The Phoenix nodded, silently. She understood the girl's point of view- that such a sense of obligation was clearly forced on her by societal standards. Adjusting the feathers on her speculum, she took Tess outside, leading her by her hand. Once outside, she expanded her wings fully, and gestured for Tess to get on her back. Once Tess was firmly positioned on her back, she smiled, and readjusted her helmet.

"Flying's a lot faster than the bike."

With Tess properly situated, Phoenix took off into the air. It took a mere five minutes to reach the mall again, as they were able to travel in a straight line, rather than ducking and edging around through the backroads, avoiding freeways and dodging buildings. Once there, they touched down at a side entrance near the food court. Kneeling so that Tess could dismount with ease, Phoenix looked up at the girl, and addressed her quietly.

"Keep yourself safe. If you ever need my help, here's my card. Destroy it with whatever method available- fire, ripping it in two, et cetera- when you need my aid."

With that, she took off into the air again. Photographers, alongside the journalists below, caught glimpses of her in the air, getting a few candids as she disappeared into the clouds. Several minutes later, she arrived at her hideout once more, this time, the rooftop. There, she disrobed, carefully setting down her armor and sword, cleaning bits of dirt and blood from both. She covered both, and hid them in the box that used to be an air conditioning unit, protecting them from the weather. Once done with that, she grabbed her shopping bag, which lay haphazardly on a corner, and flew down to the ground.

Thirty minutes later, she arrived back at the mansion Victor was temporarily renting, on her motorbike. Parking it in the garage, alongside his much fancier vehicles, she went inside quietly. Making her way over to the bedroom as quickly as she could, she hid the lingerie she had bought earlier underneath the bed. She then slipped out of her outfit, and disconnected the carbon fiber arm from her shoulder, setting it on the countertop. Grimacing at her reflection in the mirror, Rose ran a hand over the stump at her shoulder, before turning away. She stepped into the shower- a mid-day shower was just what she needed to calm her nerves, to help with the abundance of adrenaline rushing through her system. She wondered where Victor was, not having memorized his schedule for the day.