[for Hermione]

[notaparker]

I'm early to Applied Engineering. This isn't exactly a first, since it's a class I enjoy a lot -- which, actually, isn't a very exclusive category, with the line-up of classes we have here -- but I'm extra early today

Comments

[honestlyrubbish]

If anyone has been under the impression that I spend too much of my time holed up in the Compound or poring over texts for class, the change that the island has undergone this month has proven that there is always more time to be found for those who carefully manage their schedule. Although it may come at the cost of halving the number of hours I have for sleep tonight, for the past several hours, I've set aside all thought of Council work in favor of squeezing out the time to locate the major buildings and residences of Tabula Rasa proper and their Victorian counterparts, mostly through word of mouth, as my schedule is unfortunately packed for the day. Curiosity fuels my search just as much as pragmatism, and when I find myself at last in front of the 'new'- if not necessarily improved- scrapyard a few minutes ahead of schedule, I find myself hard-pressed not to smile.

Dressed for the occasion in an outfit that leaves ample from for movement, I'm not terribly surprised to find that someone's arrived before me- even less when I see

[notaparker]

You can tell why she's the smartest witch of her generation: That get-up is way more practical than what I ended up in.

"I gave myself half an hour, and then another half hour for subway insurance," I say, pushing a finger under my top hat and scratching my forehead.

I don't actually feel any regrets about the top hat. As for the rest of it, well, I just don't want to dress too closely to what I found my Spider-Woman costume had turned into. I mean, I like it, it's just closer to normal fashion -- well, normal for the theme -- than, say, a spandex bodysuit is to 21st century getups.

Depending on whose get-up it is. Whatever, the point is, if I go around dressed like that, there's no difference when I'm dressed like that, except for the mask.

"And probably should have allowed another half hour for finding working clothes. I bet I am a magnet for coal dust right now."

[honestlyrubbish]

"For me, it actually didn't take very long, though I'm sure that I wound up at the clothes box before the rush," I confess with a brief laugh, shaking my head- when I passed by the Compound earlier, it was absolutely teeming with people, no doubt a fair few people panicking and trying to make sure that they had all of their ducks in a row, knowing where to look for food, medical attention, or the hubs where people gathered, if only to join together in confusion and feel the less alone for it. "I did see plenty of clothing shops down the street too, although I'm a little more wary of trusting any source of goods outside of the Compound, especially after the disaster that followed the carnival."

Tying my hair back again after a few tendrils have fallen out of place as a result of the wind, I give her outfit a considering glance. "All things considered, you're still doing loads better than the dozens of people I've already seen struggling with multiple petticoats. And the hat's rather fetching."

[notaparker]

"Yeah, the hat's staying," I say, tipping it to her. "I'm down with the dashing hat part of the equation. Petticoats, though. No way, no how."

Mostly because I'd get confused as to how that all works. Modern woman's underwear was hard enough to get the hang of, coming into it at the effective age of sixteen. Going historical is a whole new setback.

Kind of half-tempted to try a corset, though. Not for the look or anything, just to see if it's as bad as people always say.

"I mean, especially in here, that'd just be asking to get stuck in some gears and become a harrowing cautionary tale."