Han enjoyed relaxing inside of the mall, just watching shoppers walking by and listening to the idle chatter. Sitting on top of the giant block that was in the center of the mall, he thought it was kind of impressive that the people who designed this created the series of concrete blocks of varying sizes. The blocks were perfect for people to sit on top of and just relax with friends. Even better was how the mall personnel didn't mind the loitering and encouraged such behavior, as long as the people were respectful towards other customers.
Having such a relaxing place to hang out, Han would often come with his teammates and friends and just sit in the same spot, talking about the day and plans they had for the week.
"Hey, babe," a soothing voice called out to him.
Looking down at one of the lower blocks, Han noticed one of the cheerleader girls that hung out with his teammates call out to him.
"What's up, Ivy?" He asked, smiling at the way she was pouting.
"We've graduated from middle school and will be heading to high school, so we should go do something fun to celebrate," She said to him her eyes looking at him accusingly for not hearing him the first time.
"We should definitely do something, like going to the beach!" Alex said as he sat next to Hannah.
Hannah pinched his side causing him to yelp in pain and asking, "So you can oggle women in bathing suits?"
"No!" He cried out when she twisted her grip. "I just thought it would be fun."
Hannah released the hold she had on him and sighed, "I have to keep my eyes on you constantly."
Alex rubbed his side while he looked at Han, trying to send him a secret message.
Seeing his friend's pleading look, Han chuckled knowing that Alex did, indeed, want to see scantily clad women on the beach. Alex was smart enough not to voice his real thoughts while Hannah was close by.
"The beach might be nice," Sam tilted his head, thinking more on the idea.
"While we're thinking about it, why don't we grab some food?" Claire asked, looking around at the group.
"Darling, food does sound kind of nice right now," another girl, sitting on across from Ivy, mentioned in a sultry voice.
Han nodded his head, enjoying the idea of grabbing food. Without school in session and Football practice not starting until next month, they had been hanging out at the mall all day and every day. "Do you guys want to just head over to the Star and Moon? What do you think, Ruby?" Han asked the girl.
"I heard that they're doing some kind of promotion, so it sounds like a good idea to eat there," Ruby said.
Pushing himself forward, he dropped down to one of the lower stones. Both Ivy and Ruby got up and followed after him. Turning around, he looked as each of his friends slowly gathered their things together. They were a large group, one of the reasons why they enjoyed sitting on the block pile where there was enough room for them and not get in the way of others.
"That hair clip looks really nice! I think it was a great thing you grabbed that at the last minute!" Hannah said to Claire.
Claire raised a hand to touch the hair clip, smiled and said, "I just thought it was a good thing to spoil myself." Her eyes glanced over towards where Han was standing.
He gave her a grin and looked over at everyone else as they reached the bottom of the stack. Turning towards where the food court was located, he slowly began walking in that direction. Both Ivy and Ruby followed behind him, chatting about various things they wanted to do before Cheerleading camp started.
Navigating their way through the mall was fun, listening to the music playing in the background and watching people having fun. There was a lot of positive feelings at this place, where kids came with their parents to play in the kid's area or teenagers could hang out in the arcades.
Arriving at the food court, Han checked out some of the new food stalls that have opened up. Initially, this place only seemed to have burger and fried chicken places, but as people from other countries began to move into the city, it became more diverse. He particularly enjoyed the Eastern foods, considering both of his mothers coming from Eastern nationalities.
"Babe, are you going to eat at Star and Moon East, again?" Ivy asked him.
"All three of us should eat there, I always wondered why Han enjoys eating the food there. It seems really different, but if Han likes it then it must be good?" Ruby said to Ivy.
Both of them grabbed Han's hands, and they made their way to Star and Moon's latest branch. The line for both joints, Star and Moon and Star and Moon East, were long as usual. "My dad was talking about how Star and Moon is becoming such a large company," Ruby mentioned.
"Your dad works for the military, right? Why was he talking about Star and Moon?" Ivy asked a little confused considering Ruby's father was a captain in the DMT.
"My dad is a super big nerd, so he enjoys keeping up with the latest tech news," Ruby explained. When they reached the line, Ruby noticed that Ivy was still confused. "Did you know that Star and Moon doesn't do just food? They also are getting into the entertainment industry, creating several TV shows and cartoon programs."
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"Really?" Ivy looked surprised and dubious about this new information.
"Yeah, they recently built a studio north of here," Han chimed in.
"The best part is that half of the building they built is for various conventions, so people all over the world come to their new buildings," Ruby added looking excited.
"I never knew you were into geeky things," Ivy teased.
