A Room With A View of the... Mall? (attn: Nic, Dani)

Whistling when he got off the elevator, Nic almost fell on his face as he entered his suite. Someone had kindly delivered his luggage, but had unknowingly left them directly in his path as he walked in the door.

Technically, he really didn't need to go shopping now, but the thought of disappointing the girls was more than he could bear the thought of.

He certainly would enjoy the clean clothes would be nice after his shower.

Picking up the bags, Nic carried them int the bedroom quickly, and then turned the water on in the shower. As he strode past the mirror he noticed his hair was getting beyond fashionably long. He wondered if there was somewhere in the mall where he might get a hair cut. Glancing down at his nails, he saw a manicure might be nice as well.

He would only partake of these creature comforts if he found he could still help Aishe with her pajama selections. And with that thought he grinned, and shed his clothes.

A scant ten minutes later he'd showered, and dressed. His dirty clothes were left in a pile on the bathroom floor. Maid service...something else to discuss with MARI. He was compiling a mental list of the things he needed clarification on...so after he added the question on maid service, he crossed off the question about his clothes being delivered.

As they were remaining indoors tonight - well, he assumed the bridge was indoors, but if not he'd only be on it a short while - he didn't dress excessively warmly. Throwing a light weight jacket on over the slacks and shirt, he slipped into his shoes, barefoot, and grabbed his wallet.

(ooc Nic's outfit = Here)

With MARI's assistance, he was at the bridge about two minutes shy of the fifteen he'd promised. He had to grin, to think he was really looking forward to a shopping trip. Would wonders never cease...

Dani followed Aishe into the elevator, coaxing Fatty in before her, who, in typical cowardly fashion, woofed in objection before obediently entering. Fatty was quite used to elevator rides by now but insisted on making it known that this was not his favorite method of getting around.

“Shopping; not just for silly teens anymore!”

In truth she was glad to see Aishe cheerful; some found this place daunting but over time the modern steel and glass accented by lush greenery had a way of becoming home. It was nice to see that Aishe had taken to the environment and Dani imagined that she had a pretty good attitude, which was certainly an asset in Evenhet and for Meridian.

Following Aishe into the apartment, she made her way to the living room as her new friend retreated to the shower.

“Oh thank you, we’ll be fine.”

Fatty, in fact, had already made himself comfortable, laying down with his ears flopped out and his hind legs sticking out like a frog’s. She took a seat next to him, scratching behind his ears before pulling out her palm pilot to check her email while she waited.

True to her word, Aishe was in and out within a few minutes. She toweled off her wet hair and threw it into a neat french braid, the tail dangling down past her shoulderblades. Slipping into something like her 'usual', cargo pants and a fitted top, she exited the bathroom and slipped her feet back into her shoes. Grabbing her purse, she headed back out to the living room to catch sight of Fatty looking quite relaxed. It made her smile, and seemed to merely invite more petting, which she was happy to provide.

Once the requisite petting and scratching had been provided, she looked at Dani with a grin.

"Shall we? And thanks, by the way. I would never have known there were stores here. I haven't quite gotten used to MARI yet, I don't think."

((ooc -- feel free to move Aishe around to meet Nic, I won't be able to post till later tonight.))

Dani closed up her palm pilot after sorting through her emails to take care of one by one at a later time, and smiled up at a refreshed Aishe. Fatty, she decided, really could be rather shameless sometimes. Acted as if he got no love at home, the way his eyes went all slitty and glazed when Aishe petted him.

“Yeah, let’s head out then. And it’s no problem at all; this place is so huge that I’m sure there are places I have yet to see.”

Heading back into the elevator, she hit the proper button and let the doors slide closed, giving Fatty a pat on the head when he woofed his objections. Overall he was fairly tolerant about the whole thing, though, and they were off the elevator in short order.

“The bridge is this way; it’s a really great view too, popular place to stop and have lunch.”

Smiling as she saw Nic, who with his movie star good looks was fairly easy to spot in spite of the fact that he was now wearing considerably more, she gave a little wave as she closed the distance.

“Oh good, you found it; ready to cross over then?”

From where he stood, he couldn't see the elevator doors, but he saw Aishe and Dani almost seconds after they stepped out. When Dani waved, he smiled and nodded...and as the girls neared he offered each an arm. Walking anywhere, flanked by two such pretty girls would be a delight for him, and again he decided his trip to the gym had been fortuitous.

