The New Salem Maul

[Frankie Stein x]

Oh my ghoul, it's the Maul! Step inside and shop till you drop dead...again!

Here are some of the stores you'll find inside the Maul:

-Dolce & Ghoulbana - ALl the latest fashions for the dead set fashionista!
-Aberzombie & Stitch - The top trending boos shop here.
-Tomby Boohama - Casual but trendy with a spooky slant.
-Fashion Bites! - Vintage clothing from the 1500's on, usually supplied by the original owner.
-Scarbucks - Stop by for a coffin drink, but be prepared to pay the price.
-The Movie Theater - catch the latest Twi-hard flick, or stop by on the weekends for the silent film or boosical festivals.
-Barkcade - A favorite hangout for werewolves, all kinds of video games and games of skill. Win tickets and earn your ghoul a prize!

There are dozens of other stores in the maul. You can find almost anything you want! Is your charge card feeling tired yet?  

[Ronan Aalto]

(I haven't rped on Gaia in about oo... 5 years? Wow. So sorry if this is a bit rambly and terribad. But let's get this thing started baby!)

Ronan had intended to get out and see the town several days earlier, but he kept procrastinating, finding some excuse and telling himself "tomorrow". Well, today he'd run out of things to do, and those new game releases were calling.

Now the teenage Selkie found himself standing in front of the map looking baffled. The place was bigger than he'd expected and the map was frustratingly unclear. How difficult was it really to compile a clear and precise map of the building? He grumbled to himself as he traced a path with one finger.  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

Ascreama sighed as she stooped over the counter in Scarbucks, various scary pastries and glistening eyecing covered treats stared back at her. She sighed again, tucking her goop behind her ears and pouted. It was just too hard to choose only one!
She stood up, nervously knotting her fingoos around each other, smiling an apology to the ever patient barista who stood with multiple arms folded across her chest, another clawed hand tapping on the till.
'One of each please.. And a double espresso please!' The pink blob girl dug around her satchel, a little flustered when she glanced at the queue she'd caused. She handed over the money and took the large paper bag, hurrying out of the store.
Finding a quiet corner of the food court, she settled into a chair and started on one of her several meals of the afternoon.  

[Ronan Aalto]

His route took him through the food court, and he couldn't help but notice the backed up queue for the coffee shop. He frowned slightly, unable to repress that curiosity about the cause.
He soon spotted her, a gooey pink monster with a bag of treats she undoubtedly didn't need.
He didn't seem to realise he was staring, his expression a combination of disgust and morbid fascination. Could she even eat that stuff or just absorb it? was that chair slowly sinking into her or was he imagining it?  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

Ascreama was happily biting into another scream-bun when in her peripheral vision she saw an unmoving blue figure in between the buzzing crowds. She turned and blinked a few times, looking to her side and hoping the selkie was staring anywhere else but her and the table littered with wrappers and little drips of gel. The expression on the males face was grim; a little nauseous with a hint of a smile twitching at the side of his mouth.

She grimaced, a perfect reminder of why she didn't like being in public. 'Too many judgemental monsters!' she had told her father this morning, hoping he'd be spineless and let her stay in, but he'd bribed her with food money and dropped her off at the maul.

Her mind raced. Should she tell this staring guy to go away? Should she leave? Was he going to call her names? Was he going to steal her food?! 'No!' she muttered with a small gasp 'Relax.. Be cool.'

'Want one?' She asked, offering him the the now half empty bag. Crumbs spilled into her lap, then sank deep beneath her slime.
 

[Ronan Aalto]

He looked startled, then horrified. Raising both hands in front of himself he managed to speak. "Uh.. n.. no thanks... you keep it." He looked for a way to escape but the food court was far too crowded for a hasty retreat. He forced a sickly smile, maybe if he just didn't look at her. "I am suddenly not hungry..."  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

She blinked a few more times then looked down at the table with her cheeks and shoulders blushing a deep red. 'Uh, Okay..' She said with a shrug, acting as nonchalant as she could.
'I.. Uh.. So are yo- I mean, what's your name?' She asked, nervously stuffing food into her mouth to stop herself rambling. 'I'm Ascreama.' Flakes of a biscuit fired into the air and she slapped a hand over her mouth, wide eyed. 'Whoobsie!' She bubbled through the dense slime of her palm, embarrassed and blushing more.

 

[Ronan Aalto]

He cringed, wishing the ground would swallow him up. Curse this solid land. He never thought he'd be pining for the ocean this soon.
"Ronan.. " Don't look at her, just don't look. "How are you not absorbing anything you touch?" He sounded more like he was thinking out loud, oblivious to how rude that probably sounded.  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

'Because,' She snapped, suddenly and indignantly, 'while some blob monsters are happy to goo around absorbing everything in their path, others seek ways to keep solid. Some wear clear suits or shells and I use simple will power!'

She slumped back in her chair like a sulking child, crossing her arms and glaring at the boy. 'It's not difficult, once you know what you're doing,' she continued, a little softer now 'but you always have to concentrate. It's always in the background, like a headache or an annoying noise.'
She glowered so much that her turquoise eyeballs became covered in a light film of pink.  

[Draconia St George]

"And this...and this....oh! And this one as well!" Draconia handed off outfits to Madame Fangista, the owner of Fashion Bites. The mature vampire swayed slightly underneath the pile of clothing Draconia had deposited into her open arms.

