Sizing Up the Competition

Who: Evelyn and Maddy
Where: Shopping District
When Early afternoon

Evelyn's eyes drifted carefully over the shop windows, her general apprehension checked behind her poised and cool examination of the displays. She was a far cry from the simple formality of her work attire, in a casual dress, jacket, and scarf ensemble. But the outfit was of decent quality and carefully ironed: the shops lined were the kind she didn't frequent often. Although a couple streets down from the elitist boutiques they were still generally above her price range in their own right. But Evelyn had a suspicion that Sullivan's idea of 'nice' also nestled above her price range, and even though her clothes were also kept at a quality above her station (if of limited quantity) they were meat for a professional or day-to-day atmosphere. But the clothes she wore on dates or out with friends was better suited to he means.

But there was that one dress she had only worn twice -- once going out to a dance hall with friends and once when she met Zhen -- she figured might do. The print wasn't quite in style and the pattern wasn't a featured cut in the magazines and the price tag wasn't fancy and Evelyn suspected on anyone else it would've just looked odd... but all the little things that had made it ill-suited for others had made it perfect on her. But a little part of her couldn't help wondering if looking like a million bucks would matter much when the actual price tag fell considerably short of that.

Hence she was here, shopping and with a very specific amount of how much she was willing to spend. She had more to her name, certainly; but she couldn't help feeling it was safer for Jesse and everyone else's sake to just not touch the money. And, hell, Evelyn was hesitant enough to delve into the account to help pay Dutch for the car, she sure as hell wasn't going to bypass the risk for a new dress or accessories -- no matter how apprehensive she might be! Unsure whether to buy a new dress or simply dress the one she had up with accessories, the chosen dress from her closet was draped carefully over her arm protected in a dry-cleaning bag.

After her talk with Pepper and self discovery session, The Doll Girl was in top form, having recently just left the Kitten Club with an advanced sum of cash in her pocket to buy some clothes for work. And since she had to go into the shopping district, where she was certainly going to be booted from any store looking like her usual self, Maddy had gone back to her attic and had put on some more appropriate clothes: a pleated gray skirt and a soft pink cardigan set. Her shoes, a pair of simple black shoes that were a little too big completed the relatively harmless look and she'd tied her hair back with a pink hair ribbon and a pair of white wool gloves.

To the simple passer-by, she looked like any middle-class girl contemplating clothes when she should be in school, with the big, doll like blue eyes that seemed bigger in the thin face. To the trained eye though, from anyone not from the area, that thin face would be attributed to recent sickness, and those blue eyes would let them know who she was. Doll Girl.

Evelyn was hyper aware of the passersby on the street -- she was always fairly observant, but right now her alertness came from a place uncomfortable for her to acknowledge. She managed not to jump or start or turn even her head sharply as she caught someone approaching out of the corner of her eye -- even though it was more in the 'somebody getting closer' sense than the 'somebody headed for her' sense. Thankfully, a glance from the corner of her eye was enough to tell her the person -- too short to be a man -- was a short blonde girl and that glance was enough to unstiffen her spine.

But as the girl got closer Evelyn did angle her neck for a brief look, a recently developed instinct she couldn't avoid whenever somebody approached. She saw the initial impression -- that of a young girl window shopping. But Evelyn, generally more observant than most, also picked up on the too-big shoes, and thin face. Unfortunately, while there was something about the girl that certainly seemed familiar, outside of the typical street kid clothes she couldn't place where she might have known the girl from or that it was DG. Evelyn hadn't grown up on the streets, and was largely ignorant on most of the street kid culture. And outside of Dodge's years of pestering her at work, her knowledge of the street kids was limited.

Maddy still kept her eyes on the store windows, but she knew someone was watching her. She'd been getting that feeling off and on since the day before and she finally turned to look. It was a woman, dressed smartly with a dry cleaning bag over her arm, nice hair, looking at her curiously. Maddy's eyes narrowed a little. Had this happened yesterday, she probably would've just turned around and walked in the other direction, but she was being stared at, by a woman, and she didn't like it very much. "May I help you?" she asked sweetly, coming closer to her. There was a little strutting saunter in her step now and she hopped up a bench to look at her properly. Because she was short and this woman was tall and she didn't want to look up at her.

Evelyn felt an eyebrow raise as the girl strutted up to her -- a disconcerting image in such a young girl (with the height and young face Evelyn never ever would have placed the girl for 15) -- and hopped onto the bench. Sans heels Evelyn already would have been a head or so taller than the girl, and now with the girl on the bench they were more or less level with the girl's eye line resting an inch or so above her own. "I'm sorry," Evelyn apologized calmly, being polite (as she had been the one staring), angling her neck up slightly to meet the girl's gaze. More things than she cared to ponder had been making her skittish lately, but young girls standing on benches weren't enough to phase the twenty-three year old. "You just seem very familiar," she explained.

