[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ytqgBwg.png[/img][/center] Andy had gotten a financial advisor. That alone was something she had never considered a thing she would use. But she was rich. She had sat down with them and quickly laid out some ideas. One of which was what she wanted to do right now. She was determined to get her friends some good gifts this year. Andy had never done that before. She also wanted to update her wardrobe. So she had part of the award money set aside for Christmas shopping. It felt a little weird asking Percy, who she barely knew, to get Sabine and Leah to her. In exchange though, he got to hang out with Dorian. So it seemed to be alright. Andy wanted to spend some time with both Sabine and Leah. She was closer to Leah of the pair, but the friendship there was almost always in the ring. Not that Andy had an issue with that. But she was trying to build up better friendships and deeper bonds. Asking Percy had been Leah’s suggestion. So they asked and he said yes. She now stood on the porch and waited for him to show up with Sabine and Leah. A second later, the trio materialized out of thin air on the street in front of Andy’s house. It was by no means Percy’s smoothest landing, as he was sent stumbling forward from residual momentum. His body was used to the strain of teleporting, even if cross country was a relatively new thing for him - but he eyed his two passengers, a little worried that he might have made them ill before they could begin their shopping trip. It wasn’t that different from a sudden, jerky landing from a plane. He straightened himself up, fixing the collar of his shirt, before he cleared his throat. [color=ed1c24]“Erm. Hello, Andy. Where am I taking you three next?”[/color] He didn’t particularly mind serving as a taxi for them. He and Leah had become somewhat close during their time in Jotunheim, and it was as good an excuse as any to come see Dorian, and a chance to practice his powers. He hadn’t meant for them to land in the street - he’d aimed for the sidewalk - but given the distance they went, he considered it to be within margin of error. Leah ate the pavement. She fell face-first into the concrete like a bug going splat on a windshield. [color=ffcb00]”Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh.”[/color] Sabine had, meanwhile, managed to stay upright, if somewhat woozy upon arrival. [color=A2797E]”Give us a minute. That was….are you sure you’ve done that before Percy?”[/color] She took a few minutes to gather herself as she eyed Leah on the ground. [color=A2797E]”We still got somewhere to be Leah, so suck it in and suck it up. We’re are we going?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I know… Fuck-”[/color] Leah clambered up to her feet and dusted herself off. She hated teleporting. [color=ffcb00]”I know there’s a pretty fancy mall here. I don’t really shop a lot, so I don’t know a lot about where people with a lot of money buy stuff.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Hey Percy.”[/color] Andy winced as Leah hit the pavement. Sabine did look a little green too. But the pair of them put themselves back together. As they did Andy said, [color=b71d5d]”Not sure yet, but just so you know, we’re going to be doing a big party for the last day of Hanukkah if you’re available.”[/color] As for shopping options Andy would be little help in deciding on where to go. She had little experience when it came to shopping. She had both grown up poor in the foster care system and had lost seventeen years of time due to time travel. She had no idea what options there were. After a few minutes of ensuring she was not about to unleash today’s breakfast, she considered. She was used to shopping, but both Leah and Andy were not. If they were going to do holiday shopping, they would do it correctly. [color=A2797E]”Well, if you want your quintessential holiday shopping, you can’t beat New York City. Tons of holiday decorations and any store you can think of. Or if you are looking for a place for high-end gift giving, we could go to Rodeo Drive or the Champs-Élysées. Could also go to Michigan Avenue in Chicago or Regent Street in London. There’s tons of options.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Okay, let me think…”[/color] Leah did want to grab a few gifts for people other than herself. She fully intended to give them fancy rocks that fit them. But now that she had money to spend? She could do better than that. [color=ffcb00]”If Percy’s willing to make more than one trip, New York first and then Rodeo Drive? Then if there’s still time, do the other places?”[/color] All of the above, she figured. Percy sighed slightly. He’d wanted to go spend time with Dorian without interruptions. He could make extra jumps, and at least staying on the East Coast for New York would be a little less taxing. He’d definitely need more caffeine. [color=ed1c24]“Fine, I can do that. I won’t stay with you, though. You’ll have to call me when you need to be chauffeured to the next location.”[/color] He then paused for a moment. He hadn’t asked for any money for doing this - this was just a favor. [color=ed1c24]“I also want coffee. Nice coffee.”