"How could a sweet heart like you possibly ruin my shopping day?" Juka asked Henrietta with a wide grin. It seemed patently impossible. He would search the shops and streets with her, seeking illusive treasures and, whether or not they actually found anything was a moot point. It was company he wanted and company it seemed she would provide. Even if that did mean sticking by that mean rude women Noel.

"Good luck finding something affordable."

And if Juka hadn't thought Noel and entirely unlikable person before, that little comment cemented his opinion. Couldn't she be a little bit nicer? "Of course she'll find something affordable," Juka placated. "You just have to know the right places to look and, you lovely ladies are in luck because I just happen to know of all the right places." It wasn't like he went clothes shopping regularly or that he had money to burn. Nope. Not at all.

"Not all of us need to resort to violence," Juka told Noel with a grimace of distaste. "Especially guns." Maybe he was being a little unfair considering he was a mutant and she probably wasn't but he didn't care. He disliked her and didn't feel like being particularly fair just then.

Henrietta smiled at Noel and Juka again. There was quite a bit of tension, but they were both pretty nice to her. In all honesty, she liked both of them so far. She could tell they both meant well towards her and were both decently friendly, to an extent. They may not like each other much so far, but that could always change. Henri wouldn’t bet her life on it, but it was a nice thought. That would make hanging out with the two people even more enjoyable.

Noel didn’t seem to have much faith about anything being affordable. That was okay. It still can’t hurt to look around. Besides, it seemed that she was in search of something in particular as well. Henrietta smiled at the girl Noel. “Well, I’m sure we’ll find something.” The brunette was sure that whatever the young woman wore, she would most likely look beautiful.

Juka asked, "How could a sweet heart like you possibly ruin my shopping day?" Henrietta blushed slightly. “Um, well. I just wanted to double check.” The man said he knew somewhere where things were affordable. Henri grinned excitedly. “Really? It would be awesome if you could show us the way, Juka.”

The 16-year-old girl looked at both both the man and the woman. “Why don’t we try to make this fun? You know, like…Well, trying to get along.” She hoped the two wouldn’t be mad at her. Henrietta just hoped that instead of feeling tense the whole time, she could feel more relaxed.

"You just have to know the right places to look and, you lovely ladies are in luck because I just happen to know of all the right places."

Who better to know than a man who wished himself a woman? No doubt he had to work very hard to afford two sets of clothing... that was assuming, of course, that the man did sometimes dress as a man ought to dress. There could be an upside to this guard duty after all. Maybe the overly made up man would strike on a bargain even Noel could capitalize on.

Though... if he had a choice it seemed he would make her day as difficult as possible.

"Not all of us need to resort to violence. Especially guns."

Noel sniffed in a stern imitation of the chief of police. "Well, we can't all lift cement trucks with our minds or punch through babies, now can we?" That wasn't to say that Noel was a gun toting anarchist. No, no. Just a proud member of the NRA and jubilant in the fact that she could defend herself and others as the occasion presented.

Violence was a thing apart from a gun for Noel. A gun was a tool as sure as any mutation. It need not be a tool for death, despite the fact that it most often was. Intimidation. Pain. Opening locks... Guns were good for other things too.

“Why don’t we try to make this fun? You know, like…Well, trying to get along.” Henri. Bless her.

Noel tried to look at the flamboyant man's words another way... for Henri's sake.

She found herself agreeing. "You know, this state could use some stricter gun control laws and harsher punishments for parole violators." Noel smiled sweetly. As a licensed professional, she was none of those.

Wasn't he supposed to be leading the way?

"I will do my very best to get along with Dear Noel, if it will only make your smile brighten my day," Juka agreed, without hesitation. He restrained himself from sending the other woman a resentful look. She hadn't really done anything that bad, and if it would make Henrietta happy then he would certainly make the attempt. As long as Noel did likewise. He would even do it without complaint, or if not completley without complaint than at least with a minimum of it. It wasn't fair to expect miracles, after all.

"Well, we can't all lift cement trucks with our minds or punch through babies, now can we?"

Juka blinked at her. "I most certainly cannot lift cement trucks with my mind...at least I don't think I can." It wasn't something he had ever tried before. His mini bubbles were far to small to do so, he knew that for certain, but he neither knew the exact limit of how heavy an object he could lift nor if his main bubble had any sort of size limit. Usually it was only himself, or occasionally one other person, that he lifted with his main bubble. He frowned in contemplatation. "Well, I at least know that I can't punch through babies nor would I want to, that's for sure." He put on his best dazzling smile, which was an excellent smile indeed.

"You know, this state could use some stricter gun control laws and harsher punishments for parole violators."

"I might just find something to like in you yet," Juka agreed, with a firm nod of his head. "Now, if you two ladies would kindly follow me, I believe I promised to find you some bargains around here." He set off confidently down the road. There was a charming little boutique not too far from where they were currently located that, he was fairly certain, would have just what they were looking for. The prices were surpisingly good and no one outfit was quite like any other or like any outfit one was likely to see anywhere else either. They weren't too over the top, but whoever was seen in them could only be considered an individual in the best possible way. That' and the lady that ran the place was an absolute sweet heart.