She frowned a little, eyes narrowing slightly. She was paranoid, she couldn't help it and she sure as hell didn't know this woman. "They call me Doll Girl," she said after a moment, face relaxing a little but Maddy was still on guard. "And if you think I'm familiar, I guess that means this isn't your kind of place." Her little frown tugged into a gentle smirk and she reached back, untying her hair from the pink ribbon and shoving it into her pocket, soft blonde hair falling around her shoulders. So maybe it was a little much, the ribbon. "Is that all you needed?"

"Doll girl?" Evelyn repeated, a frown of still-not-yet-recognition drawing her brows together, the name itself not ringing any more or less bells than the initial feeling of familiarity she got from the girl. Sometimes, every now and then, Evelyn would get a sense of familiarity complete strangers she knew for certain she hadn't met before, but that wasn't the case here. This was the 'I've seen you before' kind of feeling. "And, no, this isn't usually my kind of place," she admitted with a wry smile. She had been here before, just before starting the clerical work at the lawyer's office. But even then she had stuck to sales or just buying good quality fabrics and sewing the shirts from a pattern.

Maddy raised an eyebrow, not sure if she should feel insulted or relieved that this woman didn't recognize her. "Or DG, I suppose, if you'd like to be familiar." She hopped up onto the back of the bench, keeping her balance quite easily. "If this isn't you're usual kind of place, then what're you doing here?" She eyed the dry cleaning bag, as if this woman's business was her business, but she'd been staring and Maddy wanted to know. She had no recollection of this woman, no feelings of familiarity, so Maddy was curious.

Evelyn's eyebrow again cocked, unsure whether to be bemused or irked at this child's demand to know her business. In the end though, bemusement won out and it was more than evident in her tone. "Shopping," Evelyn replied, her mouth quirked in a small warmly amused smile. But then she paused a bit, debating what she should say next. "You... you were the girl who was standing about on fire hydrants and such -- I used to work at the Keller Grocer," she explained.

It was a job Evelyn had started a year or so after high school and held onto just before she moved across the city some months ago; there had been a good number of street kids in the area (although Evelyn hadn't known them all by name). "My name's Evelyn." She wondered if this was the DG Dodge had talked about -- it was an unusual enough nickname after all. But Evelyn, unsure whether Dodge had meant everything he said in confidence or not and deciding to air on caution, wasn't sure how to bring up possibly knowing Dodge just yet.

"I still stand on fire hydrants," Maddy said in a 'thank you very much' tone of voice. She shifted easily on the back of the bench, cat like comfortable up there before hoping gracefully back down onto the seat. "I stopped hanging out there awhile ago." She was young then, twelve when she found that Jack had worked there but waiting around had been futile. He hadn't been there in a long time, and the chances of this Evelyn knowing Jack were slim to probably none. "Sorry to say that I don't remember you but it's nice to meet you, Evelyn. I'm shopping as well."

"Nice to meet you too," Evelyn smiled. That DG was also shopping was actually surprising to hear, although it didn't show on her face. Even with her job and savings Evelyn herself would be adhering to a strict budget, and if this was the same DG Dodge had been talking about than she would be a street kid. So, despite the unusual nickname, she began to question again whether this was the same person. "When I worked at the grocer," she started conversationally, quietly adjust her arm to prevent the dress from falling, "there was a kid who came in a lot -- a friend of mine -- Dodge? I started working there about four and... a half? years ago, but I know he usually hung out just down the block before then. Maybe you might know him?"

At the mention of Dodge's name, something vulnerable flashed across Maddy's face, something hopeful and scared before it shuttered down, vanishing. Dodge had never mentioned an Evelyn, and this Evelyn here had called Dodge a friend. Older, pretty. Dodge's type. Maddy shifted carefully, tilting her chin up a tad as she smoothly took a step down the bench, away from Evelyn. "I do," she said casually, but coupled with that look, it spoke of more than just 'might know him'. "Are you looking for him?"

