It's the Holidays

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Endless Cosmos

Kepler-16b; Where your shadow always has company
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FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. One post per day
  2. 1-3 posts per week
  3. One post per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
  2. Intermediate
  3. Adept
  4. Advanced
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Male
  4. No Preferences

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Location: Michigan Avenue - Water Tower PlaceOutfit Currently Playing: Baby It's Cold Outside

(It's a gigantic place, so.. I mean... use a general store like Hot Topic or anything you're familiar twith. It's got a Macy's, though, that's for sure. If I'm being too hyper realistic, though, tell me and I'll tone it down. I don't ever need exact specifications, just general things.)
The food court practically roared with chatter, a few shouting, and a ton of individuals piled and crapped in their seats. People in Chicago, they had no sense of modesty and the over-decoration of just this public area was testament to that. Honestly, Ezra was kind of surprised he didn't find any Halloween decorations hiding in the corner just waiting to be thrown onto every railing and food awning this place had. However he felt about all of the excitement of the Holiday seasons, that holiday spirit found its way into him in some form or other. He'd likely blame the adorable scale model replica of Chicago that served as the food court's center piece with it Chrysler Building lit up and dashed in fake snow. The pout on his features only proved that fact. How dare they with their mini people and the fantastic display of artsmanship. They even had someone getting shot in south South Side—how thoughtful.

Wait, no they didn't.

Ezra turned a glare on his sister sitting just beside him, her eyes glued on the display and her mouth slacked jawed in her typical jaded affair. Feeling his glare, she averted her attention toward him. "What?"

"I live in South Side and it's not as bad as people make it out to be," he grumbled, "The people are great, the food is great, the history is rich. So what if we have to plan commutes via a bunch of detours cause we happen to have a few gangs? You get that in every big city in every district that isn't run solely by a bunch of corporate moneybags."

"Our dad is a corporate money bag. You're gonna be a corporate money bag"

"Exactly and where does he live?"

Roxanne paused, her mouth open in reply but her eyes shooting up in thought. She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes in defeat, "Okay, you have a point. But still—"

"You know, Hyde Park's a pretty safe neighborhood," Dale chimed in, his mouth full of fries. Both Roxanne and Ezra made a show of rolling their eyes. He made a gesture with his finger, caked in cheese, "Or around about that place."

"Is this why you guys don't visit often? Cause you're all afraid of getting shot?" Ezra accused, narrowing his eyes.

Another roll of Roxanne's eyes graced his vision before she responded, "No, I just don't feel like wasting my time making sure your apartment is spotless the moment I step foot inside. You have a cat that sheds profusely, yet you have the gall to complain about the dander I leave on your sofas from my dog."

"Dogs are filthy animals and I'll have none of it. Hey! NO. Shhh! Sh. SHSH."

"Oh my God. I'm going to go do something useful with my time, like bask in the cold, macabre stares of the Hot Topic employees and listen to them rip a part my fashion sense. Because you Ruby Rhoding me and this," she gestured at the three of them, "is literally killing my brain cells; I might as well mercy kill the rest. Thank you. Bye," she huffed. In a flurry, she grabbed all the items on her person and stomped off in the wrong direction. She made a swift turn about and stomped the other way, her glare never leaving Ezra's face.

Meeting his glare, Dale merely stuffed another fry in his face. After a few blinks and the shiver of fear that ran through his spine, Dale stood with his now empty bucket of cheese fries and made for the nearest concession. "I'm just gonna get some more food," he called out, throwing Ezra a cheesy smile while he dumped his trash.

A sigh broke his lips and his fingers scrawled mindless pictures in the plastic table top. Having been entrusted with the money their father gave them, it was now entirely his responsibility to get their mother and stepfather a gift. What Lee probably meant for them to get was a pile of crappy, utterly awful things he knew their mother wouldn't like, but by handing it to their most responsible son, he knew better than to act so petty. Dale would have likely nabbed some highfalutin modern art piece, spending at least a small business on it. Roxanne, on the other hand, would have gladly done something vindictive in his stead. Not that she hated their mother, but their stepfather grated on her every last nerve with his new age thinking. Mindless slop for this century's hippy population to drudge up in order to make weed sound cooler than it actually was, was the term she coined for what she thought of him.

This year he'd have to get something for whatever the hell his stepfather celebrated, since it definitely wasn't a mainstream holiday, and Hannukah, since most of his family held strongly to the Jewish faith.

"It was just a matter of time before they legalized weed in order to tax the surge of new age wannabes," Ezra recited as he remembered that speech, snorting a laugh at the memories. She'd been half-drunk at one of their friend's Halloween parties. Fun times.

With everything in order and Dale busying himself with ordering Chinese food—how he managed to maintain such a healthy figure astounded him—Ezra was left to his own devices. He stood and gathered what things he had on his person, managing to secure his wallet and beanie in his back pocket before shoving his overcoat on—a big, hefty wool jacket with large buttons on the front that was a stark black. He let the scarf hang loose and made sure to point in the direction he was going when he'd caught Dale's attention.

Moving through the crowds, he managed to pass the Hot Topic where his sister actually did exactly what she said she would. He could hear her yell clear across the store, "It's pronounced Versace you ingrate; I got this at Target!" It was in that moment that he'd turned his attention away from where he was a going and walked straight into the nearest individual headlong.

