"I wonder if we'd get a cut of profits from the YouTube. Might be worth it."Â?
Flopping on to her back again, apparently frustrated, it gave her an excuse to look at the ceiling again and line up the next screw. It was much easier to do when you could see things. This screw, however, seemed to be stripped and it was taking some extra effort and finesse.
"I wouldn't say often. But it is handy, there are plenty of places it is hard to reach inside a computer."Â?
She got more practice than you might think.
Taking her eyes off what she was doing for a second she did look and was somewhat relieved to see one car being rescued. She was not longer in a shopping mood, but escape would be good.
"Probably the first."Â?
Murphy's law and all. Well they'd get here when they got here. The point was they were making progress.
Mara's question startled Pak enough that she dropped the screwdriver. It would have smacked her right in the face but she caught it, both mentally and physically, just at the last second. Reflexes were a wonderful thing.
"Er... good I think. I mean he did let me con him into a Thanksgiving dinner with some friends. That went well. What about your date?"Â?
It's the Most Wonderful Holly Jolly Rudolph the Silent Night (Secret Santa-Pakpao)
It was probably safe to say that neither Mara nor Pakpao particularly enjoyed the Mall. Mara, for her part, found both the crowds and the bright lights to her disliking. She had tinted contacts, of course, which she wore now, but she preferred to stick to the dimly-lit night streets or quieter shops.
She wanted extra cash though, and many of the stores in the Mall had the capability to pick and choose what they sold. Mercenary Mara decided to try to take advantage of the holiday season by appealing to shoppers everywhere. If they were going to spend money, perhaps they would spend it on her things and then she in turn would give their money to where it should really go; to charity.
So she had recruited Pakpao, who'd mentioned needing to shop (in a grumbling tone that informed Mara that 'need' and 'want' were entirely different things as far as Christmas shopping was concerned) and enlisted a favor from Bao in the form of a short contract and merchandising agreement. Armed with moral support, legal paperwork, and a fairly large padded case with a handle on one side for carrying, Mara found herself at Nachton's mall with what seemed like at least half the entire population of the city.
"Top down?" She asked Pak. The mall had four stories. They were accessible by stairs, escalators, and, in the middle of the mall, a set of glass elevators currently decorated with sparkling Christmas lights.
They went to the top floor via the escalator and began to work their way through the crowds until Mara found a likely store to make her offer. It was a little shop, not horribly full of customers, which was good. Mara suspected if she found a busy one, they wouldn't have time to listen to her.
Pakpao
14 years ago
Mara
14 years ago
Mara chuckled at Pak. "It's YouTube," she said with amusement, "you don't make a profit. No one pays anyone on there. Unless your video leads someone to buy a product on another site I suppose."
She nodded sagely at the idea that the other car was the first. That needed no response; Mara doubted they'd be the next ones out. Although given the fact that they'd managed to drop their car several feet it might have had the powers-that-be concerned enough to get them out sooner instead of later. Who knew?
Mara arched her brows at Pak's sudden surprise. "You think?" She asked. "That's not very promising. There must be more to it than that." She prompted Pak for more. Above all things, Mara liked to be curious. Pak just couldn't be that vague! It wasn't fair!
Having the question turned back around on her, though, was equally unfair. Somehow. "It wasn't exactly a date," Mara said.
How did you explain that? "But it might have turned into one." She twisted her mouth up in a funny expression as she thought about it. How was she supposed to categorize Jin? Handsome, funny, kind, dutiful, a fellow Anantya (bonus), a fellow feline (extra double bonus), someone Amir trusted (infinite bonus), and pretty much fitting any criteria Mara had for dating material - and her criteria were numerous indeed. Needless to say, Mara didn't date a lot. What Jin found appealing in her, she was at a loss to say. He didn't seem the type to have a hard time finding female companionship; he clearly had a lot to offer.
She kept it simple, smiling at Pak. "We had a good time."
It was a vast understatement and didn't come close to touching on Mara's actual opinion but she couldn't voice her feelings accurately. "Now you tell. I need more details."
