((Aileen Borden continued from One Pen Two Pen Red Pen Blue Pen))
Aileen sat at a table in the food court, with ice cream in front of her from one of the shops. It was her favorite; Kit Kat bars grounded and mixed into vanilla ice cream. But, even though she was eating something she enjoyed, she had a frown on her face.
Damn. Still no sign of a store that sells prom dresses.
Aileen had tried again to find a proper prom dress, but no success had been made. Was there even a store here that sold that sort of thing? After all, it was a big mall, but it didn't have everything. Aileen still didn't think there would be anything here that would be of value. But, it was worth one last shot, right? It could be here...
She held her spoon in her left hand, and stirred, staring into the cup. It was partially melted. Just how long was she sitting there, thinking to herself? She had better eat it now, or else it would be just a milky drink with Kit Kat pieces.
Scooping up a bit of the ice cream, she then put the plastic spoon in her mouth. After a few more bites, she fished out the book she had checked out from the library. The picture of the humpback whale on the cover looked almost gleeful. Well, she was getting a little strung like last time, so reading a bit might help.
Flipping to where she was previously, she read a paragraph about different species of whales' diet, being careful not to spill ice cream all over the book. She was borrowing it, after all. And it would not do good to damage it.
Aileen kind of liked whales. They were.... beautiful. It was a shame that people were endangering many species of them, really. Thoughts like this made Aileen a little resentful of humanity, for destroying such things. But, there have been attempts at saving them, at least. That was good.
She briefly removed herself from the book to check the time. 5:15 pm. Plenty of time, really. She just just... sit here and read about whales for the next few minutes. She was in no rush, after all. Sure, Prom was coming up, but... she could check at a thrift store tomorrow.
And so, she put her head down to continue reading about whales.
Ice Cream, Kit Kats, and Whales
Give me a break.
(Melissa Li continued from Viva La Chemistry!)
'Why exactly am I out here again? I didn't really even have a reason for coming to the mall...' Melissa thought to herself as she walked through the Promenade, looking lazily at the stores that lined the second floor of the massive building. There weren't any clothes that she needed to buy, although judging from what appeared to be "in" at the moment, she was suffering greatly. It wasn't her problem, though. She never did care much for fashion and her money was better saved for things in the future. Or so her parents kept telling her.
"You must learn to save your money, Melissa! All these kids today think of nothing more than spend, spend, spend. You have to be smarter than them. After all, you're the only daughter of the Li family. You must set a shining example to others. Now come on, let's put that money into your savings account."
She sighed and rubbed at her forehead. This was a mall and supposedly a place for good cheer and energy. It wasn't the place to dwell on parents and being mopey. She felt a small rumble from her stomach and smiled ruefully, remembering that she had skipped lunch again to spend some time in the library. She headed for the Food Court, weaving through the crowds of people as she did so.
She quickly picked up something cheap at the McDonalds and looked out for a seat that she could take. To her surprise, almost all of the tables were taken and the ones that weren't taken had trash or spilled soda on them. There were several tables that had plenty of space though and she decided to take a seat at one of them. She only had a burger and drink, after all. It wasn't like she'd really be butting in on something.
So she sat down in a mostly empty table across from a girl that seemed to be her age. She was reading a book on whales and didn't seem to be too concerned about the goings on of the mall. Melissa placed her stuff on the table, wondering if she should speak up.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind me sitting here." Melissa said with a pleasant voice, offering the other girl a small smile. "All the other tables were taken. Um...I couldn't help but notice your book...do you like whales?"
'Why exactly am I out here again? I didn't really even have a reason for coming to the mall...' Melissa thought to herself as she walked through the Promenade, looking lazily at the stores that lined the second floor of the massive building. There weren't any clothes that she needed to buy, although judging from what appeared to be "in" at the moment, she was suffering greatly. It wasn't her problem, though. She never did care much for fashion and her money was better saved for things in the future. Or so her parents kept telling her.
"You must learn to save your money, Melissa! All these kids today think of nothing more than spend, spend, spend. You have to be smarter than them. After all, you're the only daughter of the Li family. You must set a shining example to others. Now come on, let's put that money into your savings account."
