3397/Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman
Date of Scene:	17 September 2020
Location:	Rockefeller Center
Synopsis:	After a doctor's appointment, Nessa convinces Katsumi to help her find an impressive dress so she can have a Pretty Woman moment.
Cast of Characters:	Katsumi Oshiro, Nessa Donovan

---

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
As it turns out, Katsumi couldn't see the doctor that same day. There was paperwork involved, especially since she was trying to be discrete about it. Phonecalls overseas had to be made, records faxed over. But she got in the next day. And it was with a very meek voice that she called Nessa Donovan to ask if she'd come with her. Katsumi is terrified of what they might find. Alone is what she usually was in the world, but today - she just couldn't handle it. It was either Nessa, or bully the other girl from Team Japan to come with her, while trying to keep her in the dark, and also demand she not say anything to anyone.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that.

Katsumi had to leave Nessa in the lobby when the doctor was ready for her. And it isn't a short wait for her return. When she finally does, Katsumi is sullen and withdrawn. She'd considered tormenting Nessa with a false report, but wound up saying, "They don't know," before she could stop herself. No sign of internal damage. Brain activity is fine. Heart's extremely healthy. Lungs are powerful. She's in peak physical condition; a honed athlete. The most the doctor could do is shrug and suggest it might be stress.

It doesn't feel like stress.

And though Katsumi hasn't noticed it, herself, the formerly vibrant green color of her eyes has drained further. They now near a pale jade in color.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Part of Nessa had been hoping they'd find something, so at least there'd be an answer. Part of her also hoped that they wouldn't, simply because it meant maybe Katsumi's sheer determination would pull her through. It's tough regardless of the answer, but she's staying on the positive since she honestly doesn't know Katsumi well enough to know if she would. There is, however, something the blonde's keyed into in terms of things that might lighten the mood and perhaps be stress relieving for the wrestler.

She offers a supportive smile, not bothering with platitudes at this point. "You know what? I could /really/ use some help with something. Since you have superior fashion sense and all." There's nothing better to do to stop worrying than finding a good distraction... Nessa's pretty sure this is a good one. "You said you could upgrade this to sexy math class?" She looks down at her outfit--unsuprisingly, jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and gloves. "Is there any way you can upgrade it to like..."

She pauses. "Have you ever seen the movie Pretty Woman?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Speaking of clothing, Katsumi is wearing her most conservative attire. She wasn't feeling particularly daring today, certainly not sexy. And yet, her idea of conservative still probably hits a fetish or two. Unintentionally. Probably. Sneakers on her feet, fluffy socks above them. A black skirt that reaches to just around mid-thigh in length. Worn over it, and not at all tucked in, is a white button-up shirt. The top three buttons are left undone, giving a modest window of cleavage at the right angle. It even includes sleeves! Nevermind that they're rolled up to her elbows. Her typical black choker loops her neck, and naturally, those fingerless leather gloves cling to her hands. It's a punk's take on what may be a 'schoolgirl'-style ensemble.

Katsumi's gaze rests evenly on Nessa, looking confused at first. But her head then tilts ever-so-faintly to the side. "You... want me to help you dress like a hooker? Or like a rich person?," she asks. She never saw Pretty Woman. She just heard some American references. "You might have to explain it, Nessy." And she may have to be talked out of referring to her in an, admittedly affectionate, shorthand for the Loch Ness Monster.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Nonono, not a hooker," Nessa does laugh at the suggestion, mentally following the train of thought of how Katsumi could have gotten to that. She decides she doesn't /mind/ the nickname, so it gets an amused smile before she continues. "So. In the movie there's this moment where Richard Gere comes into the room and Julia Roberts is sitting at the bar and he's looking around for her and he just doesn't recognize her because she's dressed up all classy and he's just not used to seeing her like that. It's kind of subtle but it's like... he finds a different appreciation in her because he'd thought of her one way and then she surprises him."

She makes a bit of a face. "... so everyone's used to this. I'm used to this. But you mentioned how fashions for you to be noticed and feel good about it." She scrunches up her face a bit. "I'm not /trying/ to impress someone but at the same time I'm trying to impress someone. I need something I can wear at a nightclub. Like, fancy expensive nightclub."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Eyebrows begin to lift. Katsumi thinks she understands where this is going. And Nessa's plan? It seems to be working quite well.

