Madlaina watched the clock on the wall with a mixture of impatientce and contempt. What had started as a not awful day had steadily progressed to depressing and terrible, and she felt generally downtrodden. She had woken from a rare pleasant dream, no power surges during the night, the best part of the day so far, and found herself late for her first class. She missed breakfast, got a lunch detention for being late, embarrassed herself when another teacher asked a question and Maddy didn't understand, some girls teased her, had 10 minutes to eat which wasn't nearly enough, sat through detention with kids that had misbehaved and caused trouble where she was again pointed and giggled at whenever she said anything. She went to her next few classes hungry, grumpy, anti-social, and generally apathetic about the classes. It wasn't until her last class, English, that things really hit rock bottom. Despite the tutor, the tapes, the books, and the extra time, she had gotten a bad grade on a paper. After that she really didn't care much about paying attention and she laid her head on the desk to begin watching the clock.

As soon as class was let out Madlaina nearly bolted, shoving her things into her bag, and walking quickly down the hall amidst snickers from the girls who had teased her earlier. Pushing past the other kids, she headed for the kitchen, but with the other kids heading there too, she didn't have time to grab more than a quick snack of an apple and a granola bar. Needless to say that wasn't going to cut it for her, and she would still be hungry by the time she finished. So just as the other students began to trickle into the kitchen, having dropped their things in their rooms and found their friends, Madlaina was pushing open the front doors of the mansion. She was going to ditch her tutoring session with Chi Hay today, and apologies would have to wait until tomorrow.

Before she had to leave school in Romania she had enjoyed the relative safety of being in the middle of the social hierarchy. Madlaina hadn't been popular but she hadn't been unpopular; she had been on good terms with both, so hadn't been teased or harassed. She wasn't used to it and it was upsetting. She had expected school to be similar, if not more kind since they were all mutants. She thought the kids would be more tolerant if anything. Things wern't how she expected. Though there were many friendly teens in similar situations, kicked out of their homes and such, there were a few that were still welcome in their human homes and were only at the mansion to develop their powers... not because they needed to live there or else they would be homeless and on the run. Those few seemed to think they were better than the rest of the refugee teens, as if somehow the runaways deserved to be kicked out or something. At least, that's how it felt to Madlaina.

Finishing the last bites of the granola bar, she shoved the wrapper in the pocket of her shorts. After her first visit to a thrift store, she had been more selective about the stores she went into, and had been able to find clothes that didn't seem to force their past on her. For reasons that she didn't know, some objects held onto memories and were more likely to try and share them and others weren't. Madlaina now had a bit wider of a wardrobe than the Mansion had provided her, jeans and plain t-shirts were functional but they seemed to make it more apparent that she depended on the Mansion. Something that seemed shameful and looked down upon by the other students. Madlaina didn't know how to dress for America, but at least she didn't look like she had just stepped off the boat and into the Mansion. She wasn't going to leave the mansion, after all she didn't have anywhere else to go, but it wasn't the idealized perfect fit she had imagined.

It was hotter than she was used to, humid and sticky, New York in the summer... She had taken a pair of mens pants, red plaid, she was told they were usually used for a sport called 'golf', and had cut and hemmed the bottoms to make shorts that hit around her knee. Paired with a white, short sleeve button up, backpack, black sneakers, and black gloves she wasn't too hot but she wasn't comfortable. Even with her hair pulled up into a ponytail at the back of her head and her bangs loose around her face, her scalp, nape, and hairline were hot and moist with sweat as she walked along the road, occasionally kicking a rock or the dirt as she thought. Pulling the apple out of her pocket, she bit into it, hoping the clenching of her stomach would fade soon.

