Waaaas meant to have this done pre I21... but muse has been lagging, enjoy 
- - -
Freedom mall
Steel canyon
“Remind me why I agreed to do this again?” Neph grumbled as she entered.
The Fortunata Jasmine looked up at her and grinned. “Because you had nothing better to do and I asked nicely”
Swearing under her breath, she followed her in, the shorter woman giggling happily as she went from store front to store front.
With growing dread, she followed deeper and deeper into what she considered the “girly” part of the mall, fashion boutiques, Hair dresses, manicurist… it went on and on.
“Ahh here we go my dear.” Jas pulled to a stop in front of store that sent a slight shiver down her spine… Victoria’s Secret.
“What the hell?”
“Oh come on, I saw what you answered the door in” Jas grinned brightly. “Sports bra and a pair of boxers? Too boring, to dull… so mannish. So let’s get you something interesting, lively, sexy even.”
Practically being dragged in, Neph followed Jas as she grabbed things off the rack and handed them back to her. “Lace… maybe, decently see you being a red person… maybe Lavender? Nah… ooh maroon, that would look good on you.”
“This is just floss and gauze.”
“No, it’s a negligee, and I think it looks rather nice, here take this as well.” Another item was passed to her.
Looking at the growing pile of lacy things that would barley equate to a tank top worth of cloth. Neph was then shoved into a changing room as Jas happily proclaimed. “No coming out till you try all of it, got it?”
Muttering she started changing, trying on each item with varying degrees of success, while others… others looked like they would snap is she just breathed in them. Grumbling she threw those to one side and looked at some of the other stuff. “What the hell is the point of this crap any how?” she muttered.
“Weeeell, to look Sexy for Light? Which by the way, you pull off veeery well”
Turning around, she saw Jas’s head poking into the change room. Letting out a growl she shoved her out before pausing and looking in the mirror.
Jas did have a point… she didn’t look half bad…
Shaking her head she got dressed and picks up the lingerie, muttering she stepped out to see Jas leaving with a few bags, quickly heading to the counter she put down a hand full of items and handed over her card, the sales assist smiling, her expression slightly glassy. “How may I help you?”
“Yeah, paying for this stuff?”
The sales assist blinked, her expression slowly returning to normal. “Pay? Oh, right.” Flushing slightly she rang up a bill, the total number making Neph wince slightly.
Swiping her car, Neph finished the payment and chased after Jas, catching her as she dodged into hair salon. “What did you do to that sales assistant?”
Jas gave a slightly confused look, then smirked. “Well, it’s not like I can buy anything here, they don’t recognise any of my cards… down side of being a bad girl I guess, so I just… nudged her mind a bit. Now come along, we’re going to get your hair done.”
Her train of thought derailed by the mention of her hair, Neph blinked stupidly. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Split ends and looks like brown hay.”
“Why is it important?”
Jas gave Neph a look of pure disbelief. “You really don’t know much, do you?”
“I was created in a tank, in a lab, less than a year ago, then fired into Pretoria with a half formed personality left to figure out everything on my own… so yeah, I don’t know much.”
“Well then, consider this a lesson on 'Girl Stuff.” Her face splitting into an even wider grin, she dragged Neph in to the hair salon, the women behind the counter getting a slightly odd grin on their faces as they stared at them.
Like some sort of zombie. Neph mused. This will not end well.
Getting pressed into a free seat, several women surrounded her, scissors, combs and other instruments in hand.
Oh crap. Closing her eyes, she heard Jas snicker as the women went to work.
* * *
Staggering in her front door, Neph made a bee line for the couch and collapsed onto it, half a dozen bags falling from her arms and she let out a long sigh of exhaustion. An excited bark echoed as her pug Franz struggled onto the couch and yapped, his squished face pulled into a look of puppy glee.
Jas lent over the couch and scratched his head. “See Neph, today was fun, wasn’t it?”
“I’m tired, my hair feels freaky and I have a pile of clothes I will probably never wear…”
“But it was fun.”
Letting out a slight grumble. Neph lent back and stretched. “It was different… not bad… but what the hell was that crap they put in my hair?”
“It was a revitalising shampoo and conditioner, made to bring a lustrous shine to your hair. Makes you look less like a tomboy and more like a lady, Light might like that."
“Between you, my sisters and my new in-law… everyone seems to want to lend a hand with that.”
“Maybe because it’s fun to watch you?”
