"These pretzels are incredible," Malachi said upon trying one.

Pan agreed wholeheartedly with him. They were like warm pillows of bread and salt that melted in one's mouth. Instead of getting separate containers, Malachi simply bought one large one that they all shared along with a giant cup of lemonade. He claimed he wasn't that hungry and Marron was perfectly fine with sharing the rest with Pan. The lemonade was initially for Pan, but eventually she was sharing with Marron. The three of them had passed quite a few clothing shops which drew eyerolls from Marron each time.

"Ugh! Let's find a more exciting store," Marron complained. "You know—videogames or perfumes."

"Or books and board games," Pan said further.

Pan noticed, however, that Malachi was quite interested in the clothing stores as his eyes stayed on them longer.

"I have an idea," Malachi said with a half-smile gracing his face, "How about I buy both of you one whole outfit that you'll then have to wear for the rest of the day?"

"Who needs Bra when we have Malachi?" Marron said with yet another eyeroll.

"What do you mean?" Malachi asked mystified.

"She always does that whenever she drags us out to shop," Pan explained, "And she always gives us sluttier outfits, but it's okay 'cus she's a girl. However, a guy—"

"Who do you think I am?" Malachi said nonchalantly, "I'd never choose something overtly revealing—that's more Bra's style. I'd choose something that enhances what you already naturally have."

"If we agree to this," Marron said speaking up, "What's in it for us? I don't know about Pan, but I'm definitely not in the habit of letting cute guys dress me even if they are superstars. I better be getting something out of it if I'm going to let you decide what I'm wearing."

"Think I'm siding with Marron on this," Pan said not liking the idea of being dressed by someone else.

"Hm, fair point," Malachi said thoughtfully as he stopped at a clothing store. The two of them followed suit. "How about I let both of you choose which songs I sing at karaoke?"

"No, I got one better. You sing a song with us," Marron replied.

"How about I do both?" Malachi said with a shrug.

"R-Really?" Pan asked. Never in a million years did she think she'd share a stage with Malachi—he practically transformed up there, something magical always happened. She'd be able to experience it too if she was by his side when it happened. She wasn't entirely sure on that last part, but it would still be pretty cool to see it up close. Maybe it wouldn't be as exciting as her mind was making it, maybe the magic would disappear if she examined it too thoroughly, but she was willing to take that chance.

"Well, I said it," Malachi replied walking ahead towards the store. "C'mon, ladies, I already have something in mind."

Pan was trying to see where his eyes were looking. The store seemed to cater specifically to women in their age range so Pan couldn't be sure. At the very least, he wasn't looking at the provocative active wear on the other side of the store. He stopped short as he approached a section of tops.

"Wait in the dressing room. I won't be long," he said aloud to them.

Pan glanced at Marron who already had a dubious expression on her face. Marron wasn't particularly fond of being bossed around and it had definitely caused many arguments between her and Bra. Of course, Malachi could not have known this, but perhaps he sensed her unease as he turned to her. She'd been sipping on the lemonade and still had her lips around the straw. Malachi, who hadn't drunk anything the entire time gently took the cup from her hand and took a nice long swig and then slowly slid his lips away with an almost mischievous smile before passing it back to her.

"Refreshing," he remarked. "You're going to love what I have in store for you."

Marron couldn't help but laugh, "I can hardly take you seriously with lime green hair. I'll be awaiting your ridiculous fashion choices." With this, she placed her lips upon the straw, but did nothing more but lick the rim of it before handing it back to him wearing a sly grin. "Can't have food or drink in the dressing room."

One of Pan's eyebrows rose in slight confusion, but then she proceeded to handing him her pretzel bites only for Malachi to hold his hand out to stop her. "I'm sure they won't notice a few pretzel bites," he said dismissively.

"But we simply must hide the drink that's much smaller than this carton of pretzels?" Pan asked with hands akimbo.

"Oh, I don't know," Malachi began nonchalantly, "Suddenly, I'm feeling quite thirsty and this lemonade is perfect."

Marron snorted loudly and Pan was sure she might have missed something.

"C'mon, Pan! To the dressing room!" Marron said loudly as she grabbed her arm and dragged her along.

When they were far enough away, Pan stopped her before they went into separate stalls. "Don't think I don't know what you two are doing," Pan said in frustrated tones. "I'm not that naïve."

"And what are we doing?" Marron said rolling her eyes once again that day.

"Flirting, obviously. Are you seriously trying to sabotage—"

"Now hold on, white knight, must you take everything at face value? We're just having some fun. You should try it sometime. I even learned something new just now."

"What's that?"

"Not all aces are as uptight as you are."

Pan was taken aback by her frankness, but she shouldn't have been surprised. Marron didn't exactly have a filter. "Well I'm glad you found that out. I'm not uptight. I'm just extremely sensible. Maybe you should try being that sometimes."

Marron laughed out loud at this. "Good one, Pan."

The two of them continued into the stalls. They were beside each other and the walls were thin so they could still easily talk.

"Seriously, though, when you told me that Malachi was ace like you were, I wasn't all that thrilled about coming down to hang out with you two. Without Bra, it's not all that fun to be honest."

"Tell me how you really feel, Marron," Pan said sardonically.

"Now, it's even better. We've found a suitable replacement who's way less annoying and self-absorbed. Now that I think about it—he'd be perfect for Bra."

"You're just now figuring this out?" Pan asked in disbelief.

"Well, I've never really met him. Bra has him on a special leash—that poor, jealous, insecure woman. Bet she'd love the fact that he's now surrounded by two women who happen to be her friends," Marron said laughing.

