[Deleted]

There's always a bigger fish to fry, always a bigger man to fight, always a larger continent to suplex. In Morgan's case, that bigger continent was to get to understand the boy he'd met a few days prior, whom he'd become quite attached to, hell, even considered a little brother by many accounts. 

That continent is now airborne, metaphorically speaking.

He'd sent an invitation several hours ago to Copen after hearing he'd been released from the hospital, in order to get him moving again, and hopefully to get the kid some digs. You can't go wowing the girls with a set of pink and white armor that's been broken and beaten to all hell. Morgan knew, and thankfully not from personal experience. That was neon green and bright orange. That was beside the point. The point was, here Morgan stood, a leg crossed over the other, arms folded as he leaned coolly in the shade of the awning that the mall had so generously stretched on this otherwise cool day. Perhaps its location nestled in the heart of the Life Sphere brought that artificial heat to this centralized spot? Not that Morgan could piece that together in his addled, crippled brain. He just knew that the sun was out and standing in the warmth was gonna hurt. A little, that was, not too much. He could handle a little sun.

"Where's the little goober?"

[Glimmericious]

"C'mon, boss!  You said you'd go, so you can't let yourself be late!"  Morgan might be able to find his answers from a Lola yelling in the distance, noticeably floating above everything and actually beaming, waiting for her creator to come around a corner.

After the showdown with Zero and Lumine yesterday, which Copen had only entered on the tail-end of and yet still had still been forced to use Anthem, because Glim has godawful luck Lumine had been a bigger problem than he'd envisioned.  Lola's analysis hadn't been too useful against an opponent didn't use a Septima - and that meant that Copen had more work to do if he was going to adapt to living and fighting here.

If it were up to Copen, he'd be taking care of that right now, busying himself making up for his shortcomings.  But instead, a bit after he'd been released to go do his own thing, he'd received an invitation to hang out from Morgan.  He'd been prepared to decline, to return to the grind, as it was - but Lola answered for him.

"Sorry, but I'm making an executive decision here!  You need friends, and you do that by hanging out with people."

Tragic.

He could've corrected Lola and all and responded to Morgan, but he felt like it'd be really rude to get Morgan's hopes up and then crush them.  So, he put on his grey-and-pink armor, and made his way out to the mall.

"This is how fast I've always walked, Lola... You're just too used to how fast we move when we Bullit Dash all over the place like maniacs."  Copen attempted to appease the Lola, and continued moving at his own pace, in spite of Lola's objections.

...She was always like this, encouraging him over menial things.  It was less of an issue when the only people around were enemies, but now that he was in a populated area, it was a little embarrassing...

Nonetheless, Copen would make his way up to the mall, and he'd consider peeking inside the mall - Morgan was a vampire, right?  He'd probably be waiting inside, out of the sun... and he'd be right, catching Morgan in the shade.

"Uh... Hey."  Copen tried his best.  Lola, meanwhile, gave a huffy sigh, and elaborated further.

"Sorry that the boss is late!  He's all worried about breaking windows and stuff if he Bullit Dashes through the city, although I told him it'd be fine."

∙∙∙

Status: "Shopping... why, exactly?" "Because it's fun!  We never go shopping!"

[Deleted]

A beaming, fang-filled grin comes from the vampire as he sees the snowy-haired lad come rolling around the corner alongside his adorable little ball friend. These two had quickly found a place in his heart, even if they hadn't noticed yet. Morgan was excited to see the young fella prepared to brave the new frontier of shopping with him in order to get some new digs. Thankfully those magic something-or-others had taken care of that pesky toad on the segway here a few weeks ago, so it was going to be just fine now. 

Morgan finally responds after a moment of near daydreaming.

"Sup, little man? Sup, Lolakins? We ready to get some new digs for the champ here?"

Morgan, after saying this, playfully elbows at Copen. He was the champ, he'd fought that massive threat, and this was the least Morgan could do to make him feel like he'd earned something good. He just wanted the young fella to feel like he belonged at the very least. It was evident by his actions, and by how standoffish he'd been, that Copen (at least to Morgan) probably wasn't entirely at-home in a foreign world.

