[center][h3] [/h3][/center][h3][hr][color=#38547C]Keaton Plasse[/color][/h3][hr]
Keaton didn’t like calling herself chatty, but if she was honest, she could be. Spending a lot of time talking to people did that. With most people she’d talked to in the last few weeks, though, Keaton had to constantly stay aware of what she was saying, picking and choosing her words so that they’d feel comfortable enough to open up to her. Lynn was different. Around her, Keaton could be honest, be herself and prattle on about whatever was on her mind as long as it was within reason. Sure Lynn seemed to zone out a few times while Keaton talked, but Keaton didn’t mind. Hearing about her classes and everyday going-ons was bound to get old at one point, and Keaton only had to keep up the conversation until they reached the mall.

During the past few weeks, Keaton had gone to the mall quite a few times. The number of people cycling through every day made it a good spot to meet new people, and the stores and food court gave Keaton excuses to stick around the place. In terms of actually shopping, Keaton had bought only a few basics, including another denim jacket to replace the one at the back of her closet. Most of her money went to buying food when she hung around the mall, which was fine by her. There was nothing for her to save up for around The Promise, so although she retained a habit of saving a portion of her paycheck, the portion was small enough that she had some money to go around. 

When Lynn pointed out the Auntie Anne’s, a grin lighting her face, Keaton was a bit surprised. Of all the foods that Lynn could have had a soft spot for, it was pretzels? Something in the past, then. 

Unfortunately, Keaton didn’t get too long to dwell on it, with Lynn sprinting away before she finished her sentence. Looking ahead, Keaton saw the reason behind her anger: Archie, seated beside a pretty girl, was being approached by Radvi, of all people. Her surprise was replaced by fear as she stared at the cop, uniform and all. He was on duty, so why was he talking to Archie? And who was that girl beside Archie? She knew Radvi, but she was a civilian, not a cop. What was her connection to the two then? Had Keaton and Lynn been found out? The invisible man, realizing he’d been made, had decided to turn them in and cut his losses?

Exhaling, Keaton forced herself to take a step back mentally. There were more questions to ask than the ones she couldn’t get answers to. Judging by his surprise, Archie hadn’t expected Radvi, and he didn’t know the girl well either. The handshake—he met her just now. The girl was surprised too—knew Radvi, but wasn’t in league with him. Since Radvi’s glasses covered his eyes, and Keaton couldn’t get a good read on him, but his lack of reinforcements said he wasn’t there to bring in Archie, wasn’t there because Archie was. A coincidence? How utterly convenient.

Keaton relaxed a bit, looking around for where Lynn had gone. Instead, she spotted Natalie, who seemed to be heading towards a Bath & Body Works, of all places. Tracing the direction she was heading in allowed Keaton to spot Lynn, whose almost unnaturally yellow hair gave her away despite the fact that Keaton could barely see her behind the display shelves. The two started talking, and Keaton figured she’d give them some space. The less Lynn had to focus on at once, the better. Instead, Keaton headed for the Auntie Anne’s, placing an order for a pretzel bucket. If Lynn didn’t eat it all, maybe Keaton could get her to share it with the others. That was a big maybe, but the headway she was making with Lynn gave her hope.

Thanking the employee as she picked up the bucket of pretzel segments, Keaton turned and spotted Lynn heading over. With a grin, she walked over and pushed the bucket into Lynn’s hands. “Here, and Archie’s not snitching on us. Radvi, the cop, is here by coincidence, so we’re in the clear, and the girl sitting next to Archie is someone he just met.  Hunches,” she said, shrugging before flashing Lynn a wry smile. “What do you say we go over there and try getting a leg up on the cops? Our text messages say we’re meeting Archie, so we have an excuse—and an obligation to show our faces now that we're in the mall.”

The last part what somewhat of an excuse, but Keaton didn't want Lynn running off again. This was the first time in a long while that the group had gotten together, and though there'd been rifts in the past, they'd been through a bit too much together to pretend to be strangers. Perhaps it was a desire to connect with the few people who could relate to the experiences she'd had so far, or perhaps it was her wanting to seek comfort in a friend group and do regular friend group things. Either way, Keaton wanted Lynn around for it, especially considering that she and Natalie seemed to have made up somewhat minutes ago. It was a bit selfish, but Keaton doubted that she'd get another chance to get Lynn in the mall again. In fact, if Lynn left associating the mall with patrolling cops, Keaton doubted whether she'd ever willingly step foot in the mall again, so a little selfishness was warranted right now.