On the Blackest of Fridays

[Tim Tawfeek]

Nov 28th (so technically in the past but meh)

Tim had been sitting outside waiting for the Best Buy to open for a while now. He'd been wrapped up in a blanket that he'd borrowed from someone, and he'd certainly been there a while. He'd actually invited a few of his friends to tag along, but most of them sort of decided in a nice, casual way that he happened to be insane. Tim did figure that Lux might show up. She had been by with a thermos of hot chocolate at some point, which now set next to Tim, the steam curling up into the air.

He turned and looked to the store, his eyes narrowing. Fourth in line. He seriously considered doing something drastic to turn that four into a one, but he figured he'd still get what he'd been sitting out here for. He totally intended to raid the store as soon as they opened up the doors.

"If only I had a power that would be halfway useful," he mumbled, shifting again. He dug around for a bit, then remembered that his phone had been running low on power. Tim spat out a quick curse before twisting around, looking for someone. 'Hey, anyone got the time? I wanna know how much longer we're gonna be waiting. My butt's about two thirds of the way toward being a buttsicle right now..."

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

America hadn't been the only country who got sucked into the mindless shopping of ridiculous sales and price drops during Black Friday. Certain countries within Africa had already hopped on the Black Friday train just a few years ago, and others; not so much. As for South Africa, a country who has been colonized to feel like Europeans own little mini me, they had Black Friday as if it was an official holiday. So no, Oneyka wasn't new to the customs but what she was new to, was the fact that it had to be around 20 degrees right now and that wasn't really sitting well with her.

Best Buy was known to have some of the greatest sales during this time of the year and she wasn't going to let that pass on by. The shapeshifter had been in the line for a while now and seeing how she was fifth in line, she had done pretty good. Her pumpkin spice latte probably wouldn't last her but she was going to fight the cold weather with her new love for shivering, layered clothes underneath her jacket and her gloves.... and possibly her latte, if it lasted that long.

Hopefully she could find a gift for everyone in this one night, seeing how she had to send gifts back home to her friends and family, as she wasn't going to be home for the holidays. There were also gifts she had to buy for a few kids at the hospital she knew loved movies, games and electronics of the sort. And then there was Jack, which made it even harder to think of a gift because she wasn't exactly sure what he'd like. After being in a relationship with him since the end of October, it was still difficult to gather enough information to find the perfect gift for him. And she refused to add to his horror movie collection.

If anything, she would have loved for him to come with but she knew there was no getting him out of his bed when he was warm and comfortable. Spending an hour trying to drag him out of bed would have meant a loss in the items she wanted.

"Hey, anyone got the time? I wanna know how much longer we're gonna be waiting. My butt's about two thirds of the way toward being a buttsicle right now..."

Chuckling, Oneyka slid her phone out of her jacket pocket to check the time. "I believe they'll be opening the doors in ten minutes?" Glancing towards the end of the ridiculously long line, she took another sip of her latte as she sniffled. She wasn't used to this weather, at all, and could feel herself catching some uncured cold right about now. Looking back at the male, she flashed a smile. "I'm certain my face will become an icicle by then as well. I don't see how people can do this every year in this type of weather."

[Tim Tawfeek]

Holy hot African chick, Batman! Tim nearly goggled at the very attractive woman who responded to his very stupid comment about freezing butts and all. She responded coolly too, as though people talked like that to her all the time. Tim had to spend a few seconds processing, and then reminding himself that he had a girlfriend (such a rare circumstance that it took Tim a good few minutes to remember that fact), and therefore should try to be a perfect, taken gentleman.

"Ten minutes? Man, that's gonna---" he paused for a moment, shifting. "Uh, did you," he shifted, pulling at the blanket, "did you maybe want my blanket? I'm totally used to the temperature by now," which wasn't the biggest lie that Tim had ever told, though the puffs of air coming out of his mouth certainly weren't helping sell the statement, "since I'm a local and all. Yeah, your, uh, accent kinda gave you away. You a transfer to the, uh, school," he tried to put some emphasis on it, wishing that mutants had some sort of secret code or something, "or visiting us for the holidays or something? I'm guessing it's the second part, maybe 'cuz of that whole competition thing or something, because if you'd been around I totally would have noticed..."