"Let's not focus on that. We are trying to cheer him up. That's all. Neither one of us are going to do anything funny today."

"Oh? Is he off-limits?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, sure. And if he suddenly told you that he was head-over-heels for you, I'm sure all bets would be off."

"That's not fair!" Pan said a little too loudly. She took a deep breath before continuing. She didn't want to cause alarm from the retail associates. "Look, you know it's been hard for me, finding someone who understands me."

Marron sighed. Pan heard the wall beside her creak and then bend slightly as Marron leaned against it. "You need more than understanding. That's only the first step. You gotta', you know, connect on some deeper level. Actually fall in love. Something about you has to resonate with the other person."

"Is that why he totally overlooked me on that day?" Pan said quietly. "I saw him first, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Marron said. "But from the start, he only had eyes for Bra. I knew it so I didn't bother."

"Then what are you doing now?" Bra asked.

"Like I said, having some fun. It's no secret—the guy's really cute—and he's far cuter when he's smiling rather than frowning all the time. I'm just doing us all a favor. I'd like to have something nice to look at if I'm being forced to hang out with him."

"Oh, please, like you weren't dying to have an excuse to go somewhere."

"You got me there."

Someone cleared their throat nearby thoroughly startling Pan. "Malachi?" she asked in surprise as she looked down and spied his boots.

"Interesting conversation," she heard what was unmistakably Malachi say.

"What?! How long were you standing there? What did you hear?" Pan asked in panicked tones.

"I found the perfect outfits for you two," Malachi said ignoring her questions altogether and in a tone that was frustratingly unperturbed. "Pan, you don't mind skirts, do you?"

"Ah, no. I do wear them sometimes. What are you trying—"

"Just wondering," he interrupted. "Didn't want to pick something you absolutely hated to wear."

"I'm not just a tomboy, you know. I can wear girly things. I can fix my hair up nice if I really wanted to."

"Ugh, you're killing me," Marron said with a groan.

"I see nothing wrong with your personal style. You're good just the way you are. Fair warning though, this might be out of your comfort zone a little."

This quieted Pan as she unlocked and opened the door. From a side-glance, she could see that Marron had already done the same. He held quite a bit of clothing draped over his arms and there were two stacked shoeboxes situated in between their respective stalls. When had he set them there? Had he returned more than once? It made her that much more anxious about what he must have overheard. He, however, seemed largely unconcerned with this as he began passing her the clothing items he'd picked out for her. He handed her a small, peach colored skirt. Upon further inspection, she noted that it had two layers and the material was quite soft and light. Then he handed her a dark blouse with peach ends to the sleeve to be rolled up and a peach collar—both pieces made of the same soft, light material as the skirt. To Pan's surprise, the small package containing sheer laced tights were for her. Then he took the top most shoebox and presented it to her. She'd agreed to a change of outfit, but not her shoes. Malachi really was giving them a bit of a makeover. Of course, he could get away with doing such things simply because he was Malachi. Then again, she'd told Marron that they were supposed to be cheering him up. Something told her though that she might have found herself in the same situation regardless.

"Sure you got the right size?" Pan asked as she quickly placed the clothes in the stall.

He grinned at her. "Let me know if something doesn't fit—I was guessing, but I'm usually right about that sort of thing," he said with far too much confidence in Pan's opinion.

"We'll just have to see then," Pan said back.

She could see already that Marron's clothing was darker toned than hers and there was a black leather jacket involved. Marron giggled as she was handed things.

"I would never be caught dead in these," Pan heard Marron comment as she shut the door to her stall and began undressing.

"Something to match your personality," Malachi explained smoothly.

Pan almost rolled her eyes at this as her pace quickened. Did he think she was childish and innocent and Marron the complete opposite? It had not escaped her that he'd chosen lighter, friendly colors for her. She'd agreed to this, however, and she at least wanted to see if Malachi had any sort of fashion sense. She was already pulling on the sheer tights. There was a flowery design sewn in with darker thread much to her annoyance. "Flowers. Of course," Pan said under her breath. She slid on the delicate two-layered peach skirt and it fit her waist perfectly. The skirt had a flowing feel to it, but the length was mid-thigh which was a bit shorter than what she normally wore. Finally, she pulled on the shirt and realized that it went quite well with the skirt. The light sweater had a loose, comfortable fit, but still wrapped around her well—it was flattering to her figure giving her a fuller look. Pan personally liked the peach colored cuffs to the sweater which contrasted starkly to the dark sweater and was neatly folded with a button.

"Now for the shoes," Pan said to herself as she kicked the lid off the box.

Inside were peach colored heeled boots with laces of the same color. Pan adored boots and these were especially cute. When she placed her feet in, she found that it was a perfect fit. She bent down to tie them up securely and then finally stood up in front of the mirror to evaluate herself. It was a very simplistic look and a bit like a school girl only school girls wouldn't wear skirts that were this short. She did feel, admittedly, cuter and a lot lighter than she had been. She'd been wearing jeans and a red hoodie—a far cry from this sophistication. The peach laced boots brought it all together in her opinion.

"Psst, you ready yet?" Marron said in quiet tones through the thin wall.

"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be," Pan said wearily.

"Alright, on three, we'll step out at the same time."

Marron counted down and then the two of them opened the doors to the stalls at the same time. Malachi had had his back to the stalls, but eventually turned upon hearing them. The smile he wore was completely out of place with his own gothic look, but she was glad to see it.

