Fashion Advice ((for sweetcandygirl))

[fiveofnone]

At a small café in the heart of the Shopping District, Caspar sits at an outdoor table and sips from his tiny ceramic cup of espresso. Outwardly, his expression is one of calm indifference, but inside, he's a little concerned. For not the first time since he sat down, he pulls out his PINpoint and re-reads the text from Harley on its glowing screen.

It's not unusual for Harley to send him a text. It is unusual for her to request fashion advice. She seems pretty set on her style, such as it is. Her asking for help is like him asking for help.

Highly unlikely.

He agreed, naturally. He can't turn down an afternoon of clothes shopping, even if something seems off about it. So, hopefully for the last time, he puts his PINpoint away and takes another sip of espresso while he waits for Harley to arrive.

Comments

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley is often a person that other people notice when she arrives. Today is no exception -- as she is carrying an armful of sparkly-red short shorts and ripped white T-shirts (what you thought she was wearing the same set of clothes everytime?). And she times it perfectly that Caspar is taking another sipof espresso when the pile of clothes are dropped on the table.

"Help me Oh Fashionable one. You are my only hope." Does he get Star Wars quotes? If not, she is not explaining herself. Just flashing a bright smile.

[fiveofnone]

Caspar follows the pile of clothes with his eyes as they are dropped onto the table. A lesser man might do a spit-take of espresso, but he merely swallows and sets the cup and saucer down on a spot not covered by white or sparkly-red.

"Not that I mind the compliment," he begins, missing the movie reference, "But are you serious about this?" He waves a hand at the discarded things. "This is your signature look. Why are you suddenly in the mood for a change?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"I know it is..." Harley stares at the clothes for a moment.

"But I am sort of sick-and-tired of people assuming I am some sort of street walker, or look at me like I am worth nothing, when I am trying to help them."

[fiveofnone]

The admission surprises him, both the assumption of others and Harley's frustration with it. "Who's been calling you a prostitute? Not anyone on Coney Island?"

He remembers her fans flocking to her, the way they cheered for her during the game. They loved her style. Why would she want to give that up?

"I can help you, but I think you're making a mistake. If people make assumptions about you, that's their problem."

[sweetcandygirl]

"He implied that I was a prostitute... telling me that he 'don't traverse the town in daylight looking to pluck night flowers'. Stupid fur-wearing in the middle of summer idiot."

Harley sat down. "But I have seen how other people in the Nexus look at me when I first meet them. Like I am nothing but trouble..."

"And I ain't getting rid of all of these..." She nods towards the pile of clothes. "I will still need roller derby and crime fighting outfits."

[fiveofnone]

Caspar's mouth screws up in distaste. "Sounds like a real prick," he agrees. Huh, that reminds him of someone. "Who was he? Was he also asking people questions about their sleeping habits?"

If not, that's at least two idiots who can't dress themselves properly for the summer.

He looks away for a moment when she explains her concerns, a bit of guilt twisting at his gut. He thought she was trouble when he first met her, too, although to be fair she did show up in the Nexus in a cage. It didn't take long for him to decide that she was a good friend to Adia, and that trust paid its dividends soon enough during the whole stalker fiasco.

"All right." He finishes his espresso. "So long as you aren't throwing away your entire look. I'm sure we can find something more 'respectable'" -- yes, he does the air quotes -- "But still lets you be yourself."

He stands up and gestures towards the avenue of stores. "Shall we?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"I never got his name. I almost punched the bastard. But yah... sleeping habits." Harley nodded.

"I still wanna be me. But just a better, stronger version of me."

"So that's why I came to you. I knew you would understand and help." Harley uses her PINpoint to send her pile of clothes home. And nods when he gestures.

"Ready when you are."

[fiveofnone]

"Zandros," Caspar says, with extreme prejudice. "That idiot couldn't find his ass with both hands tied behind his back. The only thing he has going for him is his clothing style, trust me."

It's funny, he didn't think much either way of the clueless paladin after their conversation, but hearing the way he disrespected Harley has him a little hot under the collar, like he had disrespected Caspar personally.

"Tell you what. We're going to find you the best the Nexus has to offer. And then you're going to shove it into his face, and anyone else who's given you a hard time. C'mon."

He heads down the street, a determined gleam in his hazel eyes, not stopping until they reach a high-end department store. He leads her through the large glass doors and into the women's section. "They have a decent selection here. What do you want to start with? Casual? Professional? Dresses, pants? Give me some parameters."

