Sympathy for the Devil

[Aiden]

A problem that Aiden had been thinking about the past few days was now going to be resolved. When he first brought Yuki and Teagan on board for this whole 'rid-the-world-of-evil-be-righteous-love-Casey' mission, they'd simply left Keystone without another care, and headed for Portland. However, in a few short days, it was evident that both only had a few supplies for a few days, and their clothes were being washed and rewashed almost daily. So the issue came up of taking them shopping and buying them clothes, something that Aiden would have been completely fine with if he didn't already have the indication that it was going to be Hell on earth for him. There was a large mall in town, so one day, after training and being all washed up and clean, he pulled the girls aside, and explained what he was going to do for them. He firmly believed that was the happiest he'd seen either of them since he met them.

All morning he spent his time working on fake credit cards, fake IDs, and a number of other things that would be essential for the girls in the future. He wasn't going to hand them federal officer badges at the moment, but an Oregon state driver's license and a credit card should do the trick. Aiden learned the scams from Malcolm, who taught him well knowing that Aiden had a long future ahead of him. He also forged some insurance claims and cards, in case of emergencies, but there was still some work to be finished. While the girls were getting ready to go out, he could not print a name they could use for alias, for he didn't know what they wanted. Finally, after becoming tired of waiting, he simply finished the IDs and the cards for them. Yuki was now Layla Takashi, 21, and Teagan was now Martha Anderson, 19. Aiden himself was referred to as Aiden, but Aiden Saunders, 21.

Finally, on the way to the mall, he didn't try to give them a time limit or boundaries, because he knew that they would be broken. Pulling into the parking lot, he turned around, and gave them their respective ID cards and credit cards. "You need to make sure that you go by these names when you're paying, at least. Also," he added, turning to the glove compartment where he had hidden something else, "I got both of you new phones; the other ones need to be deactivated when we get back to the tavern. The numbers are here," he said, slipping pieces of paper with numbers scrawled on them into their hands alongside the new, top of the line phones. "My number is already in there--Teagan, you can not, cannot call your parents. Ever. If a demon ever finds out you have attachments, its likely to use them against you," he said quickly, looking at her in the back seat.

Climbing out of the car, Aiden glanced at the doors into the mall. With a resigned sigh, he glanced at his teammates, the ones he was supposed to lead, and gave a tired shrug. "Shall we, then?" He asked, moving towards the doors.

[Teagan]

The moment Aiden dropped the idea of a shopping trip, Teagan's face filled with pure joy. They were going shopping. Before training, she wouldn't have given a store a second chance, but after weeks of intense training and the constant washing of the same pairs of clothes, Teagan was ready to cheer for a stop at the fabric store. Obviously a step up, she couldn't wait to scour the isles and do some hunting of her own. Next to her, Yuki's resident coldness had defrosted and a bright smile lit up her face.

Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Once they had actually arrived at the much anticipated destination, Aiden pulled out credit cards and IDs for both Teagan and Yuki.

Read: Credit Cards. Unlimited purchases.

And then Heaven met Earth when, on top of that, he pulled out new phones for both of the girls. Teagan hated her current phone. Her parents had picked out the model five years ago, and, through some unfortunate fate, it had survived everything she thrown at it. Or it at. To her dismay, neither her mother nor her father ever considered upgrading when the new models came out.

Had she heard Aiden's comment about never being able to call her parents, Teagan might have saved herself a heck of alot of trouble in the future. But, so excited was she to browse the mall, she completely tuned him out while examining the new device. Quicker than she had ever moved in her life, she exited the car and forced herself to walk with Aiden and Yuki at a normal, human pace. The sky was blue, grass was green, and the only thing out of place was the hideous statue in front of the mall entrance.

But Teagan could ignore that. After all, it was time to shop.