"Oh shit dicks," he spurted, nearly tumbling forward, but in regaining his balance he leaned to grab the figure and hall them up on their feet. "Oh God, I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"
(To give at least one person an opening for interaction.)
@Polystical @Thurrbo @Autumn_Burns_Red @Kronas17 @CuccoLady @Little_Ghost98 @Memoria @PlayingMonster
 
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Zachariah (Ft. Jazmin Morales)
Location: Water Tower Place
Outfit
Tagged: @Left Half of Lancelot
Zachariah had just come back from the Build a Bear workshop with Jazmin who had just spent an hours deciding what traits she wanted to give a stuffed giraffe and then half an hour arguing with the helper in the Stuff Me area about how a stuffed animal didn't need a heart because it couldn't reciprocate the love it received.

"I just don't understand your logic." Zach laughed, ruffling her head and she huffed in annoyance. "It's not like it's going to come to life, and why in the world would I dress it?" She demanded. "Giraffes in the wild don't wear clothes."

"Yeah, but giraffes in the wild have hearts." He pointed out, not even addressing the fact that most kids gave their toys names and didn't call them 'it'.

"It's not the same thing, dad." The eleven year old deadpanned and Zach just let the subject drop with a smile. He knew he could never win that one. "Okay, well, how about we head to the food court for something to tasty?" Her face quickly lit up and she nodded eagerly, arguing with Build a Bear Workshop employees took a lot of energy after all. "Can we go to Wow Bao's?" She asked. "Of course we can!"

When they got to the elevator, Zach could see that Jazmin was started to really freak out. But in the good way. It's not like they went to this place all the time, so she rarely ever got to ride in the glass elevator. "You wanna press the button?" He asked and she nodded vigorously.

When they got to the floor, they headed for the food court but there walk was interrupted when a man crashed into Zach. Usually Zach was quicker on his feet, but with the crowd of people, and having to make sure Jazmin didn't get separated from him, he didn't have time to avoid the collision. The man's outburst, made Zach burst into laughter--because man, he'd never heard that one before--but he quickly sobered up when Jazmin, who thought swearing was juvenile, gave him and the man a disdainful look.

"It's all good dude. I'm fine--

"There are a lot of children in this mall, maybe you should watch your mouth, jackass." Jazmin interrupted, her brown creasing as she glared harder. "Jazzy, watch your mouth!" Zach gasped, cuffing her gently, she huffed in response and huggled her giraffe closer. "A jackass isn't a swear word it's an animal." She sniped.

Zach smiled apologetically at the guy. "Sorry about her."


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Lishan Solomon (Ft. Semira Tamrat)
Location: Water Tower Place
Outfit
Mentioned: @Thurrbo (Ani)
When Lishan had told her parents that she was going to pick up something from the mall and Semira offered to come with her, Lishan knew something was up. Semira hated her, and Lishan hated her, they didn't spend time together voluntarily. In fact if someone ever held a gun to her head and told her to give her cousin a hug, Lishan would consider the pros of the afterlife. So when Lishan ended up at Macy's picking up her gift for Ani, and Semira was just two feet away not talking shit about her to strangers, Lishan started to get a little suspicious. In fact the whole drive to the mall had been weird, Semira had opened her mouth and tried to say something at least five times but ended up saying nothing and just looking like a fish out of water.

After she got the gift wrapped, and they were leaving the store, Semira issues the killing blow--for her. "Oh my god, fries." She gasped and all but ran to Scratch Kitchen & Lounge, Lishan followed her at a slow pace and waited outside the restaurant. Semira came out within ten minutes with a huge styorfoam container filled with fries slathered in cheese, jalapenos, olives and...Bacon.

"Whoa! Whoa! Semira that has bacon on it!" Lishan gasped, snatching the fork out of her cousins hand. Yeah, so she didn't like her cousin, but she would let the girl go through the whole 'Oh my god, I've failed the Lord' drama.

"What? No, no, no, it's cool, Lishan! I mean we all, cut corners sometimes right?" Semira laughed and reached for the fork again but Lishan held it out of reach. Semira rolled her eyes and tucked into her meal with her fingers. Ew.

"Since when do you cut corners?" Lishan asked slowly, guiding Semira to the nearest table. "You're like the poster child for being a 'good child of Jehovah'." She said, mimicking her mother's voice.

Semira shoveled some more fries down her gullet before wiping her mouth with the bag, like an animal. Before responding. "Well since...SinceIgotpregnant." She mumbled.

"You're what?!" Lishan gasped, her eyes practically bulging out of her head.

"I'm pregnant." Her cousin repeated, louder this time. "And the father is a Catholic."

Lishan dropped the fork on the table, the utensil skittering of the surface and clattering on the floor. Her cousin might as well have said that she got knocked up by the devil, because her mother hated Catholics. She regularly called them hedonists and delinquents and some other words that were a bit harsh for public knowledge. If Semira ever told her aunt that she was pregnant, her aunt would forever be disappointed and ashamed, but if she told her she was pregnant by a Catholic, she would kill her. Lishan's father was less severe when it came to 'breaking the rules', but he had his own issues with the Catholics, so there was no telling how he would react.

