|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:15 pm
Pao -
Rhys waited by their door with nothing but a small pack, his fake ID, and his debit card on him, eyeing his girlfriend as she finished some last minute details before they left for that Costco run. He knew one of those meant that they'd probably be loaded up on the way back, so he wanted to keep things as light as possible on the way over there.
"Did Dai give you a list of the things he wanted us to pick up for him?" he thought to ask as he pulled out his phone to check the time. "We could swing by his room real quick if you want."
Aria -
She had the two duffles on her shoulder, one packed into the other, for them to repack everything into once they were done with their shopping. She also had her debit card. "He did! He texted it to me. It's a pretty simple list, so it should be easy enough to get. Razors, deodorant, a few snack things. That's pretty much it." She picked up her purse, a blue back with a silver star emblazoned on the front, and slung it over her shoulder, too. It had her documents in it, her keys, and her debit card.
She looked around the room, eyes narrowed as she considered everything, then back at him. "All right, let's do this. Off to Fremont, California. We requested they put us down nearish to a car rental, right?"
Pao -
He nodded and put his phone away, shooting her a little smile when she finally gave the green light. He opened the door at that, stepping aside to give her room to step outside ahead of him. "Yeah," he went on once the door was closed and locked behind them. "I put in the request, not sure they listened. We'll find out once we get there."
He took her hand as they went, trying not to think about the chances of them being dropped miles and miles away from any kind of car rental. "If anything, there's always Uber, right?"
Aria -
She stepped out, and waited for him. Once he locked the door, she did what she usually did, and took his hand. "Yeah, there's Uber. Or um... I think there's... BART? Yeah. That's what their train system is called. So as long as we're not like... out in the countryside or some bullshit like that, we should have ways to get where we need to go." She began to walk towards the exit, and eventually the Lighthouse, for their portal pick up.
"You got the list ready to go on your phone, once we get all signed up, right? Also, it occured to me... We should swing by a mall before we go to Costco. Christmas is coming up, and we can get gifts that way... Though we might need to seperate for a bit, for that reason."
Pao -
He'd never heard the name of the train system in that area, having been dropped close enough to where he wanted to be that he was fine with walking at the time, but the name got a little brow raise for a moment before his expression went back to its usual neutral. At her question he nodded, though he still pulled his phone out to double check.
"Yep, got it right here. And that's cool with me at gift shopping." Though it did occur to him that he'd never actually given gifts to anyone on Christmas before. Usually all he could manage was a decent enough card that he signed and gave to his coach and his bosses that kept him over the holidays, so this...would be a whole new thing for him.
"So car rental, mall, Costco, back to the portal first with all of our s**t, and then one of us can drop the car off and walk back to the portal?"
Aria -
"Awesome!" She'd never been able to afford giving someone a Christmas gift before, either. Well... she'd made things, but never something she'd purchased with someone in mind. She'd just done things like baked cookies and the like, and gifted them out to her bosses, the coworkers who were nice to her, and at the time, her exes. This was going to be fun, though she was not sure what to get Rhys, as yet.
"Also, what was with the raised brows, when I mentioned the train system?" She asked, curiously. It seemed like an odd thing to react to, at least to her. "But yeah... I'll look up the mall options once we get through the portal, and then we can work from there." She sighed as they got to the Lighthouse, and had to wait for the portal to be pulled up, as was usual.
"Mmm yeah, that's the plan. And by 'one of us', you mean 'you,' since I can't drive still. Not like we've had time for lessons, after all."
Pao -
He smirked. "'Cause BART's kinda a funny name for a train system. Makes me think of the Simpsons kid, not that I watched the show."
Rhys could really only nod along to her plan, not seeing any reason to comment since it sounded solid enough to him anyway, and once they were in the waiting area he let her hand go and double checked to make sure he had everything.
"Oh, s**t. Then yeah, I'll drive the rental back. If we had more time I'd let you practice, but we got a lot to do. Maybe after the holidays?"
Aria -
She blinked a bit, and then said "I think maybe it's an acronym? It was always in capital letters, so who knows." She gave a shrug, and added "Yeah, me either." regarding watching the show.
"Yeah, that makes sense. It's probably busy on the roads right now, and I don't particularly fancy being run over by some insane granny in an SUV or something who has to get that GREAT DEAL on a... whatever the current gaming system is... for her favorite grandkid." She started forwards to the portal, once the tech let them know it was ready, and stepped on through.
They found themselves in a deserted looking field, but not far from where they stood was a wooden fence, and on the other side of it, a 'Hertz Rent a Car' sign was visible in the easily walkable distance. "Sweet!" She said, pleased, as she pulled her phone out, and began to search out options on where to shop.
Pao -
He followed her through the portal, chuckling all the while at her illustration of potential disaster if she tried learning to drive during crazy holiday rush hour and all the extra foot traffic. Once they were through he glanced around, spotting the car rental sign and sighing in relief.
Rhys moved in close, peering over her shoulder at her phone while she did her search. "Also might be a good idea to look up where the Costco is, just so we have it handy for later?" he offered, though he pulled his phone out as soon as he said that. "Or I could look that up while you look up the malls."
He straightened out and quickly did that search, making sure to save the address for easy reference later on.
Aria -
"See? Doesn't it sound like a hellish idea? It's best if you do all the driving, just in case." She got the directions to the mall that seemed to have a larger selection, and then hooked her arm through his. "Shall we get going, babe? Since you looked up the Costco?" She waited for him to pop his phone safely away, then began to walk towards the fence.
When they got close, they found a small, and not very obvious, gate that had a latch they could access on the other side with a pull string. She made sure it was in place, then led them down the street to the Hertz car rental. Once they got inside, she looked around, and then glanced at him. "I'm gonna go sit over there, if you don't need me, baby. I'm pretty much useless in here."
Pao -
He followed her lead, giving her hand a squeeze as they went along. The car rental wasn't too far off, and once inside and at the counter he turned to her and nodded, though didn't let her hand go 'til the last second...because he didn't want to. There was no one at the counter yet, so he glanced over at her, a playful grin on his face.
