Gina smoothed her green dress down irritably, and flicked back her long, dark hair. "Stupid, stupid clouds," she said, though she was looking straight at a newspaper when she said it. No point in even asking what she was talking about, because she probably couldn't have told you.
She kicked off her shoes into traffic and turned, walking straight into the caf?. She slammed her hands down on the bar and waited for her turn, whistling some nonsensical and broken tune that had nothing to do with the music coming from within.
"Apple juice?" she asked with a smile. Gina looked like at least a teenager, but it was obvious just by her swaying movements and broken sentances that she wasn't quite put together in the head.
She threw a chewed up lime that had been left on the counter across the room, and laughed when it stuck to the window.
Narri was dressed today in something that was very informal. She had a short jean skirt and black legings on. Her shirt was a plain black tank top and her hair was down. Dressed like this, she looked younger than normal. She was tired and kind of lonely. So she had decided to go out and make friends.
Of course she did this often and didn't make friends, but it was worth the try. She stepped up to the bar beside a girl in a green dress and waited to be waited on. She had just sold the last slave she was training to someone who wouldn't be too horrible to him. It was ok to celebrate.
She put one, pale hand on her hip and sighed as she waited for someone to notice her and ask her what she wanted.
The man behind the counter notched a brow at Gina, but gave her the apple juice. He was a vampire, younger, though he could still sense something strange about her. She was... young in the head, and that bothered him a little. She was human - maybe mentally handicapped? He kept an eye on her all the same.
Gina took the juice and turned to look at Narri. "Little miss muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider and sat right beside her and said 'What's in the bowl, bitch?'" And with that, she laughed and sipped her juice. She'd learned THAT from the homeless guy down on the corner. She couldn't wait to share it with Dom, he'd like it.
Narri finally got fed up and shouted at the bartender, " Can I get a rum and coke please?" She turned to the girl beside her and listened to her rant. It was some childhood nursery rhyme, but that was not the way it ended. This child had major problems if her mother was the one who taught that to her.
For the sake of being polite Narri did not delve into the girl's brain, but instead met her eyes and asked her a question. "Where did you learn that lovely little nursery rhyme?" Narri knew that a question like that may sound patronizing, so she put as much real curiosity as she could into her voice.
Gina may have been a child to Narri in age alone, but she looked like she was at least 18. Still, there was something young about her, something... off center. She threw another lime at the window and looked pointedly at Narri, now.
"The man down the street. He says if I give him pennies, he'll tell me more." And with that, she produced a little plastic zip-lock bag on the counter, full of pennies. "I'm going to learn lots of them." She seemed pretty impressed with herself. No telling where she got the pennies. Gina might have actually robbed someone for them, come to think of it. You never really knew.
"Why even bother? You can't feel it," she said suddenly. She meant the alcohol, of course. But how did she know?
Narri thought a moment, staring at the girl's pennies. "I don't know why I drink it." She paused a moment longer, looking around the room at the pointless drinks of so many other's. "Perhaps it is like the human need to drink soft drinks. There is no actual nutrition in them, but humans drink them anyway."
This girl was strange, but Narri liked her. She couldn't help but want to spend more time with her. She wanted to know what was going on in that head. "My name is Narri." She held out her hand to the girl to be shaken.
"Because soda tastes good, duh," Gina replied, exasperated with this creature. She rolled her eyes. "he bubbles go into your nose. It shouldn't need to be good for you." Man, this was going to take some work.
She looked down at Narri's hand much the way Melchior had looked at hers when she'd held it out, and slowly took it. She shook it a few times, and then released it, but not before she managed to put a piece of lime firmly in the center. She directed Narri's sight to the window with a finger extended.
"High score. See if you can beat it. Lime race. Ready? Go!" And with that, she flung the lime slice she'd been sucking on at the window as hard as she could. "First one to the bottom wins!"
Narri was a bit confused by the girl's exasperated tone. She had no reason to sound that way. Narri had asked a simple question, and was not trying to be patronizing. Perhaps even more perplexing was the lime that was pressed into her hand. It was slimy and wet. What the hell was she supposed to do with it. She had not a clue.
When the girl threw hers Narri caught on and drew back to let fly with her lime. It landed not far from the girl's and began it's decent. "Lime race huh? I'll bet i win." Narri was confident she would win. Doing something so childish was exhilarating. Narri smiled. She liked it.
Gina had been playing the lime race for the last few weeks, although it was more of a 'food object' race. It was subject to availability. Last week it had been pickles at the local burger joint, until she'd been effectively banned. It was quite frustrating, because she was convinced they had the best pickle chips. Now she'd have to try all the pickles all around the city to find some that could compare, and it aggravated her.
The limes actually were pretty tied until someone sat down directly in front of them, blocking Gina's view. It was a vampire, nonetheless, albeit very, very young (perhaps only a few months changed). Not that it would have mattered to Gina either way, but the next lime she threw wasn't a lime at all - it was rather glass-shaped, actually, and aimed directly for the head of the offending party.
"HEY, MOVE FATASS!" she screamed.