She sighed and rubbed at her forehead. This was a mall and supposedly a place for good cheer and energy. It wasn't the place to dwell on parents and being mopey. She felt a small rumble from her stomach and smiled ruefully, remembering that she had skipped lunch again to spend some time in the library. She headed for the Food Court, weaving through the crowds of people as she did so.
She quickly picked up something cheap at the McDonalds and looked out for a seat that she could take. To her surprise, almost all of the tables were taken and the ones that weren't taken had trash or spilled soda on them. There were several tables that had plenty of space though and she decided to take a seat at one of them. She only had a burger and drink, after all. It wasn't like she'd really be butting in on something.
So she sat down in a mostly empty table across from a girl that seemed to be her age. She was reading a book on whales and didn't seem to be too concerned about the goings on of the mall. Melissa placed her stuff on the table, wondering if she should speak up.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind me sitting here." Melissa said with a pleasant voice, offering the other girl a small smile. "All the other tables were taken. Um...I couldn't help but notice your book...do you like whales?"
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The blue whale can ingest up to 4 tons of krill a day, with its baleen that works as a strainer in the water.
Aileen's eyes glanced at a diagram of how a whale's set of baleen works to catch its food. Turning the page, she did not notice another girl sit at her table, until she started talking to her.
"AH!" Aileen's head jerked up, surprised.
Her eyes then turning to the girl in front of her, she hesitated, wondering if she should talk to her. She had asked about whales? Whales? Oh yeah, the book in front of her.
"Uh... yeah. Whales are pretty."
Aileen found herself glancing off to the side again, towards the Hot Dog On A Stick Stand. There was nothing interesting there (just a guy doing his job serving customers), but Aileen had a small habit of glancing to the side if she was talking to another person her age. She... really needed to stop that, too. After all, it was kind of weird.
After a few beats, she quickly put her head back down into her book, feeling a little shy. She was really having problems with that, recently. Aileen usually had problems talking to others, but recently, it was ridiculous. Most people didn't want to hurt you, right? Though, there were a few nasty people out there, most aren't going to stuff you into a trunk and toss you into a lake. At least, as far as Aileen knew. Then again, most people have a degree of evil to their natures.
Damn it, Aileen. Stop being a coward! It's just a person your age!
Aileen's eyes glanced at a diagram of how a whale's set of baleen works to catch its food. Turning the page, she did not notice another girl sit at her table, until she started talking to her.
"AH!" Aileen's head jerked up, surprised.
Her eyes then turning to the girl in front of her, she hesitated, wondering if she should talk to her. She had asked about whales? Whales? Oh yeah, the book in front of her.
"Uh... yeah. Whales are pretty."
Aileen found herself glancing off to the side again, towards the Hot Dog On A Stick Stand. There was nothing interesting there (just a guy doing his job serving customers), but Aileen had a small habit of glancing to the side if she was talking to another person her age. She... really needed to stop that, too. After all, it was kind of weird.
After a few beats, she quickly put her head back down into her book, feeling a little shy. She was really having problems with that, recently. Aileen usually had problems talking to others, but recently, it was ridiculous. Most people didn't want to hurt you, right? Though, there were a few nasty people out there, most aren't going to stuff you into a trunk and toss you into a lake. At least, as far as Aileen knew. Then again, most people have a degree of evil to their natures.
Damn it, Aileen. Stop being a coward! It's just a person your age!
'Whales are pretty? I've never heard that being said about those animals...' Melissa thought to herself as she took a bite out of her burger. As the delicious mass-produced taste flooded her mouth, she thought about what she should say to the other girl. Judging from how she hid herself behind that thick book, the other girl either had some strange facial deformity or was very shy. Since Melissa hadn't seen any sort of ugly scar or somesuch, she assumed the other girl was shy.
She briefly wondered how she should breach the ice. Whales really weren't in her area of expertise so she obviously couldn't start talking about them. Perhaps she could ask the other girl? People always liked to show off or talk about what they new, no matter the personality. When she thought about it, though, there really wasn't anything she wanted to know about whales. At all. Maybe the girl would surprise her with some nugget of information that would enlighten her about the ocean-dwelling animals.
