trans_9 | Shop 'Till You Drop! [SO VERY OPEN]

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Shop 'Till You Drop! [SO VERY OPEN]

It was nice to be out on solid ground, to breathe fresh and salt-tinged air, and to feel the real warmth of the sun on her neck and shoulders, Nanoha thought. She felt a very deep urge welling up within her breast to just take flight, to soar through an actual sky in the first time in months - and she had no doubt that she would.

But there were other things she had to take care of first. Like, for instance, swimsuit shopping with her best friend.

"Ooh, this store looks like it might have some cute ones!" Nanoha tugged on Fate's hand, pulling her towards one of the storefronts that lined this street of the bustling shopping district. Even if it didn't, there were still plenty of others to try, and plenty of cute outfits to convince Fate to try on.

(ooc: It might help to have just one thread for ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS? Feel free to tag in and mingle, if you're shopping for clothes, groceries, games, whatever!)

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It's a good thing he didn't. The last time Sokka made an observation about it being women's work, he wound up with badly mended pants. Granted, she had been expecting to know how to do it since her father left and her mother was dead, but that didn't mean it was "only" her job.

"I don't know really: The hair loopies are a hairstyle of my people," Katara said. "It was just a style we developed. Not everyone wears it, but I did for a little while. Now I keep it that way to remind me of home, and all of them. It's a little like why you wear your kilt now."

Katara almost said something smart, but decided against it. They would just get into another argument going THAT way. "Shopping to me, at least for clothes, is a lot like trying to figure out a puzzle: each piece means something different, something that appeals to your taste. It may take a longer time than it should, but when you wear something, its almost like an extension of yourself because its something people see connected to you as a person. I don't really have that option when we're only wearing plantsuits, and where I'm from, clothing showed others where you were from and the cultural pride that came with it."

Well, that, and shopping was just fun for her, but she left that part out.

"Oh! I never thought of it that way," Jamie says. It's true. It's not anything he had really considered, apart from the cultural pride aspect. That part he can understand.

"I do know what ye mean about the clothing showing others where ye were from, though." It's a great deal of the reason why he wears his kilt, even if he doesn't always consciously think about it. But she already covered that in the part of the conversation about the hair loopies, so he doesn't mention it out loud again.

"So, when ye are looking for things, ye want to try and find outfits that'll show that, even if it's not actually something from your home, aye?"

"I hadn't either, until I was actually able to go by myself and do it again. I didn't realize it at first, but it was one of the few times that I actually had the freedom to do something like that, something as small as going around and shopping for myself."

But what she wouldn't have given to have the others with her, talking and laughing like they had before. She missed that.

She nodded. "I think that even if it looks alien, there's always something that's a little you in the clothes. It might be something small, but they'll see it."

That's something else Jamie hadn't thought about - something that is a little him in the clothes. "Even in a bathing suit?" he asks, still not entirely convinced. Speaking of which, he should really go and try that third suit on, so he can make a decision. He nods towards the changing room, holding up the suit to indicate he'll be right back, then disappears for a few minutes.

When he comes back, he's wearing the last suit. It's shorter than the plum, but not quite as short as he indicated. He's looking less unhappy about this one, although it's not clear if it's due to the suit itself or if he's just viewing it differently due to the conversation.

"What do ye think? This or the plum?"

Even in the bathing suit? Hmm. "I would say so," Katara said, "depending on the style you choose. Most people who know you would have an idea of what kind of style you'd go for if you had the choice, right? That's why you give a few things a try before you really pick the thing you want."

Katara waited, and when he came out in the next one, she examined it for a moment. She noted the way it fit, how it suited him, how it looked with him walking in it. She gave him a thumbs up.

"I like it, but the choice is up to you!"

Edited 2010-07-04 12:51 (UTC)

Jamie turns this way and that, trying to get a good idea of how the suit looks, then his face breaks into a smile. "Hey...I kind of like this one!" He nods, coming to a decision. "I think I'll take it. Hang on, I'd better go change back."

A few minutes later, he's back in the plansuit and kilt, his other soon-to-be-purchased tucked under one arm.

"I think that'll do it for me. How about ye, Katara? Are ye going to look around for yourself a wee bit longer?"

Edited 2010-07-05 06:34 (UTC)

Katara waited, and when went back to get the rest of his stuff, she smiled gently to herself. As far as she was concerned, she didn't get to see Jamie smile very often, so when it did happen it was a good thing. That, and now he had something to wear if the two of them ever went swimming on the ship.

When he came back, she grinned. "Well, tell you what: why don't you try picking an outfit for me? I'll wear it, no matter what. It can be anything!"

He's rather visibly surprised when she offers to have him pick something out for her, as it really wasn't something he was expecting at all. "Ye...what?"

Jamie's first impulse is to ask her why on Earth she would want him to do that. Unfortunately, his second impulse is pretty much the same as the first impulse...so he goes ahead and blurts it out.

"Why would ye want me to? I've not picked out an outfit for a girl before. Are ye sure ye want to trust me with doing that for ye?"

She laughed. "Because I DO trust you, of course! What better way for a girl to show her friend she trusts them than to ask them to pick out an outfit? Think of it as an experimentation in the crazy world of fashion if you want. Don't be scared!"

Besides, wasn't this all supposed to be all about fun?

Jamie straightens up, looking slightly affronted. "If ye think I would be scared over picking out a wee outfit, ye would be very mistaken."

This is probably not the best frame of mind for him to start off with when looking for an outfit for someone else, but it does spur him on enough that he goes and starts looking through the racks to find something. Luckily for Katara, he's staying away from the ugly multi-colored shirts.

