Girl Time [Ronnie]

[Rose McGovern]

Rose was happy.

Why?

Because she had a date.

But not with her boyfriend.

She had requested (read: demanded) some girl time, and as a result, she’d been granted a girls’ day with Ronnie. Though she’d showed up a little early, she’d been quite content to watch Oberon and Jude play video games. Though Oberon was her favourite of all the duplicates (of course), Rose had to admit that she had soft spots for most of them. Benny was just adorable, and fun to play games with. Obie and Ben were great allies to gang up on Oberon with, Ron was fun to bug, and Ronnie was... well, there really weren’t any words to describe her. Though it had taken her a little while to get used to the image of her boyfriend cross-dressing, as she’d gotten to know Ronnie as a person she’d become very used to it.

Of course, she also knew Ronnie took longer than she did to get ready. She hadn’t put a lot of effort into her look for the day, but the way Oberon had looked at her when she’d come to sit beside him to wait, well, she figured it didn’t matter.

As soon as Ronnie was ready (looking gorgeous), Rose jumped up, gave Oberon a quick parting kiss, and headed out with her. “This is going to be so great!” Obviously going out with Ronnie to a public place didn’t faze her in the least. “I was thinking the mall?” Hey, what else made for a good girly hang out? “Unless you have somewhere better in mind?”

[Oberon Sparks]

It wasn't a date.

Not really.

It took Ronnie a long time to do her makeup that morning, but then again, it took her a long time to do her makeup every time she was going out in public and didn't want to be instantly recognized as physically male. There was only so much makeup and clothes could do to soften the hard angles of her face and hide the prominent bump of of her adam's apple. She wore a skirt over leggings and a pretty blouse--ruffled and buttoned up high so it was hard to tell that the breasts under it were attached to her bra--and a long sweater over that. But even with he short hair gently curled and a headband in it, she looked in the mirror and saw a 6'2" man in drag. Good drag, but unless he could convince Oberon to grow his hair out again--and risk them not looking professional at work--she was going to need to buy a wig, and a better-quality one than the one she'd picked up a few years ago.

At least Rose didn't seem to care that Ronnie wasn't sure if she was going to be able to pass today. It was so easy to just chill out with Rose, moreso than with her "brothers" or Jude. They were nice guys, but they all had their own issues and she had a hard time identifying with them sometimes.

It was nice to have a girlfriend. Even if she wasn't necessarily "her" "girlfriend." (She was dating the guy who she was part of sometimes. So it sometimes counted?) "Mall sounds excellent. It's the only place around that sells shoes big enough for me, and I need another set of flats."

[Rose McGovern]

Hey, Rose was spending time with someone she liked. It was a date. ... Kind of.

She hadn’t minded the wait for Ronnie to get ready. She understood her desire to shed as much of Oberon’s masculinity as possible. Considering her job, Rose was exposed to all kinds of people daily. Ronnie being transgendered really didn’t bother her. Hanging out with her was no different to hanging out with Obie, or Ben, or even one of her own girlfriends. Except Ronnie was infinitely more fun than Obie or Ben, because she actually liked shopping. (And hopefully, could tell her if Oberon would like something or not.)

“Great!” Rose bounced along the sidewalk in her black heeled boots. “You look good, by the way. I like that sweater.” While their styles differed tremendously, Rose could still appreciate the other woman’s tastes. “I need... stuff. Maybe some new heels, if we’re going to look at shoes.” God only knew what ‘stuff’ encompassed when it came to Rose.

“Do the boys need anything?” That was probably not the best thing to ask. The boys always seemed to ‘need’ something. Like video games. “Actually, better question. Have they been good enough to deserve anything?” She knew the firehouse got rowdy with all the duplicates, especially if Jude made his own. She was guessing the answer was no. Which was fine with her. Spending the day with Ronnie and not being whined at because ‘one more store’ had turned in six seemed like a good use of her time.

[Oberon Sparks]

No, it wasn't a date. Rose was dating Oberon, and Ronnie could accept that. She had accepted that, and that she would probably never really get to have a girlfriend of her own. And as understanding as Rose could be, she wasn't going to put her in that kind of awkward position. Not when it meant she could have her own best friend. A female best friend who didn't get freaked out by shopping with her.

It was astounding how bouncy someone like Rose could be. Wasn't she supposed to be all dark and gothy? Instead, she was skipping. In combat boots. Ronnie just rolled her eyes and linked arms with the shorter woman. "Well, we could find you some heels then. Maybe even in a color other than black! I know it's shocking, but other colors exist for clothes!" She was kidding, of course. (But a little not really. Rose wore too much black, when she could pull off so much more.)

"No, they really don't. Socks, maybe?" With the exception of her, all of the duplicates shared socks. They bought them all in the same style, and one of three colors. Whenever enough got lost, they'd buy more. It was an efficient system, to be honest, even if it was a little weird. "And they don't deserve it anyway. Maybe we can grab some takeout before we go home though. Chinese? We'll get fortune cookies for everyone."

[Rose McGovern]

Yes, Rose was dating Oberon. She adored Oberon. But this was still a girls’ day, and still fantastic in her mind. She hadn’t spent a huge amount of time one on one with Ronnie, and this was nice. She didn’t think the woman got much of a chance to go out like this, particularly with another female. She knew what brothers were like when it came to shopping. And she knew what the other duplicates were like. Yeah, she was happy to take Ronnie to the mall.

