Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

The Lioness was well and truly prepared for almost any challenge, except the one she had been presented. Victoria had issued her one daring triad of challenges that the Firebrand was in need of training for. But before that, she had to fit the part, and so a trip to the mall was in order. She had decided to do this without telling her parents or Tora, which would bite her later if they found out, so she had to be discreet. How could she hide from the public? Or more accurately, the people she knew within the public?

Binding her chest was step one. She wasn't very big to begin with, but she bound it together anyway to decrease her size. She both rejoiced and grimaced at the ease at which she did so and the effectiveness of it. Next, she would throw on more street casual clothing. Nothing flashy like back home, and definitely no school uniform. This was all about stealth. A lion among mice, so to speak.

At her final steps, she tied her hair up surprisingly effectively into a short ponytail. The rest of it was carefully tied into a thicker bun which gave her a very boyish cut, albeit long. She wasn't trying to look like a boy exactly, more like one of those princes she had met. How hard could it be to look like that?

Apparently not very hard for her, as if she hadn't worn a skirt she would probably look like a boy right now. And so, flash forward, and that was her attire at the mall. She decided it was best to grab a drink first, so she made her way into a small coffee shop and got in line. Surely, nobody on campus was here. That would be improper of the ladies of Astraea.

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Proper ladies, excluding those from Spica who still weren't used to prudish customs. Kisumi, with a skate board under her arm casually walked into her usual coffee shop for a little energy before she spent some more time wheeling around. One whiff of that jungle shampoo and she knew who was in front of her, still, anxiety held her back from saying anything. Shyly, she peeked around, trying to get a better view of her profile, that focused red gaze, there was no question,

"R-Raion-san?" She asked, "Is...is that you?" She said it quietly, it was obvious she was trying to be discreet. Her boyish loosk today even mildly attracted Kisumi for some odd reason, something she was surprised by herself when the gaze of the redhead hit her and made her blush.

"What are you doing?" asked, just as quietly, "You look..." her gaze slipped to the flat peek of un-cleavage at the point of her shirt, making something pleasant twist in her stomach and she looked away, "different..."

Of course from here on out she knew she'd be glued to Raion unless the lioness shook her off, with or without her coffee.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

Of all the--

"Keep it down." she shot immediately. "If Tora sees me out here I'll be in big trouble."

Of course, Kisumi was not being loud. That was not a trait the girl had, at all. Raion was just not used to breaking rules, and so she was a bit on edge. Well... More on edge than Raion normally would be, which was saying quite a bit. She had this way of carrying herself that gave an unapproachable air, and yet she found herself being approached anyway. Curious, that. Kisumi looked like a boy right now, too. Maybe they could stay incognito even more so. It was easy enough for her to know it was Kisumi, because the girl addressed her directly and Raion picked up on the voice.

"First of all, why are you out here? Second, if it's nothing important, I may have need of you."

That's one way of asking for help.

"Ah, that is, I've need for an extension to my wardrobe for... Reasons." reasons meaning she had friends now and wanted to stay in style around them. Reasons meaning she had no idea what horseback attire was and she needed it. Reasons being she had this strange desire to dress up more often. "Of course, it's not like I need help or anything. Just if you have time."

Ah, and then it was her turn for her beverage. She ordered black coffee and nearly purred.

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Of course she quieted down, not that she wasn't already, but the command made the submissive girl's lips nearly glue themselves together. So much that Raion's ask for help got a rather adorable and enthusiastic nod. She wasn't going to pry, Raion had her reasons for not saying exactly what she was talking about, plus, it wasn't like her to just open up. Understanding this somehow has Kisumi feeling a little special.

She stepped up and ordered one of those frappe things, with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. She turned the straw in her mouth and violet eyes looking quietly at Raion for a moment, "So...er...what is it you need help with?" She said softly, following her where she wandered.

