xp_logs | Jane, Callie, Wednesday Afternoon

Jane and Callie go dress shopping for the winter ball.

"You don't think it's too much, do you?" " The dress was short and covered in sparkling electric blue sequins. Jane spinned in front of the mirror, trying to get a look at exactly how low the back was. "It looks kinda icy, don't you think?"

"Hmmm." Callie circled the spinning Jane, carefully examining the dress as she went. She had no idea that when Jane asked her to go shopping this is what she had in mind. Of course, anything was better than sitting in her room, especially since she felt on the verge of cabin fever, so the trip to the outside world was very much appreciated.

"Well it kinda looks almost like a really clear frozen lake with ice crystals on top," was the verdict Callie gave as she returned to her previous position next to the mirror. "So I'd say yes?"

Jane posed in front of the mirror for one last look, pulling her hair up into a messy knot on top of her head. "Perfect." She might be only be chaperoning the Winter Ball, but she didn't have to be a frumpy chaperone, oh no. She was going to have fun. Arching a shoulder, she tried to smolder at the mirror. It needed work. "I really like the theme you came up with for the ball, Callie," she said, hopping off the little pedestal stand. "If you guys do the mirror thing, it'll be just like that room in Ella Enchanted. But you know, with less impending regicide."

Jane's pose was comical enough to cause a giggle from Callie's direction. "Thanks. It's one of my favorite stories. Hans Christian Andersen is great." She beamed. "But I'm sure whatever Jan chooses will be beautiful. And everyone will have a ton of fun. And no murdering regents. It should be fun."

"Of course it will be! Zipper?" Jane leaned back towards Callie, twisting her arm behind her back to demonstrate her helplessness. "Who are you going with? Did you see any dresses you wanted to try on?" It'd be nice if she had someone to go with, but Rich was a little too far away to attend with her, and in any event it really was a thing for the kids. "You'd look really nice in something all shimmery white, I'd bet."

"I wasn't really planning on going," Callie replied nonchalantly as she stepped forward to unzip the gown. "There you go. I mean I'll probably help with decorations if needed, but other than that... " She shrugged. "Dances aren't really my thing."

"It doesn't have to be a thing," Jane replied airily and she shut herself into a dressing room and began to strip. "I mean, if it's the whole there's-no-available-guys-in-the-school thing -- which is not a new situation by the way -- you could always grab a bunch of the other girls and go as a group. That's even more fun sometimes." She shimmied back into her jeans and sweater, throwing the dress back on its hanger. "Or you could ask that Julian kid to go. Have you thought of that?"

Callie sighed. It wasn't that. The not having anyone to go with was a non-issue for her. Even the fact that she couldn't really dance didn't bother her. Dances meant loud, obnoxious music that gave her a headache. And because the music was so loud you had to practically scream to get yourself heard, which only added to her headache. Then there was the fact that apart from dancing the only thing to do was stand until it was time to go. She explained all this to Jane as she waited on the other side of the dressing room door. "...I'd almost just rather stay in and watch movies. I know I'm boring."

"You're not boring. If that's what you like, then that's what you like," Jane said simply, swinging the dressing room door open and looping her free arm through Callie's. She felt a prickle of guilt at having come over so strongly about going to the dance. "Don't let me bully you into doing something you don't want to."

"I like dressing up and looking pretty and everything," came the explanation as the two headed out of the dressing rooms. They hadn't very venture every far out onto the floor when something shiny and pretty in dress form caught Callie's eye. Just because she wasn't planning on going to the dance didn't mean that she couldn't look at dresses for fun. "You're not bullying me."

"Okay then." Jane followed the direction of Callie's gaze, twirling over to a rack of dresses. "Well, just because you're not going doesn't mean you still can't try things on," she pointed out brightly, digging through the smooshed together gowns. "What size do you wear?"

"Probably about an eight," Callie flipped slowly through a rack, examining each dress as she went. She pulled one out and held it against her body in order to estimate how it would fit on her tall frame. "It's probably too short," she lamented.

"Mmm." Jane picked through the rack, pulling out a few dresses. "Shorter ones might be easier, but you could always let out the hem on a longer one if you needed to. What do you think about beads?" She held out a leaf-green sheath with a beaded floral pattern encircling the waist. "'I think this could be pretty. And you're lucky. I'd love to be a few inches taller."

Oh my. That was pretty. Callie reached out and rubbed the material between her fingers, admiring the bead work and the dress as a whole. She glanced back at the dress she was already holding. It was simple, just a plain satiny white dress with a bow on the front, but she liked it as well. This was going to be a hard decision. "Can we pick some dresses and I try them on? If you don't mind I mean."

"We can try on all the dresses, if you want," Jane replied warmly, handing the dress to Callie. C'mon, let's see what else is out there. And if we have time, we can try on shoes, too."