Starring:
Summary: In which Gunn stops through the Hyperion out of boredom and ends up checking out Fred's stick figure.
Date It Happened: November 29, 2001
Check Out
Hyperion Hotel - Lobby
Another Day, Another Check In. At least, that's the way that Gunn tends to look at all of this craziness. He finds himself at the Hyperion Hotel once again, sliding through the doors and pulling at the sleeves of his shirt, just to make sure the thing isn't getting to small for him. He's got a handful of envelopes in his hand, flipping through them. Obviously, they are nothing but bills. And since he's only an employee, there's no reason to actually worry about these things called bills, so they get tossed onto the check-in counter, as he waltzes around behind it and immediately heads in the direction of something to drink. "Man, does everyone sleep late around here?" Talking to no one.
Despite the set back of yesterday to Fred's whole coming out of her room thing, she's starting to get back into the habit of being where other people are. Especially if she's supposed to be shopping with Cordelia later. She wants to put her toes into the water, so to speak, before she dives right in. But, she's still in her comfort zone. Back up against the counter, she's not under her desk, but she's certainly hid from view until Gunn steps around to get himself something to drink. "If you're a vampire, this is when you sleep. So, you're coming to visit very late at night, you know." The pause isn't measured, but she rests her head against the wood behind her. "It could be considered rude. Not that I think you're rude."
"Yeah, well, if the vampire was actually anywhere to be found, it might actually count as bein' rude. But no. He's probably of galavantin' around and killin' all sorts of stuff." Somewhere in the middle of his statement, Gunn ends up actually pouting a little bit. His eyes glazing over with the thought of being able to run some evil thing through with a sword. Sigh. Le Sigh. "Angel gets to have all the fun." Shrugging, he ends up turning his attention to Fred and letting his lips curl up into a pleasant enough smile. "How you holdin' up? All good?"
"I guess you're right." Fred's face falls remembering that Angel isn't coming back any time soon. Or they don't think he will. He has to do his heroic brooding thing somewhere else. Le sigh herself. "Cordelia is supposed to take me out shopping later today. At a store. Outside." This is a big step for her, and she's nervous about it. "For underthings." That's not the part she's nervous about, though. "I didn't have to worry about those for five years and suddenly there are entire stores that are devoted to figuring out how to make your gazongas bigger."
"Ah. Victoria's Secret." Gunn rolls his eyes a little bit and ends up leaning on the counter. Just to make sure that he's showing that he's paying attention. The last thing this crazed woman needs is to not be paid attention to. Still, though he feels it's necessary to warn her about the dangers of shopping with Cordelia. "Let me give you a little advice. Make sure that when you're out with Cordy, you let her know you're not here for her sleepover fantasies. You're not a makeover case." He flashes a bright smile for what's about to come out of his mouth next. "And you don't need bigger gazongas. Those are reserved for Cordy and porn stars." Snap.
Tilting her chin up a bit more so that Fred can keep looking at Gunn as she talks, she pulls her knees in a little closer to her chest. "I don't know, I mean, I don't know what to wear any more. The height of fashion I knew in Pylea was a sack. It didn't come in different colors." She tugs at the edge of her shirt absently. Then, she gives Gunn a look, "Cordelia's not a porn star."
"A fact that I'm /so/ thankful for." Is Gunn eluding to his porn watching habits? Or maybe he's just messing with Fred in favor of trying to send a burn in Cordelia's correction before she can even see it coming. Nobody expects burns to be sent through the Fred, right? "Don't worry so much about what looks good and just get what you like. The number one killer of individualism in this country are fads and Cosmopolitan Magazine."
It's true, which is why Fred is made the unknowning accomplice in many of these burns. One day she may catch on. Hopefully soon. "I don't even know what I like any more." For years all she had to think about was how to survive. Now things are very different. There are Victoria Secret runs to worry about. And how she's going to survive those. "Cosmopolitan Magazine is the one with all the girls who look like they've been starving in a cave for five years without the excuse, right?"
"The one in the same." Gunn lifts up from leaning on the counter and moves to lean back against the wall. His eyes are looking at Fred in all over her cute glory. Unfortunately, though, he's going to have to keep his thoughts to himself. "Well, if you want, there's nothin' evil goin' on, today. As far as I know." Oh god. Gunn, don't say it. Don't! "If you want me to tagalong and keep you from becomin' Cordelia 2.0, I could spare a couple hours…" Oh crap. He said it.
