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Richard Wainwright ([info]atrickstertype) wrote in [info]paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-10-11 20:23:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:loki, sif

Laughing as the Spirits Appear
Who: Richard and Lucy
What: A Random Encounter at a Costume Shop
Where: Screaming Mimi's Costume Boutique
When: October 11, 2011, Early Evening
Warnings: None yet

The Halloween Warehouse had been a massive disappointment. Richard didn't know exactly what he had been expecting from a temporary storefront in a strip mall, but it had been something better than vinyl bags with pictures of costumes that only vaguely resembled the cheap fabric inside. Maybe it had been the lousy rubber masks that had left him feeling so dissatisfied, maybe it was the flimsy plastic armor, but something had hit an unexpected nerve. Costumes were supposed to give you a chance to be someone you weren't! Well, he corrected himself, costumes were at least supposed to get you free booze and help you meet new people. He somehow doubted that anyone who would be impressed by a Darth Vader costume with buttons printed onto the fabric of the chest would be someone he wanted to meet.

A quick Google search later and Richard had the address for a place called Screaming Mimi's Costume Boutique, which specialized in vintage clothing and sounded much more promising. Since the map made it look like it was in a residential district he ditched the truck (even unhitched from the Monster it was too big to drive down most streets safely) and opted for the bus. With route-changes and an unexpected post-Columbus day detour the ride had taken him almost an hour, but as he stepped down from the bus he thought it might have been worth it. The neighborhood looked like a small town main street, with a row of old fashioned shops on one side and a small park on the other. Something jazzy was playing from the coffee shop on the corner, and the sound mixed with the smell of pumpkin spices from a nearby bakery and what he thought was barbecue from down the street. The whole area looked both trendy and posh, as though some planning committee had put a lot of time making sure that the only thing it had in common with the rest of California was an accident of geography.

Already more hopeful, Richard followed his iPhone's directions down two streets of quaint eateries, art galleries, and antique stores to what looked like a clothing store. That is, until he looked up. Each window on the second floor had a pair of shapely legs coming from it, each pair wearing a different kind of garishly colored stockings. The internet reviews had mentioned this, but Richard still grinned and shook his head. No mistaking this place!

As he walked in, squeezing past a mannequin dressed as Marsha Brady, he got a feeling that he was going to like this shop a whole lot more than the last. The store was filled with racks of clothes which, from what he could see, were sorted by decade. Shoes lined the walls up to a point, and above them hung pre-assembled outfits. A long glass counter filled with costume jewelry split the shop in two, and on the other side Richard could see mascot masks and rows of clothing so thick they must be hard to move. Rentals, he guessed. But best of all, the place was almost empty. After the hordes of Halloween shoppers at the other store, it was nice to see that this one so sparsely populated. He guessed that the two women dressed as Jackie O. ran the place, which meant that he was the only customer besides the blond over by the row of dresses. That suited him just fine. He nodded at the women behind the counter and started to browse, working his way back from the door.

This place presented a whole new set of problems. There were too many choices! He flipped through a selection of military coats and trenches, paused briefly to chuckle at some 80s castoffs that probably have come from his high school wardrobe, and lingered for a while over a display of hats. He was just about to try on a fez when he looked up and accidentally caught the other patron's eye. Richard paused, hat midway to his head, and smiled a greeting.



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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-12 02:52 am UTC (link)
After perusing the dresses and being unable to decide, Lucy turned her attention elsewhere. This store was full of so many interesting things she didn't know where to look first. She was trying to make her way through the store in an orderly manner, but it was hard. Everything just screamed to be touched or tried on.

She settled on the costume jewelery. She let her fingertips slide along the glass display case, quietly taking in the selection before her. She would have fit right in at a museum with how reverent she was. She slowly meandered down to the end of the counter, her fingertips never leaving the glass. When she reached the end, she stood beside it, fingers still touching the glass, and lifted her gaze.

In doing so, her eyes met those of the other person in the shop.

"Nice hat."

She grinned at him, nodding toward the fez.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-12 05:10 am UTC (link)
Hearing her voice, Richard froze. There was something familiar-- and a wave of emotion hit him. Recognition, respect, something like anger or jealousy, disdain, amusement, they hit him like a kick in the gut and he blinked, trying to sort them out. When he opened his eyes again, he saw, well, a different woman. Fuller, older, and with hair unlike any he'd ever seen. Gods, she was gorgeous.

And, as quick as it had come, it was gone. He realized that he had been gaping for a moment, and that the fez was being slowly contorted by the death grip he had on it. Awkward. Quickly, trying to salvage the moment, he swept into a bow (which he didn't remember learning how to do) and put the hat on his head. It was at least a size too small. "Do you think so? I mean, I wasn't intending on going as a organ-grinder's monkey this Halloween, but if you think it works!" He gave her his very best smile and tried not to stare.

