Shopping Spree
The four spent the majority of the ride in silence, only broken by the occasional ‘whoop’ coming from Claudia whenever she completed a level on her tablet. Mrs Frederick was quite happily looking out of the window and enjoying the scenery passing them by. Laura just gazing over at Carmilla, smiling and still holding on to her hand. Carmilla, still unsettled, looking between the three woman, Claudia, still playing on this light emitting device, to Mrs Frederick wondering who she was and how she can be so similar to mamma yet so different and then finally to Laura. Laura would give her a quick smile and squeeze of her hand, which would reassure her slightly, somehow, but not for long. They had not let go of each other’s hands since Laura had grabbed it when they first got into the limousine.
It was not long till they reached the airport. As they stepped out onto the path a plane came in low directly overhead.
“What was that giant bird?” Carmilla was completely overwhelmed by it all. Cars of all shapes and sizes everywhere, horns blaring, roars of planes landing and taking off, noise everywhere, and all too unfamiliar to her. She quickly grabbed hold of Laura’s hand again for her safety.
“That wasn’t a giant bird Carm. It’s called a plane. We will be getting onto one of them soon.” Laura tried to reassure her, stroking the back of Carmilla’s hand with her thumb.
“Ladies,” Mrs Frederick beckoned. “We best be moving on inside now.” She ushered them into the bustle of the airport foyer. Carmilla grabbed a little tighter onto Laura’s hand. Claudia was doing her best techno-babble to try and ease Carmilla’s mind about planes and how they could fly. All she managed to successfully do was confuse and overwhelm Carmilla even more.
“Mrs Frederick?” Laura asks, “How exactly do you plan on getting Carmilla onto the plane without a passport?"
“No need to worry about the Miss Hollis, I have that all under control.” Mrs Frederick turned and headed towards the row of check in desks. She quickly came back with four boarding tickets, “Now Claudia, boarding gate 3. Do not forget this time. I also think it best you and Miss Hollis take Miss Karnstein to go get a new outfit so she does not look so out of place.” She raised an eyebrow towards Carmilla, turned on her heel and walked off towards the gate.
Claudia spun round to Laura and Carmilla, looked Carmilla up and down “I couldn’t agree more,” squeezed herself in between the two of them, linked arms and started walking them all in the direction Mrs Frederick had just gone. “Clothes shopping” she chimed.
The three young women walked through to the duty free. Claudia dragged them into the first clothes shop she could find and headed straight for the skinny jeans.
“Ooh, I like these ones,” Claudia picked up a pair of pale grey jeans, “what do you think?” Laura nodded in approval, Carmilla looked at both of them with a blank expression on her face. “Here try these.” Claudia throws a couple of different sizes towards Carmilla.
“What are these?” Carmilla asked perplexed.
“They are jeans, ya know, trousers, pantaloons.” Claudia gestured. “Oh yeah, 19th century fictional character, my bad. Here try them with these.” Claudia threw more clothing in the direction of Carmilla, in the form of black short sleeved t-shirts and a couple of plaid shirts. “I think they will suit you.” Claudia smiled.
Laura lead Carmilla away in the direction of some changing rooms. “right, try them on.” She looked to Carmilla, “try the smaller sizes on first.” She smiles, “I’ll wait here for you.” Carmilla looked to the clothes she was holding and then back up to Laura.
“Can you come with me?” Carmilla asked sheepishly
“Of course I can Carm,” Laura taking some of the clothing items from Carmilla and leads her into an empty cubicle. Laura hung up the jeans and the shirts on a hook, and stepped back outside and went to shut the curtain to give Carmilla some privacy. Carmilla quickly grabbed her wrist.
“I’m going to need help getting out of my dress.” Carmilla turned her back to Laura and draped her hair down her front. Laura took in a deep breath, took a step towards Carmilla, closing the curtain around them, and pulled at one of the laces holding Carmilla’s dress in place. She hooked her pinkie finger under part of it a bit further up to loosen it a bit more. It got loose enough so that Carmilla could shrug her shoulders slightly and just let it slip down and fall at her feet. Laura looked at the basqued body that stood in front of her. Carmilla looked so amazing, so beautiful, her silhouette so perfect. Laura finally handed Carmilla a pair of jeans.
“Here try these ones one first”. Carmilla looked at them for a moment before sitting down to put them on. She managed to get the first pai half way up her thighs before they refused to go any further.
“A little help please?” Carmilla turned to Laura to see her giggling, Laura just shook her head.
“They are not going any further. Next size up for you.” She couldn’t help but giggle.
“But I just need help.” Carmilla pleaded.
“Not a chance,” Laura smirked. “Skinny jeans do not go past thighs if they don’t want to, they aren’t like a corset. Come on, take those ones off and try these ones.” Laura handed Carmilla a different pair to try.
These ones were a lot easier to get on. “They are a bit revealing.” Carmilla said. Laura just shook her head to disagree, she was far too busy staring at Carmilla’s figure in the nice tight fitting, pale grey skinny jeans.
“Right, top.” Laura finally manage, “corset off.” She looked wide-eyed at Carmilla when she realised what she said.
“Surely one should court properly before requesting sure a thing,” Carmilla smirked. Laura just blushed in response.
“Just put the tops on.” Laura flustered. She quickly handed Carmilla one of the t-shirts and quickly helped her out of her corset, trying not to make herself feel any more awkward than she already was, and then handed her one of the shirts. “There, much more modern and appropriate.” Laura smiled, “what do you think?”
Carmilla looked at herself in the mirror, not quite sure if it was the same person looking back at her. But somehow she knew she could trust Laura and she seemed to think it was OK. “It is different.”
“Different is good sometimes though.” Laura tried to make Carmilla feel better about it all. “Come on, let’s show Claudia,” Laura stepped out of the cubicle and held a hand out for Carmilla. Carmilla took it with ease, leaving all the other clothes behind them. They quickly found Claudia, she hadn’t moved from by the jeans where they had left her. “Waddya think?” Laura asked trying to show off Carmilla. Claudia looked at her.
“Much better, I think you will find them much more comfortable to fly in. Now I think I have found something else that might suit you.” Claudia led them off round the corner to, from a distance, looked to be a more formal kind of trouser, but upon closer inspection Laura soon realises that they are in fact leather. “What do you think of these?” Claudia announces, jumping up and down a little. Laura just looks at them. Carmilla picks a pair up to look at a bit better, turns them over in her hands, “go on try them on,” Claudia urges, “but bring the pair you are wearing back with you, the Warehouse has already paid for them!” she shouts after her. Laura just looks at Claudia, “what?! Perks of the job,” she goes back to looking at the leather pants in front of her. It doesn’t take long for Carmilla to come back, but with a smile on her face. “Those look awesome! I want some.” Claudia couldn’t keep the excitement in, she grabbed a pair and headed off to the tills to pay.
“Umm, Claudia?” Laura asked, “Where has Mrs Frederick gone?”
“Not a clue, she does this. It’s so frakking annoying, she always turns up when you least expect it.” Claudia quickly scans around her just to make sure that she hadn’t popped up behind her. “or when you really don’t want het too. But she’ll meet us when we need to get on the plane.” Claudia paid for all the items, on what Laura assumed to be the Warehouse credit card when a loud noise erupted from Claudia’s pocket making all three of them jump. “See what did I tell you”
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