[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

People who didn't know Sunny exceptionally well, but only knew her by reputation or first impression, might have assumed she'd have turned her nose up at the suggestion of H&M or Forever 21. After all, it seemed natural that somebody of Sunny's wealth and style would only be interested in designer outfits. But truthfully, Sunny didn't think that way. She liked 'cute' outfits. She didn't care where they came from. If they were pink and they were cute she was down for it.

"Ohh, they do some cute outfits sometimes!" Sunny beamed when she mentioned those shops. There was no judgement from Sunny. She was spoiled, yes, a ditz, yes, vain yes, but not judgemental. Especially when it came to potentially cute outfits. "Hot Topic's not REALLY my scene but sometimes they do cute Disney outfits, and I did a signing of Gravity Girl pops in there once!" She went on cheerfully. Truthfully she'd avoided Hot Topic for a while because of it's reputation as a 'goth shop'. Not snobbishness, just, 'goth' meant black and not pink, so she had no interest, only to learn it had transmuted into more of a geek mecca in recent years, and of course that meant lots of Disney outfits.

"Maybe I can find you an outfit in there as well!" Sunny suggested, although it was definitely not going to be as glamorous as the dress she still had on. In such an expensive cocktail dress, she was attracting attention of course, as they headed into the mall. Although that might have just been the overwhelming perfume that naturally turned people's heads whenever Sunny walked past.

They made their way towards Forever 21, although Sunny did stop in her tracks to stare at a perfume shop as they passed and had to be pulled away to carry on moving, like she had no will of her own. Sunny had a big smile on her face the entire time, even if they were shopping for an outfit she'd hate. Just the idea of shopping with a friend was incredibly exciting to her, and she was clearly enjoying herself. It was the kind of fun life Sunny had always wanted.

"Okay, okay, you start, 'cause like, otherwise, I'm gonna have NO self control!" Sunny suggested, still beaming, taking in all the clothes around her with excited, sparkling eyes. Clothes shopping made Sunny so happy, and she was even happier to be doing it with a friend.


Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Judging by the wardrobe Alice had seen in the house, she had no doubt that Sunny's last statement was entirely true. The girl obviously liked shopping, as long as the things she was shopping for were pink. Alice had never met someone so obsessed with a single colour in her life. Even the goths she'd went to school with had owned something in purple or blood red. Even if they never wore it. Sunny, on the other hand, was obsessed with pink, and Alice had no doubt that after wearing the outfit bought for her, she would immediately consign it to the furthest corner of her closet. Or burn it… Not that such a reaction was being suggested, judging by the excited look on the blonde's face. Gazing around Forever 21, clearly Sunny was ready to shop, even if that shopping included an outfit that was more Alice's speed than hers. Alice took a deep breath, she was probably going to need a lot of patience here. After all, Sunny wore her heart on her sleeve. It was extremely easy to tell when she was pleased with something and when she was upset, it might take a while to pick something out. She made sure to avoid black, as that seemed too far away from Sunny's preferences to have any chance of getting the superhero into it. It wasn't that Alice was opposed to the colour pink, but Sunny definitely took it too far. Eventually she found something that look nice, and wasn't even too far from Sunny's favourite colour. The dress was red and bodycon, figure hugging. It would show off Sunny's figure, which was surprisingly trim despite the girl's apparent aversion to exercise. Alice pulled it out and held it up. "How about this to start?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny followed Alice around the store, although several times she got distracted by outfits she deemed cute, and it took only what Sunny considered Herculean feats of self control to return to Alice's side. She wished she had those blinder thingies they put on horses. So she could only look forward. That would help.

