♡ with
Alisa (Cybergirl) and
Aleen'a (Brightheart) ♡
Location: Happy Harbor Mall
Alisa clutched the credit card in her hand like a lifeline. Only some minutes ago, she had been broke, but now she had so much money that she didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe this whole Young Justice thing wouldn’t be so bad- not if they were getting paid this much.
Soon after the bus group had split up, Alisa had made a beeline for the art store, leaving Daphne and Talon to go look for phones and Ja and Kassy to go to the music store. It was a relief to find out that Happy Harbor had a place like this. The art store,
Reflections, seemed to be a small mom-and-pop affair, not something ginormous like a
Michelle’s. Despite its size, it was nice inside. The walls were covered with artwork for sale, the aisles were small and welcoming, and there was even a painting studio. They had had nicer places in San Francisco, but this place was still quiet and artsy, and that was all Alisa could really ask for. Melodic music played in the background as people browsed in the shop. Alisa browsed through quietly, one of three people in the store. She had picked out paints, paintbrushes, a sketchbook, colored pencils, canvases, and an easel for herself. She was ready to go. Humming to herself happily, she went up to the cashier and presented her things.
It took a moment to bag and ring it all up, but it was quick, and soon Alisa had left the store. Now, she was carrying three bags of art supplies, and she had no idea where to go. Anxiety nibbled at her. It didn’t look like anyone else was around. Shopping alone in a strange city didn’t sound too appealing to her, and it seemed that everyone had already gone their own ways.
Maybe I can try to find one of the girls or Viktor? She had wanted to introduce herself to Aleen’a earlier, but hadn’t gotten the chance. Maybe she should try to find her.
Alisa wandered about the mall for a few minutes, craning her head, trying to find someone else. It couldn’t be that hard to find one of 10 teenagers in the mall but, unfortunately, they seemed to have come at peak shopping time, and it was crowded.
Finally, Alisa sighted a familiar red head of hair in the crowd and smiled. That had to be Aleen’a! She pushed through the crowd to get to the other girl, who was window-shopping happily.
“Aleen’a! Hey!” Alisa tapped her on the shoulder and smiled.
“We didn’t get the chance to talk earlier. I’m Alisa Fields- or, like, Cybergirl or whatever. I’m on the team with you. It’s really nice to meet you.” Alisa extended her hand for a handshake.
Aleen’a was thrilled the entire trip on her riding the human-made vehicle called jeep with her friends. It’s much more comfortable and relaxing than flying. Sure, she could probably have much more leeway in sight-seeing and getting to her destination at her own pace but she didn’t enjoy the various little bugs that kept being crushed on her face whenever she didn’t fly high enough. It’s one of the things that she didn’t like about Earth like those humans who would discriminate against their own kind if they didn’t pass their standards and also pineapples (its many eyes creep her out).
As far as Aleen’a knew, humans were aware of the existence of aliens ever since Superman’s introduction to the world and the formation of the Justice League. Aleen’a was also aware that the aliens were met with mixed reactions from the humans as well. Some welcomed them with open arms while others weren’t as welcoming. Nowadays, people would just treat them as they would any other of their fellow human beings but of course those lingering stares will always be there. It took some time to get used to and it was thanks to Koriand’r for helping her with it too. Aleen’a would just give them a wave and a warm smile. Sometimes they’d smile back but sometimes they won’t; either way, life went on for everyone.
It seemed that everyone went their separate ways upon arriving at the mall which made Aleen’a a bit sad but she understood her fellow teammates’ needs of exploring on their own. She honestly didn’t have any idea of what she wanted to buy yet so Aleen’a decided to take a look around. Again, she could feel some people looking at her but she was used to it. It made her feel like those famous human actors. What were they called? Ah yes, seller breetees.
She happened upon a poster of a human model that wore the store’s clothes. All these models looked the same to Aleen’a no matter their skin color. They all had well-defined cheekbones, structured jawlines, and they all looked so somber and wistless. Wouldn’t they be supposed to be smiling with happiness on wearing such beautiful and expensive clothing?
Aleen’a perked up at the sound of a familiar voice and was delighted to see one of her teammates. Alisa extended her hand for a handshake and the Tamaranean happily shook her hand.
