Getting to the mall without a car was a pain, granted the public transportation in the area was vastly more timely then what he was used to. Sure he didn't have the option of hitting up Carousel Mall, but any shop in NYC area had to be better then hitting up Shopping Town Mall. It was a pain in the backside to go shopping in places where the kids had more money in their back pockets then what he had in his bank account. Cash meant nothing, he had this wonderful discount at any store, the good old 'five finger' one.

JCPenny seemed like a good spot to start for the day. People there were rather stupid half the time and didn't pay attention to you when you walked around there. This was a major benefit of hitting up mall stores, they were never really prepared for the likeness of him. Places like this also had a wide range of things that were sold, giving him a better chance of finding something wroth taking.

Needing to find something nice for Cree, because she was rather hot and he wanted to impress her, the mall seemed like a good place to go to get inspired. Since this was the first time really hitting up the place, he couldn't go to big. Small in discrete were key elements. Slinking through the store, he took quick inventory of where the exits were and the fire extinguishers.

Meandering through the maternity clothing, he was in look for something that he could use to stash the goods if need be. Teen parents were big these days, he shouldn't get questioned if he was holding a diaper bag...though something else caught his eye. From where he was standing he could see a girl close'ish to his age. She might work, it seemed like a good idea. Wandering out of the maternity items, he scoped her out from afar while looking at the jewelry. Plucking up a necklace, he maneuvered his way over to his targeted girl.

"You're a pretty looking gal, what do you think of this?" Holding up the necklace he waited for an answer. He honestly didn't know Cree well at all, other then how impressive her legs were and mighty fine she looked without her pants...but that wasn't the point right now. He was just looking for something that might work.

Now that she had a job, Lydia thought things might be looking up. Roz, her manager, had turned out to be incredibly generous and kind underneath her tough exterior. After hiring her, Roz had decided to give the girl her first paycheck right then and there, suggesting she use it to purchase some more work-suitable outfits. Ripped jeans and cropped t-shirts were not quite appropriate, apparently.

Once she cashed the check (which in itself proved a mighty struggle), Dia headed off to the mall, Roz’ mission in mind. She figured a few button-ups and black slacks would be alright, even if they were a bit bland for her taste.

As she wandered through the mall, she thought about how dramatically her luck had changed. She’d believed she would never find a job, but there Full Circle was. After every other place had turned her down, Roz hired her on the spot.

Lydia reckoned JC Penny was a safe choice, especially if she wanted to buy several things on a budget. While she headed over to the Women’s section of the large store, she passed by gleaming counters displaying various sparkling accessories: chunky bracelets, fancy rings, shiny necklaces. Lydia couldn’t help but make a detour towards them. She was a girl after all. Anything that sparkled demanded her attention.

>> "You're a pretty looking gal, what do you think of this?"

Whilst she perused the jewelry, she was interrupted by a teenage boy holding up a gaudy silver necklace. She nearly blushed at the compliment, but her attention was quickly shifted to the accessory in question. “Eh, too flashy,” Lyd shrugged at the younger boy, “Unless your girl likes flashy things.” To each their own.

“I can help you pick something if you want. Tell me a little about her.” She didn’t really mind helping him out. Other than purchasing some work clothes, she didn’t have much else to do that day and wasn’t particularly pressed for time.

To flashy, flashy could be a good thing...he could make a profit out of flashy for sure. With a bit of a shrug, the teen looked off to the side for a few moments. How would he describe Cree...great legs, amazing legs, drop dead without pants on...okay so all the above, but he doubted that was the answer to the question. Sure he wanted to brag more then anything about how he found a drop dead girl and got to carry her in nothing but a wet shirt, his hoodie and her underwear. Those kind of things did not happen every day.

"She is um....not flashy," unless she is in her panties....wonder if she wears thongs.. "more um...not this I think." Darn. Now he couldn't get the image out of his head of how he remembered her the best. The locks of hair clinging onto the side of her face, the perkiness of her perfectly rounded chest, the long legs that beckoned his name. With a quick glance over his shoulder, Hokee tucked the jewelry into the back pocket of his pants.

