"So this is the place, huh," I said as we entered the small establishment within the mall. A frigid breeze hit us as the doors opened and greeted us with the inside air. And the bright fluorescence of the shop shocked our eyes which had adapted to the darkness of the outside. Ilya directed us to a relatively secluded shop before leaving that sold imported goods, particularly those relating to that of Asian origin. The inside was filled with shelves upon shelves of foods with unintelligible labeling and names - while the counter housed behind it magazines, mangas, and even a few videogames. The place was a convenience store, no doubt about it, but it seemed most convenient to those looking for a taste of a foreign market. Though I speak of the presumed customers of the shop, as of right now, there were only us in the shop - it didn't surprise me, however, if the blinding luminance contrasting the outside wasn't enough, the place was basically the last one standing in the mall. I began looking around and inspecting the variety of items the shop had to offer before a timid voice snapped me back into reality.

"I'll look around. I don't want to burden the cashier with too many people." Keith said as he walked into the aisles of unfamiliar wares, leaving me standing at the front entrance with Myla.

"To the counter, we go," I received a silent nod as we made our way to the front of the store. The countertop housed candies of unknown descent and a few racks of what seemed to be magazines. Behind the counter was the beforementioned selection of products. Some seemed familiar, while others remained exotic. At the very least, a recognizable item remained in place - and with a flick of my hand, the small shimmering call bell rang to life, alerting whatever workers remained in the store.

"Ah, give me a sec. I'll be right there!" A high-pitched female voice chimed from what seemed to be the office behind the counter. It sounded oddly familiar, though I couldn't quite pinpoint its origin. It seemed the feeling was mutual with my dear partner, who tilted her head in a gesture of curiosity. Before our queries could receive their answer, however, her eyes caught a glimpse of something in of the aisles - leaving me alone as her footsteps trailed away,

Don't go now. You'll miss the second returning character.

A young woman emerged from the white doors behind the register. She merrily hopped towards me, donning what seemed to be her customer-service smile. Her long blonde hair, which a blue headband held, steadily flowed in the cold air that enveloped the store. The plain white shirt and black pants she wore contrasted with the decorated green apron adorning her slim figure. Small pins bedecked the apron, which was as colorful as the selection of items behind her.

"Miss Daniels?" I said as a brief wave of recollection hit me.

"Ah! aiAI guy. I'm surprised you still remember me. Then again, I did act like a bit of a brat back then. Hopefully, that isn't what you remember me for." The energetic woman said as she anxiously scratched the back of her head. Diana Daniels was the very first client I'd worked with. Her lively vibe and young face had almost become lost to me, as that day gave me plenty of things to remember. Still, I was lucky enough to, at the very least, recall her name,

Thank God I'm good at remembering names.

I told myself as I nervously glanced at the nametag on her outfit.

"I'm still glad to hear that you recognized me, though. Could it be you've been following the account you and your partner made for Caine and me?" She asked with a cheery smile, prompting me to flinch slightly.

Ah, now I've done it. Not only did I only remember her name because of the nametag. But now I have to explain to her how I don't use and actively avoid social media.

"W-well," I tried to muster a few words - but my own nervousness and the expectations given to me made me swallow any attempt at creating a convincing excuse.

"Eh? So you haven't been following it? Well, that's fine, I guess. I was just happy to think you guys could see how we were pulling in thousands of likes and shares with the idea." Miss Daniels said with gloom in her voice, although her words sounded more like she was bragging.

Now I'm kind of annoyed.

I thought as the space beside me was filled with an even colder yet familiar air.

"Miss Daniels, good evening. Before you continue the conversation, could you check if the second volume of this is in stock?" Myla asked as she pulled the first volume of the book from one of the large pockets of her jacket.

"Ah, aiAI gal. Sure give me a minute." The young woman said with a warm smile befitting a worker in the service industry.

Why was she even carrying that thing around?

