Choosing a gift

It's the afternoon of a weekday, and Ken has just left home to meet up with Will and Briar at the mall to buy a birthday gift for Rebecca. They all meet at the entrance of the mall and immediately start walking through the shops in search of ideas.

"Why are we here again?" Will asks ironically.

"To help me choose a gift for Rebecca." Ken catches his ironic tone but answers him nonetheless.

"Right, you have to choose it, so why are we here too?"

"Briar is here because they’re the only somewhat feminine person I know, and you because, as much as you're unpleasant, you give great advice." Will grins at his compliment before speaking.

"Normally I wouldn't have accepted your invitation, but we also have to get her a gift."

"Do you already have some ideas?"

"I think I'll get her some makeup." Briar states.

"She doesn't wear makeup..." Ken reminds her. "She probably knows nothing about it."

"I'll teach her everything there is to know, of course!"

"You said she likes books, right? Brayton and Ghalen and I are thinking of getting her some books."

"You guys already have some ideas, but I have nothing..." Ken sighs.

"She seems like the type who would love plushies, why don't you get her one? It would be very romantic!" Briar suggests.

"She already gave me one, so it wouldn't be very original." He remembers their date at the amusement park, smiling and blushing.

"Ohh~ She's making the moves on you." Briar teases him, grinning.

"W-what does that mean- No, I won't fall for your game this time." He crosses his arms.

"Eh, this time I'll let it go, but only because we've reached the makeup store. Do you guys wanna come with me?"

"Yes, I'll help you choose the color or whatever." Ken says, as Will nods.

They enter the store, and Briar immediately starts looking at the lipsticks.

"Do you give the gift with Bro and Ghalen, right? Ghalen has to work, but why didn't Bro come?" Ken asks Will.

"His aunt asked him to take care of his little cousins."

"Right, I forgot." He snaps his fingers, remembering that Brayton had let him know just the day before.

"Guys, come here, which one do you think looks better on her between these?" Briar shows them two lipsticks, one in a very light pink and the other in a darker red.

"I think both would suit her, but this darker color would look amazing with her fair skin."

"Get her both then." Will suggests as Ken takes a thoughtful position.

"I also wanted to get her mascara and eyeshadows along with a lipstick, but I'm afraid she wouldn't use them, so I didn't want to overdo it with the quantity..."

Ken thinks of Rebecca's happy expression when she tried the strawberry milkshake for the first time and smiles.

"She will surely love everything you give her. That's just who she is."

"Alright then! I'll get her mascara, eyeshadows, and these two lipsticks!" Briar takes a mascara. "What's her favorite color?"

"I never asked her, but I think... green?"

"Isn't it red?" Will asks.

"I thought it was brown?" Briar also takes their guess.

"Why do you ask?" Ken speaks again.

"For the eyeshadows, but since you're not sure, I'll go for some nude and pink colors to match the lipsticks."

"Good choice." Ken says, and Will gives a thumbs-up.

The two wait not too far away while Briar goes to pay at the cash register.

"Do you think I should wear eyeliner more often? Or even mascara?" Will asks him, looking at the mascara section.

"You would look good with everything, dude."

"You would look good in lipstick."

"I know you don't really think that."

"Caught." Will shrugs.

"Listen... have you talked to Nora?"

"Why are you asking me this? Did something happen to her?"

"I don't know, but she was acting strange a few days ago. I mean, more than usual. I'll be really honest with you because you're my best friend. Normally, I wouldn't care about her, but since she's your girlfriend, I'm telling you this. I don't want to see you suffer, so talk to her." Will has a low look as he reflects.

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll have a talk with her."

"You're welcome, dude. And possibly, dump her as soon as possible." He then says teasingly as Will gives him a bored look.

"I was joking... partly. I really think she doesn't deserve you. If I were into guys, I would've already taken you away from her!" Will raises an eyebrow.

"Am I interrupting your love declaration? Your bromance? Should I just go~?" Briar surprises them by sneaking up from behind Will with the gift bag for Rebecca and acts like they're going to leave, but Will grabs them by the collar.

"Shut up and let's go." He says, dragging Briar away by the collar.

Briar quickly frees themselves from his grip and says, "Let's go take a look at that super cute store! It might help Ken pick a nice gift for Rebecca." They point to a pretty vintage clothing store not far from them.

"Are you sure you didn't propose it just for your own benefit?" Will raises an eyebrow.

"O-of course not..."

"Actually, they're right; that store seems to have things she might like."

With that said, the boys enter the store, and Briar immediately starts looking around all over the shop.

"I knew it!" Will starts to argue with them, while Ken also looks around with their voices in the background.

The store sells many vintage-inspired Victorian-style clothes, with cute pastel patterns. If Briar hadn't pointed it out, he probably wouldn't have noticed its existence.

Come to think of it... it's not even Briar's style, so how did they notice it? They really want to help me pick a nice gift... He smiles. As he thinks, his gaze falls on some classic velvet mary jane shoes.

"Sir, is there anything that caught your interest?" One of the employees approaches him.

"Um, I need to get a gift for my friend..."

"These shoes would be perfect as a gift! They're comfortable and can be paired with many types of outfits and accessories. They're on sale right now, so if you know she likes this style, they're highly recommended."

The saleswoman, seeing Ken thoughtful, continues speaking. "If you're not sure about the choice or think it's not enough, I can suggest pairing them with a set of stockings for the spring season."

"Which ones do you recommend?" The saleswoman's face lights up again at his interest.

"Please, this way." She leads him to the stocking section. "With this type of shoes, you can pair almost any type of stockings, but we recommend neutral colors like these white or black stockings that go well with every type of dress." She shows them to him. "We have the sock version for almost every pattern. If you want something more lively, there are these patterns with flowers and fruits." Ken's attention is drawn to the white background stockings with a strawberry pattern.

"These are perfect!" He points them out to the saleswoman.

"Excellent choice! Are you also taking the shoes?"

"Yes. Can you gift wrap them?"

"Certainly. Please wait in front of the cash register." She smiles at him and takes the shoes and stockings away.

Will and Briar approach him.

"You made an excellent choice. I didn't know you had such good taste in women's clothing." Briar says.

"Actually, this place isn't really your style. How did you even notice it?" Will adds.

"Well, instead of thanking me, you should know that I just like looking at cute things~!"

"Oh sorry, thanks dude. Should we go get your gifts too?" Ken asks Will.

"There's no need, we've already arranged to go get them ourselves."

"Oh!" Briar points to the cashier, signaling Ken to come over.

Ken pays for the items, then says goodbye to his friends and heads home. He's really happy with the gift he chose.