'Twas The Afternoon Before Christmas...!

[Arista]

"...Oh, lavender...!" Gil took a whiff, bringing her back to when she was little, so little that she could barely tumble around the house properly. "...My grandpa used to grow these in his garden...!" Gil commented, recalling her childhood, many scents could bring her, or anyone back in-time briefly, the small memories tied to such things could greatly effect the likes and dislike one had when they got older...!

"...I always thought you might like a rose, or something..." Gil's eyes wondered up to Dani's face, or no, it was her hair...! "...Red, you know...?" She giggled, nudging the woman lightly...! Dani glanced at her bag, hovering on it for a second or two, long enough for Gil to notice, but she didn't know what her mind-set was...! "...No peaking...!" She snickered...! "...I can't have you telling Sky, Wicke, and all of them what I got them for Christmas...!" She was pretty far off the mark...

"...I think the only person left to get some last minute things for is D- Erm... Harmonia...!" She flashed a bright and wide smile to the woman. "...And I have a great place in mind, but first, I should thank you...!" Gil got closer and squeezed the French-woman in a tight-hug, locking her arms to her sides and wiggling side-to-side...! "...Thanks for offering to pay for all of this, but most of all, thanks for coming along with me...!" She released Dani from the impromptu bear-hug. "...But this party is just getting started, so let's keep the ball rolling...!"

[CaptainL]

"Ah..." At the sight of Gil launching into a nostalgic recollection of her past inspired by the scents Danielle had picked out, the Frenchwoman found herself cracking just a hint of a smile. Gil was annoying, she told herself. She couldn't stand her company, and it was a humiliation she couldn't stand to endure that she had dragged her out here with her, as though Christmas shopping wasn't enough of a headache already. So...why was she finding her so endearing? Could it be that, getting to know the person Gil was outside the ring, Dani could come to appreciate her?

She wanted to shake that thought out of her head. Yet, she couldn't quite look past it. At Gil's suggestion, she looked over at the jars of floral fragrances, her hand coming to rest over a rose-scented one. "Actually...a rose scent doesn't sound too bad." It was only after Gil revealed that she had only made the association because of her hair color that Danielle grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Oh, of course that's why..." she muttered. But despite how almost childishly, insulting simple the brunette's thought process was, Danielle couldn't find it in her to hold it against her. She placed the vial in her basket nontheless, clearing her throat as Gil warned her not to look at her order. "Right, yes...let's be off, shall we?"

Danielle turned toward the cash register - but before she could get far, Gil snuck up on her from behind, throwing her arms around her for a hug! The gesture caught her by surprise, and she let out a yelp at the sensation of Gil's arms pulling her closer. She blushed, hoping that no one heard her less than dignified outburst. But a moment later, she stopped, looking back over her shoulder to meet eyes with her companion - and she smiled. As much as Danielle thought she had to be going insane to think it...she was grateful for such kind words. She was grateful for such a warm, welcoming gesture. And she knew Gil meant them.

"...You're welcome. Really...I'm happy to help." As soon as they had left her mouth, the ex-model blushed even harder, nervously averting her gaze. Had she actually done it? Had she actually said she was happy to be around Gil? Somehow, that knowledge embarrassed her even more than she had felt when she was at Build a Teddy.

Either way, she cleared her throat again, standing up straighter as she straightened her tie. "Right, well...we're not done here, as we both know. And we only have so much time before the big night comes. So...let us make haste!" Danielle came to the cashier, paying for both of their orders; she bit her lip when she saw what the price came to (thanks in no small part to Gil), but resisted the urge to say anything about it. At last, she stepped out of the store, looking around her. "So...where to next?"

[Arista]

Of course it was a rather... Childish, way of looking at things, spotting red-hair and automatically associating it with roses, but it was better to know Gil was thinking of flower every time she laid eyes on her rather than something like tomatoes...!

The two embraced, and Gil saw progress, Dani didn't scoff, groan, or call her stupid...! She hadn't come into today with the goal of melting ice around the heart of Dani, but if she could get her to open up just a little, she would leave happier because of it...! Gil smiled wider at Dani's response, she already looked at Dani as a friend, but maybe, just maybe, Dani would start seeing Gil that way as well...!

