2012-10-24 Mall Adventure (Part 1)

Another rainy day in Queens. But at least Jubilation Lee's in her natural habitat and a great place to ride out the weather: A mall! She's currently trying the patience of a storekeeper in a trendy denim shop, trying on expensive jeans.
Right now she's standing before a mirror in the store, casually posing and inspecting the look of a pair of hip-hugging flared jeans. "Not bad... maybe a little low for my taste," she says consideringly, giving them an adjusting tug upwards. The jeans promptly slide down again and she giggles. "Okay, definitely need a belt for these!"
Fuming Ben Reilly was moving about the mall, once again in the mall security uniform. Rules were in place that kept him onboard for ten more days. A defeated sigh moved in the air as Ben looked over everything.
Some nods were given to store managers as he peaked in one store...he blushed. A teenager girl, a cute one, was checking herself out in the mirror. She looked good, but he was on the job. Ben kept out on his routine.
"Maybe with a nice scar... ow!" Jubilation yelps and straightens suddenly, looking down at her tried-on leg apparel. "Something stuck me!" She pulls out the side of the waistband, finds nothing, pulls it out further, finds still nothing. Frowning, she unfastens the jeans and pulls the side far out, finally pulling out a stray pin that'd been used in a previous fitting. She holds it up to inspect it. "Owie... how'd that get there?"
The store manager, a cross person anyway, turns beet-red at the sight of that annoying teenager seemingly pulling down her pants in his store. Beyond speech at this point, he makes a screechy gobbling sound at the security guard peeking inside, motioning furiously at Jubilation.
This. Was. Awkward. "Keep calm Parker," Ben repeated in his head like a mantra until a flash of furiousness came over him. "Keep calm Reilly," was the new mantra that flashed in his head as he walked toward Jubilee. He cleared his throat when he was close.
When her attention was on him, he gave a polite smile, "Ma'am...your umm..pants," Ben said as he pointed. After a moment the mall security guard began to explain, "This isn't public indecency, but it could be disturbing the piece. You're probably going to want to grab your things, pay for your stuff and lay low...just for a little," the speech got interrupt as somebody outside the store screamed.
Racing out of the store Ben heard the screams the second the tiled walkways greeted him. "My purse!" a woman screamed and Ben caught one of his co-workers, an older and slightly out of shape man, pursing a male with a hotpink purse that did not match the leather coat and dark blue jeans that could be seen as he was running. On instinct Ben started to give chase moving like a track star. A small jewelry kiosk was vaulted over with the greatest of ease. If someone didn't know better the way be jumped over one side, into the small cashier area and from that side over the other part of the display, felt more like a movie. Before long a shoulder came from Ben as he practically tackled the would-be mugger. The purse flew in the air and skidded across the ground, "Cuffs!" Ben cried out to his co-worker who was still a moment away.
The older guard caught up with them and slapped the cuffs on the perp, "Can you process him?" Ben asked remembering the clothing store. Walking like nothing happened Ben, dressed in the white button down shirt, dark blue slacks, a now ruffled tie, and the fake-looking mallcop badge, moved toward the store the teenaged girl was in. His eyes were looking for the girl.
Jubilation, looking for someplace to put that dangerous sharp object, blinks at the sight of the mall security guy she saw a couple days ago. "Oh, hi!" she replies, with a halfheartedly-plastic smile. "Oh, that? Sorry. Somebody left a pin in these, and I was looking for it." She holds up the pin as proof.
And that's about when someone screams. The mall cop's gone with surprising speed, leaving Jubilation blinking after him. "I've got to help," she mutters, turning for the door... and then recalling that she's wearing the store's jeans. With an irritated sound, she skins them off and dashes for the door! She ignores the manager's piercing shriek of protest at the untidy heap of denim left behind her.
But by the time she gets outside, the incident's over! Wow, that was fast! And here comes the mall cop, slightly rumpled but unhurt. She smiles in relief... and then catches sight of herself in the reflection from the display window. The baby tee and cropped hot-pink hoodie are stylish enough, with the right ensemble, but they don't change the fact that she's standing in the middle of the mall in her floral-print panties. Oops! Jubilation hurriedly ducks back into the store, blushing hotly. How embarrassing!
An amused danced on Ben's face. Without a word he moved past the store and into one of the back areas where his locker resided. Once there he opened his locker taking his blue hoodie. Moving back toward the store Jubilee was in, he caught up to her, trying to ignore any sight of the panties, and handed her his hoodie.
"Here," he said. A few times Peter had been pantsed at school before and he wished there was some hole he could crawl into. The hoodie wasn't a hole, but it was something to crawl into. "Don't loose it. It's my favorite," he said to the girl before walking back out.
It's probably fortunate for Jubilation that the cute guy in uniform doesn't come back into the store immediately, as she's indeed looking for a hole to crawl into. Failing that, she ducks behind a rack of designer denim, still blushing like a red light. Equally fortunately, the manager didn't see her come back. He's muttering and collecting those jeans she'd thrown on the floor. He also collects the pin she dropped, taking himself, jeans, and sharp object back into the back for the moment.
Moments later, here comes the mall cop, bearing a gift of modesty. Jubilation blushes again, but then realizes he's keeping his eyes strictly on her face and hands. "Oh... dude, that's totally fab of you," she says, quickly wrapping it around her waist. And then he starts to leave. "Wait! How am I gonna give it back to you?"
