| Mall Raid! | ||
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Silencia follows after Rayne excitedly. Even though Silencia had been busy training and figuring out her magic, she was still a regular girl and liked to shop occasionally. The girl nods at Rayne, smiling. "I should find something new to wear as well." Serenity, having gotten out first via the wheelchair/powered-exoskeleton/pseudopod ramp, was waiting on the sidewalk and staring up at the buildings. But Rayne's excited tone seems to snap Ren out of it. Ren slips over in a ruffle of fins to catch up with Rayne on the other side of her from Silencia. "For my part, I am just glad to be in a proper city again," Ren remarks cheerily, "and be reminded that a lack of buoyancy was no excuse for failing to build vertically." Ren adds curiously, "There are skyscrapers where you are from, Silencia, no?" Rayne nods to Silencia, an almost hungry grin on her face. "The mall is the choice place for the masses to acquire new wardrobes. You'll never get the best deals here, but you'll find a lot better product and selection than you will at the S-Mart." She continues walking on into the mall, looking around for the map. "Aha! There we go. Let's take a look at what this place has to offer us, eh?" Silencia shakes her head at Serenity's question. "I lived in a small little town. I never even heard of skyscrapers before I came here!" Silencia chuckles softly at Rayne's expression, rather enjoying the cheery mood. She grins playfully at Rayne "Should we find you a pretty little dress? A couple of flowers here and there and you'll look like a fairy!" She glances at Serenity. "Wouldn't she?" Serenity's attention is split between watching the fountain at the entrance and watching the faces of the companions. As Rayne stops, Ren pauses to peer at the directory as well. "No skyscrapers? I imagine this must look something like an artificial forest. I believe you did say you had seen forests before." Ren looks to Rayne with Silencia's suggestion. "I don't think I've yet seen Rayne in a dress before, allegedly for job-related reasons." Ren adds playfully, "Perhaps, rather than magically-travelling armor, one just needs a set of fashionable armor for special occasions." Rayne says, "I have a couple of dresses... sort of. A sun-dress... And you have seen me in that, Ren. From back when I was a little less paranoid... before DMC got explodified." She frowns. "Still wore my boots and bracers even with that, though. But I've also got that holiday dress I wore to a couple of parties." She gets a weird sort of smile as she remembers that one. "I don't think it had the effect I was going for with it, but, eh. Still, neither of those are really 'fairy' dresses, I'd say. And the first time I wore the red one, I actually dyed my hair..." She shrugs. "Maybe if I have a second set of equipment at HQ, though, I can react fast enough to 'port there, get dressed, and get to where the problem is almost as fast..." It doesn't seem she's thought of things this way before. Silencia smiles at Serenity's comparison of the city with an artificial forest. "I've learned to just take everything as it is here... Or else I'd be confused and overwhelmed in five minutes!" She stares at Rayne and nudges her arm smilingly. "You've got to wear one of those dresses sometime, I'd love to see you in a pretty dress!" She hums thoughtfully. "Ohh the looks I could put you in... Your hair alone would already make every kind of look visually interesting!" Silencia always loved dressing other people up, more than dressing herself. "Yes, I remember now," Ren agrees with a smile. "You wore a yellow dress and a large hat while you were out fishing. That was the day you caught my animal-poking stick by accident." Ren regards Rayne inquisitively as she mentions the holiday dress but nods at the latter idea. "Speed is important in an emergency," Ren offers encouragingly, "but it would be useful, too, to feel that you are moving comfortably among the people who you would like to protect." As Silencia explains her strategy for managing culture shock, Ren nods thoughtfully. Ren then slides out to a clear spot as she encourages Rayne; Ren makes a quick vertical-axis twirl while looking up at the ceiling and tops of the store windows. "You sound rather exited, Silencia. Perhaps you can become accustomed to the realization that most anything you imagine is for sale somewhere?" Rayne nods along with Silencia. "Honestly, meeting Ren made getting used to the utter ridiculously weird nature of Twisted a lot easier. If I can be such good friends with such an... unusual looking creature, then really, I can just roll along with everything." She then raises an eyebrow. "If you're so obsessed with what I'm going to wear, then fine. You can pick an outfit for me." She then points a thumb at her own collarbone. "But I reserve the right to veto if it's ridiculous, so do keep that in mind." Rayne