"Oh my god, really? A nightclub? Okay, details." She blinks. "Details while we walk. Or get a cab. Whatever! Tell me about the club. Is it dark and dance-y? Or is it more like a lounge, where people wear cocktail dresses? It matters! I have two different things that I wear when I go clubbing, and they couldn't /be/ more opposite!"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa holds up her phone. "Already getting us a ride." She makes her way to the sidewalk where they can wait, glancing back over at Katsumi. "It's called Lux and honestly it's probably the most luxurious place I've walked into in my life. It's like... kind of if you mixed a lounge and a club. It's got a piano so they've got live music and stuff in there all the time too but it's also..." She's doing her best to try and describe it. "You've got dancers in very revealing outfits?" She glances over as she waits for their ride. "Classy, but sexy."

As the ride parks to let them in and she climbs inside, she seems thoughtful. "It's the kind of place where the rich and famous go to snort cocaine or something. I think." She's already fishing around on her phone to pull up photos of the place to share on the ride.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro's mind is working. Her eyes are locked on her feet. Her lips are a thin line.

The cab arrives, and as they pile in, she's begun talking again: "Okay, so skin. Skin's an issue. Unless you're okay with showing a little now. For your arms, you're maybe thinking of something sheer, or just biting the bullet and daring some poor son of a b**** to touch you. What can I work with?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'm going to wear my hair up or back, kind of something that shows off my neck? Maybe off the shoulder or something," Nessa says, grinning suddenly. "A great deal of a woman's mystique is in the arch of her neck." The last bit sounds more like she's quoting something from memory. "Sheer on the arms, I feel like I can't get away with bare arms or hands because it's way to easy to bump into anyone in a club. Neck and shoulders, people aren't likely to touch there unless it's on purpose."

She gives a bit of a shrug. "I don't really feel guilty if they get very painfully reminded to be appropriate with their hands. It's the accidents I'm keeping an eye out for. Uh, other than that I'm honestly not sure. I don't know much about fashion." She pauses. "Or shoes." She gives Katsumi a hopeful but sheepish smile.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"So midsection's fine," notes Katsumi, even though that's not what Nessa said. Given Katsumi's fashion sense, it's probably a foregone conclusion.

As the cab rolls along, the grappler leans forward to peer down at her own shoes. Just sneakers. These aren't her boots. But then, would Nessa wear boots? Would boots look right with the image formulating in her mind?

Suddenly, the Japanese girl throws herself back into the chair and snaps her gaze onto Nessa. "Sexy, pretty, or cute?," she asks suddenly. "Prioritize'em! And tell me what order they're in! And like by how much! Every girl's like a, a pie chart of those three things, and there's some extreme levels for each one."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Mid...section?" Nessa's tone is more unsure, though she's trying to think of scenarios where that might be a bad idea. "I'm not sure. I don't know what I'm doing at all when it comes to this. I've just played it really safe and not really tested out too much where people just accidently bump into people. Other than arms and hands. You would be amazed at how much people just touch each other there."

She blinks at Katsumi with wide eyes. While she had thought maybe she'd get a bit of lighthearted shopping, it was clearly a very serious task for the wrestler. "Well, I'm not trying to look cute. I can pull off cute in whatever. So I'm kind of thinking a very high level of sexy and pretty. Can I make sexy and pretty on the same level? I want to come across as... I don't know, confident."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro seems to reconsider her wording the more Nessa uses the term. "Okayokay, not 'sexy'. Hot. All of'em wind up sexy if you push it far enough. Cute can be sexy. Mix cute'n hot, and you wind up with cheerleaders. See, okay, I got this thing, this theory," she continues to ramble. By now, the cab-driver is peering at his rear-view mirror. Nessa has beyond succeeded in distracting her. "It's all about the different things you do. Hot is about the clothes you wear. Pretty is about how you style yourself. And cute is more about how you behave. But that's just a theory. The rest is just fact."

Citation needed.

