Starman

While the third batch of pies were at the oven, Asaba whispered something to Irina, who nodded, clapping his shoulder. Since her arms were double the size of his, that probably hurt, but Asaba seemed used enough to this that he didn't even wince, nor did he notice the way Irina watched him for a second too long. 

A second too early, he reached Stella's side. "Hey. Irina said she noted down the recipe, so she'll cover for you while I help you get clothes."

Would the pie mass production be all right without her, though? Would the mushroom mafia behave? As if on cue, the mafia leader said, "I typed down the recipe, too. My boys will behave. Now, go wear something decent."

"Thank you," Stella told the mafia leader.

To which he replied, "Thank you. See you soon."

Asaba and Stella left the party.

Shigure glanced at them from the corners of his eyes. He said and did nothing, even when he locked eyes with Stella. "Behave," she told him, and then he looked away. Other than helping Irina carry boxes and trips to the teahouse and back, he'd barely interacted with the rest of the world after the butter incident. It hadn't even been that bad. At least he didn't quit and go back to Earth this time.

When customers walked in, they'd either ask Irina for something in particular, join the community, flee, or (often) do all of the above, in no particular order. Things would be fine, even without Stella. Life would go on. Pies would continue to be made.

The first shop they walked into was closed, but that was okay, since Asaba co-owned the place. "I'm not sure about the kind of stuff you like to wear," he said, "so there's a lil' bit of everything here. It's an outlet, so."

"Something pretty," Stella replied.

Asaba nodded. "And what is pretty to you?"

"Hmm... I'd never thought about it before."

"Any style you'd like to wear in particular? Please don't say 'anything's fine' because that is literally never the case. Are you one of those retro nostalgia people?"

Stella fished through the hangers. There really was 'a little bit of everything'. From what she'd window-shopped so far, most other places had... a theme. Something. She glanced outside; with how small the shopping center was, she could still view the pie community if she squinted. Everything seemed to be moving along just fine. And that was fine.

"No?" Asaba asked, sitting on the counter. "Let's try this: what types of clothes do you usually wear?"

"Underwear."

"What else?"

He hadn't even missed a beat. Even Stella took a second to recover from her thoughtless comment. "What... about... can't you decide for me?"

"Nope."

"Why are you mean?"

"I'm not, though... I'm a bit confused. I get that you're war machine or something, and I get that you were probably not thinking about fashion while that went on, but that stuff ended two centuries ago, no? How long ago did they find you? Have you really not developed any taste for clothes since then?"

Stella almost said the truth, but then it'd be obvious Shigure and her weren't actually married. Or did people get together in less than a month? Surely not, right? "I—I. Pretty clothes."

Asaba watched her for a while. He had the worst kind of expression—blank, but not empty. One of his pupils was notably larger than the other one, which made the iris look darker, almost black against a mild, honeyed hue. Suddenly, he smiled. "Aight. Then I'll pick."

"Much appreciated."

He picked at random. Long dresses. Jeans. A Hawaiian T-shirt (of course these still existed).

Stella's tail swished so hard it almost hit him. "Can you... perhaps... what if... what about short dresses?"

"Oh?" He placed the stack of clothes on top of a table with another stack of clothes on it. "What color? What style?"

"Maybe... pink... ribbon..."

"A pink dress with ribbons?"

Stella didn't even know. "What does Shigure like?"

"Who? Oh, your husband." Asaba shrugged. "You'd know more than me."

"He likes self-destruction."

"Uh. Um."

"What about Irina?"

For some reason, Asaba grinned. "You could say she also likes self-destruction. Also, I don't know. She says she 'has no sense of style', but that is also literally never true. People who say that use it as an excuse."

"For?"

"Many things. Insecurity, usually."

Irina didn't exactly strike Stella as 'insecure', but he'd know more than her. After searching for some time, they found enough dresses that vaguely resembled Stella's earlier conditions for her to justify undressing. The moment she began unbuttoning her shirt, Asaba's coffee-and-tea eyes widened, and he all but shoved her into a stall covered by three walls and a scrap of fabric. A 'changing room', probably. So she changed there. Asaba, meanwhile, sat at the counter again, which was right next to this pseudo-room anyway. "You seem to know a lot about Irina," she said. "Are you two married?"

"Uh, no."

"Siblings?"

"Also no. Why did you bring marriage up before asking if we were—never mind. We're more like... friends? It's complicated. You'll see."

Stella walked out, wearing her first outfit. Asaba instructed for her to twirl a bit, so she did. "Good?" She asked. "Bad? Will Shigure like it?"

Asaba squinted at her. "It's kind of big. The sleeves are way too long and the waistband is basically on your hips. Try something else."

She did. "You say 'I'll see', but I don't know if I will. The other residents in the neighborhood signed a petition for me to leave. I understand why."

"...yeah. I know. Hypocrites."

"I disagree."

"Please. You'd think a neighborhood full of people who got ostracized for their life choices would be more accepting, but noo. As if the Kondas are any better. They got deported from Jupiter of all places. Do you know how hard it is to... hmm... that one's better, but I'm not sure if it's as ribbony as you'd like."

