[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/z6cC6JC.png[/img] [h1]&[/h1] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/180513/5ef5b8f32a843a2a76c1b0aa903ab393.png[/img] -During the first week- [sub]-Shopping trip-[/sub] [/center] A couple of days had passed since the attack at the stadium as well as the Cathedral, and life continued on much as it normally did. Alicia had been busy with Beacon work, when she wasn't helping Janet integrate back into society after her extended absence, or when she wasn't busy with her schoolwork. They might not have the end of the world to worry about, but things were rarely sedate. Still, she had found some time to carve out of her schedule to relax, and remove the stress that being a Seraph meant. She had chosen to spend it with Penny, partially because she felt bad with her previous distractions taking all her time, and because Penny had mentioned wanting to do something like that earlier. It sounded like it could be a lot of fun. So she'd arranged for them to spend the afternoon hanging out,and agreed upon a time to meet. It was a mall, near downtown without being a super popular spot that swarmed with people all the time. In spite of that there would be plenty for them to do and look at, which made it the perfect candidate when she was thinking of locales. At the moment Alicia was waiting for Penny to arrive, occasionally glancing at her phone for a text as she meandered in a slow circle around the children's playground near the front of the mall. Her hair was combed back, and she wore jeans as well as a floral themed t shirt. It was near the agre upon time, she was just waiting for Penny to show up. Hopefully nothing had come up since they had last talked. Penny was currently running a bit late as finding a place to pull on her disguise had taken more time then she had thought it would. Still it wasn't long till she was seen rushing down the street towards the mall. To those not in the know it seemed like she was making a mad sprint to the building, but in fact Penny was making sure not to run all out as even in her sealed state she was far faster and stronger then one would expect of a teen girl. [color=9e0039]"I'm here, I'm here"[/color] She called to Alicia when she caught sight of her friend slowing down to a more sedate pace as she covered the last stretch [color=9e0039]"Sorry, finding a place to park took longer then expected."[/color] She explained scratching behind her ear sheepishly [color=9e0039]"Hope you weren't waiting too long?"[/color] Penny, for her part, was dressed in a tight fitting Nightwish band t-shirt with a pair of baggy cargo pants and her ever present jacket, though it was currently tied around her waist, and her hair was pulled back in a simple braid which still came down to her lower back. Alicia turned as she caught Penny's call, a smile breaking across her face as she waved to her friend. She didn't mind that she was a tiny bit late, especially with her professed Virtue encouraging her to do so. What was a few minutes in the grand scheme of things? Certainly nothing to hold against her. "Hey," she said as Penny came to a stop, quickly accepting the apology as it was offered. "You're fine, I haven't been here that long." She could imagine the difficulties that her friend had when it came to parking. Monster girls had things rougher in that regard, though not incredibly so given the other aspects of their condition. Or Penny's condition at least, from what she knew of her friend. Having greeted her friend, Alicia turned and began guiding them into the mall at a slow walk, not in a hurry to get anywhere in particular. "So, did you think about where you want to go first?" she asked, glancing over at her companion at the same time. "Remember, I want us to go to at least one other place before going near any hardware stores." She felt it was needed, what with Penny's preference for machinery. [color=9e0039]"No problem, I don't have any personal projects planned at the moment any way"[/color] Penny would reply as she followed her friend in to the mall, her hands in her jacket pockets. While she had become something of a gear head as of late alot of that had to do with Penny learning to get comfortable in her skin again, as with each custimization she made her body felt more like hers rather then one she suddenly woke up in. [color=9e0039]"And as much as I might regret this, I do need to pick up some more clothes, these are some of my only good ones at the moment."