Shopping (Makoto, Open), December 29, late morning

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto laughed again. “Just because I said department store, I didn’t mean we wouldn’t buy designer! Ami-chan, I’m not talking about some run-of-the-mill store. I just think we need to try something larger than these specialty boutiques.” She chuckled. “Somewhere with fewer sequins and more options.”

She adjusted her coat as a rather cold breeze blew past. “At least it’s nearby. It’s a little chilly out today.” It was then she remembered who she was talking to, and she chuckled. “Nevermind. I forgot who I was with. No wonder you’re okay with wearing your fuku to a New Year’s Party! You’re in your element! Well, one of them. Something like that.” Her chuckle turned into another laugh at her rambling.

It wasn’t long before they reached the store Makoto had been talking about. Again she held the door for her sister; though this time she left out the silly gesturing. After entering the store behind Ami, she looked around and smiled. Clothing here was much more modest, though still quite classy. “Let’s go find the formal wear. I think that department is upstairs.”

[Mizuno Ami]

Ami smirked a bit and shrugged, "All right... you know I'm helpless with this whole fashion thing. I'm content with dressing simply and throwing on my lab coat over it."

She chuckled; Ami was wearing a light coat and only wore it so as not to draw stares rather than any real need to keep the cold out. She took a deep breath, enjoying the cold fresh air. "Winter's not near long enough." Admittedly, it had just started. "I need to make more of a point to get out in it, even if just in the Palace gardens."

Ami let out a sigh of relief when they entered the more reasonable department store. She smiled thankfully to Makoto, "This is... so much better." She was greatly relieved and her grin was so much less strained than it had been in the boutique as they headed upstairs to the formal wear.

"Is it too cheesy if I wear a blue gown? Assuming I find one. Or should we avoid our 'signature colors'?" Even now, the sweater she was wearing with her black pants was blue.

[Kino Makoto]

“Oh yes, this place is tons better than the other.” Makoto smiled again at Ami’s approval of the store. She looked up at her friend as they rode the escalator to the second floor. “I was thinking something green for myself. I know it seems so clichéd to wear our ‘signature colors’ but I know what I look good in, so I’m going to wear it.” She grinned. “And blue is always fantastic on you. I think it’s going to be fine.”

Stepping off the escalator, she headed left to where she thought the formal wear was tucked away. Fortunately she was correct in her assumption. Looking around she noted there were plenty of dresses, many of them quite gorgeous while still very modest. It was a refreshing change from the last shop they were at. Before she could step towards the first rack, a saleswoman appeared out of seemingly nowhere. “Good morning ladies! What can I help you with?”

Though somewhat startled at first, Makoto relaxed and smiled at the woman. “Good morning. It is rather last minute, but we are both in need of a formal gown for a white-tie affair we’re attending on New Year’s Eve.” She wasn’t lying, she just wasn’t telling the whole truth. There was no need to point out who they were if the woman didn’t immediately recognize them. How long that would last though, she wasn’t exactly sure.

[Mizuno Ami]

Ami nodded with a grin, "Good. Then blue it is. And you're right, green looks amazing on you." She might not have the most fashion sense, but she had been around Minako long enough to pick up a few things.

She blinked a bit as the saleswoman ambushed them, and her first instinct was to deny that they needed any help. For Ami's part, that would have been a complete lie, of course. However, Makoto spoke up before she could say anything.

The woman smiled, "Of course! We have a small selection of dresses that would be appropriate for such a formal event. If you'll follow me."

Ami nodded with a slight sigh, glancing over to Makoto as she followed her. Perhaps the woman would prove to be helpful and she could convince her friend to go to a book store afterwards, or maybe just for coffee.

"Did you ladies have any ideas of what you're looking for?"

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto glanced back at her friend and mouthed a small “Sorry” with a slight smile. She was sure Ami would understand. They did need the help. They needed all the help they could get. She knew kind of what she wanted, but when it came to actually finding it… Makoto was quite lost.

She spoke up first at the saleslady’s question. “Personally, for me, I definitely want something floor length. Green would be wonderful; it’s one of my favorite colors. Nothing shiny though, just a solid color. And I’d like something that will fit my body, but not skin-tight. Oh and I’m not a fan of satin. I prefer a more…flow-y? fabric. Something that can breathe.” She giggled nervously at her rambling. It seemed she was pickier than she realized. “I’m sorry. I’m horrible at these sorts of things.”