"So, high levels of pretty and hot, I'm thinking looong-ass dress with a high slit skirt. Maybe one with the side cut out, so it shows a window of skin around the midriff. Sheer.. uh.. what do you call it? Shawl? And long, elbow-length gloves. Not off-the-shoulder straps, though. We don't want you looking like Andre the Giant. We want bedroom and," she makes a sensual purr sound, "not Bedrock and yabba-dabba-doo."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Huh. Okay, I see what you're saying," Nessa says, only sort of seeing what she's saying. "But hot, not sexy." There's some thought there. "It needs to be less 'Oh what a hottie' and more 'Wow'." She's searching for words. "Like... dramatic. If the dress is good and I feel like I look good in it, I think I can find the confidence in that. I just need to look in the mirror and see 'wow'."

There's a long pause. "Not that I'm trying that hard for this. It's no big deal."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Giiirrl," drawls Katsumi, scoffing. "If I find something for you to wear, you're gonna wanna wear it out. And around whatever dude you're trying to impress. You're not gonna believe it's even you you're lookin' at. It'll be like those American 80s movies, where the librarian removes her glasses and lets her hair down. And all the guys are like 'whoa who's the new hot chick'. That. That's you. You're the librarian."

She means it as a compliment, honest.

The cab continues for a few moments in blessed silence.

"So who is he?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa knows exactly the image of the librarian letting her hair down. "Okay, yeah, I can do that. I've got confidence in you, /Kat/." If she's Nessy, fair is fair. As for the guy? "Ah, well, he owns the club, he's a friend of mine. He's kind of an eleven out of ten and he's surrounded by beautiful women all the time so he's in an entirely different world than I am most of the time. That and he's one of the few people I've met who I don't actually have to worry about hurting."

The phrasing's tone makes it apparent she's talking about physical pain, not emotional. "So, that being said, it means he's already going to understand that a little skin is a big deal. So it kind of adds to the layers." She smiles a bit. "I figure, if I can make someone like him impressed, I could basically do /anything/. That's the kind of confidence worth sinking every bit of money and time into an outfit."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro gives a completely unabashed, Japanese, "Nyan~!," with a wink when Nessa calls her Kat. She embraced that name in a hurry.

But that happy look on her face, as brief as she wears it, is extremely far removed from the fearful and stressed looks she'd been giving Nessa earlier in the day. It's nice. She doesn't even realize she's been so thoroughly yanked out of it yet.

She is, however, surprised with how quickly Nessa admits who the outfit is for. "Oh, it's gonna be perfect! It'll be like he's look at you for the first time."

At last, the cab starts to pull over.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I like it better like this, I think, because he already knows me. He's seen math class," Nessa says. She barely misses a beat when the cab pulls over and lets them out, and she climbs out onto the sidewalk before she looks back at Katsumi. "I think he'd appreciate the adventurous spirit of trying something new and being confident about it. That is something he'd very much approve of." She grins. "I think you'd like him. He's very witty and oozes charm, it's hard not to like him. You can give him attitude and he's right back at you with it."

She takes a moment to look around, gesturing to where they're at: Rockefeller Center. It's hard to go wrong with a place that has so many different options for stores. "So, there's got to be something we can work with in here."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro quickly fishes out a wallet to start counting up some American money to pay the taxi. She isn't sure if Nessa pre-paid or what; if she had, her money will (hopefully) be turned down.

Either way, Katsumi hurries to join Nessa on the way into Rockefeller Center. "Oh, I'm sure there will be," she nods, silky bangs abounce. "But hey, you should be careful talking this guy up."

Katsumi tilts aside enough to lightly bump her shoulder at Nessa's.

"You're the one with the hots for'em. You don't want me snappin' him up." She flashes her a devious, toothy grin before practically flouncing ahead, rapid-fire assessing the stores she passes by their window displays.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa waves Katsumi off with the money, patting her phone. She's got it covered. Hurrah for modern technology. She follows the energetic Japanese woman quickly (with this kind of energy, she'd have to keep up!) but shakes her head as she walks. "Oh, don't say it like that." Regardless of what she's saying, she is a bit red in the face.