"Crossing over? Sounds like we're about to embark on a trip into another dimension. But I'm up for that even...sounds exciting."

Looking down at Fatty, Nic gave a short whistle to get the dog's attention.

"You ready too, Fatty?"

He then cast a speculative glance towards Dani.

"Will he really make it very far?"

Nic guessed Dani must walk the dog sufficiently, but he still looked like he was ready to just lay down anywhere, and be quite content for the night.

"Sorry...never been one for pets, so I don't know a lot about them. I've always been too transient to be responsible for them. Though I did have a beautiful little kestrel once."

Until some fucking huge eagle decapitated it mid flight one night. That had been Nic's first and last attachment to an animal, and he felt it was a wise decision.

"Oh...and I've been saved from needing to actually shop for myself. My things were transferred over from the Piazza to my suite, while I was at the gym. So I can devote all my time to checking out whatever you two wish to try on...I also am quite adept at zipping and working hooks and buttons...just in case."

Nic chuckled and walked...he enjoyed flirting greatly.

Aishe smiled when she saw a rather snazzily-dressed Nic waiting for them. Impressive, she thought, laughing softly as she took one of his offered arms with exaggerated formality.

"Another dimension, hmm? That describes pretty much how I've felt since getting to Nachton. You both make me feel normal again." She said it with enthusiasm. There was a little niggling part of her that wouldn't shut up about Kem and was still gibbering with worried fervor, but Aishe was normally a fairly practical person and right now her head was telling her that at the moment there was nothing more she could do.

She regarded Fatty along with Nic. The dog had something of a woebgone expression on his face, but Aishe had a feeling that was typical of any cute, droopy basset hound.

"I thought walking around was good for dogs. Right Fatty?" She couldn't help but adore the dog; he was just too darn cute.

At Nic's mention of being adept at undoing various forms of clothing, she found herself blushing fiercely. "Trust me, it won't be anything too exciting. I'm a pretty boring shopper. A few pairs of pj's, maybe something to wear at the gym, and a shirt or two and I'll be set indefinitely, or at least until more of my stuff gets shipped here."

Normal? Nic wondered if he'd ever been. He sure didn't recall what it felt like, if he had.

"Glad to help out ma'am, though since moving into the towers, I feel a bit like a fish out of water myself. That MARI is truly a work of art, and smart...but she intimidates the hell out of me. I keep thinking she's going to tap my on the shoulder some how and say 'Nicholae...you must put a coaster under that drink', or something similar."

He caught Aishe's blush, and thought it was cute. It never occurred to him that his manner of flirting would be thought of as risque, in this day. Jeez...some of the movies he'd seen over the years - while they made him think twice about getting back into acting SOON, even he had to admit they left nothing to one's imagination. He kinda liked the mystery of a woman who didn't reveal everything on the first meeting.

He nudged her lightly, and gave her a wink, hoping she'd understand he'd just been teasing.

Dani gave a self depreciating shake of her head at the discussion of crossing into another dimension.

“I guess I do make it sound kind of dramatic, don’t I? Really it’s about the same as Liefde.”

She chuckled a little at Nic’s question; Fatty could certainly do a good impression of a lump of dough at times.

“Oh, he’d like you to think he can’t but he’ll be just fine.” Nodding in agreement with Aishe, she added: “And yeah, the walk will do him good.”

She gave Nic a surprised glance at his choice of pet, wondering what choosing a bird of prey for a pet might say about the man. It must have been quite a challenge to care for such a bird and she wondered where he might have obtained it. If he were a vampire perhaps he had a similar ability to Arin’s and had simply made himself a friend.

“Really, that’s very interesting! My boss also has a fondness for birds.”

She looked over in mild surprise at Nic’s willingness to assist with clothing in any way necessary, smirking a little. So, this one was a Mr. Friendly sort, interesting.

“Ohh, I know a nice place where we can probably pick most of that stuff up, too. I don’t actually need anything in the way of clothes…but then again, need is subjective isn’t it? I do need to pick up some stationary but I can do that any time. Oh! And we should check out the coffee shop while we’re up there, it’s really nice and a lot of Meridian employees hang out there so it’s a good way to meet people.”

With that start of a list of ‘things to do’ in mind, she led the way across the bridge.