Garrett had left the Iris Van parked in the back of the Clinic, picking up a taxi to go car shopping. If he was leaving the apartments, it made little sense to take the Clinic's primary vehicle. It had served him well, short of nearly killing Mr. Stein in the winter. The day was hot and the driver's air conditioning was on the fritz. The heat and his irritating banter about his six kids was enough for Garrett to pay him and step out at the first lot.Looking up at the sign, his thin eyebrows furrowed. Classic muscle cars. How had that gotten into his list? Nonetheless, he stepped on the pavement, assuring a salesman coming in his direction. Planning to be in the car most of the day, he hadn't dressed well for the heat. New polished leather boots covered by black denim, wrapped in a belt with a square gun metal buckle. A black long sleeved button up joined in the oppression. It wasn't all that bad, though. In fact, it was becoming more normal by the day.

The man tried to appeal to his machismo, blathering on about cubic inches and the like. Garrett was a man of sensation and intuition, though. He could feel that something was already there and was waiting for him. His eyes scanned over polished hoods and sparkling rims, still left wanting. Until...the car entered his site. Standing before it, he grinned, much to the chagrin of the salesman, who was trying to explain something about a previous interested party. Garrett walked into the office and pulled his shirt up, revealing a thick money belt. After unlatching it and dropping it on the desk with a thunk, a meager sum of seventy thousand dollars was counted off. Too bad for the other guy.

After some paperwork, Garrett found himself very close to the beast. Pacing around it, admiring its sheen in the sun's light, he smiled and shook hands briefly with the salesman and apparently another man who was the owner of the lot. Their talking was blasphemy to the ritual of bonding occurring, so with a few curt words and a glance, the keys were handed over. Sliding in behind the wheel, he penetrated the ignition and turned it on. The epic thunder rolling beneath the hood seemed to reverberate through his own body. He noticed a few modern touches added to the inside, a fact that the sellers had attempted to downplay in the face of those who preferred all original parts. A/C and a 5 disc CD changer weren't that terrible, in his opinion.

Rolling from the lot into traffic, he could feel the beast wishing to jump its reins and charge down the roadways, terrorizing pedestrians and stunning onlookers. The constant stopping and going between intersections was as irritating to the driver. With the secondary mission achieved in spades, it was time to accomplish the primary. Familiar roadways slid under the wheels of the car, heavy buildings giving way to more spacious scenery. He was on his way to the Mansion to see someone in particular. Someone very special who had left a permanent impression upon him. Looking at his watch, he suspected she might very well be on the grounds.

As the upper portion of the large edifice revealed itself, his eyes fell to the side of the road opposite his lane. A smirk rose by instinct as the car was surely not the only meeting of fate in store for the man. the visual effect of her crafted shorts as well as their location caused Garrett's eyes to watch in a mesmerized fashion. Pulling slowly off of the road, perhaps fifty yards away, he crept to an idle, the purring of the pistons better than any musical track. The window slid down as his arm rested on its lip, the humid heat roiling in defiance of the car's cool interior. He didn't press the horn nor wave her toward him. He simply waited for er to see him and recognize him. Surely it was better inside than outside.

She wasn't sure where she was going, but Madlaina had needed to get away from the mansion and away from all the mansion people. For a while at least. So with various estates lining one side of the road, Madlaina walked on the other side, the side lined with woods. Just as she took the last or next to last bite of the crisp fruit the heavy sound of a powerful engine came up the road. Soon a car came into view, and for some reason it seemed sinister. Black, with smooth lines along the sides, sharp looking front grill, and a blinding shine to it, it felt like a predator.

Watching it come up the road, she noticed that it was slowing down, and though she stood little chance of out running it, slowed her own feet to a stop. Half turning she looked back at the Mansion for a moment, wondering if maybe she could have made a smarter decision about not telling anyone where she was going… or maybe not leaving the grounds. The large school was within sight, but definitely not within running or shouting distance should anything happen. And she hadn't managed to get her hands on any weapons as of yet, not that she knew how to use them, but they would have reassured her.

