'Twas The Afternoon Before Christmas...!

[Arista]

Lifting the mood and bringing out the Christmas-spirit was exactly what Gil adored to spot in Dani, but more than that, she was happy to spend time with her, it was clear-as-day that she liked her, maybe even admired her a bit...!

Before she could heed to any warnings/advice given to her by the French-woman, she was already out of ear-shot, buying something a fair bit out of her price-range, but still, it wasn't a terrible price, at-least compared to the other pieces this place sold...!

She quickly jumped right back up on Dani, clearly frightening the woman...! "...Oh, sorry, Dani...!" She giggled along with the other patron. "...Oh, what did you get?" She peaked into the bag but couldn't really catch sight of what it was...!

"Stop flipping my hair...?" Gil looked at her hand, a smile curling onto her face. "...You'd have to make me...!" She giggled then wiggled her butt at Dani before taking her free hand into her own. "...Don't worry, Shopping Armagilo-style is an absolute blast, I'm sure you will have the time of your life, so, let's roll...!" She and Dani then zipped-out of the jewelry store, hurdling through crowds of people and nearly tripping on the flat-as-can-be tiles, just a testament to Gil's clumsiness...!

After a good minute of zipping around, the two fell before the place where dreams came true, a busy store, filled with many shoppers, most looking like parents doing some last minute-shopping for their children, this was: Build a Teddy...! "...What do you think? Aren't you excited now...?" Gil nudged Dani, clapping her hands together before stepping foot into the the world of plush...!

[CaptainL]

No sooner had Danielle settled down from being startled by Gil that the redhead cleared her throat, straightening her back and smoothing out her skirt. If anyone asked, she would be content with denying that incident had ever happened. She was a woman of grace and dignity, after all, and she simply didn't lose her composure like that! She looked back at Gil, opening the bag to show her the necklace inside. "This," she said. "I have family back home I thought might like it, and-"

Then she stopped herself. What was she doing? Was she...actually doing something nice for Gil? Answering her questions? Sharing what she'd picked up? It was almost like...they were friends. And yet, the thought of being friends with Gil was something that made her want to cough up bile into her throat. But if that was the case...why did her words seem to come to her so naturally?

Dani didn't have much time to ponder it. The next thing she knew, Gil had taken off through the door, and was now going careening through the mall! The Frenchwoman gasped with surprise, taken aback by Gil's energy, but soon shook herself back to her senses enough to run after her. She didn't want to let Gil get too far, lest she lose sight of her entirely. "S-Slow down..!"

Eventually, she skidded to a stop, catching up to Gil once the girl hit a line that halted her progress. Dani panted for breath, straightening her outfit; if Gil got her worked up into a sweat and made her look disheveled, she didn't know what she'd do. At first, she didn't know why the line here was so long - but soon she looked up, and she realized why. And her eyelid twitched anxiously, her face growing pale as the realization set in of what she was about to get into.

"...Really? Really?" she remarked, incredulous. "Stuffed animals!? How old are you? For that matter, how old do you suppose I am to be interested in such a thing?" As the line made its way to the entrance, Danielle stepped aside, crossing her arms with a huff. "Amuse yourself as you will, but I'll just wait outside, thank you very much-!"

[Arista]

Gil didn't think about it even half as much as Dani did, in her mind, they were already friends, she saw Dani as her friend since day-one, but clearly, Dani saw things through a very different lens...!

"...My, my, that's so pretty...!" Gil absolutely gushed over the neckless! It had to have cost more than a pretty-penny...! Dani caught herself in the moment, and Gil acted fast, dragging the French-woman behind her onto their next destination, the wonderous store of Build a Teddy...!

The store-front was decorated with plush-animals of any and all kinds, varying in size and accessories as well...! Deeper into the store one could spot the un-stuffed animals lying-about, some wearing thin in stock...! "...W-what...?" Gil turned her head and pouted at Dani. "...Please, please, please...! It will be so much fun, don't you want to make your own teddy...?" She whined like a child, holding gently onto Dani's hand as she hopped in-place.