[/color] Penny was never sure how it worked out but for what ever reason any damage she took in battle had a decent chance of effecting what she was wearing in her disguised form the next time she pulled it on, everything save the jacket at any rate. It seemed nearly as hard to damage as Penny herself was. Thus she tended to go through shirts rather quickly. [color=9e0039]"Anywhere you want to checkout while we are here"[/color] She would ask giving a sideways glance at Alicia [color=9e0039]"It's more your day off then mine"[/color] Leading her friend past the childrens playground and into the air conditioned mall proper, they would soon find themselves passing store fronts and booths in the middle of the path. They sold the typical things - jewelry, cell phone contracts, that sort of thing. Nothing particularly worth looking at, even for her. "Clothes it is then," Alicia agreed without hesitation, flashing a smile at the same time. This might be her time off, but just spending it with others was good enough for her. Though of course she also had her own preferences. "Well, I was thinking of checking out the music store, see if they had any interesting CD's." Taking a left at the first of the main plaza areas, she took them towards the end of that hallway, where a Macy's waited for them. They could get plenty of clothes shopping done there. At odds with how Alicia walked through the Mall Penny's gaze seemed to be pulled to every shop as they walked by it. Though nothing really caught Penny's interest, she had always been something of a windowshopper. [color=9e0039]"I could likely get you the MP3s if you wanted"[/color] The taller girl offered as they walked in to the Macy's. [color=9e0039]"Wouldn't be too hard"[/color] Out of old habit Penny would end up heading towards the guy's section of the clothes befroe she started to browse around for the more thrifty price options. "Online piracy? That doesn't sound very heroic of us," Alicia noted, warm expression shifting towards something closer to a joking smirk. She didn't really mind all that much, though it was more a matter of finding something that she wanted than acquiring it. Actually coming into possession of stuff was fairly easy, as a perk of being a magical girl. Entering the store, she hummed along to the in store audio track as she followed along towards the guys section. Eying some of the options that Penny chose, as well as some that caught her own eye, she wasn't surprised by the more discount oriented narture of what was picked. "Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with a bit of a tattered aesthetic, especially if the clothes are just going to get ruined anyway," she noted idly. She might not be a fashionista, but she could provide advice if needed. [color=9e0039]"Hey Jack Sparrow and Sinbad are both heroic pirates"[/color] Penny would reply with a small grin as she started to pick out a few shirts that she liked and fit her limited budget. [color=9e0039]"And I swear it's Laat messing with me, not met anyone else that has the same issue as I do with thier wardrobe"[/color] She would explain before shaking her head in exasperation. She had no proof and no way of getting other then asking the destructive deity, but the concept made sense to her if nothing else. [color=9e0039]"That reminds me, I still owe you an explaination don't I"[/color] She would say after a moment, recalling the text sent months ago Alicia shrugged in turn to that. "For given values of heroic I suppose." She couldn't much argue with it being a result of her patron though. Nobody in Beacon had that sort of problem, as far as she was aware. One had to wonder why Laat did that sort of thing, aside from an arbitrary nature. Penny's sudden shift in topic earned a confused look from Alicia, the magical girl not making the leap to the text that had been sent so long ago. A lot of stuff had happened since then after all. "An explanation for what?" [color=9e0039]"My insanity I supose"[/color] Penny would reply before she noticed incomprehension on Alicia face [color=9e0039]"Remember the incident at the old car garage a couple months back?"[/color] Penny would supply hoping to be able remind her friend without having to explain it [color=9e0039]"I sent you a text afterwards offering to explain why I freaked out"[/color] Penny wasn't all that suprised that Alicia had forgotten in all honesty. Alot of things had happened since then. Still the blunette always strived to keep her word, even more since she had gotten drafted in to Laat's service. Alicia blinked, looking on in continued confusion for a few moments longer before her jogged memory finally clicked. "Oh right, that." She flashed Penny an apologetic wince, now that she rememebered what it was that they needed to discuss. To be honest she had gotten over that, or just forgotten about it some time ago. It was a minor thing compared to the struggle against Justine and the imminent end of the world. "Well, if you want to talk about that now we can, or I don't mind waiting until we're done shopping," Alicia offered. holding on to some of the cllothes that they picked out. It wasn't like it was urgent anymore, after so long. Penny mused over Alicia offer for a bit as she gathered up her own choices. She was tempted to take the offer to wait, as it would be easy to let the conversation drift to diffrent topics and 'forget' to bring it up again. [color=9e0039]"Thats..."