When someone did finally come and help the transaction took roughly fifteen minutes, and he walked over to her, jingling the car keys. "Got it, let's go?"
Aria -
She giggled at the way he held on, and gave him a loving, amused grin back, then settled down to wait. She was going over lists of ideas of things to get a sports loving man, because she was still not totally sure what to get for Rhys... Or Dai, either. She was thinking maybe a Lord of the Rings box set for Cassie... Maybe a Gamestop gift card for Kim and Terry? She really wasn't sure what they'd like, honestly, but maybe. Joy... She remembered Joy's shoe collection. A gift card to Designer Shoe Warehouse was in order.
When he spoke, she looked up, surprised for a moment, then beamed and stood up. "Of course, babe. I'll go anywhere with you." She teased, and then stepped out with him, letting him lead them to whatever car he'd rented. She hoped it had decent trunk space.
Pao -
He held her door for her once they got to the car, which was a sizeable Toyota SUV because trunk space was necessary, and once she was inside he went around and hopped into the driver's seat and made himself comfortable before glancing over at her. Unlike her the only thing on his mind at the moment was getting to the mall; he could worry about what he could get people later...
"So where to, love?"
Aria -
She settled in, smiling at the trunk space, and the fact that the seats could be lowered for more space at need, and settled back into the seat, comfortably. She was reminded, once again, of his gentlemanly habits. She wondered, in some ways, if that was part of what had caught her attention, beyond his having her back... She was not used to anyone being so genteel with her, and he always had been, once it caught his attention that she'd been holding doors for him.
She was so lost in that thought as she got her belt on that when he spoke, she half jumped, then flushed. "Sorry, babe... got distracted. I'll let Google Maps guide us, yeah? She knows the city, I don't." She pressed the 'Guide Me' button, and let the voice give them directions to the NewPark Mall.
Pao-
Admittedly he got a little curious about what distracted her, but he let it go with a little shake of his head and, as soon as she got the navigation on, he drove off the lot and onto the road, hopefully headed for the right mall. Once they were cruising he reached over and took her hand in his, eyes still on the road but a soft smile settling on his face.
"You figure out what you wanna get everyone already?" he asked, wanting to fill the silence a little bit, and he would rather it be her voice than some random song on the radio.
Aria -
She was watching the town go past, her eyes curious about this city she had never seen. There seemed to be a fairly heavy Indo-Pakistani community, along with a number of Afghani, plus a Mexican population, if the restaurants and businesses they passed where an indication. It was an interesting thing, and she took his hand absently, her fingers twining through his automatically, and very naturally.
When he spoke, she glanced over at him for a moment, eyes refocusing on him for a long moment, then she smiled. "Not exactly? I mean, kinda. Joy is getting a gift card to a shoe place... I know she loves shoes, but that's the kind of thing you definitely should get yourself, with making sure of the fit and all... a set of Lord of the Rings for Cassie. Dai..." She frowned a little, and then said "Dai is hard. When he was a kid, I'd have gotten him Pokémon stuff. Now? I barely know adult Dai. Maybe a nice lapel pin or something, given he dresses hella ********' fancy."
Terry and Kim... either a GameStop gift card or... maybe a 'gift certificate' for a couple cooking lessons for Kim, or maybe a 'catered' meal for them to have some night, that I'd make. Ya know, doing things instead of bought. They're harder for me. And don't ask about gifts for you, you goof. I think I'm gonna get Lex a nice set of skin care products, though... He's at the age for zits, man."
Pao -
The short delay, again, made him curious, but given they were in a car and in high spirits he doubted it was anything awful. If he had to guess...maybe the city and everything they were passing, since she had never been, before. So when she finally refocused he only smiled and pulled her hand up to kiss the back of it, glancing over briefly before getting his eyes quickly back on the road.
And he listened, curiously, to her list. Truth be told he hadn't thought of any others beyond her and Joy because he still didn't think of anyone else as people he was close to in any capacity. When she finished her list he chuckled a bit, mostly at the quip about his gift.
"I wasn't asking about mine," he replied, then paused as they took a left turn. "But that's one hell of a list. Anyone else on it?"
Aria -
The kiss to her hand had earned him her usual small shiver and smile, and she leaned her head back on her headrest, watching him more than the road now. She was grateful he could drive, it made all of this so much easier, and that was awesome.
She chuckled at his response, and then leaned her head back, thinking. "I don't know... I don't think I'm close enough to, say, Melvin or Kai to get them anything too personal, so if I got them something, it would probably be like... boxes of chocolates, or something. Oh, I need to get Nash a thank you card, though, to go along with some cookies I'm making him, to thank him for his help on the day Dai woke up. Hmmm, actually what I might just do is bake a big batch of Christmas cookies, and give out tins of those to Melvin, Kai, Nash and October... I don't think I've had enough contact with anyone else, really, to give them gifts."
Pao -
It was an interesting thing to hear her talk about all the connections she's made after only so many months, while he was still really only sitting on...two. And sure, he had his reasons for that and that was all well and good but it did make him wonder a little bit. So he fell silent, for a time, just happy to listen and take in what she was saying.
"Christmas cookies are always a good gift," he said, tone a bit flat, though he did make it look like he was just really focused on his driving. The navigation dictated the next instruction and he followed without saying much else, and finally they were in a parking structure. "In that case we should maybe include whatever you need to make a huge batch of cookies?"
Aria -
She frowned a little, looking over at him with concern. The flat tone... it might be about the driving, but she had a sinking feeling there was more to it then that. "Baby..." She gently squeezed his hand, once he had them parked, and she unbuckled, so that she could lean across and kiss his cheek, before she continued. "What's wrong, baby? Something's bothering you, isn't it?" Her eyes were filled with concern for him.
His suggestion, though, earned him a small grin. "Yeah, that makes sense. We can probably get most of that at Costco, and maybe the tins too, but I'll keep an eye out here, as well..." And then she refocused on him, and her concern.
