[WILD]mall[PARTY]-sheba

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] the blonde asked casually, not bothering to look up from the shirts he was currently reading.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She swung by a display that held plain tee-shirts, grabbing a blue one and not bothering to look at the size and then traveled into the pants section. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants, she then moved to the undergarment section and grabbed a single bra pack that was her size and a pack of underwear.

All in all, it took about five to ten minutes for her to gather an outfit.

She grinned at the kid as he asked if she found anything and held it all up in her arms, "Yup! All set. I'll just go pay for it, change in the fitting room, and then I can go buy a stove!"

She did a little happy dance at that last part before going to the cashier, buying the stuff, and then skipping joyfully to the fitting rooms.

A few minutes later she wandered back out. Everything fit perfectly fine except for the tee-shirt, which ended up being and extra-large. She looked like a jogger who was attempting to dress up like a tent, but she didn't seem fazed at all, merely shoving her soggy clothes and the rest of the pack of underwear into the plastic bag the lady had given her and then started for the doors.

She glanced back for the blonde kid and tilted her head in question, "Did you want to come with me to buy a stove? I swear it'll be a lot of fun. I'll make you some cinnamon rolls if you help me get it in my car and into my dorm..." She ended the sentence with a singsong note that promised good treats.

Little did he know /how/ good. At least, that was if her parents and relatives were to be believed.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/i] look for the girl...but then again, she had just fallen into a fountain.

At her proposition, he pursed his lips. It was highly tempting--the promise of sweets...well, sweetened the deal, but the blonde paused a moment. "First off, names. I'm Sheba Springer." He offered his hand once more--though this time in much better circumstances.

But why the heck did she need a stove? It was this that confused the boy. Like everything else that had occurred today, though, he was treating as an adventure.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She beamed at him as he offered his name. By offering his name that meant he would most likely help her. It was a wonderful thing to have someone to help. She reached out her hand in response to his and gave it a firm shake.

"Good to meet you, Sheba. Rae Night, but you can call me Sunshine. Everyone else does," she said with another smile.

She stood straight then and pointed toward the doors, "Now, off to Fatboy's!" With a little giggle she then started marching toward the store.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/i] He allowed himself a chuckle before following his new acquaintance.

Sheba had never heard of the store she was taking him to--but then, why would he? He could barely make himself mac n' cheese even when checking the instructions every twelve seconds. No wonder his father didn't trust him babysitting the twins.

"So, uh, Rae--er, Sunshine," he corrected, half-jogging until he was completely caught up with her. "How come you need an oven? Shouldn't your parents or something be the ones buying it?"[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She glanced over and smiled as he started his sentence. It usually took a few tries for people to adjust to her nickname, so it wasn't a big deal. She mainly found it refreshing. Looking at it her way, it meant that someone new was learning her name, thus leading to the fact that she was very possibly making a new friend.

At his questions, though, her smile flickered out and she bit her lip for a moment, "Well, the truth is...I'm not supposed to be at this school. Ever heard of Rosalia Academy of the Culinary Arts? Probably not, but either way, /that/ was the school that my parents /thought/ they were sending me to."

Sighing a bit, she glanced over at him, "Unfortunately, they must have applied at the wrong school and...I...I just can't bring myself to actually call them up and tell them that they've wasted their yearly budget on groceries on the wrong school."

Sunshine shrugged, "So I'll just have to live with it and pretend it's the right school for this year at least."

Now she clenched her fists and turned on him, irritation obvious in her stance, "And /then/ these people at this stupid school expect kids to be able to survive with the ovens that they have in the dorms!" Sunshine turned and started toward toward the store again, "Which is why I am buying a stove for my dorm. And DON'T go telling me you don't think it's allowed because I will MAKE it allowed if I have to bribe them all with five pans of cinnamon rolls!"

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] Culinary Arts, huh? She must be pretty good in the kitchen if her parents were sending her to Rosalia.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She looked surprised at his question for a moment before she suddenly remembered that he was, indeed, indeed of the male persuasion. How could he honestly be expected to know what damn school she was talking about?

At that, her eyes narrowed at the air in front of her as she growled, "/Rose/ Academy. How ridiculous is that name!? Extremely! And guess what? It's a school for 'young ladies.' Ugh." She screwed up her face and said in a hoity toity voice, "'We will make you all into lovely women of the future.' More like damn zombies." She stuck out her tongue in disgust, "Blech. That's what I say."

[Holly]

(Um, I don't think there're stoves in the dorms. That's the kitchen's job. >.>)

[/i] those clothes. For a few moments, Noel pondered over her thoughts, as hurtful as they might be. She didn't care. As long as she was rich, popular, good looking, had a cute boyfriend, and had a name like Noel.

She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly, a smile appearing on her face. "Honestly, how rude to go pushing everyone around. Why didn't she just go around?" She fought the urge to add another "honestly" at the end of her remark.