then nods to Serenity. "That's exactly why I've been walking around everywhere outside the apartment complex in my full combat equipment. I've been on high alert, except for that one party in the Usual. And you know what? I didn't need to be. Nothing happened that day that required my weapons. As bad as it can be, most days I don't. There are plenty of other officers that aren't always on full alert... I mean, yeah, if I'm on duty I should be geared up at all times, but that's a job, you know?" It sounds like the person she's trying to make all these points to is herself, not Ren or Silencia. Silencia smiles as Ren mentions everything being on sale somewhere. "That's a lot more convenient than having to make everything. And I seem to be in an extra excited mood lately, so that may be it!" Rayne giving Silencia permission to dress her makes the girl smile brightly. "It wont be too ridiculous... But promise me you'll let me create the look before shooting it down!" She wasn't going to pick something weird... anymore. As Rayne continues about being on high alert all the time, Silencia sobers up a bit. "I think you'll feel better if you know for sure that you'd be able to reach your armor and weapons quickly enough without having to wear all of them all the time." She hums thoughtfully as she peeks at the shop windows. "You can always opt for hidden weapons if you don't want to be completely unarmed while in casual wear..." "While Rayne may be conflicted about the balance of work and personal life," Ren remarks with a smile, "being around her reasonable reactions to the insanity of this place is, in turn, calming for me." As Silencia makes her way toward the storefronts, Ren comes along behind her to look as well. The forcefield keeps the water from leaving salt spots as Ren touches the water mass to the glass, but it doesn't get rid of smudges of clear slime from gills flopping onto the glass when Ren squishes snout against the window of a jewelry shop. "That is a good point about hidden weapons. Is it better to have a simple on- or off-duty frame of mind, with clear boundaries, or can you have shades of readiness without undue confusion?" Rayne once again nods in agreement with Silencia. "Yeah... That is why I wanted the teleporting or summoned equipment thing. It'd give me that piece of mind. On Cevernal, it's dangerous enough that you more or less need to be armed at all times. It's not like that here, but the last ten years have done a number on my habits and mentality." She ponders the suggestions on hidden weapons. "Well... If this were a more civilized area of my home universe than Cevernal... Hidden weapons would probably be the way to go. But here... Honestly, no one bats an eye at the fact that I'm carrying around two swords and a bunch of arrows. I might lay off the arrows when off duty, and just rely on fire spells, though. This quiver at my back can be kind of uncomfortable, as used to it as I am." She pats the quiver. True to what she said, almost no one seems to care that she's carrying a pair of sheathed swords around. She's not about to test how they'd react if she pulled them out. In the meantime, someone walks by with a shiny new six foot long sword strapped to his back... Yes, they're in Neo-Edo, but it's still Twisted. "So yeah... I'd like to be getting used to being unarmored, just as a way to look different most days. But your point about a set of much nicer looking armor stands, too. I would hardly say no to a set of... dress armor, so to speak." She tilts he head, pondering the clear boundaries versus shades of readiness question. "Eh, I think I'm comfortable with shades. It's less about a desire to be unarmored and more about wanting variety, I guess. But I'd certainly like some outfits that let me... breathe a bit more, you know?" The jewelry shop's wares also catch Silencia's attention as she peeks in through the window. Of course she'd be looking at the shiny pretties, she is a girl after all. "If it's a habit you need to break, then I suggest doing something that feels completely uncomfortable to see that everything is going to be allright, even when you're not armed like a soldier." She glances back at Rayne, smiling lightly. "I suggested hidden weapons because they ware usually easier to move around with and you'll have a large range of clothing to choose from. I'm skilled enough with a needle and thread to make adjustments to clothing that allow hidden weapons." Silencia grins lightly. "You'll be surprised at how much one can hide in a simple little dress." She chuckles lightly before continuing. "I wouldn't suggest completely leaving behind your weapons, because that might become uncomfortable and stressful for you if you're used to having your weapons nearby." Serenity nods thoughtfully at Rayne explains the reasoning. Ren looks quietly from her to Silencia while 'standing' near a shop facing the two, occasionally glancing about at the