Upon learning she needed clothes, "Well, for riding gear, we should head to Richard's (eh? EH? EH? get it???) and then I can show you where I get my stuff at the Gyappu (eh? EH? ;D yay for names...) She tossed down her skateboard and hopped on, rolling alongside her...were they friends? Yeah, she decided, sure they were....even if it was unspoken, and casually sipping her cool coffee.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

Interestingly enough, Kisumi was eager to assist. And she knew some good stores for exactly what she was after. Maybe this mall trip wouldn't be so bad after all. She had help, she had goals, and she had the means to see them through. Yes, this would work. She took a large sip of her inhumanly bitter drink and continued on, having the idea that a rider's outfit had to be part of the task. A Task she would Master, if the author may be allowed to plug his own stupid nickname.

"I wonder... Is this a suitable look for a rider?" she asked her companion casually. "I usually bind when I do anything more strenuous than Tennis, but I don't know how involved this will be."

She mused that thought to herself for a while silently, before addressing the girl beside her again, not having any difficulty keeping pace.

"What do you think? What would I look good in atop a horse?"

╖───────╓
H O N O O

"Well for binding you should...well, use one of these," she led the lioness to a shelf with some binding shirts, "These are compression shirts, some athletes use them. Kind of like a sports bra, but a shirt, it flattens everything down so there's no movement to get the in way of your sport. I sometimes use them for sprinting."

She flipped through a few stacks and chose a nude color, "This one might fit you," she held it out to Raion and when the girl took it, felt a little warmer in her core. Next to the riding area, she stopped to look at the model horse with the mannequin on it. The mannequin wore a red riding coat, white pants, brown gloves, riding boots, spurs and a brown helmet with a matching riding crop. "Maybe something like that? Look they have other colors," she touched the rack, sipping her coffee, skateboard once more under her arm. "To tell the truth...I...well I think you look good in white..."

She couldn't look at her, but smoothed her thumb over a white riding jacket.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

Hmm... yes, of course. And this would be a good way to show off, too. She didn't usually care for that sort of... Display, but truth be told she had the need to impress this time like no other. Victoria, the Queen, would require no more than her absolute all, and that meant every category, even showboating. She required the proper attire, and then she would begin her practice. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could walk away from this with more than one friend. Her Cub counted too right? By this point her own definition of Friend was skewed slightly, so she simply agreed to herself.

"Thanks." she said quietly, oddly finding herself submitting a little to the wisdom of her ally. "You've been a good friend, and I've done nothing in return. What could I offer you?"

The question was direct and didn't have any ulterior motive. She was offering a hand at whatever Kisumi may need.

"Ahh... White, then. Easier to get dirty, but maybe that's okay. Dirty is fine."

Phrasing, Raion. For the love of--

"Alright then, let's do it. And then, for Karaoke, I'll have to find a more... Suave ensemble."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

With riding gear in tow, Rain asked what she wanted and called her a friend, nearly making Kissy drop her skateboard and drink in a hip mess on the floor. She blushed deeply and pretended to look intently at something nearby, "I-I-I don't need anything..." she did make an effort to search her heart for something special she might want or need, but the only longing that surfaced was a pair of blue eyes from her distant past. Maybe a gift, if she ever saw them again...but what to give? To someone who got beat up saving you?

"Well....what would, um.." she fiddled with her straw, "What would you give someone...to say thank you?"

She didn't know anything about them, anything at all except they were brave and strong. "Maybe if I could find something good...never mind, I'll probably never get to give it to them anyway."

She made a bee line for the check out to avoid talking about it further, though she wasn't exactly hard to persuade. She gulped down some more drink to keep her mouth busy from saying anything more till they were back outside where she led the way to the Gyappu.

She felt the Lioness' eyes on her, even if they weren't pressing her for information she'd feel as such, "There's this person," she finally confessed, "a long time ago, I was being bullied pretty bad and this guy...well it might have been a guy, saved me. He got hurt, but he made them go away. I never saw him again but...but...I'd like to..." tell him thank you, give him something (her body lol-shut up Rin), or even see him one more time.

She looked down, smiling a little to herself, she always felt pleasant when thinking about that person.

