More Personal Shopping

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Job Sign-Up: Page 3, Post Number 56

-Capital Crocus Mall, 11:37 A.M.-

Wearing a casual outfit of white t-shirt and "chocolate chip" pattern desert camouflage shorts along with tan hiking boots, Leona entered Capital Crocus Mall without any weapons in her possession nor any armor on her body. She was here for a casual shopping trip, so she would have no need for weapons or armor. The only threats she would face were long lines, dense crowds of shoppers, and high prices.

Leona stood on the threshold of the area that led to the food court and noticed that it was packed like it always was. She saw a long line of people snaking to the entrance and knew that she was not going to get any food from the food court, not unless she wanted to join the line and spend who knew how long waiting for a chance to order something. When she thought the matter through Leona swiftly decided that it would be best just to wait and leave the mall if she wanted something to eat. In the meantime she had some shopping that she wanted to do.

The blonde had come here in order to buy some new clothes to expand her modest wardrobe. It was a long overdue trip and today was as good a time as any to go look for some new clothes. She really needed some outfits to wear other than the same green, gold and white and blue, white, and gold outfits she had been wearing for the past three or four years. While those outfits had served her well and had become a signature look for her, Leona wanted more casual clothing to wear for occasions such as spending a day at the guild hall, going to festivals, or spending time with Masha.

Suddenly becoming aware that she was holding up people behind her, Leona quickly walked into the food court and took a left to head towards the staircase that would take her to the second floor of the mall.

-The second floor, three minutes later-

Leona emerged from the stairwell roughly three minutes later and stepped to the left to let the people behind her pass by. She looked over the heads of shoppers milling about on the second floor and saw the store called The Modern Woman, a store Leona remembered from past trips to the mall. It had a respectable selection of clothing that leaned towards a casual look, which was exactly what Leona was looking for right now.

She waited until a gap in the crowd formed, then moved through it and began walking briskly towards her destination. Within a minute she was inside the store. Now it was time to browse the store's wares and hope that they had some items that fit her.

[Post Word Count: 464]
[Total Word Count: 464/2,500]

-Inside The Modern Woman, seven minutes later-

Leona was inside the lightly populated shop browsing the racks on the right for any shirts or shorts that were her size and she was already having a decent amount of success. She had already found two pairs of blue jean shorts that were her size and they were clutched in her left hand as she searched the right side of the store for casual shirts or tank tops. The search for those garments was not going as well because there were some noticeable gaps in the clothing hanging on the racks, but she was not going to give up yet. She had all day to shop and she was not leaving the mall without buying at least one t-shirt or tank top.

As she looked through the racks of shirts she found a nice black tank top that looked to be just her size. She held it up to herself and noticed that it fit just right and covered everything. It was also not too tight around the chest, which was important considering her chest size. Leona hung onto that shirt as she browsed the rest of the racks for shirts that fit her and appealed to her.

Once Leona had completed her search she stepped away with a blue tank top and a white tank top in her left hand. She could not remember if she already had a blue one, but if she did she would have another one. In between the shirts and the shorts she had found enough clothing for a casual outfit or two, but she would go to other stores in the mall and see what else she could find.

Feeling like she had found everything she wanted here, Leona made her way to the counter to pay for her clothes. Once she had left The Modern Woman she would look for other casual clothing stores in one of the mall directories on the second floor. Doing that should point her towards more places she could find what she was looking for.

-On the second floor, six minutes later-

Leona was standing back on the second floor looking at one of the mall directories with the solid white plastic bags containing her purchases clutched tightly in her left hand. The directory she was looking at was positioned close to an athletic apparel shop named The Athlete's Edge, the store where she had bought the black bike shorts she wore under her skirts. Leona looked at the directory and soon found a store named Earthland Eagle, which was located on the first floor and not too far from the food court. She would go back downstairs and pay it a visit... as soon as she could find a way through the large crowd of shoppers moving about the second floor.

They were everywhere she looked and they were so densely packed that she was going to have to wait a few minutes before she got a large enough gap in the crowd to start moving towards a staircase. It was a good thing that time was not an object today because she was not going to get anywhere fast. Leona took a quiet breath and waited near the mall directory for the chance she needed.

[Post Word Count: 548]
[Total Word Count: 1,012/2,500]

-Inside Earthland Eagle, twenty-seven minutes later-

It had taken Leona longer than she had anticipated for her to get the chance she needed to head for a stairwell, but when it finally arrived the blonde took it. She had had to merge with a crowd of shoppers heading for the stairwell she had taken to reach the second floor and wait through a bit of a traffic jam before she could finally get back to the first floor. Once free of the traffic jam she finally reached the first floor and made a beeline for Earthland Eagle. On the way to the clothing store she had glanced towards the food court and noticed that it was still packed with people waiting to get food.

Now that she was inside Earthland Eagle it was time for her to look for more clothing. She already had a decent selection purchased from The Modern Woman not too long ago, but she wanted to look for a little more just for the sake of variety. Maybe she could find some khaki shorts or khaki cargo shorts. Leona glanced around at the clothing racks to the left and saw that they were home to the store's selection of pants. But in order to get to them she had to wait her turn... ahead of her were a boyfriend/girlfriend pair who had been in the store longer than she had.

While she waited Leona looked on the right side of the store and saw racks of t-shirts. People were standing and browsing at the items at the far ends of the racks but no one was standing was standing in the middle, so she took that as her chance to look at the t-shirts without having to wait. Leona walked carefully until she was where she wanted to be, then began to sift through the rack in front of her.

