Markus grimaced as he found himself crossing one of the many stores that made up the mall. From its depths, he could hear the rada-tat-tat of 'The Little Drummer-Boy,' officially marking another failure of that little festive challenge. He didn't religiously try to avoid the festive songs, but it had turned itself into a game ever since he was told about it.
The mall was crowded, filled with last-minute shoppers, festive goers, performers, Santa and his elves, and everything else one might think of or expect for such a place in the holiday season. Markus himself had worked his way through various shops, bouncing from place to place with an idle curiosity that fit his uncertain shopping list. He now found himself in more of the high-end centers, where one can find shops selling Italian leather, silk lingerie, or exotic furniture.
He wasn't usually one for last-minute Christmas shopping; hell, other than select people, he wasn't usually one to Christmas shop at all. Most years he had busied himself with work, or projects, or something else entirely. He never really saw family, and since the death of his sister, he had never really felt festive. Now, however, he felt he owed a few gifts. People he had met or reconnected with whom he wanted to thank. So, here he was, looking at high end vases and crystal workings wondering if it would be a good way to say 'Thank you for helping me enchant a belt which might save my life', or if it was too much.
The mall was crowded, filled with last-minute shoppers, festive goers, performers, Santa and his elves, and everything else one might think of or expect for such a place in the holiday season. Markus himself had worked his way through various shops, bouncing from place to place with an idle curiosity that fit his uncertain shopping list. He now found himself in more of the high-end centers, where one can find shops selling Italian leather, silk lingerie, or exotic furniture.
He wasn't usually one for last-minute Christmas shopping; hell, other than select people, he wasn't usually one to Christmas shop at all. Most years he had busied himself with work, or projects, or something else entirely. He never really saw family, and since the death of his sister, he had never really felt festive. Now, however, he felt he owed a few gifts. People he had met or reconnected with whom he wanted to thank. So, here he was, looking at high end vases and crystal workings wondering if it would be a good way to say 'Thank you for helping me enchant a belt which might save my life', or if it was too much.