Oh shit. This kid is going to get herself killed. Narri was scared for the girl's life. It didn't matter how old a vampire was you didn't yell profanities at them, and most importantly you never, ever attacked them unless you knew that you could follow through with a fight and win. This girl may need protection. Or perhaps she already had it.
"Where do you live? Who do you live with?"
The vampire didn't actually say anything in return to Gina. He'd seen her wandering around with that Verde fellow, and that was enough for him. He sank back into his chair and ignored her, which caused a lot of amusement for Gina. She turned to Narri finally, raising a brow.
"Why? Are you going to stalk me?" she asked curiously. "I've never had a stalker before. Would you cut little letters out of the newspaper and send them to me?"
Narri was perplexed. "I don't want to stalk you. I simply wanted to know. You directly insulted a vampire. That is dangerous unless one has protection against the retaliation that could follow. So, I was asking if you lived with someone who gave you that protection?"
Narri was sincere. She was not sure what to make of this girl yet. It was confusing and complex. She had no fear, but she acted so childlike. Narri tried very hard to meet the girl's eyes. Perhaps there was some insight there.
"I live with church penguins," she said matter-of-factly, brushing her hands off of some unseen filth. God only knows what she's been getting into. "My big brother protects me, though. He's mean. He could kick everyone's ass in here. Even yours," she added with a laugh.
"Not mine, though." Getting into a tussle with Gina wasn't very good - conditions were always in her favour. Being able to feel thoughts and see things that others didn't necessarily know you could see and feel put her steps ahead of an opponent. Not that it mattered much, because Gina didn't really fight.
"Let's go for a walk," she said, and grabbed Narri's hand, yanking her to the door.
"o..ok." Narri allowed herself to be pulled to the door. "Where are we going?" She was curious as to where this little adventure might take her. This girl was odd. Raised by penguins? Those must be nuns. And who was this big brother of hers? Was she serious about his ability to kick everyone's ass? She couldn't be.
She really didn't know why she was letting herself be led about by this girl. Although, now that the girl stood, she saw that she was probably more of a girl trapped in a woman's body. She spoke in a childlike manner, but looked like she was in her late teens at the very least.
"For a walk!" she repeated, sighing like she were talking to a small child. She tossed some of her hair back and began to swing Narri's hand as she walked, like a child would. "So what do you do?" she asked, trying to step around the cracks on the sidewalk.
"I don't do anything. Well, not really. I do whatever I want, I guess. It's a nice profession."
(Welcome back!)
Narri thought for a moment before speaking. it must be nice to not have a profession. She sure grew weary of hers sometimes. "That must be fun. What will you do today?" She swung her arm with the girl, and began to enjoy herself. She almost wanted to skip. Her spirit felt lighter, childlike. Not that she really knew what childlike was. She had grown up in a time where you were not a child for long.
"I'm not sure. Maybe go to the park. Or, actually, I like to walk by the stores and look at all the stuff in the windows, especially the dresses. I like dresses. They're pretty. They're my favourite, actually," she explained, skipping a little as she walked. She liked Narri. She didn't feel like the other vampires Gina had met - she felt nicer, somehow.
"Wanna window shop with me? We can try things on and then not buy them." Gina seemed to really like this idea, actually, and Narri might get dragged along whether she said no or not.
Narri thought for a moment. She didn't really have anything to do today, and it might be fun. She hadn't done much that was spontaneous and exciting lately. "Sure, I'll window shop with you and, maybe, if we find something that looks really nicde, and you can't live without. I'll buy it for you."
"Wow, thanks!" Gina exclaimed. She was suddenly wrapped up in the idea of Narri buying something for her that she forgot she was a vampire, at least for a while. So they skipped and swung hands until Gina arrived at the first store that looked interesting enough to examine. She pushed the door open and went on in - unluckily for Narri, it was one of those posh stores where the salespeople were all over you the minute you walked in. It was unlucky because, well. Gina.
"Hello, ladies," one of the women said, her tone very bored. "How may I help you today?" She was an older woman, with bleached blonde hair and wore a stuffy business suit with shoulderpads.
Gina just stared at her for a second of silence before saying, "I just want to look around." She stared at the woman for a long time, and even narrowed her eyes a little, but eventually the woman backed down. Gina had won her intimidation contest - mainly because one can't really intimidate her. She didn't feel fear in a conventional manner like the rest of the humans did, and it gave her the upper hand. She continued inward, dragging Narri along. Every few moments, she'd pause and look at a swatch of fabric before letting it go in disgust. Gina was a very picky shopper.
Narri shot the poor woman an apologetic glance. This girl certainly was forward. And she seemed disgusted by half of the fabric the store had to offer. Narri began looking for something herself. She could use new clothing and perhaps Gina was not the best person to pick out the best clothing for herself.
Narri picked up a cream colored dress with a black lace overlay. "How about this?"
Gina floated over to the dress Narri was holding, and examined it closely. She twined the lace between her fingers, and looked up at her, face breaking into a broad smile. "See? I knew you were a good shopper. Can I try it on?" she asked, utterly elated at the find Narri had produced.