architecture and odd inhabitants. "I had thought that perhaps wanting to look more impressive for others was the reason you were seeking a new look," Ren remarks, motioning a pair of fin edges toward Rayne. "I certainly understand wanting some variety for its own sake, though." Ren then glances down at the small oval patch of primary color squares. "I had a fair-sized stack of outfits in my luggage when I came, but wouldn't mind some accessories myself." Rayne stops to look into the jewelry store as the other two are looking... Surprisingly, she doesn't seem as interested in the jewelry as the other two. "My blaster is small and concealable... But maybe some sort of collapsing shortsword might work well." She nods towards a store that seems to specialize in bladed weaponry. "But weaponry second today, yeah?" She smiles sheepishly to Ren. "I'd not deny your initial thought, either. Can't I want both? I mean, this outfit is hardly flattering." She thumps her hand against her leather armored chest for emphasis. She nods again towards her aquatic friend. "I imagine you're almost stuck with what you brought, unless you have something custom made. I've yet to see another of your species." Silencia smiles and claps her hands together, as if she has made a decision. "Alright, so the mission is to find a flattering outfit that allows you to move around easily while still having access to weaponry. Should be easy enough..." She grins and detaches herself from the jewelry store. "Even though I will put you in a dress, the right pair of pants with a cute blouse will probably serve you better..." She peeks at Serenity, slightly curious. "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of accesories would you like to find? Maybe I can help?" Again with her meddling, Silencia can never resist an opportunity to help out in whatever way she can. "It's true that you aren't showing much of your figure," Ren admits to Rayne before continuing encouragingly, "But I don't have to imagine someone who unconsciously weighs personality more strongly than shape." Ren nods thoughtfully at Rayne's remark about Ren's own clothing, glancing from her to Silencia. "I suppose that I could have some existing clothes modified. By repainting, perhaps?" As Silencia describes her plans, Ren regards Rayne thoughtfully as if trying to picture her attired so. "Certainly," Ren replies to Silencia's question with a grin. "I have had a terrible time finding shoes in my size." Ren motions downward with the middle portion of a pair of fins, then briefly forms wiggling 'toes' from the trailing edges of both pair of fins. Rayne says, "As I've told Ren in the past, I do not have aversions to pretty dresses." A bit of an understatement, if Ren recalls the conversation. She smirks lightly as she follows Silencia away. She then raises an eyebrow at Serenity. "You actually paint your clothes? That'd have to be some very flexible paint. On the other hand, most dyes tend to get messed up by excessive water exposure... Or am I just thinking of hair dye?" Yes, Rayne has had a lot of experience with dying her hair, especially in times of her life when she didn't want to stand out. "We can always find you a nice pair of shoes we can attach to your field emitter." It's a little hard to tell if Rayne is completely joking, or if she's actually pondering doing this. Silencia can't help but smile at the mental image of a pair of cute shoes on the colorful Ren. She then nods appreciatively to Rayne as she explains she doesn't mind pretty dresses. "Good, because you're getting one." She hums thoughtfully as she walks over to one of the clothing stores, peeking in the window. She then turns her attention to Serenity and smiles. "I imagined you finding pretty things to let float alongside of you, to be honest. Which could also be an idea!" Might be a bad idea, might be genius, Silencia is just expressing her own opinions. "Well, no, I haven't tried to paint clothes since I was old enough to know that every surface is not available for painting," Ren clarifies. Motioning downward, Ren explains, "The holographic pattern here is printed in the colored layer and that glued together with the core and adhesive layer at the factory, so I haven't the faintest idea how to make my own. Maybe a compatible pigment can still be found." Silencia's remark about the dress gets a grin. Ren continues flowing along besides her at a backwards diagonal after checking the rear-view mirror of the glass reflections. "I'll leave the shoes to people with feet. Floating decorations, though, are something I hadn't considered," Ren says, motioning to Silencia. "Some short strings of beads, perhaps? Of course, they would still need adhesive so as not to fall out of the forcefield. The environment suit is only tuned to remain around me." Rayne says, "I think, perhaps Ren, that you need what we humans commonly call 'piercings'. That would keep your accessories attached to