Having left her home for some last minute shopping, Mayura stopped to admire a lovely Christmas dress in one of the clothing boutiques along the way to the shopping mall. After her "date" with Loki, she'd gone back home to care for her father and the duties that she was slowly learning from him. It wasn't that her father was sick or getting old, he just thought it was time that she learn the trade of a miko.
Muttering to herself about having to do all the shopping herself, she didn't notice the man in front of her, otherwise she would have been able to prevent running into him. With a cry, she fell on her rear, groaning in pain. "Ah! Gomen gomen!"
"Yamato Nadeshiko!"
Mayura looked up and smiled happily. "Kaitou-san! What are you doing here?"
Freyr reached down to help her to her feet, stars in his eyes at the sight of her. She might not remember who he was, but he certainly remembered her. Despite the fact she obviously had feelings for Loki, he still felt a strong connection to her. "Freyr was just shopping…and looking for his friend, Heimdall."
"Oh…Kazumi-san?" Mayura ventured, remembering that she'd seen him walking into a store with Loki earlier. She hadn't had time to stop and say hello to them, since she had been due at the shrine.
"Hai! He disappeared somewhere just when he and Freyr were going to go shopping," Freyr sighed in disappointment. He'd been looking forward to going Christmas shopping. Just look at all those sales!
Mayura giggled and bounced on her feet slightly. "Did you want to come with me? I was just about to start my shopping today too. And it's so much more fun when you have someone with you, you know."
"Honto ni? Yamato Nadeshiko would want Freyr to go with her shopping?" Freyr gasped, feeling as if he had died and gone to heaven. To think that his goddess wanted him to shop with her! But it was more than that, this was a time of giving and receiving. And even if he couldn't have her love, he could have her friendship and return it in kind.
"Of course I do! And you do know you can call me Mayura," she winked and extended her arm out to him. He smiled back and accepted it. It felt nice to be with her and without all the pretenses he had to put on around others. They expected him to be scatterbrained and stupid, and he put on that mask well. But she, and Heimdall, were the only ones to see the seriousness and loneliness deep within his soul.
Leading the way, the pair headed into the large department store, oohing and ahhing at all the beautiful decorations. Truly, Christmas was one of Mayura's favorite times of the year.