video; joint post

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny needs help. She wants a date and she can't for the life of her seem to find one, so she does the only sensible thing.

She phones a friend.

And this is where the network device clicks on. The scene: Lucy's place. The players: Penny, dressed in her usual less-than-flattering cardigan, and Lucy, looking just as amazing as always. They look like they're on the verge of a musical montage.]

Is it seriously as easy as wearing different clothes?

[ Clearly a make-over was the obvious solution. Lucy had invited Penny over, made piña coladas in the blender, and put on some pop dance music. Lucy takes a sip of her piña colada and shrugs in response to Penny's question. ]

Different clothes, different shoes and some make-up. Yeah. It's really that easy. Even smart boys are powerless in the face of a short skirt and a pair of heels.

[ Yes, that was a reference to her own genius boyfriend. Sorry. It's true. Lucy grabs a handful of dresses and shoves them at Penny. ]

Go try one on then come out and let me see.

[ Cue the appropriate music for a montage! ]

No wonder I can't get a date. I always thought guys looked for, like... a nice smile, or a good personality.

[She takes the dresses and, yes, there's actually a montage. It's the City. Things like this happen sometimes. Penny comes out in a couple of dresses that are so-so before finding the winner. She tugs on the hem uncomfortably.]

I don't look skanky, do I?

[ There is appropriate gasping at the final choice. ]

Penny, you are a hottie. There is no skank here.

[ Lucy retrieves a pair of black high, high heels to go with the dress and steers her toward the vanity to put makeup on her. ]

They're going to drool on your feet. Boys that is. Maybe a couple of girls.

[Penny is no stranger to high heels, but there are high.]

There's no way that'll happen. I'm not a people-drooling-at-my-feet kind of person.

[It doesn't take Lucy long to do Penny's hair and makeup thanks to the power of makeover music. It's amazing what mascara and a curling iron will do. Penny takes a moment to study Lucy's work in the mirror.]

That's... different. I can hardly tell it's me. [But she smiles, kind of liking what she sees.] There's got to be a part two to this finding a date thing. Do we go out? Where do we go? What do I do?

[ Lucy is obviously pleased with her work. ]

We go out. We have drinks. We kiss each other for free drinks. We dance. You underestimate your hotness. There could be drooling.

That really works? The kissing thing?

[ That makes Lucy laugh. ]

Like a charm. [ She holds her hand out to Penny ] Come on. We'll kiss. We'll drink. I'll show you.

[The feed (intentional or not, who knows!) ends. Penny and Lucy can be found at any semi-reputable bar your character might care to find them at. Yes, there will be drinking and dancing and kissing. After all, Lucy is showing Penny how to woo.]

[ooc: Penny, Lucy. Bump into one or both of them wherever, comment, whatever! (And yes, there is a curse going on.)]

Comments

OTA

[mightbeconcussed]

[ Lucy has switched from pina coladas to her more standard mint juleps, but she can be found at the bar ordering a drink, kissing Penny for free drinks or out bouncing around on the dance floor. It's a normal girls night out.

Right?

That is how other girls do it, isn't it?]

Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny doesn't actually work up the courage to kiss Lucy until she's had a... whatever-it-is some guy bought her. She hadn't had a drink since college and her knowledge of booze is about as good as her alcohol tolerance (that is, minimal). But then the bar is more fun, her dress doesn't feel too short, and her usual shyness isn't preventing her from doing some dancing.]

This is actually kind of fun.

[Said to Lucy, who is much better at both drinking and going out.]

Re: Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[mightbeconcussed]

[Lucy has had a lot of practice going out and drinking. She's happy to share her experience. ]

I knew you'd have fun once you relaxed. [IE had a drink or two. ]

And you've got at least half the bar's attention.

Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[anunluckypenny]

Well, you're a genius.

[Left to her own devices, Penny's version of trying to find a date typically involves waiting around for someone nice and kind of pretty to swoop in. This is probably why she's dated so many weirdos and developed a large number of unrequited crushes. It's a terrible technique.]

There's no way that many people would ever look at me. I bet they're looking at you.

Re: Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[mightbeconcussed]

Mmmm. It's been said before.

[ No need for modesty here, right? Lucy is quick to admit her failings, but this is one area she feels confident in. She is a genius as far as she's concerned when it comes to these things.

She rolls her eyes at Penny's comment. ]

Confidence, Penny. We have to work on yours. You are totally hot. Now you have to learn how to own that. [ She points out a cute guy with dark hair. ] That guy is absolutely looking at you and not me. You're lucky. Guys like redheads.

Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[anunluckypenny]

I believe it.

[Hey, Penny's confident, for a certain definition of confident that involves having... virtually no self-confidence. Okay, fair point. She has to concede to Lucy on that one and look where she's pointing.]

He is! [Or he was until she looked back. Still, exciting!] Maybe I'm not totally unattractive. Is that close? And why would guys like redheads more than blondes or brunettes or whatever?

Re: Still OTA, if anyone cares to threadjack

[mightbeconcussed]

You're a total hottie, Penny. You've just got to realize it. [ Lucy maintains that confidence is half of attraction. She's determined to help Penny have some more. ]

There are fewer redheads in the world. At least natural redheads. It's human nature to be drawn to what's different, I think.

Action? Yes, action!

[just_displaced]

[He doesn't really go out to bars a whole lot. Or, really, almost ever. Which is why it's kind of weird that he's in one now, but hey, you have to shake up the monotony somehow. Or just stand in a corner feeling uncomfortable and indecisive about what to get from the bar, which is what he's doing.

