Hugh & Yelena
Week 44, Day 1 | Mostly the Campus | Low
â None I can think of
As was her wont, Yelena was choosing to take their surroundings in stride and keep her options open for weekly activities. The bank was tempting - who could resist being thrown into some old timey western movie setting and not wonder what it might be like to be a bank robber riding away into the sunset? - though the particulars of planning a heist were currently escaping her as she was normally someone who did her best work while unseen. So it was an option, but it wasnât the only option.
After taking a walk through the town to get her bearings, she returned with a good deal more dust on her clothes than sheâd left with, an armful of various supplies, and an idea. She swung past her room to drop most of the supplies off, though the single package she kept with her was one of the more oddly shaped and unwieldy ones sheâd returned with. Deciding to actually pinpoint a destination now rather than doom herself to wandering a campus she might not even find Hugh on, she slipped her phone from a pocket and sat herself down on the stairs outside the dorm building, the brown paper and twine wrapped package balanced on her knees.
Just got back from town, she texted, glancing up and in the direction of said town before bending over her phone again. Itâs so dusty I almost miss that weird city. She paused again, this time to make a face at the admission. Almost. I might have an idea to talk you into though, where can I find you?
No sooner had she hit send than another thought occurred to her, pertinent enough that she tapped out another message immediately. No horses, no guns, no creepy pod person boyfriends. Promise.
Oh thank god, was Hugh's immediate response to her message.
If you were going to pick out his least favorite film genre, this week had nailed it. He'd thrived in crazy early Hollywood musical town, but he knew his strengths, and riding on a horse, waving shotguns in the air wasn't one of them. About the only thing he'd managed to do, and pull off well, was a selection of delightful waistcoats. His current look was actually pretty Val Kilmer in Tombstone if he did say so himself. Burgundy waistcoat, gorgeous cravat, and a flask that was full. He at least looked the part, even if he was in no way going to be pulling off the fastest draw in the west sort of vibe.
It was only a week. This was what he always said to himself when Derleth turned up with something that he wasn't exactly thrilled with. He could last a week. But Yelena's point about the dust was a legitimate one, and he felt like he needed a shower even though he'd had one that morning.
I'm headed back to campus. I went on a shopping trip. Remind me and I'll play the 3:10 to Yuma soundtrack for you when I get back. What's your notion?
Yelena couldnât help but smile at the quick response, though immediately she could feel it was the kind of smile she didnât want anyone else to see. So she looked up before answering, features schooled into a scowl, just in case she needed to chase anyone off for invading her privacy. Her privacy as she sat in public, on the steps to the dorm, with her phone in her hand. It didnât need to make sense.
Content in the knowledge that she was alone for the moment and her little facial slip-up hadnât been seen, she returned her attention to her phone. This place could definitely be better if we give it a soundtrack. For her the location wasnât the most appealing place she couldâve imagined them landing, but it wasnât without its possibilities. One of the things sheâd learned since arriving here, however, was that almost every situation could be improved with music.
She glanced up as if she might see Hugh coming already, but if heâd just left the town to return to campus itâd probably be a couple of minutes at least. So as much as sheâd intended to pitch her idea in person, she reasoned that she might as well give him the broad strokes on his way back so he could have a minute to consider it first. When I was looking around town there was one place that looked really nice on the inside. Like nice enough I didnât want to go inside with the clothes I wear now because I look too messy for it.
After hitting send, she paused to flick away a bramble of some kind that had managed to stick itself to her pants near her ankle, frowning faintly as it wafted its way out of sight. Deserts were definitely not her favorite terrain, and for her this counted as one. Now freed of the stowaway flora, she continued with her idea. Anyway, I asked around and itâs a restaurant and hotel so I say we skip staying on campus this week and pretend to be old time fancy. What do you think? I bought us presents in case you say yes. Not to be bribing or anything, ooooobviously.
everyplace is better with a soundtrack Hugh shot back easily, because it was true. The whole place would be better with a full on musical number from his perspective, but that wasn't what this week was, and he could deal. At least it wasn't zombies, right? It could always be worse. He glanced around, and then turned his attention back to the phone, and his lips turned up in a smile at her next few messages. He probably shouldn't smile as much as Yelena seemed to make him smile. It should all feel a little more life and death and serious or something, but somehow she knew exactly how to make him not hate the entire idea of this week.
I've already got the fancy burgundy waistcoat and cravat so I'm ready for old time fancy. Are you wearing a corset? Will I be able to span your waist with my hands? Do I get to undo the corset? This final question was accompanied with a smirky emoji, because he figured the whole point of a corset had to be to take it off.
But also, yes, please. I want presents.