[/color] She sighed before continuing on [color=9e0039]"I'll give you the cliff notes now at least"[/color] [color=9e0039]"Main thing to understand is the fact that I need to break things and those things don't have to be physical things. Silence, peace, agrements all of them are just as tempting as stone and steel."[/color] As Penny spoke she kept her attention away from Alicia. Both out of fear of how her friend would take the information and to keep focus on what she was saying as it wasn't as easy to explain as she hoped it would be. [color=9e0039]"I tend to try and manage it by breaking smaller things, I've got a bucket of nails by at my place that I twist apart if I notice the urge starting to pick up, but it only delays it for so long. To make things more difficult my emotions tend to be more volatile when I'm not sealed so my selfcontol tends to be sloppier."[/color] Waiting patiently, it seemed like Penny was going to let this whole thing drop for now as they began to near the end of their shopping in this particular store. So Alicia was pleasantly surprised when she spoke up again, beginning an abbreviated explanation of what had been going on. She slowed, a hand drifting along the edge of a countertop as her friend explained her particular affliction. Pieces clicked into place, her understanding as to why the whole meeting had descended into violence starting to make a lot more sense now that she knew this. It was...unfortunate, but if it was something that she had no control over then there didn't seem to be a reason why she should unnecessarily blame her for it. Remaining near Penny for the moment, Alicia patted her shoulder with a small nod of her head at the same time. "Ah, okay. Is that a patron thing or a monster girl thing?" As far as she was aware it could be either. Penny didn't bother to try and conceal the warm smile that Alicia's simple acceptance caused to appear. She was just glad to have it. [color=9e0039]"For me it's both. All monster girls go a bit mad when they get turned. I just have the additional pressure of my patron to deal with as well, as one of his few rites requires I activly seek out something to break every month"[/color] She would answer with a shrug. Alicia held back a wince, understanding the nunity between nature and patron to some degree. Not that she had to worry about the same specific issue as part of the Beacon, but they were fairly stringent about their rules, even if she might want to do otherwise. Following along, she snagged a few things in passing while keeping up the conversation. "Still, it seems like being a monster girl has some benefits to it. You're way stronger than me, for example.' She would admit, monstrous nature aside she sometimes wished she was as strong as her friend. It would help a lot with everything they had to deal with these days. After a moment though she moved slightly in front of Penny, offering a green sundress. "Here, let's try this one too," she added, before physically adding it to the clothes they had so far. [color=9e0039]"True there are some perks"[/color] Penny allowed. She had the clothes she had picked out folded over her ams as she walked and talked, seemingly having made her choices for this trip [color=9e0039]"Still feel cheated out every now and then though, as my magic just straight sucks. I think I can lift ten ponds of metal and light a lightbulb at my best without cheating"[/color] she groused. It was a petty complaint and Penny knew it, still having little to show off when it came to magic would forever be a sticking point for the physically capable girl, regardless of her monstrous attributes. Due to her grumbling about the unfairness of magic, Alicia's comment and action took a moment for Penny to process. [color=9e0039]"Wait... Try on?"[/color] she asked looking at the sundress that had been added with apprehension, hoping she had misheard. There was no helping the deadpan look that was sent Penny's way, practically radiating disbelief. "You merged with a boat and turned into a giant robot," Alicia pointed out. "I have a bow." Having magic was nice and all, but she didn't have any tricks that could match what her friend could do. At least their shopping was something easier to talk about, the magical girl clearly more in her element than the monster girl. "Yeah, try on. You know, wear it and see if it fits, how you look, that sort of thing." Alicia explained, probably unnecessarily, as she began guiding Penny towards one of the dressing rooms near the middle of the store so they could test out what they had selected so far. Penny wanted to refute Alicia's statment, citing her inner monster as responsible for the robot incident, but she was currently stuck focusing on the changing rooms looming ever closer. She did at least have the grace to wince at the her friends well delivered point. [color=9e0039]"There's.."