Yasha nodded softly, watching her closely throughout the two minutes that passed them. "Excellent. Now push the thought of both the gummy worms and the heat from your mind and allow your thoughts to come freely once more. Remember, give shape to what comes to your mind–let the hands of your consciousness mold them like clay."

"T-This is weird..." Yoon mumbled underneath her breath with knitted eyebrows. Her hands were unknowingly getting colder, but ironically the rest of her body felt extremely hot. Her palms radiated a stiff and bitterly icy breeze that heavily contrasted Yasha's, to the point where the very tips of her fingers were turning a darker blue. Yoon's brows fidgeted uncomfortably, not understanding how one could possibly give shape or mold any thoughts. The difficulty of comprehending it irritated her the point that the kitchen faucet bursted on with water at full pressure, which made Yoon yelp and open her eyes altogether. The pain from not feeling her hands finally came to her at once. "O-O-OW! OWOWOWOWOW!" She shook them, the darkness of the frostbite expanding across her fingers which made her freak out.

Yasha observed Yoon, watching her lips move very slightly when she mumbled. But it was the cold that she felt drifting from Yoon's hands that caught her attention. However, she allowed it to continue, her brows furrowed as she watched carefully. She watched as the color of Yoon's fingers grew darker and darker in the shade of blue that they had become. Her ears caught the sound of the faucet in the kitchen coming on, but her attention remained on the Keeper in front of her. It wasn't until the Yoon finally came around to opening her eyes and noticing what was occurring that she nodded with a "Hmm."

When Yoon began to panic and the frostbite began to spread, it was then that Yasha finally rested her palms onto Yoon's. And when she did so she spoke strangely, the outwordly reverberation of her words following as they did so often in magic use. "Exshanga spiritus healios." The frostbite looked as if it hardened into something solid and shell like, the pain becoming a feeling that felt quite literally like it was lifting away from Yoon's fingers. The shell that the frostbite had become cracked and began to chip away slowly. "Don't move your fingers until the shells
However, now it was Yasha's fingers that began to inherited what had been the frostbitten state of Yoon's. She lifted them so that the light could allow her to see the condition of them. But something that was different is that on hers, it didn't spread. "What do you believe happened to you just a moment ago?" She asked, her voice rather calm.

Yoon blinked, still panting at what had just happened. “What I think—WHAT I THINK?! I think magic almost made me lose my hands!” She exclaimed with paranoid eyes. She frowned. “I don’t like this, I thought I could teleport anywhere like that dude from The Avengers, not die in a snowstorm!”

"Now think of that outcome, and multiply it by everyone around you." Yasha said monotonously. "Magic isn't some toy that's meant to be trifled with. Not a pet nor an object. It is a substance of life, the expression of a soul. Something that requires raising, much like a child. And in the case of those who are able to channel magic, it is the extension of self." She held up her frostbitten fingers. "There was a reason that I made this your first lesson. If you cannot control yourself, then you will lack control of what you seek to draw from yourself and in turn only destruction will be the outcome. The purpose of this was to allow you to see this for yourself. Experience it. Remember this moment well, Yoon." Her fingers moved stiffly as she curled them towards her palm, and all at once, the frostbitten skin tore away in shreds to reveal the healed and lightly discolored skin beneath.

"But there is also another point of reasoning of we started here. I needed to gauge how strict your training will have to be to ensure that you will succeed in at least becoming familiar with the basics," Yasha explained, resting her hands on her lap now. "And as of now, you are far from being able to accomplish the use of even simple spells with the use of your will alone. Very far. Which is why I have taken the time to supply you with a conductor." She took the still wrapped gift from the floor and placed it into Yoon's hands as the shell of dead frostbitten skin fell away from her fingers.

Yoon frowned. “W-Well I’m sorry for disappointing you with this terribly gone wrong first impression of... magic...” She said the word distastefully with a hint of fear behind it. “I still think this is all a big misunderstanding and you’ve got the wrong person.” Yoon said in reference to her being a keeper. However, her eyes widened some once the gift was placed on her hands, cringing a little when she witnessed the dead skin fall off her fingers. She gagged internally, focusing her attention on the present. She stared at it for a good few seconds before mumbling a humble thank you to her, slowly unwrapping the box.

"There is no disappointment where failure was to be expected. After all, this is only your first real experience with your magic. And as I've told you once before in the past, your abilities alone have proven that you are indeed one of the Keepers. This is fate." Yasha watched as Yoon began to open her present, remembering that she had left the other two out in the car. "Excuse me for a moment." She stood up and went to the door, opening it and closing it behind her just as swiftly.

Meanwhile, as Yoon unwrapped the thin box a strange smell of berries and charcoal seeped into the air. Once open, she would find an object that at first appeared to be a barkless stick, smooth stick. However with one closer look, there were somewhat intricate rings of bronze that were two inches or so apart from one another with last two being closer together. Under the last ring, there was a different grade of wood all together that was darker and looked like a handle of some sort, the very bottom of it a hexagonal shape.