"You two look perfect," he said.

It was the first time Pan could see what Marron had on. Instantly, she was a bit jealous. The black leather jacket alone must have costed more than her entire outfit. It was an asymmetrical half-jacket with gold detail revealing a sunflower yellow shirt beneath it. As far as she could tell, Marron wore jeggings. It was a mix of burgundy and black set in a marble like pattern and she wore black combat boots, but they differed from Malachi's in that they were fresh looking and laced all the way up. They were not the "dainty" combat boots with heels. These looked far more authentic and it did match her personality. Marron rarely ever wore heels anyway and probably would have failed miserably trying to walk through a mall with them on. Pan too could feel Marron's eyes passing over her quickly and saw as a chiefly smile came to the other's face.

"Man, he's got you pegged," Marron laughed. "I'm jealous of your boots."

Marron generally wore light or pastel colors and was fond of dresses and skirts. Pan had never seen Marron in such street fashion, but it suited her. She appeared like a different person or at least more like her personality suggested.

"Well, I'm jealous of your jacket," Pan said back.

"No need to be jealous," Malachi said nonchalantly with his hands crossed behind his head. "If you want it, then I'll get it for you."

"Really?" Marron said who immediately liked this idea, "Then, in that case—show me where you found those boots. Peach is one of my favorite colors."

"Seriously, Marron?" Pan groaned.

But Malachi was already moving off towards the shoes and Marron followed gleefully and soon Pan along with her. At least it wasn't too difficult to walk in the heels. They weren't too tall and not too short to be ugly. She found her balance quickly. Her strut was a bit different now that she had these particular shoes on and perhaps there was a subtle smile on her face because she knew she looked quite cute at that moment. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get up on stage for everyone to see.

There were plenty of boots on display, but Marron only had her eyes on one of them. When the lady came out informing her that it came in other colors like bubblegum pink and key lime green it wasn't even a question, Marron decided she wanted the different colors as well. Malachi was all too happy to oblige.

"Let me show you the leather jackets—they have different kinds," Malachi said to Pan after he had the sales rep take Marron's selection to the checkout counter.

"No, that's alright," Pan said shaking her head. "I don't really need one. I mean, when would I ever wear it? I work at a doctor's office."

"Is it illegal to wear jackets to the office?" Malachi asked curiously.

"No, but…it wouldn't look professional."

"Then don't wear it to the office," he said with a shrug.

"I'm there almost every day. If I can't wear it there, then there's really no point."

"Suit yourself," Malachi said letting the matter go.

He wasn't going to try and convince her much to her surprise. He simply lost interest. Marron had his attention again, spotting a blouse that had caught her eyes. She seemed all too eager to spend his money. Pan supposed it wasn't an altogether terrible thing if he was clearly offering to do it, but she still felt like she was taking advantage. Her shoes made delicate clicking noises on the ground as she followed the two about the store. Marron wasn't really into shopping as far as Pan knew, but she seemed to have turned a new leaf that day. And Malachi seemed to be enjoying himself suggesting things for her as well. He'd point out clothing for Pan, but she continually waved her hand in modest refusal. He didn't pressure her, but for some reason she'd wanted him to. It was silly, but true. She wanted him to pay more attention to her, but she was unwilling to have him spend money on her, not any more than he already had.

Thankfully, they didn't stay too much longer in the place and soon they were moving on to other stores. Malachi had given them several capsules to hold their items and Pan, at the very least, decided to use this for her old clothes. Marron had already racked up a few shoes, shirts and dresses. They soon found an electronic store and Pan was hard-pressed to restrain herself. She loved gadgets probably as much as Marron and there was always something new coming out. However, she'd rarely buy these things because of the price. Soon she was holding new cords in her arms along with a really nice Bluetooth speaker. She'd seen raving reviews about it and she'd been saving up money for it for some time. Marron, of course, bought her sparkling new razor thin 200-inch television. Pan had to admit that it was quite impressive. Malachi would take out his trusty black card and the transactions would always go through. The same phenomenon occurred at every store they visited that day.

Malachi didn't partake in the rest of pretzel bites and Pan noticed this immediately though she decided not to make a big deal about it. Instead, she and Marron finished it off. Pan was just glad to be able to throw it away. Marron, as well, finished off the lemonade. She was practically a kid at a candy store as her eyes grew wide and she began pointing at things that she wanted and dragging them along to anything that caught her eye. Malachi never refused her and Pan couldn't stop rolling her eyes at her antics. The man was clearly a bottomless pit of money. Though Bra was supposedly wealthy by association, she never offered to do as much and they never expected her to. Then again, Pan supposed that this was different and that Malachi had made his own wealth. Bra was simply born into it. Whatever claim to wealth she had was her mother's and she'd have to ask her for money before anything else. Bra had an allowance that she had to adhere to until such time that she moved out of the house and decided to take a job. Bra was practically showered with money on a daily basis simply because of her birthright. Pan would not have felt nearly as guilty using her as she did Malachi. They were literally spending his money which he had worked quite hard for in her opinion. She knew that he spent many hours out of the day enduring brutal rehearsal sessions for the many live performances he'd done over the years. Despite him being so generous, she still didn't want to indulge him.

Marron found the grill she was looking for next in a stroke of luck. Vendors were standing about in the middle of the walkways shouting out their wares. One of them was selling grills and Marron wanted to get the biggest most impossible grill they had on display. Their shopping spree didn't come to a close until they saw a car on display and Marron fell in love with it instantly. By this time, Pan was quite hungry. Pretzels bites simply wasn't enough for her and soon her growling stomach gave it away.

