2019.12.19 Attack on the Mall

Attack on the Mall
Santa Hanne and her elves go on a resupply mission at the mall and find a holiday shopper in need.
IC Date	12/19/2019
IC Time	Afternoon
Players	Cole, Hannelore, Lidya, Rachel
Location	Fashion Valley Mall
Spheres	Mortal

xxxxxFashion Valley Mall is by far the largest of its kind within the city of Prospect. The mall is simply massive housing four stories of all kinds of different department stores of various shapes, styles, and sizes. The mall also offers a gargantuan food court. The food court has nearly any and all kinds of food types. Anything ranging from Mexican, Indian, Asian, Italian, American, German, fast food and many more that can be found within to select from. Numerous stores fill the entire four stories of the mall. The variety of stores consist of clothing, electronics, mechanics, specialty stores, food, knick knacks, art, furniture, music, toys, jewelry, and countless of others to choose from. Various signs and advertisements hang from the walls depicting sales as well as serving as a guide to where one's location is. Dozens of kiosks all trying to sell their wares can be found along the corridors all lined up one after another.
xxxxxEach kiosk has several sales people doing their best to draw in the attention from those that pass on by. The noise level within the mall is rather turbulent often ranging from the high wailing of infants, excited children to soft relaxing music in more smaller stores. The amount of individuals here is a stream of flowing chaos and disorder. All types of people can be found within as they each search for their individual needs. During the holidays those that work at the mall decorate the entirety of the place and often draws in massive crowds simply to take in the wondrous sights to be seen. On the outside of the mall is a spacious parking garage as well as an underground one to add for extra room. Security guards can be seen all over the place ensuring the safety of the people here as well as the property. Overall this place buzzes with all kinds of life as well as activity and is often cause for a near overdose to the senses.

xxxxxIf there was ever a moment for the music to push up to a high volume and the smoke machine to work overtime, it's when the trio pushes through the doors of the mall, faces painted with determination and arms crossed. Queue the Christmas at the Mall Montage.

xxxxxAt least, that's the scene that's playing out in Cole's mind when he leads the way into the over crowded mall. The noise hits like a wave, the sounds of Christmas music floating through the air, the mid level aggression that settles in every shopper as they try to navigate the mess that is the mall on one of the more busy shopping days of the year. Cole reaches up to adjust his Christmas hat. "I still liked the idea of spending the day in bed. Lidya and I both could have had a side."

xxxxxHannelore steps into the mall and opens her arms wide, taking a deep breath. She takes out a tube of peppermint chapstick and smears it across her ample lips. "I love the smell of lip balm in the morning." Coming from her, this eerily sounds like she is about to wage war in Vietnam. "So, let's review our mission and form a plan of attack, shall we Darlings?"

xxxxxHanne's littlest elf is actually not so sure about this little red dress Hanne has poured her into. At least it's sparkly and festive? The jingling of her bracelet is a bit distracting, however, as she reaches a hand up to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "I could go for a nap?" She agrees, having only heard half of the conversation as she arrives behind Cole and Hanners.

xxxxx"What is our mission, exactly?" Cole says, looking decidedly less at home in the chaos of the mall, watching the way that Hannelore somehow manages to dominate the space and the crowd parts around her. Or maybe that's all in his head. "I do need to look for a few things, though I don't know exactly what. As much as I haven't gotten gifts very often I also haven't given them. I'll keep my eyes open to see if anything jumps out at me." Perhaps the worst way to shop ever.

xxxxx"Objective one: resupply." Hannelore intones, "We're running low on a number of things, particularly of the stocking stuffer variety." She looks over at Cole, "At this point in the season, you might have a number of things jump out at you, usually another shopper attacking you for the last pair of something in the size you are looking for. There are some basic rules for gift shopping: Don't buy something for someone they would rather buy themselves or that needs to be tried on to know if it fits right. For example: Never buy me shoes. SHOPPING for shoes and trying them all on is the part I enjoy. Number 2: If you don't know the size of the person, don't buy clothes. Either you will buy it too small and they will feel fat or you will buy it too big and they will think YOU think they're fat. 3: Buy something they would NEVER buy for themselves. Maybe they think it is frivolous. Or not they're style but you KNOW it would be perfect for them. 4: Look for meaning. It shows you are thoughtful. Look for things that you've seen the person you are buying for that they admire or that shows you have noticed a detail no one else has."