"I'm not sure if I could think of them as pretty..." Melissa said with a slight curve of her lips. "Though I really don't know much about them. Don't suppose you could tell me more about them?"
'This feels kind of weird...I feel like I'm butting in on something private.' She thought to herself as she maintained her smile. 'But I already asked. I'll see this through to the end. I just hope I'm not creeping her out...'
She briefly wondered how she should breach the ice. Whales really weren't in her area of expertise so she obviously couldn't start talking about them. Perhaps she could ask the other girl? People always liked to show off or talk about what they new, no matter the personality. When she thought about it, though, there really wasn't anything she wanted to know about whales. At all. Maybe the girl would surprise her with some nugget of information that would enlighten her about the ocean-dwelling animals.
"I'm not sure if I could think of them as pretty..." Melissa said with a slight curve of her lips. "Though I really don't know much about them. Don't suppose you could tell me more about them?"
'This feels kind of weird...I feel like I'm butting in on something private.' She thought to herself as she maintained her smile. 'But I already asked. I'll see this through to the end. I just hope I'm not creeping her out...'
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"Wha?!"
The other girl had asked her about whales. Whales... well, they floated in the ocean, had fins and tails, but weren't fish, rather mammals, and some eat fish while others ate krill. Blue whales were also the largest animals on Earth, and apparently they ate four tons of krill a day. And... well, she had the book right in front of her if she needed more info, right?
"Uh..."
Her mind pressed on which facts to share. Why was she asking, anyways? Perhaps she was trying to start up a conversation? Anyways, most of the facts Aileen knew weren't that interesting.
"Well, blue whale eats four tons of krill a day. That species is also the biggest of any animal that's ever existed. It's pretty much the size of a Boeing 737."
That's the most interesting thing you can come up with, Aileen? Come on, isn't there anything better?
Aileen frowned, almost as if she was annoyed at her own choice of words. There were lots of interesting things about whales, why couldn't she find one?
After a few seconds' beat, Aileen returned to her book, turning the page to learn about humpback whales.
The humpback whale is one of the larger rorqual species, at around 39 to 52 feet long. It is well known for the male's whalesong, which lasts around 10 to 20 minutes and repeats for several hours at a time.
After a while, she lifted her head again, to eat a few more bites of the ice cream. It was already partway melted, and almost a milky mess now. Aileen frowned, and scooped up a bit more, hoping to finish it before it was just milk and chocolate. After all, it was no fun if it was melted.
The other girl had asked her about whales. Whales... well, they floated in the ocean, had fins and tails, but weren't fish, rather mammals, and some eat fish while others ate krill. Blue whales were also the largest animals on Earth, and apparently they ate four tons of krill a day. And... well, she had the book right in front of her if she needed more info, right?
"Uh..."
Her mind pressed on which facts to share. Why was she asking, anyways? Perhaps she was trying to start up a conversation? Anyways, most of the facts Aileen knew weren't that interesting.
"Well, blue whale eats four tons of krill a day. That species is also the biggest of any animal that's ever existed. It's pretty much the size of a Boeing 737."
That's the most interesting thing you can come up with, Aileen? Come on, isn't there anything better?
Aileen frowned, almost as if she was annoyed at her own choice of words. There were lots of interesting things about whales, why couldn't she find one?
After a few seconds' beat, Aileen returned to her book, turning the page to learn about humpback whales.
The humpback whale is one of the larger rorqual species, at around 39 to 52 feet long. It is well known for the male's whalesong, which lasts around 10 to 20 minutes and repeats for several hours at a time.
After a while, she lifted her head again, to eat a few more bites of the ice cream. It was already partway melted, and almost a milky mess now. Aileen frowned, and scooped up a bit more, hoping to finish it before it was just milk and chocolate. After all, it was no fun if it was melted.
(OOC: Have to get out a post before I leave. Something like that. Sorry if it's short.)
