| Special on Awkwardness | ||
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"I'll be there in about ten minutes, traffic permitting," Hisako texts back. And so, roughly ten minutes later, Hisako makes her way towards the mall entrance, looking around for Robin ... and not seeing him. If the fact that there's a young woman wearing Robin's taste in clothes should stand out, it doesn't really - Hisako just does a brief double-take at Strimla's face before continuing to look for the boy she's expecting to see, then pulls out her phone to text Robin again: "I'm outside the mall; are you inside or something?" Strimla is about to raise her hand to get Hisako's attention before she sighs as Hisako makes the text. She pulls out her(Robin's) phone just in time for the notification to come through with an audible beep. "Oh, man. Maybe I should have said something before just showing up here..." She sighs once again and stands up, approaching Hisako as she types out a message back. 'I can see you from here. You looked right at me.' She hits send before she waves to Hisako again, a nervous, not quite so confident as usual smile on her face. Hisako blinks at her phone, looking around again ... and this time, her gaze comes to rest on Strimla. Wearing Robin's clothes, right. Familiar face, familiar outfit, just a distinctly unfamiliar combination. She walks over to Strimla, frowning a bit in thought. ".... So, is it Robin or Strimla?" she asks quietly. Strimla glances away slightly for a second as Hisako looks at her, then actually laughs lightly a second after Hisako asks the question. "Yes," she says confidently as she looks back to Hisako again. "Sorry about all this..." She scratches at the side of her head once. "But I guess I decided hiding it from one of my friends was, well, stupid. And besides, well, like I said... I kinda need some help." "You didn't say what you needed help with, though," Hisako points out. She's dressed lightly and casually right now - a sleeveless gray blouse which is almost white, a dark blue skirt which reaches most of the way to her knees, ankle socks, and sneakers. "So ... what's up, besides filling me in that you're ... ah. Is it that you're normally a girl and just disguised yourself as a boy, or ... ?" Strimla shakes her head. "No, no no, not at all. Still a farm boy raised, just..." She sighs, facepalming, trying to regather what she wants to say. "Okay, so... The other night I was told by a goddess that I should embrace this form. That I need to stop hiding this from the people I trust..." She fidgets slightly, still apparently uncomfortable in her clothes. "So I wanted you to help, so I could... well, stop keeping it a secret from you at the same time. Because, er..." She glances away, actually blushing a bit. "....I have no idea how to shop for women's clothing. Especially underwear." Well... that might explain why she seems to be uncomfortable from a physical standpoint. Hisako blinks, then nods slowly. "Okay ... well, the first thing is that you need to make sure of your sizes. You'd probably better let one of the clerks help with that - do you think you can stand going into someplace like Victoria's Secret for underwear? You don't have to stock up on it there, but that's probably the best place to find someone who can tell you what your measurements are in this body ...." Strimla blinks a couple of times. "....Victoria's..." She blushes, apparently aware of the place. Of course, Robin has been through the mall several times, he couldn't help but have noticed the place. She looks down, then nods. "All right. This is, I suppose, one of the lessons Belldandy wanted me to learn, in a way." She glances to the side, trying to recall where exactly the place was. "Okay, um, well... I guess... if they help me with sizes, then... I can use those sizes when I go to other places? Right." She lowers her gaze again and mumbles, "Somehow this was all easier to figure out as a guy even if it is all different here..." Hisako smiles wryly, "I don't think guys have as many numbers to worry about when they're buying clothes, do they? And yeah - unless you're more of a shapeshifter than you're letting on, your sizes should stay pretty constant for this body." She pauses briefly, then leans closer to add in a near-whisper, "... you don't want to turn back into a boy while you're still wearing girl's clothes, though." Strimla nods. "As far as I can tell, this body doesn't change at all, other than a couple of spells I can cast specifically... but they're kinda limited..." When Hisako leans in, Strimla does as well to hear better. "Er... actually, don't really need to worry about that. See... when I change, my clothes do to. I was wearing a different set of clothes when I transformed, then changed into this... If I change back, I'll be back in those clothes... And these will show up where I left my armor." As if one could really call Strimla's usual outfit armor... but apparently she thinks of it that