The Mainland, Tuesday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie had not specifically asked for help. Of course not. What she had done, though, was handwavily, natch dropping by the Devil's Nest to idly talk to a certain Ms. Holloway about, among other things, the dance, and Valentine's Day, and her birthday.

Joan, being the smart lady that she was, had somehow inferred from all of this that Natalie had nothing to wear to said occasions, nor had she any idea what to get because she just wasn't concerned with girly things like that, on the whole.

And that, then, explained why they were now on the mainland, in front of a clothing store with dresses in the display window.

"So... Does this look like a good place?"

[ooc: NFB due to off-islandness, and for that one redheaded mentor of a sort!]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

"Meaning I'm drawn like a stick figure."

Hey, she still took it as a compliment, she just happened to have a certaintendency for snark. Around people she liked, anyway. She looked the dresses over, then reached for the berry one for a closer look.

"What's with the sweetheart thing, anyway?" she wondered, though only mildly curious. "Is it the... top-half of a heart thing?"

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"That's why it's called that," Joan assured her. "But more importantly, it's cut that way to give the illusion of curves and cleavage for the more stick-figure-inclined. And a slightly flared skirt like that also gives you hips and a little bit of a backside. It'll all hang well without clinging unflatteringly." She made a face. "Something the less stick-figurely of us struggle with."

[whenshewasnice]

"I didn't know I was in need of cleavage," Natalie drawled, examining the dress. She was maybe a little unsure about the bare shoulders, and how much leg she'd be showing.

But she was also doing Petey Sci-Fi. Might as well get used to it.

"The back looks pretty."

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"The ruffle's an old trick we kept from the Victorians," Joan said with a light smile. "Gives you a little bit of a behind without making you obscene, or unflattering. Pair this dress with a little jewelry and maybe some tights -- if you're feeling modest, or cold -- and you'd be set." A pause, as she examined Natalie critically once again. "Hair up would be nice, but I doubt you'll want to. Leaving it down would be lovely as well."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie and basic ponytails were kind of an OTP. "We'll see." Yeah, her hair would probably be down to compensate for the shoulders. Had to have something to (pretend to) hide behind.

She glanced around. "So, I should probably try this on," she said. "But might as well find something red first."

She was smart and efficient like that.

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

Joan bit her lip as she headed over to a red dress that she couldn't wear without some kind of herald calling out a warning first -- but it might work for Natalie. "And how do you feel about deep cuts like this down the front?" she asked, trying to phrase it gently. "I think it'd look fabulous on you, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

[whenshewasnice]

Well, it... did go over her shoulders, at least. Without still managing to be like anything at all that Natalie was used to.

She looked at the dress for a moment in silence, with an unreadable expression. And then she decided, "Well, I guess I can try it on."

Couldn't hurt, could it?

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

Joan actually clapped as she handed the dress over. "I'll make sure to look for options for you, too. In case. Oh, and shoes," she added. "Because you'll need heels."

Need. Yes.

[whenshewasnice]

"... Need?"

Yes, she was going to question that. Because flats. Flats were great, weren't they?

Never mind that she'd rocked insane heels over that one weekend she'd been some kind of a spy for Peter's evil Bavarian empire.

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"Well, I suppose you'd be fine in flats, but why would you want to?" Joan asked with a slight frown. "It'd be doing your legs such a disservice."

[whenshewasnice]

"I haven't really ever worn heels," Natalie replied, by way of explanation. "Except for one weekend where Fandom put me in six-inch ones."

And she'd still managed to be shorter than Sam, though she suspected that had been a genre thing.

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"Then there's no time like the present to start. You're so tall, you probably don't need anything too challenging, anyway," Joan declared. She looked around a moment before selecting a black shoe. "Kitten heels. They're barely more than flats, anyway."

[whenshewasnice]

"I can probably live with those," Natalie decided after a thoughtful pause. "And Sam won't have to crane his neck."

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"You want to be on eye level with him, if you can," she said with a nod, expression turning slightly wistful. "The last man I was seeing was just about three to four inches taller than me. Perfect for heels. But you never want to tower over him. Most men take that a little to heart."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's kind of a stupid thing to get upset about." Well, she thought so. No surprise there, she had such little care for stuff like that.

But, she was looking for the sign for the fitting rooms, now. "So, I'm gonna go try these on."

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"Go with your gut when you see it on you," Joan said, absently eyeing dresses for herself. "But let me see before you reject it entirely."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie nodded, and made her way to the fitting rooms. Once there, she decided to go for the red dress first. Why put off the inevitable, right?

She didn't really look at herself in the mirror while she was slipping her regular clothes off and the dress on. And once she, did... well. It was definitely a different kind of sight. Not a bad one, as much as it felt unfamiliar to see herself like that. It went well enough with her colours, for one, though her lack of make-up felt more noticeable, suddenly.

After a moment of taking the sight in by herself – and putting the shoes on as well – she slipped back out into the store, to find Joan. For her expert opinion.

"Well?"

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

Joan didn't smile at first. She surveyed Natalie carefully, tapping her chin. "Lovely," she decided after a moment. "You need lipstick, I think, and a touch of mascara, but you're lucky enough to not need much. Well done, if I do say so myself."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie may have smiled a little. She hid that by looking down at herself, though.

"Sam's going to have a heart attack." A beat. "I need to buy lipstick."

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"That's okay, darling. Auntie Joan's here to walk you through makeup, too," Joan said with a grin. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? Giving Sam a heart attack is a good thing."

Figuratively speaking, considering the state of Joan's last conquest.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie brushed her bangs aside and exhaled a quiet laugh. "Probably only figuratively." She should hope. Sam had enough problems without a freak heart attack. "I still feel pretty strange in a dress."

She just had some natural skills at hiding that feeling, for the most part.

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"You should, still," Joan replied. "It's something new and special. You're not used to seeing yourself like this. Let yourself feel strange. Wanna try on the other? If we're two for two, I'm going to feel obligated to treat myself to a cocktail tonight."

As though that was a rare occurrence.

[whenshewasnice]

"Sure."

With that little word, Natalie vanished again, to try on the other dress. That was an interesting experience too. She'd never had one without anything in the way of straps, before. Still, it seemed to work.

She came out to show this dress to Joan, too, but it seemed like a formality. The way she moved in it seemed to already suggest that she was slightly more comfortable with things.

[unlimitedgoals.livejournal.com]

"How do you feel without straps?" Joan asked, but she was already smiling a little. This one might be even more suitable, if possible.

[whenshewasnice]

"A little exposed," Natalie replied, with something approaching matter-of-factness. Hey, it was a factual answer. "Otherwise fine. I can get used to it." She rolled her eyes. "I'm in Petey Sci-Fi, I should get used to it."