Which probably explains why, when he finally decides what he wants and heads in that direction, he's looking at his feet more than he's looking at anyone around him. And why he literally nearly runs into Penny as he does so.]

Sorry! Sorry...

[Then he just kind of stares at her.]

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny has had approximately a drink and a half, and that was a drink and a half too many--or just enough, depending on how one wants to look at the situation. Enough for her to not care about yanking down the hem of her short skirt, enough for going along with Lucy's suggestion that they draw some extra attention by kissing.

Okay, so she probably shouldn't have had anything to drink.

She smiles brightly at Ginsberg, not at all offended.]

Not a problem. [Oh, wait! She did this whole makeover thing for a reason, right? Penny's feeling uninhibited enough to put a hand on Ginsberg's shoulder.] Do you want to dance?

[And, okay, she might look kind of sultry, but that doesn't carry over to her tone.]

[just_displaced]

I'm not actually a very good...

[Okay. Hang on a second. She's asking him to dance, she's probably not doing it just to be polite, and people keep telling him not to be so self-deprecating. So, after glancing at that hand on his shoulder a little suspiciously -- although really that's just shyness disguised as suspicion -- he nods.]

Sure. I can try. You look great, by the way. I mean, not that you don't look great normally.

[anunluckypenny]

That's okay.

[This has nothing to do with politeness and everything to do with Ginsberg being a guy-type acquaintance who seems really nice, if a bit awkward. Penny's usually kind of shy and awkward herself, so a little social fumbling isn't going to bother her. But there are a lot of things that aren't going to bother Penny right now.]

Really? [People don't usually comment on her looks! Lucy is clearly a genius.] Thank you, I mean. Thanks. You look pretty snappy, too.

[She pulls Ginsberg to the dance floor, moving to the upbeat music. It's not like they're at a ball and they need to start waltzing; some swaying and arm action will suffice.]

[just_displaced]

Oh, well, I mean...

[He shrugs a little uncomfortably. He is wearing a suit jacket, but of course it's some hideous iteration of bright and plaid, because that's just how he is.]

Thanks. So, um...

[He follows her lead, letting himself be tugged out onto the dance floor. He's capable of dancing, he just doesn't do it a whole lot. People don't usually ask, and he doesn't usually go places where it happens.]

... any reason you decided to get all dressed up? I mean, I don't think anyone's complaining that you did, but it's just very... fancy.

[anunluckypenny]

[As a patron of thrift stores and avid fan of the quirky and brightly-colored, Penny can appreciate Ginsberg's fashion choices, even if her personal taste tends toward gentler colors and less plaid.]

Well... I haven't taken a night off for ages, and my friend helped me with the look. I think I forgot how to just relax and mingle, you know? So she's helping me with that, too.

[This implies that there was a time when Penny was good at relaxing and mingling. There wasn't. Half the reason she meets and subsequently dates terrible guys is because she doesn't ever go looking, hoping a date will cross her path (or shove her out of the way of a moving courier van or whatever).]

What're you doing here? You look kind of nervous. It's not a fun-having look.

Action!

[theblowfish]

[Well this isn't a sight he usually sees at the Welcome Center.]

Holy shit, you look beautiful. Like a tinsely Christmas tree.

[anunluckypenny]

[This isn't a sight anyone sees anywhere. Penny isn't exactly the sort of person who goes to clubs every night and owns a closet full of skintight, glittery skirts. Thank a mix of desperation and cursedness.]

Jesse, hey! [Penny dances over, half a cup of something blue in one hand. She has no idea what it is, honestly, but it tastes like Kool-Aid and poor judgment.] Thank you--that's such a sweet thing to say.

[theblowfish]

[He looks over to her drink and honestly it looks both amazing and full of mistakes. Which of course means that Jesse wants some.]

You're welcome, yo. Hey, what's in that drink? It looks like gatorade.

[anunluckypenny]

I don't know, actually. [She offers it to him with a cheerful smile.] Do you want the rest? If I drink all of it, I'll start falling over. Five-inch heels and alcohol don't play well.

[theblowfish]

[Taking a half finished drink? Sure! Jesse relieves Penny of her drink when she offers it.] Not that your shoes aren't cool or whatever, but don't you wanna take 'em off if they're hard to walk in? [A dirty floor isn't exactly something he thinks about.]

[anunluckypenny]

[To be fair, they're probably only, like, three-inch heels. Still not a thing that makes inebriated walking easy.]

I don't think I should. I mean, they're not mine, so I can't lose them, and I'm trying to be sexy. I think the heels are necessary for the being sexy.

[Bluntness brought to you by... whatever those drinks were. Cheers!]

[brobeforehos]

Listen to Lucy, Penny - you're definitely a drooling-at-your-feet type of person.

[Everyone's getting kisses :T]

[anunluckypenny]

What am I even supposed to say to that?

[Hey, Penny's about one more drink away from being willing to kiss just about anyone. They might have to hold her up, though.]

Thanks, Mae. That's all I've got.

[brobeforehos]

You're very welcome. [Penny looks like she's having fun, or something. Meanwhile, she's in her pajamas in her own empty flat, what life is this.]

Can I ask what brought on this wonderful burst of confidence?

[anunluckypenny]

[This is some crazy backwards universe, obviously.]

Um? Desperation, I guess, followed by Lucy and this. [She holds up her third drink, which is a pink cocktail of some kind. It really doesn't even count as her third since she gave half of her second drink to one of her acquaintances.] But mostly desperation.

[brobeforehos]

Desperation doesn't have a good sound to it. [It sounds a little sad, to be perfectly honest.]

[anunluckypenny]

Honestly? I can't tell if it's actual desperation or just me desperately trying to get over someone else.