Do you Believe in Magic?

[Mystic Mina]

((This will be a two-part one, so if you don't see your update here, don't worry. I just want to get something out.))

Sayako's speech, though a tad accented and rather slurred, was still coherent enough for Drew to understand. A happy grin appeared on his face when he heard his girlfriend's positive response... Or maybe he just grinned because he was smashed as all hell. It doesn't really matter either way, does it?

"That's great, Sayako... But... I don't think you're bein' honest, ya' know? I've been hearin'... Hearin' things from people. Stuff like I'm too geeky to have a woman like ya'... That I'm too ugly." The stupid, gleeful look on his face sobered up as he stared down at the table in shame. "Ya' probably think I'm like that, right? Well... From tonight on, that's gonna change. I want ya' to tell meh what I can... What I can do to be more attractive to ya', Sayako. I'll do anything."

---

"Mandy, I think we both know what we want to do first. CLOTHES SHOPPING, YEAH! When we're done, we can go grab something to eat at the food court. Sound like a good plan?... Of course it is! Let's go!"

And so the two girls ventured into the pristine white marble mall, their hearts in high spirits. Luckily, the place was not quite as packed as it should have been, with it being a weekday afternoon and all, so the girls did not have to deal with any huge crowds and whatnot. The only problem they had was deciding which store to shop at. There were so many, each with a different fashion style, and they all had such good selections. Of course, a lot of the best clothes they sold were made for adults...

---

"Consider it as incentive to stay and work here. Besides, you took on more tasks than was required. I think that deserves an extra reward... Oh, and before I forget. Stand still for a moment, please."

With one swift motion, Mr. Winters plucked the accursed black headband off of Paulette's head, and the short woman quickly found herself as a tall man once again... A tall man in an ill-fitting dress. Fortunately, that embarrassing mistake corrected itself within a short amount of time, and he was back to wearing his familiar coat and pants.

"Ugh... I will have to fix that in the future. The body and uniform timing should be synchronized."

[Mystic Mina]

Rein's mother was out in the dining room, preparing their somewhat small, but still rather comfy wooden table for dinner. When she saw her daughter, she let out a sigh of great relief and immediately dropped what she was doing to give her offspring a strong hug.

"You're back! I was so worried! I heard all of these loud gunshots outside and I thought you might have been hurt and... And... Oh, it's good to see you're ok!"

---

Ivan may not have noticed it as he purchased the interesting object and exited the shop, but the azure orb's mystical glow seemed to grow in brightness as it was held and pocketed. Perhaps it realized that it was finally going to see some fun after so many years of complete boredom. Time for some pranks!

... Or maybe not. It was quite late in the night, after all, and there were not many people out on the streets. There was one target that had promise, however. A business man, his suit wrinkled and his toupee-topped head a mess, was standing at a lit corner some distance away. He was trying to flag down a taxi, by the looks of things, and he was not paying much attention to anything else besides the road.

[Evra]

"oh uh no im perfectly fine mom" Rein says smiling to her "hears the stuff from the store" she says sitting the bag down in the kitchen before walking over to the table

[Victorious]

Okay, good... *Deciding not to question her sudden tree climbing abilities, Richard looks around for any signs of civilization once she hits the ground.*

Looking around, Richard may spot what looks like a faint trail, not far off. Maybe that's the right way?
...
Although, if she looks further south, she can see a small billow of smoke. Perhaps a campfire...?

Damien marvels at what the makeup is doing. "Fascinating..." Paying little attention to the change of the crystal, he leans in toward the writing, focus and attempting to divine it's meaning.

'Divine' might be the right word, actually. As Damien leans in, he can see, slipped in amongst the complex and jumbled words, a mention of...Aphrodite?

Before he can get a better look however, the makeup suddenly swirls...flying at his face!

"Consider it as incentive to stay and work here. Besides, you took on more tasks than was required. I think that deserves an extra reward... Oh, and before I forget. Stand still for a moment, please."

With one swift motion, Mr. Winters plucked the accursed black headband off of Paulette's head, and the short woman quickly found herself as a tall man once again... A tall man in an ill-fitting dress. Fortunately, that embarrassing mistake corrected itself within a short amount of time, and he was back to wearing his familiar coat and pants.

"Ugh... I will have to fix that in the future. The body and uniform timing should be synchronized."

Reddening, both at the sudden shift...and at the rather embarrassing delayed clothing bit, Paul shakes his head quickly.

"Er...I-yes, that would be great if that...never happened again."

Stepping back, he wobbles slightly, clearing his throat. This was more familiar...but the transition to and fro was still rather like getting hit in the brain with a blender.

"That's--that's it for today then?"

[Ookalf]

Looking around, Richard may spot what looks like a faint trail, not far off. Maybe that's the right way?
...
Although, if she looks further south, she can see a small billow of smoke. Perhaps a campfire...?

Hrmm... *After thinking about things for a moment, Richard heads toward the source of the smoke.*

[Marky]

Hearing this, Sayako froze up for a moment, unsure of what to say. After a few moments of probably awkward silence, Sayako begins to speak. "I think...I think you're good at heart...put your heart in the right place...but sometimes...I dunno..."

[Stray-chan]

"...Aphrodite? Hmm, I don't know if- what the!?" Damien exclaims as the makeup blasts toward him. He throws an arm up in an effort to block the cloud, though seeing as its a cloud, that probably isn't going to do much.

