New Clothes, New Friends

[Tiffany]

Victoria sighed as she walked out of the store with three large bags and four shoe boxes. She loved to shop, and she was in despirate need of clothes that would let her fit in better than the dresses she wore to the school. She loved her dresses, they were..her..They described her personality to the passerby..but she had gotten some weird looks. So she decided that it was time to retire the lace and frills of her normal attire, and try...jeans, and shirts, and skirts.. She was eager to try out some of her new outfits, but she was more eager to sit down. Shopping could be killer on a girl's feet. She searched the hall of the mall for a bench. She couldnt try her clothes on, but she could peek in and adore all of her cute choices. She opened up a bag that she could sit in and disappear in, and pulled out the first of almost ten new pants. They were hip huggers, black cargo pants. They had big pockets on either side of the knees and had drawstrings for the bottom of the pants. She decided she would leave those loose, if not get rid of the strings. She didnt want her legs to feel constricted, even though she had grabbed a new pair of tight pants..or two. She grinned and dug into the bag, searching through the bag, like she hadnt seen the clothes just moments before when she bought them all. A grin was plastered on her face as she looked at her new shoes, she was all but oblivious to the people walking by her.

[FrostyFayce]

A sharp whistling was heard as Donovan strolled by. Many shop owners seemed annoyed at the fact he lacked, as always, a shirt. But, he was wearing his black jacket. However, it wasn't hiding much as the front had no zippers or buttons. The pants he wore were the same bright red color, a little tighter than the average guy probably wore, but not shockingly tight or anything. Donovan always had a habbit of wearing them very low on his hips as the belt seemed to do nothing much. He seemed to be in a relatively good mood, strolling through the mall as he was. No bags were in his hands, no sign of having done any shopping. The same old black fingerless gloves covered most of the pores that produced that strange, flammable, liquid.

" Young man! Please, put a shirt on!" Demanded an elderly woman. Donovan sigh and pulled at the opening of his jacket, reveal his full torso. And even that light black cross tatoo on the left hip showed wonderfully as he danced around the woman. The whole dance he faced the woman and smiled widely, mocking her. It was obvious Donovan was in one of those moods to cause a little trouble. Stopping he dropped the jacket so the sides of his bare body were hidden, the tatoo revanishing behind it like a curtain.

" Look, Lady. I'm doing as so many have suggested. Running around without a shirt. I'm told I look better naked. Should I remove the pants and boxers as well?" He asked, undoing the clasp of the great silver belt buckle at his hip. The woman scoffed grumbling something and scurring away. Laughed with victory, Donovan removed his hands from the buckle and placed them upon his hip as he looked around. No one seemed of any intrest and it appeared the only people he could hassle would be the old lady. She was long gone, however, Leaving Donovan nobody to fool with.

[Tiffany]

Victoria's head leaned to the side when she heard whistling in the rather quiet mall. During the weekdays, the mall wasnt as bustling as the weekends. She leaned up with a new mini-skirt still in her hand. It was red and plaited into folds that would swish when she walked, at least she hoped it would work that way. She looked over to see a man dance around an old lady that had tried to tell him how to dress. An eyebrow went up slowly as his hand went to his belt buckle. Her eyes lingered there as the old woman walked rather quickly away from the man. He seemed to be an eccentric dresser, which was something that Victoria could relate too. Thus, the shopping spree. She struggled to contain the giggle that bubbled up in her throat, but as always she lost the battle. She started to laugh silently, then as he turned around, obviously looking for more fun, her laughter got louder. She mentally chided herself to stop, but of course her body wasnt listening. She calmed down slowly, until her laughs became shallow hiccups as she tried to catch her breath. "That..." Hiccup, "was.." Hiccup.." priceless!" She loved goofing off and acting silly. Life was no fun without a laugh or two. " Who .." She inhaled deeply to have enough air for the rest of her sentence. " are you?"

[FrostyFayce]

" Hmm?" Donovan chuckled and gave a funny little walk as he drew nearer Victoria. Over exagerating his bow Donovan smirked, looking up as he kept himself bent at the waist. He stood sharply and gave her an odd and crooked smile. " Well, I am Donovan Nexus. And you might be?" He asked. He had bent at the knees so his rear hover just over the ground now and bobbed up and down as if he had ADD or something.

A girl, in a very short skirt, walked by and he would leaned back a bit and turn his head to watch her walk by. He smirked a bit, knowing he was a bit pig-headed. But hell, he loved being Donovan. He gave out a little whistle that suggested the girl was good looking and as she turned about ready to smack someone she saw nothing but Donovan winking at her and giving her a kissy face. The girl laughed and walked off and Donovan just shook his head as he looked at the floor between his feet.

" Oh, that's right." Donovan finally remember there was a girl infront of him who thought he was funny. Kind of being distracted by the short skirt had given him a memory collapse as he thought about something. " Did I-uh...Did I already ask who you were?" He chuckled, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck as if he were hating himself for forgetting. Oh well, figured the young man. There was a nice opportunity that walked by and he couldn't have passed that up.

