Ari ♫ ♪ ♬ (gracenotes) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-01-23 11:29:00 |
|
|||
The dress Ari had seen in the shop window the week prior had stuck in her mind, and that meant, of course, that there was no choice but to make her way to the bazaar on her next free afternoon with that particular shop as her aim. True, spring was quite a ways off, but Gillian’s pay was coming any day, and she could always save it until the weather warmed up… This train of thought led her to the remembered shop, which turned out to be quite a bit larger inside than out (it seemed to have recently bought out its neighbor an expanded). As was the way of such things, once inside, Ari saw four items she preferred to the dress in the window, and before long a stack of items had materialized over her arm as she walked among the racks, casting her critical eye upon what was hanging there. She almost passed Tlisa Karth without recognition -- they were not particularly well acquainted -- but she spotted the hairpin in the shape of a bird and turned to have a look, realizing it was the one she had helped to select (and by it, recognizing Cressida’s little sister). She detoured from her study of tunics to approach the girl, who appeared to be examining the most drab and unfortunate dresses in the entire shop. “Tlisa!” she greeted cheerfully. “It has been some time” Cressida was usually seen in practical training clothing but Tlisa’s, taste, apparently, ran to bland colors and shapeless silhouettes. Really, Ari thought, someone ought to do something about the two of them. In desperate need of some new dresses, Tlisa took was little money she had and was perusing the racks at the dress shop. She wasn’t intending to buy anything today, more just getting an idea of what she might like, but there was a rather large selection and she was easily overwhelmed. Thankfully, only one salesperson had came over and asked if she needed help, then left her alone when she said she was fine, but it still made her feel a bit anxious. Heaving a soft sigh as she surveyed a particularly pretty number in a beige that she thought could be quite flattering when paired with the right accessories, she didn’t notice anyone else coming into the shop until she heard someone out calling out to her. Glancing around in shock, she spotted Ari coming over and instinctively attempted to shrink back wondering why her sister’s friend wanted anything to do with her. “Ari, hello…” she murmured softly, pushing her hair behind her ears as she looked up at the taller girl. “I suppose it has been a while. How are you?” she asked politely. Ari offered Tlisa a friendly, carefree smile, though her eyes noted that the dress worn by the young woman was not terribly different from the one she appeared to be considering. “Quite well, thank you,” she answered. “I had the afternoon off, and I saw a dress in the window not long ago that wouldn’t leave my mind, so -- here I am, buying up half the store. As usual, really.” She shrugged, clearly not ashamed to admit the fact. “And you?” she asked. “Looking for something in particular?” Hopefully -- though she had a feeling this hope was doomed to remain unrealized -- something not beige (or tan, or cream, or gray). “The selection is wider than I expected.” Tlisa’s smile was more guarded, tentative, since she only knew Ari from the brief time she’d seen the other girl around her sister. “Sounds like it must have been some dress to linger on your mind like it has,” she commented, unsure of what else to say. She didn’t come in here all that often, nor did she think it odd that Ari would do a lot of shopping. To each their own, and all. Besides, she’d probably shop more if she had the money to. “Oh, I was looking for a new dress or two since some of mine are getting a bit outdated.” She gestured at the one that had caught her attention, wondering if the neckline might be a bit suggestive. “I’ve noticed that as well.” Ari looked at the dress and tried not to wince. Just as she’d thought -- this would never do. Cress was one thing, but Tlisa seemed a feminine, pretty little thing. Why did she feel the need to dress like a church initiate? “That’s nice,” Ari said, quite politely, she thought, considering the dress in question. Inspiration struck. “Have you seen the dresses over this way?” she asked. “I believe I saw several that have been marked down.” She hoped that the promise of a bargain might encourage Tlisa to put the ugly thing away. She had already taken the girl by the elbow and begun to steer her away from the rack of drab sackcloth disguised as clothing. “Have you thought of blue?” she asked. Not navy, either -- a bright, vibrant color, deeper than the hue of the sky would really be best. “I think it would suit you.” Tlisa was oddly concerned about what Ari thought, though she didn’t realize it until the other girl decided to look at the dress. Ari was always so vibrant, and while Cressida always dressed in functional clothing Tlisa did enjoy dressing cutely when she could get away with it. “Do you really think so?” she asked, glancing over at the frock again. “I… what?” Tlisa wasn’t sure when Ari gripped her elbow and began pulling her along, but she was powerless to resist. “Marked down?” Hearing that the dresses Ari was speaking of were marked down did make Tlisa feel slightly better at letting the Ari drag her away from the more reasonably priced ones she had been considering. “Blue? I like it as a color…” she answered cautiously, having never thought about buying herself any clothing that was blue. “I suppose I could try it.” “Yes, but I think we can find better.” Really, Ari was skilled at lying with a straight face, but the idea of playing dress-up (much more amusement than she had ever obtained from a doll) had caught hold of her mind, and she’d be doing a good deed in the process. Well, she thought of it as doing a good deed. Once they reached the rack she had earmarked -- winter dresses, already “last season” by the clothier’s estimation, but perfectly serviceable for the chilly weather which would linger for months yet -- Ari released Tlisa’s elbow and began rapidly flipping through the far more colorful woolens displayed here. “Winter is gray and dreary as it is,” she