[Yuki]

Yuki tried to hold back a smile when Aiden proposed that they visit the local mall for the purchase of new clothes. The news was absolutely uplifting. One of the few things that could bring her mood up was shopping, and it was difficult to prevent her countenance from revealing such feelings. Especially after everything that had happened, a new wardrobe would definitely be satisfying. There was something fulfilling in identifying the perfect combination of articles of clothing, and then displaying such expertise through one’s appearance.

To make the situation even better, Aiden had somehow attained fake identification and credit cards for her and Teagan. Since he had not set a limit to how much they could spend, Yuki assumed this meant they had no boundary. If they did, and she just so happened to go over it, then it would be his loss for failing to clarify such a perimeter.

Glancing down at the fake ID, she read the name. “Layla Takashi.” Her mind flipped to Ouran High School Host Club. So she now held the surname of the follower of the Haninozuka family? If so, that would make Aiden the Hunny figure. And Teagan? …Haruhi? No, Haruhi was much too intelligent and calm. Tamaki, perhaps? No, too ostentatious. Then who? Clearly not Tyouya. …Of course. The twins. The prank-loving twins. Somehow, that pinned her personality almost perfectly, but Hunny was not working out for Aiden’s image. At all.

Snapping back from her muse, she followed silently behind Aiden and Teagan (whose joy was much more overtly displayed than her own). Getting into the car, she wondered if the mall they were going to would have any J-pop stores or manga businesses. She did need to catch up on what she had missed in Japan. If possible, she would buy a guitar as well, although she would either have to purchase it in secret or invent a reason as to why she was getting it--that was a hobby she didn’t want either Aiden or Teagan to discover. And then there was her lack of a wide variety of flowers to make her favorite scents for perfume, which meant she would have to resort to brand-name products while she was in the United States. Hair dye was needed as well, for she had remained with the same brown color for much too long, and it was starting to fade. And then there was the need for nail polish, makeup, jewelry, shoes, purses, hair accessories, backpacks…the list was endless.

Upon arrival, Yuki walked boldly up the entrance with the demeanor of a determined shopper. Teagan seemed to radiate such an obvious joy that it was almost annoying. Aiden, on the other hand, had reluctance plastered across his face. As the three walked through the doors, Yuki was greeted by a familiar mall scent and sound. Even in a different country, they were still almost identical—the smell of new clothes and fast food, mixed with the murmur and footsteps of the mall crowd. Listening to her boots click beneath her, she stopped in front of a large statue of a man holding a gun. Crouching down, she read the plaque at the bottom.

“Here lies Trenton Brady Wilford, founder of the Wilford Mall of Portland”
In commemoration for his acts of justice and his actions in defending the mall from the crime.”

What an improper burial. Was America really so materialistic that they would bury someone inside a mall? A statue that honored the man was understandable, but a grave? She curtly shook her head from side to side in disapproval. Pathetic. Walking past the statue, she gazed upon the surplus of shops before her, taking in the bright lights and colorful surroundings. It was as if the world had opened a realm of wonder.

[Aiden]

The idea of shopping simply didn't thrill Aiden as much as it did for Teagan and Yuki, aside from their need for clothes. Aiden was a simple guy, a plain colored tee shirt and some jeans sufficed for him, so heading into a mall, where he would be surrounded by stores devoted to clothing, brand names, and sales wasn't his territory. Nevertheless, he could pick up some new clothing, seeing as his others were torn, faded, stained, or nearly worn through due to his work. Not to mention there were some hunting stores where he could buy some ammo, maybe a gun or two. After all, the credit cards...he paused in his thoughts as the car pulled into the parking lot, and as they exited the car, Aiden quickly stopped them and pulled them aside before they entered. In a hushed voice, he spoke to them.

"Listen, when you become a hunter, money doesn't come easy, so we uh....we invest in some other work...namely scams. These credit cards will work, and they're set up to have no limit, although the company thinks they do. Just, be careful with them though. The phones were scored for free because I saved a guy, hooks me up with whatever I want...you should have seen the vampire that had him. Big guy. Ugly teeth," Aiden explained, as he called up the image of the vampire in his mind before he had beheaded it. "Anyway, like I said, be careful." With that he allowed them to be off again, entering through the doors into the crowded scene of people going about the sales, coupons in hand, or the teenagers hanging out with friends during their summer vacation. Several mall cops patrolled the walkways, looking bored and underpaid.

