We're going Shopping! [Adaryn]

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise liked to spend her weekends downtown, particularly in the boutiques and consignment shops. Even if she didn't buy anything (though she usually did), it gave her ideas. She usually found pieces that inspired her, sometimes she bought things that she could cut up and piece back together in a new, better way. Shopping wasn't just spending money on things she didn't need, for Eloise. It was a way for her to continue on her career path. To express herself. It was important to Eloise.

So when Adaryn texted Eloise and asked to hang out, Eloise offered for the girl to come along. It had been a while since she was in Clothing Poverty, and she was hoping to find some nice, summery clothes. And she was secretly hoping to find something that Addie may be willing to wear on a date (like a real date) with Monroe, if El could ever convince the two (well... mostly Monroe) to just go for it.

She was quite excited that she had someone to go shopping with, for once. It made the experience different, and fun to Eloise. It gave her someone to get different opinions from. She could share her own expertise as well. The walk downtown was fairly mundane - focusing on the whether and the end of the school year. Eloise hope that as soon as they stepped in the shop they'd have more to talk about.

"ah... I love this store," Eloise said with a smile and they stepped in, keeping to the right of the line to look at all the girl clothes. There was a wide selection of sun dresses and tank tops for the summer, and Eloise was glad to see a variety of white dresses that she would have to consider for graduation. "Do you come down town much?" Eloise asked curiously, wondering if Adaryn had ever been in the shop.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn preferred to spend her days wandering and looking for things to draw, but the campus of Hammel had only entertained her for so long, so she decided to text Eloise instead and subsequently signed herself onto go shopping. Shopping, of all things! Adaryn couldn't stand shopping because it involved taking off her cardigan and putting on other clothes. Unless she were buying cardigans? Well, that would probably do her some good.

But knowing Eloise, she wouldn't be able to do that; after all, she was a fashionista and probably disliked the fact that she was most comfortable in jeans and graphic tee's, oh and cardigans. Just to be safe, Addie applied a light layer of dermablend (she had found that concealer covers scars most effectively) along her arms. That's when she texted Eloise she was coming, and they went downtown together.

Eloise was very much in her element walking into the store, but well, Adaryn started to feel slightly nervous with the idea of tank tops and dresses which seemed to be everything they were housing at the moment. She probably would be drawn to the clearance rack with all the half priced winter apparel. If Eloise would even let her. "Not really," She replied slowly, running her hand along a dress to pretend as if she were paying attention, when really, she was more or less keeping her mental shields up. "I don't really shop much in general. I prefer to just re-wear my clothes until they decide it's time to die."

[Eloise Eaton]

"Clothes don't die," Eloise offered as she approached one of the racks by the doors, "They just start begging for a new purpose." Eloise liked to take old clothes and re purpose them, sew them into new pieces, create bags or scarves. Sometimes it was hard to cut up an expensive old dress, but at a certain point you can't tailor something to fit you anymore, and you certainly can't get some wine stains out.

"And I know shopping isn't really your thing, and that we may have completely different tastes," Eloise offered, not even having to read Adaryn's mind to tell she wasn't really thrilled about the concept of shopping at some of these stores, "But I'm making it my goal today to find you something nice to wear... you know. For people," she faded off at the end of the sentence, figuring maybe Adaryn didn't want to turn this into another thing about Monroe. But every time Addie and Eloise were together, Monroe was one of few common topics they had to go off of. And Eloise was convinced the two would get together eventually, and if Eloise had a say in it, Addie was going to look as cute as physically possible on their first real date.

"Of course I'll take your wants and needs into consideration," Eloise offered, mostly as a joke - to say 'yeah I know you think I'm going to be overbearing and controlling'. She wasn't though. Not today, anyway. She didn't know Addie well enough to start forcing her into cute clothes.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Well, I wouldn't know." Adaryn laughed quietly at herself. To Adaryn, everything had their own life and purpose to live, and that include clothing. She figured that might be because, as an artist, every item in a painting or picture can give that piece significance. Once Eloise spoke up again, it made perfect sense to the blue-eyed girl.

She really liked the way Eloise thought.

