[Fin] Clothes Maketh the Man (not freeze to death)

[TawnyAngel]

As soon as the last decision had been made and they had made for the checkout he had felt lighter than air, as though he had really accomplished something even though he knew it was really quite mundane. It wasn't mundane for him though, and Abel was smiling at him.

"I am in the mood for somewhere we can get a decent lunch for two for less than twenty dollars," Zevran replied with a broad grin that reflected the relief he felt at finishing that task that he couldn't even have contemplated this morning. "That sandwich place? Or burgers? What do you fancy? In the way of food I mean of course, I know of your other fancies of the day."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

It wasn't hard to see just how pleased Zevran was with himself - or at least, it wasn't hard for Abel to see it - and it brightened his smile. "Hah," he said as his smile widened into a grin for just a moment, "probably half the places in the food court here will fit that bill; actual restaurants probably not quite so much. We can probably get a good idea of which'll be cheap enough from the map, and as a bonus it'll tell us how to get there, yeah? And," he added with a smirk, "you can pick what we have for lunch. You know I'm good with anything; I'm flexible."  

[TawnyAngel]

Humm. Well so far they had eaten balanced foods today, anything would be fine really. "Burgers, or fried chicken I think," Zevran said as he peered at the map, something hot either way. "Chicken looks to be closer, does that suit you? We could get one of those sharing deals with sides." He was buying lunch, yes, but he wanted to do something more as thanks for Abel's help today. That was easy enough though! "Maybe after we eat we should go back to your place?" Zevran suggested, his smirk returning once more. "I would like to try on all of my new things together, and then take them off again where it is warm."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Chicken sounds good, sure," he agreed with another nod. Honestly almost anything would be fine, a fact he'd mentioned on multiple occasions and no longer felt the need to voice it again.

He'd been about to look for the aforementioned chicken place on the map when Zev suggested something very intriguing, and he shot his friend a smirk instead. "I think we should; that sounds like fun." As he turned to locate the chicken place on the map, his mind switched tracks. "So how was it shopping for clothes? Not as bad with company, yeah?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"I am good at thinking of fun things to do," Zevran replied, returning Abel's smirk as they set off.

"Ah... and yes, it was not so bad." It had been frustrating and more time consuming and expensive than he would have liked but-

Zevran smiled softly and shrugged. "Yes I suppose the company improved it a little. Only a little you understand."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yes you are," Abel agreed wholeheartedly, his smirk broadening just a tad. "You're good at a lot of things."

Ah? "'Not so bad'? 'Only a little'?" The taller blond lifted a hand to his chest as if he were actually wounded, though the twinkle of amusement in his expression gave away his mock-offended demeanor, "You wound me. Was it really only a little less terrible than going alone?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"A fraction, barely noticeable really," Zevran replied with an airy wave of his free hand, the other being occupied by his bag of purchases. "But do not take it too much to heart I am sure you did your best to distract me from the task and for that you should be commended." He assumed Abel had anyway and it had worked well for the most part. He would have liked more distraction of course but they had agreed not to get thrown out of the mall and that went without mentioning Abel's avoidance of public displays of affection.

"And I am," Zevran replied, his smirk returning along with a wink. "A great many things, I will have to demonstrate some of them later on. Some new ones perhaps?" Nothing that would wear Abel out too much though.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

His playful wounded act continued. "To think I've been reduced to a mere distraction..."

Another voice chimed in as a slender arm flopped over one of Abel's shoulders, while a hand and a chin settled on his other shoulder, "********-- s**t, don't do that," the taller blond said with disdain, shooting a frown at the redheaded woman behind him. All of the playfulness, the warmth vanished from his countenance in an instant, leaving behind just the displeasure. Even that was quiet, mild, compared to the raging hatred he felt; by now he was used to masking such strong emotions for her in public.

"Aww, but it's so much fun!" Alyssa teased with a grin, her bright, eager gaze sliding from him to Zevran. "What were we talking about? What kind of distractions? You boys weren't talking about anything naughty, were you?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Her?

Zevran's smile died alongside Abel's, if his friend wasn't going to bother pretending he was happy to see her then neither was he. "Abel was just diverting me from the dullness of shopping, nothing to be too excited about," he replied easily in flat tones.

This woman, what was her hold over Abel? He desperately wanted to know but Alyssa was one of those subjects Abel had avoided deftly on a couple of occasions, and thus that he hadn't asked about since.

He hated her smile.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

No, Abel couldn't pretend to be happy to see Alyssa. He never could, no matter how hard he tried - and he'd tried pretty hard at first, way back when - so now he just never bothered. What was the point? There was none. So he inhaled deeply, collecting all of the frustration, the anger, the hopelessness, and expelled all of it with a quiet, resigned sigh.

Alyssa grinned lazily at Zevran. "Ohh? Well isn't that nice of him! But shopping is wonderful; why would you ever think it's boring?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran shrugged. "How do you say; to each their own?" he said blandly. "Browsing through clothes simply does not interest me." And that was as much as he planned to say on the matter to her.

Was she going to leave? Somehow he doubted it.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Aw," Alyssa said with a grin as she circled around behind Abel to place him between herself and Zevran so she could look at them both at once, one of her arms still draped across the taller blond's shoulders. She gave one shoulder a squeeze as she reached her hand up to curl her fingers under his chin, earning herself a faint frown in response. "Were you only hanging out with your friend so he wouldn't die of boredom while shopping? You're so sweet."  

[TawnyAngel]

Ah, he could so cheerfully kill her with... say an electric drill? So messy but when a statement was called for on a job you fulfilled it to the letter. It would not be upsetting to see her brains leak out onto the floor.

Zevran smiled faintly. "He is a good man, indeed, but perhaps I have also saved him from a boring day off work? Only the fates can tell."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The redhead's posture shifted a bit; her hand ran down his jaw and the side of his neck to settle in the curve there, and she rested her cheek on his other shoulder, giving Zevran a coy smile. "Hmm, I suppose he is -- rather too much sometimes, I think. And he's rather a workaholic, isn't he? Lucky for him you were there to keep him company on his otherwise boring day off, otherwise he might've had to spend the whole day doing nothing - or hanging out with me," she added with a small grin.  

[TawnyAngel]

Ah yes, where were you Alyssa? Where were you when he was living on nothing but cheap ramen and black coffee? Where were you on those quiet evenings? Where were you when he was stabbed?.... Was that the one time you 'had his back'? Why did she appear here, now, when Abel had been relaxed and smiling and about to have a good lunch?

"Quite lucky indeed," Zevran agreed placidly with a vapid half smile. "The two of you had not made plans after all, so had he not met with me he would be at home and you here. It is not funny how things work out?" He wished they'd ******** first and come here later, perhaps she would have moved on by then.