Gil sunk lower into the tile-floor upon seeing the price for their items, it somehow managed to be more pricey than the full-basket she bought with her own cash...! She had to admit, she felt a little guilty about it, but there was no taking it back now, the least she could do is pay Dani back with a good time, which, she hoped she had been doing along-the-way...!

"...Ahem, so, the next stop is a little different than my first pick, both tonally and in terms of the merchandise they carry, but, I'm sure we will both have just as much fun there as we had back at Build a Teddy...!" Gil blushed a little, her idea was hopefully a hit rather than a miss, as she took Dani along on another ripping-ride through the tight crowds and spaces in-between to get to their next destination, "Veronica's Secret...!" It was awfully massive given the content of the store was somewhat limited, it was just underwear, lingerie, and a few other clothing items, but none-the-less, here they were...! Gil looked over to Dani, her hands clapped together!

[CaptainL]

"Mmf, whatever..." Danielle huffed, walking alongside Gil as the two of them continued through the mall. She rolled her eyes, dismissing the thought of whatever the brunette had in mind for their next stop out of principle. Whatever she wanted, the Frenchwoman was sure that it couldn't possibly be to her liking. The way Gil acted, the way she held herself, her tastes in clothes and gifts...it was all so embarrassingly childish that Dani was sure that whatever was on the horizon had to be a chore just to sit through. Whatever it was, Danielle didn't expect to come away from it feeling anything less than what a put-upon parent of a hyper-excitable child might feel, much as she had felt at the last place Gil had stopped at.

So when Gil stopped before the facade of Veronica's Secret...Danielle stopped dead in her tracks.

"W-What..!? Here-!?" The redhead's eyes widened as her gaze wandered up toward the sign. It wasn't as though the nature of the store embarrassed her - quite the opposite, in fact. She knew this company well - of course, she wouldn't stoop so low as to actually use their products; those were for peasants who wanted to delude themselves into thinking they were among the ranks of high society but couldn't afford anything at a genuine boutique. But the public image they cultivated - that of confidence and sensuality tempered by class and refinement, with alluring lingerie that nonetheless touted an air of glamor and grandeur - fit Danielle like a glove. She was the exact sort of woman they would want as a spokesperson; in fact, she'd modeled for them on more than one occasion before coming to wrestling.

All of this, of course, made it the last place she could ever expect Gil going - let alone wanting to go.

Still, she cleared her throat, holding herself a little taller. At least this was closer to her preferences. "We might as well take a look..." But even as she entered, Danielle glanced back over her shoulder at Gil. "Er...dare I ask, who are you shopping for here?" Surely it couldn't have been Gil herself!

[Arista]

The two had made their way through the majority of their lists, collecting what was needed for their gifts! Going through the pinnacle of luxury in a ritzy jewelry store, which held extravagant pieces that Gil would barely ever dream of wearing! Then of course, down to Build a Teddy, where they had a blast making the fluffiest and cutest stuffed-animals one could imagine, then, dove back into luxury as Dani showed Gil the wonderful and vast world of perfumes and lotions, only those fit for pure-royalty...! And now, they stood somewhere maybe a tiny-bit in-between, it was far from the most luxurious place in the world, but it was more up Dani's ally than Build a Teddy, at-least, that's what Gil thought...!

"...Of course, it's only if you want to, we can find other places if that's more suiting to your needs...!" Gil didn't want to force Dani in, not like she did at Build a Teddy, but that was her favorite place on earth, she had to have someone else experience it with her...! Dani stepped in, and Gil followed behind, softly smiling. "...Well, you know, Moni needs one more gift, but they are running a special, so why not treat myself, you know?" Gil laughed, nudging Dani. "...And maybe I can get a gift for someone else as well, I guess we will just have to see what we find...!"