”It is of much pleasure to meet you, Alisa! I am always feel so full of joy upon making new friends. There are many people here at the mall as well so it is a relief in one’s eyes on seeing a familiar face. Have you already buyed your favored item?Alisa returned a firm handshake. Aleen’a’s enthusiasm was contagious, and she felt her grin growing by the moment. What a breath of fresh air this girl was from the rest of the seemingly moody team! The other girl’s grammar was a bit strange, but she couldn’t judge- she came from an alien planet!
“Thank you! I have a feeling we’re going to be good friends,” she told Aleen’a before returning her hand to her side. She gestured to the bags at her side at Aleen’a’s question.
“I went to the art store and got some things. I, um, like to paint and draw in my spare time.”Alisa took note of Aleen’a’s few bags and raised an eyebrow.
“Have you not bought anything yet? I think we’ve had some time… do you need help deciding?” ”Oh my, I am eager to learn more about the art of Earth. I do not understand it but it is still very interesting for me.” Aleen’a said. She didn’t know what to make of Alisa. She looked human but at the same time, she was getting a weird vibe from her. She had no idea who these people were and what they’re capable of and the only clue as to what kind of person or hero they’ll be was with their chosen hero name. Aleen’a knew the term ‘cyber’ pertains to any technology. Perhaps Alisa was a human who was proficient with technology?
She looked at the bags she had with her and compared them to the many bags Alisa had before sheepishly laughing.
”I am used to Kori always helping me on where to go and what to buy when we are shopping. I will appreciate your help, yes!” She excitedly said and went beside Alisa.
”I am thinking of buying clothes and I really need a human to help me decide what is appropriate. It does seem like you are the perfect candidate for it!” She cheerfully said with a giggle.
Alisa giggled right back, not really feeling like correcting her. She wasn’t entirely human, but she was an emulation of one. That counted! Alisa took Aleen’a’s arm in hers and started to walk towards what looked like a women’s clothing store.
“Kori… that’s Starfire, right? She’s so cool. You implied that she was your cousin earlier. It must be awesome to be related to someone like that.” Out of the little superhero news Alisa had seen before all this, Starfire had been one of the heroes who stuck out to her the most. She was strange and kind and inhuman and beautiful, but she wasn’t about to tell Aleen’a that she thought her cousin was hot.
“I’m not too good at clothes shopping either. My… well, my parents used to always go with me, so this is my first time shopping by myself too. But we can help each other! And have fun, of course. That store looks like it has cute dresses.” She pointed to the store they were walking to.
Aleen’a eagerly nodded.
”Koriand’r is Tamaran’s pride and joy. She did not give up on us in our time of need and she is always there for her people and homeland even when she is lightyears away. Like how Earth have its own national heroes like the Justice League, Kori is Tamaran’s own hero as well.” She said as the two women walked side by side. Alisa could feel how happy and proud Aleen’a was towards her cousin. The Tamaranean saw the shop Alisa was pointing at and she marvelled at how pretty the selection was on its window displays.
”Oh my, they are indeed of the cute variety. Come, let’s go have fun!” Aleen’a said and giggled as she excitedly pulled Alisa to the store.
Sure enough, the store had lots of cute clothes to choose from. It’s mostly modern and preppy but there’s still a variety of different fashion choices for everybody.
”Alisa, this looks all amazing!” Aleen’a exclaimed, marvelling at the rack of clothes nearest to her.
”So many choices… What shall we try first?”“I’d love to hear more about Tamaran, if you’d want to tell me. It sounds super interesting!” Once they got into the store,Alisa looked around at all the options, trying to disguise her own amazement. There was so much! And to think she could buy anything she wanted… There were dresses, jeans, shirts, tank tops, swimsuits, shoes, and other various trinkets in the store.
“I don’t really know where to start… maybe we should just pick out clothes that we think are nice and try them on and show each other?” That was how Alisa had seen things like this done in movies, anyways.
“You know your size at least, right? Like, small, medium, large...””Size… Oh yes, I believe I am somewhat in the middle of medium and large on Earth terms. And indeed, I will be more than happy to tell you about my home planet!” Aleen’a said to Alisa with a warm smile.