“....a stick?” Yoon mumbled to herself with perplexed eyes. She looked around for a second, her attention drawing back to the odd present. “Is this supposed to be a substitute for coal?” Yoon gently rolled her eyes. “Ha-ha, very funny. My mom would love you as a back scratcher. Or maybe I can jab the eyes out of my stupid brother.”

"10.3 inches long, crafted from bronze, clay, Himalayan salt, cypress and red oak wood along with a few strands of your hair." Yasha's voice came from the kitchen, the faucet being turned off suddenly. "Enchanted as well. So I wouldn't recommend scratching your mother's back with it. And I would think that it would be rather harsh to think of stabbing your relative in the eyes with it." She walked from the kitchen with the other two gifts in hand, placing them on the table.

“Eeep!” Yoon jolted at the sudden voice that entered the atmosphere. “Gah, stop doing that! And my hair?! Where did you get my hair?!” She exclaimed with more and more questions rising. “...wait a minute... is this like... a magic wand? Like... that wand from Cinderella?”

"I don't know what or who that is, Yoon," Yasha leaned against the table slightly. "The wand is indeed magic. However, it is made specifically for your magic. In order for you to cast even simplistic spells, you will need it until you're able to manage your mana, which I will also be teaching you during the combat portion of your teachings."

“You don’t know Cinderella?! The classic Disney movie? Like... probably the most famous one? She loses a shoe and everything!” Yoon explained, shocked that Yasha had no clue what she was talking about. “S-So this stick is supposed to help contain my utterly disappointing magic? What happens if I accidentally sit on it and break it?”

"Then it will snap in half and cause a ripple within your magic that with evaporate everything around you without hesitation. So a solution to such a thing is to not sit on it." Yasha's answer was almost snide, and though she smiled, it couldn't be told if she were joking or not. She grabbed the thicker wrapped present brought it over to her. "You will also be using this often."

Yoon’s eyes squinted with hints of questioning and doubt. “Hmmm... a nice warning, I suppose.” With this information, she put her wand down on the table and decided not to really touch it unless absolutely necessary. When she was given another gift, her head tilted slightly. “A-Another—“ She was forced to take it, sitting down on the rug with it and carefully peeling off the wrap. “Seriously Yasha, you didn’t have to do all of this... but it is appreciated...”

"But I did, Yoon. Especially when its something detrimental to your overall progress," Yasha replied. "I'm...glad you appreciate it." However, there was also a part of her that was glad that she was the one to be able to give Yoon her first items that dealt with magic. However, she herself didn't know if it was due to it solely being because of the fact that it was needed.

As Yoon came around to pulling all of the wrapping off of the thick shape that it hid, the soft leathery brown of a book was uncovered. Its cover was covered in strange patterns that filled the edges and the rectangular crease that held an even stranger patterns of shapes and lines. Within the rectangle was was a circle of what appeared to be gold that had an eight point star and a mimicked version of that very star that was in the middle of that one. Buttons of the same small and gold looking rocks were printed into a iron circle that surrounded it. On the side of it was a lock that could secure the innards of the book if the owner so pleased it to be.

"This is your grimoire. Though I couldn't bring all of the components together to make a proper one, this should do for the time being. Within this, spells you will learn will be placed after your signature of mana has been placed upon it." Yasha explained this while retrieving the last gift from the table. "It goes hand-in-hand with your wand."

(The Grimoire)

"w-wait... this... this is a spell-book?" Yoon blinked, lifting her attention to Yasha. "I-Isn't that what... you know... evil witches use?" She whispered at the very end with a worried expression. "W-What if I accidentally summon a d-demon or like make zombies come to life!" She immediately placed the book on the table. "I-It's too dangerous!"

Yasha sighed. "Yoon for the last time, everything that you've seen on television isn't exactly true. While there are indeed evil witches, some of the greatest mages of history have owned grimoires, some having many of them. Grimoires not only contain spells, but they also can act as a source to both store and draw magic from. Necromancy requires a different variety of Grimoire entirely, so raising the dead is out of the question. To be brief, the books is as dangerous as the owner allows it to be."

"Well soRRY but everything I grew up being shown says otherwise. I wasn't planning on an actual sorcerer to educate me on these means." She rolled her eyes softly and placed the wand on top of the book. Staring at it, Yasha could see the sadness in her eyes and face. She had no other choice but to accept this as her new life. A frown deepened on her face, but she tried hiding it with a fake smile so Yasha wouldn't think her gifts weren't appreciated. "...thanks..." She chuckled dryly. "Um... I... I couldn't have gotten such things from anyone else... I'll be... I'll be sure to get into my studies on the grimoire whenever I have the time..." Her fingers twiddled behind her back, but she smiled with closed eyes.

