3/12 Instance: Welcome to ShopMart... I Love You

[Starfish]

Timeline: After the first game of the semester.


Benjamin: "So I hope you're ready Amara... I'm not exactly Neena. My shopping skills are way inferior. Cess, I believe you know this?" He walked through the sliding doors of the large mall. "Welcome!" a scratchy computerized "male" voice said as they passed through.

Benjamin: "Okay... I need to get baby girl stuff.... blankets, booties, what have you. If you girls want to shop for the baby shower party, I'm not going to stop you but I'll warn you if you grab something she'll hate."

Cessily: "Don't worry about us." Cessily assured him, showing a smile. "If we buy something we hate, we'll just say that it was your idea." She patted him on the shoulder with a wink. "What are you afraid of, anyway? It's shopping. Shopping. You just have to open up your mind to it, and you'll see that it's easier than you might think."

Cessily: "Besides, the only way to learn the secret tricks and skills of shopping, is to actually be doing it. You can only learn the hard way."

Amara: Amara chewed her lip, why had she agreed to this again? Oh right. She had to keep up with the lie. She sighed. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Ben. And if she doesn't like what we pick out we can always keep it around in case any other students get pregnant." She smiled, "It'll be like being part of a huge family."

Benjamin: "Well there's Tessa's upcoming baby. And I'm sure someone else is pregnant, somewhere in this school." He shrugged. "Okay... so where're we starting? Baby stuff? or blankets and things?"

Cessily: "Well, whatever you like, really." Cessily said, shrugging. "In the end, we'll have to get some of everything anyway. So, it doesn't really matter with what we start off." She put on a big grin. "Though, I'm always much in favour of cuddly plush animals."

Amara: "Can we do blankets and things first? I'm pretty sure we'll all lose track of time once we get to clothes." And that way she could work up to the really difficult part slowly.

Benjamin: "Sure." Ben pushed the carriage to the blankets. "So what kinds of materials should I be searching for? For a blanket that is? I bought a onesie suit already and that seemed to be the correct material, according to Dr. McCoy."

Cessily: "I'm sure that all of the materials sold here will be more or less fine." Cessily told Ben with a smile. "And if McCoy really should have some objections, we could still return them for something else." She walked past a shelf with blankets, feeling the soft fabric. "Besides, I'm sure we can ask someone who works here for suggestions."

Amara: "In England they have baby shops with all the stuff you need in one place..." she mumbled, "It's a lot easier... And as long as it's all that hypo-allergenic stuff it's ok, right?" She picked up a yellow blanket made of soft wool, "Ooo this feels nice."

Benjamin: Ben rubbed the material between his fingers. "Very nice." He said with a smile. He saw the price tag. "...Expensive! Neena'll love it! Nice call Amara!" He took the bundle of the yellow blanket into his arms and put it in the carriage. "And actually most of these stores in America do that too, but we're in New York City. They're going to make you clamber through the entire store so you buy things."

Cessily: "Yep, that's true. You haven't gone through the proper shopping experience if you haven't been sent on a scavenger hunt back and forth through the entire mall several times. It's how they hope to make you buy more stuff you just happen to come across." Cessily felt the blanket, as well. "Ooh, that's nice. Can you afford all of that stuff, Ben?"

Amara: Amara smiled, "Cheeky of them really. And I don't mind chipping in if it's too expensive, it's not like I can't afford it..." she sighed, time for another one, "I came into a bit of money last semester." she half shrugged, "So whatever really."

Benjamin: "Oh trust me. Neena's all set with the money end. I'm going to make sure it doesn't get over-spent, yeah, but for our baby girl? Nothing is too much. Uh-uh. I'll spend every dime I make off those albums." He nodded enthusiastically. "Okay so... I need sheets, we have only five pairs and apparently this is not enough for Neena. She gave me a list... I'm not entirely sure what some of these 'thread counts' are, but whatever."

Cessily: Cessily gave Amara a quick smile before leaning over Ben's shoulder to peek at the list when he pulled it out. "I'm no expert when it comes to cloth and anything related to it, but if I'm not mistaken, they say something about how fine the material is. So, the higher the thread count, the finer the sheet. Though, I still favour the old-fashioned touching method."