[/color] He ignored Sabine’s comment about whether he was sure he’d done this before. She probably didn’t want to know that he’d only made this trip a handful of times before. He did, however, make a mental note of the Hanukkah party. That would be nice. [color=ffcb00]”You’ll get coffee so fancy that I’m not the one picking it,”[/color] Leah agreed. [color=ffcb00]”And books, because I’m nice like that.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”I’ll help pick the coffee. I may not be as picky as Dorian, but I’m sure I can find something you’ll enjoy.”[/color] Andy was tempted to ask him what flavor profiles he liked. But decided against it, for now. [color=b71d5d]”So it sounds like we are going to New York first? I’m going to get a warmer jacket then.”[/color] Andy popped back into the house real quick and grabbed a thicker jacket, a puffy black one. She had no desire to wander around a place with actual snow on the ground without a jacket. The jacket still had her gloves in the pocket too. [color=b71d5d]”Ready.”[/color] Sabine hadn’t been to New York in a while, but she remembered enjoying it, especially around the holidays. The decorations everywhere, the sheer number of stores within a few miles of each other. It would be perfect. They may not even need to go anywhere else. Percy pulled out his phone, going into the maps function and pulling up views and photos of where he was taking them. He’d been to New York a few times before to visit his mame’s family, so it only took him a quick refresher. [color=ed1c24]“Alright. Hold on,”[/color] he put a hand on Leah’s arm, avoiding direct skin to skin contact, and waited for the others to hold onto Leah. Once they were all making contact, he displaced them in space-time, the group of four emerging on a bustling New York street - with another bumpy but successful landing. He wiped away a bit of sweat from his forehead, feeling for a moment the strain of moving himself and three others a few states over. [color=ed1c24]“Call me when you are ready for the next place,”[/color] he requested, before he vanished. [color=b71d5d]”Thank you, Percy,”[/color] Andy said just before he disappeared. She pulled her gloves on and looked up and down the street. [color=b71d5d]”Alright, I don’t know New York City very well. Where do we want to be?”[/color] she asked Sabine. Leah stumbled into a street lamp, and looked around. She hadn’t ever been here either. [color=ffcb00]”I’m guessing wherever has the most Christmas decorations lit up around, it right? Or the most traffic.”[/color] Sabine merely shrugged. [color=A2797E]”I can direct you to the wider area, but I want you both to decide where to shop. There’s literally stores for anything you can think of and there’s nothing wrong with going in to a place, looking, and walking out with nothing if there isn’t anything that catches your interest. I am open to wherever you want to go.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Well let’s go this way then.”[/color] Andy pointed as a large group of shoppers exited a store. [color=b71d5d]”We can start there.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Yeah, let’s do that. I’ll pick something after. Or try to.”[/color] Leah blinked the dizziness out of her eyes and ignored the stares of people who had never seen grey skin before. Then she took off in the direction of the store. Sabine eyed the store. It was well decorated for the holidays with lots of lights, tinsel, and well-accentuated windows. The store itself was Bergdorf Goodman, a department store. As far as choices went, this was a good one. [color=A2797E]”A good choice. They’ll have lots of stuff in here. Clothes, gifts, toys, you name it. They’ll probably even have a coffee place inside if you want to grab it for Percy. Lead on then.”[/color] Andy’s shoulders relaxed a little at Sabine’s approval. She had no idea about the store at all, but with all those options it might even work as a single stop. Andy wanted to do Christmas shopping, but she didn’t want to stress about it. She led the way into the store and almost tripped over her own feet as she took the place in. It was fancy. Like [i]fancy fancy.[/i] She was having sticker shock and hadn’t even looked at any of the price tags yet. [color=b71d5d]”Holy smokes. Uh, I suppose... Let’s look at the gift section first.”[/color] Andy looked around for signage that would indicate where they could find stuff like that. Leah’s eyes were big as full moons for a minute. Everything was so shiny and glittery, it looked like she’d walked into some rich guy’s mansion. She was suddenly glad to not be the only person here. How did people do this? [color=ffcb00]”Yeah… Where is it, though?”[/color] That was a lot of signs. Holy shit, that was a lot of signs. Oh, there it was. Leah pointed off to the side. [color=ffcb00]”That way.”[/color] Sabine was enjoying coming along for the ride. Seeing Andy and Leah fumble over themselves was all she needed this holiday trip (though she would, of course, be doing some shopping). [color=A2797E]”There’s directories on every floor if you get lost. Or you can always ask someone who works here. But with it being Christmas they definitely have an area specifically for gifts for the holidays. You can tell because it will be the place in the store with the most decorations.”