/ooc feel free to continue moving Dani and Fatty across the bridge, to the elevator, etc etc. Also, Fatty is a pretty mellow doggie, never bites but doesn’t get super hyper either, feel free to pet him and assume he’ll be content about it

"It was really an odd thing, me and bird. She just sort of adopted me one day...I'd been out hunting and when she first landed on my shoulder I almost shit...er, sorry...but she did freak me out, I didn't know if she was going to peck my eyes out or what. Then I realized that for some reason she had decided I would make her a good perch. She was really just a tiny thing, so fragile looking.

She just stayed there for about an hour or so, right on my shoulder, and then took off...I thought for good. About another hour or so passed, and I noticed she was still with me. She'd been flying in and out of the trees around me, always staying just ahead of where I was walking. When I finally made my kill she returned to my shoulder, and squawked like a madwoman till I fed her."

A strange relationship began that day, with Nic having been chosen by bird. They each just accepted what the other had to offer, and that was that.

"She stayed with me after that day, for almost two years. She went almost every where with me. Eventually she began helping me hunt, by leading me to our prey. I never saw her kill for herself though...not a snake, not a mouse. She always wanted me to provide for her."

He shrugged slightly.

"And I had no problems with that...I had to eat anyway...providing a small amount for her each day was simple.


Yep, she was my one 'pet' experience. I guess ever since then I've been looking for a connection like that again, but..."

He had gotten completely caught up in the memory, and now remembered who he was with, and that they were going shopping...not sitting around telling stories about the good old days.

"I do apologize ladies. I didn't set out to bore you...it just rather happened."

And he laughed at his own expense.

"Your boss...works for Meridian?"

Nic really did need to learn to think less about himself, and more about those around him, if he ever planned to establish relationships with any of these people.

"You're hardly a bore," Aishe said to Nic as she listened to him. "It sounds fascinating. I love animals but my own experience is limited as well. I've had dogs and cats, and I've ridden a horse or two which I think was equally traumatic for myself and the horse."

When Aishe actually saw the bridge, she dropped Nic's arm and rushed forward a bit, not too far but enough to get a good look out of one of the windows to the busy main street below.

"Oh, wow," she breathed. "Now that's impressive!"

The ground was lost in the darkness of the hour, save where it was illuminated by streetlights. Looking out, Aishe saw twinkling city lights from what seemed like every angle. It was almost festive. Slight movements far below betrayed the rather upbeat nightlife as people made their way from streetlight to streetlight or from shadow to shadow.

"I have to remember to come back here and get a picture," she murmured mostly to herself.

Catching up to Dani, she continued along, her attention divided between the conversation between Dani and Nic, and the spectacular view from the bridge.

Dani tilted her head and listened with interest as Nic explained how he came to have a kestrel in his care. It was, she thought, a rather sweet story.

"Not at all! I suppose sometimes you find your pets and sometimes your pets find you. Same way with family I would say."Â?

She nodded somewhat absently at Nic's question, grinning as Aishe took in the view. They had some lovely postcards at the stationary store with photos of the view they were currently taking in along with images of Nachton, so maybe there was another excuse to go there now.

Turning back to Nic, she gave a more complete answer as they continued along.

"Well, he runs the Meridian Public Relations actually, though rumor has it I do all the work."Â? She gave a little wink at that. "Arin Bjorn...Fatty -honestly-, come on...sorry...is actually a delightful boss though, really cares about Meridian."Â?

Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, Dani walked up to the elevator on the corner, which would continue to provide an excellent view all the way up. She hit the up button and waited for the doors to open.

Even with their admissions that he hadn't bored them to tears, Nic thought he might listen to them for a bit. They were both exciting to look at, in almost opposite ways.

Aishe was dark, and friendly, but with an air of mystery about her. She was also much more quiet than Dani, and Nic could see getting to know her would be difficult. He refused to think it impossible.

When she went to the windows he wondered at what she saw. Sure, the first glance was breathtaking, but did she see the just the ebullience
of the initial view, or was she also seeing the darker underbelly as well? Was she of the positive, romantic nature, or more realistic? Had anyone asked, Nic would have thought the first description to have been more Aishe. And while he knew such a judgement after barely meeting the girl was impetuous, he also knew he was usually a very good judge of character.

As to Dani, Nic felt his opinion was easier to pin down. Though she was tiny, she was even slighter than Aishe. And though her hair was dark brown, appearance wise there the similarities ended.

Dani's friendliness was more overt...open, and to Nic it seemed he was already learning more about her, than Aishe. And where Dani had initiated the little shopping get together, and seemed fine with showing Nic and Aishe around - Aishe seemed comfortable to 'go along'.

