[DYLAN]
"Phone," was the demand Max made when her slender hand shot out of the barely cracked dressing room door.
Dylan glanced down at her hand with a frown. He shot Danny a look and made a point to roll his eyes before he placed Max's phone in her hand.
Danny shrugged, a what could you do? gesture that made Dylan sigh. He went back to standing guard outside Max's dressing room, his arms crossed over his chest. He switched between watching Phoenix barter with the short woman at the register and taking in the rest of his surroundings. Whenever the front door jangled open, he would glance that way to assess the new customer.
"Looks like she's doing okay, huh?" Danny asked in reference to Phoenix. He adjusted a well-worn flannel around himself when he came over to stand beside Dylan. "Man, I never wished I spoke Mandarin before this trip, but now ..." Danny sighed.
Dylan shrugged. "Given the three of us are all in civvies, I'd say she's doing fine."
The dressing room door opened then, and when Dylan turned around some of the first things he noticed were that Max was back to her normal height, and her phone was out of sight. Her hair was tousled more than normal, and currently fell more into her eyes — which conveyed an unspoken instruction to move when he didn't immediately step out of her way.
This was the Max that Dylan was used to seeing. Phoenix had found her a leather jacket, and she'd been more than capable of finding skinny jeans and a black AC/DC t-shirt on her own. The t-shirt was now tucked into her jeans, and as Dylan watched her adjust the jacket around her waist he realized her gun was probably in a similar position. She'd even refused the sneakers Phoenix had found — a refusal that had brought Dylan temporary amusement — and instead went straight for the combat boots.
"Typical Max," Danny had shrugged when a frowning Phoenix had turned to the twins.
The other three had already dressed themselves, each familiar enough with this routine that they didn't need to rely upon the others for help. Still, that had never stopped Phoenix from trying to help in the past, and this situation was no different. She'd been the one to organize most of Danny's ensemble in addition to her own. When she'd found a dark green cargo jacket and tossed it Dylan's way, he'd been both surprised and grateful, and had nodded his gratitude.
Danny had made a comment when Phoenix had emerged from the dressing room; he congratulated her on her usual choice of a dress. Everyone looked mostly like themselves again.
"What'd Reznor have to say?" Danny asked Max.
"He was updating me on our ride," Max said. She pushed her hair back off her face and then shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. She glanced Phoenix's way. "Which is going to have to wait."
Dylan frowned before he could stop himself. "Why?"
"Because we're moving to plan B."
That was all Max said before Phoenix signaled them that she was done with negotiations. They all headed out the door of the clothing store without another word, and they made it about a block and a half before anyone spoke.
"What is plan B, Max?" Danny asked.
After only a handful of seconds of looking between the twins and Max, Phoenix turned the full force of her gaze to Max. "What was plan A, Max?" Phoenix demanded.
Max's answer seemed automatic. "Leave China."
"Simple," Dylan nodded, because otherwise he was going to roll his eyes so hard they might fall out of his head.
