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In truth, Themisto felt pretty terrible about putting Fornax through the ringer with his attack, and wanted to make it up to his fellow senshi. For a few days after their meeting, Zach had spent considerable time trying to figure out the best way to repay Fornax for his kindness and came up short. He didn't know much about Fornax, which was another reason why things were so difficult.

In the end, he decided to send a text to Fornax and see what the senshi was up to.

ey fornax! whatcha up to? im on top of the mall downtown, you wanna grab a bite to eat or get some coffee or something? my treat this time!

Maybe they could hang out for a while and become friends like Cetus. Themisto could use more senshi friends.

what? you dont think sayin were in cosplay would work? you could totally say youre workin at the bakery but i dunno what excuse i could get. anyway yeah lets meet up and then power down. I'm zach btw

He flipped the phone shut, silently kicking himself for forgetting to ask Ember to upgrade the stupid thing. Maybe she could upgrade his shoes on top of that. A decent pair of kicks would go a long way in a senshi's life.

While Themisto waited for Fornax's arrival, he got to thinking. Ever since he'd decided to start powering up again and patrol the city, his circle of acquaintances had grown exponentially. Part of that was quite thrilling - meeting new people with new powers, taking on new experiences. Denebola in space was something Themisto could have only dreamed about. Meeting someone who could knead your face like so much bread dough was... something else entirely.

Senshi powers were really weird.

In a last-second though, Themisto sent one more text.

ey fornax weird question. is your homeworld like... a giant bakery? cuz if it is then its my duty to inspect it. :p

Themisto found himself practicing how to pronounce Anxo's civilian name properly when the man himself, dough-senshi incarnate, had arrived. The rope-bound boy was quite happy to see his bakery counterpart and walked up to Fornax to clap him on the shoulder before powering down. "Anxo... An-sho... did I get that right? Tryin' to get better at this stuff... I'm meetin' all sorts of folks from all over the world since powering up like this. Weird, huh?"

Earlier, he had found a small, unlocked stairwell that led into the shipping and receiving end of the mall. He made a thumbs' up gesture to Anxo and winked. "I found us an easy way down and we're in luck! Just a couple'a minutes ago, they called out for lunch so there's nobody down there right now. I mean, we might have to like, Solid Snake around a little but that shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I haven't been to my homeworld either but I have a feeling yours would be uh... a lot more fun."

And probably tastier. Probably.

Zach then trotted to the aforementioned door, chuckling. "What're you in the mood for, food-wise, mi amigo?"

"Dude, running from some piddly mall security is way better than running for my life from some crazy-a** General dude. Any day."

Slinking through the back areas of the shipping and receiving area seemed relatively easy for the two young men - most of the workers were clustered together eating lunch and laughing over stories of their children and cigarettes. Sneaking past them was easy when they were so distracted. Trotting away from secured areas, the boys found themselves at one of the main entrances.

"Something meaty sounds great, I'm starving! Been running around like crazy for the past few days. Can't skip the legs, you know? What have you been up to lately, Anxo? I think you said you had student loans... whatcha in school for? I didn't go to college but... I'm kinda thinking about it." Walking in through the door, the boys were before a map of the mall, not too far from the food court.

It was nice to have more friends outside of work and school. This whole senshi business, while terrifying and sometimes incredibly dangerous, also allowed Zach to meet people he wouldn't normally get to see. Anxo was one of those people - they likely would never have met had it not been for the powers they were bestowed.

"Yeah man, it doesn't hurt to do a little Metal Gear Solid every once in a while. Better to get in trouble with a mall cop than a pissed off General..." He gave a little shiver. Just thinking about Benitoite gave him a small series of heart attacks. Shaking his head, Zach forced himself back into the present. "Anyway, this whole... you know... magical thing... really does bring out the best in your physique, right? Ha!"

Looking over the map of the mall, Zach's stomach started to growl. "Well, there's a Red Robin down that way..." He gestured to the left. The usual suspects in terms of mall food were in the food court area, and more restaurant-style places were dotted in and around the mall itself. "Anywhere else on here look good?"

He listened with attention while Anxo explained he worked on backstage jobs. "You mean.. like plays and stuff? Or like Broadway?" Anxo was right - one had to go to school to do something they wanted to do, otherwise school was misery. That got Zach to think about what wanted to do with himself instead of working minimum wage, odd jobs.

"Nah dude, if I'm mopin', seriously, tell me to shut up. Sometimes I need it." Zach was easily overwhelmed when it came to the ins and outs of the war, and all the moral ambiguity he wouldn't normally have to deal with. "I hear ya about running from problems. Maybe someday we'll figure out a way to end this thing, but..."

He planted a finger right on top of the Johnny Rocket's space on the map. "We gotta date with some delicious burgers and fries. We'll work it off later, right? Ha!"

Zach turned and started walking in the right direction, thankful Anxo could commiserate about all the disruptions the issues in Destiny City wrought on their everyday lives. "So you said more movies, like you' s worked on a movie before? How'd you do that? What's it like?" The boy had little in the way of higher aspirations and career goals, living one day at a time until he could get his feet beneath him properly. "You do all the lighting and stuff?"

Johnny Rocket’s was relatively easy to find - one just had to follow their nose through the mall. Zach laughed and playfully swatted Anxo’s hand away from his hair. “Dude, with milkshakes on top of a big ol’ burger an’ fries, I’m gonna hafta work double-time to work it all off but… eh.” The boy gave a shrug, as if a couple hundred extra calories was the worst thing in the world he had to worry about. That was the positive side of learning to be a senshi - meeting people who were in the same position and understood all the pressure.

The restaurant wasn’t too packed - yet. The dinner rush was likely about half an hour away, but there were still a few customers enjoying the evening. Zach went to the counter to order and pay for his and Anxo’s meal and slid into a booth near the outside edge of the diner so they could watch people walking around while they ate.

“How’d they do a merman? That sounds pretty crazy. Workin’ on movies n’ stuff, now see, I need a life goal like that.” The gray-haired boy liked movies as much as the next person, but hadn’t even begun to think about what it would take to create one. He just knew hiring famous actors, regardless of their talent, was incredibly expensive. “I know you’re supposed to go to school for something you’re passionate about but…” Zach reached up and latched his hands behind his neck. “...dunno what that is, you know? Maybe you can inspire me, Anxo. I’m kinda… lost, pun intended? HA!”

"Jeez man, having to hold somebody's body weight while they're wigglin' around like that in the air? Crazy!" While Zach hadn't the slightest idea what Anxo was talking about specifically, he could at least imagine having to hold someone's weight with wires while behind a curtain or something. If the person on the wire was moving around, that would make holding them up even more difficult.

With his name called, Zach dashed off to retrieve their food and return to the booth with their bounty. "Aight, this burger ain't gonna eat itself!" More calories, sure, but Anxo was right - they could and would work off the excess later. Fries, delicious fries, and the milkshake! Divine. Excellent idea, and excellent for keeping Zach's mind off how difficult it is to deal with the moral ambiguities of the war...

Between bites, the boy had to think about what he liked to do in his spare time, and what he might be able to make a career out of. "Well... I love women?" He nearly choked on his food, thinking of Gale and her sweetness. "I don't think ladies are a career unless I wanna be a jiggalo but... that ain't my thing." Taking a sip of his milkshake, he thought further. What did he like to do in his spare time? "I uh... I kinda make clothing? I mean, the print stuff. Screen printing, you know? You cut a design out, you get some heat-set ink and away you go!"

Leaning back in the booth, he couldn't think of much else. "Well... jeez, other than that, I just... I don't wanna do cashiering bull all my life. You know?"