Scene #8321: Watch Gals Pal Around

Owner	Pose
Charlotte Newman	It's not Lampport. Charlotte has escaped containment! It's still a mall, though. Baby steps. A multilevel complex of commercial outlets consuming the entirety of a city block, the inner sections open to the sky with crossway bridges linking the sides at strategic points. The uppermost level is a wide open-air food court, linked to the parking garage across the five-lane street by a wide footbridge. Everything here has lights on it. Big neon signs, holographic billboards, running lights on cars and passenger aircraft motoring along on semi-silent hoverjets, a veritable tapestry of vibrant moving colors. A two-legged mech labeled 'POLICE' alights on a pad on the garage roof, kneeling down and folding its hoverjet wings in as the pilot disembarks. Watching all of this is Charlotte Newman, Girl At Large. She hasn't done much in the way of shopping and instead has claimed a round table meant for four. The invite and location has already been sent out, and now she simply waits while thumbing through her phone and nursing a bottle of soda. On the counter beside her is a reusable cloth shopping bag with a big square thing in it. Part of the canvas has slipped, showing it to be a case of CREATURE ~ COTTON CANDY CRYPTID. It was pink, don't ask questions.
Petra Soroka	Petra has gotten an invite to the mall from someone in her age group! Petra hasn't showered in a week. For this special occasion, though, Petra prepared by sneaking into a hotel and cleaning up in a pool changing room. She could always just go to a truck stop, but she's afraid of them, so the occasional hotel trip will have to do. Once she flies the Kana to the mall and parks it on the roof of the garage, Petra hesitates before heading inside. She holds one revolver of her pair, and bounces it idly in her hand, considering it. It feels wrong to leave it behind. Even though it's just a trip to the mall, with frie--peers. The idea of going in unarmed, surrounded by thousands of people, fills Petra with shivering anxiety, almost debilitating. Eventually, the only line of reasoning that gets her to leave the gun behind, is to avoid looking like a minion. After texting Charlotte to see where she is, Petra beelines through the mall, not slowing down to window shop or absorb the atmosphere. Petra sees Charlotte before Charlotte sees her, and is already waving and walking towards the other girl by the time she notices her. Petra is wearing a cute, out of character outfit, a denim skirt with tights and her combat boots, and the turtleneck she usually has under her overalls. She also wears her glittery green triangle scarf, concealing her neck. Sliding in to one of the open chairs, Petra's posture is kind of stiff and nervous, as was her approach. "Charlotte! Hey." Petra's hand flexes and closes, an absentminded tic. She peeks inside the bag and hums, the sound scratching in her throat, her voice still raspy. "I--literally can't remember the last time I saw you in person. Huh." Petra leans back in the chair and scans the food court, her eyes flicking around. "I-I, I'm glad. To be doing this. Whatever weird stuff there's been before."
Hibiki Tachibana	There are plenty of girls who would think a place this big and this lit-up would be kind of imposing. Although most girls aren't Hibiki Tachibana, who has seen the several-times-more-blinding Closet of Babylon. Enough gold and even neon everywhere you look doesn't affect you as badly anymore. The mecha and hovercars are a new one, though. For the most part, Hibiki is more than happy to have the fabled girl's night out. It's the things like this that make...well, everything else, bearable. And Charlotte is someone she's gotten to talk to less than she'd probably like, especially since she's been out of the loop on Lampport for a while. It's the perfect chance to work on that. On the other, her last few meetings with Petra have been 'scuffed contest', 'extremely deep heart to heart', and 'fighting together in the toku quarry'. It's not that she's not more than glad to do this with her; her feelings on their karaoke session are pretty obvious. It's more like she's not a hundred percent sure how to entirely wind all the way back down to 'normal' again, just yet. If that's even entirely possible while...you know. But having some quiet time away from that isn't the same as pretending it's not happening, and let no one say she's not going to put in her best effort to enjoy today. Which is exactly why she's showing up before too long with a pack slung over her shoulder, giving a casual wave towards both of the other girls on approach. "Yo. Charlotte, Petra." The fact the latter is speaking instead of texting isn't lost on her. But she doesn't bring it up out loud, opting to drop down into a seat herself before continuing with a bit of a softer expression. "...You sure picked out a heck of a place. But the view up here is actually really nice. Have you been here before?"