[/color] Penny tried [color=9e0039]"But I..."[/color] A few times in fact [color=9e0039]"We don't..."[/color] to dissuade Alicia from heading to the dressing rooms, but couldn't even get past the first words due to her scrambled nerves. The thought of running breifly crossed her mind, but before she could fully work through it they had arrived at the the dreaded location. in the back of Penny's mind she couldn't help but think [color=9e0039][i]'I knew I was going to regret this'[/i][/color] Ignoring the halfhearted attempts to prove her wrong, they soon arrived at their destination. Alicia made sure that Penny was in front of her the entire time, with no room to run off before they got there. Fortunately it wasn't necessary. She took the moment to take the pile of clothes from Penny, leaving her with the green sundress as her first item. "Go on," she said, nudging the monster girl into the dressing room. "Try it. I'll be waiting right here for you." It was....mostly sincere. Depending on how long Penny took she might need to find something else to occupy her time. Penny walked towards the closed off room with great reluctance, but she did walk there without any further prompting from Alicia. Once she was in the dressing room and had locked the door, she spent a few long moments just stairing at the dress in her arms. Letting out a loud sigh, Penny went about changing in to the sundress, pointedly ignoring the mirror as she did. She had a sinking suspicion that her friend would not let her leave without trying [i]something[/i] on. Thus she figured that it was best if she just try to get it over and done with quickly, and hopfully never have to do this again. Thus it didn't take as long as Alicia had feared for Penny to get changed, though it still took longer then most people would have for a such a simple outfit change. Still, despite her steeling her nerves, she exited the dressing room very timidly, a blush easily visable on her face dispite the fact she refused to lift her gaze from the floor. The sundress, while it wasn't as tight fitting as the band shirt Penny had been wearing, was still rather flattering considering the mosnter girls rather curvy physique, shapely legs and rather pale skin tone. That wouldn't be much of a suprise to Alicia, seeing as it was realatively unchanged from when Penny was in her true form. The real suprise due to the sundress would have much more to do with the various tattos that Penny had across her body, most of which were normally hidden by her regular outfit's and jacket. [color=9e0039]"How.. How do I look?"[/color] Penny would ask after a moment. Trying, and failing, to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she waited for Alicia's reaction. When Penny exited the room she would find that Alicia was waiting there for her, just as she had promised. Which didn't mean she had dine nothing, as a keen eye would notice a few more items added to the small pile of clothes. It had to have been her, since they didn't match the baggy, concealing nature of what Pennty had chosen thus far. Fingers idly drummed on her upper arm as her gaze drifted over the monster girl, assessing how she looked in the dress that had been selected for her. It worked really well, in fact. Not that she was entirely surprised, having seen what Penny looked like beneath all the baggy clothes, but at least it lined up with her mental image. To that, she gave a firm and visible thumbs up. "You look good," she assured her confidently as she took a step forward, albeit leaving her with some personal space still. The blush was cute as well, but she refrained from saying anything about that for now. "See, that wasn't so bad was it? Also I like the tattoos. I don't think I've seen those before." [color=9e0039]"They're another quirk"[/color] She would reply focusing on the chain tatto on her left arm in an attempt to get her blush under control, which had flared up due to Alicia's compliment. [color=9e0039]"Each one showed up after a modification I made."