(To Be Named) Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - An Encounter of Sorts
The group of teens traversed the brightly colored, buzzing marketplace. Ben loved this time of year; words couldn't express the love for it he felt. Sheila looked at all the wondrous sights; especially the group of extremely muscular morphs who all had antlers; bulls, rams, and reindeer were advertising various stores and restaurants, "Aren't they delicious?" Sheila gasped, looking over at Ben.
Ben could only nod his head in agreement; they were even scantily clad - each dressed in some form of festive wear; skimpy Santa Claus outfits, tight Indian clothing, and there was even a Jack Frost costume, but their fur was no doubt keeping them warm. Ben noticed that his groups of friends were leaving him behind; he ogled just a bit longer and then ran to catch up with them.
They finally made it to Jamal's mother's booth; the slim panther sat calmly in front of a spread of shiny knick-knacks and jewelry, "Hey Jamal, you bring business?" she asked smiling at Rico, Ben, and Sheila.
"Hopefully," he replied, scratching behind his head, "So this is my mom guys!" They shared introductions; Ben noticed Jamal and Rico staring each other down, even more so - the same foreboding feeling came over him, he pushed it to the back of his mind and began looking over Mrs. Karn's wares. A particular piece caught him; it was a golden encased pearl brooch. He picked up and marveled at the craftsmanship.
"Oh I see you've taken a liking to it. Out of all my shifts, that was one of the pieces left. I'll sell it to you for half price," Mrs. Karn offered, she smiled sweetly as Ben examined it.
"Thank you," he said, taking the offer. He handed over the money; then he pinned the brooch to the part of his scarf that was wrapped around his neck. It added style and posh to his outfit.
"That looks good on you," Sheila complimented Ben, "Doesn't it Rico?" she nudged him, knocking him out of his staring battle with Jamal.
"Hm? Oh hey, it does!" Rico smiled, Jamal rolled his eyes stood in silence before piping up.
"Well I'm gonna leave and rack up more business, you guys take care," Jamal said, he waved goodbye and dove into the crowd of morphs. Ben's eyes trailed after Jamal's wide back for a little while. The trio left the market; Sheila ended up buying a colorful array of candies, and Rico only had a black bag with some mystery content the other two didn't know.
"What'd you buy Rico?" Ben asked the giant gull.
"It's a surprise man. You wouldn't want to ruin it, would you?" Rico replied, he dodged the question and Ben decided to leave it be. They entered the bustling mall; it was twice as crowded as the market. Ben loved shopping; it was in his blood. "Let's stop by the food court, I'm starving," Rico said, patting his growling belly.
They made it to the food court; sampler girls were out handing free, although small portions food to passer bys, the TV's displayed different present ideas and other things shoppers would possibly want. Ben bought a salad, Rico bought a couple of burgers, and Sheila bought some curry. They sat and ate, marveling at the sights. "Hey silly, what're you staring at?" Sheila asked.
Ben came out of his trance; he saw a familiar figure on the lower floor, his large body, his uniform horns, he was positive it was Dana - he was waiting for the figure to turn around, but was shocked out of his trance by Sheila. "Oh nothing now," he replied, the figure disappeared into a store.
"Suuuuure," she said, not believing him, "Did a hot guy catch your eye"
"It's a possibility," Ben answered, he could feel Rico tense and become erratic - he looked around the area, almost as if scanning and trying to pick out the morph he was staring at, "What's wrong Rico?"
"Thought I heard my name," he smiled, Ben saw the figure exit the store; it WAS Dana. He was carrying a small bag with some indiscernible good.
"What was Dana doing here all alone? AND WHY WOULD HE BE SHOPPING?!" Ben thought, he never thought Dana to be a sentimental person. He sighed and put his mind of it - he was jealous of the girl who the massive bull was courting. They finished their meal and walked around the store; stopping by kiosks and stores whenever something caught their attention.
They were on the lower floor when Ben saw a group of Dana's entourage hanging by a liquor store; Ben hid behind Rico, panicking. "Hide me," Ben whispered. Sheila instantly the problem, and she and Rico began to merge into a large crowd that was passing by. Once they passed the delinquents; Ben exhaled and came from behind Rico, "Thanks..."
"Listen Ben, you can't keep hiding. Sooner or later, you're gonna have to stand up for yourself," Rico said, worried about his friend. He put a hefty arm on Ben's shoulders as been Ben looked down at his feet. He blushed; his proximity to Rico sent shivers down his spine.
"I know, but I just...I can't," Ben said, having trouble finding words. Rico looked at Ben, slightly pained. Sheila decided to lighten up the mood.
"Hey guys, what's the difference between a walrus and a Tupperware?" she asked, Rico and Ben shook their heads - their moods changed in expectance of the punchline, "They're both looking for a tight seal!" She laughed, Rico chuckled and Ben smiled.
"That was a good one Sheila," Ben replied. Rico still had his arm on Ben's shoulders; he felt Rico was beginning to show some possessiveness over him - they even attracted some stares. He didn't say a thing about it; not wanting to seem like he was pushing his friend away. Sheila was oblivious to them; she was too busy scoping out a fox kiosk manager, he was dressed casually and his muscles made his clothing tight.
Ben couldn't take it and decided to pose his question, "R...Rico, do you like me?" he asked. He felt Rico stop in his tracks; his arms fell to his sides as he looked at Ben. Sheila was still occupied with the kiosk manager, "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else," he wanted Rico to respond, it seemed like the whole mall grew silent as he started into Rico's eyes.
"I...I..." Rico started to say; he started to say before a familiar voice interrupted them.
"Hey, it's Rico...!" Dana called before seeing Ben.