Chapter 1
In between multiple small towns populated by bipedal animals consisting of dogs, cats, horses, birds, and more, a new big, flour-floor enclosed shopping mall had recently opened. Well, to the "people" of the towns, it was more of a literal shopping center (due to it being a literal centerpiece in a sense), but it was a mall either way. It was known as the Wonder Galleria and it came with a food court on every floor, and an exclusive movie theater on the fourth floor. However, ever since opening day, the Galleria had been so swamped with customers, that the stores often ran out of stock and couldn't refill them up as soon as possible. Food courts and vendors also failed to often keep up with the "wonderful" consumer demand, much to the exhaustion of every employee of the Galleria. From the janitors, to the restaurant staff, to all the staff in the stores. This was due to both the overwhelming consumer demands, but also due to the popularity of the stores in the mall. This popularity did not do the mall any favors.
The crowds that the Wonder Galleria attracted were so bad, that multiple articles about the situation were posted onto the internet, leading to prolonging the headaches of all the mall staff. These headaches were not just the simple migraines and stress headaches, oh no, these were full headaches of having to deal with fully packed stores, food courts, and even the movie theater (at least on Saturdays for the theater's case). Despite this popularity and the massive stress placed on everyone, it didn't stop one couple of young, college-like adult dogs from going. Said couple learned about the place through the good old-fashioned way: advertisement papers over whatever the internet was. This would be their first time exploring a shopping mall; needless to say, this would be...an experience...to say the least.
The couple was of a cocker spaniel and a dalmatian. The cocker spaniel was known as Sarah Hasley and the dalmatian was known as Jonathan Cabel. They had arrived when the mall was actually in one of its down times, despite them going in a normally busy season for any business: Summer. However, even with a calmer setting, these two would be in for a relatively rough time.
"Is this the Wonder Galleria mentioned on that flyer, Sarah?"
"This is what the address said," Sarah clarified, "I see no reason to doubt it, nobody uses paper scams."
The two were standing in front of the entrance, which was just like every other mall entrance, dull and boring concrete in equally dull colors. Why are mall entrances that dull? Why not dress them up in brighter or bolder colors? Where's the hot pinks, the milky yellows, the moonlit blues, or even the burning reds? For a place called the Wonder Galleria, one would think that the fittingly wonderful and vividly colored inside would match the outside at this point in time?
Jonathan had never heard seen a mall before, he had gone shopping before, but never in a massive building like a mall before, "This is one interesting date My Star, I never took you to be a lover of the fine arts before."
Sarah laughed at Jonathan, he was never one for modern knowledge, unless it factored his hyper fixation of Fire Emblem Awakening and Nintendo 3DSes. Most would see Jonathan as a boomer (as people say); to Sarah it was endearing to her instead of irritatingly annoying to what seemed like everyone else, "This isn't an art gallery, or museum as most pets call them these days, this is a mall," Sarah clarified, while failing to stifle her giggles, "it's a massive indoor shopping center, filled with stores, food vendors, and whatever else can fit."
As the two got closer to the mall's front door, Jonathan then asked his girlfriend with his usual confused demeanor, "Then why does it have the name galleria? Isn't that the name for an art gallery?
Sarah couldn't answer his question, but she did respond with her signature look of excitement on her face especially in her big sky blue eyes. "Wonder Galleria, the mall of magic, ahhh~"
Jonathan knew he would never get a clear answer, but was intrigued by the name of this mall like the one he loved. "I don't think this mall has any magic, but with the unique name Galleria, I can't help but think of something special. Let us find out what's in store!"
Sarah soon rolled her eyes at Jonathan's unintentional pun. She had heard him make puns before, both intentional and unintentional. Jonathan soon spotted her roll her eyes, and put his paws on his hips and he lowered his own more muted blue eyes, "You do know there are very few clever substitutions for that phrase?"
Jonathan knew all to well that he was the smarter one of the couple. Not that he outright hated his girlfriend's lack of smarts, since she did have her own version of street smarts; it was clear that in both academy performance and negotiating with others to get a favorable, he was more skilled in that department. Part of his skillset came from being in a family of rich nobles, another contrast to Sarah who was raised by everyday commoners who either never flaunted their wealth or just had enough money to get by.