She nodded sagely at the idea that the other car was the first. That needed no response; Mara doubted they'd be the next ones out. Although given the fact that they'd managed to drop their car several feet it might have had the powers-that-be concerned enough to get them out sooner instead of later. Who knew?
Mara arched her brows at Pak's sudden surprise. "You think?" She asked. "That's not very promising. There must be more to it than that." She prompted Pak for more. Above all things, Mara liked to be curious. Pak just couldn't be that vague! It wasn't fair!
Having the question turned back around on her, though, was equally unfair. Somehow. "It wasn't exactly a date," Mara said.
How did you explain that? "But it might have turned into one." She twisted her mouth up in a funny expression as she thought about it. How was she supposed to categorize Jin? Handsome, funny, kind, dutiful, a fellow Anantya (bonus), a fellow feline (extra double bonus), someone Amir trusted (infinite bonus), and pretty much fitting any criteria Mara had for dating material - and her criteria were numerous indeed. Needless to say, Mara didn't date a lot. What Jin found appealing in her, she was at a loss to say. He didn't seem the type to have a hard time finding female companionship; he clearly had a lot to offer.
She kept it simple, smiling at Pak. "We had a good time."
It was a vast understatement and didn't come close to touching on Mara's actual opinion but she couldn't voice her feelings accurately. "Now you tell. I need more details."
Pakpao
14 years ago
"Don't kid yourself there is money to be made there."Â?
There was too. Not from the free clip on YouTube but there were ways to do it.
"I guess we could sell our survival story to the talk show circuit."Â?
Pak actually laughed. OK maybe one group dinner date wasn't promising by most standards.
"You'd have to meet the rest of the dinner party. The fact that no one ran screaming makes the whole evening a success."Â?
Three couples all flirting and a lot of good food. It had been a very warm and fuzzy evening. It was still, well, complicated. But it was getting a little less confusing. Of course there was no way to explain all this to Mara with out going into more detail than Pak was quite ready to. Kem or Aishe might get the whole story out of her but they were probably the only two.
"What you had a work outing in a cemetery on Halloween?"Â?
Pak asked with a certain irony. It wasn't the craziest thing she'd ever heard, but it sure hadn't looked like business. The 'might have turned into one' was promising though. She didn't know Jin terribly well, but so far she liked him.
"Might have?! You're as vague as I am."Â?
Pak said as frustrated with Mara's answer as Mara was with hers. She tried to figure out a good answer.
"He... well we'd started seeing each other a while ago and he had some business that pulled him away, on short notice and he's just gotten back. It isn't quite starting over but... I mean... there isn't much to tell yet."Â?
There was too. Not from the free clip on YouTube but there were ways to do it.
"I guess we could sell our survival story to the talk show circuit."Â?
Pak actually laughed. OK maybe one group dinner date wasn't promising by most standards.
"You'd have to meet the rest of the dinner party. The fact that no one ran screaming makes the whole evening a success."Â?
Three couples all flirting and a lot of good food. It had been a very warm and fuzzy evening. It was still, well, complicated. But it was getting a little less confusing. Of course there was no way to explain all this to Mara with out going into more detail than Pak was quite ready to. Kem or Aishe might get the whole story out of her but they were probably the only two.
"What you had a work outing in a cemetery on Halloween?"Â?
Pak asked with a certain irony. It wasn't the craziest thing she'd ever heard, but it sure hadn't looked like business. The 'might have turned into one' was promising though. She didn't know Jin terribly well, but so far she liked him.
"Might have?! You're as vague as I am."Â?
Pak said as frustrated with Mara's answer as Mara was with hers. She tried to figure out a good answer.
"He... well we'd started seeing each other a while ago and he had some business that pulled him away, on short notice and he's just gotten back. It isn't quite starting over but... I mean... there isn't much to tell yet."Â?
Mara
14 years ago
"That's true. There's money to be made everywhere," Mara agreed. "I somehow doubt this is our big chance though." The next suggestion made her laugh. "Reality TV maybe," she said. "We can do a whole elevator series. I wonder how that would go over."
