Nesia 009

************

Sorry I’m late again.  I do figure that I am close enough though.  I hope so anyway.  Now then, off to the mall.

***********

“Paradise Shopping Center, Clothing Sector,” Nesia told the taxi.

“An excellent choice,” the taxi said as it took off.  “Paradise Shopping Center is the largest mall in the universe.  There are over 100 stores for apparel and…”

Nesia let the taxi drone on as she looked out the window, not understanding why people would come on a vacation to shop at a mall.  She had chosen Paradise purely on its size.  If she was having a secret meeting, it seemed logical that it would be at a place with lots of people.  Easier to blend in the crowd and all that.  The high end store was not going to offer her enough privacy, and Derringer Mall was strictly a mall.

Paradise was practically its own theme park.  It certainly brought in as much, if not more, money than many of the resorts.  And like everything else on the planet, behind all of the owners and contracts, it was controlled by the Asuraeson Family.  There may be a ruling council and there may be different corporations that have their different hotels and cruises and immersion activities, but what the average person did not realize was that Lord Asuraeson was the final word in everything on the planet.

Nesia sighed and leaned her head back.  She did not want to dwell on that thought.  Being engaged to the most well known, powerful, and richest families in the universe was a little unnerving.  She honestly would rather play with cards, even though she was lousy at that.  Nesia snickered at that last thought.  Unsure what had inspired it or really what was so funny about it.  It was like laughing at an inside joke she could not remember.  She knew the punch line was funny, but she could not remember what had started it.

“We have arrived at Paradise Shopping Center,” the taxi beeped sternly and probably for the tenth time.  “Please respond and exit or I will have to assume you need medical attention.”

She got out of the taxi in record time.  Last thing Nesia wanted was more medial attention.  Artificial cars were smart, but they were still robots.  She had heard stories of people passing out drunk and the taxis dumping them off at the nearest hospital and charging their credit account triple for the trip and “services rendered”.  It also happened to old people who just happened to fall asleep, and to people her age who were busy on a phone and missed the last warning.

The mall was bustling, of course, and according to the posters there would be a concert in the northwest food court at eleven.  Nesia walked freely in the crowd, but her ears stayed pricked for mentions of Kate or Mark or anything that would give her a clue.  She was not some popular celebrity, but she was rich and her looks were known by at least a quarter of the universal population.

All she heard was a few comments about her outfit.  Some people liked it, calling it the new look, and others thought she had sent her clothes through a shedder.  She had used scissors, so they were close enough.

Nesia sighed as she grabbed a small booklet that served as the mall map and store guides.  She was in the clothing section of the mall, and she had no idea which store to go to.  The only clue she had to go on was slip shirt.  She could cross out several stores based on those two words alone.  She also crossed out all of the gender specific stores.  Mark was a male name so it would be easier to meet on even ground.  No kids or maternity stores either.

She was still left with several places to try, but none were sparking her memory.  She would just have to wander each store to see if anything was familiar or not.  Shrugging to herself, Nesia quickly outline the route she would take to hit all of the stores as quickly as possible.  It was a half hour to ten and she had a lot of ground to cover.

***********

What path does she take?

1 – Major department stores, Clothing only stores, the pajama store

2 – The pajama store, major department store, Clothing only stores

3 – Clothing only stores, the pajama store, major department stores

***********