flamesburned | A Mall on the Mainland

It had been a very long and tiring week and Liz knew she still had a few more days to get through, when it eventually came to the anniversary of her family’s death. On Tuesday it was 14 years since her parents and brother had died in that first fire and she had been so tired and miserable, she knew she had to push herself, to keep going.

Liz had been so exhausted after Friday and the worry about the fires, even though they weren’t real, that she had finally fallen asleep Friday night and had slept for most of Saturday.

She was feeling a bit more alert but she was still rather tired.

Liz had been finding that her normal clothes were starting to get a little tight on her, she had definitely been noticing it in the last couple of weeks as her stomach had started to form a little bump. So arrangements had been made with Summer and Dr. Lecter to take her maternity clothes shopping on the mainland, especially to help keep her distracted while everything had been going on with the different anniversaries.

She really didn’t know a lot about shopping and fashion but she knew Summer and Dr. Lecter did, actually they were the only people she knew who knew anything about fashion.

“There’s, there’s a lot of people here,” she couldn’t help but remark as she looked around the mall, it had been a while since she had last gone shopping and had been around this many people.

She was still rather nervous about maternity clothes shopping but she knew it needed to be done, especially since her clothes weren’t going to fit her much longer.

{for the two who are with her on this trip! NFB due to distance!]

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"I think," said Summer, with a nod toward a directory nearby, "in this case, a decisive plan of action would probably be best."

And not only because the crowd had the already-waaaay-too-stressed-out-as-it-is Liz a little on edge, but because Summer was also far too easily distracted in a mall setting to be left without firm and specific goals.

"Map it is," Hannibal said, heading over there. He was just as happy to get in and out quickly. He wasn't opposed to the concept of a mall, but the smell was another thing, and he definitely wanted to be out of here before they had to eat.

Now they just had to figure out which of these stores might have maternity clothing.

Oh, he could try all he wanted, but there were definitely plans to try to force an Orange Julius and a soft pretzel into Hannibal's hands at some point in this excursion, and Summer felt she had a good ace in the hole with that one, since that had been one of Liz's pregnancy cravings few weeks ago.

She may have moved onto something else by now, sure, but don't think Summer wouldn't use that to her advantage if they could.

And it was easy to pick out at least a few of the maternity stores on the map, because a lot of them were actually really terrible but cutesy attempts at puns, to which Summer, what with being in a fairly natural environment for her, was quick to point one out.

"Bun in the Oven," she said. "Fifty/fifty chance it's what we're looking for or some sort of bakery, or better yet, both."

Oh, that's an idea. Pregnant people were always hungry, especially for carbs, that would be a freakin' goldmine.

"And 'A Pea in the Pod'," Hannibal added. "I'm doubting they sell pea plants. And the department stores are likely to have maternity departments as well."

Look, Hannibal had baked pretzels of all sorts for Liz. He was not going to eat anything with as many chemicals in it as the mall type was likely to have.

"I say," Summer mused, head tilting and full mall-strategy mode engaged, "we hit up the specialty ones first, see how we fare there, and then if we still feel there's some gaps in our efforts, then hit up the department stores."

And if they happened to wind up in a food court somewhere along the way....well...they had a pregnant person with them! All that shopping and no food couldn't possibly be good for the baby, Hannibal!

Besides, he wasn't easy to torture when it came to bizarre foods, she had to tap into this well while she had the opportunity.

But if that didn't sway him, she was pretty sure she saw an Olive Garden on the way in!

"A sound strategy," Hannibal agreed.

Look, they could eat whatever they wanted, but Hannibal was never going to unless he had a good reason. And no, avoiding Summer's laughing was not a good reason. Probably.

Ah, but what about getting Summer just to shut up about it?

But plan in place, they could start making their way toward a goal, and Summer took the chance to throw out, "So how've you been, anyway? We haven't really had a chance to chat a whole lot, outside of my class anyway, but that doesn't really count."

...maybe.

"I've been well. Raven is staying with me now as well, so the house is quite full, and I have the opportunity to cook for several." Even if Raven was vegetarian. "I think my class will do well, too. What about you - you had a 'space emergency'?"

Persistence truly was one of the best weapons in her arsenal at times.

"Oh, yeah!" Summer said, like one recalled maybe some minor weekend event or a movie they'd just watched. "Rey needed some help in her galaxy, and we all finally took down the bogus resurgent empire that's been giving everyone shit for a while now. That makes three defeated galactic empires under my belt now. Not too shabby, huh?

"Oh," she continued, as if both these things were on the same level of consideration, "and Raven's my Teaching Buddy this semester! She seems really great, even if it's kind of superfluous for he to be helping her when she pretty much already knows the ropes as a fellow alumna."

Never underestimate the power of stubbornness!

"It's been a while since Raven lived here, so it can't hurt to have someone to help out," Hannibal said. "And I think you'll be good for her socially; she can be shy at times, but she does love people."

A Mall on the Mainland - Sunday

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