Saturday Distractions [Nesia]

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Lukas hated the mall. Hated it.

Especially when it was Saturday and the place was filled with what seemed to be at least half of the city's population. And especially when he had managed to somehow break his calculator right before his exam on Monday, leaving him no other option but to head to said mall to get a new one.

He gritted his teeth as he pushed through the masses of people towards the escalators, trying to ignore the jumble of emotions in his head. Crowds were easier to handle in some situations; for example at a concert people's feelings would usually be more or less the same, creating just a strong wave of singular emotion that was less confusing and easier to deal with. But at the mall, everyone had such mixed feelings. People were excited, exhausted, anxious, irritated, happy, confused, lost... It was almost impossible to just focus on one feeling, and that made it hard to think and gave him headaches.

It was a smallish relief when Lukas finally made it to the store in the more quiet corner of the shopping centre. There were fewer people here, which gave him an opportunity to take a deep breath and calm his nerves as he walked between the aisles and looked around. Even after he found himself a new calculator he stayed in the store for a few more minutes, just to gather up the energy to make the tiring way back to campus.

The change wasn't immediate as he stepped outside the store again, the flow of emotions only increasing as he made it to the busiest part of the mall. At least it would only last a minute or two. Trying to find some emotion that was a little stronger than others to focus on, Lukas sighed, rubbed his temple and closed his eyes.

And promptly walked right into someone.

Eyes flying open, Lukas murmured a quick apology, fully intending to just keep going until he saw the very familiar looking black hair and tan skin. Sure, he had only spoken to Nesia once, but she was easy enough to recognize. The heat emanating from her kinda gave her away.

”Sorry, I didn't look where I was going.” Lukas offered a more sincere apology. Nesia was pretty nice and deserved as much. ”Are you okay?”

[NESIA NOTONEGORO]

Earlier this year Nesia had signed up for an art class, yet somehow it didn't cross her mind to buy art supplies. Sure she still had some in her dorm room from her previous years, but sooner or later she would need to buy more. Many weeks ago their teacher had informed them that next week they were going to do some painting based on sketches they had made. Nesia had forgotten about it until a classmate asked her about her own art supplies. Most of her paint was dry or even empty. Perhaps she needed several new paintbrushes too, since her old ones were hardened and hard to use.

Because she had to refill her snack stock in her dorm room, Nesia decided to go to the mall instead. She was never alone whenever she went there, but somehow everyone she knew already had plans. This is weekend after all. Nesia pushed her own plan for sleeping all day to Sunday.

Yawning, Nesia exited a clothing store where she just purchased a pair of summer sandals. If she had a friend with her, Nesia would find the shop that sold art supplies easier. But since she was already here, why not enjoy it? Nesia could do window shopping and perhaps buy an ice cream or two. Oh right, she would need to buy snacks too. To snack store it is!

Nesia filled her brain with happy thoughts of food. It was a trick taught to her from a hermit. Always stay happy so her heat will not trigger smoke alarm. She was in a public place too, where humans and the ones with powers mingled together. She needed to be extra careful--

"Ow!"

Well, so much of being careful.

Usually she was good at avoiding physical contact in a crowded room, but today she wasn't that lucky. Nesia stumbled back a little, but she managed to regain her balance so she didn't fall. The shopping bag, however, fell from her grasp. The sandals box looked fine, thankfully.

"I'm okay, er..." Nesia glanced at the boy. He definitely was a student of Asher too, yet she forgot his name. She knew they've met before, yet when she tried to remember his name all she could come up was something associated with knight. The girl smoothed her dress and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, um... I forget your name. Oh, I'm Nesia by the way."

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"I'm okay, er..."

Lukas bend down to pick up the fallen shopping bag, offering it back to Nesia with a slight arch of an eyebrow. ”Seems like I didn't really leave a lasting impression, lady Dragon.” And as something like amusement lit up in his eyes, Lukas realized that it had gotten a lot quieter where they were standing. The temporary calmness was most definitely welcome, his incoming headache subsiding and increasing his mood just enough to stop and talk to the fellow student.

"Sorry, um... I forget your name. Oh, I'm Nesia by the way."