[/color] Leah gave Sabine a most inscrutable look. [color=ffcb00]”Floors… As in there’s more than one? Oh, fuck me.”[/color] Andy looked in the direction that Leah had pointed, there was a lot of extra holiday decorations there, and what looked like gift boxes. She started moving toward it. There was a lot of people. Her attention started bouncing around, keeping track of people, and the exits, she felt a little dizzy. Maybe she could blame that on the teleport from Percy. Her stomach twisted a little and she shifted from trying to pay attention to everything to focusing solely on the display. A memory popped up, a winter day in DC, avoiding those machines that scanned people as they entered and beeped if the person was a mutant. That wasn’t here. She had hated those. It made everywhere unsafe. Andy approached the display and looked it over. There were boxes of perfumes and bath kits and so many other boxes of mixed and matched things. It felt... impersonal. She was breathing a little fast. [color=b71d5d]”Who all are you guys buying for? I’ve got to get some Hanukkah gifts too.”[/color] She figured she should get something for everyone on the team, and all the old MU peeps she had seen, and of course her girlfriends. [color=ffcb00]”April, She Hulk, you two, Percy, pretty much everybody.”[/color] Leah squinted at some of the labels on this fancy stuff. Why would someone want to throw a bomb into a bathtub? That sounded dangerous. [color=ffcb00]”I’m gonna grab some stuff for myself too, but after.”[/color] She assumed a place as big as this was likely to have a bookstore, Percy would love that. [color=A2797E]”I’m buying for everyone on our team, including Vicky. I’ll get something for the Kingston-Grey’s also. My father and stepmother can suck it for all I care. Apart from that, no one else really. And yes, buy for yourself too. You have treat yourself money now.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Yeah I want to get everyone on the team something. I was thinking something unified for that. Not sure yet. I should get something for Vicky too. Then my old MU friends, including the Kingston-Grey’s. God I know so many people suddenly.”[/color] Andy laughed, it was a nervous laugh as she was clearly either hyper focusing on something or her eyes were darting around the crowd. It was like she couldn’t decide how to deal with being in the building with so many people. [color=b71d5d]”Maybe avoid getting the same thing as someone else? Like I don’t know say I get the bath bomb for April, no one else do that? Not that I think I’d get a bath bomb for April. I barely know April I don’t know what to get her.”[/color] Andy was rambling a bit. [color=ffcb00]”April [i]loves[/i] camping and anything pertaining to the ocean,”[/color] Leah offered. [color=ffcb00]”Board games are a good one, too.”[/color] [color=A2797E]”There’s also no rules to any of this. If you get someone the same gift as someone else that’s not a bad thing. Bath bombs are nice but they are a single use item so if someone else got April a bath bomb, say, she’d have two, which is better. Look, I am happy to help you both along with this, but it’s shopping. No stress involved if you don’t want any. Like I said, look around, buy something if you think it will be a good gift, and if you don’t see anything we leave and go into a different store. Simple as.”[/color] Leah nodded. [color=ffcb00]”If we get separated and can’t find each other, and the WIFI in here happens to suck, wanna meet at the front doors? I’m gonna go look for stuff.”[/color] Andy nodded. No stress. Sure. Yep. She could do that. There was not going to be a Purifier coming into the store and trying to kill her. Did the Purifier’s even exist anymore? [color=b71d5d]”Can do. Front doors.”[/color] Andy nodded again. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sounds of all the people. [color=b71d5d]”If we’re splitting up I might listen to music.”[/color] Music made crowds tolerable. She liked concerts. If she just pretended this was a really weird concert, it would work. Splitting up seemed like a good idea, but she hoped that Leah or Andy would be all right with shopping. [color=A2797E]”All right, we split up. Meet at the front doors in, what, an hour or so? Should be enough time to look around at a few floors and so on. Plus, you know, phones. Good luck and happy shopping!”[/color] Sabine turned and made her way to the elevator. There was a floor she wanted and a gift she had in mind immediately. [color=b71d5d]”Sounds good. Also means I can get you two gifts without you knowing what I got you.”