Station Square -- Mall Madness

[spookyvillain]

Venice stood before the mirror in one of the store's changing rooms, trying to decide if teal was really his color. Sure, a little bit worked just fine on his boots, but all teal? And the headband might be overdoing it a bit... He took it off, and his five cockalocks sprang back up, adding a good few inches to his total height. No, having his hair down definitely looked better. Plus the headband helped balance out the teal rhinestone belt. Which, by the way, looked awesome on him, if he did say so himself.

Venice turned around, checking out how the belt hung on his hips from all the most important angles. Perfect. His bushy grey-white tail swished happilly back and forth with his delight.

...Huh. Should he get a tail ring? Maybe something gold, with the same crystal that inlaid his boots and gloves... Nah. That'd really be overdoing it. Besides, he'd have to go back home and have it custom made there, and he didn't feel like leaving, not when he'd just got here.

"Here" happened to be in the 'Chaos' dimention, as it had come to be called, and more specifically, a mall somewhere in the city of Station Square. These people had the best malls. And Venice was taking advantage of that fact, as five minutes later he strode out of the clothing store wearing his slick new duds, golden eyes keen and alert, scanning for the next place to hit.

[Jamie Lee]

Unfortunately, the next thing to be 'hit', was him being bumped into by a dark blue bat. She gasped, aquamarine eyes going wide. Her feet had been aching from walking around, and a moment's worth of unfocused trudging had lead her into a moment of embarrassment.

"Oh chaos, I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, throwing her hands up to shield herself and hoping the stranger wouldn't be angry.

[spookyvillain]

"Agh--! Snap!" Venice stumbled dramatically and fell to the floor, where he lay stunned for a moment, staring blankly at nothing.

So much for looking cool. Slowly, he dragged himself up. Brushing imaginary dust off his arms, he grumbled incoherently to himself and checked to see if his belt had lost any rhinestones. It hadn't.

Oh. Suddenly he realized that someone must have run into him. Venice did not trip. Venice was too cool to trip. Now back in reality, he soon spotted the perpetrator.

"Hey...ow." he said to her, adjusting his new headband. The blue bat looked scared. Of him? "Uh... hey. It's alright. Just..uh...don't do it again, okay?"

[Leedzie]

"Midiiiiiiiii!!" Ray whined from several feet away. "Waaaaiiiit!!" The squirrel eventually caught up with his companion, his arms shuddering under the weight of several shopping bags -- nearly all of which belonged to the bat. Ray's ears folded backwards as he let out a defeated sigh. I never should've agreed to Midi coming shopping with me. All I needed was a new toolbelt. I'm a carpenter, not a bellboy!!

And actually he was right; he wasn't Midnight's bellboy. He was her bitch.

"MIDIIIIIII!!" Ray wailed, struggling to keep up. "Wait a minute!!" He'd nearly caught up with her, when suddenly his feet failed him. It wasn't clear what had happened, whether he'd tripped over his own feet or something had interferred with his path, but Ray stumbled and crashed into Midi, which sent her crashing into Venice. The squirrel tumbled to the ground, spilling the shopping bags all over the floor, and eventually coming to a rest at a clothing rack... which then spilled half of its clothes on top of him. Ray's head swirled dizzily as he recovered from the impact. "WwwhhaaofjiO@*#O*!J#$OLWt....."

[Jamie Lee]

"I'm really sorry!" she repeated, face flushing and looking quite embarrassed. It was then she paused, staring at the mink (or more specifically, through him) for a second, then blinked, took in a quick gasp, and finally snapped her eyes toward the mess.

"Ray!" she said, crouching down a grabbing a couple of the dropped bags on her way toward the squirrel. "You spazoid, are you okay?!" setting them down beside her, she began picking up and re-piling clothes while trying to pull the squirrel out, at the same time nervously looking around for any undoubted spectators.

[spookyvillain]

So the squirrel had bumped into the bat who bumped into the mink who bumped rather painfully into the floor. Venice scatched his cheek, looking curiously at the odd duo.

"Uh... Do you guys..." Neither of them seemed to hear him. "Never mind..." he sighed as he began to help the girl pick up her clothes.

