[on the second day of Christmas, megswriting gave to me two acts of kindness, and a Flynn Hale in a pine tree]
The mall had hardly been open for two hours and it was already full to the brim with holiday shoppers. Everywhere you looked, there were lines stretched within and out of shops, people sitting wherever they could, and Christmas decorations lining the ceilings and floors.
In Dale Alcander's opinion, it was a little bit much. She and Mark had come to buy gifts for their friends, they didn't ask to practically storm the Bastille. The two best friends had spent the past few hours weaving their way around massive blockades of people and the peddling kiosk managers, and yet, no dice.
"This is significantly harder than I thought it was going to be," Mark huffed as he swerved around a lady angrily talking into a cell phone.
Dale gave him a sympathetic look, casting a look around the wide hall filled with shops and shoppers. They'd gone shopping to escape the stress surrounding their mission back at Camp Jupiter, and yet they'd somehow found more of it.
Dale and Mark wheeled to a stop near the food court, and Dale had only to look at the Japanese boy at her side for him to read her mind.
Mark rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, wiping his face tiredly with his hand. "How did I know? You can never not go somewhere and get food."
Dale beamed impishly, taking her best friend's hand and dragging him into the food court. "We can always get everyone gift cards for Taco Bell and Panda Express."
"You'd probably appease Tessa with that," Mark figured. "But no."
Dale arched an eyebrow, but in a bell in the near distance snagged her attention. She turned to see a man dressed as Santa standing by one of those Salvation Army stands. He was ringing his bell, smiling at the people passing by.
The people passing him by, however, barely even glanced at him.
Dale tilted her head, watching the scene play out before her. She could practically see the desperation in the man's eyes as he continued with his ringing. At one point, someone walked in Santa's general direction and he lit up, before the person walked away, distracted by something else.
"Mark," Dale grabbed Mark's shirt as he started for a restaurant. "See that man?"
"The one dressed as Santa? Hard not to." Mark noted. "Why?"
"People keep ignoring him. He's just trying to raise some money but no one cares." Dale glanced up at her best friend, who had taken to watch the man dressed as Santa across the food court.
"Well, people do that a lot. Not everyone has the time or the change to give." Mark theorized, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Dale soured at that. "This season is about giving and people can't stop thinking about themselves for one second to help someone else?"
"Well, when you put it that way," Mark nudged her. "Let's go help him out."
Mark started forward, and while Dale would have taken a more strategic approach, she followed after the Japanese boy. The pair approached Santa, who beamed at seeing two people finally giving him the time of day.
"Merry Christmas, kids! Care to donate?" Santa asked, eyes hopeful. "All proceeds go to the children's hospital and animal shelter."
Dale smiled with a nod. "We'd love to."