[/color] Andy smiled, it was a shaky smile. She put her ear buds into her ears and stepped around the table. She opened a note pad and wrote down everyone’s names that she could think [i]might[/i] expect or want a gift or she thought might be giving her a gift. Several people on the list she wasn’t certain on what to get them. She didn’t know a lot of the team well. Part of that was her fault, part of that was just that everyone had been thrown into the same team at the last minute. There was no going back now. This was their group for the rest of the time they were at AA. She smiled. She had a group of friends. She had made most of the friends by herself. Andy started picking through all of the things that were around the store. She found a silk scarf that was various shades of pink that made her think of Sabine. She found a board game that was about different species of marine animals that made her think of April. She already had a gift for Dorian and Danny. She found a book, an updated version of [i]Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes[/i] by Edith Hamilton; it had a lot of annotations by modern scholars. That was for Percy. And so on she went looking until an alarm she set for one hour beeped. At that point she headed back to the entrance. They could hopefully wait in line together. The music had helped with keeping calm and as she had gotten into the flow of things she had sort of lost herself in the shopping. She could see why people liked this when they weren’t in the Christmas crowd. Leah took off and spent a great deal of time pondering her choices. She considered herself a strategist, and applied that here. She knew Sabine’s favorite color was red, that she was far better at being fashionable, and she enjoyed dancing. So she snagged a few pretty things. There was an aisle that had posters from dance performances she recalled Sabine talking her ear off about a few times. There were even a few with that Broadway girl Sabine couldn’t get enough of. For April, she found a rare edition of Twister. It was She Ra themed, and Leah knew other people understood that. Then she found herself surrounded by the clothing section. And that part haunted her. Leah was [i]awful[/i] at fashion. She wore Carhartt to the beach. But she definitely knew a thing or two about what did and didn’t fit Sabine. She’d seen that on the floor enough. Granted, she didn’t fuck most of her friends, so she played it safe: Ugly Christmas sweaters. One with a ghost on it that said Never Too Late for Halloween. A reindeer drinking eggnog. A joke about gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. They were corny and she actually found herself amused by them. Then came books, quite a few books. Then came pastries and snacks and other edible things Leah would not have dreamed of touching before she had this kind of money. Sabine had made her way up to the jewelry department. She had decided she would get Leah something, but she knew Leah did not care about fashion and name brands. Sabine wanted to get her something though, something that said she thought about Leah. As she looked around the various necklaces, bracelets, and rings she saw something that caught her eye. A charm bracelet. Leah may not care much for jewelry, but she knew Leah cared about making memories, deciding for herself what she chose to memorialize and what she would forget. This way, Leah could add to it whenever she pleased. She had the salesperson grab it and opted for the silver one. She chose two charms with it: one was the French flag (a symbol of Sabine) and the other was a waterfall (a symbol for April). Despite them no longer being together, Sabine wanted to remember the good times. If anything, the relationship was formative for their future. She had the salesperson wrap it up nice. Once she was satisfied she made her way to the front doors. She had other gifts to buy, but she knew which stores she would go to to obtain them. Andy smiled as the others rejoined her. She paused her music and pulled the ear buds out. [color=b71d5d]”I still need to check out. But otherwise I think I’m done at this store.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Yeah, got all I’m getting from here. ‘Bine, you weren’t kidding. They had damn near everything.”[/color] Leah had a lot of shit by the time they met back up. [color=ffcb00]”Let’s go pay for stuff then grab Percy.”[/color] Sabine chuckled softly. [color=A2797E]”I paid already. Department stores have registers on every floor. You guys go on ahead and pay, I’ll wait here. Also decide if we are continuing to shop in New York or want to move elsewhere. I am good either way.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Let's stay in New York for now?”[/color] Andy said before moving off to find a register and checking out. It did take some time because there was a line. Though because of there being so many operating it went faster than Andy would have expected. [color=ffcb00]”Sounds good.”[/color] Leah sauntered off with her pile of gifts and rang up. The total was about $1000, which was actually less than she expected out of this place. She wasn’t gone long, some people actually let her go ahead of the line because of how easily recognizable she was from the contest. She quickly spammed a text at Percy before meeting back up with the others. [hider=@Percy] [color=ffcb00] Earthbender: weres taying in nuc fkr ow so if you got something planenr wndorian gonabead Earthbender: thankd for tp btw [/color] [/hider] [color=ffcb00]”Okay…”[/color] Leah stuffed her phone away and hoisted some rather heavy-looking bags. [color=ffcb00]”Ready to look for somewhere else?”