[Leedzie]

After several seconds of swirly-eyed dazed staring, Ray shook his head and sat upright. "HOLYCHAOSTHATALMOSTKILLEDME!!" Struggling to untangle himself from the pile of clothing, but actually just making the mess worse, Ray fidgeted and shook, apparently either from caffeine overload or withdrawal. "HeyMidiwhenwe'realldonehereIwannastopandgetacoffeeandOHGODWHOISTHATITHINKHISHAIRISPOSSESSED!!!" the squirrel abruptly shouted, pointing a twitching finger at Venice.

[Jamie Lee]

Midi huffed, covering her face for a moment and groaning as she took to re-piling a stack she's only just finished when Ray knocked it over. "Quit spazzing, you're making the mess bigger! And I think you've had enough caffeine for now."

[spookyvillain]

Venice jumped back a foot and cringed away from the squirrel's sudden outburst.

"Woah! Calm down, I'm trying to help you!"

...Possesed? did they mean his...but he was wearing...oh. One of the cockalocks seemed to have escaped and was waving strangely with his every movement. He must look stupid. Venice quickly put it back in its place. Perhaps this mere headband could not contain the mighty force for awesome that was his hair? Part of the reason he'd bought the headband was because people had been staring at him, and he'd rather not be so interesting to complete strangers. It was kinda creepy.

And these two were not helping at all. Everyone who passed by was looking at them. But the two really seemed like they needed help. Possibly of the professional sort for the squirrel. So he resumed picking up the piles of clothing, keeping as far away from the yellow one as possible.

[Leedzie]

"Oh come on, Midi, I haven't had THAT muchOHCRAPMIDIIT'SCOMINGBACKFORROUNDTWO!!" With an unintelligble cry Ray popped to his feet -- with a pink floral dress hanging from his shoulders -- and made a beeline for the exit of the store.

Which set off the theft alarm. HELLO, MALL SECURITY.

[Jamie Lee]

"Ray!" she yelled in exasperation, "Sit! STAY!"

But it was already too late as the sirens rang out, causing the bat to wince and fold her ears back. With a groan she just buried her face into both hands and shook her head, simultaneously cocooning herself in her wings.

[spookyvillain]

Well. Things had just gone from annoying to bad. The nut had run off in drag and the sane one looked like she had dealt with something similar far too many times before.

"Hey...come on." Venice held up his hands uselessly, not sure if he should touch her. "Let's go get your friend." He cast a glance down the strip in time to see Ray disappear around the corner, and the mall security just beginning to give chase.

They'd never catch up in time if they didn't start running--"Alright, let's go!" gently taking her hand, he dragged her into a run through the still-parted and bewildered crowd.

Great. Now everyone is staring, Venice thought unhappilly. He'd have to do his shopping a couple cities over for a while.

[AnT]

But then, like some kind of a special effect out of a movie, a portal flashed above the crowd, dumping a brown-orange goat right near the anthros.

"Owwwww...." the goat, who was devoided of any clothing, not that it mattered in this world, and had a large snout and tiny horns, rubbed his big bruised snout. "The heck did that...?"

He then gasped at his surroundings. He was surrounded...by overlanders! He didn't know how he was at Lower Mobius one second, and here the next, but maybe these overlanders were fooling around with some kind of teleporter device.

He then noticed a white hedgehog mink, a blue bat, and a yellow squirell by him -well that one seemed to run off-. But the mink and bat were chased by that overlander.

"Hey!Leave them alone!"

He rushed over to the guard to deliver a kick. Not a graceful karate kick since he's not very well trained in martial arts, but he did have hooves for feet, if you do the math.

[dice=6]

[dice=6]

BAM! Right in da face! He ain't gonna be getting up for hours, or get rid of that hoove mark off his face.

"HEY!!!" the other guard grabbed a billy-club and charged at the goat. "That's it, kid! You're coming with me!"

But the goat already bailed for it, rushing over to the mink and bat and towing them by their arms. "This way!" [rand=9338279292747655911982595300300560340958932870685060758327557097]

[Leedzie]

Meanwhile, Ray continued to babble incoherently at the top of his lungs and bolt around the mall as security persued. Had he actually stopped to think -- or possibly even just stopped at all -- he might've noticed that he had a rather pricey garment stuck around his neck. "OHGODPLEASEDON'TKILLMEIKNOWIATEAGRAPEATTHEFRUITSTANDBUTIT'SNOTLIKETHEMSELLTHEMINDIVI--"

BAM. The squirrel didn't seem to notice that he'd been heading for one of the many sales carts set up in the center of the mall. After knocking it (and its worker) down to the floor and breaking the display cases, Ray recoiled and took off yet again. "SORRYSORRYITWASANACCIDENT!!"

