victory_road | Thrift Shopping, sans Macklemore (or any dudes anywhere)

Entry tags:

Thrift Shopping, sans Macklemore (or any dudes anywhere)

Who: Jane Crocker and Minfilia Warde
Where: Goldenrod City
When: Mid-March, probably the 15th
Summary: Two young ladies ~~go on a date~~ have no idea they're on a very queer date with each other at the thrift shop
Rating: Shouldn't go higher than a T if anything
Log:

[She really, truly has no idea.

It's not Jane's fault she doesn't know - never once had she questioned herself, and still she doesn't, having invited Minfilia to come with her to a rather expansive thrift shop in Goldenrod to browse and have a good time exploring what was offered. It's a place Jane's gone to often enough to find gifts for friends, furnish her house, clothe herself and her Pokemon if they are so inclined, so she knows the store itself like the back of her hand by now. It's more prudent to save your money where you can, and when you can get quality for a great price, you can find ways to get a funny stink out of a handbag or wine stains out of lace. It's fine, it's normal, it's smart...

So why is Jane so nervous while she waits? She shifts from foot to foot as she stands outside, having pulled off the jacket her gym trainers had insisted she wear as part of this ensemble. They were so enthusiastic when she told them she would be spending the day out with a friend, it was sweet. And a little weird. The bag on her arm (not red, mind - unlike the picture, the one she has is more brown) has some bottled drinks from local vending machines, and some snacks that will keep, so it's not like there's any rush.

There's no rush. It's fine! It's fine. Gosh, it's just spring that's making things a little warm, right? It's totally fine, Minfilia should be here soon.]

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[ After the text, Minfilia had to make sure she looked as good as she could - even if she was also feeling her heart beat out her chest. And while she didn't know why, her mind - for a moment - lingered on the advice Thancred had given her at times.

Why would she need that now? She had gotten herself all ready, even putting on her most special makeup. She looked wonderful, in her long pink dress. Something light, to help her shake off the strange heat she felt in her body.

All was well. And as she saw Jane, she waved - speeding up a little to meet her. Her arm muscles visible - nicely toned. ] Oh-- I thought I'd be early.

[Oh hey that's nice, Jane wouldn't have guessed she worked out - I mean! Oh! There's here friend! Jane smiles and waves back.]

Ah, it's alright! I thought I'd pick up some refreshments for us in case we needed them after exploring, but I left a little earlier than intended and got here...not too long ago, actually.

[She was getting antsy after waiting for five minutes, what is this.]

I like your dress!

[ Minfilia was slightly bouncing on her feet, antsy to. Get moving, she supposed? On the other hand, she also was fine just talking. Yes. With her friend. ]

Oh, thank you! The fashion in Celadon is a little overwhelming - and so accessible - that I couldn't help but pick it up. [ The modern world may be overwhelming, but it also lets her be cute. A dress like this... she'd never wear it in Eorzea. Then again, she's still adapting to the fact she doesn't need to be afraid of much here. ] I think your outfit looks wonderful, myself.

You know, I've not been thrift shopping before. [ she admits. ] But I imagine it'll be a lot cheaper then buying new, or commissioning an artisan. I've actually not told anybody else, but... I think I've found where I want to live. Location-wise, that is.

It depends on the item, but if you want to make sure it's something that lasts, you can't do better than something that has already lasted quite a while and is still in great condition. It's good to mix and match.

[Her eyes light up with her smile - it's honestly always nice to hear about people getting to settle in and feel comfortable and safe here.] Oh! And where might that be?

[ She can't help but look so warm, so gentle. ] And at times, I suppose that people may simply not need an item anymore - 'tis better then just discarding it, or letting it gather dust.

[ But! Home! ] There's this nice place a little west of Celadon - between it and the Cycling Path? It seems quiet enough, but close enough to town that I can still come in and go where I need to. Honestly, it's more for my Pokemon then me - I still feel strange about storing them in the computer system. [ Aw, Minfilia. ]

Exactly! Everyone wins.

