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Jerry stared at his closet.

It was a sad, empty sort of space. At least three different grey, cheap jumpsuits from the Deus quartermaster hung there, with his plant-gook cleaned nice brown suit, and enough shirts and vests to count on one hand.

He closed the closet door again, trudging his way to the bathroom to wash up a bit. His reflection stared back at him, tired-eyed behind it's mop of hair and scars and heavy glasses. He used to like the face that smiled back. What had changed?

Besides the fact it took a lot more effort for the face to smile, that is.

Maybe Sasha was right. Candace and Jordan had both tried their best to encourage his wardrobe expansion, but he had always fallen back on what was easy. and simple and felt right. Nothing felt right anymore. His bright shirts were getting worn down. Their colors fading, their humors muted and boring.

He stood up straighter, glaring at the man glaring back in the mirror. He tried to strike a cool-guy pose. He pulled his hair back, taming it quickly with an elastic. A lot of the other guys had grown their hair out- Some had even come with it so long it was down to their ankles- Even Harrison had grown his rat tail. How come he got teased? Maybe he needed to shave again.

He hated shaving. Staring into his own face in the mirror for that long a time was almost as frustrating as navigating the razor around his myriad of scar tissue.

His glasses, though... Sasha had said something about getting a new pair. Deus was good enough to provide the occasional replacements, all nearly identical to his usual cheap thick frames.

Maybe she was right. Maybe he needed some sort of change. New glasses could make the difference. Maybe round ones, like John Lennon- yeah!

He didn't bother texting, dialing the number instead, and waited for her to pick up.

"Ah... h-hey! Um. I was wondering... um. You... the other day you said something about ah... are you doing anything this afternoon?"

"Oh, uh. I just thought... my own duties were light and um. We had that talk before and I thought maybe you'd come with me to go get some um. New glasses and stuff? I know you're grounded but I'm sure we could get permission for just a short day trip to Lens Crafters or something. I can't imagine it'll take longer than a couple hours..."

"Uh! I don't know... New York, I guess? It's a bit close to home, though... you decide. I'll go see what I can do, I'll make some calls, okay?" He sighed with relief. A nice day out shopping. It sounded healthy and normal. They couldn't say no to that, right? It was these little things that made the difference.

As for money... "Um. W-well... I s-sort of... just um. Blew a good amount of what I had put aside on pie not too long ago... it was for a good cause though and it seemed to make everyone happy! I don't really know what I have left. Suns aren't ah... paid very well, ahaha..."

"You'll lend me the money?" He perked up. "Well, I don't see the harm in it, and... and I'll pay you back I swear! I um. Still owe Candace a bit, I do have a little bit put aside for her, I should really pay her back soon too...."

He was getting excited. Maybe there'd be a music store too! Get a couple new CDs while he was at it if he could... most of his taste was often in the discount bin anyway...

Jerry bristled a little bit. On one hand, it would be nice to spend time with his other friend. He had barely spoken to Wash in ages. On the other, the selfish part of him said this was his time with Sasha.

"I... um." He debated. Wash could be considered a good chaperone for the whole ordeal if the higher ups wanted a few hunters, but he wasn't a Full Hunter, yet... "We're just going to buy some new glasses..." He finished awkwardly. "Think he could spare you that long?"

"Uh! Let me make some calls first and I'll let you know, ok? What time is it now?" He fumbled with his phone to check, "I'll see about an hour or so from now? I have no idea what timezone will be appropriate by then."

"O-okay!" he hung up. There were a bunch of calls to make, ones he didn't mind smiling and stammering and babbling through. It was a lot easier to do it over the phone, rather than face to face, but even so he hit a few unexpected roadblocks.

Sasha was looking forward to this. He had to make it happen. More calls and questions and finally answers- his suspicion was correct, she needed a full Hunter chaperone, but apparently Jerry himself wasn't trust worthy enough. He sighed and wracked his brains.

Finally, he came to a decision.



He pressed send before he chickened out. If she said yes... this would be nice. Just... going out and about with his girlfriends- female friends. Yes. Healthy. Productive. Fresh air and sunshine and all that.