Act 9: Unwilling to Submit
-Velvet Room-
One moment, Julie was being teleported back to her home, but instead, she found herself winding back up in the Velvet Room with Igor and Matthew facing her once she turned to them. However, what she also noticed was the presence of an unfamiliar young man sitting beside her, trying to avoid making eye contact with her, piquing her curiosity. The boy was taller than her, probably by six inches and carried almond-white skin with honey brown hair and sapphire blue eyes. He wore a red plaid shirt with a white t-shirt underneath and khaki cargo pants. His hair fell to his neck in a messy manner and he wore black fingerless gloves. Staring down at his feet, he wore white converse sneakers.
STRANGE BOY: ...
Julie turned back to Igor, who glanced over to Matthew and nodded. Matthew responds with a nod of his own and turns back to Julie.
MATTHEW: Excuse him, but he is new to the Velvet Room and will be of assistance as well. We don't know his name and neither does he, but I decided to name him "Aaron".
Julie glanced back at "Aaron", who finally looked at her with an unemotional expression on his face: no smile, eyes unconcerned, just... emotionless. Was something wrong with him?
He turned back to Matthew, his expression changing from emotionless to irritated.
AARON: *sighs* Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm not the reason you've summoned her here, right?
MATTHEW: Well, that is true. You only play a minor role in her summoning, so it's best to get the main point.
Aaron, seemingly satisfied with the answer, turned back down to the floor while Matthew opened the grimoire in his hands. He flipped through a few pages before stopping on the destined page of interest, turning back to Julie.
MATTHEW: You've managed to unlock a new Social Link with the Emperor Arcana, Ian de Luca. You now have the ability to summon Personas of the Emperor Arcana.
A visage of the Emperor Arcana was shown and another image of Ian was shown as well before fading away. Matthew closed the grimoire and looked back at Julie, who then remembered the question she had planned to ask.
JULIE: Oh! That reminds me! When we were fighting against Ian's Shadow, I summoned Jack Frost using the Magician Arcana and he told me that I'm not able to summon any Persona of physical prowess. He said it was related to the fact that Izanami, my main Persona, is magically-focused.
Matthew nods.
MATTHEW: That is correct. You are unique, Julie, in which you do not summon any Persona of physical prowess.
IGOR: Rather you can only summon Personas of magical capabilities, given that your Persona focuses on magical attacks. I must admit, we never had a user of the Wild Card summon a specific type of Persona, which is why you're unique. You may not have physical skills, but your magic will help you.
The answer was given. Julie had no further questions to give, so she was bound to leave the conversation as it was. But the lingering question that Julie seemed to be unable of ridding from her conscious led her gaze to be directed at Aaron, who was making certainty that their eyes would not make any contact. Why was this young man trying to avoid eye contact with her? Who was he, anyway?
Regardless, all of her questions were answered and it seemed that Aaron wasn't interested in having conversation with her, so she didn't feel the need to push the topic further. She stood from the seat and left from the party to the party to return to her world. After all that has happened, defeating Ian's Shadow and the process it took to reach him, all that was in mind was a good rest.
-August 23, 2010: Monday: School-
-Early Morning-
ASHLEY: Hey, Julie!
Julie turned around by the sound of her name, watching as Ashley rushed over to her. As the goth watched her friend approach her, she took time to notice the shoes she wore. Most of the girls at school wore either converse shoes, high-tops, or slippers that were flat or two-inched, but Ashley was wearing four-inch boots, something that she didn't notice or didn't think her friend would wear.
By the time Ashley reached her, Julie quickly took her attention to her choice of footware.
JULIE: What's with the boots?
Ashley looked down at her boots and back at Julie.
ASHLEY: Oh, these? I've always worn these boots to school. You haven't noticed?
Julie shook her head, slightly embarrassed by her lack of acknowledgement.
JULIE: I'm afraid so.
A playful smirk surfaced on Ashley's face.
ASHLEY: *sighs* By the way, I heard from Clayton last night. Ian's coming to school today.
As that statement was made, the atmosphere that was playful turned serious quickly. The two continued their walk to the train station as they walked down the neighborhood. Because their school was located in the city of Minneapolis and they lived in the surburbs, the girls had to take a bus to get the train station and take the train to reach school. From then, they catched another bus that would take them to their school in seconds. Because of the hours the train could run, Julie had to wake up at around four just to catch the bus to get to the train station. At one point, she even woke up at three. The bus would bring the girls to the train station at five or somewhere around that time and the train ride to the city lasted for several minutes. Their first class didn't start until 7:45, so they had to make sure that they were never late for class.
