None of these characters are mine. Tommy, Jason, Kim, and other original
rangers belong to B.V.E. or whatever. Aji is exclusively Gamine's, and a
pretty rockin'-cool chippie. Nobody's making anything off any of this. I
just wanted to see how it would go if I tried to flesh out Gamine's Legacy
characters. If you aren't amused or entertained, blame (or thank) her for
letting me know I have a voice and then daring me to use it. Let's see how
it goes..
Adjusting Aji - the mall encounter
"You've got to be kidding me."
Aji stared, mouth open, at the swarms of humanity that bustled before her, into and out of shops, up and down escalators, into and out of restaurants and booth-sized cafes. Three floors of activity confronted her, astounded her, and overwhelmed her. She'd never seen this many people before - even in battle. She doubted there were even this many in all of Xerya. For now, anyway.
Kim just sighed and smiled. "Ah, it's good to be home."
"You don't really live here?" asked Aji belatedly.
"Of course not, although if you ask Tommy or Jason they'd immediately say yes. I just happen to like shopping, is all. And the mall is the absolute best place to do it in. Everything in one place."
Again Aji stared. Everything in one place, huh? It certainly seemed like it to her. "This will take some getting used to," she admitted.
"That's okay," ventured Kim. "I you'll have plenty of opportunity to get used to it. Now that Trini is off with Deorth, you get to be my new shopping buddy! Not to mention one of my bridesmaids. Oh, she'll be here for the wedding, but not until a day or two before. This stuff takes weeks to prepare. So YOU get to be my new mall sidekick!"
"Great," Aji said darkly. "What's a bridesmaid?" she asked, beginning to think she didn't want to know.
"Well, for the wedding, you stand up front with Kat, Trini and Tanya and watch Tommy and I get married. You wear a fabulous dress, and carry flowers. It's fun."
"Ah. Why?"
"Because it's tradition." Kim screwed her pretty face up in thought. "That, and I think it originally was to confuse anyone coming to kidnap or steal the bride so they wouldn't know which one she was."
"Oh. We're bait for attackers." Aji could understand that motive, having lived with combat all her life.
"No, not really," Kim replied. "Not anymore. Now any ruffian-baiting necessary at a wedding is done by how tasty you look in the dresses we pick out. Not that Jase would let that happen, anyway. Let's get moving. I want to hit most of the stores by lunchtime."
As they walked along the shops, Aji found herself relying on her combat- trained muscles to keep from being jostled and even overrun by shoppers carrying large and unwieldy parcels. She sighed, still not getting it, but willing to attempt to fit into life with Kim, because she was a part of her life with Jason, and in honor of her bond with Tommy. It was that bond that allowed her to understand Tommy's feelings for Kim, and his desire to spend his life with her. But this shopping thing. Aji didn't think she'd ever get it.
Meanwhile, Kim kept up a steady stream of explanation and commentary on the clothes and designs she saw around her. "Omigosh! This would be PERFECT, except that it would look HORRID on Tanya, since she'll still be pregnant during the ceremony, and JEEZ, I can't believe they expect people to pay this much for last season's shoes, especially ones as ugly as that, and do you prefer off the shoulder, or spaghetti strap, and by the way, I think someone with your body shape would look FABULOUS in this.."
Aji was amazed by Kim's never-ending verbal stream. She walked along trailing Kim as she wound her way among display racks, handing her outfits to hold, paying only half her attention to Kim's banter. She was still wondering what spaghetti was and why it was used to make clothing straps, when she was jostled back into awareness by something Kim had just said.
Aji burst out without thinking, "what do you mean I have to wear yellow?"
"Well," said Kim, "you're the yellow ranger now. That means you have to load up on yellow for your wardrobe."
"But I look atrocious in yellow. My hair is red."
"I know," said Kim sympathetically, "but we all do it. When I was the pink ranger, I always wore pink. Jason wore red, Tommy wore green, Trini wore yellow, Billy wore blue. That's how it was."
"But why?" Aji asked.
"Um," was all Kim could manage. "I really don't know. We just did." Kim looked at her with a somber face, then quickly turned her face away to hide her impish grin from Aji. "So you will."
"No. absolutely not."
"But you're the yellow ranger now!" Kim cried with mock hurt in her voice.
Aji was adamant, and turned to face Kim. "Uh-uh, former pink whatever. Not on your life. I look horrible in yellow. I look sallow."
Kim's front of stubborness almost fell. "Obviously, things won't be the same with this new generation of rangers. But I never thought, even among the primary Zeo ranks, that there'd ever be anything but 'the way it always is.'"
Aji noticed Kim's discomfiture, and took the bait. She tried again. "Well, at least not ALL yellow. Couldn't I wear, like, a yellow sash or a bracelet? Under my clothes? Yellow underwear?"