Amara: "Yeah I prefer that too, but we can refer to the sheet to double check, when we find something nice." She looked around, "And I'd like to get something for the baby myself but I'll maybe wait til we get to the clothing..."

Benjamin: "Okay... you know what..." he looked at the fine sheets and shook his head. "This is ridiculous. I'll let her drag Rachel here for sheets, there's no way I'm going to buy any of these for our bed-TOYS!" He pointed down the aisles upon aisles, into the very distance of the back of the store. There he could make out the recognizable sight of toys. Action figures, dolls, trikes, robot dinosaurs, trucks! He leapt onto the carriage and pushed it along w

Benjamin: ((There he could make out the recognizable sight of toys. Action figures, dolls, trikes, robot dinosaurs, trucks! He leapt onto the carriage and pushed it along with his foot, driving it like a bob sled through the aisles. ))

Cessily: Cessily chuckled. "Oh yes, I can see Rachel being thrilled at the idea of buying sheets for a baby. Or doing anything baby related. The poor girl. Someone should take pictures of her." She giggled when Ben charged the toys, and so chased after him. But not before giving Amara a playful slap on the behind as she ran past. "Yay! Playthings!"

Amara: Amara giggled and followed her at a calmer pace, making a beeline for the stuffed animals which were more baby friendly and appealed to her too. Though with her powers as they were, buying herself stuffed animals was probably not a sensible idea.

Benjamin: "Oh Wow! Batman! Man if I was six now I'd be so damn happy!" he slid down the aisle and picked up all of the batman figures. "You think baby girls like Batman?!" He asked with an excited voice. The expression on the girls faces didn't give him any hope. "Maaaan. I don't know how I'm supposed to relate to this girl!"

Benjamin: "Or worse off... how's she going to ever relate to me! Her dad!?"

Cessily: Cessily bounded through the aisles with toys, before coming to a halt near Ben. She gave him a lock, cocking her head. "Dude, why not Batgirl? Or Catwoman? Ooh, look, there's also Wonder Woman." She held up the respective figures. "Though, I guess that's something for when they're a little older, anyway. At first you need baby appropriate stuff."

Cessily: She walked past Ben and gave him a quick kiss to the cheek. "And will you please stop worrying now? You'll do fine."

Amara: Amara picked up a stuffed rabbit toy and stroked the artificial fur on it's ears. It had no hard eyes or nose so it was baby friendly and was a vibrant red so it would stimulate the baby's mind too. She smiled to herself, then hastily put the rabbit back and looked to see where the others were.

Benjamin: "Oh wow!" Ben held up a plush Optimus Prime. "No. Way. Awesome!?" He squeezed it and showed it to the girls. "How absolutely awesome is this?! Tell me I can get this for her, tell me I'm justified!"

Cessily: Cessily chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh well, why not? Who could resist?" She stepped over to Amara, standing behind her in order to place her chin on the girl's shoulder. "You find anything suitable yet? Those look all so cute, don't they? It's a shame we can't get them all."

Amara: Amara glanced at Cess and smiled slightly, "Yeah they are," she agreed, "I was looking at the rabbits, they're all so nice I couldn't pick which colour," she lied. "But the bears are cute too and they're more suck-friendly." She picked up one of bears and showed it to Cess, "See?"

Benjamin: "Hmm..." He put Optimus Prime in the carriage and then he reached for one of the rabbits. "These are nice too Amara..." He tossed three into the carriage. "Okay, so what do we think is next?" He looked around. "Someone told me to get fancy classical music for my baby so that she can develop with like... genius brains." A smirk grew across his face. "However... I want to go build her a "little-girl-punk-rock" collection."

Cessily: "Aww, those are too adorable." Cessily took the bear and squished it, grinning like a child. "Oh my, as tempting as this is, I don't want to make Mr. Wrinkles jealous." She laughed and put the bear back. "Well, I've heard that kids should listen to some music. But I'm not sure if it'll be able to tell the difference for a while. So, you might as well go with classical."

Amara: Amara picked up the bear again, "Well I don't have to worry about mr. wrinkles so I think I'll take this one home with me." She hugged it, "And he can sit on my desk next to Matteo and watch me do my homework.... or not do my homework...." she grinned.