"So that's why you have to let me move in with you." Semira said as she scooped the last bit of cheese up with her finger and popped the digit into her mouth.

"Wait a minute, what?"

 
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|| wearing: outfit in above picture || location: hot topic, water tower place || @Polystical
"Christmas covers. How original," Alex drawled, examining a My Chemical Romance shirt. Brooks rolled his eyes. "For god's sake, Alex, stop being such a grinch," Matt said. The four of them were currently wandering the mall after somebody in the venue had screwed up, delaying their soundcheck by several hours. Their manager was keeping an eagle eye on the trailer, because the last thing they needed was stolen gear. Not with a gig that night.

"What, are we going to do a punk rock cover of Jingle Bells?" Alex asked, finally deciding to get the shirt. Brooks shrugged. "I dunno man, I think that would be a pretty cool idea," he said. "Nah, not Jingle Bells. Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer," Matt remarked. Even Alex smirked at that one. "Right, c'mon, let's get these and then get something to eat, I'm starving," Lee said, clapping Brooks on the shoulder. Alex managed to tell the cashier that they were playing a show that night without sounding like he was blatantly self-promoting the band. If any of the rest of them had tried that, it probably would have ensured that the cashier would never go to another Make/Believe show again. But, instead, she actually seemed really interested.

"I'm surprised you didn't give her your number as well," Lee remarked as they left the shop, heading towards the food court. Alex shrugged. "Nah, she wasn't my type." All four of his bandmates turned to look at him. "She was exactly your type," Brooks remarked. Then again, Alex had a wide and varied taste in people, so she mightn't have been. For a guy who flirted with everything on legs, Alex did have a habit of surprising Brooks with the people he wanted to date.

Brooks ran his hands down his jeans, the nerves finally starting to kick in. The fact that soundcheck was delayed meant that if there was any problems, there was less time to fix them. The fact that he didn't know when they could soundcheck made it worse- they were waiting for a call telling them that everything was good to go. He was starting to feel vaguely sick.

They got their food and sat down, their bags by their feet. "Brooks, you're green," Lee remarked as they started to eat. "I'm just nervous," Brooks said, shrugging. They started as a fork skidded across the table next to them and clattered to the ground. They looked over at the two girls sitting there, Alex suddenly grinning. He bent down to retrieve the fork, and Brooks ran his hands down his face. "Oh my god, Alex, don't," he said. Alex frowned. "What? I'm just returning the fork to these two lovely ladies," he said, grinning at them as he stood up, handing the fork to them. The rest of them just turned to watch, ready to step in if he went too far.
 
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|| location: Water Tower Palace, Teavana ||
|| appearance: shirt as above, jeans; hair extends below the waist ||
|| mentioned: Lishan (@Polystical) ||​

"Yes, I understand the concern, but-- but really! You don't have to worry about it, because..." Ani paused, cell phone still pressed to her ear. "Because I'm bringing someone over for the holidays!"

"What? Really?" Her older brother Naveen was on the other end, pestering his little sister about finding a boyfriend. Being recently married himself and surprised that it had been so long for Ani, he had no more reason to hesitate jumping onto the pester-Ani-bandwagon their parents had started. "Has the day finally come?"

"Oh, shut up," she hissed in response, trying not to let on that she was lying through her teeth. Thankfully, Naveen wasn't here to see her poker face at the moment (or lack thereof).

She could hear him laughing through the phone. "Well, spit it out then! What's his name? Where'd you meet him?"

"I-I... I met him at the museum, okay?" Ani rushed down the huge hallway of the mall, her free hand anxiously shoved in her pocket, trying to spin up a convincing lie on the spot. "Look, I'm kinda busy right now. A-And besides -- you'll get to meet him soon anyway, yeah? So, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Ani, wait--"

"Bye!" And with that, she hung up before Naveen could protest further.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she tucked her phone into her back pocket and continued strolling through the mall. Generally, Ani had a strong disdain for shopping, but it was the holiday season after all, and she did enjoy picking out gifts for people. Her friend Lishan had gotten her the most precious thing last year, and Ani definitely didn't want to come up short this year, so she was picking her own brain for ideas. When, suddenly...

"A Teavana?" Ani read aloud, stopping to read to store sign. "Maybe it's kind of clichè, all things considered... but it's worth a shot." So she stepped inside the small tea shop briefly to peruse the merchandise there, hell bent on finding the perfect gift for Lishan.
 
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Matthew liked nothing more than the cold weather and the Christmas spirit bustling about around him but too bad he was stuck inside a clothing store for the next ten minutes which wasn't that bad now that he thought about it. His son Shawn was supposed to meet him in the store and from there they would walk around and find something that he liked so Matthew had an idea on what to get him for Christmas. He glanced up at the clock and clicked his tongue against his mouth while he waited. Zumiez had been pretty hectic that past few days but today was even worse and now Matthew couldn't wait until it was over.

The sound of footsteps coming towards Matthew made him look up from the clothing and backpacks that needed to be placed on the hooks. " Sorry I'm late dad, I was with Jesse and we lost track of time". Shawn observed his father's facial expression to see if he actually believed him but as always he had on the same poker face where Shawn struggled to figure out what the man was thinking. " It's okay I'm getting ready to leave now anyway" Matthew spoke walking from behind the counter and then ruffling his sons hair who grunted in response and then made an attempt to fix it back to the way it was.

