Beitiris and Giffen had told Tegwen, as her first act of freedom, that she could go wherever she wanted -- as long as it was nowhere near Duckburg. That was well enough since all Tegwen had wanted to do for a very long time was go shopping without her mom in tow.

It wasn't that Tegwen didn't enjoy her time with Beitiris when they went shopping together. Of all the girls' moms Tegwen had ever met, her own was least embarrassing, by far. But there had been something the young duck had been dying to purchase that she absolutely knew her mother wouldn't understand. And she sincerely doubted her mother would even approve of it.

Tegwen frowned. No way she'd approve! Then she smiled, pulling into the parking lot. She'd make me take it back, I bet. She can't ever know I have it.

The purchase was just the covert challenge in her new fluffy life that Tegwen craved. While it was nice that all the bad stuff was left behind her in Duckburg, deep down she missed the excitement. She missed the triplets, she missed Webbigail. She missed that unbearably uncomfortable feeling of having no idea where she was with Fenton. She even missed that stuffy, crusty old Duckworth, though she couldn't figure out why. Her life in Duckburg, though bad at times, was at least eventful.

Life in St. Canard was mundane. The cliques were startlingly mundane; the people mundane as hell. Tegwen was listless.

Sadly -- somehow -- going to The Shops at St. Canard provided the little bit of excitement she'd been longing for.

Tegwen drove up to the valet kiosk just outside Stacy's, a three story department store built to anchor the northern wing of the mall. Before handing her car key over to the valet attendant, Tegwen stressed to him how important her car was. The attendant nodded, happy to watch the beautiful girl talk.

That, at least, makes up for the mind-numbing boredom, here, thought Tegwen. The vast majority of the guys in St. Canard were quite attentive. If she were in the market for one, she'd have the pick of the litter. Figuratively and literally.

Of course, there were the gross ones, too. Tegwen slipped a pair of sunglasses on, ignoring the custodian who was giving her a lewd look. Instead, from behind dark lenses, she kept a watchful eye on her car as the attendant got in the driver's seat, closed the door and started its engine. He seemed a little too eager to be driving her Duxus.

Grudgingly satisfied that it was safely tucked away, Tegwen began walking toward the entrance to Stacy's. The intimidating roar of a motorcycle engine caught her attention and she turned.