Yasha was silent a moment, but then ended up snickering to herself a little. She thought of telling Yoon that there would be know point in studying blank pages since grimoires only reacted to two things: the owner's mastery of spells, and the state of their mana. But she also wondered where the fun in such an action would be, and so she thought against it. "Now that we're done here I think it's time for us to depart to our next destination."

Yoon groaned. "Why do we have to go there again? I honestly just see it as a waste of gas unless she gives us free gummy bears." She tossed away her juice box and decided to wear a beanie to add on another layer onto her body. "Can't we just... you know... stay here.... and watch a movie... and eat... and sleep..."

"The Keeper, Yoon," Yasha reminded her sternly, but not as much so as she would have before. "While it is tempting and I'd assume in some way related to today's holiday, there are more important things afoot than that in which you could do any other day. If it satisfies you, you won't have to stay after we arrive as long we arrive."

"That pink-haired lady?! She's not a keeper! She looks... too weird to be one. What keeper has pink hair?!" She exclaimed. "No no, I'll stay or else you're gonna get mad at me and my moms gonna rub that all over my face. Plus, I need to treat you to a meal and get you a present! What do you want for Christmas? Please tell me."

"Nothing. Your mother has already gifted me with something," Yasha pointed to the hat that Mrs. Park had given her. She spoke of it as if it were equal to every gift that she had given. "But to answer your question, no. The counter clerk was not the one that I was referring to. However, I believe that she will have a part in finding the person in question. Also, it's not really necessary to treat me to any meal. I found that they have a jar in which there is crunchy peanut butter blended with jam. That will do."

"Yeah well... If I tell my mom that she's gonna hit me with this wand or use that tea kettle you got her to break my head open." Yoon commented. "And as much as I love junk food, you can't live off crunchy peanut butter with jam forever. At least let me pay you back what you spent. And that hat is nowhere near a gift, it was like 50 cents and it may or may not have lice." She grabbed her things and prepared to leave. "What do you like? There must be something." She opened the door.

"Sometimes I cannot seem to tell whether you're exaggerating or not." Yasha commented on the bit about Yoon being hit over the head the tea kettle. As they headed out the door, she shook her head. 'I want this holiday hat that your mother has gifted me with. It matters not how much it costs, but the gesture in which the gift was given. And if it has lice, then I will wash it using methods bound to clean it thoroughly many times over." She paused for a moment. "And for your information, I do not attempt to survive on peanut butter and jam. There is bread as well."

"oH fOrGiVe mE yOuR HiGhNeSs." Yoon spoke sarcastically, closing and locking the door once they exited. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder before she started her walk toward the elevator they came up on. From a distance, she raised her hand in which she held the keys and exclaimed: "I'm getting ya something whether you like it or not!" She wasn't sure what yet, but maybe if she did research on magical creatures she could figure what she would want.

Yasha gave a small eye roll at Yoon's persistence, commenting on her former comment. "Let's hope that won't be the tone that you would dare to take with those of actually royalty less you'd want your new alias to be 'Yoonie the Headless Dwelf'." She straightened the minor wrinkles in her clothes and tucked some strands of hair behind her right ear. "I suppose once your mind is set, there's no changing it then hm? Very well then, but your search for a gift comes after our business is taken care of."

"Call me that again and we're going to have some SERIOUS problems." The 5'3 woman said. Her brows furrowed with a frown, debating if the elevator doors would crush her if she pressed the button at the right time. She rolled her eyes herself, entering the machine once it opened and pressing the designated button. With elbows crossed, she leaned against the wall, blowing a few strands of hair out of the way as she waited.

Before she knew it, both her and Yasha were in the car driving to their next destination. Yoon kept her grandma-pace driving skills, which she refused to change out of fear they'd crash into something.

By now, Yasha had–though she still wasn't very fond of it of course–at least gotten used to Yoon's snail paced driving while they were on the road. Every now and then she would lift her phone to her eyes, her brows furrowing in dismay. She glanced over at Yoon for a second or two, her eyes averting in thought before she turned back to look out the window. "It has never really occurred to me until now that you remind me of someone from home," she said, her words easing across the light silence within the car. "Whether that can be taken as an asset or a liability on the other hand, is oblivious to me."

“I do not know if you are being genuine or if this is just the racism from the human you took over emerging.” She said casually as if she’s had to deal with such thing for a long time. “For the record, Koreans look nothing alike to Japanese. And if you’re debating between liability or asset from us hopefully They’re the liability one.” She shook her head at the thought while taking another right turn. She turned on her blinkers as they approached the gas station.