She realized Pak had misunderstood her and hastily clarified what she'd said. "I meant it doesn't seem promising that you only think it was good," she pointed out. "Was it good, or was it not?" Mara wasn't bad at reading body language and responses and had a fairly good idea what Pak's opinion on the matter was but that didn't stop her from pressing a little bit.
"I get the impression you want 'good' but aren't sure how to proceed," she observed. She nodded as Pak explained the situation further. "Ah, business."
Shrugging her shoulders she finally addressed Pak's observation about Halloween. "Work can happen in the strangest places," she said with a small smile. And then sometimes work turned into something surprisingly pleasant.
Overhead the speakers began to blare, "White Christmas." Again. Mara groaned. "I'm no longer dreaming of a white Christmas," she complained. "It's turning red quickly."
She realized Pak had misunderstood her and hastily clarified what she'd said. "I meant it doesn't seem promising that you only think it was good," she pointed out. "Was it good, or was it not?" Mara wasn't bad at reading body language and responses and had a fairly good idea what Pak's opinion on the matter was but that didn't stop her from pressing a little bit.
"I get the impression you want 'good' but aren't sure how to proceed," she observed. She nodded as Pak explained the situation further. "Ah, business."
Shrugging her shoulders she finally addressed Pak's observation about Halloween. "Work can happen in the strangest places," she said with a small smile. And then sometimes work turned into something surprisingly pleasant.
Overhead the speakers began to blare, "White Christmas." Again. Mara groaned. "I'm no longer dreaming of a white Christmas," she complained. "It's turning red quickly."
Pakpao
14 years ago
"Well that's a shame. I guess I'll go back to buying lottery tickets."Â?
Pak was more than slightly well off, a considerable amount of investing in the right time and place during some of the big technology booms. So while not doing nearly as well as some older vampires she wasn't struggling. Still, winning the lottery might be fun. She would like to try it some time.
"No... I mean yes. Yes it was good but..."Â?
You didn't exactly get too intimate with your adopted brother in the room and then there was the matter of Eiryk who had, and still was, teasing her about having a guy. Aishe at least was behaving herself on the matter.
She was about to try and explain to Mara that she could be stupidly shy and awkward but apparently her friend sort of guess.
"You might say that. The last time I got past date two people were wearing corsets, bustles and frock coats."Â?
Which was to say she was totally hopeless when it came to relationships. Some where along the line it probably explained why MARI was female too, she wasn't sure how but it probably did.
Another repeat of White Christmas drove those thoughts from her head though.
"Red, black, blue... can you give a Christmas carol a compound facture? Sue the mall for mental anguish?"Â?
Pak was more than slightly well off, a considerable amount of investing in the right time and place during some of the big technology booms. So while not doing nearly as well as some older vampires she wasn't struggling. Still, winning the lottery might be fun. She would like to try it some time.
"No... I mean yes. Yes it was good but..."Â?
You didn't exactly get too intimate with your adopted brother in the room and then there was the matter of Eiryk who had, and still was, teasing her about having a guy. Aishe at least was behaving herself on the matter.
She was about to try and explain to Mara that she could be stupidly shy and awkward but apparently her friend sort of guess.
"You might say that. The last time I got past date two people were wearing corsets, bustles and frock coats."Â?
Which was to say she was totally hopeless when it came to relationships. Some where along the line it probably explained why MARI was female too, she wasn't sure how but it probably did.
Another repeat of White Christmas drove those thoughts from her head though.
"Red, black, blue... can you give a Christmas carol a compound facture? Sue the mall for mental anguish?"Â?
Mara
14 years ago
Mara, with her reticence to get close to anyone and her own reluctance to make more friends than necessary for peace of mind, understood where Pak was coming from. They might not be there for the same reasons but it was still common territory. Mara hadn't spent her 1600 years in celibacy but the men she found attractive and trustworthy enough to spend time with were very few and far between. And the ones she had really cared about were even rarer. Trusting people, caring for them, letting them in, only served to hurt you in the long run when they inevitably left you again.
She nodded at Pak and smiled. "Well if you enjoy each other's company you're in good shape," she said. "We have plenty of time, don't we? There's no real need to rush things. So enjoy date three and date four, and maybe even dates three hundred and four hundred."