Pao -
He was about to pull the keys from the ignition when she kissed him, and glancing over he saw the concern swimming in her eyes. He thought talk of cookie shopping would make that look go away, but when it came back he just looked into her eyes for a moment, wondering if he needed to pile this on her, too, on top of everything else of his that she had to deal with up to this point.
Finally he took a breath and shrugged. "Yeah, but it's nothing. Don't worry about it, alright? We gotta focus and move quick. Costco closes early, right?"
Aria -
Her brows came slowly together at that, and she said "No. It closes at 8:30, babe. We have time." She leaned back, and unbuckled the belt, her head tilted down a little, hair sliding to cover her face just a touch, and she got out of the car. "I just... don't like upsetting you, and wish you would tell me." She sounded kind of sad, as she shut the car door, and then leaned against it, her back to him.
It wasn't a posture of rejection, or anything, more of mild defeat and trying to pull her emotions back in, because his avoiding answering the question made her worry. She trusted him with everything she was, but sometimes, especially when he didn't want to tell her something, it made her wonder what she'd done wrong, or if she deserved to know. It was hard, dealing with those years of conditioning in moments like these.
Pao -
He sighed as she got out of the car, not sure what to say to fix things...if he'd messed up at all, which given the way the mood had gone down and her back turned to him he had a good feeling he had messed up. He sat for an extra second, eyes closed as he fought down the slight ache in his chest. And then he got out of the car as well, locking it with a click of a button before slipping the keys into his pocket.
"You didn't upset me, baby. I'll tell you later, how's that?" he asked, hands in his pocket as he looked over at her, waiting by the back end of the car. "Just so we can focus for now? It's really not a huge thing and it can wait, I promise.
Aria -
She looked up at him, her eyes focused on his face for a long moment, before she walked over to him, and wrapped her arms tight around him for a silent hug, her face pressed into his shoulder. After a good minute of silently holding him, she pulled back and nodded, quietly. "All right... I just worry, you know?" She didn't know how else to describe the way his not wanting to tell her had made her feel, so she did her best.
She then took his hand, fingers twined tight into his again, maybe a little tighter then normal, and began to lead them to the nearest doors into the mall itself.
Pao -
He pulled her in tight, a little tighter than usual, burying his face in her shoulder. "I know," was all he could say, because he did know, at least to some small extent, that she did worry when he didn't share straight away. He just sometimes felt like a bit of a burden to her whenever he did share, and whenever she had to pull him up and out of his bubble of insecurity about things.
When she finally pulled away and took his head, he followed her lead, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they went along, only stopping once they got to a directory.
"So gift shopping, meet back here in...an hour?" He squinted, unsure if that would be enough for her list of people, though it sounded like she already knew what she was getting so it was just a matter of getting there, grabbing it, getting in line, and paying. "Is that enough time?"
Aria -
The walk helped calm her some, letting her feel a little more solid in herself, and whatever was going on here, between them, in this moment. Whatever it was, he'd promised to tell her later, so she trusted that he would... Maybe in the car on the way to the Costco from here. In the meantime, there was shopping that needed to be done.
She considered his time suggestion, as she eyed the list, then said "Hour and a half? Since I'll be up and down, between everything I'm trying to get." She wasn't sure she'd have enough time, otherwise, and even at an hour and a half, this might be pushing it a little.
Pao -
He glossed over the directory while waiting for her reply, scouting all the potential stores he wanted to get to for his very short list. At her response he "mm'd" for a moment and then offered, "Two, then? We do have time, like you said, that way you're not rushing too bad?"
Because the last thing he wanted was for her to be zipping around an unfamiliar mall and risk falling or something like that.
Aria -
She blinked a little, thoughtfully, then nodded. "Alright, sounds good. How about we meet over at that bench?" She suggested, as a small modification. "That way whichever of us is done first, they don't have to stand around for however long it takes us." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, her eyes focusing on him, again.
Pao -
He glanced over at said bench, then back at her then nodded, smiling softly when she squeezed his hand. "Sounds good." With that he pulled her closer, enough that he could lean in for a quick little kiss. "See you in a bit, baby. Just call if you need something."
With that he pulled away, again delaying letting her go until the very last second before he went off in search of some gifts.
Aria -
She kissed him back, and sighed as he pulled away, but nodded. "You too, baby. I'll see you soon." She waited until he let go, before turning and heading off to her first store. She took most of the two hours, and was getting back to their meeting point just in time. She had several shopping bags, including one that had rolls of wrapping paper sticking up out of it. She also had a box in one hand.
She walked straight up to the bench, where she was sure he would be waiting for her, and once she found him, proffered the box, which said 'Beard Papa' on it. "Got some treats to share, since we're on the go..."
Pao -
She was right, he'd gotten there first and seemingly empty-handed because his gifts were small things. As soon as he spotted her his lips curled up into a big, bright smile, and he straightened himself out and got to his feet.
"Thanks, babe," he said first, then took the box but barely gave it a glance as he reached for and pulled her in for a lingering kiss. Once he pulled away he smiled down at her, then glanced at her bags.
"Got everything?"
Aria -
She mmm'd, a little surprised at the kiss, but not at all arguing, and she gave a soft moue when he broke it, before smiling back up at him with love in her eyes. "Yeah, I did." She'd even managed to get Dai his Christmas shopping list, with it's whopping two items... one for Rhys, one for Nash, whom he apparently felt he ought to get a gift for after the incident. Or maybe it was a thank you gift, and it was just easier. She was sure he had other plans regarding getting her a gift. Hell, for all she knew, he'd asked Rhys, but she wasn't going to ask about it, either.
"You wanna have the snack now? It's cream puffs, so we probably shouldn't eat them in the rental car..."
Pao -
His hand traveled down her arm, to her hand so he could take her bags, still all smiles. He got Joy and Dai's presents first, and then he spent the better part of an hour looking for hers. Having just her on his mind had cheered him up quite a bit, not to mention the type of stores he was visiting...
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Just here is good?"