When it came to a stop not far away, idling with a rumbling growl that sounded like slow thunder, Maddy assessed her plan. Running back to the Mansion was not going to work. The other estates boasted tall fences and long drives which were no help. So should something happen she would head to the woods. The car couldn't follow her there, and she had a better chance of out running a person than a car… Not much better judging from her workouts, but better.

The sun was in the right position to cast bright reflections on the windows, making it impossible to see inside. For what felt like a long moment she and the car seemed to size each other up. Then the driver window opened, sliding down with a hiss in the silence, and an elbow extended to rest on the edge of the door. About to run, so much so that she took a few steps back toward the trees, the driver shifted and Madlaina's hesitation disappeared.

"Garrett…" Maddy said his name on a sigh of relief, her voice soft. Moving back to the edge of the pavement, she glanced quickly in both directions, hair whipping the back of her head with the motion, before grabbing the straps of her back pack and jogging across. With Garrett as the driver the car gave off the vibe of a friendly Doberman rather than a wolf about to attack, and Maddy was able to see the car as interesting instead of threatening.

Walking at a quick pace, she came up on the driver side of the car, remembering at the last moment to chuck her apple core in a bush. Wiping her hands on the thighs of her shorts she bent to look in the window, her forearm resting against the edge of the roof just incase her fingers were still sticky, and raised an eyebrow at the young man inside. "You did trouble me, Garrett…"

She shook her head, before glancing over the car again. "What is you doing?"

She surely noticed the car. She had stopped, looking at it cautiously without being sure what to do. Her awkward indecision was enthralling to Garrett. He was glad he hadn't done anything sudden or she may have very well scattered to the wind like the little bird she was. Once the window had opened and he was visible, he could see her positioning herself to see who was watching her as astutely as she watching. His eyes were centered on her perfect face, her pale creamy skin,which had a slight sheen to it with the heat and humidity of the day. Her lips uttered a word as her eyes flashed with recognition. It was a word he wished to hear pass those lips more often.

He watched her look both ways before crossing the street, her soft hair whipping behind her back slightly with each pass. Then she came to him, her small frame bouncing across the street until she was right there, leaning in toward him. Of course it was only to say hello, but everything didn't have to be written out plainly. He smiled at her as she became close to him. "You did trouble me, Garrett…What is you doing?" They were terribly close. Closer even than when she was asleep on his couch and he had leaned down to look closely at her face before retiring himself. " I'm sorry if I startled you. I actually was coming to see you just now. Then i find you out here walking anyway. It's good to see you again, Madlaina."

He noticed her eyes following the length of the car. " Do you like the car? I just bought it. It's just what I needed. The cool air from the air conditioning was blowing past him and into her face, her skin drying and cooling before him. He could see a look of general discomfort in her, perhaps from the heat and the backpack she was carrying. " Since I was coming to see you anyway, would you like to go for a ride?" A flip of a finger and the passenger door unlocked. " It's cool in here and I wanted to take you for a ride in it anyway. What do you say?" He suspected he knew the forthcoming answer anyway, but it would be another word he longed to hear from her lips.

Before he answered, Garrett got a look on his face, and Maddy thought he might be thinking about the night at his apartment that she had been carefully avoiding. She had left in the middle of the night, nothing personal just…. It was what she had to do. And now she wondered if she might have hurt his feeling by not saying goodbye. She was relieved when instead he talked about coming to see her, that meant he wasn't upset.

At the mention of her walking a guilty look flicked in her eyes and she instead latched onto the next thing he said, over-compensating in her desire to draw attention away from the fact that she was out walking away from things she should be doing at the Mansion. "Is nice see you, too… Is car I not see… um… before?" The word 'before' was new to her and she was trying to nail down the use of it, so it came out sounding like a question rather than a statement. "Why you did buy car?"

She jumped at the offer of a ride, she hardly had to think about it at all. She wanted away from here, and he showed up to help. "Da, I go with you!" She didn't even ask or care where they would go. Moving around the car before something happened to prevent her from going, she pulled open the door, slung off her back pack and slid in, closing the door with a decisive click. Bag on her lap, she struggled with the seat belt a moment before she was strapped in. With a sigh she sank into the seat, relief from the heat, possibly being caught, the other crap that had happened today… It was nice.