Charlotte Newman	Distracted as she is by her phone, it indeed takes a moment for Charlotte to see the older girl on approach. She starts briefly, tapping at the Reversal game and then closing it. Phone tucked away, the girl flashes a smile while pushing some errant hair back behind her ear, "Petra, you made it!" As the girl sits down, Charlotte reaches across the table to touch hands. It's not quite a handshake or a handhold or anything, just-- contact, or the attempt thereof, "You look like you're feeling a lot better than you sounded the other day. Is it hurting to talk, still?" She's in an outfit that could be seen as her 'usual', the black off-shoulders jacket, the dovetail pattern blouse, the pink skirt and matching purse. The neon pink kind of matches the vibe of this particular city, even. A Wild Hibiki approaches, prompting Charlotte to sit up and wave the mahou over, "Hey!" Now with both peers to keep her company, the girl pushes the bag towards Petra and pulls back the canvas. It is, indeed, a box of CREATURE - COTTON CANDY CRYPTID but it has been opened. About half the cans have been gone through and replaced with other flavors. There's still twelve cans, but it's become something of a variety pack instead. Count Drinkula, Melonsquatch, Sour Applecabra -- Well, there's definitely a theme to them. "I've been wanting to get out of Lampport more," Charlotte admits to Hibiki, "But I'm still kinda drawn to places like this," She shrugs with a laugh, "Locate mall, will travel, I guess. I'm not as good at getting into trouble as Stanley." Whatever weird stuff there's been before. Charlotte pauses, her smile shifting to something more apologetic, "It was kind of an unfortunate business for everyone. I really tried not to get in the way. Thankfully that's behind us, I hope."
Petra Soroka	After sitting down, Petra's attention is nervously jumping around the environment, looking at everything other than the girl in front of her. This means that the hand contact takes her by complete surprise, and Petra immediately stiffens up and stares at Charlotte. What is she doing? Is this why she asked me to lunch? Should I have not accepted? But then she invited Bikki too? Or did she secretly text her later to tell her not to come, to make it seem like a coincidence that it was just us? This is the Petra-State which Hibiki observes when she approaches the table. Frozen still, words sliding past her, completely unabsorbed. Petra slowly tries to slide her hands back to her lap, with the same atmosphere of someone trying not to spook a cat that just scratched them, then she blinks and notices Hibiki. "Hibiki! You made it!" Petra coughs into her elbow, and winces. Shaking her head, she turns back to Charlotte, smiling awkwardly. The offer of energy drinks is met with wide eyes and brief silence, and then her smile softens. "I see why you call them by the colors rather than their names, haha. Thanks, Charlotte. Tell Stanley thanks for me too." Petra fidgets, tugging at the wrapping of her scarf, then decides to pull it off and hang it on the back of her seat. Doing so exposes her bruises, of course, and she taps on them with a finger, apologetically grimacing. "Hurts, just a little bit. Haha." "I hope it's behind us too. Hopefully all of us. Stanley was... I want to get along with him better, too."
Hibiki Tachibana	"That's usually something people don't wanna be good at," Hibiki answers back to Charlotte with a small and only just slightly tired grin. "But I get it. It was kinda weird for me to start going around other places at first, come to think of it. Now I kinda like picking things up to remember where I've been." Her outfit, as (almost) ever, is the combo of an orange jacket zipped up over a black tanktop, paired up with belted shorts. Let no one say she's not a creature of comfort. Though she does take in both of the other girls' choice of casualwear for today, from Charlotte's blouse to Petra's decision to go for a skirt, with some mild contemplation. Or at least, it looks like it - she's also at least partially taking in Petra's softer smile, comparing it to the tensed hand contact when she was first sitting down. She thinks this'll go just fine. "Hey, Petra. Glad to see you, too." Her own smile gets a bit wider, and she reaches over to very specifically grab for a bottle of Count Drinkula so long as Charlotte is fine with it, and set it down in front of her. "...I'm sure Stanley wants to do the same. He's just that kind of guy, I think." "Not that I know him anywhere as well as you do," she adds on to Charlotte. "But...yeah. I wanna hang out with him a lot more than I have. And you, too. So this is...nice."
