[Complete] Pseudo-Polymelia [Halimeda ; Third floor]

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

When he awoke the next morning he wasn’t sure what happened. He remembered trying to upload the files to the internet, and he remembered the storm but he couldn’t remember blacking out on the floor. Things started clicking and somehow the fact that he could have been potentially electrocuted wasn’t the most important thing.

Eduard frantically clambered his way up onto the desk, ignoring the aches in his sides and how cold his stomach felt. Right now checking his files and his computers was the most important thing. Going to the doctors could wait. If he wasn’t dead it probably wasn’t too bad. Checking the plug was in and depressing the power button he felt his insides twist at the notion his PC might just not turn on and all the files he worked on would be gone for good. He’d been meaning to make back-ups as soon as he could but his current external hard-drive was full and the current allowance from his parents meant that he’d have to wait until next month.

As the screen flickered to life he let out a sigh of relief. If the computer was working then the hard-drive was probably still safe. With his face faintly reflected on the desk top, Eduard gave a soft smile as he leaned back onto the chair. He was still feeling pretty groggy from passing out on the floor last night. Checking the time it seemed like he wouldn’t have time for a shower before class, he’d need to catch the bus pretty soon. Maybe it would be better just to take the day off, he wasn’t feeling quite right and his body felt sore in weird ways. Just taking it easy seemed like a good idea. Leaning back further Eduard ran his hands through his hair while scratching absentmindedly at his side.

Wait.

For a moment he froze, carefully taking into account his exposed stomach and the way his shirt was awkwardly hitched up and tight over... something. Unable to come to any logically conclusion he looked down at himself and for a moment his eyes went wide. The scream and thud that followed as he fell out his chair was less than flattering. In all the daze and confusion, he suddenly couldn’t care less about his computer blacking out.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

When the lightening had hit the building last night, Halimeda had been in depth in a discussion with someone on the internet. Yes yes, she had been often told not to talk to people she didn't know, but this guy was so fascinating - he reminded her of his neighbor Eduard. Being so engrossed in the conversation with her friend, she almost hadn't notice the way the power suddenly flickered violently. However, she did notice the giant shock that hit her from her computer, and the sudden pain that overcame her. And then Hali blacked out.

When she had woken up - just a few hours later - she was doubly thankful for blacking out the way she did. Not only did her chest still hurt, but she was absolutely covered in blood. It was especially thick in her hair and between her legs, but it was everywhere. Hali was suddenly grateful for the rug she bought to cover the white carpet of her apartment. The rug was completely ruined, but her carpet was clean of blood and she wouldn't have to scrub it any time soon. She did spend the next four hours before getting ready for work scrubbing the blood out of her hair though, trying not to panic as she noticed just how much blood there was.

Sighing happily once she was finally clean, Hali got dressed quickly and went back out into her sitting room to roll up the rug. As much as she loved it, she couldn't stand having a rug covered in blood staying in her apartment. Just as she leaned the rug against the wall next to her front door, a scream resonated through her apartment.

Hali jumped and strained her ears, hearing a thump come from Eduard's apartment. Hurrying over to the thinnest wall seperating them, she knocked on it firmly. "Eduard? Eduard are you okay?" She asked, her voice loud enough for him to hear her. Her worry and slowly growing panic could plainly be heard in her voice as she pressed closer to the wall, not even noticing that she was floating three inches above the floor.

Halimeda started quickly cycling through the ways she knew of to get into Eduard's apartment, trying not to panic too much. She didn't know what had made him scream yet; it could be nothing. Not that she really believed that - Eduard wasn't one to scream for no reason.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Eduard's brain went into overdrive, trying to think of all the logical explanations for this. He had trouble even starting to form one. This just wasn't normal. Extra limbs were a thing of fiction and particular circumstances surrounding conjoined and parasitic twins, neither of which applied to him. Carefully lifting himself from the dry, wooden floor the extra pair seemed to work on their own, balancing him and helping him shift his weight upright. He hadn't meant to, he's barely been thinking.

