Exploring the Mall and Possibilities

Deadpanning, Connie commented, "You want to stop already? We haven't even started!"

Even her own bad joke was too much for her and she burst into a fit of giggles. Clearing her throat after the spasm of laughter, she shrugged. "Mall newbie. Do they have a Nordstrom's here? Or maybe just J.C. Penneys, they usually have pretty nice bedclothes."

"Wow, double entendre, point for Connie!" She felt her cheeks warm up as they approached one of the map-directory stands.

Giggling she pushed her hip into Connie's "J.C. Penneys is generally good, plus they have good quality but still reasonable prices."

She didnt need to worry about prices but she never quite got into the habit of spending lavishly, so why bother. She looked at the map of the mall and found no art supplies so she stopped looking. Connie would find what she wanted.

Instead she took a moment to look around the building and the people rushing around. It wasnt overly busy, more like pleasantly accompanied. There were men, women, couples, families, cheerleaders, goth kids and even a duo of schollarly looking boys standing outside a game store, staring in the window at a box with a scantily clad female on the cover. Just your typical mall.

She liked how the lights shone from the high ceiling, making Connie's hair gleam. The potted plants and trees gave it more of a natural feel rather than a cold warehouse construction that it was. They had even hung some very large geometric mobiles from the roof peaks. It felt good. Alive, thriving. Like a colony of ants all working industriously toward a common goal.

Of course as a shoving match broke out down one hallway, that illusion was broken but still the place had a feel all its own. She squeezed Connies hand and spotted a petstore on the list. Pointing at it on the map she asked excitedly. "Can we stop here before we leave?"

Connie looked at the stores around them, and saw the corner of the pet store's sign around a bend. "Well, since it's over yonder, we should probably go around the opposite direction, and make it our last stop before we leave, hm? And Penney's is just before that, which is probly a good thing cus the bags of sheets and quilt, if we decide, will be bulky."

Revelling in the feel of Nyra's hand entwined in her own, Connie turned them both and started them on their circuitous journey in the Mall.

Connie did things so logically. Nyra would have wandered around looking at everything, getting herself in trouble and leaving without getting what she needed. Somehow Connie's way sounded better.

They walked hand in hand, slowly around the mall. Past mothers with strollers and past apathetic youths. Nyra blushed when they passed a Fredricks of Hollywood but was quite interested in the Candle store. The women wrinkled their noses at the odor of a nail salon, how anyone stood having fake smelly nails was beyond her comprehension.

Nyra happily followed where ever Connie chose to lead. Smiling and swinging their clasped hands.

Fredrick's caught her eye but she didn't stop; Nyra's hand warmed in hers and she smiled inwardly. She commented as they passed Yankee Candles, "It's entirely too early for the fall scents to be on the shelves, summer ain' even over yet. Did you want to stop? I think spring and summer are my favorites of their candles. Although I've discovered the wonderful tech-knee-oh-logical candle melter thingies and they last a lot longer when melted like that than when burnt. Really get yer money's worth from em. Speaking of, I need to get a new one of those. Could probly get it at the dollar store across the way as we go past. Remind me, please dear?"

"Me and open flames dont mix. Either I forget about it or start using chemicals that could ignite. So its best, for me and the city, that I dont indulge in purchasing any. Though they smell lovely." Reminding herself about the dollar store and asking what exactly it was she continued window shopping.

Every so often she would point something out. There was a furniture type store that even had pretty things in it. She spotted a black wooden screen painted with a dragon. Maybe they had other types inside as well. She pointed it out and asked Connie. "Mind if we stop in here? I was hoping they may have a nice screen."

"Well, I've had some bad experiences with uhm... forgettin' burnin' candles where they were, so when the little melter thingies were invented, I was all over them. So if'n you want to indulge in some non-chemical scents, you're welcome to pop over!" She shone a smile on Nyra and rolled her fingers, entrapped in the shorter woman's hand.

When Nyra asked about stopping into the ornate furniture store, she agreed. "Certainly, it looks lovely."

The wide variety of ornate, plain, expensive, and gaudy room-dividing, area-blocking screens gave the two women something to "ooh" and "aaaah" over for some time.

Connie found herself particularly drawn to two seperate screens - one with a sunrise over the ocean, viewed through a mountain pass, highlighting an island of trees, and another with a particularly realistic rendition of the Milky Way.

