Gained Approval | Chamber & Viper

Thirteen

The Sun shone its bright rays on Earth, receiving curses from Sabine who disliked too much brightness and heat. Chamber watched her in amusement, turning on the a/c of the undercover vehicle they were lent by the protocol.

The store's parking lot was filled with cars, barely finding any empty ones that didn't result in close call car accidents or receiving any threat from agitated customers who were on their feet due to this week's sales. Thirty minutes had passed and the latter was able to find one, near the entrance - he was glad to have found one so close.

Sabine followed right after Chamber once she heard the vehicle's doors lock behind her, placing her hands in the pocket of his bomber jacket he lent her that Phoenix had gotten him for the holidays, fiddling with the money Killjoy gave her that morning.

As soon as the doors opened, they were welcomed with the air conditioned building, presenting them a variety of produce selection, selling different nostalgic sweets, snacks, certain parts of meat and vegetable from other countries and cultures.

Plants were sold in a different part of the building, placed underneath a huge glass window that let the Sun's bright rays shine on them. Automatic sprinklers continuously watered the plants, almost sprinkling some on customers that browsed the mini botanical garden.

Customers chatted their afternoon away with family and friends, picking bags of fruits and vegetables, handing them a bag filled with meat and fish, asking to be cut in a certain way after getting weighed on the mini scale placed on top of the glass shelves.

Sabine started to wander off while Chamber grabbed a shopping cart for her, following behind, watching every move she made - picking up snacks, produce, and anything she wanted. Though, she restricted herself on certain items like sweets despite craving for them.

Stop, I don't have much money.

Their gunman noticed and grabbed whichever one she placed back on the shelf with a dissatisfied look on her face, trying her best to ignore them. As he placed them inside the cart, his other hand discreetly prepared his credit card to pay for everything later.

An hour or so, Sabine had gotten everything she needed, placing them on the cart and thanking Chamber for pushing the cart for her. Like usual, he smiled at her with a slight tilt of his head, muttering a "you're welcome, mademoiselle."

The cashier greeted them both, scanning the items and glancing at both of their faces as if she was trying to remember something. Once she was done, she turned the computer screen towards Sabine, causing the doctor to gulp, realizing that she didn't have enough.

Just as she was about to ask the young lady to remove some, only now noticing the items she hesitated about earlier placed inside the cart, Chamber walked up to the pin pad and tapped his credit card in a second, completely paying for everything. "Chamberㅡ"

"No worries. I suppose I'll treat you for dinner as well, hm?"

The young lady held in her squeal, watching the scene unfold in front of her like a rom-com movie in which she tried to maintain a straight face while handing the receipt to Chamber. He thanked her before grabbing each of the bags and placing them back inside the cart, pushing it now out to the parking lot.

"You didn't have to do that, Chamber."

"I know, mademoiselle. I just felt like doing so." Chamber stopped pushing the cart once they've reached the car, pressing a button on the back of the car to open the trunk. Sabine grabbed a bag but was stopped by him, snatching it away from her while shaking his head. "But why?"

The taller averted his gaze to hers, meeting her emerald green eyes that wanted an answer. "That's how you treat a lady."

Sabine rolled her eyes at his response, still having his gaze on her. "Are you going to say that that was how you were raised?" A playful smirk replaced the relaxed look he had. "How did you know?"