"Ooo, looks like someone's a little hungry," Marron teased poking at her stomach.

Annoyed, Pan crossed her arms. "You've dragged me around this place over an hour and we've passed the food court twice now—let's eat something already before I die a sudden death."

"Alright, you've gotta' point," Marron said, "Maybe I got a little carried away."

Malachi looked indifferent to the prospects of food which concerned Pan, but this too she kept to herself. If she and Marron were eating something, then perhaps he'd be peer pressured into joining in. Pan led the way over to the food court and they ended up going for the Chinese takeout which was always a favorite of theirs. Of course, Malachi insisted on paying for them and of course, Marron didn't stop him. He didn't order anything for himself instead claiming that he wanted something else. For a while, Marron and Pan sat down at one of the tables on their own. He'd headed in the direction of juice bars and frozen yogurt vendors much to Pan's annoyance. Sure, actual solid food was served there, but Pan had a feeling that he wouldn't be partaking in it that evening. She'd been with him for a good portion of the day and she was almost certain that he'd had nothing earlier before she'd come there. Jensen had informed her that he'd been consecutively skipping breakfast. While she looked in the direction in which Malachi had disappeared trying to keep tabs on him, Marron appeared oblivious as she dug into her fried rice.

"Will you give it a rest?" Marron said after a while, "You gonna' stare him into getting some actual food?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Pan said as she returned her attentions to her own plate. She began on it slowly. "Is it a crime to be concerned?"

"With you? Yes. Concerned is practically your middle name. Personally, I think we've made a lot of progress today."

"How so?" Pan asked.

"He just seems more, well, alert if you know what I mean. Not like how he was from the start. No thanks to you, by the way."

"Oh and telling him to buy everything that you point at is somehow engaging?"

"Clearly, you've missed the point. That outfit totally suits you."

"Was that an insult?" Pan asked looking over at the other with furrowed eyebrows.

"It's an observation. You can't say 'let's try to cheer him up' and then refuse to do the thing which he obviously enjoys doing."

"Well then, tell me what that is," Pan demanded.

"Spoiling the crap out of two very beautiful women. And I bet he prefers hanging out with us then say some random group of guys."

"That's a lot of assumptions your making. Besides, Bra would have a fit if he was somehow spending his time with any woman that wasn't her."

"Well there's one easy way to find out who's right. Just ask him. But I know I'm right."

"Okay, if that's really the case, then before when he was with Bra, he just didn't hang out with anyone and only Bra?"

"I wouldn't take it to such an extreme, but essentially."

Pan continued to eat her food before speaking again. "That kind of sucks."

Marron shrugged. "Takes a special person to put up with Bra for more than a few days." She laughed to herself. "Hey, you know how Bra is always talking about how she could have anyone she wants? That girl has no idea how to keep someone for more than a hot second. Sure you can convince some guy to fuck you for a while, but it's probably never crossed her mind how very few would want to stick around. That ocean of guys becomes a kiddy pool of one or two."

Pan snorted at this. "Better not tell Bra. Don't want her to freak out about how limited her choices are. She always brags about that stuff."

"It never fails," Marron agreed. "Now she has a child as well. Doubt she's looking for one-night stands anymore. Or on second thought, maybe she is. That girl is voracious."

"Geez, what have we come to? Shit-talking about Bra behind her back?" Pan asked.

"Why not? It's fun. Maybe we should let Malachi join in."

"Marron, don't," Pan pleaded.

She laughed at this. "Calm your tits. I was only joking. Besides, I don't think he'd join in even if we asked."

Pan thought about Marron's last statement and realized that she was right. Pan had talked to Malachi earlier that day and clearly he still cared about Bra. Despite her flaws, despite her blatant disregard for his feelings, he didn't outright blame her or berate her. Instead, he seemed to be trying to understand what he did wrong. Everything seemed to be his fault and not hers. There was no way he'd go along with badmouthing her no matter what it is she did. The thought saddened her. She wasn't altogether certain if that was even a healthy stance to take.

Malachi eventually joined them at the table and he set down his large cup of a green colored smoothie some of which he'd already been sipping on. Marron made a face when she saw this.

"Looks totally unappetizing," Marron said. "You on a diet?"

"Maybe I need to be, but no. It just tastes really good. Don't let the color fool you. It's more of a mango pineapple smoothie."

"Then why is it green?" Marron asked.

"They put either kale or spinach in it, but it's a subtle flavor. Wanna' try some?"

Marron shrugged. "Why not?"

He held the cup up to her so that the straw was in prime position for her to take a quick sample. Pan watched in slight annoyance as they were once again swapping spit. Marron looked surprised when the flavor hit her tongue.

"It's better than I thought. Pretty refreshing. Kind of addicting," Marron added at the end.

"See?" he said with a grin.

Before he brought it to his mouth again, Pan stopped him. "Let me try some of this mysterious green crack you two are raving about."

Without further ado, he lifted it towards her and she took a generous sip. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly her cup of tea. "A little powdery, but good."

"It's an acquired taste for some," he said as he finally brought it back to himself.

Pan took secret joy in watching the other take another sip from the straw—it was as close to a kiss she'd ever get from him. Not that she was particularly fond of kisses, but if it was with Malachi, it wouldn't bother her as much. Marron and Pan were both nearly finished with their food and Malachi wouldn't have much issue being mobile with only a mere drink. Pan found that she was in a much better mood now that she wasn't starving as they began to stroll about once again.