Bouncy was how Rose liked to live. On the outside, she looked a little scary and dark, but inside? She was as friendly and bouncy as any other woman. (Okay, maybe a little more bouncy.) She grinned when Ronnie linked arms with her, slowing her skipping strides. “Red? Red’s okay. Just don’t show me anything pink.” Rose liked black. She did own other colors, honestly. She just didn’t wear them often. As it was, her current outfit could have almost been accidental. Black boots, jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket... okay, she was hopeless. Maybe she’d try to tolerate Ronnie playing dress up.

Rose had to laugh at the suggestion, even more so at the knowledge that they didn’t deserve anything. Not that it surprised her. “If they don’t deserve socks, do they really deserve cookies?” Not that it mattered. She’d cave and bring them cookies. “... Not that it matters. If we don’t bring them something, they’ll whine.”

At least the mall was close by. Rose sped up, tugging Ronnie through the doors only to pause at the mall directory. “... Where do you want to go first?”

[Oberon Sparks]

"How about purple?" But with the people she had grown up with, Ronnie was ready for an argument. Rose was pretty, and though her goth-chick uniform worked well in her job at the tattoo parlor--a place Ronnie hadn't been, because that would probably make things a little weird for the coworkers who had met Oberon--she wouldn't be able to work it forever. "It doesn't have to be bright or light and girly. Just something a bit different." Now she had a goal: Get Rose into something with a print that wasn't skulls.

"Fortune cookies aren't real cookies." She rolled her eyes, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Real cookies are pastries, with things like flour in them." No, Ronnie didn't know a thing about baking, why do you ask? "Fortune cookies are an excuse to have people read silly things out loud and then tack "in bed" to the end of it." As much as they joked about it, all of the Sparks were aware that their sense of humor had stalled somewhere in college. "Plus, they'll whine."

And keeping the most people happy at once was a hard enough job. Cookies, real or fortune, were worth the expense.

"Well," Ronnie looked over the directory as well, then gestured to the department store that took up a big chuck of the closest part of the mall. "Let's start here. Their shoes are usually pretty good." And they had a good variety of sizes, so there was even a chance she could find something she liked that fit her.

[Rose McGovern]

“Purple? I like purple.” Rose actually owned purple. A bit of purple. And red. She just didn’t wear them very often. She didn’t find herself faced with a huge argument about her wardrobe unless a) her brother was ragging on her, or b) her parents were giving her the age old ‘you’re a grown woman, act like it’ lectures. It looked like Ronnie was going to take over that job, however. She pulled a face at the taller woman. “We’re not leaving the mall until you make me try something ‘different’ on, are we?” Oh hell, life was for experimenting. She could humor Ronnie. A little.

“They’re still cookies,” Rose shot back in a good natured way. She knew all about baking. For such a rough looking woman, she could be surprisingly domestic . “And if that’s what they’re going to do with them, I have no problem with that.” Particularly if Ron was spawned. She’d pay to see him do that. She’d long since gotten used to all the Sparks, and their senses of humor. It promised to be a good night if it involved stupid fortunes and time with her boyfriend and his duplicates.

“All right. Onward!” Rose grabbed for Ronnie’s hand and tugged her forward, eager to get going. Having grown up in Pilot Ridge, Rose knew the mall like the back of her hand, and it didn’t take her long to wind her way through the department store to the shoe section. She let go of Ronnie’s hand and made a beeline for a pair of stiletto heels. They weren’t exactly practical, but they were pretty. And black.

Sorry, Ronnie. There’s no hope for her.

[Oberon Sparks]

Really, Ronnie did think that Rose needed to try some other colors, because she had the potential to look good in them. She was painfully aware that she wasn't the most convincing woman, and there was a lot she just couldn't pull off. But Rose could do a lot more, and instead was stuck in this ridiculous rut. (Even if--and Ronnie could admit it--her clothes were actually pretty work-appropriate. She was a tattoo artist; she could dress Goth and not seem like she was trying too hard.) "Yes, you're trying on something different. I just think you would like some more color if you tried it, and you won't look so depressing."

Okay, she was pretty sure even Obie wouldn't be able to say that with a straight face. Rose was never depressing.

In the shoe department, when Rose headed straight for the stilettos, Ronnie rolled her eyes. They looked pretty cool, yeah, but they also looked hella uncomfortable. What caught Ronnie's eye was a pair of blue flats with some beading along the top. They were pretty, wouldn't give her any more height than she needed, and it looked like...yes, there was a pair in her size.

Plus, there was a similar pair in purple, with a different beaded pattern. "Hey, Rose, come look at these." She picked up the display shoe in purple. "They won't look bad with a black dress, promise."

[Rose McGovern]

Rose and other colors? Only when she was behind on laundry. Or if she felt like breaking the goth girl mold that particular day. She’d jammed her closet full of mostly black clothes for so long now that she honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d had mostly ‘normal’ colors dominating her wardrobe. Junior high, maybe? The artist twisted around so she was semi-skipping backwards, poking her tongue out at Ronnie. Mature? Never. “Fine. But I take offense to the idea I’m even slightly depressing, thank you.” But for Ronnie, she’d try. Just a little bit.

Somewhat distracted by the heels, it took Rose a moment to realize that Ronnie was talking to her. When she did realize, she lifted her head and trotted over to where her friend was, eyeing up the purple flats. They weren’t really something she’d consider herself, but now she was looking at them, they were kind of cute. In a demure, sweet little girl way.

But she’d told Ronnie she’d try.

Taking the flat from Ronnie, she examined the beading before shrugging. “Hey, I’ll try anything once.” If she hated it, she hated it, and no one said she had to take it home. So, she dug around to find her size and pulled the box out. “I like that blue, by the way. It looks nice with your eyes.”