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-14 04:08 am UTC (link)
There was that feeling again. It was starting to get eerie. It had been interesting the first two times or so, but now it was starting to feel like she was in one of those scary stories her dad use to tell her when they'd stay up all night and watch the Home Shopping Network together. It didn't help that her sense of recognition with this person came with an undertone of dread.

She pushed it aside. He hardly looked menacing. She supposed that it would be hard for anyone to look menacing with a somewhat squished, too small fez on their head. She couldn't hold back her giggles.

"You'd have a built in candy bowl with that hat. You'd probably run out of room pretty quickly though."

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-16 07:55 am UTC (link)
"That just means I would have to work hard to empty it during the course of the night. To make room for more, of course." Richard winked and put the hat back where he had found it. "But I think I'd get some pretty funny looks if I tried to go trick-or-treating. Maybe it's better off here."

Instead, he picked up a fedora and perched it on his head at such an angle that it covered one eye. He cleared his throat, slumped a bit, and said in his best Marlon Brando (which he knew was pretty bad), "So mebbe I sez to 'dem, I sez dat either they gives me the candy or I makes them an offer they can't refuse." Dropping the accent and lifting the hat from his eye, he clarified, "You know, that they give me candy, even though I'm a fully grown man at their front door."

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-16 09:32 pm UTC (link)
That sense of dread she was feeling refused to go away, but it didn't make sense. The friendlier he was, the more uneasy she became. He hadn't done a thing to deserve it. He was funny and friendly. Friendly and funny people weren't bad people. His Marlon Brando impression may be awful, but that didn't mean he was.

She tapped her finger on her chin and tilted her head, giving him a thoughtful look as though she was assessing his idea.

"I have a feeling people would totally call the police before they gave you candy. It might work at a party though? I hear there are going to be a few in the area." People were so jumpy about things. There were no Trunk or Treat things when she was growing up. Going door to door was the only way you got Halloween candy back then. Sure, people sort of scoffed at the older folks who joined the kids in their pursuit of candy, but most people played along. That didn't seem to be the case anymore.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-18 06:08 pm UTC (link)
Not staring was going pretty well. He knew they had never met before. A few of the other familiar faces around he might have forgotten, or only met in passing, but he was pretty sure that he would have remembered hers. So why was it that he felt like he not only knew her, but knew her well? Maybe he really was losing it. Something to do with California.

At any rate, he had used up his allowable creepyness for this conversation already, so he pushed the thought aside and nodded thoughtfully. "That's actually what I thought too," he said, "and it just so happens that I got invited to a party almost as soon as I moved here. Which, despite what I may or may not have suggested earlier, is why I'm perusing the wares in this lovely establishment. What about you? Are you looking for a Halloween costume too, or do you just like classic clothes??" He set down the fedora and moved on to a rack of coats. If he could just find one piece he liked, building a costume around it would be easy enough.

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-20 01:22 am UTC (link)
Perhaps this line of conversation would ease her worries. She really had no idea what to wear for Halloween. She really wasn't comfortable in the skin tight costumes they made for women this year. It wasn't a long standing issue. Lucy never had problems showing skin. She lived at the beach when she was healthy, being scantily clad came with the territory.

This year was different. She wasn't comfortable in her own skin anymore, and the idea of wearing anything tight or revealing was upsetting. She had tried normal costume shops, to no avail. Every costume she looked at was immediately put back and a little more of her confidence was chipped away.

"I guess you could say a little of both. I totally can't find a costume that I like this year. Someone told me I might have luck here."

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-20 06:15 am UTC (link)
That got him to look up from the stiff wool and gold brocade of the officer's uniform he was examining. The surprise that filled his voice had some flattery in it, sure, but a surprising amount was genuine. "You're having a hard time finding a costume?" He looked at her, quizzically. It didn't make any sense.

Then he thought back on the costumes that the first shop had offered and smirked. "Don't you want to dress as a naughty nun or a flapper, like everyone else?" he asked, sarcasm dripping off of his tongue. "I know I've seen at least three variations on costumes of major pop culture icons with the word 'sexy' describing things that it was never meant to. 'Sexy Fred Flinstone.' I ask you." He faked a disgusted shiver.

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-22 05:35 am UTC (link)
The surprise made her pause and she instantly became self conscious. She tugged the sleeves of her shirt down over her hands and bit her lip. Was it wrong to be indecisive about costumes? She'd never really had trouble before.

He kept going though, and her brow furrowed as she followed his train of thought. Or tried to. She got the basic gist of it, he didn't seem to care for the costume store selection either. Well good. She was glad she wasn't alone in that.

"Not really? It's all so....short." And tight, and skimpy and totally not something she felt comfortable wearing.

"Something with pants would be nice." Leggins or tights didn't count.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-23 08:20 pm UTC (link)
Seeing how uncomfortable she looked, Richard backpedaled as fast as he could. Obviously he had come across wrong. "I didn't mean that you wouldn't look good in them!" he said. "You would! I mean... That sounded kind of creepy, didn't it? I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that Fred Flinstone has no right to have a sexy costume designed after him. And neither do nuns... I mean, all women have the right, but..."

