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Multiple Settings Rewind

> (Write in) Be friendly and ask her how she's been.

Others might have already tried asking her what's wrong and it might be a bit insensitive to interrogate her as soon as we walk in. From my experience, it's best to approach these situations delicately and get the person to warm up to us first. Once they feel more relaxed, then they'll be more likely to divulge what's bothering them.
 
->Ask her why she is wearing a school uniform.

Asking what is wrong might put her too much on the spot/too blunt, and the uniform probably relates to the distress since its such a sudden change?
 
> Try to make a joke to lighten the mood.

It’s way too awkward to just outright ask her what’s wrong. Better to go subtly bring it up at a later occasion, but for now, just do your best to perk it up.
 
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>>>>>Ask her what's wrong<<<<<<<​


  • [div class=outter][div class="gif 2"] [/div][div class="gif 1"] [/div]
    [div class=layer][div class=text]
    December 30th, 12h55 AM

    Nichole's Room​

    "Hey... are you ok? What's wrong Nichole?" Ace approached the girl hesitantly. Truth be told, he didn't really have much of an idea what he was doing. His experience with calming down someoene who was upset were limited to his little brother, and he doubted that Nichole would be easily bribed with hamburgers for dinner and video games.

    She rolled her eyes and looked away towards the window, on the opposite end of the room. Ace closed the door behind him and passed over Nichole, having to squeeze himself between her legs and the wall with the photos of their younger selves, pyramids and penguins, as well as the clock and the calendars. He had complained about it before, and he would again, that this room was just too small, the desk and chair by the window barely fit between the bed and the wall! Not that he would say anything about it aloud in this situation, there were more important things going on. Still, he was grateful that Nichole bothered to keep her room tidy, unlike him.

    "I heard from your mom that..." Began Ace, as he sat on the chair. Nichole' eyes suddenly widened with fury.

    "What did she tell you?!" She roared. Ace almost fell out of the chair.

    [div class="image o" style=width:25%;]
    rewind-logo-png.619462
    [div class="image a" style="display:none"]
    474100-solo-brunette-anime_girls-anime-sad-glasses-748x421.jpg
    [/div] "Just that you were sulking here. Promise."

    Nichole sighed in relief.

    "Not that I don't have a few questions, but we can save those for another time. More importantly, did you have a fight with your mom or something?"

    "Is there anyone else to have a fight with, while I'm stuck in here?"

    "You make a good point."

    "As usual." She smirked. Ace smiled too. He almost just wanted to let the conversation go like this, but he knew sooner or later the topic of the fight with her mom would be brough up. "What?"

    "Just happy to see you a little better. It was faster than I expected."

    Her face contorted, unable to decide whether to find it funny or remain upset. Ace let her take her time and fought back the urge to widen his grin. In the end, Nichole seemed to settle with a bit of a defiant poker face.

    "So, did she send you here to get me to come out? That's pretty shrewd of her, making use of my childhood friend to try to manipulate me. Too bad that I am not about to fall for it." She stuck her tongue out a little.

    This time, Ace did chuckle a little.

    "Well, what WOULD you fall for then?"

    Nichole took a moment to ponder her answer.

    "A world-wide trip ticket. Real one, of course. Not that pretend piece of paper you gave me on Christmas, and turned out to just be slightly faster piggyback rides from our parents."

    "Tha-that sounds expensive." Ace's cheeks were red and his face was was now buried in his hand, unable to face Nichole directly since hearing her bring up that memory.

    "Good thing you have a looooong time to put the money together then. Since I'm appearantly I'm going to be here for the rest of my life." Ace raised an eyebrow, but before he said anything Nichole got up, only to immediately herself fall on her bed and spread out her arms. "Aaaah, I wish I had those green fingernails."

    "Why not just paint them then? If the girls in my class are anything to go by, it's quite trendy these days." Ace chuckled.

    "You know what I mean. The natural kind. Like you and all those other superpowered people's."

    "I'm just Ace Pavlov, an ordinary highschool student. Even if these nails aren't just a fluke, whatever I have can't be that impressive. I mean, I've lived my entire life so far without knowing what it is at all!"