xxxxxCole likely wasn't expecting such a complete response to his shopping related distress, but maybe he should have known better. This is what Hannelore does - though he only knows that in the abstract, he'd yet to see her in action. He starts to pay closer attention when she gets into the details of what to not buy for people - nodding in complete agreement about not trying to get things he has no business buying for people. It's going to be awhile before he tries to buy clothes for anyone. His expression deepens a bit when she starts to talk about what things he should buy.
xxxxx"You're good at this. Thoughtful. I mean, I know that should be obvious. I'm not just doing this to check a box, but it certainly looks like that if you get the wrong thing, right?" He keeps his eyes moving through the crowd, as though he's ready to defend against any shoppers that might try to take him out. "Let's see what we can find in the way of stocking stuffers. I'll turn my mind to what I need to buy. I want to complain that buying for Serena is hard, since she has anything she wants just at the snap of her fingers. But, I know it's not about the cost."

xxxxxHannelore heads off with Cole, trusting Lidya to acquire them fuel from the Orange Julius and find her way back to them. "Yes, someone like Serena, it is the thought that counts. It isn't about what you spend in money, it's about what you spend in thought or time. Get her something that show you paid attention to her. Or something that will make her laugh. A novelty. I would suggest something that reminds her of you whenever she sees it. Something that will make her smile. Perhaps something that brings back a shared memory."

xxxxx"Yeah. I'm going to figure it out. It's funny, sometimes, how friendships come to be. Just thinking about things that are meaningful makes me look back at how I got to this point and it just makes me blink a few times. Truth is often stranger than fiction." Cole moves alongside Hannelore, whistling when Silver Bells comes on over the speakers that seem to be everywhere throughout the mall. "She'd sent me a text saying she was going to be here to pick up some things. That's what prompted me to say we should come over here. Maybe got distracted with other business." He looks around at the stores around them. "What do you need for stuffing?" He asks. The pair are just roaming the halls of the busy mall. Lidya is off getting Orange Julius.

xxxxxAnd Rachel? Rachel is pacing rapidly through the mall, wearing that universally understood expression that means 'why am I here and do I have any hope of finding what I'm looking for?' Given her apparent vintage taste in clothes and jewelry, she probably isn't likely to meet with success if she's looking for something for /herself/. But then again, this isn't the season for that, is it! So, when she pauses to consult one of the big illuminated standing YOU ARE HERE maps, her brow furrowed in puzzlement, her hand tucked under her chin, it's not a great sign for whoever she may be buying gifts for this holiday season.

xxxxxHannelore is just about to answer Cole's question about stuffing when a little girl walks by and asks her mother, 'Mommy? Is that Mrs. Claus?' Hannelore spins her head around and is just about to make a VERY inappropriate comment about how she is more like Mr. Claus' younger mistress when she spots Rachel and the heavens open up and the spirit of Christmas reaches down to her old shriveled heart that would normally make prey on anyone in her shopping territory and causes it to grow three sizes. She diverts away from Cole and approaches the curiously clad young woman and asks, "Excuse me dear, you seem to be in a bit of distress. Do you need some holiday magic to help you on your way?"

xxxxxSanta would probably assent enthusiastically to that characterization. Just because you're a magical gift-bestowing omniscient supernatural being doesn't mean you're not human! So to speak. When Hannelore approaches her, Rachel turns away from the map -- look at that; even her /handbag/ was probably made by eleven-year-olds in a sweatshot factory sometime in the nineteenth century -- and smiles slightly, dipping her head in greeting. "I'm trying to find the stationery store," she says, "but according to the map, it ought to be right here. Do you know if it's closed recently, or am I just lost?"

xxxxxWhen Hannelore wanders over to save Rachel, Cole briefly gets lost in a gaggle of Christmas shoppers and almost carried off into the nearest shop. He does manage to escape and makes it over to the sign to see what trouble Ms. Claus is getting herself into. "I'm certainly lost." He quips, flashing a smile toward Rachel. "I need one of those little wrist leashes to attach to Hannelore here if I'm going to make it through the day."

xxxxxHannelore doesn't even look at the map, she has the layout to this place memorized. "No Darling, you aren't lost, but you might be if you try and go in there right now." She points in the direction of the stationary shop which looks like a swarm of bejeweled piranhas are swarming over the desiccated remains of a paper mache whale as they battle for what is left of Christmas cards, wrapping paper and gift bags. "Enter at your own risk, my dear." She looks at Cole and looks him up and down. "If you want me to put a leash on your, it won't be around your wrist. We'll do it the proper way and I'll teach you tricks with proper positive reinforcement." No... this is not Mrs. Claus.