[/color] [hider=@Leah][color=ed1c24]Dear Leah, I have the mutant power to comprehend easy language. I only need to hear or read a few words in order to speak it. This includes dead languages, as well as invented ones. In my life, I have only encountered one language that I could not comprehend: the inscription on my watch, gifted to me by Agatha Harkness. And now, I have the good fortune to have encountered a second one. What in the world are you trying to say? Sincerely, P. Novikov [/color][/hider] Once all three of them had re-gathered at the door, Andy pulled her gloves back on. She didn’t need them to protect her from touching someone on accident. She did however need them to keep her fingers from freezing off. [color=b71d5d]”Ready?”[/color] Back out into the blistering cold the three of them went. So many of these stores seemed like just clothing stores. She supposed that shopping at a clothing store was fine for herself. But since she wanted to get gifts and clothes often felt... impersonal to her, she wasn’t sure where to go next. [color=b71d5d]”I picked the last place. Someone else’s turn.”[/color] [color=A2797E]”Go for it Leah. I know my way around here, but I am curious what store speaks to you. There’s tons to choose from.”[/color] That legendary stonefaced look found itself on Leah’s face. How was she supposed to know where anything was?! Normally, she might have just gone to a damn Goodwill or something. But… She didn’t want them to think she was being difficult. So she sat down on a bench and grabbed her phone once again, and started looking at stuff in the area. As she thought about it, she came to the decision that she’d want to go to another place with a lot in one area. [color=ffcb00]”Hm… Herald Square’s not far from here. Let’s do that.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Alright, sounds good.”[/color] Andy smiled, she didn’t know the way. She had only lived in upstate New York. [color=b71d5d]”Which way?”[/color] It was like babysitting toddlers. [color=A2797E]”You both have phones. You know you can get directions on there right? Thankfully, I know the way.”[/color] She started walking, allowing for them to follow. [color=A2797E]”If there’s a store you see on the way that you want to go in, just say so. There’s tons of places to check out. Plus, we need to keep an eye out for some coffee for Percy.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I [i]did[/i] just look up the directions on my phone,”[/color] Leah sassed. [color=ffcb00]”Next block over.”[/color] Andy stuck out her tongue at both of them. [color=b71d5d]”Sure I’ll just look at my phone when I know that Leah did [i]just[/i] look and Sabine knows the area.”[/color] She teased. Andy followed Sabine. [color=b71d5d]”The last time I spent any time in New York it was 18 years ago, and I was in Rochester.”[/color] [color=A2797E]”Yeah, I’ve been here a few times. Family came every year during the holidays until recently.”[/color] She was used to the hustle and bustle of the city. Every major city was like this even outside of the holidays. [color=ffcb00]”I used to get dragged around the planet a lot,”[/color] Leah chimed in, walking with them. [color=ffcb00]”Never to places like this, though. Mostly places a few dozen floors off the ground or somewhere that everyone was wearing a suit that cost six digits. This is the first time I’ve been to New York in particular.”[/color] Andy considered both of these new data pieces about her friends. She had not told people a lot about herself until more recently. She decided to open up a little. [color=b71d5d]”When I first came to New York state I was sure I’d eventually come to the city. That I’d be able to melt into the crowds and get forgotten in the hustle and bustle. But I never made it here. And soon there were these machines at the entrance to most high end stores. They were like metal detectors but they’d scan people and if you were a mutant it would go off and then law enforcement would show up. I was so afraid of getting picked up and put back in the system or ended up in a high max place.”[/color] She shivered at the thought. [color=ffcb00]”That’s pretty fucked up. No wonder you did the time travel thing with Zari.”[/color] Leah imagined she’d just beat someone over the head in that situation, but then again, she was neither a mutant nor in that situation. It was probably way worse than she imagined. Sabine had known about this, of course. In her conversations with Max he had mentioned that sort of thing. Plus, she grew up around people who made horrible comments about mutants. The fact she had abilities of her own, somehow connected to mutants but apart from them also, made her never want to have a voice in the conversation. [color=A2797E]”I would like to say things have gotten better, and they have to an extent, but like all bigotry, there’s still horrible people around. But today, we are with friends and celebrating a wonderful time of year.”