Carrick shrugged, he was never too concerned with clothing. It was hard to care when he could rip it at a moments notice when he shifted. Then again he didn’t have the most fashion forward family either. He had always assumed it was because there was only his mother and no sisters. ”Fair point, love.”

”Oh?” he asked his tail flicking behind him grabbing his drink and taking another sip figuring it was safe to drink again, at least a small sip. ”I do alright. Lot cheaper. My mother taught me.” he said proud of the fact. ”Makes it more cost effective when I change faces too.”

Growing up Carrick only got hand-me-downs from his stepbrother, they never fit and he only grew out of them when he shifted. When he was living in the states it taught him to be more careful because even if they weren’t fashionable cheap clothes in any number were expensive especially to a kid.

”A tunic?” Carrick asked thinking on it. ”Innit a dress?” Carrick asked. ”Wouldn’t be too different than flying in me birthday suit. .” he said imagining the wind chill in unwanted areas. He smirked, seems he wasn’t too far off from a toga. ”It gets cold in they skies, jeans makes it a bit warmer. My tail would also make me a Gorgon in Atlantis.”

”Wait… what’s wrong with me clothes?” they were a little beat up sure but he thought it fit his swagger. ”How outrages and how prudish are we talking?” he made sure not to take a sip after asking it.

For the first time, it occurred to Amethyst that gorgons might have a hard time finding clothes that fit them. Clothes were never much of an issue with gorgons, or at least not until someone tried to dress them in servant uniforms or something. But now, looking at Carrick, she could tell how difficult it would be to get him into American style clothing. Atlantean would have been so much easier.

>>”A tunic? Innit a dress?”

"No?" she blinked. What kind of a person didn't know the difference between a tunic and a dress? "But I guess a dress would work too."

>>”Wouldn’t be too different than flying in me birthday suit... It gets cold in they skies, jeans makes it a bit warmer. My tail would also make me a Gorgon in Atlantis.”

Birthday s...? Oh. Amethyst chuckled, drinking some of her mead. Now there was a funny image, griffin boy flying around naked. She bet some rich Atlanteans would have paid to see that.

>>”Wait… what’s wrong with me clothes? How outrages and how prudish are we talking?”

"As I said. Cultural difference." Amethyst explained "The counselor woman keeps trying to get me to wear a... bra? She says some of my dresses are see-through. I tried a bra. It's awful. Do women here really wear that? What's wrong with seeing breasts?"

Carrick realized the issue with drinking near the princess he was never sure what she was going to say. Some beer came out of his nose this time when she started to talk about her dresses being see through and wearing a bra. He choked again for a minute and his face started to redden.

”Ah.. umm… no. Nothing wrong with it, grand even.” he smiled awkwardly and wasn’t sure where to look. His eyes landed on her and then he immediately looked at the rest of the drink and slammed the rest. He needed to distract himself, why was no one else singing. Great time for them to start. He could pretend the conversation didn’t go that way.

The shifter realized he wasn’t talking, his face was still red. ”I think it’s for support?” Carrick said his voice fighting the occasional break. ”I mean, fer sports?” he looked down at his chest. ”Never had to think about it.” he said looking anywhere but the princess’s breasts.

Carrick did not take the princess' opinions very well. He choked on his drink again, seriously this time, turning all red and flustered. Amethyst sighed. She should have known that talking about breasts would confuse people, even more than seeing them did.

>>”Ah.. umm… no. Nothing wrong with it, grand even.”

"See? Then why should I be wearing a bra?" she noted triumphantly as Carrick downed the rest of his drink. Her point had been made. Bras were pointless. And also uncomfortable.

>>”I think it’s for support? I mean, fer sports? Never had to think about it.”

"Well, if I do sports, I'll wrap my breasts. But then I wouldn't be wearing a dress anyway." she shrugged "I guess, it would be like you tying your wings down. Horribly uncomfortable. And people still stare. Even with a bra on. I've checked." she finished her mead, folding her arms. It was kind of proving her point.

The thought of his wings being bound made him uncomfortable, more so than the princess talking about wearing clothes that were see through. The bronzed wings moved in response to her mentioning tying them down. It was one of his greatest nightmares, not being able to fly anymore. He had seen what it did to other birds when they got their wings clipped and that was a life he didn’t want to live.

”Be more like tying yer arms actually, or legs. I count them as limbs.” he corrected trying not to think about; bras, breasts or any of those being associated with the princess, he felt it was better to be glib than uncomfortable with a subject he had no experience in.

”Buncha animals.” Carrick agreed with a smirk, the blood no longer filling his face now that he found a spot right between her eyes to focus on. ”Can agree, anything being restricted isn’t fun. The tail flails and it’s next to impossible to sit. Good luck trying to wear a jacket without holes for these boys. Why I came stateside to study.” he said shifting forward causing one of his wings to half open.