Back to the conversation...
JULIE: Good. We need to discuss about the events regarding the night Ian was in Hofu.
ASHLEY: That we should. For some reason, it felt like my connection with my Persona was cut off. I couldn't call on Orithiyia when we were still here and the Fiends attacked us.
JULIE: And Tara-san told us that the Fiends were uncapable of attacking in our world, but several attempted to kill us.
ASHLEY: If the enemy knows we are searching for them, then they're using the shifting of our world to their advantage.
JULIE: Before we can go any further, we need to talk to Tara about this. Did Clayton reach her?
ASHLEY: When I called him this morning, he said that he went into Hofu and told Tara to meet us after school at the Callisto Mall. How did he reach her with events playing as they are is a mystery, but at least he reached her.
JULIE: Good.
-Riverside High School-
-Morning-
MS. THOMPSON: Okay, class, today we are going to talk about the Boston Tea Party. Now does anyone remember why the Boston Tea Party was formed?
The eager teacher awaited for a student to raise their hand, but alas, not a hand was raised. Either no one wished to answer to the question, were embarrassed that they may say something wrong, or just didn't care period. A bead of sweat fell from the side of her head, the confidence she had on her face quickly fading to uneasiness.
MS. THOMPSON: Well, allow me to tell you all. The Boston Tea Party was a political protest, started by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. The event took place in December 16, 1773. The demonstrators of the movement disguised themselves as Native Americans, in defiance of the Tea Act on May 10, 1773. The act caused a shipment of tea that was sent by the East India Company to be destroyed as chests of tea were thrown into the Boston Harbor. I guess you all know that the British government did not react too kindly to that act. Because of the Boston Tea Party, it spawned the events of the American Revolution. But what was the reason behind the Boston Tea Party? Anyone knows?
No one rose their hand.
MS. THOMPSON: Very well, I'll just pick someone. ... Clayton!
The moment his name was called, Clayton jumped and the color of his face became drained.
CLAYTON: Uh... Ummmm...
As he clustered around for answers, Julie began to feel embarrassed. For those who weren't aware, Julie was an intelligent student and scored pretty high on her tests and exams, so a question such as the reason for the Boston Tea Party was practically elementary, but there were some things that she began to see that she shouldn't have put pass Clayton.
JULIE: It was because the colonists who participated in the Tea Party heavily objected the Tea Act, which they felt was a complete violation to their rights as Englishmen to "No taxation without representation". This meant that the colonists would be taxed by their own elected representatives and not by a British parliament that were not a representative to them.
Everyone turned to Julie as she finished her answer, with Clayton's eyes widening as big as golf balls when she looked at him. They all turned back to Ms. Thompson, who was slightly taken aback, but satisfied with the answer.
MS. THOMPSON: That is correct, Ms. Amano. The colonists felt that they should be taxed by their representatives and not by another party, which was the British parliament. But Ms. Lavistor, if you do not know the answer, just say so.
Clayton nodded.
CLAYTON: O-Of course.
He then turned back to Julie with a grateful expression on his face.
CLAYTON: Thanks for the help! I would've looked like a fool.
Julie nodded and smiled back at him as he turned back to the lesson.
-Lunchtime-
-Rooftop-
Julie and Ashley had already arrived to the rooftop and were waiting for Clayton and Ian to arrive. Eventually, the door from the far side of them had swung open and the boys made their way over to the girls.
CLAYTON: 'Sup?
ASHLEY: Nothing. We were just waiting for you.
Julie then turned her attention over to Ian, who turned away with a flushed look on his face.
JULIE: Ian-kun, how are you?
Slightly, he turned his gaze to Julie, trying hard to hide the flush on his face. She couldn't blame him; after all, she and the rest of the group had witnessed his Shadow and saw his worst fears. They knew not only what his fears were, but what he had been hiding or withholding for so long. The moment Julie had learned about the death of his mother, she almost felt pity towards him, but hid away these feelings for she felt that he wouldn't like for the feelings to be given. Not that she was trying to mock him over the death of his mother, but she knew she couldn't push certain topics onto a person without making them comfortable enough to speak upon it.
Though Ian was still trying to adapt to all that had happened previously, she could tell that he was feeling slightly comfortable about it all.
