A Day Spent Any Other Way

Leo was not in the mood for another day off, but Tiam insisted that they go and have some rest, relaxation or both. That in turn meant that they wouldn't be resting at all, but be out doing something that would make Leo tired and just plain annoyed. This was not the time to be shopping for new things, let alone learning to shop in a world without money.

They walked amongst street vendors and big stores–all wooden buildings lit with crystals that never had a matching twin. The people who ran them were not people at all, but the same ornate looking automatons that worked within the colosseum. Leo hadn't noticed until now that they were rather eerie to look at. Their movements could range from completely robotic to fluid and natural. If one ever approached him with its metal covered, he would assume it was a human like himself.

He met eyes with one of them, or at least its featureless face was looking in his direction.

He gave the being a nod.

It nodded back.

Crap.

Leo sped up behind Tiam to find them waltzing into a store full of bright clothing, all fashion that seemed a bit excessive for fighting in a colosseum. 'We don't need to buy new things when we have wardrobes that give us what we want,' he complained for only the third time since they set out. He didn't get a response for a while, as Tiam was pulling a long-sleeved backless top from a high hanging rack. They levitated a foot off the ground just to get at the piece.

'Leo darling,' Tiam said mid-pivot. They swung, holding the clothing up to their chest and raised an eyebrow. 'Me? No? Maybe?'

Leo didn't have to think too hard–it was teal so of course it would suit Tiam. It also looked very similar to what Tiam already wore into the arena, so the purchase was a bit pointless. 'It's very you,' Leo sighed.

Tiam hummed a sweet tune and folded the top in their arms. 'To answer your question–sure, there are nice things we can get from our wardrobe, but these purchases are ours.'

'Ours?'

'Yes, the clothes from our wardrobes aren't ours to keep. They are almost like a part of the colosseum, so they can't leave. We can take anything we purchase home, however.' Tiam gave Leo a doubletake before laughing. 'You realise not everyone stays in the colosseum to the end, right? Some people come here and then leave when they feel that they gained what they needed from the experience.'

'Isn't the point getting to the end?' Leo asked.

'Not quite.' A new figure emerged from a dressing room. Raphael was dressed in white baggy pants with a loose-fitting white shirt over the top. He adjusted the sleeves and gave a satisfied nod. Instead of his white cap that kept his disguise, he had a white circlet banding around his forehead. He seemed rather elvish now.

'This place is primarily for entertainment, so I don't see why people would be stopped when they want to leave. If they're not giving the fights their all, it's just torture. Mind you, the demons would love it if that were the case.' Raphael did a small spin and looked to Leo like he would give some sort of approval. Leo just nodded, but then gestured for Raphael to continue. 'Additionally, the more people leave, the less chance of someone strong staying and making it to the end. I believe that the colosseum might lose its purpose when someone finally makes it.' Raphael vanished back into the change room. Leo searched for Tiam, but they had completely disappeared as well.

This was great and all, but Leo still couldn't quite put together why he hadn't seen people walking around Heaven with anything other than white robes. Also, how was anyone supposed to just return to simple bliss after coming here? Was their memory just erased?

'Shop around, dear Leo.' Tiam's voice emanated from behind a drape in another change room. They emerged with the top from before on them. Leo had to admit that it looked good on Tiam–something about the tight fit accentuating their androgyny. 'Make use of all that Niquat you've built up. You don't have to buy clothing either, there are plenty of decorations or trinkets. There's even some basic support gear and armour for fighting.'

Leo stared off into space.

'You don't know what Niquat is, do you?' Raphael emerged from his changeroom. This time, he was dressed in a long white robe with intricate raised floral patterns across it. The collar splayed outwards in silver curls of fabric, like a deer's horns. Now he really looked elvish. He exchanged an approving smile with Tiam, and they both looked to Leo for more confirmation.

'You both look great.' Leo sat on a stool and rested his head in his hands. 'No, what's Niquat?'

'Simple.' Raphael held his hands out to Leo's Key, guiding him into its menus. 'That number near the top, right beside the bronze plate for your rank, is basically how much money you have.' The number 1,000,340H gave Leo a bit of a shock. That couldn't have been much in this currency–he'd barely been here a week. Leo kept it to himself that he originally thought the money was like experience points, telling him when he would reach the next rank.

'Mierda,' Leo whispered to himself. 'Fine, I'll go shopping for a bit. Enjoy your fashion show.' He stood and stomped to the door. This was not the time to being having a leisurely stroll–he needed to get back into the colosseum and work towards silver rank.

'Raphael, I won't lie,' Tiam began as their voice faded behind Leo along with the shop. 'You look like you belong in Lord of the R–'

Leo turned a corner and came to another long string of shops. Nice food was on offer, so he found a place that sold the spiciest looking curries and picked one up. It cost 230H, which gave him a good idea of what the money was like here. It took a few minutes for him to learn how to pay, which required him to manually subtract the amount from his Key menu with a pinching gesture.

He strolled through the shops, completely unsure of what to get. Then he spied a pretty looking necklace in a shop window. It was simple, and had a brilliant little opal in the center of its silver ringed pendant.

'Shopping for Hazel are you, or did you suddenly decide you're a silver jewellery guy now?'

What? Who in this entire afterlife knew about Hazel? Leo turned to find a man with braided brown hair and dark–almost black–eyes. He wore only a navy-coloured jacket and tight black pants. A pair of golden bands were strapped around his ankles and wrists, like some kind of bound genie from movies. His exposed chest had a golden chain and the word death tattooed on his skin with a dragon clinging to it.

'Harvey?'