"...Come on, it will be fun, I promise you that much, and even if you don't want to make one, you can help me make my own...!" Gil's look softened into a smile as she tried to convince the red-head, knowing that shopping as a pair would be infinitely more fun than shopping alone, after-all, that was why she gathered up Dani to begin with...!"

She turned her head back and fourth between Dani and the store, looking at all of the different possibilities, she could make anything, fill it with cotton, and give it a pretty bow, giving the puppy-dog eyes to Dani as a last effort to convince the woman to go along-side her...!

[CaptainL]

Danielle couldn't believe that she was having emotions like this - that there was a part of her that, however briefly and unconsciously, wanted to call Gil a friend. She couldn't associate with her sorts. Surely, she was far beneath her, both in class and in intelligence. To associate with Gil was to drag herself into the mud. So...why, when the girl remarked on how pretty the necklace was, did Danielle feel herself smile just a little?

But she was brought out of her thoughts a moment later, when Gil took off running. Danielle reminded herself that this was what bothered her so much about Gil. She was such an annoyance! Taking off across the mall, she felt like she was a put-upon mother or older sister trying to reign in the whims of an impulsive child - only Gil was the same age she was. And either way, Dani refused to drag herself to the lows of such peasants!

That feeling would only grow stronger when they reached the store, as Gil hopped up and down, pleading with the redhead to take her inside. The people behind them in line were beginning to snicker, which only made Dani grow tense with shame. She was a model. She was supposed to be the very definition of beauty and elegance - this was bad for her image! She wasn't a babysitter! No one was going to take her seriously after this!

"Your daughter's quite the character, huh?" one older man remarked with a chuckle behind Danielle, to which the redhead's grip went tense around Gil's hand as her body stiffened. "She's not my daughter! She's my...coworker. Who thinks she's my friend!" But her outburst only drew a few more laughs, and Dani's shoulders slumped as she let out a long, low groan.

This was getting nowhere. Danielle would have been embarrassed being seen inside a store so juvenile, but she was just as embarrassed hanging around outside, too. There was no way to win, so she might as well give in - but that didn't mean she was enthused about it. She turned to Gil with a sigh, her voice flat and haggard. "...Fine," she said. "I'll help you..." And with that, she braced herself.

[Arista]

Whatever it was, the puppy-dog eyes and pleading, or the peer-pressure from within which tried to have Dani save as much face as she possibly could, Dani eventually caved in and went along-side Gil, but not before Dani would catch a few embarrassing remarks...! The older gentleman made a comment about Dani being Gil's mother, which caused Gil to giggle whilst Dani bursted-out to try and keep their relations as distant as possible, though by the hand-holding and closeness of the two, it was hard to see them as anything other than a pair, regardless of what that pair was...!

"...Mhm, Like Dani said, we are more like friends, best-friends, maybe...!" Gil chuckled, holding up their hands high to the man. "...Maybe even a couple...!" Dani was either giving-up at this point, or being pushed to her limit, either-way, she gave-in as Gil cheered and dragged her into the store...!

"...I know you will love this place, Dani, it's an absolute joy, I promise you that much...!" The pair approached the starting section, eyeing the various skins one could choose from, everything from a simple teddy-bear, all the way to imaginary creatures, like dragons and unicorns...! "...My, there are so many to choose from... I think I'll have this dog for Sky, she seems like a dog person, don't you think...?" Gil turned her eyes to Dani, holding a un-stuffed german-shepherd.

"...Another one could be nice too though... How about you pick...!" Gil lit up, only just now letting go of Dani's hand, bringing her finger up to her chin...! "...What's you favorite animal...?" Gil awaited a response, with a tilt of her head...!

[CaptainL]

Gil couldn't possibly believe this. She had to be mocking her now, Danielle thought! There was no way she'd be obtuse enough to think that they even stood a chance at being a couple! With her face flushing a bright red, the Frenchwoman spun around in place to fix a glare on Gil. "W-Would you cut that out..!?" she began, but then she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she turned around and trudged into the store. She didn't want to have to make a scene in front of everyone; this afternoon was already bad enough.