He hardly begrudged Nesia for not remembering his name, as Lukas hardly ever bothered memorizing the names of his classmates himself. It was quite extraordinary that he had actually been able to remember Nesia, especially since their first meeting hadn't lasted all that long. But he supposed the black haired girl stood out from others somehow

”I'm Lukas.” He said, purposefully not reminding the Indonesian of his own star role in the little children's play not too long ago. A fateful day that had ended up being quite memorable in more ways than just one. ”I hope I didn't break anything in that bag.” Though judging from the weight of it and the colorful brand logo decorating the side, Nesia had been shopping for clothes. Hardly something to suffer from a quick encounter with the floor. Though, that just reminded him he was supposed to do some shopping for clothes as well. His pants were starting to get a little small on him, a sure sign that he still hadn't finished growing.

”Actually...” He started, eyeing the bag in Nesia's hand and then the girl herself. She was dressed nicely, the cute dress looked really flattering on her and her overall appearance was quite nice and neat. So Lukas decided he could probably trust her fashion sense enough to ask for advice. ”Do you know if there's a good clothing store nearby? There's something I need to get for myself.”

[NESIA NOTONEGORO]

”Seems like I didn't really leave a lasting impression, lady Dragon.”

Once the last word left him, Nesia's mouth gaped open, She vaguely recalled a similar boy she encountered when she accompanied two first graders playing. Pale blond hair, slender build... yes, this is him. The knight who was sent to kill the dragon - her. The Indonesian girl furrowed her eyebrows. "Your name is... hm..." She was pretty sure someone else who had played with them mentioned his real name.

”I'm Lukas.”

"Right!" Her face brightened. "I only remember that you were a knight," she added, chuckling. Nesia took her fallen shopping bag and shook it a little. "Nah, there's only a pair of sandals inside it. It should be okay."

Feeling ready to resume her trip to find the art supplies, Nesia gathered her belongings. But before she got a chance to tell him, Lukas spoke first. "Do you know if there's a good clothing store nearby? There's something I need to get for myself.”

She lifted her shopping bag higher and glanced at the colorful logo printed on it. "This store sells good clothing for girls and boys," Nesia told him immediately. She had seen several other female students shopping at the same store. Judging from their talk with the cashier, they were regular customers. "The prices are not too expensive either, so it fits our student budget. It's only one floor down from here."

Aside from their first encounter back then, Nesia didn't know Lukas much. Maybe they had seen each other in the cafeteria or school hallways, but as far as she could recall this was their first conversation and encounter outside the school ground. He didn't seem to be a warm person either, making her hesitated before she asked him, "by the way, do you know the store that sells art supplies here? I need some stuff for my art class."

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Lukas found himself smiling just a little at Nesia's expression as realization finally set in, amused at the way she seemed so surprised that it was actually him, Sir Knight. He didn't return her laughter though, just nodded in approval when she assured him that her purchases were fine.

"This store sells good clothing for girls and boys. The prices are not too expensive either, so it fits our student budget. It's only one floor down from here."

Giving the bag another glance, Lukas nodded in approval. ”Good, I suppose I'll be heading that way then.” He did usually appreciate good quality over low prices, but now that he was going to school outside of Norway and basically living off the money his parents sent him and Eirik each month he would rather not spend too much money on anything that wasn't a necessity. He wanted to be able to put some money aside each month, so he wouldn't have to ask his parents for help in case there was some sort of emergency. Besides, with him and Eirik both still growing, it didn't make much sense to invest in expensive clothing they wouldn't be able to wear in a few months anyway.

Lukas was about to bid his farewell and head downstairs then, but Nesia stopped him with a request of her own. "By the way, do you know the store that sells art supplies here? I need some stuff for my art class."

He looked at her for a second, as if baffled by being asked such a question, before the expression turned into that of contemplation. He could vaguely remember buying some supplies in a store for his own art classes last year, but he couldn't immediately recall the exact location. It was only after a few moments before he suddenly recalled a small café with delicious strawberry cakes, a much more vivid memory of that day. ”Do you know the café downstairs?” He asked, nodding towards the escalator. ”I think there's a small art store right behind it, around the corner. It's kind of hidden but they have a decent selection.” Lukas could better recall the store now, and he gave a confirming nod, more to himself than the girl beside him. ”I think they give student discounts too.”

Turning slightly, indicating he was about to head to the escalators, Lukas looked at the Indonesian girl over his shoulder. ”I can show you where it is. Since we're both heading in that direction, anyway.”