[sweetcandygirl]

"I haven't heard such a stupid name since I was in Gotham." Harley snorts. She is glad to hear the prejudice coming from Caspar.

"Was he rude to you too?"

Harley smiles. "No one really gave me a hard time, specifically. It was just the look of shock. I am helping out one I met, young man named Cricket, who was more just overwhelmed by my unique style."

Harley followed Caspar. She hopes she doesn't get any odd looks today -- wearing what she is wearing -- in this high-end department store. "Casual sounds good. Dresses and pants are good. I think since my 'professional' side is more of the sparkly side... with the dancing and the roller derby... we don't have to worry about that."

[fiveofnone]

"He's from Azeroth," Caspar adds, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Harley's name assessment. Although he does smirk a little. "I was there once. I got attacked by a horde of zombies. Didn't exactly win the place over to me."

As for her question, he's silent for several seconds. "No," he finally admits. "Not as such. Although he thought I was joking when I told him I was a Cylon." He rolls his eyes. "They even have robots on Azeroth. You'd think someone coming to the Nexus and wanting to stick his nose in other people's business would bother to do a little research."

It's nice to hear that no one has been that much of an ass to Harley otherwise. He raises an eyebrow at the name 'Cricket', not familiar with the man, but doesn't ask Harley to elaborate. They are already in the store, and fashion comes first.

"Casual, sure. Pants are there, dresses are over there." If any of the customers give Harley an odd look, they get a no-nonsense glare from Caspar and quickly mind their own business. "I'll start with dresses, but if you see something that catches your eye, grab it and show it to me." The sparkly comment gets a brief grin. "There's nothing wrong with some flash in a casual wardrobe, but I'll keep that in mind."

[sweetcandygirl]

"Zombies are the worst." What? She had to deal with a zombie-situation herself.

"I didn't waste more time with him, once he made his stupid suggestions about me." Harley shrugged. "Didn't want to test the anti-violence field. Ya'know?"

She laughs slightly. "Sparkly is usually catches my eye, Caspar. I am doing this with you so I can be guided to something just as good."

She is already gravitated towards the brighter-colored dresses. "And I love red. It has always been my go-to color."

[fiveofnone]

"No shit." He doesn't even bat an eye. Of course Harley has had to deal with zombies. "They ruined my suit. I had to incinerate it."

He nods absently, already rifling through the dress selection. "Yeah, I know. Imagine his face if you had taken a swing at him, though." Heh. He chuckles a little at the idea.

"That's why I'm asking for your input. I'm not going to dress you like a priestess in some frumpy old robes." He pauses in his search, taking a moment to look at her thoughtfully. He's not surprised that she's a fan of red. It's a color that his sister favors -- a Six, one of the tall blonde models. Harley reminds him of her in a number of ways, now that he thinks about it...

He turns back to the dresses, going through the red ones. "How about this?" he asks, showing off the first thing he finds. "It's burgundy, but it's in the same color family."

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley smiles when Caspar notes about his suit getting ruined. It is so him.

"I am totally not asking to be a priestess either. That ain't my thing."

She smiles when he holds out the dress. And holds it against herself. "This is nice."

"And I like how it is a darker shade, but not too dark." With her pale white skin, Harley feels washed out in dark colors.

[fiveofnone]

Caspar snorts. "Yeah, not mine, either." And not simply because of their boring garments. He can barely tolerate taking orders from a human. No way is he putting himself in the servitude of a god.

"You'd get washed out if it was too dark," he replies, as if reading her mind. He nods approvingly when she holds the garment up against her, then turns back to the clothing rack. "Let me find you a few more things before you head to the dressing room."

His search resumes, methodical as he sorts through the dresses. No, no, yes, yes, no. He hands her the ones he considers appropriate: fun, flattering cuts in colors that complement Harley's pale skin. His gaze lingers a moment on a dress that reminds him of his sister, but ultimately he rejects it. It would look great on Harley but it would attract the wrong sort of attention.

"Okay," he says, when he decides that she has enough items. "Try those on while I look through the separates." He doesn't need to see her in them, he trusts her judgement on whether she likes them or not.

[sweetcandygirl]

"One of the drawbacks of having white skin." Harley smiles softly. Some people may wonder why she wears colorful makeup, or dyed hair extensions -- when the simple truth is that color helps disguise her chemical-bleached skin.