So, this was the same DG. She caught the brief flittering of emotion across the girl's face and frowned internally at it, unsure what exact conclusion to draw. Although the pondering of that fact was cut short by a chuckle that slipped out of her at the question, "No, I'm not looking for him." Hell, the brat tended to just pop up at her doorstep at random hours whether it was convenient for her not. Although thinking about the last couple times she saw him cut the chuckle short -- they hadn't been chuckling matters. There was a momentary pause as Evelyn considered a couple of things. For one, she wasn't sure how to go about continuing the line with Dodge and what he had told her, and she wasn't even sure if she should. Evelyn generally wasn't a fan of people prying into her business, and she was definitely even less of a fan of her business being shared with others. She tried to show that same courtesy with others, and didn't feel comfortable either disclosing Dodge's conversation or pushing into DG's affairs.
But the other thing she was wondering was where DG, a street kid, had gotten the money to go shopping here. Limited though it was, Evelyn did have enough of an idea to figure a street kid coming up with a relatively good bit of money for such a thing rarely got it through non-shady means. At best it was pick pocketing and at worst, well, given what Dodge had said last night... but, unable to determine a proper segway or proper justification for bringing the subject up directly, she merely took a step from the bench and asked, "Well, I'm shopping for a dress -- or some accessories to go with this dress," she motioned to the drycleaner's bag, containing the dress that -- while looked stunning on her -- seemed rather unimpressive otherwise. "Or, if I'm lucky and the sales are good enough, both. You?"

"I have to get a uniform for work," she said lightly, still wary. "Got a job today at the Kitten Club." Despite still being wary, there was pride in her voice at that. That she'd gotten a job at the Kitten Club. "Contrary to the show they put on, being a busgirl is pretty low key." A black skirt, a white blouse, black vest and heels. Maddy looked at the open shops. She just wasn't exactly sure which place she should go in.

And she wasn't entirely sure she liked this Evelyn. Evelyn who laughed with the answer, like she could see Dodge whenever she wanted. Maddy didn't like that and she looked down the street in the direction that she'd go to head to Dodge's place, as if she could see the apartment building and him standing there.

"The Kitten Club?" Despite DG's comment about being a busgirl, Evelyn couldn't help the concerned and 'not okay with that' frown. At least the girl hadn't said that brothel place (although Evelyn doubted the girl would share that with somebody she just met). But the Kitten Club? Yes it was one of the better places to go to dance and there were good singers and bands and the like -- and even some friends and her had gone there for the dancing -- but it was also a burlesque establishment. So the fact that they were hiring children, even if only as busgirls, was more than a bit disturbing. And even if Maddy were older than she appeared? It was still a burlesque establishment with strippers and very much for the eighteen and up. And Evelyn wasn't buying that the girl was eighteen, and she found the judgment of whoever hired the girl suspect.

But she held her tongue on saying all that aloud, because -- as far as DG herself was concerned -- she couldn't fault the girl for needing a job. And Evelyn understood all about getting jobs at shady establishments out of desperation. At least the girl, if she was telling the truth, had found something other than that seriously disturbing brothel... although Evelyn doubted Dodge would be so enthused about the Kitten Club either. So instead Evelyn reigned the frown from her face and nodded up to a shop nearby, "This one has some nice skirts and blouses -- and there is a sale," she suggested. Then after a pause, "And at a decent skirt and blouse is generally the norm for a lot jobs -- and they go a long way in getting other ones," it was a not-so-veiled suggestion for DG to find another job, although Evelyn didn't force the sentiment upon her. But, even if she didn't enjoy pushing others or prying into their business unwanted, she certainly wasn't okay with helping a such a young girl find clothes for her job at a place like the Kitten Club, so she had to touch the subject somehow.

"I've been there a couple times a week doing sketches of the performers. My friend, he used to play the piano there and got me the job." Yeah, she knew the Kitten Club was... The Kitten Club but they were nice to her there. "So it pays better." Maddy hopped nimbly to the ground. "Besides, other alternatives weren't worth losing someone I... someone very special to me." She hadn't told Dodge yet. No. The best idea was to stay away from him today. Maybe. Unless he came looking for her. The anger etched on his face the other day... she'd never tell him she'd been scared, in retrospect, she'd been scared. "Besides, he might like the uniform." She couldn't help but add it, because she'd been thinking about it and so yeah, maybe it was a way of marking her territory. To herself, anyway, not that Evelyn would know she was talking about Dodge, that the slight pink tinge to her cheeks was thinking about him.

She looked up at Evelyn again, a curious little look on her face. Good clothes would help her get better jobs, huh? "Which means it's a good thing I came here then." She was staying away from the charity places, knowing that she needed to lay low -- as low as she was wont to do -- for now. And she didn't want to admit that she didn't quite know where to look, so Evelyn's suggestion was appreciated, even if she was still wary. "Are you heading inside?"