IAN: I-I'm fine. It's just... the other night, you all...
Clayton planted his hand on his friend's shoulder, flashing a smile of reassurance.
CLAYTON: Don't worry, Ashley and I underwent the same thing. We know how that feels... except for Julie.
The moment he said that, all eyes turned on Julie, who had already suspected that suspicion would arise as to how everyone confronted their Shadows, except for her. Of course, she had the same question in mind.
JULIE: Don't look at me! I'm just as curious as you are! It's not nice to put someone on the spot, Clayton-kun!
CLAYTON: *chuckles* Sorry, sorry. But anyway, now we have Ian and I'm sure he will be beneficial.
IAN: Of course, I will. I have years of experience in martial arts. Even if Fiends won't be completely afflicted by my strikes, I can use my staff.
JULIE: Good. But remember, we still have to talk to Tara about what happened last night.
As she said that, Ashley turned over to Clayton.
ASHLEY: Which reminds me; how did you enter into Hofu? We can't call on our Personas to send us there anymore.
CLAYTON: Yeah, well, I told her before we left just for heads-up. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to mislead any of you guys with my theories.
ASHLEY: I have to admit, I'm surprised that you took a stand like that. That was… responsible.
CLAYTON: Well, just because I don't do too well in school doesn't mean I don't have common sense! I can be smart too… on occasion.
A sweat bead fell from Ashley's head at uneasiness from Clayton's statement.
ASHLEY: Anyway, after school, we head over to the Callisto Mall. Did you tell Tara where to meet us?
Finally, the one thing that crushed all hope that Ashley was beginning to have for Clayton was the pause in sentence and averting eyes that gazed from left to right, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips and a sweat bead that fell from his head. The rest of the group looked at him with profound disappointment lingering on their faces, sweat beads falling from their heads as their eyes were shadowed out.
ASHLEY: *sigh* We better go look for her after school. Lord knows where that poor soul may be wandering right now.
-At Callisto Mall-
-Afterschool-
It took some traveling, but eventually, the young priestess reached Callisto Mall. As she approached the mall, she was amazed by its tall and wide structure, almost confusing the building to be a giant. Of course, if she were to stand before a giant, she would've ran in fear, but this was a moment where she stood in awe. The times where she had left Hofu to come into Earth were done during the hours of the Fiends' roaming, so she never had the opportunity to gaze up the magnificence these buildings held, especially by how the sun gleamed from the top. It was nearly blinding, but the priestess held much familiarity with the suns' rays to be unaffected by its brilliance.
TARA: Wow! 'Tis manner of beast this be? This is a "mall"?
Come to think of it, Tara never really entered into Earth during its normal procedure, except when she sense Julie's Persona and followed her around. Even at that time, she never took the moment to seize any tour on this new world. Everything was practically foreign to her, but nonetheless, she was awestruck by all that she saw. Suddenly, she remembered her task and shook her head to retain her focus.
TARA: No! I am not here to be taken in awe over castles- … malls. I am here to meet with Grandmaster and the others to discuss with them the events of tonight!
She took a few steps to the door, pushing it open, confidence and resilience lingering through her as she charged inside. However, the moment she stepped inside, all courage and confidence that once swept the young girl like a wave was drained clear out of her system. Why? Well, it was mostly acquainted with the large number of people that were all inside one building!
In Truenia, Tara has seen large gatherings of people before, usually in attendance to the emperor's speech or for a parade, but she never expected for the likes of a building to house this large a crowd. Tara knew automatically that it had to take one wrong step for her to get lost. She looked high and low in search of her grandmaster, but alas, she was nowhere to be seen and Tara tried to keep her composure about her.
TARA: Do not worry, Tara. All you have to do is look for Grandmaster and you'll be fine. What's the worse that can happen?
Oh, how she would regret that those words fell from her mouth?
She took a step forward and a man wearing a heavy coat passed in front of her, nonchalantly stepping on her foot. She winced in pain and brought her foot up with her hands to rub it, turning over to the man, shocked that he didn't acknowledge that his carelessness hurt her foot and possibly bruised it.
TARA: He didn't even say sorry? What kind of man steps on another person and goes about their way without apologizing?