But they weren’t moving. Looking at him suddenly when she realized that, she pointed at the road. "We go now. I not want be here."

((OOC: is the English getting better but not too fast?))

((OOC: Everything is fine as usual. Happy to get more conversational opportunities.))

It seemed as if Madlaina might be trying to read Garrett's face. He was unsure if it would be a good thing to decipher, considering his current mode of thought toward her, so he tried raising his eyebrows slightly and smiling more, to appear less obvious in his interest in her. "Is nice see you, too… Is car I not see… um… before?" Her grasp of English was getting better. That would help them in their future conversations, surely. " I just bought the car, actually. You will be the first to ride in it." An esteemed position for one who he hoped would soon always be at his side.

"Da, I go with you!" Her instant enthusiasm to join him nearly made him press the gas pedal with his own ripple of excitement. He remained in control, watching her hurry around the car and slide into the vehicle next to him. After waiting for her to get her seatbelt adjusted, he motioned with his head. " Feel free to put your bag in the floor, there. It's clean." And there she was. In the car, seated next to him. Just like that.

Looking at her, he noticed he was also the subject of her eye as well. She was pointing at the road. Her candor made him naturally smirk. "We go now. I not want be here." He nodded in her direction, sliding the transmission into drive and easing into the roadway. The engine seemed to purr with the resuming of travel, as the beast was ready to leap into action. Picking up the pace, they started to move onward. Tiem for conversation as he drove them to their destination. " So, what is wrong with the Mansion? Are you not liking it?" He found himself resorting to the simple English, just in case.

With a grin and a chuckle, she shook her head. "No, you is first ride it. I is two." Obviously neither of them was the first to ride in it, Maddy might not know much about cars but she knew it was an old car, the cool kind made before she was born that were in lots of movies. Just as the car began to move, Madlaina looked down, spreading her feet to put the bag between them on the floor of the seat. Once it was settled, she looked at him sharply when he asked about the mansion. Pausing, several emotions crossed her face; annoyance, followed by guilt at thinking not-nice things about the place that had taken her in, feeling she should be more loyal, realization that he was a 'Mansion person' and might take offense at anything she said, and the feeling that she really couldn't complain about everything they had given her... none of which she had to worry about being stolen by someone.

Sinking in her seat, in the somewhat teenage mentality that lowering her body in the slight slouching position would help her avoid a question that had already been asked, she stared out the window when she spoke, watching the scenery with faraway eyes. "No... Is not wrong. Is just... not right." Pushing against the floor she shoved herself back into the proper position in the seat, and sighed, her gloved fingers fiddling with the edge of her shorts. "I should not say things... Is bad day today. I have been worse than Mansion, so is okay."

She watched her fingers worry the hem while she was lost in her thoughts. If Madlaina thought about it rather than felt it, she knew that any bad day at the Mansion was better that the best day she had on her own. She had somewhere safe and dry and warm to sleep, she never had to steal food, hide from the police, or worry someone would steal her things... What was some teasing, hunger, or bad grades in comparison? Nothing really. But she had started living a normal teenage life, instead of a life or death struggle, and with the more normal life came the more normal worries and problems.

Clearing her throat softly, wanting someone to comfort and reassure her but not wanting anyone to know that she wanted it, her head tilted toward him and she changed the subject. "So... Why you get car?" Looking at him now that her eyes had adjusted to the dimmer light in the car, she realized he looked different. Something about the way he was dressed was... well, different. She couldn't put her finger on it though.

Madlaina's growing mastery of the language only proved to endear her to Garrett further. "No, you is first ride it. I is two." Her astute and logical observation slightly slid under his guard. She was just too precious. " Very true. You are the first person to ride next to me after I bought it then. Sound better?" He chuckled along with her, happy to have her by his side. As scenery trailed by them, he could tell that his question about the Mansion had struck a nerve. He was always doing that in one form or another.

