Paint the Town (IC)

[Blue Rose]

Despite her friends' protests, Sam unreservedly loves the look on Tona. Not that she can manage much more than a smile and a thumbs up before the outfit starts getting flak.

And then, things turn to Mali. "Hey, there are plenty of guys-" she feels a bit awkward specifying only guys, but it's shaping up to be the thing to do tonight, so she doesn't make a point of it, "-who have no problems with a girl stronger than they are. Just worry about them. And in our line of work, there are plenty of guys who can bench press a house anyways."

But that's enough doom and gloom. When Mali suggests they need new clothes to go out and about, Sam strikes her best, most exaggerated model pose. Feet wide, hand at her side, snake-hips thrown off to the side sending red skirt swaying and bangles clattering as she puts her other hand behind her head. She's tempted to go with the ennui of the beautiful, but instead offers her biggest grin and a wink. "I'm already good to go, doncha think?"

She drops the pose and muses. "Though I did have something nice shredded on the job the other day," she says, glancing towards Cerys who was there when she got blasted with glass shards, her outfit ruined. "Maybe I could go with something easier to dance in, and a bit more... dapper." She turns her gaze towards the men's department, wondering at their selection of hats.

[Thunder King]

Malii watched Sam walk off with amusement. She certainly added some color, that was for sure. She turned her attention towards the dresses, eying something in black. It was sleek, sleeveless and cute, yet tasteful. The skirt reached the knees and was loose enough to sway while she walked. She reached over and plucked it up, admiring the soft cloth.

She stepped inside one of the dressing rooms and quickly changed. When she stepped back out, she wasn't wearing her usual covering. Instead, her strong, muscular shoulders and upper arms were exposed. She blushed slightly, excited and very, very nervous. The skirt indeed reached just above her knees, black and simple, with a little bit of room to move in. The top had just a little bit of low neckline, showing off her strong shoulders and neck while stopping above the chest.

W-well? How do I look?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Mali’s confession managed to completely floored Blodeuwedd. Her sheltered upbringing had meant she had little experience of such bullying. Everyone in the Order were untied together in a common purpose. Luckily Sam just had this ability to lighten the entire mood, even if it did involve reminding her about her less than successful episode.

“Remember I didn’t taunt him I just told him a few home truths. Anyway it worked out didn’t it?†she called after a retreating Kit.

“Mali you look amazing. Who could resist you looking like that?â€

[Raveled]

Tona pulled Mali into a strong hug. "That's the way. We'll all be amazing tonight!" She moved out into the store, browsing idly. She didn't know much about fashion or what went with what, but she had a feeling for what she liked. Still, she staid close to the dressing rooms so she'd be there when Mali came out.

Tona still didn't favor dresses, but she knew that she had to support her friend. "You look incredible, Mali," she said. She paused and added, "You're going to knock the boys off their feet!"

[Blue Rose]

Sam just offers Cerys a wave before heading off, grabbing a blouse before she goes to the other side. She already knows what she wants, so before long, she's back. Though she'd prefer to wear a men's dress shirt with this ensemble, she needs the blouse to expose her brand. It's a white number, loose with a bit of lace, joining a pair of black slacks, suspenders, a black fedora, and men's dress shoes. Instead of the big cream colored scarf, she has a smaller checkered scarf in two shades of brown.

The first of the group she comes across is Cerys, so she continues their conversation. "You were totally taunting," she begins, not that she understood a word her friend said that day on the ship, "But don't worry. I did it better with my mind." She taps her head and spots Mali, opting to go over there before Cerys thinks up a comeback.

When she reaches Mali, she takes a knee, kneeling before her in her own overblown way. "Madame," her voice bears the hint of the terrible American notion of a posh 'British' accent, "Thou art positively stunning," and with a flourish, she takes Mali's hand and kisses her fingertips, hoping to improve her friend's mood. Or at least leave her hilariously embarrassed.

[Thunder King]

Mali stifled a giggle at Sam's silliness. Her friends were making her more comfortable, but she was still kind of nervous. Her strong, muscular arms were clearly visible, something she was not used to. She'd have to not call attention to them. Who knows, maybe someone would like her like this?

She had to practically slap her hands away from grabbing at a nearby jacket. She'd do her best, for tonight, not to hide herself behind long sleeves and baggy clothes.

Tomorrow though? Totally different story.