Benjamin: Ben motioned for them to follow him. "I'm gonna check out what we got for baby-safe rock music. I want my girl to be a little punk!" He cackled maniacally. "Okay, what're some baby-safe bands? I hear they got like Rock-For-Babies now. Hmm...."

Benjamin: He cruised the carriage around the music aisle and found a few new releases of some DVD's. Tossing them in the carriage he found the children's music section finally and began to search the albums. "Not much..." He said disappointedly.

Cessily: Cessily smiled at Amara. "Awww, that's cute." She said, then walked after Ben. "Uhm, I'm not sure there's anything like that. Or perhaps you might want to leave that to Neena. And remember, you don't have to get every little thing right now. Take your time." She casually looked over the new DVDs and music on display.

Amara: Amara trailed behind them, eyeing the red bunny in the cart. She'd steal that later, when no one was looking. "I hear Mozart is good if you want a smart baby." She said, hovering behind Cessily and feeling reluctant to release the bear, "And you don't have to play rock music to the baby in the womb to get it to like it. Just indoctrinate her when she's born." She smiled at Ben, "Maybe you can play her your stuff, then she'd like her daddy."

Benjamin: "Hmmm..." He looked to the girls and then back to the albums. "Okay, so here's what I'm thinking. You're both right. I should probably get some more stuff for Neena instead... we got a lot of time huh?" He looked around and saw a very nice high end Blu Ray dvd player. "Okay... well she's been bugging me for one of those."

Cessily: "Ooh, those are great. I hope we get one for the rec room soon. And an even bigger TV screen that goes along with it." Cessily marveled at the displayed images. "And by now you even get a lot of good movies for them."

Amara: "Yeah," Amara said, looking back at the stuffed animals, she liked them more, "Maybe we can get some big cushions for Neena too - for when she gets bigger. It'll make it easier for her to get out of chairs." She stealthily swiped the red bunny from the cart and held it between her and the bear so neither of the others would see.

Benjamin: Ben kept a quiet smile from Amara as he looked through the dvd players. Finding the right size and price, he pulled the box out from the stack and put it in the carriage. "Okay what was the other thing? Cushions? She was mentioning a body pillow the other day, I say one of those too." He led them to the pillows and cushions and by the time they hit the end of the aisle he had bought her a body pillow, a pillow for her back, one that wrapped around

Benjamin: ((her neck, and one that went in between her knees. "Hmm..." He smiled. "These pillows might make bed-activities fun too..." He said with a childish grin.))

Cessily: "Oooh, lovely!" Cessily grinned at all the cozy looking cushions. She couldn't resist temptation, and so took a running start and dived headlong into a pile of pillows and other soft things. Giggling could be heard coming out of the pile, and she flailed her arms until she could sit back up again. "Oh, I'm absolutely sure they would." She told Ben, grinning.

Cessily: She held one of the cushions up and pressed it to her chest. "I think that I so have to get some of them for myself."

Amara: Amara giggled at Cess' antics, "I'd get one too but I think I have enough to be getting on with." She smiled, "My bed's piled so high with pillows you can't see it." She hugged the bear and bunny tight to her, "It's like that at home too." She nodded to herself. "But I had to leave all my stuffed animals."

Benjamin: "That's a shame. You should get some temporary stuffed-friends." He got to the end of the aisle and realized the carriage was full. And then some. "Okay... I think it's check out time." He pushed over to the self-check out, being waiting in line for a cashier was not worth it in January during return season. He rang everything up and then pulled out his wallet. From his wallet he yanked out the magic credit card. "Tah-dah!" He said, happily.

Cessily: "See? That's why I love your bed." Cessily told Amara, while she tried to get out of the heap of pillows again. "It's so cozy. Well, another reason is the company, of course." She stood, put on a smile, and gave the other girl a quick kiss. "I definitely need to style myself a suitable love nest. Remy recommended that I use the basement."

Cessily: They followed Ben to the check-out. "So, what now? We helped you with your shopping. That means it would only be fair if you helped us with ours." She turned to Amara. "What do you say? Shall we get some clothes?"