His mismatched colored eyes started to wander he forced them to shift to her drink which was empty. ”Want another round or ya finally ready for a fly, love?” Carrick asked with a grin, ”Can take ya home or we can try to find you some of that delectable American style cuisine them street vendors peddle.” not wanting to call it a night.

>>”Be more like tying yer arms actually, or legs. I count them as limbs.”

"Fair point. It would be like binding your genitals, then." she conceded. If she had to squeeze her breasts into a bound and wired contraption, he could imagine how that would compare. And for what? Had these people not seen any female anatomy before? Back in Atlantis, women painted themselves and went around topless if they felt like it. It seemed to disturb outsiders a great deal for some reason. Even though the climate allowed it just fine.

>>”Want another round or ya finally ready for a fly, love? Can take ya home or we can try to find you some of that delectable American style cuisine them street vendors peddle.”

"I told you, I'm not flying with you again" Amethyst pointed out, setting her empty mug down. "I think I have had enough to drink. Let's go outside, and see where I can find one of those... taxis."

Melody smirked as the two of them walked out. She'd enjoyed their music... and somehow she suspected they would be back.

The shifter would have spat beer everywhere again if he had anything left to drink. He shook his head and added, ”Not fer me.” he couldn’t argue with that logic. He always assumed that was just what women wore because they wanted to. He didn’t press the issue; it was getting to the awkward point again.

Carrick stood when she set the drink ware down. ”Ah, love. Don’t say that. It would be a privilege to fly a princess home. Be able to tell me grandkids one day.” he said with a chuckle. He was laughing because she wanted a cab. Carrick didn’t do cabs. Cars in general were in his opinion one of the most terrifying modes of travel behind planes. Carrick didn’t do small spaces. Anywhere where he couldn’t move his wings at all was a big ‘nope’.

”You hale a cab.” Carrick said in his best Boston accent, he had a lot of shows in Boston. They loved him there.

After opening the door for the princess Carrick turned and gave the bartender a little wave and then a grin before entering the hustle and bustle of the city. ”Might grab a few more.” Carrick said smirking. ”Not often I don’t work nights and be in the city.” Carrick said his mismatched eyes shifted from light to light. He might have been a little drunk at this point even if it didn’t show too much. His tail would have been a giveaway, it swayed behind him lazily only brushing up next to the princess once when he stood next to her.

”You learn the whistle?” Carrick asked with a smirk, he didn’t know how the cabbies could hear the whistle or if it was just the motion. He had seen people hale a cab a block away with the whistle. Basically make hand gestures near a road and if they see you they stop. At least that was what he figured.

>>>> “Repent sinners! Evil is among us! Join us in the light! A war is coming!”

Carrick ignored the guy on the soapbox or whatever he was standing on. He didn’t want to waste his time. His tail started to show he was irritated.

They left the bar, and Amethyst looked around for a cab. She knew Carrick would rather fly, or stay and drink somewhere else without her even, but she was not in the mood (or the dress) to go flying across town with him. A cab would be just fine, even though they smelled weird and the drivers always wanted to chat with her.

Carrick's tail swayed around, and she felt it brush against the hem of her dress. Gorgons and their extra appendages. No manners.

>>>> “Repent sinners! Evil is among us! Join us in the light! A war is coming!”

The princess turned to look at the person yelling nearby, and tilted her head. A war was coming? No one told her anything about a war.

"Is he talking to us?"

”Whoever will listen.” Carrick said curtly, he was raised with the church and was beat by the church. He wasn’t the easiest kid to teach and Carrick’s fear of god didn’t extend to the people who claimed to ‘speak’ for him. He was also at the moment fed up with the subject. Seeing as his mother was extremely religious, she having just died Carrick was not in the mood for it.

>>>> “Be not swayed by those with false gifts from God, they only mislead you contracted by evil himself! Join us in the war to purge the evil from this world! For we were created in his image!”

Being harder to ignore once she had pointed it out he shook his head when the preacher started again. Carrick rolled his eyes and scoffed. ”Shit image.” Carrick said loudly.

>>"Whoever will listen.”

The man kept yelling, to Carrick's visible annoyance. He seemed like one of those itinerant philosophers who gave speeches on the streets of Atlantis, goading people into debates, except this one was a lot less eloquent, and not at all entertaining. The princess couldn't even figure out what he was trying to say.

>>>> “Be not swayed by those with false gifts from God, they only mislead you contracted by evil himself! Join us in the war to purge the evil from this world! For we were created in his image!”

>>”Shit image.”

"Which god?" Amethyst inquired, looking between the man and Carrick. Clearly, if gods were in the habit of creating people that looked like them (why would they?), then everyone would look the same. "I don't think he is handsome enough to be created in the image of any god... You think he is unhinged?"

