Shopping. *DUNH DUN DUNNNNNH*

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... all right, maybe not.

*ahem*

Ray emerges from the bar with April O'Neill in tow, heading along at that peculiar walk one assumes when one is thisclose to running but doesn't want to leave someone else behind. "She's right over there- see? Bonnie's been working on her, I've been working on her, it's been an amazing project- just be careful, Bonnie says she's not completely dry yet and I'd kind of like to be the first one to put a hand on her- anyway, this is her. Ecto-1..."

[Summary: Ray shows off Ecto to April, takes her back to his New York, acquaints her with Louis Tully's creepy product endorsements, and they head downtown to buy Ray a decent suit at Brooks Brothers for his high school reunion. There is also some breaky because the Brooks Brothers store in question is across the street from where the Twin Towers used to be.]

Comments

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"Ah, you're missing out, then," said Ray with the air of a man who knows his distractions. "Take iced tea, mix it with milk or soy milk, add in a bunch of shaved ice and some fruit flavor. Now add in a whole bunch of black tapioca pearls about as big across as your pinky nail and shake the whole thing up. You have to drink it through this massive straw and don't forget to chew the tapioca, but it's worth it."

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

"That sounds... complicated," April laughed. "But hey, I'm a brave girl. I'm ready to try new things. Lead the way, Dr. Stantz."

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"Came out of Taiwan a few years ago. Great stuff," says Ray happily, leading the way. The end result is two plastic cups of milky liquid, one orangey-pink, the other greenish. "Take your pick. Normally I get almond or sesame, myself, but it never hurts to change things up a bit."

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

Having an affinity for things green, April decided upon that color. She took a preparatory breath and then took a long drink, remembering to chew.

"That is really good," April enthused, licking her lips. "Different, but good. It feels strange, chewing a drink," she laughed. "Can I try yours?"

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Ray passed the cup over. "You got papaya. Mine's supposed to be honeydew, but honestly, I couldn't tell it apart from any other fruit if you paid me. If you order it back home, remember to avoid asking for red bean- red bean paste is good in desserts but they put the actual beans in the drink, and then you have to eat it with a spoon."

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April chuckled. "Okay, no beans if I want to use a straw," she confirmed. "This is good, too," she mused, passing Ray's cup back to him in exchange for her own. Yes, distractions were very good.

"So, are you ready for this?" She arched a brow with a smirk. "Kinda scary, I know."

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"As long as I don't have to do anything involving underwear or tying my own tie, sure," Ray says. "They have people to handle the tie for you at stores like this, right?"

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

That ellicted a full-on laugh from April, who leaned over and whispered, "It's okay, Ray. I'll help you with the tie." She hooked her arm through his and led him back out and down the street. Just outside of Brooks Brothers she paused.

"Last chance to run screaming and crying," she smiled.

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Ray shook his head grimly. "No, I'll be okay. Just stop me if I start migrating towards something that looks awful on me, okay?"

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

"That's what I'm here for," she chuckled, patting his arm reassuringly. "Besides, the people in there are professionals. I'm sure they'll take good care of you. Just think of me as supplemental insurance."

The store was nice inside, with it's rows of tidy, folded shirts and ties. April liked the way her boot heels clicked against the tile of the entryway, although she definitely acknowledged that she looked utterly out of place in her jeans and t-shirt.

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Not that Ray looked all that much better, really. It wasn't as if he'd exactly been wearing respectable clothes to Milliways, and they hadn't stopped to change at the Firehouse.

"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind them- one of the salespeople, an older gentleman with a slightly worried look to his features.

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

Before Ray could speak, April took the initiative herself, turning to the salesman with a warm smile.

"Yes, thank you so much. My friend Ray here is interested in your selection of suits. He is in need of something classic and versatile, yet preferably easy to maintain." April turned to Ray again, looking for confirmation of her assessment.

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"I- yeah, what she said," Ray managed, pulling himself together hastily.

The man looked him over with a skeptical eye, starting to say something- then blinked. "Ah. I believe- correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you one of those Ghostbuster fellows?"

Ray nodded.

"I thought there was something familiar about you. Yes, I believe we can help you- although I'm afraid you've missed our Made to Measure event, we do have some new arrivals that ought to suit you. Would this be an all-year-round garment, or are you just looking for a summer suit?"

Ray cast a helpless glance in April's direction.

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

"Year-round, please, with a selection of shirts and ties as well. Wool?" She cast a quick glance to Ray, really just out of courtesy, and then answered herself. "Wool, in charcoal to start but maybe also navy, and I think perhaps a pleated pant. I'm just not very fond of the flat-front trouser. Oh, and if you have something wrinkle-resistant, that would be aces." April gave Ray's arm a little pat, just to confirm for him that she knew he was there. Amazing the knowledge she had gleaned from reading Esquire for the hot models in the ads, although really, she was just shining it on.