Well, she took that comment back halfheartedly. For People, she had said. For people meant only one person, and Adaryn didn't have to be a Telepath to figure out she meant Monroe. "You know, I don't think he'll even notice if I change the way I dress. He's too sleep deprived to even care," She had to bring some sort of humor into this, because she didn't want to think about getting dressed up for Monroe... That would just be awkward. Addie liked her converse and cardigans.

"So what exactly are you planning to get me to try on?"

[Eloise Eaton]

"I don't think you give Monroe enough credit," Eloise said, searching through one of the racks. Sure, all guys were guys, and really only noticed so much when it came to clothing or hair or makeup or really anything that girls did to try and grab their attention. "I think if we got something spectacular, then he'd notice. I'm going to make sure he notices."

In fact, Eloise had plans for Monroe too. She wasn't going to bring it up just yet - she was going to wait until after graduation when they were living in the same place and she could start pushing him to make some changed. Eloise understood that Monroe had his own style and own ideas about how he wanted to look and dress, and Eloise respected that. But she had a few ideas of how he could be a better him and still be happy about it. And she was pretty sure Addie would appreciate it too.

"I'm not looking for anything specific," Eloise said honestly with a shrug. "Just some nice pieces that you might not even consider trying on usually that would look killer on you," Eloise said with a little smile. It was usually how people were. They tied them self down to one direction and didn't like to try new things. "And if we find something you like that doesn't quite fit, I can alter it. I've been trying to get back into alterations," Eloise offered, pulling a couple things off the rack, not noting whether it was for her or Adaryn, and not really planing on telling her until they went to try things on. "Do you need anything in particular?" Eloise asked, wondering if Addie would give her anything to latch onto.

[Adaryn Breslin]

What could she say about that? Maybe Eloise was right; she may not have given him enough credit in that department. Maybe he would like what Eloise put her in, and hell, maybe she would like it too? But she was also fearful of the idea of going without sleeves, and she had to wonder if Eloise would push her out of her sleeved comfort zone for something more... summer-esque, if that was how you would call it?

"I... Well, sleeves?" Adaryn shielded her mind harder in that moment so her thoughts of the scars on her arms were blocked from the blonde telepath. She wasn't ready to tell Eloise just yet, and as it were, Monroe, Dr.Neville, and Mr. Meian were the only ones who knew about those marks. They were the only ones who knew about her pained past. Hell, she didn't even think Monroe knew about the fact that she was given up to the state and didn't have anywhere to go after her Senior year.

"I really don't care about the color... I just feel most comfortable with sleeves on."

[Eloise Eaton]

Sleeves. She liked sleeves. Eloise knew that, without reading Adaryn's mind. She had a thing about paying attention to what people wore, and why. And no, she didn't know why Addie liked sleeves, but the way the girl said it was enough to know she didn't feel like sharing. And Eloise would respect that. She had her theories, as there were only so many reason one could be so adamant about wearing sleeves, but frankly it didn't matter which if any of those ideas were correct. "I can work with that," Eloise said with a little smile, trying to reassure Adaryn that there wasn't anything wrong with wanting a certain style. Some people liked big and baggy, some people liked skin tight, some people wanted to cover their legs, some their arms, some their everything.

"We're about the same size but you're a bit shorter," Eloise mused to herself as she looked through the racks, pulling out a couple of other things, quickly attaining a small pile of clothing draped over her left arm."

"I think you should try on some jackets..." Eloise stated, pulling a couple of outfits for each of them over toward the small changing room in the back - just a couple of booths with curtains for doors. "I know you like cardigans, and don't get me wrong I do too... but just for a nice change. You might find one you like," Eloise offered, knowing that it may be a bit hard to find pieces with long sleeves right at the beginning of the summer. Eloise separated the clothing into two different groups, hanging the pieces on the rack that was provided outside the changing room.

There were three outfits in particular that Eloise hoped that Addie would like. A maroon and black jumpsuit - which was sleeveless, but paired up with a light periwinkle blazer. A yellow polkadot blouse with black shorts(both chosen with the intention to show off Addie's legs if she didn't want to show off her arms). And one dress that Eloise thought Addie may not even be willing to try on, but she put it in with the mix anyway - a white dress with a flowery embossment, a collar, and cut outs on the side. It didn't have sleeves, but Eloise knew it'd look good on Addie so she slipped it into the mix of the outfits she chose as well as a few other pieces.