Then they were in the Gyappu where her violet gaze found several trendy outfits. Kpop and Jpop idols were plastered in giant posters throughout the store. "What about this?" She said pointing at a poster at a girl with large hoop earrings and a punky outfit. "It's a little out there, or maybe something else, less color? Or...?" she sipped down the last of her drink and put it in a trash can, then proceeded to hug her skate board to her chest and looked at the posters, looking a little dreamy. She really liked singing actually and was probably the prince of shower singing, not that anyone would ever know that....ever.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

Ah, her ideas were running wild with that information. Some man saved her property when she was younger. Curious thought that was, since Kisumi seemed too heavily withdrawn to do anything brave like that. Giving gifts, honoring someone, it just made her internally laugh a little. And such an innocent story too. To think, if that was all it took to win the little prince's heart, even someone as romantically uninterested as Raion could probably do it. In fact, she aimed to test that theory. Innocently of course, she had no real interest in girls. It could be fun to see what happens with her newly found ease at a boyish look, though. Still, it was better to play at the current situation and build up to it unexpectedly.

"In that situation, I would honor my savior with a challenge, to show them that their effort wasn't wasted. But in your case, I would look for something tangible. Maybe even as simple as a locket."

That being said, she had a brilliantly evil scheme.

"You take a look around for that, I'll go try this on." she lied, taking the pop looking clothing in hand. In truth, she was not at all interested in wearing something so casual. However, she made an effort to bring together and try on something more elaborate and, dare she say, princely. This would be a great bit of fun she could have. In fact, she liked it so much that she bought it on the spot, and wore it out to greet her companion.

"I may have a shopping problem." she joked, approaching the girl from behind to avoid ruining the surprise. "But, I was hoping... You'd tell me how I look."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

Obediently, she went over to the jewelry counter, is a locket really a good idea? She paused, staring at the ft-together necklaces, ones that said "his and hers" and "best and friends" there were ones that didn't have words, a cupcake with the cup and icing separated, the heart that fit together, two cats that curled around each other, they were certainly cute, but did it fit?

She saw a set that made her stop, a tiny gold crown charm with a heart in the main gem in the center. The heart gem was it's own necklace, and the crown with the empty outline of a heart was the other. This, she wanted this. It was perfect, even if she'd never get to give it away.

She selected it from the case and the associate working hte counter put it in a cute gift box for her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the girl spoke and she spun around, hands gripping the embarrassing gift to her chest but she relaxed a little with attraction.

"Uhm, g-good," red faced and scanning her head to to toe she quickly averted that gaze off to the side, "you look really good..." Like really good, Kissy couldn't look again or she might stare.

Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it all I've got
Gotta live to win, get up, get out, get even
Ready to roar, ready or not
Ready to give it one more shot
Let the game begin, need something to believe in
Ready to roar!

R A I O N
╜───────╓

All she could do was enjoy the reaction. This must be the perverse pleasure Shoka took in life. She couldn't deny it felt good, but it was also something she doubted she would do again. Intentionally anyway. For now though, she would enjoy it and the outfit a bit. She felt like some kind of noble in this, after all.

"Ah... Thank you." she moused out, unlike herself. "Maybe I'll leave it on while we walk home."

She would, and she intended to enjoy it greatly, along with enjoying the fact that her gift idea seemed to be at least partially followed. That meant her favor was returned. How delightful.

:I see you found something." she added in. "Now, let's track down the recipient."

╖───────╓
H O N O O

She looked down and slowly revealed the giftbox, no way she'd open it and show the embarrassing thing to Raion. Wait, what?

The ides of literally giving the gift to the person, much less going out and finding who it was turned her red all over again. "N-n-no! that was a long time ago, I don't know where or who....there's no way..."

She looked down at it, "I...I couldn't.."

Still, just purchasing the gift felt good, like somehow, she was paying her homage, finally thanking her in some way it felt a little bit like closure, almost. Still Raion seemed fired up. She quickly thanked the associate at teh counter and got it put in a bag so they could leave.

"So-uh, what else did you need?" she tried to change the subject and continue their shopping excursion, trying to dodge the idea of finding her prince and giving him a gift. She followed along, like a pup on a leash though, faithfully continuing to help the lioness, but finding herself continually on the spot.

Eventually, she found herself alone with her skateboard and drifted back toward the hill, swaying to keep her balance, clutching a special object to her chest.