When the two of them stepped into the store, what immediately struck Danielle was how they had to have the oldest combined age out of any group inside, something that did little to ease the redhead's embarrassment at even setting foot in a place like this. Children were running about eagerly from wall to wall, and here they were, two 21-year-olds with nary a kid between them. She begrudgingly followed Gil over to the skin selection, standing by with a frown on her face. She was content to sit this out and get out of here as soon as possible, but something Gil said caught her ear.

"Sky..?" She looked back over her shoulder at Gil. "You mean you're shopping for others..?" Dani had never even envisioned the thought. She wouldn't have guessed anyone could be as immature as Gil as to actually want such a present. But it still made her pause. It was a nice gesture...

Lost in thought, Danielle didn't even feel the need to make any sarcastic comments. "No, I do think she'd like that...hmm." She looked up and down the racks of skins, her eyes settling for a brief moment on a goat before she shook her head. No, no, why was she even feeling anything other than scorn for Gil right now? And yet, as soon as Gil let go, her hand was already drifting over the racks, coming to rest on a penguin skin. She gently ruffled the soft fur between her fingers, and the corners of her lips turned up into a smile. "Maybe this one..."

[Arista]

The fact that the both of them were, without a doubt, the oldest pair in the store, didn't really bother Gil too much, after-all, she was a frequent buyer from this place...! Gil watched Dani as she scanned-over the different options, finally, settling on a penguin! "...Daww, that's too cute, I never spotted you as a penguin-fan, but now I see it...!" Gil giggled...!

"...Next up, we have to stuff-up, and sew-up these bad-boys...!" Gil motioning with her hand for Dani to follow her to the filling station. It was a giant machine the constantly spun cotton in a circle, a single metal tube just wide enough to fit in the small hole of the skins Dani and Gil held. "...Usually they have someone help you with this part..." Gil's eyes flicked back and fourth, but every worker was busy doing something else at the moment, so Gil took it upon herself to fluff up these stuffed-animals...!

She knelt down with any warning and placed the tube through the hole in the dog plush...! "...I guess you just flip this-" Gil flipped down a lever on the side of the tube, and the machine made an un-godly sound, only masked by the large abundance of people in the store as cotton quickly spilled out! Gil cut it off just in time so the cute gerrman-shepard was perfectly soft, if not a little larger than intended...! "...Alright! I think I could work here...!" Gil chuckled at her bang-up job, looking over to Dani.

"...Well, now it's your turn, make that penguin, Dani...!" Gil cheered her on in comical fashion, playing with the stuffed dogs arms, flailing them up in the air and pitching her voice-up...! "...You can do it, make me a friend...!"

[CaptainL]

"H-Huh..!?" No sooner had Danielle heard Gil's voice that her cheeks flushed red, and her fingers reflexively coiled around the penguin skin in her hands. Had Gil seen that!? Had anyone else seen that, for that matter? She'd only drifted toward the penguin subconsciously - growing up, they were her favorite animals; she always thought they were cute with how they looked like they were wearing suits. But no one could know that now! She was graceful, elegant, the portrait of perfection! It would be unfathomable that she would want such a fat, clumsy, doddling animal! It was bad for her image!

Clearing her throat, Danielle straightened her back in a desperate attempt to save face. "I'm not-! Bah, penguins...who likes penguins anyway? It's not like I'd even want to keep this, I...anyway, where are we going now..?"

Gil led them to the filling machines, and Dani looked up, watching the cotton spin around and around. She had to admit, she had to be impressed with the engineering, even if it was wasted on something so useless. When Gil volunteered to set up the machine, Danielle's gaze lingered on her, and she blinked a few times in disbelief. "Are you saying that you've been here so many times you know how all this w-GAHH!" She didn't have any time to finish before the loud sound of the machine caught her off guard, and she jumped back with a yelp!

After catching herself, Danielle stood taller and smoothed out her skirt. "Ah, as I was saying..." She looked down at the dog Gil had in her hands, and her expression softened a little. It was cute - and soft, too, which she felt as she reached her hand down to fluff its fur. "Yes, that should work just fine..." she began, smiling a little wider before she again caught herself and bit her lip. She had to be serious here.