"So, Marron, how does it feel to be the owner of a swanky new car?" Pan asked the understandably giddy woman.

"Like I'm a new person. You don't understand. My car can barely move as it is. I didn't want to tell you, but it shut off twice during the long drive which is why I was so late."

"Oh, really? I had no idea. You should have called," Pan said. "I could have just taken you with me."

"Didn't think my situation was that desperate until it actually stopped on me. Malachi," Marron said looking towards him, "I'm really grateful, by the way, if I haven't said so before."

"No need to thank me," he said with a dismissive hand, "I wanted to do it anyway and it sounds like you really needed it—that's reward enough."

"You always this generous?" Marron asked with a chuckle. "Just throwing your money at anybody who asks."

"Not just anybody," he replied. "Any friends of Bra are friends of mine even if I suck at keeping in touch."

"Really?" Pan asked surprised. "We've never hung out like this before though."

"For good reason," Malachi said.

"Jealous Bra is always jealous," Marron clarified. "I have a question for you, Mr. Superstar."

"I'm all ears," he said with a grin.

"You like hanging out more with women or men?" she asked.

"Marron!" Pan exclaimed a little too loudly. She hadn't thought that Marron would actually go through with the question, but it was too late to take it back now. It was no less embarrassing, however. She was sure her cheeks were burning a bit.

"It's a perfectly innocent question." Marron argued back.

"Women," he said unabashedly. Clearly, he didn't have a nervous bone in his body. "Less judgmental, similar interests, less measuring of dicks, and the most important: less talking about sports all the time; I literally have nothing to add to those conversations."

"So, I get it," Marron replied, "You're not a real boy, you're just some woman's fantasy."

"Or," he began as he placed an arm on Marron's shoulder, "I'm just telling you what you want to hear."

"You would," Marron retorted. "I can't really tell if he's lying or not."

"He's not," Pan said with a sigh.

"You sound so certain," he said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm really good at telling if someone's not telling me the truth. Most Saiyans are," Pan countered, "Just have to pay closer attention to certain signs."

"What like heart rate?" Malachi asked. "What if the person's just nervous or ashamed?"

"That doesn't apply to you, now does it?" Pan said with a partial smile.

"Right, because I never experience those things," Malachi said sardonically.

"And what if that person believes his lie so much that it seems like the truth?" Marron asked.

"That's a different story. You guys are complicating things."

"Humans are complicated," Marron countered.

Pan sighed exasperatedly. "Takes a lot to impress you guys, huh?"

"I'm just giving you a hard time," Marron said jokingly. "As long as I've known you, you've been a pretty good lie detector."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was wondering if I had to bring up past examples of your crazy boyfriends."

"Two," Marron clarified holding up two fingers. "Two crazy boyfriends. Don't lump me in with Bra who had a different one every other—" She paused when she glanced over at Malachi.

"It's not breaking news," Malachi said wearily.

Even still, Marron didn't finish her statement. In a rare show of concern, she completely changed the subject.

"Well, I'm thinking we've overstayed our welcome here—let's go already. I'm done making you buy me things," Marron said winking at Malachi. "What is it eight in the evening? Prime time for karaoke."

"Know any good places around here, Malachi?" Pan asked even though she had a place in mind. Marron knew it too.

Malachi could only shrug clearly unfamiliar with the area. "It's not like I typically 'hang out' anywhere. I go where I need to and go back home. Way less hassle for me."

"That sounds surprisingly boring," Marron said thoughtfully.

"Don't get me wrong. The people I know can throw some lavish parties, maybe overly so. Though it's never something I'm especially looking forward to."

"You're in luck," Pan said, "I know of a place and it will be a whole lot different from those stiff parties you go to."

"Good. Maybe I'll fit in," Malachi said.

"Uhh…" Marron began uncertainly. "Maybe? It's definitely not a gothic scene."

"It won't matter either way," Pan said. "I've seen all sorts of people stroll in. I doubt people will even think twice."

The three of them made their way to the car. Pan was the driver again as she headed straight to the place she'd intended to take them all along. She'd done her fair share of research and read countless reviews just to make a decision on this. This was perhaps the largest and most popular karaoke bar within a fifty-mile radius of either the mall and the national park that Marron had initially wanted to go to. It was still a little ways out so it took them around another hour to get there. By that time, the night was in full swing and the parking lot was packed.

"Geez, everyone and their mom is out here today. What day is it anyway?" Malachi asked.

"Just a regular ol' Wednesday," Marron said. "You should see it on the weekend. We'd have to park down the street."

The building was lit up and easy to find and there were plenty of people still making their way to the main entrance. The stage inside was huge for a karaoke bar and, in fact, a bit more intimidating than most. Only brave souls ventured out there yet clearly this didn't stop the less endowed who desperately clamored for their moments of fame. No one even batted an eye as a school girl, rocker chick and gothic boy strolled into the fray. Others had far more ridiculous and gaudier get-ups. Sequin seemed to be a popular fashion choice along with large hats and some overly elaborate dresses. There were also a great deal of fishnets and bright red pumps. The lighting was dim all over as they pushed through the crowded hallway into the much larger show room which housed a good number of people, some standing, some sitting at booths in the back or some sitting at the bar. The stage was front and center and already some slightly offkey older gentlemen was singing his heart out to a very old pre-Elvis era country song that a surprising number of people seemed to know and cheer on.

"We gotta' get our tickets so we can be in the line-up," Pan shouted over all the noise. "Follow me!"