    "Sure, sure. One of these days you're going to save the town from some sort of apocalyptic event, I tell you." At that moment, Ace's stomach growled. "Well, I suppose you won't be doing it in an empty stomach. Maybe you should go save your stomach first."[/color]

    Ace pulled himself up from the chair and reached out a hand to Nichole.

    "Sounds like a good idea. Care to join me then?"

    "You really think I would fall for that?" Nichole opened the door and gestured for Ace to leave.

    Ace just began walking out, as he didn't have an answer. Nichole didn't let him either. She followed him out.

    "This once, I think I'll fall for it." she winked.

    ........​

    December 30th, 13h03 AM


    The two of them climbed down the stairs, to where mr. Acosta was sitting blowing on a warm cup of coffee. He nodded and smiled at the two of them, and gestured with his head towards the kitchen, where Nichole's mother was, Ace assumed, currently preparing lunch. Nichole picked up the pace, and Ace ended up just following her to one of the tables, where they both sat down. Mr. Acosta soon followed.

    "So, is everything settled?" He inquired.

    "I think so." Ace responded.

    "Not really." Said Nichole, almost in chorus if not for what she said having been the opposite of Ace's response. Ace gave her a stare of confusion. "It's not that simple. But I am better so, thanks. Ok?"

    Silence fell on the table, until Nichole's mother arrived again with a tray full of food. As she put it down, however, she noticed something.

    "Nichole, you're still wearing that thing? Didn't I tell you to take it off?"

    "Surprisingly, I didn't have time to change after you-"

    "Hey, hey, hey now. This food looks great!" Interrupted Mr. Acosta. "I'm starving on top of it. I could eat an elephant. Bet you're probably really hungry too, aren't you? How about we all just sit down, and eat peacefully? What if someone enters and just sees it all without context, eh?"

    Ace limited himself to nodding along with what Mr. Acosta was saying, hoping the adult would know what he was doing. It turned out to be the right choice, as the argument was at least temporarily diffused, though as a result, the table returned to that state of awkward silence it had before, which lasted throughout their whole meal. Other than an occasionally menacing exchange of glances, mother and daughter wouldn't even interact at all, an everyone just helped themselves to what food they could reach. As she finished her lunch, Nichole immediately stood from the table, her chair squeaking loudly as its legs were dragged through the floor after being pushed back. She headed for the stairs, but her mother gazed at her and spoke:

    "Where are you going Nichole?" The 'perfectly innocent' question carried some hidden meaning even Ace could tell. The situation was like a ticking time bomb of tension already. Ace looked at mr. Acosta, hoping either of them could come up with something to calm this down, though neither knew what was causing it in the first place.

    [/div]


    [/div][/div][div class="gif 2" style="position:relative;top:-70px;"] [/div][div class="gif 1" style="position:relative;top:-70px;"] [/div][/div]

    How should Ace try to diffuse the situation?


    [div class=radius][div class=option]Invite Nichole to go shopping for the new year's stuff with him.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option]Let mr. Acosta deal with it.
    [/div][/div]
    [div class=radius][div class=option]Try to make a joke to lighten the mood.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Attempt to bring up some nostalgic memories.
    [/div][/div]
    [div class=radius][div class=option] Try convincing Nichole to stay, so that hopefully she and her mother will talk to each other.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Cause some "accident" that will distract the mother and let Nichole escape
    [/div][/div]
    ​
[div class=outter]

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Tags: Kaerri Kaerri Epiphany Epiphany JayfeatherRaven JayfeatherRaven sullen sullen pinnasina pinnasina Psyche Psyche Coolrouge Coolrouge official clown business official clown business TheInsanityOfBobSemple TheInsanityOfBobSemple [/div]
 
> Invite Nichole to go shopping for the new year's stuff with him.

That will get her out of the house and away from her mom, and I think they both need that right now.
 
> Cause some "accident" that will distract the mother and let Nichole escape

Now, I think Kaerri's suggestion is vastly better. It's more effective and has a better chance of working. Nonetheless, I'm picking this option because it seems like the most in-character thing for Ace to do, judging by the posts so far. :)
 
> Invite Nichole to go shopping for the new year's stuff with him.