But the clerk was already dialing the police; that cart was a fine jewelry cart, and Ray now had several diamond necklaces hooked around his tail.

[Jamie Lee]

Okay, the mink guy pulling her by the arm was one thing. By crazy goats grabbing and tugging at her after giving an unprovoked attack on the security guards? That's where Midnight drew the line.

"Hey! Let me go, you whacko!" she shouted, pulling her arm out of Griff's hand. Her wings began to beat and she launched herself into the air; thankfully the mall had a high ceiling permitting her to do such.

She gave Silver an apologetic. "I'm really sorry, but I can move faster by air!"

And then she raced off, yelling loudly after Ray.

[spookyvillain]

Venice fought the all too tempting urge to simply walk calmly away from this whole situation, plant himself in front of a wall, and proceed to bash his brains out on said wall until he was mentally deranged enough for the men in white to come and take him away to a place with nice cushy padding and arguably saner occupants than this nightmare of a mall.

Normal, peace, quiet, that's all he asked for, nobody noticing him, nobody asking questions like those guards would likely ask when they figured out he was part of this whole mess--

Right. Crazy goat man attacking security, and trying to drag him off. Bad thing. Venice no like. Venice leave. With that descision made, he attempted to slip away from the scene of the crime unnoticed--a somewhat difficult feat for one as naturally stand-outish as him.

[dice=6][rand=07454014386276036542754089698328686414715003048513876478949324872]

[AnT]

[dice=6]

"Hey, what are you doing?" Griff cried as he watched Midi fly off. He didn't even notice the mink trying to pry off his grip. "Those overlanders are gonna catch you!"

He would've chased after her, but more security guards were in his way.

"We better find a place to hide before those overlander guards catch us!" he told Venice as towed him away from the guards. "I don't what's going on, but this has Robotnik written all over it!" [rand=6744923966066546654854352034133184741026244951326890737422101463]

[Leedzie]

Being chased by a tall, dark, and very angry individual that would probably read him the riot act if they actually laid hands on him was always a terrifying thought. As well as the thought of being caught by security. Ray was never one to invite confrontation in any situation. He realized that it'd probably be better to stop, go bac, and get rid of all the junk that had taken to clinging to his body, but every time he glanced over his shoulder, Midi was a little closer than the last time. Yeah, he was hauling ass.

"MIDIDON'TKILLMEISWEARIT'SJUSTAMISUNDERST--" He stopped mid-sentence and stopped in his tracks as a bright light appeared in front of him. The squirrel flinched and folded his ears backwards apprehensively. It didn't look like any normal light he'd ever seen. Thus, Ray did what he always did when confronted with something strange or unusual: he shouted at the top of his lungs.

[Jamie Lee]

"WILL YOU STOP RUNNING!" Midi shouted, tucking her wings close to her body to pick up speed. Cripes that squirrel was fast.

But then something unexpected happened. She had begun to take a dive with the intent to tackle him. But instead he stopped dead in his tracks on his own. Midi's eyes widened when she saw the reason why, but by then it was too late. She slammed into the squirrel's back and pushed both of them through together.

[spookyvillain]

Struggling in his captor's vice-like grip, Venice tried to think of a way out of his current situation that wouldn't attract even more attention to himself.

Thus far, he had nothing.

Unable to imagine any possible way he could get out of this without doing something noticeable, he began to despair of ever being able to shop on this continent again. The guards that didn't have a lovely hoof-shaped bruise on their faces (and matching designer concussion) were looking none too happy with the clearly insane person attatched to his arm. He really did not want to be here. Not with everyone watching, albeit from a distance since one of the guards had yelled for them to stay back. Venice was becoming more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment. With those dozens of pairs of eyes boring into him, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

And suddenly he didn't care what he had to do, so long as he got out of there and away from all those staring eyes.

With a desperate thought and burst of blue light, the hand was forcibly removed from his arm, its owner pushed back as though shoved. And Venice could be seen streaking down the strip in the opposite direction, a teal headband rolling to a stop at one of the stunned guards' feet.

[AnT]

"Hey Hey!" cried the goat, though he was baffled by the mink's phenomenal power. He could use someone like him in Lower Mobius. "What are doing?! Those overlanders-"

"Freeze, kid!" cried two security guards who charged at him.

"Uh oh!" and Griff made a dash away from the humans.