With trembled breathing he gripped onto his shirt with his normal hands and stared in sick wonder at how he was easily able to curl and flex the fingers that had suddenly grown over the past night. Eduard hadn't even thought about how this would affect his day to day life until he heard a knocking on the wall.

"Eduard? Eduard are you okay?"

There was no way he could stay silent and pretend he wasn't in, they would only worry more. The last thing he needed was someone seeing him so vulnerable like this.

Well, the arms too.

"I'm fine! I just fell out of my chair!" he frantically yelled through the wall. Dragging the duvet off his bed he wrapped himself in it, sitting on his bed with his back to the wall and hoping as hard as he could that this was just another strange dream of his.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Frowning a little, Halimeda tried to figure out if she had actually heard that panic in his voice, or if she had imagined that up on her own. It wouldn't the first time she'd done that - proven by the many almost flights that had been booked back to Greece - but this time seemed more serious since she had heard him scream. "If you're sure?" She left it hanging in the air like that, wanting him to confirm it.

As she waited for a reply, Hali finally noticed that she was floating. Actually floating - like Superman floating only worse because she wasn't from a foreign planet; just a country, and that wouldn't result in her floating like this. Shrieking a little, Hali fell to the ground and winced at the pain that shot up her legs from the abrupt landing. "Oww..." She whimpered, rubbing her legs and trying to see if there was a reason for the sudden floating. She had the feeling that the blood she had woken up to had been caused by something else entirely though.

Pausing, she looked back at her computer. Hali could clearly remember the pain that had caused her to black out last night, and she knew vaguely that it came from the computer, so maybe it had something to do with that? The power had flickered too, at least she thought so, so maybe the storm had done something.

But then that sounded like from a bad science fiction novel, and she had more important things to be worrying about, like the safety of her neighbor. Some might find it odd that she was so concerned, but Hali thought that she needed to look out for Eduard, since he was all alone and underage and such.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"I'm sure..." he breathes, barely above a whisper. Whether or not Halimeda heard, it doesn't really matter. It feels more like Eduard's trying to tell himself. Over and over in his head he repeats that he's fine, that this is all some strange dream that'll go away, or some kind of near-death hallucination caused by the electrocution.

He really should see a doctor.

The thought of going outside right now absolutely terrifies him though. Of all the things that's happened to him this is the only one he can't worm his way out of using his brain power alone. It just isn't a plausible situation to begin with. Burying his face in the duvet he wraps it tighter around himself, the extra pair of arms clinging just as tightly as the normal ones.

With the shriek and clatter next door he jerks up.
"Halimeda? Are you okay?" Eduard calls. He didn't mean to, the more he could hide away and make the world forget he existed the better but he always worried about others, sometimes even more so than himself. It was probably nothing but in his anxious state, it seemed like every little thing was getting to him.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Poking at her feet and frowning a little, Hali debated on whether or not she should go to work. While work was incredibly important - and she did need the money - she could already tell that her feet would not be able to handle the work today. She sighed and leaned against the wall. "Yeah Ed, I'm fine." She said in response to his call, rubbing her foot gently.

"Hey, I'm not going to work today, so I won't be outside to talk to you later, alright?" She said to the wall, quieting a little now that her panic was subsiding. Hali was definitely still worried, but she couldn't justify yelling at the wall when she had her other neighbors - next door, above, and below her- to think about.

Plus, Eduard didn't need her yelling. Pulling a chair over and sitting down, she smiled as the pain diminished and she could finally take care of her feet. She rubbed the bottoms of them and tried not to giggle, hating the fact that she was ticklish on her feet. It was actually highly annoying thank you very much.

Hali looked over at her computer and frowned, noticing the almost charred look present around the power button. She hoped that didn't mean it was ruined, because she really couldn't afford to get it fixed.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Even when she said she was fine, he didn't feel much relief. The only thing that could put his mind at ease was some kind of cosmic ret-con to left him back yesterday evening where everything was still right with his world. Through the walls he heard Halimeda speak again.