Leona looked through the t-shirts and found a blue one that looked promising... a look at the tag showed that it was her size. She reached for the hanger it was on and gently pulled it off of the rack only to find herself looking at a crop top. Not exactly thrilled by the discovery, Leona moved to put it back where it came from when she remembered something from her past.

During their very first meeting several years ago Masha had expressed a wish to see Leona wearing a crop top and short shorts.

Leona's hand stopped short of the rack and she held her right arm where it was, looking at the garment. Remembering Masha's wish, Leona decided to hang onto the garment and put the hanger holding it in her left hand. Not only did she decide to keep the one she already had, but she also decided to get others in different colors like green, black, and white. With that she went back to sifting through the rack of t-shirts in search of crop tops in those colors.

[Post Word Count: 496]
[Total Word Count: 1,508/2,500]

-Outside Earthland Eagle, two hours and twenty-seven minutes later-

Leona emerged from Earthland Eagle with three more shopping bags and some more outfit options. She had found and purchased short-sleeved and sleeveless crop tops in blue, black, white, and green. She had also found a pair of khaki short shorts and blue jean short shorts. She had spent a long time in the dressing room making absolutely sure that every garment fit before she bought them because she did not want to waste money and space on clothing that did not fit. After being certain that they would fit Leona bought them.

Having gotten everything she wanted today and it being in her size was a minor miracle. Leona's chest size tended to work against her when buying shirts, but today the stars had aligned to make sure that she would get everything in her size. Even the short shorts fit properly, which was what the blonde was worried about the most.

Leona was pleased with the results of today's shopping trip. She had gotten enough clothing for a few casual outfit options... while some casual outfit options were a bit too casual for everyday wear, she had options now and that was what was important. Another benefit was that she would be able to fulfill Masha's wish to see the blonde in a crop top and short shorts.

A long time ago Leona would not willingly dress like that, but a long time ago she was not in a relationship with Masha either. A lot could change in over four years and a lot had changed for the blonde. She had been on many adventures and she had seen many different places, but having a relationship with Masha promised to be a different kind of adventure. That was OK, though. Embarking on that sort of adventure was something the blonde had chosen to do of her own free will.

She had been given the option to be friends by Masha at the Halloween event they had attended in Capital Crocus a short time ago, but the blonde had refused to do that. She believed that she had strung Masha along enough with promises that were never kept and wanted to make the redhead happy and give back to her by actually committing to the relationship. The blonde was glad that she had chosen to do that. She was not stringing the redhead along anymore and she had gained someone who liked her for who she was, not as a high-profile romantic conquest.

Leona chose to commit to the relationship because it was something that she wanted to do. It was not part of her duties as Wizard Saint or Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf. It was a decision she had made as a person, not as a holder of any title. Now she was at peace and could look towards the future with Masha at her side.

Once the reminiscing was over Leona decided to leave Capital Crocus Mall before she spent any more money on clothes. She already had enough casual clothes for now and the mall was starting to get really busy thanks to a new influx of shoppers. It was a good idea to leave while she could to get started on the trip back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. She was sure that there was plenty of paperwork waiting on her in her office.

With that Leona began walking towards the exit with shopping bags in hand. She was glad that she had summon magic because she would need a summon or two to carry some of the bags home for her. Holding onto Winged Lion in flight would be a lot easier if her hands were not full, after all.

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[Total Word Count: 2,134/2,500]

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's room, six hours and forty minutes later-

Leona had taken a little longer to return to Silver Wolf Guild Hall than anticipated because just before she left the mall she turned around and headed back into Earthland Eagle to look for some long pants and a jacket. She emerged from Earthland Eagle for the second and final time with two pairs of blue jeans that were her size and two denim jackets plus short-sleeved and sleeveless pink crop tops just in case Masha liked that color. Now she was back in her room with her expanded outfit selection after hanging up everything in her wardrobe.

She had not expected to spend that much money on clothes, but she had saved up so much money over the years that what she had spent was a drop in the bucket to her. She had also not expected to find so much clothing in her size, but it seemed like the stars had aligned for her to find what she needed when she needed it. Now she was home and had an expanded selection of casual clothes to choose from, including things that Masha would like to see her wear.

Leona had not been stopped by guild staff looking for her, so she assumed that she did not have any paperwork waiting on her. She would go by her office to make sure, though. She did not want to leave any paperwork that urgently needed doing until the very last minute because she was not good at handling last-minute administrative work.

-Leona's room, one hour later-

Leona had went to her office and had not found any paperwork waiting on her, but she opted to stay a full hour just to give any guild staff members who had paperwork for her a chance to deliver it. When no one entered her office with an armful of papers she immediately got out of her chair and left it for the time being. If she was needed she would return to the office, but otherwise she was going back to her room to stay.

That was the plan until Leona got the urge to get some coffee from the guild cafe. She almost always had time for coffee and since there was currently no need for her to fulfill administrative duties there was no time like the present to get her favorite drink. She immediately left her room to head for the cafe.

-The guild cafe, five minutes later-

Leona was sitting at her usual table and facing the entrance with a white mug of coffee in hand. She had not accomplished anything substantial, but she had managed to find and purchase some casual clothing for a long-overdue improvement to her wardrobe. Now that she had some casual outfits she did not need to wear the same two outfits she had worn for the past four years or so everywhere she went.

Leona took a sip from her mug and looked out the entrance. Today had been a good day for her. Tomorrow she would need to look for a job to make back what she had spent on clothes, but she would deal with that later. Right now she just wanted to sit around and drink coffee to celebrate adding some much-needed variety to her wardrobe. There would be plenty of time for more serious adventures later.

[Post Word Count: 568]
[Total Word Count: 2,702/2,500]