The thought that she had been thinking before also returned to her. The thought that Sheba would eventually find someone around the fountain. And he did. She smiled at her ability to predict anything. As they walked away, thoughts like, Aw, how cute, ran through her mind. But as they disappeared into the crowd, thoughts like, He better get back here before I leave, cause I'm not gonna wait for him. Let em walk back. She smirked at the last thought. But then she thought, But, then again, it's not like I'd want to leave here.[/ul][/ul]

[/i] But then, when she fell into the fountain, a smile had appeared on his face. He'd lifted up a hand in an attempt to cover his smile. Then he saw the odd boy stand and help her out. That's... nice. At least the odd boy seemed to have a friend now.
[/ul][/ul][/size]

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] he said, breaking into a grin. Then, as a blush crept up his face his smile faded. Hoo, boy. This is going to be fun to explain...

He had stopped, and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Um, let's just say they had a, uh, communication error involving a bratty little girl and grown woman who forgets to turn off faucets sometimes." This was true. His father often complained about how Rose Springer would eventually flood the house.

Maybe Rose had wanted Sheba to go to Rose Academy. The blonde had never actually made the name connection until now, and couldn't deny it was something his mother would do. Then again, it was just as likely that if he brought it up, she would blink in surprise and note what a clever boy he was, seeing similarities in everything.

Grimacing, Sheba continued to Fatboy's--which he could now see--too lost in his musings to really take notice of Rae--apparently his new classmate.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

(*resists the urge to attack and slap Noel and her preppy face senseless*)

Sunshine's eyebrows shot up in utter surprise as Sheba announced with a big smile that he attended Rose Academy also. Looking over at him, it was to see that he was blushing and she grinned at /that/. That was adorable. Though, /she/ hated it when she blushed, so she could only imagine how /he/ was feeling.

She listened politely to his explanation and gave a little giggle at his statement, "Sounds like an interesting tale. You'll have to give me an uncut version soon...but not now."

Her face was lit up again as she paused before the store. The sign above the entrance had the logo of a massively obese man holding a fridge on his stomach and grinning a cheesy salesman's grin, next to which were the massive block letters announcing that this was, in fact, Fatboy's Appliances.

None of that mattered, nor was noticed, as her blue eyes lit up even more upon seeing the stainless steel of the lightly used stove section that was situated right in the middle of the lovely shop.

"Hells, yes," she said quietly before darting forward and into the store, immediately looking over the signs beside them that described what they were, what model, what year, and what their current capabilities were.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] he asked, squinting slightly to get a better read.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She scanned a few of the stoves before her eyes landed on a stainless steel beauty. There was a dent in the handle bar in the front, but, after checking everything over, it looked to be in good condition. She peered into the oven and smiled brightly. There was tons of space. Plenty, at least, for quite a few pans of rolls to be cooking at once.

Closing it, she giggled as she looked over to Sheba as he asked what he should be looking for. She walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder before pointing directly to the stainless steel one.

"No need to worry, Sheba. /That's/ the one we're taking home." She winked at him before grabbing his arm happily and strolling him over to the checkout counter.

---

"Oh, damn," the boy muttered quietly as he darted through the mall, easily avoiding any people who strolled into his path. A few sets of heads turned to watch the kid run through, but otherwise he didn't cause much of a disturbance.

Black eyes peered ahead, seeing that he was coming up on a dead end. Blazing before him, though, was a sign with a massive man and a fridge, so he beelined for it. The bright light looked like a safe haven to him.

There weren't many people in the store, only the clerk and a happy looking couple...well, the girl looked happy. The blonde boy just looked a little confused.

That was besides the point, however! The kid shook his head quickly and scoured the place, his gaze landing precisely on a particularly large stainless steel oven. If a light bulb could have popped on brilliantly over his head, it would have right then as he dove for the oven.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he quickly slipped inside and closed the door, sending his little haven into darkness, but for the darkly tinted window that he peered through.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b]

He hadn't looked at the oven--why should he? All he was going to do, apparently, was help carry it.

Blinking as a thought suddenly came to him, Sheba tilted his head and asked, "So do you have a car, or did you have to hitch a ride with someone else?"[/ul](Small talk because...I fail at life. XD)[/size]

[Neon]

Sunshine told the man that she intended to buy the oven and he ran into the back to get the paperwork. Literally, ran. It seemed they did not get as many customers as one would think, looking at the lovely, bright sign hanging above the doors.

She grinned over at Sheba, wondering absently why he didn't smile or laugh more. He looked like he was perpetually confused or not quite sure what to do. Maybe she'd come on a little too strong...? Nah, he was probably so used to random strangers walking up to him and bribing him with cinnamon rolls by now that he was quite comfortable. As if.

At the car question, her smile dimmed a bit, a sheepish flush creeping up her cheeks, "Yeah, I do. It's out front. We'll wheel it out and load it up. Remember, we have to tie it really tight."

She put on her best smile and then turned forward again as the guy rushed back. She really didn't have to explain to Sheba right now that her car was an old piece of junk that sometimes refused to run. That the trunk would probably scream at her for having a massive oven shoved into it and then tied down. The car itself would protest and most likely splutter quite a few times during the short drive back to the school.