I agree with Epiphany that it seems more in-character for Ace to stir up a distraction, but I'm selfish, so I want to see him and Nichole go shopping together. :P

Plus, she'd have a reason to get out of the house and allow her some time to reflect and calm down.
 
>Cause some “accident” that will distract the mother and allow Nichole to escape

More in character- and I want to see what he comes up with
 
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>>>>>Invite Nichole to go shopping for the new year's stuff with him<<<<<<<​


  • [div class=outter][div class="gif 2"] [/div][div class="gif 1"] [/div]
    [div class=layer][div class=text]
    December 30th, 14h02AM

    The Catnip Express​

    Things were not looking good. The room had fallen into a deep silence. The mother was staring up at her daughter with gaze so focuzed and eyebrows so furrowed that one could believe the sheer weight of her words would drag Nichole right back down the stairs. She however wasn't even looking at her mother at all, but simply stood still right where she was on the flight of stairs. Unlike her mother who had both her arms parallel to her body as if limp, Nichole had one arm firmly pressing on the handrail. When Nichole finally moved her lips, Ace knew she just clicked her tongue. To him, it was as if she'd just pulled the pin from a grenade, and unless someone jumped on it, it was going to blow them all away. With barely any hesitation (nor thought), Ace jumped out of his chair.

    "Oh I just remembered I needed to get the New Year's stuff for Alex! It's a little last minute though, I don't buy much, but if something missing..." Ace let his words float in the air. As expected their attentions were now focused on him, even Nichole's who was looking down with her head tilted and one eyebrow raised with curiosity. He swallowed. The eyes were all on him, which didn't help him personally feel any less tense, but it seemed like they weren't jumping back into their argument at least. He had a green, no who was he kidding, a yellow light to proceed. With caution. "Hey, maybe Nichole could give me a hand? She doesn't seem to busy today, plus we don't get to spend as much time together these days as we used to. It'll be like back when we were kids. I still remember those disgusting ice creams you used to buy us Ms. Fisher. Haha. Don't worry, I'm sure we should be back before uhm....uhm....eight? Seven?"

    Mother and daughter exchanged glances. They were not happy glances. Ms. Fisher sighed, and sat back in her chair as an aknowledgement of her defeat.

    "Fine. I'll let you kids go. But you're JUST going shopping together. Then it's right back here for Nichole, understood? And go change out of that thing! I'm not letting you out of the house in it."

    Ace wanted to retort that it was just a school uniform, it wasn't some monkey's paw or anything, every girl in his highschool wore it. Something told him silence was his friend in this situation though.

    [div class="image o" style=width:40%;]medium-athah-anime-original-ruin-escalator-abandoned-scenery-original-imaf9h6zresgsug8.jpeg
    [div class="image a" style="display:none"]
    463310-short_hair-brunette-anime-anime_girls-glasses-meganekko-snow-brown_eyes-748x1049.jpg
    [/div] Surprisingly enough, Nichole agreed to her mother's terms. Ace thought she'd put more of a fight, but he was glad to be mistaken. They quickly got out of the house as soon as they could (not without Nichole's mother following them with her gaze like a hawk searching the plains for rodents), Nichole shivere and laughed at the cold winter breeze. Good thing she changed into that scarf and coat.

    "Thank you." Said Nichole without even facing him, once they'd climbed back to the city streets and away from the beach. Ace wasn't sure how to react to the sudden words, nor what she was thanking him for, exactly. They both simply continued walking at the same pace as before, with Nichole leading the way a few steps ahead of him. "For stopping us. For getting me out of there. You didn't think I wouldn't notice, did you? And I'm pretty sure she's just the same. Just pretending not to notice."

    Ace still wasn't 100% sure what this was all about. Yet, perhaps it didn't matter right now.

    "You're welcome." He smiled. Not that Nichole could see it.

    They decided to go for the clothes that were nearby first and proceed outward to those farther away. This way if they bought anything fresh it wouln't be wasting away in a bag as long. There were three places to go to. First was Ms. Amanda's, to get some sweets and drinks, next was Mr. Beaumont's shop where they would get the actual food, and lastly some souvernirs at the R.S., like those miniature fireworks and hum..well, to be honest, probably only those. While Ace couldn't help grinning to himself thinking about how happy Alex would be with what he had in store for the new year's, he also couldn't help being a little bit worried about their buget. He found himself unpocketing his wallet and sifting through it.