" Do you know what stores you want to look in...I mean besides the one were in now" He watched as Shawn made a face and then shook his head slowly like he was still thinking. " We can just walk around and see where we land but first I'm thirsty so lets head to the food court" Shawn spoke pushing his father out of the store as if they were actually in a rush and Matthew laughed as he walked with Shawn over to the food court. The Water Tower Palace was always extremely packed when it was the holiday seasons because of the gifts and the winter discounts.

Shawn turned and looked at Matthew for a moment and then back up at the menu, " I'm getting a Philly cheese steak and a sprite. How about you?". As he spoke Matthew ran his fingers through his hair and then pulled out his wallet handing Shawn a twenty. When the order was finally finished both Shawn and Matthew grabbed their food. Shawn led the way and of course Matthew followed him listening to his sons story about his day and hinting out the things that he wanted for Christmas.
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Sebastian had gotten off of work at the museum early since most people during the holidays were out shopping and getting decorations and things of that matter. He honestly didn't mind because that meant he could head out to the shopping mall and find him some things for his apartment. Usually when the holidays came around Sebastian went out and planned on just looking around and yet he'd come back with loads of things from countless stores. It was just something about the holiday spirit almost like the need to buy all the food for thanksgiving or waking up early to buy the latest deals on Black Friday. Hmmm what I really need right now is some more winter clothes but I can go and see what else they have too.

As he made his way through the store Sebastian stopped periodically to peek into stores that he knew would lead to him buying something. He managed to make it to Macy's before buying himself three new long sleeve shirts and a hoodie. His parents wanted to come and visit him for the holidays and Sebastian had been postponing them from coming because his place wasn't really in the "Christmas spirit" this year. Work had took up a lot of hours not that he was complaining. Sebastian loved working at the museum because he was surrounded by art and that was one of the things he loved. Sebastian walked around the mall stopping by the decorations store and picking up some things that he figured would make his place look great to his parents. He always wanted to find ways to please them and if they were happy then he was happy.

Getting somewhat hungry Sebastian made his way over to the food court to grab himself a quick sandwich and soda and then be on his way but of course he was delayed with the long line. Just as he retrieved his food and drink a sudden outburst made him turn his attention towards two women and a man that was next to them. " She's a Jehovah Witness! She doesn't give a flying fuck about Christmas". There was murmuring among the people who stared at the woman whom the lady spoke about. Well damn that was embarrassing, he looked from the people to the woman and some shook their head in disagree. " Who cares?, she's free to be and feel whatever she wants so stop looking at her like she's done something wrong" Sebastian spoke up feeling slightly annoyed by the peoples reaction and little comments. Everyone acted like because it was the holidays everyone in the world was supposed to love it as much as them. He was relived when the people began looking away and continuing small conversation and Sebastian took a sip of his coke and gave a slight nod in the woman's direction before he turned to leave the food court and look for more things.


@Polystical







 
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Lishan Solomon (Ft. Semira Tamrat)
Location: Water Tower Place
Outfit
Mentioned: @PlayingMonster (Alex)

Lishan was so suprised by her cousins statement, that when the guy came over to give them the fork she just stared at him blankly. Finally after what seemed like ages, she took the fork, stood up and smiled at the guy. She could see from the corner of her eye that Semira was giving her a "So?" look, but she refused to acknowledge her. Clearly her cousin had lost her damn mind, because that could be the only explanation as to why she had just said what she did. So Lishan did what she used to do when her cousin was being a little shit, and ignored her.

"Thanks." The guy wasn't really her type what with his kind of spiky kind of gelled hair and the fact that he had gone out of his way to pick up a fork in a food court. But Lishan wanted to think about anything other than her cousin, so if it meant halfheartedly flirting with this guy, then so be it. "You know --" She started but before she could continue, Semira smacked both palms on the table. "So?!" She demanded.

"No! You cannot move in with me!" Lishan snapped rounding on her. Semira immediately placed a hand to her heart and bit her lip. "I'm your cousin--" She turned to the gel hair guy, and gestured at Lishan. "I'm her cousin, and she won't open her home to me." She whined, clearly looking for pity. "I wouldn't even let my mother move in with me, why in the hell would I let you?" Lishan retorted. "And don't bring strangers into our conversation!"

Seeing that she wouldn't get her way with that method, Semira glanced around wildly and spotted a group of guys who seemed to be looking in their direction. Satisfied with the potential audience, Semira started tearing up. A technique she had perfected when she was sixteen. Lishan vividly remembered all the times her mother had fallen for Semira's crocodile tears and glowered at her. "It's the holidays, Lishan!" She whimpered. "It's the time of year where you're supposed to be kind and caring! I'm just a poor, pregnant girl who needs a roof over her head! It's Christmas for God's sakes!" Semira wailed drawing the attention of several shoppers, most of whom were giving Lishan disdainful looks.

"She's a Jehova's Witness!" Lishan shrieked at her 'audience', her temper getting the best of her. "She doesn't give a flying fuck about Christmas!"
 