Meaning it had no ribbons. The second dress, mint green and sleeveless, fell down to her knees. Her tail poked below it. "Will Shigure like it?"

"Do you like it?"

Stella nodded.

Again, Asaba grinned. It almost reached his eyes and his brain, which was more than Stella could say for Shigure or Isla, respectively. "Good! We're getting somewhere. What is it you like? The color? Style? Cut?"

"Will Shigure like it?"

"If you're happy, I'm sure he'll be happy, too."

Stella's tail stopped swishing. "You think so?"

"Absolutely. Just between the two of us, I can see auras."

"Lies," Stella said. "Auras aren't real."

"Shut up. Can you prove they're not? Yeah, exactly, so shut up and listen. I can tell when people are bad or not, and neither of you are. Even Rei.. uh, the syndicate boss, isn't that much of a problem. And I think hubby is the kind of guy who'd be happy as long those he cares for are."

Stella almost believed auras were real for a moment. Almost. "Perhaps. I'll take this one, then."

"Grea—please don't undress here."

"Why not?" Stella asked, as she slid on the next item at the 'appropriate' space. "Why this nonsensical aversion to nakedness? Neither babies nor robots are born with clothes."

"Ehh... that's just how it is here. Shigu—Fuyukawa's aura also shows that he's the kind of guy who would not like it if his wife undressed in front of anyone else."

"I understand." Except she did not. She walked out. "How about this one?"

"Nice! Pink and ribbony. Do you like?"

Would Shigu... "Yes," Stella replied.

She got four dresses, two skirts, one shirt and a pair of shorts. "Eh, no need to pay me," Asaba said. "The weird shit you did attracted more clients in a day than we get in weeks. Also, it's good publicity, you calmed down Rei and his sycophants, and I owe you a welcome gift."

At the moment, Stella wore the mint green one. "Do you have something to tie hair with?" She asked.

"Yeah. Sure. There's some of those at the counter. By the way, notice the things in common with the pieces you chose? Might be indicative of your 'style'."

Stella watched them as she tied her hair into a loose bun. Pastel colors, lots of frills, lots of ribbons... "...just like our neighborhood."

"I... guess?"

The mafia leader walked in. He gave Stella a once-over, nodded approvingly, then asked, "So when are you paying me?"

Asaba tossed whatever was closest at him—chewing gum from a jar. "Dude, chill. You guys are lucky she didn't vaporize you on sight."

"And I'm very thankful for that, but she still owes me money, and she said she'd pay."

"I did," reminded Stella. "And I will... soon. I'm currently waiting for my bank account to be under my possession." In other words, waiting until neither Shigure nor Isla nor anyone else could see it. In order words, once she purchased a holo-screen for it to connect to the network. "Make pie, not war. Understand?"

"Fuck off," Asaba told Rei, to no avail.

Instead, Rei picked up the candy. He placed it back on the counter. "Gotcha. Next week, then."

"Come on, Rei. She has enough shit going on as is. Didn't she tell you she's basically being evicted?"

"Unfortunate," Rei said. "You did help with that cover story for the cops, and the boys are having fun, so... the week after the next will do."

Asaba's glare made Shigure's own look like nothing. Like a spoon. Asaba's being a knife. Even Stella flinched at the sight...

...but then Shigure walked in. "You're taking too long. People are asking about you."

For some reason, Stella stood between Asaba and the other two. Shigure was unfazed at the scene. He hadn't been around when Stella and the mafia leader negotiated, since she'd run towards the enemy as fast as possible, but even then, he probably suspected at least something was going on, which was why he'd showed up in the first place. "Understood," Stella said. "Asaba, mushroom mafia man Rei, thank you for the fashion tips. Much appreciated. I'm glad everyone is happy. Everything is peaceful. I'm glad. See you in two weeks for my coffee, milk, and peach pie shop opening, Reibob."

"I'll be there," replied Rei, bowed, then left.

Ten seconds later, Shigure said, "I feel like I should ask. But I won't."

Asaba said nothing.

"Are you done, Stella, or do I tell the guys outside to keep waiting?"

So now she had two weeks to convince at least half the neighborhood to let her open the shop. Reibob's demands weren't too bad. Surely, she'd be able to afford paying him. So it wouldn't be too bad. So she said none of this. After all, snow globe problems were just that—sweet nothings to shake an otherwise sterile, closed system. "No," she said. "I'm done."

Everyone in the room knew she hid something. Everyone in the room hid something. No one pointed this out. "How much?" Shigure asked Asaba, who smiled.

"Don't worry. It's a welcome gift."

"Nah. She's loaded. Just tell me the amount and I'll transfer it."

Asaba left the room.

"...or not."

Silence.

"Stella."

"Shigurebob."

"When will you tell me what really happened?"

"Do you like my dress?" She asked.

"No. It sucks. Tell me what's going on."

"No." She was being a hypocrite. At least she had something in common with the rest of the neighborhood, aside from cat ears. "I'm sorry."

She might've caved in.

She might've broken if he'd pushed any further.

But Shigure said, "Fine."

They stood side to side in silence for so long that Stella almost forgot she 'was'. "Fine," he repeated, eyes closed, before he left the shop.

For the rest of the day, it was Stella who avoided eye contact.