"I don't have 'the hots' for anyone, it's an entirely different life when you just..." She's having a bit of difficulty describing it. "He's in a unique position in my life and I want to make sure that while I appreciate him... he appreciates me in the same way, that's all." She laughs. "Oh, but I don't need to talk him up anyway, he does that for himself plenty."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro rolls her eyes and spins on her heels to face Nessa, starting to walk backwards. Her hands link neatly behind her back, her body tipped forward. It's an almost childish sort of carefree air she's adopted, cheerful and breezy. "Yeah, sure, I get it! Your heart gets all fluttery when you 'appreciate' him, and you want his to get all fluttery when he 'appreciates' you! Don't worry." Her left hand lifts, index finger raised and thumb slightly outwards with a wink. It's a markedly Japanese gesture of confidence and cheer. "There'll be /lots/ of appreciating going on."

Bump.

The gentlemen she backed into tried to bob one way, then the other, and wound up colliding into Katsumi's back. She squeaks in surprise and promptly wheels around on the man, who's in the process of apologizing. But, "WALKING HERE, dips***! Watch it!"

The man awkwardly fumbles to the side, somewhere between bewildered and apologetic.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The blonde is redder than before, which is pretty surprising given she'd been pretty red prior to this. "More than that, I want this for me," Nessa notes. "His reaction's just icing on the cake. I've just spent a really, really long time worrying about other people and not given myself very much thought but he does. He's very easy to talk to, it's stupidly ridiculous." She covers her mouth as she laughs at the collision, grinning with a sheepish expression at the change between perky and content to lashing out. Yeah, it's definitely a good start to a friendship.

"I get underestimated, not always a bad thing, but I do... so it'd be nice to just feel strong and powerful in something. Take a chance, you know?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro whirls around again to resume walking backwards. After all, she didn't bump into her, did she? No, that guy did! Why should she change her behavior? ...Her logic might be flawed.

"If it's strong and powerful you want, you came to the right girl." The Japanese punkette is already flashing her a toothy smile, as if the collision had never happened. "But we need somewhere that sells good s***!"

She whirls a third time, correcting her pacing. Hands plant to her waist, elbows bowed out confidently with a sashay to her hips. It's a natural strut, easily at home on a catwalk or entrance ramp leading to a ring. "You know anywhere that sells dresses? And not the cheap charity garbage!"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Well, this is New York, there's a lot of options when it comes to clothing... especially high-end," Nessa glances around, looking for the stores she usually /avoids/. "Probably this way, I think." She's already wincing at little at already imagined sticker shock, but the Pretty Woman moment just kind of sticks in her head. "We're doing this."

Clearly, she only decided that just now. She weaves her way through people as she moves in the direction of a store, something high-end, that she's never wandered into. "Uh, something like this?" Thanks to the window display, it does appear that the store sells some expensive and classy looking dresses.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro lets Nessa take the lead, following along to a shop she seems... kind of familiar with? Maybe? But the dresses in the window get an approving, "Oooh, yes..."

Promptly, Katsumi breezes past her cohort and calls back, "Color! What color do you like?" She's already moving past an assortment of clothing with nothing more than a glance their way. She knows what she's looking for, at least.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Color?" Oh god, Nessa's forced to make choices. "Uh, I look good in blue. Or red, but red's kind of flashy." She seems thoughtful. "Blue. Dark blue. Or black works in a pinch. Something dark brings out the blonde." She'd toss her hair, if she were that kind of girl. But she's not. "But you're the fashion pro here. I'll take any suggestions. I'm here to learn from your sage advice."

She hurries in after Katsumi, once again doing her best to keep up... it's definitely clear only one of them knows what they're doing.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Yep, red it is!," chirps Katsumi. Of course she chose the flashy one. Because Nessa wants to be noticed, and she wants confidence. That was the original purpose, after all.

Spotting a worker fixing the lay of a dress on a table, Katsumi walks up behind her and rapidly taps an index finger to her shoulder. "Hey, dress-minion."

The women turns around, unsure how to respond to that at first.

"Something red. V-neck, thin shoulders." Katsumi's right hand lifts, a trio of fingers going aloft. "Three skirt.. um.. panels. Or whatever. Don't give me that look, you know what I'm talking about!"

The woman blinks at her slowly.

"...today?"

