Limited SUPERmarket

[Fang]

Thanksgiving wasn’t exactly a tradition at the Amagiri household. With his father usually abroad and his grandfather more interested in the celebrations of his youth Nat had never really enjoyed the classic dinner spread so iconic in American culture. He had eaten leftovers from his friends, though, and found himself typically looking forward not to the holiday itself but the following days.



This year, to Nat’s surprise, his grandfather had made plans to celebrate. Nat’s dad was still in another country, that would be no different, but out of the blue Nat’s grandfather had informed him of his intentions and sent him off to retrieve the groceries in due order. It was odd, but in a pleasant way that elicited a palpable excitement in the teen. The Amagiri family had people who could have done the shopping instead, but it felt more genuine for Nat to do it himself.



He found himself standing between aisles, list of ingredients clutched in his hand as he searched for somewhere to begin. It was evident from the ingredients that Nat wouldn’t be having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but from the sheer quantity he was sure that he and his grandfather would overeat. The market was crowded, certain aisles packed with people searching for the same staples of the holiday.



Nat turned down the nearest empty row, unsurprised that it seemed mostly untouched by the feasting masses.

 

[Katpride]

The store is so crowded today! Adelyn barely resists the urge to flex frills that she doesn’t have as another person steps between her and the aisle she’s aiming for, claws prickling at the fingertips of her gloves, and she finally gives up and goes to the next aisle instead.

This one seems quieter than the others, and she wonders at that - something to do with its selection? What’s the difference between ‘Cultural Foods’ and all the other aisles, anyways? It’s a welcome reprieve, regardless of the reason, and she sighs as she scans the shelves.

She… doesn’t recognize any of the things in here. Blinking behind her sunglasses, she steps closer to a shelf filled with rows and rows of glass jars, all of them holding some kind of red sauce. Salsa, the labels seem to agree, though each set of jars seems to boast of its own unique additions.

Movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention before she can investigate further, and she turns, mindful of the (mostly empty) shopping basket looped around her arm. She recognizes the person, she thinks, though it takes her a moment to place where she knows him from.

Halloween, she finally remembers, and she becomes aware all over again of the way her scales shift against her clothes. She’s layered in a tank and a long-sleeve shirt and a sweater under her coat, with leggings and pants to boot, but she still has to pull at her gloves and visually check that none of her scales are showing before she can find her words.

Should she even say anything? It would be weird not to at least say hi, right? She clears her throat and waves before she can think better of it, taking a half-step closer. “Hi! Your name is Nat, right?”

She’s pretty sure that’s what Sam and Todd called him, anyways. Belatedly, she realizes that she might not be at her most recognizable, wrapped in as many layers as she is and with sunglasses and contacts obscuring her eyes. “It’s me, Adelyn. From the… Halloween thing?”

She isn’t really sure what to call it, and her mouth twists like she’s eaten something sour as she stumbles over the words. Gah. Well, it’s out there now. She recovers quickly, a sympathetic smile flitting across her face. “Have you been holding up alright, since then?”

 

[Fang]

Absorbed as he might have seemed while choosing between two products of arguably little distinction Nat had developed a habit of keeping his attention trained for the unordinary. Though that was most often used for dangerous criminals and situations it also applied to curious bundles of winter clothing waddling down the aisle toward him, observed through his peripheral vision until the moment she called out his name. There had been a tension around him that cleared with the sound of Adelyn’s familiar voice.


”I almost didn’t recognize you!” Nat said as he replaced one of the jars onto the shelf and turned toward the girl. An awkward smile accompanied an equally awkward laugh, and Nat glanced down at the shopping basket around her arm.

”Yeah, yeah. Doing okay enough I guess?” Nat looked back to the sunglasses and smiled. Why had that sounded like a question?

”And you? Doing some grocery shopping?”

It wasn’t like he could take the words back, or make the moment any less awkward. Small talk was certainly not one of his skills, despite whatever his father might have wanted. That being said Nat knew he had to get better at social interaction eventually.

”I guess the whole… scaly thing stuck?”

That really didn’t help. Maybe let her talk now. Nat sighed a little and offered another apologetic smile.

 

[Katpride]

Adelyn sways a little in place, shifting the shopping basket so it’s supported by both of her arms. She isn’t really sure what to do with herself while she chats. This is all still so new; being around strangers was strongly discouraged for her whole childhood, after all. Going to the store occasionally helps, but she’s still just dipping her toes in the water. She isn’t sure she knows how to swim.

Maybe if she just mirrors Nat, she’ll be able to pass for a semi-normal human being. That usually works. She studies him for a moment behind her shades, then tries to mimic his smile, nodding along as he speaks. “Oh, that’s good. And yep, we were running low. Um.”

She stiffens a little, casting a look over her shoulder to confirm that the aisle is still empty aside from the two of them. When she turns back, her smile is slightly more wooden, and she shifts her weight from foot to foot, basket clutched tight to her chest.

Her ears are covered, right? Or her… lack of ears? Ugh, she really needs to get back to the library to learn more about lizards. She pats at her hat, pulling it a little lower over her forehead and reaffirming where it sits over her ears, trying to be casual about it and landing somewhere around twitchy. “Oh, uh, yeah, it doesn’t really… go away. Ever. But it’s okay! It’s kind of fun, learning to use a new Shift.”

Another shuffle, her basket passing to her other gloved hand. Her eyes cast about and land on the shelf of salsas, then someone’s hand sticking up from the other side as they reach for something on the top shelf of the next aisle. “Hey, do you know why the store is so busy today? I’ve never seen it this crowded.”

It’s kind of freaking her out, honestly, but she thinks she’s doing a remarkable job of keeping her cool. Yeah, she’s as cool as an iceberg. She’s just dreading trying to wade into the mess that is the frozen meats section, and plans to put it off as long as possible. But that’s normal, right?