This time, Hughâs answers earned a roll of Yelenaâs eyes - the sort that was very much only for show even though she had no one to be keeping up appearances for at the moment - and a quiet huff of laughter. Rather than answering, Yelena assumed he was close enough that he could wait to hear from her face to face without wondering at how long it was taking her to reply. She pushed herself to her feet from where sheâd stationed herself on the steps and hooked her index and middle finger around the twine holding her package together before starting across campus to meet him halfway.
As soon as she spotted him, she stretched both arms out wide at shoulder height to demonstrate her current lack of corset. The outfit sheâd started the week with wasnât terrible - black pants and a belt with a large silver buckle, a white button-down shirt worn perhaps a button or two too unbuttoned, and a khaki colored duster that was great for a dramatic sweep but already looked like it had seen better, cleaner days.
Sheâd left her black hat in her room. It was nice for what it was but not even close to something her style; maybe it wouldâve helped her hair from blowing into tangles around her face, but she doubted it couldâve done much.
âSo what I think you say is that if I had just gotten a corset that would be present enough for you?â The greeting, such as it was, started out loudly enough to carry over the few yards still between them and modulated down until the last of it was simply spoken with a smirk and another roll of her eyes since this time, she had an audience. She didnât stop walking until she was close enough to reach out and catch a fingertip in the V of his waistcoat, giving it a gentle tug before she dropped her hand away to plant at her hip instead.
âI donât know what it says that Derleth gives you nice clothes and I wake up looking like I steal cows for a living,â she groused, clearly not terribly concerned about it if the fakeness of her pout was any indication. âBut I do have presents for you. Well. Some for you and I guess now I find out one for both of us, huh?â She swung the package into her arms to hug in front of her, then tipped her head back toward the dorms. âCome on. I show you what I get for you and then change into the things for me. But only because you said yes to old time fancy.â
"You're present enough for me," Hugh returned with a cheeky grin, taking that opportunity presented by her catching him by a fingertip, to lean in and plant a kiss on her lips. "But yes, I realize, uncomfortable, blah blah, but sexy? Although," he took this chance to lean back and actually take in the look, including the slightly lower buttoned shirt and he made a show of consideration. "This is pretty sexy too."
He laughed, turning so that he could actually walk beside her towards the dorm, intentionally eyeing the package she was holding. "To be honest, I bought the cravat just now. The tie Derleth gave me was dreadfully boring, but you bringing me things is making me feel like it's Christmas instead of whatever dust bowl special we're actually in."
The Old West was definitely not his preferred anything, but Yelena had somehow made the week sound⌠fun? Or at least pretending to be old time fancy sounded fun. A giant game of improv and play, and if he had to be stuck where his shoes were going to be full of constant dust, this sounded entertaining. "We're basically back," he added, as they reached the front steps and he pulled the door open for the pair of them. "So that means I get to open things now, right? That's how this works?"
Hugh didn't wait for the protestations, but tugged on the package Yelena carried knowing that if she really didn't want him to open it yet, she could definitely figure out how to keep him in suspense a few moments more. The whole concept of presents was something unexpected, but not unwanted. If anything, it was all the more delightful because of the unexpected nature of it.
The string on the paper was easy enough to untie, and it was sort of funny to him how at home there was a group of his friends that was completely about minimalist wrapping like this, even though there were thousands of other options available, and yet, here this was the option - the obvious only option. "Brown paper packages tied up in strings," he half sang as he unwrapped, with smaller packages were wrapped within, and he pulled at one and then another, unveiling a pocket watch, and a coat for himself, and yes, a corset along with what looked like an amazing dress for Yelena. "This is perfect," Hugh looked at the whole thing, and he couldn't think of another better word for it. He was sure he could have figured out some way to spend the week, but suddenly he was looking forward to it, where he hadn't been even an hour before, and he shook his head and reached for the pocket watch to slip it properly into the vest pocket. "You have impeccable taste, and we should get dressed."
Since Hugh had managed to use a kiss to silence her more vocal reaction instinct to his overture about her being a present, Yelena settled for a shake of her head and a smile that fell well short of the smirk sheâd meant for it to be. It landed firmly in the âamused and fondâ camp and she felt it, so she settled on nudging his side with an elbow as they made their way back toward the dorm.
The package came out of her grasp easily, though she felt it necessary to turn loose and over the top, dramatic gasp like heâd taken her completely by surprise with the steal. âI start to think youâre the kind of person who shakes presents before Christmas, Hugh Christian,â she chided with a less than half-hearted punch to his shoulder. âOr sneaks into the hiding closet and opens them to see and then wraps them again.â Not that six year old Yelena in Ohio had tried (and utterly failed in the rewrapping) to do the same thing.