    "I'll lend you money if you need me to. I don't get anything like a HUGE allowance either, but there's not much to spend it on for me. Just let Alex know I said hi." Nichole winked at Ace and faced the path ahead again.

    "I'm sure he'll be begging me for us to go have lunch at the Catnip for weeks. At least."

    Nichole took a stop in front of a large three-story building, maybe not especially impressive or tall, but certain wide for a builing. Vines were starting to grow on it, and the entrance was already fallen apart beyond repair, the door lying diagonally to the frame and only prevented to succumbing to gravity by a single screw just barely hanging it there. There were no lights in this building other than sunlight, which didn't even reach far enough to cover the whole interior. In spite of it all, ordinarily this would have been where he and Nichole would come shopping. This deserted storage of empty shelves and moss shelter, with glass and hidden 'treasures' all over as a result of the students that made this their secret meeting spot on several occasions, was once given the name of Boekami, and it had once been the town's mall.

    "I wonder if it's really as bad as they say. I mean, it does look pretty awful but... It's hard to believe that cheery place woth the clowns and the sounds and the mini-karaoke would become...this. I knew I haven't been here in forever, nor did I really expect to be but I guess you need to see to believe it. It's only starting to sink in now. Hey Ace, we haven't got any of the shopping done yet, so it can wait a bit, would you mind if I check out the place just for a bit? You know how my mother is, I probably won't get any more chances like this for a while."

    [/div]


    [/div][/div][div class="gif 2" style="position:relative;top:-70px;"] [/div][div class="gif 1" style="position:relative;top:-70px;"] [/div][/div]

    Should Ace and Nichole go explore the abandone mall?


    [div class=radius][div class=option] Yes, let's go together.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] No, we have shopping to do.
    [/div][/div]
    [div class=radius][div class=option] Let Nichole go inside on her own and agree on meeting back with her later.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Promise to come after the shopping is done.
    [/div][/div]
    ​
[div class=outter]

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Tags: Kaerri Kaerri Epiphany Epiphany sullen sullen pinnasina pinnasina Psyche Psyche [/div]
 
》 Yes, let's go together.

It's always safer to stick together. And it should be fine to let them have a little bit of fun.
 
> Yes, let's go together.

Definitely don't want her to go by herself, and I'm curious, too.
 
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>>>>> Yes, let's go together<<<<<<<​


  • [div class=outter][div class="gif 2"] [/div][div class="gif 1"] [/div]
    [div class=layer][div class=text]
    December 30th, 14h23 AM

    The Abanoned Mall​

    "I suppose it can't hurt to go there for a bit. Just for a bit though, we still have to get the shopping done too... not that I'm in any position to complain with how much I procrastinated today." His little brother could be getting a little worried with how long his errand was taking. Ever since cellphones stopped working, the world seemed like a much bigger and scaririer place. If someone was gone for longer than one expected, what were they going to do, carry around cages full of pidgeons everywhere? There's no way to contact them so easily. Frankly, it had given Ace and many of his generation a newfound respect for those who lived prior to the age of cellphones.

    The mall was just as one might expect of such a run-down place. Stepping over the plants and mush was like walking across pipes made from pillows, softly crushed beneath their feet like mashed potatoes. There was a small clearing where the light from the large hole on the ceiling couldn't reach, so there was a relatively clear access to the escalators on either side of the entry hall. Like an ancient ruin the size of the mall still imposed a certain sense of might, though all free floors had patches of green alongside the now empty stores with their broken glass and chaotic arrangement of furniture. Some of the logos were still visible, and occasionally a product not even the desperate would try to take was left to gather dust for eternity, but for the most part even the shelves that were still standing straight were emptied either by people buying and it never being restocked, or by people who raided the mall after it was officially abandoned.