"It's alright, I'm not going to school today. I don't feel well..." Eduard replied. A complete understatement really. Curling up in the corner he could have gone back to sleep. Maybe sleeping would be a good idea, everything might be better in the morning. Reluctantly he peered under the duvet at the arms that rested in his lap, as if it were the last time he ever saw them. Hopefully it would be.

Maybe, just maybe if he willed really hard they would go away and he could go on with his life as if it never happened. Squeezing his eyes as tight as he could he wished and wished hard. This was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever done but there was a sickening crack and a lurch and his eyes were forced open again. To Eduard's complete surprise though, it had worked. The only arms that remained were the ones attached to his shoulders. Throwing off the duvet he lifted his shirt and checked his sides, there didn't seem to be any evidence of the alien appendages. No scars or marks or anything. Breathing a sigh of relief he leaned back against the wall. The laugh that escaped his lips was nervous and uneven.

Shifting his gaze a little more to the wall, as if he were talking to his neighbor face to face he wondered if she was unwell too. It wasn't like her to miss work.
"Are you feeling ill too?"

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Halimeda frowned at the wall, her worry going up into high gear upon hearing that. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to come over and help with anything?" Speaking of things, she needed to go call work and come up with a more valid reason for not going into work today. She doubted that they would believe her when she said she fell and broke her feet. Especially if she tried explaining why she fell.

Thinking that over, she jumped at the sudden crack that came from Eduard's apartment. To be perfectly honest, the noise made her feel a bit sick to her stomach, in the way that listening to people getting hurt always made her feel ill, and she panicked a little. "What was that? Are you okay?" She demanded, moving closer to the wall and almost pressing her ear to it. Except she wasn't that panicked and beyond that she didn't want to have her ear pressed to a wall.

She blinked and shook her head at the question, not fully realizing that Eduard couldn't see through walls. "Sort of. Enough that I shouldn't be around other people's food today." She nodded lightly, deciding that was good enough.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"I'm fine!" he blurted out, giving his abdomen one last check over before leaning against the wall. Letting things fall back into place, it would be nice to just talk to someone about normal things, like how the weekend was or messages from home or the weather.

Well maybe not the weather.

With his own situation slowly starting to normalize he started to worry over Halimeda's health. It seemed like no one was doing well right now.
"You can come over if you want. If there's anything I can do to help you I'd be happy," he answered, his voice becoming much more calm than before. Slipping the duvet off his shoulders he went to check is PC while waiting for a reply. The screen had gone blank, figuring it was just on standby he reached out to move the mouse only to have the loading screen boot up before he even touched anything. Strange, he didn't remember turning it off but then that wasn't exactly the strangest thing this morning.

Maybe the storm had damaged it more than he thought it did. It would be troublesome, since he didn't have the money for new parts. At the very least, he should tell the people expecting work from him that it would be later than expected.
"Halimeda, is your computer working?"

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

She gave the wall a disbelieving look, crossing her arms. She would have tapped her foot if it didn't hurt so much. "If you say so." She did not sound at all like she believed him. She hoped he got that through the wall. Shaking her head, Halimeda straightened out her clothes. He did sound a little better than he had earlier, which was a relief, but she wanted to make sure he wasn't terribly ill.

Which was why the agreement made her relax. Eduard didn't seem like the top to have people over when he was sick, so by agreeing to let her come over he must have been doing fine. "I'll be right over then." Hali nodded and tiptoed carefully into her bedroom to get on her slippers. Yes, it would be weird walking out into the hallway fully dressed with slippers on, but the slippers made her feet feel better. And that was the important part.

Going back into the living room just in time to hear his question, Hali tilted her head a bit. She hadn't actually checked her computer, besides looking at it, so seeing if it worked would be a good idea. "Hold on." She held a finger up to the wall as if he could see it and checked on her computer, smiling when it actually responded to her and started up. And then groaning when the computer died before it could finish. "No, it's not. Why, is yours broken?" She wondered, looking towards the wall.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"Hold on."

Eduard waited patiently, trying to ignore the queasiness in his stomach. The computer finally finished loading again and seemed fairly okay. He tried opening a few applications, simple things like internet browsers and word processors. It seemed to do that okay. The few files he opened seemed to be fine which was a huge relief, even the one he'd been uploading seemed to be okay.