”Good thing you are here, friend. All these various beautiful selections can whelm me in a very over way!” She excitedly exclaimed, eyes already scanning the numerous racks of clothing available. There were also some women shopping for clothes as well and Aleen’a saw a woman with numerous shopping bags like Alisa pick out a shopping cart and put her stuff on it. She got the idea and quickly got one for themselves.
”Your bags must be heavy, Alisa. Put your things here so it will be easier for us to shop for cute and beautiful clothes.” “Thanks! They’re not very heavy, but having my hands free will come in handy.” Alisa put her bags in the cart gently. They were in fact heavy, but certainly not for her. Any human without enhanced strength would have had a difficult time lifting them, considering there was an easel in those bags, but Alisa seemed to lift them without an issue.
“I’ll take the cart. We can go around, pick out cute clothes and shoes and things, and then we’ll meet at the dressing room in 25 minutes to try stuff on. Okay?” Alisa took the cart from Aleen’a and cast her gaze around the room, steadfastly ignoring the swimsuit section. Dresses first.
”Okie donkey!” Aleen’a cheerfully agreed to Alisa. She first heard this term from a 90’s TV ‘seat-calm’ show when she was checking out Earth’s media months before she even heard of the Justice League forming another team full of young aspiring heroes. As her seemingly human friend and her parted ways, it gave Aleen’a the chance to check out the store for herself too. She went to the shirts section and marvelled at the diversity of the designs before her. Some were plain and in different colors, some had funny prints on them, some had graphic designs, and some had various patterns like floral and whatnot. Her interest got piqued by the sweatshirts and cardigans, loving how they looked as well as how comfortable they were to the touch. She began collecting the things she liked, imagining how they would look like together based on her taste and what passed in human standards.
Meanwhile, Alisa browsed around the clothing store. She made her way methodically through the racks and displays, searching for anything that struck her fancy. She ended up picking out a
lot of clothing. Colorful dresses, shirts, and a few pairs of jeans and shorts ended up in the cart.
Does Aleen’a know her jean size? She pondered as she browsed through the spare stacks of petite jeans (Alisa had been cursed to be short and, unfortunately, there was no chance of her growing naturally). If she didn’t, she would surely need to figure it out.
Alisa also grabbed a few pairs of shoes: cute sandals, boots, and a pair of black flats. She went undisturbed while shopping. A lone teenage girl wasn’t a strange sight in the mall at this time of year. She relished the invisibility. Plus, the ability to choose whatever she wanted! Alisa’s style, she found, was very colorful; it was loud and bohemian.
When she ended up at the dressing rooms exactly 25 minutes later, she had collected an array of clothing that had caught her eye in the store. She glanced around for Aleen’a, prepared to start trying on clothing. It had been 25 minutes, so the other girl should be there soon.
"Hello again Alisa!" Aleen'a greeted her friend at the dressing rooms after she got what she wanted. Like Alisa, the Tamaranean also had a lot of stuff she wanted to try out. Her fashion taste was very that of today, typical of an alien wanting to blend in on Earth based on its current time period. They're almost all pastel colored as well with her choices consisting mostly of chic crop tops, sweaters, and shorts. Thanks to Koriand'r, Aleen'a knew what her sizes were in Earth standards though there'll still be a chance she won't get her exact size.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have paid Aleen'a any mind so she was able to shop at peace. It looked like all the women shopping here were more focused on clothing than an alien among them. Either way, Aleen'a was brimming with joy and excitement.
"I cannot wait to try them all out! Oh and you have picked very cute selections as well." She said as she took a quick look at Alisa's things.
"Now we will try them on and show what we got to each other, yeah? Oh, this is so exciting! I will take the stall next to you." Indeed, two stalls were free after a few minutes which was perfect for the two ladies.
“Alright!” Alisa replied, chipper, and lifted her clothes into the stall next to Aleen’a’s.
Aleen'a got into the stall and closed it. She was giggling with excitement as she was trying out the clothes she got. She mixed and matched them until she managed to get some outfits she thought would be very pretty. She tried them on and went out to show it to Alisa.
"Is it good?" Aleen'a asked Alisa as she twirled around to show the latter her outfit. It was a white long-sleeved turtleneck that showed her midriff with ripped mini-denim shorts and a pink bomber jacket.