With a start, the woman turns to rush off into the store. And Katsumi's hand moves to her lips, a quiet giggle escaping her.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa shakes her head, though the grin's never quite left her face. She's doing her best not to laugh as well, given how Katsumi's bossing everyone around. "I mean, I guess I had no idea you were such a well-trained shopper with years of experience ordering around... 'dress-minions'." Yeah, she can't hide a little amused sound at that. "It's a little intimidating. I'm certainly learning from the best. You really don't think the red is too flashy?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro grins wickedly. Is she rubbing off on Nessa, or was Nessa always a little impish, herself? It's nice to find someone who doesn't think less of her for enjoying life her way, though. But how she got efficient at shopping, she can't exactly say. The idea of confessing to having once been a rich elite is mildly horrifying. Her street cred' would go right out the window.

Katsumi does, however, sharply turn around to Nessa again at the next prompt. "What? No! That's the point! Be noticed! Be confident! I asked what colors you liked, and you said red! And then you sounded worried about it! That means red is absolutely what you need to wear!"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
It's hard to tell where the impishness is from, but Nessa's still grinning in her amusement. "That's a fair assessment, I suppose. I think you're figuring me out pretty quickly at this rate. Red it is. Besides, if I go blue everyone will just think it's the ice thing and then that'll be more of a thing and I'm trying really hard not to play into the whole ice thing too much. I don't want to feel like that's the only thing that defines my life." The last part is said with a sort of firm determination that Kat's probably not heard from her before.

"Anyway, red. Confident. I've got this."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Tsh, you're the weirdo who brought it up to me," Katsumi chides. But it seems she's made peace with it; or perhaps burying her uncomfortability with it under a layer of typical Katsumi-brand bravado.

The dress-minion returns with three selections, and Katsumi gives the first one her attention. "Crap." She goes to the second one. "Crap." And on to the third, "Hey, what the f***? Look at her!"

She steps aside and points to Nessa indignantly.

"We're getting a dress for /her/, not re-upholstering a godd*** circus tent! Find another one of these, but in people-size!"

The woman sputters.

"Shoo!"

And she's off!

Katsumi eyeshifts over to Nessa. "Too harsh?," she coos innocently.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Harsh or not, Nessa's /giggling/. She looks genuinely amused by all of this. One look from the dress selection, then over to the employee. Really, it wouldn't be so funny if the dress-minion wasn't actually listening to the commands. Because she's bustling off in desperate need for the sale gives Nessa all the information she needs. "Nah, they probably get commission at a store like this. She can work for it." Either that, or she's just having fun with the impish attitude.

"We're getting shoes too, right? Because I have nothing that would go with a red dress. Nothing." She's at least scooting over to admire the rejects. Mostly because she's trying to figure out what's wrong with them. Analyzing the fashion mistakes.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Frankly, they look flawless. One features a sash closure at the waist. The other is considerably shorter. The third... well, that one probably was a mistake, as it's clearly intended for a plus-sized gal.

Katsumi giggles and shrugs. "I dunno. I never worked at a place like this. I'd go crazy doing something like this, looking at all these fancy things, probably never getting to wear one..."

The woman rushes back, now sweating. Katsumi immediately places her focus on the presented dress and gasps. "Minion~! You did good~!," she coos, holding the garment up. It may be a little difficult to tell what's going on with it from this angle. But Katsumi promptly shoves the dress towards Nessa's chest. "Try it on. You're not getting shoes in a place like this, are you kidding me?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Why does this feel like I'm in the middle of some kind of weird twisted fairy tale? The kind of thing where they try to take something written years ago and update it to be modern and edgy?" Nessa's musing on the whole experience. She does, however, get distracted when a dress is shoved towards her, and she grabs it and starts hurrying towards the dressing room. "I don't even think I've tried anything on that's this nice... ever."

She disappears into the dressing room, though she's still talking. She's assuming that Kat's still listening. "I think I've only got like... two dresses, both black, and they're mostly there in the case of me having to go to a funeral." She pauses. "Wait, so you don't buy shoes the same place you buy clothes?"

Uh oh.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Not unless you want the shoes to suck," Katsumi's voice confirms she is, in fact, nearby on the other side of the stall. "And you're not gonna recognize yourself in that one. It looked like it'd be the right size, but y'know, you didn't exactly give me your measurements or anything!"

As for the dress itself? It's almost exactly as she described.