Aria -
Her skin got little goose pimples at the feeling of his hand, and she laughed when he took her purchases, leaning up to give him another kiss for his eternally gentlemanly way of treating her. Maybe she should be all 'I'm a strong woman and can do it all myself' or something, but it made her feel good, the way he cared for her and took care of her, so she was not ever going to be willing to complain when he did.
"Yeah, that's fine. No one else is using the bench, so we can take a few minutes."
Pao -
He smirked and led her back to the bench, carefully setting her bags down so nothing would fall over before taking a seat as well, box of cream puffs in his lap. He did raise a brow at the name on the box, but if the cream puffs were good the brand wouldn't matter.
"Are these all the same flavor or...?"
Aria -
She settled next to him, leaning to cuddle in close as they settled, then shook her head. "No... there's 2 of each flavor I got, and I got six. Double Chocolate, Vanilla, and Green Tea. I figured they all sounded good, so it was worth a try." She reached over and popped open the lid, letting him see the six little cream puffs.
"Apparently it's a Japanese company? Anyways, I thought they smelled and looked hella good."
Pao -
He was already reaching for the chocolatiest looking one as she listed the flavors, expression light but full of expectations for the treat they were about to have. "Green tea is a good flavor for just about any dessert type thing," he nodded, then took a bite. His eyes closed and he groaned very quietly, the flavor most definitely meeting his expectation. He got through the one in just a couple of bites, nodding along as she explained a little bit about the company.
"Don't really care where it started, it's pretty ********' good." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then reached for a vanilla flavored one. "Thank you, babe."
Aria -
She snagged a green tea while he was commenting on it, and bit in, eyes closing. She grinned a bit at hearing his groan, knowing the snack was a success, and she was definitely enjoying hers, too. They were just too good for words. She got it down really fast, and snagged a vanilla, saving her chocolate one for last because, well.. It was chocolate, and that's just how she did.
"You're welcome, love... And I agree. These are awesome. We'll have to come back here when we're in town again." She sighed happily, and just cuddled against him as she worked her way through the vanilla puff. After she finished that, she picked up the chocolate, and took a slow bite. Her eyes went wide, and she looked like she had tasted bliss.
Pao -
He took a second to glance over at her, smiling as he watched her enjoy the treat. She'd come a long way from when they first met, as far as food was concerned, but he was still thrilled whenever she appreciated a good snack alongside him.
Rhys quickly worked through the vanilla one, and then the green tea puff before closing up the box and setting it aside. "Wow...great snack. Good prep for a Costco run. You ready to go?"
Aria -
She sighed as she finished the last bite, then dusted herself off, and stood, nodding. "Yeaaaah, let's get on our way, I guess. I'm being good, though. Not gonna lie, I am so tempted to go buy a bunch more of these, they're amazing." She picked up the box, and took it to a nearby recycling bin, then went back over to him.
She gazed down at her seated boyfriend, a soft smile on her face, then said "And now you've collected all my bags, and your hands are full... how do you plan to open doors and unlock the car, my handsome but silly love?"
Pao -
He stood up after her and grabbed the bags, though when she pointed out that his hands were now too full for him to be able to be his usual gentlemanly self, he blinked and considered his options...and then offered her the lightest bags to free up one of his hands.
"Good?" he smirked, and once she took the bags he took hold of her hand, automatically twining their fingers as they headed out (and yes, he did let her go so he could open the door for her) and walked back to the car.
Aria -
She chuckled at his reaction, and took the bags willingly, because she would have been just as happy to carry her own. She was surprised he didn't say he'd hit the button for auto opener, but this was fine with her, in all ways. It was a nice, balanced load, and she was glad the shop she had gotten his gift in was willing to cover it with paper, so he couldn't accidently see it.
"I was fine from the start, my dear, just amused." She gave his hand a squeeze, and followed him to the car, then waited for him to unlock it. She considered the situation, thoughtfully, then put all of the presents in the back seat, because there were tinted windows, and used her deus coat, which she'd left in the car, to cover it with, so there would be less chance of issues while they were at Costco, then climbed into her seat.
Pao -
He followed suit and dropped his bags in the bag, too, and then hopped into the driver's seat again, and fiddled with the navigation to take them to the nearest Costco before pulling out of the parking lot. "We still need a membership, huh?" he asked once they were finally on the road again, and he took her hand in his. "Think that line'll be long? I always feel like Costco lines are stupidly long..."
And then he paused. "Don't we also have to pick up your Kindle?"
Aria -
"We do... and yeah, it might be nice if we could do that before we get to Costco, so I can use any WiFi they might have to download books... But you never gave me the address of where your box was, so I couldn't put it into the nav I had set up, baby." She looked at him, curiously, at that realization. She knew it wasn't because he didn't trust her, so she assumed he had forgotten. She just did not know.
"As for Costco... I... don't know?" Her voice was a little small. "Never got to go, remember?"
Pao -
He nodded, giving her hand a squeeze as he took a right, already starting to detour towards the post office. "I know where it is," he said through a small smile, "don't have the address memorized. You can ask for it when we get there though, just for future reference?"
Rhys glanced over at her then, smile a little bit lopsided. "Right, sorry. We're fixing it now, though, right?"
Aria -
"All right, sounds good. Or I'll just take a photo of the address, save it in my phone." She squeezed his hand, and leaned back in the seat, watching the city pass again. "I'll know for next time, which is what matters in the long run, right? I didn't think you had kept it a secret, after all." She gave him a small smile.
"Yeah, exactly. I'll finally see what all the fuss is about." She reached over, and stroked his cheek for a moment, both to say she was not mad, and to comfort herself a little, then dropped her hand back to her lap, not wanting to distract him while he drove.
Pao -
He leaned into her touch, however brief, and glanced at her again as their drive continued. "It's not hugely impressive, but definitely fun. Lots of free samples." He was smiling as he took her hand again, and it was another five or so minutes before he finally pulled into another lot, smaller and mostly empty, and took up a spot as close to the post office entrance as possible.