Another wry smile dawned her features as Evelyn mused a bit on not wanting to lose somebody over a job. Unfortunately the sharp ache in her heart told her she already had, and Evelyn's smile turned hurt and sad for a brief moment remembering how Jesse had told her to get the fuck out of his sight. But, really, wallowing in that wouldn't do right now. And even if she couldn't push the thoughts out of her head, at least she could push them off her face. "Well, you certainly don't want to pick a job solely for the uniform," she joked, smiling. But she kept away from any innuendo or a slightly off-color continuation of that joke, because Evelyn was very aware that -- to her mind -- DG was a young girl, practically a child. And even though Evelyn alternated between a big sister and aunt role with her niece, she didn't even joke with Baby J like that. "But if you must pick a job for a the clothes, this is certainly a good place to start," she finished, still with the joking tone. "And I'll be going in as well," she replied to the question, "I don't think they have the dresses I'm looking for, but they do have some accessories that might dress this thing up."

Then, just before she reached out to open the door for DG Evelyn asked, "I understand if you don't want to tell me since I might be prying, but who is this special someone?" Putting together what Dodge had said and DG was saying now, Evelyn had an idea. But a decision such as working at a brothel could very likely strain other relationships as well, and Evelyn had no idea how many people the girl now and how they all reacted.

Maddy had been unprepared for Evelyn's question, but she wasn't surprised by it. She just didn't expect it to come so soon in their conversation. "This guy..." she said with a shrug, grabbing the door instead and opening it politely. "He's a good guy but has a bad habit of being annoyingly frustrating and forgetting that I own him, not the other way around. But it's cute. Annoying, but cute." She said it like it was perfectly normal and to people like her and Dodge, it was, so she didn't think of how

She was a little wary in the store, having not been in such a nice place in.... ever. And she was suddenly worried she wouldn't have enough money but there were little sales signs everywhere. Really, what she absolutely needed to get was the heels and the skirt and the vest. Maddy shifted slightly in her somewhat too big shoes, not liking feeling out of her element.
Another light frown touched Evelyn's features, "A person doesn't own another." She didn't say it harshly, and she carefully kept any condescension out of her voice and didn't end with 'dear' or 'sweetie' -- Evelyn had never been a 'dear' or 'sweetie' kind of girl. The concept of somebody 'owning' someone else was a sentiment Evelyn wasn't okay with -- she had grown up in a household that was very much founded on free will and speaking one's mind and wholly against a person being 'owned'. It was similar sentiment to what she had expressed to Dodge about DG making her own decision just last night.

Thankfully, as they walked into the store, Evelyn was far more comfortable with the surroundings and what to do than DG was. She had limited experience in this store, but that experience was enough, and after working at places like the Drake for months she could handle herself quite well in situations above her own. And if she was nervous? Well, she was more than adept at hiding it. But, noticing DG shifting in her shoes, she could tell that the girl understandably felt more out of place than she did. So, holding off looking at the accessories for now, Evelyn smiled down at Maddy, "So... what do you want to look at first? The shirts or the skirts?"

"Skirts. It's harder to find a size that fits." As if she went shopping all the time. She wasn't even sure if they'd have a skirt small enough for her. The shirt she was wearing had the waist safety pinned to death. She did not like being out of her element like this, especially with a girl -- no, woman that she was wondering if she was the Drake Girl that Dodge was so hung up on -- she didn't know. "The uniform is a black skirt, a black vest, a white blouse, and black heels." From her walks about the city, the black skirts/vest combos seemed to be popular at the upscale places and she knew that the Kitten always tried to be as upscale as possible.

There was another light laugh there, "Yeah, that does seem to be the universal uniform of the food industry -- well, the upscale ones anyway," Evelyn knew she had been spending the past couple months in the black skirt/white shirt/black vest combo, although that had been traded up for a considerably more stylish blazer and skirt-suit or suit-dress ensemble. "We could see what they have over here," she offered, heading over to an area in the back. The problem with stores in this area was that they generally catered to woman who didn't need to work but couldn't afford the furs and diamonds bracket. This shop, while it did offer a more professional selection, generally had the stylish pieces better suited for women in the office -- professional, designed to make a girl look cute behind the typewriter as she caught the eye of her Future Husband Businessman. Which meant that many skirts weren't black, and of the black ones were many styles that -- while cute -- were incredibly ill-suited for waitressing or bussing.

But thankfully Evelyn knew exactly what she was looking for -- she knew from experience what type of fabric, fit, and style was best suited for walking around comfortably all day and bending over without being obscene and could be easily cleaned of the inevitable food spills. Finding some pieces that fit what she was looking for, Evelyn examined Maddy briefly and picked out a couple that would fit -- or, well, fit the closest. The girl was extremely petite -- she could possibly fit into some child sizes. And not much work clothing came in those sizes. But, well, that was what tailoring was for... and if it was too expensive here Evelyn knew some places that could do it at more than reasonable prices. She held out the skirts to her, "Do want to try these on?"