"Holy..." Melissa stopped herself before she could curse. She usually didn't express surprise by cursing, but the size of a Boeing 747? That was huge! A brief thought of giant blue whales flying in the skies crossed her mind and she grinned to herself, amused. She took another bite of the burger, remembering that she was still holding it. She chewed thoughtfully on it for a couple of seconds, looking to see the other girl trying to finish her ice cream.
She decided that it would be her time to talk. It wasn't silent (how could it ever be silent in a crowded mall), but in their area she could still feel an awkward sort of silence. It was too familiar and it bothered her.
"I'm pretty surprised...I didn't there was anything that big." She said. "I might have paid more attention in biology if they had thrown facts like that around. Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Melissa Li, senior at Bayview Secondary School. And you are?"
"Holy..." Melissa stopped herself before she could curse. She usually didn't express surprise by cursing, but the size of a Boeing 747? That was huge! A brief thought of giant blue whales flying in the skies crossed her mind and she grinned to herself, amused. She took another bite of the burger, remembering that she was still holding it. She chewed thoughtfully on it for a couple of seconds, looking to see the other girl trying to finish her ice cream.
She decided that it would be her time to talk. It wasn't silent (how could it ever be silent in a crowded mall), but in their area she could still feel an awkward sort of silence. It was too familiar and it bothered her.
"I'm pretty surprised...I didn't there was anything that big." She said. "I might have paid more attention in biology if they had thrown facts like that around. Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Melissa Li, senior at Bayview Secondary School. And you are?"
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Aileen noted that the other girl seemed surprised at the fact that there were animals that huge. She had known that for a while, herself. But, everyone doesn't know the exact same things you do, right? After all, everyone knows at least several things others don't know about.
"Yeah... it's pretty huge. Endangered species due to whaling, sadly."
Melissa Li... sounds like something she could remember for once. Knowing Aileen, she would probably forget it by the end of the day, but at least it was something that was easy to remember, right? After all, some names were easy to remember. Some... weren't, to put it simple and sweet.
Oh, her own name needed to be said, too. Well, why not? It wasn't as if it could hurt to know...
"Aileen Borden, also senior at Bayview", she found herself mumbling.
She honestly did not sharing her name with others, for a variety of reasons. But, couldn't hurt, she thought to herself as she swirled the ice cream in the cup with the spoon. There was only a few bites left, and it seemed the Kit Kat pieces were only at one or two pieces left. Aileen must have deliberately scooped up the chocolate before the ice cream. What could she say? She liked Kit Kats. It was her favorite food, actually. Aileen knew she shouldn't eat them every day, for obvious reasons, but... they were delicious. Like heaven on her taste buds, really.
"Almost gone..." she muttered to herself in a low voice into the cup.
"Yeah... it's pretty huge. Endangered species due to whaling, sadly."
Melissa Li... sounds like something she could remember for once. Knowing Aileen, she would probably forget it by the end of the day, but at least it was something that was easy to remember, right? After all, some names were easy to remember. Some... weren't, to put it simple and sweet.
Oh, her own name needed to be said, too. Well, why not? It wasn't as if it could hurt to know...
"Aileen Borden, also senior at Bayview", she found herself mumbling.
She honestly did not sharing her name with others, for a variety of reasons. But, couldn't hurt, she thought to herself as she swirled the ice cream in the cup with the spoon. There was only a few bites left, and it seemed the Kit Kat pieces were only at one or two pieces left. Aileen must have deliberately scooped up the chocolate before the ice cream. What could she say? She liked Kit Kats. It was her favorite food, actually. Aileen knew she shouldn't eat them every day, for obvious reasons, but... they were delicious. Like heaven on her taste buds, really.
"Almost gone..." she muttered to herself in a low voice into the cup.
(Sorry for the delay!)
"Oh...nice to meet you." Melissa nodded and smiled. "Aileen is a very nice name."
She wasn't simply being nice. Aileen really was a nice name, at least to her. It reminded her of a story she read online, actually, when she was holed up in her room. It was a light-hearted romantic comedy, borrowing some of the elements from anime (such as hammerspace and some over-the-top antics) but keeping it mostly realistic. It was a very cheery and fluffy piece and she had liked it. Whenever she wanted to cheer herself up, she'd just find it and read her favorite chapters.