He reached into his pocket and got his keys, checking the ring to make sure the key to his P.O. box was there, and when he found it he pulled it out to show it to her. "The key, I should have a spare somewhere in my old room. I'll dig around for it when we get home."
Aria -
She smiled at the way he leaned into her touch, because it always made her feel good, and then chuckled at his words. "Free samples are nice. Probably good I didn't get more of those cream puffs, then, huh?" She said the second half in a joking tone, her head leaning back against the rest. "Still, I look forwards to seeing it. An entirely new experience, and another one I get to have at your side." Her tone was soft and loving, now, and her lips were curved into a warmer, sweeter smile.
She glanced at the PO Box key and nodded. "All right. Let's go get the mail." She slipped out of the car, and headed for the open post office door, then waited for him, because she had no idea which box was his... theirs.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:46 pm
Pao -
He was close behind her, just double checking that he locked the car before picking up his pace and quickly catching up to her at the door. Taking her hand, he led her to their box and only let go once he had the thing open so she could grab the box inside.
"Did you order anything else beside the Kindle, though?" he thought to ask, peering into the container and trying to see if there might be something more behind what he assumed was the package containing the e-reader.
Aria -
She smiled sidelong at him, happy to walk at his side. When they stopped, she paid attention to the number of the box he unlocked, and actually took a photo on her phone, to make sure she remembered in the future... Just in case. Her memory wasn't perfect, after all.
"No? I didn't have the address, or anything, so I wouldn't have been able to order anything." She said, in surprised, as she pulled the Amazon box out, and stuck it in her purse. She figured she could open it in the car. "Did you?"
Pao -
He shook his head at her question, and once the box was out of their box he locked it up and offered her the key with a smile. "I'll find and keep the spare," he said, expression bright.
Aria -
She smiled up at him, and leaned up to give him a kiss, as she took the key and slipped it into a protected pouch on her purse, with the intent to put it on her keychain later. After breaking the kiss, she turned and headed back to the car, her hand back in his.
Once they had gotten inside, she used her room key to slit the tape, then popped open the device, her eyes eager and happy. She got it on, and checked the battery level, then set it in her purse for until they got to WiFi.
Pao -
He smiled into the kiss a little bit, and let her take the lead in breaking it whenever she was ready. Once she did, he followed her out and to the car, hopping into the driver's seat and getting the car started before fiddling with the navigation again. While he did, he glanced over at her delighted expression and smirked.
"Love it?" he murmured, eyes going back to the small touch screen so he could enter the Costco address again.
Aria -
"And then some, baby..." She said, her head turning to face him fully, and she leaned over to give his cheek another kiss. "Thank you, so much. This is awesome. I can't wait to get it home and all runic'd, so I can use it whenever I want." Her fingers caressed the shell of the Kindle, and she settled into the seat, making sure her belt was on.
After a moment, she paused, then added "You know anyone good at runic'ing stuff? Cause I'm not really sure who all is good for that, or where one would ask. I mean, I know it's Life div stuff, I just... is there list somewhere of runic'ing folk or...?"
Pao -
He smiled at the kiss but kept his focus on the address until it was finally all entered and they were ready to go. "Yep..." and again the brunette paused to pull them out of the spot, off the lot, and onto the road.
"Uh, I just asked a higher ranked Lifer, to be honest. Try your luck at the labs? Or...ask Melvin?" He was in Life, right?"
Aria -
"Oh, hey yeah. I'll ask Melvin, see if he knows someone I can pay to get this runic'd. Brilliant suggestion as always, love." She looked, once again, quite pleased, and she tucks the packaging down and out of sight, so that it won't tempt people while they're at the Costco.
She settles in for the ride, her hand sliding to gently massage his shoulder a little as they went. Once they got to the Costco, however, she hopped out, and collected the duffles for the shopping, and popped them on her shoulder, then turned to walk with him to the door. "Do we want one membership, in one of our names, or two? I don't think we can add secondary people to our account, or if we can, it costs extra."
Pao -
The massage was much appreciated, and it showed in his quiet, very contented sighs and the satisfaction on his face. It was still sometimes hard to believe, at least when he really compared life now and life before, that someone as amazing as Seren was in love with a guy like him. "Thanks, love," he said just as they got out of the car, and then when they were ready and the car was locked they headed inside.
"Let's see if we can add a secondary on the account, first? Even if it costs something it'd be cheaper than making two separate accounts." Unfortunately he didn't know how the whole membership thing worked either so he didn't have a solid answer for her. He kept hold of her hand as they went, though his eyes were up at the huge warehouse.
Aria -
She was always happy to give him massages, or kisses, or whatever to make him happy and relaxed... He made her happy, just by being in her life, so it was something she always wanted to do for him in turn. He was the center of her world, these days, even with Dai in the picture. "Anytime, babe. Any time, as long as I'm able." She said, with loving emphasis.
She twined her fingers with his as soon as he took her hand, and looked around, then saw the Membership desk, near the exit for some reason. It made no sense to her, but she led them over to the line. Soon they were at the front, where the clerk explained that it was $60 per card. They could have a joint Business account, making it legal for them to use stuff for resale, which Seren nodded at, but did not comment on how impossible it would be for Costco to track if they did that on Deus, but the thought amused her at the back of her head, or two seperate 'Gold Star' accounts, which didn't have the resale rules, but it would still be $120 either way.
Seren considered, then murmured to him "What do you think?"
Pao -
Rhys had his eyes on the giant sign hung behind the membership desk as the clerk explained everything, and he nodded along and sort of multi-tasked between listening, reading, and considering their options. Ultimately, when Seren asked for his thoughts, he turned to her and simply shrugged.
"If it's all the same I kinda like the idea of a joint Business account, but...I mean, it's all the same so I guess it doesn't really matter."
Aria -
She chuckled softly, and nodded. "All right, babe. I'm good with that." She took the form the clerk handed them, and began to fill out her info, pulling out her ID and 'ssn card' as needed, and then asking for his when she needed that too. Once it was filled out, the clerk took it, and began to enter the info into the system. When she was ready, Seren also paid for the membership, and said "You can pay for the renewal, yeah?" With a loving smile at him.