She managed to bite her tongue before a snappy comment slipped pass. “We’ll see.” Rolling her shoulder, she looked back. “So why are you still…” looking around, she noticed that Jas was now gone, not a single trace. “I fucking hate it when Widows pull that shit.” Looking back she saw Franz half in a bag, snuffling around.
“Get out of that!” she cried reaching over to grab him, he let out an excited bark and took off, bottling for the front door some one had left hanging wide open. Jumping after him, she made a mad dash after the dog, swearing as she went. Last time Franz got loose in the base it took the best part of day to find where he went.
She reached the door and ploughed straight into the someone. “Whoa, you chasing this?” blinking she looked at Light grinning at her, holding Franz in one hand… and something particularly lacy hanging from the dog’s mouth.
“Yes, I was chasing that dog and yes that is something of mine in its mouth, any questions?” She said, grabbing her dog.
She walked back over to the couch and collapsed, earning a slight chuckle from Light. “What’s so funny?” she grumbled to him.
“You look like you’ve run a lap of Paragon.” He said, pushing some bags aside before droping on the couch next to her. “Or you shopped till you literately dropped.”
“You try chasing after a Fortunata that keeps sticking you with the bill.” She grumbled again. “I must have blown most of my pay on this crap and what she got…. God even knows if I’ll even wear half of it.”
He looked into one of the bags, blinking slightly. “Depends… you tying to catch a cold or something?”
Rolling her eyes she asked. “So any reason why you’re here? Besides poking my stuff?”
Light Chuckled. “Just seeing if you were up for anything tonight?”
Neph let out a low groan. “After today, all I want to do is laze in front of the TV with a Pizza and maybe tonight’s game; want to see how Yankees are doing.”
“Room for one more then?”
In the back of her head, a little voice not linked to any of her AI’s let out a happy squeal. Ignoring she gave a lop sided shrug. “Sure, but your paying for your own pizza.”
Shrugging, he stretched his legs out as he got comfortable. “Sure, just means that next time we spar, you’ll have to work a little harder.”
“Why?”
“Well, you eat stuff like then don’t work off the calories, you’ll start taking on a shape similar to your little sister.” He smirked as she threw a pillow at his head, a slight grin on her face.
Grabbing the remote she turned the TV on and settled back, her eyes for a moment catching the bags on the floor. They could wait. She mused. Now, time to sit back and enjoy a moment of sanity and calm.
- - -
Freedom mall
Steel canyon
“Remind me why I agreed to do this again?” Neph grumbled as she entered.
The Fortunata Jasmine looked up at her and grinned. “Because you had nothing better to do and I asked nicely”
Swearing under her breath, she followed her in, the shorter woman giggling happily as she went from store front to store front.
With growing dread, she followed deeper and deeper into what she considered the “girly” part of the mall, fashion boutiques, Hair dresses, manicurist… it went on and on.
“Ahh here we go my dear.” Jas pulled to a stop in front of store that sent a slight shiver down her spine… Victoria’s Secret.
“What the hell?”
“Oh come on, I saw what you answered the door in” Jas grinned brightly. “Sports bra and a pair of boxers? Too boring, to dull… so mannish. So let’s get you something interesting, lively, sexy even.”
Practically being dragged in, Neph followed Jas as she grabbed things off the rack and handed them back to her. “Lace… maybe, decently see you being a red person… maybe Lavender? Nah… ooh maroon, that would look good on you.”
“This is just floss and gauze.”
“No, it’s a negligee, and I think it looks rather nice, here take this as well.” Another item was passed to her.
Looking at the growing pile of lacy things that would barley equate to a tank top worth of cloth. Neph was then shoved into a changing room as Jas happily proclaimed. “No coming out till you try all of it, got it?”
Muttering she started changing, trying on each item with varying degrees of success, while others… others looked like they would snap is she just breathed in them. Grumbling she threw those to one side and looked at some of the other stuff. “What the hell is the point of this crap any how?” she muttered.
“Weeeell, to look Sexy for Light? Which by the way, you pull off veeery well”
Turning around, she saw Jas’s head poking into the change room. Letting out a growl she shoved her out before pausing and looking in the mirror.
Jas did have a point… she didn’t look half bad…
Shaking her head she got dressed and picks up the lingerie, muttering she stepped out to see Jas leaving with a few bags, quickly heading to the counter she put down a hand full of items and handed over her card, the sales assist smiling, her expression slightly glassy. “How may I help you?”
“Yeah, paying for this stuff?”
The sales assist blinked, her expression slowly returning to normal. “Pay? Oh, right.” Flushing slightly she rang up a bill, the total number making Neph wince slightly.