"So these are just things I think you'd look good in. No hard feelings if you don't like anything. You don't even have to try it on if you don't want," Eloise offered, gesturing to the right side of the rack (which had significantly more clothes than the left, becuase suddenly this little trip had become Project Runway: Adaryn edition).

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn watched with wide eyes as the rack grew with the number of clothes it held. Dresses, shorts, jackets... Adaryn didn't know how to handle the amount of new clothing that the blonde was offering for her to try on. Jackets she could most definitely do... but shorts? Adaryn didn't have any scars on her legs, thank goodness, but she never really did like wearing shorts. It required her to shave -which she did once a week anyway, and thank god that day was yesterday- but she didn't like the idea of having a razor near her skin. Sometimes those moments where she shaved was almost so panic inducing, she finds herself trying not to cry, but she pulls herself together and does it anyway, because she knew she had to face that fear head on.

Even if it scared her half to death.

"No... I'll try them. I mean, it's good for me to try and change a bit for the better, right?" Adaryn was hesitant, to say the least, but at least she was willing to try. Being closed off to ideas and people never got her anywhere, and hey, maybe she would enjoy the freedom of having no sleeves or no jeans? Of course, she probably would hate it at first, but Adaryn was willing to try for Eloise's sake.

Adaryn nodded, taking the items to the dressing room, giving the woman a polite 'thank you' when she showed Adaryn to her dressing room. She turned to Eloise before going in, "Please stay right by the door so I don't have to walk out to find you?"

Adaryn went in, changing into the jacket outfit first, staring at herself in the mirror with wide eyes. She had... legs that were an even tone throughout... and what was showing of her arms was covered by a natural-looking layer of makeup to hide her scars. She was surprised... she looked... good.

Timidly, Addie pried her eyes away from the mirror and opened the door. "Eloise? Uh... How do I look?"

[Eloise Eaton]

"I'll be right here," Eloise promised, with a bright smile and a twinkle in her eye that could only be caused by something like clothing - honestly the only thing that Eloise felt any sort of passion about. It could be considered quite superficial, but Eloise didn't care. It was art for her. And to have someone willing to share it was pretty cool - the only person she had ever really gone shopping with before was her dad and that didn't exactly excite the blonde.

Eloise browsed through a nearby rack while Adaryn changed, not paying too much attention to what was on the rack - just trying to be patient while the other girl changed. It took a little longer than Eloise would have anticipated, but the blonde was the queen of early morning quick changes when she couldn't decide what to wear.

Soon enough, though, the door opened, and Eloise took the couple steps back toward the place Adaryn stood, first peering through the door timidly and then stepping out. Eloise tried to contain her internal squeal of excitement - though she was sure the empath could sense it - the same way Eloise could sense Adaryn was nervous even though she wasn't directly reading her mind. When Adaryn asked how she looked, Eloise let out a single laugh "Girl, I think you look smokin' hot and I'm a genius for pairing those pieces, but that isn't really what matters," Eloise said honestly, taking another step toward Adaryn, and taking her by shoulders to turn her around and look back in the mirror. Eloise's body mostly disappeared behind Adaryns, but being taller she could still see herself over the other girl's shoulder.

"How do you think you look?" Eloise asked, begging for honesty. "How do you feel?" she asked, peering over Adaryn and locking eyes with the brunette's reflection, taking just a moment to smooth out the shoulders of the jacket, resisting the temptation to run and find a cute necklace to go with the outfit - because she was pretty sure she saw one on the way into the store...

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn really didn't know how to take the idea of Eloise calling her 'smokin' or 'hot' because all she felt was everything but. That, and the idea of being hot meant she would receive attention, which was something she most definitely did not want. But because this was Eloise, she was willing to at least consider these things.

How did she think she looked? How did she feel? "Naked," Adaryn said truthfully, shifting her feet as the chill of the air conditioning chilled her bare legs. "But... not a bad kind of naked. Just... I don't wear shorts. Ever." But Eloise already knew that since she had picked them out in the first place; she also took into consideration her wish for sleeves in this one, so Addie really couldn't complain about anything.

"Thank god I shaved yesterday..." She mumbled to herself.