[/color] Andy nodded in agreement. [color=b71d5d]”I am happy here. This is a good time. I don’t think any time is perfect, but there have been some pretty great people here.”[/color] She gently bumped Sabine’s shoulder and elbowed Leah. [color=ffcb00]”Yeah, I’m glad you’re here and not whenever the fuck that was.”[/color] She grinned. Sabine approached their destination, but left it up to Leah and Andy to determine where they wanted to go. This was their shopping trip. [color=A2797E]”All right, we’re here. Leah, it’s still your turn so, go nuts.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I’m going to Macy’s, then Sears if I don’t forget. You know, maybe we should’ve bothered Max about one of those magic bags that Dorian has. He has something that just teleports things he puts in it back home.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Damn that would be useful for this. I was also thinking Macy’s It is another department store, like the last place we were just at. We can split up again.”[/color] Sabine merely shrugged. If Macy’s was what they wanted, then Macy’s was what it would be. [color=A2797E]”Fair enough, I will probably find the coffee place there and get a pick me up. The rest of my gifts are more specialized. But you two go nuts. Check out the holiday shop. It’s full of cute decorations for all the holidays.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I’ll go there too. [i]After[/i] I buy two, maybe three huge tote bags to dump all these smaller bags into.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”That’s a good idea.”[/color] Andy nodded and headed into the store. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to get here. She still hadn’t gotten gifts for Leah or Vicky. She had no idea what to get either of them really. Vicky she didn’t know super well. Leah she at least knew, but the things that came to mind for her weren’t something Andy thought she could find in a Macy’s. But there was likely to be [i]something.[/i] As she stated, Sabine headed for the coffee place within Macy’s, located on the ground floor. She ordered a caramel macchiato and made her way to a table. She scoured a catalog she saw on her way there in case she was wrong and could find something for the others here. As she did, she remembered spending time at various stores when her parents took her. Sitting on Santa’s lap, watching the windows, and marveling at the themes every year. Now she was in a position of finding new holiday memories to form. Leah went straight in, a bit comfortable doing this now. First came some reusable tote bags, she got three of the biggest ones possible. Then, several of the smaller bags she was carrying went straight in. She spent ten, maybe fifteen minutes looking through clothing racks and was pleasantly surprised to find that some things were actually made for people as tall and huge as her. Normally, fashion didn’t matter to her, but these days, it wasn’t easy to wear her old stuff without something being torn. She told herself she’d make some effort to be considerate towards herself today, and that consideration was now fulfilled. As she walked out of the clothing section, she found herself surrounded by the jewelry. Someone gave her a poorly disguised look of tension, seeing someone so damn massive just strut around all the glass cases. But, thankfully, Leah wasn’t that airheaded. Her eye was caught by some of the pretty things, though. They were by no means the sort of thing she paid much mind to, but a thought occurred to her. So she got someone’s attention and had them box up a metal chain with a pink-red hue. Rose gold, according to him. He asked Leah if she’d like it to be decorated, but she declined. She had an idea for that, and it made her a bit giddy to do it. A surprise for Christmas day. Next was Sears, where Leah got herself a pair of winter gloves, because her hands were actually really fucking cold. After the Jotunheim situation, she was taking that a bit more seriously. And, one day, she wanted to go back a bit more prepared. Leah swung by another aisle near the front and saw some coffee packs. She did say someone else would pick that, but then again, it looked like the fancy stuff. So Leah walked over and grabbed three different packages of completely different ones. Then she checked out and turned down the street. Only to find a small music store just two spots down. Leah’s curiosity got the better of her and she went in. It was a lot of old stuff, and immediately she thought of Andy and Vicky. They had fucking CDs and cassettes. Leah got several, since she [i]miraculously[/i] recognized a few of the labels on them. And she knew those two would as well. A little over an hour went by before she met up with them, loaded up on stuff. [color=ffcb00]”I never want to hear anyone say money doesn’t buy happiness again.”