She was slumping in the seat, apparently trying to either work out what to say or how to say it. The language barrier only made it more difficult, no doubt. her head turned as she looked out the window, doing her best to answer him. "No... Is not wrong. Is just... not right. I should not say things... Is bad day today. I have been worse than Mansion, so is okay." As the roads began to become more congested, Garrett had time to actually look over at her. " Hey, don't feel bad. I'll make sure your day gets better. I know about worse than the Mansion. before I lived there, I was homeless, having to rob people for food money. It could be much worse. So don't feel so bad, okay?" There was so much more history than that, but if he had it his way, they would have all the time in the world to learn about each other.

"So... Why you get car?" How to explain simply...There wasn't a way but to be direct. Their destination was looming, wouldn't be too far now. " Well, the place where we were before? My apartment? I am moving from there to a new home. I need a new car because I can't use the Clinic van anymore, since I won't be working there. I got this car in particular because it felt right for me. Like it feels right to have you here." Probably unnecessary to add that last part, but since subtle hints were failing so hard, he thought perhaps something a bit more obvious might work on her.

When he agreed with her, Madlaina had to smile slightly. It felt good to be right once in a while. It was a somewhat rare feeling when she was speaking English. And she was glad Garrett didn’t mind her accidental correction. Some of the other kids didn’t like it, they thought she was being a ‘smart ass’ though she wasn’t sure what that meant, all she was trying to do was make sure she understood what was going on most of the time. Checking what she thought against what people said to see if it matched.

Watching Garrett out the corner of her eye, it was hard to reconcile the image of him now with the same kind of life she had led. And his story was remarkably similar to her own, which somehow made her feel less awkward around him. More at ease knowing he wouldn’t judge her for how she had lived and how she was now because of it.

Relaxing into the seat a bit more, finding it far more comfortable than the cars she had been in; either squeezed in with too many brothers and sisters in the back of her family’s old car, or the taxi she had arrived at the mansion in. It was also the first time she had ridden in the front seat. The view was nice without someone’s head in the way.

However, Madlaina’s easy and relaxed attitude faded slightly when she heard his reason for needing a car. He was moving. Now she was worried… Maybe he was moving because he was mad at her and didn’t want her to know where he lived. That thought only lingered a moment before she realized it was silly; he had come to see her, and if he didn’t want her to know he was moving her wouldn’t have told her.

Now she was at the base of her worry and couldn’t stop the words that came out next. “Why you leave? How I see you if you go away?” the end came out slightly more high pitched than before, her accent thicker, and in her head she was wondering how he was going to make her day better if he was leaving. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest petulantly, but couldn’t hide her glower as she stared out the window again. This sucks!

Garrett couldn't be more pleased to see her smile. Every time she did so, it made his heart a little lighter. He watched her previously slumped and sullen posture brighten and tighten with his reassurrance. It always felt good to have someone who cared about you and understood where you were coming from. He could use just as much of that as she could ,he suspected. The car continued to navigate through more bustling areas as the urban sprawl began to dominate the scenery. He missed the simplicity of trees already. Fortunately, it wasn't as if they were going downtown among the giant sun blocking buildings. This was more of a commercial area, very commercial considering their destination was to be the mall.

He knew she had to do her own shopping. Considering that he knew what thrift store clothes looked like from experience, he wanted something better for her. He had probably spent the first year of his life among other mutants in sheer Goodwill. Nothing wrong with some here and there, but surely some new clothes felt good. It would also lessen the stress on her gift, as only the random browsers and those who made the garment would affect her, as opposed to the heavier essences of previous wearers.