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise had to laugh at Adaryn reffering to herself as 'naked'. It was a common feeling for people who clung to long sleeves and pant legs. It was exposing. And Eloise wasn't trying to force Addie into anything, but show her that it could be ok, if she tried it. But when she described herself as 'naked' Eloise definitely sympathized. "Girl, you don't know naked until a cute boy pops out of the lake while you're skinny dipping," Eloise said without even thinking, almost immediately feeling embarrassed that she spoke aloud what had happened a few weeks back.

Eloise cleared her throat after her little confession, hoping Addie didn't ask way too many questions, but also not really preparing herself to hide anything (the only person Eloise figured could never know under any circumstance was her father.) "Uh... why don't you try the next one on?" El suggested, nudging the other girl back in the direction of the changing room, putting her focus back onto Addie and her wardrobe.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Eloise's comment was completely uncalled for and just so random... but usually that indicated towards some sort of truth to the sentence. Her shifting aura only furthered her suspicions, but because of her own nervousness, Addie's reaction came in a very odd way. The Empath began laughing.

Laughing, genuine laughter. Not because she was trying to humiliate Eloise, but because she just found it amusing. El was not a girl who usually was embarrassed; she worked everything she had in such a sophisticated way and didn't take anything from anyone, which was why Adaryn respected the Telepath so much. In her laughter, Addie found herself leaning against the blonde for support.

"Sorry, Sorry." She gasped. "But did that... actually happen?"

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise mentally slapped herself for revealing the humiliating occurrence, but it was hard to stay mad at herself with Addie's infectious laughter. And Eloise knew with just a moment of reading that Addie wasn't trying to make fun of El... it was just a very amusing situation. Eloise began laughing too, realizing how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

"Yes it happened!" Eloise admitted, maybe a bit to loudly through laughter. She lowered her voice upon this realization. "He has enhanced lung capacity! I had no clue he was in the water and it was getting dark and I was wearing a white shirt and needed to cool off from a run..." Eloise explained all a bit too fast between a small fit of giggles. She propped Adaryn back up to a standing position.

"And then a few weeks later I puked on his floor..." Eloise admitted, adding to the hilarity with a shrug and roll of her eyes that said I'm going to pretend that I don't even care that I made a fool out of myself in front of this guy TWICE. "And I wish I was in something as cute as that outfit when I did because sweatpants AND throwup... talk about a losing combo."

[Adaryn Breslin]

Eloise's laughter seemed to fuel her own, and the confessions started spewing out, but Adaryn knew that soon she would have to calm down. So she attempted to stop the laughter, and instead, she was grinning like an idiot. Eloise and Adaryn had never been particularly close, but the younger girl had never felt so comfortable in her presence, even with the shorts on.

"You really don't leave much up to the imagination, Eloise." She teased, but Adaryn almost felt that if this guy had seen her at her worst, and he still spoke to Ella, what would stop him from talking to her at her best? Did he like her? Monroe had seen her upset, had seen her depressed, he had seen the things she didn't want anybody else to see... and yet he still stayed. Now, he hadn't seen her naked, an idea that almost frightened her, but Eloise obviously didn't mean for that to happen.

Her mood remained at a premium, though, when she spoke again. "Let me get dressed into the next outfit, and then we can talk a little more?" Addie really enjoyed this, more than she had expected, and even felt somewhat okay with putting on the sleeveless dress next. But it'd still probably take her some time to open up the door when she had it on.

[Eloise Eaton]

"Trust me... the whole no clothes-puke fest was not part of the plan," Eloise promised with a slight eye roll, knowing she hadn't left much to the imagination, but clearly that had not been the intention she had. Frankly, she had little to no intentions when it came to Kuni - except to for once keep herself in once piece, and not make herself look like a fool in front of the Inuit boy.

"Yes, please, go get changed," Eloise agreed, watching Adaryn walk into the changing room one more, glad to have gotten off the topic, but feeling as if her brunette companion would bring it back up at some point... especially when she stated that they'd talk more when she returned. Because, honestly, what else would they talk about? Monroe was pretty much all they had in common. That and their powers were somewhat similar. But the former was probably a slightly sore subject, and the latter was not exactly a conversation for public. Some people still didn't like the fact that metas existed.

It seemed to be taking Adaryn a bit to get changed, and Eloise walked over to the door of the changing room and said loud enough to hear through the door, "Are you alright in there, Addie?"