A/N: When I read Yorknew Arc, I wondered why everyone made a big deal about Neon's shopping habit? Most of us can relate to her, can't we? Yeah, don't lie! I know you're the same one way or another. lol.
CHAPTER 5: NEON'S SHOPPING SPREE
Since he was hired by the Nostrades, Basho expected to engage in especially dangerous jobs. He was a man of excellent physique and talents, well- polished with experiences that would make him a very fine button man. He imagined his life would be at the stake on a daily basis and he would not complain. The pay was good and the risk was stimulating. So when he was informed of his highly anticipated first mission, he was a little disappointed.
The task was simple: taking the little bratty mistress Neon out shopping. He had secretly scoffed, with withering contempt, at Linssen who had flinched in pain at the mention of the job. But he regretted it immediately. He did not know what he was getting into. No one even warned him how nightmarish such a task could be.
Sly Nostrade bastards! They should have put it down in the job descriptions! He thought grudgingly.
"Baise… I don't think I'm… gonna survive… this!" Basho whimpered, out of breath. His hands were about to fall off from all the loaded bags he was encumbered with. The bags piled up all the way to his face, and he could barely see anything ahead of him. Should he use Gyo to find his way back? This was just downrightly insane.
"Tchh… Bear with it. Women's shopping sprees are all like this," Baise clicked her tongue at his complaints. Yet, she also agreed that this was no ordinary shopping spree, as she herself was carrying piles of boxes, too. Was that brat trying to buy the whole shopping mall?
"Are you kidding me?" Basho asked incredulously. He had never been in a proper relationship before; he had mostly participated in short-term flings so the poor guy had no experience of bringing a girl shopping.
"Get yourself a wife and you'll know it!" Baise's full plump lips twitched impatiently as she thought to herself, this really is hell! Carrying the bags was enough, but why did she have to be teamed up with this whiner? She'd prefer that quiet blond kid or the short music hunter. Speaking of which, where were they lazing off, leaving just her and Basho to deal with crazy bratty Neon?
"For Christ's sake, I'll never ever get married," Basho spat out in his annoyance and proclaimed, "Not even a girlfriend! This is so crazy!"
"Yeah, stay single all your life!" Baise scoffed and then asked, "By the way, where's Kurapika or Melody?"
"Didn't you hear Dalzolene earlier?" Basho retorted. "They're accompanying Clandestia at the bookstore over there."
"Wow, talking about luck!" Blaise pouted and then continued, "I must say… that Clandestia girl is really something, she's a total mystery."
"I can't get a hang of her, too." Basho nodded behind the pile of shopping bags and agreed.
"What I meant was… she can act like a cheery spoiled kid most of the time but sometimes it feels like she's sketching something. Is she bipolar or something?" Baise remarked in explanation.
"I heard that she's a professor." Basho cocked his head in thought, "Speaking of professors though, only bald old men with thick glasses crossed my mind as members of that group."
"Know what?-" Baise said as she rolled her eyes. "Basho - You're just dumb."
Melody and Kurapika were standing outside of a giant bookstore which occupied more than half of the shopping mall's acreage.
Melody was on the phone updating Dalzolene of their whereabouts while Kurapika routinely kept an eye on the girl roaming inside the store. The way she looked as she indulged in browsing those books on the shelves was quite unexpected; her violet eyes were twinkling with deep interest as she roamed through the store. Although he already knew that Miss Clandestia was a professor as well as a doctor, he just never registered it because of her young age and superficial attitude.
For some reason, he briefly recalled the first time that he read a book about hunters' adventures with Pairo. They read it with that same pure interest Clandestia was showing now. But after his tribe's massacre, he had long lost that eagerness to learn. Of course, he still read and learned anything he could most of the time, but everything he picks to read now would have a purpose regardless of whether he's interested or not.
Book stores in Yorknew city were quite impressive. There were all kinds of rare books you could not see elsewhere. Being a researcher meant Clandestia shopped for books much more than she shopped for her clothes. She was too busy to fly to Yorknew often so she must make the most of it this time. But she forgot one thing: she was here with Neon. How could she have any peace?
She glared at the caller ID appearing on her Beetle phone. Oh, here it comes. Again. "Yes, dear cousin? Missing me again?" Clandestia answered the phone and asked sarcastically.
The other person on the phone was pouting. "You promised it wouldn't take long!"
"Neon, I've only been in the bookstore for 10 minutes," Clandestia gritted her teeth. "I said I would be right in 15 minutes."
"I don't know. You promised to pick out my swimsuit, Tia." Neon whined, "And I happen to be at the swimsuit store now."