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Ashton
Location-Water Tower Palace <> Outfit-Picture <> Mentioned

Ashton strode through the large halls of the Water Tower Palace, looking through windows of shops. He didn't mind shopping generally, but it was always more fun when with some friends, of which were all still at work. Being a tour guide during the Christmas season, you'd assume he were extremely busy with showing tourists around Chicago. However, today he had asked to take off to get all his shopping done so he wouldn't have to deal with it later. Pausing at the sight of the food quart, Ashton wondered if he should eat something now, or wait till it was closer to dinner time. "I'll probably be hungry later anyways." He said to himself before walking over to Panda Express. It was only a few minutes till his order was in and then out, with Ashton on his way through the halls again. Eating and walking was certainly one of his skills due to his bad habit of procrastinating, then doing everything in a short amount of time.

Further along his leisurely walk, Ashton noticed a small tea shop. Well, since he was here anyways, he might as well stock up on his tea. Entering the store, Ashton noticed his current attire matched that of an employee's. At this, he laughed slightly. "Maybe this wasn't the best place to be at the moment." He thought, turning to exit the building. However, he stopped at the sight of a young woman entering. Changing his plan in the blink of an eye, Ashton greeted her with a wide smile. "Good evening." He said to Ani.
@Thurrbo

(I'll post for my others in a bit.)
 
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|| wearing: above outfit || location: food court || @Polystical ||

Alex quickly sat down as the drama at the other table started to escalate. They glanced at each other, suddenly regretting picking this exact table to sit at. When one of the girls noticed their presence, she started to blubber. The other seemed to just grow more exasperated, eventually turning to them with a "She's a Jehova's Witness! She doesn't give a flying fuck about Christmas!" The boys glanced at each other. Brooks felt bad for the crying girl, but couldn't help but remember that the waterworks were only turned on when she noticed that the boys were watching.

Brooks turned to them. "Listen, Miss, this isn't the nativity story. There are lots of places in town you can stay if your...sister? If she can't put you up, then I'm sure there are lots of other places that can. You can still be around for the holiday season if you... really want to be," he said. It wasn't the best solution, but it was better than nothing. Maybe she'd stop crying at least.
 
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|| location: Water Tower Palace, Teavana ||
|| appearance: shirt as above, jeans; hair extends below the waist ||
|| mentioned: Ashton (@CuccoLady ) ||

As Ani perused the store, she had this nagging feeling in her gut... She shouldn't have lied to her brother. Now she'd have to justify it somehow, or find a way to cover it up. Doing this sort of thing always fell short in movies! Lying seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now she'd have to answer to it when she showed up for the holidays with no plus one. Oh well... It's not like anyone but her brother knew, right?

As if on cue, Ani's phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it and and viewed the text message she had just received -- and her stomach sank. It was from her dad, and it read: "SO WHO'S THE LUCKY BOY??"

Ani groaned audibly. Great! Now her parents knew! And all because goddam Naveen couldn't keep his stupid mouth shut. She shoved the phone back in her pocket for now and tried solely to focus on finding the perfect gift for Lishan. (Ignoring problems always made them better, right?) Anyway, this place carried a bunch of very unique tea sets, so perhaps one of these would do?

"Good evening." As Ani was so intently focused on these tea sets, she hadn't noticed the person that approached her. She jumped slightly and turned to see who it was.

Staring up at the towering man next to her, she certainly couldn't pretend he wasn't attractive. Even being over a foot taller than she was. Ani didn't recognize him at all, but he was dressed like all the other employees in the store -- so he must have been an employee. "Oh, good evening," she answered, assuming that he was there to ask if there was anything she needed help with. "But I'm just looking for now, thanks." And with that, she went back to staring at tea sets for the moment.
 
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Lishan Solomon (Ft. Semira Tamrat)
Location: Water Tower Place
Outfit
Mentioned: @PlayingMonster (Alex) and @Kronas17 (Sebastian)

Lishan sighed, she really hated having to deal with her cousin, especially when she drew other people into their conversations. At any other time, Lishan would have just left, but now that she knew her cousin was pregnant, she knew that if she ditched her she would feel bad. That being said, she still wasn't going to let Semira move in with her. No matter how much she whined and pulled at the steadily gathering crowds' heartstrings. Speaking of their audience...The sea of faces sported a mixture of disdain and disgust, with all of those faces focused on Lishan and Semira, but the crowd soon dispersed when a handsome man, stood up for them. Lishan nodded back at him, and Semira focused her gaze on the man's retreating back. Lishan could almost see the wheels turning in her cousin's head, but before she could act out whatever plan she had in mind, the guy melted back into the crowd.

At the fork guy's suggestion, Semira sniffed and her lip quivered. "Fine. You hear that Lishan? I'm going to stay at a shelter surrounded by vagabonds and who knows what kind of diseases. All because you won't be a good person." She snarled.

"Thanks for the advice, "Lishan said to the guy, with a wry smile. "But I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I knew those poor homeless people had to deal with her attitude." She joked and turned to her cousin. "Semira, just tell mom you got knocked up by a stranger. " When Semira made an outraged face, Lishan held up her hand. "Either way she's going to be pissed off. But imagine how enraged she'd be if she knew the guy was a Catholic. Speaking of that, how did that even come up?"

