xp_logs | Sooraya and Clarice | Thursday afternoon (Reply)

Sooraya gets lost on her way to visit Marie and ends up meeting one of the mansion's more... colorful residents. She gets some more clothes out of the deal - at this rate, she'll outclass Lorna soon enough!

Left... left... right... All right, Sooraya was lost. She paused, looking down at the map in her hand and then up at the hallway around her. She had been trying to find her way to Marie's room, but it didn't seem like she was anywhere near it. Chewing nervously on her lip, Sooraya began to shuffle forward again, hoping that she could at least get back to the boathouse before it got too late.

"Gonna bump and grind, if it's good for your mind," Clarice sang as she danced around the living room of her suite. Fabric was draped over various things and a few pieces of cloth were pinned to her dummy, but she hadn't quite figured out what she wanted to make. She just had an urge to sew. "You won't fool the children of the revolution!"

She really couldn't sing.

The sudden burst of music from a nearby room was enough to make Sooraya pause again. She considered turning around, but knew it wasn't the way to go... she'd have to keep moving forward. She edged ahead until she could peek into the open door, blinking in surprise as she took in the sight of a purple girl dancing about the room. That was certainly... unusual.

"Oh, hi!" Clarice smiled, gesturing for the girl to come in. She looked curious and like one of Nate's wayward children. At least this one wasn't floating. She turned the music down on the stereo and held up an indian print fabric, "You like it?"

"Um." Sooraya smiled hesitantly, stopping just outside the doorway. She glanced from the fabric to the girl holding it, and back again. "It is very nice?"

"MMmmm, I dunno," she discarded it onto a pile on a chair and began to rummage through a stack of nicely folded fabrics, pulling out a golden orange fabric that changed between the two colour depending on the light. "This would look so pretty on you!" She knew her name from the journals, but she couldn't quite remember it. It wasn't Sarah, but it was kinda similar.

The other girl merely stared, not quite sure what Clarice had said or what she wanted. Sooraya couldn't help but admire the fabric she held, though, and the shimmering way it seemed to shift colors.

"You like it, Sooraya?" Clarice tried again using simpler words. She wrapped the fabric around Sooraya and steered her closer to a full length mirror. "Pretty!"

Biting her lip, Sooraya smiled at Clarice in the mirror, glancing down at the fabric once more. "Yes," she agreed, bobbing her head.

Smiling, Clarice decided that she'd make Sooraya some clothes. That would be fun! "You want clothes? With this?" she didn't know how much Englsh she understood and tried to keep it simple without being condescending. "I'll make you clothes."

"Oh..." Furiously, Sooraya tried to fit the words together. Clothes, clothes... Marie had mentioned the word when she had visited and brought the packages for her. She could only mean to make an outfit out of that fabric, but that seemed unlikely. "For me?" she finally asked haltingly.

"For you!" Clarice agreed, already searching her sewing box for her tape measure. "You want American clothes? Or....your clothes?" she didn't know what to call the tunic and trouser combination that she was wearing. She knew she had some patterns for Muslim clothing somewhere that she had found for an Arabic report.

Sooraya raised her eyebrows helplessly, spreading her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry..."

"You like these?" she selected a few demure patterns of American clothes and a couple that were more middle eastern, "Or these?"

Oh." Smiling now, Sooraya looked between the patterns, then indicated the middle eastern patterns with an outstretched finger. "They are nice."

Smiling, Clarice unrolled her tape measure to take Sooraya's measurements. "Stand still," she instructed starting by measuring from shoulder to wrist, that was a nicely non-sexual part of her body so she'd understand what was happening. Hopefully. Language barriers were so cumbersome.

Sooraya did as Clarice asked, though it was difficult to stay completely still as the other girl moved the measuring tape over her arms and shoulder. Licking her lips, she tried to think of something to say to fill the silence that stretched out almostly awkwardly. "How... are you?" she decided on finally, curling her toes up in the flat-soled shoes she wore.

"30.5," Clarice murmured to herself, writing the number on a little pad of paper, "What?" she asked, shaking herself back to a real conversation. "I'm fine. How are you?" It was habit to ask the other person, even if it was a little late. Better late than never and all.

"I am good," Sooraya replied thoughtfully. "Thank you." She was gradually becoming more comfortable with the greetings and general chitchat, thanks to Nathan and his tapes.

Finishing her measurements, measure twice cut once applied to sewing as well as carpentry, Clarice put the tape away and spread the pattern. "You can move now, Sooraya," she said, looking up from cutting the pattern out of the paper, "You can hang out, but this will take a while."

Sooraya nodded, though of course she didn't understand all the words. She could gather, however, that Clarice intended to get right to work, and she wasn't sure if there was much she could do to help. Shuffling backwards until her calves met the couch, she took a seat, folding her hands in her lap. There. Now she would wait, and see if there was anything she could offer to do.