Aislinn gasped at the sight of the flowers. "We had things like these." She commented, her fingers gingerly touching the petals. She remembered the sea plants underwater.

"Sea plants, I'm assuming..." Aster mumbled, reaching his back door and opening it, holding it open for her. "After you. Once we get everything settled, we can go for our walk."

Aislinn couldn't just take all of it in. The house was of adequate size and she thought that the furnishings were lovely. "Do you live here alone?" Ice asked. It seemed big but it also seemed lonely.

"I do...I don't have any family left, or a significant other. So, I live here alone..." The house was nicely decorated, with nearly old-world furniture. Aster didn't seem bothered by the loneliness...

"You don't have any family left?" Aislinn repeated, clearly devastated at the words. "M-my mother died a few days after I was born..." She mused. "Even though I have my father, it's still the same as living alone. He still mourns for her, even though it has been years." Ice paused. "All those years, I was left to take care of myself because he didn't have the heart to listen or take care of me at all. I know he cares and stuff, but he just doesn't show it that often."

Aster sat down at his kitchen table, eyes fixed on the wall. "My mother died in childbirth...my father was abusive. I was put in foster care. When I turned eighteen, I fled. I already had a stable job, so...I was able to make it on my own, and pay for my college tuition. I became a wealthy businessman..."

Aislinn slightly wobbled as she walked to Aster to sit in the kitchen table. Her eyes were on the table as she listened. It seemed that both of them had almost the same life stories, both fathers uncaring (sort of, in Ice's case), both mothers died in childbirth.

Aster sighed, chewing his lip. Then, he grabbed his messenger bag and put on proper walking shoes. "Want to go for that walk, now? Shoes aren't required on the boardwalk, but...we can buy you some decent clothing, if you'd like, while we're there."

"Alright. And what are shoes?" Aislinn asked as she got up. She noticed that the ground was riddled with sharp rocks that bit the underside of her feet.

"They're items that cover and protect your feet," Aster explained as he walked them out his front door. It led onto a slightly full sidewalk. Down to his left was the boardwalk, overlooking the ocean.

There was a lot of ocean for Aislinn's eyes. She marveled at the sight of the sun making the ocean glimmer. "Things that cover your feet?" She asked once she heard what shoes were. "We only used tails to move."

"Human feet are really tender. So, we need to protect them, or we'll get hurt," Aster offered, walking her up onto the boardwalk. It was a lively place, lined with shops.

Aislinn, seeing the amount of people, instinctively held on to Aster's hand. She was never used to this many humans in one place. Her mind was still in mermaid-form; she was thinking that all these people would chase her down the moment they see her. But then she remembered that Ice was human.

Aster blinked a bit, surprised, but he held onto her hand, smiling. "Don't worry...they'll mind their own business..." His eyes scoured the shops, trying to find a place that looked like it would sell decent shoes.

Aislinn was unconvinced, though. Her very pale skin and light-colored hair were what signified her as a mermaid and they haven't changed in her transformation. Nevertheless, she still was curious about the shops that sold different things. There were clothes, accessories, and even pets she saw in some stores.

Aster held her hand gently, to comfort her. He didn't want her to feel afraid. After a few minutes, he spied a shop that looked promising... "Here...maybe this will work." He helped her inside the small shop, which was thankfully uncrowded. It was lined with shelves of clothing, accessories, and shoes.

Aislinn was surprised at the design of clothing she saw once they stepped foot in the store. She looked over at the accessories and remarked that she never had these kind of trinkets back at home.

"You can pick a few pieces of jewelry or something, if you'd like...I'll pay. Shoes..." Aster mumbled, heading over there. "Do you see any shoes you like?"

What greatly interested Aislinn the most were the flats. She admits that the high heels look beautiful but for casual walking, the flats looked better. Her eyes scanned the rows and rows of different colored flats until her eyes rested on the beautiful black pair. "What about this?" Ice asked.

Aster studied the shoes, smiling. "Do you like them? I'd be glad to buy them for you. I just hope they're comfortable."

Aislinn frowned and studied the shoes with her hands. "How do you put them on?" She asked loudly that the woman on the counter gave her a weird look.

Aster sat her down on one of the stools by the shelves of shoes and lifted one of her feet up, knowing it was all right to try them on. He slipped one of the shoes on, securely. "Like that."

Aislinn was grateful that Aster helped her into the things called shoes. She smiled as she placed the shoe on, fitting her delicate feet perfectly. "It feels perfect. I like these." Ice said, looking at her feet. A thought then crossed her mind. "But, I should pay you for doing this for me."

((Sorry for the late, late reply. I've been swamped lately...))

Aster promptly paid the woman behind the counter for the shoes and returned his attention to her. "No, no, you don't have to do anything if you don't want to," he assured her. He had money to spare, after all...

((That's alright. I'm getting kind of slow with my role plays lately))

"Are you sure?" Aislinn demanded. She was used to repaying someone since it was common courtesy back underwater. She looked at the weird contraption which held the money, which she thought were just useless pieces of paper. Ice wrinkled her nose. "You pay with those pieces of paper?" She asked. The woman behind the counter shot her a weird look.