Tim seemed to realize what he'd just said, waved his hands, and shook his head, "Not that I, uh, stare at pretty girls," any more. Often, "or anything. I just, uh, figure that we totally would have run into each other by now. Probably. Or something."

So apparently getting a girlfriend did not grant the magical gift of eloquence. There was one myth busted: he should send his findings into that Discovery show.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

Blinking at his response, her brown eyes glanced down at her own failed attempt at staying warm despite the amount of layers she was wearing under her coat. Glancing back, Onnie knew she couldn't possibly take a blanket from someone in this weather. It was basically her fault for not bundling more than she already had. "That's so kind of you. I mean- Are you sure? I'd feel bad if your butt actually became a buttsicle. Wouldn't want you to get a frostbitten behind." She chuckled. Only if she had been as prepared as everyone else. Their type of cold came no where near close to how cold it could get here in America. She could even feel a cold coming on and as much as she tried to fight it during the fall weather change, she was sadly failing.

Nodding, she smiled. "Yeah, that tends to be the first thing that sells me out." Even with the ability to mimic other voices, she always still chose her original. There was no reason to hide, as the people here tend to enjoy how "exotic" she was. Though, when he mentioned the school in a very vague way, she quickly caught on, only to be surprised that he added two plus two. From what she heard, if it wasn't because of the Academy, this state didn't get many transfers or people from outside the country. "Yeah. I came from the one in South Africa, though I'm originally from the western parts."

Smiling, almost flattered by his comment, she couldn't help but to let out a soft laughter. "Well thank you... I think." Maybe it had fell more towards a compliment? Oneyka wasn't too sure and she didn't want to take it so easily as such; that would have been way to conceited. "Sad to say, even in America, if I'm not hidden away in my study cave, I'm focusing on ballet or my piano lessons. Doesn't really give me much time to bump into anyone." As much as she hated to admit it, she never allowed herself any time to just roam around, go out or have teenage fun. Jack was really now her only true break from her hectic schedule and even though she never verbally told him (because he took pleasure in finding the smallest things to get conceited from), she needed him more than anything.

Offering a hand to the him, she tilted her head slightly with a smile. He was very... adorable, in his own way. As she was finding that a lot of people from the Academy were very unique individuals, so it was always a pleasure. "I'm Oneyka but others here have found it easier by just calling me Onnie. Pleasure of actually "running into" you."

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim nodded in confirmation, moving to unwrap himself from the blanket. He did have a fairly thick coat on underneath, so while he did feel the loss of the blanket, he figured he could probably endure it for the next ten minutes or so, especially if it meant that a (pretty) girl could benefit from it. He moved as if to drape it around her shoulders, then apparently thought better of it and simply extended it, clutched in one hand. His cheeks seemed to darken for a moment, and he fidgeted.

There was, at least, talk of where she'd come from, which Tim found legitimately interesting. He'd been pretty accurate about the accent, thanks mostly to listening to enough people via the internet and whatnot. He did a little bit of a victory dance, which actually helped some toward keeping him warm as well, which was always good. "South Africa huh? Cool, cool, totally guessed it," he grinned for a moment then looked away, adjusting his glasses as he did.

He tried nodding, moving along with the compliment, though he nearly did a doubletake when she mentioned having a "study cave." Seriously, where were all the hot, nerdy girls a few months ago, back before Tim had managed to win Lux over. He took the extended hand though, shaking and nodding. "Tim. Me, that's, I'm Tim. Technically Timothy but, like, nobody actually uses that, so it's Tim. nice to, uh, run into you... Onnie," he wasn't even going to try the other. He lowered his hand, tucking it into the pocket of his coat. "So couldn't wait to try the American tradition of Black Friday?" he asked, smirking. He leaned forward, "You're in for a treat. Hope you're ready for chaos," though Kalispell was actually one of the lighter areas when it came to the whole crazy shopping thing. Tim just tactfully left that bit out.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

She eyed the blanket before gratefully accepting his offer. A part of her felt a bit weird, taking someone's blanket that they so deserved in this time of cold weather and sales. While she should have had the common sense of bundling up even more, knowing that not all places would be as warm as Africa. Even in her preparations, she still failed at this one task and that lead her to be more embarrassed than she would let on. "Thank you. You're very kind." She said smiling, as she wrapped the blanked around her. Oneyka it was a very kind gesture to a stranger anyway, not like it was breaking any relationship code.