Yasha gave a scoff that transitioned into laughter. "Correct me if I may be wrong, but that sounds a bit racist within itself. But I must say, it is a bit more difficult to distinguish your ethnicity from those that are so similar in appearance and culture. But rest assured, my words are genuine. Though I do wonder if Koreans and other groups alike were truly one tribe or civilization. I've been assuming that it may have been a strong possibility, but considering that the humans here seem many times less...cooperative, with one another..it may be just as unlikely."

As they were pulling into the gas station's lot, Yasha was pulling out a single dollar bill–a ten dollar bill that she gave to Yoon once the car was in park. And along with it came items. "Smoothies, jolly ranchers, and whatever you may desire with what's left from the bill," She opened her door, removing her seat belt. "While you're gathering those, I'll be speaking with the clerk."

Walking down the street with an E-Cig between her lips, Sammy kept her hands clenched in her pockets and her eyes straight forward, barely gazing around the sights around her, what little there were to her. She was wearing one of her bizarre attires, a black cap, red oval shades, a long sleeve top that showed off her stomach, tight black pants with the bottom unzipped, and boots with heels. What some considered garish, she thought it had a style to it, as she found enjoyment in many strange things just for them being unique. She was surprised to wear this uniform earlier than she expected, but decided to given how warm it was in Florida compared to Ohio.
As she was walking, taking in the unfamiliar heat for the winter season in Orlando, she looked over at a small gas station just to her right. It was a rather small place, seeing only a single car with two people pulling in. Taking a drag on her cig, she let the mist escape from her mouth before putting the pen into her pocket. She took out a small note from her pocket, reading the words on it while her lips worded the phrases.
"Four cans of Red Bull, six cans of Arizona green tea, twelve packs of Ramen, toothpaste, toilet paper" She stopped and shuttered slightly at the thought of having no toilet paper like one dreaded spring that will not be named. She continued "Loaf of bread, two bags of Funyons, and a large smoothie... Jeez, Mason. Would it kill you to at least come and give me a hand". She let out a sigh as she put the note back into her pocket and walked inside to do her shopping

((Since we're pretty much waiting on Jade now, I'm just gonna do a 'Meanwhile' thing I guess.))

[Meanwhile, elsewhere in Florida–]
[Viktor]

"In more recent news, it seems as if the bad omens that have plagued the state of Florida has continued to make a ever so darkening mark. Just a few days ago, a horrid tragedy unlike any other struck when twenty-seven year old Trevor Straford was found mutilated just three blocks away from his town home in Miami. There hasn't been much information to be gathered yet since the beginning of the investigation, and the sheer oddity of such a disturbing case has so far left officials scratching their heads. The sheriff of the MPD–"

The television flashed to a black screen, the ginger-red haired woman that spoke being muted as her image upon the display disappeared along with the sound of her voice to the dismay of those that were watching. Groans and utterances of annoyance came shortly after.

"Hey bud what gives?!" A man at one of the middle bar stools snapped his head towards the bartender, bushy grey eyebrows pressed together and the thin lips behind his scraggly beard twisting his expression into a alcohol induced glare. One of the regulars there to drank the rest of his life down to the bottom of the barrel.

"Yeah? Well so were alotta people," Viktor hissed bitterly, his attention not going to the man while his hands worked with a brown cloth to dry out a couple of shot glasses. His hands were trembling lightly, unable to be quelled into stillness.
It had been over the news for days, the death of Trevor. It felt like it was only just yesterday that they had been leaving the bar with too much Brandy in their systems to barely walk straight. It was bizarre, all of it. From Trevor's death, to the way it had supposedly occurred, down to nightclub that it was stated that his friend was in before death. And even now, as it was being aired on the news time and time again with updates that were going no where, he still denied it. It was all some sick joke and if anything, when everything was said and done he would get to kick Trevor's ass for wrecking the already shit car that he had.
But even through his denial, he couldn't stop the stomach wrenching feeling that almost brought him around to puking. He couldn't stop from waking up in freezing sweats, nightmares of how he had seen his car. The inside painted with red and chunks of damp bits that slowly oozed down the seats and slid quietly into puddles onto the floor in quick drips. It was as if some starving, ruthless, mindless thing had torn him to pieces with no remorse. What made it worse is that he couldn't shake the feeling that the person responsible had enjoyed it, and this brought him to a luckily small gag at the thought. At everything.

Paranoia had become his closest acquaintance over the past days since the incident as well. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched or followed, and found himself looking over his shoulder more than he ever had in his life. Deep down where hid the common sense telling him not only that Trevor was really gone, but that it was also somehow related to himself. And this brought a feeling of dread and fear that was thought to have been buried long ago and deep into the soil of the passed.

And now..it was all unearthing.

~

[Tampa, Florida]
[Caesar]

"–Si...Si...I'm going to try and stop by check on her today...Si, si si, I think it would help if you came as well. Okay, gracias hombre." Caesar hung up his phone, but stared at the screen for longer than needed. His head was spinning from the events of the passed two weeks. Hard times came by, and at the moment coming up with the money for rent and being unable to go back home to celebrate the holidays had become the least of his problems so far.