He knew he wasn't being fair to either lady, coming to these conclusions now, except he knew they were purely speculative, and subject to change at any given second. And it wasn't like he was going to drawn any conclusions from these thoughts. At this point his thoughts were totally observational.



"Oh...if you're into photographing pretty places, the marina and cultural center is beautiful. I'd love to show you sometime...when I'm given my release papers."

He chuckled at the mention of his parole, though he really hoped it wasn't long before the problem he faced could be rectified.

Following close behind Dani, he waited for the elevator with the women.



"I heard once that rumors are spun from truths. I'll bet your boss knows this too. It must help you do your job to know your boss is the kind of man he is."

To Nic it seemed blue eyes sparkled as she spoke about her job. He envied having those feelings about ones livelihood. Nic missed the days when he had purpose, and a love for acting, film and stage work.

"And Aishe...what plans do you have for work, in Nachton?"

Aishe suddenly realized Nic's question had been directed at her. She smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed at having been caught wool-gathering, and stepped into the elevator as it arrived.

Turning back to address the question, she said, "Well, I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm on leave from my current position. I still don't know how long I'll be in the city. But I do like it, and if my situation works out well I hope to stay here indefinitely. I hope there might be room at Meridian eventually with someone of my skills."

She glanced at Dani, hoping she hadn't said too much... or too little... and then continued.

"I'm an archaeologist by trade, but I do work a bit with historic preservation and the like. I could teach, I suppose, but I'd rather be working in the field. I just returned from Egypt a few months ago, and well... it was time to make a few changes. I'm sure you know how it goes."

Aishe shrugged her shoulders, hoping she hadn't come across as stand-offish, but uncertain as to how much she should say. She'd already been about as outgoing as she had ever been, and erring on the side of caution was her normal modus operandi, but she certainly didn't want to alienate anyone with coolness, for that would hardly help her achieve her prime objective.

She couldn't help but be curious as to whether or not Nic himself was a vampire. She wondered if she'd ever be able to tell for certain, who was what.

Dani stepped into the elevator, leading Fatty in after her. It seemed her pet had given up on expressing his disapproval and went in fairly compliantly for once, and in short order she was pressing for the balcony floor.

Shaking her head at Nic’s assessment of the origin of rumors, she couldn’t help but think that some such hearsay existed because it was the easiest thing to believe.

“Oh, trust me if there were any truth to those rumors I’d be chained to my desk instead of out on a shopping break.”

She listened with interest as Aishe explained her line of work, thinking that she would certainly be a good fit for Meridian and hoping Aishe would choose to stick around. Right now the situation appeared uncertain but Dani wasn’t privy to all the details on that.

“I’ll bet we could work something out.”

Grinning, she felt the elevator come to a stop with a ding and let the doors slide open.

“Here we are!”

Archaeology...and Egypt. He was now curious to know if she had came by her interest naturally, as a part of her heritage, or other reasons.

"Sure do - know about change, that is...main reason I came back from Europe. Touring the continent is fun for the first few months, but I've been gone a lot longer this time, and missed the states."

He wanted to ask her about her home, and if it was Egypt. In all the years he'd traveled, Africa was one of the few places he'd never made it to yet. Being one who loved comfort, and luxury, safaris and digs never held much interest for him. However, he might need to reconsider visiting the pyramids now.

In any event, he appreciated hearing more from Aishe, but the elevator doors opened before he could pursue her further. Dani announced their arrival, and Nic just stood there, outside the elevator doors, a look of dismay on his face. Though he thought he had no issues with shopping, he was used to the smaller individual haberdasheries. Truth was, he'd never been inside a mall, in his life. When he needed clothing he called someone who measured him and created his suit, or he called someone else, told them what he needed, and it was delivered. Having such a vast array of stores, lights, people was a cacophony of sorts to his eyes. Even though the mall was small in comparison to many, to Nic it was overwhelming.

Trying to maintain some semblance of 'cool', Nic just followed along a few paces behind Aishe and Dani. His head moved from side to side as he tried to take it all in. Music coming from a cd store, the smell of cookies and coffee assailing his nose, lovely bits of dresses hanging from windows, he couldn't decide what he wanted to look at first.

"Yep...here we are."

As Aishe stepped out of the elevator she was once again dazzled by the scene before her. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, maybe some little airport-style setup of tiny row-by-row kiosk-type shops, but it certainly wasn't this.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore,"Â? she quipped, glancing down at Fatty.