way. She then stands up straight again. "I've tested these things out a little over the last week. And my old clothes fit even worse than these... at least these are stretchy enough for the parts that, uh, got larger." She fidgets again, then sighs and hangs her head. "I'm delaying too much. Um... right. So off we go? If you want to tag along, that is. I guess I'm gonna owe you one when I'm done today..." Hisako gets an impish grin on her face, "Somebody needs to be ready to drag you out if you get a nosebleed or something and pass out, right?" She's probably teasing. Probably. "Plus I wanted to at least see what they have this trip, just in case there's something that strikes my fancy. Victoria's Secret is a bit on the pricey side for me normally, I'll admit ..." Strimla starts to sound a slight bit worried about the price this is sounding to be. "....Er... yeah." She glances away, takes a breath, then starts walking onward. "Thanks for the help... I mean it... Because... yeah, I might need that backup." Robin has in the past barely peeked at the window displays when passing by. Really, he generally is pretty good at not letting his eyes wander, having been at the other end of that plenty of times before herself. But still, Robin is an 18 year old male. He definitely noticed what he saw. And so Strimla walks with oddly exaggerated confidence onward towards the underwear store! Well, the walk is overconfident. Anyone looking at her face can tell it's all false bravado. "But if you're hinting at what I owe you is a set of your own, I do have a budget still, you know. And I was... hoping to get a full outfit or something today so I can wear something other than these clothes!" Hisako chuckles, "All you really need to get here is one good set of underwear ... maybe go a little 'overboard,' if you want to coddle yourself some." If she has any thoughts on the bravado Strimla's projecting, she keeps them to herself for now. Strimla's sense of false bravado is all but gone by the time they actually make it to Victoria's Secret, and instead of a confidant warrior stepping in, it's more like a timid mouse. "Uhhh... Hello?" She almost squeaks out, before glancing back at Hisako. She looks back towards the rest of the store and says, "I could use some hel-eep!" Right there in front of her is a very helpful and eager attendant. It's almost as if she can smell certain sale... or more likely she can tell with a look that someone just walked in that's not wearing a bra, who will most certainly be wanting one. Soon Strimla is all but dragged off with a yelp as the helpful attendant does her work in a more private area, making her measurements, making suggestions, all a veritable whirlwind of activity that leaves Strimla looking rather bewildered through most all of it. Hisako tries not to smile too much as Strimla is being assisted by that clerk, and instead turns the bulk of her attention to browsing what's on display in the store. She's keeping her ears open, though; if something happens and Strimla needs help, well, that is why Hisako didn't just leave her entirely on her own. Well, there are of course the occasional "Eeep!" heard back there, but soon a nearly red-faced Strimla finds herself at the front of the store once again, arms crossed over her now better handled chest clutching a small bag... one that holds not her new underwear, but Robin's old boxers instead. "I... That was a very odd experience... I'm pretty sure she knew I was a guy from the very start." That last part was said in a manner that she hopes only Hisako overheard. "But... uhhhh... Yeah, that was about three quarters of my budget already." Hisako looks Strimla over, nodding. "That looks a lot more comfortable. And ... it wouldn't surprise me if you're not the first gender-shifter to come in here for girls' clothes," she adds, considering that this is NeoTokyo. "Did you only get the one set? You might need more money for the next shopping run ... but, let's see if we can get something you can wear around town without looking like a tomboy?" Strimla shakes her head. "No... it wouldn't surprise me either in this town." She sighs and steps forward. "Yeah, just the one. It's... it's really nice. It feels way better than anything else I've had as far as underwear is concerned... But I bet if Magnis made some, it'd have been better." She smirks lightly, then frowns. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to save up some more again... ugh, what a pain. I keep having to buy new stuff over and over... I really should do some side jobs in the Badlands..." She looks out over the mall, then back to Hisako again. "Hey... the heck's wrong with being a tomboy, eh?" Hisako giggles softly, "Well, nothing, I guess ... just that a girl who dresses like a boy and isn't trying to pass for a boy really stands out. Anyway, c'mon, let me show you where I usually do my clothes-shopping ..." She quickens her pace. | |
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