Regardless, she continued, but had to pass by various people just to manuever her way out of the crowd, though that proved difficult. Using her manners, she polited persuaded others to move so she could by; some were nice enough to oblige, but others lacked that kind of necessity. Some just shoved her as though she invading personal space, while others added a few choice of words that she was not familiar with. Once she had finally managed her way out of the crowd, she accidentally collided into a woman, falling to the ground. When she gazed back at her, she noticed that the woman was older than she was, held rosy skin, and long blonde hair that synchronized with her green eyes. She also noticed that the woman was wearing a stylish orange jacket with golden buttons and zippers that added with fine lacing... and a coffee stain that was located on the lower part of her jacket.
Astonished, the woman gazed back down at Tara with furious eyes and all Tara felt was sympathy. She didn't mean to ruin her jacket and got up to explain herself..
TARA: I am so sorry, ma'am! I didn't mean to-.
ANGRY WOMAN: My jacket! Look what you done! You caused me to spill coffee on my jacket!
TARA: I am truly sorry! I wasn't paying attention!
ANGRY WOMAN: Yeah! Well, thanks to your ignorance, my jacket is ruined! This jacket costed $300!
What felt like symapthy was replaced with curiosity. Tara may have been new to Earth, but the term "dollars" was not uncommon in Truenia, even though the population used coins as currency. She was very familiar with counting money and found the practice of counting coins to be similar in counting dollars rather than change. That was the way Truenians counted money. So when she heard the proclaiming to have spent $300 on a new jacket, she felt the urge to speak out of curiosity.
TARA: You paid $300 for a jacket?
ANGRY WOMAN: Yes, you runt! $300! How I am going to go to work now?
TARA: Ma'am, are you alright? You're not sick are you?
ANGRY WOMAN: Sick?! What do you mean "am I sick"?
TARA: Well, where I come from, anyone who spends such an unnecessarily amount of money on clothing rather than domestic materials are considered to be stricken with a mental illness.
If only Tara knew how the woman took that statement. The moment the word "mental illness" escaped from her mouth, the woman's anger grew greater than before and she glared at Tara.
ANGRY WOMAN: Excuse me?! Are you saying that I'm psychotic for buying a jacket?!
TARA: No ma'am! There is nothing wrong with buying pleasantries such as clothing, but spending such money on clothes hints of illness or just wasting money trying to outdo others, mostly out of envy.
ANGRY WOMAN: WHAT?! Who are you tell me how to spend my money?! I can buy whatever I damn well please! I suggest you go back from where you came because this is America! A. Mer. Ri. Ca!
The woman stormed off, leaving Tara slightly confused about the ordeal.
TARA: 'Twas something I said? If so, then what? I was just offering advice.
Shaking her head, Tara continued to search for her grandmaster. After traveling for a few minutes, she was stopped by another woman, but who had a more nicer expression than the woman from earlier. The woman had silken, red hair, dazzling brown eyes, and wore red lipstick. When she smiled, she made certain that her teeth were shown, gleaming with pristine white color that almost blinded the young girl. The woman wore a blazer and skirt, colored black, and carried a purple perfume bottle in her hand that was rounded to a circle with edgings to give it the appeal of a jewel.
COSMETICS SALESWOMAN: Hello, there! My name is Wendy and I'm offering some free cosmetics and perfume for Lovely Lush! Would you like to try a sample?
The woman spoke kindly, but her very pressence started to not sit well with Tara. She shook her head and politely declined the offer.
TARA: No thank you. I'm actually looking for-.
WENDY: Okay!
Without warning, the woman brought the perfume bottle up to her face and sprayed it directly at her. Though Tara had little time to react, she reacted quick enough to close her eyes in case any of its contents were to touch her eyes. Of course, when she opened her eyes and smelled the perfume, it was strong enough to nearly choke her.
TARA: *coughs* *coughs*
WENDY: So how did you like it? Smells great, doesn't it?
TARA: It does. *coughs* But I think you sprayed too much. *coughs*
WENDY: Now, would you like to try our other perfumes?
TARA: I'm really sorry, but I must meet with a friend and I fear the time strikes quickly.
WENDY: Wonderful!
TARA: ~Is she even listening to me? I said "no"!~
Suddenly, other employess of "Lovely Lush" circled around the young priestess, all carrying perfume bottles in their hands. Trapped, Tara was ambushed as each of them sprayed their perfume at her, each with a different scent the other. The smell of each scent was too strong for her lungs to take in and she found herself on her knees, practically begging for mercy by these relentless perfume ladies.