Ruby blushed at Ivy's words, "I'm not into all conventions, I just like finding out the latest projects that Star and Moon are working on, and they usually show secret screenings at their studio. My dad took me to a convention around new years."
Ivy turned her head and pointed at a sign near the front of the line, "Look at that! Isn't that what you were talking about?" Ivy said to Ruby.
Han looked over at what Ivy was talking about and saw a large poster saying, "Get a chance to WIN four VIP tickets to Star and Moon Studios!"
"Are you serious!" Ruby screamed in excitement.
People around them began looking over at the three with expressions asking, "what is the matter with that girl." Ruby looked at everyone and nervously turned around.
Han laughed and placed a hand on top of her head. "Looks like that's something you're excited about, huh?"
"Yeah, I always wanted to visit their studios as a VIP. The tickets are super expensive, so my dad wasn't able to get me one." Ruby smiled bashfully.
"What are you guys doing over there?" Alex yelled at them, as he was standing in the Star and Moon line.
Pointing at the sign, Han yelled back, "Ruby is a big fan of that place." Alex looked at the sign and turned towards the others.
"Even if we don't go as VIPs, I think it might be fun to check that place out," Ivy suggested after seeing Ruby look so excited.
As the line shortened, they finally reached the front of the line. "What can I create for you today?" The cashier girl asked them.
"How do you participate in the contest?" Ruby immediately asked, startling the woman.
Recovering from Ruby's sudden question, the girl smiled and said, "To have a chance at being a VIP at Star and Moon Studios, all you need to do is purchase a combo. On the front of the cup will be six stickers that you need to peel off. If you get the Star, Moon, and Studio stickers, you'll win four tickets. These tickets are good for six conventions at Star and Moon Studios as VIP guests."
A woman in a manager's uniform approached the cashier and gave the three of them a welcoming look. "As she explained, this is an excellent chance to see all the different attractions and behind the scene tour, among other great benefits."
"That sounds like a lot of fun, it would be great if we could win," Han laughed with a hand behind his head.
Smiling at Han's laughter, the manager said sweetly, "There is always the chance that your luck is high." She then patted the cashier girl on the shoulder and made her way to the back of the store.
Han looked at the manager who turned back to look at him and gave him a smile. "You hear that? Maybe our luck is good, and we'll get this." He said encouragingly at the two girls, his eyes still on the manager who slowly walked to the back, out of his sight.
They looked at him and smiled at his naive thinking. "Han, what do you think I should get?" Ruby asked him, unsure considering it was her first time eating at this location.
"Choose for me too," Ivy said.
"You like spicy things, so you should get the rice noodle soup combo. It comes with a spicy sauce pack, so you can add some to make it spicier." He advised Ruby. "I think you should get the pork flavored ramen bowl combo. You generally like flavored pork dishes, so I think it'll work well with you," He said to Ivy. To the cashier girl, he said, "we'll have the rice noodle soup combo, the pork flavored ramen bowl combo, and the cold buckwheat noodle combo. For the drink, we'll just have ginseng soda."
"Thank you, for your order. The total will be 20 credits." She said to him after typing in his order.
Nodding at the total, he placed his bracelet on top of the reader. Finishing the transaction, they moved over to the waiting area.
"Ginseng soda? Is that good?" Ivy asked him while they waited for their order.
"I think the two of you will enjoy it. If you don't, I'll get you two something different." Han told her.
The two of them looked at Ruby, who seemed excited about something. Her expression was like a treasure hunter's determination to discover a long lost civilization.
"Hey, Ruby, you look ready for something," Han mentioned to her.
"I've never seen Ruby like this before," Ivy said. She looked at her friend with concern in her eyes.
"Here are your orders," a woman presented each of their trays. Each tray had a large bowl and a drink. Ruby's tray came with some additional packages for her soup.
"We should see if we won a ticket!" Ivy went over to her cup, about ready to tear off the stickers.
Before Ivy reached the cup, Ruby grabbed her arm. "We need to wait until we sit down," Ruby said to Ivy with a scary look on her face.
Both Ivy and Han mutely nodded their heads, worried to say something to direct her wrath on them.
Each of them took their trays and made their way to where several of their friends were already sitting. Before any of them called out to the three of them, the expression on Ruby's face made them pause. Sitting down at the table and placing the trays in front of them, Han and Ivy glanced at Ruby to see if it was okay for them to take off the stickers.
"What's up with Ruby?" Claire whispered to Han, sitting across from him.
Han just gently shook his head, to indicate that this was not the best time to talk about that. Looking over to Ruby, who was sitting next to him, he watched as she looked like someone about to disarm an explosive.
