Mall Rats- My apologies to Kevin Smith
"Tony? Tony? Where the hell are you?" Ryoga yelled, running through the food court. "Hey, you can't just leave me here! Hey!"
Tony looked out from behind a pillar. 'You can't be serious! He's that hopeless? If he doesn't talk to anyone, I'll never win! I know!' He grabbed a random girl and pulled her aside.
"Hi. I need you to do me a favor. Can you just go to that guy in black and talk to him for a bit? I just wanna pull a prank on him, and I think a stranger flirting with him will mess him up well enough."
"I guess I could talk to him."
"Sure! If you really wanna mess with him, though. Maybe you two can share a meal? Just something quick. I'll pay you, and for the meal, too, just please say you'll do it?"
She nodded. "Sounds like fun. But I'm not going home with him or anything. Just a quick lunch and conversation."
Tony grinned. "That's all I'm asking for." And he reached for his wallet.
* * *
Ryoga was desperate by now, frightened beyond a doubt.
But then, things changed. Fast.
A girl ran up to him then. "Hi! My name's Carla. Wanna go with me to the Cyber Café?"
Ryoga looked up, turned his head to search for someone else, then pointed carefully at himself. "Of course you. Who else?"
"Bu-bu-bu-?"
"You don't have to come."
"No, wait, it's just- Um. I might not have enough money." He searched his pockets carefully. "About. 70 bucks. How much does it cost?"
Carla thought a moment. "Actually, that's a little more. It's about twenty an hour, and food's expensive."
Ryoga smiled. "Re-really? You'll let me come?"
"Well, you're paying."
And so they went.
"Tony? Tony? Where the hell are you?" Ryoga yelled, running through the food court. "Hey, you can't just leave me here! Hey!"
Tony looked out from behind a pillar. 'You can't be serious! He's that hopeless? If he doesn't talk to anyone, I'll never win! I know!' He grabbed a random girl and pulled her aside.
"Hi. I need you to do me a favor. Can you just go to that guy in black and talk to him for a bit? I just wanna pull a prank on him, and I think a stranger flirting with him will mess him up well enough."
"I guess I could talk to him."
"Sure! If you really wanna mess with him, though. Maybe you two can share a meal? Just something quick. I'll pay you, and for the meal, too, just please say you'll do it?"
She nodded. "Sounds like fun. But I'm not going home with him or anything. Just a quick lunch and conversation."
Tony grinned. "That's all I'm asking for." And he reached for his wallet.
* * *
Ryoga was desperate by now, frightened beyond a doubt.
But then, things changed. Fast.
A girl ran up to him then. "Hi! My name's Carla. Wanna go with me to the Cyber Café?"
Ryoga looked up, turned his head to search for someone else, then pointed carefully at himself. "Of course you. Who else?"
"Bu-bu-bu-?"
"You don't have to come."
"No, wait, it's just- Um. I might not have enough money." He searched his pockets carefully. "About. 70 bucks. How much does it cost?"
Carla thought a moment. "Actually, that's a little more. It's about twenty an hour, and food's expensive."
Ryoga smiled. "Re-really? You'll let me come?"
"Well, you're paying."
And so they went.