Mara shrugged her shoulders, helpless to offer anything more than good wishes. "As far as complicated, well, hopefully it will become less so. Just... don't add to it," she said, suspecting Pak might just have a tiny tendency to overthink things of this nature. "Just let it happen and enjoy it."
That might make her something of a hypocrite, Mara realized, although she didn't overthink - she tended to simply cut and run.
White Christmas finished, mercifully, but the holiday soundtrack did not. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas came on next, and Mara could have sworn they'd heard this one recently too. She sighed. And sang along.
Off key.
She nodded at Pak and smiled. "Well if you enjoy each other's company you're in good shape," she said. "We have plenty of time, don't we? There's no real need to rush things. So enjoy date three and date four, and maybe even dates three hundred and four hundred."
Mara shrugged her shoulders, helpless to offer anything more than good wishes. "As far as complicated, well, hopefully it will become less so. Just... don't add to it," she said, suspecting Pak might just have a tiny tendency to overthink things of this nature. "Just let it happen and enjoy it."
That might make her something of a hypocrite, Mara realized, although she didn't overthink - she tended to simply cut and run.
White Christmas finished, mercifully, but the holiday soundtrack did not. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas came on next, and Mara could have sworn they'd heard this one recently too. She sighed. And sang along.
Off key.
Pakpao
14 years ago
"It is a good start."Â?
Pak agreed.
"Now to find a Christmas present he can't blow up."Â?
That would be an interesting challenge as ultimately with enough effort just about anything could be exploded. But it was more fun than debating if she should even get something for Bao. Of course, so long as neither of them expected her to knit anything they would be fine.
It felt good to have some support though. She would have to try and keep things simple though, not over think it. Yeah two things she excelled at. Well...
"I'm working on that."Â?
Pak let loose a terribly nasty string of profanity in her first language and again threw the screw driver at the speaker. She was going to kill someone.
"Can a vampire commit suicide? No... how long do you think it would take to regenerate my ear drums. I don't think I can take this any more."Â?
Pak agreed.
"Now to find a Christmas present he can't blow up."Â?
That would be an interesting challenge as ultimately with enough effort just about anything could be exploded. But it was more fun than debating if she should even get something for Bao. Of course, so long as neither of them expected her to knit anything they would be fine.
It felt good to have some support though. She would have to try and keep things simple though, not over think it. Yeah two things she excelled at. Well...
"I'm working on that."Â?
Pak let loose a terribly nasty string of profanity in her first language and again threw the screw driver at the speaker. She was going to kill someone.
"Can a vampire commit suicide? No... how long do you think it would take to regenerate my ear drums. I don't think I can take this any more."Â?
Mara
14 years ago
"That he can't..." Mara stared at Pak for a moment. What an unusual gift requirement. But it took all types, she imagined.
They were saved from having to contemplate vampiricide or self-mutilation by the sudden jolt of the elevator. It startled Mara, at least, if not Pak as well. But it began to rise steadily toward the level they'd come from.
As they ascended Mara heard someone calling from the other side of the door, "Are you all right in there?"
She answered for the both of them. "We're fine, thank you! Does this mean we can stop listening to Christmas carols?" There was a plaintive note to her voice and she tried not to sound horribly desperate.
As the elevator lurched to a stop Mara stood and picked up her empty case, brushing it off. The doors ground open slowly to reveal an anxious-looking maintenance man.
"Oh thank goodness," she said as the man held his hand out to assist them up the slight step; the elevator wasn't quite even. "I love Bing Crosby but enough was enough."
The man laughed with relief. "You're not the first person who's said that in the last few minutes," he admitted. "Sorry for the inconvenience. Ma'am," he nodded at Pak and held his hand out to her as well.
They were saved from having to contemplate vampiricide or self-mutilation by the sudden jolt of the elevator. It startled Mara, at least, if not Pak as well. But it began to rise steadily toward the level they'd come from.
As they ascended Mara heard someone calling from the other side of the door, "Are you all right in there?"
She answered for the both of them. "We're fine, thank you! Does this mean we can stop listening to Christmas carols?" There was a plaintive note to her voice and she tried not to sound horribly desperate.