    "I remember this place!" Said Nichole as she entered an old ice-cream shop, with the colors on the sign all but faded except for the slighest shades of red and green on the "ice cream" from the logo's cone. The name was entirely covered by dust and what plants grew over it, and one of the door's screws was loose, so it leaned slightly over the heads of those who entered. The window from that side was likewise shattered and the chairs lying next to a wall. Nichole blew on the counter, sending particles flying all over as if someone shot a goose and all the feathers exploded out of their body. She coughed a little and bit waving her hand in front of herself, and when she managed to calm down she shifted to a different tactic, rubbing out the dust from the showcase rather than blowing on it. Though no doubt she expected as much, her frown still displayed her disappointment at seeing the empty ice cream containers. "I used to order mint chocolate chips here."

    Ace nodded.

    "With sprinkles on top, if you could have them. You said it was like getting three flavors while the growns-up thought you only had one flavor. So I just went and got myself two balls of chocolate ice cream." Ace smirked a little, Nichole giggled.

    "Wow, that's so mean! Hehe. I didn't even remember that. Let's see, then we... oh, I wonder if it's still around."

    "If what is still around?"

    [div class="image o" style=width:40%;]
    medium-athah-anime-original-ruin-escalator-abandoned-scenery-original-imaf9h6zresgsug8-jpeg.630449
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    463310-short_hair-brunette-anime-anime_girls-glasses-meganekko-snow-brown_eyes-748x1049.jpg
    [/div] Nichole didn't bother answering though, instead she ran past Ace and out of the shop.

    The teen girl went right through the central part of the mall, once a small replica of a park with some trees planted in the middle, vending machines and a few benches, plus a miniature fountain. Now the fountain was long since dried, but the once-humidity from the place and its location right under the sunlight had led the plants to almost entirely cover the floor there. Ace kept a hand over his mouth, feeling like his feet were crunching something with each hurried step after Nichole whose destination he still had no idea what it could be.

    "Yes! Found it!" Cried out Nichole, landing with her arms still up by the time Ace reached her. She was standing in front of this weighing scale-looking thing, just much larger and with some colored circles at the base and a screen over the pole that looked like it could display something more complex than a calculator could. Nichole quickly forgot her earlier lesson and blew on it to try to clear the dust, only to end up coughing again.

    "So, what's this?" Asked Ace. He had a familiar feeling about the machine, but he couldn't quite recognize it. As the dust began to settle and Nichole wiped the screen with the logo on top, it finally hit him. "Wait, is this that dancing thing you..."

    "Yeah, it is! Oh Gosh, to think it was still here!" Nichole nodded vehemently, before leaping onto the base of the machine. If Ace recalled correctly, the machine was a local rip-off of some popular arcade game, but he couldn't recall which one, or he probably just wasn't paying attention back then. He didn't find this sort of thing all that fun, though he couldn't help cracking a smile when Nichole broke into dance even if the machine wasn't playing, throwing her arms around, spinning...Both now and back then. Ace felt a little tingly as memories of a young Nichole cheerfully dancing to this really totally upbeat song, some of her friends applauding her from the sidelines, and even some parents joining in. Without thinking he began whistling the tune he heard in his head. Nichole was quick on the uptake and followed along with the tune, dancing even more energetically, which in turn made Ace whistling with more energy himself. The dust rising from the machine seeming like a special effect partially covering her in a sort of mist and partially reflecting off the sunlight for a sort of twinkle.

    After a couple of minutes though, Ace stop whistling, and raised a hand, then bent forward panting.

    "Ok, stop, stop..." He begged as he tried to catch his breath. Nichole lept off the platform, starting to pant a little herself. She pat Ace's back and chuckled for a second, before a fit of cough interrupted it.

    "Ah sorry, all that dust... that was impressive though. It's been what, almost a decade since you heard that song? You still remember it, I don't think you missed a single note."

    "The song was just stuck in my head, that's all."

    "OI! PAL!" Someone was rapidly walking towards them, clicking his fingerless-glove-covered fingers in their general direction. It was a boy with generously grown black hair, wearing a green open jacket revealing a rather loose white t-shirt underneath. While the boy himself was considerably taller than both Ace and Nichole, his jeans were similarly baggy, ragged and dirty and their visibly used boots echoed with each step of their march towards Ace and Nichole. He quickly passed his green-tipped fingers through his hair as he got closer and stare them down with eyes wide open. "What are you doing here? What do you want? Paper again?"