She blinked, drawing her thoughts away from online fiction and towards the cooling hamburger she had in her hands. She quietly ate it as Aileen finished her ice cream, her mind blank as she popped the last bite of burger, cheese, ketchup, mustard, and bread into her mouth. She wiped the crumbs away with a napkin and looked up to see Aileen staring at her ice cream cup, muttering something softly.
"So um...what brings you to the mall anyway? Had something to buy?"
"Oh...nice to meet you." Melissa nodded and smiled. "Aileen is a very nice name."
She wasn't simply being nice. Aileen really was a nice name, at least to her. It reminded her of a story she read online, actually, when she was holed up in her room. It was a light-hearted romantic comedy, borrowing some of the elements from anime (such as hammerspace and some over-the-top antics) but keeping it mostly realistic. It was a very cheery and fluffy piece and she had liked it. Whenever she wanted to cheer herself up, she'd just find it and read her favorite chapters.
She blinked, drawing her thoughts away from online fiction and towards the cooling hamburger she had in her hands. She quietly ate it as Aileen finished her ice cream, her mind blank as she popped the last bite of burger, cheese, ketchup, mustard, and bread into her mouth. She wiped the crumbs away with a napkin and looked up to see Aileen staring at her ice cream cup, muttering something softly.
"So um...what brings you to the mall anyway? Had something to buy?"
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Nice name...?
Aileen honestly didn't like having it. But, some people's tastes were different from hers, just like they didn't have the same amount of knowledge. Aileen herself was fond of the name Cassandra, for example. But, this person wasn't Aileen Borden.
Oh wait. What was she shopping for?
Why did she want to know? All that she was shopping for was a formal dress, really. Was... was... was... she trying to be friendly? To Aileen? Really?
There had to be a catch. After all, no one would be this friendly to her without any reason, right? What would the reason be, though? Perhaps someone had asked her to talk to her, to get some kind of information out of her. What kind? Well, perhaps the other person was someone who...
Wait, she was being paranoid, wasn't she? After all, not everyone is like that. There were some genuinely nice people out there, who just wanted someone to talk to. Sometimes, they didn't have a goal in mind. However, some... did. Sometimes there were people who had other motives. Sometimes people were... people.
Ah well. Might as well answer her question.
Lifting her head away from the cup she was staring into a few seconds ago, she found herself speaking again.
"Ah... prom dress. I'm going, it's just that... you know."
Aileen's eyes had a slightly untrusting look to them, and suddenly head tore to look at the other side again, as if she had been slapped across the face. There was still nothing interesting at the Hotdog on a Stick place, but for some reason Aileen kept looking there. Damn, that was an annoying habit! She really needed to keep her eyes on people she was talking to.
She also felt herself grip the cup the ice cream came in, and holding it tightly. Why was she doing that? Was she nervous? Probably... she was. Definitely a little nervous. That had to be it. After all, she didn't really talk to other Bayview students that often. Mostly she just sat and watched what they did around each other. She had seen some pretty strange stuff these other people would do, things that made her raise her eyebrows. But, here was a normal conversation. Why was she nervous, then?
Aileen honestly didn't like having it. But, some people's tastes were different from hers, just like they didn't have the same amount of knowledge. Aileen herself was fond of the name Cassandra, for example. But, this person wasn't Aileen Borden.
Oh wait. What was she shopping for?
Why did she want to know? All that she was shopping for was a formal dress, really. Was... was... was... she trying to be friendly? To Aileen? Really?
There had to be a catch. After all, no one would be this friendly to her without any reason, right? What would the reason be, though? Perhaps someone had asked her to talk to her, to get some kind of information out of her. What kind? Well, perhaps the other person was someone who...
Wait, she was being paranoid, wasn't she? After all, not everyone is like that. There were some genuinely nice people out there, who just wanted someone to talk to. Sometimes, they didn't have a goal in mind. However, some... did. Sometimes there were people who had other motives. Sometimes people were... people.