Maddy found herself following Evelyn to the clothing racks, like a young girl might follow an older sister. Even if her bravado was back, she still felt a little 'meh', and being in a place like this wasn't very comfortable. So she took the skirts that Evelyn handed her with a nod, looking at them critically. Maddy wasn't even sure if she actually had hips for the skirt to settle on. So whatever she'd purchase, she'd have to take in, but the thought made her nervous, cutting the expensive skirt up. "Why are you helping me?" she found herself asking, looking up at Evelyn. She wondered if Dodge had sent her around, but that wasn't likely at all. How would Dodge have known she needed help, even with all his boys running around, so the thought was more wishful thinking.

Evelyn paused for a moment, because it was legitimate question and she didn't honestly know the answer off the top of her head. Bar her experience with Zhen, she wasn't prone to going along with strange girls on shopping sprees and was even less prone to inviting young girls on said sprees with herself. "I don't know," she answered, honestly. "I guess... we ran into each other, turns out we have a mutual friend in common, and seemed to be heading in the same direction for a bit. So why not?" She shrugged lightly there, as that was the best answer she could give for it at the moment. Yes, Evelyn was curious about DG's job and whether she was or wasn't going to be working at a brothel, but that wasn't the main motivating factor. She wasn't going to spend the time trying to think of ways to touch upon that issue and pry information out of the girl. To what end? Evelyn wasn't some messenger-girl and was as little as a gossip as any person could be. At best, she would suggest that Dodge talk to DG or vice versa about some important or concerning issue, but in end whatever business either had was theirs to share, not Evelyn's to share for them.

"And I've found that shopping really should be at least a two-person thing when possible anyway," she smiled over at Maddy, and it was tinged slightly with nostalgia and regret. Before waitressing at the Drake, Evelyn couldn't remember clothes shopping by herself. She always had at least one sister, or Rebecca, or another friend, or Baby J with her.

Maddy found herself nodding again, excusing herself quietly and headed over to the dressing rooms to try on the skirts. It felt like Evelyn wanted to say more, like there were questions that she wanted to ask and Maddy wondered what they were and how good of a friend Evelyn was to Dodge. She felt a wave of jealousy wash over her with enough uncertainty that she wasn't quite sure what to do.

Only one of the skirts had any kind of hope of properly fitting. It was shorter, not quite reaching her knees but around the waist, well, a couple of safety pins would fix it. So she came back out, hanging up the other skirts. "This one seems good," she said, offering Evelyn a small, grateful smile that faded away uncomfortably. "Have... have you seen him around lately?" she asked casually, moving past Evelyn down the line towards the blouses.

She caught the way the girl's smile seemed to fade but didn't comment on it. It could have been the place or something about the job or very likely some other issue Evelyn didn't have the slightest clue about -- Lord knew there were plenty of things weighing on her own mind that DG wouldn't be privy to. And pointing out that the girl seemed uncomfortable probably wouldn't help. Evelyn didn't bother asking 'Dodge?' to clarify who DG was speaking of, as far as Evelyn was aware he was the only mutual acquaintance they shared. "Yes, I've seen him," she answered, although thinking about how 'wonderfully' the last couple encounters went brought a light frown for a brief moment.

"Was he alright?" she asked. It felt strange, asking someone else how Dodge was doing and she wouldn't look at Evelyn, instead focusing on finding the blouse that she needed in the smallest size they had. It was harder to make them fit than it was for skirts. She pulled out a blouse that looked like it might fit, eying it critically as if it would hold the answer to the question, not Evelyn.

While Maddy was very much not looking at Evelyn, Evelyn was discreetly observing Maddy, glancing down at the girl as she perused the blouses. Putting two and two together, she could venture a good guess at what information the girl was after. Concern for Dodge, worry about losing him as a result of a choice she made... or maybe Evelyn was merely projecting her own situations and feelings upon the girl. Because it was a situation she could wholly relate to in regards to her brother and the job at the Drake. And Evelyn knew that if she saw one of Jesse's friends or her niece she would certainly try to glean as much information about how her brother was doing as possible.

"He was certainly troubled," she murmured, adjusting her gaze to the clothes as she said so, figuring DG wouldn't much appreciate being observed when she glanced back. The information also might've clued Maddy in to how recently Evelyn had seen Dodge. "Although he would be more qualified to say about what than I would." She was trying to help, maybe initiate a needed conversation between the two without forcing herself into the situation or betraying anyone's confidence. Then she flicked her gaze onto the blouse Maddy had picked out. "That looks like a good one," she offered.

Troubled... Maddy wondered exactly how much Dodge had told her, how good of friends they really were and the possibility that Evelyn? Might be the girl from the Drake that Dodge liked? "Blouses are difficult," Maddy said, as if she went shopping for blouses every day. Being as small as she was, Maddy wasn't... as well endowed as Evelyn was, and dammit, it wasn't fair. The fact that she was still a teenager, and an underfed one at that, really didn't matter to her. "How... troubled? Did he say why?" It had to have been in the past couple of days, and since Evelyn hadn't said Dodge had been looking for her, it must've been yesterday and a troubled Dodge would come to her, but in this case, he'd gone to... that woman.