He let out a sigh, having to throw his hand over his mouth when it turned into a fit of coughs. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, already feeling the warm moisture that filled his palm. His chest felt like a hot iron struck it with a sharp blow that lingered. And with as fast as he tried to stand, he found himself being forced lean against the wall to stop the harsh throb from bringing him to the floor.

After a few minutes, he was able to get himself back under control and resentfully carry on about his day as planned.

((Then I will too, because bored XD))

Two blocks down from where Sammy was, a large black van sat on the shoulder of the road. The mirrors were stained with all sorts of muck and grim, as well as the grail and the tires of the van. The front bumper was slightly rusted, while the antenna on the side was bent. Inside the van, Mason sat in the driver's seat, writing down a few notes in his journal while Franz Ferdinand was playing on his phone. In his van rested an assortment of things. Sammy's blanket rested on the passenger seat, which was her bed that night after losing their bet. A small mattress rested in the back of the van, owned by Mason. Some of Sammy's insane fashion rested on the side, folded nicely, while the small amount of Mason's clothes were in a pile on the opposite side. All sorts of other knickknacks rested in the back of the van, from an acoustic guitar, tons of notebooks and drawing pads, a few empty wrappers and beer cans, poster peeling off the side of the van, and a single PSP that Sammy refused to part with. As Mason was waiting for Sammy, he took the time to write in his notes, wearing another of his sweaters that he felt cozy in. Looking over the writing, he nodded his head with a smirk, which slowly faded before he tore the paper from the notebook and threw it over his shoulder. "Nah, that's dumb." He said in a hushed tone as he started from the top.

[An Hour Earlier: [Raven]

"Christmas?! cHrIsTmAS!? What's supposed to be so good about it? It's just another day of the year where people celebrate some made up fat guy in a suit that goes around breaking into people's houses! Some kids don't even get presents–some people don't even get anything at all! Nothing, no matter what they do! Not a 'Hey, its been a while' or a 'How are you' or even a fucking 'Hey I just remembered that you were my CHILD and I'm sorry for being such a EGO TOTING CONTROLLING ASSHOLE WHO REFUSES TO AT LEAST TRY TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!'."
It took few seconds of having to regain her composure and steadying her breathing before Raven had found that she had stood up and began to pace throughout the entirety of her rant. It wasn't until then that a hint of embarrassment greeted the man that sat on the other side of the desk, clipboard resting firmly in his hands as he peered at her from over the top of his wiry framed glasses. "S-sorry.." She stuttered out in a mumble, quickly dropping back down into her seat. Her thumbs swiped across one another anxiously through the self-made holes in the thin long sleeves of her silver sweater.

"No, it's fine Raven. It is actually very good that you've opened yourself a bit further to the subject of your father with a clearer emotion. I've noticed that around these times of the year you tend to seclude yourself not only physically, but emotionally as well. There's clearly still a lot of anger residing in that bottle still, unable to free itself completely, which is definitely understandable given the circumstances."

Raven bit her lip slightly, shifting in discomfort. When it came to the falling out between her and her family, she always did. Especially when it came to her father specifically. Even regrettably remembering the sound of his yelling voice made her cringe sometimes. And now it felt like that rage that she felt was a fire thrown into the ocean, and she let her bangs fall in front of her face some. It was like a curtain that helped hide the deeply rooted shame that she felt as she could only give a nod to his statement. She watched as her therapist checked his timer and spoke to her again.

"I think that the issue is that you've never given yourself the chance to take these sorts of days for yourself and make your own better memories of what has been chiseled into the stone as 'Bad'. Considered as 'bad' due to early trauma that causes it to be so. With that being said, I believe that a beneficiary course of action would be for you to start by trying to enjoy the day for what it is. A holiday for gifting and awful singing that lightens up the day. Christmas lights, decorations and trees. I believe that enjoying the traditions of today's holiday would be a nice start. Have fun with friends, enjoy a get-together. Or if that's less your taste, try enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Its supposed to be a bit chilly later on today, so what better time would there be than the perfect time?"
-
Even as she was now stepping off the bus back on her side of town an our later, the words spoken between her and her therapist would be glued to the front of her mind.
So what better time would there be than the perfect time? When was the so called perfect time? The day where she had been thrown out into the cold like a flea infested dog that had become too much for the owner to handle? Her brows bunched together in frustration, her thinking face a light scowl towards her moving feet.
Usually she would have just gone straight home by now. But she took Dr. Hanes's suggestion–with a rock of salt with a squeeze of lemon of course–into consideration. He had been on of the sole reasons that she had been able to be as stable as she was–or at least what she considered as stable at the very least. And as much as every fiber of her being pulled her in the opposite direction entirely, something she couldn't really explained pushed her to take a chance. To do what exactly, she had no idea. But what she did know was that doing something based off of just a "feeling" alone scared the hell out of her.