The woman nodded and gave Makoto a genuine smile while waving off the girl’s nervousness. “Don’t worry, honey. That was pretty mild compared to some of the demands we get around here. I’ve already got something in mind for you.” Looking to her companion she offered another smile. “And how about you, my dear? What would you like?”

[Mizuno Ami]

A smile was returned to Makoto. While it had not been her first instinct, she knew that they did need help.

Ami blinked, "Um... something blue? Floor lengthy, and not too flashy." She blushed a bit and managed not to look down at the floor, trying not to think about how much she'd been reduced to blushing and speechlessness since yesterday. Of course she didn't think Something that will allow me to fade into the background after being introduced would be an appropriate answer.

"Mmm..." The woman scrutinized Ami more than the doctor liked, causing her to blush even more. "Yes... I think I might know what would work for you as well. Well, wait right here and I'll be back with a couple of dresses for you to try on."

[Kino Makoto]

While they waited for the lady to return, Makoto tried to make a little more small talk. “She seems nice. Hopefully she’ll have what we’re looking for and we won’t be stuck here all day trying things on.”

She was a lot faster picking out dresses than Makoto expected and was back in what seemed like only seconds. One arm was draped in green and the other draped in blue. She gestured with her head towards the fitting rooms. “This way, please.” Handing Makoto the green dresses and Ami the blue ones, she then opened two rooms for the girls to enter. “I think you’ll like what I’ve chosen. I didn’t catch your sizes, but I’ve been doing this a while so I’m pretty sure I’ve got the right ones. Give them a try. The mirror is over there…” She pointed to the end of the room, “And my name is Eiko. Please call for me if you need anything, another size, a different dress, whatever.” She smiled and bowed and left the two girls to their fittings.

Makoto gave Ami a ‘thumbs up’ before entering her room. She placed the selection of dresses on a hook and tried the first one. It was a lighter green and had some beadwork around the top that was a little more than she would have cared for, but she didn’t want to count it out if it looked good. She put it on and stepped out of the room to the mirror. Turning around, she scrunched her nose. It just didn’t fit right. The beads were scratchy and she felt like if she bent over for anything she’d fall out of the top. Stepping away from the mirror she tapped on Ami’s door as she passed by. “Doing OK in there? The first one for me was a flop. How about you?”

[Mizuno Ami]

"I hope you're right. Maybe if we find something here we could go to a bookstore? There's one near here that has a great coffee shop in it."

And then the woman - Eiko - was back, and Ami blinked as blue dresses were pushed into her arms. A whimper was the response to Mako's "thumb's up" gesture, but she dutifully went to try the dresses on.

The first dress was a strapless beaded number that flared out at the knees. It was pretty, but the ruffles drew much attention to her chest than she was comfortable with. As she stepped out of the dressing room as Makoto knocked on her door, she realized just how difficult it was to walk in the tightly fitting dress.

She didn't need to see herself in the full mirror to know that she could not be comfortable in it. "I... can barely breath in this thing..."

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto frowned at Ami’s response. Poor girl. She knew Ami hated this way more than anyone else would. She offered a silent prayer that the torture would end and her sister would find something she liked, and fast.

The next dress was a darker green, but strapless and had a bow in the back. If she thought she was going to fall out of the first one, this one was going to be worse. Zipping up the back only confirmed it. It fit, which was good. But if she leaned forward just a little bit, she had major muffin tops when standing back up. She’d be readjusting the dress every five seconds. All. Night. Long. And that was not cool. She didn’t bother even leaving the dressing room. She called over to Ami again. “Number two’s a dud as well.”

[Mizuno Ami]

Ami sighed as she tried on the second dress, and she actually liked it. It was simple and all the skin it showed was her back, though she knew she'd need to get a look in the full mirror before she made a decision. "I... I think this one might work."

She stepped out to look at it in the mirror. It showed a bit of her chest, but her breasts themselves were completely covered. As she examined herself in the mirror she frowned realizing just how far down her back the opening came.

"I could carry a wrap and it would be perfect." The dress was simple and non-assuming. It was pretty enough that she wouldn't make some "worst dress" list in a magazine and quiet enough that she could spend the evening in relative obscurity and without worrying about how she looked.

She waited for Makoto, knowing that she wanted a second opinion but that she was changing out of a flop.

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto pulled the next dress off the hook and held it up. Just maybe… About that time, she heard Ami’s voice call over that she may have found a dress. “Oh thank god! Give me just a minute while I throw on this next one and I’ll come look.”

