The afternoon sun's light beamed across Haven, shining throughout the city as the bustling sounds of its denizens trotted to their place of work or gathering. Standing in the eastern part of town was the Haven City Shopping Plaza that towered about 20 meters in height while casting a shadow that engulfed half of the area. The building's exterior was beige in color with a large glass dome on the top that could rival the Hagia Sophia in size and a parking lot with enough room to fit half of the city's population. The inside was capacious with a chain of business on every corner, along with a series of kiosks stationed on the first floor between each store near the entrances and a large Romanesque fountain with three cherubs placed in the center of the mall.
During the city's construction, the government built the plaza as a means to further the social experiment for various liminal cultures to exchange goods with one another and observe the behavior of how they would react. Strangely, it appeared to be one of the few institutions in the city to be a major success.
"Wow, this place is, like, so big and has everything we could ever need!" Standing at the entrance, Cristina was awestruck by the wonders that stood before her.
Dressed in a teal buttoned crop top with dark jeans and brown booties, she couldn't wait to get started on her shopping spree as her eyes became wide while stars glimmered in her pupils.
Her friends, however, were less enthusiastic than she was. Jessica and Ryu stood behind the werewolf girl with plain expressions on their faces.
"Chris, it's is a mall. Not the Roman Coliseum," Jessica stated. Putting a hand in her ripped jeans, she glowered before walking up to her friend's side.
"Remember," said Ryu with a stone face. "We are just here to look around and help you buy what you need, but that doesn't mean we're going to let you blow your trust fund on useless crap and that goes for you too, Jessica."
The boy quickly received glares from both of the girls. His spine tingled. He was taken aback while making sure to remain as impassive as possible.
"How do I blow my money on crap?" Jessica questioned, crossing her arms in consternation.
Flashing a deadpanned look, Ryu didn't hold back as he explained her vice. He said, pointing at an imaginary thought bubble, "Do you recall the time when you blew almost all of your money on that expensive electro-acoustic guitar? That was all on the third day."
Her head fell in defeat as her arms hung low. She murmured sullenly, "You're right. I do go a little overboard."
Unbeknownst to the boy, Cristina quickly grabbed him by the hand and dragged him close to her. However, before she could proceed to dash, she looked back and said with an enthusiastic grin, "We can, like, talk about our spending problems later. Right now, we're going to shop until we drop!"
"I didn't agree to any of that!" Ryu protested with a shock expression.
The three soon powerwalked into the mall, going into any building that caught the werewolf girl's eye. Jessica and Ryu made sure she restrained her from performing any unnecessary spending. Cristina was able to find a replacement dress, but pressed on forward and finally stopped at one particular building.
"No! No, no, no, no! I am not going in there!" Ryu refused.
"But, Ryu! You have to come with me!" no matter how much Cristina pleaded, the boy would rebuff in a stubborn way.
Right in front of them was a Victoria's Secret store and the werewolf girl was determined to go in. however, she needed both a boy's and girl's opinion, which was why she continued pestering Ryu to go in with her and Jessica.
"Please! I'll, like, owe you something if you do this one thing for me!" she begged persistently.
"Why do you even need lingerie?!"
"I heard they're comfortable to sleep in and make you look even more sexy when going out."
Ryu remained as defiant as a stone statue, rebuking every offer Cristina made. Nothing was worth soiling his pride.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Jessica mused with a smile,
"Come on, Ryu. It won't be so bad. Besides, there are probably a lot of cute girls in there."
Ryu smiled at the idea, imagining a gallery of girls behind those doors. Cristina, on the other hand, glowered at the idea of the boy looking at other girls besides her, but managed to shrug it off before the vampire girl could notice.
"Okay, fine. I'll go in with you and, yes, you're going to owe me," I said with a petulant smile as I pointed at her.
Right before they walked in, Jessica and Cristina couldn't help but flashed a bothersome scowl at the boy. It wasn't because of his arrogant demeanor that angered them, but how he easily he accepted the offer.
Inside the store was an array of clothing and other products for women, but the one thing that caught Ryu's attention were the patrons that moved throughout the store. It wasn't just human women; there were also liminal women inside, as well, and even product to cater to them.
For the pass thirty minutes, Ryu and Jessica stood outside of the changing room, waiting for Cristina to step out once she was ready. During that time, the two conversed about their surroundings.
"You know, I never understood the point of gussying up in laces and silk just to amplify sex appeal. I thought lingerie was all for comfort, but they keep making it more revealing and provocative," Jessica pointed out critically. She sat in a chair next to the boy with her legs crossed.
Ryu shrugged his shoulders, rolling his eyes as he smiled. He complimented, "honestly, I think you would look good in an outfit like that."
Pointing my finger, he directed Jessica's attention to the mannequin wearing a red lace bra, panties, and stockings with a garter belt, taking delight as the vampire girl's face flushed before she shied away.
"I-idiot! D-don't be ridiculous! I c-cold never pull something like that off!" she retorted with a stutter.
"Why not? You have the legs, the curves, and the breasts to match that."