Evelyn paused for a moment, and then carefully said, "I think you'd have to ask him about that." Her tone was carefully phrased to not be a dismissal or a brush off, while at the same time she avoided sounding condescending. She said it the way she meant it: an honest suggestion from an outside observer who felt that Maddy talking to Dodge about his issues was for the best.

"I don't think he wants to talk to me right now," she said. She wouldn't be talking to him today, certainly, tomorrow maybe though... Evelyn certainly seemed to think she should talk to him. "I'm not a pro, if that's what you're thinking." Her voice had taken on a harsher, acidic tone, ashamed that she'd actually gone there to do that and she was more mad about that than she was at Evelyn and who she might actually be.

"A pro?" Evelyn frowned, visibly confused about the outburst. It took her a good moment to piece together what Maddy might have been referring to, as the words and tone had seemed out of left field for the conversation. "DG, what I was thinking was that if you want to know why your friend is troubled and how he's doing, you should talk to him." Her response was calm, if more straight up matter-of-fact. Between working at the Drake and just dealing with people in general Evelyn had endured harsher encounters with her composure intact. The advice she had just given DG there might as well have been given to herself, but she couldn't see Jesse just yet. In addition to just not wanting to face his disappointment and anger at the moment, she felt paranoid and guilty about visiting family right now -- as if doing so was going to bring the mafia to their door. Anyways, just because Evelyn wasn't following it at the exact moment didn't mean the advice itself wasn't sound.

It was good advice, advice that Maddy took into consideration. Of course, she didn't say that. "Prostitute. I'm not one. I'm not doing that and I never did." She grabbed another blouse, the same cut and style. Backups were always a good thing. "You work at the Drake, don't you?" she asked. "Or go there a lot?" It wasn't as much of a question as it was a more stated fact. This woman wasn't rich enough to hang around the Drake with the high society players, but she could work there. And maybe she had worked the night Dodge went to go see her.

Surprise was clearly evident on Evelyn's expression at the question, or well, statement. She was very uncomfortable with the idea of this girl knowing she worked at the Drake -- or anyone who knew her real name knowing she worked at the Drake, really. But the way the girl said it definitely gave Evelyn the impression that she already knew the answer. "Well... not for long," she answered carefully, her eyes moving from the blouses back to Maddy's face, warily trying to determine why the girl was asking that. "I'm actually looking for a new job, myself." Then, after a small pause she asked very lightly, "Why do you ask?"

Jealousy burned through Maddy, more than it had in the past when she thought of Dodge's new 'infatuation'. "He's not yours," she said harshly, holding her skirt and the blouses to her chest, almost protectively as she looked up at Evelyn. Pretty Evelyn with her hair and her makeup and her 'womanly figure'. "He's my Dodge and he might think that he likes you, but it'll pass. Stay away from him." She was every inch a jealous, fifteen year old girl, with huge baby blue eyes and blonde hair to Evelyn's dark features. "I may not be old, like you, but he'll come around and he'll forget all about you so don't think for a second that you can have him. He was mine first."

The girl's outburst took her completely by surprise, especially as mere seconds ago she had been asking about the Drake. And even though Evelyn wasn't sure what the hotel had to do with this, the fact that the girl had a crush was glaringly obvious. Although the fact that this little girl was getting all snippety at her over the affections of a seventeen year old boy was a bit difficult for Evelyn to not roll her eyes or chuckle slightly or shake her head at. Evelyn felt about as seriously insulted by Maddy's outburst about as much as any twenty-three-year-old could take seriously being snapped at by a a girl who may or might not have been a teenager... which meant that, honestly? She could really feel seriously offended. Although such an extremely possessive tone was worrying out of anyone, but Evelyn was prone to attribute it to her age. But being called 'old' certainly cocked her brow and brought a none-too-impressed expression to her face.

But, again, Evelyn could remember well what it was like to be a young(er) girl with a crush and schooled her tone and expression carefully. "Dodge doesn't belong to anybody. People don't belong to anyone other than themselves," she said first, her tone considerably more steady than Maddy's had just been. Because, yeah, young or not that mindset wasn't a healthy one in Evelyn's opinion. "And I agree with you that, given time? Many crushes, even the ones that seem to stop your breath, become little more than a bittersweet memory." Especially at that age. Evelyn could recall some boys she thought she might die for in high school only to shake her head wryly at that now. And her words, while an assessment of Dodge, also subtly related to Maddy's infatuation. "But he is my friend, and I'm not going to drop that," she finished, her tone a gentle dismissal of the issue. Then, carefully changing the subject, she nodded gently towards the fitting room, "It looks like you got a good selection there. You want to try them on with the skirt?"