Ah well. Might as well answer her question.
Lifting her head away from the cup she was staring into a few seconds ago, she found herself speaking again.
"Ah... prom dress. I'm going, it's just that... you know."
Aileen's eyes had a slightly untrusting look to them, and suddenly head tore to look at the other side again, as if she had been slapped across the face. There was still nothing interesting at the Hotdog on a Stick place, but for some reason Aileen kept looking there. Damn, that was an annoying habit! She really needed to keep her eyes on people she was talking to.
She also felt herself grip the cup the ice cream came in, and holding it tightly. Why was she doing that? Was she nervous? Probably... she was. Definitely a little nervous. That had to be it. After all, she didn't really talk to other Bayview students that often. Mostly she just sat and watched what they did around each other. She had seen some pretty strange stuff these other people would do, things that made her raise her eyebrows. But, here was a normal conversation. Why was she nervous, then?
"A prom dress?" Melissa blinked. "Ah, right, prom is coming up! I almost forgot." She laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. The truth was that she did forget all about it, the stress of finals and studying having pushed any thoughts of prom aside. Now it came back in a rush of thoughts and Melissa realized that she didn't exactly have a dress of her own either. She knew her mom had some spare dresses that could fit her...but she didn't want to disturb her parents with asking. They had enough problems at home, probably...she didn't want to compound on that with her own selfish requests.
She looked over at Aileen, the other girl looking at the Hot Dog on a Stick. Curious, Melissa looked over to the fast-food place as well and saw nothing remotely interesting. 'Must have missed it...or something.'
"A-Anyway...you wanna go look for one together? To be honest, I don't have a dress either and I already promised um...a friend of mine that I'd go with her. So I better have one ready, right?" She laughed, a little awkward. "I hope I'm not being too much of a bother."
She looked over at Aileen, the other girl looking at the Hot Dog on a Stick. Curious, Melissa looked over to the fast-food place as well and saw nothing remotely interesting. 'Must have missed it...or something.'
"A-Anyway...you wanna go look for one together? To be honest, I don't have a dress either and I already promised um...a friend of mine that I'd go with her. So I better have one ready, right?" She laughed, a little awkward. "I hope I'm not being too much of a bother."
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"Uh..."
Shop... together? Aileen knew that in teen dramas, movies, and books, teenage girls would often shop with each other, giggling over which boys were cute and which were not. Could Aileen... do that? She wasn't sure. After all, she was... well, she was herself.
Were there any stores in here that sold those things anyways, even if Aileen hadn't noticed? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she looked and looked, and there were no stores in sight. Perhaps she could use one of her more casual dresses for the prom, but... would that work? After all, the key word here was casual.
"Well, I've looked and looked, but I don't think any stores sell things like that. Unless one were to magically pop up... I guess that..."
Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the girl in front of her. Well, was she bothering her? On one hand, it was... a little odd that she would suddenly pop up and have a conversation with her, especially with Aileen. It still left her suspicious. On the other, was it nice to have someone to talk to? That was something she was definitely unsure of.
"Yeah.... do these sort of places even carry that sort of thing? I mean... I did look. Twice now. Over and over..."
How many times did she need to look? Did Melissa have an idea on this sort of thing? She might. Who knew?
Shop... together? Aileen knew that in teen dramas, movies, and books, teenage girls would often shop with each other, giggling over which boys were cute and which were not. Could Aileen... do that? She wasn't sure. After all, she was... well, she was herself.
Were there any stores in here that sold those things anyways, even if Aileen hadn't noticed? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she looked and looked, and there were no stores in sight. Perhaps she could use one of her more casual dresses for the prom, but... would that work? After all, the key word here was casual.
"Well, I've looked and looked, but I don't think any stores sell things like that. Unless one were to magically pop up... I guess that..."
Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the girl in front of her. Well, was she bothering her? On one hand, it was... a little odd that she would suddenly pop up and have a conversation with her, especially with Aileen. It still left her suspicious. On the other, was it nice to have someone to talk to? That was something she was definitely unsure of.