Fred has seen Cordelia with a copy of that and just can't get over the way the women look in it. What is their excuse for looking like that. "I'd prefer them all to look like Cordelia. She looks like what people are supposed to look like. Not like poor little stick figure Fred." She shakes her head a bit at that and gives a small nervous laugh that gets interrupted by the offer. She's going to snag onto that, too. The more people she knows surrounding her, the less likely she will have to deal with other people she doesn't know. "You'd want to go underwear shopping with Cordelia and me?" That doesn't sound like something he would normally do.
Cordelia probably has a damn subscription or something! But Gunn finds himself leaning towards the option of not wanting to go after all, but then again, he's looking at Fred and she's just so unbearably cute that it may be hard to go back on the offer at this particular juncture. Besides, what else is he going to do with the daylight? Play basketball? "I just want people to get to know Stick Figure Fred for Stick Figure Fred, not for her choice in glamorously overexpensive underwear." Gunn shrugs a bit. "Besides. It's Victoria's Secret. What guy doesn't want to see a couple of girls modeling for him?" Wink.
That is a good question. And while Cordelia did say this was going to be girl time, it wouldn't hurt to have a big strapping man who could crush bad guys with an axe along for the ride. "I don't think anyone's gonna get to know glamorously overexpensive underwear Fred." That's a much more personal get to know you. Then, Fred smiles at Gunn. "I know what you're doing. And I think it's very noble of you, Charles. Pretending like you're all interested in that when you just want to make sure we're okay."
Gunn's eyes cut from the left to the right and then back to the left again. His smile is brought into the mix with his nodding along with Fred's statement, as if to try and make nice with her delusions. He's not even going to comment on the underwear moment. Nope. Instead, his focus is on her misinterpretation of what's supposed to be happening when they go to Victoria's Secret. "Rest assured, I have only your best interests at heart, Fred." And a free show in the back of his mind.
Of course Fred is going to think the best of her rescuers. And while she's starting to get herself reacquainted with the idea that she may not be sucked back into Pylea at any moment, it's a long road. "You're a good man." And she's not even thinking that he will be thinking about a free show. As far as this girl is concerned, all the men of Angel Investigations are completely chivalrous.
"I'm alright." Gunn plays the humble role. His overconfidence extends to the realm of his battling and kicking demon ass. Not so much the rest of this chivalrous nature that people seem to think comes part and parcel with being a member of Angel Investigations. "I just do what they pay me to do. And if that means I have to brave the aisles of a lingerie store… then so be it."
Humble and chivalrous is just going to add to Fred's images of those who saved her. So, she just smiles and starts to pick herself up off the floor slowly. "I think this'll be somethin' off hours, though. Unles ya'll get paid to go to stores and buy things." She gives a nervous glance toward the door as if expecting someone unknown to come walking in. "I should probably find something to put on. What d'ya wear to go clothes shopping?"
"I've been known to go the extra mile for work a time or two." Gunn just keeps his smile planted on his face, watching Fred with slightly distracted eyes. When she looks towards the door, his initial reaction has him doing the same. In case he has to grab a weapon and start stabbing things. He's always ready to jump into the mix, that's for sure. "Not sure. Just throw somethin' on. You'll look fine."
"Right. Because it'd look silly to put something fancy one when you're going to buy something else fancy, wouldn't it? It'd be like saying, 'Oh, I already have something fancy, but this thing isn't good enough, so I need to go get another one.' Which I'd imagine everyone else would think is odd because you're wearing it out to go get something else fancy, so why're you bothering?" Is Fred rambling? Yes. At the stairs, a hand is already gripping onto the rail while she speaks, but then she stops herself. "Sorry. Crazy old Fred's still talking about nothing. I'm just gonna go change."
Gunn doesn't seem to mind the rambling, because he's watching Fred as she heads for those stairs. His eyes are just glazing over a little bit, as if her little rant is actually entertaining enough to have him paying attention. "Hurry back." comes out of his mouth before he can realize what he's saying and he's immediately turning away to kind of pay more attention to the fact that there are bills still on the counter. Poor Wesley.