[/color] She gave Sabine a devious, ominous grin. Andy’s wanderings took her up and down through the stores. She found herself buying random things that she thought people might like, and even a few things for herself. Andy hadn’t had a lot to spend on herself most of her life. Since she grew up in the foster system. The closest she had ever come to being able to get whatever she wanted was while she was living on Genosha, and there money didn’t even exist. It was a nice change of pace. When the hour was almost up she headed for the cafe, knowing that that was where Sabine had gone to wait for them. She had decided what to get Leah, but that was a special order, not something Macy’s carried. [color=b71d5d]”Hey,”[/color] Andy sighed, she looked a little on the tired side. [color=b71d5d]”I think I’ve gotten everything and everyone covered now. Do you still want to keep going? Or head back to New Orleans?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I think it’s Sabine’s turn.”[/color] Andy turned to Sabine and raised an eyebrow, [color=b71d5d]”Up to you then.”[/color] Sabine wanted this moment for the two of them, not for her. She was content as she was. [color=A2797E]”Well, I can do the rest of my shopping back in California, so if you both are done why don’t we go do something fun to end this trip? We can go ice skating in central park or go see all the lights in Time’s Square? Also, did anyone pick up something for Percy as thanks for all this?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Of course I did. Speaking of, here…”[/color] Leah shook one of the tote bags she had, and another one fell out, into her hand. She tossed one in Andy’s direction. Then another in Sabine’s. Way easier to carry stuff with these, she found. [color=ffcb00]”Got him a bunch of fancy ass coffee packs. I have [i]no[/i] idea how to ice skate. Anyone willing to laugh and watch me fall on my face?”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”I got something for him, yes.”[/color] Andy placed her stuff into the extra bag from Leah. [color=b71d5d]”Thank you, Leah.”[/color] Andy smiled, she had never gone ice skating either. [color=b71d5d]”I’m down for ice skating. I’ve never done that before either so we can fall together.”[/color] Sabine kept her mouth shut that she had been ice skating multiple times, [color=A2797E]”All right, let’s head over there.”[/color] It wouldn’t be a long trek, but the foot traffic and cars would make the journey a little bit annoying. [color=A2797E]”After this we can go back to New Orleans.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Sounds good. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I [i]cannot[/i] wait to go home, wrap stuff up and celebrate goddamn Christmas by giving people stuff.”[/color] If someone told her she’d be doing this a year ago, Leah would look at them like they had three heads. [color=b71d5d]”Heh, isn’t that a wild thing.”[/color] Her last Christmas had been... awful. This year was shaping up to be basically perfect as far as she was concerned. She had a roof, a family, and friends. She had never had all of that before. It felt so good. [color=b71d5d]”When we get back, I’m sitting next to the heater for an hour.”[/color] She was cold, and very glad that she had picked up a heavier winter coat, and had her gloves on. Central Park was always bustling, but today it was more so. The cold kept some people away, but the skating rink had a decent amount of people there. It was also decorated to celebrate the holidays with lights all over the trees and a big Christmas tree in the middle. [color=A2797E]”Ok, let’s rent some skates and get going. I’ll walk you through it. It’s like riding a bike!”[/color] Which, as far as she knew, neither Andy nor Leah knew how to do also. [color=ffcb00]”Oh, good, I’ll just learn that real fast,”[/color] Leah snarked, heading over to the rental place and finding some that she could wear. Andy snorted at Leah’s comment. She was, in fact, in the same boat. She didn’t know how to ride a bike. She found a pair of skates a lot easier than Leah though. It was easy enough renting them, handing over her current shoes, and then getting those tied on. She watched the kids and adults already skating, trying to get an understanding of the movements involved in skating. Andy could tell she would definitely hurt herself at some point during this little excursion. But that was okay, it was going to be fun. [color=b71d5d]”We’d have to find a bike big enough for you. I don’t even think mountain bikes would work.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Probably not. I’m only six-one, not that big, but it took some getting used to.”[/color] Sabine had entered the skate park and moved around some, gliding through. She made her way back as Leah and Andy got ready. [color=A2797E]”Want to hold my hand through this? It’s easy! You just have to distribute your weight without going too far forward or back.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”Fair enough,”[/color] Andy shrugged at Leah’s comment. Andy raised an eyebrow, unsure if Sabine was offering her hand for both of them or just Leah. Leah waddled over, skates on, like a damn penguin. [color=ffcb00]”Maybe. I might be able to…”[/color] She leaned forward and planted one of her feet on the ice, and let momentum carry her in. She floated forward and kept her arms out. And, surprisingly, didn’t eat the ground. [color=A2797E]”There you go! You got this!”