"Yeah.... do these sort of places even carry that sort of thing? I mean... I did look. Twice now. Over and over..."
How many times did she need to look? Did Melissa have an idea on this sort of thing? She might. Who knew?
(OOC: Continuity errors?! NO SUCH THING >_>)
"Oh...I thought they would...After all, there has to be one specialized shop for formal dresses...right?" Melissa offered, a little disconcerted. "This is the biggest mall in St. Paul...it'd be kind of bad if they didn't have something for us. You've already looked twice though...maybe third time's the charm?"
She wasn't exactly sure what she was going for here. 'Third time's the charm? That sounds so geeky. I thought I was good at talking with other people. ...I guess I shouldn't think about this too much. It's just stressing me out and making me doubt myself.'
"Anyway...why don't we just take one more walk around the mall? It couldn't hurt, right?"
"Oh...I thought they would...After all, there has to be one specialized shop for formal dresses...right?" Melissa offered, a little disconcerted. "This is the biggest mall in St. Paul...it'd be kind of bad if they didn't have something for us. You've already looked twice though...maybe third time's the charm?"
She wasn't exactly sure what she was going for here. 'Third time's the charm? That sounds so geeky. I thought I was good at talking with other people. ...I guess I shouldn't think about this too much. It's just stressing me out and making me doubt myself.'
"Anyway...why don't we just take one more walk around the mall? It couldn't hurt, right?"
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"... I see."
Biggest mall? Well, it was huge, that is for certain. Aileen hadn't been to any other malls, at all, in her life, but she was aware it was a huge place. Of course it was huge. Anyone could see that. If they couldn't see that it was big... well, she pitied them. A lot.
"I... guess we could go for one last try. I don't expect to find anything this time, but you never know. Perhaps there is something here of note."
Aileen lifted herself out of her seat, smoothing out her skirt once both feet were on the floor.
"Where shall we start, then? There aren't any popular chain stores that sell such things, are there?"
Aileen did not know such things, at least, that she was aware of. For all she knew, there was one that she knew about, but forgot. The mall had lots of things, though, so maybe Melissa was right; such a store was somewhere, just waiting for them to come in. Perhaps even with cheap prices! Formal wear didn't usually come cheap, but you never know, right?
She waited to see if the other girl would stand up, as well. Then again, she probably didn't have to wait.
Biggest mall? Well, it was huge, that is for certain. Aileen hadn't been to any other malls, at all, in her life, but she was aware it was a huge place. Of course it was huge. Anyone could see that. If they couldn't see that it was big... well, she pitied them. A lot.
"I... guess we could go for one last try. I don't expect to find anything this time, but you never know. Perhaps there is something here of note."
Aileen lifted herself out of her seat, smoothing out her skirt once both feet were on the floor.
"Where shall we start, then? There aren't any popular chain stores that sell such things, are there?"
Aileen did not know such things, at least, that she was aware of. For all she knew, there was one that she knew about, but forgot. The mall had lots of things, though, so maybe Melissa was right; such a store was somewhere, just waiting for them to come in. Perhaps even with cheap prices! Formal wear didn't usually come cheap, but you never know, right?
She waited to see if the other girl would stand up, as well. Then again, she probably didn't have to wait.
(OOC: Sorry for taking longer than normal but I'm really reaching for ideas here. 
)
"Um...I guess let's just start on the first floor and work our way up? We'll comb every inch of the mall and find what we're looking for!" Melissa said, displaying more cheer than she actually felt. She quickly scrunched up her trash and stuffed it in the McDonalds bag before looking for the trash bag. "Lemme just throw this away and we can start looking."
A couple of moments she was ready to begin the search with Aileen. She wondered just exactly where such a store would be tucked away. She hoped it would be on the first floor, but she doubted it since it catered to the more casual crowd and the young kids than anything that would require formalwear. Still, she could use this opportunity to get Aileen to open up a bit more about herself. But it would be rude to just ask without offering anything of herself so...
"Hey Aileen, what kind of music do you listen to?" She said as the two of them walked. "My favorite has to be classical music, actually..."
