maskormenacelogs | Stop me on the corner • ( closed )

( The noise is awfully loud, and she winces, her sensitive hearing having to accustom itself again to the sound of the clatter of pins. She's not had the chance to actually go bowling since she'd been in college at least, so this is as much for her today as it is for Sansa. There's an ease she has in the other woman's company which differs from the rivalry she and Alex had shared whenever they'd done this together. It's a breath of fresh air, and it makes her grin stay in place as Sansa asks about the shoes.

She nods her head, looking thoughtful. )

Maybe check underneath or inside the shoes you're wearing? There ought to be a number printed somewhere on them. That's your size.

Who makes you just shove your feet into high heels like that?

( That's not cool, and she bristles internally on principal. High heels in particular hurt. Ouch. )

[ Sansa eyes the different bowling lanes with interest, watching how people pick up the large boulder-like balls and chuck them down towards the pins at the other end. It doesn't seem like a difficult game, so she smiles a little again at Kara before they try to figure out the issue with the shoes.

She makes a humming noise as she slips her shoes off, bends down to pick them up and turns one over to look at the size. ]

Nine? Does that make sense?

[ She asks, looking up again before giving a little huff. ]

The people who help me to get dressed for the photoshoots that I do.

( Without even thinking, Kara reaches out to lay a hand on the other woman's shoulder as she removes her shoes, the better to steady her. She stays very still beside her, silently offering this support until she rights herself.

Only then does Kara remove her hand, and smile over at her. )

It sure does.

( Turning back to the clerk, she asks for a pair in that size. Promptly, she hands them over, along with a pair of nine and a half shoes for Kara. The clerk is thanked with a grin, and then the blonde turns to make a little face. )

Well they should know better and not just shove your feet into high heels. Seriously.

( Is she a bit protective? Yes, yes she sure is. But the moment passes, and before long, she's grinning again. )

Anyway, let's go get ourselves set up!

[ Sansa glances up with a smile when Kara reaches out to steady her. She was proud of herself in that moment for not flinching away like she would have just a few weeks earlier but it helps to know that Kara isn't a threat to her. In fact, it's quite the opposite and has been ever since they went flying together.

Straightening with her shoes once they are off, she watches curiously while Kara asks for a pair of bowling shoes in her size. Glancing around, she finds a place to set her own shoes aside before straightening and reaching to take the new ones offered to her. Pausing, she studies them with a slight wrinkle to her nose because they look like they won't be comfortable but she can't be absolutely sure. ]

It's fine, really. It does get tiring if it's a long day of shooting but most of the time the shoes are actually too big. Which is amazing.

[ Then she motions at Kara, still smiling. ]

Lead the way, please.

( It's something she might become accustomed to with Kara, who is nothing if not tactile with people she cares about. She pats her shoulder once before letting go, looking comfortable and happy. Considering how much she's been missing her adoptive family and her cousin lately, this is a huge improvement. Not that she's aware, as she smiles blithely and takes off her own shoes.

Revealing the decidedly not-so-cute socks that she'd unthinkingly worn today. They'd sort of matched with her outfit, and that'd been that. Kara takes one look at them now, feeling flustered as she swipes her pair of bowling shoes from the counter and makes casual use of her superspeed to put them on.

Yeah, nobody needs to see those, right? Right! In the meantime, Sansa making that face at her own shoes draws a giggle out of her and she shakes her head. )

So long as they're not actually shoving your feet into them, then it's good. Ah, yeah, you guys make everything by hand in your world, right? How long does it take to make a pair of shoes that fit from scratch?

( She's pretty curious about that, now that she thinks about it. Kara offers her an arm, smiling. )

Okay. The lane's this way.

( Which is to say on the far left of the space, meaning they're not going to be in the middle of other people, which she'd felt important. Kara sets her purse down on one of the little chairs, and sets about explaining the rules. )

Okay, so! We've got ten frames, and two chances each per frame to knock down as many pins as possible. Don't worry about scoring though. Just roll the ball and take out as many of those pins as you can.

[ At one time, Sansa might not have thought anything of it but now she finds herself overthinking everything and reading everyone around her. She watches for little cues while assessing how someone might act towards her. It's a tiring habit that she can't seem to break but she tells herself that she uses it for survival's sake. But, maybe in time, she won't blink when Kara reaches out to touch her. Maybe, in time, she will act the same without thinking or try to anticipate what comes next.

She does smile when Kara pats her shoulder, though, and glances down to watch her put on her shoes on at an almost alarmingly quick rate. Her lashes flutter as she glances up again, having only caught a flash of color with her socks but having no idea why Kara might be flustered about them.