She looked at the dress Alice had picked out, and was a little impressed. She hadn't expected Alice to have much taste in fashion, but it was definitely a nice outfit. Figure hugging though. Sunny looked a little uncomfortable. It was perhaps surprising for a girl who spent so long in the spotlight, but she had her 'cute, girly' style and she stuck to it.
"It's really nice, but um, it's a bit sexy. I don't.... I don't... really, do sexy." She said, feeling a little silly. Was she nervous about showing off her figure? About being a sex object? Maybe. Or was it just that her self-image of being the cute girly girl had been so drilled into her that she was scared to step outside of it.

"But, uh, red could be fun! Ohhh! I could try a red lipstick! And like, a smoky eyeshadow!" She seemed to get excited at the thought of adjusting her make-up. Maybe there was something to this wearing different colours? Maybe if she didn't wear pink all the time she could try new outfits and looks out with more variety?

Nah, that was crazy talk. Clearly pink was still the best.


Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Sunny had seemed hesitant at first, more about the nature of the dress than it's change in colour. Alice really hadn't expected to have seen such a reaction from the girl. After all, she was constantly at the centre of attention, she would have thought that she would enjoy showing off a little. Apparently not though, and perhaps it made sense. Gravity Girl was hardly a slutty looking Hero, she wore almost a full body suit, and that was mostly swathed in a voluminous cape on many occasions. It seemed that Alice's concerns had come too soon however, as the blonde girl seemed to warm to the dress. Clearly the colour was still a hang up, but one that she could overlook for at least the one night that she would wear it. She was even getting excited enough to suggest things to go with it, lipstick, and eyeshadow. Alice was no big makeup person, but she would wear some for a night out, and she could definitely feel a trip to a makeup store coming on. Alice took a step back and looked the blonde girl up and down in obvious disbelief. "You… don't do sexy?" She knew that Gravity Girl seemed to be aimed more at younger girls than older ones, but she was undeniably attractive, with delicate features, long blonde hair, and the kind of figure Alice herself wished she had. Where Paladin was tall, small breasted and muscular, Gravity Girl was petite with undeniable curves. Alice was surprised to find herself jealous. "You are like, gorgeous girl, now get into that fitting room and try this on." She pushed the smaller girl in the direction of the fitting rooms, grabbing a few other things on the way. Briefly she debated whether this was wise, after all, the quicker they found an item for Sunny, the quicker Sunny would get to dress her up in turn. She wasn't sure how much she was looking forward to that…

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[santa]

A strange sensation fills the night air, a stillness, a moment of almost complete silence, broken only by the sound of hooves. Hooves that are not meeting asphalt or sidewalk, but somehow making solid contact with the air itself. As they approached so too did the sound of jingling bells, moving in a rhythm that somehow did not match the rhythm of the hooves. Eventually there was a great rush of air and a huge sleigh came crashing down out of the sky. It landed with an almighty bang, bouncing twice on enormous and creaking iron runners before sliding to a reluctant halt.



It steamed gently. Ten enormous reindeer stamped their hooves and snorted, tossing their heads. Somehow the air steamed from their mouths despite the warmth of the night air. They pulled idly at their halters and the long reins that stretched from them back to the sleigh, each strung with bells along its length, jingling slightly with notes reminiscent of jingle bells.



An enormous figure appeared climbing from within the vehicle, he was big, broad, but not fat, more stocky, but on such a scale that he seemed to dwarf anyone that walked past him. Pulling a sack from the sleigh he marched into the mall. His suit was red, but somehow contrived to look pink under the lights. It didn't take him long to find who he was looking for, a blonde girl wearing pink being ushered into a fitting room by a taller blue-haired friend.



He stopped them, leaning down and looking pointedly at the blonde. "I have a gift for you little lady."



He produced a large scroll of yellowing paper from one sleeve, unrolling it so it bounced off the floor, and with a large quill plucked from thin air, crossed something off dramatically. He leaned down, winking conspiratorially and lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "But you might want to keep this gift a secret between you and your friend here."



Somehow his breath smelled of cinnamon, cookies and peppermint all at once.