[/color] The fact Leah was upright was a Christmas miracle. [color=A2797E]”All right Andy, offer is still there if you need a hand.”[/color] Andy was competitive at heart. She grinned as Leah stepped onto the ice. [color=b71d5d]”If I eat it, I eat it.”[/color] She shrugged and joined Leah on the ice. Andy wobbled a little, but apparently her paying attention to the other people on the ice had paid off. She was surprisingly good at it despite having never ice skated before. [color=ffcb00]”Oooookay. I’m on ice and not on the ground…”[/color] Leah looked over at Sabine. [color=ffcb00]”Now what?”[/color] [color=A2797E]”Now we skate!”[/color] Sabine started moving around the rink in a circle, slow enough for Andy and Leah to catch up. [color=A2797E]”You got the hang of it, now you just need momentum.”[/color] Andy laughed, it was a bright and clear laugh. She started to move. The simple attempts of someone who had never skated before. She was surprised at how quickly she picked it up though. Andy had always been a bit of an athlete. It hadn’t been until she had met the Drummonds that she became a [i]trained[/i] athlete. But even as a kid she had been quick on her feet. She had mutated at eight, that probably helped a lot. [color=b71d5d]“This is delightful.”[/color] She wondered if there was another place like this in L.A., indoors obviously, that she could skate at more. [color=ffcb00]”Momentum. Okay…”[/color] She looked over at Sabine, then turned one foot perpendicular to the other. Then, she pushed forward and put all her weight on that leg. It worked, and she started gliding forth. [color=ffcb00]”Woah- Oh fuck, fuuuuck-”[/color] She collided with a wall and nearly tumbled over. She pushed off again, and this time tried leaning to one side to steer. [color=ffcb00]”Am I doing this right?”[/color] This was fun, actually. [color=A2797E]”Well, you aren’t supposed to run into walls typically, but yeah, you got it. Eventually you’ll be able to move more easily. Now, get ready to turn. Lean a little towards where you want to turn and make sure your feet move in that direction, putting a bit more weight on the foot closest to the turn.”[/color] Andy started carefully trying to find balance on one foot as she moved. She was wobbly, but after a few practice attempts she was able to slide along on one foot. She listened to Sabine's directions as well, leaning into the turn of the ring. She was being passed by superior skaters and that made her want to improve even more. [color=b71d5d]“How much ice skating have you done, Sabine?”[/color] Leah nodded and tried to do exactly as Sabine instructed. Lean forward to the left, then push her foot left… And it did work. She leaned left and went swerving left. A smile was plastered over her face. She was basically standing still, yet moving anyway. It was new, odd and pretty damn fun. [color=ffcb00]”Holy shiiiiiiii[sub]iiiiiiiiiiit.”[/sub][/color] Leah’s voice tapered off as she disappeared into the other end of the ice like a dog in a park. Sabine laughed, shaking her head at Leah’s antics. [color=A2797E]”Quite a bit. We came to New York a lot for the holidays growing up so I learned young. Apart from that, I’ve gone every now and then back in France. Haven’t done much since moving here.”[/color] [color=b71d5d]”If none of us break a limb and have to go visit James, want to do it more often? I’m sure we can find an indoor rink that rents out to dumb teens.”[/color] Andy giggled, watching Leah zip off. While they were shooting the shit, Leah was just going in circles. Long, lazy circles as she worked on getting the hang of this. She was moving awfully fast, too. As if eating a chunk of ice wasn’t on her mind. She was racing around the rink like a mutant speedster that got their powers days ago. If one listened closely, they could hear laughter. Sabine thought she heard something, but figured it was some child enjoying the ice. [color=A2797E]”I’d like to do it more, sure. I’m glad you both took to it. This time of year can be hard, but I’m grateful to have people to spend it with.”[/color] Andy smiled sadly. This was her first Christmas in this time, in the future. She had lost so much and left even more behind. [color=b71d5d]“Yeah, it is a rough time of year. Thank you for spending it with me.”[/color] The trio spent some time skating, enjoying themselves. When they were finally worn out enough, Leah messaged Percy that they were ready for pick up. They gave him coordinates and after a bit he transported them back to New Orleans. In New Orleans, they exchanged gifts for the ones that were there. Andy gave Sabine the multi-colored pink scarf and let Leah know that her gift was shipping, it was an extra durable punching bag. Sabine gave Leah the bracelet. Leah’s gift for Sabine is an amethyst that she shaped and set on the necklace she had bought, however, since her rock collection was back in L.A. she couldn’t give it to Sabine right now. Sabine let Andy know her gift would be later. Percy was given a metric ton of coffee. The group ate a meal and warmed up, before they headed back to L.A., Andy staying behind at home.