He shut up, looked at her, and waved a hand. "If you could just forget everything I said for the past minute, that would be great. I'm going to go bury my head in that rack of paisley shirts and pretend that I'm a socially adept human being." He pointed across, hoping that he wasn't blushing. Usually he was a little more able to stop himself from sounding so awkward and ridiculous. Why was this woman throwing him off so badly?

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-23 11:31 pm UTC (link)
"You don't have to hide in the shirts." She would prefer that he didn't actually. It would make continuing this conversation really difficult. "You won't be able to see much hiding in there."

She walked around the counter to stand before him and held out her hand. "I'm Lucy. Hi. I'm pretty good at forgetting things. Does that make you feel better?"

Being closer to him amped up that feeling of uncertainty she felt towards him. She was going to do her best to try and forget that as well, she really couldn't figure out why he gave her the heebie jeebies, and it didn't seem fair to judge him before she even knew his name.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-24 12:43 am UTC (link)
Richard took Lucy's hand with an abashed smile. "It's nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm Richard. And yes, that does make me feel better. Just a little." He pulled away and rubbed the back of his neck, still slightly abashed. "What I was trying to say, before I so spectacularly said nothing of any use, was that you don't seem like you would have much trouble finding something fun to be for Halloween. I'm sure we can figure something out."

He looked around the shop, trying to think of what that might be. "There are some nice looking bell-bottoms over there," he said. "And I think I saw a pair of those poofy Aladdin pants somewhere." He somehow doubted she'd be up for a harem girl outfit, but they were pants, which seemed to be her sticking point.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but looking her over again. There was still no sign of the (what had it been? Waking dream? Hallucination?) that he had seen when she first spoke, but he couldn't shake the feeling of knowing her. What was most odd was that, under his overriding feeling of familiarity, he felt almost...well, not malicious, exactly. It was more like she was the perfect person to tease. He felt a little bit like a young boy, inclined to pull on her pigtails and run off across the playground. It was probably too early to do something like that, though.

"I'm not sure what kind of outfit I'm looking for, either. Maybe we can help each other out?" He hoped the offer didn't sound too creepy.

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-25 03:50 am UTC (link)
"Bell-bottoms might be nice." Harem pants not so much. Those were usually flimsy and midriff revealing from what she remembered of Aladdin and I Dream of Jeanie. "I didn't really think I was going to dress up this year. This is all sort of last minute."

She turned around and surveyed the hats he had just been perusing. There was a wide selection and her eyes wandered for quite some time before she settled on a worn looking cowboy hat. She plucked it from its place and held it out to him with a discerning eye.

"You look more the cowboy type than the funny bowl hat type."

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-26 04:21 am UTC (link)
The expression on Richard's face probably said more than he could about his stance on cowboy hats. It wasn't that they weren't cool, and all, but he had gotten into one too many fights with cowboy wannabes for the chambray and bolo look to appeal to him anymore. "I... think I'll pass," he said, shaking his head. "Not the cowboy type."

He turned back to his coat rack for a second, and uncovered a particularly heavy leather jacket. With a woolen trim. "Oh, you have got to be..." his face split into a grin, and he pulled the hanger out. A leather bomber jacket came with it, sleeves showing some rather worn military patches. It looked, unless he was completely off his rocker, both authentic and in surprisingly good condition. It slid off of its hanger and onto his shoulders as if it had been meant for him, and he couldn't help but beam at Lucy. "What do you think? Do they have an aviator's cap over there?"

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[info]sifwheat
2011-10-28 05:18 am UTC (link)
She shrugged and put the cap back, searching for a better fit. With all the options, there had to be one available. Her attention was diverted to him when he asked for her opinion. It didn't take long for her to decide that it was perfect for him, and she returned his smile with one of her own. "That's perfect! And I think I did see one over there, let me go check again."

Once more her eyes roamed the hats, this time with a goal in mind. It only took a few seconds to find it, and with a little stretching and standing on her tip toes, she was able to reach the brown aviators cap. She handed it to him and stepped back, waiting to judge the complete look.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-30 11:07 pm UTC (link)
The cap was actually a little big, but Richard hardly noticed as he pulled it on and headed for the nearest mirror. The man who stared out at him looked as though he belonged in a WWI movie. It was better than he could have expected. "What do you think?" he asked, turning back to Lucy. "Will I cut a dashing figure at a Halloween party in this?"

Personally, he thought that it was about as good as any costume was likely to get. Which meant he would need to help her find something in return. Privately, he thought the bell bottoms were a great idea. Maybe he could talk her into a fringed leather jacket and a headband, as well. Too bad she wasn't a brunette- this shop probably had all the necessary parts for a Janis Joplin costume.

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