Having seen the statue before, Aiden stopped only because Yuki had, noticing she was no longer following. He caught back up to her, looking over the statue. "The guy was some big shot rich guy that lived here a while ago. A cop for ages, and then retired, built the mall with his money and was the first guard. People thought it'd be easy to get in and shoplift, but he was a hard ass, caught nearly all of the theifs. The story about his death is sketchy, though. Something like some theif got in, and they killed each other at the same time. Both buried with their guns. I dunno what the truth is, thats just a legend. Anyway, I think we might have lost Teagan, so maybe we should get going. We don't have all day," Aiden recollected, remembering the details he'd heard from the other townspeople.

[Teagan]

Teagan listened earnestly to Aiden's caution on the credit cards. Scams, huh? Sounded like her kind of thing. "You'll have to show me how exactly that's done," she flashed him a a mischievous look. She could immediately think of a dozen benefits to having that sort of skill.

Shopping first though.

While Aiden and Yuki stopped to study the old statue, Teagan continued through the mall. She enjoyed crowds; they reminded her of the busy streets of Seattle. Not to mention it was ridiculously easy to get lost in them, for which she was eternally grateful for when some pranks turned sour. As the current music trends provided background music, Teagan drifted into Anchor Blue, the only store she ever paid attention to. Within ten minutes she walked back out, a bag on each arm containing just enough to satisfy any fashion urge for the next month. And now that that's out of the way, it's time to really start shopping.

From her back pocket she produced a yellow piece of paper with a list of hastily scrawled items. Deacon's book really came in handy, but it would only help if she owned what was required. This was the part that would take some time. Teagan took a moment to check out the directory and plan her course of action. As she finished scoping out the different stores, a bright orange sign to the left caught her eye.

A pet store?

An evil grin spread across the girl's face. Oh, what fun. The bell chimed as she entered through the open doors. Her eyes darted left and right, scanning the room for that special something. Bowls, leashes, food, cleaning supplies....and...there! In the back! Teagan strode to the rear of the store and took inventory of the items on the wall. Somewhere, at some point in time, someone decided that dressing up a pet would be a marketable idea, and as a result dozens of outfits lined the walls. Little soccer jerseys, dresses, sweaters and even football pants gave the girl a variety of choices. Now what would suit the cat?

After much debate, Teagan settled on a tutu and a tie. Grabbing the pink and black items, she took them to the counter and arranged for them to be shipped to a certain bar in Keystone, South Dakota. As the man behind the counter typed in the shipping information, she couldn't help but wish for the opportunity to see Deacon's face when this arrived at the door of the Wesson. Feeling overly satisfied, she left the store and continued on her path to a smaller booth on the second floor. Stepping on the escalator, she noticed a gray form in the corner of her eye. Startled, she took a quick look.

Nothing.

Odd. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her again. She could've sworn she'd seen some sort of old guy. And a creepy one at that. Teagan shook her head, throwing the image from her thoughts. That wasn't important. Super glue, on the other hand, was.

[Yuki]

Yuki nodded with no particular interest in Aiden's tale about the man. While the legend was somewhat entertaining, she could not not get her head around the fact that this place now served as a grave. Big shot or not, the mall was no place for a burial site. It was dishonorable, egotistical and, in a sense, morbid.

With Teagan gone, she assumed things would be relatively quiet shopping, which she was thankful for. It was going to be a hassle to find her later though. Even if she had a cellphone, she would probably get lost with directions. It was unwise of her to storm off in a place where she didn't even know how to get around, and particularly inconvenient for the people who would have to find her.

She looked out at all the stores in front of her and pondered where she would go first. She really wanted a guitar. But, she would have to conceal it under the other items she was going to buy. If Aiden came with her, she would have to think of an excuse for her purchase.