Both Juka and Noel agreed to make the effort. Henrietta hoped that this would make the situation less awkward. It also made her feel good. They were doing it for her. Besides, shopping could bring people together, right? She just hoped the two wouldn't fight over a sweater or something. She'd seen people fight over clothes before. It could be very scary. Especially if one had guns and the other was a mutant...

>> "Now, if you two ladies would kindly follow me, I believe I promised to find you some bargains around here."

Henrietta grinned. She was ready to find some clothes. The brunette hadn't taken much with her and she wasn't sure if her mother would ever willingly bring her more of her clothes from Illinois. That may be okay anyway, because Henri wasn't sure if she'd want to see her mom yet. They both needed time to think. At least Rapunzel hoped it would get better in time. There wasn't a way to know that for sure though. Bringing her thoughts back to clothing, she smiled at Juka. "Lead the way, kind sir."

He didn't say that he couldn't lift things with him mind. He said that he didn't think he could lift cement trucks with his mind. And it tasted like truth. He even pondered the point.

Either he was a master of sarcasm or his delusions ran deeper than Noel cared to imagine. In mere moments he was sparkling at her with blinding charismatic charm. Noel felt like a grump in the spotlight.

Yeah. Delusional. But he didn't seem to be a harmful delusional like she'd first imagined. He was a sort of jolly insane person. She would have to keep her eye on him.

The way was short to the bargain boutique. There was an actual feather boa in the display window. Outside of a Garbage album cover, pink feathers had no place in society. Somehow Noel didn't think she'd find much in the way of a low-key, sexy and sophisticated dress (that could hide weapons) here. She might find a cat suit like Sandy in Grease, though.

The bell chimed and on cue the woman behind the counter gushed around the counter and headed right for the delusional one. Her words tasted a bit like his though tinted with honey. She might be of the same world as this man in a dress, but she was also a saleswoman.

There were a lot of interesting items, but none seemed... grown up enough for Noel. She would probably just end up watching for now.

Upon entering the quaint little shop, Juka ran up and gave the woman in the front a big hug. "Jenise, my dear, how wonderful to see you again." The tiny woman was around 5 foot and couldn't have weighed more than 100 Lbs. Her hair, however, made up for it, adding nearly a foot to her height and being coloured a dark purple. She hugged Juka back with every bit the enthusiasm that he offered her. "Look, my dearheart, I have brought you customers." He beamed importantly.

Disengaging herself from Juka's rather exuberant embrace, Jenise greeted the other two. "Welcome to the Dutchess Boutique. If there is anything at all I can help you with or anything you would like to try on, please let me know."

This was where Juka was in his element. With the single exception of when he was on stage, this was where Juka shined. There were two things that he knew a great deal about: the first was performing and the second was fashion. Even if some found him to be a little over the top for their tastes, none could deny that he had a style all his own, complete with bright colours and all sorts of exuberant and entirely unqiue frills and ribbons. And dear Jenise and her lovely little botique was his favourite place in the city.

"Now, you darling ladies treat the sweet Lady Jenise with the proper respect that such a sweet woman is due," Juka cautioned though is stern words were offset by his wide grin.

Walking into the shop, she saw a lady with purple hair. Very tall purple hair. Her and Juka hugged like they were very good friends. Henrietta smiled at the scene. It was kind of cute, in an odd sort of way. They were a random looking pair, but the warmth between the two was definitely real. Juka smiled proudly to the store owner as he announced his contribution of customer-bringing.

>>"Welcome to the Dutchess Boutique. If there is anything at all I can help you with or anything you would like to try on, please let me know."

Henri smiled at the woman. Politely she said, "Thank you." Now that she took the time to look around the shop, she noted all the bright colored things. There was quite the assortment of things. She could imagine Juka shopping at such a place. It seemed to fit his demeanor. Random and cheerful. Cheerful was always good and random could be fun. The man in the dress had been quite fun to talk to so far...

Juka warned the two to use their manners. "Yes, of course. Right, Noel?" She smiled at the woman. Hopefully she could get some sort of positive enjoyment out of the cute store...

She was taking on a sort of bodyguard roll and that was fine by Noel. With one hand gripping the opposite wrist behind her back, she was free to let the slightly-disinterested-but-I'm-still-watching-if-you-need-me look slide over her face.

Did people really wear this stuff in public? Outside of costume contests? One glance at Juka told her the answer was yes. Well she wasn't going to be caught dead in heels too high for a hooker. How did they even function? It looked more like torture than fashion... or even a costume.

"Yes, of course. Right, Noel?"

She realized she'd drifted off on a tangent and had no idea what she was agreeing to but Noel nodded all the same. "Of course, dear."

