not stupid, but… why me?”

Cinder **** herself not to shed tears for Ella’s sake. “That girl… she’s just too fucking nice.”

Nick nodded in slow agreement. He could see how Cinder could arrive at that conclusion. Ella had been looking forward to this date for so long, so for her to hand the reins over to Cinder and let her take control, that was quite the sacrifice.

“I’m a little surprised she did that myself,” he admitted. “Before, well… she seemed like she was trying hard to not let you out.”

Realizing how that sounded, Nick winced. “Sorry, that’s kind of mean to say…”

“No, it’s fine,” Cinder said, shaking her head. “I don’t really care, anyway…” She scratched her cheek and sighed. “It’s different. See… I’m supposed to protect Ella. So when her emotions were getting out of control, and she felt me come out, she wanted to keep me away. Obviously. Because, well… you saw how I acted.”

She didn’t sound proud of it. But she still sounded resolute. Because she knew that it was her duty to keep Ella safe, even if Ella wished otherwise.

“So even though Ella doesn’t want you to come out when she’s overwhelmed… she was still willing to give you a chance?” Nick was surprised to hear that. “You’re right, she is nice…”

“It’s more than that,” Cinder sighed, scratching her head. “Ella… she really… it felt like she wanted us to get along, too. Which is crazy. Can’t she just like you on her own? Why does she have to drag me into this!? Aagh, it’s so frustrating!”

Nick silently noted the irony of Cinder’s irritation with her other self, given how Ella felt about Cinder’s presence in her life.

“Have you tried calling Ella back?” Nick wondered. “If she voluntarily gave you control of her body, couldn’t you do the same?” Not that he wanted that, but if Cinder hadn’t considered it, he wanted to give her the option.

A shadow crossed over her face. “…She won’t come out,” she muttered, shaking her head. “This isn’t the first time. She’s so stubborn…”

Yeah, Nick figured it was something like that. It did give him a thought for what else he could say to engage the frustrated girl, though, and get her thinking Ella’s motivation behind doing this in more direct terms.

“…Are you having fun?” He asked her.

Cinder blinked. “Huh?”

“Are you having fun?” Nick repeated. “That’s what this was really all about, right? Ella was enjoying herself, and she thought that it would be nice to share this moment with you. She let you out so that you’d get a chance to have fun on our date together. Well? Is it working?”

Cinder made a sulky expression and reluctantly nodded. “…Yeah,” she grumbled. “…But not because you’re here! Don’t get it mixed up! It’s fun because I like the animals and they’re cute, that’s all! I’d be having just as much fun if I was here by myself, got it?!”

Nick knew that was a lie. If he hadn’t been here, Cinder never would have gotten the courage to even step foot in the Petting Zoo, let alone pick up any of the animals.

But he let her keep that lie. If he challenged it, he felt like Cinder would crumble.

Right now, she’s too guarded to really be honest. She needs to hide her feelings behind those lies. It’s the only way she can protect herself.

Cinder and Ella both hid parts of themselves within one another, in order to protect themselves from the rest of the world. It was a defense mechanism that Cinder was a part of, and yet even as Ella’s self-proclaimed protector she benefitted from that aspect of their relationship as much as Ella did.

If Nick wanted to make progress with the two of them, then he would have to find a way to connect with them without breaching their defenses. It was like Cinder and Ella were two faerie tale princesses trapped in a tall tower, and the only way he could reach them was if they were willing to come down from that tower themselves.