OOM: Visiting Chloe, Part II

[dovelike]

While the Smallville Mall looks deceptively tiny on the outside, it is packed with enough shops to make a sizeable dent in the cash Eirene has on hand, along with racking up charges on one of the credit cards that Eunomia was kind enough to provide for her use.

This is precisely the reason that Eirene, and Chloe, struggle through the rear entrance to the Talon, loaded down with enough bags to keep an entire orphanage in clothing and other items for a whole year. But the giggling, and the free makeovers at that one counter, and the sighing over lovely fabrics, and really, the bonding made it all worthwhile.

"Maybe we should have rented that cute guy at the arcade to carry this all in for us?" Because the slightly shorter blonde is convinced her arms will fall off at any second.

Comments

[eirenikos]

"Smallville Mall," Eirene calls out from where she's trying to drag the rest of the bag in through the doorway, where they can remain parked until her arms stop hurting.

"I've seen enough big cities lately that something small and homey would be cool."

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

Chloe shrugs, reaching for Victoria's Secret bag.

"Did I forget to mention that Uncle Zeke's family is kind of rich?"

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

Lois unloads her armful near the kitchen island counter.

"You've been holding out on me when we've had a rich uncle all this time?" Yes, 'we'. "That's totally not fair."

[eirenikos]

Eirene snorts while dragging the last few bags in, and then shutting the door so she can slump back against it.

"We don't really like to mention that. I've got five older sisters, and you know how fortune hunters can be."

Beat.

"I could treat us to dinner though."

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

The 'we' earns a look before Chloe returns to digging through the bag.

"I kind of thought we'd do pizza tonight, Lo. We can do a nice dinner in Metropolis on a day when Eirene and I aren't exhausted from hours of shopping."

Again, Chloe looks up from her bag, eyes darting between one cousin to 'another'. "'Rene has yet to see anything past Metropolis Municipal, anyway."

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

"You suck as a tour guide," Lois teases, tossing a kitchen sponge Chloe's way on her way to flopping on the couch herself.

"Pizza's good though. I'm not much up for another long drive back into the city tonight. We'll have to stick to DVDs, though. Cable's on the fritz - again - and Smallville hasn't got his butt out here to fix it yet. He's so spacey these days."

Beat.

"More than usual. Anyway, think I should just call the cable guy?"

[eirenikos]

"No she doesn't. I've worked as a tour guide before," and that is the honest truth, "and Chloe hit all the major points of this delightful town. The Talon and the Mall."

Grin.

"Who is Smallville?"

And what in Tartarus is a 'cable guy'?

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

Lois just had to bring him up, didn't she?

Chloe manages to dodge the sponge (thank god Lois throws like a girl) and shakes her head.

"Maybe it's time we switch to a new provider." That's the easy response. The harder one is: "'Smallville' is Lois' name for my friend Clark. I think I've mentioned him to you before?"

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

Of course she did. She's Lois.

"We'd have to run that by the Luthor landlord and I think if we remind him we're still living here, we won't be anymore," she points out.

"Besides, we have our very own Mr. Fixit-just-not-the-first-time and he's free."

[eirenikos]

"Oh." Eirene turns away to busy herself with rearranging the shopping bags so her expression won't be readily apparent. "Yeah. You did mention him, Chloe." She's very much afraid that casual tone isn't as carefree as she hopes.

Luthor is the other punch in the gut. She'll be crouched there for a minute or two.

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

Saved by the bikini!

In a remarkable display of topic changing, Chloe finally pulls out the item she was looking for. A bikini that Eirene talked Chloe into buying after she tried it on as a joke.

"Found it!" she says happily, holding it up for both girls to see. "So, you think Riley will like it?"

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

Lois raises an eyebrow at the bathing suit that technically, doesn't have enough material to be called much of anything.

"I think it'd get his attention. Not bad, Chlo. I may be rubbing off on you yet." Then it's Eirene's turn. "Please tell me you're not all gaga on some guy and this is going to turn into a runway show about how best to turn them on."

[eirenikos]

Eirene isn't quite sure what 'gaga' means, aside from something infants always mutter, but she's managed to control her initial reaction to the point where she can turn around and look at Lois now.

"Just Riley, I'm afraid. I talked Chloe into buying that one, so she talked me into buying this one."

She holds up a suit just pulled out of another bag.

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

"If you knew her, Lo, it totally fits her," Chloe answers brightly as she stuffs the suit back into the plastic bag. "Eirene can be just about as hippy as they come. Peace, love and all that jazz."

She glances over the swimsuit Eirene is holding up again and nods. "I like it."

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

"Hippies," Lois rolls her eyes. That kind of crap defintiely wouldn't have been allowed in the General's camp.

"It is kind of cute, even with all the peace and love stuff" she admits grudgingly. "Too bad it's not warm enough to put it to good use. The three of us in bikinis? We could take over Crater Lake in under five minutes."

[eirenikos]

"Yeah, hippies." That nudges a real smile out of Eirene. "My dad isn't too happy with it either, he's very strict. But my mom just wants us all to be happy, so...."

Long pause.

"It can't be that cold out there. I like the idea of invading the lake that," Clark mentioned, "I was told about."

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

Chloe looks from Eirene to Lois.

"Okay, it's totally not that cold out. Definitely starting to be sunbathing weather anyway." She wrinkles her nose. "Besides, with all the meteor rocks and other stuff in the lake, I don't know if I'd really want to go swimming any more in there anyway."

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

Lois eyes them both. "So, what, we're actually planning to storm the beach of Normandy?" She's joking. Poor Eirene.

"Those poor high school boys won't know what hit them."

[eirenikos]

Eirene, sadly, is managing an innocent expression mainly on the basis that she's horrible at being the sort of person who plots. That's what the narration is for. "I ... we are?"

High school boys? Now she's starting to get nervous.

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

That is indeed what the narration is far.

Chloe shrugs, though, not wanting to be the one to make the decision. "Totally your call."

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

Lois does likewise.

"Well, it's not like I have a story to work on or anything. At least until I can talk myself into an interview." Chloe is eyed here. "Don't you have work, Little Miss I Never Take a Day Off?"

[eirenikos]

Hey, she's the baby of the family. Decisions are for other people. Aren't they?

"Then I say we storm the beach," and boy isn't that a weird thing to come out of Eirene's mouth. Perhaps the boy in the store earlier was just the catalyst.

But she does glance towards Chloe.

[torch-reporter.livejournal.com]

Oh, so it all comes down to her now, does it?

So far, Lois is in the dark regarding Chloe's latest familial situation. And Chloe intends to keep her there.

"Sadly, I got kicked out for the afternoon by my editor. And since 'rene's visiting, I might as well take a few days off, I guess."

Chloe shrugs, trying to sound convincing. She thinks it does.

"I can always do work here if I get desperate."

[crows-alumni.livejournal.com]

"Chlo, if your boss thinks you need a break, then you're probably not only burning the midnight oil, you're inhaling the fumes, too."

Lois settles back against the cushions. "So it's a plan, then. Movies and pizza tonight and tomorrow, we can laze around the beach and be drooled over like the goddesses we are."

[eirenikos]

"I like Lois' plan." Aside from the goddess remark, which she's trying not to giggle at, Eirene is finding the woman to be somewhat less abrasive than she was expecting, given Clark's usual reaction to her name.

"What sort of movies are available?"