Though there was one item that caught Noel's eye. If she were honest to her very core, she might actually want to try it on. Not buy it. Never buy it. But it was worth trying at least once.

Fur.

It looked real enough to Noel from across the store. Wasn't that like a girl's third best friend? Somewhere after diamonds and guns?

Juka often went shopping for himself but he so very rarely had the privaledge of helping others shop. He was, in his own opinion at least, quite good at finding the perfect clothes for just about anyone and, despite what others might think, was quite in tune with the fact that not everyone adhered to the same bright and colorful style as he did. His reason for coming to this particular place was that, despite its many bright and unusual outfits, it also had more acceptable outfits as well. Nothing that was considered normal, exactly, but it did have things that wouldn't stick out too much.

"Now, Henrietta my darling, let me help you dearest." Without waiting for a response, Juka went searching the isles for something perfect and came back with a dark burgandy dress with silver stiching. It had character, that much was true, but not so much that people would stare at her for wearing it. Or rather, they would only stare because she would look so beautiful wearing it. It showed nothing unbecoming for a woman such as she, but suggested just enough to allow the imagination to run free. "This would be perfect for you." Juka handed over the dress.

Looking over in Noel's direction, Juka noticed her eyes on a cute fur number. He grinned. His help, he decided, would not be needed for her nor did he think she would take kindly to it. Something just told him that she was too independent to agree to help from an eccentric man like him.

Noel eyes landed on something made out of fur. Henrietta smiled slightly. She herself was not a big fan of fur, but the young woman seemed like she could pull it off. The brunette imagined that Noel could pull off most clothing, considering her attitude. If she wanted to wear something and look good, Henri assumed she would. “You should try it on, Noel.”

Juka walked off in a different direction and told Henrietta to come with him. Walking a bit fast to catch up with the man in the dress, she looked at all the different things in the aisle. Coming up next to Juka, he held out a beautiful dress. The teenage girl stared at it a minute. He held it out to her and she took it from him. Was she supposed to try it on?

Blushing, Henri smiled shyly. “Juka…Where’s the changing room?” The girl glanced back and forth to see if she could spot it. She held the dress gently and waited for the man’s answer.

Yeah, yeah. Of course he had a clothing suggestion and of course it was time for her to try it on. Classic time for a peeping dress-clad man creep move.

The store owner bustled in to show the kid the dressing room and Noel swooped in to intercept the creep.

"Jula, would you mind helping me find something?" She could have tried to block him from the door with force, but the kid had asked her to be nice. She was a nice lady, being nice. She didn't have to try it on if it was skank-o-liscious. "I was thinking black?"

Juka very helpfully pointed Henri in the direction of the change room, giving her an encouraging grin. Oh, she was going to look absolutely gorgeous in that dress. Not that she didn't all ready, but the proper outfit never hurt anyone.

Juka was about to turn and do some browsing for himself when Noel suddenly appeared behind him asking about helping her find something black. If he wasn't very much mistaken he got the impression that she was worried about him being alone with Henri, or something ridiculous like that. Oh well, the woman obviously didn't know him very well if she thought he might be some sort of a threat. Still, she was asking nicely for his help so he couldn't in good consicounce refuse.

"Darling, I believe I know just the thing." He gestured for her to follow him. It was near the back of the store, a long black velvet dress with a wide skirt and just a little fur lining the bottom, the arms and the neck. "It will certainly be perfect for you." If there was one thing and one thing only that he knew about, it was fashion.

Juka had pointed the way to the dressing room. Making her way there, she continued to glance around at things. She opened one of the dressing room doors, she walked inside. Turning, she locked it. Henrietta looked at the beautiful dress. She was hoping it that it would look okay on her.

----
After getting into the dress, she stared in the mirror. Henri did a little turn and grinned. "It's beautiful," she whispered. Guessing that Juka would most likely want to see his work, she walked out in it. The two weren't where they had been earlier. Walking around the store, she found them. Juka had helped Noel find a dress.

"That's very pretty, Noel. I bet it'd look great on you. Nice pick, Juka." She smiled and waited for them to turn and see her...

Urge to run rising. Did she just throw up in her mouth a little at the sight of velvet? Why yes. Yes she did. That or Juka didn't really think it was a fabulous as he wanted her to believe. At least he had lead her far from the dressing room.

"I know it's winter, but aren't long skirts like… so 1800's?" That was so tactful that Noel wanted to pat herself on the back. She would avoid that monstrosity of a dress at all costs. She wanted something fashionable not a stinking circus tent.

Henri was back and complimentary in her purple garbage sack of a dress. Though it was no reflection on the child's appearance. She made it look slightly swanky for what it was. At least it was modest. Noel avoided speaking (it would have tasted just awful no matter what she might have said) and she opted for nodding and hmmming in a vaguely complimentary way.

If creepy dress man Juka didn't start being more creepy, perhaps she could just leave them to their irresponsible spending.