While Aleen’a was dressing up, Alisa took the liberty of stepping into her own stall and wriggling out of her own clothes and into a red maxi dress. She frowned, looking at herself in the mirror. Red wasn’t exactly her color, and the dress was
way too long. If she had been Aleen’a’s height, she could’ve pulled it off, but as it was… well, there was definitely not supposed to be a train there.
Definitely not a good pick. Why did they have to make me this short? An inch or two extra couldn’t have been that more expensive in materials… Still, Alisa exited the stall and twirled around, showing Aleen’a her dress.
“Looking good! Try the jacket with something else, though- it doesn’t look good with the sweater. Maybe a tank top?” Alisa suggested. Despite her desire to make others happy, she had a tendency to be very honest about her thoughts.
“I’m not getting this dress. I’m way too short for it.” She huffed and tugged on the train that was definitely not supposed to be a train.
“So, what do people on Tamaran wear? I know you get powers from the sun. Do you- do you wear clothes? Do you guys have clothing stores like this?” A color came to Alisa’s cheeks.
"Oh, I see. Will try out your suggestion." Aleen'a nodded in understanding and threw her jacket back into her stall.
"Indeed, the dress does seem to not fit you but good thing you are small. It looks like human female clothes are more made to fit small, skinny humans like you, Alisa. They claimed some of the clothes I really liked did not have sizes that fit me. As one would say, such a bummer." She sighed sadly.
She was still out of her stall with Alisa and was looking at what she picked, thinking about what kind of crop top went best with the jacket, when Alisa asked Aleen'a questions about her people's fashion.
"We also have many clothing and accessory stores in Tamaran. Our main color is violet but some of us like me like to wear different colors from time to time. It is, as humans say, to put spices onto things." Aleen'a continued as she picked a crop top with a NASA logo on it.
"Unlike Earth, we embrace nudity and the beauty of the physical body although we also prefer if you wear clothes for common decency of course. As for our clothing, we like to show off our bodies whenever we can. Most of our clothes consist of ones where we show off our legs and arms, sometimes even a part of our chest and most of our midriff. It is to let us absorb our stars' rays as much as we can while also being decent. If humans would visit Tamaran someday, one would definitely say our people are scantily clad."“Ah. That’s very interesting! Thanks for answering my question.” Alisa supposed it was slightly ridiculous that she expected Tamarans to go naked, but their interesting biology would make their culture around clothing different.
“Lucky for you, crop tops are fashionable right now, so it probably won’t be too hard of a transition!” She laughed at her own statement and then grabbed a tank top and a pair of shorts to try on.
In the changing room, she took off the dress and put on the blue tank top and denim shorts. Again, she frowned in the mirror. It was a cute tank top, but, like a lot of women’s clothing, it did something strange in the back. Its back was open- instead of fabric, there were strings of fabric, showing off nearly Alisa’s entire back. Including the access panels there. Screws were visible, something out of place on any human’s back.
She kind of wanted to change back, but decided to go out and show Aleen’a anyways.
“I like the front, but it’s really weird in the back… the shorts are nice, though. What do you think?”"That is very glad to hear! Human crop tops are too modest for Tamaranean standards anyway." Aleen'a giggled as they both got into their stalls. While Alisa was trying out her crop top, Aleen'a instead found some different clothes to wear instead. She opted on a pink sweater and paired it with a white skirt with flower prints on it. This one was
definitely modest for her people alright.
She went out to find Alisa wearing a crop top.
"That is a cute look on you! Let me see the bac- Oh." Aleen'a went around Alisa to see how she looked like from the back and was surprised with what she saw.
"What are these strange metal objects on your back, Alisa?" She asked. It reminded her of a Leaguer named Cyborg she saw back at the war, he's human but technology had integrated itself into his body, making him part robot.
"A-Alisa, are you also not-human?" She asked in awe and confusion.
“Um.” Alisa crossed her arms over herself.
“They’re screws?” she said, hoping that would explain it. It did not. She sighed, and launched into an explanation. This part was always so awkward! Hopefully her teammates would stop asking so many questions soon.