Maddy eyed her warily, tilting her head to the side, assessing Evelyn. "So you're not interested in him like that?" she asked slowly, looking for clarification, because even if Evelyn said that crushes would fade, Maddy was still fifteen and still in... she still liked Dodge. And if Evelyn wasn't interested in Dodge, then there'd be no problem between them and that much was clear in her tone.

Still watching Evelyn, she turned to look at the vests, waiting for the answer while she tried to find one in her size. "I need to go somewhere else for the stockings and heels...."

"He's seventeen," which, probably, didn't have quite the same meaning behind it to young girl the way it did for a twenty-three year old with a niece (who was about Dodge's age!). And, as far as Evelyn was concerned, the 'What If' game never added years to anyone's age so there was no point asking what if Dodge had been at least her age or at least in the twenties. But, yes, to her Dodge was a kid who could be just as much charming as he was exasperating and had somehow become a good friend of hers recently... but he was still a teenager. Period. And Evelyn, just from the social circles she went with, didn't usually collect friends so far out of her age group -- much less boyfriends.

As Maddy seemed to know what she was looking for with the vests, Evelyn wandered over to some accessories -- scarves and necklaces and bracelets and the like -- and would sort of hold the dress against her body with one arm while she used her other hand to hold an accessory of choice against her, trying to gauge how well the outfit would go together in a nearby mirror. "Well, the good news is that stockings and heels are easy enough to find. Although nylon is practically impossible to get a hold of these days, but rayon is close enough. And cotton stockings are plentiful enough," she replied, putting down a dressy scarf in favor of holding up a pair of earrings.

"You'd want to stick with gold for the jewelry," Maddy offered solemnly. "Because of the green design." She'd only found one vest that would possibly fit her, and she added it to her pile. "I like you. Sort of," she said simply, as if Evelyn had been waiting for her approval. She could be perfectly fine with her now that the older woman confirmed that she did not return Dodge's trying crush. "Stay away from the scarves. You don't want to overdo it. I'll be back." Mood improving, she offered Evelyn a serene smile and flitted off to the dressing room to change.

As Maddy walked away, Evelyn's mouth quirked in a bemused smile and she shook her head lightly. One second the girl was huffy and sniping at her and the next she was smiling and offering fashion advice. Heh, had she been so quick with the moods at that age? Of course, it was possible her memory had fudged some of the details, but Evelyn didn't think so. But, well, the girl had a crush apparently; and that was an awkward age. Although she took the advice into consideration and picked up a gold chain. Evelyn still wasn't sure whether to go the jewelry route or the new dress route or possibly find some in-between option. Well, she still had some time and more shops she could stop by before any decisions. So instead she put the jewelry back and re-draped the dress over her arm and walked over towards the fitting rooms. "How's it look?" she called.

Maddy had changed completely, although she kept her too big shoes. The skirt was a little big and she safety pinned it tighter. The blouse fit, but was meant for someone with... a more ample chest than she had. The vest managed to cover that up and was the only thing that properly fit. She came out of the dressing room, tugging a little bit on the hem of the skirt. Despite the fact that it wasn't perfect, Maddy certainly looked older. A little more legal and a little less jail-bait."Should I wear my hair up?" She thought about the fashionable hair styles. The Victory Rolls and pin curls.

Evelyn didn't know how to answer, because she wasn't sure which idea disturbed her more: that such a young girl was aiming to look older for a place like the Kitten Club, or that a young girl who looked very much like a young girl would be working at the Kitten Club. Because yes, DG looked older, but even a young woman in her early twenties who was so skinny and at such a short height would be confused for a young girl. Although, Evelyn also had the earlier mental image of DG in less mature clothes just moments before in a small fit typical of girls at that age. "I'm not sure," she finally answered, murmuring as she tried to school the concerned and perturbed frown off her face. Then, choosing to focus on the details of the clothes themselves instead, she saw that the skirt was pinned and the shirt a bit loose. She didn't know if DG could sew -- she was a street kid. And the lack of a domestic environment understandably led to a lack of domestic skills.

"I guess the outfit'll need to be taken in a bit. They might do that here, but it'll probably be for an additional fee. But do I know some people that could do it just as well and cheaper -- maybe even free." Had her wrist been better and her schedule today more open Evelyn would have even offered to do it herself -- she had picked up the basic necessities of the skill from her mother and sisters and home economics classes.

