Gor'thala stood there calmly with her hands folded, towering over them in her magically altered dress.
West placed an item on the counter. "We'll take this and the one on her."
The cashier reached for the scanner but she missed...
Tried again.
Dropped it.
"Oh—sorry—uh—total is—wait—no—"
Her coworker elbowed her. "Focus!"
"I am focusing!"
Gor'thala leaned down slightly. "Is payment a ritual of submission?"
Both women squeaked.
West slapped a hand over his face. "No! No rituals! Just… money!"
Eventually—after scanning the item three times and charging him twice before fixing it—they escaped.
West exhaled deeply once they were outside. "I swear, I'm never shopping again."
Gor'thala tilted her head. "That experience was… informative."
---
West decided to take her everywhere that he could think of at the moment.
Street vendors... food stalls... Arcades... Parks...
He bought her ice cream.
She stared at it suspiciously. "It is frozen… dessert?"
"Yep."