[Jane thinks for a moment, then hums as she nods.] I think I know the area, it's nice - and I can relate to that. I'm always rotating who's at home, since the house is only so big and everyone deserves some time out in the world even if the Pokemon are just socializing with each other. It helps that some of mine have decided to take up residence at the gym permanently, as my specific team for non-Elite matches...but it's only a select few who fit the theme, so you can imagine that even a normal house in Goldenrod can be a bit crowded at times.

[Crowded and yet lonely.]

[ She is beginning to move with Jane, as the two talk. Minfilia looks relaxed, yet has that lonely feeling in her voice as well. ] Do you remember the previous strange weekend? Where... places from home appeared? My previous home appeared - and I decided to do my best to get the layout committed to memory. So it can be rebuilt.

I think it'd fit my Pokemon well. But it could also be adapted to connect to a Gym. I do hope to take on the Elite Four and Champion quickly, I must admit - if only to prove I can.

I do - I can't say anything like that happened to me, though! I just get bounced around from place to place if I open the wrong door. But that's great! I'd like to see it for myself once everything's complete!

[But she smiles at mention of going up against the Elite Four.] Oh, gosh, yes, that would make it a very worthwhile endeavor. I know that's something I wanted for a long time, though I needed a bit of a push to get back on track...it's something I'm glad I did, though. A gym can absolutely be anything you need it to be.

[They've probably moved into the store by now - it's large, but not overwhelming with big ceilings or whatever. No, the main draw is how everything is sort of sectioned into their own kind of spaces, open boxes where general themes of color and style and maybe time period have congregated. It's a bit like stepping, briefly, into a different open room every couple yards - er, yalms, mixed in with partitions of glass cases full of old knicknacks of varying quality, jewelry, tableware, etc. The counter has a couple older folks behind it who wave them in with a smile and a knowing nod at Jane, since she's been here before. Minfilia has absolute free reign to start poking around at whatever catches her eye.]

I'd love to invite you over. It'll likely take a while, though - construction is a lot different here.

Back home, I was sometimes seen as a damsel - or weak, needing protection. Thus, I've wanted to prove that I can protect myself - with my body and my allies both. I actually took on Sabrina the day before we-- [ She sort of. Touches some of her arm muscles as she talks.

But she's sidetracked as she walks past some of the dresses. Some of them are-- ] Ah. Hm. Would somebody truly wear something like this?

[ It is a dress of sequins, in many mismatched colours. Minfilia seems amused, though! ] It would have taken a lot of effort to make. Even if it'd blind anybody who saw it in the light.

[Eyes flicker to those very well crafted arms when Minfilia reaches to touch hers...]

O-Oh, yes, Sabrina is tricky - no one to be trifled with, for sure.

[Jane herself wasn't exactly a damsel - more a dame who landed herself in hot water repeatedly, never quite learning her lesson until she had the chance to stop and breathe and look back. And even then, she's still learning, always learning, will continue to learn. It's a never ending process that she's made peace with in her mind, and ooh something sparkly!]

What, those? Goodness yes, especially if it's of older make. [Jane pulls one dress off the rack, looks at it appraisingly.] Something like this was probably factory made? Maybe twentyish years ago by the style? So it could have had the sequin sewing process automated, I think? I'm not super certain about the history of textile technology.

[But also this is kiiiind of actually ugly, so, Jane puts it back. Better for someone to find it and wear to a turn of the millennium themed party than anything else.]

[ She can't help but chuckle a little. Before giving a bit of a shrug. Oh, she looks strong. ] 'tis still hard for me to adapt to a world where there is so much automation in sewing. Perhaps that's why we don't have thrift stores - most goods are made by hand, and often repaired until they're utterly unusable.

[ or the fact that clothes and items bind to the user-- no that's just a gameplay thing :p ]

It all probably lasts a whole lot longer, though - if you're going to put the time and effort into making something by hand, getting the materials...then it'd be really disheartening for it to break and be unfixable, wouldn't it?