Charlotte Newman	It's a common thing for girl friends to greet with hugs and screaming, at least in her circles at Silver Springs. Charlotte is fortunately more subdued than that, and so a little touch on the hand is all she attempts. When Petra locks up, though, she pauses and then slides back into her seat, "Um, sorry." She accepts the distraction of the stupid energy drink flavors, offering an only-slightly-awkward laugh, "Yeah. I like the pink ones, but-- I thought you'd like to try them all, so I got as many as I could find." When Stanley is brought up, Charlotte closes her eyes, "I can pass the message along, but You ought to talk to him yourself. I'm sure he'd like to be your friend, too. I'm really happy to hear that, actually." Relaxing a bit, the girl's shoulders sag, "For a bit, I thought you hated all of us, so it's good to hear. I wanted to reach out sooner, I really did." Hibiki reaching for the box gets a glance from Charlotte, who shrugs. It's a gift to Petra, so Petra's the one who gets to decide if they're up for grabs or not. She does tack on, though, "Stanley's kind of a lonely guy, so he really wants to be everyone's friend if he can. I can only think of one person he hates and I'm pretty sure the Concord killed him." She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath of less-pollution-than-average city air. When she lets it out, it's in a sharp huff and accented by clapping her hands once, "I'm in no hurry to master troublemaking today, so let's decide what to do. We can just hang out here and get some lunch, or we could hit the floor for some shopping and sight-seeing?"
Petra Soroka	Petra bites on her knuckle at Hibiki's comment, gaze turned inwards. "Yeah, you know, that's weird, isn't it? I feel like none of us ever go sightseeing. There's like, infinite things out there to see, and I only fly around to go beat people up or go to the mall. It feels like a waste. Maybe we should change that at some point." Petra tenses her shoulders to mirror Charlotte relaxing hers, her lips twisting unpleasantly. Her voice seems raspier and more painful when she talks. "I didn't hate you. I just... it always comes back to Lilian. But today's not the time to talk about her." Another absentminded touch to the bruises on her neck, pressing her index finger down into the swollen area. Hibiki taking a can actually makes Petra smile, and she grabs one at random too. It's easier this way. She twists the Sour Applecabra around in her hand to examine it, and the ambient smile on her face falls off when she reads the label. She lingers like that for a second, lost in thought, and eventually pops the tab and takes a small sip. She seems subdued, a little. "Yeah. I'm good with either, but to put in a vote... I'd like to go shopp--ah. Wait." Petra frowns, then quickly reasserts the expression as an apologetic smile, "Well, I'd have fun tagging along for shopping, at least."
Hibiki Tachibana	The mention of Petra and the situation with Charlotte, Stanley, and all gets Hibiki to not exactly glance away, but she does look down to the table surface in thought for a moment. Especially when Lilian is briefly brought up. She can see Petra's expression shift, out of the corner of her eye... Which is that much more reason to sit a little higher up in her seat, hoisting up her totally-okay-to-have Count Drinkula in a hand with a nod to one girl and then the other. "Shopping sounds a-ok by me. Since none of us have been here before, we can call it the first step in changing the sightseeing thing, instead of waiting for 'some point'. In fact, she's already making to stand up out of her seat, just to put that much more energy into the room, her free hand adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "And," she looks towards Petra, cracking another smile. "It won't be tagging along, it'll be shopping together. It's a group trip. If you're not gonna get anything for yourself, then I'm gonna make you pick things out for me, at the very least. I'm honestly pretty bad at doing that without Miku hovering over my shoulder..."
Charlotte Newman	> "It always comes back to Lilian." Charlotte dips her head, looking 'up' a bit as Petra teases the marks on her neck. The question goes unvoiced, as she chooses to honor the second part of Petra's remark. > "But today's not the time to talk about her." As she straightens her posture the girl shrugs with her own apologetic smile, "There's not much to see in Lampport if you're looking for something other than a mall. I guess there's the Happycade and Jimmy's Grotto but... those are just teen hangouts, not really tourist destinations." She glances down at the soda she'd been nursing, her voice turning softer, "I could show you the Reversal sometime... It really isn't something to be afraid of, I think. It's an expression of the people who live in Lampport, and there's something more than a little beautiful in that. Like art, painted by the subconscious thoughts of thousands of people." "That can be later, though." When Hibiki stands up, Charlotte takes the cue as well and rises to her feet. She gathers up the Creature case in its bag to carry it, nodding twice, "Shopping together is more fun than just tagging along. If you do see something you like, don't feel guilty and don't worry about money. Getting new things is like a personal treat, I'd be a terrible person if I invited you along just to watch Hibiki and I have all the fun." She has a rather cavalier approach to this, doesn't she? Charlotte glances towards Hibiki at that admission, though, "Oh, are you the sort who can't decide what to get, or the type who gets things really questionable?"
