6979/Dress shopping for Clarice!

Dress shopping for Clarice!
Date of Scene:	17 July 2021
Location:	Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Lydia takes Mystique and Clarice out to go dress shopping. They find some really pretty ones and talk a bit about Mystiques history. Then Lydia paid for everything! Next time: SHOES!
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
It's time! It's time! It's dress shopping time! Lydia is quite excited to bring her friend to go clothes shopping for possibly the first time in her life. Well, shopping for clothes beyond what you can pick up at a Wall*Mart. You know, nice clothes. Fancy clothes. Now that she's employed, she can freely spend out of her still rather sizable trust fund to splurge on some nice dresses for Clarice.

To kind of show off what's in store for her friend, Lydia has dressed up some. It's a two piece affair. The upper part of the dress dress has open flowing short sleeves and is this nice white color, that flows into a red patterned skirt that comes to just below the knees, and a matching long sleeved jacket fits snugly to accent the waist. Her curly brown hair has been tied into a thick braid that comes down to her shoulders.

She tells them to meet at the address of the dress shop proper. They'll move to accessories and shoes from there, so she's standing in front of Anya Ponorovskaya's shop, waiting for the two to arrive.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    They emerge from the portal - with Clarice making a face to show her discomfort from the rather jolting sensation of traveling via someone else's gift. Her hand rests on the nearest wall for a moment, before she manages to gather herself again, flashing the light-skinned woman beside her a tight smile. "Alright. Dress shopping. This'll be, uhh... fun." It will. Right?
    "...you can get literally any dress and make it fit perfectly, can't you? You're //such// a cheater," she mutters as she steps out of the alley they were deposited in, and approaches Lydia with a smile. "Lydia... hi." Clarice is dressed rather unremarkably - jeans, a pair of boots, and a tank-top. Why //dress up// for dress shopping. Though when she sees Lydia's attire, she looks down at her own clothes, then aside at Mystique, before returning her gaze to Lydia once more.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Back and forth, back and forth, she just couldn't decide... when you have to conceal yourself and not be blue for risk of SWAT teams raided a dress store, picking your face for the day is just as difficult as picking your clothing. After about twenty minutes however, Raven decided exactly which face she was going shopping in.

It was exceedingly rare for her to be seen as the face she was born to, and yet here she was today. Pale ivory skin, flaming red hair, killer athletic body, completely human. Stepping through thep portal she felt a little like she was a wolf in sheeps clothing, and perhaps she was, but she also hoped that neither Lydia nor Clarice would have issues with whom she choose to be today.

"Technically," Raven snerks. "I could fit any style I wanted, but today I'm looking for some thing that will make eye balls bug out of sockets."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia just looks happy that Clarice and Mystique are here, regardless of how they dressed. "Hi, you two!" she calls out to them, voice chipper. "So glad you didn't chicken out. This is going to be so much /fun/." She turns and opens the door of the boutique to let them in, and follows shortly after.

The store itself is a classy affair. Many dresses are hung up on the walls, between polished wooden furniture which displays a diverse array of jewelry. The clothes are mostly simple, elegant affairs. They're classy, like store, and eschew the frilliness that you can sometimes find in high fashion, though there are more daring ones here and there.

Once everybody is herded inside, Lydia explains, "I wanted to get something simple for Clarice. Something elegant, but not too risque. I didn't want to scare her off after a couple of dresses." She starts leading the girls through the aisle and starts picking at the dresses. "The real challenge is going to be Clarice's skin tone." She pulls a nice looking dress off it's hook and holds it up under the mutant's chin. "Most designers only design for shades of brown."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yeah, well... welcome to my word," Clarice remarks in a wry, amused tone. She allows the dress to be held under her chin - and after a moment, she even strikes a pose, lifting one hand to put behind her head, which she tilts slightly to the side, while her other hand goes to her hips. "This is what people do in fancy dresses - right?" No, probably not. But hey, at least she's trying.
    "Whose eyeballs in particular?" she asks Mystique.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven is ushered inside, but she has no issues with shopping, in fact she rather enjoyed it. Not everything had to be about blood, however if that sale girl didn't shove that look up her own ass....

