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

[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."

[fiveofnone]

He wasn't there for Halloween, but Adia told him what she had experienced, and the memory of that conversation is enough to make him look away, real shame on his face. "You can't expect people to open up about that sort of thing, Harley. Those Nightmares were personal."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he forces his thoughts back to the present. "You're right, it's hard. Forget I suggested it." As for mismatched memories, he gives her a thoughtful stare. "You too, huh? Arceus told Adia that anyone with a strong mind would remember the events of the original timeline." He smiles wryly. "Congratulations to us for being stubborn, I guess."

He gestures to the cashier station. "You ready to get out of here, or did you want to look for anything else?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"The way people deal with their own nightmares are their own decision. And so to respect what I saw and experienced... to safeguard the nightmares that were not mine... I just have to deal with not being able to talk about it."

Harley laughed at him calling her stubborn. Then frowns slightly. "I know that you, Adia, Katsuya and I remember. Not sure who else does."

She drops her voice. "The trouble is running into him again. Just walking around with his girlfriend. It is weird seeing someone you can't trust so in love. I feel like it is some game."

At his last question, Harley nods. "I think I got the best from this store. Maybe there is another we can check out."

[fiveofnone]

"You were there." A fact that Adia hadn't mentioned. She only told him of the people she crossed paths with while she was in the Nightmare. "I'm surprised you want to talk about it, it sounds like it was a terrible time for everyone. You, ah... you never brought it up with Adia?"

A small frown on his face appears, mirroring hers. "Professor Madrone does. And if I had to guess, so does Josh. Jeff had hired him for some special effects work. The kid's been missing ever since the revelry."

Talking about it does not help. His hands shake a little and he tugs at his cuffs again to hide it. "Been there, done that. Took everything I had not to punch him in the face. I know he's not the same person, but I get judged all the time for the shit my brothers did. Why does he get to walk away unscathed? Why does she, for that matter? She was just as complicit in --"

He cuts his rant short, aware of how his volume is creeping up, his composure cracking. He takes a deep breath and smooths back his hair. "Okay. Okay, let's get out of here, then."

[sweetcandygirl]

"I was with Josh in the nightmare." She can tell him that much.

And the Caspar speaks about Josh being missing. "He was at the meet-and-greet. And he is... back facing those same nightmares."

"I really don't know what to do to help him right now."

Harley nods when he talks about wanting to punch Jeff in the face. "I totally understand. I am not the same person. And I don't get to walk away unscathed. Every second person I meet these days has a certain opinion of me, because of what I did when I was with Joker."

She puts her clothes on the counter. And looks at Caspar. "You know what we both need? Some venting time together. Whatcha say? I know of a good place where we can box."

[fiveofnone]

Damn. He didn't know that Josh had been in the Nightmare, either. He listens as Harley confirms his suspicions. "He must remember the old timeline, then. It must have set him off. It won't matter to him that Jeff hasn't killed anyone in this timeline."

It isn't fair, that Josh has to remember what happened, and Jeff doesn't.

"I'm not saying Jeff doesn't deserve a second chance, but he should at least have to remember what he did in that other timeline, and deal with the consequences. Like we do. Or at least stay out of the Nexus so we never have to see him again..."

He blinks at Harley's offer to go boxing, then looks around, as if expecting someone to pop out behind a clothing rack and tell him he's not allowed to go. He shakes off the feeling. "I'm not dressed for the occasion, but if you give me a little time to change, then sure."

[sweetcandygirl]

"It does seem like an easy out. You don't know how many times I wish I could forget everything. That I could sleep easy at night."

Harley takes her receipt, putting in her pocket.

"Sure I can do that. It would give me time to take these home." She takes out her PINpoint, so she can message him the address of the boxing ring.

"Ten minutes?"

[fiveofnone]

"I tried that. Early on, once I found out I was a Cylon." He huffs out a breath. "Should've tried drinking, but I didn't have the stomach for it."

His PINpoint buzzes with her message. He pulls it out of his pocket and looks at the coordinates on the screen.

"Ten minutes," he agrees, and then teleports home to change.

[sweetcandygirl]

Ten minutes give Harley enough time to take her clothes home, and change into one of her short-short and ripped T-shirt outfits. The set that she is used to fighting in.

The boxing ring is in a fight-safe area of the Nexus, where people can turn to violence to express their aggression.

Harley enters the ring, bouncing a little on her heels as she waits.

[fiveofnone]

Caspar appears in what looks like military issue sweats -- an olive green tank top over a tight gray t-shirt and a pair of gray shorts. Not his usual flashy style at all.

He steps into the ring. "So, how are we doing this? Standard rules? Should I get some padding, just in case? I can't help but feel like you have the advantage here." He smirks, his stance casual, but there is an underlying tension in his frame. There are boxing and wrestling matches on Atlantis -- both are time-honored sports -- but Caspar is never invited. It's as though others are afraid he'll cheat, or take things too far. And Adia wouldn't want him to fight, anyway.

It doesn't leave many outlets for his urge to pummel something.