He produced a long slim box from the sack without apparently reducing its bulk at all. Handing it over to Sunny, he tapped his nose with his finger, then with surprising grace for a man of such size, made his way out of the store and disappeared from view before anyone could get over their surprise.


Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Outside of Aly, Sunny didn't really have any friends, and while she loved Aly like a sister, both were from such a coddled, rich girl background that neither had really ever experienced the simple joy of shopping in an ordinary store with a friend. Nor the simple encouragement to try something new; both were such fashionistas they were confident they knew what to wear. So when Alice encouraged her and told her how great she looked, Sunny couldn't help but smile.

She hurried into the fitting room as instructed only to be stopped by... Santa? A lot of people might question, of course, why Santa, who apparently was completely real and not at all fictional, would appear before them. Not Sunny though. Because of course Sunny still believed in Santa, and of course if Santa was real, it'd stand to reason he'd visit to give her presents. (Although, in her defence, the existence of Santa was much more acceptable when you knew dozens of people with superhuman powers).

Still, getting a present was great, and actually getting to meet him was even better.
"Ohmigod! Thank you, Santa!" Sunny beamed, grabbing him and giving him a hug before he could escape. Once he was gone though, she clung to the packet in its shiny pink wrapping, but didn't open it. It wasn't Christmas yet. There were rules. Sunny would never open a present before Christmas day.

And like that Santa was gone. Most people would think this was an extremely odd occurrence, but not Sunny, who's bubblegum pink world included such fantasies. Either way, she disappeared into the dressing room to try on the dress. She didn't usually like just trying on an outfit, after all, she had to re-do her make-up and hair and jewellery and pick a perfume that matched the dress right? But sacrifices had to be made when shopping, so she tried it on, and reappeared in front of Alice.

"Sorry it took me a while! Santa stopped by." She said conversationally, as if this was entirely normal. And then she paused, and did a little pose. "Whatcha think?" She asked smiling.


Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Alice was too busy examining the fit of the dress on Sunny to process what the blonde said. Eventually though, the words penetrated the haze of concentration and stopped her dead. She looked up, confused. "Wait… What?" She shook her head as if trying to shake water from her hair. "Santa… Oh… OK…" Alice hadn't seen anyone go in, or come out, apart from Sunny, so how she might have run into Santa in there she had no idea. Eventually she managed to move on from confusion and concentrate on the young woman in front of her properly. The dress she was wearing fit her almost perfectly, and it certainly wasn't something that Sunny would be used to wearing. "It looks perfect, you'll have the boys fighting over you in no time." She glanced around, craning her neck as she looked for something to go with it. "We should get a clutch that matches it too." The longer they could go without Sunny having an opportunity to put Alice in something pink, the better. Eventually she spotted a rack that looked like it contained accessories, several of them were the same shade as the red dress, so Alice grabbed a few and brought them back, keeping Sunny from receiving glares from the fitting room attendant. "What about these?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny beamed with glee at Alice's approval, moving from a pose to do a levitating twirl in the air to show off the dress, before suddenly remembering she wasn't supposed to show off her powers as they were meant to be undercover, and dropping back to the ground. She laughed, and even blushed a little when Alice said the boys would like her like that.
"Ohhh, if boys come to talk to me, you GOTTA help me! I'm like, SO totally bad at talking to boys!" She said desperately, her eyes suddenly going wide under her big fake lashes. "Like, I mean, obviously, I've had guys, like, try to talk to me and stuff before, but like, I never know what to say! What do you talk to boys about? They're weird!" She exclaimed, all desperation and confusion. It was true. Sunny Slater was famous, considered beautiful by most, and had been on a few dates. But none that ever went anywhere. She spent her entire time talking about clothes, make-up and perfume, and nobody could stand that. Sunny just had no idea how to communicate with the opposite sex.