"No, it's not. Why, is yours broken?" Halimeda finally called back. Eduard had to think for a moment before answering.
"I'm not sure, It seemed a little uncertain before but it's working fine now." He'd just have to wait and see. The next couple of days would surely tell him if he was in the clear or not. Yelling through the walls was probably inconsiderate to his other neighbors, he wondered if they were got tired of it or tried to listen in. Rising from his chair he made his way to the door, ready to greet Halimeda. Seeing a familiar face would surely put his mind at ease.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Halimeda hummed a little and nodded, trying to keep herself from kicking the computer. "Guess I'll just have to use your computer while I wait for this piece of junk to be fixed." It was going to be so expensive, she could tell without even having any of Eduard's amazing computer abilities. Shaking her head, Hali made a quick stop to the kitchen to grab everything she needed to take care of a sick person.

And then she made her way to Eduard's apartment. It was actually very slow going, as even with the slippers her feet still ached and it still hurt to walk. She honestly hadn't expected that, really. She thought the ache would have faded by now. But then, Halimeda had been on her feet almost the entire time since she had been hurt. So that might have something to do with it.

Deciding it wasn't that important for now, Halimeda finally reached Eduard's apartment. Standing still was the worst part in her opinion. She knocked on Eduard's door and then waited for him to answer. He sounded fine enough to answer the door, so she didn't really feel bad for making him do this.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

As the predicted knock echoes through the room, Eduard quickly glanced over everything to check it was presentable. Well, the apartment wasn't exactly in the neatest order but it wasn't like he was hosting a dinner party. More importantly, he checked over himself to make sure he was presentable. Nothing else had materialized and he hastily tucked in his shirt before opening the door.

"Hello, I hope you don't mind the mess," he greeted with a weak smile. The dark circles under his eyes looking more prominent than usual. The worry and the shock had caused him to look a little worse for wear but the only things making him ill were the things in his head.
"Thank-you for coming over," he added as he closed the door behind her.

As Halimeda settled down, Eduard was sure to straighten things just a bit. He stood his chair back up and made his bed, trying to create a bit more space in the small room.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

"You look exhausted, have you been sleeping enough?" Perhaps those weren't the best first words to use when seeing her friend face to face for the first time today, but he really did look bad. Bags under his eyes and everything. She quickly got in and settled, trying to hide the wince she took every time she set her foot down on the floor. She was going to aching something fierce tonight - the odds of her getting to sleep were low.

Casting a look around the apartment, Hali handed him a glass of water mixed with a fizzy healthy powder that was meant to make him feel better. "Drink that Eduard. How are you feeling?" She almost pressed her hand to his forehead to see if he was running a fever. She definitely wanted to, but that would have been pushing a barrier that was doing perfectly fine where it was.

She also wanted to push him into bed and make him take a nap. Hali tilted her head as a thought came to her. "Do you need me to call into the school and pretend to be your mother so you'll have an excused absence instead of an unexcused one on your record?" She had needed her mother to call in whenever she'd been sick - her school wasn't very trusting - and she didn't know if England's schools required the same thing.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"Yes, yes, I've been sleeping enough," he lied. He really hadn't and he was definitely going to skip the detail that he'd passed out on the floor last night. The tiredness did chew at the back of his mind though and Eduard noted that tonight he really did need a good rest.

He took the glass with the solution that Halimeda had made for him and almost instinctively shyed away as she rose her hand. Things were a bit stressful right now and while Eduard had invited company he still needed space.
"It's fine, I don't have a fever," he reassured her. Sipping at the solution, the cool liquid was something of a releif although it did taste a bit strange to him. Then again, so did most medicines. He didn't doubt that it would make him feel better though. Most of the things Halimeda prescribed when he was feeling under the weather usually worked.