Amara: "Um sure, hang on let me pay for these." Amara paid for her stuffed animals and quickly returned, stuffing them into a bag, "I need some lighter clothing, do you think they have summer stuff on sale yet?"

Benjamin: "I think if I'm going to go shopping with you two..." He looked between them and then back at his bags. "I need to put these in the car first... and then I need ice cream."

Cessily: "I'd be surprised if they didn't already have summer stuff up for sale." Cessily told Amara, then turned to Ben. "Sure. We can help you carry. Any maybe we'll even let you have some ice cream." She laughed. "Hey, if you need more incentive to go shopping with us, just keep in mind that you'll have to watch us in flimsy summer outfits and judge if we look good in them."

Amara: "Actually, I quite like the idea of icecream too," Amara put in, "And some energy might be good if we're going to be switching outfits so much."

Cessily: "Alright!" Cessily exclaimed, putting on a grin. She pointed with both arms into the direction of the food court. "Ice cream it is."

Cessily: ((Time passes))

Benjamin: "I don't know if it's sympathy pregnancy or the ice cream at Rhodie Brook is just so damn good but... fuck. Me. I love this apple pie flavor. It's... ohmigod..." He got another spoonful. "Omnomnom!"

Amara: Amara took a huge mouthful of her raspberry and vanilla flavoured icecream and grinned. Unlike most people she didn't have to worry about 'brain freeze', "I think it's this place. It's just so amazing!" She had to resist the compulsion to bounce in her seat, that was un-ladylike. She had another mouthful.

Cessily: Cessily scooped the rest of her ice cream out of the bowl by using her finger and licked it off. "Mmm, this was excellent." She said. "You're right. It's a part of the shopping experience that shouldn't be missed." She used her spoon to steal a little from Ben's and Amara's ice and giggled. "So, where to now?"

Benjamin: "Uhm... well you are the girls shopping so I have no clue." He finished his ice cream and gurgled in ecstasy. "I think if I could eat that after everytime I have sex.... I might be the happiest guy on the planet..." He snorted at the thought. "So, what kind of girl clothing store we going to? Not lingerie right? Neena'll kill me..."

Amara: Amara laughed, "No I have enough lingerie to last me a good while. What I need is some nice light and airy clothing so that my temperature doesn't bother me so much."

Cessily: Cessily nodded. "Works for me." She said. "While you can never have enough lingerie, I'd love to have a few more lighter things for when I go out." She waved the waiter over to their table and asked for the bill.

Benjamin: Once in the store, Ben's eyes drifted to the various departments in the store. He looked for some clothes for pregnant Neena, but he decided it really wasn't the time or place to be looking for those.

Amara: "I was thinking I'd try for a new look this year." Amara said, looking around, "Maybe go more hippy-like." She frowned, "What do you think? Leave more of my curves to the imagination this summer?"

Cessily: Cessily giggled and clasped her hands together. "Oooh, you got the right girl with you to advice you on the perfect hippie look." She tapped a finger against her chin and thought about that for a moment. "Actually, it's more my own personalized hippie style. And no worries." She grinned at Amara while prancing around her. "I have perfected the way to add sexy into any look."

Benjamin: Ben strayed from the girls doing their girly shopping and looked through some tee-shirts. "Hmm...." He found some that had neat Nintendo logos and such on them. He came across one that said "Individuality! It's In!" He frowned. "I hate the younger generation sometimes...I blame Rachel."

Benjamin: He paused and thought on that. "Wait... no I blame Felicia."

Amara: Amara grinned at Cess and strolled over to some long skirts made of cotton and in varying different colours, "Oooh these are nice." She started to look through to find colours she liked.

Cessily: "Oooh, yes. These are totally your style." Cessily said, holding one of the skirts to Amara's hip. "They accentuate your legs nicely. Hm, I need some more tops, and perhaps shorts and skirts to be prepared for summer and party time." Cessily strolled between the clothing aisles, looking for things that caught her attention. "You should go with some loose shirts, too."

Cessily: She quickly found a couple of things she liked and gathered them up. "I'll so have to try some of these on. And Ben will have to judge."

