Amalgaverse High

Aside from going to school and work, Ryan really hasn't ventured out into public since he began his sunny trip down withdrawal lane. There's about a bajillion reasons why not, ranging from his rampant irritability to the non-stop headaches he's been dealing with. But it's been almost a month now, and while he's still anxious and a little paranoid, he's stopped flying off the handle at the tiniest thing, and his head's been cutting him some slack. So when Levi mentioned he had a job interview at the mall, Ryan decided he might as well tag along. Because being cooped up all alone for a few hours sounded very unappealing, and now that he's not buying snorty coke, he has money to spend. And that means shopping. While Levi's at his interview, Ryan hits up his usual stores of choice- Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, and Journeys- then grabs a seat at Starbucks (not /that/ one; the one by the food court) and goes for some highly caffeinated something or other, which is new crutch as of late, and people watches. Because that never fails to be entertaining.

As usual, Dakota is trolling the mall for customers. Because of her chosen profession, she has to be available all the time, and right now is the prime time for people to come looking for a fix. She hits all her usual spots-- the water fountains near the back entrance, the girl's bathroom, Spencer's, and Abercrombie and Fitch-- and then, with a good hundred twenty five in her wallet, decides to go splurge a little on herself. This means ridiculously high priced coffee, obviously. Starbucks is not the best place to lurk, because honestly, it's too quiet and Dakota doesn't have very many hipster customers, but she's pretty much made her quota for the day. Any more customers, and it'll just be a bonus. When she walks in, she doesn't immediately spot Ryan. She's not exactly /looking/ for him, even though he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. After she's bought her coffee though, Dakota /does/ spot him, and after chilling by the wall for a moment, decides to go say hello. She'll be greeting him with a, "You never call me anymore, Letowski. I'm hurt."