|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 19:58:04 GMT -5
Jaymie sauntered through the streets of Thessaloniki with a small bag slung over his shoulder and a smile that could've lit a room. He had brought a white shirt with faux-ripped sleeves, light jeans, hiking boots, and several leather bracelets, and despite the little violets and daisies embroidered on everything (including the boots), he looked much less frilly than usual.
He was unapologetically a tourist, his eyes in the air more than they were where he was walking, chatting loudly to Hitomi about anything that looked interesting, where she might want to go and what they might want to do; but as usual, crowds parted a little before him, grandmothers smiled, and children wondered if an angel had come down to Earth on vacation.
He looked at Hitomi and grinned. "So where do you want to go first? Breakfast? Sight-seeing? Shops? We could make friends with somebody who doesn't speak a word of English and let them drag us around the city while I pay for everything?"
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 20:23:33 GMT -5
Hitomi was dressed in bright pink tank top and green plaid pleated skirt, with over-sized sunglasses, flip-flops, and mismatched homemade earrings: one with stars, the other with the moon. Her long hair was pulled back off of her neck and ornamented with various little clips to keep her bangs out of her face.
She'd spent the entire last week listening to Conversational Greek for Beginners on her iPod instead of music and had purchased a modern Greek phrasebook, so Hitomi was reasonable confident she could at least manage simple things. She could give basic greetings, ask for the bathroom, and say "Do you speak English?" and "I don't speak Greek". As far as she was concerned, she was doing well.
Hitomi smiled and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Sight-seeing or shopping would be fun. Shopping is probably less crowded, since it's tourist season, but I do want to see the sights at some point. And we have to drag Hitoshi out and make him do something with us at some point--maybe the sight-seeing. I know he won't want to go shopping. So shopping first, then we find Hitoshi." She grinned.
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 20:39:15 GMT -5
"Shopping, Hitoshi! We have a plan!" Jaymie punched the air. "Now, we just need to find the shopping district. Can you Google up a map on your phone, or should I drag mine out?"
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 20:52:59 GMT -5
"Yeah, I have a maps app on my iPod." Hitomi dug her iPod out of her pocked and clicked through the applications for a moment until she managed to find a tourist map of Greece, then showed the phone to Jaymie.
"What sort of shopping do you want? Tourist-y places, or clothes shopping, or what? There are some pretty upscale places nearby and a couple of places targeted toward tourists, but I think most of the places geared toward the locals are a little further off."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 20:58:17 GMT -5
"Sweet." He looked at it. "Hmm. I could look at the local fashions... but usually that works better to go someplace upscale where people like to be seen and just, like, look around. I like kitsch. I like unique stuff. Uh."
"Someplace we don't need to drive to get to?" He grinned. "Unless it's really cool. Then we can find transport."
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 21:11:55 GMT -5
"We could look at the upscale places, though I doubt we could afford anything there. Then we can hit the gift shops, and round up Hitoshi after."
She grinned and clapped her hands. "Oh, and tomorrow we have to go to the beach! We can round up a bunch of people. I'm sure Alex would like to go, and between us we could make Hitoshi come along, and maybe get the Aetais, and Jaebi and Ariel... I haven't been to the beach in forever."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 21:45:14 GMT -5
"Yes! There's a beach?" The little crane-voice in the back of his head, grumpy and half-asleep the past couple of days, lifted its head slightly in interest. "Crap, I didn't bring a swimsuit. Mind if we look around for one?"
"Oh, and do you think there's an art museum? Would you like to go there before we leave?"
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 21:52:47 GMT -5
Hitomi smirked and shook her head slightly. "Yep, we're right on the water. Didn't you notice that?" She scrolled through the map on her iPod for clothing stores that sounded like they would carry swimsuits. "I know there are a couple of historical museums around here because Hitoshi said something about them, but I don't know about art. There should be at least a gallery or something. It could be fun."
Hitomi definitely liked the idea of swimsuit shopping. She hadn't bought a new one in a while since she hadn't really grown much in the past two years--much to Hitomi's chagrin--and the one she brought was just a plain one-piece. And as long as she was wearing something over it when she left and could manage to not have Tristan tag along, he wouldn't know the difference.
"Here's some places that sound promising." Hitomi grinned and handed the iPod to Jaymie. "Take your pick."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 23:13:29 GMT -5
Jaymie, predictably, picked the one with a name that sounded like an obscure African dish.
Fifteen minutes of walking later...
