Log; Ongoing

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

WHO: Eli and Wanda
WHERE: the MAC, then some shopping place
WHEN: Backdated to Wednesday
SUMMARY: Wanda is going to help Eli shop because he is a fashion nightmare. Or at least fashion unpleasant dream.
WARNINGS: Nothing, really.
FORMAT: quick to the point to the point no faking

[Eli was kind of nervous about going shopping with Wanda, but he tried not to let it show. It was just not the sort of thing he did. Ever. Except maybe with his mom or something, and his mom never really criticized his fashion choices. Still, he had fun with Wanda and was looking forward to that part of it.

Which was why he was on time at the ground floor of the MAC to meet with Wanda, smiling when he saw her.]

Hey there!

Comments

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

Well, not anything.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[Yes, this is twenty questions.]

[Curling up in the seat to better face him, Wanda smiles playfully.]

Where's the line, then? What wouldn't you do, to procrastinate?

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[This suddenly felt like a trap.]

I don't know, it's not like I sit around and think about it. Back on Destiny there were times when people were going to die if I didn't figure something out.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

Really? Are you some sort of superhero, too? There are so many, here! I should start assuming that people are heroes, rather than the opposite!

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[Eli had to laugh at that.]

A superhero? Me? No, I'm just some kid who beat a level on a video game and won a trip to space.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[And that is, if possible, even more intriguing.]

There are video games in space?

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[Eli shook his head.]

No. Okay, there was this game on Earth that I played. And in the game, they included this riddle. And it was kind of tricky and you had to do a lot of math to solve it and I worked on it for about a month before I figured it out. When I finally solved it, nothing happened.

[He paused.]

It turns out the riddle was thousands of years old and it was actually this big puzzle to these Stargates that let you travel between worlds. Apparently no one had been able to solve this puzzle yet, so they put it in the game to see if someone could.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[There's a very soft whooshing noise as that entire explanation sails right over Wanda's head.]

That's.. interesting.

[She smiles, a little helplessly.]

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[Eli realized she didn't get it.]

Okay, these aliens left this really, really hard math puzzle to solve. My government couldn't find anyone that worked for them to solve it, so they put it in a video game. I solved it because I thought I would get a reward in the game.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[Okay, that's a little better.]

And the reward was.. space?

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[Eli nodded.]

Sort of, they took me into space to help them solve the puzzle. But then our base was attacked and we had to feel into deep space.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

How can space be deep? Is that like the deep parts of the ocean? I thought it was all space, and we just sit in it. Is there a surface, somewhere?

[The taxi then lurched to an abrupt stop, prompting Wanda to throw one hand out to steady herself against the back of the driver's seat. Muttering something about "crazy foreigners," the cabbie indicated the fare with a blunt gesture.]

Oh, yes, of course -- hold on.

[Wanda scrambled to pull a seemingly indiscriminate wad of cash from her purse, handing it to the suddenly-mollified cabbie with a smile.]

Thank you for the ride!

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

The farther out you get, the deeper into space you get.

[Eli watched her hand over the wad of cash with a bit of surprise.]

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

Is it really infinite, then? That's what people kept saying, back home.

[Wanda climbed out of the cab with more grace than she'd managed on the first few attempts -- good to know she was getting better at this, at least. Spying the familiar Bloomingdale's sign, she stepped up onto the sidewalk and looked back to Eli, bright-eyed.]

Ready?

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

Probably not at all.

[Eli sighed and got out of the cab.]

But let's do this anyways.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

Come on, then!

[She grinned, grabbing his hand to more effectively drag him into the store.]

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[Oh, well, if she was going to take his hand she could pull him along anywhere.]

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[And she proceeded to do so, striding through the store with enough confidence to send the more casual shoppers scuttling from their path. On the escalator, she regarded the displays with fond familiarity, and when they reached her intended floor, the attendants perked and greeted her by name.]

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I am so in over my head.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[Wanda beamed at the well-dressed woman who approached them, using the hand holding Eli's to yank him forward with surprising strength.]

Steph, this is Eli. He didn't know that jeans came in different colors.

[She nodded in somber understanding as the other woman exclaimed her horror and distress, flashing Eli a look of veiled amusement.]

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, I bet lots of people don't know that!

[Steph didn't seem convinced.]

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

Perhaps where you come from.

[Wanda couldn't quite hide her amusement, at this point, and squeezed Eli's hand reassuringly before addressing the attendant again.]

Could you get a fitting room ready? I'll send him over in a minute.

[Steph murmured something cordial and affirmative before turning to signal her colleagues with rapid, complex gestures as she walked quickly away. Wanda turned back to Eli, smiling.]

I called ahead to the personal shoppers pull some things for you. I hope you don't mind -- I just thought, well, Pietro doesn't much care for shopping, and this was a little better, for him, so maybe you would prefer it, too..?

[She tilted her head at him inquiringly, trying not to look too hopeful.]

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

[He could tell that she really wanted him to enjoy it, or at least to be okay with it.]

It sounds like a good time. Thank you for doing this for me.

[stillawitch.livejournal.com]

[Wanda beamed at him, pleased.]

Oh, it's no trouble! They're probably ready for you, if you are..

[She glanced over at the corner where the personal shoppers had congregated, smiling when she saw one wave them over.]

And I'll be right outside the fitting room, if you need anything.

[solvedchevron.livejournal.com]

I feel like a gazelle walking into a den of lions.