Benjamin: "Uhh... no. Uh-uh." He put his shirt back on the rack. "Noooo way. I'll stick to my little corner in the Men's departmnt, thankyaveralittle." He smiled and indicated to her it wasn't anything personal, but then he felt maybe she might not get that from a simple gesture. So, he said; "look, it's nothing personal. You're like... great looking and all, it's just, ... Neena, y'know?"

Amara: "Oh come on, Ben, it's not like we're trying on underwear." Amara said flipantly, she picked up a few skirts and a couple of tops some with long sleeves. "We're not asking you to look at us. Just the clothes. We value your oppinion. Feel flattered."

Cessily: "Yep, what are you worrying about? If it helps you, consider yourself our gay friend. They give wardrobe advice to their female friends all the time." Cessily put on a smirk, showing Ben that she was joking. She slipped into one of the changing rooms. "I need some new things to wear when I go looking for a job."

Benjamin: He frowned. "I'm going to be viewing this solely and totally as the removed male friend..." He crossed his arms and stared at Amara. "This does not sound like something Neena would approve of. Like not in the least..."

Amara: Amara frowned, "Like I said, you're not looking at our naked skin, what can she possibly find to complain about?" She trotted into a changing room too and tried to decide what to try first.

Cessily: "Besides, we wouldn't want you to get bored while we're busy with girly shopping things. I'm sure she'd understand your plight. After all, she wouldn't want you to wander off unsupervised in a shopping mall and buy a new car out of boredom." Cessily snickered and changed into the first set of clothing. A long, slitted skirt and a loose top.

Cessily: "How's that?" She asked, stepping out of the changing room and twirling around. "Very summer-y, isn't it?"

Benjamin: "Uhhh.... yeah. very." He took in a breath and pulled his collar on the neck of his shirt a little to let some steam out. "Y-yeah. It's fantastic. You shouldn't try anything else, that's perfect."

Amara: Amara poked her head out, "Very nice." she affirmed, and couldn't help giggling at Ben, "Awww, Benny, you really need to get out more." She grinned and disappeared inside again to pull on her top, emerging in a pale blue skirt and white long sleeved cotton top, "How do I look?"

Cessily: "Oooh, I love it." Cessily said, looking Amara up and down. "I knew this style would totally suit you. You're, like, made for hippieness." She laughed and disappeared into the changing room again. "Thanks, Ben. I'd wear this during the day. Now for something that's better for the nights out."

Cessily: Cessily changed quickly, before stepping back out again. She wore a short plaid skirt and a simple leather vest, which was usually worn over a shirt.

Benjamin: Ben's eyes drifted to the floor and he cleared his throat. "Uhhh yeah.... nightwear for sure. Definitely night-on-the-town-wear." He coughed and looked to his tee shirts in his hand. "Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers?" He asked.

Amara: Amara grinned at Cess, "That's really nice," she said, giving the girl a wink as she stepped out of the changing room again, deciding that since the style suited her she'd just get the lot. She gave Ben a nudge, "Didn't have you pegged as the shy type." she said playfully, "And neither if you're planning to wear it."

Cessily: "I don't recall you being the shy type, either." Cessily said to Ben, giving him a wink. "So, that means that I should get it. I pity my wallet already." She looked at the tee shirts. "Are those supposed to be for you, Neena, or the baby? Though, I can't say that I'm really a fan of either shirt."

Benjamin: He sighed. "Okay, what about the one with the Zelda triangle thingy? Or the one with the Thundercats on it?"He looked at the various selections. "Actually screw that, there's a purple one here with Darkwing Duck on it!" He grabbed that. "Oh! Silk boxers! Horrible in the car." He looked to Amara and Cess and smiled devilishly. "Great in the sack."

Amara: Amara raised her eyebrows, "Oh I see, he's just jealous. He wants to model for us." She smiled benignly at him, "Ok ben, we take your word for it." She patted him and went to look for some more tops. one's that would hug her figure but still had some give.

Cessily: Cessily returned to the changing room to try on the next set of clothes that she had picked out. "Ooh, silk boxers." She commented from behind the curtain. "I can agree that I love them on boys. So Ben's totally right here." She poked her head out of the booth and smirked. "Why? Wanna try them on and let us judge this time?"

