Mallside

[Halae]

[Shopping Trip]

Skye does not in fact have anything relevant to say, though Mary may notice her sneaking glances. Particularly towards her chest. Not that she seems to really register what that means right now.

[bc56]

Shopping Trip
Mary doesn't really think Skye sneaking glances at her chest is that notable. Pretty much everyone does that; whether they find it attractive, or they're jealous, or they're just boggling at the unrealistic size.

Mary finishes her meal. "Okay, I'm ready to go back now."

[Halae]

[Shopping Trip]

Skye nods, setting aside her own plate, which she recently finished off. She really scarfed all that down. One might ask where she puts it all, but it's pretty clear what part of her is still growing.

"Let's return you home, then. Thank you for coming out with me to do this."

[bc56]

Shopping Trip
"It's no problem, really," Mary answers, "It's the least I can do for a friend."
Barring any other unexpected circumstances, they two of them can return to Brignole Manor to drop Mary off, then Skye can return home.

[[brackets lover]]

[Teaside]

Somewhere near the one of the entrances to the mall was a quaint little shop serving various kinds of tea beverages. There was a little fridge thing on the side that stored gatorades and water bottles and stuff, and a few kinds of chips were displayed as well, as is typical for these kinds of stores as a type of side option intended for picky children.

Mogzoku patiently stood by while humming, carrying a normal-sized piece of paper with him that was half his height.

[Morty]

[Teaside]

Hiep arrives and is pleasantly surprised to see Mogzoku waiting. She worried he'd have forgotten her already. She's dressed very similarly to how she appeared at the beach, having only replaced her shirt with a longer one.

"Hey there," she says with a wave.

[[brackets lover]]

[Teaside]

Mogzoku, too, is dressed very similarly to how he was at the beach, not having any outfit variety at all. Upon being greeted by Hiep, he perks up and smiles at her, returning the wave. "Hello as well, kupo!" he responds, floating upwards to be at eye level with Hiep, "So, I saw a pretty flower on the way and decided to draw a picture of it. Wanna see?" he asks, presenting the paper to her. It was a pretty neat drawing that really encapsulated the floweryness of the flower, made with eco-friendly paper and colored pencils made from recycled newspapers.

[Morty]

[Teaside]

"That's really good!" Hiep is genuinely impressed. She's not much of an artist herself. Or at all, really. "Though I have to ask... what does 'kupo' mean?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Teaside]

Mogzoku beams upon receiving a compliment, his face alighting. To the question, though, he only looks on in confusion. "Dunno," he says after a second before looking back to the picture he drew, "You can keep it, if you'd like, kupo."

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

Ah yes, the mall fountain, a splendid place to sit down and lick ice cream from a cone. However, the cold-averse Asami usually avoided fountains like the plauge due to the cooling effect they have on the air. She wore her thick black coat and her magic warming gloves. Presently, she seems to be steeling herself in front of the fountain. As she relunctantly approached the edge of the fountain, she winced uncomfortably, beginning to reach over the edge and towards the water.

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"...What are you doing?"

The question comes from a familiar-looking green-skinned girl standing by the edge of the fountain, a short distance off to Asami's left.

...At least, familiar to a point. The green skin, golden eyes and black hair all look about right, and if Asami's paying attention to her face that will certainly seem familiar, but she's not dressed at all in her usual attire. Her hair is bound up in a little black bun, hidden underneath a billed cap resembling a baseball cap. Her usual robes are gone in favor of a baggy grey sweater and black slacks, worn over a pair of black shoes. She's also eschewed all of her usual jewelry except for a relatively innocuous golden chain, mostly hidden under the collar of her shirt.

"...No, really, Asami, what are you doing?" Aiko asks again, hands on her hips and staring at her with her best "you'd better have a good explanation for this" expression.