She slid her arms through the straps and reached to the back to zip up. It fit. She was giddy. The dress went all the way to the floor. Just a small adjustment to the twins and…YES! She could move, she could bend, twist, stretch… Now she just needed approval from her sister. Exiting her room, she smiled at Ami. “I think I found…What are you wearing?” The smile quickly faded. Ok, the dress was pretty. But it just…ugh. “Ami, it’s nice, really. And I’m glad you like it. It’s just…It really doesn’t do you justice. You’re beautiful, let’s show it off! It’s New Years!” Sighing she pointed at Ami. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

Makoto marched over to Ami’s fitting room and searched through the dresses that were still hanging. “No, no, no, no…Ah ha! Found it!” She pulled a dress from the back and placed it at the front, then turned back to Ami. She grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the dressing room. “You are going to try that one on. And you are going to come out here once you have it on, and you are going to look at yourself in this mirror and you are going to fall in love with what you see.” Makoto crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow, daring the smaller girl to argue. “I’ll be waiting…”

[Mizuno Ami]

Ami turned to see the dress that Makoto seemed excited about, but before she could tell her how amazing she looked in it, her sister was giving clear disapproval over the dress she was wearing. She sighed calling after her softly as she marched into the fitting room, "Mako-chan! I'd rather be able to hang in the back. I'm sure Usagi will show us off briefly, but after that I'd like to melt into the background..."

She turned back to look in the mirror, trying to figure out what was wrong with the dress, but before she could figure it out, Makoto as pulling her into the dressing room.

Ami looked at the dress skeptically then at her sister. She decided that trying on the dress was better than arguing with Makoto. "All right." While she changed she spoke, "That dress looks great on you, by the way. At least for the moment I saw it."

She changed into the dress that Makoto had selected. She was not uncomfortable in it, which was a plus, but she was concerned that it showed a bit more cleavage than she was ok with. She came out, a hand over her breasts to hide the touch of cleavage. "Mako-chan... I don't know..."

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto didn’t want to hear it. The dress was beautiful, and she knew it would look as much on Ami. She did smile when Ami commented on her own dress, but still stood with her arms crossed while she waited for her friend to emerge again.

She rolled her eyes when Ami came out covering her chest. The dress wasn’t that revealing. She grabbed Ami by the shoulders and gently pushed her towards the mirror. Reaching forward she placed her hands over Ami’s and pulled them away from her chest. “There. Tell me THAT…” She gestured towards Ami’s reflection, “…isn’t absolutely gorgeous. Really Ami, it’s stunning. You can still hide if you feel it necessary…” Makoto chuckled, “But at least you’ll be hiding in style.”

About that time, Eiko came back into the room. “So, how are you ladies doing in here?”

[Mizuno Ami]

Ami blinked as she looked at the image in the mirror. It's not that she never dressed up and had never seen herself as beautiful, but it always seemed to surprise her. "I..." She bit her lip slightly, still a bit concerned about the cleavage, but she could not argue that the dress did not look great on her. "I don't know, Mako-chan..."

She sighed as the saleswoman came back into the room.

"Well, I think Makoto has definitely found her dress." She smiled at her friend, shifting the attention from herself. "You look stunning in that dress, Mako-chan. I think that's definitely the right dress for you."

Eiko blinked a bit as she took in the two women before her. She had not noticed earlier how familiar they looked, and now she found herself trying to figure out why. "Oh, yes. Both of you look amazing. Is there something wrong with the dress you're wearing?"

Almost unconsciously, her hand went back up to hide the bit of cleavage as she glanced over to Makoto, hoping she'd help but not sure she would - at least not the way she wanted her to.

[Kino Makoto]

Makoto smiled to Ami as she commented on her dress. She never really did get to look at herself in the mirror… Turning to check, she found she was quite pleased with how well it fit. She’d already moved around in it quite a bit, what with all the pulling and pushing on Ami, and hadn’t noticed anything uncomfortable. She turned back and nodded to Eiko. “Yes, I do really like this one. I think I’m going to take it.”

And there it was again. Ami was trying to hide. She reached over again and pulled Ami’s hand down and answered for her. “No ma’am. Everything’s fine. My friend here is just a little shy when it comes to these things.”

Eiko’s eyes never left the two girls while they bantered. She was still trying to think of where she’d seen them before when the taller one replied to her inquiry. She chuckled and nodded. “That dress really does suit you, young lady. You should listen to your friend. She seems to know what she’s talking about.”

Mako laughed. “See Ami-chan? That’s two against one. You have to get that dress.”