The shop was two stories, with white walls, open architecture, and sparkly white dome ceilings, in a little plaza surrounded by other upscale shops.
Jaymie and Hitomi browsed for a while before finding the beachwear section. There were cute sandals, a tiny little section for men's shirts and shorts that sent Jaymie into mumbled ranting, and of course, lots of swimsuits. He picked out something rather quickly, boring, but light blue, shorter than the usual ugly baggy shorts, and with a stylish little Greek flag on one leg.
He couldn't help but wonder what Hitomi was looking for.
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 23:30:16 GMT -5
The place was gorgeous, and Hitomi had to restrain herself from darting off after everything she saw. There were probably CDs of Greek music and she saw some more traditional Greek clothing, and there were stands that sold nothing but pastries, and she would have killed for baklava and wow she had skipped breakfast and she was starving...
But when the beachwear department came into view, Hitomi remembered her purpose and darted off to the women's section to look at bikinis. She didn't often get to shop for clothes without Tristan hanging over her shoulder, and never bathing suits, and she intended to get something nice.
By the time Jaymie found her again, she had done little to narrow down her options. There was a whole section full of mix-and-match separates in bright colors and patterns, all within her price range, and a few adorable looking two-pieces that were just a little over budget...and she could probably convince Jaymie to pay the difference, if she really wanted.
She glanced up at him and smiled. "What did you find?"
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 23:38:47 GMT -5
Jaymie waved the shorts at her. "The one item of clothing I have not yet learned how to fab up. You?"
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 21, 2010 23:53:08 GMT -5
Hitomi gestured at the rack of clothing. "Trying to choose between splurging on one of the really nice ones and just grabbing a few of the cute mix-and-match pieces. What do you think?" She smirked. "I could get a strapless top. Tristian would kill me if he saw it, though."
She glanced back at Jaymie and thought for a minute, biting her lower lip in thought. "You could get some fabric paint -- I think that's water proof, isn't it? Or maybe sharpies. They'll at least hold up for in the water a little while, especially without chlorine, and when it washes off you could draw something else."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 21, 2010 23:57:11 GMT -5
"Fabric pens! I have some waterproof fabric pens! They might even be in my sewing kit."
He hummed a little tune and looked at the rack Hitomi had gestured at. "I don't think I could find the motivation to persuade you away from getting something your uncle wouldn't want you to be seen in, but I think you should get whatever suit you like. The stuff here isn't that expensive."
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 0:13:07 GMT -5
"See?" Hitomi grinned. "No problem. You can draw some stars or something."
She leaned over the racks and browsed through the clothing, and eventually narrowed her choices down to two. They were both a little pricier than she wanted to spend, but... Well, she could manage.
She held them up for Jaymie, one plain white and ruffle-y, the other bright blue and pink with several different patterns in paisley and diamonds, both strapless and far more revealing than Tristan would ever let her wear.
"So." She beamed. "What do you think?"
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 0:25:25 GMT -5
Jaymie looked at the first one. It was kind of cute and he thought the cut was nice, though he thought white looked weird on Hitomi.
He looked at the second; the colors were great, but the patterns (in his opinion) were a clear case of 'let's throw scraps at it until we run out of space'. He also got the very distinct impression that it was so loud he would be completely unable to keep his eyes off it. Along with, therefore, the girl beneath it. Himself along with every other straight man within a mile who wasn't Rudeth.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully and suppressed the thought that he had some idea of how her uncle felt right about now. If Hitomi wanted to wear something, it was her body to decorate and he should just enjoy the ride. Maybe the water would be cold.
He shrugged. "Dunno. I like the first one, but you look better in pink and purple."
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 1:22:04 GMT -5
She looked between them indecisively, worrying her lip. "I really like the patterns, and the white is kind of boring, but the white one is really cute..." She glanced sideways at Jaymie. "Maybe I should just try them on. I don't know how I'll look in them. That might change my opinion."
Hitomi grabbed Jaymie by the arm and hauled him off toward the fitting rooms, then slipped back into one of the stalls. After a few moments, she returned, dressed in the brightly colored swimsuit. She felt far more exposed than she was used to--she was fairly certain she had underwear that covered more--and she was a little worried the strapless top was going to slide down. She remembered hearing about some sort of clothing tape for strapless prom dresses; she wondered if it was waterproof, and if she could find it in Greece.