Once this was done, they were sent to stand and get their photos taken for the cards, then handed their brand spanking new Costco cards. She grinned, and once they were all done, darted out, got a cart, flashed her card at the entrance, and headed in, her eagerness clearly broadcasted.
Pao -
He was barely halfway to pulling out his debit card when she handed hers over, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her proposal. "Sounds fair," he grinned, and then waited patiently as they went through the hole process. He was still putting his card away when he looked up and noticed that Seren was already halfway to the door, and he was that far behind her the entire time, amusement very clear on his face.
Once inside he picked up his pace until he caught up to her, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So what are we getting first?"
Aria -
"Blankets and pillows! Then the Whiteboard Calendar. Then... Hmmm, you have the list, right?" She glanced at him, her blue eyes glittering with bright happiness and excitement. "I just... I'm excited, and I don't even know why." She paused, then shrugged a little under his arm, in a thoughtful way. "Maybe it's cause it's my first time here, and... I mean, sure, it's just a giant warehouse, but..."
She gazed around for a moment, noting things like big flat screen tvs for pretty cheap, and all the clothes in the middle, the many aisles of THINGS. "It was another one of those things families did together, I guess?" She finally finished out loud. In her head was the thought that he was the family she needed, her life partner... and someone she got to do family things with, finally.
Pao -
The amusement in his smile wasn't one he could, or even wanted to, hide. Seeing her so happy and excited was something he now lived for, and before he pulled his phone out to show her the list he had he pulled her in to press a soft and very loving kiss to her cheek.
"No need to explain it to me, baby. I'm happy you're so stoked." He quickly pulled up the list on his phone and handed it to her. "The list, as promised. Maybe we could just work our way through all the aisles one by one, pick up what we need as we go? That way we're not going back and forth and stuff."
Aria -
She blushed, happily, and hugged him tight, glad to know he wasn't embarrassed by her eagerness and exuberance. She sighed softly, and took his phone to peer over the list. "All right, yeah that works. You wanna push the cart, or manage the list?" She slipped her arm around his waist while they talked.
They managed to get pretty far through the shopping, and then hit the fridge section. She sighed, softly, wishing they had a private fridge to put things into. "I wish we had a place to store cheese." She said, wistfully, eying the cheese selection.
Pao -
He took on cart duty and happily followed her as they made their way through the store, filling it up as they went. When they finally stopped in the fridge section and she said that, he eyed the decently priced mini fridges and gave her a nudge.
"We can grab the smallest one and probably get it runic'd for not too much, if you really want one? Treat it as a Christmas gift for our room."
Aria -
She blinked, and then hugged him tight, then said "That would be awesome, but how quick will the runic'ing be? Might not be able to buy cheese and stuff until January. But if so... cheese, baby. And crackers. That would be awesome. Could keep cold water, and stuff like that in it?"
She leaned her head onto his shoulder as they talked, her voice low for the purposes of all the normal people around them.
Pao -
"Probably a few days?" he grinned as he hugged her back, adding in a kiss to the top of her head before she could pull away too far. "The cheese would have to wait 'til January but we could shove cold water and other stuff into it that needs refrigerating, too, for sure."
He wheeled them over to the smallest one he could see and pointed at it. "This one look okay to you?"
Aria -
She smiled up at him for the kiss, and nodded, then picked it up, and put it in the cart. "This is perfect. We can see if whoever does my kindle will do the fridge, too." She grinned and said "Onwards to the baked goods, then the not-refrigeration required foods, yeah?"
She wrapped her arms around his waist, and gets them going again, grabbing the muffins she wanted, then into the snack aisles. She looked thoughtful, then said "How much of this, ya think, would be good for keeping on hand if we wanna barter for something? Or is it even worth it?"
Pao -
Now in the snack aisle he felt a little tempted to grab ten of everything, but he fought down the urge and considered her question instead. "Might be good to have maybe...5 of those variety packs of the snack sized bags? For bartering and offering to people if they ever came over?"
Like Joy, for instance, or Dai...or any other friends she might invite into their tiny space. The idea of entertaining made him want that house in towns that much sooner…
Aria -
She considered his suggestion, then nodded and added "And we should grab extras of the ones we like so we have plenty, even when we're bartering some off, or sharing. Sounds like a plan." She imagined the day she could have a kitchen stocked with snacks... and things to make even better snacks with.
"What's your favorites, babe?"
Pao -
He manned the cart as they went down the huge aisle lined with snacks and such, nodding along to the plan. At her question he turned his head to look at her, thinking on it a moment before ultimately saying, "Doritos, kale chips, and any kind of nuts are my snacks of choice."
And then there was a pause before he added, "And kettle corn."
Aria -
"Kale chips? Never tried them. Ok. Doritos, though, are the ******** bomb." She tilted her head, curiously, as she looked at him for a moment. "Kettle corn is good. Why the pause before you brought it up?" She leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes focused on his face, a loving smile on her lips.
"As for me, outside of the doritos... Sweets are my thing."
Pao -
"They are the ******** bomb," he laughed lightly as they went down the aisle slowly. "And I was tryin'a think of anything else I like to munch on without really thinking, so a little delay." When they got to where their planned chips to buy were at he started loading up the cart.
"Sweets? Like me?" he asked, obviously joking but still waggling his brows at her.
Aria -
She laughed and nodded. "I'll have to try them, then. You generally like stuff I find good, so it should be something I'd like, right?" She helped load up, making sure to snag a couple of packs that had the salsa verde flavor in it, because that was her favorite, then turned back to him, her brows lifting.
"You're my favorite sweet, dearest, but we're in public, I can't." She responded, teasingly, before, removing the items they'd gotten so far from the list, while watching for his reaction with her peripheral vision.
Pao -
"I meant that Doritos are the ********' bomb, but you can try the kale chips too, babe. Healthier snack option kinda thing."