"A tough girl, big pants but not fat." To prove his point he drew an hour glass in the air with his hands. "Damn fine." Girl or not, he didn't know how to describe her in a more acceptable fashion. Clearing his throat, he reached back to his pocket and pulled the necklace out. Looking over the article, he had to think of something that might fit her better.

What was she wearing when he met her. Underwear. No..she had on more then that. Still the only thing he could really think about and remember the best was her legs, the lack of pants and the definition of a woman's body. Curses to the mind of a teenage boy, he couldn't help he was thinking of pleasurable things instead of the actual person. Not that he didn't think she was good without the lack of clothing, but he had to admit the lack of clothing was a major plus.

>> "She is um....not flashy. A tough girl, big pants but not fat. Damn fine."

That was…not a helpful description. Not the kind Lydia wanted, at least. The added hand gestures weren’t very helpful either. She raised an eyebrow and turned towards a spinning display holding earrings, turning it absentmindedly. She tried to get some clue out of the picture the boy had painted, but it was tough pickings.

“Do you know anything about her personality? What does she like to do? What does she like to wear?” Helping the teenager was proving more difficult than she’d thought. He seemed to ponder the questions, but his face quickly shifted to one of blank lustfulness. Oy.

Dia snapped her fingers and waved her hand in front of his face, trying to shake him out of whatever trance he was in. Typical teenage boy. She couldn’t help but smirk a little, amused by the clueless kid. “If she’s not flashy, she must like simpler things.”

She further glanced through the jewelry section on a quest for simpler jewelry, when a minimal silver necklace caught her eye. It wasn’t boring, but rather quirky, with miniature glasses hanging at the end. It wasn’t too girly, either, in case whoever the boy was wooing wasn’t the girly type.

“How’s this?” The girl asked, holding up the chosen accessory.

What did she like to do, what did she like to do....other then late night swims in freezing cold water. He knew she had a good eye for pants. If her pants weren't so baggy, he'd wear them. Hell, he would wear them if they smelled like her right now. Mighty fine legs, really fine legs...was having nice looking legs. She liked her own legs didn't she? Well, she didn't seem to hate him, and he liked her legs, so what ever he liked about her had to be something she liked.

Personality?

Trying to think of personality and not her looks, this was asking the impossible. She was...something..damn, he couldn't think straight at all. It was her legs that kept moving his brain away from the right answers and back to the wishful thinking. "Legs...no, she wasn't wearing legs."What was he saying? "Leggings." Quick cover up. Looking off to the side, he tried to come up with something better. "Guy cargo pants. She likes those....was wearing them."

Next time he went shopping for something to impress her, he was going to ask her what she wanted. Not that it would win him points directly, but at least then he could say there was nothing to complain about. With his mind drifting again, he was slightly annoyed with the snapping of fingers. Could a guy fantasize for a few moments without being dragged back into the dull atmosphere of JcPenny?

As the girl flipped about in the jewelry, Hokee took advantage of the time to stuff away the one piece into a proper smuggling place. Lucky for him, he managed to stuff it away before an article was drawn. His normally squinted eyes widened in horror. "S***, She's not a librarian!" He might have been wrong with to much bling, but glasses hanging off the chain was major geek nerd thing going on, and Cree was not that. She might pull off sexy Liberian if forced to, but he would not do that. "If it was a jack knife or um something a bit more....not girlish."

>> "Legs...no, she wasn't wearing legs. Leggings. Guy cargo pants. She likes those....was wearing them."

Lydia sighed. Really, this kid. Well, at least the last part of his answer afforded some insight as to what kind of person the woman was. Male cargo pants? Definitely not girly. Also, male cargo pants. Uh…not the trendiest choice. Not that Dia was part of the fashion police or anything.

As for his opinion on the piece she had picked up…

>> "S***, She's not a librarian! If it was a jack knife or um something a bit more....not girlish."