commented, picking out a blue dress embroidered around the neckline, and then, on a whim, one in a rich shade of saffron with wide, soft sleeves. With Tlisa’s complexion, why not? “You may as well inject some color and cheer into your life,” she finished, completing the stack of clothing with something purple and something green (no way to know until it was tried) and shoving the lot of it at the younger woman. “Here we are,” she said. “Let’s try these.” They were, perhaps, more showy than what Tlisa had been considering, but they were reasonably modest in cut (if not in color). Surely even a shy young woman could find nothing to complain about here. Eyebrows shooting up in shock, Tlisa wasn’t sure how to take Ari’s words. The ‘we’ portion stood out most of all because it indicated that her sister’s friend had somehow taken it upon herself to help her out, when Tlisa didn’t know she’d needed help. But she must, if Ari was taking time out of her own shopping. Not paying attention to where they were going, because she was still hung up on the fact that Ari had obliquely insulted her taste in clothing, Tlisa stood there nodding at pretty much every suggestion the more fashionable woman gave her, arms outstretched to hold up the dresses. She wasn’t even paying attention to what Ari was selecting, though she was aware that she was going to be expected to try all of these on. “Color and cheer, yes,” she agreed automatically. Ari was right, winter was rather gray and dreary, and maybe she would look better if she put some color in her wardrobe. It was worth a shot. “Sure, I’ll try them, if you think they’ll work.” She wasn’t a fan of other people observing her trying things on, but she wanted to believe that Ari was just looking out for her. “You’ll let me know if they look alright, yes?” “Of course.” If Ari noticed that Tlisa seemed taken aback, she barreled right over it with cheerful enthusiasm. The trick to getting people to do what she suggested was generally to just keep talking until somehow her words became reality. She had achieved any number of things this way. Which was why she kept herself smiling as she bundled the young woman off to the curtained-off changing area, flashing her smile at the shop girl too, just in case she chose to interfere (she didn’t). “Indulge me,” she said. “I have a weakness for dressing people up.” Mostly herself, but no need to clarify. “Okay, good,” Tlisa responded, a weight she didn’t know was there lifting from her shoulders. It was hard for her to remain confused by Ari when the other girl was just so relentlessly happy about wanting to help her. It was rare for someone other than her family or teachers to go out of their way for her. Besides, how could she be concerned when Ari had such a happy, friendly smile on her face. This was her sister’s friend, so by extension she could be considered Tlisa’s friend as well, right? “I don’t mind,” she responded. “I would’ve tried them on before purchasing them anyway, and it’s only right to let you see since you picked them out,” she said, glancing at the first dress. “Go on then,” Ari said, gently nudging Tlisa into the changing room and pulling the curtain closed. “I’m sure you’ll look lovely.” Not a lie, either -- Tlisa was a pretty girl under those shapeless dresses she wore, and Faram knew Ari was skilled in picking out clothing that would flatter a petite frame. That done, she took one of the chairs provided by the changing area seemingly for this exact purpose and settled in to wait. “Ah, yes, okay,” Tlisa jumped slightly at Ari’s words, dashing into the changing room and quickly shrugging out of her clothing to get on the first dress. She smiled at Ari’s encouragement despite knowing that she couldn’t see it, opening the curtain and stepping out. “The blue is brighter than I thought it would be,” she commented, though Tlisa did like it. The green one was pretty as well. The third dress she tried on she just couldn’t bring herself to like, and it showed on her face. She felt badly though, since Ari had done such a nice thing by picking them out. “I think the blue and green were flattering, and seem practical.” “The blue was better,” Ari said decisively. The color had suited Tlisa’s complexion, and the embroidery wasn’t too fussy -- just festive enough to give the wool dress a cheery look. “And every shopping expedition has a few flubs, or you’re probably not casting a wide enough net, as it were.” She had rather liked the saffron, but it had been a little more daring in cut than it had appeared on the hanger, and in any case, these dresses (even marked down as they were) were more expensive than the beige ones she had rejected. While Ari was the sort to spend every last gil in her purse on something that caught her fancy, she sensed Tlisa would not shop in this way, and she was nothing if not adaptable so as to get her way. “Pretty, practical, well made -- and on sale. I do believe we have a winner.” And the shy young mage might be earning some looks as she walked down the street in it, but so what? Why not give her an opportunity to be admired? Tlisa listened as Ari gave her opinion, agreeing with the taller girl not just because she was so decisive, but because Tlisa did actually feel the same. She felt pretty when she put in on, and like her eyes stood out just a bit. “I guess that’s true, I mean I usually go for the more basic things, so I wouldn’t know.” There was no way she would ever be able to wear the saffron with that neckline, at least not unless she snuck past her older brothers. And possibly Cressida. It had made her feel quite womanly, but also somewhat exposed. And Tlisa wasn’t comfortable with the thought that people might get a glimpse down her shift if she leaned forward, even if there wasn’t exactly much worth seeing down there. “Yes, it’s definitely the best of the bunch.” She hadn’t checked the price yet, but she was hopeful that she had enough. It would be a treat to herself, something nice that she could wear out and about when she wanted to feel fancy. “Let’s get it bagged up for you then.” And you out of that drab judgment error you’re wearing, hopefully as soon as possible. Still smiling, Ari led her towards the sales clerk. Good deed for today definitely accomplished. |