I asked myself, though I'd wanted to first say thanks to my dear partner who saved me from the dire situation.

'Thank-"

"Shh." Myla hushed my gratitude as she speedily pulled out her phone. Miss Daniels began going through the many books behind the counter - her gaze now focused elsewhere. In that span of time, Myla began rushing through her phone's many different settings to turn on and connect to the free wifi of the mall. Her fingers moved swiftly yet precisely through the device's facets, eventually landing on the social media app Miss Daniels used. While, in most cases, mall wifi is unbearably slow - it seemed the world and Myla shared a common goal. I presumed this as images and videos were loading instantaneously to her eyes.

"Huh, did they turn off the wifi? Wait, never mind. It's just suddenly become quite slow. Strange." I could hear Keith chirp from somewhere in the aisles, which signaled Miss Daniels to briefly turn around before continuing her search again.

That's this woman's phone miraculously siphoning all of the speed to aid in her dash.

Myla's pace hastened, yet it seemed she was no more frantic than before, maintaining her composure but still hurriedly scrolling through the walls of images and posts presented to her.

"Here it is. Yep, we got the second volume right here." Miss Daniels said as she laid both books on the counter with a short exhale.

"Thank you. It's also good to see you back and working after a three-day camping trip." Myla said in her usual cold voice, but I could feel a tinge of relief come from it.

"Right, Bridger?" My dear partner gave me a quick glance, which I understood as the signal to cooperate.

"Yep, especially since Mister Connors seems like the more outdoorsy type," I said slightly nervously, thankful that I caught a glimpse of the young man's name when Myla was scrolling through their profile page.

"Ah, so you have been following us! Yep, gotta make a living after all." The young woman replied with a pleasant laugh, lifting a weight from my shoulders as she did.

Sometimes her petty nature comes in handy.

I thought as I said thanks to my dear partner from within the confines of my mind.

"So, with that, what are the two of you doing here so late? Don't tell me," She said with a teasing grin as she examined the outfits we donned.

"Are you two out on a date?"

"No"

"No"

"Eh? But you're in sync too!" Miss Daniels exclaimed with a genuine surprise on her face.

"First off, that's cliche as hell. Second, I'd rather be charged with murder than do that." I replied with a tired look.

"Indeed, I'd much prefer to breathe my last breath than to participate in such an acti- Oi" She stopped mid-sentence and faced me with a defensive stare.

"I sense we can reach a mutual agreement," I said solemnly, looking into my dear partner's eyes.

"Don't even start."

"Then you're a comedy act!" The young woman stated with a short laugh, observing our banter.

The funniest thing here is how much we've gotten used to these conversations, though - comedy truly is tragic.

"I just thought it'd make a great post, is all,"

Miss Daniels said as she ran the book through the scanner with a subdued smile.

"Hmm? How so?" I asked.

"Well, like, imagine the caption: "Fun Fact: The people who helped us with our relationship struggles are also in a relationship themselves! No wonder it worked out so well for us!" Then add a bunch of tags and shoutouts, and you're good to go." She said with a reassuring smile, which Myla and I reacted to with displeasure.

"I guess it's still a no then, huh?" The young woman finished as she handed the book to Myla.

"Yes, I'd like to keep my reputation unsoiled, after all," My dear partner replied in her usual cold tone of voice, pulling out her wallet as she did.

"I guess I am asking for a bit too much. It's a bad habit of mine, especially since I already owe the both of you a lot." Her last line made me perk up, sensing she had kept something for the both of us.

"I might not show it, but I'm super grateful to the two of you. You saved our butts back then, and while at the time I wanted to give you a bad review,"

Irk, my bad.

"You pulled through in the end, and I, we are thankful for that." The young woman expressed with a delighted smile, complementing her youthful visage and shimmering blonde hair. The air, while remaining cold, felt a little warmer after her statement, causing me to exhale a relieved breath.

This job has its perks. I'll give it that.