[/color] She would explain noteably more at easy in regards to them then to her outfit. [color=9e0039]"You were there when I got the ones on my legs done"[/color] Penny would add shifting her weight to better show off the elegent wing like design running up one of her legs. [color=9e0039]"Didn't know about it happeneing at first, but they've been helpful"[/color] she admitted tracing the chain on her arm with her fingers. Alicia leaned closer, examining the tattoo that seemed to be a bit more visible than the others. "The hover implants?" she observed, figuring that was the most likely explanation. As far as Patron things went it wasn't the worst perk that one could be stuck with, though it might make appearance awkward. "Still, that's pretty neat," she concluded, stepping back. "At least you don't have to worry about going to school or that sort of thing. That would be more difficult to deal with." Dress codes would be a pain and they might not be a fan of tattoos in all likelihood. Having said that, she passed over a few more items. Specifically a skirt, long sleeve shirt, and a lace jacket to go wirth it. Something a bit more formal, but there was no harm in trying to look fashionable. [color=9e0039]"Yup"[/color] Penny would confirm with a nod before chuckling [color=9e0039]"Very true, Thankfully I've no desire to go back to school. Going through Collage was enough for me"[/color] She would reply displaying an exaggerated grimace at the thought of going to back to school. Her sholders would slump when Alicia handed over the next set of clothes [color=9e0039]"Do I want to know how many more outfits you're going to have me try on?"[/color] she asked taking the bundel with a sigh of resignation, casting a weary look at the skirt as she did. Leaving the commentary about having to continue in schooling Alicia shot her friend a warm look, even as Penny seemed to sag beneath the metaphorical weiight of the additional clothing that she was being handed. She probably didn't care all that much, considering what she had said about how her clothing got destroyed so easily, but it couldn't hurt to try, right? "Just a few more," Alicia assured Penny. "I noticed that you seem to wear the same sort of clothes, so I figured we could vary it up a bit. If that's alright with you?" She shot her friend a quizzical look, waiting for an answer. [color=9e0039]"Cheap clothes tend to be the same"[/color] Penny would lie, still eyeing the skirt as she did, as trying to explain that she wasn't comfortable with her body because she spent most of her life as a guy didn't seem like an appealing topic to bring up. [color=9e0039]"And yeah it should be fine, not sure how much I'll be able to get though"[/color] Once again she would lie, though it would be a smaller lie then her first one. She would be able to deal with playing dress up, but saying it would be fine was pushing the definition of the word. Though she couldn't tell if she was more nervous or mortified at the fact she was going to be modeling for Alicia. [color=9e0039]"Back in a moment"[/color] Penny would excuse herself using the new set of clothes to try on as the reason. leaving the light user alone with her thoughts for a bit as it would take Penny longer then it had the first time to change in to the more formal outfit, but once again when she exited she would be blushing and staring at the ground. Accepting the explanation, Alicia remained pleased that Penny was willing to go along with what she wanted. Though she didn't seem incredibly eager for it, it was something that they could spend their time on. And she had to admit that she was just a bit curious as to what her friend would end up looking like in the new clothing. She was left wondering for a bit longer than last time, but the wait was no deterrrent as Penny soon emerged. That earned a grin, Alicia closing the distance to take her friends hands in her own, holding them warmly. "Hey, you look great," she assured the blue haired girl with a smile. "It shows off a different side of you, a good side." Penny's head snapped up when Alicia took her hands in theirs, thus couldn't avoid looking at Alicia as she gently complimented her. This caused Penny's blush to become bright enough that it would likely still be visable if all the power suddenly went out. Unable to maintain eye contant for long Penny quickly diverted her gaze once agin to the floor.[color=9e0039]"T-t-Thank you..."