Glass Slippers

Thalia Woods may have left the life of parties and galas behind her, but that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy going shopping. One thing that she did love about her new life was the fact that she didn't have to pay for anything anymore. She could get whatever she wanted, no matter how expensive it was, for free. Thalia was merely browsing through the fancy dressing, reminiscing about old memories, when she spotted them. They were beautiful, like from a fairy tale. Amongst the many ridiculous looking shoes sat a shinny pair of glass slippers. Well that was it, Tali had to go and inspect now, and to her surprise they were truly made of glass. "Who on earth would wear shoes as ridiculous as these?" She muttered to herself. While they may be beautiful, they were not forgiving at all and she had no doubt that wearing them would be a disaster. "What a stupid idea," Thalia scoffed and put them back before she continued to look through the racks of clothing to find something she liked. 

    Who would wear something as stupid as those? Well, who would wear anything in this stupid store? If not the way he constantly gaped at the price tags, Marshall's clothes would be the first thing to set him apart. The dark jeans he bore were beginning to wear in the knees, and his no brand sports jacket looked like some Nike wannabe. But he wasn't complaining! His clothes fit just fine. There were no holes, and he'd only bought them a few months ago. In fact to the normal eye, his clothes were just fine. But in the midst of the Crown, how could a commoner like himself not feel a little...homely.

    Pulling up his big-boy pants, Marshall continued to carefully peruse the store, doing his best not to be an eyesore. And still, he managed to attract the gaze of a few people, at least enough to make him uncomfortable. Some stared perhaps because he didn't belong there, and others because he knew them, or knew of them. Having spent a brief amount of time as a Seeker and working in the soup kitchen, Marshall had seen a lot of faces, and by now his face was familiar to most. His handsomely sculpted jaw was neatly framed by his golden feathery locks. Though soft, his azure gaze had a glint of mischief in them, as though he weren't supposed to be here.

    But Marshall wasn't here for himself. He was here for Britta, his step-mother. Her birthday was just around the corner, and he knew she'd always loved the Crown. Unfortunately, a teacher's budget doesn't pay for these kinds of clothes, but Marshall had been here with her on many occasions, watching her oggle of this and that. But what was the point of going shopping if you weren't going to buy anything? Oh well, keeping an eye out for something special, he continued to browse the aisles, giving little thought to where he was headed.

After she moved away from the shoes, Thalia went to explore what else the store had to offer. She thought about 'buying' one of the beautiful dresses, but she had no where to wear it, so she changed her mind and strolled around the jacket section. Seeing the leather jackets only brought back memories of her brother though, memories that were long gone. She hadn't seen him for ages, it was like he just vanished with out even saying goodbye. Tali still remembered waking up on the floor after the Calling and he had been no where in sight. Some brother. She constantly wondered how he was doing, he must have gotten a gift as well, because she vaguely remembered him going through the same experience as her before she passed out. Oh well, no point reminiscing on painful thoughts, it would just lead her down a darker road of other hurtful things.

     Over some of the racks Thalia caught a glimpse of a boy with golden hair and after a double take she realised that he looked familiar, however she didn't know where from. It was only after she moved over an isle that she remembered how she recognised him. He had been a seeker! Tali began glancing around to make sure there were no other seekers, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on. Little did she know that this guy was no longer her enemy. Since she doubted that he knew her, Tali forced herself to remain calm and proceed with her shopping like nothing had happened.

    It wasn't smart to buy Britta a dress, or any clothing item. What if he got the wrong size? And yet something about a simple gift card seemed so...impersonal. If he was honest, Marshall didn't even know what she liked. He did know that girls liked thoughtful things. Personal and meaningful things. They didn't have to be special or expensive. But surely if he bought something from here it would convey the same message. But what to buy?

    Thoughts absorbed in his latest problem, Marshall nearly trampled Thalia. Despite walking at a rather moderate pace, it wouldn't take much for the behemoth of a man to do some damage. The sudden sensation of intruding upon someone's personal zone caused him to snap to attention.   
  "Oh, I'm sorry." Was all he offered. A proper gentleman might have made a further apology, or asked for forgiveness. But Marshall wasn't a gentleman. He wasn't anything really. He merely stared at the young woman before him. There was something familiar about her. Did they know each other? He didn't ask, only stared. Giving an abrupt nod as though he'd just decided something, Marshall carefully skirted past her only to turn his head moments later and ask. "Do you work here?"

Thalia had promptly gone back to her browsing, figuring that there was nothing that immediately gave her away as being gifted, so she should be okay. Although, it had been many hours since she last ate, and it was probably about time to refuel. As amazing as her gift was, it seemed to result in her having to eat a lot to keep up her energy. Not nearly half as much as Zephyr had to eat to keep stable, but quite a lot. After a lot of experimenting she had come up with a smoothie sort of thing that seemed to give her a big energy burst, but for now, an energy drink would have to do. 