Turning, she asked him squarely, "Do you plan on following me, or are we to convene later at a meeting point?"

[Aiden]

When Aiden first heard the tale, he too had a similar thought process. Why would anyone want to have their family member enclosed in a memorial....inside of a mall? The mall wasn't even famous, it didn't attract many people outside of Portland, so why? However, he'd gotten over it, used to it, so it didn't bother him anymore. It was just a statue atop a stone tomb, with graffiti etched into it here or there. He looked up at the bronze colored statue, the man holding the gun into the air with one hand. Local legends were nothing to Aiden, anymore, at least for the most part. The big ones he'd already checked out, they were all false and there was nothing of interest, aside from a supposedly haunted restaurant and a few other tales.

Looking around the mall, he knew of a few stores that would be useful to stop into, since he was there after all. He didn't make a habit of going out of his way to go to the mall, but today served a different purpose. But again, he was there, and he knew a few stores that specialized in weapons, though the store owners believed it to be novelty, Aiden had used them before in combat, and was saved due to them. There was also a hunting store in the mall, picking up some ammunition would be nice to. He mused to himself about all of the things that he needed, and didn't even pay attention to the fact that Yuki herself was doing the same. Teagan was gone, and this adventure seemed to be a laid back one, nothing too bad.

Yuki's voice brought him out of his reverie, and he glanced over at her. "Huh? Oh...uh...I guess we can meet at the food court in about forty-five minutes, just call me if you need me sooner." He didn't know how long the girls would take, but lunch would be in order eventually. And while he was at it...there was a video game store across from the food court, and Aiden had yet to invest in some electronic media. Thank God for credit card scams. Aiden left Yuki, going up the nearby escalator and walked down the path a little ways, finally entering the store that sold the weapons. His eyes swept over the room, looking at all the pocket knives, knives, blades....his eyes stopped on one, that had a big informational sign next to it. A sword, made out of silver. He didn't have a sword yet....

[Teagan]

Teagan drifted through the crowds, very pleased with herself. Two bags on each of her arms swayed back and forth as she scanned for the next store. She had saved the electronics store for last, knowing it would be the one Aiden and Yuki might have to pull her out of. With force. She noticed the large green sign to up ahead to her right. Yeah, that was the right place. Teagan tugged absently on the drawstring of her blue sweatshirt and fantasized over the myriad of ways she could rig the tavern without breaking a sweat.

Oh, the sweet possibilities.

Except that if she bought everything she planned on, there was no way she would be able to carry everything she had. Teagan frowned at the items she had already purchased. She wasn't about to just take them back. She could put them in the car or-

...or...

For only one reason did any guy ever cross the boundary entitled "Mall Entrance". He had one sole purpose upon admittance, and Teagan realized with an evil grin that there was an easier solution to her problem. Turning away from the electronics store, she rapidly returned two store down where she had seen an advertisement for huge, dark cloth bags. Halfway there, she noticed the gray mass again from the corner of her eye, but she was too preoccupied with her next ingenious idea to pay it much attention.

-------

Fifteen minutes later, Teagan found Aiden in (surprise) the hunting shop. Multitudes of weapons lined the walls, receiving an eye-roll from the girl. Yeah, this seemed like her faction leader. Single-tracked mind. She found him admiring a nice sword at the counter.

"Hey Aiden? Yuki said to hold these." Teagan handed over her bag (she had managed to combine everything to one sack) and three other, extremely heavy bags. "She said something about just carrying them around and you'd better not peek inside." Teagan gave a slight shrug. "Shopping bags have the same rules as a girl's purse: sacred. Do not enter. Head's up to you."

With that, she calmly returned to the electronics store, ready to take on the world.