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

There was a moment of shock for Asami as she's called out, but it wears off quickly as she backs up from the water and stands up straight. "Oh, hey, Baz-senpai," she greets, "I was just going to get some of the money in the fountain." Asami taps a finger to her lower lip as she looks Aiko up and down. "Why are you dressed like a boy right now?"

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"That's not important right now." Aiko deflects, waving away the question about her outfit. "You know you can get in trouble for that, right? This isn't like back home. It's considered petty larceny here. Something about the money in the fountain being considered a donation to its owner." She takes a seat on the rim of the fountain. "And a lot of them have at least one water spirit in them at any given time. They're not going to be too happy about it if someone goes diving in like that."

After a brief pause, Aiko purses her lips and looks over at Asami. "...Actually, better question. Why are you diving for coins in the first place?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

Asami tilts her head at Aiko, listening intently to all the information. Upon being questioned, she smiles and answers, "Well, its a lot more effective than looking for coins in the trash or on the ground."

[Morty]

[Teaside]

Weird. Maybe saying "Kupo" is just something people like Mogzoku do? It'd be rude to pry, anyway and it's not like it's important.

"I will, thanks. I'll find a good place for it. Now, is there anything here that you recommend?"

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"Asami." Aiko chides, hands on her hips. She knows Asami isn't stupid. She knew exactly what Aiko was asking, and Aiko knows she knows, and now she should know Aiko knows she knows.

"What is it you need the coins for?" She asks again, more directly. Asami might also see that her left hand has slipped into her pocket, if she's paying any attention to them.

[[brackets lover]]

[Teaside]

Mogzoku excitedly replies, "Yeah, you should try this one special blend that's just called 'Tea'. Its pretty good, despite the uncreative name."

With that being said, he goes to order himself, asking for an unspecified flavor of tea and then looking to Hiep to prompt them to order.

[Struggle Fountain]

Asami frowns a bit, confused by Aiko's tone. She honestly thinks she's stupid herself, and thinks other people think she's stupid, so she has a subconscious tendacy to act stupid.

"Oh, I just went to the arcade a few days ago with Agate and I didn't have much money so she said 'This time will be my treat, but next time it'll be your's'. So, I'm trying to earn more money."

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"...That's it?" Aiko quirks an eyebrow at Asami's explanation. "You need arcade money?"

Well that was disappointing.

"I thought you were going to tell me you couldn't afford lunch this week or something." Aiko humphs, standing up a little straighter. "Since I was under the impression that diving like this was excruciating. You, Asami Sonenshin, have a problem."

Seriously? Who risks contact with their personal anathema for a few goes at an arcade cabinet?

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

"Its Sonnenschein," Asami corrects, "And I hunt for my lunch, anyways."

She pauses for a second before getting offended and pouting. "And it is NOT excruciating. I mean, its just water. I can handle it, no problem," she lies.

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"...Uh-huh." Aikobaz replies skeptically. She could be gullible at times, yes, but not that gullible. "Prove it." She says flatly, producing a copper coin from her pocket and flicking it into the fountain. "If it's so easy. Don't worry, I'll vouch for you if anybody with any authority comes along."

She stares down Asami the entire time, nonverbally echoing the dare. But she knows the little star won't go for it. Nobody's that stupid.

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

Asami frowns as Aiko tosses the coin into the water. "Why would you even-" she weakly mumbles. As Aiko stares her down, Asami grumbles in frustration. Annoyedly, she again reaches over towards the water. She hesitates for a second and winces, taking a deep breath before quickly shoving her gloved hand beneath the water to reach for the coin. Of course, being a magic glove, its to keep Asami's hand safe. "Yeah, see? I'm perfectly fin-" Asami says as she reaches down far enough for the water to touch her wrist, her eyes going wide as she gasps and quickly retracts the hand while a cloud of steam rises up, "Kya!"

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

Oh crap she is that stupid.

In a moment, Aiko is on her, pulling back both her glove and her sleeve to check for any accompanying injuries to her stunt with the fountain. She isn't saying anything, but the haughty, imperious glare has completely melted, replaced with an expression of concern as she prods Asami's skin anywhere it looks like it might be damaged, checking to see if it still hurt.