She twisted around in place, waiting for the dressing room, ignoring the glances the women were giving her. She could, with her size and stature, pass for perhaps a cousin of Narri's, although she wasn't quite as pale. Especially with nosy saleswomen who were suddenly so wrapped up in Narri's charity of her poor, unfortunate and mentally challenged relative. Gina snickered to herself openly - if they only knew.
Narri found a longer reversed version of the dress she had given to Gina, and draped it over her own arm. "Of course you can try it on, and if it looks good we'll buy it." She had decided that she quite liked this girl, she was nice to the people she wanted to be nice to, and truthful with the others. In a world such as the one where they lived it was a fatal flaw, but it was also one to be admired.
She held the dress she had draped over her arm up to herself and asked, "What about this for me? Or do you see anything better?" No one had shopped with Narri in what felt like centuries. And it seemed even longer since someone had taken an interest in the clothing she bought.
"No, I like it. It's the same, but different," she said, examining the fabric of it closely. She headed into the dressing room to try on her own garment, finding the feel of the arrangement quite nice. She was surprised to see how much less like a child she appeared and more... grown up. She actually could pass for normal if she made a conscious effort, and frowned deeply at her reflection.
When she came out of the room, she waited for Narri, and then stood next to her in the mirrors outside the rooms, straightening herself out. She pulled her hair back questioningly, and then released it, letting the dark waves fall against her cheeks, tugging her lips into a pout. She laughed, and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"I think it's perfect," she said, nodding firmly.
Narri frowned at herself in the mirror. She looked good in the dress, there had never been any doubt on her part that she would look good. Nothing looked terrible on her small frame except over-large shirts and pants. Something nagged at her still. She looked the same in this dress as she did in every other dress she owned.
She looked at Gina and was surprised by the transformation that a simple dress had made in the girl. She looked adult, maybe even womanly. There was still an air of disrupt, of off-kilterness about her. But to anyone who couldn't feel her aura she looked positively radiant and grown up.
"I agree, It's beautiful, would you like me to buy it, and then we can go to the shoe store down the street and find some shoes and maybe a necklace or bracelet as well?" There was a twinge of jealousy in Narri's voice. She would buy her dress as well, but in her mind it would never be as magical or as beautiful as Gina's because Gina's dress changed her, and that was something Narri had lost with her mortality.
Gina could sense the vampire's jealousy, but she couldn't understand why. She merely arched an eyebrow at the emotion, putting it to the side. When one was dressed in elegance, one did not say rude things. She nodded a little. "Shoes would be nice. I don't think my sneakers match," she acknowledged, looking down at her worn out canvas shoes.
"Will you get shoes, too?" she asked. "I'm lucky to have found you. Nobody takes me shopping. Thanks a lot!" she added. Gina didn't want to be ungrateful, anyways. She didn't want Narri to never take her shopping again. Plus, Gina didn't know many girls, and she didn't think Aunt Vin would enjoy shopping much.
"Of course." Narri said with a smile. She purchased the dresses and led the way into the street. She was excited to go shoe shopping. Trying on shoes always made her feel good about herself. Clerks would often marvel at her minuscule feet. When she had died her feet had been small for her age, but in this world of giants where she now lived her feet were considered abnormally small.
In the years since her death she had noticed the population growing in more ways than one. Besides there being a sheer numbers increase in living, breathing (and not breathing) beings, there had also been a gradual growth in the size of their bodies. Her father had been a tall man at five feet four inches when she was alive. Now he would be small for a woman and positively tiny in the world of men.
When they arrived at the shoe store Narri noticed an accessory shop next to it. "What would you like to buy first?" She gestured for Gina to lead the way.
"Shoes," Gina said firmly, gliding passed Narri and inside. She perused the aisles for a few moments before finding Narri again, and pointing own at her own feet. "I don't know how to find my size," she complained. The shoes she wore didn't really say on them - the tags had been ripped out and the soles were fairly warn, so any trace of a number had vanished.
She held up two black heels that she'd snatched on her way through the jungle of aisles, and dangled them at Narri. "These are both way too big," she informed her. An eight and a ten hung from her extended fingertips, an annoyed expression on her face.
"Black is all I can find to match, though," she said with a sigh and a shrug. "They have some ugly shoes here," she whispered over her shoulder as she turned back to the aisles, Narri now no doubt in tow.
Narri was amused by Gina's comment about ugly shoes. It was true. There were quite a few ugly shoes in this store, of course most shoes in this century were ugly. She followed along behind the girl examining the floor for either a sizing device or instructions on how to find one. She was in luck when she spied a small metal shoe with a sliding bar.
"We'll measure your food with this." She held up the shoe. "Here, sit down and let me find your shoe size."
Gina sighed and flopped down, watching Narri with the strange contraption in her hand. "What is that?" she asked, eyes wide. It looked like some sort of torture device. When she was instructed to put her foot in it, she did so, but she flinched. "It's cold!" she snapped, and almost kicked it right out of the vampire's hands. Luckily, Narri wasn't just a human, so the measuring tool did little more than get jostled around until Gina could sit still enough to get anything accomplished.
"Seven and a half," she said slowly, looking down at it. "Is that a good size?" she asked, tilting her head.