She watched the unwrapping with her arms folded, one shoulder leaned into the wall so she looked more casual than she felt on the inside. It had been an impulse to buy all of this, driven by a pocket suddenly full of money and a stray thought while in town that becoming a bank robber might sound fun to her, but she knew it wouldnât be Hughâs thing - and finding a way for them to both have a good time had seemed natural. Now that he was seconds away from seeing the result of that thought, however? She felt nervous.
His reaction hit her with a flood of relief, though she did her best not to let it show. She quite literally waved the compliment off as she pushed away from the wall. âAhhh, shut up. I got so much help picking things out. And I tried to get the dress without the corset because they suck so much, you donât even know, but the ladies in the shop tell me the silhouette wonât look right or something if I say no to it. The watch, though,â she added, stepping forward to tap a fingertip against the watch where it sat in the vest pocket, âThat I pick out myself. So maybe I really am great.â She winked and scooped up the armfuls of fabric that made up the dress, then gestured vaguely with all of it in the direction of her room. âThis is all going to take me like thirty minutes to get into by myself. Do you want to meet here again in an hour in case I lie and it actually takes more?â
"I am absolutely that person," Hugh wasn't even going to bother to deny it. Admittedly he hadn't really been that person much for years. At some point in high school presents had become slightly less interesting, his mother, and sometimes his sister had managed to do some fantastic presents over the years, but when he was a kid? He had absolutely been that person. It seemed with Yelena, he might be prone to being that person again. He pulled the watch out again and grinned at it. "This I'm going to keep after this week, because I feel like it's absolutely the thing I've needed to add to my look and never have."
He winked, and stood up, helping Yelena carry the rest of the things up to her room. An hour was longer than he needed, but he'd agreed to it. He'd been in enough plays to know that getting into old fashioned clothes could take longer than getting dressed in typical twenty-first century attire. He'd considered offering assistance, but he also suspected Yelena might want the full look on before she saw him, so he'd gone back to his own room and taken a shower, gotten himself dressed again, taking the time to polish up his shoes. With the jacket and the pocket watch, really the only thing Hugh felt like he was genuinely missing was the facial hair. But that really wasn't his style, and he couldn't grow that over an hour, so he was going to have to make do. By the time the hour had passed and Hugh found himself back on the front steps of the dorm, he had to admit that there was such an edge of excitement that it might almost be nervousness.
This was ridiculous. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen Yelena in a dress before, nor as if she hadn't seen him dressed up either. The fairy ball had offered that opportunity, and while neither of them had dressed up so fancy, there had also been dress up opportunities in the Toon Town forties. He checked his watch, put it back in, and glanced up to one of the windows, not sure exactly which one was hers. The distraction was exactly enough to mean that he wasn't looking when the door did open again.
In the end, Yelena really did need almost the full hour sheâd allowed herself. The getting dressed part wasnât the difficult aspect of it - complicated as that was in some ways, it felt like nothing in comparison to how long it took her to do her hair. Sheâd showered the dust off but left her hair a mess, both because she didnât have the time to both dry and style it and because she figured a curl might have more of a chance at holding if her hair wasnât fully clean.
By the time she was finished her hair was a surprisingly artful pile of curls pinned into an arrangement that cascaded down between her shoulder blades and she was wearing a cobalt blue dress with a skirt that fell in tiers of ruffles that were gathered and pinned at her left side by dusky pink satin roses. The white opera length gloves the ladies at the store had talked her into seemed a stupid touch to her - there was no way they were staying clean - but sheâd put them on as part of the initial look, at the very least. As soon as sheâd fastened on the single piece of jewelry she was going to wear - a thin black ribbon of a choker necklace with a silver-set gem that matched the color of her dress as a pendant - she gave herself a look in the small mirror and made a face like she was surprised at her own level of approval. Not an always thing, of course⌠but when in Rome. Or Sweetwater.
When even the rustling of her skirt as she stepped through the door didnât make Hugh turn around, Yelena bit back a mischievous snicker so she didnât give herself away and reached down to her knees to gather the skirt up enough that she could more easily nudge the pointed toe of one cream colored heeled boot against his calf.
âYou shouldnât make it so easy to sneak up on you,â she advised with a laugh, stepping back as she dropped the skirts with a whisper of the material against itself. âNot everybody around here is going to be so nice about it as I am, you know.â
Hugh's grin was instant, and as his gaze came up to take in the full picture, it caught and held. He was someone who could find beauty in a lot of places and he did. He didn't need fancy dresses, or perfect hair which might make no sense considering how particular he was about his own appearance, but that didn't mean that he couldn't take a look at Yelena and think he'd rarely seen anyone look quite so amazing as she did currently.
"You're here now so it doesn't matter if I let people sneak up on me or not, you can make them take several seats." He held out his arm so that she could take it. "I'm pretty sure that you look far more amazing than any old time fancy person here. And we're going to walk into that hotel, and every head is going to literally turn, because we are that couple now. Gorgeous and mysterious, and everyone is going to want to be us."