Pan hadn't actually been to this particular place, but she made the connection when she noticed the glowing digital number on the bottom foundation of the stage facing the masses. It was a bit like the DMV only there was booze and loud music. She didn't see a ticket booth so she decided to check out the bar first. It was as easy as asking for a number when they finally approached the bar. The bartender quickly handed them their small red tickets and told them that the numbers ran in order. Before they left, Malachi ordered a beer much to Pan's annoyance.

The bar was completely full so they made their way over to the numerous booths in the back. They didn't have as good a view of the stage, but it was still easy enough to make out. What was more important, however, was that the sound was far more tolerable here as they were away from the main crowd. They could hear each other talk.

"The sound quality is pretty impressive," Malachi said over the noise. "I can see why everyone comes here."

"Right? It's sounds awesome!" Marron shouted in agreement.

Pan watched Malachi take a long swig from the bottle. They had several people ahead of them. It was going to be a long night.

"So what are we going to do? All go up at once?" Pan asked. "Or separately first and then altogether next time."

"We'll be here all night at that rate," Malachi said wearily. He took another swig from the bottle. "Let's just go separately and call it a day."

"Hey, you promised to do it with us," Pan argued. "If anything, we should do it together and call it a day."

"Hey," Malachi said in mocking tones, "How about I'm tired and I just want to go up there on my own. Not like we can't just come another time when it's less crowded. In fact, just let me go after you two so we can make a run for it once everyone figures out who I am."

"No one's going to notice," Pan said back forcefully. "You have lime green hair and crazy clothes."

"It doesn't take much, trust me," he said. "Especially around all these music lovers."

"Sounds like a plan," Marron said, apparently not wanting to rock the boat any further.

"Fine," Pan said with a huff. "We'll do it your way."

Malachi said nothing further than this, satisfied with the outcome. Pan watched him eventually down the entire bottle in record time, but his attentions weren't on her. The older gentleman had left the stage and another much younger brunette female climbed on. Pan wasn't even sure if she was an adult. Her confidence was through the roof. She went straight into her chosen country pop song with not even a warble to suggest a hint of stage fright. She seemed a natural and decent looking to boot. She knew the song by heart since Pan never saw her look at the monitor and sauntered about the stage in practiced poise. Yet Pan had never heard of the woman. She glanced over at Marron who was transfixed by the woman.

They sat through quite a few more people most were pretty good, some were utterly terrible, but such performances lightened the atmosphere and the audience was always encouraging. Though it sometimes felt like a singing contest, it was at moments like those that she was reminded that she was at a karaoke. Malachi disappeared a total of five times to renew his bottle of beer much to Pan's further annoyance. On the fifth time he returned to their booth, Marron snatched the bottle from his hand and chugged a good portion of it herself and slammed it on the table—the sound was instantly absorbed by the cacophony around them. A bit of the liquid flew out the top. Malachi was amused at her antics, but that didn't stop him from finishing it off.

"You've had enough," Pan said to him.

"I'm not the designated driver," he proclaimed. "So it doesn't matter."

Pan frowned at him, but he remained unperturbed.

"We still got three more people ahead of us and the last two were shitty," Malachi complained.

"At the most, it'll be like fifteen more minutes, but it's not like I'm chomping at the bit to go up there. I've never seen a crowd so big. I'm getting butterflies," Marron said.

Malachi turned to her at this. "I'm waiting for you to go."

"Me?" Marron asked confused.

"Yes, you," he confirmed intently. "It's very, very important. Like urgently important."

"Okay, okay," Marron said a little taken aback by the sudden intensity. "I said I would, alright? What's the big deal?"

Pan chalked it up to one too many bottles of beer as Malachi continued to regard her with uncharacteristic interest.

"It's just that it's been bothering me since I first saw you today. I don't know what it is—I think I've seen you somewhere before."

Marron slid back further from him at the booth with a guarded expression—they currently sat on the same side. "What do you remember?" she asked.

Pan's eyebrows furrowed at this. It was a strange response to an even stranger statement. She wasn't quite following and Malachi seemed to completely ignore her question when he spoke again.

"Sing like there's no one else in the room, like you wanted to do it just because you felt like it, because something moved you to do it."

Marron gazed at him longer than usual. "One condition. I don't want you to look at me. Just look somewhere else."

"Fine, whatever you want," he said without blinking an eye. "I just need to hear you. What number are you?"

"Forty-six," Marron said quickly.

He looked to Pan questioningly.

"Oh, uh, forty-five."

"Switch," Malachi said singularly. It was more of an order than a suggestion.

"Seriously, Malachi?" Pan asked in agitation. "I want to go first."

"Does it matter when you go? You can still do it after Marron."

"You said it—it doesn't matter just when so it shouldn't matter that I want to go first."

Going first meant something to Pan. Before Marron, Pan wanted him to see her first for a change, but it seemed even that was being taken from her. She wouldn't stand for it no matter how much he whined. She watched in confusion as he placed his forehead dramatically on the table. He groaned loudly then slammed both fists on the table not hard enough to damage it, but hard enough to get across his apparent desperation.

"What is it gonna' take to convince you otherwise?" Malachi asked looking up at her now with dark emotional orbs.

"Is it really that serious?!" Pan asked in frustration.

"Pretty please," he begged her. "You can have whatever you want."

"What kind of person do you think I am? You can't just buy me off. Is that your go-to solution for everything?"

"No, I—"

"There is no amount of money you can throw at me that will make me change my mind."

Marron cleared her throat. "It's seriously not the time to be stubborn. I just want to get this over with quickly."

