Who: Jewel Calderón (Doppler) and Mindee Harley (Crayola) Where: The commissary When: Mid-day, Saturday August 22 What: Mindee is a brat who is bad at shoplifting. Warnings: None
Mindee, despite her posturing, was not having a good week. Prison, as it turns out? Not so fun. But what was even worse than prison was her mother. Up until now Mindee’s mother had been very lenient with her only child, no doubt because Mindee had essentially been raised in the Lock. An extra allowance and regular presents didn’t make up for the fact that they’d been separated since Mindee was five, but it was all her mother could really do.
But those days appeared to be at an end, at least for now. Her mother could overlook a lot of bad behavior, but rioting and being thrown in prison was not in the list of things her mother was willing to pardon. Her visit to the facility once Mindee was back was the most uncomfortable of Mindee’s life. There was no yelling or harsh words, which Mindee would have preferred. Just disappointment, and consequences.
Consequences that meant for the first time in her life, Mindee was short on cash. She was going to have to get a job in the Lock (ugh), but until she could get that sorted, her wallet was looking fairly sparse. Which was why she was resorting to shoplifting. She’d done it before, although it had only been a few times, so despite the fact that she probably should’ve been on her best behavior and avoided further criminal activity for the time being, she instead wandered around the Commissary, trying to look casual as she slipped a candy bar in the front pocket of the sweatshirt she was wearing.
Jewel might have been by all appearances a very daft, silly woman, but she was far more observant than people gave her credit. But that was fine. The more you were underestimated, the more you got away with things. Unfortunately, Mindee was about as subtle as a fleet of parrots in a color run (although if counting attire, same could be said for Jewel).
"Do my eyes deceive me?" Her lilting accent floated down the aisle. "Or have you gone from an A cup to a B cup? My, but they grow up so fast!"
Mindee’s shoulders dropped as she slowly pulled the candy bar out of the pocket. Well, this was just dandy. Why was everyone in the Lock so freaking nosy? A girl couldn’t even swipe a candy bar in peace.
“The fact that you know my bra size is really creepy,” Mindee retorted with an eye roll, not bothering to say hello. “What do you want?” she asked, her tone far from polite as she turned, as if to browse the aisle some more.
"No no," Jewel shrugged lightly. "If I precisely knew your measurements, yes, this would be odd. But guessing cup size? Only the gift of being woman."
She followed behind Mindee, her heels clicking. "But I want a Milky Way. That is why I am here, after all. Bumping into you is simply a bonus!"
“That’s nice,” Mindee said blandly, picking up a package of Three Musketeers bars and flipping it over to read the nutrition information, seemingly focused on the sugar and fat content instead of Jewel. “Milky Ways are over there,” she added, pointing down the aisle.
Instead of answering, Jewel clicked over and pulled out her little packet of tissues from her purse. "In case you are trying to impress someone, I find that old-fashioned techniques have their uses. You stuff them on the underside. Like padding. So it pushes them up."
Mindee barely stopped herself from snorting. This conversation had grown a bit bizarre, even for her. “I’m cool with my boobs, but thanks,” she said, giving Jewel a look that clearly expressed how weird Mindee thought this was.
She tossed the package of Three Musketeers back on the shelf, wandering back in the opposite direction from the Milky Ways, this time picking up a package of gummy bears. If Jewel didn’t leave soon, she was going to have to abort this trip completely, which was not something she wanted to do.
"So...you were simply shoplifting." Jewel tucked the offering away. "You do it wrong, you know. The sweatshirt, it is always a...mm, giveaway."
Mindee, to her credit, didn’t give herself away when Jewel flat-out accused her. “Just because you use sweatshirts to shoplift doesn’t mean everyone does,” she retorted, doing a pretty good job sounding offended. Jewel wasn’t her mother and Mindee had no problem lying to her. “Besides, I’d be stupid to try and shoplift after just getting out of prison.”
"Mm." Jewel bit down a broad smile, the act itself indicating she did truly believe Mindee was that, well, stupid. "You said it, not me." She tapped fingers together. "It is summer, you know. Sweatshirt is very telling. I used to...'drop' the candy bar on the floor. And then lean down to pick it up, but instead I would slip it in my shoe. I say this, of course, but I was very young and very foolish. Eventually a wrapper will burst and you will have a chocolate-covered sock."
Mindee scowled at Jewel. She was not in the mood to deal with another lecture, least of all from someone she barely knew. “One of my roommates sets the thermostat really low,” she said, unable to keep herself from pushing back. She turned again and went to the package of Milky Ways. “Here, enjoy your candy,” she said with a huff, shoving it towards Jewel and turning to leave the aisle.
"And you enjoy yours!" Jewel waved emphatically after the girl. When the Operative later went to pay, she handed the person at the register two extra dollars, because she never did see Mindee put the gummi bears back. And just to defend her position of goodwill, Mindee was the proud recipient of a candy gift bag later that day.