Luckily, Sunny's hesitation was forgotten when Alice came over with some clutches for her to check out. Accessories! Accessorising was nearly as fun as picking a dress! She enthusiastically took one each, each time taking it and modelling it. She loved all of them, because, well, Sunny was actually easily pleased, and she walked up and down an imaginary catwalk with each one for Alice, posing all the while, but eventually settled for a tiny, dainty, red one that matched her dress perfectly, and was inlaid with sparkly jewels.
"I like this one!" She declared. She rushed back inside to change into her regular clothes. She wanted to keep wearing the red dress, really, but well, she hadn't had a chance to complete her accessorising yet, and her make-up was done for her pink clothes, so she couldn't possibly wear a different dress!

"So, we gotta get some jewellery to go with it! And like, ohmigod, perfume that isn't for a pink outfit! That's gonna be SO much fun!" Because of course Sunny coordinated her perfume with her outfits. "And like shoes, of course! Then we get to do it all for you too!" She beamed. The one thing she didn't have to look for was make-up. Sunny probably owned more make-up than the store anyway. Mind you, she probably owned more perfume than the store too. Possibly she was wearing more perfume than was in the store. But that didn't stop her wanting to shop for some...


Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

That Sunny was bad at talking to boys wasn't entirely surprising. That she had never had a meaningful conversation with one was more so. "You've never…" To put it simply, Alice was stunned. Sunny was a lot. But she was a stunningly attractive girl. It probably helped that she was also a model and one of the most well known Heroes in the US. Yet apparently she didn't know how to talk to boys. That was something new that Alice would have to factor into their night out. Fending off the advances of various men was half of the experience. Even if it was often the worst part of said experience. It wasn't as if she had time to educate Sunny about it, or even that much experience herself. "Ummm… I guess we'll deal with that when we get to it. No point worrying about it now." Fortunately it seemed that Sunny wasn't going to worry about it, as she moved on easily to the next topic. That is to say, beautifying herself. Accessories, clutches, jewellery. Alice was jointly relieved and perturbed. After all, moving on from the last conversation meant an escape, but it was an escape into what inevitably came next. She'd found an outfit for Sunny, once they found jewellery and shoes they would be looking for an outfit for her. That had been the deal, and Alice had no doubt that what came next would be something entirely pink. It wasn't as if she hadn't known Sunny long enough to know what was coming. "Well let's find you some jewellery then, do you want to get it here or should we go to another store?" Alice had no doubt that Sunny could afford to buy just about whatever jewellery she liked, but she might appreciate staying in the store. That and beyond matching accessories to an outfit, Alice really didn't know a lot about jewellery herself. She had always picked up the cheap stuff sold by the stores themselves, rather than a jewellers. "I already know where we can get your shoes though." She'd seen a pair in one of the stores they had passed that would be absolutely perfect for the red bodycon dress that Sunny was wearing.

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[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny smiled when Alice confirmed that they'd deal with the 'boy problem' when they got to it. Anybody else might have been nervous, or recognised the deflection, but Sunny trusted Alice completely, and knew that she'd have her back when it came to talking to boys. Anyway, it wasn't her fault it was so difficult. She had loads to talk about! It was just... mostly about her and what outfits she was wearing. Which Sunny thought was totally interesting, but apparently not everybody shared that opinion.

"Oh, well, uh, you're like, meant to be picking my outfit, so you pick the store." Sunny replied when Alice asked what store they should get her jewellery from. Sunny didn't mind buying cheap jewellery, if it was cute, but she did usually do her shopping in the more expensive stores. Why wouldn't she when she had the money? But so far she'd really enjoyed shopping with Alice, and didn't want to drag Alice off to a store she didn't want to go to. Besides, she was curious. What kind of jewellery DID Alice wear? It'd let Sunny start to plan for what to get her for her birthday, she figured...

However, the ever-excitable Sunny temporarily forgot all about jewellery when Alice mentioned already having the perfect shoes picked out.
"Oh! Oh! Shoe me the shows!" She paused. "Uh, I mean, show me the shoes!" She said quickly, beaming an excited smile. "Jewellery can wait! If you've got shoes picked out, I just, like, gotta see 'em!" She squealed, almost levitating again with excitement.




Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Sunny might be exhausting, but her constant enthusiasm for everything Alice suggested was also a little endearing. It was like spending time with a kid, despite the fact that Sunny was actually older than she was. But then Alice had grown up the hard way, in the system, bouncing from home to home. Sunny had clearly grown up with every possible opportunity and luxury. Alice didn't blame the girl for that, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous and resentful. Sunny's response to the thought of shoes was fairly clear, so mentally filing away the need for jewellery, Alice led the way to the shoe store. It was several units over, with a large collection of women's shoes in the window. There were a handful of men's shoes too, but they had been relegated to a dark and unloved corner. Clearly this store had a target audience. Alice didn't even have to pull Sunny inside, and the girl's excitement was palpable. Alice raised a finger like a stern school teacher. "Now wait, we're going to do this properly." She pointed to the sofa in the centre of the space. "You go and sit there, I'm going to go and ask if they have your size." She turned to walk away, then paused. "What is your size by the way?" Size ascertained, she headed off the assistant approaching before she could reach Sunny, "Yeah, we know what we want." She led the assistant over to the display in question, pulling a gold strap sandal heel from the wall. Knowing how awkward shoe sizes could be, she also asked for a size either side as well. With a smile the assistant rushed off to fetch the sizes, and Alice walked back over to the couch to sit down next to Sunny. "You'll love these."

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[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny followed Alice, beaming the entire time with excitement. It was obvious that she was loving this. Sunny shopped all the time, and had gone through plenty of personal shoppers, most of whom were quick to retire after having to spend a day with Sunny, but she didn't really have any friends who'd endure the shopping trials with her. Apart from Ali. Ali was great for it, but they'd known each other forever and felt more like sisters, and it wasn't ever quite like Sunny had seen on TV. Besides, even Ali had her limits, it turned out.

But the way Alice was being? Dragging her off for SURPRISE shoes? It made Sunny squeal with excitement. This was everything Sunny had dreamed of! She was so excited. Made only moreso when Alice made Sunny sit down, and await the surprise. She was bubbling with excitement, and literally having to focus on not floating out of the seat, as she waited for her surprise to arrive.

Sunny even closed her eyes, and only opened them when she heard Alice's voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw them. Gold, strappy sandals! With heels! Sure, the heels weren't quite as sky high as Sunny usually wore, and all of her shoes were, like everything she owned, shades of pink, but the whole point tonight was to own something NOT pink! And gold was TOTALLY cute and the sandals were adorable.
"Ohmigod, I love them!" Sunny quickly picked the right size, she shopped so much she could pretty easily tell just by looking now, and slipped them on, removing her own pink heels. "Ohmigod, they're so cute! I'll take them!" She said enthusiastically to the shop owner, before slipping her shoes back on and beaming at Alice.

"Y'know, like, for someone who acts all... tomboy... you're really good at this!" Sunny beamed teasingly, giving Alice a playful smile on her glossy pink lips.

Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Sunny's reaction was every bit as over the top and excitable as Alice had come to expect. Unlike with the dress however, there had been no hesitation in the blonde girl's reaction at all. That said, Alice was pretty sure she'd seen at least a dozen variations on sandal heels amidst the rest of the Hero's closet, so even if these weren't pink, they at least wouldn't be totally out of place. She smiled uncertainly at Sunny's next comment though. While Alice certainly didn't go in for the kind of pink flouncy dresses that grabbed her friend's attention, she wasn't totally immune to fashion. She just didn't wear a lot of dresses. Still, she realised that compared to Sunny it wasn't exactly hard to come across as a tomboy, Alice wasn't sure she owned more than one or two items in pink, and both of them were reserved for her boyfriend's viewing only. Unfortunately, now that they'd found shoes for Sunny's outfit it meant that it was Alice's turn. She liked Sunny, and the girl clearly wasn't oblivious to style, but Alice really wasn't looking forward to being dressed up in hot pink. Still, it was only fair, even if Alice had a sneaking suspicion that Sunny would treat the experience more like dressing up a doll than finding an outfit for a friend. It was becoming clear that Sunny maybe didn't have the most friends. If it hadn't been for Alice's own boundless energy and enthusiasm for people in general then she might have been long gone. As it was, even she was facing the next ordeal with some trepidation.