Her pitched reply of defiance caught Garrett off guard. Reacting naturally, his hand went to her shoulder, his thumb slightly pacing back and forth as he gripped her. " I'm just moving to a new house, Maddy. It's actually closer to the Mansion than the Clinic was. I'm not going away. I want to see you every day." It was true. Better out than in, as was the case normally. He was now navigating the crowded parking lots of the large conglomeration of structures, looking for a good spot to park in that would protect his new purchase. Short of the occasional short stoppage over stupid children and a rousing 'Odelay!' from onlookers who thought his car might start bouncing, Garrett soon found a nice spot with a curb on one side and a large truck on the other.

Coming to a slow halt, he rolled the windows up and turned off the air conditioning. Removing his hand from her, he looked over at her. " Come on, we're going shopping. I heard that shopping always makes a girl happy. Let's find out if that is true." Stepping out of the vehicle and locking his side, he made his way to her side before she was done collecting herself. Opening the door for her, he waited for her to emerge so they could enjoy their day together.

”Oh….” At his response, Maddy felt a flood of relief, the feeling unfamiliar, that she could only attribute to the idea of not losing her friend. She would like to see him everyday. He was nice to be around, he didn’t treat her differently, and he seemed to understand more. Now that she knew he had been like her, it made more sense.

When he reached over and touched her, she twitched in surprise. She didn’t want to move away but at the same time a feeling settled in her stomach, almost like fear, though she knew she wasn’t afraid of Garrett. So she held still under his hand, unsure of what was the correct response to such a touch.

Startled by someone shouting at the car, her head whipped around, forgetting his hand for the moment. When they parked and he pulled away from her she realized that she hadn’t been as bothered by the touch when she wasn’t thinking about it. And though Garrett’s touch didn’t worry her, the memories it might carry should have. At his words she glanced up at the building they arrived at. “Shopping?”

Blinking, she stared at him when he opened the door. She didn’t like shopping. And she wasn’t sure she wanted Garrett to see where she usually had to shop, even though he would understand better than anyone. Unfortunatly, she was flustered and didn’t have the skills to come up with anything more than ”But…” before he was standing waiting for her.

With a swallow of apprehension, she picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder as she stood, staring at the unfamiliar place from her position between two cars and Garrett. “Where is this?”

Oh was good. Oh wasn't a hrmph or smoothing of skirt with eyes cast to the floor. It wasn't a wide eyed Huh? with explanations and awkwardness attached. It was just Oh. Even better than Oh was the complete lack of pulling away at his touch. Sure, a twitch. Completely understandable considering her gifts and their newness. She let the hand remain ,though. Feeling her warm skin beneath her clothes was nice. Touching her at all was nice. "Shopping? But..."

He stood with the door open as she gathered her bag and slung it over her shoulder. It seemed she was perhaps overhwelmed by the gesture or maybe she just had something else in mind. Garrett probably should have listened to her more, but she wasn't really saying much and someone had to make decisions around here. " I thought that getting out and buying some nice untouched clothes and just spending the day with me might make you happy." As she walked past him, closed the door and locked it, moving with her until they were at the back of the car.

Opening the trunk, he answered her question and offered one of his own. " This is a shopping mall, a building with many different stores and restaurants. It should be a nice diversion. Would you mind leaving your backpack in the trunk? It's just going to be in the way inside. " He really was trying to be nice. Garrett was hardly conventional, but it had been pleasant up to this point that Madlaina had been open and honest with him. Most of all, the joy was in her acceptance of him.

Of course new clothes would be nice, with their fewer memories that were far less likely to be tramatic, as would spending the day with him... The problem was more economic. Madlaina hadn't been planning to go shopping when she left the Mansion, and even if she had brought some money, she couldn't afford new clothes. Her current stash amounted to $32.43 which judging by the prices at the thrift stores, wasn't much.

Following Garrett to the back of the car, she watched in curiosity as he opened the back hatch. Putting her backpack in the car would mean that she wouldn't be leaving the store with anything, bought or... otherwise. Hesitating slightly, she frowned and placed the backpack in the trunk, as he had called it. When he shut it, she glanced at him. She really didn't want to steal around him anyway, so perhaps it was best if the bag was locked up where she wouldn't be tempted to sneak things into it.