[Tiffany]

Victoria glanced at the boy, who had obviously no sense of morals when it came to girls. She shrugged, not like it was her business. She cleared her throat, " Well, Donovan, yes you have already asked and I have yet to answer. You seem to have been..preoccupied." She said glancing at the girl that walked down the hall and disappeared into another store. " My name is Victoria.." She folded her skirt neatly and placed it in the bag. She leaned back and watched the boy bouncing on his feet. "Cant stay still?" She asked with half a smile on her face. She eyed him, like she was trying to figure him out. He didnt have a single bag or anything on him. "Do you come here often to oogle girls, or is there a specific reason?"

[FrostyFayce]

" Oogling girls happens as a side note, that's all." Stated in a very serious voice as he snickered. It seems an old aquiantence came over because the girl ruffled his hair. He titled just his head back and smirked as the girl twiddled a finger and said something about calling her. After that she disappeared like the other one and he shook his head, once more having been distracted by a girl. " But I come here to say Hi to all the lovely ladies I know." He said motioning towards the one who had been standing behind him for a moment.

" Like her! She helped me when my wings cramped up a bit and gave me some candy. Sweet lady...cute kids." Donovan nodded his head remembering the more mature woman's young children had been playng with his wings when told not to. He stood, dusting himself off as if he had actually been sitting on the floor of the mall.

" No, No I come to annoy people. That's my true purpose. Like the senior citzen lady that told me to put a shirt on. Half of what I said was true...or well...heh...all of it...BUT ANYWAYS." Donovan drew the attention away from the subject of how many seemed to think no clothes would work better with him as he was a partial-nudist as is.

[Tiffany]

Victoria watched the girl mess with his hair, with a twinge of jealousy. She had no one to talk to in this place. She looked around the mall. It was so big, like this town, and she was so small..so insignificant. She sighed. Where she came from, everyone knew her name. She was not popular in a good way though, mostly infamous to tell the utter truth. She had tried to use her powers here, but decided that meeting people that way did not evoke friendly gestures. She could use her power to seduce men. Which made the girls a little upset , not to Victoria's surprise. And her hold on men is a tenuous one if the connection is not made genuinely. She watched the girls adoring the man in front of her, and wondered if she could make friends by being herself. She had never had to try, but she was sure to try now. She took a deep breath. "So what are you doing now? Just wandering around?.." She paused, a little embarrassed." Or would you like to accompany me to a snack at the food court? I'm kind of alone."

[FrostyFayce]

" Hmm? Food? Sounds good to me." Donovan gave a shrug and held a hand out to help her up. " I'm not wandering, by the way. Im...meandering." The fact that the two words held the same meaning basicly, meant absolutely nothing to Donovan as he gave the crooked smile. Why she had felt nervous was beyond Donovan, but he didn't even know she was nervous or embarassed. To Donovan, meeting people and being himself flood like the blood and any other bodily fluid did.

" Oh, yeah, Vitcoria...Call me Don or Donny. Hardly any of the people that know me call me by my full name. Can I call you Vic? Or Maybe Tory? Or...Oh! I got it. VIC-TORY!" Donovan giggled at his little pun, hoping she took no harm in his little games. It was what he did and if she figured that out, the poor boy had nothing more to him then the fact he had a well-developed body, he was tall and he was energtic and amusing. It was Donovan in a nut shell, so to speak.

[Tiffany]

Victoria smiled brightly at him and took his offer to help her stand up. She gently placed her hand in his and shuffled her way by her bags so she could pick them up. She blushed slightly, now sorry that she had gotten so much. But she needed enough clothes for the school year, and she never procrastinated with things like that and made sure to do everything at one time so she didnt have to worry about it later. She picked them up one by one. "Don..I think that fits you." She said as she stood up. She turned in the general direction of the food court. She only slightly remembered passing it on the way to the stores that held the clothes she was interested in. "Victory?" She giggled, but sobered quickly. "It seems though that I have failed to be victorious in any thing I do." She whispered as she headed off to find food for her now growling stomach. She must have been in the store longer than she thought. "Thank you for joining me..It will be nice to have someone to talk to for a change." She found a place that interested her taste for a juicy burger and large salty french fries. She sat her things at a nearby table and kept an eye on it as she walked to the end of a rather short line. There was only one person in front of her. This is why she chose to come to the mall when she did..Not many people.

[FrostyFayce]

" Victorious in what, might I ask?" Questioned Donovan. He had stopped, just behind her and asked in her ear before raising his brows very quickly and strolling around her towards a line for pizza. Not a soul stood before him as he went down the line and pointed out the three slices he wanted. He smirked as he paid the guy who instantly seemed to recognize Donovan from past visits.

" You're up ot no good again." The man behind the counter chuckled and waited for a reply.
" Who, me? Nah. Just having lunch with a new friend is all." He gave a shrug and leaned over the counter for only the man could hear him as more costomers were comming. " I'll cause a little chaos before I leave. Promise!" He laughed before turning on his heal and striking a pose, he dramaticly shook his butt as he walked.