Maddy caught the look on Evelyn's face and frowned a little bit. "I'm sixteen," she said with a chuckle. Or at least, she'd be sixteen soon. Girls got married her age all the time. It wasn't her fault she was so skinny. And as for the tailoring... "I can take care of the skirt. They're not that hard." She'd have to track down this week's costume designer for some quick assistance, however the shirt would be a little more difficult to get taken care of.

Evelyn was surprised, she certainly wouldn't have pegged the girl as sixteen. But this put the girl's age very close to Jessie's, and Evelyn knew there was no way in hell she would ever be okay with her niece working in some place like that. And, even if Maddy was older than she expected, sixteen was still two years below eighteen. "You may be sixteen, but that's still short of the legal age to be in a place like that," although while Evelyn certainly didn't sound approving or like she condoned this, she avoided sounding scolding. The girl was a street kid looking for a job, and the main issue should be and was with the people who hired such a young girl.

"And anybody who sees someone so young in that place and doesn't seem fazed by it? Well, those are the people you should really watch out for," Evelyn warned. Again her tone was gently matter-of-fact without being too soft or sweet. But she wouldn't kidnap the girl and wasn't her mother or sister or aunt or otherwise anyone with any right to force the girl to do anything... and even if she could? Evelyn would be hard pressed to do it. So, instead Evelyn nodded a bit to the outfit, "But, yes, with a little bit of tailoring, the uniform should be perfect."

"It's not like I'm serving drinks and it's not like I'm there showing myself off," Maddy said with a frown, a little ticked off at Evelyn's continued 'I am so much older and know better than you' and the humoring... it was getting kind of annoying. "Everyone's gotta start somewhere, you know, and I don't have a lot of options." And the glaring, unsaid one was the prostitution that she was originally going to take part in. But she wasn't. Not now. She'd come to her senses. "And, like you said, a good uniform will get me to better places." She smiled gently at Evelyn, a sweet and sincere smile that showed no hard feelings.
"I didn't say you were going to be showing yourself off," Evelyn murmured. Sadly, the girl wouldn't need to be to attract the wrong kind of attention. And Evelyn was very much aware of a sense of reverse deja-vu... except she had been in DG's position trying to explain the relatively harmless factors of her job to Jesse.

Which was another reason Evelyn tried to avoid the tone of condemnation and outright condescension, because she did understand choosing a sketchy job out of desperation so well. It just... didn't make her feel any better know the young girl had found herself in such a situation as well. But she had said her piece, and the girl had made her decision. And Evelyn was aware that, mutual friend or not, they were both still strangers to each other for the most part... so she didn't have much basis or right to push further into the issue. And even if she did? Again, the girl had already made her own decision and -- if she were to change her mind? -- would probably be more receptive to a person who knew her better than a strange woman she just met. "So you ready to pay for this then?"

Being half deaf, Maddy didn't hear Evelyn's murmur, too busy looking down at the price tags hanging down from her clothes. She tried to add it all up in her head. She should have enough, but the blouse... she might have to wait for her next paycheck. Or, of course, find one at a different store. She still needed enough money left for her stockings and heels and she really hoped she wasn't underestimating their price. "Are you?" Maddy asked, looking up from the price tag on the skirt. "You don't have to wait around for me if you're done." It was still weird.

Evelyn suspected the girl was trying to give her a hint, and she understood it. They had just met, after all. And even though she was concerned for DG's sake, Evelyn was well aware how odd it was for -- and herself wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of -- a twenty-three year old to escort a sixteen-year-old shopping whom she had only just met, mutual friend or no. Yeah, stuff like that was kind of sketchy in her book. Especially since it wasn't DG shopping that Evelyn was worried about. "I might stick around here for a bit -- check out more jewelry and accessories -- before heading over to see about other dresses," she replied, smiling sincerely. "So if you don't need, or want, help with anything... I'll probably continue on with that."

"Stick with the gold jewelry," Maddy advised again. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." Because Maddy did. She'd learned from the snobbiest, bitchiest costume designers Eidolon City had to offer and if anything could possibly save the hideous green design on Evelyn's dress, it was to draw away the attention to what might look like expensive jewelry. She wanted to suggest a new dress, the nosy little voice in her itching too, but she didn't want Evelyn to look any prettier. "It was nice meeting you, Evelyn." Although a genuine sentiment, Maddy couldn't wait to be gone, the jealousy still burning through her.

"Thanks for the advice," Evelyn smiled, "and it was nice to meet you too, DG." She would have said something like 'finally met you', but she mentioning Dodge had discussed DG too close to betraying his confidence. And, again shifting her arm to adjust the dress draped over it she added as to her parting, "And good luck with the job -- I hope it goes well." Well enough to land her something better, especially. With that Evelyn flashed another genuine parting smile and walked over towards the accessories.