Chapter Text
When we entered the mall, it was such a huge place! There's a lot of people, lots of stores, and even moving stairs?! What sorcery can create has moving stairs! “Okay, the boys and I will be browsing around, we'll meet up in the food court.” Lily nods and kisses John on the cheek. “See you soon John.” John takes the kids and goes up the moving stairs. “Malls sure have become more popular. I thought they died out.” Ryder said, looking around. “How are they doing that?” I asked in awe. “Doing what?” Lily asked. I pointed at the stairs. “The moving stairs.” “That's an escalator, it brings people up and down the floors. We'll go upstairs soon, but for right now, we are going to the first floor. Follow me.” Lily leads the way as Ryder and I follow.
As we came to the first store, it was again huge. There's marketplaces not even bigger than this. “So is there a limit or what?” Ryder asked. “Well, John said to get you guys at least 10 everyday outfits including shoes as well, swimsuits, pjs, undergarments, warmer clothes for the winter and of course some stuff like washcloths, toothbrushes and toothpaste, etc.” Ryder's mouth was wide open. “That's so much…” Ryder whispers. “Listen, don't worry. We have a lot of money so there's nothing to worry about.” Lily assured. “Go on, pick out something you like. And don't worry if you pick more than 10, John said he wouldn't mind. I'll be with Iris since she has never been in a store like this, I hope you don't mind Ryder.” “No, it's fine. I'll come find you two whenever I'm finished.” He said. “Also, whenever you pick up all your outfits, wear one of your new ones.” Ryder nods. “Understood. Have fun Lily and Iris.” Ryder goes to the men's section to find outfits. “Come on Iris, let's find some cute outfits.” Lily holds my hand and we start to find clothing.
A little over an hour of trying on outfits and asking for help since I didn't know how some of them work… Anyways, I wore out a pretty outfit. It was a green sweater dress and black leggings with black boots. “Oh, aren't you adorable!” Lily said. “I know a certain someone is gonna love you in this outfit.” Who is she talking about? “Lily, I-” Ryder walked towards us and stopped when he saw us. “Iris… You look very pretty.” He blushes a bit as he said that. “Thank you, you look nice as well!” Ryder was wearing a short sleeved white shirt with a long black sleeved shirt, black long pants, and red shoes with laces. Lily giggles. “Anyways, let's get you guys checked out. Did you find everything Ryder?” Lily asked. “Yup, I hope you don't mind if I got some work shirts. I'm planning to work at a school again.” “John and I don't mind. Let's ring these items up.” Ryder and I brought the clothes to the counter and the worker used these devices to scan the tags on our clothes. The worker put everything in bags for us. We usually just get the items and go into my realm. Lily used this small square and it paid for everything. Is their currency just one square thingy? If so, how can that square pay for anything?
We walked to another store to buy some other things for us. “So Ryder, you were a teacher before?” I asked. “Hm? Oh yeah, it's how I met John in the first place. I just got recently hired and I saw him working on some stairs. I went to that school when I was growing up and those stairs were a hazard. So seeing someone, especially the mayor helping out the community was moving.” He gave a slight smile. “Since I was a new teacher, he took me out at the nearby bar. It eventually became a weekly thing, just something we do to relax ourselves.” “That's so sweet! I remember something in his journal about you but it was just brief, until you went missing.” Lily added. “He wrote about me? That's surprising.” I remember how John was when we discovered that Ruggy and Ryder were the same entity. When he heard his voice, he nearly fell backwards. Also, when we left Ryder to think after telling him the truth, John described the feeling as “Hearing a ghost”. Something he would never hear again. Even though he doesn't show it, John deeply cares for Ryder. In his own, twisted, unhinged, way… I guess. “Hey Iris?” Ryder tapped my shoulder. “You kinda spaced out there, you okay?” “Yeah, sorry. I was thinking.” I said. “Lily already got our stuff, so we're heading to the food court.” “Already?! How long was I spacing out for?”