"And I can call the school myself, I'm a good student so they'll trust me." Eduard sat on the edge of the bed, slowly finishing the contents of the glass. "Besides, they know my mother still lives in Estonia so it would be strange," he finished with a small chuckle.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

She gave him a disbelieving look but didn't say anything. She wasn't his mother and she had no right to push him around like a child who needed smothering - no matter her personal feelings on the matter. Still, she made a note to herself to watch out for him. Eduard was too young to be going head over heels into sleeping problems.

Halimeda smiled at him, pretending not to notice the way he flinched away from her. "You'll be feeling right as rain in no time, once that's gotten a chance to work its magic." She should probably get food into him, but she desperately needed to sit down and cooking would require more standing.

Sitting on the chair in front of his computer, Halimeda laughed and tried not to notice the slight flush that crept up her neck. "Well, anyone with eyes can see that you're a good kid - I suppose it was silly of me to think that they wouldn't trust you when you say you're sick. And that is an excellent point, yes." She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. "Is there anything you need?" Hali gave him a curious look, absently rubbing her shins.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

Putting down the glass he thought for a moment.
"I don't think so. Just having someone to talk to would be nice."

He offered a smile, feeling slightly guilty that he'd made her come all the way here. Even though they only lived next door, he still felt like he was causing trouble. Especially since she seemed in some kind of discomfort herself.
"Are you alright? Did you injure yourself?" Eduard asked. Knowing that she came even if she was feeling bad herself made him feel worse. He didn't want to be a bad host after all.

"I can get you a warm compress. I think I have some heat pads in the bathroom."

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Hali smiled and nodded, shifting a bit on the chair to get more comfortable. "Alright. What's on your mind then Eduard?" She glanced at his computer to see if there was anything physically odd that made Eduard ask that question earlier. But if there was it was on the other side of his computer.

Halimeda smiled back and tilted her head, making a slight thoughtful noise. Should she tell him the truth or make something up? While she definitely trusted him, she didn't know if revealing the odd floating ability she had somehow acquired was a smart thing to do. But... Eduard was a smart kid. He wouldn't do something stupid. "Well... I seem to be able to float now. I fell from a rather good height directly onto my feet and my feet did not enjoy that in the slightest." She shrugged, offering a small, sheepish smile.

"That would be wonderful Eduard, thank you so much." Hali beamed at him.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

"Alright. What's on your mind then Eduard?"

Letting out a small sigh, he presses his hands together and tries to articulate his feelings.
"Maybe I've just been working too hard. I feel a bit... ah what's the term? 'Out of sorts'? is that right?" Foreign slang isn't exactly his strongest point but he's slowly been picking it up from the people at the college. Eduard listens to Halimeda's story with a bemused expression. Maybe she's been over exhausted too. Waitress work was strenuous after all. She probably just fell off her bed, hopefully she didn't hit her head on the way down.

It may have seemed callous to brush of her worries in the same way he did his own but denial was the only way he could think to deal with it right now. In his bathroom he opened the medicine cabinet, checking to see if he had any usable heating pads since he didn't want to take the time to boil water right now. Eduard finally found what he was looking for lodge in the back corner. As he tried to pry it free he ended up knocking a bottle of caffeine pills. With automated reflexes he swiped out to grab it before he fell, knocking his hand against the sink in the process.

Setting the bottle back on the shelf he accidentally caught his hand trying to close the doors. He'd still been in a daze with both hands on the treated wood.

And suddenly he realized that was one hand too many.

Letting out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a yelp he quickly kicked the door closed and huddled himself in a corner, curling up and trying to hide the alien limb. He was going crazy, that's he only reasonable explanation for it.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Hali nodded, offering a small shrug and smile. "Well, this day off will be good for you then - you can rest up and relax." Which is why she insisted on having two days off from work every week. The time to relax and not worry about having to go to work and deal with idiots was good for her. Eduard though, he used his free time to work for other people, and that just wasn't good for him. Working so long without a break would end up in him crashing at some point.

Sighing a little as Eduard brushed her off and went into the bathroom, Hali crossed her arms over her chest. She knew it had happened, nothing Eduard did was going to change her mind over this. But she should have guessed that someone as logical minded as Eduard wouldn't want to believe that a person could float off the ground for any length of time longer than it took to jump. It was annoying to be brushed off like that though.

