That sounds like good reason to go get food, in addition to other existing reasons.

They can show her the way off the beach to where there will be cafes and such?

She attempts to imitate their body language and is definitely watching everyone. She doesn't say anything at the moment. Luckily the correct body language seems pretty close to the demure mermaid-mannerisms she already has for this form.

Leaving the beach takes them up a narrow path through some trees. At the top of that they'll come out onto a wider flat walking-road, lined on the other side with an assortment of mostly one and two story buildings - cafes and little restaurants and shops and a few other sort of places. The walking path isn't crowded or full, but there are other people out. She can recognize the subs by body language and by the robes - varying styles, and in some cases partially covered by jackets or sweaters, but the shared central features. The remaining people have their own body language tendencies, and dress in pants and skirts - in this weather mostly not shorts - and shirts of various types. The surface level body language isn't completely universal, though depending on what sorts of analyses her systems can do, they might notice a deeper more underlying and considerably more subtle level, which basically is.

People walk around in all sorts of configurations - three doms younger than Alessa and Kente are looking into a store; a dom and sub pair, the sub leading a toddler who tugs on his hand, go into a cafe; a dom with maybe a ten-year-old sub read a menu on the window of a restaurant. When doms and subs come in mixed company, the subs sometimes walk next to the doms, sometimes a little behind. Subs not with doms get out of doms' ways on the sidewalks, while doms who pass subs with doms avoid getting closer to the subs.

Her body language seems to be passing. People notice her more than they notice any other random person, but based on what they're looking at it's for her bodily appearance - no one seems to think it's alarming or suspicious, so much as a neat thing you don't see often. Some people also seem to notice her lack of shoes, but not in a way they seem to think needs any action either.

"Do you want to eat anything in particular?" 

He points at the array of options.

She's mostly paying attention to body language on an entirely human level right now. Though she's recording little snippets of video. It'll take a while to properly absorb.

"Something cheap is fine. A grocery store. Bread and some fruit?"

Oh - yes, they can do it that way.

There's not a grocery store right on this street, as far as he knows, but they can take a cross-street and walk further into the little neighborhood (People here are a bit more surprised about the lack of shoes, but still don't seem to think they should do anything about it.)

Alessa asks a passing sub if she could direct them to a grocery store, gets some directions. They can walk that way.

The place looks peaceful and prosperous enough, on the surface at least. She's quietly nervous anyway.

"I don't usually wear shoes because I don't need them. Do you think it's worth buying some? I could make my dress produce some shoes but it'd be kind of awkward, it's not really meant for that."

(Seriously, such a cool Gift, part of him continues to notice.)

He notices the nervousness. He doesn't ask 'are you alright'. "Anything we can help with?" he says instead. And, "It's not illegal to not wear shoes - people will probably look, but I don't think more than they'd look because of your Gift, and they'll probably just think that's why, even when we're not near the beach anymore. We could buy shoes if you wanted though? We don't have money for anything more expensive with us, but there are cheaper simple shoes."

These other streets have more houses as well as a few other kinds of business. Also sidewalks, and cars parked along them. A sub is unloading groceries out of a car. In front of a different house, a sub is mopping the porch. He's rolled up his sleeves, and has hand-shaped bruises up his arms. 

"Does that happen a lot." She says of the bruises. Sounding less wary, more... Tense.

He's - not sure what she means (doesn't realize the tension isn't general). "Do - people clean their porches often?"

"No. Bruises. Do people hurt subs often?"

Not tense. Angry.

He's - not sure what (- does she not bruise? That could happen with her Gift, maybe. But - ). 

"...It was - probably his dom? It can happen if someone - grips hard.

People aren't allowed to - grab subs at random, here. Even if they're not walking with doms. We don't have to worry about that."

Angry walking.

"Grabbing someone hard enough to bruise, or hitting them, is a serious breach of - general social protocol, even in most romantic relationships. Especially, even. Often it's a crime. I-"

Deep breath.

"I want to change again but that's a bad idea because being this-shaped is helping keep me calm, in fact."

He is - unsure and unbalanced and worried and confused (and he doesn't actually know if those particular bruises might have been from - perfectly happy circumstances - but he's not going to say that, it's not like there's isn't many and many that aren't and so not like that matters, what the ones they happened to see might be, and if whoever usually grabbed her didn't leave bruises because she's Gifted it's not like that's the important thing -).

"...I'm sorry."

"It's- I'm upsetting you again. And I might be misunderstanding something, or not saying things right. Groceries."

(Stomp stomp step step calming...)

"You're not upsetting us. Please don't worry. Can we - help answer something?" By the directions they should reach the store in a few more blocks.

"Is people hitting their sub a thing. Does it happen often. Would you be - surprised and appalled to hear of it."

"Do - you mean as punishment, or...?

It's - frowned upon, here, to just suddenly hit a sub for no reason. A lot of people won't even slap a sub in public with a reason, they'd take them aside.

I'd be - surprised and appalled if someone... hit a sub in public with - a bat, something like that. And that's not legal."

"I was afraid it was like that. I don't know if I have the truth of it but to my eyes hitting your partner at all is some level of evil. It's abuse."

He looks at Kente for a moment. Looks down.

"I wish that - punishment when it's not - when the sub wouldn't wish for it. Didn't happen. And - other things - didn't happen.

That would - make sense, to say it's abuse. I think.

I don't think there's any law in the world that thinks so."

"That's sad. I don't think it helps that you're all kind of poor."

He's not sure what she means. "Poor?"

"You're not safe. You don't have - machines to do work for you, except maybe in big factories? You don't have - sun power plants, that do the thing the sun does instead of burning fuel. I saw old people so you get old - I don't. I'm hearing people talk about death on the radio and you can't be brought back like I can if a part of me is intact- Most governments will give everyone food and a house and more for nothing at home, because those are both so cheap it's not a strain at all-"