Ozzy smiled as they headed towards the dress boutique, putting an arm around her in return, "It's easy. Just don't pick something that's too busy. Details are good, but too many and it becomes less about you and more about the dress.  Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to find something you love. Looking good is a given, with you."

  She said thoughtfully "So, say, a peacock satin dress with a simple ribbon belt and lace sleeves would be good?  For an example?"  As she asked, then went in, and she headed for a dress rack that looked like a rainbow had been trapped in it.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea, I think. It gives the dress some 'pop', but not so much that it looks like the dress is wearing you, rather than the other way around. That's really what we've got to avoid, putting a pretty girl like you in something that looks like Lady Gaga designed it," he said, following her to the rack and looking for anything that she might look good in.

  She slowly flipped through the dresses, and pulled out a skirt that was of simple peacock satin, the color changing in the light from peacock to sapphire to deep amethyst, and then took it off the rack.  It had sleeves made of lace that matched, and a belt made of a peacock ribbon.  She held it up against her, and asked him "Would this look good?"

Ozzy nodded, "Yeah, I think that would work, and I've got something that'll go nicely with it. After all, black goes with everything, heheh. Seriously, though, I think it'll look good. Of course, you never really know until you try it on,"

  She nodded, and said "Zips up the back.  You or Crystal will need to give me a hand with that . . ."

  Crystal said helpfully "Ozzy should.  He has better reach."

Ozzy nodded, "Sure, not a problem. Let's find the changing rooms."

Once they'd found the privacy booths for trying on a garment, he smiled and said, "Here you go, just let me know when you need me."

  Clarissa giggled, and hung the dress, then slid out of her clothes, and into the dress.  She slid into it, and held it in place as she asked "Can you please zip me up, Ozzy?  I just can't get a good angle to do it myself . . "

Ozzy waited outside of the changing room, only going in when Clarissa was ready. He zipped the dress up for her speedily, being careful where he put his other hand to steady the zipper. While he'd seen it all, and she'd made it clear he had 'touching privileges', he wanted to respect her privacy and such. And, he really didn't think the staff would appreciate it if two teens started getting frisky in the fitting rooms.

"There you go, babe. All zipped up. How's it feel?" he asked once she was zipped into the dress.

  She turned, looking in the mirror, and smiled, then faced him and asked "Does it look good enough to go to the ball in it?   Will I look like Cinderella, or like her gaudy, mean stepsisters?"  Right now, he could clearly see Crystal rose, wings outstretched, and in 'Dragon Rampant' across her back like an exotic flower of a tattoo.

"Definitely like Cinderella. Though, Crystal Rose might have to find someplace else to 'perch' for that evening, unless you want everyone knowing that you have a tattoo. I wouldn't mind if you showed it, given that I'm the one who 'drew' it," said Ozzy, grinning as he wrapped his arms gently around Clarissa's midsection.

"Still, does it feel okay? You can move and everything, right? After all, there's not much point in getting a dress to go dancing in if you can't actually dance in it."

  She giggled as she wrapped her arms around him, and said "Show me how we'll be dancing so I know how I need to move . . . "

Ozzy grinned and said, "All righty. There's just enough room in here for a basic waltz, which will probably take up most of the night. It's one of those dances where, if you can walk and have any sense of rhythm, you can get through it without any disasters. Just follow my lead."

With that, he reached around and took one of her hands in his own, before leading them in a basic waltz, tracing a little square around the changing room.

  She followed his lead, and as she got the hang of it, she leaned her head on his shoulder and said "Okay, I could do this all night with you.  I think we found a keeper.  I don't see why I shouldn't let Crystal be seen, after all, my parents can hardly say I got something illegal there!!  I wish they'd given me a little more spending money though."  She had just enough to cover the dress, and maybe a pair of shoes to match.  Maybe.

Ozzy sighed happily, enjoying this little private dance they were having in the changing room. "I know what you mean," he replied, "This is a lot more fun than it was with those random girls from the class my parents made me go to. I guess it's all in your dance partner. And I'm all for that. Heh, I'd go for a sleeveless tux if I thought I could get away with it. Maybe they make suits with see-through sleeves? Or maybe just a nice vest over a nice, short sleeved button-up shirt."


He then smiled and said, "That would be another reason I'm here. I wouldn't mind if you made a reasonable request or two. I may not have tons of money, but I don't mind sharing some of what I do have."

  She blushed, and said "Well, we might want to catch lunch later in the food court.  My cousins will stop by and drop off the parcels every so often, a lot of what they're doing is being seen.  Let's get this dress.  Want to find a nice tux that has matching accents to this one?  That way we're clearly a set."

"Sure, sounds like a plan. I didn't really want to dress in plain black anyway. That's reserved for when I go to some of the nifty goth clubs. I may be straight edge, but it's still a lot of fun, and nothing's more goth than a suit and tie," said Ozzy, grinning. He wondered if they even had men's suits like that in a mall like this. After all, most guys were afraid that anything more than a solid color would make them look like they were gay.

  She grinned, and hugged him fiercely.  Catching Tats in the middle, of course, even as he felt Rose give him a lick on the hand, and heard her say "He's definitely a keeper, Clarissa.  Don't let him get away!"

Ozzy grinned, giving Clarissa a quick kiss and gently stroking her back where Crystal Rose was. When he pulled away, he said, "Heh, 'getting away' implies that I was trying to go somewhere in the first place. Why would I want to make a boneheaded move like that?"

He then let her go and said, "Well, I'll let you get changed," before he stepped back out of the dressing room, still grinning blissfully.

  she got dressed, and then asked him "You ready to go tux-hunting?"

Ozzy grinned, "Yeah. Let's pay for the dress, first. I don't think dress shops have much in the way of menswear, after all. There's a J&R next door, though. They should have something."

Once the dress was bought and paid for, Ozzy took Clarissa's arm once again and headed for the tux shop, wondering if they'd manage to find anything that would go well with Clarissa's dress.

  She grinned, and once the dress was paid for, she presented him with the dress-box.  They actually put it in a box that let it lay flat, and was about three inches deep, so it was already a big armful.  This would be a long shopping trip.  She asked him "You sure you're going to be okay playing pack mule like your grandfather said?"

"Yeah. Besides, he'd know if I skipped out on it. He's a Seer, after all. So I'll carry it. It's not a big deal," said Ozzy, accepting the package.

"Of course, this does mean you'll need to help me shop. Not that I think you'll mind, anyway."

  She giggled, and said "Of COURSE I'll help you shop!!  I like that idea.  Besides, if I help you shop, I can make sure what you get accents your sexy self."

Ozzy grinned, "Heh, I figured you'd say that. We'd better get started, then, we've got our work cut out for us."

With that, he started helping to look through the suits and tuxedos as much as he could, with his arms full with the dress like they were.