Well, now she knew that the woman wasn’t a librarian. That’s helpful. The eighteen-year-old had no idea what a jack knife was, but it most definitely did not sound like a piece of jewelry. Whoever this lady was, she didn’t sound like the type to even wear jewelry. She sounded like she’d much rather wear…knives.

“Then maybe you’re in the wrong section altogether.” Dia nodded matter-of-factly and wondered if she’d have to continue trying to help the boy out. The showy necklace from before seemed to have mysteriously disappeared, but she did not miss it. She did not know it was currently resting in the boy’s pocket. “By the way, I never caught your name. I’m Lydia.” She didn’t extend her hand for a shake or anything, just casually mentioned it to be polite.

Wrong section. He hadn't even thought of something that simple, but it made sense. Cree honestly didn't come across as a girl who would like flashy stuff like this. To think about it, he couldn't remember her wearing any jewelry. Why did he have to find himself attracted to a girl with great legs and happened to be almost impossible to shop for. This was just his kind of luck. Still, there was a lot of silver and gold itching to find itself in his pockets.

"Never threw it.....Hokee though." With a bit of a smirk, he took a pair of earrings off the display. Throwing his arm around her shoulder he gave a slick look. "How do you feel about hardware?" There had to be something more in that area that would work....though if he really wanted something good, Sears would be a better option. JCPenny just wasn't at the same caliber for tools and such. At least here he could get an idea of something good she might actually like. Shopping was not an easy thing to do, and not something he really enjoyed doing. With his five finger discount though, at least he didn't have to worry much about payment.

"Or maybe electric socks." A gag gift more than anything. Of course Lydia wouldn't understand the importance of them, but he didn't expect her to in the slightest. Though a whole new realm of ideas were bubbling in his head. Yet with each idea he could only think more about the legs he craved more then ever. He would have to hunt her down after this shopping experience, check her out at the garage, enjoy her legs a little....

Hokee. Was that some sort of nickname? It reminded Lydia of a certain children’s song and dance that involved body parts and shaking...strange name. He caught her by surprise when he slung his arm around her, but she made no effort to shrug it off. As long as he didn’t get too touchy.

>> "How do you feel about hardware?"

She had no idea what the kid meant about hardware. The only hardware she really knew of was studs and stones that often adorned the clothes she enjoyed gawking at. Clothes that she would love to wear, but unfortunately could not due to her past boyfriend’s particular dislike for them. Ugh. Dia promised herself that the next thing she was purchasing for herself was going to be a new stud-filled outfit.

The earrings Hokee picked up disappeared somewhere, eliciting mild suspicion on her part, but his next phrase distracted her.

He wanted to get his special lady a pair of electric socks. What. “…are you sure about that? I don’t think electric socks really scream romance…” Even knives would make a better gift.

As slick as he thought he was, Hokee did not escape the notice of a particularly middle-aged woman shopping in the same section, whose hawk-like eyes pierced through his teenage veil in an instant. Though she had not seen the thefts per se, something (or everything) about the boy had set off the delinquent alarm bells in her head.

Mrs. Mary Goldberg grabbed a hold of one of the security guards loafing around the exit, pointed out the dreadlocked teenager and his female companion, and alerted the guard of her suspicions.

“Just look at him. Oh, I swear I saw him take one of the rings. It’s in his pocket!”

"Electric socks are more then romantic, they are perfect." Of course she wouldn't understand the inside joke of it all, it wasn't exactly something that most people would experience themselves. There was no better way to meet Cree then jumping in the freezing waters at the bay and pulling her in with him. That was pure class right there. Romance was for saps, and for girls that liked to get all wobbly legged and all that stupid stuff.

Looking over his shoulder he could catch the sight of an employee in his vicinity, it was time to get moving to a different location and fast. "So electric socks or high grade wrench set?" His legs stretched out as his body made the movements forward, arm around her or not, he needed to find other goods. Jewlery was nice, but there had to be something better to smuggle out and make a good profit from. Did they have Magic Bullets here? Those things are awesome, and make a great source of entertainment with a few ingredients...

"Or you could fashion some...naw clothes is out of the question."