[Tiffany Korta]

“Well I guess that means we’re all ready then. So where are we going?â€

Looking at the assembled girls she suddenly realised that they expected her to also get a change of clothes, and knowing how stubborn they could all be they wouldn’t let her go until she had the perfect outfit. Time to show off a little. Checking that no one was watching and they were out of view of the camera she sent the necessary mental commands to her bodysuit.

She kept the little jacket, but the summer dressed shifted and altered to something a little more form fitting shifting it color to its default dark blue.

“The bodysuits mimetic I can alter it at will, saves on buying new clothes.†She gave a wide grin.

[Raveled]

Purchases were made and money was handed over. Tona watched the entire exchange with interest. Cash was another thing new to this world; in the resistance, if you needed something you just asked someone who could make it. If you didn't have the materials yourself, then you asked someone for that, as well, and if it wasn't frivolous you'd usually get it. It was a need-based economy, but here where there was time to worry about fashion and how you looked in an outfit, rather than just the utility of it.

Outside the sky was growing dark fast, and street lights were on, pushing back the night. "I saw this on TV," Tona said. "Folks go to a place called a club. There's dancing, and other young people there, and music! I want to go to one of those."

[Thunder King]

Mali nodded. "Sure!" She said. "That works for me, do you guys have anything against that?"

Besides, clubs tended to be dark places. Her muscular arms would probably go at least a little unnoticed in such a dark place. The music wasn't her type, but she could see having fun, maybe meeting cool people.

She grinned at the three other girls. "Well, I think we look good." She grinned, at least hiding her nerves convincingly. The others were right. If a guy didn't like her because she was strong, that was on him, not her.

Still, she was still nervous. Old habits do die hard.

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd gave a wistful little smile “Well the last time I went to a club I ended up in a fight.†She looked at the other “No not like that there was this guy… Maybe I should tell this story later.†She look a little embarrassed before continuing on “But I’m sure that tonight will be much less eventful.â€

There were defiantly good points about that night and she suspected that tonight would be even better. She just hoped that it would be uneventful.

“Well what are we waiting for? We looking so good and it would be unfair to deny people the pleasure of being in our presence.â€

[Blue Rose]

Shapeshifting clothes? Want.

As soon as Cerys mentions getting into a fight at a club, Sam does not miss a beat making the obvious reference. "First rule of Fight Club. Do not talk about Fight Club." After that, she magnanimously allows her friend to continue her not-explanation in peace.

"I'm all for that," she agrees with Cerys. "Oh! One last thing! Be back quick, meet you at the car... Tona, what's your shoe size?" She gets it, and she dashes. As in, actually dashes, this time, since she's actually wearing practical shoes again, and when she gets back a couple minutes later, she has a purse and a pair of very low-heeled sandals, maybe half an inch. "Combat boots with that outfit don't really work." And she could do with learning to walk in heels. The purse, Tona's obsession with pockets will tend to.

[Thunder King]

Mali stifled a laugh. Naturally, she didn't even realize that Tona was still wearing her boots. The slight heel was a nice touch, something Tona should be able to easily get used to walking in. The purse would help her feel a bit more secure about her lack of pockets, too.

She opened the driver's side door of her car and settled in, checked the mirror, and put her seat belt on. She was still very methodical about it, which was really the only sign she was a new driver. Her actual driving skills were indistinguishable from a more experienced driver. Really came in handy when your superhero mode of transporation was a motorcycle.

"Alright, are we all ready to go?"

[Raveled]

Tona settled in the back of the car, looking the shoes over. They didn't have anywhere near the ankle support she was used to with her boots, and she didn't get the raised heels, but she reminded herself that this was a time to learn about this world. So she slipped off her heavy boots and slipped on the low pumps, wiggling her toes in the end. They looked good on her; but she wondered how'd they feel after a hike.

She moved items from the pockets of her shorts to the purse and her new pants. Wallet and phone (half charge, because she always forgot to plug it in) went into her pockets, and everything else was moved into the purse. A roll of bandages and disinfectant, a multitool, a various bits of string and useful lengths of wire, a couple packs of tissues, her extra mask and archery gloves, a set of folded binoculars, a double dozen zip-tie handcuffs, and a flashlight.

Tona looked at the profusion of items spilling from the top of the purse. She tried to close it in vain, and instead turned to Cerys and Sam. "I think I'm doing it wrong," she said, offering the pack to the other girls.