TARA: No! I need to- *coughs* *coughs*! Please! *coughs* 'Tis not a- *coughs*!
The perfume began to form a cloud around her that quickly filled her lungs, making it hard for her to speak, let alone breath. She felt herself clinging onto dear life, praying to the Creator that she will live to escape from these brutes. Finally, her prayers were answered as the cloud dissolved. She felt the need to sprint until one of the ladies grabbed her by the shoulder. She looked up in panic to see that it was Wendy, still keeping that disturbing smile on her face.
WENDY: Wait! You haven't tried out our new makeup line! Now available for free! Why don't you come in?
The woman had a surprisingly amount of strength to pull Tara into the store, closing the door behind her as the priestess underwent even more terrors.
...
IAN: Where could Tara be?
JULIE: Who knows? We have to keep finding her.
When the group arrived in the mall, they split up into pairs and went searching for Tara. Julie and Ian paired up to find the priestess while Ashley reluctantly paired with Clayton, taking the west side of the mall to search for her. Being with Julie was kind of unnerving for Ian. Though he has been alone with her once, it was where people could see them. Despite the mall being busy, most of the patrons had left, so Ian was mostly with Julie and he tried hard to hide his blush, which didn't go unnoticed by the goth.
JULIE: Are you okay? You're not sick, are you?
Slightly startled by her voice, he shook his head and tried to play off his embarrassment.
IAN: Oh! No! No, I'm fine! Thank you for asking, however.
He somehow managed to force a smile on his face, which was rewarded with a smile by Julie. However, being alone with her, he decided to just talk with her, seeing that now was an opportunity that he needed to take advantage. The only issue was collecting the words to form in a sentence for the conversation to begin.
IAN: Um... I want to thank you again for rescuing me from my Shadow. If you all hadn't been there, I don't know what would've became of me...
JULIE: You're welcome. Besides, we're friends, we should always help each other if we can.
IAN: I know, but... you and the others stood there and watched as my worst fears came to life. It's not something that I'm very vocal about, but...
Suddenly, his collection for words began to fall to pieces. Why was it so hard for him to simply thank her for rescuing him? Why couldn't he think straight? He groaned in agitation as his words fell over him and slapped his palm on his forehead. He looked back at Julie, who was still smiling, but that look of curiosity failed to leave her face, which caused Ian to blush even more.
IAN: I'm... not very good at talking with... females other than Ashley. Forgive me if I sound... obscure.
JULIE: *giggles* Trust me, you do not sound as obscure as you may believe. Just talk to me like a regular human being.
IAN: ... R-Right. Um... So... what do you expect will happen now that we have our Personas?
JULIE: Well, I've already promised Tara-san to help her investigate this case and find the being responsible for sending the previous victims into Hofu. But with the sudden change of events, that may be a bit harder than we could've anticipated. We were blessed that we managed to save you before you died.
IAN: And I am very grateful for. However, seeing that we cannot call our Personas in this world or during the hour when the world is in suspension, we only have a portal that can take us to Hofu whenever possible. However, what if the portal is located at a different location? Somewhere much further than Tara would be?
That was a good question. Julie had never thought of that significant possibility until it escaped from Ian's mouth. Is it likely that the portal leading them from Earth to Hofu will reappear at a different place? Julie knew she could not discount the likeliness, given that now, their main enemy was aware of their deeds and was doing everything in its power to keep them from ruining its plans. Julie turned back to Ian with a stern yet analytical expression worn on her face.
JULIE: It's likely that our enemy will try to place the portal in different locations. If that's so, then Tara may be located somewhere that the Fiends will be heaviest and that will probably slow her progress to us.
IAN: This is a thought, but what if we allowed Tara to live here? We've seen the conditions of Hofu and it's dangerous for her to be there, magic-user or not.
JULIE: I know. When we find Tara-san and ask her about this, we'll find her somewhere to live. But the problem is who will take her in?
Once she finished that sentence, her phone rang. She reached into her pocket, pulled her phone out and realized that Ashley was calling her.
JULIE: Ashley-san, have you and Clayton-kun found Tara-san yet?
ASHLEY: No, but we came across a woman who knew of a girl that fit our description. She was last seen heading to the block with the store Lovely Lush.
JULIE: "Lovely Lush"? Is that a new store?
ASHLEY: If it is, I haven't heard about it until now. Anyway, Clayton and I will go over as soon as possible. You and Ian meet us there; she said the corn dog stand was but a few feet away from it. Just look for a store with a pink logo header and a heart with "glittering sparkles" and you'll reach there.