She looked back at Jaymie, her face far less confident than before. "What do you think?" She gave a little half-smile. "Tristan would kill me, that's for sure."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 1:29:33 GMT -5
Jaymie opened his mouth as if to speak and promptly forgot how.
He stared blankly at Hitomi.
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 2:16:48 GMT -5
Hitomi bit back a smile and shook her head slightly. She should probably take that as a compliment.
"Alright, now keep that in mind while I go try on the white one. I want your honest opinion on which looks better." She grinned and ducked back into the fitting room, then deciding that it might be better to get the opinion of someone who wouldn't be tempted to choose the one that showed the most skin. Hitomi dug her phone out of her purse and snapped a picture of the blue in the mirror, then quickly changed into the white one and repeated the process. She messaged both of them to Alex and Hitoshi and hoped that they would reply quickly.
The white one was a little better as far as coverage went and she did like the cut, but the colors weren't nearly as flattering. White looked a little strange against the caramel color of her skin.
She stuffed the phone back into her purse and stepped out of the fitting room. "Well?" She beamed. "What do you think."
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 2:24:03 GMT -5
Jaymie managed to get his mouth closed and compose himself before Hitomi came back out.
"It- uhm." He swallowed. "You look... great. Uhm." He rubbed his eyes and grinned. "Screw this; I'm trying on mine, see how you like it. And, uh, the other one looks better; you and bright white don't mix well."
Thank god. He wasn't sure if he could cope with Hitomi wearing something white and getting it wet.
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 2:39:40 GMT -5
Hitomi smiled and rolled her eyes. "Right, the blue one it is, then."
She returned to the changing room and checked her messages. Alex seemed to agree with Jaymie's judgment--and while she trusted Jaymie's sense of fashion, she had a lot more faith in Alex not to be biased. Hitoshi, rather predictably, said that she could run around the beach nude for all he cared, and asked if Tristan knew she was shopping for bathing suits with her boyfriend. (Hitomi wasn't even sure Tristan knew Jaymie was her boyfriend, for that matter.)
Hitomi quickly changed back into her normal clothes and stuck the white one on the hanger outside the fitting room, then sat down on the bench outside the fitting room and waited for Jaymie, the blue bathing suit hanging off of one arm.
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 3:03:23 GMT -5
Jaymie hmmphed half-jokingly, surreptitiously grabbed a few things out of his bag, and flounced into the changing room.
Once in, he was actually rather glad he'd tried it on; apparently either the sizes were different here, or he'd misread them, because it was a bit uncomfortably small. He stripped off everything else and tossed a couple of long, thin chains around his neck (he couldn't remember why he'd brought them, but) for various symmetry-related reasons and opened the door.
He did his best runway walk out, tousled hair falling into his face, back straight, eyes forward. A little past Hitomi, framed by the triple-mirror, he did a half-turn. He looked at Hitomi over his shoulder, winked and blew her a kiss.
"What do you think?"
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 3:23:57 GMT -5
Hitomi clamped her hand over her mouth to cover her scarlet cheeks and bit back a giggling fit that was currently threatening her.
When she thought she could actually speak again--which took a few minutes, and she thought she had a rough idea of what Jaymie was feeling when she came out of the changing room in what was essentially underwear--she slowly lowered her hands from her mouth and smirked.
"So should I text Hitoshi and Alex and ask for their opinions on this?" she asked wryly.
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 3:28:25 GMT -5
Jaymie grinned ear-to-ear, trying not to laugh himself. It was good to know he could actually do that; girls were a lot harder to awe, and it was especially gratifying that Hitomi was appreciative.
"Yes," he clapped his hands together. "Gimme a second to regain my composure, and I only wish I could see your brother's face."
|
|
|
Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jun 22, 2010 3:58:11 GMT -5
She hadn't entirely been serious and wasn't entirely sure how her brother would react to it, but he had been rather rude when she asked for her opinion about her swimsuit, and she didn't think Alex would mind too much.
Hitomi grinned and fished her phone back out of her purse. "Pose for the camera, Jaymie," she called, holding up the phone and snapping a picture. She really, really wanted to see her brother's reaction to that. She'd have to ask Alex later.
|
|
|
Post by Jaymie Elderton on Jun 22, 2010 4:15:05 GMT -5
Jaymie gave Hitomi a nice thousand-yard pout, then went to change back into his normal clothes.
"Is there anything else you want to get here?" he said from inside the room. "I really need to get a size up of these, but I think I'm done."
|
|