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 Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:42 pm
It had been a few weeks now since the fateful night that Zoe Katsaros had first transformed into Sailor Midas and yet, somehow, it felt like so much longer. Her days were filled with studies and her nights were filled with training. She barely slept and when she did they were deep, dreamless sleeps that passed in the blink of an eye. She was tired, her body was tired, and her mind was tired.. but she couldn't stop thinking about how much more she could do if she just had a little more time.
As Zoe strolled through the shoe department of a department store, she was only half paying attention to all the wonderful designs that were out for the season. Shoe shopping was normally a reprieve, the one thing that she could always do when she was feeling down and stressed, but even now she couldn't really stop to enjoy the time she was giving herself. There was just so much on her mind.
As she picked up a pair of boots and turned them over, plucking lightly at the zipper and tracing the stitching with a finger, she was trying to picture where she might where them. Her fuku came with its own shoes and heeled boots were not an option at school. Her social life? That would have been the answer, if she'd had the time to have one. She'd ignored all of her performance opportunities and had barely seen any of her friends at all. They must have thought she was dead by now.
She set the boots back down with a small frown and edged away from the shoe selection, towards the clothing departments. Maybe a new coat would make her feel better..
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:16 pm
Olivia was softly humming to herself as she passed through the racks of clothing. As much as she loved to import what she could afford, it was becoming clear that unless she scored an amazing job after school, it wasn't feasible to continue with it. And so she was at the department store, looking to pick up a few things she could mix and match with her dresses and skirts at home. Branching out was going to be hard. "Maybe I should pick up a couple magazines soon," she said to herself, not quite sure where to start in the maze of cloth.
Her small hands brushed a few shirts, eyeing the price tag. Things on sale were tempting, if only so she could get more for her money. Without a second glance, she grabbed a few things to try on, figuring that that would be the best way to decide if she was going in the right direction. She was twenty, and yet had no idea how to dress herself!
She clutched the shirts to her chest, heading straight to the dressing room when another shirt caught her eye. And then something else altogether made her stop in her tracks.
"Zoe?" She wasn't certain, but....the more she looked, the more certain she was. Why should she question herself?
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:30 pm
Zoe had stopped to inspect a shirt that caught her eye. A pretty sheer tunic that would have gone well with the boots she'd just been eyeing. Yet, she found that she lacked as much enthusiasm for it as she had for the matching boots, and was just about to turn and leave it behind when she heard her name.
It had been so long since anyone had called out to her with that name. At first, it almost seemed unreal, but it was unmistakable.
"Olivia?" She had known even before she looked, she would have known that voice in her sleep. As her eyes swept over her pale, freckled friend she couldn't help the feeling of shame that settled deep in her bones. She had barely had time to call the girl and here she was, spotted trying to enjoy herself on a loner shopping trip. It must have looked terrible.
"I'm sorry I haven't called," she started instantly, taking a few steps forward so that they were within proper talking distance, "I've just been so busy with.. everything.." She trailed off as soon as she began to speak, realizing instantly that she couldn't really explain at all why she'd been gone so much. Lying to Olivia felt wrong, but what could she even say?
She frowned and bit down on her lower lip out of nervousness, trying to figure out when her confidence in her decisions had been shaken so badly. It just sucked to fail at anything, even something as insignificant as a phone call.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:49 pm
Olivia wasn't one to worry too much. Well, she did worry, but it was something that she fiercely kept to herself. She had worried about Zoe, but there were times when even she realized that time slipped through your fingers faster than you realized. Guilt didn't settle in her, but enthusiasm instead.
"Don't dwell on it!" she exclaimed, her arms still full of clothing. She was ignoring that for the moment, too amused that she ran into Zoe here of all places. It made sense, but it also reminded her that the world was smaller than she realized, and to never take a moment for granted.
"Conversation is a two-way street, right? I'm sorry that I didn't call you either. How has everything been going? I've missed you." She didn't really realize it until Zoe was right in front of her. A stark reminder about how drastically her life had changed, and how she had a hard time balancing both of them.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:09 pm
And that was exactly why Zoe and Olivia got along so well.
All it took was a few words, a reassuring sentence or two, and all of the guilt that had swelled up in her was released instantly and replaced with an overwhelming sense of relief. She should have known that Olivia could have never held a grudge over something so accidental.
"You're right, I shouldn't dwell on something I can't really help." She smiled and let her eyes fall to the clothing that Olivia was carrying, reaching out without an invitation to start lifting corners of sleeves and peering at the selection she had picked for herself. Her face was mostly impassive, not showing whether she liked or disliked any of it. She just loved clothes and the choices other people made, it wouldn't have been anything knew to her age-old friend.
"It's been.. okay," she shrugged a little, but then offered Olivia a knowing smile. "I made it through my first semester of school alive," which held more meaning than her friend could ever know, "though I might have taken on more extra curricular activities than I can handle right now. Thus my complete and total lack of social life at the moment." She would have laughed if she didn't know that she was trapped in it, too much or not.
"But I've missed you too." She glanced at the clothing in Olivia's arms and then at the changing room on the other side of the women's department. "Do you want to grab some lunch or something at the food court downstairs, once you're done with that?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:32 pm
Olivia was so glad that Zoe bounced back. Livy meant every word she said, too! It was scary how easy for one to forget things when situations popped up. "I'm glad that I ran into you here," she said with a bright smile.
