On The Run [KootraHD/Hybrid]

(3) A Well-Needed Change

(3) A Well-Needed Change

Aleks walked through the large shopping mall with his head down, avoiding any glances thrown his way. He found it to be more dangerous here, what with all the cameras and mass crowds of people in every direction he looked. It was a struggle for him to manoeuvre through the sea of bodies, but he had managed to do so without knocking into too many people.

He looked around properly when he wasn’t entirely surrounded by people, knowing just by the size of the place that he would get lost very easily. There were stores everywhere he looked, varying from clothing to gaming, food to books, electronics to children’s toys. He had no idea where to start looking first, the choices seemed endless to him.

Aleks spotted a group of teenagers that looked to be around his age, joking about and pointing out different stores to each other. He decided to somewhat follow in the direction they were headed, glancing into the windows of each store they would point to. When he found one that really caught his eye, he shuffled in, looking around immediately for something new. Something relatively different from his usual style.

He didn't want to change too much from his general look. He'd grown accustomed to the darker looking clothes over the years and felt that brighter clothes wouldn't do him justice. He did want to at least feel comfortable in the clothes he had to wear. Aleks scanned over each isle, hoping to find something to suit his taste. He tried to buy the least expensive things he could but still wanted them to look good.

The colours of clothes ranged from blues, to greens, to purples, to reds, to blacks. Every colour he could ever imagine was right here in front of his own eyes. Aleks' pupils dilated as he stared in awe. It was all so much different to what he's used to seeing. He rummaged though them all, picking out the ones that really caught his eye.

He carried his newly chosen clothes to the change rooms to see if they looked any better on. The first was a purple printed tee, with a character he recognized as Batman on it. He'd only known the character by seeing young children playing with and talking away about it. He had liked - from all that he'd heard - the sound and look of him. The dark clothes, hidden identity, and all those kind of things. He felt like he, in a way, could relate to that. He smiled slightly at that thought, before continuing on with trying on the rest of his chosen clothes, making sure they were comfortable enough to hide his tail in.

He liked each different set of clothes more than the last. Loving the look of each much better than the plain black or grey clothes he was used to wearing on a daily basis.

He huffed as he added up the prices together, noticing it was going to cost more than what he'd hoped. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He thought.

Aleks quietly ripped the price tags off of some of the shirts, slipping them over his original shirt with his jacket back on over the top. His tail now felt more restrained under the multiple layers and was hurting him greatly. But he knew he had to deal with it it he wanted a place - no matter how crappy it is - to sleep at night. 

He did the same thing with some pairs of boxers and pants. There were still enough as to not draw any suspicion to himself. He nonchalantly walked out of the dressing room and around the store, searching for scissors to cut his hair with. He knew he definitely could not go to a professional. Not with his floppy dog ears. As he thought about his ears his empty hand automatically shot to his beanie, making sure it was positioned without anything showing from atop his head whatsoever. It was a habit for him to make sure everything was correct while in the eyes of the public.

He quickly found scissors, even though they weren't for hair styling purposes, anything would do him justice at that moment. He hastily made his way to a self service checkout, paying for the items he held in his arms. After purchasing the minor amount of items, he dashed for the nearest restroom.

It was surprisingly empty, contrary to what he believed it would be like after seeing the amount of people walking around just outside of the door. He stepped into one of the stalls and immediately began undressing. His tail felt more comfortable and free when all of the unnecessary layers were taken off. The plastic bag of bought clothes hung behind the stall door, waiting to be looked through. Aleks decided to let his tail move freely for once for a while, so he sat in only his boxers on the toilet lid. He had experienced weirder situations than the one he was in currently. To him, this was nothing compared to some of the things he's been through.

He dug through the clothes, finding the scissors right at the bottom of the bag. He pulled his beanie off of his head, running his fingers through his much too long, oily hair. Here goes nothin'. He thought before cutting a section from his over-grown hair to a much shorter length. Aleks cut all around his head blindly, watching as the lengthy strands fell to the ground in big chunks.

Soon enough he had managed to successfully trim all around his head without so much as even nicking his canine ears. Aleks rubbed his hands through his hair at a quickened pace, ridding it of any loose strands. He made sure to find hair products somewhere today. He picked out a fresh set of clothes and pulled his beanie over his newly-cut hair. He made sure his tail was comfortable, secure and hidden, as well as his ears, before taking his bag and walking out of the stall.

Aleks hadn't heard anyone enter, so he wouldn't have to explain all the hair to anyone passing by. He looked himself over in the bathroom's mirror and was astounded to see how different he looked. It was nothing like how his regular self looked, which was a great bonus. And the fact that he now looked somewhat like the people his age also made him feel a little giddy. 

"Woah," he gaped, admiring the look of his new self. "Maybe now I'll actually get a chance to fit in."

He stared in amazement at the distinct difference in himself. He barely recognized his own reflection. And if he surprised himself the  he was bound to fool those chasing him. Maybe now he could relax for a while longer than usual.