Meh, he didn't need to know that right now.

After she'd filled out the forms and forked over cash for the thing (credit cards had never really been her parents thing), she had the guy borrow her a roll-cart and had him help her put it on the thing.

They strapped it down and she pushed off, trying to keep the thing steady as she made her way out of the store, the salesman grinning like an idiot the whole time.

---

He watched as the two men appeared outside of the shop, disgruntled looks on their faces. They turned about and glanced only briefly at the depiction of the obese man before turning again and starting back the way they'd came.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and leaned his head back against the metal of the oven and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt the whole thing tip backward as he stared through the dark window at the ceiling of the store.

What the...?

Then he started rolling forward. He was about to yell and push himself out of the thing until he saw the two guys again, glaring suspiciously at the store now. Dammit. It would appear staying in the oven was the best way to go.

Besides, wasn't like he really /had/ anywhere else to go...

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/i] if the rest of her was like her personality--he felt a little bad for the fact that so far, he had put forth about 7% participation. 17%, if you counted helping her out of the fountain.

As they got down the mall's hall, the blonde remembered Noel. "Oh..." he mumbled, eyes scanning the fountain area to locate her once more. "I should tell her I'm leaving." Telling Sunshine he'd be right back, Sheba walked over to his upperclassman.

"Um, hey, Noel. I'm going to go back to school with Rae--she's going there, too, turns out. So, uh. See you." He awkwardly waved goodbye to Noel's friends as well, feeling a little guilty now about the shock he'd given them. Sunshine had made his mood more...well, sunnier.

With a final nod to the older kids, he returned to his new acquaintance.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

The oven had seemed a little wiggly at first, almost like it had wanted to physically jump off the cart, but now it had seemed to settle into its fate. She smiled brightly as she walked, liking the idea of an oven that had its own personality.

She almost didn't notice when Sheba told her he'd be right back, so involved in her lovely daydream of a talking oven.

They would have the most /wonderful/ conversations and it would even give her new ideas of things to experiment with with her cooking. It would have to be a cheerful oven, though, because otherwise she'd constantly be worried that it was burning her creations or, worse yet, trying to start itself on fire, thus torching the academy...though, on second thought, that didn't seem like a bad idea, looking at what she would now have to deal with every single day until she got out.

Then she noticed Sheba returning and grinned brightly in greeting at him. Okay, so having a friend would be a lot better than being alone in a school she was never meant to go to in the first place, especially one in the exact same predicament. Well, except he was a boy in a girl's school and she was a baker in a non-baking school.

It was a miracle they both weren't depressed and emo.

As he came up beside her, she started pushing again and glanced over at him, "So, do you have any other friends at the school? I mean, and if you do or don't...what's the general overview of the school populous as far as character?"

She wished she could cross her fingers that it wasn't full of bimbos, but she'd just have to leave this one to fate.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] He sighed, watching his feet. "Actually, I'm pretty sure one of the girls hates me already--but one of 'em, Trixie, seems okay..."

He remembered their game of Apples to Apples, and his...interesting card choices, with a smile.

Then, coming back to the present and Sunshine, the blonde added, "Noel--she's the one who drove me here--is your typical high school popular girl. I met her this morning right before her boyfriend ran out on her. In minutes, she had a new boyfriend." He rolled his eyes, then, without thinking, muttered, "I'm sure glad my boyfriend doesn't treat me like that..."

It was said in such an offhand manner, Sheba still hadn't realized he'd said it out loud as he walked on.[/ul][/size]

[Neon]

She listened to his explanation of his relations with the other students so far and she made sure to mark the name 'Trixie' as a 'Possible Friend' in her head. If they could con another kid into their odd little group...well, that would be even more fun, now wouldn't it?

She smiled slightly at the thought, but made sure to pay attention again as he explained the situation with Noel. That one was definitely marked off of the list and put under the 'Watch With Care' heading.

Sunshine's eyebrows lifted slightly at his offhand comment about a boyfriend and she glanced over at him. Well then! She wouldn't have pegged him for the type, but she supposed you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Boyfriend, huh? What's his name?" she asked, eyes bright with interest. She honestly had no problem with gays or bisexuals, merely for the fact that she was a baker and some of the guys in her baking club had...well, quite enjoyed rainbow colored cakes, if one knew what she was saying. *wink wink*

Some of them, though, had become good friends before she'd left. She liked to think she was more...cultured than a lot of other kids for that experience.

The automatic doors of the mall opened and she rolled the oven into the outdoors.

---

Whoa...there was outdoors. Maybe now would be a good time to jump out...? No, probably not. That would just cause a scene and those two goons would come running. Which he /really/ did not need right now.

Bran hunkered down in the oven instead, deciding to wait until they'd arrived at their destination to pop out and reveal himself.

[[S]h.e.b.a}}]

[/b] At least she hadn't had the extreme reaction, like Noel when she found out. Sheba glanced at the girl, then the oven. "Listen, I'm not doubting your ability, but...you sure you don't need help...?" He did feel quite useless, walking there as Sunny did all the work.[/ul][/size]