It wasn't exactly what Dani might have seen being Gil's style, and for the most-part, she would be correct, Gil didn't really come here, ever, really...! But it seemed more Moni's style, so diving into it could let her find a nice gift for her...! "...Oh, look at this...!" Gil held up a pair of black-underwear, Pink polka-dots sprinkled onto it with frilly edges around the leg-holes...! "...Ah, it's so totally adorable...!" Gil's smiled quickly faded into a seroius look. "...Wait, Moni is more... Sensual? I need to find someone who knows their underwear..." She sharply turned her head to Dani and faked a cough. "...So... You see anything you think suits Moni...? Not asking you for any particular reason...!"

[CaptainL]

Gil began making excuses, but Danielle soon cleared her throat, holding her back straighter and following close behind her. "No, no, no...this will be quite fine. Thank you." Was she really hesitating now? Before a store where she could at last feel like she was somewhat welcomed? She couldn't believe she was letting herself get embarrassed now, no less that Gil looked like the bold one by comparison. This, she knew, would be downright poisonous to her image. Being seen with Gil as bad enough, being seen buying stuffed animals was bad enough, but she was not willing to be remembered as someone who was shy about being around lingerie. What would that say about her confidence? She rubbed at her temples with a sigh. This outing was certainly leaving her asking questions about what she knew about herself.

As the two of them wandered through the shelves, Dani glanced back and forth, biting the corner of her lip. No one who shopped here truly understood elegance, she thought; they could never imagine how hopelessly their efforts at imitating it fell short. When Gil mentioned Harmonia, she rolled her eyes - from what she knew about the Austrian, she was much like Danielle herself when it came to wealth and glamor; the thought of her accepting something that catered to these common plebians seemed absurd. But Dani couldn't bring herself to speak up about it. There was something in how Gil went about shopping that was so earnest and heartfelt, not even she could deny it. As her eyes wandered over to a mannequin wearing a lace-trimmed bustier and a set of stockings and garters, her mind wandered too. They were fetching, she admitted; she might even wear them herself if she didn't know where they came from. Certainly, someone like her could make them look like they came straight from the hands of the finest designers in the world. But if Gil gave them to her as a gift, with all the best intentions in the world, how could she be mad? It was a gesture straight from her heart. It meant she was thinking of her - and that meant something.

Soon Gil returned with a pair of polka-dot panties, and Danielle smiled a little to herself. The excitement on her face at finding such an item was charming, even if the redhead would never fathom wearing anything like it herself. "Ah, it suits you," she said with a nod. But then, Gil brought up how she didn't know what to get for Harmonia, and Danielle took a pause. It was true that their tastes were very different; Dani could hardly imagine any of Gil's outfits looking anything but ridiculous on the blonde model. But Danielle knew a thing or two about sensuality and elegance. And her thoughts returned to the set she had just been looking at, where a confident look crossed her face.

"Is that so, hm? Never fear, you've come to the right place. No one knows sensual like I do~" She took an identical bustier and stockings from the shelves, gesturing to the mannequin beside them. "I think this would do the trick, wouldn't you agree?"

[Arista]

There was plenty to choose from in this place, the finest pickings of affordable, but still, nice-looking underwear and lingerie...! There were plenty of higher-end items about the store, things Gil couldn't really imagine on herself. She wasn't really the seductive, sensual type, at-least, she didn't fancy herself so... She always considered herself more into the cuter-end of things, anything that caught her eye for all the right reasons, and there was plenty of it, something Dani had come to know by now...!

Gil turned to Dani with the pair in hand, her face just-barely pinkened from her comment. "...Oh, is that so? I'm guessing you imagine me in my underwear often, then...!" She practically cackled as she rose back onto her feet, keeping the panties, just in-case...!

Dani told of her vast, and expert knowledge on sensuality, something Gil didn't doubt, the woman was a walking picture of what Gil saw as perfect...! She was graceful, gorgeous, and all-around, the most important thing to Gil; Cute...! "...Oh my, my...!" Gil stared up at the mannequin, it no-doubt suited Moni, it would highlight and compliment her slender figure perfectly...! "...It's prefect...! You picked it out just like that too, you must be a natural at this...!" Gil praised, patting Dani on the back, taking the pickings from Dani's hand and laying them over her fore-arm to carry...!