It's a deep crimson color in soft, velveteen material. The skirt is slit in two sections at the front, the tops of which reaching near-scandalously high levels against the hip. The lower hem of the skirt will reach just a little above the ankles. The shoulders aren't thin, but they're secure, with a V-neck dipping to expose a generous amount of cleavage while not being 'wardrobe malfunction'-risking. The back mirrors the cut of the front. And, indeed, a gap has been cut in the material, exposing her right waist just shy of navel. A daring design, but kept classy.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Oh my god, do people wear these out places?" Nessa's clearly gotten a look at herself in the mirror by the sound of it, though it's more of a tone of admiration. "... this is kind of amazing." While the sizes were guessed on, it's not a bad guess. Given that she entirely doubts Katsumi's going to just not let her show off the dress, she pokes her head out of the dressing room for a moment before making sure dress-minion wasn't looming nearby. Safely assured that her friend was the only one taking a glance, she swings the dressing room door open.

"It's supposed to fit like this, yeah? I'm..." She's taking a good look at the dress, but there's uncertainty. Not because she doesn't like it, but she's being very obviously self-concious about it. "It looks okay at least, right?" She peeks back over at the mirror, holding her hair up at the top of her head to see if it looks dramatic that way. She's in wobbily confidence territory!

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"If they wanna be noticed. If they wanna strut," Katsumi assures.

The door swings open, and Katsumi takes a step back to get a better view. But instead, Nessa's head pops out. Unusually pale green eyes blink at her. "I don't f***ing know, you're hiding like a tanuki!" She hurries around the stall to stand in front of the door and finally get a solid look at her.

And she laughs.

"You look great!" Eyes happily shut, brilliant smile on her face, and hands propped to her trim waist, Katsumi is radiating with pride. She helped math class become sexy! "It's supposed to cling to you like that, yeah! And hey, pro-tip?" Her eyes open again, and she leans in closer to Nessa for dramatically conspiratorial murmuring: "That little gap of skin is so the guy knows where to put his hand." She winks at her to the beat of a pair of tongue-clicks. She's having way too much fun.

"So, what do you think? Do you love it, or are you blind?" Those are the choices.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's doing her best to not smoothly blend the color of her face to match her dress, but it's becoming hard at this rate because this is such a vastly different experience for her. "You know, what the hell." She shakes her head, looking at the dress in the mirror for a long moment. "I... really like it, honestly. It's just like dipping your toes in the pool and it's kind of cold but you really wanna jump in." She's actually chewing on her lip a little as she seems torn. Just a little. Then she shakes her head.

"No, you're right. I do love it." It's a taste of freedom, certainly, and it shows in the way she keeps looking back in the mirror to make sure that, yep, she still looks good in it. "... oh god how much is this going to cost." Looks like freedom has a price.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
A quiet little 'eee~' escapes Katsumi as Nessa reaches her conclusion, her hands clasping together beneath her chin. Ladies and gentlemen, your rough and tough professional wrestler.

The mention of money seems to hitch her excitement, however. Her eyes open more fully, and her hands lower from their excited clasp. It's expensive. There's no getting around that. She isn't even sure how much it is, herself. But with a soft breath, Katsumi tilts forward again. "Hey. You've.. uh, been nice to me." She went with her to the doctor when she /desperately/ needed the emotional support. It meant more to her than she's comfortable saying. "This one's on me. Consider it like charity, kay?" She flashes that impish smile again - but it's weighed with something other than playful teasing. It's more genuine.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's a few blinks as Nessa glances over to Katsumi. "You're... sure?" She's not going to refuse the charity, but it's a clear opportunity for her to back down if she's just being nice about it. Even if she changes her mind, the blonde is clearly touched by even the offer. "You don't have to, you know." She does a bit of a turn so she can glance at the dress from different angles as if she had somehow not already decided. "This is the kind of look you take out a loan for." She does, genuinely, look happy. Be it the moment or the dress, she offers Kat a grateful look.

"... we still need gloves and shoes."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Ugh, yes, sure I'm sure!," Katsumi groans - with a smile. She has to continue to play aloof, after all. No vulnerabilities or sentimentalities here!

The smile lingers on Nessa for a few seconds before Katsumi waves a hand. "Hurry up'n change out. Unless you really do wanna wear it out of here. But that might be a /little/ bit on the crazy side. I'm cool with it, but we gotta hurry up!"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Nope, not wearing it out. That /ruins/ the moment if I'm just parading it around all over New York," Nessa notes, disappearing into the changing room and shutting the door again. It takes her a bit longer, this time, because she has to figure out how to get out of the dress which was somehow much confusing than putting on. Eventually, she's got the dress back on the hanger and her regular clothes donned, gloves and all.