Then she studies her own shoes again before finally slipping them on. They feel weirdly smooth inside and she briefly wonders if it's possible to slip in one's own shoes while walking. ]

I'm not entirely sure. I never made my own but the man who did it at Winterfell seemed to be pretty quick. Usually, within a few days, he could make a pair or two for us.

[ But she isn't completely sure that she is right because she had never really paid attention before. She stands again, pausing for half a minute until she reaches out to take the arm offered to her so Kara can lead her to the lane that she rented for them.

Tilting her head slightly, Sansa listens to the instructions while studying the lane curiously. ]

How do we do it? [ Even as she asks, she glances at the other lanes and looks surprised. ] We have to throw the ball from all the way back here?

( To be almost caught wearing Super Mario socks is oddly embarrassing in a way she can't quantify. All she knows is that it's a huge relief when the shoes are on and the bright 2D figure of the game sprite is out of sight. Out of mind too, hopefully. She chalks it up to her male friends back in National City being such nerds on their own that they wouldn't bat an eyelash at socks like those.

Anyway. She's being told somehting interesting, and her eyes are wide and bright with curiosity. )

Wow! So on a scale of one to ten, how boring or cool was it to have clothes custom-made for you? It was like that back on my world, sort of. Robots made our clothes for us.

( Her voice is quieter as she explains that bit, but as they reach the lane, she becomes more animated. Jumping up, Kara beckons her toward the conveyor belt which holds several balls neatly in a row. )

You see those holes? You pick it up using your thumb, index and middle fingers. Then you roll it down the lane.

( Kara picks one up to demonstrate, sliding forward on one leg to propel the ball on its trajectory. But she's done it so gently that it merely takes out one pin before rolling into the gutter. Shaking her head, she laughs under her breath. )

Honestly I've never been much good, but it's a lot of fun anyway.

It was nice to have something different from everyone else. I think that's why I liked making my own dresses too. I could style them to suit me.

[ It's a thing that she continues to do even in this place though she has learned and found new ways to make it faster. The sewing machine in her bedroom is one example but there are still times when she prefers to do most of her stitching by hand. She finds the task to be a soothing one, a time when she can focus on what she is doing with her hands and block out everything that haunts her.

But she falls remains quiet when she notices the shift in Kara's demeanor, the slight dip in her energy and happiness as they walk towards the lane. Then Sansa blinks in faint surprise when Kara bounces back almost immediately. It's a skill that she envies and admires, all at the same time. It also makes her smile again.

Turning her head, she looks down the lane again to study the pins. ]

Okay, I should be able to do that.

[ Sansa stands back, watching as Kara picks up one of the balls and moves to throw it down the lane. Or, more accurately, roll it. Wetting her lips, she nods as she moves up a step. ]

How many tries do we get?

I'll bet. And the best part about that is that you can still do that, and be a trendsetter here, too. If I could sew, I would.

( That would definitely be something she'd get on a profound level. Kara might not sew or cook very well, but she paints constantly and is lowkey into photography. And she's not to shabby at karaoke, too. The Arts are her home away from home, even though she'd likely never have joined the Art Guild back on Krypton. Just to be able to bring her imagination to life on a canvas is enough to help distract her from all the loss she's been through.

Something they have in common. She doesn't notice Sansa noticing her shift in behaviour, only her smile. Which causes her own smile to broaden, and her eyes to warm. )

You'll be just fine. We're only here for fun, anyway.

( Kara steps back from the lane, and turns to seat herself on one of the plastic benches nearby. )

Two per frame, and there's ten of those.

I have been teaching myself how to do modern dresses and shirts here. Luckily, they have patterns that I can buy if I wish but I like doing it on my own.

[ She would be impressed by the fact that Kara could paint and do photography, even though she is only recently familiar with the latter of the two. Karaoke is still a thing she hasn't discovered yet but it would most likely happen soon. She does have a way of happening onto things, after all.

Watching patiently, she shifts her weight to get used to the feeling of the shoes before nodding as Kara instructs her how the game works. Then she looks at the strange thing that she can recognize as being a computer. Or she is fairly sure that it is. ]

And is this how we keep track of...points? [ She asks curiously after looking at the other lanes and seeing what the other people are doing. ]

Hey—have you thought of turning that into a business? I mean if you made the dress you were wearing when I first met you, it's gorgeous. You're pretty talented!

( Maybe next time, she should take Sansa out for karaoke night. It's all good fun, and with how lonely she's otherwise been lately? Something she could sorely use more of in her own life.

Kara gives her an encouraging smile, nodding at her question. )

Right! Though that's not super important, since we're just playing for fun. ( Because she uses too little force when rolling the ball, afraid of destroying the lane or worse. )

How about you give it a try?

Stop me on the corner • ( closed )

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