JULIE: Okay. Thanks.
Julie hung up the phone and glanced back at Ian.
IAN: So what did Ashley say?
JULIE: She said a woman claimed to have seen Tara, or at least a girl of our description, heading towards a store called "Lovely Lush".
The rarity of the name must've been greater than Julie had anticipated because Ian wore a confused expression on his face.
IAN: "Lovely... Lush"?
JULIE: Ashley-san didn't know about it either. Anyway, she said the store was right by that hot dog stand and that we should look for a store with a pink logo header and "a heart with glittering sparkles".
IAN: ... The very description is enough to unsettle my nerves.
JULIE: And my stomach. But let's go.
IAN: Right.
...
It seemed as though hours had passed before Tara managed to escape from the store, pushing the door open and running as fast as she could from those crazed lunatics. She turned back once to see Wendy popping her head out from the door, winced in fear and turned back, running even faster in case the lunatic woman decided to follow in pursuit.
WENDY: Tell your friends about Lovely Lush!
Those were the words that Wendy yelled to Tara, who had a few words about "Lovely Lush", but none too pleasant that she dared to speak to others. Once she had ran a good distance from the lunatics, she stopped to catch her breath, taking a seat by the bench, which was in front of a fountain. The experience she went through was... horrendous! So many faces, so many colors, the unending scents of jasmine and various other flowers wafting in the air, rough hands pertruding on her face... it was a nightmare that Tara wouldn't be able to get out of her head.
Of course, given all they had done to her face, she felt hesitant in needing to observe her looks, carefully and slowly turning her back towards the fountain, gazing at her reflection once she looked down at the water. Her lips were heavily stained with red lipstick, cheeks plastered with artificial blush the likes which she had never seen before, black eyeliner running jagged over her eyes, and heavily blue eyeshadow under her brows. This was probably the most humiliated and undignified moment she had ever faced in her entire life.
TARA: Dear Creator, I look like one of the queen's harlequins at the masquerade ball! Father would never approved of this... nor would I.
The use of makeup was not uncommon in Truenia and Tara has seen many women embellish their faces with eyeshadow, eye-liner, and lipstick, but this was the first that she had ever seen someone use blush for their cheeks. Many women wore their faces this way for balls and banquets, or for everyday life, except for Tara. She never enjoyed the use of makeup for she felt a masterpiece to be displayed on a shelf for eyes to adore rather than being a human being.
TARA: I don't suppose I could wash this filth off my face by using the water from this fountain. 'Twould be an issue if I die?
While she was caught between two parties of what or what not to do, a lustful eye had spotted her from afar and made its way towards her.
...
Julie and Ian finally reached Ashley and Clayton in front of the "Lovely Lush" store, which was currently closed for the moment. The two noticed the "closed" sign on the window and turned back to their companions.
JULIE: I take it Tara-san is not here any longer?
Both nodded.
ASHLEY: Yes. One of the patrons told us that a girl in a green hood came sprinting out of this store and headed in that direction.
Ashley turned to her right and pointed forward, turning back to the pair. Of course, the comment "sprinting" caught their attention.
IAN: They said she was "sprinting" out of the store?
Ashley and Clayton nodded.
CLAYTON: According to some angry female patrons, Lovely Lush isn't known for... cooperation. Some were "attacked" by the perfume ladies of the store and even dragged in, being invaded with makeup and cosmetics.
ASHLEY: One woman even got a blackeye because one of the employees was too rough with the eyeshadow.
As heard as she tried to not imagine it, the very sound of it was enough to make Julie wince in pain.
JULIE: Ouch!
ASHLEY: Yeah. Some of the patrons filed complaints of aggressiveness and failure to comprehend, so the manager of the mall is closing this store... permanently.
JULIE: Good! No woman should ever undergo such... brutality.
ASHLEY: I'll say. If their makeup was as bad as some of the victims claimed, it would give me a good reason to be afraid of mirrors.
IAN: Um... girls? Aren't we getting a little... off-subject?
Julie and Ashley glanced towards Ian and realized that they were indeed getting off-subject.
JULIE: Right. Sorry. Let's find Tara.
...
