Take My Hand

[Tree]

Marina blinked.

"So can you? "

Couldn't anyone? Like, if it felt right, do it?

[Sushi]

"I want you to imagine me in goth getup."

He waited.

[Tree]

Marina paused as the lady checking them kind of just stared at the pair. She looked up at Ryder, eyes wondering his full form slowly as she automatically tapped her watch and took the bag.

"Ok.... so it wouldn't come across goth. You'd come across emo."

But yes. She could see it. On like halloween, cause that just wasn't his vibe, but still.

[Sushi]

"And it would seem like my thing?"

[Tree]

"I dunno..... are you -trying- to seem as if it's your thing? "

She asked, thinking it through.. no. Not likely. He'd be more convincing as a trans woman.

"I could see you selling it. If you wanted to..... but without effort, no."

She decided finally, offering a tiny apologetic smile.

[Sushi]

"And that is my point. You sell everythingwithout trying. "

[Tree]

Marina smiled and tugged on her curls.

"Probably just the blonde hair blue eye thing. Classic pretty things hiding the inaccuracies. "

Just assuming it was a privilege of either her just baseline blank canvasness or his affection for her.

"So. Poles and drying clay? "

She posed, eyebrow arching as she glanced about

[Sushi]

"Poles are unbalanced, remember?"

He did head into a nearby craft store, though.

"... there are so many different kinds."

He was immediately feeling lost as he looked at the clay aisle

[Tree]

/ But I still want to see you dance for me..... and to learn. /

She countered to him, finding herself nearly as lost before she glanced at him.

"What if we ask an employee? "

Cause there was about two hundred million in these shelves and she felt out of her element.

[Sushi]

"Do you think they'll know, or do you think they're overworked people that hate people?"

He had no idea.

[Tree]

"I'm sure between the two of us we could fix the second, and hopefully they are actually the first.... but if they don't know I'm sure there are other stores with knowledgeable staff? "

She was not above calling her bind if need be to find this clay that neither of them knew what was.

[Sushi]

"I guess it's worth trying. "

He waved down the first one he saw.

"Which of these go in your oven? "

[Tree]

The teen sporting darth vader attire popped a bubble gum at Ryder as she studied the duo. Than after a minute or two she pulled out her cell phone, glancing to the shelves, then back to her phone a few times before walking over and gesturing to a small segment.

"These. "

With another bubble in the works she threw a peace sign at the pair to Marina's thank you, headed back to whatever they were doing.

Marina shifted to focus on all the choices they'd been offered, reading boxes with a critical eye.

"I've found take and bake. "

She shared with a delighted little giggle.

[Sushi]

"But now... how do we pick colors?"

Ryder looked at them, aghast.

"What if we leave the wrong one behind and discover that's exactly what we need?"

[Tree]

".... we could buy them all? "

Marina proposed with a small smile as she started hanging him boxes.

[Sushi]

"Is that not crazy-hoarder level of problem solving?"

He held them dutifully

[Tree]

"Nonsense. It's enthusiastically starting a new hobby. Like, forgivable novice choices at worst. "

Marina argued in defense of their choice to do this

[Sushi]

"Maybe I should grab a basket, then?" He suggested helpfully.

"Because we should definitely get some of those metal tools too."

[Tree]

Marina smiled up at him.

"Ok, you can hand me back a couple of those so you aren't worried about dropping it? "

She offered, reaching to accept whatever he gave back

[Sushi]

"No, it's okay. I got it!"

But as he made his way down the aisle and turned the corner, one or two packs did slide off and bounce to the floor in his wake.

[Tree]

Marina giggled and inched to sneak grab them and add them into her pile. They'd been there all along, what dropped items?

She would have a rather impressive collection when he returned.

[Sushi]

Ryder paused.

"Maybe I should have gotten two."

He wasn't sure it would all fit in the one basket he had fetched.

"Oh well, I'm sure we can make it work.'

[Tree]

Marina looked up, offering a tiny sheepish smile.

"Well, yes.... I'm capable of carrying anything that doesn't fit. I just don't want us to realize we missed something. "

So pretty much anything and of the boxes suggested they have for the upcoming art fun....

[Sushi]

He grinned with obvious approval.

"We should see if they have a beginners guide or something. "

[Tree]

"Naaaah, we can do YouTube at home. "

She laughed, grinning.

"After we get our pole. "

[Sushi]

"Maybe we should buy a backpack? I'm not sure how we're going to carry all this and a pole box."

[Tree]

Marina glanced to Fritz, nodding and then grinning.

"I saw one of those collapsible buggys!"

She nodded back towards the way they'd come, looking pleased as punch to have thought of it. A to-go shopping cart! Prefect!

[Sushi]

"Would that get stuck on the way back?"

He wasn't sure how much it might sink under the weight of their purchases.

[Tree]

".....I think I'm capable of fixing it, if it does? "

She offered slowly, smirking a tiny bit to herself. This sweet summer child.

"I think you might want me to show you sometime exactly what I am capable of. "

[Sushi]

"I'll add that to the hobby list. "

He winked at her.

"Let's do it. "

[Tree]

Marina giggled as she shook her head an hour or so later as they pushed the bumbling bouncing basket filled with all sorts of items, including a very large box that was, indeed, a sturdy pole for future entertainment.

"You haven't actually ever seen me be vampire-like, beyond the blood and lust bits, have you? "

[Sushi]

"I got the impression that you didn't like it."

Ryder shrugged nonchalantly.

"You did move the couch that one time, though?"

[Tree]

"... I could move a couch when human? "

Though, not nearly as effortlessly or laughing extravagant.

" I don't exactly love being a vampire. "

She did acknowledge now, thinking about what all that meant.

"But it feels more right a fit than human. I think it might even feel right if it weren't for the fact that I'm sorta defective. "

[Sushi]

"That's silly. You're who you are. You can't be defective. "

[Tree]

"Oh yes. I'm very much a defective vampire. I'm frozen in neophyte, constantly a newborn. My body is maddening. Sifting hurts. Nothing that should be natural is, and things that should be hard? Natural.. I'm very much busted. "

[Sushi]

"Being different doesn't mean you're defective. "

He booped her nose.

"You're who you are. That's all. "

[Tree]

"Broken. Failure..... lost. Hopeless, honestly. Maybe you should see a real vampire do things, then I will and you'll see. "

She commented, though a few of those self depreciations were not limited to just the vampire topic.

[Sushi]

He gripped her elbow.

" I love you how you are. I don't wish you were anything else. "

[Tree]

Marina looked back to Ryder, eyes welling up instantly with tears.

" then you are truely rare. "

Because her own bind had wanted to change her, hadn't he?

[Sushi]

"No. I'm just right, " he teased warmly, leaning to kiss her cheek.

"Though I do have to admit the idea of a lover that could pick me up is kinda hot."