Pulling out a dress, he studies it with a fond expression on his face. But after a moment, he puts it back and continues to rummage around.

Finally, something blue catches his attention, and he picks up a top.

"I don't know what ye would want to pair with it, but maybe this one?"

((OOC: hopefully links will work on these.))

Katara looked a little amused. She hadn't met to insult Jamie, not really, but of it got him to pick a dress for her, who was she to complain? The first outfit he was looking at had a fairly nice look to it, but the design leaved something to be desired. Something told her that Nura might be able to pull off that look a little better than she could.

But the selection he chose now was perfect! Katara grinned at took a look at the top, thinking that she didn't want a bottom that was too long since it wouldn't work with the outfit. She finally found a bottom, but didn't show it to Jamie JUST yet. She ran to a dressing room and actually made sure her hair was out and flowing, pinning a bit to the side with barrettes and finishing the bottom of the out with an equally pretty designed skirt (http://www.lulus.com/products/speakeasy-skirt-in-bluebird-by-knitted-dove/24079.html). She was barefoot since she hadn't picked a pair of shoes yet.

She came out, smiling. "What do you think?"

He hadn't been thinking of Katara so much when he found that first dress. While the design was modern, the pattern had reminded him of something Victoria might wear. Providing, of course, she could have been talked into something that she might have very well seen as being provocative. Jamie would have liked to see her in it, at any rate...

He knew that it wouldn't have worked for Katara, which is why he had put it back. The top, though, he thought that might do. While she's changing, he idly rummages through some other racks to kill time. When she comes out, he glances over briefly - but all he says is, "Oh. Aye, that looks fine."

It's not the first time he's had a seeming non-reaction to an outfit. He did that to Victoria too, more or less.

Edited 2010-07-08 06:14 (UTC)

Katara blinked. Well that was just plain unhelpful. What was she supposed to do with an "Aye, that's fine?" No wonder boys were so bad at this: it was like they were missing that part of their brain that could combine accessories and clothing together.

Though now that she thought about it, Sokka had been pretty good at that, and always seemed to like shopping.

"Jamie," Katara said warningly. "If you don't help me with this, we'll just have to be here longer, and then you'll be suffering even more."

That earns Katara a rather put out look from Jamie. "Hey, ye said ye would wear whatever I picked. In fact, ye said you'd wear it no matter what, if I remember correctly."

He puts a bit of emphasis on the words 'no matter what'. After all, it is what Katara said before. In fact, he's getting a little annoyed by the fact that he did what she asked, and now she wants some other mysterious help of some sort. He pushes down the annoyance, however, and tries to keep his tone level when he replies.

"Look, ye asked me to pick something for ye, and I did. Ye asked me what I thought, and I told ye it looked fine, because I thought it looked fine. If it looked bad on ye, I would tell ye so. What other help am I supposed to give here?"

The fact that she might have been looking for a compliment doesn't even occur to him.

Katara smiled to herself, shaking her head. Didn't he realize that she was going to wear it, that it wasn't the issue of wearing the clothing? She wanted to know how it looked, how it corresponded. In a way, it was part of wearing that look, owning it. But Jamie didn't get that at all.

But maybe that wasn't such a big deal.

She gave him a pouty look. "Detail always helps," she said. "Of course selecting it is important, but you can get creative too. This is dressing someone else, its sorta fun!"

But in a way, it was more fun just talking with him about it: she liked the clothing and she thought Jamie had a great eye. It would just be nice to get more, that's all.

"Thanks Jamie," she said finally. "You have good taste. It's a really nice outfit. Did you do this often?"

It's true - he doesn't get that at all. Clothes shopping is a mystery to him on quite a few levels. He had only gone along with the idea of picking out an outfit because Katara had managed to trigger some of what could be called his 'male pride'.

Jamie looked at the outfit again, head tilting slightly as he considers it. He thinks she has a strange definition of fun, but the more he looks at the outfit, the more he believes it really does suit her.

Still, he shakes his head at her question. "Och, no. I told ye I'd not done this before." He meant it, as well. There was absolutely no reason for him not to tell the truth, in this case. "I just thought the blue would suit ye."

"I know I put you on the spot with this," Katara said, "and I know that you probably have no idea what I'm talking about when I say its fun. We're different people, I get that. I'm just saying that its how I view things when it comes to the simple things we don't really get to do anymore."

She really did like it though, and told Jamie so by giving him a peck on the cheek. "It does," she said, grinning, "and I'm going to be more than happy to wear this on the ship. You're a natural at this!"

That prompts one of Jamie's crooked smiles, even though he shakes his head. "Och, go on wi' ye."

It seems he's found something she likes, and if that makes her happy, he's pleased enough with the outcome. But he still doesn't think he'd be up to finding anything else right now - partially because he's somehow managed to work up an appetite. That's a bit strange, considering he hasn't done anything but try on clothes. If he still had his watch, though, he would have realized it took quite a bit of time, even for just a few outfits.

"Look, I think I'm going to go pay for these and maybe get a wee bite to eat. Maybe I'll see ye a bit later?"

She smiled back. Actually, she'd agree with Jamie here: she'd done enough shopping for herself. She had started to plan on getting all of the GAang together to cook them a decent meal, and to do that she was going to have to muddle through the spices and the kinds of food that this planet had, and that was going to take a good amount of research.

"Sure, okay!" Katara said. "I actually have to get some shopping done for my friends and stuff too! I'll see you later then!"

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Shop 'Till You Drop! [SO VERY OPEN]

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