Pan noticed that his eyes were alarmingly moist as if he was on the verge of just crying. Her eyes softened a bit when she saw this. Whatever this was it meant a great deal to him more than what she could possibly fathom. The last thing she wanted to do was make him cry at least not today. The outing had gone well so far. With an exasperated sigh, she handed her small red ticket to Marron and they switched quickly.

"Happy now?" Pan asked.

Malachi sat up straighter. "Thank you."

He seemed legitimately relieved at the turn of events which was mindboggling to her. She turned her eyes to the stage as a new person came up. The last few minutes seemed to take the longest time as the anticipation grew. Malachi went for yet another beer and Pan didn't have the energy to chastise—it wasn't her job anyhow and he seemed to still have his wits about him. He savored this one as the last two people came and went both of which was a bear to sit through. Seemed as if the talent was dwindling the later it became.

Marron stood up midway through the last performance so that she could be in position by the time it ended.

"There's no need to be nervous," Malachi said reassuringly to her. "The only thing the audience can do is listen, they can't physically hurt you."

Marron glanced back at him with a nod before taking the pink tie out of her hair which held up her ponytail. She shook it out for good measure. She now fully looked the part of a rocker chick. She left the tie on the table before disappearing into the crowd. It was as if he was expecting something wonderful to happen. Pan had heard her sing before not by herself, but whenever herself, Marron and Bra did karaoke together. She basically had a sense of her voice which seemed to blend nicely with theirs. It wasn't anything spectacular in her opinion. Per Marron's request, Malachi didn't even attempt to look towards the stage. Instead, he closed his eyes, his expression the picture of serenity despite being in a noisy almost raucous bar filled with the strong smells of alcohol and sweat.

As had been the case for all the other performances, the crowd grew quieter as the next person showed up on stage. Marron gave a tentative wave to the expectant crowd before the music began. As soon as the soft guitar began, Pan knew exactly what song it was and knew it was her favorite. It was a slow song after a slew of fast-paced pop flavored ones. Her eyes were closed at first when she started the first verse.

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched

As he tried to reassemble it

Pan was not prepared for what she was hearing at this moment. It was something soft and vulnerable, but with an edge. She had to make sure it was actually Marron up there. "This is it," Pan heard Malachi mutter to himself, "This is exactly it. The very same voice from before." Her voice grew stronger as the verse continued.

And my momma swore
That she would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist, but darlin'

It seemed effortless on her part and she'd yet to open her eyes. The crowd was now dead silent as her beautiful tones transfixed them.

You are, the only exception
You are, the only exception
You are, the only exception
You are, the only exception

Her voice slid smoothly over the notes as she'd moved into the iconic hook. Even then, the room was quiet as they seemed to intently listen. Though it was simple, it depended heavily on the emotion placed on each iteration of that phrase and Marron nailed it well. Her eyes were open now, but she stared off into the distance. She wasn't moving about the stage. Her stiff body language suggested some shyness, but that didn't stop her from singing with near expert control. Pan glanced over at Malachi and she could tell that he was enjoying himself as he wore a genuine smile—it was one she had not seen for a long time, the kind that was infectious and warming. Watching such a reaction from him, she understood a little better the urgency from earlier. She had been underestimating the powerful influence that music seemed to have over him. Through his ears, she wondered how different and intense music might sound and if she might learn to appreciate it as much as he did.

By the time, Marron got to the hook again, everyone was singing along happily. It was a well-known ballad after all. The tone of the song intensified near the end and Marron elevated her voice accordingly clearly in her element now. She ended on a soft note and the crowd gave her an energetic reception, the most enthusiam she'd seen since they'd stepped in. Pan was impressed as well, but she couldn't remember Marron ever sounding this polished. She quickly vacated the stage. Just like that, the moment was over as Malachi seemed to acknowledge his surroundings again including her. Pan had forgotten to make her way forward, but she did at this point as she finally stood up.

"Hard person to follow up," Malachi said with a grin.

"I'll manage," Pan said simply as she pushed through the crowd.

She didn't run into Marron along the way, but it didn't matter. Butterflies were mounting as she got to the stage. A guy was there before the stairs asking which artist and song. Pan answered smoothly: Aaliyah, I Care 4 U. She'd chosen an R&B song because she knew it was Malachi's favorite genre and secretly it pretty much summed up all the things she was unwilling to actually tell him. She couldn't be sure if he'd even make the connection or be paying attention and she couldn't see him so far in the back. The music began as she stepped out on the stage and the crowd had grown quiet again. She grabbed the mic as if it were a shield of sorts—it did give her much needed confidence. Her eyes briefly scanned over all the faces she could see in the front and she smiled at everyone. Marron was right, this size of a crowd was definitely intimidating—it might have been less frightening had someone else been there with her. She generally always had someone with her at these kinds of things, but not today.

She'd already missed the soft 'mmm's and 'ooooh's at the beginning, but she was no professional and often felt stupid making such nonsensical sounds.

Hey my baby

Why you lookin' so down?

Seems like you need a lovin'

Baby you need a girl like me(around)

Hey my baby

Tell me why you cry

Here take my hand and (yeah)

Wipe those tears from your eyes

She knew her voice was shaking a bit, but she supposed she was doing fairly well and the audience was helping her along much to her relief. She knew also that she was a bit offkey. It seemed impossible to change that once she started and then all she wanted to do was get this over with. The song was a bit too serious for her meager vocal skills. The emotion that was supposed to be there simply wasn't. The chorus went on for far too long making her palms feel quite sweaty as her now shakier voice attempted some "oo's and 'ahh's.