Ugh. She really shouldn't have egged her on like that. In hindsight, the fact that she totally would try to retrieve the penny was obvious.

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

The skin isn't damaged, per se, but it would start to tint blue a little from the sheer relative cold. Asami winced patiently like she's getting her blood pressure taken or something. "I-I w-win," she stutters.

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"...That doesn't look very much like winning." Aiko notes, examining the blue-tinted skin. That is, if anything, worse than what she would have expected. If Asami were an ordinary human, Aiko would have taken that to be a sign of horribly severe frostbite. As it stands... that can't possibly be what that is, right? Not from less than a second of contact with moderately cold water.

Aiko folds her hand over the blue spot, her blood flushing due to its extremely close proximity to the magical entity that is Asami. "...Here. Let's get that looked at properly." She says, keeping her voice as level as the situation will permit. "And get you something hot to drink."

That's supposed to help with hypothermia, at least. Maybe with a little luck it'll apply here, too?

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

"W-whatever," Asami says, bitterly, "Y-you're the one that t-told me to do it in the f-first place."

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

Aiko doesn't outwardly object to that analysis. Instead, she keeps her hand on Asami's wrist as she gingerly leads her toward a kiosk just on the other side of the fabric store. It's a quaint little thing, barely big enough for its current two occupants, dressed in identical uniforms of green aprons and wide-billed hats, similar to Aiko's.

"...Huh. You're here early." The shorter of the two, a dwarf with a beardnet, notes as Aiko and Asami approach. "What gives? Your shift doesn't start for half an hour yet."

"Little bit of an emergency," Aiko explains quickly. "I'm going to need a towel and a bowl of warm water."

The dwarf looks over at Asami, shrugs, and does as is asked, grabbing a large steel bowl from underneath the encounter and setting to work filling it from one of the machines at the back of the kiosk. A few minutes later, Asami will find herself with a warm, moist towel being applied to the blue spot, held firmly in place as Aiko checks her over for injury a second time, looking substantially more worried than before.

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

Asami is helplessly lead away to the kiosk, curiously looking about. "Hi," she says to the Dwarf as she's looked over by them.

Everything was happening too fast for Asami to protest, the moist towel being applied causing her to sharply inhale through her teeth and wince, muttering, "_{Cold, cold, cold, cold.}"

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

...Cold?

It seemed perfectly fine to Aiko. Maybe Asami had a different tolerance for this kind of thing?

"Up the temperature. Get it up to steaming, at least."

The second attendant (an uncomfortable-looking frog-man) shuffles nervously. "Um... are you sure that's a good idea?"

"You have any better ones?"

"...Okay. Steaming water coming up." The attendant grimaces and refills the bowl, this time with water that is nearly boiling, steam drifting up from its surface and off into the greater atmosphere.

"All right. Let's try this again."

[[brackets lover]]

[Struggle Fountain]

Asami breathes a sigh of relief as the warm towel is (presumably) removed. As the steaming water is brought, she has a relaxed smile. She'd be able to touch this water with little effect on her, allowing it to gradually warm her wrist up.

[Ironsmith]

[Struggle Fountain]

"...Huh." The dwarf shrugs. "I'll be a mole rat's uncle. I didn't expect that to work as well as it did."

Aikobaz gives a little smirk, before returning her attention to what she's doing, helping Asami soak her wrist. "...Could one of you two whip her up a hot cocoa while we're here? Take it out of my check."

"Sure thing, boss."

Aiko nods and looks over to Asami again, letting out a little sigh and shaking her head. "...Okay. Now that the crisis is over..." She begins, crossing her arms and sitting back, "...Why was getting a fistful of pocket change potentially worth all of that? Either you have the worst video game addiction since the Polybius incident, or..." She trails off, letting Asami finish that thought.