"No one specifically," she replies to Clarice. "I'd just like to be ready. I don't have much in the way of actual clothing, but once in a while there's nothing like the feeling of slipping into a real dress, or the feel of a silk bra and panties against the skin."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia grins as Clarice poses, "Now you're getting the hang of it!" However, shakes her head, and puts the dress back to where she found it and searches around for another. "Not that one. Makes your skin look" she shudders, "Eugh. Worst comes we can go with a simple black or a simple white, but I'm curious as to what colors would look good on you."

She looks around for a bit, taking some black and white ones, and draping them over an arm and then stops when she finds one that's emerald green. "Hmm. I wonder if this will work." She takes it off the hook and turns to hold it up to Clarice's chin again and starts nodding. "Yes. I think this green actually goes well." She adds that to the growing pile.

She gasps as Mystique gives her an idea. "Raven," she says, hoping using Mystique's real name is okay in this situation. "Should we be daring and take her to Mixona? It's a luxury lingerie shop not too far from here."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven pulls a green shimmering dress off the rack to look over, holding it up against herself and glancing to a mirror. She would rock the dress, no doubt about that. It would hug all the right places, reveal just enough flesh and probably send lots of people into nose bleed city.

"I think a drink to Mixona is a good idea," she comments, glancing over to Clarice. "I totally see her rocking boy short panties and one of those string bars, all in purple of course."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Mixo-" Clarice starts, before Lydia clarifies the nature of the shop. She looks between the two uncertainly, then abruptly snatches up a few of the dresses Lydia had pulled aside. "I'll go try these on," she announces simply, starting towards the changing room.
    For just a moment - a look of frustration crosses her features, as she'd tried to blink herself into one of the changing rooms, instinctively. It, of course, hadn't worried. Instead, she has to wait for one of the employees to let her in, and she spends a moment in front of the mirror, eyeing the white, black, and green dresses as she tries to decide which to try first.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Oooh! That'd look good on you!" Lydia says, when she sees Raven holding up the green dress. "It'll match your eyes." She manages to hold in her chuckle as her picks for Clarice are suddenly snatched out of her arms. She turns back to Raven and nods solemnly. "She's totally a boy shorts kind of girl." Turning back to the racks she starts perusing the wares looking for something for herself.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven nods her agreement, then slides another dress out to peek at, before putting it back. She wanders over to look at Clarice once she has the dress on.

"Oh my, she's a real girl!" She chimes in, totally serious, no joke or teasing intended. "That's beautiful on you Clarice."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    After staring at the three dresses for a while, she starts with the white one, contorting a little to get the zipper up in the back. She's barely out the door of the changing room before Mystique is upon her - and she tucks her hair behind one of her pointed ears self consciously. "You think so?" she asks - turning to look at herself in the mirrors - they have multiple full length mirrors set up together, to give you a more complete view of the dress. "I guess it isn't bad," she agrees.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Let me see! Let me see!" Lydia rushes over to the dressing rooms to see what Clarice has tried on and her eyes sparkle with joy. "Oh, goodness, Clarice!" she says, clutching her hands to her heart, "You're so pretty! Try on the next one!" She pauses as something occurs to her. "I take it your ears aren't pierced?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven carries another dress over to offer to Clarice to try on, then leans against the wall by the mirrors to wait for the next dress. "They still make clip ons," she comments, just in case Clarice's ears aren't pierces. Another advantage Raven has, she can make her ears pierced or not, or many holes, or belly piercings, whatever she wants.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh, umm... no. Not pierced," Clarice confirms. "I don't own any jewelry, so..." She turns, peering over her shoulder to try to get a look at her back. She even tries spinning in a circle, watching how to skirt moves. It doesn't flair up all that much - not the way this particular dress is cut. "I used to-" she starts, cuts herself up short suddenly, and then just as abruptly plows on again, "When my mom would take me shopping, I'd spin in a circle to see if the skirt flared out. If it didn't flare out, I didn't want it."
    Yup. The criteria by which a five year old picks her dresses. With that little tidbit of her past delivered, she slips back into the dressing room - with the new dress from Raven in hand.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods solemnly. "So you want a spinny dress," she says. "Let me go and see if I can find you a couple." She heads back out to the floor and starts browsing through the dresses again, this time with a new criteria: Must look good while spinning! After a few moments, she comes back with two, a white one and another green one that has a bit of a low back to it.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven glances to Lydia for a moment as Clarice shares the important criteria for a five year old, and it is, it really is.

