Frills, Friends, and Fun (Kendra/Nadia)

Kendra looked through a rack of dress, frowning at each dress she viewed. She didn't really stray into stores like this often. Actually, now that she thought about it, she never really went into the stores. It became pointless when your parents picked out all the clothes you were going to get for you, regardless of whether or not you were present.

This time, shopping was different. She was helping Nadia, after all, and that made things entirely different. Her frustration turned to giddiness as she thought about the whole situation. She was going to actually be able to help out her friend, and maybe even impress her. But the frustration returned when she didn't seem to find anything that worked.

She looked at Nadia, hoping she had found something that made her happy. "None of these scream 'Nadia.' They're all sort of pink or white or too bright. And the organization of them makes no sense! I could do a better job." Kendra refused to consider the possibility this store had a different system from hers. If the organization was better, she'd have found Nadia the perfect dress quickly, after all.

Nadia Was strolling through the racks of clothes looking for colors or styles that piqued her interest, mostly just enjoying the company. It made her happy that Kendra had been so lively about wanting to come with her to help her pick out an outfit. The girl who just a few days ago was a complete stranger that Nadia had invited to live with her for a few days, had become something of a friend. It made her happy, even if her room was much less quiet than she typically liked. Soon, however, Nadia would be moving into the place above Ars Moriendi. It had been some strange stroke of luck that her employer was looking for someone to rent out his loft to.

She hadn't told Kendra about that yet, though it was probably best to do that today. She'd make sure they finished their shopping first.

At Kendra's comment, Nadia laughed a little bit. "Maybe you should inquire about a part time job here? Working at the Inn gets you a room and food, but it's nice to have some spending money too." Nadia offered. It was mostly a joke, but it was also a good point. Nadia had her couple days a week that she worked at the Ranch - though that was over now, most likely - And Ars Moriendi both while she worked at the Inn. Honestly, it would be nice to have a more rigid schedule to keep, even if it wasn't as exciting. It was certainly more stable.

She kept flipping through dresses as she talked, finally sighing, and looking apologetically at Kendra. "Everything I like is black. Is that strange? There's not much in the way of dark colors at this particular shop either." The smile on her face was rueful.

Kendra looked through another rack, looking for anything that was black. However, Nadia was right. This store seemed determined to throw away brightly colored dresses that were perfect for summer, or a warm spring if you were lucky, and not much else. She let out an irritated growl at kicked at one of the racks a little, though not hard enough to do any damage.

"Maybe you're right. Though I think I'll just try to kick the racks every time. Or lose my ability to enter the store. I might rearrange everything." Working in the kitchen, though she enjoyed it, only let her have a room and meal, so Kendra supposed getting a part time job would be helpful. She did need a source of income. Besides, Nadia had a lot more experience in that field than Kendra did, and Nadia was also a hero, so of course Kendra was going to listen.

She briefly stared around the store, looking for anything that would be perfect for Nadia. It just didn't seem to work dress wise. She could see a few tops on a rack far away that would absolutely suit her, but Nadia had come here for a dress. Kendra didn't want to let her down. That would be the worst possible scenario. She went back to the racks with a newfound energy.

"Black's not that bad a color! It suits you too! So it's not strange! And we'll find something for sure, don't worry!" The newfound energy was boosting Kendra's mood, her stubbornness preventing her from just suggesting they give up and try a different store.

Nadia couldn't help but smile at the smaller girl's energy. She hadn't noticed until they'd walked to school the other day that Kendra was actually older than Nadia - and in a higher grade. You wouldn't know it from her size or the way she carried herself. But then, that wasn't really a big deal. What was a year in the scope of their whole lives, anyway? And Nadia would be 17 in a...well, it wasn't that far off actually, now that she thought about it. She looked at her phone for a brief moment, deep in thought, before shaking the mood off and focusing at the task at hand.

She perused a couple more racks, looking up and down and finding a couple dresses that were nice, but not quite what she was looking for. She wanted something cute, but not really attention-drawing...That probably didn't make any sense. If only she had a close friend that knew more about these sort of things. All Kendra seemed to own was dress clothes that made it look more like she was going to a business meeting. It was kind of endearing though.

The clerk at the shop's counter looked uncomfortable. She was several meters away, but she probably heard some of Kenda's outburst. The smaller girl wasn't the quietest person in the world. Nadia gave an apologetic look to the clerk over the clothing racks before her eyes fell on a rack of accessories.

She hadn't even thought about that! Walking over, she noticed there were a few different kinds of bracelets, wristbands, necklaces, etc... There was a set of bracelets that were black with what were supposed to look like diamonds along the outside of them. Nadia found herself turning them over in her hand, thinking. She did like them. Was this the kind of thing she should get? Buying things for yourself sure was strange.

Kendra looked at Nadia, curious about what she was thinking. Did she think Kendra was being helpful, because she was, or did she think Kendra was being controlling? She didn't let herself get nervous, because Kendra was not the type of person to get nervous so easily, but she did care about what Nadia thought. Nadia was a super cool hero, after all, and who didn't care about what heroes thought of you? Everybody who had an ounce of common sense really cared about what they thought, and Kendra, placing Nadia on a weird sort of pedestal with Cecil, wanted to make sure she was liked as much as she could be.