He moved toward her, brows now knit together and his cheeks just a little bit pink as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her toward him. "What, why the hell not?" he asked, only waiting long enough for her to finish checking things off of their list before leaning down for a slow kiss.
Aria -
She laughed and grinned. "Good to know you'll share, love." She said, and saved the updated list, before sliding it in her pocket.
Just in time too, given his actions, though the pink she saw pleased her greatly. She kissed him back, arms around his shoulder. She gave him a good 30 seconds, before breaking the kiss to lean up and whisper into his ear "Because I was referencing something naughtier, my handsome man, and this is far too public for that." In an even more teasing tone, before gently pulling free. She winked, and then headed down the aisle, a naughty little smirk on her lips.
Pao -
The whisper sent a little shiver down his spine, and he watched her walk off with an appreciate look on his blushing face feeling still like the luckiest guy on the planet for being the one that she loved. He wheeled the cart on after her, catching up in the sweets aisle. He moved to stand beside her, a hand still on the cart as he leaned down to whisper in her ear this time.
"Does that mean there's a 'just public enough' kinda space that would work for you?"
Aria -
She was examining the variety of sweets on offer by the time he caught up, a look of enthusiasm on her face at the variety. She glanced up, and listened to his words, her brows raising, and then, with a slight smile, she said, simply, "Maaaaaaaaaaaybe." Before leaning over to grab a box of Snickers, and put it in the cart. She glanced at the sour candies on offer, and made a moue of displeasure at not finding her favorite Twin Snakes, but did grab a bag of Haribo gummy bears.
She then turned to the baked sweets, glancing them over, before dismissing them... until she found the Pocky packages. She considered them, then grinned and grabbed them, because she could add some of them to the gift card to Terry and Kim, and it would feel, she hoped, more personal.
Pao -
Her answer left him gawking after her for a moment, following quietly with the cart in tow as his mind filled with a variety of setting options. It was something he'd never really given a whole lot of thought, given that last time they did that outside of their bedroom was at the cliffs, so his mind wandered quite a bit, causing his cheeks to become a darker shade of pink the more he thought about it.
Aria -
She finished grabbing the sweets she wanted, and headed for the shampoo, and all. She stocked up on her favorites, and then, noticing the color his face was slowly becoming suffused with, she put them in the cart, and walked over to him, before murmuring "Get your mind off it, baby. You don't want everyone thinking you're sick, do you?" She kissed his cheek, and then added in a normal tone "Wanna grab your hair products before we leave? Stock up?"
Pao -
Her voice thankfully snapped him out of it, and he blinked and nodded a bit, moving to grab his own hygiene products and setting them in the cart before moving them right along to the next items on their list. He kept quiet for a while, part out of embarrassment and part because he was focusing on keeping it off of his mind like she suggested. His face was back to normal now at least, and he blankly stared at the contents of their cart.
"What's next?" he eventually thought to ask as he mentally made note of what all they had so far.
Aria -
"Next is check out, and ordering the pizza. I think we can do that at the checkout, along with the rest of this stuff, and then pick it up?" She said, though she sounded uncertain about the last part. "Then time to head out." She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked to the checkout lines. She managed to find an unusually short one, and got them into it.
When they got to the front, she asked about the ordering, and it turned out she was right, so she turned to him and said "What do you want to order, babe?"
Pao -
"Just the pizza," he answered, giving a polite smile to the lady behind the counter as thanks for answer their questions as newbies to Costco, "works for me. Unless we're sharing, then maybe two pizzas?"
Rhys smirked and started setting their things on the belt to start getting checked out, and once he got that done, minus the mini-fridge because there was no sense in taking out a big, sort of heavy box like that only to put it back after taking barely a second to scan it, he stood and waited by the front, watching their total amount go higher with each item scanned.
Aria-12/26/2017
"I mean, I definitely wanted pizza too, so if you need a whole one, babe, then two. Just... I meant what kind, goof?" She helped unload the cart, her expression a soft smile. "Like... pepperoni, combo... so on. But if we're getting two, maybe 1 combo, and then one of whatever you wanted?" She then moved towards the register.
Pao -
"I meant share with other people," he laughed, glancing over at her with a bright expression. "If it's just you and me, just one is fine. And flavor...anything except plain cheese?"
Aria -
"OH no, this is just for us, silly." She gave his cheek a kiss, then whispered into his ear "But maybe we can take preorders next time with a small fee to bring them back for the desperate?" In a half joking, half serious tone. She then settled back and spoke in a normal tone. "Combo, then. A little bit of all the good things, right?" She paused, then considered all this stuff. They never settled who was going to pay for the purchases this time. She half sighed, wishing it was just a joint account, because then they'd both be paying.
Pao -
He chuckled at the whisper and nodded along when she picked the flavor, eyeing the clerk to see if she was getting annoyed at all at the two of them. "Combo sounds good, babe," he said, turning to give her a little kiss. "So for Costco runs, we could switch off? I'll pay now, you can get the next one?" There was also a part of him that wanted a joint account for this kind of thing.
Aria -
"Excellent. Combo it is!" She said to the clerk, with a warm and friendly smile. "Thank you for your patience!" If the clerk had been annoyed, at all, at them, it seemed to be gone when Seren looked. The woman nodded and began to ring up their total. Seren turned back to Rhys and considered him thoughtfully, then gave a nod. "Like with the membership fees. Yeah, that's totally fair, babe. I like it."
She leaned against him, and waited while he paid, then moved the cart, which had been reloaded with their now duffled purchases (other then the fridge of course) over to the window where people could watch the pizzas being made. She was focused on the machine that put the sauce on the pizzas, her eyes bright and eager.
Pao -
He settled beside her, sliding his arm around her waist and keeping her close, glancing at their cart now and again to make sure it was still there. He didn't want to break her focus on watching the machines and such, so he watched as well, amused at how automated it all was and yet it still came out super tasty. It wasn't too long before their number was finally called though, and he slipped away to go grab it, then set it inside their cart.