"Would either of you like to see what sort of dress I used to wear?" She asks honestly, already pulling out her phone to search through certain sites until she finds what she is looking for. "Have it right here, what was considered a day dress." If they show an interest, they are shown the following picture: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c9/fb/19/c9fb19dff14c95926e24eb390dad2988.jpg

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean - no. It doesn't have to be, I was just saying- that's how I used to decide," Clarice calls back from the changing room. She //isn't// five anymore. Even if that's the last time she remembers buying a nice dress. She slips out of the white dress - and into the white-and-black outfit Raven had brought her, once again somehow managing the zipper - but they sure don't make the things convenient, do they? She takes a look at herself in the mirror in the changing room before she'll step out cautiously - approaching Mystique to look at the image on her phone before she even turns to study herself in the multiple mirrors. A curious look crosses her features as she takes in the dress, and she's silent for a short time before remarking, "It looks heavy. And hot." She looks to Raven for confirmation.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia crowds close to see the picture on the phone and gasps. "I would /love/ to wear something like that." She wrinkles her nose. "Not as a day dress, mind you, but for something to dress up as." She moves over to let Clarice see, and as she does she takes a step back to look at Clarice proper in that dress. "Mmmm. I like the cut of it, but I'm not sure black is your color."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The phone goes back into the pocket of her pants and Raven looks Clarice over, "You look so nice, really. Is there one that is winning above the others." She looks the dress over on Clarice again, like a mother looks over their daughter getting ready for the prom. "Every day, then at exactly four o'clock you changed into an evening dress. The dress was honest to gods sewn on to you every time... it was hot, it was heavy, and it was a waste of time, but it was the acceptable clothing. There were some..." she suddenly stops, eye narrowing and for a brief moment they flash amber but then it passes. "I think a deep blue would look good on you are well Clarice."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Sewed you into it? ... ugh," is all Clarice really has to say about that. She turns to study herself in the mirror now, an uncertain look on her features as she studies the gown. "Well," she remarks. "I like how this one's short in the front - and I'm pretty sure it's going to pass the 'spin test,'" which is something she promptly does - and yes, it does pass. "...but I think I like the first dress more than this one, anyways. I guess I should try the others?"
    And despite Lydia's words that she doesn't think black is really Clarice's color - it's the black and silver asymmetrical dress she'll try on next.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia blinks at Raven horrified and now having second thoughts, "/Sewn/ onto you? My God! How did you ever pee?" She picks at one of the dresses she'd selected for herself. "I'm going to go give it a try on."

Instead of waiting for an attendant to unlock the door for her, a glowing green tendril snakes its way underneath the door, and there's a faint *click* as the door is unlocked and opened. She gives Raven a satisfied smile and says, "One of these days I'm going to learn how to pick locks with this stuff." With that she disappears into the changing room.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is out of the changing room faster this time, and she's soon spinning in front of the mirror, studying the way the skirt billows, and the assymetical bodice with just one shoulder strap, plus the shimmering silver accents. "This one isn't bad, either," she muses. She's actually... smiling now. Maybe she's simply getting used to the whole thing, and finally allowing herself to relax. After a few moments consideration, she moves over towards a display of jewelry, and returns with long, dangling earrings made of clear rhinestones all strung together. "These would go with it. Right?" she asks - holding them up to her ears.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is soon out as well, with a dress with matching colors but with a different cut. "So?" she says, doing a matching twirl to show the girls the low cut back. "What do you think? Not risque enough? What've you got there, Clarice?" she asks, walking up to the other woman to look at the earrings. "Oooooh!" she exclaims appreciatively "We'll have to get your ears pierced though."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I suppose we would have to," Clarice agrees - as she studies Lydia's dress as well. She smiles, adding, "That looks nice on you, Lydia." She reaches out - running her fingers over the smooth fabric and feeling the way her fingers slide over it. "It has a... sheen to it, doesn't it?" She turns back to the mirror - studying the earrings with the dress a moment longer, before finally setting the earrings aside and disappearing into the changing room once more. When she returns again, it'll finally be in the green dress, with its plunging neckline, shimmering waist band, and mid-length skirt with a slit up the front. She studies herself curiously in the mirror, before turning a questioning look towards Lydia and Mystique.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven returns to leaning against the wall near the changing rooms. "It was still a dress, you lifted it up, squatted and peed," she answers, then waits outside for the two of them to come back out. She felt strange talking about her past like that, even if it was just about the clothing. That was a time in her life that she did her level best to forget ever happened and with good reason.