Did such codes really exist?

Squinting as she chuckled at his dance, she nodded. He sure was a silly one and it was great to know that someone around here had a good sense of humor. "well, you're certainly on a roll."

Usually mentioning a "study cave" or being some sort of nerd would and could make even the strongest of men want to walk away. Apparently having good grades, and using up most of your time to study didn't really come off as "attractive" and to this day she even wondered how Jack managed to find her as such.

Smiling as they shook, she nodded and repeated. "Tim, that's you but technically Timothy, but it's really Tim." She couldn't help but to laugh in response, "Either way it's a pleasure." Shoving her hands back into her coat pockets, she glanced up at the bright blue and yellow sign before looking back at Tim. "Yeah, I've always wanted to do Black Friday shopping. It's not really a thing yet in Africa."

Lifting her brows, her mouth parted. "OH? Am I going to have get into some type of brawl with a woman who wants the same television as me?" Only joking. Or at least that's what they always showed in movies; two women fighting over that one item left. Not that she would go out of her way to fight someone over an item but that doesn't mean that she would stand for rudeness. "I may not look the part but I surely know how to give a mean look."

[Tim Tawfeek]

Tim shrugged at the "very kind" remark, though he was grinning wide and feeling quite pleased with himself. After all, it wasn't every day that an attractive girl said he was very anything complimentary (okay, every day he talked to Lux, but Lux was a special kind of crazy that Tim kinda loved. Plus, she was a very attractive girl that Tim actually got to kiss, which meant that he still wasn't entirely convinced she actually existed). The mention of a "roll" didn't seem to diminish Tim all the much. He just added another quick shrug and added a sheepish grin.

The repetition of his name turned the grin into an outright laugh, and he nodded, both in agreement to his name and to the whole pleasure thing. He very nearly made a comment about how Africa had to be about a century or so behind, but he figured it would probably be best if he didn't say stuff like that to a perfectly modern African girl; Tim didn't fancy accidentally insulting anyone, especially pretty girls. (This didn't stop it from happening nearly all the time).

"You might very well have to," said Tim, nodding. "It's not that likely, because the people here don't get quite that insane. It's more of a big city thing. People go crazy for this stuff," Tim jerked a finger behind him, indicating the entrance. "We are kinda camping outside a store and all. But, yeah," he stuck his hands back into his pockets, "you probably won't have to actually fight anyone for anything. Unless you're looking for a fight," Tim shrugged again, and then looked back, seeing that they'd started getting people ready to start heading in, which meant arranging the lines and getting everyone in order and all. "I could, like, stick with you if you'd like," Tim offered, looking back at her. "You know, since you're new and all, and I'm sort of an expert," and yes, there was some swagger there. And a bit of a cocky grin. Wasn't much Tim could admit to being an expert to when it would help someone (especially a pretty female someone) after all.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

"Ah, I see." She lifted her head as she glanced at the entrance, then to those who were further down the line before her attention back to Tim. He had also been correct about them camping outside. It would seem as if the American holiday sales had pulled her into their ways. Which was okay by her. This whole camping outside and waiting in hopes to get some of the best items was kind of fun. She was so used to having to shop online, ordering, and having to schedule shopping trips with her friends back home that she didn't get to experience stuff like this.

Though, this weather was an experience all on its own.

Chuckling as she kept the blanket wrapped around her, she shook her head. "Good. Because I don't think I'd stand a chance either way." She was no fighter, so having to brawl over an item wouldn't have ended very well. She couldn't imagine going back to the school and telling Jack how exactly it ended.