The shifter shrugged at the princess, ”Dunno, but I got a feeling he doesn’t care about this.” All the ‘Gods’ he knew didn’t talk about stuff like this. At least not the ones he wanted to learn about. He didn’t think his wings made him evil; he might have saved one or two people from atop a burning house or building. Saving people was supposed to make you good right?

Carrick sputtered a laugh from her next comment, ”Guarantee it, love.” his tail twitched behind him. ”Bet he’s not the only one like him though I’m sure.”

>>> ”They are nothing but abominations! All of them, no matter what they can do!”

The man continued to spout some nonsense but Carrick turned to the princess and grinned, ”Got an idea. Stick around for the show, bout to start!” he winked to the princess and quickly moved out of sight vanishing in the crowd and ducked into the ally of the bar they were just at..

Carrick shifted uncomfortably as he grabbed his tail and tucked it under his belt to help restrain movement. He was going for a look and his tail might ruin it. Snapping open his wings he flapped twice and got high enough to see the princess and the crowd below. Carrick lowered till he was about fifteen feet from the guy who was preaching.

>>>> “Trust in us, for we are you! Join us in our crusade! War is on us!”

”No it’s not!” Carrick yelled from above. ”He’s lying to you all, I should know. I’m an angel.” He slowed his flapping giving his wings a chance to stretch out so anyone who was listing or curious now could see his wings.

>>>>> “….Do fall for his deception! He is one of them, those who need to be purged!”

”You can’t even read! You got no business spouting these lies, yer just mad ya wet the bed till you were fifteen! there was one or two snickers from the crowd below.

The man kept spouting nonsense, and with every passing moment Amethyst was even more sure that no god had anything to do with this. Unless it was some trickster god bored out of his mind, passing the time with scrambling some poor human's brains.

>>”Guarantee it, love. Bet he’s not the only one like him though I’m sure... Got an idea. Stick around for the show, bout to start!”

"Are you going to sing again?" the princess ventured, a little alarmed, since some people were stopping on the sidewalk to listen to the man. The last thing she wanted to do was burst into song again. But Carrick had already disappeared, and the man went on yelling things that made no sense. Amethyst looked around, miffed. If Carrick left her, he'd never life it down.

>>>> “Trust in us, for we are you! Join us in our crusade! War is on us!”

>>”No it’s not! He’s lying to you all, I should know. I’m an angel.”

Oh, it most definitely wasn't an angel. It was Carrick, making a show as promised. Did anyone believe him, though? Amethyst barely had a grasp on what angels were supposed to be like, but he was definitely not that. Even with his tail put away.

>>>>> “….Do fall for his deception! He is one of them, those who need to be purged!”

>>”You can’t even read! You got no business spouting these lies, yer just mad ya wet the bed till you were fifteen!

Some people snickered. Amethyst stared. The man clearly did not believe the winged man was an angel. Also, purged? Who? Gorgons? Sure, they were annoying, but it wasn't like they should be killed off for that, as long as they were in their place...

>>> “What?”

Carrick smirked, ”and yer not even part of a “real” church.” Carrick used quotations fingers on the ‘real’. ”Yer leader, lives in a trailer off the interstate, he can read. Sure, but his best friend was a squirrel named earl! Earl the squirrel, real original for someone who took the most hateful things out of yer book!” Carrick said spouting some nonsense of his own.

There were a few more laughs, Carrick eyed the guy and folded his arms. ”No, go on! Before I spill more of yer secrets and thoughts!” Carrick yelled. There were a few people clapping. The bouncer he talked to before was one of them.

There were some words that were said but Carrick couldn’t hear the man. The shifter made a shooing motion again until the guy finally got off his perch and walked away into the crowd.

Carrick gave him a small wave then did a little backflip into the air before landing near the princess. ”Don’t think we can take it on the road but I do hear we got a shot in central park.” Carrick grinned, ”How’d I play an angel?” he asked turning and pulling his tail from under his belt.

Carrick definitely made an entrance. People were shocked or amused, but the attention was centered of him now, instead of the man on the box. Amethyst could tell the mood had shifted, and she didn't mind at all that the unhinged man was walking away in shame.

>>”No, go on! Before I spill more of yer secrets and thoughts!”

The princess watched him go, while some people were still looking at Carrick with curiosity. Even as a gorgon, he stood out in the New York crowd, especially when he was flying. The wings were a sight to behold.

>>”Don’t think we can take it on the road but I do hear we got a shot in central park. How’d I play an angel?”

"You were supposed to be an angel?" Amethyst quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't they all supposed to be... all graceful and radiant?" she chuckled, looking him over. Not bad looking, really. But not angelic, either. Especially not with the tail. "Central park will have to wait, fly boy. And singing was a one-time thing..."