The Halloween Costume Dilemma- Candace/Jin
She giggled behind a hand, nodding - and it was a relief, somehow, to see someone she thought was so serious be— well, a little shy? It made her feel a little less guilty for being so bad with conversation— made her feel a little less shy, to see him be shy. ”I dunno if I’m great.. but I’m glad you like the idea! I think it’ll suit you really well..” She paused at her own words, then dissolved into another healthy round of giggles. “No pun intended..”
She gestured for Jin to follow her toward the formal section of the shop - gravitating toward the taller suits immediately. It was always easier to take material in than let it out, of course. As she looked through the selection, she murmured the answers to his questions thoughtfully. “Hmmm… I guess I’ve seen a lot of different versions… I’ve seen green, and maroon… in some instances I’ve even seen purple.. though I think we’ll probably have more luck with maroon than anything, I can’t remember the last time I made a purple suit.” She giggled again, before gesturing for Jin to come closer still - turning a few suits over on the display rack so he can see each one in turn.
"If you want, you can take a couple of these to try on in the back? We have a bathroom, down at the end of that hall—" She held one of the suits with one hand, gesturing toward the hallway with the other. "Then maybe I can look for a picture and start planning patches and stuff? Oh— and hats are over there, too—" She gestured next to a display of hats, one or two tophats tucked in among them. "If you wanna grab one to try on, too?"
Jin chuckled a little at her joke. He followed her around the shop as she flipped through the merchandise, looking for a perfect suit. He was thankful she was willing to take some time off her usual tasks to help him out with his costume. As she flipped, he looked over her and tried to consider exactly which style of suit really fitted his taste. Not that I would really know anything about my ‘style’.
After she handed him the suit he could feel the smooth fabric against his arm and he immediately felt a sense of dread and worry. What if I look horrible in every suit I try on? This was a terrible idea.. and I have no chance to back out now… maybe I should tell her I changed my mind... He glanced up as she pointed at the display of hats and watched as she went back to work at her desk. He stood still and watched her as she worked. He was feeling extremely wary. After a few moments of silence, he shook his head and broke out of his trance. He approached the neatly tucked row of hats she was referring to slowly and started to nervously flip through them. How am I supposed to know what matches with the suit? He bit his lower lip and turned over multiple hats, trying to pretend that he was contemplating between two very similar hats. From an outsider’s perspective, he looked as if he was making the most important decision of his life. After randomly picking one that seemed to have the same maroon shade as the suit, he entered the bathroom and locked the door.
He stood in front of the mirror for a while and sighed, flipping his fingers through his hair. He imagined himself walking out the bathroom with the silky suit and imagined Candace laughing at how ridiculous he looked. Jin could see himself start to blush ferociously at the mirror. Jin. You need to compose yourself. He changed into the suit quickly after that and hung his clothes up on the hook. Here goes nothing. He thought as he opened the door of the bathroom.