Yoon rolled her eyes softly at Yasha's attempt of an excuse, unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping off the car. "Still don't know why we had to make a stop here." She mumbled to herself. When she went to give her the ten dollar bill, she shook her head and denied the offering, deciding she would pay things herself since it was the least that she could do. She adjusted her oversized hoodie some, hiding her hair within the hood since she felt much more secure like that. Walking in the small convenient store, she went straight for the candy aisle.

From the small aisle, Sammy was holding a large assortment of things in her hands, ranging from things on the list, to some of her own personal things, mostly a six pack of cheap beer and bottle of cheap liquor, as well as looking at the assortment of chocolates from the shelf, again, for herself. She was thankful that there wasn't any other customers in the store to see the sight of a woman with so much in her hands like she was ready to run out of the store without paying. That is until she heard the jingle of the store's door opening, fearing it was a cop or something. She turned her head, letting out a sigh of relief as she saw a girl with a hoodie on. "Thank god" she thought to herself, before she continued looking through the chocolate to satisfy her sweet tooth

While Yoon had entered the store, Yasha on the other hand had come to a stop just outside the door for a second or two when something crossed her mind and stuck as she finally stepped into the store. The jingling of the door's bell was something that she had gotten used to hearing, and so when it sounded off as she walked through the door, it didn't intrigue her as much as it had months ago.

While Yoon went to retrieve the few things that had crossed her mind when they arrived, Yasha wasted no time going straight to the counter with her hand already reaching into her pocket to retrieve the photo of who they were looking for.

~

"Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me! Stupid–" Raven let out a squeak, pain rising through her foot in a throb as she hopped on her opposite foot slightly. She glared at the tacky soda machine–which had taken her money and refused to give it back or give her her drink–and had half the mind to kick it again. I just wanted something to DRINK like oh my god, She thought, but then let out a frightened yelp when the machine responded with a few mechanical sounds, the thump of the bottled beverage coming shortly afterwards.
This left her blinking in confusion in perplexity. ..Oh...well I guess that must've done the– "Whoa!" She exclaimed, jumping back as three more of the sodas dropped out. And then six more. And then eight more, some of them different than the one she originally wanted.

But it wasn't until the slot where the dollar bills were inserted began to spew them all up and back out did she stagger back, wide eyed and confused as to what was happening. She found herself backing into a van that was parked near the sidewalk behind her, heart thudding hard within her chest.

*At the sound of the thump outside of his van, Mason lifted his head from his notes in a startle. He shouted to the stranger outside, giving no warning or sign before doing so* Hey, this van is occupied. If you're trying to break in, I'm armed and dangerous *Without much thought or concern, Mason opened the back of the van, holding onto the guitar as a weapon, his eyes squinting as they adjusted to the sunlight from outside, his head slowly moving around to find where the person was* Alright, some kind of junkie or carjacker, if you're trying to steal from me, you got another thing..... Coming? *He stopped at the sight of the soda machine with bottles and cash falling from it. His attention then turned to the girl that backed into his van. He gave a brief sigh of relief when he could tell it was a misunderstanding before he placed his guitar back in the van and spoke* Sorry, a bit jumpy lately. But you shouldn't bump into people's cars like that. It's quite rude *Mason said, waiting for a response, but didn't even give it a few seconds before he followed up* That was a joke.

*Sammy couldn't help but take a look at the door once again when Yasha walked in, giving another sigh of relief that it was just another person. With her goods in hand and the last of what she needed, she awkwardly carried her spoils to the counter, dropping all of it onto the counter, looking over at Yasha* S-Sorry, you don't mind if I set this here, do you? Real pain on my weak arms *She chuckled to herself in a light manner, stopping shortly after by clearing her throat*

After gathering most of her favorite junk food, Yoon wandered into the refrigerated section. She had to step on a higher level in order to reach the top shelf where the bottle of root beer sat. She jumped off the step, huddling everything close to her since her social anxiety was too high to even ask for a basket. In fact, she had waited until most people were out of the candy aisle before she went in. Yoon was looking down at her selected items before she came to a pause, blinking softly as she felt as odd presence stare at her. It didn't feel threatening... It was just... weird. She looked to her sides and found nothing, but there was a heavy scent of pomegranate that lingered. Her brows softly furrowed, holding her items closely as she began to make her way towards the cashier.

Pop. Kore's bubblegum finally exploded, her tongue enveloping the chewy substance to be formed again. Her pink hair curled at different directions within the messy bun she had it in. There was leftover eyeliner from last night beneath her eyes, the hazel with a ring of gold staring at the screen her fingers tapped on. She sat behind the counter lazily indian-style, her legs further apart that they should have been. She smirked down at her screen, her head bobbing some to the music that entered her left ear from the sole earbud.