Semira adjusted her head scarf, and took a moment to study her nails before saying, "Because he was a pastor." She said casually as if she was just making small talk. Lishan's eyes widened and she stared at her cousin for a moment before bursting into loud almost maniacal laughter.

"You slept with a pastor? Really? Man, you are all kinds of messed up." She chortled. "Anyway, let's go, I have to pick up some other gifts for my friends and a new dog bed for General Tso. We can figure out what to do with your holy fetus on the way." And with that Lishan began walking away and after a moment, her cousin followed her.​
 
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Location- Teavana <> Outfit-Picture <> Mentioned-@Thurrbo
Raising an eyebrow, Ashton turned and took one large step to her side. "What are you looking for?" He asked casually. Looking at the assortment of sets Ashton spoke again, not waiting for an answer to his previous question. "I've not seen many guys interested in tea sets. What does your boyfriend do?" He asked, looking down at her once again. It was best to know before hand if she was in fact taken, just in case this boyfriend might be able to put up a fight. Also, her reaction was important because it would state right off the bat what kind of girl she was and if he even wanted to deal with her.

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Location-Outside of Macy's, WaterTower Palace <> Outfit <> Mentioned- @Kronas17
Noel stared intently at the map of the mall, trying the match the letters with the squares on the map. "Why couldn't they just write the store name in the actual boxes?" Noel muttered, moving her fingernails from one spot to the other. "They just have to make everything super confusing!"

Finally with a grunt, Noel decided to text Mathew and see if he'd meet her where she was. "Hey, Matt. Could we just meet at the entrance by Macy's?" She texted. Looking up at the growing crowd around her, Noel decided to step to the side and sit in one of the super comfy looking chairs while waiting for an answer.
 
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Justine
& Michael

Interactions: None
Location: Food Court in Water Tower Place
Justine: Outfit
Michael: Outfit
It was Michael’s day with April, and he chose to take her to the mall with his younger sister Justine. The trio went and saw a movie, and then walked up to the Clarie’s. Michael had promised to get his daughter’s ears pierced today, and he thanked the gods that her mother was in agreement.
Daddy, I want the blue ones! They look so…perfect.” April said in amazement, as she pressed her face against the glass case. If there was anything in the world April loved the same amount as her father, it was the color blue. And boy did she love the color blue. Her room was painted it, her shoes were blue, her nails, dress, blankets, and Barbie clothes. It seemed the only other color she owned was yellow. “Aunt Justine look at them, aren’t that just perfect. Daddy I NEED THEM.” She said in a dying voice.


Michael chuckled at his daughter. “I think we will get the pink ones.” He said. April spoke in protest. “Okay, okay, the green ones.” He smiled down at her. April crossed her arms. “We’ll have the blue ones.” He spoke softly.

Justine smiled down at April. “Kid you really need to chill out sometimes.” She noted.

After the trio finished up at Claire’s, April cried for a few short minutes before passing out in Michael's arms. The little squirt could never stand pain, and would always pass out. Michael shifted her in his arms. “Hey, you’re going to need to wake up, or you’re going to miss lunch.” He mentioned to her in soft whisper tones. April shifted a little bit, but without the smell of food she wasn’t waking up yet.

Justine looked up at her older brother. “So you go to court next week? Are they going to decide who gains custody?” She asked.

Micheal nodded. “I am hoping that the judge just gives us split custody. I don’t want to take her from Katy, but I don’t want to lose her either.” He said. “Anyways, enough sad talk. April you need to wake up or daddy won’t buy you a rice bowl.” He said.

April shot up a little. “With chocolate milk, right?” She asked, double-checking that he still knew her favorite order from Panda Express. Michael nodded to her, and she clapped.

As the three sat eating there food, Michael asked Justine a question. “Have you heard from Devon lately? Last time he called me was last month.” He said, taking a drink of his ice water.

Justine nodded. “Yeah, his doing fine. His tattoo shop is taking off, and well his thinking about coming for Christmas this year.” She spoke.
Uncle Devon is coming, yay!” April squealed. Causing a couple to cover their ears. “Sorry.” She yelled over to them, then looked back to her aunt. “I can show him my Barbie collection, and all the drawings I have made for him.” She said with a smile, as she played with the rice.


Honey don’t play with your food.” Michael said, but it was too late. April had accidentally flung a spoon full, and then some, at Justine causing her to be covered in food.

Sorry, Auntie Justine.” April said almost immediately. She than reached over and took a pea out of her aunt’s hair. “Just so you know, green goes good with you.” She said trying to make it better.

Justine smiled and stood. “I will be right back, I am just going to clean myself up, and well get the peas out of my hair.” She said, before walking off towards the bathroom.


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Devon Masterson
Interactions: None
Mentioned: None
Outfit: Outfit
Location: Hot Topic in Water Tower Place

Devon looked around the hot topic store with Lukas. In all honesty he had no clue what to pick out for his family, he hadn’t spent Christmas with them in a few years. Lukas held up a shirt, that he suggested for April. “Um not unless she likes unicorns that look ready to kill someone.” He said. All the years he came here, he had never seen a shirt like that one before.

Walking around a rack of shirts, he pulled out one with two dinosaurs on it. Though there was one problem, it had pink on it.