She has no problem holding the clothes that he hands her, following him with interest as he selects different dresses. And tilting her head with curiosity when he rejects other dresses.

"Okay dokie!" She heads towards the dressing room.

[fiveofnone]

"Dark clothes are boring. I don't own a single black suit." He frowns thoughtfully. "That's what I should wear if I ever go to Azeroth again. Then I won't care if it gets trashed."

If he's aware that Harley's skin tone is unnatural, he doesn't show it. As soon as she walks off, he heads for a rack of separates. The pants take longer to sort through because women's sizing is ridiculous. Would it kill them to include a waist and length measurement? No, he's supposed to guess. Great. No wonder Adia doesn't like clothes shopping.

When Harley returns, he has at least one outfit in hand for her to try on.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley tried on the dresses that Caspar gave her. Took her time twirling in front of the mirror to see how they swirl. And most end up in her 'definitely' pile --- and only two that she rejects for their fit.

When she returns, she smiles at his efforts. "Having trouble, Caspar?"

[fiveofnone]

He does look a little irritated, his brows drawn together as he decides whether the reversible sequins on a blouse he's eyeing are playful or obnoxious. Or maybe that's how he always looks when he's concentrating.

"The sizing system for women's clothing is too arbitrary," he replies, holding the blouse up in her direction and squinting thoughtfully. He decides to include it in the selections he's already made. "How'd the dresses work out? I have more stuff for you to try on."

[sweetcandygirl]

"Don't get me started..." Harley laughs at his comment about the sizing system for women's clothing.

"Great. I want these three." She holds out the dresses she claimed. The others she had left near the dressing rooms -- on a rack that the salepeople use to return unwanted clothing to the floor.

"What do you got for me this time?"

[fiveofnone]

He looks over the dresses she's holding and nods approvingly. He had a feeling that those three would be the best fit for her. Then he holds out his current offerings: a pair of light wash jeans artfully frayed, a red blazer and striped shirt, and the blouse with sequins.

"You can tailor anything that's out of proportion, although the clothes here aren't worth the added effort if they don't fit off the rack. If you like the blazer, I can find more tops to go with it."

[sweetcandygirl]

"The blazer does stand out. You better look for more tops." Harley winks. She can tell right away that it is something she might like.

And after heading back to the change rooms, and trying on the items, she will be adding all four items to her purchase pile.

The blouse with sequins seems to shine when she twirls.

"I am so glad I asked you to do this." Harley grins when she returns.

[fiveofnone]

"Make sure it fits first," Caspar says, but then Harley goes to do just that, so he returns his attention to the clothing racks and pulls out a few more tops.

He can't help but look pleased when she comes back with everything he selected. It's nice to have his excellent taste confirmed. When's the last time he went shopping with someone other than Adia? Not since February, when he and Josh --

Josh. The memory sucks the joy out of Caspar's expression. He's still pissed at the kid for implying that he wasn't doing enough to protect Adia, but he misses him, too. There aren't a lot of people -- in the Nexus, or otherwise -- who get where he's coming from.

He has a couple guesses about how Josh is doing since finding out his boss was a serial killer. None of them are good.

Frak.

"I found you some more tops." He offers them to her. "I still think it's other people's problem for not taking you in your old style seriously. They won't have that excuse anymore."

[sweetcandygirl]

It is too bad all his thoughts about Josh are unspoken. Harley has recently seen the kid. And knows exactly what state of mind he is in.

And if they started talking about the meet-and-greet, then she would be reminded about other people she saw.

But the focus right now is shopping.

"I really don't think there is another way for them to take me seriously, without at least trying to wear 'society-accepted' clothing." Harley makes air quotes around the phrase.

[fiveofnone]

He does keep his thoughts to himself, although the look on his face suggests that he has more on his mind than fashion. Absently, he tugs at the cuffs of his sleeves, trying to get back into his earlier mindset. The one that wasn't concerned about the well-being of a certain Canadian.

"You know, you could try building yourself a reputation in the Nexus. The one you have on Coney Island is doing you all right."

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley won't press Caspar for details on what is on his mind. When he wants to talk to someone, she will be there for him. Just like he is here for her today.

"I do enjoy seeing my fans at the roller derby games." She smiles.

She taps her fingers on a clothing rack. "It is sort of hard to build a reputation in the Nexus, Caspar. And it is not like I have not been there... helping others."

"There are so many secrets from the Halloween crisis, that no one wants to talk about what they experienced. And the spring revel... the memories I have are not the same as others."