“Uh,” Sebastian backtracked quickly. “You know, I think it will work out. I was thinking of a ball or something where lots of young boys would be about. There aren't too many people that will be admiring your neck at this sort of event. If they do, they will answer to me.”

Sebastian turned to the side slightly, to look after where their saleswoman had gone. She didn't seem to be within hearing range of that last comment at any rate.

“Perhaps you should try on the other one just to be safe. Though, I like this dress a lot. It helps show off all your natural beauty. I can already tell you'll grow up into a stunning woman someday.”

That is, if she grew up at all. If she was still wanting to become immortal, Sebastian had no idea how that would affect her aging process. It didn't stop him from aging naturally, but he could also age backwards if he wanted, so he wasn't exactly a good test subject. It was possible that she could remain this age forever, and that was more than a little troubling.

Kaitlyn hadn't given much thought to the possibility of others admiring her appearance. She didn't even think 'natural beauty' was something she had, much less something she had the ability to show off. Not knowing how to respond, she retreated to the fitting room, where Sebastian wouldn't see her blushing.

Meanwhile, Marilys brought in a bunch of shoes and laid them on the floor. She stayed multiple arms' lengths away from Sebastian and refused to make eye contact with him.

When she returned from the changing room, she felt uncomfortable. It was the dress's fault; her right shoulder felt kind of exposed without anything covering it. Her arms felt exposed, too; she missed the sleeves more than she had expected. But this one was so sparkly! Sparkliness was important, and it was something that the other dress simply didn't have, costing it some serious points.

Still conflicted, she glanced at the mirror, then at Sebastian, hoping for some comment or detail to spring forth and help her decide one way or the other.

The second dress was all crooked. It had one shoulder uncovered and one shoulder covered, like someone had forgotten to sew the other side. It gave the dress a kind of modern-rebellious look that Sebastian wasn't sure he liked.

The other thing he didn't like was that this one didn't make Kaitlyn smile like the first dress did. She kind of tugged on one side, then the other, and finally frowned at the mirror and at him.

“It seems to me like you liked the first dress better. It made you smile more than this one did. That alone seems to make the choice obvious. We just need to find a necklace or something sparkly to finish off your look. And shoes, of course,” he nodded in the direction of the short row of shoe options Marilys had brought for their inspection. Marilys herself took an extra step away from him at that mention.

Sebastian frowned at the saleswoman's antics. He'd be glad when they were finished here.

He glanced at his watch. He'd be glad for more than one reason. They were running out of time.

Sebastian seemed a lot more certain about Kaitlyn's opinion on this dress than she was herself. Yes, it felt a little uncomfortable, but... sparkles! The sparkles were something that she'd really wanted. Kaitlyn simply didn't feel like she was ready to decide yet. She needed more time.

The unicorn man checked his watch. Kaitlyn took the hint. She nodded, then hurried to put the other dress back on.

When this was accomplished, they made short work of the shoes. Of the five pairs arrayed for her, she immediately eliminated two on the basis that they were not an acceptable shade of red. Of the last three pairs, which she actually tried on, one was immensely uncomfortable, and one was too sparkly. It didn't take her long to decide that the sparkly shoes wouldn't work unless they were paired with a sparkly dress.

Marilys made a token effort to keep being friendly and to inject a helpful comment here and there about the shoes. But it was clear, even to Kaitlyn, that this was a struggle for the woman. These two people were making her sick to her stomach. She wanted them to leave her store, her life, and her memories forever.

Now, there was the matter of that necklace / piece of jewelry. The saleswoman was conflicted: should she show them such items here, or helpfully suggest other stores that have a better selection? That second option was sorely tempting.