[Yuki]

With a nod, Aiden was off, and Yuki was thankfully on her own. This would make buying the guitar a much easier task. Making her way over to a nearby directory, she located the nearest music store. First, she would buy as much other material as possible. If she bought the guitar first, and Aiden or Teagan by chance saw her with it, that would raise suspicions. She would conceal that under all her purchases. Keeping in mind where a store called Fender's was located, she turned and merged herself with the crowd.

Though she was used to seeing people of different nationalities, thanks to her time spent at International School, she found it a little odd to see such a great variety of people placed in a mall scenario. Even the malls of Tokyo, which were loaded with tourists, were still primarily utilized by people of Japanese descent. Though the teens and younger children paid little attention to her, she could feel the condescending stares of a few adults fixed on her as she walked by. Her clothes always drew attention in public places, and though she was used to the fact, she thought it was interesting how most of the people ignored her and went about their business without acknowledging anyone else. The experience was most interesting.

After spotting a promising clothes store, she decided to go inside. Her eyes sparkled as she beheld everything in front of her. And to top it off, she now held an unlimited credit card--this was going to be a long stay at the mall, and forty-five minutes to shop would most definitely not be enough.

[Aiden]

The girls had to give Aiden some credit. He'd been working solo for so long, and was obviously not female, and combined with the prospect of an unlimited credit card, he didn't know how long they would take. In his mind, forty-five minutes until lunch seemed fine, just because he was a fast and methodical shopper should mean that they could be too. Then again, he did only let them carry the necessities for however long they'd been in Portland, and they were surely out of things by now...nonetheless, the sword was too inviting for him to extend it, plus, he was hungry, which seemed to be a typical male attribute. Both girls were always scolding him because he was either always hungry or eating, but that could hardly be his fault. His mind wasn't on his stomach though, it was on the piece of silver metal that hung on the wall behind the counter. A sword....the idea blazed in his mind, he could picture himself waging battle and pulling out the sword, the...werewolf going wide-eyed as he lunged forward, plunging the sword...

He was brought out of his fantasy by a voice, and even after coming back to reality, it took another moment for him to turn his head. Teagan, speaking, right... "Why can't you carry your own bags?" he grumbled as she walked away, not even giving him a chance to tell her no. They were heavy to top it off, so he frowned, set the bags on the ground, and returned to looking at the sword. Suddenly a thought came into his mind, and he pulled out his phone, dialed Teagan's number in, and waited for her to pick up. "Forgot to tell you, meet at the food court in about...half an hour," he said, and then hung up. Had she protested? He guessed he could have waited a little longer to find out, but it was too late then. He looked at the blue and white hilt, it looked much like a sword might in a video game or novel. No matter what he did, his eyes kept roaming to the sword...and its price tag. Any normal person would deny themselves such a treasure upon reading, but not Aiden, and not his card.

When the half an hour was up, and Aiden sat in the food court munching on his burger, a large box was stationed beneath him. Who could resist? When you had tons of guns and other weapons, a sword was necessary, was it not?

[Teagan]

"A half-hour?" Teagan grumbled as the dial-tone resounded in her ear. She snapped the phone closed and put in back into her pocket. "Jeez. I thought this was supposed to be a day trip..."

No way would she have enough time in the electronics store now. And one did not just by a generic brand of spy cameras. No, every aspect needed to be weighed; visibility, weight, dimensions, and picture quality. Bugs too had similar variants. And then she wanted a laptop, and although that should've been quite simple a task, it would probably take an hour to compare quality and capability of each one.

And add a dozen more items to the list, there would be no way she could do it all in a half-hour. Seriously, did Aiden think of nothing but his-

From the corner of her eye, a gray image appeared. Again? Teagan quickly turned to look, but like earlier, it vanished before she could get a decent view of it. What the heck was up with that? She could've sworn it looked like a person, but...it couldn't have been, right? Did a stray shot during practice knock sense out of her mind? Unless it was one of those "ghosts" Aiden and Yuki protested the existence of. Teagan chuckled for a moment. Yeah right. Ghosts didn't exist. Yet...if something was happening -not that she would admit it-, as a Hunter, it was her responsibility now to take care of such happenings, right?