"We'll have to go for shoes after this," she offers through the doors. "To match the dresses."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Lydia gets a once over, then a second over, and Raven offers a smile... not predatory at all, but she does wolf whistle. "You would be sexy in something risque Lydia, but it wouldn't be you. That is tastefully glamourous, with a hint of risk, and very appealing on you."

"It will take your ears a while to heal, if you want it done right, but really it is worth is in the end Clarice, because there's lots of nice earrings out there to wear."

Finally deciding it was time to try something on herself, she slips into a changing room to try on a dress. No attendant needed, and she could teach Lydia about lock picking. The idea of sharing this with other woman, dare she think 'girlfriends', was new, so she wanted to get in on the show.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia has the good grace to blush when Raven wolf whistles at her. She giggles giddily and nods, "I think I'll take it." By then Clarice has come out and is showing off the emerald green dress that Lydia had picked out and she snaps her fingers. "Yes. I /knew/ that green would be your color, Clarice. Does it pass the spinny test?" Sometimes you just have to indulge your inner five year old.

She's about to return to her dressing room to take off her dress when Raven comes out of hers. Lydia's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as she takes Raven in, her hands going to her mouth. "Oh, goodness!" she breathes, trying not to ogle but kind of failing. "You're so.... that's so.... /you/."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice indulges in a spin test before remarking. "It spins alright. I think the one Raven found spun the best but this one..." She reaches out to touch the image in the mirror before deciding, "I like it."
    Then she turns to study Mystique - her smile widening as she reaches out to touch one of the ruffles. "It's very fun," she remarks. "Did you tailor yourself to fit it even better?" she asks in a slightly teasing tone. She'd put money that Mystique had - the cheater.
    She turns in a circle before asking her mentor, "What do you think?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven makes a face, "No I didn't cheat, this is all natural me, in every way, like before my change." She strides over to Clarice, looking her over for a moment before turning to gaze at Lydia. "Thank you. Green is my favorite color... after cobalt of course." She offers Lydia a wink, then looks back to Clarice.

"I think they've all been beautiful on you, and honestly I think you should get them all, then you have choices."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia finally manages to tear her eyes from Raven to look back to Clarice, and offers her a grin. "Good. We'll get it, and all the others, too. They all looked good on you, to be honest, and Raven is right, it's good to have choices. And we'll get the earrings too." She turns to go and change out of her dress.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Wait- what? I don't need //four// gowns!" Clarice protests. And she's probably have continued on in the vein is something Mystique said hadn't suddenly registered, causing her to do a double-take, looking back towards her mentor with puzzled curiosity.
    "...wait," she repeats, thought the tone is completely different now - more contemplative. "This is... //you//?" she asks, reaching out to try to capture her mentor's hand with one of hers. "You're wearing yourself as a skin?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven let's her hand be captured, her weight shifting slightly not out of discomfort but more out of surprise. It was more difficult to mask her expressions and hide thinking in a human face, it seemed to always break through in some place and in this case it was the widening of the eyes.

"Yes," she replies bluntly, debating leaving it there before deciding to offer just a little more. "This isn't a skin, this is me. Just as much as the cobalt skin is me, I just tend to hate this form. When you know as many forms as I do, you lose track of which ones might have been used."

For a moment she looks between the two woman, starting to feel a hint of discomfort. "I'm never me, so thought it was the best disguise."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Wait she what?" Calls out Lydia from inside the changing room. Sounds of hurried undressing and dressing precede Lydia hopping out of the room trying to get a shoe on. "That's /you/? But you're /beautiful!/" No, that didn't come out right. "I mean. The cobalt skin you is beautiful too!" No, that's not helping Lydia. "I mean... you're... it's..." she gets frustrated as anything else she says is just going to shove her foot further down her mouth. She just stomps and scowls, "You know what I mean."