[NESIA NOTONEGORO]

”Do you know the café downstairs?”

Nesia glanced upwards. There was a cafe indeed, but there might be more in the same floor that she hadn't seen before. But she quickly assumed that that cafe was the one Lukas talked about. It was near the entrance, so most people passed it by when they entered the mall.

”I think there's a small art store right behind it, around the corner. It's kind of hidden but they have a decent selection.”

Of course she never checked what kind of stores that weren't placed in the main hallway. It was distracting enough, especially since she was going by herself. And usually those stores weren't as bright and as inviting as the bigger ones. Their prices, however, might be cheaper.

"I think they give student discounts too.”

At the mention of discount, Nesia perked up. "Oh, they do?" Discount was something that the students loved, and her classmates knew where were the stores that offered such discount. This shop was not one of them, so Nesia assumed that they just opened. "Do they still give discount during weekends?" Most stores didn't, because they got more customers compared to weekdays.

Nesia nodded firmly, following him slightly behind. Lukas was taller, so naturally he walked faster than her. They reached the escalator soon. "The clothing store isn't too far from the cafe you mentioned." Halfway down, Nesia could see the cafe from afar, so she pointed her finger to it. "About three stores away from there."

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Lukas gave a confirming nod, though he couldn't say for sure what the store's discount policy was. ”I think so.” He didn't know what Nesia's budget was, but he'd found the prices there quite affordable, discount or not.

"The clothing store isn't too far from the cafe you mentioned. About three stores away from there."

As they started down the escalator, Lukas followed Nesia's pointing finger and as he looked around he could spot the logo that'd been decorating her shopping bag. From the distance he couldn't tell much, but it seemed promising enough. There were less people around the entrance too, which he could appreciate, but inside the stores it would be a different thing. The café was pretty full as well, and he could sense the emotions flowing around, still somewhat muffled by the distance.

Lukas stepped off the escalator, glancing over his shoulder at Nesia and making sure the girl was paying attention before pointing towards the café. ”Just go around that corner, it's right between the café and that shoe shop there.” He was actually pretty eager to just get to the clothing store, buy what he needed and then leave. Luckily he'd gotten pretty good at buying clothes without trying them on, though that also meant he hardly ever tried anything new. He always fell back on the safe old choices of grey, black, and blue. He was just about to bid her farewell and get on with his own business when he remembered something. “Actually,” He said, starting towards the art supply store instead. “I need to get something there too, so I’ll just show you.” Lukas wasn’t exactly an artist, but he did need to stock up on writing supplies and get some film for his camera. It’d save him another trip to the mall if he just got everything he might need today.

The store looked just the same inside as before, and luckily it was practically empty besides the two of them as they arrived. Regular pencils and erasers were right next to entrance but he figured Nesia probably needed something else, so he turned to her and nodded towards the back of the store. “The paints and such are in the back.” He said as he started to pick up the things he needed.


[Ajsjsdb sorry for taking forever ;u;]

[NESIA NOTONEGORO]

From the escalator, where they stood high above the crowds, the stores seemed to burst in colors and noises. While the area they were heading to wasn't particularly noisy, they still needed to go through other visitors to reach it. Lukas' power, as far as Nesia could remember, had something to do with sensory stimulation. She glanced at him once in a while, looking for any sign of distress, but he looked fine. His expression remain unchanged, at least; though it was hard to guess what was going under in his mind.

”Just go around that corner, it's right between the café and that shoe shop there.”

Nesia nodded and thanked him, ready to bid goodbye, but Lukas announced that he also needed to buy something. She naturally walked slightly ahead of him, clearing their path towards the store. Thankfully the crowd on the outside was not overflowing in their destination.

“The paints and such are in the back.”

"Okay," Nesia half-expected that he would follow her to the same direction, but the Norwegian went elsewhere. She forgot that not everyone liked to stick together during a shopping trip. Nesia shrugged it off and went to the art alley. Colors greeted her eyes this time and she could feel a steam rising up from her stomach in excitement. Colors are awesome.

For minutes later she was occupied in choosing the best brushes and paints she could afford. Some of them had cute designs and attractive packaging. It was when the Indonesian finally heading to the cashier with a handful of art supplies she realized she wasn't here alone.

"Did I make you wait too long?" she grinned sheepishly once she found Lukas again. "I took a long time to choose..."