Indeed, she wasn't even sure if they were still inside. The openness of the area made her scour overhead for a ceiling to verify that fact. There were abundant trees everywhere, plant life artfully placed to provide some privacy and spaciousness at the same time. Aishe didn't mind craning her head around like an absolute tourist, and did so with a distinct lack of self-consciousness.

"Ingenious,"Â? she decided. "I need to send a Christmas card to whoever designed this."Â?

There were delicious scents wafting through the air, predominantly coffee and baked goods. She glanced at her companions. Nic, surprisingly, had a somewhat stunned expression on his face, a la deer in headlights. He too was looking all around, so at least Aishe wasn't the only one.

Turning to Dani, Aishe remembered her mentioning the coffee shop. "So, coffee first, or coffee afterwards?"Â?

Danielle smiled at her two companion’s reactions to the balcony; she had grown used to the sight but had to admit it was quite impressive on first glance.

Stepping out of the elevator and tugging Fatty along, she looked to Nic, wondering if he wanted a cuppa too. From his references to time she theorized that he could be a vampire and thus possibly not interested in coffee, but even they occasionally partook.

She should probably just check the database and see what Nic’s access levels were if she wanted to know, but then she didn’t see why it should make a difference in how she treated him and they were just doing a spot of shopping in any case. She had grown used to the idea that anyone she spoke to could potentially be a vampire and it hardly ever entered her thoughts anymore beyond the considerations one needed to take with their kind.

“I could go for coffee now. Nic?”

Feeling a little like a country bumpkin, Nic shook himself back to the present/

"Coffee would be great."

Though he really never ate or drank much, occasionally for social reasons he'd learned to go along. Then too, he also liked the effect alcohol and grass had on him, if he was in that kind of mood. But coffee now, he could do.

"Yes...fine...whatever you ladies want."

Turning his attentions back to Dani and Aishe, he felt even better when he could see Aishe's reaction mirrored his, somewhat. Dani obviously had much more experience with these types of places. He wondered then, if Aishe was a vampire like he was...did that explain things?

Aishe headed in the direction of the coffee shop when Nic agreed to it. She couldn't see it, but she followed her nose well enough and was able to finally locate it. It didn't take her long to make up her mind, especially when she noticed the desserts they had on display as well, and in short order she was standing out of the way to let Dani and Nic order, a steaming cup of coffee-flavored chocolate and a chocolate chip muffin in her eager hands.

She was a firm believer in the power of chocolate. It made the world go 'round. It was probably a good thing she was so active, or else her firm belief would have no doubt led to a corresponding weight gain, but she counted herself lucky that it had yet to happen to her.

Aishe was quite content to window shop while she snacked, so in lieu of getting a table she simply waited on her two companions to order. If they decided to sit and stay, that was fine, but otherwise she was all set. She'd kept an eye out while looking around and also while sniffing out the coffee shop and she'd already seen one or two possibilities - stores that would probably have what she was looking for. In spite of her enthusiasm to come here, she wasn't a huge shopper. She tended to find what she wanted, go immediately to it, and buy it with little or no fuss or deliberation. Walking around looking at things was fun and buying had its appeal, but Aishe wasn't usually inclined to spend hours running in and out of dressing rooms.

She couldn't help scanning the shop, and the outside, for people she might have bumped into in Nachton so far. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she knew not everyone here was what they seemed. Instead of being afraid of that fact, she felt herself growing more intrigued and interested. A tiny part of her mind wondered if Kem had been through here at any point, but that thought was ridiculous. Even if he could ever be dragged up this far kicking and screaming the whole way no doubt, a mall was hardly his scene. She unconsciously gave a little sigh and resigned herself to the fact that he was going to keep popping into her head at the oddest moments. Namely, just about all of them.

Dani made a mental note of the stores between the elevator and the coffee shop, thinking that they would be fine retracing their steps to get what they needed. She kept a running commentary as they walked, content to play tour guide and not the least bit concerned with talking to excess.

“This part actually wraps all the way around. There’s a central court just up ahead…oh, there it is, you can sort of see it through the trees…that’s where a lot of Meridian employees take their breaks, nice common area…no I’m not buying you a frozen yogurt Fatty, come on now…really good frozen yogurt there, by the way…oh, here we are!”

Smiling as the smells from the coffee shop washed over her, she waited for Aishe to order and then called up a triple chai latte for herself before getting out of the way so Nic could order too.