Red's First Date

Red growled at the sight in the mirror. The necktie he'd put on looked stupid. It was three colours, a grey, a light blue, and a dark blue, running diagonally across the material in thin stripes. It didn't match his skin tone in the slightest, in fact, it clashed with his bright red flesh.

He ripped it off and tossed it back on the table, picking up a bowtie and tying it around his neck. This one had green paisleys that matched his mane, but the electric blue backing still looked like crap against his skin. He didn't understand why it all looked so horrible.

With a dissatisfied grunt, he tore it off and tossed it aside, pulling up another necktie. This one had red wavy lines running down the front, and came with a small while box. Inside the box was a tie tack, in the form of a silver eagle. He put it on, and while this one didn't look horrid, that was because it didn't look like anything.

"All of these ties suck!" he shouted, ripping it off and throwing it across the room.

Terra briefly lowered his newspaper. Covered in shaggy white fluff, he looked to be some kind of polar bear made from diamonds. "Perhaps if you put on your shirt first, you'd find something that works."

"Nothing works because ties are all bullshit! I can't go out looking like this!"

Terra slowly turned the page. "I agree. You should put on pants and shoes long before you leave. Standing there in nothing but your boxer briefs isn't doing you any favours."

Red sneered at him. "I'm wearing socks!"

"Oh, come off it, Terra," added Ignis, his fiery wings crackling behind him. "It's not like he's going to impress her no matter what he wears. Just look at him."

"You're both the same shade of red," mumbled Terra. "If you're insulting him, you must realize that you look just like him."

"That would certainly explain why nothing looks good on me," chuckled Red. "Because I look like him!"

"That's enough." Terra closed his paper and stood up. "Red, go change in your bedroom. Ignis, take your chisel and go fix your scales in the kitchen. Not another word will you speak to each other all night. Do I make myself clear?"

Rolling his eyes, Red stormed off without saying anything. It wasn't as if changing out in the living room was going to do him any good. No one was actually going to help him pick anything, and even if they did, it would need to pass his approval. Doing both would be an ordeal, and having a third party would just complicate the matter further.

With a floor-length mirror on the wall, he tried out a dozen ties, as well as a few he'd already rejected, hoping they'd look better if he stood a bit closer. Nothing seemed to work. He decided to go without the tie and just pick a shirt.

Unfortunately, there were just as many issues with the multitude of shirts as there were with the ties, if not more. These had all come off the rack, meaning none were actually fitted to him. Long sleeves were definitely out, as they either didn't come all the way down to his wrists, or extended past his thumb. The one that did fit had a rounded collar, meaning he'd mistakenly bought a shirt meant for females.

He tossed them aside and focused on the short sleeve shirts. Stripes and paisleys looked too gaudy, polka-dots looked too goofy, and plain flat colours showed a clear lack of effort. He was about to give up, but then he saw something buried way in the back. He pulled it out and held it up to the light.

He put it on and buttoned it up. The sleeves were long, but wide open at the ends, just begging to be rolled up. As he did, they puffed out nicely, accenting his biceps. The main section tapered nicely to his body, making his waist seem leaner and his chest more broad. The buttons were a marbled resin with a thin sheet of wood in the middle to simulate a grain. It looked surprisingly nice, and fit really well. It was perfect.

Ignis, on the other hand, was sitting in the kitchen, cutting away little tiny crevices in one of his discarded scales. He had a wall of them that were slowly turning into a red, orange and white display of intricate filigree. He had a few scales that needed cutting into right now, but that was because he'd taken some time away from carving into any due to the recent changes in his daily life. Now, he was back to it, though.

"Why the sour face?" asked Gelu, her icy blue wings flapping in his direction. "They run out of sponge cake at your favourite bake shop?"

"Nah, Terra chewed me out, is all."

"Why?"

"Red has a date tonight, and I was heckling him."

Gelu's eyes opened in shock, then quickly returned to their prior state. "I see. Well, I'm sorry I can't help you out with that. You'll just have to stew in that all your own. I have some plans of my own."

"With whom?" growled Ignis, his snarl betraying his thoughts.

"Some guy," she teased. "You'll find out later. In the meantime, I suggest you listen to what Terra said. He's very wise."

"And is the wise man always right?" grumbled Ignis to himself. "No, he can play the fool. It's always a mystery."

Gelu wasn't listening anymore, regardless. She'd walked out of the room, and even out of the building. She wanted to be the last demoness Red would see tonight. She took up a position just above the main door and waited for him. If he had a date outside the castle, he would need to leave through here. If his date was coming here, as unlikely as that was, they'd have to come in through here. Either way, she would be able to exact her vengeance on him, for making her twin brother feel bad, or for not telling her he had a date, she wasn't sure which. All she knew was that she was pissed, and Red would pay for his actions.