She looked back at the racks, going through a new one. She could feel the gaze of some of the other people in the store. She knew it was probably from the way she acted. She never exactly fit in with other people, and she didn't really act her age, according to others. But she didn't really mind their stares. After all, how did it actually affect her if they wanted to stare while she shopped? Maybe they could learn something.

She smiled triumphantly when she found a black dress. It wasn't anything that was too special, but it reminded Kendra of something a doll would wear. Nadia was sort of doll-like, when it came to beauty anyways, so Kendra couldn't help but pump her fists up into the air, more people staring at her as she did so. She yanked the dress off the rack, and began to run towards Nadia. She was actually going to be able to impress her! She'd see how reliable she was then!

"Nadia! Nadia! Look at it! It's great, isn't it? It's black and doll-like and pretty, and you like black and you're pretty and sort of doll-like when it comes to beauty. So it's perfect, right?" A woman close to her cleared her throat, clearly annoyed by all the noise Kendra was making. Kendra paid her no mind, too focused on grinning as she held the dress out for Nadia to examine.

Nadia still had the gemmed bracelet in hand when Kendra came prancing up with a black dress. Nadia examined the dress that was held out to her, also heedless of the people's reactions to Kendra. Nadia tapped her chin quizically, examining. What did Kendra mean she was doll-like. Nadia couldn't glean enough from the notion to tell whether it was an insult or a compliment. So judging solely by the fact that it came from her friend, she counted it as a good quality, and smiled, holding up her newfound bracelet to the dress.

They went well together, she thought. The dress was long enough that it probably would end at about her knees, maybe a little higher. She had to admit, she did really like it. "I like it!" She told the girl, taking the dress in hand and favoring Kendra with an appreciative smile. "Thank you! I'll try it on, okay? and you can tell me how it looks."

And Nadia did just that. In a few minutes she stepped out of the changing area to present herself in the dress to Kendra. The bracelet she'd found was on her right wrist as well. "Well...? What do you think? I quite like it."

Kendra felt like she had just climbed the tallest mountain there was. She felt like she had just run a marathon and won. She had actually managed to impress Nadia Marquee, also known to her as Nightngale, and find the perfect dress for her. To Kendra, hearing the praise of one of her heroes was one of the best things in the world. Her smile grew a few sizes, practically taking up her whole face, and she began to stand on her tiptoes, shaking a little bit from pure joy. That also got a few more stares, and maybe a whisper or two of "drug addict", though Kendra couldn't hear them.

When Kendra saw Nadia step out of the changing area, she actually made a slight squealing noise. Today was not Kendra's day when it came to being normal. She rushed forwards, staring more. "You look so pretty! I mean, I'm not saying you don't look pretty at other times, because you do, but right now you look like you came from a fairytale. A gothic fairytale of some sorts. The whole outfit more or less screams your name!"

Kendra looked around the store, trying to gaze at various sections to see what was there. "Do you think you need anything else? I could pay for whatever it is. I'm not really good for fashion advice, so it's the least I could do." Kendra's stubbornness was rising again, every inch of her brain screaming she had to pay for Nadia's outfit. It would leave such a good impression, right?

Nadia wasn't used to this much adulation from one person, and the flattery brought a blush to her cheeks. She smiled wryly. Surely it wasn't worth all of that bluster. She couldn't possibly look that good with just a dress on. "You really think so? That's quite a lot of praise." She chuckled. "Thank you, Kendra."

When Kendra mentioned buying the clothing, though, Nadia shook her head. "No, Kendra, that's okay, I wouldn't feel right having you buy everything for me. After all, me finally buying myself some nice clothes is the whole point, isn't it? if you buy them, then it's just something else I've been given, right? Speaking of which, why don't we find something that makes you look just as pretty and doll-like?" She giggled, using the words that Kendra had used. It was a compliment...right? Either way, it sounded nice, and turning the spot light onto the other girl would be a nice change. They could pass it back and forth. That's what friends did, afterall, wasn't it?

Kendra felt like she had just managed to beat the world record for a sport. She seemed to be all grin now, eyes having been taken over by total excitement. "It's not praise if it's true! And it's true, because you really do look amazing! You're stunning!" She wasn't being any more quiet, getting several more odd looks and clearly making the cashier more nervous, and annoyed, through her antics.

Kendra paused, trying to figure out what to do. On one hand, Cecil had gotten upset when she had tried to force him to let her buy him a movie ticket. On the other hand, she didn't want Nadia to have to pay for her clothes. Still, she didn't want to ruin the point of the shopping trip. Kendra wouldn't be able to forgive herself then. She was stunned into silence, however, when Nadia suggested they buy something for her.

"But wasn't the whole point of this trip to have you buy clothes for yourself? I don't want to turn this trip into a story about me. That's rude." Kendra didn't know if she was supposed to mention she couldn't look doll-like. "Besides, I'm not even sure I can wear this stuff. I think these clothes may have been made for really tall people like you. What if nothing fits me?" Kendra was genuinely worried, knowing somebody would try to be a comedian and comment about her height if she couldn't find anything.