“Yeah. I’m not really human. I look like one and act like one, but I’m really an android. That pretty much means I’m an entirely synthetic or artificial being. A computer in a metal body. I could be compared to Cyborg, if you’re familiar with him, but he’s partially human and I never was. He’s the one who brought me into this whole Justice League thing, actually!” Alisa peered at Aleen’a for a reaction after her spiel.
“Does that answer your question? I know it can be sorta confusing.”Aleen’a blinked a few times at Alisa after she explained what she was. That actually explained a lot about her confusions about her friend. A robotic machine capable of human emotions and rational thinking, a metallic being that had a consciousness, and
this was a creation of the humans? Aleen’a knew of the humans’ resourcefulness and intelligence but she never thought they would be this marvelous.
It did take Aleen’a a few moments to understand what Alisa explained but in the end, the Tamaranean gave her a warm smile and a big hug.
"Friends come in all shapes and sizes, tastes and smells. Your creators have blessed you with the gift of life just as our goddess blessed us with good health and fortune. I am proud and blessed that I am able to have a friend like you.” She kindly said to Alisa while hugging her.
"Also, the crop top’s back is not so much cute-looking.” Alisa laughed, relieved, and returned the hug in full squeezing force. Yet again, she was struck by how kind and accepting some of her teammates were in terms of her origins. Being an android wasn’t a horrible thing, but many who met her were slow to accept and understand that something like her could exist, could be a person of their own. Had she been wrong to believe she would unsettle them? It seemed like she had. To them, she wasn’t human, but she was certainly a person. It was a good feeling, a warm feeling. It had only been a week, and yet her teammates were being so friendly to her. Aleen’a was even calling her a friend, and they had only met today!
She separated herself from the hug, perhaps a bit too late for comfort.
“Thanks, friend,” she told Aleen’a.
“This top is terrible, you’re right. I’m not buying this. I have like 10 other tops to try on, though. I’m sure something else won’t have the back torn off it.” With a wry smile, Alisa went back into the dressing room.
Aleen’a nodded as Alisa went back to her stall. She was glad to have learned something new about one of her friends and she thought it would be a great start for them to be closer together as well. While she had no experience on being friends with an android before, she thought that it would just be the same as a regular human, just that they’re a robot and not a human altogether. Nevertheless, Aleen’a was thrilled to have such a diverse set of people she could call friends. It made her even more excited to get to know the others too!
"Take your time, friend! I have many clothes I would like to try on as well!” She said to Alisa as she went back to her own dressing room. She admired herself in the mirror and really liked the outfit she had on right now so she decided to add them to what she wanted to buy. She then hopped on to the next mixing and matching of the clothes to find what worked well together. Most she didn’t like but she did find some clothing that she found really cute and pretty.
After a few outfits of varying success, Alisa came out wearing a dusty red-colored long-sleeved romper. She twirled around in the mirror.
“I like this,” she declared. It did look good on her. Maybe it would look even better with boots or sandals? Maybe some sunglasses and earrings too…
“So, Aleen’a… do you have any hobbies? Stuff you like to do when you’re not fighting or training?” Alisa belatedly checked the price tag on the outfit.
“If you’re looking for an example, I draw!”Aleen’a tried out a bunch of outfits she thought looked cute on her and came out wearing white linen trousers and a printed strapless crop top. She loved how light and comfortable it was for her. Plus, she could absorb as much ultraviolet rays while wearing decent clothing in human standards so all was well.
"Hobbies… Well, Kori introduced me to writing and I do keep a book of notes in my room where I write whatever I want on it. I also love eating, it is one of my most favorite of hobbies! Oh, that looks cute on you!” Aleen’a praised Alisa when she saw her outfit.
"Putting more accessories on it will make it even more cuter. Also, you say you draw? As in, you make art? That is indeed super cool! Why have your hobby to be drawing? What is it about that you found a liking in?”Alisa shrugged and turned to face Aleen’a. She hadn’t thought much about
why she liked to draw- she just did it.
“It’s just nice to make something, I guess,” she answered.
“Like... those jeans you saw me wearing? The flower ones? I painted those yesterday. I just like how they look.” Alisa tried on a pair of dark sunglasses and laughed
at herself in the mirror. She looked like Talon when she wore those- dark, edgy, and mysterious. She put them down. That wasn’t really her vibe.