This young man had spiky blonde hair with highlighted tips, azure-blue eyes, and milky-white skin. He wore a Riverside High uniform, with the addition of a football varsity jacket, hinting he was a football player. He stood pretty tall and had well-developed, meaning he worked out more than he should and took pride in his appearance. Tara first noticed his presence by sense and turned around to face him, gazing up at him with curious eyes. She had never seen him before, but his presence looming over her was certainly... unpleasant.
TARA: ... May I help you?
Without warning, he took a seat beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. This wasn't right.
JUSTIN: I'm Justin Nickelback! I take it you're new here?
Tara nodded, unsure whether should she trust him or not. However, regardless of where her feelings were placed with him, she couldn't help but to be alertive.
TARA: Yes.
JUSTIN: Really? You look foreign. May I ask where you from?
TARA: ...
JUSTIN: *laughs* What's wrong? You're scared of me?
TARA: ... N-No. It's just... I'm waiting for some friends.
JUSTIN: Really, now? And how long will that be?
TARA: I am uncertain, but they should be here by now.
Tara couldn't help but to notice how close Justin was getting to her... very close. So close in fact that Tara could swear that their faces were touching each other. It was then that the strong scents of jasmine that Tara was sprayed with quickly dissipated. Now she smelt a horrendous odor that emitted from Justin. It was strong enough to make her gag and scoot away from him, much to his offense.
JUSTIN: Hey, what the hell?! Why are you moving away from me?
She tried her best to give him eye contact, in which she noticed that he was livid. Was it due to her reaction to his odor?
TARA: I'm sorry, but... you have a strong odor.
JUSTIN: Oh, I do? Says the girl selling herself in this mall!
TARA: "Selling myself"? What are you talking abou-?
It was then that she remembered the heavy makeup on her face and the lurid eye contact he has been giving her ever since noticing her. He assumed that she was a courtesan. A courtesan was also not uncommon in Truenia. Women and men alike would sell themselves to men or women for pleasure in exchange of coin, mostly intimate. It was also a common insult directed at a woman who slept with more than one man, married or unmarried. Tara was not one to be easily angered, but the very fact that this boy took her for a courtesan, a woman who "gives herself" to men for money, greatly offended her.
TARA: Are you implying that I am a courtesan?!
JUSTIN: "Courtesan"?! I don't know what the hell a "courtesan" is, whore!
TARA: ... Wh-Whore?
JUSTIN: Yeah! I suggest if you want my money, you're just going to have to be a little nicer!
Stood up from the bench, grabbing her by her wrist and forcefully pulling her from the bench. The first thought that came to mind was that Justin was planning to have his way with Tara. She grabbed his hand and in desperation, tried to remove it from her wrist, much to his annoyance.
JUSTIN: Stop squirming, bitch! It will be fast, I promise!
TARA: Grr! What kind of female do you take me for?! Unhand me, this instant!
JUSTIN: Not until I'm done with you and you better not tell anyone!
TARA: Grr! Grraaahh!
Tara found herself losing a battle very easily. With no one around to help her, she felt that she should do something before the boy attempted to do anything to her. He had his back turned and was probably ignoring her restraints. A sigh escaped her lips and she released him, but use her other hand to channel her magic as her hand began to emit a green glow. However, the glow suddenly turned black and Tara's face began to scowl at the back of her captor's head as she focused her magical energy. Images had begun to set in her mind: the man stepping on her foot, the woman who berated her, the beasts that captured her in their store and forced her into experimentation, and now Justin... she gritted her teeth and her magic began to get slightly wilder. Her vision was stained in red, except for Justin. Balling her hand into a fist, she slowly brought her fist up.
A/N: And that is the end of Act 9. Now we all got to see Justin, the same guy who shamelessly and aggressively flirted with Julie into submission until Ian and Clayton saved her. His character will play a somewhat important role into the story. And yes, he is that much of a dog. Also, we get to see a different side of Tara that we're not used to seeing. This side of her will be explained in later chapters and will not be shown again until later chapters as well. Also, the scene in which Tara is attacked by perfume ladies and forced to wear makeup has been on my mind for the longest for comedy relief. Let me know if you found it funny or not! Review!
I almost forgot! There have been two reviews regarding as to how I write my story. I will admit, this story was originally going to be written in script, but the storyteller side of me got the best of me. If the website does tell me that the way I'm writing it is unacceptable, I will reluctantly, but surely, take it down. It's written like a story, but the dialogue is written in script format. Makes it easier for readers to understand what words are being spoken by a character.