[Blue Rose]

Sam takes the disaster and raises an eyebrow. "Do you really need all this?" she asks, wondering what normal people would think of a girl who carries around twenty sets of handcuffs in her purse. Maybe she should have gone with the airport purse.

She starts going through the pile. One of the first lessons of the cat burglar is how to pack quickly and efficiently, and when applied to a purse, it's overkill as she uses every bit of space and lines everything up just so to pack it tight, but even then, she's taking some things out. First thing to go is the wallet, "Just stick this in your back pocket." Then, a lot of the redundant redundancies. The second pack of tissues, half the handcuffs. "No need to carry these around." She considers unraveling half the bandages, but that wouldn't end well, and eventually, she gets everything packed in there so that it closes easily enough, and she should be able to get most of it out without too much trouble. Maybe.

"Some time," she says, returning the purse, "you need to talk to one of the Home Ec teachers." She never took the course. She doesn't know the names, or if there even is more than one. "They should help you keep your kit manageable, and find a purse that lets you carry it easy enough."

[Thunder King]

"In the mean time..." Mali said, cutting in. "You can store anything that won't fit in your purse right here." With that, she popped open the glove compartment of the car, and showed that yes, it was locked. "That way you can get all your stuff back later tonight."

It was nice, being out with friends. Real friends, who weren't judging her or making fun of her. She wanted to do this more, maybe even invite them to dinner.

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd could understand Tona’s instincts; she tended to try to carry as much of her equipment as she could. But she had been trained to both accessories and be prepared to carry around everything she needed. She had a few throwing knives tucked into the lining of her handbag, just in case.

“Maybe you should look at a bigger handbag?†she hefted her quite substantial, but still a designer label, handbag. “Or perhaps you should look at a utility belt or pouches, though they’ve fallen out of fashion recently.â€

[Raveled]

Tona pressed her lips together as she took the purse back from Sam. "It's very manageable when I wear a backpack," she said. "And when I'm in costume, I have these belt pouches that carry everything."

Cerys mentioned bigger purses and she looked up, eyes bright. "I've seen these people going around town on bicycles. They have these things, it's not as big as a backpack but it's bigger than a purse. It's wrapped around their body, and clips around the front. I think I should try one of those."

[Thunder King]

"I think you'll be fine, Tona, you can carry all of your gear another time. Those things are tacky looking anyway. Just relax and have fun."

She turned the car back on and pulled away, taking them all to the club. She turned the music back on and rolled her window down to enjoy the warm air. She hoped that Tona wouldn't be too upset, it was far too nice a night to use the air conditioning.

After a bit, the car pulled into a parking spot within a block or so of the club. She'd seen where it was, and knew how to get there. She got out of the car.

"We're here." She said with a smile.

[Raveled]

Tona slumped down in her seat and tried not to look out the windows, not trust her body's sense of motion that told her she was moving way, way too fast. instead she focused on learning how Sam had arranged her things in her new bag, in her purse. All of it seemed fairly logical and Tona amused herself by looking at the ceiling of the car and tried to extract different items by touch alone. She was getting used to it, when Mali stopped the car. Tona sat up and looked around, seeing all the cars parked around them, and in a moment everyone was piling out. Tona hung her purse over one shoulder and looked around. There was a building nearby with people standing outside a large clock face over the entrance, the hands stopped at midnight (or noon, depending on one's point of view), lit red from underneath and green from above.

She smelled the night air and looked to the sky. The girl abruptly ran towards a nearby fence and grabbed the chain, digging her shoe into a link partway up and pulling herself up into the air, putting her head against the level of the night crowd. She sniffed the wind and dropped down, walking back towards the group. "Gonna be rain tonight," she said mildly. "Do we have to walk far?"

[Blue Rose]

Sam rides quietly, mostly making sure she got rid of all the tags from her clothes, with a spot of chuckling at just how easily amused Tona is. She's not sure which club Mali's heading to- she'd rarely been, herself- but she's not particularly worried. What's the worst that could happen, after all?

When they stop, she climbs out, leaving the bag with her earlier outfit where it is, along with the rest of the jelly beans. She has her wallet, so she'll be fine. As she walks, she puts a little extra effort into looking cool an aloof, to go along with the outfit. A rather practiced demeanor. Though when Tona runs off, she finds a growing morbid curiosity of just what show she's going to put on next.