“If you like eating so much, what’s your favorite food? I bet food on Tamaran is very different.”"You made that? Oh, that is so pretty! I really like how they looked too!" Aleen'a excitedly said as she put on these black-colored shoes called boots on. It made her much taller than she already was but it also added so much more to her outfit too.
"Creating things is a very happy and rewarding experience so it is no wonder you find joy and fulfillment with it too. As for food, we also have the same basis like here on Earth. We have certain types of food we like to eat with soup, some fried, and some baked. Koriand'r introduced me to all-you-can-eat buffets and these restaurants called Korya-no, er, Korean! Yes, Korean unlimited barbecue. Also, peanut butter pizza is very wonderful too! What food do you like to eat, Alisa?""I can taste, but I don't actually need to eat anything to survive, so food sort of loses its oomph for me, if that makes sense," Alisa explained, but then quirked a smile.
"But I love sweets! Have you had ice cream yet? Oooh, ooh, or a frappuccino from Stardollars? They are so good." "Oh yes, sweets! I love ice cream especially that one called, uh, tiramisu! It is the perfect blend of sweetness and bitterness for me. I can't get enough of it!" Aleen'a excitedly said before picking a white coat from her selected clothes and put it on to see if it looks good with her outfit.
"Frapuchee-no, fraphu… Ugh, I cannot ever say that name right. Me and Kori do not like going to that cafe. We cannot pronounce those drinks with such complex names and whatever we got was oftentimes too bitter or too weird-tasting. We do like some of their snacks though too bad they do not serve ice cream.""Oh, too bad! The frappuccinos are so good. I don't really like the bitter ones either- apparently the bitter tasting stuff is coffee. Humans like it because it energizes them. I don't really get the point, though." It was true- caffeine did nothing for Alisa, although she liked the taste of the things put in it.
"We should totally take the team out for ice cream sometime! It would be so fun. It might even cheer up some of the moody ones." Alisa stuck out her tongue playfully at no one in particular.
Aleen'a agreed on what Alisa said about caffeine as her kin relied on ultraviolet radiation for energy. She did try to drink coffee with Koriand'r once and they both weren't able to sleep a wink later that night. Aleen'a giggled at what Alisa said about ice creams and cheering up the moody ones in their team too.
"I sure do hope so. If not, I'm sure peanut butter on pizza could work too!" She said.
"I'm gonna go and try something else on. See you in a minute!" She walked back into the dressing room, a skip in her step.
Aleen'a was admiring her outfit on the mirror and eagerly nodded at Alisa as she went back to the dressing room. Aleen'a returned to hers and tried out some more clothes too. She would often show Alisa her outfits and listen to her suggestions and ideas about them. Aleen'a also liked how small most of Earth's accessories were as compared to those of Tamaran. They were simple-looking but they added very fine details to the outfits. Some outfits don't even need accessories which she learned as well.
After a long time of trying out new clothes, Aleen'a had finally chosen the ones she liked the most out of all she picked out for herself.
"Alisa, I will be waiting for you outside, okay? Please take as much time as you need!" She called out to her friend as she went out with the clothes she liked separated from those she didn't. She had the grandest time doing it with such a joyful friend like Alisa and she was already looking forward to spending more time with her in the future too. That got her thinking: who else could she bond with next?
Soon after, Alisa left the dressing room with her picks. She had a good collection now. Much better than the few things hanging in her closet back at base! Quickly, she paid for the clothing at the register and had it bagged and then went out to join Aleen’a.
She left the store with two more bags than she had started with, grinning from ear to ear. It had been so much fun to shop with Aleen’a!
“Thanks for helping me pick out all these clothes, Aleen’a. It was really nice to talk to you.” “I think I’m gonna go and shop around for some room decorations and stuff, though. I’ll see you later!” Alisa turned to go, walking to where a lot more stores were.
That was successful! Aleen’a and her, at least, seemed to have a lot in common. Hopefully making friends with the rest of the team would be just as easy.
Stern Algorithm
The Irish Tree
princess
Hitman
Rabidporcupine
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Creative Chaos
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shylarah