She turns away to hide her embarrassment and hastily attempts to change the subject. "Anyway. Let's get these dresses to the counter so I can pay for them all." She whirls around and waggles a finger at Raven before she can protest. "This is my treat. Something to show my appreciation for my friends." Still blushing she marches her way up to the counter and flops her dress down.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I... well..." Clarice still holds Mystique's hand, studying her features. There's a question lingering in Clarice's gaze and she opens her mouth to ask it - before abruptly thinking better of it, and shutting her mouth instead.
    "Well. I like it," she finally says instead, giving Mystique's hand a squeeze before releasing it.
    And then Lydia is threatening to buy //all// the dresses. "I- I really don't need //four// dresses!" She protests. "When am I going to wear them all?" she asks. "How about, um... This one. And, uhh, the white one?" she suggests. Two dresses feels like //more// than enough to her.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven attempts to keep her hold on Clarice's hand as she says, "Ask." Then goes to change out of the dress and back into her clothing. "I'm rarely up to talking about things Clarice, take the chance and just ask."

Once she has changed, she steps back out with the short green velvet dress she already knew she wanted, and the longer one she just tried on. "You're getting them all, suck it up and take them to the counter. If I have to suck it up, and I am, that Lydia is buying, you have to suck it up that it's four... move it Ferguson." She sounds all commanding, but she is smiling as she says it, then carries the dresses over to the counter as well.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia waits patiently for Clarice to bring all the dresses back to the counter, and the woman behind it starts to ring up what they've already brought her. "We'll find events to bring you to in which you can wear them. We'll have to do a charity ball somewhere swanky to catch the eye of wealthy investors who are desperate to look like they care about anything other than themselves," she informs them.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice lets Mystique keep hold of her hand, though there's still a moment of hesitation on her features. Finally, though, she does ask. "Just... why?" she asks simply, before elaborating. "Why would you hate your own face? What happened?"
    She makes no move to retrieve the other dresses or change out of the one she's currently wearing - instead she simply watches Mystique's features with concern, hoping she hasn't overstepped the question.
    "A charity ball - for Bushwick?" she calls over towards Lydia. "Or maybe Genosha!"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Laying the dresses on the counter by Lydia, Raven walks back over to Clarice and takes her hand again, this time leading her over to the mirror. "When you look in the mirror and you see yourself, how many times have you said to yourself, 'I wish I was normal?'" She glances to Lydia, "Or you for that matter? How many times?" Her eyes look back to her and Clarice's reflections in the mirror.

"All of my life I have fought for the right to be me, to be the mutant I am. I constantly hear, 'Must be nice to be able to hide yourself'... well guess what, I don't want to hide myself. I'm proud of who and what I am, and I want to be able to be /me/ no matter where I go. For the longest time that me was cobalt," she offers them both a small smile. "I hated humans, I loathed and despised them for everything they did to me, to my people, so naturally, I hate this face."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"That's a shame, since this face is so pretty," Lydia says sadly. "But I see your point, and I understand where you're coming from." She's silent for a moment before turning to ask, genuinely curious, "Why decide to put it on today?"

She moves around the two and grab the dresses from Clarice's dressing room to add them to the pile. All told the total is... not insignificant. Still. That's what platinum cards are for and that's what Lydia has. Cha-ching! They now own new dresses!

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice studies her own face for a time, then studies Raven beside her, shaking her head, and giving a helpless shrug. "But if this is who you are, too... and you're proud of who you are... Then how can you hate it? Just because this face looks human doesn't mean it //is// human. Magneto looks human. Should he hate himself for that? Should any of us? If I envy your ability to disappear right now - it's only because I can't, and I hate feeling this exposed."
    Her gaze goes back to her own features as she lapses back into silence for a moment. "If I didn't look like this - I wouldn't have ended up in the hands of the Magistrates when I was so small. I would have had a normal childhood. But then - I wouldn't be //me// now. I'd be some other Clarice." Her gaze is still locked onto her own features before finally stating with a small shake of her head, "I've never hated who I am, and I don't ever want to be anyone else. This is me. This is how I'm //supposed// to be."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Raven lays her hand on Clarice's shoulder, "I see your logic, I hear your logic, but after a hundred and thirty years, it's going to take me time. As for why today," she shrugs slightly. "Because you and Lydia never saw it." She then gives Clarice a nudge toward the dressing rooms. "Go change, we have shoes to buy."