Style Queens [PEYTON]

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

P E N E L O P E
The date had been set, the time settled on. Penelope, though she worked, had flexible hours. She could take a night off -- and a night off to do some shopping sounded like just the ticket. And someone to go with, too! Things had been quiet for a very long time. Enzo was pleased that everyone was 'waking up', but Penelope had been awake the entire time. Awake, and working, and having her fun in the way she knew best -- with people who were only fleeting friends. She lingered out the front of the Mall, phone flipping in her hand, waiting for Peyton to arrive and thinking about all the things she wanted to buy. What did she want to buy? Nothing that she needed. And that was half the fun.

WEARING

P E Y T O N
Peyton fingered a set keys as she walked down the sidewalk toward the mall entrance. While Enzo had kindly gifted her with a vehicle the night before, she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt using it. As she ran her fingertip over the jagged edge of the car key, she contemplated asking Penelope how she should feel about such a lavish gift from a relative stranger. Connected by blood or not, that was far more than she would have expected. As she grew closer, she saw the woman waiting at the door and Peyton smiled, lifting her hand in a small wave before coming up to her side. "Hey, sorry I am a few minutes late. I just...well, the walk took longer than I had planned."

WEARING

P E N E L O P E
Penelope glanced at her watch and shook her head, her frown unfazed. "You're not late, I haven't been here long," she said with a bright smile. She turned on the spot and began to lead them into the mall; the night was still young and though the crowds weren't as swelled as they generally had been during the day, there were still a few people around. They weren't alone. It was festive! And really, it was. Just over a month until Christmas, and right there in the middle of the mall, just within the front entrance, was a huge tree reaching right up to the domed roof, past all three floors of shops. Christmas music even played over the speakers. "How you doin?" she asked, unfazed by any of it.


P E Y T O N
Peyton couldn't help but soak up the excitement Penelope gave off, along with her own at getting out of her own hold of isloation in the last several days. The prospect of having company was enough to push away her melancholy mood, and as they made their way into the mall, the festive decor only added to her momentary peace. "Depends. Do you want the honest answer, or would you like me to lie for the sake of the mood?" she asked with a bright smile, with a small hint of teasing. She was looking in every direction, soaking up the many storefronts and displays. Where were they possibly start? "You seem to be well, though! That's good."


P E N E L O P E
Penelope took a moment to consider, but it was an exaggerated expression of thoughtfulness. Eventually she nudged at Peyton with her elbow. "Honest answer would be better. It's healthier, to get these things out. But! I am a stranger so you can be as honest as you want to be," she said with a wink. They had met, but only momentarily. That didn't mean they were best friends. "We can start wherever. Clothes, right? You said you needed some new clothes?"


P E Y T O N
Peyton actually laughed at the expression, almost reaching over to give the woman's shoulder a small shove for the cheek, but she reigned in the urge. As it so happened, Penelope somewhat explained her own hesitance, in that she was a stranger. Peyton wanted to build bridges, not burn them, and until she was sure of the type of personality Penelop had, she didn't want to make assumptions. "Honestly...I'm struggling. I feel a bit like a fish out of water, with a guilt so heavy that it could be the weight of the world," she explained with defeated shrug and heavy sigh. What a buzzkill. "I do need clothes. Especially if you plan to put me on a motorbike! ...which, you may want to supervise the first time, to ensure I don't break the bike, or myself."


P E N E L O P E
Penelope laughed. "If you break the bike I can fix it. If you break yourself..." she shrugged. "You'll be able to fix yourself," she said. Penelope had had a few scrapes of her own, but it was nothing serious. She'd healed in a day or two, three at most. She had been smiling, but the smile faded. Not because Penelope herself was unhappy, but because she was considering the half-predicament that Peyton had offered to her. "You'll eventually feel right at home, if you're talking about feeling like a fish when Dragomir is the water," she said confidently. But then, Penelope had never really struggled to fit in anywhere. "But what do you feel guilty about?"


P E Y T O N
Peyton smiled over at Penelope as she explained away the possible worries over breaking the bike. There was no doubt in her mind that her companion was quite capable of taking care of herself and her belongings. That was one thing that Pey had picked up on last night, and tonight was no different. Penelope was the independent, strong-willed type. No questions asked. "I think...I just need to readjust, ya know? It's been a long time, and a lot of the Dragomir are new faces. I imagine it is a bit like a convict leaving prison after 20 years and finding things so different that they can't adapt to life outside?" she replied in the form of a question, hoping that Penelope may understand the reference. "As for the guilt...I am a mystic, and when we come back from the Realm, our bodies do not regenerate. We possess a new one. I just...don't know how to feel about stealing this woman's life..." she continued, trailing off near the end, avoiding eye contact at all costs. She didn't need that much of her vulnerability revealed.


P E N E L O P E
Penelope turned toward Peyton, eyeing her up and down -- she tried to see this body as anybody other than Peyton, but she couldn't. Obviously. She hadn't know the woman who'd possessed the body beforehand. "How does that work though? I mean ... did you steal her life? Did you pop back up while she was sleeping in a bed with her boyfriend, or in the middle of a conversation with girlfriends at a club? Or do you slip into a body that's vacant because whoever occupied it before was on death's door?" she asked. Too forward, probably, given this was the issue Peyton felt so guilty about. But if one could not face their fears head on, those fears would become demons. And they couldn't have that.

