Re: [The Capital Mall: Atticus & Janus]
Atticus walked like Atticus. Male. Entitled without even realizing it. Knew he was entitled. His parents had been activists, aware of every inequality in the world. Had made Atticus aware of every inequality in the world. But he was still an entitled white man, lazy walk, hips forward, a bit of a slouch and unafraid of the world surrounding him. No fear of slicing through crowds as they moved. Wasn't even aware of who passed them by as he fell easily into step beside Janus. Occasionally touched the small of Janus' back. Lazy. Possessive. "Spelling. Autocorrect, spellcheck, they fix things for them, but sometimes they use the wrong words entirely. Look for that too." Was just easy ramble, nothing personal or directed at Janus.
The store was like nothing Atticus had ever seen.
His parents had been philanthropists, but all their clothing had been tailored for them. Knickerbockers turned social activists, but they still looked the part of wealth, and Atticus had eschewed all of that as an adult. Followed Janus into the sound-void like he was stepping onto another planet. Looked at the clothing on the racks. Was overwhelmed with all of it, and he'd already spied a leather chair near the back of the store that looked like a good place to sit, wait, read maybe.
"Comfortable," he added to the salesman. But Janus manhandled, and the salesman looked him over like he was measuring him for his coffin, and Atticus was just grateful about changing rooms. Changing rooms had places to sit. Could work with a changing room, and when the man motioned, Atticus went in that direction and wondered how more colors could be neutral.