Hibiki Tachibana	"Questionable...?" Hibiki blinks once at Charlotte, and you can /see/ the lack of understanding. Probably hear some cogwheels struggling to turn in her head too. Her head briefly turns skyward. "Like...really bad-looking clothes or something? Well, maybe once or twice...though usually I'm just super indecisive. Most of the time I'm satisfied with what I already got, so."
Petra Soroka	Petra pushes her chair back and follows Hibiki in standing up, then looks away and taps the toe of her boot on the ground awkwardly. "Yeah, I'd be happy to help you pick stuff, Bikki, that'll be a lot of fun. I just... I'm back in the mech again, so...." Her voice drops, slightly more hoarse. "Not really a lot of space. You know. Or...." Charlotte's reassurance that she'd pay for the trip only makes Petra's expression tighten more. "I, uh. Really don't want to be more of a parasite. Moving hosts, or something. I'm fine, really, I have enough for lunch later." Pulling her scarf back around her neck, Petra brushes her hands down her outfit, gripping the fabric of her skirt. "I meant more, sightseeing in worlds beyond our own. Though... going to the Reversal sounds nice. I kind of, do want to see it, after how much I've heard about it."
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte laughs a bit at Hibiki, "I see, I see. No, I meant like... Picking stuff that doesn't really go with anything. 'Fashion disaster' stuff." Shouldering the bag, she adds, "If it's just that you're happy with what you have, I understand." She taps the toe of one shoe against the concrete floor, than the other while the other two ready themselves. It's her turn to be the one who looks like she's really stepped in it, now, glancing down, "Um. I didn't see it that way, but if that's how you feel, I won't push on it." Is that how Petra felt with Remee? Maybe that's why she's living in the Kana again. One can see Charlotte mentally connecting the dots, though they're likely the wrong dots. "Mm!" Subject change is readily accepted, "I'll try to make sure it's at a time when someone's wish isn't tearing the place apart, at least." The mall's levels are accessible through elevators and escalators. Spread throughout the gleaming storefronts and moving hologram signs are art pieces wrought from metal and concrete. One is even a fountain, spouting streams through brass hoops. There's quite a lot to pick from, even looking at the mall's map is kind of overwhelming. A guy who does little glass statues with a blowtorch, sketchy holovid sellers, a tattoo parlor surrounded by locals whose body-ink glow under the venue's blacklights. A trio of cops squatting around a kiosk selling cigarettes. About what one would expect from how the city outside looked. Like any town, the mall is something of a microcosm of the local culture. Charlotte takes her time, snapping pictures with her phone; pointing out clothing and curio shops, and shooing away kiosk vendors. Despite being the inviter of this little girl's night, she's more interested in seeing what Hibiki and Petra are more interested in-- she doesn't want to just dominate the trip herself.
Hibiki Tachibana	"Fashion disaster..." Hibiki repeats after Charlotte, seeming to mull over the words as she tugs at her shorts' pocket. She's seen a lot of ragging on Ishirou over his choice of bottoms, but she likes to think her ensemble is just fine. It is, right? "...Ah...yeah. That'd never be me." It's half-true, and half staving off having a look of sympathy on her face when Petra brushes off having anything paid for. She gets it. Back in the Kana again... It's not something to broach right now, so she's happy for the subject change herself, especially once they get walking. "The couple of times I've been in the Reversal, it sure wasn't...uh, pretty. It'd be kinda nice to see it when it's just at rest." She nods her agreement as they go, opening up her energy drink and glancing at the sights as they pass by. And man, are there a lot of them. Hibiki has varying reactions to some of the seedier-looking kiosks, but is just as interested in several others - actually, she's kind of got her eyes on that one glass statue seller. "Ooh, I kinda like bringing stuff like that home, actually...but maybe some clothes might be nice, too." Not in the least because she imagines those would be fun for Petra to pick for her.
Petra Soroka	Charlotte's line of thinking isn't entirely wrong. It's very far from being entirely right, though. Petra has never had a thought with that few layers of violence or self-doubt in her life. Remembering Lilian's words that she was automatically echoing brings a small, ironic smile to Petra's face, though. "The creature living in your house! The one parasitizing your bank account and weeping in your bath tub." The energy drinks are a little bit funny, privately. As Charlotte picks them up, Petra makes a small noise and shakes her head. "I can carry them! I've got it, don't worry. It'd be kind of awful of me to make you carry a gift you got me." Walking throughout the mall, Petra ends up gravitating between the other girls, walking very slightly ahead of them with a stiff gait, her thighs unnaturally brushing against each other with each step. She seems to become a little less tense as they chat, though her hands still fidget around without any comfortable resting point. The bright signs and lights glitter in her eyes, and she joins Charlotte in taking pictures of every art installation. "Oh, so the whole Reversal gets messed up when one of those wishes is around? I think I kind of want to see it in both states. It's a reflection of the town's dreams and feelings, right? Seeing it when healthy and seeing it when broken tell you different things." Petra casually makes this remark while the gang wanders around, seemingly unaffected in her level of cheerfulness. What Petra ends up actually getting fixated on, though, isn't any of the stores. She becomes entranced with a slim and shadowy outlet for a tarot reader, shimmering with neon illusions in the foggy air, and bounces in excitedly.