With that, Morgan waves Copen and Lola on in, holding the door as the sprawling floors of the mall became open to the trio. Stores of many varieties were around. Jewelers, game stores, collectibles (of which had been allegedly cleaned out again by an electrical catwoman), and even a smith! Though Morgan had his sights set onward, knowing where the stores in question he wanted to visit had been located. The clothiers and tailors were just down and to the right, but there wasn't anything wrong with a few detours along the way, right? A good way to get to know Copen would just be to spend time around the would-be little brother.

"First time in a mall, Copen? I mean like, that's not tryna kill you n stuff?" Morgan at least recalled some of Copen's background that he divulged. Ruined world where everything wanted you dead or worse. "'Cause when it's not trying to, man, it's like, amazing."

[Glimmericious]

Copen raised an eyebrow.  Hang on, why was he 'little man' while Lola was 'Lolakins'?  That felt a little demeaning - but then again, he probably just wasn't used to having nicknames, so he shrugged it off for the time being.

"Heck yeah!  Boss even told me that he was looking forward to it."  ...A lie from Lola, most definitely, but Copen wasn't going to correct her.  This was kind of how she always was, letting him fumble his way around social situations besides her attempts to smooth things over where possible.  It was a little awkward to imagine him being that excited for a social gathering, but Copen trusted that Lola was just trying to help.

Wherever Morgan playfully elbowed Copen, Copen would feel like solid steel, whether he was elbowed in the armor or not, but Copen didn't particularly seem to mind.

"About this outfit thing..." Copen had his own concerns, though, and so he'd address them as they walked in.  "Is it really that good of an idea?  Just yesterday there was a powerful opponent that could've hurt a lot of people... I'm a lot less capable without this stuff on." He was capable without it, but couldn't use Bullit Dashes or Prevasion.  "If something happens, it's important that I'm prepared for battle."

...Hence why he had been wearing his armor most of the time for about 100 years now.

Lola, though, puffed her cheeks and gave Copen an exasperated stare.  "Boss, you can take a day off without the armor and wear something comfortable for once.  This isn't the same as before, y'know?"

...Copen just gave a defeated sigh.  Seemed he wouldn't press the point.  In response to Morgan, though:

"Uh, something like that... When I was younger, I could've gone to a mall, but I had other concerns at the time."  Mytyl and 'KILL ALL ADEPTS, GRRRRRRR!'

The latter felt so pointless and silly in retrospective.

"It's not that there weren't shopping centers anymore - the Adepts could use malls and whatnot normally while the Minos had to set up their own establishments to survive - but I wasn't really welcome to either.  This is a new experience."  He'd have to take Morgan's word for it, as far as it being 'amazing'.  Something he'd have to see for himself.

∙∙∙

Status: "You're thinking too hard about all of this, boss!" "You think so...?"

[Deleted]

"Bro, you could have a whole, like, cool-guy transformation. Do a bunch of poses and strike all sorts of cool stances. Be like, 'I am Copen, the savior of this ruined world, prepare to have your teeth kicked in! Transform! Hyaaah!~' and turn into like, what you got now." Morgan idly fantasized while they strode forward across the multitude of women's clothing stores and junk-venues. Man, they really catered to the girls, huh? Morgan is, more than once, likely seen peering in as they walked by. Browsing for someone else? Probably not, Morgan's just strange. Regardless, the vampire seems to be taking a scenic route, despite trying to find this store to begin with.

Morgan ponders that last bit. Adepts sounded... something like a similar point of vampires at the end-game of his own world's story. An oppressed class that rose up to defy their rulers, and hell, it may even be the entire world at stake in a way to look at it. Morgan, though, felt a twang of sadness hearing the boy's story. "Well, you're welcome here. Trust me, if they let me walk in, they're not gonna mind you, broseph ballin." ...That was a new nickname as well. Morgan seemed to keep coming up with these. They continued their walk, unless Copen had an objection to their direction. As they stride (or stop if needed), Morgan asks a very pertinent and serious question, despite the phrasing.

"So what sorta digs you think Copen could rock, Lo-to-the-flow? I'm thinkin' something thin on the legs, but baggy on the top. Y'know, like the skater vibes."