"...There is plenty more to see, come-on...!" She motioned for the red-head to follow! The two walked for a few moment, Gil's eyes wandered to the various mannequin which dawned the more risqué of selections from the store, she didn't seem to have anywhere in particular she was going, but when she spotted something she liked, she halted in her tracks...! "...Oh my, look at this...!" She picked up another pair of panties, pink with a graphic on the butt, a strawberry with a face with 'Berry Cute' printed beneath it...! "...It's so darn cute...! It suits you, don't you think...?" She turned to show them to Dani!

[CaptainL]

"W-WHAT..?!" When Gil turned Danielle's quip back around with her little allegation, the Frenchwoman jolted, the blood rushing to her cheeks. So loud was her exclaimation that a few heads turned in their direction; noticing this, Dani looked around sheepishly for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing in a softer voice. "N-No, of course I don't! What...what reason would I have to-!?" She huffed, turning away to avert eye contact from the brunette. "I just figured it was your...type. You know? Delicate, playful...cute..." With each word that left Danielle's mouth, her blush deepened - she realized she was sounding more and more like she was trying to flatter her companion, which she of course was not! Eventually, grumbling under her breath, she agreed to drop the issue before it grew out of control. "The fact of the matter is I don't imagine you in your underwear! And...and stop laughing-!"

With a groan, Danielle followed after Gil, coming to the mannequin. When Gil expressed her awe at the former model's eye for fine taste, she stood a little straighter, and a smile crossed her face. That was the kind of praise and admiration she was looking for. It almost made up for the frustrations of shopping with Gil earlier. "Oh, well, no need to thank me!" she said with a chuckle. "Just know that you're absolutely correct about everything~" Maybe with her style, Dani could at least point Gil in the right direction - or at least keep her from embarrassing her friends with her laughable fashion sense. If there was anything that made this meeting worth it, it would be that.

Dani followed Gil through the store, sighing a little at the aimless and meandering path she took between tables and shelves. If she was going to drag her around for her Christmas shopping, Danielle thought, she could at least have a plan in mind of how to approach it. Stiill, eventually Gil seemed to find something to her liking - as she picked up a pair of panties adorned with a strawberry design. Danielle had to chuckle a little at the sight of it. She would never wear anything so insipid and crass, of course - but it was cute. It seemed like the sort of thing Gil would wear - it was her sense of humor, and she had expressed her fondness for strawberries before, to say nothing of her eagerness to weaponize her rear. "Oh, those? That does look like something you'd w-"

...Which made it even more surprising when Gil announced the panties made her think of Danielle herself. At once, the Frenchwoman froze, a vivid blush coming to her cheeks. "What?! M-Me..!?" she stammered, before clearing her throat. "No! Absolutely not! W-What would ever make you think I would wear anything like that-!?" It called everything she thought she knew about herself into question. What could she have done to make Gil think she'd ever want to be seen in something so childish and silly?

[Arista]

Gil couldn't hold back the laughter at her comment, her little jab seemed to do more than she thought it would, Dani looked downright embarrassed...! "...You think I'm cute? Thanks Dani, I think you're cute too...!" She leaned in-close and hugged the redhead's arm, still snickering at her comment...! "...And besides, if you play your cards right, you won't have to imagine it anymore...!" Gil held back a burst of laughter! "...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stop...!"

After that whole fiasco, Gil took off and Dani followed close-behind! Gil clearly had no idea where she was headed, or what she was looking for, if this entire outing proved one-thing to Dani, it was that Gil didn't plan or think ahead, but, of course there were other things Dani could have learned, like that Gil can often times be a little too loud and obnoxious, she was clueless, and childish, but maybe she was charming in her own way, and had other things that Dani recognized about her, good things that kept Dani by her side today, not just from obligation either, because maybe she was actually having fun...!

"...It's so darn cute...! It suits you, don't you think...?" Those words, not for the first time today, probably made Dani question Gil's perception of her, and likely Gil's tastes as well, if she hadn't already come to a solid conclusion that the two were, in many aspects, certainly in fashion, polar-opposites...!