"How did you get a black eye?"

"In a brawl with an older lady for a television. I managed to get the TV but she managed to get a hit in."

Sad to say, she could even imagine him laughing at her. Sighing at that thought, she shrugged to herself and looked at Tim with a smile. "Well, Mr. Expert." She chuckled, "I'll kindly take you on that offer. I'm sure with the two of us, we'll be able to get everything we need in a timely fashion." Again, she was grateful for his assistance but hoped she wouldn't be wasting any of his time. She didn't necessarily know where everything was located in the store, so some confusion may arise on her part and hopefully that wouldn't slow them down.

Her attention was caught by one of the employees who finally unlocked the doors and started greeting them. "I believe they're finally letting us in?"

[Tim Tawfeek]

Cool, the girl seemed to understand everything and all. Definitely cool. Tim again found himself wondering where all the cool, hot girls had been when he was single (apparently hiding under rocks and waiting for guys in awesome, strong relationships to wander by so they could talk to them). He just kept nodding and grinning and still being glad at his situation.

"Sure, no problem," he said, nodding again. "Just lemme know what you want, and I'll help you find it. I'm looking for some hardware upgrade stuff, so it's not likely that it's gonna run out. Well, and this," he dug around in his stuff and produced a ticket, "which is what they hand out for big items. Oh, and I'm going to be getting Furbies, but I might wait for the special mutant event."

He paused for a moment, licked his lips. "They're, uh, for my girlfriend. She's kinda obsessed," which was so true. He looked back up at the entrance, seeing everyone moving and stuff. Which meant that he had to duck down and grab his stuff again, getting everything all ready to go and head in. "Oh, did you want to exchange numbers?" He asked, digging around in his pocket, which was somewhat awkward, given that he still had his stuff in his arms. "You know, in case we get separated and all."

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

"Oh, great." She said a bit more excited than she really needed to be. With that, Onnie pulled out her phone and went into one of her .doc apps where she had written a whole list of items that she needed and wanted. Sure, it had to have been over thirty items but none of them were for her. That was the greatest thing about Christmas, she didn't have to go through the struggles of figuring out what she wanted for Christmas. All she had to do was worry about what to get others and be done with it.

Glancing up from her phone, her brows raised with interest. She was going to ask what he would do with the hardware but figured that maybe it was for his computer needs. There was something about him that made Onnie feel as if he was into that type of stuff (as apparently computer gaming was popular with the guys or something like that). But when she caught the part about him getting Furbies for his girlfriend, she gave him a look of adoration. "Those little furry things that blink and sometimes talk gibberish? That is so cute. I'm sure she'd adore the newer versions."

Before her relationship with Jack, Onnie hadn't the need to be in a relationship (because of her failed attempt at being "girlfriend material") but she absolutely adored seeing others in one. It was nice to see a guy going out buying gifts for their loved ones no matter how silly or cute the item may have bee. "Oh! Why yes, I suppose that would be a smart thing to do." She prepared her phone to show an Add New Contact screen and handed it over to him. "Here. Just add yours and I'll send you a text."

[Tim Tawfeek]

Still felt weird, talking about his girlfriend with another cute girl, like he'd fallen into some wormhole and was now Nega-Tim or something. Though you'd think that Nega-Tim would actually be able to grow a goatee or something. Oh well, Tim didn't want to think about it overmuch. Not when he had Furbies to consider:

"yeaaaaah, she's got, like, a lot of them," he admitted, "but she always likes more. She's into weird things like that," he added another little shrug and edged forward, moving with the crowd. That movement nearly made him miss Onnie extending her phone toward him, though he caught what she was doing. He jerked and nodded, gently taking the phone and punching his number into it, humming a little as he did.

He then returned it to her. "There ya go," he said, "and I added my name and all. Not my last name, so hopefully you don't got a lot of Tims in there," he chuckled and reached up to readjust his glasses. "But yeah: just stick with me anyway. We're at the front, so we shouldn't try to hard. You got anything big ticket? Quick, before we get in."