[Harri-chan]

Mandy found herself stood outside one of the fashionable boutiques, her young, skinny, school uniform wearing reflection in the glass as she peered through it at the expensive, stylish adult outfits inside. She blushed a little, and turned to Christine. "I'm a little out of touch with teenage fashion...", she admitted as they walked away. Soon they came across a store with more fitting clothing. Pop music was blaring through the speakers, while bright colours dominated the decor. The clothing inside was for the younger end of the teens and just below. "I guess this is us", said the still blushing Mandy as they stepped inside.

While the clothing wasn't the raunchy style that older teens might wear, some of the dresses and skirts were still pretty short. "I don't think I have the legs for something like this...", she murmured, stopping infront of a mannequin wearing such a dress. It was red cotton with large white polka fits, had holes for the arms instead of sleeved and a high, round neck like a t-shirt, and was loosely fitting, but barely went a couple of inches below the underwear on the display dummy. Turning around, she looked at another mannequin, this one wearing a slightly longer pink plaid skirt, knee high baby blue socks and a matching blue tank top, while one beside it had a pink t-shirt on under a pair of denim shortalls. "Do you see anything you like?".

[Mystic Mina]

"It's good to see that you're alright, Rein. After all that's gone on today, I don't think I could have bared it if something else happened to you." The worried mother gave Rein a warm smile before vanishing off into the kitchen to fix up supper, leaving Rein alone at the table... Well, sort of.

I suppose I could have been more... Subtle with dealing with those thieves. Perhaps using guns in a quiet neighborhood such as this was not the best idea. Hmm. A rocket launcher for next time, maybe?...

---

"Yes, you are free to go where you will, Paul. I will close up the store myself. Try to have a good night, but do keep that headband. You will need it for the day after tomorrow... And who knows? Maybe you will feel like putting it on even earlier for whatever reason."

There was really nothing else for Samuel Winters to say, so he shooed Paul out of the store and onto the warm night streets so that he could put an end to the day.

---

More awkward silence followed as Drew mentally processed Sayako's answer. This took a while, him being drunk and all.

"So I have a good heart... But... I just don't have the good looks to match it, do I? Then... What do you want then, Sayako? What can I do?"

---

The two outfits on the mannequins did not impress Christie, who was more conservative when it came to fashion. Still, there had to be something in this store that looked good...

"How about we split up and look around the store for a bit, Mandy? After, say, five minutes, we'll meet up at the dressing rooms in the back so we can compare what we got?"

[Harri-chan]

"Sure...", said Mandy, seeming a little reluctant. "Chrissie... when you're picking outfits, do you think you could... choose one for me too? Like... as a back up, incase all the things I pick out look really dumb... ", she asked, and then leaned over to kiss the red-haired girl on the cheek before heading off.

The first thing she picked was a pair of denim overalls, ones with long legs, rather than the shorts on the display dummy, and then found a simple green t-shirt to go with them. "These will be comfy... ", she murmured to herself. Next, it was one of the plaid skirts, a red one, and a white short-sleeved blouse. Between them, they had a kind of school uniform look, although they were quite different to the girl's actual school uniforms. The final item, was a stretchy pink cotton dress. It had short sleeves, and was quite snug, but loosened around the short skirt, and had a white star on the chest. Gathering up all her clothes, she grabbed a pair of white sneakers with pink laces and added them on top, before heading to the dressing rooms in the back. "Chrissie?".

[Evra]

as reins mom vanishes she sits down on the couch in the living room "you do know a rocket launcher is extremly overkill and would probbaly kill me in the process right?" she says to the voice relaxing laying down on the couch

[Victorious]

Paul frowns, taking the headband in his hand with about the same excitement as a man who was handed a grenade and reminded that he would have to swallow it in the next day or two.

"I wouldn' count on that."

Not being too eager to hang around anyways. Paul is quickly shooed from the store.
Had that all really just...happened? The money in his pocket said yes...but somehow it was still hard to full grasp.

After about a full minute of pondering though, he realized again where he was...and with a start began to walk back to his place. Only two more weeks...

----

In the meanwhile...Richard finds the source of the smoke--and it IS a campfire! Alright!
Sitting around it are three guys, by the looks of it--two are asleep, and she can't see them very well, but the third--a tall blond man--appears to be on guard duty. There is a blade by his side, but he appears somewhat tired. What are they doing out here...?

----

Meanwhile, Damien brings up his arm to block...and does manage to catch some of the cloud--his sleeve gaining a faint pinkish hint amongst the black--but the rest of it seems to scatter, swirling around...him?

[Stray-chan]

Damien stares at his sleeve... "What in the hells!?" He looks around as the cloud swirls around him, and gulps. "I... I do hope this isn't some kind of curse. Well, if this is going to be interesting..." he reaches down his shirt and pulls up a necklace with a golden apple on the end, holding the apple out in front of him, "let's make it interesting!" He channels even power through the trinket and into the cloud, hoping it will dissipate... or at least go easy on him.

[Ookalf]

In the meanwhile...Richard finds the source of the smoke--and it IS a campfire! Alright!
Sitting around it are three guys, by the looks of it--two are asleep, and she can't see them very well, but the third--a tall blond man--appears to be on guard duty. There is a blade by his side, but he appears somewhat tired. What are they doing out here...?

*Richard walks up to the camp.* Umm... Hello? I'm afraid I'm a little lost here...

[Marky]

Sayako frowns, having a tough time formulating her thoughts between the drink and the most recent change. "I-I'm not sure. Sometimes maybe your head doesn't seem to be in it, even though your heart does...maybe work on that?