Deciding whether or not she should tell him now or wait until they were inside, she decided now was better than later, because they were soon moving towards the doors of the 'mall' and she didn't want to ruin his nice gesture. Nibbling her lip thoughtfully, she glanced sideways at him, her voice apologetic. "I want to, but... Garrett, I has no money. I can not do shopping...." Maybe they could still do something fun... surely there was something in the store that they could do without money. But then again, Maddy had noticed that it seemed like most people only had fun doing things they paid for.

Racking her mind for something else they could do, she scrambled a bit. "We do other things?" But they were still headed for the doors, and Madlaina was worried. Seeing all the things that she couldn't have would probably only upset her. The school counsler had already talked to her twice, when they found the broken glass in her room and after she had an incident with a televison, and she was worried that any other strange behavior from her would get her another session with him. He kept saying things about 'depression' and 'stress' and 'anxiety.' Of course she hadn't known what those were when he first said them and had to go look it up in the book Garrett had given her. After that she had been doing her best to not do anything out of the ordinary or draw attention to herself in class.

Twisting her hands together as she saw the kinds of people coming out and going in the doors, she looked at him with a bit of worry in her face. Madlaina wasn't like those people.

Always so full of worry and woe, she was. Garrett found it sad that such an otherwise vibrant girl could be brought down so easily. Watching her pout and put her belongings in the trunk was a tad heartbreaking. He wanted to help her, but was unsure of how to do so."I want to, but... Garrett, I has no money. I can not do shopping....We do other things?" The two of them began to make their way toward the grand entrance of the mall, her unsteady and awkward gait displaying her unease about the situation.

" There's no reason to feel weird, Madlaina. I will pay for everything. I want you to have some new clothes for the school year and maybe some other things you like. You don't need to pay me back, but if you feel you need to, we can do so in payments. I want you to stop worrying and enjoy yourself, though." He could tell already that would be nearly impossible, but he wanted to make things easier for her. he knew how cruel the Mansion kids could be. he remebered how they would part from him like the Red Sea and call him 'Pain Man'. He wouldn't tolerate her shedding tears over losers.

As they entered, the mall was abuzz with shoppers. They stepped first to the directory, since he remembered how fond of maps she was. " All of these places and numbers are stores we can go to. Did you have anything in mind or would you just like to walk around and see what interests you?" He had money to burn and the embers were the sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

Pursing her mouth in an expression of unease, Madlaina didn’t say anything about him paying for things, in a reluctant and silent agreement. She didn’t like it but she had a feeling that objecting anymore than she already had would strain both of them and make the rest of the afternoon unpleasant. Instead, Maddy mentally promised to not let him go overboard and that she would pay him back… somehow. On that note, she would also have to make sure that she didn’t look too interested in anything.

At the first few steps into the mall Maddy quickly became overwhelmed. All the sights, sounds, and smells assaulted her in their suddenness, making her take a small instinctual step closer to Garrett. When he directed her attention to a board, she scanned it, recognizing most of the international symbols but not the store names. Though some sounded familiar from watching TV and trying to read magazines, she didn’t know what they sold or if she wanted to go there.

She didn’t have any idea where to start, she hadn’t planned to be shopping today, so she shrugged. “I not know stores…” She barely knew what sort of things he thought she needed. The Mansion did a good job of providing basics, so she didn’t need anything. But Madlaina was a girl who, in a life that felt like it was decades ago, had liked things and the mall was designed to appeal to the want. It wasn’t fully sinking in yet, but the atmosphere would catch up to her. Even now it was working on her reluctance.

Ducking her head, she shoved her hands in her pockets, peering at him through her bangs. “You take me where you think good.” She gave herself a mental pat on the back for that, this way, she wouldn’t accidentally go somewhere expensive or wrong, and she wouldn’t feel so bad about letting him do this.