)"Um...I guess let's just start on the first floor and work our way up? We'll comb every inch of the mall and find what we're looking for!" Melissa said, displaying more cheer than she actually felt. She quickly scrunched up her trash and stuffed it in the McDonalds bag before looking for the trash bag. "Lemme just throw this away and we can start looking."
A couple of moments she was ready to begin the search with Aileen. She wondered just exactly where such a store would be tucked away. She hoped it would be on the first floor, but she doubted it since it catered to the more casual crowd and the young kids than anything that would require formalwear. Still, she could use this opportunity to get Aileen to open up a bit more about herself. But it would be rude to just ask without offering anything of herself so...
"Hey Aileen, what kind of music do you listen to?" She said as the two of them walked. "My favorite has to be classical music, actually..."
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Aileen remembered to grab her bag and book, and to put the cup in the garbage, before going along. Didn't want to leave things behind, or to leave garbage out, right?
"Let's see... store... store... where is the..."
Her mind went to remember such stores. One had to be here, right? It wasn't as if such things were hiding, right? There's no way a store could be hiding, unless it was like the ones in the stories, that moved around and sold magic items so that some poor person could buy something, and then experience the consequences in some way. And those did not exist. Why would it be a formal wear store, anyways? Would the dresses be enchanted or something?
Wait. Melissa... was asking about her favorite songs? Huh. Why was she asking? Aileen liked 90s music, of course. Spice Girls in particular. But, was it necessary to mention such things? After all, most people assumed that Spice Girl fans were pre-teen girls or your stereotypical teenage boy, who lusted upon anything that had certain organs originally meant for feeding young. It was sad that people thought that, but it was true. The stereotypical Spice Girls fan... wasn't really portrayed positively.
So, should she have to lie, or just give a half truth, or flat out state-
"Spice Girls." she found herself stating in a quiet voice.
And soon enough, her head spun to the side again. Damn it, she shouldn't just blurt things out! Spice Girls was a bit of a guilty pleasure for her, even though she did genuinely like them. So, what if Melissa laughed?! However, this actually turned out to be a convenience, as she noticed something she didn't notice the last time she was here, and just now realized could have helped a long time ago.
There was a sign, with a map on it. Aileen almost made the "palm to face" gesture when she realized it. After all this time... she just now noticed?!
Pointing to it, and starting to step in that direction, she said "Well, we could see what the map says. It's there for a reason, and yet I didn't even..."
Her voice trailed off, as if she didn't know what to say.
"Let's see... store... store... where is the..."
Her mind went to remember such stores. One had to be here, right? It wasn't as if such things were hiding, right? There's no way a store could be hiding, unless it was like the ones in the stories, that moved around and sold magic items so that some poor person could buy something, and then experience the consequences in some way. And those did not exist. Why would it be a formal wear store, anyways? Would the dresses be enchanted or something?
Wait. Melissa... was asking about her favorite songs? Huh. Why was she asking? Aileen liked 90s music, of course. Spice Girls in particular. But, was it necessary to mention such things? After all, most people assumed that Spice Girl fans were pre-teen girls or your stereotypical teenage boy, who lusted upon anything that had certain organs originally meant for feeding young. It was sad that people thought that, but it was true. The stereotypical Spice Girls fan... wasn't really portrayed positively.
So, should she have to lie, or just give a half truth, or flat out state-
"Spice Girls." she found herself stating in a quiet voice.
And soon enough, her head spun to the side again. Damn it, she shouldn't just blurt things out! Spice Girls was a bit of a guilty pleasure for her, even though she did genuinely like them. So, what if Melissa laughed?! However, this actually turned out to be a convenience, as she noticed something she didn't notice the last time she was here, and just now realized could have helped a long time ago.
There was a sign, with a map on it. Aileen almost made the "palm to face" gesture when she realized it. After all this time... she just now noticed?!
Pointing to it, and starting to step in that direction, she said "Well, we could see what the map says. It's there for a reason, and yet I didn't even..."
Her voice trailed off, as if she didn't know what to say.