That looks good.” Lukas said. “I mean it looks pretty girly and what not.” He said, shrugging.

Yeah…it’s pink, and April hates the color pink.” He spoke. He may not have spent Christmas with his family, or any other holiday with them, but he did stick around in his brother’s and sister’s life.

Wow really, I thought all girls loved pink.” Lukas said a little shocked. Devon just looked at him for a mere second and rolled his eyes. “What?” Lukas asked, chuckling.

Devon shook his head, and continued looking around the store. Maybe he should have tried somewhere that was more suited to April’s style, prim and proper. He just sucked at prim and proper though, he could think he was doing the right thing by picking out a dress for April, and it turns out her mother already bought her that dress. Devon sighed for a moment, and figured a plain white t-shirt would be awesome to buy.

Really dude, a white t-shirt? That’s like saying, ‘hi you wanted me to buy you something, but I frankly didn’t care enough to really think about you for Christmas, but here is something.” Lukas said, leaning against the wall.

Devon laughed. “April likes to draw, and well she likes princesses. Her favorites Tiana, so I figured I would draw her a shirt instead.” He said and gave the shirt to the cashier. He gave the man the three dollars the shirt costed, and then took it. “Thanks.” He said before walking over to Lukas. “You still looking for Tiffany’s gift?” He asked him.

Lukas nodded. “How do you pick something out for the girl that literally has everything?” He asked. Tiffany was Lukas’ girlfriend of about three years, and at this moment she was on tour with her band, leaving Lukas to picking out something himself for her.

Devon chuckled. “Maybe you can send a bat signal out and get some help, because your girlfriend is like Paris Hilton on steroids and it’s a slim chance but maybe batman can help you. Not saying he can though.” He commented, patting his best friend on the back.
 
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|| location: Water Tower Palace, Teavana ||
|| appearance: shirt as above, jeans; hair extends below the waist ||
|| mentioned: Ashton (@CuccoLady ) ||

Usually, when an employee approached her and Ani said she was just browsing, they left her alone. But this guy was being weird. What's with the persistence? she wondered, giving him a curious side glance. This felt more like she was being approached by a telemarketer than a sales clerk.

But then, he asked what her boyfriend did -- as if she was looking at tea sets for him. She froze at the question, and if she had been drinking something, it would have been the perfect time for a spit take. "Wha--? Boyfriend??" Ani laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Oh, no no. There's no boyfriend. I'm shopping for a friend -- she owns a tea shop. Hence the the whole 'tea set' thing." She glanced up at the towering man next to her again, and she noticed he wasn't even wearing a name tag... Something was definitely off here.

"Wait... Do you work here?"
 
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Location- Teavanna <> Mentioned- @Thurrbo
Ashton laughed lightly, nodding. "Ah." He said shortly. Now he didn't have to worry about what her boyfriend was like. He stood beside her quite casually but every time she would look at him, he'd look forward at the tea sets. Ashton hesitated when she asked him if he worked here, wondering if he should just give it up before she possibly got mad at him. Deciding to be honest, Ashton spoke.

"No. I'm a costumer also." Ashton said lightly. He looked down at her with a smile. "What's your name?" He asked blatantly. If she was going to storm off in anger or start ignoring him, Ash at least wanted to know her name.

 
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|| location: Water Tower Palace, Teavana ||
|| mentioned: Ashton (@CuccoLady ) ||

Just as Ani suspected he would, the man admitted he wasn't a employee. When he said he was a customer, he looked over at her and smiled as if he was checking for some kind of a reaction.

Ani then immediately did as the man beside her had been doing previously -- she suddenly averted her gaze back to the tea sets. But that would only do so much, especially when he then asked what her name was. Is he actually flirting with me right now? Ani wondered, trying to remember how to act normal. There was a fine line between being flirtatious and simply being friendly, and she wasn't always good at distinguishing the two -- partially because she didn't like being presumptuous . So for the time being, she decided she was going to pretend he was just being friendly... Then at least it would be easier for Ani to not act like a weirdo.

She turned and offered a small smile in return. "My, uh-- My name is Ani," she answered. "And you? I mean, if you're not working, what brings you here?"
 
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Location- Teavanna <> Mentioned- @Thurrbo
Ashton watched her reaction with a constant smile. She was cute when she was flustered. Ashton shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back slightly. It occurred to him that he may be a bit intimidating to her, not to mention he randomly asked her name. However, her somewhat calm response made him think maybe she got this a lot.
"Ani?" He repeated quietly. It was a unique name, and very short. Probably a nickname. "Me? Oh, I was looking for a gift for my land-lady." Ashton answered. "She said she was going to kick me out this year if I didn't get her at least something small. I was wondering the halls of the mall and saw is place. She collects this kind of stuff."
Ashton turned and scanned the room. "Any clue what a 70 year old lady would like?" He asked, looking back at Ani.


