(no subject)

[3nanashi]

The trailer looks much the same as ever: small, clean, ruthlessly tidy.

Well, except for the tinsel on the cabinets. (Cathy's doing. It's shedding a bit on the counter.) And the holly and colorful squiggles drawn on the whiteboard on the back of the kitchen door. (Also Cathy's doing.) And the tiny tree taking up half the kitchen table, wedged into a corner and slightly precariously laden with ornaments. (Trowa helped with that one. But because Cathy handed him the box of ornaments and told him to.) There are small presents shoved under the drooping branches.

Trowa is making coffee, at the moment.

Comments

[madeyoudodge]

It's 10 AM when they duck out of the Museum of Natural History, which was pretty crowded. This city doesn't sleep, ever: especially not on holidays (people spend money on holidays!). Cathy mostly explored the dinosaur exhibits with Cass, and they lost Trowa for awhile in the documents room.

Cathy's leading them, in the haphazard way of someone with the barest idea of where she's going (Trowa probably knows, but he's not saying; then again, she hasn't asked), and with a left turn they find themselves square in the middle of a brightly colored crafts fair.

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

The crowds had been noisy. Noisy in the Cass sense of moving and living and being. It was very distracting. But there were dinosaur bones! Those had been interesting.

Even if Cathy had had to pull Cass back from her attempts to climb on the things. Apparently that wasn't allowed.

And now there were crafts! Maybe there were some good blades or things. That could prove useful.

[3nanashi]

Anything's possible! Especially to judge by the wild variety of booths in sight.

The general deal here is that Catherine gets to play tour guide, and Trowa gets to point out where things (like home) actually are when such is necessary. And, apparently, they both get to rein Cass in from conspicuously bouncing onto dinosaur skeletons.

Accordingly, he follows his sister.

[madeyoudodge]

"They've been open the past week," Cathy says, twirling around to face them with open arms, skirt swishing. "Trowa and I bought most of our presents here! D'you want to look at anything specific?"

Otherwise Cathy is going straight for the colorful bangles and scarves.

Or maybe the throwing knives, in a cart two aisles over and thirteen down with a bright blue roof, she's been trying to convince herself she doesn't have the cash for.

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cass, still riding her coffee-and-sugar high, grins and nods. She extends two fingers into a sort of blade and makes a few cutting motions through the air.

She's not entirely sure they'll be understood.

[3nanashi]

"They have knives."

Either Trowa understands, or Cass is predictable.

Or both!

[madeyoudodge]

"Lots, a few aisles over," Cathy chirps at Cass, waving her hand. "Follow me."

They head over a few aisles to where a lot more metalwork is displayed--pots and pans, a few chunky jewelry shops, and in this section--knives.

Most of them are pretty harmless (lots of kitchen stuff). But Cathy's trailblazing for a shop with a bright blue roof.

"Here we are!"

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cass follows easily, slipping through the crowds almost as if she isn't there. It's something she's good at.

When they reach the shop in question she grins even wider.

Ooooooh! Shinies!

[3nanashi]

Trowa is content to follow.

Knives are nice enough. But Catherine's the one who loves to stare wistfully at store displays and catalogs. Trowa never picked up the hobby of window-shopping, or at least of emotional investment in it.

This shop does have good blades, though.

[madeyoudodge]

Catherine leans on the side of the cart, fingering her way carefully through the sheathed blades, selecting a few single throwing knives to pull out and inspect.

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cass reaches over Cathy's shoulder and points at one of the blades she's selected.

Maybe it's approval, maybe it's disapproval, maybe she just likes pointing. It's not always easy to tell.

[madeyoudodge]

Cathy gives her a puzzled look, and decides on the first option--tentatively. "Do you want to look at it?" she asks, swiveling the knife so it's facing Cass handle-first.

It's a Hendrickson. Cathy has a set of Hendricksons at home, but their more short and plain and practical than long and decorated and showy. And in showbusiness, well. Showy is a plus!

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

The knife is taken carefully. It wouldn't do to cut Cathy after all.

Then Cass bounces the blade up and down in her hand a few times to get a feel for the weight. Once she's done that she slides her grip down to the blade and flicks the entire thing upward, watching it spin end over end before catching it again. She repeats the process a few times before examining the blade more closely and nodding in approval.

[madeyoudodge]

"Yeah," Cathy agrees with a grin, handing the sheath over. "They're nice."

"Trowa," she asks, a worried note to her voice, though instead of turning she stands on her tiptoes to see the rest of the booth over by the salesman better (he's ignoring them. Cathy has dragged Trowa over here enough for window shopping that he's realized he ahould just leave them alone). "Do you see the set I was looking at?

[3nanashi]

(This is, of course, the salesmen's definition of ignoring, which means he's keeping half an eye on them to make sure they don't walk off with the merchandise or cut a finger off accidentally. But he knows chatty window-shopping Catherine and her quiet brother by now, and Cass pretty much exudes I know what I'm doing.)

"The Kage box?"

Trowa scans the booth, though he's already looked it over once, and then shakes his head.

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cass shifts slightly so that her right eyebrow, which she twitches minutely at Trowa, isn't visible to Cathy.

Hmm....

[3nanashi]

Cass gets a lack-of-expression back.

What?

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooooooooh...

Cass decides she will help by also making an exaggerated production of looking for the knives in question, which she's never seen before, and then shrugging helplessly.

[madeyoudodge]

"Huh!" Says Cathy, who has missed much of this, frowning.

Oh well, it's not like she was going to buy it anyway. She brightens. "See anything you like, kids?"

[3nanashi]

Trowa shrugs.

And glances at Cass. She's the tourist here!

[seewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Some of the other knives are examined, but eventually Cass shrugs. She's got much better gear at home.

And with her. Even if she is dressed as a civilian.

[madeyoudodge]

"You two are no fun," says Cathy, fondly, though she hits Trowa on the shoulder. "Then I'm going to the clockwork museum."

...

"Iiiif our trusty tour guide will tell us where it is from here? Lemon and Greenway, I know."

[3nanashi]

"This way."

If Trowa's amused, you can't tell.

Well. Maybe Cass and Cathy can.

At any rate: off to the museum. With any luck, Cass will even remember to stay off the exhibits! (No bets, though.)