" See you at the table, Vicki." He called to Victoria. He had proclaimed, without telling her, that as his nickname for her and sat at the table she had placed her stuff at. He would wait for her to come and sit so they could carry on the conversation. With great care the young man placed one slice of hawiian pizza on top of a bacon pizza ontop of a plain cheese one and took on large bite.

[Tiffany]

Victoria sighed, and wanted to say "In nothing" but he was already in a different booth ordering pizza. Again the person knew exactly who he was. She shook her head as she ordered a double cheeseburger, a large order of fries, salted, and a large Pepsi. She waited while the man told the person on the grill what she ordered and turned her back to him and watched Don find a table. " Alright..be there in a moment.." She muttered and turned back to the guy making her food. As soon as it was ready the man handed her the tray. She stared at the burger with something akin to awe. It looked delicious. Victoria was not one to watch her figure. She was destined to look like she did now for years to come, so she indulged in everything she pleased. She only wished they had milkshakes..She shook her head and headed to the table. "Vicky huh?" She smiled as she picked up the burger. She brought it to her mouth, but paused. "Victorious in what? Is what you asked right?" She took a bite of the burger and quickly picked up a napkin to catch the mustard and ketsup that threatened to ruin her shirt. She swallowed the burger and for a moment, savored the taste that it left behind before picking up her drink. " I said I am victorious in nothing. That is why I am alone..I cant seem to do anything right." She took a sip of her Pepsi and she looked expectantly at him, half wondering if he was going to laugh at her or not.

[FrostyFayce]

" You can't do anything right? That's highly doubtful. But anyways, How do you figure? Bad in school? In bed? Do you suck at life? What?" His questions where some of the basic things that could be expected from Donovan. He wouldn't really automatically think about a person being a failure at making a friend. Or anything like that, he doubted such things were possible.

" I can't help if you suck at life or if you're having school issues. My school finds me annoying and I just can't fix a while life." Explained the boy as he again took a large bite of his stacked pizza. He seemed to be fixated with it as one piece began to slip off the top of the pile. He would struggle to keep it there just long enough to take two more bites, then the crusts would be devoured one by delicious one.

[Tiffany]

Victoria almost spit out her drink at his questions. She swallowed her drink quickly and laughed so hard she almost cried. "Wow..No wonder so many people remember you! You make yourself hard to forget dont you?" She sighed and sat back, leaving the rest of her burger on the tray. " How do I figure? Well..The first day I came here, I was called a skank. Because a guy hit on me and his girlfriend found out, so she took it out on me." She stopped and looked down, attacking her burger with a french fry she picked up. " I tried to make friends, but I still turned out being alone..maybe because I havent really tried to make friends before..Ive always had my sister to talk to and that seemed like enough..but now Im not so sure she is the only one that I want to have to talk to..you know? It would be nice to have people say hi just because they know you and want to talk.." She ate the french fry and sat staring into her drink, for some reason she couldnt look him in the eyes. "It seems I cant even use my powers right in this place either..they dont work..but I dont want them to! I want people to like me for me!" She said slapping a hand on the table. "But I dont know who me is."

[FrostyFayce]

" You are you. Your powers are part of you. If people can't handle that, too bad. I don't see how hard it is to understand. I mean, Here I sit sure that I am a pig-headed, goof-ball who enjoys having fun at others expenses. It can't be hard to look yourself in the mirror and say something like; I'm a girl determined to have friends, who wants to find myself and doesn't like my powers. Cause that's what you sound like to me." He sounded calm as he spoke. Hell, he even stopped to shove a piece of pizza in his mouth and swallow. He looked up and smiled warmly, awaiting her answer. To see her reaction, to see if he had nailed her characteristics. Or, at least some of them.

[Tiffany]

Victoria stopped and finally looked at the man sitting at the table across from her. He understood? She had to keep her jaw from dropping. " Its not that I dont like my powers..I love them..Its just they are hardly helpful to me right now. " She picked her burger back up and took another bite of it. It was almost gone. She thought about what he said. " I am determined to make friends. But what I want people to think of me doesnt matter if I dont know what image I want to project. I dont know who I am, because I have never had to look into a mirror and tell myself, "Now there is a girl that knows what she wants in life." Because I have been looking at life through rose colored glasses..And the real world is harsh." She finished off her burger and began to devour her fries. " I just want to find out who I am before I try to present myself to others. I cannot lie to them about who I am, pretending to be carefree or serious, if I dont know if I could be either of those or some of those or a little of those or none of those two things or anything else. I am confused, and I havent been able to find someone that can clarify it for me." She looked at him. "I dont suppose you could help." She said as a statement rather than a question. She didnt know if she could ask him for help, she didnt know if he could help her in the situation she was in. She felt like a delusioned child in an adult world and she didnt like it.