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"Wool it is," said the salesman smoothly, giving Ray a nod and April the sort of sympathetic look that sisters, mothers, and wives the country over had long since come to expect when dragging their male kin out for shopping purposes. "The BrooksEase line should fit the bill, I expect. Mostly they're meant as travel clothing, but they've become really quite popular in their own right- two buttons or three on the jacket, sir?"

"Um. Three, please?"

"Excellent, sir. Give me a moment and I'll be right back."

Ray looked over at April as the man headed off into the store. "Exactly how many options are there on this kind of thing, anyway? I mean, it's not like we're talking about something chemical-resistant, right?"

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April giggled, which was, if you knew her at all, a rather strange if not unpleasant sound. Independant women didn't giggle. Much.

"Well, it depends on what you want to do with your suit," she laughed, automatically reaching up to adjust the lay of Ray's collar even though he was still in his own clothes. "We're looking for something that will suit as many purposes as possible, because you don't need to have a suit for board meetings and a suit for the opera and a suit for putt-putt golf." She grinned. "Just a suit."

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Ray shook his head. "I thought the whole point of being a guy was that you didn't have to care about stuff like this. Or one of the points, anyway. Maybe I should've taken Uncle Lloyd's advice and joined the Army after all. They'd provide all the suits I'd ever need."

Before he could say more, the salesman returned, carrying several suit jackets. "Three-button classic in black and grey; the three-button sack jacket, alas, only comes in grey and navy, or striped variations. The trousers, of course, are sold separately- but I've brought over several in what I estimate your size range to be. What do you think?"

He held out the promised selections for inspection and picking-over.

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April tugged Ray forward a bit so that they could get a closer look. "Well, Ray, what do you think? I think I like the grey." She paused a moment and then looked over her shoulder at a nearby display. "Hang on a sec."

After striding over to the display, April plucked out several different shirts and ties from the selection and then returned with them. "See here, how it completely changes the look of the suit?" she showed him, tucking the shirts into the jackets and then holding up various ties. "The white shirt looks much more crisp and business-like, but if you put something like this-" She switched it out for pale pink. "It dresses it down, but still looks polished." April smiled reassuringly back at him. "Do you like the grey suit?"

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"I gotta admit," Ray said, peering down, "the grey seems to work better. There's something kind of unnerving about black suits. Maybe I've just read too many studies..." He reached for one of the ties, an orange-gold one with diagonal stripes. "This isn't bad. But, uh, not getting the pink shirt. That's just too much like that episode of the Simpsons."

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April laughed. "Okay, okay. I like the pink, but it's your suit." It wasn't as though any of her boys would have okayed the pink, either. Well, maybe Mikey.

"Well, go ahead. Go with the nice man and try it on," she grinned, patting Ray heartily on the shoulder. "I want to see how it looks."

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It didn't help that Ray had been to a universe where pink was Egon's civilian-clothing color of choice. The prospect was permanenty associated with physically impossible hair in Ray's brain.

"Right this way, sir," said the salesman with a sympathetic smile. "We'll do the alterations on the premises."

"Alterations? I thought these things were supposed to fit?"

"In general, sir, but we do hem them to fit the individual measure..."

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April laughed. "It's okay, Ray. This is normal. Just trust the man." She followed to the dressing rooms and then stood outside beside the bank of mirrors inspecting her hair while she waited.

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Ray sighed but nodded, following the salesman into the back of the store. Eventually they emerged, the tie having (mercifully) been knotted by the clearly long-suffering salesman. "Sir, I realize it falls extremely short of our usual standards of service to say so, but that would have gone much faster if you hadn't wiggled so much."

It sounded very much as if the salesman had grandsons.

On the other hand, the suit was a damn nice piece of work.

[the-damsel.livejournal.com]

April gasped in glee when she caught sight of him. "Oh, Ray. Ray. My God." She ran forward and caught hold of his closest arm, dragging him over to stand in front of the mirrors.

"Look," she breathed over his shoulder, busy hands smoothing his collar and lapel and then brushing his hair back just so.

[gone_byebye]

The last time Ray had been quiet for that long in front of a mirror, he'd been presented with the doctoral robes for his graduation from the Columbia engineering program.

"There, you see?" asked the salesman, eventually. "I did say the tie was vital to the whole thing."

Ray swallowed. "Yeah... yeah, you did. April? Uh... I realize it's supposed to be traditional to take a long time and go in and out of stores when you're shopping, but can I get a pass and just swing at this particular pitch? I think we hit pay dirt on this one."