Since she was digging through her bag for the drink she was sure she had brought, Tali didn't notice the guy who so rudely ran into her. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "Watch out!" She could have been rude and used her gift on him, but decided that since she seemed to have forgotten her drink, she wasn't just going to waste energy on him. After a while the eye contact got a bit awkward, and Thalia became worried that he may recognize her, so she avoided eye contact and began to shift away. When the guy asked her a question Tali frowned and shook her head. "No, no I don't. Now why dont you-" Its not worth it. She cut herself off with that thought. "Sorry. No I don't work here," Thalia replied more pleasantly. 

    Well someone was a little feisty today. Got up on the wrong side of the bed did you? Marshall wondered as he stared, carefully analyzing her reaction. Or perhaps something else? Menstruation will do that to you I'm told....now what should I get Britta? Already, he seemed to have lost interest in the victim before him, the sincerity of his apology cheapened by his sudden dismissiveness. But, there were more serious issues than the irritated woman before him. It was hard to muster any sort of respect for anyone in this store. They were all rich kids. And most rich kids, well...his gaze narrowed as it sought out Thalia, they were brats.


    As she spoke, she did a fantastic job of interrupting herself. Choosing her words more carefully was she? "In that case, I accept your apology." Marshall ran a hand through his hair in a rather absentminded manner. Was he even listening to what she had said? Had he not stopped to consider the rather obvious fact that she hadn't offered even the slightest apology or sign of remorse. Or perhaps he was getting a little ahead of himself. "If you're going to tell me off, you don't have to be a bitch about it." The dull monotonous of his tone never changed as he spoke, remaining a consistent dull rumble as he continued to stare. "But if you're going o be a bitch about it, I don't see the point in holding back." 

    Well, someone was being quite forward today weren't they? Marshall wasn't exactly being a jerk, at least he didn't think so. But if she was going to be all wishy-washy with her emotions, he wasn't about to just bend over and let her have it her way. This might be the crown, but she was no princess.
        

    Did he just call her a bitch? Really? Did he know who he was talking to? Thalia took a calming breath and smiled sweetly at this punk. "What did you just call me?" It wasn't that she didn't hear him, she just wanted to see if he would change him mind before she did something she would regret. Tali had no problem using her gift on people, she did it all the time, but because she stupidly forgot to bring some sustenance along, she didn't really want to waste her energy on something that could easily be avoided. "You really don't want to see me acting like a bitch," Thalia warned him. 
     Had she chosen not to skip breakfast or tell all those people in the jewelry store to let her take a ring, then she probably wouldn't think twice about putting this guy in his place, but for now she would wait it out, unless things got messy, then she wouldn't hold back. 

    Could she read his mind? Or perhaps it was just obvious that most people didn't want to come in contact with someone who was going to PMS all over them. Who would want to see her act like a bitch? I mean you're kind of half-way there but... Marshall mused to himself while he studied the girl before him. He knew her for sure. But where, he couldn't remember. Did they go to school together? Could be, but that was two years ago by now. How could he remember that far back?

    "Well," He said rather matter-of-factly, straightening his sports jacket. "You're not wrong." His choice of words was a far cry from the rather critical internal dialogue he was having. In fact, he almost gave a little clap of his hands and said Well done Captain obvious. But Marshall decided aggravating her would not be in his favor. Making fun of people was fun, otherwise, it wouldn't be called making 'fun'. But it was only amusing if the other person had some sort of sense of humor. Clearly, she didn't.

    Turning to face her entirely, Marshall looped his thumbs through his belt loops, his soft blue eyes burning down at her. "What was your name again?" 

        

Thalia was not PMSing. She was just annoyed at this person, and herself for not being more responsible. His sarcastic response just made her clench her jaw and take another slow breath. It was alright, she could just compel him to leave... so why didn't she? For some strange reason Tali kind of enjoyed having an argument with someone, because usually she would just send them away and that would be it, but it did get lonely sometimes. Maybe if he really got on her nerves she would just get him to do something funny, like 'accidentally' knock down a whole rack of clothes. Now that would be amusing. 
   When he asked her name Thalia felt her heart rate pick up again, but kept a blank look on her face. She ahd never had a conversation with this guy before, so he wouldn't know her name... would he? "Again? I never told you in the first place," She replied matter of factually. "But its Samantha," Better safe than sorry, right? (Would you be okay with her telling him to push over a rack of clothing if he got on her nerves?)
    

(OOC: Lol I don't mind at all. Although it might make her gift rather obvious ^^)

So she had a name after all, and it wasn't princess. Upon hearing her words, Marshall's demeanor appeared to change. As though her blunt comment before no longer bothered him, he extended a large hand. "Marshall Legend." Most people often added a 'pleased to meet you' or some friendly comment. But Marshall...well, he wasn't exactly jumping for joy. Though his eyes flashed with an electric blue amusement, he wasn't about to bow down and kiss her shoes.