[/color] she would stammer out quietly. Unable to add anything else due to her brain resembling mush at the moment. Sadly the moment wouldn't last, as just after the stammering reply a pair of wolfwhistles could be heard not to far from the two girls. Turning to look, the source of the whistles would be found to be a couple of teen boys standing not far away rather obviously checking out Alicia and Penny. "Hey does heaven know that it's missing a pair of angels?" One of them would call out removing any doubt about their reasons for interupting. It was good to see that Penny appreciated the compliment, even if hadn't entirely expected just how deep her reaction would be. That blush was cute, especially with how she was currently dressed. This alone made her initiative worth it, as far as she was concerned. But it didn't last, and she looked over at the sound of whistling to see just who was trying to draw their attention. The pickup line wasn't much better to be honest, though it was incredibly fitting for reasons they couldn't possibly know. And to be honest, she wasn't [i]entirely[/i] opposed to the attention. It was refreshing, especially since she had been so busy with magical girl business and that sort of thing wasn't as important. But it wasn't like she had been really old when she became a magical girl, so what was the harm in enjoying herself a bit? She couldn't help but giggle a bit, facing the duo with a less intimiate smile on display. "Please, stop lying and tell us what you really think," she replied, curious to see just what they were willling to try to get their interest next. Penny was decidely less enthused by the interuption, but was slow to respond as she was kick starting her brain again. Afterwards Alicia would be able to hear a groan of annoyance from the girl behind her and a grumbled [color=9e0039]"Great just what I wanted..."[/color] and would miss the thoroughly unimpressed look Penny was giving the teens. The two boys, bolstered by the mostly friendly reception, moved closer to the two girls "You wound me!" one would claim dramaticly clutching a hand to his chest, before getting smacked in the back of the head by his friend. "Please, feel free to ignore my friend here, his IQ tends to drop in the presence of beautful women-" "Oi" "-Not that he can be blamed with you two in the area" The taller of the two would say flashing a relaxed grin as he did "Names Keven, and class clown here is-" "Jason" Said teen would interrupt "And if there is anything I can do to you-" another smack to the back of the head would interupt him. "Sorry about him" Keven would say "How about I treat you two to lunch? To make up for it?" Well, Jason and Keven certainly made for quite the comedic duo, even if the routine was unintended rather than a conscious plan. Alicia was finding herself taking a shine to Keven, though it was hard to say for certain when she'd met him all of thirty seconds ago. But there didn't seem to be anty harm in adjusting their plan a bit. "I appreciate the offer Keven," she agreed with a nod before looking to her companion. This was to spend time with her friend after all, so if Penny didn't want to then she was more likely to listen to her rather than forcing her to go through with it anyway. "What do you say?" Penny's first instinct was to shut them down, hard, and were she alone she would have. That Alicia was also here had the monstergirl biting her tounge at that option.With a sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed the surge of jealousy down, so she could try and think clearly. [color=9e0039]"If you want too"[/color] She would say to Alicia, though not without reluctance [color=9e0039]"I've got the time to spare"[/color] Public outing always had to be measured against how long Penny could hold her sealed state, which was about four hours optimally. Keven and Jason shared a quick look of triumph at that declaration. Penny would just shake her head [color=9e0039]"Give me a sec to change"[/color] she would add before heading back to the dressing room to do just that. "Sooo" Jason would say shortly after Penny left "Mind if I ask your name? Or should I just keep calling you beautiful?" "I guess we will then." Alicia decided, giving Penny a warm and thankful smile as she agreed. She knew it wasn't what they had initially been planning to do, but you had to take opportunities like these when they arose. There couldn't be much harm in it, especially since they were offering to buy lunch. She nodded as Penny dismissed herself to change, before turning to the duo. She didn't expect it would take too long, though she wouldn't have been surprised if she wasn't particularly urgent in getting back in the clothes she had come in. Particularly since she hadn't looked too thrilled about this when she left. Jason was well recieved as the dark haired girl shook her head. "I'm Alicia," she replied, before asking a question of her own. "So what brought you two out here today?" "Browsing and gift hunting" Jason would reply with a smile "My lilttle sis has a birthday coming up" He would explain with a shrug. "Otherwise not much, what about you and your friend?" Over in the dressing room Penny was stalling a bit, just not for the reason Alicia might have thought. The nonhuman was taking a moment to examin her reflection, trying to see what it was her friend saw, the image of that smile lingering as she did. Letting out a sigh, Penny had