"Meez Zaint George," Mme Fangista hissed slightly through her thick Romanian accent. "You zertainly zeem to be ztocking up!"

"Oh, yes, I am. Sorry!" Draconia bobbed her head a bit and took the were-lion's share of the load from Mme Fangista's arms. "I don't know when I'll get another chance to shop before school begins. It's been so busy at the Looking Glass." She explained sheepishly as she brought her purchases over to the counter to pay. Fashion Bites had gotten in a brand new (or, at least as new as vintage clothing could get) shipment of miniskirts, go-go boots and fringed vests Draconia just couldn't say boo to.

"Vill Mizter Wock be returning anytime zoon?" MMe Fangista asked as she rang up Draconia's purchases. "I am zure he would hate to leaf hiz shoppe for an exztended period of time."

"Oh, I'm afraid I don't know," Draconia replied. "The portal to Wonderland closed rather suddenly. Circumstances there are always a bit...mad. He'll be quite fine of course...and I'm zure, er, sure I can handle things until my sister Wyvvernia arrives in town."

"Of courze you can. Zpeaking of, do you happen to haf my new izzue of Dreadbook magazine?"

Draconia smiled as she handed over the vampire magazine and her charge card for the clothes. Yes, she could handle everything just fine. She was sure of it.  

[Ronan Aalto]

again he raised his hands defensively. "woah, cool down" Why were other monsters so quick to annoyance? He never understood it. He had to admit, if the willpower thing was true, that was fairly impressive.
"So if you get distracted..." he trailed off, looking her up and down properly for the first time. "you must have good willpower, least in some areas." He shook his head at the emptying bag of pastries. "the constant eating.. that a blob thing or...?" He seemed genuinely curious, though he could do with several dozen lesson in tact.  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

'Don't you pay attention in Culture Studies?' She asked, cringing at how condescending that sounded. Ascreama started packing her purse and phone back into her satchel. The wrinkled paper bag looked sadly-nearly-empty. 'I'll pick up more snacks later' she thought as she stuffed that away too. Her mind drifted.
'Maybe I do get distracted sometimes, which leads to me, uh,' She glanced down at the pink globs on the table 'loosing some of my mass. I have to eat to keep up my weight. And I like food so..' She shrugged exaggeratedly.

'So.. Where are you heading?' She said, shifting her chair back and standing up.
 

[Glen da West]

**tires screech**

"Hey watch it!"

**horns honk**

**A gi-normous green and black SUV speeds around in the parking lot, cutting off cars, causing many a monster to dive out of the way... it cuts around a corner and ends up on just the wheels on the left side**

"There's nobody driving that thing!"

**Nobody driving? Well that's just silly... isn't it?**

"Yo Glen! There's a good one!"

"I see it!"

"Y'all shore about that!?"

**The SUV hits a speed bump and goes FLYING.... and lands with a loud *THUMP* -- perfectly in said parking space**

"We're here!"

**The driver's side door pops open and Glen da West peeks out. He drops his skateboard which hovers inches off the ground and jumps down onto it. He slams the door shut just as the other doors pop open... from the passenger's side emerges Chase Q, looking more excitable than normal. And the rear doors open and out steps (wobbles) Chase's little sister Whinnie and baby brother Colt (both of whom look unsteady on all eight legs!)**

Chase exclaims, "Dude! Let's do that again! Wooo!"

Colt staggers up and asks his brother in a little voice, "Was that extreme?"

Chase looks down at him and guffaws, "As playing pin the tail on the manticore! Wooo!"

Colt, idolizing his big brother, held up his little arms and shouted, "Wooo!"

All three boos's eyes turned to Whinnie and she sighed and twirled her finger, "Woo."

And the four headed for the maul entrance.  

[Ronan Aalto]

He shrugged. "Home schooled... sorry?" He tilted his head, now blob creatures were not something his parents had thought common enough to prepare him for, heck, his experience with other monsters was limited at best anyway, especially those his age.
"Makes sense I suppose." he winced a little at the globs, wondering if she'd leave a trail wherever she went like a snail or something.
"Game store I guess." He sounded unsure, was she intending to join him? He didn't recall inviting her.  

[Marceline LaGhede]

Marceline meticulously danced her bony fingers through the clothing racks of Fashion Bites. Shopping for outfits was never her strong suit, and for every article of clothing she decided she liked, she ended up putting back three in its place with a heavy sigh of uncertainty. She sometimes wished she had the fashion savvy of her peers -- able to assemble perfect outfits with little effort at all -- but sometimes she felt it was easier this way. At least Fashion Bites sorted everything by color.

While considering how one gore-geous yellow polka dot dress would pair with her satin tailcoat, Marceline spotted her classmate and friend Draconia fluttering around the shop, the owner Mme Fangista following closely behind with a considerable haul of outfits. Draconia appeared to be in a hurry, at least Marceline insisted this was the case and decided it would be rude to walk over and say hi. Instead she kept her eyes pointed downward to the clothing rack.

Her iCoffin began to vibrate persistently in her pocket, and in checking the incoming call she promptly hit Ignore. She'd been avoiding him for weeks now, and wasn't ready to change tack just yet. Sixteen missed calls, about six text messages, all remained without reply. She glanced upwards just as Draconia had spotted her, and Marceline gave a startled wave as her friend approached the checkout. Her iCoffin buzzed in in her pocket again.