Charlotte Newman	"Oh," Charlotte pauses at Hibiki's hesitancy and self-conscious fidgeting, "I didn't mean-- you're fine dressed as you are!" She's getting more flustered by the second, a growing contrast to how 'together' she usually acts. Taking a breath, she offers a genuine, "I'm sorry, Hibiki." As the trio wanders the mall, she draws a wide berth around the tattoo parlor, though finds herself considering stickers that glow instead. Something... Less permanent could be fun. Hibiki drawing attention to the glassblower's kiosk, and she crouches down to stare at a green, translucent cactus wearing opaque sunglasses and yellow sombraro, "Ooh, it's got a certain charm to it, doesn't it?" It's enough for her to miss Petra slipping into the tarot reader's alcove, decorated with blue and purple finery. It's pretty dark and smokey inside, though not the acrid stench of tobacco. It's incense, the calming aroma of sandalwood that kind of clings to everything in thin wisps. There is a single stool resting before a table with a silken blue tablecloth. Behind it, cast in shadow, is the Reader. Only really his arms are visible, and the outline of a bald head atop skinny shoulders. "Ahh," His voice is equally soothing, though remarkably deep, his tone carefully even and unintrusive. One hand, sporting long boney fingers, extends palm-up, "Please take a seat, my dear. Are you familiar with fortune telling?" His hand recedes. The other produces an ornate deck of well-worn cards, shuffling them gently, "The first card, the Past. The second card, the Present. The third card, the Future." He presents the deck, "Draw three, young lady, and we shall see what the cards fortell." Once this is done, he sets the remaining cards aside and collects those that were chosen, laying them out in the order they were picked. With one bony hand, he gestures to them, and then flips the first card. "The Chariot, reversed. Aggression, lack of control. You come here feeling lost, directionless, sails riding on winds blown by others." Smoothly, he flips the second card. "The Hanged Man, reversed. A desire to sacrifice needlessly, but fear of making that sacrifice. You find yourself uncertain how to continue." In the same easy motion, the third card is flipped. He lets out a little 'Mmm' sound. "The Sun, reversed. Sadness, negativity. If the present remains unchanged, this future awaits." His hands recede, gently lacing together, thin knob-knuckled fingers fitting together like comingling spiders, "The cards only predict, it is not certainty. Such things may be changed. It falls upon you to reason the action in the present that affect the future in the ways you wish." "Thank you for your visit." He didn't even ask for money.
Petra Soroka	Tarot has always been comforting for Petra. Introspecting, but not prying. A cosmic coaxing towards answers, trusting her to find them herself, trusting that there's something to find. She's bit every hand that reached into her to try to guide her forcefully, but a pat on the back with the gentleness of solar wind is wholeheartedly welcome. Petra's bubbly excitement fades away to solemn acknowledgement of the atmosphere in the alcove. She opens her mouth to greet the reader and introduce herself, but the first sound out of his mouth convinces her that that's unnecessary. He already knows her name. Instead, she just nods seriously at his question, and closes her eyes to stabilize herself before drawing the cards. The first card has Petra's earnest expression harden, before the diviner even finishes explaining it. She opens her mouth wordlessly, but it's not until the second card that she reacts strongly. The image of the Hanged Man makes her flinch violently, and she makes a small, despairing noise of protest. Gripping the tablecloth with both of her fists, Petra shakes her head roughly at the final card. She hoarsely croaks out, in a voice even smaller than normal, "Why are even the cards disagreeing with me? The stars hate me too, and they should, after everything I've done to them. Every cosmic force, every living person, even the stardust I'm made of, none of them want to hear what I have to say." She wraps her arms around herself, and steps backwards away from the table. "I wish this hadn't made me feel even more lonely." Petra doesn't insist on payment either. She walks out, arms crossed and shoulders drawn in, to rejoin the group. "Yeah. Let's go get you some clothes, Hibiki."