a pretty good idea what was going on in her head, but couldn't help but feel the timing could have been better. Shoving aside those thoughts she quckly got changed back in to her own clothes, but couldn't help but give her reflection another once over before she left. She could see the diffrences but both seemed weird to her if she really thought about it. With a shrug she walked out, but rather then putting on her jacket she tied it around her waist, after all it was a rather warm for her to be wearing it. Well now, that was nice to hear. Though it seemed that Jason was making the most of his time out even if he was doing a bit more than gift hunting. "Girl's day out," she explained in turn, glancing back at the dressing room. "I've been pretty busy the past couple weeks, so we figured we could just hang out for a bit and catch up." It was at about that time that Penny returned, Alicia shifting to stand beside her friend now that they were ready to get going. "Okay, well let's buy these and then we can see what this place has in the way of food,' she offered, making sure that everyone was agreed on their course of action before heading towards the front to do just that. With that the four of them would venture towards the checkout, during which Penny would give her name as well, and Due to the shirt she was wearing music came up a topic to toss back and forth as the girls payed for their choices. [color=9e0039]"Learned about them recently, always been a fan of Metal and Rock, so they are right up my ally."[/color] Penny would say. "Jazz is my music of choice" would be Keven's addition. "And I'm going to look like the odd one out due to Pop arn't I?" Query Jason with a sigh. "Classical, though I do admit a soft spot for acapella and some soft rock," Alicia chimed in, providing her opinion in music. It was hardly an area of expertise, but she enjoyed listening to the radio like anyone else. There was a minor suprise at the checkout as while Penny didn't keep the sundress she did chose to keep the last outfit she had tried on, but otherwise there was simple banter between them all, as hobbies were brought up as they made their way to the food court. While slightly disappointed that Penny didn't keep the sundress, Alicia made no issue of it as she purchased the rest. She could understand why with the tattoos after all, probably didn't want to draw attention to those. Moving along with the others, she was avid member of the conversation as they headed to the food court Upon arriving, they would find that there were some people there, but also plenty of open tables to sit at. There was also a wide variety of food, even if it was mostly fast food chains to pick from. There were sit down restaurants in the mall, but that seemed a bit much. "Hm, what do you say Penny?" she asked, a hand resting on her hip as she eyed the various options. "I'm thinking sub sandwiches myself." As much as Penny would loath to admit it, she was enjoying this impromtu addition to the days plans. So much of her life had been consumed by the magical, that she had forgotten what being normal was like and it was relaxing to be able to snark and joke around again, and it showed in the way Penny carried herself. It was more carefree then she had been in a long time. [color=9e0039]"Ooh, that does sound good"[/color] Penny would agree as she looked out across the variety of food options [color=9e0039]"Better then my idea as well"[/color] She would joke as they headed towards the sub-shop. "I'm gonna grab a slice of Pizza" Jason would say before moving to break off from the group "Want me to grab you one as well Kev?" "Sure Pep please" "You got it" [color=9e0039]"Your greasey temptations shall not sway me from my salad sandwich"[/color] Penny would call out as she stepped in to line to order. "So, where do you two go to school?" Keven would ask shortly after Jason left. Penny in agreement, Alicia slipped into the line for food with the others, though Jason broke off to head to pizza instead. Not a bad idea, but she'd had pizza recently and wasn't as much in the mood for it, hence her curent choice. She glanced over as Jason posed another question. "North Lincoln High School," she offered, being truthful in that case though she didn't know what Penny was going to say. But she wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being a lie of some sort. The line shuffled forward, her gaze perusing the menu as she decided upon what she wanted [color=9e0039]"I'm homeschooled by my dad"[/color] Penny would reply offhandedly as she prused the menu, and as had been assumed she was lying. "What about you?" she asked, keeping the conversation going as they neared the front of the line. "East Jordan High, It's not as imprssive as it sounds" he would answer with