For all of Yelenaâs complaints about heels and fancy dresses and the inconvenience of it all, she certainly knew how to navigate herself through wearing them when she wanted to let that particular strange aspect of her training manifest itself. With a smile that did nothing to hide the smugness of her pride in the reaction sheâd earned, she reached to pluck her skirt up neatly, just enough past her ankle to make the step down smooth while at the same time slipping her other hand into the crook of Hughâs offered elbow. âNobody sneaks up on you when Iâm here anyway, so nobody has to take any seats. Which I think is probably very lucky for them.â
The only problem with gorgeous and mysterious - which she had to agree they certainly were, especially given most of the population outside the one specific place they were headed - was that they were going to stick out on their way from the campus to the Coronado. With gunfights breaking out with alarming regularity and bandits in the streets, Yelena decided vigilance was preferable to conversation on the walk. Once they were within what she deemed was a safe distance from the Coronado doors, some of the tension in her frame dropped as she looked up at Hugh with an easy smile.
âYou know you say mysterious and it makes me think we should come up with a cover story,â she admitted with a laugh, knowing too well she sounded like exactly what sheâd been trained to be. âBut we might be mysterious enough already, showing up outside of the town out of nowhere and nobody knows us. If anybody asks me,â she added more quietly as they neared the doors, âIâm telling everybody a different story. Just so you know and can play along. Or make up your own things, this is for having fun, right?â
Hugh laughed, because it was lucky for them. To be fair, maybe he didn't know everything that Yelena could do, but he thought he knew enough. He knew enough to know that she'd never failed as a child, knew enough to know that she could sneak in and out of places easily, and he'd seen her with a gun before. And nobody wanted her to make them take any seats.
But he too fell into a sort of alert status next to her as they walked. He had the gun at his hip, but it was more for show than anything else. Yelena would be the one likely to be dangerous should they need anything, and it was one of the downsides so far of this week. Hugh hated violence - actual violence - with a passion, and there was far more of it in this town than he wanted to endure. In some ways he might have ended up just staying on campus after his initial venture out, and so he was grateful that Yelena had come up with a plan, and just put it into action. He glanced over and down at her, trying to hide a smile as he did so - less from her and more from passers-by.
"This is basically one giant real life improv," he told her as they reached the porch and it felt as if he could maybe breathe just a little bit easier. "So you throw something out, and I'll catch it," he promised. "I used to fucking love improv in college. Like, alright stage stuff is great, and it's art and discipline and freedom within the constraints of the story, but improv is spontaneity and chaos, and it's a lot of fun. And this week we get to do it in fancy dress," he reached for the door. "After you, darling."
Yelena knew sheâd made it fairly clear in her time at Derleth that she was a big proponent of the crazy plan - they tended to be more fun, for one thing, and for another they almost invariably granted the advantage of having the element of surprise. Here for this plan, only the former was really that important⌠but that didnât mean she wasnât quietly delighted to have a partner in zany, stakes free crime.
She paused just short of the doors, less because she expected him to open them for her (she didnât) and more because she wanted to turn the full force of her mischievous grin in his direction as she gave his arm a squeeze. âI knew at least part of you liked the chaos,â she teased, reaching across her body to unnecessarily smooth down the front of his waistcoat before stepping away to allow him to open the door, which he did. Adding a dramatic sweep of his arm and a grin that suggested he was absolutely on board with whatever chaos she might come up with today. âBe careful before you give me the inch I need to drag you into more of it, Hugh Christian.â
Swanning into the lobby of the restaurant and hotel, she made a leisurely beeline for the desk and offered the employee behind it a polite if rather indifferent looking smile when she stepped up to it. âWeâd like a room, please.â Sheâd modulated her accent enough that she sounded⌠definitely not Russian, but not distinctly anything else, either. German, perhaps. Totally unnecessary, but a stretch of a muscle she so rarely got to use. âOne bed is fine. Preferred, actually.â She turned to Hugh to give him a smile that melted into warmth, though there was still a rehearsed air to it for anyone whoâd seen her truly smile before. The smile he returned to her might have been just for her eyes, or maybe for everyone else: was it acting, or was it real, or was that question just part of the fun? She leaned over the desk a little and lowered her voice to sound conspiratorial, her hand finding its way to Hughâs elbow again. âAnd put the reservation under Lizette Kaufmann, please? We prefer to make it harder for his father to find us.â
The man behind the desk looked as if he couldnât have possibly cared less about the story Yelena was spinning, but it wasnât really a story for him; there were people milling about the lobby and another couple checking in near them, and if anyone cared to gossip, well⌠perhaps sheâd planted a seed. And if not? Then improv between two people could still be the fun kind of chaos.