"Ha, don't be unreasonable, missy." Clandestia said, almost wanting to strangle her phone at this intrusion, "You need to wait!"
"Oh, please, Tia." Neon deliberately switched to a cute soft voice as she pleaded with her cousin, "Pretty please! I need you, sis!"
Clandestia sighed. Urg, she did it on purpose. That girl and her cutesy charm!
"Fine, message me the store location now," Clandestia said and hung up.
As she was about to put the books back in their original places, she suddenly realized the shelves were way too high for her. She originally had some staff help her get them down. She looked around to find any staff nearby but the store was so packed. She sighed and reached her arms up, trying to push one book into its original place. Clandestia is not short, she's even taller than most average teenage girls her age, like Neon, but the bookshelf was clearly testing her patience.
Luckily, she managed to reach the shelf and pushed the book back into place. But just as she was about to pull back, she lost her balance and let out a panicked squeak as she fell. Thankfully, someone caught her; her back landed on the person's warm chest and she heard a calm male voice right above her head exclaim, "Miss Clandestia!"
She reflexively snapped her head up and promptly met a pair of pitch-black eyes as she noticed that Kurapika was nearly looming over her. He was the one that broke her fall. The blond bodyguard himself is not overly tall, just a few centimeters taller than Clandestia, and with her sudden movement to look up, the distance between their faces drew unnecessarily close.
"Oh …sorry," After a brief stupor, Clandestia quickly broke eye contact with the blond bodyguard and took a few quick steps back. It was too dangerous, she must be careful not to hold his gaze in such proximity again. This guy's strangely emotional aura could trigger her ability anytime and she's almost revealed it twice already.
"You should have called us for help," Kurapika said indifferently.
"Thanks, Kurapika." She slightly exhaled and the Kurta blond gave a quick glance at all of the books lying on the table. All about a certain topic: past life memories and asked her, "Are these for your research papers?" The words curiously rolled off his tongue before he could stop it.
Clandestia looked at him, clearly surprised. She didn't think he'd spare any interest in what she was doing but she replied anyway, "Ah, no," She smiled as she said, "Those are for fun. It's a harmless topic to speculate."
He frowned and thought to himself, what did she even mean? "There should be nothing harmful to know," Kurapika said and scoffed. "Rather, it is fatal to be ignorant though. Bear that in mind!"
It's her turn to scowl. This jerk, she thought angrily, why does he have to be so extreme about everything? She held back the acerbic words. This was not an appropriate time to argue about their different views of research methodology and regaining her typical composure she smiled brightly at him to lighten the mood and said, "We'd better go to Neon now or she'll bite our heads off," as a hint of mischief twinkled in her amethyst orbs.
"Come on, let's go!" To his bewilderment, Clandestia grabbed one of his hands and pulled him out of the store like they were best friends. She instantly felt the cold metal chain around his hand but she quickly ignored it.
As they walked out of the store to call for Melody, she felt his apparent discomfort from their touch but once again, she deliberately dismissed it and made no move to release him. She grinned internally.
She might have been acting at first. But… Now, she's starting to really enjoy teasing this blond!
"Pink, or orange?" Neon asked her cousin excitedly.
"Are you seriously asking?" Clandestia said as she rolled her eyes, "You'd always go for pink in the end anyway."
"Tch, you're no fun, Tia!" Neon protruded her lips in a pout at her sister figure's response.
"Now if you're satisfied with my pick," Clandestia said ignoring Neon's sulking face as ushered her cousin out of the changing room, "Let's head to the cashier."
"Wait! Check this out first, Tia!" Neon squeaked, pulling out a classy black bikini set and waving it in Clandestia's direction, "You've gotta try it on!"
Clandestia had to admit that Neon's really got great taste. She knows exactly what Clandestia likes and what actually looks good on her but she still says, "There's no need, Neon. I fell in love with it at first sight already."
"Trying everything on is the fun of shopping, Tia." Neon sighed in apparent frustration and pouted, "I wanna see you in this swimsuit, meanie!"
"Alright, alright!" Clandestia chuckled and decided to humor Neon's request, "We'll go swimming after we get back to the hotel, ok?"
"Yay!" Neon exclaimed and jumped into her cousin's arms excitedly. Everyone in the store was looking at them oddly but Clandestia didn't mind, after all, she knew how to tolerate her cousin's adorable clinginess.
"Little Miss and Lady Clandestia are indeed very close, huh?" Some of the Nostrade bodyguards whispered to each other.
"They have the same level of brattiness." Some of the other bodyguards sighed.