Hey sexy baby

Why'd your girl leave you in pain?

To let a fine man like you go

She must be insane

Hey sexy baby

There's no need to worry

Oh boy if you call on me

I'll come, I'll come in a hurry

She still had a bridge to mangle before the last iteration of the far too simplistic chorus. Oh, why did she think this was a good song for her to sing? There were too many nuances she wasn't making and it was sounding a bit ingenuine. She should have settled on a more crowd pleasing fast song. Even the audience was faltering on some parts. Once the final chorus began, she decided simply to leave the stage instead of making the audience suffer further. Had she been a softer woman, she might have started bawling her eyes out. She hadn't expected to run into Malachi, but perhaps she should have—he was next after all.

"Oh, sorry, excuse me," Pan said quickly, but he stopped her.

"Hold on for a second."

Pan looked at the other wearily. "Yeah?"

"Come on with me," he said back.

"Really? I thought—"

"I can tell you really wanted to do it and I was being a whiny baby earlier. This is my apology."

"But what about Marron?"

"She just wants to leave already," he said with a laugh.

Pan was close enough now to smell the alcohol on his breath but he still appeared coherent. Technically, he was well over the limit and quite drunk.

"What do I have to do?"

"It'll be easy. Just sing with me, follow my lead. Your voice is perfect for harmonizing."

Pan snorted at this. "No need to make me feel better."

"I've heard you before—it sounds better with others. You'll see," he said with a genuine smile.

One of Malachi's songs had started and they were expected on stage. Pan simply followed him breathlessly. She kept her eyes on him, her source of confidence now. He picked up the mic and pure magic began to flow from his lips. The crowd instantly went bonkers, but that was mere background noise to the now mesmerized Pan. He moved close to her so that the mic could also be near her. She'd almost forgotten to sing, but at his behest she did so. For that moment in time, her poor, measly voice soared alongside the skilled, distinctness of Malachi's. To her surprise, it didn't sound half bad. She had a voice to follow along to as her own seemed to move towards his specific sound. She wondered briefly if his perceived magic was affecting her own ability. She had no idea what was happening, but she didn't want it to end.

However, it did end and quite abruptly. People were climbing on stage and soon Malachi was forced to stop singing and leave the mic as they began their hasty escape. The jig was up. They'd discovered his true identity. Pan found herself leading the way down the stairs and then out the back exit. She didn't have time to explain what she was going to do as she grabbed Malachi and shot upward into the air before anyone had managed to step out of the building. It was a tall one and Pan decided that they'd escape to the roof and wait until the frenzy calmed down again.

"Sorry, if I was a bit rough," Pan began when they could stand on their own again.

Malachi laughed at this. "Duly noted. I'm just glad we escaped. That was quick. They knew so quickly this time. Geez." He sat down on the gravelly expanse of the roof.

"Guess I can see why you prefer to stay inside all the time," Pan said watching the other.

"It was worse before. I now have a distinct advantage of knowing how to fly. Not that I could do it in front of everyone. Least it was exciting." He laid back on the ground now spread out. "We may be here awhile."

Pan took out her cell as it vibrated in her pocket. It was Marron sending a text. Glad I avoided that whole thing. I'm in the car. Tell you when it's safe. Pan repeated it to Malachi who nodded knowingly.

"Interesting song choice for karaoke," Malachi said after a while.

Pan had been looking out into the distance as a quietness had settled between them. Now she looked toward him again. She was seated cross-legged. "Hm, you noticed?" she asked nervously. "I bet it sounded terrible. I butchered that song."

"I've heard worse."

There was more silence before Pan cleared her throat again. "It was for you."

Malachi turned his head to her. Up until then, he'd been looking to the dark skies. "I had a feeling…but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. Sometimes a song is just a song. Sometimes it means something to the person singing it."

"Hope I wasn't being too forward—Nevermind, actually, I guess I was. I do want things to work out with Bra, but…"

"Seriously, Pan, I don't think I'm all that cut out for relationships. You'd do well with finding another with far less baggage."

"Please, you're not as terrible as you make yourself out to be. You're pretty much everything I want in a guy and I don't mean that lightly."

Malachi sighed at this. "I'm not good for anyone right now. I'm sure you realize that too or else you would not have dragged me out here today. I'm getting way too emotional about the smallest of things—No, trust me, you don't want to start anything with me right now. There's so many things I need to sort out with Bra. We haven't talked, but we need to."

"That's okay, I completely understand. There's no pressure here. We can just be friends. If that's alright with you."

"I would love that," Malachi said with startling conviction.

"And you can tell me anything you want. I won't ever judge you. I will always be on your side."

It took her a moment to realize that he was tearing up as he began to sniffle. This took her by surprise. He sat up and approached her. She could see more clearly tears streaming down his face.

"That sounds…wonderful."

Pan found herself in a very firm embrace by Malachi and she slowly wrapped her arms around the poor man who was still crying but quietly into her chest. He definitely was far too emotional at this point, but perhaps alcohol was the catalyst. Then again, perhaps something else was going on, a combination of things. Many things were yet to be mended and he'd been trying to hold it together all day. After days and weeks of hiding away in his house, he was faced with a challenging day of meaningful interactions with others—he was worn out and just barely hanging on. But Pan refused to let him off the hook so easily. She wouldn't allow him to fall into ruin as he seemed so keen on doing. If she could, she wanted to lift him up again to his former glory.