*Sammy's attention went from Yasha to Kore, taking notice as her eyes were down at her phone. She grew accustom to younger workers being distracted at work, and she was far from ready to tattletale on them simply for being a little distracted. Still, she wanted to get back to Mason as soon as possible, so in the most polite way she could, she rapped the knuckle of her index finger against the counter and spoke* Yo, shop keep?

Yasha was about to clear her throat to speak to the person that was currently behind the counter only for her focus to be partially disrupted when the counter had suddenly become cluttered with items. Her eyes scanned over everything briefly, and she answered her question with a casual shake of head. "No, not at all. Your hands seem to be much more full than my own." She gave a small smile, one that she had become accustom to using with strangers. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing that Yoon had already grabbed what was needed–or wanted more so–she turned her attention to Kore. But before she could speak, someone else spoke before she could. But upon seeing that the attempt at getting the cashier's attention didn't work, she cleared her voice a spoke. And unlike Kore, a bit of impatience of clear in her voice. "Excuse me Ms.Kore," she began with a little more familiarity with the woman now since she had been to the store many times before as is. "But I believe that you have customers awaiting, and not to be rude but we're in a bit of a hurry."

~

"But you shouldn't bump into people's cars like that. It's quite rude–"'

"W-what?" Raven stared at the man as if he were Godzilla and the guitar that he held was a large ax ready to lop off her head. And in fact, he was to her in comparison, the height difference between she and the man was as apparent as the color of the hair on her head. "I-I–it–just it–" She could barely bring herself to speak. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, too many things happening at once. She felt as if her legs had locked up, even as the man tried to explain that it was a joke, and her lungs were following close behind as her anxiety spiked.

Now attention was beginning to be drawn little by little, the rampant soda machine already becoming one of the focus points as people shamelessly began to scurry by and scoop dollar bills and change from the ground to stuff into their pockets hastily.

*Sammy's attention moved from Yasha to Kore as they both spoke (Or just Yasha), her arms crossing slightly as she waited for Kore to respond. Looking back over at Yoon, barely able to get a good look at her with her hood on, she shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to Yasha and Kore, making sure to add to Yasha's response* Yeah, me too. Gotta get somewhere. Christmas season and all that jazz

*Mason tried his best to make a chuckle from his bad attempt at a joke, but when Raven was stuttering a little, Mason put his hands in his pocket, looking awkwardly as the ground as he responded, "Come on, the joke wasn't that bad... was it?". But when no response followed, he looked at her, taking notice of her reaction. He felt like he saw a few things like this before, and he put spoke calmly* H-hey, don't worry, kid. I'm not gonna tell anyone you were stealing or anything. These machines are faulty all the time. Sorry if I scared you or something. *He felt as though his response was going nowhere* Um.... I'm sorry about this. This is a little awkward, so I'm just going to... *Before Raven could respond, Mason jumped into his van and closed the doors without another word*

While Kore was adding the extra to what she had already said, Yasha was unfolding the photo that she had in hand, motioning Yoon to bring she had gotten up to the counter to be paid for. "We require your assistance in a simple matter. Has this individual entered this store as of lately?" She held out the photo of the raven-haired young woman for Kore to see.

~

"I didn't s-ste–" But before she could choke the words out, the man was already climbing back into the van. However, that was the least of her problems. And though oblivious to her, it was only just beginning.
Her hand went to her chest and she started coughing in her attempts to calm her breathing. The beating in her chest felt like a malfunctioning jackhammer trying to reach the outside. She moved forward, attempting to push passed the people in her way only to be shoved back into a stumble again, hitting the van with a hard thud and a yelp of pain as her head connected with the metal framing. Too many people. Too many people too many people too many PEOPLE. And while panic rose in her, the building crowd had become somewhat frantic, their hands like spatulas trying to scrape residue that was the change and few bills that were left from the bottom of a concrete pan.

*Mason stepped back into the van, closing it behind him, standing at the door as he thought to himself* Alright, Mason. Let's do this again. Just step out and greet her with a polite introduction and- *But before he could finish his thoughts, he heard a loud thud from outside. Making sure to take a peek this time, he saw crowds of people swarming the area, with Raven looking like a frail little girl. Mason decided to respond back to the mass crowd pushing and shoving around his van by slamming his fist on the horn and shouting at the people, while also keeping a soft gaze on Raven* Hey, you buzzards! Get your asses away from my van before I start kicking them! *Mason hoped that his large physic would scare a few of them off, and he really hoped that none of them would call his bluff. He had no experience with fighting. In fact, he was the nicest person that Sammy knew, a gentle giant of sorts. But Mason could be intimidating when he wanted to be*

(I'll wait for Jade to respond with the other one before I continue with Sammy)

Kore practically ignored their words for a few more seconds–that is, until Yoon had entered the scene with full arms. She lifted her head up at her presence that was behind Yasha now, tilting her head a full 90 degrees.