xxxxxThere it is! And ... that is very much not the sort of place where Rachel is likely to be interested in visiting right now. Her expression is almost comically dismayed. "Ah," she says, and then: "I think that aside from being lost, I'd also be insane if I were to try and go in there at the moment." Nonetheless, she summons up a smile for Hannelore and Cole. "Well. Thank you all the same. At least I have only reason to doubt my sanity, rather than my eyesight." She is, fortunately, willing to overlook the leash-related banter. Fortunately for her, that is.

xxxxx"Do I get treats?" Cole asks with a slight tilt of his head and an amused grin on his lips at Hannelore's comment, shaking his head to mostly dismiss the topic. At least for now. He makes a face toward the chaos that is the stationary store and sighs. "If the three of us went in formation we might be able to break through the perimeter and get in to fetch whatever it is you need." He puts his hands out in front of himself in a 'v' to show how they'd arrange themselves to break through the siege. "If you turn away now you're just going to have to come back tomorrow and it's going to be even worse." And if they're busy helping Rachel, he doesn't have to deal with his own shopping woes.

xxxxxShe can't believe she's doing this - helping a stranger shop with no apparent reward for herself, but it IS Christmas. Hannelore reaches down to her Santa belt and cinches it tighter. "I'll be the forward advance. I think I have an idea of how to clear out some space. The two of you give me a count of 50 and then come in behind. Don't dawdle. Go directly to the area you need and claim your space. Cole, grab one of every kind of card or pretty stationary you come across. We can always put things back if we don't want them." Hannelore takes out her phone and strides forward towards the store and disappears from view for a moment.

xxxxxInside Hannelore pretends to be talking on her phone, "I can't believe how much they are overcharging in here. I just saw these exact same designs over at Middle Town Mall for 2/3rd the cost they are charging here. And the crowds aren't nearly as huge. I think I'll head back over there. These upscale malls are such a ripoff at the holidays. I guess location really is everything..." She talks just loud enough that other desperate shoppers near her begin to dissipate. A few even get out of line, setting their items down and deciding by the time they get through the line they can get to Middle Town.

xxxxxRachel is inclined to protest. Just a little. She actually starts to say: "I could give up entirely; that might be easier." But the cause she's inadvertently championed has already grown beyond her. You can't stop the avalanche when it's halfway down the hill. So when Hannelore heads into the maelstrom, Rachel just turns to Cole and blinks in a bit of surprise and confusion. "I don't know that either one of us is going to survive," she says, with what is presumably humor, "but good luck, all the same." And, counting precisely to fifty, she follows Hannelore in. Give her credit, she knows why she's here, as she heads straight to the fancy pen counter like a writing-instrument-seeking missile. She doesn't even bother dissembling, just points and displays a credit card. The universal language.

xxxxx"If things go badly, sounds the abort and we'll cover you, Hannelore." Cole says, as though this is a well practiced effort. He slants a grin toward Rachel - "It's just not very much fun if there isn't a little bit of danger, right? If we don't make it through, it has been nice getting to know you." This doesn't diminish his grin at all, fully aware that getting to know her has involved nothing but directions to a stationary store. After the count is up he sees that Hannelore has cleared some space and doesn't hesitate to move in along side Rachel. He manages to scoop a discarded basket and starts to load it with cards, colourful paper and pens. He's not sure /why/ he's collecting it, but once it is in his basket he has the claim and that's what's important.

xxxxxHannelore sure does know how to clear a room. A well worded whisper campaign works wonders. When she sees Cole and Rachel enter the store, she leaves Rachel to accomplish her tasks and then comes and sidles up beside Cole and cups her hand on his behind. "See? Isn't this fun? Now, stationary is a good universal gift. Find an image that reminds you of whoever you're giving it to and they'll find a use for it. I like to keep a stock of images I just find pretty and dole them out throughout the year or use them for thank you notes, etc. Add a personal note to the front page and then every time the person uses the stationary in the future they'll think of you." She takes a few of the packs and flips through them. "We know by the color of her car that Serena like hot pink. These will be good for Emma as well because she's so studious. Any other details about them that will help us find the perfect match?"

xxxxxIs that it? Seriously? All this fuss just so Rachel can buy a pen? Hardly seems worth it. But once she has what she wants, she takes a quick look round -- oh, scented notepaper; actually she does need a box of that, as well; and some ink; okay, /now/ she has all she needs. Really. She circles back to join Hannelore and Cole, pretending not to notice the butt-grab being administered by the former to the latter. "Whenever you're ready," she says; "covering whatever you end up with seems like the least I can do."

xxxxx"Emma is a mystery, aside from the things we know already. Smart, curious, eye for detail, good at research. I don't know much beyond that shell though. Serena does like bright and loud and exciting. Anything that makes her heart race. Fast cars and women?" Cole grins briefly, no doubt still thinking on other things that might be helpful in finding gifts for his friends. He turns when Rachel reappears. "You found what you needed? Good. Christmas miracle accomplished."