"Do you come here often, Princess?" He asked curiously. She dressed like she might. And while his question may have come across as tacky or rude, he didn't meant anything by it. Marshall hadn't forgotten why he was here in the first place. For Britta. But perhaps Samantha could point him in a helpful direction? Hmm... She didn't strike hi as the helpful type. But, people were full of surprises weren't they?

"My step-mom is turning forty-six next Monday," he explained reluctantly. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find something...decent?" As he spoke, his gaze traveled the store doubtfully. Everything was so expensive and...different. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all.

(That is true... a last resort then XD)



Thalia eyed his hand and then decided to shake it. She wouldn't back down and show that she found this situation uncomfortable, however when he called her princess she narrowed her eyes. So that was how he wanted to play it. Well, nicknames it would be. To come up with a good insulting one off the top of her head would take too long, so she would just stick with his feudal theme. "Well, peasant, I highly doubt someone like you could afford this shop," It was rude, but he was being rude too so they were even. "Although if you did want to get her something nice that a lady would appreciate, if your mother classifies as a proper lady, then I would suggest something in that general vicinity," Naturally Thalia pointed towards the most expensive part of the store. Oh well, he should know that people want want to be nice to him if he is rude to them.

"Someone like me huh?" His chest rumbled with a chuckle as he looked her over once more. "Your words cut deep Princess, but you know what they say: True love conquers all." Who even says that? Dorks probably. But Marshall wasn't giving much thought to her callous behaviour. At least he wasn't until she mentioned his mother. For a moment his expression darkened, a frown furrowing his brow, blue eyes growing cold. But Marshall said nothing in retaliation. He never spoke up in Britta's defence, and he didn't take the opportunity to shut Samantha down either. There was only a slightly hurt and bewildered look that suggested he had no idea where her comment had even come from.

"I'm sorry, did I say something to upset you?" His eyes traveled along imaginary lines as he tried to recall their conversation. Was 'Princess' such a bad thing to be called? Was stating the obvious a crime? Rooted to the spot by indecision, Marshall reflected upon the consequences of his own blunt words. Was she perhaps really sensitive? Had he come off in the wrong light? Of course calling any girl a bitch upon first encounter was bound to make you come off in the wrong light. But Marshall lived his life constantly surrounded by the male species. He could say whatever he wanted to his friends, other guys even, and it hardly mattered. Was was she suddenly so different?

Thalia smirked at him as he made his first comment. It was true however, The Crown was an expensive store, and unless he was some philanthropist who donated all his money and didn't keep any for himself to buy new clothes, than she doubted that he could afford a place like this. However when he didn't suddenly jump to defend his mother or retaliate at all Tali was rather surprised. Thinking back on it now, she had been rather rude, and it was uncalled for. Yes he had called her a bitch, but she didn't have to act like one. 

   It was just so different actually interacting with someone like this, it seemed like she had lost her touch. "Oh, well, not exactly..." What was that? That was such a lame response. Not exactly? Who was she and where did Thalia go. You see, this was why she didn't waste time talking to people. Without all these months of practice she seemed to lose her ability to actually have a pleasant conversation. Well that had to change. "Look, i'm sorry. I'm having a bad day and i am starving," She replied honestly after a moments thought. Wow, she actually apologized, he should be impressed. In fact, he should be eternally grateful.. or maybe that was pushing it. 

    "Not exactly?" Head tipped to the side, Marshall accepted her words with an unsure silence. It's not like he spoke with girls on a daily basis, most days he could say whatever he wanted.That didn't change the fact his words hadn't been the friendliest, or that he had no love for the woman across from him. Still, her unexpected fiest had left him slightly puzzled. Perhaps she'd just been simmering this entire time.

    But 'not exactly'? What kind of answer was that? "Oh...well okay." Still not entirely sure about this foreign specimen, Marshall turned to go as she delivered the rest of her apology. A flicker of warmth softened his gaze as it wandered over her head towards the nearest clock. "Well Princess, I won't keep you then. You'd better get something to eat." ..Before anyone else suffers because of it. "Thanks for your help." he added, slipping off in the direction she had pointed.Time to shop for Britta! Yay...

Well he had been mean to her, but she didn't exactly take it as an insult... It would take a bit more than that to hurt her feelings. Thalia considered telling him that he was probably not going to have any success in that side of the store, but decided against it. He could find that out for himself. "Yes, well, I wish I could say it was a pleasure meeting you," With that she turned to leave, however she still wanted to 'buy' that nice jacket she saw. 

Thalia went over and picked it up before heading to th checkout. Before telling the lady that she was going to let her have it for free, Thalia glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Once she was approved by the glassy-eyed lady who had been put under her spell, Tali left the store to solve her hunger problem.