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Location-Outside of Macy's, WaterTower Palace <> Outfit <> Mentioned- @Kronas17, @Autumn_Burns_Red
After a few minutes of waiting for Mathew to reply, Noel texted again. "Don't leave me alone in the mall, Matt! T^T" Looking around at the crowds, Noel began to feel strangely awkward. She felt like everyone was watching her and thinking she was weird for coming to the mall just to sit. She wanted to shout at everybody, "I'm here to meet a friend!" But that would for sure get weird looks!
Wondering through her messages, Noel came upon Devon and Her conversation. "Oh, I haven't talked to you in a while!" She thought, suddenly remembering that she had seen his message but forgot to reply three days ago! "Hey What are you doing today?" Noel texted Devon.​
 
Matthew followed Shawn around the mall, looking in the stores at whatever interested both of them. " Hey dad can I get this jacket ?" Shawn spoke turning to Matthew as he lifted up the jacket for him to see. Matt looked at the jacket and then back at his son who waited for a response. Since it was almost Christmas and he did say he'd get him something Matthew nodded his head and then smiled somewhat to Shawn's reaction. Once his son was finished they skimmed through the electronics section and Matthew kept an eye on what Shawn had shown interest in so he knew what to get him when he came back.

When they were finished with the store Matthew stopped and reached into his pants pocket feeling the vibration and he read the messages from Noel. He cursed under his breath before stopping Shawn who was walking ahead. " Hey man you can go hang with your friends I'm meeting up with Noel and I almost forgot. Text me if anything". Shawn nodded seeming happy to be able to run off with his friends instead of tailing around the mall with Matthew.

He didn't know what it was but for some reason whenever he got messages on vibrate he rarely noticed. In less than ten minutes Matthew was in front of the store an he looked around for Noel. It didn't take long for him to spot her sitting down and he approached her with a warm smile. " Hey sorry I had you waiting. I didn't feel my phone vibrate".
@CuccoLady
 
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|| wearing: above outfit | location: food court ||
The boys glanced at each other as the two girls walked away, before starting to laugh. Brooks leaned back in his seat a little, shaking his head. "Man, that was intense," he said. Lee glanced at Alex. "I'm surprised you didn't manage to tell them about the show, too," he said, and Alex raised his eyebrows. "I couldn't exactly get a word in. What was I going to do, yell "come to our show in the basement tonight, doors at seven, we play at eight" over them?" They started laughing again, checking their phones almost in sync to see if they'd gotten the text yet. Brooks' heart leapt as he saw a text from the manager, but it only read that there had still been no news.

They finished eating, coming up with various reasons as to why their soundcheck had been delayed. They started out being somewhat sensible, then went downhill. The favourite was that a top secret government mission was being carried out inside and they couldn't let anyone in for fear of being struck by a straybullet. After that, they decided to move on and explore a little more.

It was as they were passing the Hot Topic from before that somebody approached them, asking for a selfie with them. It was a complicated matter to get all of them into the photo and still be in a position where they weren't grimacing from pain. But they managed. "Are you coming to tonight's show?" Alex asked. Being frontman, most of the questions and attention were directed towards him. Which was probably for the better. "Oh my god, yeah! I'm meeting my friend at the venue in ten minutes!" The girl squealed, and they all smiled. "We're still trying to talk Alex into letting us play some christmas covers," Brooks said, grinning at her.
 
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|| location: Water Tower Palace, Teavana ||
|| mentioned: Ashton (@CuccoLady ) ||

The way that the man watched her reaction with a constant smile was an obvious giveaway that this encounter was meant to be flirtatious... And it was making it very hard for Ani to go on pretending this was all nothing more than friendly small talk. She fidgeted awkwardly as he repeated her name, still averting eye contact and wondering if he was going to give his.

But then he went on to mention his land-lady -- the reason that he was here. Ani laughed casually when he said she was threatening to kick him out if he didn't find her a Christmas gift, because she assumed he was joking. (But then again, maybe he wasn't?! Ani began to panic internally. Maybe he really is behind on rent and he's secretly a broke bum only inches away from living on the street! Maybe he was her to scam her, and he was going to ask for money!! Oh my gosh, stop being an idiot, Ani. she thought, mentally face-palming. Look at him. He's obviously not a bum...)

"Well, I guess it depends on what kind of old lady she is. There are lots of different types, you know." Ani smiled, glancing down at the tea sets. "But still, something classic-looking might be nice. Like..." She paused, scanning the sets for a moment. "Like this one?"

...Now who sounded like an employee.
 
-Noel-

Noel jumped to her feet at the sight of Mathew. Her expression wasn't particularly happy, but it didn't express anger either. She was mostly relieved to 'prove' to everybody that she wasn't a weirdo sitting around in the mall alone. She was always to self conscious about what others thought of her.
"Well it took you long enough!" Noel said, slightly more irritated sounding than she meant. "Why was your phone on vibrate?" She asked, her expression now showing confusion. "Did you forget we were meeting today?" Noel crossed her arms and leaned on one hip, raising a blonde eyebrow. It didn't bother her if he did, she forgot lots of things, but she wanted to tease him anyway.

-Ashton-

"Well, she's Asian." Ashton said, making it sound like that was all you needed to know about her to buy her a tea pot. "Classic? Yeah that sounds good..."Ash said, his voice trailing off as she referred to one. "Yeah that one looks fine." Ash said taking the teapot. "Do you like it?" He asked Ani, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Not to say you have the taste of a 70 year old Asian lady." Ashton quickly added. Oops...Hope she didn't take it that way. Ash thought, though kept his poker face.​
 
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