Chapter Seven - Quick Change

"There's a shop there," Crystal said as she pointed to the side. The shop in question was on one corner of an intersection. An old brick building that was more of a convenience store than anything else. There were a few ads over the windows, and it looked like a few older ladies were gossiping by the entrance.

"Alright," Alice agreed. She could feel people noticing her and Crystal. There was always a spark of fear, then more curiosity. This was not a place where the unusual was accepted, and both of them were unusual.

It wasn't just their magical girl outfits either, though... Those weren't helping. Her riding uniform was too tight and bright for this kind of environment, and Crystal's puffed out dress was... literally covered in glittery little gems.

Alice always thought that Crystal looked a bit too much like a child dressed up as her favourite princess. Though she did very much fit the image of the classical magical girl from older media.

Alice's darker skin, and Crystal's blonde hair and blue eyes also seemed uncommon here. She noticed a couple of people with hair that was almost ginger, but for the most part it was blacks and browns and dour looks.

They stepped past the old ladies, who paused in their gossipping to stare at the two of them. "Stalkers?" one of the ladies whispered to her companion.

Alice didn't know what that meant, but she filed it away for later. They stepped into the shop, and she was hit by the scent of fresh bread and the sharp tang of detergents.

There were racks of canned foods, a small butcher station at the rear, and a long counter by the front with the cash register and an older man who was looking over a printed list.

Alice tugged Crystal after her. "Maybe not the best place to change in," she said.

"Eh, I kinda wanted to see what they have for sale too," Crystal said.

"Oh?" Alice asked.

"There's soda, but none of the brands I know. No Coca-Cola, no L&P, not even, like, Fanta or Pepsi."

That was a surprisingly astute observation. Alice took note of the cans they were passing. The writing was all local, of course, but more importantly it was all brandless and strange to her. "We are in a different universe," she said.

"I guess," Crystal agreed.

They found a set of double-doors at the back, leading into a small storage room currently filled with large water bottles and a few still-packed crates filled with random supplies.

Alice shut the doors behind herself, then she pressed some magic into the doors. Anyone looking at them would feel a faint foreboding. Anyone thinking of opening them would feel increasing terror the closer they came.

She left it unexplained, without origin. The person's mind would fill in the blanks for the magic. Touching the door would require impossible bravery or incredible idiocy. And in the case of idiocy (which was far more common) she found a bar and slid it between the handles, locking the door properly.

She turned to find that Crystal had taken care of the other exit, erecting a barrier of opaque crystal across the entire doorway.

"Alright, let's get changed," Alice said.

"Wait, here? Like, the t-two of us?" Crystal asked.

"It's not exactly a changing room, but is it that much of a problem? There aren't any cameras, are there?" she glanced around, but saw nothing of the sort. Just in case, she darkened the corners of the room, and the light seeped away, leaving them in a far more intimate amount of light.

"Yeah, I, uh, guess," Crystal said.

"I can turn around," Alice replied.

"That... okay?" Crystal said. "How are we dressing?"

"Ah, that's a good question. I noticed a lot of people on the street in long coats and... almost survival-like gear. Maybe something of that sort?" Alice had an image in mind already.

Crystal gasped. "Can we go full on post-apocalyptic punk?"

"I thought you were warned away from punk already?" Alice asked. Their friend, Phantom Mist, had told Crystal not to try dressing in ways that didn't suit her. And the ways that did suit her were... mostly preppy, bubbly and colourful fashions. Crystal was far too... Crystal to fit the more dour and subdued ways that some of the others liked to dress. "How about you just tone down the dress a little and maybe throw on a jacket? I know asking for pants is too much."

"I've worn pants before," Crystal said. "Under duress."

Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Do you want me to change first, then? You can take cues based on that?"

They had changed to match a little before. Once using a summit at the UN all... well, at the time it was just eight of them, but they'd all dressed in suits and tried to look a little more serious. It was hard to disregard some of the colour choices their magic and costume seemed to veer towards, but it wasn't impossible.

"Okay," Crystal said, her voice cracking a little.

She stared as Alice changed.

It wasn't all that difficult, but it wasn't easy either. She had to focus her magic and will inwards, something that seemed a little... complicated, at the moment. She envisioned herself in something far more utilitarian, and with a shove, she felt her outfit being swallowed by darkness before the black swept away and left her in something entirely new.

Blinking, Alice glanced down at herself, then frowned. She was now in a well-tailored long-coat, one that reached to her knees. She had pants, as was proper. Cargos with several belts tightening them along her legs and large boots for her feet.

The coat was raggedy though, the edges torn, and while nothing was dirty, it all looked worn.

"Oh, I like it," Crystal said with a clap. "Very end-of-the-world-chic!"

"Thank you," Alice said. She stuffed her hands into pockets that weren't there a moment ago, then nodded to Crystal. "Your turn."

"Can... can you turn around?" Alice shrugged and did just that, though she did ignore Crystal's added comment of "You can peek a little if you want."

"I'm good," Alice said.

There was a bright flash that threatened to banish the shadows, then some humming and a few smaller, less-bright flashes as Crystal adjusted things. "Okay, I think this works."

Alice turned and looked Crystal up and down. The shorter girl was still wearing a dress, one that flared out at the hip and only barely covered her knees, but she was also wearing tall, dark-blue boots, and a midriff-jacket that looked like it might have been made of some sort of pale leather.

She had belts on too, with a few pouches around her hips, not too dissimilar to Alice's own. "That... well, it's less distinctive than your previous dress," Alice said.

"Thanks!"

Alice summoned up a pair of dark blue cloaks and tossed one to Crystal. They'd act a bit like hooded ponchos, which might make them stand out a little, but she'd seen a few older women wearing similar outfits outside, so it might not be too bad.

"Snug!" Crystal said as she draped the cloak over herself and pulled it on tight.

Alice reached over and adjusted it on her shoulders, then tugged the hood on, all the while ignoring the blush that painted itself across Crystal's nose. "There you go. You're as pale as everyone else around here, so as long as you disguise your hair, we should be fine."

"Okay," Crystal said. "Should we, uh, go, then?"

Alice nodded, then gestured to the back door. "Want to take that apart?"

Crystal removed the obstruction she'd created, the wall vanishing with a sparkle, then Alice dismissed her own magical barrier, the fear effect undoing itself like a ribbon being tugged apart. The magic would loosen and fall apart in a few minutes, and within an hour or two, there wouldn't even be a lingering doubt left to it.

They opened the backdoor and jumped down to the ground from a truck-loading dock into a narrow alley.

"Are we going to that city hall place?" Crystal asked.

"I suppose. I don't know if we want the help of the local government or not. On the one hand, they'll have resources and information that we lack, but on the other, I don't want us to be beholden to anyone."

"I really hope that Meagan isn't stuck in some top-secret government hole somewhere," Crystal said. "That would suck."

"I don't think so, not with the way this world seems to be. I do wonder what caused all of this. Actually, stopping by a library or something like that wouldn't hurt. Someone must have kept a record of whatever caused the apocalypse."

"I guess? If I was stuck in the end-times, I probably wouldn't bother keeping up my diary."

***