Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 176: Jellyfish, Penguins and a Fashion Show

Jamie had placed a rune on Tiris to track her location, so he could easily pinpoint her even if his spatial perception was filled with millions of people.

When they stopped in front of the area with stingrays and sharks, Miranda absentmindedly looked at the creatures for a few seconds, unconsciously reaching out to grab Jamie as she moved on to the next display.

She seemed to have a lot on her mind, so much so that she failed to respond to even Jamie’s call.

With this, Jamie had no choice but to draw her attention in some other means. He reached out with his other hand and swapped an ice cream displayed at a nearby stand for some coins before pressing the cold tub to the side of Miranda’s cheek.

"?!"

The sudden stimuli snapped her out of her daze and she finally turned to him. Jamie had an inkling of what she might have been so lost in thought about and it was something he wanted her to figure out on her own so he didn’t bother and just asked her if she wanted ice cream.

Naturally, Miranda’s sweet tooth would never say no. Even better if Jamie was feeding her.

The two kept moving, not straying too far from Tiris and Co. while looking at the displays that seemed like cut-out pieces of the ocean.

"Ohh! Jellyfish!"

Miranda skipped over to the dimly lit tank with glowing jellyfish drifting inside and pressed her face on the glass, admiring the fluffy and swaying creatures.

"Jay, that one looks like you!"

"Mira...how on Estea do I resemble a jellyfish?"

Jamie asked with a dry laugh and Miranda seriously began contemplating their similarities, starting from their similar colours.

"Both have blue eyes..."

"Stop, right there."

Not wanting to hear more about how she somehow saw him and a jellyfish as similar, Jamie stopped her, earning a light laugh from the young woman.

"The blue space really blends in with the atmosphere. I feel like my body is floating..."

"You say that while looking at creatures that can sting you to death?"

"Leave the jellyfish out of this, Jay."

They had such nonsense banter as they walked leisurely, looking at big fish, little fish, turtles, iguanas, and many more.

Miranda’s face lit up with a smile when she saw some particularly cute animals, with her asking Jamie to use his spatial phasing so she could phase through the tanks and touch them directly.

"Jay! There are so many penguins!"

Her louder-than-usual voice drew attention towards them, even more than they were already drawing due to their appearances.

Miranda called out to Jamie while jumping excitedly, pointing at the display that had a meadow with nearly a hundred penguins inside.

She dragged him over to the second penguin display, where there was an overhanging tank that allowed visitors to look up at the penguins swimming in the water when they entered the tank.

"Wow. It looks like penguins are flying in the sky."

Miranda spoke as she looked up at the tank that gave that illusion because of its position on the ceiling.

The young woman was smiling brightly and looking very happy at the sight of them.

"So you like penguins this much?"

When Jamie asked this, Miranda placed her hand on her chin and pondered on it for a bit before shaking her head.

"I don’t like them that much...but they’re very cute!!"

It seems it was the cuteness that got her, considering how bouncy her voice was in the latter half of the statement.

Seeing her continue to watch the penguins flying in the sky with a smirk on her face, Jamie smiled tenderly.

"Totally adorable...right Jay?"

"Yep. Totally adorable."

Although it seemed like Jamie was talking about the penguins, both he and everyone else who heard and saw this little interaction knew he certainly wasn’t giving two shits about some random flightless birds.

Oblivious to this, Miranda happily skipped around with a smile and this was the sight that Tiris and the others encountered when they came to inform the two about a location change.

They headed up to the Mall on the second floor with the intention of helping Jodi, the one who had asked them about pictures earlier to pick out some clothes for an event she was to attend.

Since they were there as well, Jamie decided to do the same for Mira, wanting to see her in new fits.

"So, you want me to play dress up doll?"

"Yep."

Jamie replied to her as he held up two sets of outfits he picked, and the young woman just sighed and picked a random one before entering the changing area.

After closing the curtain between her and Jamie, she quickly began to examine the clothing. It was a summery pure-white dress, much like the one that Tiris was wearing earlier.

While Miranda was changing, some older women nearby glanced at Jamie who was waiting outside with warm gazes.

"Oh my. Do you think he’s waiting for his girlfriend?"

"How cute..."

These words were nothing more than low murmurs spoken by people who were over a dozen metres away, but Jamie’s hearing was exceptionally good owing to his werewolf bloodline so he heard it all like they were right next to him.

’Girlfriend, huh?’

Thinking about Miranda who still hadn’t figured out her own feelings for him, Jamie sighed and spoke aloud.

"I wish..."

"What do you wish for?"

Miranda asked as she flung open the curtain, leaning into one leg with a hand on her hip as if she was posing like a model.

She genuinely looked incredible thanks to her amazing body and good looks. Immediately, all the women throughout the store directed their gazes at her and gasped in admiration.

Jamie was no exception.

"Nothing too serious. Onto more important matters...the pure white dress looks especially good on you. It’s as if it was made just for you, and the hat you added gives off a nice elegant vibe.

And here I thought you couldn’t get any prettier."

Jamie complimented her with a straight face, causing everyone to turn their attention to him, genuinely curious about how he could deliver such flattering remarks so calmly and without batting an eye.

"Ooh...Really...?"

Miranda pinched the dress and spun around as she spoke, seemingly unbothered by Jamie’s straightforward comments that’d normally have the recipient feeling at least a bit jittery.

"This goes well with flats, right?"

"Yeah, I picked out a pair."

Jamie moved the shoes he picked out towards her and she put them on, twirling around and nodding to herself.

"Looks good. Might take this."

She picked another outfit and went back into the changing booth, while Jamie moved over to the shoe section to pick out matching footwear, an action that earned him heart-warming stares from the surrounding women.

When Miranda pulled the curtain again, she donned a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt with some drawings on it, and Jamie calmly placed a pair of sneakers right in front of her feet.

"So? How do I look?"

"I noticed this earlier but boyish outfits really look stylish on you. The jeans accentuate your figure, unlike skirts that usually cover things up." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Again, Jamie delivered his compliments without flinching and Miranda wasn’t flustered by his words. She knew she was objectively beautiful, and to her, Jamie complimenting her was expected—she’d do the same if he got all dressed up for her, after all.

"I’d like for us to match, but you’re more into corporate outfits."

She spoke as she moved her gaze from her sneakers to Jamie, noting that he was now wearing a different fit from earlier.

His short-sleeved shirt had been replaced by a black long-sleeve, and he had navy blue trousers and black brogues on his feet.

Jamie knew he’d look good in casuals as well, but he preferred corporate wear so he hardly wore casuals unless Miranda insisted.

"I’d think about it. But first, try this on for size."

He passed another dress to her and Miranda took it and disappeared into the changing room. She stripped off the jeans and shirt, glancing at the mirror as she placed them down and looked at her underwear.

’I think I need to change sizes again. And here I thought I’d stopped ageing.’

Such a thought crossed her mind and she made a mental note to stop at the underwear section before they left the mall, before she picked up the dress Jamie selected.

It was a sleeveless dress with a rope belt and after putting on the dress itself, she opened the curtain and told Jamie to tie the rope belt for her.