Really tall people? She was only a coupe inches taller than Kendra. Nadia laughed a little bit at Kendra's responses. Still so excited! Nadia was having trouble coping with all the praise, and her cheeks were starting to turn red. Everyone was staring, which Nadia didn't really mind all that much. She'd been like this ever since her awakening, still insisting that they were heroes of some kind. Her? a Heroine? hardly.

"They make clothes in all kinds of sizes, Kendra! And you're my friend. We came together. It can be a story about both of us together. That's more fun than just one of us, isn't it? Come on! I want to see what kinds of things you like!" The girl's excitement was infectious, it seemed, and soon, Nadia was pushing Kendra towards a rack of clothes. "See if anything strikes your eye while I change out of these things so I can buy them!" she said excitedly, patting Kendra on the back before heading back to the changing room.

Kendra nodded her head, still overwhelmed with joy. Nightngale considered her a friend! An actual friend! Not just some girl who needed help getting her life together and was embarrassing. That would be a lot more fun. I'll try to find something that I like to show you." She seemed to be in a hurry to scamper off when she was patted on the back.

She browsed through some racks, getting irritated by the lack of coherent organization, when she saw the dress. It made sense why nobody really picked out something so bold, but Kendra feel in love with the dress the moment she saw it. It was just so bold, and it reminded her of being Sultana instead of just being Kendra. She yanked it off the rack, making the cashier even more nervous, and examined it.

"Nadia! I found it! I found the perfect dress! Come see! Look!" She was yelling now, and any person who had been ignoring her was now focused on her. She was running back towards the changing area, carrying the dress, eyes sparkling.

Nadia had finished changing back into her black tank top and rolled up jeans when she exited the dressing room to find Kendra running up, eyes sparkling with excitement. She was carrying a dress of her own - red with pretty white designs. It definitely suited her vibrant personality. Nadia nodded at the dress, smiling.

"It looks like it would suit you! why don't you try it on, and we'll see?" She offered, taking a moment to sit on the bench outside the changing room. One of the women spared Nadia a piteous glance, as though she was sorry for her having to deal with such a loud girl. But Nadia simple met their gaze with a stoic, maybe even icy expression. Instead of responding to the negative stimuli, she allowed herself a few minutes of rest while Kendra changed. Hopefully, the dress would fit okay.

Kendra practically threw herself into the changing room. She stepped out a few moments later, looking down at the dress. She had considered letting her hair down, thinking maybe it would look a little more doll-like, but she had decided to keep it in a bun. She instantly looked towards Nadia, unsure. The dress stopped a little above her knees, the hanging fabric tickling them slightly.

"I don't think I look as pretty as you did, but I think I look okay. I probably rock the dress, sure, but I doubt I'm as pretty as you were. Not doll-like in the slightest." A single passerby, another woman, seemed to scoff, rolling her eyes and mouthing, "such a child," though Kendra wouldn't see it. "Do you think I need an accessory or shoes or something?"

Nadia lit up as Kendra emerged. It was a great improvement over the stark wardrobe she typically presented. It was like watching a flower bloom. With a smile, Nadia stood. "It's wonderful!" She encouraged. "Very...Doll-like." She repeated the compliment. Still not sure what it's significance was, but it seemed like something Kendra valued. And she did look good in the dress. "It's a good length too." She added, appraising.

At the mention of shoes, Nadia lightly clapped her hands together. "Shoes! yes, I had forgotten. I'll probably need something more dress-y, won't I?" She looked down at her worn grey converse. "There's a shoe store down the strip we can visit when we're done here. You should look at some of their accessories while we're here. There may be something you like." She encouraged, picking up her dress and bracelet, as well as slinging her bag back over her shoulder to follow if Kendra decided to head off toward the accessories.

Kendra felt any small doubts she could have possibly had, though they were all on a sub-conscious level, vanish as soon as Nadia praised her, Kendra's cheeks turning red a little. "I mean, I know the dress worked for me, but I didn't think i was doll-like. Thank you." She was sure Nadia was just trying to be nice, but she appreciated it anyways. And she was right about the length of the dress.

"You might depending on the occasion. I'd be happy to visit the show store with you though! I can help you find the perfect pair of shoes to go with the perfect dress I found and the amazing bracelet you found!" Kendra sounded so genuinely excited at the prospect of getting to help Nadia pick out clothes. "I'll change back first though."

The next time she popped out of the changing room, the dull, formal clothes were back on, and Kendra seemed to look a little less excited. Still, she moved to the accessories section, excited to see what they had. At first, nothing caught her eye. And after a few moments, nothing caught her eye. But then, as she looked at some packets of hair pins that looked expensive but were surprisingly cheap, she noticed one that stood out. Flower hair pins, a beautiful shade of gold, stood out in one packet. She could imagine putting them in her hair, and she smiled as she swiped them up. "Nadia! Come see! I want to know what you think!"