Time to start earning her paycheck.

Twenty minutes later, the teen carried a backpack filled with compact surveillance equipment. That was step one: figure out what you're up against. The research phase, Aiden had called it, although he was probably referring to the Internet or flipping through dusty books. Her version was slightly tweaked. And broader. More thorough. If only Aiden and Yuki could appreciate this, she thought as she reviewed her plans in her head. Teagan didn't plan on telling them anything yet though. Since she only had suspicions, and weak ones at that, chances were that they would ignore her.

The second step involved taking action. Fine by her. She strolled invisibly among the crowd. Teagan was simply another average teenager milling around the mall on her free day. Nothing out of the ordinary to any other shopper. The best disguise was one out in the open...or something along those lines. Speaking of out in the open...

...across the mall sat Aiden, happily taking a huge bite out of a burger. Unable to resist, Teagan darted into another store and appeared with four more bags on each arm. The weight of all the bags caused her to grimace a bit as she made her way to the table Aiden sat at. But it would so be worth it in the end. Especially if she could get his reaction recorded. Teagan had a feeling the digital camera in the side pocket of her pack would be one of her best purchases yet.

"Aiden, more bags from Yuki." Teagan made a show of setting down the heavy bags and wiped her brow. "I don't know what the heck she's buying, but it's ridiculous. Anyways, I still have to check one more thing. I'll be back in a few minutes." She took a few steps and waved back to him. "Enjoy the burger!"

Security office, here she comes.

[Yuki]

After quickly purchasing quite the surplus of clothes, jewerly and makeup, for she made sure she had bought enough to conceal a guitar, Yuki made her way over to Fender's. She was determined to buy the instrument, and although she had set apart only a brief ten minutes for the task at hand, she was sure she would find one she wanted. It would never compare to the one she had back home, but it was better than nothing.

Once she was inside the store, she saw two guitars which piqued her interest. One was a typical acoustic guiatar, chestnut colored, with the design of a lotus flower on it. The other was a black electric guitar. Though she wouldn't be able to play that one at the tavern, it would definitely be useful for her future...excursions. Looking down at her items, she was sure there were enough to conceal two guitars. Lugging her bags to the cashier, she told him which two she wanted to buy and swiped her credit card.

Gratified with the experience, she quickly drew out her cellphone. The forty-five minutes were almost up--she was just on time. As she made her way to the food court, she idly wondered what she would say if Aiden or Teagan caught her with the guitars. She would probably lie and tell them it was for a relative that lives in the United States, or that the material used to make them served as a sturdy container for herbs. Yes, they would definitely buy those excuses.

Arriving at her destination, she spotted Aiden sitting down at a table, eating a burger, and beneath the table was a...was that a box designed to contain swords? Surprisingly, he was also surrounded by an swarm of bags. Approaching him, she took a seat at the table. "I didn't know you considered shopping enjoyable," she said, eyeing the bags with a slightly raised eyebrow.

[Aiden]

What the girls had to realize was that Aiden was a simple guy that didn't get out much, at least not out in the normal scene. When he wasn't busy chasing something down, he was in the tavern healing, practicing, cleaning himself up, or his weapons, or sleeping. Researching could be thrown anywhere in there as well. So him coming to the mall, especially with two female in need of practically everything, he didn't know what to expect, or how long it would take for that matter. He was perfectly content in his weapons shop, ogling the sword he would later buy. Even when the first batch of bags came, he didn't really mind; after all, there did need to be some testosterone in the mix, and Aiden was perfectly happy to flaunt some muscle, all subconsciously of course. It was a man's mindset, show off for the ladies, even if it was a whole bunch of shopping bags. So when he set the time limit for forty five minutes before lunch, he thought he'd be fine. When he heard protests from both girls, he was mildly surprised, but it didn't cause him to change the time.