xxxxxHannelore glances to Rachel, "You can cover Cole. I can't possibly put that kind of charge on a stranger's credit card. Not at Christmas." To Cole she says, "Then let's find something intricate and details for Emma. And Serena... find a simple image that will remind her of you and compose something on it that will make her heart race. Every time she sees it, her heart will flutter. I'll help if you need coaching. You do say I have a way with words."

xxxxx"'Miracle' is perhaps too strong a word," Rachel says to Cole, slightly bemused, "but all things considered, I don't think it would be fair of me to object too strenuously." Turning to Hannelore, she demurs: "Oh, Christmas is the perfect time to put charges on someone else's credit card! Honestly, it's no trouble. Imagine how much time I'd've wasted if you hadn't come to my rescue, and put a dollar value on that -- it'll still be more than whatever you might run up here. Unless you're running them out of maki-e pens, in which case I can only admire your taste."

xxxxx"I'm not sure poetry is my strong subject. I try to be careful about making hearts flutter. Has a way of getting me into trouble." Cole doesn't actually disagree with what they should purchase, but he has to present his reservations. He holds his free hand out toward Rachel. "I'm Cole. The pretty, talented and festive one is Hannelore. I figure since we've all gone into battle together we should at least offer up names." This will solve the problem of them being strangers, right? "And we'll all pay for our own things. It's Christmas. We're happy to help. If you're completely set on giving us something back I'll give you my phone number and you can treat us to coffee one day after the holidays are over." Smooth, right?

xxxxx"Well, pens make good stocking stuffers as well," Hannelore says to Rachel. "Oh yes. I LOVE coffee and I would also love to talk to you about your look. This Victoriana thing works for me and I have to be honest, I have a secret passion for steampunk." Then a giant string of Christmas lights appears like a halo above her head in the Christmas miracle of ideas. She looks to Cole. "I have an idea for Emma..." Her smile widens, "Why don't we buy up a stack of fancy pens and descend upon her elementary school class and play Santa with fancy school supplies. It will make the children excited and that is sure to win us both points with lovely Emma. We can give to her by giving to others! Anything we have left over we leave with her. Teachers love school supplies, don't they? What do you say? Let's clean this place out. Between Rachel's credit card and mine, I bet we can make a rather strong impression and I bet I can even convince them to give us a deeper discount."

xxxxx"Rachel Polczyk," the young woman says, clasping Cole's hand -- wait, is she actually wearing gloves? How charmingly retro! Or maybe just retro. Or, if you're feeling unkind, how affected! She's starting to protest: "Oh, I can't let you -- of course I'd be happy to -- well, I do love Victorian fashion, so you won't have to try very hard to convince me --" But Hannelore has just the thing in mind, with her Santa Claus of school supplies. It's an ideal compromise! "That'll be perfect! Let's do that, then."

xxxxx"Proper funding from the government might make school teachers a bit less desirous of pens and paper, but that's likely not going to happen any time soon - but, yeah. That's a good idea. It's not about finding something for her, but finding something that's important to her and contributing to that. I'm sure she'll be pleased." Cole is saying, while he shakes Rachel's gloved hand with a brief clasp. "Rachel. Nice to meet you. I don't know all the right words to say, but I do like the style. Victorian?" He glances to the side to tilt a look at Hannelore. "If I poke through your closet will I find a stash of goggles somewhere for your steampunk collection?"

xxxxx"I do have an assortment of eye wear for every occasion. However, if you go sneaking around in my closet you will first have to bypass the snare and the bear trap I've set for anyone trying to steal my shoe and purse collection." Hannelore looks....totally serious. She turns to Rachel. "Rachel, we are now sisters born of the frenzy of Holiday shopping. Here is my card," she produces a card that reads in purple flowing script 'Enchanted'. On the other side is her personal contact information and the Titles: Personal Shopper and Fashion Consultant. "You will call me and we will do coffee and lunch. For now, however, into the breach we go. For the children!" She heads for a basket and begins filling it at breakneck pace.

xxxxx"Not to worry," Rachel says to Cole, rather good-naturedly. "No one really knows all the right words except people who spend their whole lives on this sort of thing, and I don't have /that/ level of dedication." She smiles, though. Accepting Hannelore's card, she scrutinizes it for several moments, and then goes into her reticule for a card of her own. It's frighteningly austere. Just her name in elegant script on one side of a lovely textured eggshell card, and an address on the other. Embossed. Fancy. "Lovely to meet you both. Let's be angels. Or elves. Either is all right, I suppose!"