The dog couple soon stood in front of the doors of the mall. The two were able to see a brightly colored floor, filled with what looked like all the colors of the rainbow with shades of pink replacing indigo. Given how indigo and violet look like the same color, just in different shades, it makes sense to replace it with pink. The glass doors were obscuring everything to the couple, so the only thing that could be deciphered through the glass was the multicolored floor pattern. Jonathan soon opened the door for his girlfriend, and the two walked in. The interior of the mall blew them away, there was a moderately sized fountain where there were signs that pets had been tossing spare change into the fountain's waters along with a few stores enticing consumers to browse, window shop, or spend money. However, what caught the couple's eyes were what was next to the entrance on the left side-a big mysterious metallic silver door with a button with an oddly stylized black up arrow button to press. The door looked big enough to fit multiple pets, but what threw them off was the button. In a mall covered ceilings to floors in bright colors, why are there bits of black?
Jonathan was eying the button, when a zebra janitor with a pink muzzle saw them starring in admiration and preparing to press.
The zebra soon asked the curious dalmatian in an accent never heard by the dogs before, "Eyeing the new elevator aren't cha mates?"
"Elevator?"
"Oi! This sleek baby's custom made for this ere galleria. So many pets have a chance of being unable to move outside of wheelchairs, so we have this baby to add accessibility for more business. That and to center the bright colors, the colors ere hurt my eyes."
"How can this elevator do that? How can this beautiful array of colors hurt your eyes? And since you mentioned it, what are wheelchairs?"
The janitor soon faced Sarah, "Do you know this boomer lass?"
Sarah nodded, "This is Jonathan, he's my boyfriend, he's not familiar with modern technology nor does he update his slang."
"I see then, well, I'll let you explain then, I got a job to do," the janitor soon walked away from the couple on his hooves, all while muttering to himself under his breath. The two couldn't get much from the soft mutters, but Sarah was able to get something about headaches and stress with her long, vertically polka dot spotted ears. Her ears' polka dots (albeit white instead of black) were the only other visual elements connecting her to her boyfriend aside from base eye color.
"You understand what that zebra was saying? I couldn't hear much at all. Was that what you call an accent?"
The zebra soon heard Jonathan's remarks and shouted to him in an unexpected passionate yet stressful frustration: "Yes! It's aussie! What the feathers is wrong with you Jonathan, you young boomer wanker?!" He then continued on his way, most likely to continue his job or at least his shift while huffing in his bist of irritation.
The two just stood in place, for they had encountered what was to them the weirdest reaction or more likely overreaction they had ever seen. Considering the two were still college, this was saying something. Their eyes were big with surprise and blank to match the confusion of the unexpected shout. Their mouths were equally open with the same mix of surprise and confusion as their eyes were.
The two had to go find a bench to recover from the biggest overreaction ever seen, regardless of age. After sitting down in front of the fountain to recover, Sarah decided to fill in Jonathan on what she knew, but she was sorry for her boyfriend being called a boomer. As a girl who was all to familiar with insults and other bullying, she didn't want her boyfriend to suffer like she did. Granted, he was a very easygoing person so it likely would not have bothered him anyway, but she still felt sympathy. Jonathan felt more confused even with Sarah explaining boomers and other insults, "Why do people insult people who genuinely do not know everything, I don't understand it at all." Sarah agreed with Jonathan, "I wasn't called a boomer or a wanker, but I was called far worse. I wish I could tell you, but I want us to have a fun date."
Jonathan only hugged his girlfriend while stroking her fur, speaking in a soft voice to the girl, "My Star, did you already forget what we said back when we became official? We vowed that we would be doing dates our own way. No amount of awkward interruptions of random angry staff members will get in the way of that." Jonathan soon reassured his girlfriend that she shouldn't need to hide the insults she was called, if you need to confess these hard feelings to someone don't hesitate to do so. If it happens to be your aunt and grandparents first though, I won't be mad." As he spoke, soothing music was playing through the mall's speakers.
Sarah soon hugged her boyfriend back, and the two soon got up from their fountain bench and got back to their planned mall trip date. She didn't realize it, but the mall benches were all moderate colors to match the color palette of the mall.
The two began looking at and in the stores around the fountain on the first floor. Jonathan was in the mood for what were video game stores or stores that sold exclusive franchise related merch. Sarah was more interested in the food vendors around the mall. She was aware that there were food courts, but most food courts consist of fast food. She had nothing against fast food, but was too accustomed to fast food, and wanted to have something unique, even if it meant it would just be sweets like frozen yogurt or cinnamon sweets. The two visited a few stores, but all they found were various fashion or apparel stores, nothing that Jonathan was after. The other stores they found were one selling baby stuff, and one selling bath supplies. The couple were about to continue exploring the first floor of the mall for their store hunting date, when all of a sudden, a tsunami of pets began entering the first floor of the mall. It was the time for the true Wonder Galleria experience.