He casually strolled over to the food court, bags looped on his arms and his box containing the sword laid out in his hands. People moved to the side as he came through, and he eventually dropped the things off at a table, got his food, and then returned. A short while later, he frowned at Teagan came, dropped, and went without so much as a few words. What happened to eating lunch? Shopping can't be that important, he thought, taking another bite of his burger. He stared lazily into the crowd, noting the teenager with a mohawk, the small child standing in the middle of the walkway screaming for her parents, the pale man gliding through the crowd, a frantic parent only feet away. It was all very normal, and as he indulged on his food, something other than the meals at the tavern, he lost track of time, though it was only minutes later that Yuki showed up. Her comment made his brow raise, and he put his burger down on the tray.

"Funny, seeing as they're all yours. Why don't you take all your bags to the car now? Its right out the hall beneath us," he said, looking over at Yuki and all the things she was carrying. "How much longer do you need, anyway? Teagan already left, didn't even eat," he complained, popping a few fries into his mouth, still slightly absentminded.

[Yuki]

Her bags? Those most certainly were not her bags. For starters, she hadn't even encountered Aiden during the entire time she was shopping. There was no possible way she could've handed him bags. Secondly, she would never allow someone to carry her purchases. She was not so weak as to permit such a pathetic maneuver, and especially this time, with her guitars--it would've been to great a risk.

"I assure you, you are mistaken," Yuki said, folding her arms at the accusation. "My bags are all on my person. I do not make it a habit of having others carry my personal belongings, much less males such as yourself."

As he looked over at her bags, he questioned how much more time she would need to shop. He obviously had no idea how a female's mind worked, much less Yuki's. She was an avid shopper and took the so-called diversion very seriously. "Your time calculations are extremely lacking; forty-five minutes is hardly enough to buy enough to the point of any considerable satisfaction. Are you so lacking in knowledge of a femme's mind so as to not consider that fact?" she answered edgily. Finish shopping in forty-five minutes? Impossible.

[Aiden]

His brow twitched upward at Yuki's reaction to the claim that they were her bags, because by the expression on her face, she was just as confused as he now was. But, Teagan had said, and he had just assumed that Yuki was obeying the forty-five minute grace period until lunch and was rapidly shopping. But...they weren't...Yuki's words made him frown, and for a moment he forgot about his confusion. "What do you mean, males like me?" he asked right off the bat, his brows furrowing. What was she implying now. "Its males like me that gave you the frickin' money to get all this crap, so be grateful every once in a while, will you?" he spat, diving into his burger again. It made sense now, Teagan was pulling another prank, making him carry unnecessary bags all around the mall. She'd gotten him, yes, but if she tried to continue to do so, well, she'd be in for a surprise when he would tell her no.

Yuki was clearly forgetting one factor as she told him that his timing was off. He glanced up at her, swallowing his food before speaking. "Do you forget that before you two got here, I lived by myself...with no females? I don't know if you realize this, but forty five minutes is more than enough for me. If you had a problem with the time limit in the first place, you should have told me, and then maybe I could have this supposed necessary glimpse into a femme's mind," he said, a little irritated. He'd given them unlimited credit cards, a day off from training, to shop of all things, and he'd took them to the mall. And what did he get? Slack from Yuki, and pranked by Teagan. Last time one of these days would happen for a long time.

As he finished his food, something new made his face blank, with that hint of anger. "Aiden Sanders, please come to the security office, Aiden Sanders, please come to the security office, your daughter is waiting for you." He stared straight ahead for a moment, blinking, before he turned to Yuki. "I swear to God that I'm going to--" Luckily a screaming child struggling in his high chair nearby drowned out what Aiden said, and he pushed away from the table, grabbing his things, and motioning towards Yuki. "Come on, let's go bail her ass out. Frickin' daughter, how am I going to pull this one off?" he grumbled, making his way down the stairs, through the crowd of rebellious teenagers, pale men, hurried mothers, and happy couples. After a few minutes, he pushed the door to the security office open, and entered, not quite sure what to expect.