Benjamin: "No! Unlike girls, I don't have to try every damn thing on to know if it fits, thank you very much Amara." He shot her disappointed look and a shake of his head. "So I'm going to say this one" he grabbed a pair of boxers, "and this one" and then another pair. "And finally, I'll grab these two shirts and I'm done. Tah-dah!"

Benjamin: "Guy shopping! We get only what we know will fit us and forget to get the rest!" He stated proudly.

Amara: Amara laughed selecting a few vest tops, "Not all of us have to try everything on. I only tried that outfit on because I wanted to know if the style suited." She picked up a light sweater, "Ok I think I'm done."

Cessily: "But where's the fun in this?" Cessily asked as she stepped out of the changing room. "It's not only about spending money and getting new things, it's about the whole experience of trying out new and unfamiliar things." She twirled around, showing off her last outfit: A tight fitting pair of bell jeans and a loose silk blouse, worn open. "So, which one shall I get?"

Benjamin: Ben turned to answer and then instantly turned back. "I don't know." he said. "Not big on fashion."

Amara: Amara looked over to her, "Oooh that's nice too." She frowned, "I can't decide... why don't you get them all? If you're worried you won't have enough I can help you out." She smiled at her, "We'll call it making good on what I owe you for the other day." She winked.

Cessily: Cessily giggled and stepped over to Amara to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Aww, does that mean you're my sugar mommy?" Cessily asked, adding a wink. "You know, usually I don't charge for my 'services'." She laughed. "Just kidding, of course. And thanks for the offer, but I'll pay for them myself. I can still afford this."

Benjamin: Ben coughed loudly. "Okay so uh.... we got clothes. I have new shoes from last week... sooooo" He looked around. "What else?" Memories of the time Cessily and Ben had studied together began to flood his brain. He had to think of something else. "Okay uh... we should maybe grab some post-afternoon lunch, pre-dinner? Maybe?"

Amara: Amara giggled at Cess, "I'll be whatever you want me to be," she shifted the weight of the clothing in her arms, "I should have got a basket thing..." she looked over at the tills, "Lets pay first and then I think food is a good idea. I'll never say no to food."

Cessily: "Neither do I." Cessily tossed in while changing back into her own clothes. She left the changing room, the new clothes draped over the arm. "So, let's pay and get some bags, then we can go get some Chinese perhaps. Oh! Could we walk past the camera store? I'd like to drool at the camera's I'll never be able to afford in the shop window."

Benjamin: "Actually Cess, I never got a chance to get you a christmas present. You need a new lens or flash device or something, it's on me!... And Neena. From both of us." He looked to Amara. "And I'll take you to Disney store." He gave her a thumbs up.

Amara: Amara sighed, all her life she'd managed to avoid those stores but she figured now was as good a time as any to go there. "And Cess if you want a good camera, I'll get you one for Christmas too." she smiled at her, "It's the least I can do. And don't worry, I have more than enough." She rolled her eyes.

Cessily: "Aww, oh my, thanks guys." Cessily smiled sheepishly and fidgeted with her hair. "That's all so very kind of you. But I'd feel bad if you give me such pricey gifts. I wouldn't know how to make up for it. Though, I don't wanna be a killjoy, either. So, maybe just something small, if you like? And you have to promise me that you'll wish for something in return from me, yes?"

Benjamin: "You know what I want, you've done it for me before." He smiled. "Wait... that sounds wrong. I need pictures again for my album. That would be a cool Christmas present."

Amara: Amara laughed, "That did sound very dirty Ben," she agreed, then turned to Cess, "And I will say the same and you can take that in the dirtiest way you like." She grinned, then sashayed off to pay.

Cessily: Cessily had to laugh. "Oh, I think I know what you're talking about." Putting on a cocky smirk, she poked the tip of her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "No worries, however. You'll get all the pictures you want from me. For anything else, you should get Neena's permission first." Cessily hooked her arm into Amara's. "Ooh, and you know that I'll take it no other way."

[Edited on 12-3-09 by Starfish]

[fourpawsonthefloor]

I can picture this poor new kid stuck in a room piled high to the ceiling of stuff going 'goo...?'

[Slarti]

And I'm sure someone else is pregnant, somewhere in this school.

[Ult_Sm86]

Slarti you got an announcement to make??