    Nichole turned to Ace.

    "Again?"

    "Klaus here is an aquaintance. You know Bao Da?"

    "My mother says she's the only reason why the town has any paper left in it."

    "Your mother's darn right." Klaus threw his chin ahead as if in defiance though he was actually agreeing.

    "Well, let me introduce you to her boyfriend."

    "Oh...."

    "Something the matter?"

    "Nothing, I just thought she was like...older or something."

    Klaus looked at Ace with both eyebrows raised.

    "Now there's a reaction I haven't heard in a while. Has she been living under a rock Ace?"

    "Under a restaurant, actually." There was a slight angry tone to Nichole's remark.

    "We just wanted to take a look around for old time's sake Klaus. We're going to go shopping right after." Ace attempted to diffuse the situation with a wave of the hands and a nervous smile. Klaus just shrugged.

    "In that case, would you like to pay Bao a visit? She stays here all day, she could probably use some fresh faces NOT looking for business to talk to her once in a while. Or if you have cash on you, I'm sure the people down there would love an extra client, and maybe you'll even get some of the things you were going to shop at a bargain price. What do you think, Ace? And hum.... what was your name again?"

    "Nichole."

    Klaus blew some smoke from his lips.

    "Right. Pleasure to meet you too."

    [/div]


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    Where should Ace and Nichole go now?


    [div class=radius][div class=option] Go talk to Bao Da.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Go to the underground beneath the mall and try to shop for "bargains".
    [/div][/div]
    [div class=radius][div class=option] Just try exploring the mall some more on the overground.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Leave the mall and get back on schedule.
    [/div][/div]
    ​
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Tags: Kaerri Kaerri Epiphany Epiphany sullen sullen pinnasina pinnasina Psyche Psyche [/div]
 
> Go talk to Bao Da.

We'll probably get in trouble, but I think Nichole could use some new faces too >.> Bao Da doesn't sound too bad...
 
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>>>>>Go Talk to Bao Da<<<<<<<​


  • [div class=outter][div class="gif 2"] [/div][div class="gif 1"] [/div]
    [div class=layer][div class=text]
    December 30th, 14h49 AM

    The Abandoned Mall​

    Bao Da was fast asleep laying on top of a table parallel to the entrance covered with blank magazines- both her and the table- with an arm limp resting over her eyes, like a baby Jesus in the manjer. The blond girl of chinese descent looked simply defenseless, but in such perfect condition -immaculate skin, clean as though she just showered, the shining ear piercing, even her clothes looked like they had been ironed out while she was still wearing them- one could be forgiven for mistaking her for a movie character with way too much makeup on for the kind of situation they are supposed to be in. She and the empty metal shelves that surrounded her, creating a few pathways to the web-covered cash register, were all illuminated only by a single candle light, inserted what was once the glass bulb of a light bulb. Ace couldn't help wondering if it wasn't dangerous to have this makeshift chandelier hanging directly above you as you sleep, but he didn't bother pointing it out: He knew Bao Da wasn't the type to care about most people's warnings. As such, he made a mental note to bring it up to Klaus later.

    Klaus brought two fingers to one of Bao Da's ankles, and suddenly the girl was laughing hysterically and flailing her arms and legs around, with Klaus chasing after her until she nearly rolled out of the table.

    "We have guests Bao."

    "Why the heck did you do that then?" she gave her boyfriend's shoulder a playful push, then yawned. "You didn't have to shown them....you know, THAT. Could've just woke me up normally or somethin'."

    "You mean wait two to three hours until you're up?"

    "Sure, why not."

    "Well, they're not here for business. Plus, you know Ace's a good guy. Ain't that right Ace?" Klaus turned around and gestured at Ace to say something while Bao Da was just rubbing her eyes with her sleeves half-asleep. Ace took a step forward.

    "Hey Bao Da! It's been a while! We haven't seen each other since I came to bring you those festival pamphlets, right? About a month ago?" Ace greeted, adding a little wave and smile as light seemed to come to Bao's eyes.