As the elevator lurched to a stop Mara stood and picked up her empty case, brushing it off. The doors ground open slowly to reveal an anxious-looking maintenance man.
"Oh thank goodness," she said as the man held his hand out to assist them up the slight step; the elevator wasn't quite even. "I love Bing Crosby but enough was enough."
The man laughed with relief. "You're not the first person who's said that in the last few minutes," he admitted. "Sorry for the inconvenience. Ma'am," he nodded at Pak and held his hand out to her as well.
Pakpao
14 years ago
Pak squeaked a little. She'd not been prepared for the car to move. At least when she'd been pulling the wires she'd known it was a possibility and had been half braced. This one caught her totally off guard.
Pak's muttered answer was that 'alright was a relative term' but she let Mara give the official one as she gathered up her tools.
"Ummm... you might want someone to check out this car. It seems there are some loose wires and one of the screws might have come out of the speaker."Â?
It was OK to be reckless and experimental while she and Mara were trapped but she didn't want anyone else inadvertently caught in the elevator because of her tinkering. Pak avoided the man's eyes as he helped her out of the elevator.
"Yeah. It happens. I might limit my shopping to the first floor after this though and preferably the summer when there is no seasonal music."Â?
Pak offered a weak smile trying to indicate that she was kidding, mostly. Before grabbing Mara's arm and hurrying off before they could get a good look at her handy work.
"I don't know about you but I could use either a drink or a cup of coffee but probably not here. Shopping can be done on line tomorrow morning at this rate or I'll call the store and pay for the delivery."Â?
She wanted a clove and to get the heck out of dodge. But if Mara wanted to hang about she would.
Pak's muttered answer was that 'alright was a relative term' but she let Mara give the official one as she gathered up her tools.
"Ummm... you might want someone to check out this car. It seems there are some loose wires and one of the screws might have come out of the speaker."Â?
It was OK to be reckless and experimental while she and Mara were trapped but she didn't want anyone else inadvertently caught in the elevator because of her tinkering. Pak avoided the man's eyes as he helped her out of the elevator.
"Yeah. It happens. I might limit my shopping to the first floor after this though and preferably the summer when there is no seasonal music."Â?
Pak offered a weak smile trying to indicate that she was kidding, mostly. Before grabbing Mara's arm and hurrying off before they could get a good look at her handy work.
"I don't know about you but I could use either a drink or a cup of coffee but probably not here. Shopping can be done on line tomorrow morning at this rate or I'll call the store and pay for the delivery."Â?
She wanted a clove and to get the heck out of dodge. But if Mara wanted to hang about she would.
Mara
14 years ago
Mara's eyes grew wide as Pak made up a story to cover her ass as far as the elevator was concerned and stifled her laughter as the younger woman propelled her forward. It was probably for the best that they get out of the way; they hadn't exactly been easy on the elevator.
"Your shopping, though," Mara protested, "are you sure?"
Apparently Pak was sure. Mara hadn't thought their little adventure with the elevator to be too terrible although the music had been starting to drive them both a little nuts.
"Okay, okay," she said with a laugh, tugging her arm free but keeping pace with Pakpao. "Let's go get something to drink. Something sweet. And wherever you like."
As Rudolph the Red-Nosed-Reindeer began to blare joyfully out of the speakers in the mall, Mara and Pak blended into the crowds of shoppers, headed toward the nearest exit.
Behind them, a mystified maintenance man scratched his head and stared helplessly at the broken elevator panel.
((ooc: Both out!))
"Your shopping, though," Mara protested, "are you sure?"
Apparently Pak was sure. Mara hadn't thought their little adventure with the elevator to be too terrible although the music had been starting to drive them both a little nuts.
"Okay, okay," she said with a laugh, tugging her arm free but keeping pace with Pakpao. "Let's go get something to drink. Something sweet. And wherever you like."
As Rudolph the Red-Nosed-Reindeer began to blare joyfully out of the speakers in the mall, Mara and Pak blended into the crowds of shoppers, headed toward the nearest exit.
Behind them, a mystified maintenance man scratched his head and stared helplessly at the broken elevator panel.
((ooc: Both out!))