[Listen there's something to be said for dependability, Jane can 100% get behind that train.]

What kind of clothes are common where you're from, anyway?

[ You know, she hasn't thought about what to call it. But as she continues to put her hands though the clothes - examining them, especially their stitches, she speaks with a soft smile on her lips. ]

You know, it's strange. Hisuian clothes were similar to those of the Far East, but our own fashions are mostly mirrored in books and tales about the medieval ages. I hope that I don't seem that old-fashioned!

[ A laugh! ]

I see! That's intriguing - but no, you don't seem nearly so old-fashioned. I can't say I've ever seen this world's version of medieval ages with my own eyes, but if it's anything like the one in my world, yours is probably doing much, much better. Even if the clothes are similar.

I'd like to hope so, as well. Even if there's issues, the world can become better, I feel. And I know it will...

[ But she's trying not to talk about her home - a place she'll never see again as herself. Instead, she is distracted by another bit of clothing - a night gown. Her eyes are sparkling adorably. ]

Edited 2023-04-03 05:59 (UTC)

That's a great attitude to have about it. [And that's all she has a chance to say, because Jane's eye catches Minfilia's reaction and she looks over to what's causing the eye sparkles.] Oh that's cute! Did you want to try it on? I think there's fitting rooms in here, we just need to ask at the front - I haven't been in them in a while and the shop's always changing, so I might get us lost trying to find them...

[ She's quietly looking it over, before: ] I think I would like to try it on. And this is a rather large shop - why, I bet a Pokemon could live here for moons before being caught!

Oh, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if a few really did. Have you seen any of the Pokemon in the Litwick line? Or a Klefki? Sinistea and Polteageist wouldn't be remiss in here, either.

[Somewhere in the store, a Sinistea makes a tiny whisper of a sneeze, and doesn't know why.]

Let's go back to the front desk, then!

There are some quite adorably small Pokemon... I wonder if they could be even smaller!

[ She said, as she picked out the dress - and began to walk proudly. Her face still brushed with a bit of a blush. ]

Oh, I'm sure - the smallest I've seen is Joltik, but I'm sure there could be smaller ones.

[Jane follows behind, keeping an eye out for the front desk, or even a dressing room sign just in case.

Not gonna lie, she's digging the confidence.]

Have you seen Flabebe? While they're measured as a similar height to Joltik, I still wonder if that includes the flower...

[ And they find the front desk. With the person, of course, cracking a joke about them being gal pals as they point out where the dressing rooms are.

Suddenly, Minfilia seems a little embarrassed. ]

[The gal pals joke goes right over Jane's head. They're gals and they're pals, what's better than that?]

I've never had the pleasure of measuring of Flabebe in person, but that might be worth looking into...for science, of course.

[ More walking~ ]

It's another of those strange ones who seems to have a symbiotic link to something else - in this case, a flower. I wonder if they can latch onto any flower, or only the common ones seen in their Pokedex entry?

I suppose that, too, is something that would have to be observed over a period of time. Pokemon kind of tend to hatch with all their various, um, accessories with them - it doesn't make much sense, but it still happens. Like Cubones and their particular headgear.

I've not seen Cubone before - but another which is strange is Kangaskhan. A baby, having a baby?

'tis just something we need to adjust to.

That's also another great example! But yeah, I think you could be here for a long time and still not be used to the oddities. The natives are usually more nonchalant about it, but they do have researchers who look into such things.

'tis like any land, then. I was friends with scholars and researchers - I believe I've mentioned the Archon before?

It's a little silly, but they actually get magic tattoos to show that they're experts in their field of study.

[ And they've gotten to the fitting rooms! Minfilia gives a little stretch. ] Can you hold my bag?

Magic tattoos? So it's like...putting the equivalent of a college degree on your body?

[It's probably cheaper than a college degree, Jane thinks - in the USA, at least. She makes a little "ah!" sound at Minfilia's request.]

Sure, of course! [Will gently accept bag when it is handed over]

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Thrift Shopping, sans Macklemore (or any dudes anywhere)

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