"Rain?" She looks up, and can't argue. "Shouldn't be far," she answers, assuming Mali wouldn't park too terribly far away. "Worst case, if it's raining when it's time to go, I can get everyone back to school dry. Though I'm sure Mali wouldn't want to leave her car here overnight."

[Tiffany Korta]

Whilst Sam bounced around Blodeuwedd exited the car more cautiously, scanning the area looking for potential trouble and trouble makers Once she had a feel for the area, especially inside the club, she could relax some but for now she was ready for any kind of trouble. She set her stance to give a look of cool detachment, perfect for a young trendy club goer.

“Can’t you feel the change in the air? That means rains probably one the way.†She gave a little grin â€And I checked the weather before we left. Though why you can’t at least admit that Celsius exists?â€

[Blue Rose]

Upon Cerys asking her silly question, Sam leans against a street light, planting one foot against it as she puts her hand near her mouth where a cigarette would go, looking down and letting the play of light and shadow give her best noir visage before she goes full-on conspiracy theorist, entirely deadpan.

"The Celsius scale exists, yes. It was made back during the Nixon era, so our government could secretly influence European development. But the Celsius Initiative was taken over from the inside by agents of the secret world government who are now trying to force it back on America to take us over."

She looks up and grins, "Or were you expecting a question like that to get a serious answer?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Despite herself Blodeuwedd couldn’t help but give a little smile.

“No Sam I don’t expect anything serious to come from you. That’s part of your charm.â€

Sure that she knew where all the trouble spot could be she made her way to the back of the queue to get into the club trusting that the others would follow her lead.

“Is there a cover charge to get into the club? Cause I don’t really want to queue up her for a while only to find out we’ve not got enough to get into the club.â€

She knew quite a bit about all the pub, clubs and bars of the city they were good ways to gather information it just she’d never considered looking into clubs for those of their own age…

[Raveled]

Tona joined the rest of the girls in the line, futilely attempting to peer around and over the taller people in front of her. The club seemed bustling, spilling light and noise out onto the street and the groups gathered around the entrance; it must not have been too full though, because the doorman glanced over the four girls and sent them right on inside.

Just inside the door was another bouncer checking IDs. Tona took a moment to dig hers out and the big man scrutinized it for a moment, then pulled out a marker from his pocket and grabbed her wrist. The archer reacted instinctively, twisting her arm and breaking the grip, then backing up -- or trying to, anyway. The vestibule wasn't very large and the rest of the group was crowding in behind her. The bouncer held up his hands placatingly. "House rules, lady. If you're under 18, you got to get a mark on your hand. Don't worry, it only shows up under UV lights." He demonstrated by scribbling on a piece of paper. The paper appeared unchanged, until he flicked a switch on the wall and a bank of purple florescents hummed to life. Suddenly a glowing white stick-man appeared on the paper, at least until the man flicked the light off again. "House rules," he repeated. "If you don't want to follow 'em, door's behind you." Tona pressed her lips together, but held out her hand for the man to mark with a cross.

Passing through another doorway, they entered the club proper. the back of the club was devoted to a large, open dance floor, with a stage beyond; it was empty at the moment, but the instruments set up there promised live entertainment later. Between the door and the floor was a number of small tables perfect for gatherings of two or four, with a bar set off to one side prominently displaying soda, energy drinks, and fruit juices. UV lights over the counter top highlighted many marked-hands. A spiral staircase in either corner led up to a second floor, and from her vantage point Tona could see a railing that wrapped around three sides of the room and frosted glass doors that opened off it, allowing private parties a degree of solitude.

The music playing over unseen speakers was instrumental, was a heavy bass guitar carrying the speedy rhythm. Tona felt a grin crossing her features as she swayed slightly to the music. "This is interesting," she said, pitching her voice above the music. "I've never been in a place like this."

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd tensed when Tona reacted to the bouncer, she really should have warned her that would happen, but he seemed to have a little more nonce than most of his kind. It was an amusing thought that anyone of them could probably take him down easily. She made sure to show him the correct ID, it was weird to go to any place like this as Cerys normally she ended up using her more adult cover.

AS she entered the club proper, not trusting them to look after any of her stuff, she did her normal scan for exit and potential trouble spots. Only when she was satisfied did she take time to soak in the atmosphere of the place.

“Well it’s no Cardiff on a Saturday night, but then again we are a little early. Just to warn you Tona this place is going to be rammed with people later and the music will get a lot louder. If it get too much let us know we can always find somewhere quieter.â€