It didn't surprise her that Zoe was peeking into what she had picked. While Olivia probably would not have been so forward, she couldn't say that she wouldn't have been curious if Zoe was the one with an armful of clothes. Olivia loved clothing, even if she had been limiting her choices for a couple years.
"Trying to pick up some new things to mix with the current wardrobe." A doubtful smirk crossed her face. "I just grabbed a few things to try on, since I'm not sure if I'm feeling any of them yet." Sometimes magic happened once you were wearing it!
"Lunch sounds great! I'll be really quick, I promise~! Just wait for me here if that's ok, I just have a couple tops that I wanted to check out." She hurried over to the dressing room, intent to make this the quickest try-on session she's had.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:52 pm
Zoe smiled as Olivia perked right up at the mention of lunch and kept smiling as she watched the girl rush off to the dressing room. It was nice to genuinely be able to spend time with someone that didn't have an ultimate goal, like training to save the world. She missed being able to simply be.
She wandered towards the clothing positioned right outside the dressing rooms, peering through the racks but mostly just idling as she listened to the soft rustle of clothing coming from inside the stalls.
"I was here to do the same thing, really. You know, therapeutic shopping and all, but I think my shopping muse must have gone into hibernation or something." She pulled out a shirt and held it up in the air to examine it, twisting it front to back and then putting it back on the rack. "Which is.. baffling. I love clothes! You know I love clothes!"
She sighed to herself and decided to simply lean against a column facing the stalls, arms crossed and purse perched on her shoulder as she waited. "I just don't know what has gotten into me. I couldn't even find shoes I liked. What kind of shop-o-holic can't find at least one pair of shoes she has to have?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:17 pm
Olivia was trying to make sure she took enough time to decide if she even liked any of these shirts. It wouldn't really be good to waste the past hour coming out of the department store with nothing to show for it. So since Zoe seemed ok, she made sure that she actually thought about what she was trying on before deciding whether to purchase it or not.
Besides, returning things was a pain in the butt.
"Really?!" Olivia was in a bit of disbelief. "I doubt your closet is any less full than normal." Zoe wouldn't let lack of space prevent her from getting a new outfit!
Hmm, that shirt was a definite no, but this white tunic was working well. She figured she could work it into what she has at home. Well, one top was better than none!
"One that needs a good meal!" Olivia popped her head out of her small little dressing room, just to emphasize this fact. "I'm just about done!" She figured that the one top would work, and hurried to make sure that everything else was on its hanger before exiting. Olivia wasn't one to leave a dressing room a mess.
"Alright, just one to buy and then lunch! Maybe you'll feel more like your old self afterwards, and we can try shopping again?" Just like old times!
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:26 pm
Zoe smiled as Olivia popped out of the dressing room, sparing a brief glance for the one top of many that she had settled on. The smile was simply because it had been one she'd liked from her brief glances. Even if she couldn't enjoy shopping, she was pleased that her friend had and.. a little pleased that she had been right. A little.
"Maybe. I haven't been able to sit down and enjoy a decent meal in days, either. It should be nice to just.. relax and chat over something." She could feel the stress rolling off of her already, just from Livy's presence alone.
As the girl passed her by, she looped her arm through her empty one and leaned into her a little as the pair headed towards the check out. A mousy brunette was finishing with a customer ahead of them and as they stopped in line, Zoe glanced back up at her friend with a smile.
"I hear there's a new retro boutique downtown, actually." There was life back in Zoe's smile as she set the bait. "It sounds like it might be the perfect place to get me going again."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:02 pm
Zoe's smile was infectious, and Livy didn't quite know just who started it, but she was just so happy right now. She always liked how forward Zoe was, and was happy to just go with the flow that Zoe made. It made her life better, and she loved to have someone to support as well.
"Really?" she said, waiting in line. It was just about her turn, so she did her best to split her attention between Zoe and the sales girl. "I haven't heard that, but then I haven't really been social lately. Trying to make sure my grades stay up in case I don't do so well for finals." She swiped her credit card, always insistent to use it and zero it out later. Building up credit, or whatever her parents lectured her about.
Taking her bag with her newly purchased top inside, she turned all of her attention back to Zoe. "We should check it out after lunch, if you're feeling up to it. I agree that its probably the best place to get you restarted in your shopping groove."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:36 pm
If Zoe had been less conscious of her appearance in public, she might have literally jumped for joy at Olivia's consent to go downtown - not that she ever expected Olivia to disagree. That was the great part of their relationship. Zoe could push and Olivia would flow, like a perfect balance.
"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together lightly and turned on her heel towards the exit of the store, grabbing Olivia's hand in her own as she did so and trying not to walk too quickly. She was a woman on a mission now with a battle plan and a schedule already forming loosely in her mind. She just felt so much better when she had goals to accomplish, even social ones.
"I think I am definitely feeling like sushi," as they exited the store and headed towards the food court at the other end of the mall, she imagined that she could already smell the mixed aroma of food. Unlikely with all the people milling between them in and out of stores. She used her hand in Olivia's to guide them expertly through the crowds, glancing up only when she spoke. "I guess it's lucky that they have a pretty decent sushi bar here, otherwise I might be stuck eating pizza or something equally greasy." She wrinkled her nose at the idea, but smiled immediately.
"I really have missed this, I'm already feeling so much better. All this work is just so.. tiring."
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