Yoon nudged at Yasha's ankle with her foot since her arms were full, looking up at her with her big eyes. "They only had regular Dr. Pepper so I just got root beer instead!" She squeaked from the mountain of items in front of her.

"Christmas?" Kore repeated Sammy's reasoning of wanting to hurry, scanning the items in the pace she wanted to with earbuds still on blasting music. "You know, that's when the Ku Klux Klan was formed." She blinked while placing the groceries neatly into a few bags, the surprisingly real and expensive jewelry on her fingers reflecting a shine just as much as the energy drinks she bagged. Kore didn't say anything else until she was shown a picture she recognized by a customer she saw frequently. "Mhm." She nodded regarding the question. Her hazely yellow eyes went to Yoon and she grinned, inching her to come forward with her items with a few bends of her index finger.

....... Huh? *Sammy said with confusion, tilting her head a little at Kore's response to the Klan. She tilted her shades down a little before she responded* Lady, listen, the last thing I wanna think about on the holiday season is a bunch a damn old men in bedsheets shouting about things they don't like *But she found that her response was not heard as Yasha handed her the photograph, rolling her eyes behind her shades as she reached into her pockets and pulled out the necessary money. But she did take notice of Kore's more welcoming attitude to Yoon. She didn't pay too much attention, however, and took out a twenty dollar bill, the only money she had on her*

When Kore had mentioned something about a clan of some sort, Yasha's arced brow rose and was followed by a scoff of disinterest towards what she assumed to be a paraphrased version of what it even was about. "Likewise," She added in agreement Sammy's reply.
It wasn't until she finally got an answer about the photo did she give feel the slightest sensation of relief now that she had confirmation that her efforts so far hadn't been for nothing. And so she continued on to ask, "When was she last here? Today? Yesterday?"

~

"Hey, you buzzards! Get your asses away from my van before I start kicking them!"

It was when she heard the man's loud voice did Raven stiffen completely, her breath catching her in throat. But she didn't dare move not even as the sudden blaring of the van's horn caused her to jump in fright, afraid that if she tried to push up against the crowd to get away she would be torn apart in their frenzy to get a few extra bucks. But to her amazement, she came to see that hadn't been the only one alarmed by the large man.

The crowd seemed to almost flinch at the sound of his voice.

But some of them looked puzzled now, as if they had forgotten what they were doing. Some even looked somewhat concerned now that they had all finally come to a halt with the exception of the few that were still slowly moving to shove crumbled green papers into their pockets.

*Mason kept his gaze on the large crowd, noticing that they had stopped moving about completely. He was more than thankful that it paid off, a slight part of him almost having a panic attack himself, but he kept his composure and continued to shout* Did I stutter?! Get the hell outta here! Don't you people have families to visit!? Stop hanging around here, taking cash off the street and go home. Go away. Go anywhere but here! Move it *Mason kept his tempered tone, hoping that it would just be enough to ward off the crowd and give Raven some room to breathe*

*Sammy handed Kore the twenty dollars, shaking it ever slightly in an impatient manner to grab her attention. She would have just placed the money down and walked out, but every ounce of change counted, and she needed all the money she could get. As she waited for Kore to get the change from the register, Sammy's eyes slowly moved over to the picture in a state of curiosity. She wasn't too sure what the person in the picture was, but something about the photograph drew her attention. Was it boredom, or just the sheer curiosity that overwhelmed her. Perhaps it was the odd appearance and behavior of the person next to her. Sammy couldn't make it out, but those looks did not match the words coming out of her mouth. Or perhaps Sammy was still experiencing a high and was just making up random conclusions in her mind again. Whatever the reason, she couldn't help but take a glance at the picture

Kore was humming to herself along the beat that entered her ears, cashing in the twenty dollars and giving back exactly 7 dollars and 25 cents in return to Sammy. Her eyes stared at her momentarily before they shifted to Yoon, then to Yasha. "Hmm?" She asked as if she hadn't heard the question. But then she did. "Today, yesterday, before yesterday, tomorrow?" She answered, but she did so as if it sounded like a question. Kore watched Yoon awkwardly walk up to the cashier to set her items down.


"U--uuumm..." Yoon mumbled quietly. "Th-That's a lot of time to see a person..." She commented quietly in hopes she wasn't heard. Usually she never was, but this so happened to be her lucky day.

"'Work sometimes in the same building she does." Kore inched forward and leaned her cheeks on the palms of her hands as if she was so interested in the small human before her.

Yoon took a step back, behind Yasha and avoided eye contact at all costs as a faint blush hit her cheeks. She felt the same weird feeling from earlier.