Offhandedly, Connie commented, "You know, with one of these, you could hide paintings that you've finished or almost finished that you didn't want visitors to see."

Connie hadn't seen the paintings Nyra fretted about before leaving her loft; it was just a thought that popped into her head and, as usual, her mouth spouted before the verbal gates could clamp shut.

"Yes, something to seperate work from the living space may be nice. Or even just able to hide most of the mess if need be. I was hoping they had a shoji screen. Something light wood and white paper that would be bright but still able to hide things."

She continued to look around, hopeful of finding what she wanted. The dark wood screens, chests and tables filled the store to capacity. There was a small fountain tinkling merrily in one corner. It was made of slate, copper, and black marbled base. There were a few others, one with a rolling round rock in the center of the waterflow, some to hang on walls and some small tabletop versions.

Nyra pulled Connie over to the large slate and copper piece. It was about 3 feet high, with copper pipes designed to look like bamboo growing up out of the slate that was set on edge. The catch bowl was at least a foot across. The water trickled out of the tallest pipe down across a leaf to a smaller pipe, then again to a smaller, until all ten were connected.

"What do you think? Its so pretty and sounds musical."

Connie's arm had snaked about Nyra's waist as they stood looking at the slate-and-copper fountain. "I agree, it is quite pretty, but not big enough to swim in. Perfect size for a tootsie dip, though!" She gave a warm squeeze, and giggled.

"It looks big enough to wash my hands in though." She laughed along with Connie. "I think I am going to buy it though. It has the beautiful sound of a fishtank, but no fish to kill. It looks like a plant but I wont be able to kill it either. So I should be able to maintain this work of art."

She hoped she would. This was so pretty and unique, she could not go home without it. The saleswoman was behind the counter so Nyra went over to her. She put down her credit card and pointed at the fountain. After arranging delivery and signing the reciept, Nyra was ready to go.

She smiled happily at Connie, pleased with the fountain. "Well now, lets get to someplace you want to shop so I dont waste all night on myself."

Connie hazarded a guess that Nyra's money was hard-earned; she poured heart, soul, tears, sweat, and, judging by the occasional hole in her fingers, blood, into her art.

Her heart stretched knowing that she poured so much into her art so selflessly, then even more as she exhibited another moment of selflessness, offering to let Connie shop where she wanted.

And Connie's only response was, "I don't mind spendin' a night on you, because it absotively posilutely wouldn't be a waste."

Her pace hitched as she caught herself, "With you. Spendin' a night with you. Not on you. Well maybe on you. Shut up already Connie and just walk through the mall, for krumpet's sake."

Biting down on her lips carefully so her minutely protruding fangs didn't pierce, she forced herself to shut up as they continued past Radio Shack, Suncoast, Aeropostale, and the food court. "Want to stop here? Or did you really really want that Mexican? We could pick it up on the way home."

Giggling at Connie's comments and feeling her face heat up she followed along contentedly. She needed to also remember they needed to stop at the dollar store before leaving. "The food court is fine. Then we can go look at bedding."

She looked around at the offerings and decided to go with the fried rice from the Chinese store. The tables strewn about the area were only about half full at this time. They had a choice from over twenty locations with a wide array of cuisines. "See anything you want here?"

Connie pointed at Nyra's plateful of fried rice. "I'll take that, and you get something vegan."

"Stinker!" But she handed the plate to Connie and returned to the stand for another. It was a healthy serving of rice with carrots, brocolli, bean sprouts, snow peas and water chestnuts. They even offered spring rolls, she got 2. Two bottled waters and she paid for this meal.

She made her way to the table Connie had picked and sat down. She placed one spring roll on her date's plate and put a water in front of her. "I watched them prepare it so its safe. Even have spring rolls!"

Smiling she sat down and sprinkled a packet of soy sauce, trying not to giggle at the look on Connie's face. She probably would have picked something else for herself if she hadn't been trying to make sure Nyra's food was safe for her. It was so sweet.

"Thank you for thinking of my dietary needs. I appreciate it."

Connie watched as Nyra returned to the Chinese food counter... The subtle movement of her date's hips was tantalizing, to be sure - something about the natural sway of her hips, probably because of the ... meat on her bones ... was just so... sensual. Connie had known for more than a century she'd been attracted to women with curves, but Nyra was... a whole new ballgame.

When Nyra returned with a smile, and explained that the food was prepared safely, Connie couldn't help but blush with pleasure at her appreciation.