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[Sunny Slater]

"Ohmigod! Bestie!"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny practically skipped, or maybe even floated, out of the store, bags in tow, ready to go looking for Alice's outfit. Yes, there was still the matter of accessories, and Sunny considered it vitally important she find a perfume that suited her red outfit instead of a pink one (yes, Sunny considered that important; she had different perfumes for different outfits), but for now, she was excited to find Alice an outfit.

She only stopped to let out a tiny moan at carrying the shopping.
"Ugh, shopping bags are soooo heavy." she whined, despite only holding some shoes and a dress. It wasn't a surprised, given how physically weak the spoiled girl was. She paused, and adjusted her arm a little so that she was projecting a gravity field, essentially turning her arm into an immovable object against the weight of the bags. That was better.

She happily led Alice back to the clothes store, the same one they'd gotten her dress from, and eagerly started looking. It took much more time than Alice's own search had, given that every time Sunny saw anything pink or glitzy she let out an excited squeal, was comparing it to her own outfit, and then pouting when she remembered she wasn't shopping for herself. More than once she took a quick snap of an outfit on her cellphone so she could remember to come back and pick it up at a later date. Eventually though, she pulled out a tight hot pink dress with massively frilly shoulders and let out another squeal of excitement, holding it up to Alice.
"This one! It's perfect! It's like, SO totally me but will totally match MY dress too! You gotta try it on! You gotta!" She shrieked, gesturing to send Alice towards the fitting room with a big smile and her usual bubbly energy, so excited that it would be practically impossible to say no...

Alice Morrow

"Do you like my room!?"

ulla

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Sunny Slater

Shopping with Sunny wasn't too bad, Alice decided. Mostly the girl entertained herself, picking out items, admiring them longingly, before occasionally taking a picture and putting it back. It was clear enough that Sunny was taking great pains to restrain herself. It wasn't as if Sunny would have any trouble affording these things, but it was clear that the aim of tonight was not to leave with dozens of bags. If she hadn't seen this, Alice wouldn't have believed that Sunny could demonstrate such self-restraint. Alice found herself regretting her earlier decision only a few minutes later when Sunny pulled out the dress she had decided would be perfect for her. Alice almost couldn't look, and she felt even worse when she finally let her gaze alight upon the dress. It was, true to form, hot pink, worse, the shoulders would make her look like some sort of extravagant French pastry. She tried hard to look excited, instead producing a pained smile. Alice had grown up a tomboy. She'd had short hair for years, and preferred t-shirts and jeans to a dress. That wasn't to say she didn't dress up in skirts, dresses and so on. She did, just not very often, and certainly not enough that she'd feel confident in a dress that screamed look at me in quite the way that Sunny's choice did. Breathing out heavily, she took the dress and pulled it to her chest. Turning, she started making her way through the crowded store towards the fitting rooms. There was no queue, and it didn't take her long to change. In fact, it took her longer to pluck up the courage to exit the fitting room and display herself to Sunny. Eventually she managed it. Unlike Sunny, Alice was fairly flat chested, though the dress seemed to suit that, it certainly displayed her stomach and hips well, making the most of her rather boyish figure. Unfortunately it also displayed how unusually toned and muscular she was for a woman. Her shoulders, her arms and legs, all of them made her look like a professional athlete rather than the chef she purported to be outside of her actual Hero career. Awkwardly she raises her arms and rotates slowly. "Whadda ya think?"

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