"My shift ends in an hour. Just meet me by the food court," he said firmly before turning into the mall-hall. His brown eyes looking about as people gave him nods and claps, that made him wish for the hoodie now. To him, he was just doing his job.
"Oh... okay!" Jubilation replies, sending a smile after him. She should've thought of that herself. But still, important stuff to do, like getting her own clothes back and getting out of here before the manager realizes she's not gone. Especially the latter! She ducks back into that changing room she was using at the speed of light. The curtain slides shut even faster.
The rest of Ben's shift was pretty uneventful. He watched the halls. People seemed to be somber and for the moment a little more respectful of the fake badge. Brown eyes just continued to be vigilant right as his watch hit, six-o-clock. The second that happened Ben went back to the locker to change. Coming back out into the mall he looked like a typical teenage. Black jeans that looked well loved, a pair of black vans, and a simple red t-shirt. One of the strange things about Ben was his physique. The guy looked like a track star, but somehow that shoulder block was pretty hard.
How the mugger crumpled like a sack of potatoes may have raised an eyebrow or two if someone got a good look at Ben. Still he aited outside of the food court with his shaved head and a green backpack slung over one shoulder.
Jubilation Lee never has a hard time killing an hour. Lying low is easy when there are video arcades around, and the latest movie-license title keeps her happily occupied until her watch alarm goes off at five 'til. At that point she hands off her game to a surprised kid who gets spanked in the first ten seconds and hurries for the food court.
She's distinctive even now, with her red shades and big wheel earrings with their signature name on the center bar. Her flare-leg jeans and hoodie aren't particularly noteworthy, though she does wear them well, and her black fingerless gloves could belong to anybody. She pauses beside one of the huge, round trash cans, looking around for the generous mall cop. He must look a lot different out of uniform...
Although it took him a second Ben recognized the girl. He moved to her with a smile, "Hey," he said. What gave her away was the air and the legs. Seeing someone in fitted jeans and legs, gave someone an eyeful. Plus...she was wearing his hoodie.
"How's it going?" he tried to refrain from a joke about giving people a show since she discarded the pants.
Jubilation looks up with a surprise blink at the bald guy, then recognizes his face. He looks a little different without the mall-issue cap! "Oh, there you are! Hello again," she replies. "I'm good, thanks to your timely loan. I hope nobody's had to do the same for you."
"I'm a nerd that grew up in public school...I know what it's like to want to crawl into a hole because half the world saw your underwear," he gave a soft and sympathetic smile.
"I'm Ben, by the way. Ben Reilly," his hand extended outward. Handshake, hug, he wasn't sure what was better to do here. He didn't have a lot of friends that were his own...actually Ben didn't have any friends that were his own. There were the friends Peter had...who he wasn't actually friends with.
"Wacky fun times," Jubilation quips. "At least I followed Mom's advice." She giggles and accepts his hand with a surprisingly good grip. "Jubilation Lee... or just Jubes, Jubester, or Ju-Ju to my friends. Too bad all public school nerds don't grow up to be as nice as you. There might not be this worldwide dislike of nerds. Thanks again, totally!"
"We're totally this nice...just not this nice to strangers. We're used to strangers giving us swirlies because we know that F.e. on the periodic table is Iron. Also, we're socially awkward because we don't exactly get the cheerleading squad wanting to ask us out to a movie," he shrugged. Yes there was still some highschool bitterness stillt here.
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, "Nice to meet you Jubes," Ben inclined his head slightly. Silence hung in the air for a moment as Ben slipped on his hoodie, "So...besides umm...the underwear stuff...what do you do at the mall?" He recognized the sunglasses, they were hard to miss.
"Could be..." Jubilation replies uncertainly. "I know how it feels to get marginalized because of your talents. I'm a gymnastics nut, myself," she adds, seeing some potential common ground. It's not like she can brag about her scholarly talents!
She blushes a little as /that/ subject comes up. "Well, aside from modeling for Victoria's Secret at random times, I look at a lot of electronics, rollerblade during mall cop lunch breaks, and play arcade games. Occasionally," she adds, blue eyes twinkling impishly, "I even buy something!"
Chuckling Ben gave a nod, "Well...you have the legs of a gymnast and a model...from what I've seen," he said with a smile. Even if she lied about the gymnast part...Jubilee was good looking.
"I know how it goes...I work here..but the prices...I barely keep a crappy apartment afloat. And I don't have a cellphone...don't exactly have anyone to cal," he confessed. Why he said all that even he wasn't sure.
"I'll bet you say that to all the potential customers," Jubilation ripostes playfully, gesturing to that place that sells the great cookies. "Want a shake? My treat. I have a lot of arcade money left over today," she adds, jingling the pocket of her jeans.
He smiled, "You're the first. Most customers just yell at me like I'm some idiot in a cheap shirt. You get called a 'pig' when you have a fifth of the authority of a real cop...and crappier pay," he said honestly but a smirk tugged at his mouth.
"I couldn't impose...I'll sit and hang out, but you don't have to be me anything Jubes," Ben blushed a little. Although he needed it, taking money from people he just met felt wrong.
"That's sooo unfair," Jubes says, sympathetically leaning closer. "Which is why you could use some chocolate, preferably cold and drinkable. Seriously, I'm good for it, and I'd feel totally guilty drinking one myself if you didn't have one, too." Persistent, isn't she? "Besides, shouldn't one person be nice to you today? After all, you were nice to her, and she majorly owes you!"
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