Because they were already heading that way, and if they needed to veer for something major, they'd have to head straight there, like bullets from an over-pressurized gun.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

"Ah, a collector. I suppose no matter how weird it may be, it sort of shows focus on her part and dedication. That and furbies are absolutely adorable. She must be a good person to have around." It was sort of weird how she managed to gather that much of an assumption based off of someone simply enjoying a certain collection. Hopefully she didn't seem too abnormal because of it.

Taking her phone back, she flashed a smile while looking down at it as she sent him a quick 'Hey, It's Oneyka' text, just so he could get her number in return. Chuckling, she glanced up as they continued to inch towards the doors of the store. "Well so far, I believe you're the only Tim." With a nod, she dug deep within her pockets as soon as she remembered she revived one ticket for a television she had her eyes on. "I believe it's in here somewhere."

Too bad it wasn't for her.

"Got it." She said relieved while holding it up, as if it was the greatest achievement in the world. "Though, I have no idea what we do with these tickets."

[Tim Tawfeek]

"Yeah, she is," agreed Tim, nodding. He definitely bet that Onnie and Lux would get along, if only because Lux got along with just about anyone. Tim was fairly certain that if SPECTRE had got far enough to get to Lux, they would have maybe shot her once before she convinced them to just all be friends or something. That was assuming the Furbies didn't kill them all first.

Tim looked over as Onnie rustled, waiting while she withdrew the ticket. He leaned over when she produced it, nodding. "Yeah, you'll want to take that to the back," he said, tapping it. "I know just where to go. We'll hit that first, make note of stuff we want on the way, and pick it up as we head back," Tim nodded, then moved forward, hurrying to get in front of the crowd. He did pause to make sure Onnie was catching up, even waving for her to close the distance, before continuing further.

"That way," he said, pointing, "you'll give them the ticket and they'll get it ready and---" he lowered his hand. "How are you gonna get the TV back to your dorm?" Because he wasn't sure that holding it on a bus was a good idea. He did seem to recall there being something about the school providing transportation, but he hadn't exactly paid attention to the details.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

Oneyka couldn't help but to give him a warm smile. Just the idea of it, she guessed was cute. Onnie was weird like that. She found others relationships the most adorable, especially if they were both good people. Not that she could tell if Tim's girlfriend was a good person but the way he talked about her, spoke her name, how he looked when he talked about something as simple of Furbies... you could just tell. That, or she had nerve to notice the smallest of details in something so simple.

Looking at her ticket with quite the determination, she did one nod. "Right." There was no way she could fail at this with his help. Though, she didn't always have the best of luck and not to mention this whole holiday shopping thing was a bit exciting... if not nerve wrecking as they got closer to the doors. She made sure to hustle those legs of hers. The last thing she needed was to lose him.

Her eyes tried to meet where Tim pointed to get a good look of where she needed to be. She then looked at him, "Oh I've got that covered. I've called a cab service... well, a riding service. A bit more secretive and secure than a cab but they'll be bringing an SUV." In other words, she didn't want to blatantly tell him that her mother had driving services wherever she was located, which now was at Oneyka's disposal, because well, that sounded a bit much. Oneyka usually took regular transportation ever since she arrived to America (to feel normal) but in this case, she'd need the extra help.

[Tim Tawfeek]

Right, they had a plan of action, and from what Onnie said, they even had a good plan of retreat. Tim wasn't going to bother to ask for a ride in the riding service or anything, but he was relieved to find that he wasn't going to have to, like, protect Onnie's television while on a bus or something (since he now felt obligated to help her out).

For now, he pointed toward the back of the store, "They'll put the television stuff back there. We head there, get your ticket processed, then swing back," another nod, and Tim gestured one more time for Onnie to follow. Then he boldly forged ahead, moving moderately quickly and with the obvious practice of someone who had spent a good deal of time in this particular store. He did stop to snag a few things as they went: memory cards and the like mostly, but their quick path would get them in place.

Then Tim flagged down a staffer, gesturing for one to come over with one hand while the other worked at getting Onnie to come forth.