Ruby slowly moved her hand to the cup and carefully used one of her fingernails to peel back one of the six stickers. As she pulled on the sticker, the sound of the sticker tearing from the cup could be heard.
Everyone was quiet as they watched Ruby tear off the sticker from the cup. When the sticker was removed, Ruby turned it around, and her face looked like she was trying to hold back some kind of excitement.
Han looked at Ivy, sitting on his other side who looked as if she was mesmerized by the scene playing out with Ruby. There was a squeal of joy which made Han jump in his seat. Quickly looking at Ruby, he saw her presenting three tickets in his face.
"I won, Han! I'm going to be a VIP at Star and Moon Studios!" She stood up and began jumping in excitement.
"Congratulations, Ruby!" Han clapped his hands, happy that she was so jubilant.
"That's great, Ruby!" Ivy said to her friend.
As several of their friends also offered their congratulations, Claire looked at Han as if to say, "Is it a good time now?"
"Star and Moon is having a contest, where if you purchase a combo you can win tickets to become a VIP at their studio. I didn't know this, but Ruby is a big fan of theirs, so that's why she's so excited." Han explained.
"It seems like she's more than just a 'big fan'," Claire said sarcastically.
"This is impossible!" Ruby's voice made the two of them look at her.
Ruby was starring at the tickets in her hand, so Han asked, "Did something go wrong?"
Hearing Han's question, Ruby jerkily turned her head towards him. "I won twice," was all she could say.
Before Han could see what Ruby was talking about, he heard Ivy scream, "I won twice!"
Everyone looked at Ivy, so was holding a set of tickets in both hands, looking happy.
While everyone was exclaiming about how crazy the scenario was, Han went to his cup and ripped off each of the tags. He was also looking at two sets of tickets. Showing both sets to Claire, he said, "What does everyone think about going to Star and Moon Studios?"
-------
Arriving at his home, he closed the door and yelled out, "Mom, is Jennifer back home from classes?" His sister was now attending classes at the local university, so her schedule was very erratic.
"Welcome home, honey! Jennifer is..." Han's mom greeted him, but was interrupted.
"Is my adorable looking brother looking for his older sister?" Jennifer called out as he could hear her footsteps rushing down the hallway and down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she gave him a bear hug. "Poor Han, he missed his sister. There. There. Big sister is here for you." She buried her head against his.
"Sis, I thought we talked about this," Han tried to push her off of him.
"You're still so shy after all these years. What happened to the cute baby that would sleep on my belly?" Jennifer asked to the heavens in an overdramatic manner.
"You shouldn't bully your little brother," his mom came to his rescue. He felt Jennifer's arms letting him go. As he sighed in relief, he was buried in his mom's chest as she gave him a hug. "Mommy wants to hug her baby boy."
"Mom, you're too sly," Jennifer said accusingly.
He could hear his mom say, "Aren't you working on a paper for your finals? I thought that it was due tonight?"
"Wait!" He tried to say, as his sister was grudgingly going back up the stairs.
"What is it, honey?" His mom asked, releasing him and letting him breathe.
Han took several moments to catch his breath. Once he recovered, he looked at the two of them. "My friends and I just won a trip to be VIPs at Star and Moon Studios, and I have enough tickets to invite everyone."
"What!? Are you talking about the Star and Moon Studios that made 'Adventures through Eletran'?" Jennifer shoved her face close to his, her eyes intense and scary.
"Yes, sis, the same place that made your favorite cartoon show," Han unconsciously stepped back from his sister.
"They also made that nice show about the guy traveling through space," his mom mentioned.
Looking at his mom, Han nodded his head. "That's the same one."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" His sister once again hugged him.
"When is this trip that you and your friends are going on?" His mom asked him.
"It'll be next Friday, so Jennifer should be able to go since classes are finished," He tried to tell his mom while Jennifer was still holding him.
His mom seemed to think about it, and said, "Oh no, your father will still be gone for his business trip. He won't be back until the end of the month."
"We can go multiple times, so when dad is free we can go again," Han said. "My friends told me that they are having some kind of special event, so I thought it would be best if the two of you came for it."
His mom still looked a little hesitant, but finally smiled. "Since my baby boy is treating his mommy and sister, how can I say no?"
Jennifer quickly let Han go and said, "I'm going to brag to all of my friends and get all packed." She then ran up the stairs and headed towards her room.
"I should see what I should take. I don't know much about what they have, though." His mom wondered out loud.
"They have a page on The Wire, so you can see what special things that have." He suggested to her.
His mother went into the kitchen where they kept the one family computer. He could hear the humming, beeping, and clicking on the computer as it booted up.
Going up the stairs, he couldn't wait until next Friday.