“Umm… How do you get on this?” I looked at the moving stairs, trying to get on but not knowing how to. “You put your foot on the stairs and just wait until you get to the top. Watch.” Lily takes a step and she starts to go up. I look down and nervously look back to the top. A hand appeared in my vision. “It's okay. Here, I'll help you.” Ryder said calmly. I hold his hand and he gets behind me. “Before you step up, put your foot down and use the other to climb up.” I nodded and looked at the stairs. I stepped up and I was moving upwards. I was wobbling, but Ryder caught me. “I'm here Iris. It's okay.” His gentle voice put me at ease. “Now hop off when I tell you okay?” I nodded. “Now!” I jumped off to the unmoving platform and looked at Ryder. “I did it! I did it!” Ryder chuckles. “Yep, you sure did. I'm proud of you.” He ruffled my hair. “There you two are. You both look great.” John commented. “Sorry it took a bit, I didn't know how to use the moving stairs.” I said. “No it's okay, what do you guys want to eat? You have several options to choose from.” “Oh! I'm dying to eat some Chinese food again.” Ryder said. “That's all you ate when you were teaching, I'm surprised you never got sick of it…” John said, sounding a bit disgusted. “What? It was cheap, it was next to my apartment, and it's a comfort food.” Ryder argued. “I wanna try it. I don't know what's the difference between regular food and Chinese food though. What other types of food are there?” I questioned. “There's also Mexican, Italian, country style food, and seafood.” John listed. I looked at him in confusion. “Umm…How about you see what you want, what looks good to you?” John asked. “Don't worry, I'll pay for it.” I walked around the different food areas and it felt overwhelming. Unknown smells, lots of people around, the noises, everything is so much. At least in my realm, hell, even in the In Between I had some familiarly. But everything is so new, it's overbearing. “Hey there girly! Come to our stand, try our new country style chicken!” A man said in one stand. “No, no! Come here, our pizza is cheap, but delicious!” Another said. “Anyone likes tacos! Try ours!” Another person said. I feel so many eyes on me, it's a crushing feeling. I felt a tap on my shoulder and it startled me. It was Ryder. “Geez, those guys are advertising maniacs- Hey, you okay? You're looking a bit pale…” Ryder said, concerned. “I… I need to sit down. This is a bit overwhelming.” I started to feel dizzy. Ryder guided me to a table and helped me sit down. “I'll get some water, watch her.” John said. He walked to one of the stands while Ryder held my hand. “Hey, talk to me Iris. What's happening?” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Just so much… Too much around me.” I said. John returns with a cup of water. “Is she okay?” John puts his hand on my forehead. “She's not warm. Drink this Iris.” I take the water from his hand and down it. “I think this is too much for her. I'll bring her to the car.” Ryder offered. “No, we should leave, this-” “No. I don't want to ruin your outing. I'll be fine.” I said. “Are you sure?” John asked. “Yeah, I'm not going to eat right now. Just enjoy yourselves.” I mustered up a smile. “John, do me a favor and order my food. I'll make sure she's going to be okay.” John hesitated at first, but he went to get Ryder's food. “I'm-” “Don't apologize. This is quite a lot for you. New area, new smells, new foods, lots of people. It's a lot for anyone, frankly. You're being exposed to a lot of things so of course you're feeling overwhelmed.” I sighed. “Don't feel bad, hell, there's even people here that get like this.” “Really?” Ryder nodded. Lily walked up to us, looking pale. “Oh my, you do look ill…” She said, “Don't worry, we're leaving soon.” I feel so bad, they were having fun… “My first day in this world and I'm already ruining it…” Lily crouched down to my level. “Don't say that. You're not ruining anything. It's normal to feel like this. You are probably overstimulated, that's all. Let's just get you home and you can go lay down.” She gets up. “Can you stand?” I got up and immediately felt dizzy. Ryder holds me close to him. “Don't worry, I won't let you fall.” The rest was a blur honestly. I don't think I passed out, but I feel the aftermath of it. I lay in my bed with a cold compressed on my eyes, with Ryder next to me. I can tell since I can hear him. “Are you asleep?” Ryder asked. “No… I think I'm feeling a bit better. But I still feel bad about everything.” “Don't be. You know, I can get like that sometimes. It was way worse when I was a kid, but it still happens from time to time.” I turned to Ryder. “Really?” I asked. “Honestly, I would be lying to you if I wasn't feeling skittish while we were shopping. Back then, things were simple and now everything is so advanced and new. It gives me a headache…” Ryder said. I take off the compress. “You're not saying this to make me feel better, are you?” I asked. He shakes his head. “I'm being honest. I'm still processing everything. John being immortal, turning back to human, everything and everyone I knew is just gone.” I can see the hurt in his eyes. He sighs. “Just… All I'm saying is that you're not alone feeling overwhelmed. But we'll get through this together. Not just with me, but with John and Lily.” This really reassured me a lot. Knowing that I have these people here to help me through this, makes me smile. Ryder grins. “There's that beautiful smile.” He pinches my cheeks playfully. “Tu es ma joie de vivre.” Even though I don't know what he said, he said it with happiness in his tone. He sat next to me with this box thing. “Would you like to try some Chinese food? It's pretty good.” Ryder offered. “Are you sure?” Ryder opened the box and there was a mountain of food. “Very sure. I can't eat all of this.” I chuckled. He gave me some utensils and we started eating. He's right, Chinese food is delicious!