"A picture," I could hear a voice from beside me.

"If you want to post something about us, a picture is fine." My dear partner said cooly, though a touch of shyness was present in her usually collected voice. I didn't know if she acted this way due to the suggestion of a photo or as a reaction to Miss Daniels's thanks - but I did know the reason for the idea - Miss Daniels expressed herself through her posts. If she wanted to show her thanks, she could do it through a picture on her feed.

She really is observant sometimes, neat.

I thought to myself as I felt the gaze of the two placed on me.

"Sure, I don't mind," I said with a shrug as I concluded the rest of my remaining thoughts. Miss Daniels happily pulled out her bespeckled phone and lifted it high into the air to capture the three of us. We both did peace signs with our arms that were on the outermost part of the picture, prompting Myla, who was in between us, to exhale an exasperated sigh and swallow her pride.

"Please just take it." My dear partner voiced with an annoyed tone as she held both her hands up in the same pose on her small face. The camera let out a quick click, immortalizing the still frame.

"I'll be sure to use this as a keepsake and maybe a way to get a few likes." The young woman said with a slight grin as she put her phone away.

Internet attention is strange indeed.

"If you can, please send me the picture later on," Myla said as she placed both books into the paper bag Miss Daniels had given her.

After all that, she still wanted the picture. She said the same back when we took photos at the con. Maybe she actually likes having her picture taken.

I thought of inquiring further, but I didn't want to draw her ire due to my drained energy supply.

"By the way, what were you guys doing here so late anyway?" The young woman asked inquisitively.

"Aside from this purchase, we owe our late-night arrival to him," Myla replied with a tired look as she faced me. I nervously looked away as I mustered the words within me to explain our situation.

"Ah! If that's the case, you guys aren't out just yet." I slanted my head out of intrigue, signaling her to continue.

"Well, we do two fountain shows every week. One in the Northern part of the mall and another in the Southern area. That way, people have to walk the entire length of the mall and get advertised to." She said with a sweet smile, unbefitting of the insensitive statement she had made about the commercialized keep.

No one is safe from the money-hungry.

"You guys gotta go now, though! The show's about to start on the fourth floor, now go! I can close up by myself." She said as she motioned us to the exit with a determined yet charming smile. Myla and I faced each other before nodding in thanks as I called out to our third member.

"Keith, we gotta go ASAP! Come on!"

"Huh? But I just got the translation of this bag of chi-" He was cut off as I pulled his arm and began moving to the exit. Myla already stood outside, the cold air flushing out of the store to join her as we steadily made our way back to the elevator.

"By the way, was the cashier a friend of yours?" Keith asked curiously, most likely overhearing our earlier conversations with Miss Daniels.

"After all of that? Yeah, I'd say so." I replied as I turned to the bright light of the store and waved to the young woman who remained within, her smile nearly as luminous as the store's incandescence.

We made it to the top floor to see the last remaining pockets of occupants left in the mall congregating in the area. The spot was large and blanketed in darkness. The sunroof was now directly above us, the only thing providing us light with the stars and moon. In the unlit scenery before me, I observed a small metal ring begin to spin on the floor. Water gushed out in a stream of white which suddenly shifted to a warm orange as the lights on the floor flickered to life. Deep reds and tranquil blues followed soon after, and the show had truly begun. The geysers of liquid danced in the quiet and dark atmosphere as I could hear mumbles of awe and praise. The water's reflective surface swallowed and diffracted the entrancing rays of light as they collided with the ever-present white beams of the moon above, creating an almost hypnotic display. At this moment, I took the chance to catch a glimpse at both of my companions' faces. The light peacefully shone on their countenances. The young introverted carried with him a timid yet hopeful look - while my dear partner remained tranquil as their eyes were like mirrors echoing the elegant movements of the light show in front of us.

I'm too tired to think of anything, but my monkey brain likes the shiny lights at least,