Swiping her car, Neph finished the payment and chased after Jas, catching her as she dodged into hair salon. “What did you do to that sales assistant?”
Jas gave a slightly confused look, then smirked. “Well, it’s not like I can buy anything here, they don’t recognise any of my cards… down side of being a bad girl I guess, so I just… nudged her mind a bit. Now come along, we’re going to get your hair done.”
Her train of thought derailed by the mention of her hair, Neph blinked stupidly. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Split ends and looks like brown hay.”
“Why is it important?”
Jas gave Neph a look of pure disbelief. “You really don’t know much, do you?”
“I was created in a tank, in a lab, less than a year ago, then fired into Pretoria with a half formed personality left to figure out everything on my own… so yeah, I don’t know much.”
“Well then, consider this a lesson on 'Girl Stuff.” Her face splitting into an even wider grin, she dragged Neph in to the hair salon, the women behind the counter getting a slightly odd grin on their faces as they stared at them.
Like some sort of zombie. Neph mused. This will not end well.
Getting pressed into a free seat, several women surrounded her, scissors, combs and other instruments in hand.
Oh crap. Closing her eyes, she heard Jas snicker as the women went to work.
* * *
Staggering in her front door, Neph made a bee line for the couch and collapsed onto it, half a dozen bags falling from her arms and she let out a long sigh of exhaustion. An excited bark echoed as her pug Franz struggled onto the couch and yapped, his squished face pulled into a look of puppy glee.
Jas lent over the couch and scratched his head. “See Neph, today was fun, wasn’t it?”
“I’m tired, my hair feels freaky and I have a pile of clothes I will probably never wear…”
“But it was fun.”
Letting out a slight grumble. Neph lent back and stretched. “It was different… not bad… but what the hell was that crap they put in my hair?”
“It was a revitalising shampoo and conditioner, made to bring a lustrous shine to your hair. Makes you look less like a tomboy and more like a lady, Light might like that."
“Between you, my sisters and my new in-law… everyone seems to want to lend a hand with that.”
“Maybe because it’s fun to watch you?”
She managed to bite her tongue before a snappy comment slipped pass. “We’ll see.” Rolling her shoulder, she looked back. “So why are you still…” looking around, she noticed that Jas was now gone, not a single trace. “I fucking hate it when Widows pull that shit.” Looking back she saw Franz half in a bag, snuffling around.
“Get out of that!” she cried reaching over to grab him, he let out an excited bark and took off, bottling for the front door some one had left hanging wide open. Jumping after him, she made a mad dash after the dog, swearing as she went. Last time Franz got loose in the base it took the best part of day to find where he went.
She reached the door and ploughed straight into the someone. “Whoa, you chasing this?” blinking she looked at Light grinning at her, holding Franz in one hand… and something particularly lacy hanging from the dog’s mouth.
“Yes, I was chasing that dog and yes that is something of mine in its mouth, any questions?” She said, grabbing her dog.
She walked back over to the couch and collapsed, earning a slight chuckle from Light. “What’s so funny?” she grumbled to him.
“You look like you’ve run a lap of Paragon.” He said, pushing some bags aside before droping on the couch next to her. “Or you shopped till you literately dropped.”
“You try chasing after a Fortunata that keeps sticking you with the bill.” She grumbled again. “I must have blown most of my pay on this crap and what she got…. God even knows if I’ll even wear half of it.”
He looked into one of the bags, blinking slightly. “Depends… you tying to catch a cold or something?”
Rolling her eyes she asked. “So any reason why you’re here? Besides poking my stuff?”
Light Chuckled. “Just seeing if you were up for anything tonight?”
Neph let out a low groan. “After today, all I want to do is laze in front of the TV with a Pizza and maybe tonight’s game; want to see how Yankees are doing.”
“Room for one more then?”
In the back of her head, a little voice not linked to any of her AI’s let out a happy squeal. Ignoring she gave a lop sided shrug. “Sure, but your paying for your own pizza.”
Shrugging, he stretched his legs out as he got comfortable. “Sure, just means that next time we spar, you’ll have to work a little harder.”
“Why?”
“Well, you eat stuff like then don’t work off the calories, you’ll start taking on a shape similar to your little sister.” He smirked as she threw a pillow at his head, a slight grin on her face.
Grabbing the remote she turned the TV on and settled back, her eyes for a moment catching the bags on the floor. They could wait. She mused. Now, time to sit back and enjoy a moment of sanity and calm.