"Ready to go, babe?"
Aria -
She leaned against him, almost absently, happy to have him here while she got to indulge in her fascination with the machines. She did glance up when he left, then realized why, so went back to watching until he returned. She turned and grabbed the cart. "Yeah, let's go. You got the receipt out still?" She nodded to the person who was checking them at the exit.
Once they got to the front, and he flashed it, she led them back to the car, and helped him load up. Once everything was in, she turned, gave him a BIG kiss, then headed to her seat.
Pao -
He settled in very happily in the driver's seat, glancing over at her with a loving look on his face before he started the car and got them going again. It was on the way back to the car rental place that he thought to ask, "So is a car 'just public enough' or still a little too public?"
Aria -
She began to laugh and said "Depends on where we're stopped, really. But since the idea is to take the stuff in the car to the pick up point, then you take the car back..." Her brows rose a little, and she looked at the time, thoughtfully. "Rather then make the poor car rental people have to clean upholstery, how about we make use of that nice fenced in area, when you return?" She tilted her head, a small smirk on her face.
Pao -
He was smirking at her answer, more amused at her concern for the rental car people than at the answer itself, and he looked over at her with narrowed eyes as he considered the offer. "So that fenced in area's nice and private enough even if it's open space because...no foot traffic?"
Aria -
"Indeed... but people will still get a hint, odds are, so it's not totally a secret. The car would be, if say, parked on a quiet side street, but... in a busy shopping center lot, not so much? I really don't want to have to deal with the police for indecent exposure, or what have you, or get us banned from some place permanently. That's my main concern." She shrugged. She checked her Kindle as they spoke, making sure the stuff she had ordered while they were in the Costco had downloaded fully, then turned it off, to prevent issues before it got runic'd.
Pao -
Her reasoning was as sound as always, and he nodded along as he considered that for a moment. "We've still got plenty of time, right? Our 24 hours wouldn't technically be up until tomorrow morning sometime, so a motel would be better than a fenced in area if we really wanted to," he said, slowing down to a stop at a red light. He glanced over to make sure her hand was free before reaching to take hold of it.
"Or we could just save some money and go home. Since we're here, though, if you wanna explore a little more, we could?”
Aria -
She calmly twined her fingers with his and shrugged, smiling lovingly at him. "We have plenty of time, yeah. But I'd rather save the money, if you wanna have the privacy of a bedroom. I just was giving you an idea of what level of public I'd put up with, when havin' time of that nature with you. You asked, after all."
She leaned her head back, perfectly content with where she was in her life at this moment, her eyes half closed as she gazed down the street.
Pao -
"Works for me," he smiled softly as he pulled her hand up to give it a little kiss, then gradually pressed the gas to get them going again when the light turned green. "Not feeling too adventurous right now, at least not with all this stuff in tow. Not that I'd say 'no' if something changed between now and when we get there." Ultimately he shrugged and sat back, a content smile on his face as well.
Aria -
She caressed his cheek with her thumb, when he kissed her hand, then relaxed as they headed back to the field. "Sounds good to me. I'm happy either way, gorgeous." When they got back, she helped unload the stuff, and pulled it into the field, then settled down to wait while he returned the car. She wondered how they were supposed to tell Deus they were ready for an early pick up, though. Did they text someone?
Pao -
He was back in no time, hands in his pockets as he made his approach. "So we text the tech, I think, so we can get back early," he said as soon as he was standing beside her again, and then he glanced behind him to make sure there were no eyes looking in on the strange pair and their pile of Costco purchases in the middle of a fenced in area.
"Would've done it on the way over, but wanted to be here to make sure I didn't miss it. You remember the guy's name?"
Aria -
She was glad the fence was a nice, big wooden fence, cause it kept most viewers from seeing anything. When he made it back through the gate, she grinned and listened, then pulled him into a loving kiss, before responding. "Bob Smith, I think? Something like that. Generic sort of name, poor man." She stepped back, pulled out her phone and found the poor guy, and texted him to say they were ready. She got a confirmation text, and a warning that it would be up in 2 minutes.
"Let's gather the stuff!" She picked up all of her shopping bags, and the larger of the two duffles, hoping he could manage the small one and the mini fridge in one trip. If not, she would set her stuff down, and dart back through to grab whichever he hadn't managed. It was pretty bulky, that box, after all.
Pao -
Bob Smith...
He snorted at the name, smiling as he kept his arms around her as she took care of getting in contact with Bob to get them that portal early. Once that was done and she said to get the stuff ready he finally let her go and got the refrigerator first, and then the last bag just in time for the portal to show up.
He let her through first and then followed right after, nodding at Bob before they headed back to their room. They went a bit slower because of the mini fridge but they were in their room soon enough and he set the fridge down first, then his bag, and then he unloaded his pack and flopped onto the bed, groaning as he finally got to relax.
"Heavy after a while," he said, still working to catch his breath.
Aria -
She got all her stuff settled down, and nodded, unwilling to argue. She wasn't as out of breath as him, but that might be because of hauling around Diwata... She'd gotten used to doing a lot of movement, at this point, with heavy weights in her arms. She considered him, then carefully put things away, making sure he couldn't see where she hid his present, or what it was. Once everything was away, she went over to the bed, and began to massage his shoulders to help him relax.
Pao -
It wasn't as bad as he made it out to be, but it did make him feel like he needed to be hitting the gym more, or that he needed to up his weights again to challenge himself a little more. Either way, when she started massaging him he smiled and looked up at her. "Thank you, love," he murmured, but still reached up and took her hands in his, giving each one a kiss and resting them on his cheeks instead.
"I'm alright, though. Just need a second."
Aria -
She smiled down at him and ran her fingers along his cheeks, her eyes soft. "All right, baby. As long as you're ok." She climbed onto the bed, kicking her shoes off, before shifting so that she was laying against him, and gave him a soft, loving kiss, happy to be back, and safe in their room again. After she broke the kiss, she murmured "Nap time, babe..." Before snuggling in close, and drifting off to sleep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