[Peyton]

P E Y T O N
Peyton turned and stared at Penelope, lips slightly parted in surprise. It wasn't that she was offended by the question, or the forwardness of it. It was the fact that no one had really asked her about it, before. Nor had she sought out any other mystics beforehand to learn how it all really worked. That was why she so desperately needed to find Azraeth. "Well...the mystic doesn't always have a choice on what body that inhabit, but we are a bit like parasites. We need a living host. There is no doubt in my mind that this woman was alive and healthy. Where she is now...I don't know. How and when I took over...I don't know that, either. I think...the guilt was so much that I forced myself to forget," she said with obvious discomfort. How would she NOT know if she forced herself to forget? "The only thing I recognize as my own are the eyes. My old eyes, before I was a Dragomir."


P E N E L O P E
Penelope had no questions about her own path. Killer. It was so straightforward. She had no quirks, except she could almost see herself growing. Other than that, she felt like a slender, good-looking Hulk that never had to turn green. How would she feel if she had to take over someone else's body, were she ever to die and come back? Like ****, probably. She liked her own body! It'd be... well, she'd feel lost. She wouldn't feel like herself. "Mm, well you didn't do it on purpose. You didn't pick this person and purposefully take her life away. You didn't have a choice. We'll make it work," she said, throwing her arm over Peyton's shoulder to pull her into half a hug. "We'll get you some clothes, try to make you feel a little more comfortable..."


P E Y T O N
Peyton blinked in surprise as the sudden one-armed hug, but found herself leaning into it without hesitation. It felt nice to be comforted, even if it was by a relative stranger. Oh hell, it simply felt nice to be interacting with people, again! In a way, it made the guilt a little easier to carry, and the lack of memory a little less important. Penelope was right, they could make it work. It seemed more than one Dragomir would see to it. "Clothes sound great. And shoes...I really do love my shoes," she beamed, wiggling her toes in her boots. In the several days she had been back, she had already gathered a small collection of shoes. If nothing else, her feet would be stylish.


P E N E L O P E
Penelope grinned. If she wasn't a fount of wisdom, Penelope could at least be a fount of entertainment. "Shoes! Yes, I love shoes, too. They complete any look. They set the posture, right? You can't slouch if you're wearing sharp heels," she said with a wink. She veered them into the nearest, biggest store, it's lights a beacon, a lure for women such as themselves. The dresses were sleek and the shoes? The shoes were expensive. But the expensive ones were the best kind. "So you're going to apply to work for Enzo, right? If you're money situation is tight I'll shout you, you can pay me back whenever," she said. She was aware people weren't comfortable with charity. She wasn't concerned about being paid back. She just threw that in for good measure.


P E Y T O N
Peyton nearly squealed as they entered the shop, finding it impossible to look open one rack for too long without something drawing her attention to another. The dresses were gorgeous, designer worthy. And the shoes...oh, the shoes were like a personal haven that she wanted to stay in, forever. "I have applied to work for Enzo, yes. I do have some money saved, currently. It will ultimately buy my apartment, and what I spend, I can earn back with Enzo. Thank you," she beamed at her companion, taking a quick shot for the shoes. She began to scan over the array of heels, blue eyes wide. "They are all so beautiful...I can't even begin to choose!"


P E N E L O P E
Penelope laughed as Peyton squealed. A girl after her own heart! And she had savings, too -- they could spend to their heart's content. They could have all the fun they wanted. "Yes. Let's do this. Fashion show? Let's pick everything... anything. We'll make our way to the dressing rooms and make ourselves at home," she said, beaming. She was already waving over one of the sales girls. They were going to need someone to help them, to get their sizes, to follow them around. Yes, Penelope had taken quite nicely to the life of the rich.


P E Y T O N
Peyton looked over at Penelope with such excitement that she appeared to be the equivalent of a child in a candy store. "Fashion show? Stop..." she whispered, totally in awe that this woman could think in such wonderful ways. "Let's do it!” There was absolutely nothing standing in her way of having a good night, she simply wouldn't allow it. And part of her was certain that Penelope wasn't about to allow it, either. As one the sales girls came over with a smile, she escorted them to two adjoining dressing rooms, leaving herself at their mercy. "Alright, Penelope...prepare for the sass." With that, she went off toward one of the dress racks, having seen one she needed to try on before even making it completely through the door.


P E N E L O P E
Penelope was happy. Watching Peyton jump to the idea like a kid in a candy store -- if the woman needed cheering up, Penelope was here to cheer her up. Even if she couldn't offer too much advice about Peyton's guilt problem -- Azraeth would be the best to do that -- she could at least help take Peyton's mind off things. While Peyton wandered off to find that one thing she want to try on, Penelope snagged about five or six things from varying racks. She didn't ever do things by halves.


P E Y T O N
Peyton grabbed the dress from the front rack and made her way back to the dressing room, grabbing various outfits she saw along the way. As she passed the shoes, she grabbed as many pairs as she could hold before stepping into her dressing room. "So, Penelope...how long have you been with the Dragomir?" she called out from behind the curtain, keeping the conversation going while they changed.


P E N E L O P E
Penelope stripped from her layers -- it felt good. The mall was heated, and though Penelope could not sweat it still felt good to remove the layers. The first thing Penelope tried on was a plaid corseted top and wide skirt, a belt to go around the middle. She pulled the top on first. "Aaaah...." she considered, eyes rolling toward the ceiling as she thought about it. How long had it been? "About a year, maybe? Maybe just a less," she said. "They were really quiet most that time, though, so it really doesn't feel like that long..."