    [div class="image o" style=width:33%;]
    cd9013e2e55b4a6a55884325e85a2da7.jpg
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    463310-short_hair-brunette-anime-anime_girls-glasses-meganekko-snow-brown_eyes-748x1049.jpg
    [/div] "Oh, yeah, I think I still have some of those lying around. Thanks, you were a real lifesaver back then! It'd just suck to go have to around town trying to get them myself ON TOP of having to clean them up. Everybody thinks they can just work me like a horse just cause I don't got nobody to give me any money. Well, nobody you can really borrow from anyway." Bao Da walked in front of the table and sat there, then stretched her legs for a moment, then her arms, then opened one of her eyes and seemed surprised, having finally noticed Nichole's presence. "Oh hey, who's that cutie over there. Don't think I've seen her before, have I?"

    Bao Da looked at Klaus, and he shook his head. Nichole followed Ace's path into the former stationery store, a little bit stiffly and eyeing everying around her, especially that candle at the top, and Bao Da herself.

    "I'm Nichole, it's nice to meet you." She said. After a moment, she repeated Ace's little wave. She took another step closer to Bao Da while the girl herself was looking for something on the ground (without actually getting out of the table) and leaned forward with her eyes squinted. "You ARE Bao Da, right? Did that thing about bringing her the pamphlets have something to do with how you help everyone in town get their paper?"

    The question got Bao Da to suddenly turned around and raise an eyebrow.

    "According to her, she's been living under a restaurant this whole time. She doesn't know about you. About that."

    "Ooooh, I see. And yet, she figured it out without having to be told. Haha, that's awesome! it's nice to meet you Nichole, call me Bao Da, I insist." A huge grin was now plastered on Bao Da's face. She held up an old pamphlet from the batch I brought her back then, and made sure to get her green fingernails clearly visible in under the light. "Shall I show you then, my little trick?"

    Starting from her fingertips, in a single moment the surface of the paper became grey and formed cracks, then broke apart in a thin layer of ash, leaving in her hands a blank sheet of paper.

    "So, what did you think? Pretty neat, huh?" Bao Da grinned some more.

    "Yeah, that seems so useful! With a power like that, you can get the town as much paper as it needs!"

    "More like, as much paper as it already had, but potato potatoe. It's not just paper either. Pity I can only use it so much though." Bao Da turned her hand around, showing her palm, and her fingertips. The latter had a big red spot at the center, right where the fingers had held the paper she just cleaned up. "Man, it's hot. I've gotten used to it, so it doesn't hurt nearly as much, but I feel like my skin is just... kind of burning or something. The more I use the power, the hotter and more dangerous it gets. I've still got some scars from the early days...To think that despite that they keep insisting I use it all the damn time... Your money just ain't worth my fingers, old geezers!"

    Bao threw her arms up in the air and laid her back on the table again. She quickly sat back up though.

    "Oh yeah, speaking of money, how have you been holding up Ace? Need any new 'special bargains'? New Years is right around the corner isn't it? I overheard Klaus saying...something about it." Klaus seemed visibly flustered, nearly jumping in place after hearing those words from Bao Da. "I know you didn't come here for paper or anything...and believe me, I'm haooy you didn't... but are you sure you don't want anything from down there? We can give it to ya, faster thany shop 'round town."

    Klaus sighed.

    "You're speaking that way again Bao Da."

    "Ah chucks, sorry. You know what they say about old habits." She chuckled.

    [/div]


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    Should Ace take Bao Da's offer?


    [div class=radius][div class=option] Yes, go let's go fish for bargains under the mall.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Refuse, as you prefer staying and chatting.
    [/div][/div]
    [div class=radius][div class=option] Refuse to get back on schedule to go get the stuff you want from regular stores.
    [/div][/div] [div class=radius][div class=option] Ask Klaus what his reaction was all about instead.
    [/div][/div]
    ​
[div class=outter]

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Tags: Kaerri Kaerri Epiphany Epiphany sullen sullen pinnasina pinnasina Psyche Psyche

[/div]
 
> Yes, go let's go fish for bargains under the mall.

Why not? It sounds interesting, and we can do our shopping and our exploring at the same time!
 
>Yes, go let's go fish for bargains under the mall.

The two can explore along with talking along the way
 
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