"I'll consider it a late birthday present." She states, trying to fall back into the playful riffing for fear of actually being a bit emotional over the whole ordeal. "Thanks," she adds, softly, before she carefully carries the dress in the direction of the register.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"It's whatever!," airily chirps Katsumi. But once Nessa emerges again, the Japanese girl reaches for the dress to gingerly take from her. "You don't have to worry about anything, okay?" And finally, she tilts the dress and gets a look at the price tag. "...except the shoes. You can get the shoes." Gulp. This impulse buy is gonna hurt.

She steals an apologetic glance over to Nessa, eyes sheepishly uplidding. But she begins towards the register. It won't break her bank, but it'll mean she'll have to go back to being care about her finances again. They've not yet been paid for their involvement in this event. And though the pay is going to be pretty darn good, it's not happening until /after/ the fighting.

"Planning on dancing?," she asks suddenly. "Or being armcandy?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'll get the shoes," Nessa agrees, looking slightly guilty. Only slightly, though. The question makes her laugh. "Well, I'm not going to drape myself dramatically across the piano. Dancing's not out of the question, and arm candy is always a plus. Not sure how risky I want to be dancing anywhere particularly close to people who can't resist a little bit of a cold shoulder." She sounds amused. "Well, also to be fair I'm trying to get together with some, uh, work friends and meet up at Lux and I thought it'd be a great opportunity to just show it off."

She shrugs. "So maybe mostly just being a distraction. But a /fun/ distraction while I talk about serious things."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Not why I asked!," she boldly interjects.

They reach the registers, and Katsumi steels her nerves. The dress is paid for. She doesn't let Nessa see her wince, nor nibble on her bottom lip. The dress is neatly folded and tucked away protectively in a container. And Katsumi turns to offer it over to her. Goodbye, a few hundred American dollars. Having an actual friend is expensive.

Her gaze flicks from the dress bag to Nessa's face.

Expensive, but worth it to show appreciation.

"Heels," she notes. "Whether or not you plan on dancing is how you know what kind of heel to get. You wear those tiny little stilet-to heels, and either they're gonna break or your ankles will." Her Japanese accent caught up with her on the word 'stiletto', causing her to over-pronounce it a little. "So you want something that's more of a medium width."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Oh, /oh/." Nessa gets it now. "Right, well, I can't wear those anyways. Those things are ridiculous to stand up in, much less walk in, much less /dance/ in. Yeah, I'll be going with something a little wider, most certainly. Just for walking's sake." She looks a little sheepish at the suggestion that she didn't realize dancing shoes were different than arm candy shoes. "I'd be so bad at this without the help. I probably wouldn't have even done it."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Heels f***ing suck, but I think guys love'em or something. The most heel I ever wear is with my boots. /My/ club dress comes with combat boots." Katsumi pushes out the thought of how expensive today has turned out to be, and instead exits the store with a giggle. "Know any good shoe places? They don't need to be expensive. Guys stop looking past the calf. Unless you have really gross feet." She pauses and glances back at Nessa. "You don't, right?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I am fairly certain my feet are cute enough for heels." While Nessa's not certain of that, she's working off of reasonable assumptions. "There's a place over here I've shopped before when I needed some heels to go with that funeral dress." Certainly a wide selection of funeral shoes! "Pretty sure the shoes aren't going to matter with that much leg showing." She's not too worried about the shoes, but she leads them in the direction of said shoe store.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro shoots some intensely scrutinizing looks down at Nessa's feet, as if she had the ability to look through her shoes at her feet in question. Perhaps satisfied, she picks up the pace to follow her to the shore store. "You attend a lot of funerals? Ohmigod, you don't kill a bunch of people, do you?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"No, funerals are just an occasion it's hard to get out of dressing properly for. Funerals and weddings... yeah, I just hope no one's getting married any time soon. All I've got is black." Nessa grins, then looks at the garment bag. "And red, now!" The glance shot towards Kat is still appreciative. She does, however, make her way towards the shoe store. Dress obtained, but they still had to find the last touches. Worth it.