She wouldn't give a hoot

" I swear I saw something like a short toddler that night and I was scared." An Xiaodi told Avery everything. They had unexpectedly become so close.

" Hahaha! That's very funny! You might as well say it was a kobold that came to visit you!" Avery laughed in disbelief.

" I know right! I must have been hallucinating for me to see something crazy as that. " An Xiaodi laughed along. She laughed at her silliness and the way she panicked previously.

She had scrambled from the window to the bedroom and hid under the bed muttering prayers against demons and spirits. The following day, she bought a set of exorcism materials and charms and proceeded to hang them around her room.

She didn't even want to go outside again alone unless her other neighbors were there or passing by her apartment.

Two weeks was enough for her to change somethings around.

Today again she had finally convinced herself that she was hallucinating for a long time. That child looking thing wasn't real but a prank pulled off by some neighbors kids or maybe it was a robot toy.

A sudden shrill cry of a child scared her so bad that she jumped on Avery and hugged her like a koala bear.

Avery: "..."

An Xiaodi: "..."

" Ahem! I meant to do that hahaha..." An Xiaodi quickly recovered herself from the fright and tried to smooth things over. It was really awkward.

Across the other section, a child was wailing and throwing tantrums as his dad tried to pacify him along with the other employees.

He kept on crying and hiccuping non-stop because he wanted a toy his father couldn't afford to pay for.

" We'll come and get it tomorrow I promise you."

" No! I want it! I want it and I wanna keep it!"

Roland looked exasperated as he was trying his best to placate the child. He kept on a polite smile and tried to be as gentle as possible but the child wouldn't budge.

" May I help?" An Xiaodi quickly walked over and spoke to the father.

Roland turned to her and gave her a condensing look that only she could see and spoke." No need new employee Xiaomi I got this. Go back to your work."

An Xiaodi was taken aback by his attitude but she didn't show her displeasure with the way he treated her. She simply choose to ignore him like air and walked towards the child who refused to listen to anyone.

She picked up the boy and he screamed even louder and struggled with her.

" What are you doing?!" Roland fumed and tried to wrench the child from her. She dodged him and spun around with the boy in her arm and without any warning,she ducked her head and emerged with a mask on her face that had pointy ears.

" I'm the darkness, I'm the night, I am... Batman!" She changed her voice to sound exactly like the children's favourite super hero.

The boy froze processing for a few seconds before abruptly bursting into laughter which rang around the place. " You sound like him! But you are not him! Even mummy and daddy tried to sound like batman but they're bad bad at it!"

" The citizens of Gotham needs you too Robbin!" An Xiaodi pulled out another mask that looks just fit for a five year old and a belt.

With that said, she placed him on the wheeled shopping basket and proceeded to hum the sound of the Bat mobile as if she was ready to drive away.

" The number of the Joker's traps are in the list Alfred." She turned to the boy's stunned father and gave him a Walkie talkie she took from Roland pocket without him realising it. She had her own too." Call them out while we go sweep them from Gotham city streets!"

The father smiled almost laughing and quickly played along pretending to hold a pocket watch" Alright master Bruce Wayne here's the list...Ten white eggs..."

Through out the whole time,a child's happy voice rang around here and there as An Xiaodi and the little boy tried to beat the clock while shopping for the items that the father listed out for them.

" Thank you for your help young lady I really appreciate it. It's been long time since little Huo had been this excited and happy. I'm normally a busy man with my wife so we haven't had time for him like this." The father was full of smiles.

" Oh! we the family of Shores woman and sales are normally happy to help you." An Xiaodi bowed without the mask.

" Bye bye Batman aunty!" The boy waved at her totally forgetting about the toy he wanted as his father payed and waved along before they left.

" Bye Robbin little Huo. Come again anytime!" An Xiaodi beamed.

She headed towards the store room to find Nana to ask where the keys to the locker room was.

" Miss Xiaodi my Walkie talkie..." Roland's voice rang behind her and she remembered.

She turned around abruptly bursting into flames as she punched the wall behind him creating a little dent. Her eyes glinted with fury like she came from hell and he was shocked...then scared.

" The next time you dare to disrespect me or anyone else in this place we work,I swear I'm going to use your Walkie talkie and shove it up your *ss till you get hospitalised for three weeks!" She hissed as she really looked like she'd do it now and she wouldn't give a hoot.

" Y-yes." He gulped trying to stay calm.

She turned around and left. And he released the breath he didn't know he was holding. His Walkie talkie layed down on the floor.