you well enough, wouldn't it? Then you wouldn't need to worry about the unreliability of adhesives." She nods at her own idea, then looks to Silencia. "So what do you have in mind for me, then? I mean, more specifically than 'pretty dress'." Silencia hums thoughtfully at Ren. "A string of beads, a light scarf, even an interesting necklace... those could all be very flattering. The issue of adhesive will be difficult though.." Rayne's suggestion about piercings gets a smile. "That could work, but only if Ren is willing." When Rayne asks about Silencia's plans, the girl smiles. "It would probably be something in black and/or white, with simplistic patterns. Keeping the colors in the dress simple would display the coloring in your hair and eyes nicely. It's all about balance!" She motions to the door of the clothing store. "The shape is something I can't decide without seeing something on you!" Serenity frowns and twitches eyes at the mention of piercings. "Hhh... Yes I'm familiar with body modification, but other than tattooing in some other cultures, I think perhaps my kind are generally not so brave about such things. Ordinary flexible clothing glue or strips sound much more reliable, and tolerable, than a hole through nerves and muscle." Ren enters the store as well, keeping fin edges extended from the water as a sort of bumper, to avoid saturating something on either side of the aisle. Ren looks away from some neon-colored kids' clothes as Silencia starts forming a plan. "I have a 'zebra' patterned outfit myself. Would that work in black and white?" Ren inquires of Rayne. Rayne says, "Ah, you don't have any less vulnerable spots? Pity, then." When asked of a zebra strip pattern, she tilts her head towards Silencia. "You're asking me? It's Silencia that's making the decisions on this outfit!" She smirks slightly, looking around the shop. "Alright, looks to be not too crazy... We'll have to make a separate stop at a shoe store, I think, but... Let's see what you come up with, eh, Silencia?" Cue the shopping montage! Silencia quickly slips in between the various racks, soon returning with arms full of clothing. She grins and puts down dresses to show to Rayne. She even goes as far as to hold a couple near the colorful female and then discarding them. After a little while, faster than one would expect, Silencia has a couple of options ready: A knee-length black dress, the soft fabric wrapping around the shoulders, leaving one bare. The dress is slightly form-fitting, hinting at the feminine shape while leaving plenty to the imagination. The sleeves cut off at the elbow, the combination of the soft, flexible fabric and the shape would make this dress easy to move in. A white sundress with capped sleeves. The dress is form-fitting at the bodice and flows out in a flowy skirt. The skirt has an interesting pattern of little black flowers while the bodice is kept a simple white while being covered in intricate lace. Silencia has paired this dress with a pair of black tights to allow for easier movement. The last option isn't a dress, but a pair of black trousers, made to cling to the thighs while slightly flaring out at the bottom. Silencia has paired it with a sleeveless red shirt that ends at the hip. The shirt has no other adornments than a black collar that seems to be made of imitation leather. Serenity grins at Rayne's reply. "While Silencia is preparing your options," Ren mentions to Rayne, "I think that I will be looking into some scarves and the like. That's an option that I hadn't given enough consideration with all the shirts and pants and such consuming the space at human clothing stores." Ren motions toward a likely rack before slipping over in that direction. Ren naturally gravitates toward the brightest colors and highest contrast designs, but is having some difficulty with this among the plain colors, subtle stripes and paisley. Ren holds up a one for examination that's not too far from the blocky primary colors of Ren's current outfit, but sets this down as Silencia returns with the selection. Ren slips back quickly to have a look, canting rhinophores forward curiously. As Silencia brings out the outfits that pass her muster, Rayne disappears into the changing room to try them out. She's already pointed out a minor correction for size: Rayne's armor actually does hold her back in the chest area. That said, she steps outside after each outfit and poses for the other two. It looks like she might have done this before. That or she's seen enough videos of models that she's able to mimic their moves well enough. In the end, she seems happy with all three! A pity she can't wear one of the outfits out... There's no reliable way to carry her armor out like there would be for the packages of the clothing. "So now we just need to stop at the shoe store to complete the ensembles!" Continued in 2016-01-11 - OMG! Shoes. | |
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