a shrug, East jordan had something of a reputation due to the high volume of rich kids that went there. "Though Jason is one of the star members of the Track team" he would add glancing over towards his friend as he did. Penny wouldn't be able to hide a flinch at that but would try and hide it by speaking up [color=9e0039]"Didn't peg him as the sports type"[/color] Conversation was put on hold for a moment as food was ordered. Penny's sandwich was the largest club they offered with every topping and a few diffrent sauces added on top. For her part Alicia would get a classic BLT, with a bit of ranch dressing added to it. She eyed Penny's sub with some amusement, left mostly wondering if she could even open her jaw wide enough to eat it. It would be interesting to watch either way. Keven would add a drink to thier orders as well when he stepped to pay for everything, and afterward would lead the way to the table that Jason had snagged. "Took you guys long enough" He would pipe up grinning. "I suppose, but at least we know there was some care put into out meals," Alicia challeenged as she sat down next to Penny, Keven sitting next to Jason as he was handed his piece of pizza. Alicia figured Penny would be more comfortable that way, which would keep things light. "Excuses," Jason scoffed with a grin, taking a bit of his pizza now that they had arrived. A hum escaped, and having heard Penny before he made a bit of a show of eating it as well, if only to jab at her. "So what did I miss?" "Not much, we were just talking about what we do at school," Keven replied as he dug into his pizza as well. It was close enough to the truth that the specifics didn't matter all that much. Besides, he was curious to hear what the girls would say on the subject. So was Jason, who took the bait quite well. "Oh? And what do two classy individuals such as yourselves do in your free time?" This time he managed to dodge the chastising whack from his friend, unfortunate for both of them if that was what they enjoyed. Alicia didn't mind the question, finishing the bit of her sub that she had started chewing before she answered. "Not much I suppose. I'm something of a tutor, and I'm in a private archery group," she offered before letting Penny take over. It wasn't like she could talk about that magical girl stuff, so what she had explained would suffice for now. [color=9e0039]"Outside of kicking ass in MMA, I tend to build things and go wandering Penrose. Tend to have a fair amount of free time due to being home schooled, also tend to get lost easy as I've only been here a few months."[/color] Came Penny's reply, thought it was delayed a moment, as true to expectations her sandwich was a bit difficult to eat. Not that she seemed to be suffering to much hardship over it. "Wandering?" Keven would ask interestedly [color=9e0039]"Yeah borrow my dads truck and go for a cruise"[/color] she would explain before taking a quick bite of her food [color=9e0039]"try and find somewhere interesting, or someone."[/color] she would finish after finishing her bite of food. "Well I coul-" [color=9e0039]"Not my type"[/color] Penny would interupt sharply, knowing fully well what was about to be said by Jason. "What is your type then?" Jason replied a little bit indignant at the bluenette's harsh shut down. [color=9e0039]"Girls"[/color] Penny would say blandly before taking a larger bite out of her sub. While the small lies had been expected givne the subject of conversation, Alicia had not anticipated what came after it. An eyebrow rose slightly, interest piqued, though her surprise was overshadowed by the duo across the table, Keven breaking into a bit of a coughing fit as some of his food got lodged down the wrong pipe momentarily. While his friend was busy recovering, Jason looked between the two of them, fingergesturing from one to the other. 'Alright, alright. That's cool. Does that mean that the two of you are..." Alicia shook her head, though it was not particularly fervent. "No, we're just friends," she replied, flashing Penny a warm smile. What more was there to say? Even though she knew it was coming, hearing 'Just friends' hurt. Not that she had no reason to expect anything else. It did confirm Penny's suspicions though, she was starting to crush on her angelic friend. Still she returned the smile with one of her own [color=9e0039]"What about you two?"[/color] She would ask to keep the conversation moving, more out of polietness they true interest. They four of them would spend a while longer chatting as they ate, but eventually they would split up back in to thier original groups, both had shopping that needed to be done after all. The rest of the day would prove to be more of the same, a relaxing day off. A rare treat for those in the magical community.