Halimeda blinked and stared at the bathroom as Eduard made a strange noise and kicked the door closed, frowning at it. "Eduard, are you okay? Did something happen?" She called out, wheeling the chair closer to the bathroom. She didn't feel like standing and got the feeling that Eduard would just lie to her anyway so why waste her energy?

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

This time, he didn't answer. Eduard just huddled tighter and mutter to himself that it was fine. That it was all a crazy dream.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was actually scared.

There was no reason, no logical explanation for why this was happening. Once again he just wished as hard as he could for whatever was haunting him to go away and leave him in peace. He could feel things start to shift inside him and there was another crack, much like the least one as the bones snapped and rearranged themselves. It wasn't painful just the feeling of shifting muscle that shouldn't be there made him feel sick.

The door hadn't shut properly when he kicked it and the opposing force left it to slowly swing open, revealing Eduard crouched in the corner with his head in his hands.

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Frowning at the lack of response, Hali peeked into the bathroom and stared. There was a third arm poking out of Eduard. A third arm. That was... more than bizarre. She shuddered and pushed the door open a bit more, jumping as a cracking noise sounded and the arm slid back into the teen. And oh god that was absolutely disgusting seeing that. Not there she saw any blood or gore, but just the complete strangeness of seeing an arm slid back into someone's body left her feeling like she needed to purge her stomach.

Shuddering again, Halimeda pulled the door back to the way Eduard left and leaned back in the charge, covering her mouth with a hand as she tried to understand what just happened. "What was that Eduard?" Her voice was a little shaky but otherwise she didn't sound at all like she had just seen that display of strangeness.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

His breathing was ragged. The whole situation made him want to curl up and cry, it was too overwhelming and he did what did what he always did in those kinds of situations.

"What was that, Eduard?" Halimeda spoke from the other room. Eduard just lifted his head to gaze at the closed door.
"Nothing..." he replied, his voice extremely stoic and strangely void of any kind of anxiety. Shakily he got to his feet and opened the door, staring at some spot on the carpet as he continued to speak.

"Maybe you should go, I'll go to sleep and get some rest."

The way she was acting, it was obvious she saw it too. It wasn't just something in his head. Or maybe it was in hers too. How likely was it that they were having the same hallucinations? He glanced up at her, only for a second before handing the heating pad to her.

"You can have it, I don't want it back. You can boil it in water to use it again."

Posts : 77 Join date : 2012-01-17 Age : 41

Halimeda blinked and tilted her head as Eduard came out, wheeling back a bit to give him room. He sounded odd - not as if he were about to cry, but as if he were locking away all of his emotions to prevent just that from happening. And he wasn't looking at her. She frowned, not really to protest that he needed to sleep. "I-if you're sure..." She moved the chair back where it had started and stood up.

Sighing as he handed her the heating pad, Hali debated with herself briefly before pulling him into a quick hug. "It'll be okay Ed, don't worry too much." She let go and gave him a small smile. "Try to get some good sleep." Halimeda nodded to herself and waved as she left, carefully making her way to her apartment. She was going to be worrying about him all day over here.

Posts : 35 Join date : 2012-01-17

As she hugged him, the initial reaction was to push her away but he stood stiff as a board. She was leaving, there was no need to rush things along.

"Take care of yourself," he said as he followed her to the door. What should have been a parting pleasantry sounded forced. He really did want her to be okay but right now he just couldn't stop thinking of his own situation. Closing the door it was refreshing to have the apartment to himself again. Eduard sat on the edge of the bed, listing to the sounds of the door opening and closing next door. Lifting his glasses he rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was normal the feel like crying over something like this. Placing his spectacles on the beside table he flopped face down on the bed.

Hopefully he would wake up soon.

» Well Aren't You a Nice Young Man? [Feliciano Vargas and Halimeda Cosmatos][Complete]
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» Shopping Stress [Halimeda]
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» Shopping Stress pt 2 - Pie [Halimeda]