Now, it was her turn to step up to the machine, and Danielle took her place, penguin in hand - though she could do without Gil's stuffed dog cheering her on. "I don't need any comments from the peanut gallery-!" she snapped from over her shoulder, before fitting the hole in the penguin skin over the tip of the tube. Then, her fingers drifted over to the lever. She had never done anything like this, but she saw what Gil had done; it seemed simple enough. "Like this..?" A second later, Dani realized what she'd just said. Was she actually falling back on Gil for advice?

[Arista]

Gil just laughed and nodded along as Dani tried so desperately to defend herself from Gil even so much as thinking she cared even just a little about penguins, though, Gil pretty much had confirmation now that she adored the waddling-little bundles of joy...!

The two made their way over to the stuffing-station, and Gil, with relative ease, was able to fill her own...! And then up-came Dani, who seemed to know what to do, but was still slightly hesitant, looking to Gil for some confirmation on what she was doing. "...That's right, here, let me help you..." Gil knelt down just beside Danielle, placing her dog down onto the floor, just in-front of the machine. "...Okay, so..." Gil placed her hands onto Dani's and guided them. "...Make sure you hold here, and here...! The initial blast of cotton is the hardest, but after that, it's not so bad at-all...!" Gil chuckled.

"...After-that, just crank the lever...!" Gil didn't really ease into it, instead taking Dani's hand, already on the lever, and yanked it down with a single-tug...! The puff of cotton was stronger than one might imagine, but with the both of them holding-tightly-onto the penguin, it stayed securely-in-place...!

"...There you go...!" Gil rose up and picked the dog back up, holding it up and waving it's arms again. "...Way to go, Dani, you are the greatest... Mwah...!" She made it blow kiss toward her and rose her voice's pitch again. "...Keep it up, and I'll give you a big kiss...!" Gil stifled giggles.

Once Dani was wrapped up, with, or without incident, Gil would carry-on to a near-by table, where they had some sewing supplies, a little sign hung from the side of the table reading; 'DO NOT USE. ASK STAFF FOR HELP.' though, Gil ignored it as sat down, grabbing what supplies she needed, and then began to sew up her dog with haste, and ease...! She made it look easy, she clearly had done it before, it looked seamless...! "...Alright, that's mine...!" She gave it a hug and twirled her hips. "...Now, it's your turn..." She stepped up, but paused. "...Wait, do you know how to sew...?" Gil tilted her head.

[CaptainL]

"Okay, okay..." Clutching the as-of-yet-unstuffed penguin, Danielle listened closely to what Gil had to say. She couldn't believe that she was in a place like this to start with, but she especially couldn't believe that she was here with Gil, or actually tolerating her company at that! And yet...not only was that happening, she was also leaning on the brunette for advice. What had her life come to?

When Gil guided her hands into place, Dani looked back over her shoulder, meeting eyes with her and showing her a nod. "Ah...thank you," she said, in a voice so soft she hoped that only Gil would hear it. And even then, she felt like a fool for letting even Gil know that she appreciated her. But Danielle was out of her element, and Gil knew what she was doing. If there was anyone she could trust here, it was her - and soon enough, with a jerk of the lever, the stuffing flew into the skin, the bird inflating to a respectable size.

Dani pulled the penguin off the machine, looking it up and down. "Well, I'll be...that doesn't look half-bad, I must admit. For...something so frivolous, of course." She bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. But while Danielle was making excuses, Gil embraced the chance to fool around. The Frenchwoman glanced back at her over her shoulder with a groan at her antics. "You don't...have to do that so loud, you know-!"

Gil, undeterred, moved on to the sewing station, where she quickly set to work. The motions came to her as though she didn't need to think about them at all - but by the time she finished, Danielle hadn't even begun. She was staring at the penguin and the tools on the tabletop, wondering where to even begin; not even taking after what Gil had done would help, given that she had done it so quickly the redhead barely had any time to watch her. The realization began to rise in the pit of Dani's stomach. She didn't know anything about sewing. And soon enough, Gil herself had figured out as much.

"N-Not so loud, please-!" Danielle huffed. Her face went red, and she bit at her lip to try and hold back the embarrassment of admitting her flaws - but then she let out a sigh, continuing in a whisper. "...No. I don't, actually. I never needed to learn. I'm a model, not a tailor...and I've always had other people take care of that for me."