Lost Home

“What, can’t I get you to try the lolita dress once?”

“Sorry, not happening.” Frankie paged through slightly small t-shirts as Tara bounced off the walls of the multi-floor boutique. It could almost be called a mall- there was even food, arcade games, and a hairdresser. Frankie would’ve liked it better without all the noise, but the larger size of the place kept her further away from people who weren’t her volunteer tour guide.

“Why not? You won’t know you like it until you try it!”

“I was a goth in a past life. I’m gonna stick to these, thanks. Oh!” The fangirl held out a Neo Celestial Orchestra shirt with like every mech in the entire franchise on it. “Now we’re cooking…”

Tala sighed. “You really are no different from the guys in this park.”

“Shop for yourself if you don’t like it.” She put the shirt in her bag. Splurging felt surprisingly good when it wasn’t for some crazy plan and just a personal thing. “You’ve got more taste than I ever will.”

“I get bored of my own taste. When guests come, the first thing I do is usually dress them up instead. Like dolls.”

“Do they usually like that?”

“If they didn’t run away before then, I’m good.”

Frankie chuckled as she slid over to the bottoms. She didn’t feel like replacing her hat, but some new shorts or something would at least be convenient…

“How long have you been doing this?” She wondered aloud.

“Since I came back. I… went to America, when I was just thirteen- not long after Die Rangers kicked off. Stayed there for a few years… but I never really found my place there.”

“Is that why you came back?”

“Yep… can’t say my parents felt the same. They let me do it… caring, or… maybe uncaring as they are… only what I found here was worse than what I remembered.”

“Oh… yeah?”

“I should’ve seen it coming right before I left… figured the bubbling-ly toxic culture was just a fad. Just… something with my generation. Something with the kids. When I returned, not only were those kids grown adults who acted the same way, the new generation was acting just like them.”

“That is… cyber-ruffians, right?”

“Right. Frickin’ ruined everything I loved about the park. Y’know, used to, this was a place of welcome… no matter who you were, you’d at least be accepted here. Don’t know what I would’ve done without that, as a kid. Now… now it’s the most exclusionary place on Earth.”

“So… why’d you stay?” Frankie folded up and set back a pleated skirt that just wasn’t for her.

“Could say I was just stubborn, but… no, that’s not right. It was…” Tala sighed. “…I guess it was him.”

“Who’s… him?” Frankie puzzled. “The guy from Con Alley?”

Under the noise of loud arcade machines and shopping carts, Tara absentmindedly fell back into their past just like they had so many times before.