"Thank you for thinking of my dietary needs. I appreciate it."

"Wayel, I uh... don't want you hurt by somethin' as simple as a meal; don't want you hurt at all really cause that would jus' be bad."

She spooned some rice and ate quietly, then after wrapping a napkin or two around the spring roll, nibbled carefully at that. She stuck her tongue out at it and dumped almost a whole packet of duck sauce into it and smiled. "Sorry, I'm sure I have some pretty weird culinary proclivities."

There Connie went again, being so wonderful and caring. It made Nyra's heart pound and blood simmer. No one had ever treated her like she was someone special. Special as an artist yes, but never as a person. She had always been dependable and motherly, taking care of others. Every time Connie took care of her made her fall just a bit harder for the woman.

She watched her date taste the food and apply condiments. Connie's comment of "Sorry, I'm sure I have some pretty weird culinary proclivities." made her raise her brows. "You are speaking to someone that thinks tofu is its own food group. I dont think you are weird at all!" A slight pause and fiddling with her plastic fork. "I think your wonderful really."

She hoped that Connie didn't think she was foolish after blurting out her feelings. Some day she was going to learn to think before talking. Soon she hoped.

She had started disassembling her spring roll so that the cabbage and mushrooms could be seen through just a single layer. Each piece of the thin flaky dough she ate, leaving the veggies in a mound on top of her rice. She mixed the spring roll veggies in with her rice, added another packet of soy sauce and began picking at it. Suddenly not as hungry as she had thought.

"I think you're wonderful."

Connie felt her cheeks heat up again. Good golly. If she blushed any more there wouldn't be any blood left in her, let alone to keep the heat rushing through her that now seemed commonplace when she was in Nyra's company.

"Thank you very much for sayin' so, Nyra. I think you are too!" She reached across the table with both hands, taking the table-occupying left in her right, then softly slowed the right's seemingly nervous fidgeting with her food with her left. She held them gingerly, a warm smile on her face, warmth, compassion and a teeny bit of desire bubbling in her eyes, all for Nyra to see, if she would only look up from the depths of her plate!

At the touch of Connie's hands she stopped playing with her food. The words were reassuring but the touch calmed her nervous heart more than anything.

She looked up slowly into those beautiful smokey eyes. She saw the same concern and what appeared to be a spark of the warmth Nyra herself felt reflected back to her.

She smiled at Connie, slowly at first, then with more confidence. She picked up their joined hands and brushed a gentle kiss along the backs of each of Connie's hands before resting them back on the table.

She glanced at Connies barely touched food and her own. She smiled happily. "How about we eat dinner before it gets cold. Then we can go pick up the melter thing and some sheets."

Nyra's plush lips against her hands sent a shock of feeling up Connie's arms. She was heartened by the warmth reflected in the artist's hazel orbs. Connie couldn't help but grin when the woman across the table commented, "How about we eat dinner before it gets cold." Smirking, Connie picked up Nyra's fork. "I'd bulldoze yer rice fer you, but I don't quite have the angle I'd need."

The companions finished their repast in comfortable silence. "Any meal with her - it could be mac and cheese - seems like a grand banquet," the ravenhaired vampire thought.

She also realized that Nyra may not have the same sense of patience she herself did; after all, Connie'd had two hundred plus years to practice waiting... And Nyra had less than a month left in Nachton.

And that simple thought gave her pause; the fork missed her mouth and stabbed her in the lip, almost drawing blood. Rice fell into her lap. She hadn't even put down a napkin, and she brushed the kernels away frustratedly. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince Nyra to stay. It wouldn't be fair, blossoming connection or not. Wouldn't be fair to her or to her family.

Her rice-shovelling pace slowed, and she thought maybe Nyra'd be able to see the pensive look on her face, the imagined pre-emotion of being depressed when the loft across from hers would be empty, so she swallowed both her pride, her forthcoming loneliness, and her final bite of spring roll, then wiped her fingers off on her napkin with a contented feeling in her heart.

"Day by day. Take it day by day."

She polished off the bottle of water, then used her last napkin to brush any waste or crumbs off the table onto the plate in her hand. "Candle melter things, bedsheets, and quilt. Was there anywhere else you wanted ta stop?"

Connie remembered there was somewhere Nyra'd wanted to stop. She raised her hand and said, "Yes, you wanted ta visit the pet store! Okay, anywhere other than that?"