"...Daww, you don't like them...?" Gil pouted and looked down and the graphic, a childish smile came across her face again! "...I think you would look cute in stuff like this... Or, should I say, 'berry cute'!" A lightbulb went off in her head! "...We should so swap clothes one day, I have this skirt that I think you would really pull-off, we could even do a photo-shoot...!" She squealed! "...Oh, we could go to a hockey-game too! Have you ever watched hockey, or played? I could teach you...! Have you ever ice-skated before? Well, we could do it on roller-skates, those are a little easier to start with, but we should probably wait for it to get warmer... Wait, that reminds me, there is this water-park near-by that I really want to go to, I didn't get a chance this last summer because I was booked-up with matches, we should go together...!" Gil sucked in a breath, realizing she hadn't taken one in a while. "...What were we talking about again...? Oh right, I guess these aren't really your thing, huh?" Gil folded them over her arm. "...How about you show me something more your style, lead the way, miss Dani...!" Gil bowed down...!

[CaptainL]

"W-What..!?" Danielle blushed as Gil hugged closer to her arm, her eyelid twitching nervously as she glanced down toward the girl hanging off of her. "N-Not so close-!" she huffed, but barely a second later, Gil made another comment about not having to imagine it, one that caused Danielle's whole face to light up in a vivid red. "WHAT?!" she cried out, once again drawing a few odd looks from the other shoppers. "W-What is THAT supposed to mean!?" As Gil, undeterred, broke away from her with raucous laughter, Dani huffed, standing back and smoothing out her vest. She cleared her throat, trying to recover her composure, but the sound of Gil's laughter still made her tremble with frustraton. "A-And stop...stop laughing-!"

Soon enough, the two were off through the shelves again. And in typical fashion, it wasn't long before Gil came to another topic she could embarrass the redhead about. Even as Dani tried to insist that she would never be caught dead in anything so ridiculous, Gil was undeterred, and the model hugged her arms closer to herself, her body going rigid as the blush rose in her face. "I've told you how many times by now, I am not cute-! And...and I could never imagine dressing as laughably as you, either-!" Though, she did linger a little on the thought of Gil saying she had a skirt that she thought she could pull off. On one hand, this outing had been enough to convince Danielle that Gil most likely had no idea what she was talking about when it came to recommending clothes for her. But...she couldn't help but wonder if it might truly be something more to her liking. After all, the friendship Gil felt for her, however misplaced, was undoubtably genuine. Maybe Gil had a point...

But even if she did, she quickly lost it, as she went on a variety of wild tangents, each one shooting off the next before she had a chance to finish her thoughts. Danielle was left lagging behind, trying to keep up. "No, I've never played hockey. And I have no interest in such a churlish game, either-! Although...ice skating does sound enjoyable..." Ice skating had a veneer of class and refinement about it that was more to Danielle's tastes, and for a moment she looked off in thought, considering the proposal. Even if it was with Gil, it just might be somewhat bearable. But Dani didn't have long to ponder that either before Gil changed subjects again, this time going on about a water park. The Frenchwoman let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Can...can you focus on one thing for more than a few seconds-!?"

Soon enough, though, Gil circled back around to the topic at hand, and Danielle let out a sigh of relief. At last, she thought, they were actually going somewhere. And better yet, Gil had just handed the floor to her to show her what true taste meant. A smile came to her face as she stood a little taller, folding her arms behind her back. "Ahh...you've come to the right place, mon cheri. Come, let me show you what I'm all about!"

Holding her back straighter and her chin up, Danielle made her way over to another corner of the store, where more extravagant and elegant items were kept, trimmed in elaborate lace and made from the finest of materials. Sure, they were still dumbed down for the common buyer in Dani's mind, but she could actually imagine herself wearing them without feeling like an idiot. "Voila!~" she said, coming up beside a matched set of black bra and panties, both with ruffles of white lace around the edges. It certainly seemed Danielle's style.

And, in fact, if one looked closer at the tag hanging from the rack, they could see the model shown wearing them was none other than Danielle herself, a smile on her face as she ran her fingers through her hair. She recognized the photoshoot as one she'd participated in a few years back, and while it was really just another job to her, it tickled her fancy to see that they were still making good use of the images. With a smug look on her face, she gestured to the tag. "Recognize anything?~"