Kim sighed her 'exasperated' sigh that always worked so well with Tommy. "Look, let's just leave it for now and get on with shopping. I really want to have these bridesmaids dresses picked out by the end of the day." She began walking again, headed towards the bridal boutique.
Aji, willing to table for a time what she didn't understand, made a mental note to query Jason later. In an attempt to get back into a better mood, then called out to Kim's retreating back, "So, what color are these decoy dresses going to be?"
Kim turned and hollered back over her shoulder, grinning widely. "Yellow!" She stuck out her tongue at Aji. She turned and watched Aji's scowl, then hooted it broke in to a grin. Kim began to run as the other woman chased her down with mock ferocity, and the two ran off through the throngs of humanity that perpetually inhabit the mall.
Adjusting Aji - the mall encounter
"You've got to be kidding me."
Aji stared, mouth open, at the swarms of humanity that bustled before her, into and out of shops, up and down escalators, into and out of restaurants and booth-sized cafes. Three floors of activity confronted her, astounded her, and overwhelmed her. She'd never seen this many people before - even in battle. She doubted there were even this many in all of Xerya. For now, anyway.
Kim just sighed and smiled. "Ah, it's good to be home."
"You don't really live here?" asked Aji belatedly.
"Of course not, although if you ask Tommy or Jason they'd immediately say yes. I just happen to like shopping, is all. And the mall is the absolute best place to do it in. Everything in one place."
Again Aji stared. Everything in one place, huh? It certainly seemed like it to her. "This will take some getting used to," she admitted.
"That's okay," ventured Kim. "I you'll have plenty of opportunity to get used to it. Now that Trini is off with Deorth, you get to be my new shopping buddy! Not to mention one of my bridesmaids. Oh, she'll be here for the wedding, but not until a day or two before. This stuff takes weeks to prepare. So YOU get to be my new mall sidekick!"
"Great," Aji said darkly. "What's a bridesmaid?" she asked, beginning to think she didn't want to know.
"Well, for the wedding, you stand up front with Kat, Trini and Tanya and watch Tommy and I get married. You wear a fabulous dress, and carry flowers. It's fun."
"Ah. Why?"
"Because it's tradition." Kim screwed her pretty face up in thought. "That, and I think it originally was to confuse anyone coming to kidnap or steal the bride so they wouldn't know which one she was."
"Oh. We're bait for attackers." Aji could understand that motive, having lived with combat all her life.
"No, not really," Kim replied. "Not anymore. Now any ruffian-baiting necessary at a wedding is done by how tasty you look in the dresses we pick out. Not that Jase would let that happen, anyway. Let's get moving. I want to hit most of the stores by lunchtime."
As they walked along the shops, Aji found herself relying on her combat- trained muscles to keep from being jostled and even overrun by shoppers carrying large and unwieldy parcels. She sighed, still not getting it, but willing to attempt to fit into life with Kim, because she was a part of her life with Jason, and in honor of her bond with Tommy. It was that bond that allowed her to understand Tommy's feelings for Kim, and his desire to spend his life with her. But this shopping thing. Aji didn't think she'd ever get it.
Meanwhile, Kim kept up a steady stream of explanation and commentary on the clothes and designs she saw around her. "Omigosh! This would be PERFECT, except that it would look HORRID on Tanya, since she'll still be pregnant during the ceremony, and JEEZ, I can't believe they expect people to pay this much for last season's shoes, especially ones as ugly as that, and do you prefer off the shoulder, or spaghetti strap, and by the way, I think someone with your body shape would look FABULOUS in this.."
Aji was amazed by Kim's never-ending verbal stream. She walked along trailing Kim as she wound her way among display racks, handing her outfits to hold, paying only half her attention to Kim's banter. She was still wondering what spaghetti was and why it was used to make clothing straps, when she was jostled back into awareness by something Kim had just said.
Aji burst out without thinking, "what do you mean I have to wear yellow?"
"Well," said Kim, "you're the yellow ranger now. That means you have to load up on yellow for your wardrobe."
"But I look atrocious in yellow. My hair is red."
"I know," said Kim sympathetically, "but we all do it. When I was the pink ranger, I always wore pink. Jason wore red, Tommy wore green, Trini wore yellow, Billy wore blue. That's how it was."
"But why?" Aji asked.
"Um," was all Kim could manage. "I really don't know. We just did." Kim looked at her with a somber face, then quickly turned her face away to hide her impish grin from Aji. "So you will."
"No. absolutely not."
"But you're the yellow ranger now!" Kim cried with mock hurt in her voice.
Aji was adamant, and turned to face Kim. "Uh-uh, former pink whatever. Not on your life. I look horrible in yellow. I look sallow."
Kim's front of stubborness almost fell. "Obviously, things won't be the same with this new generation of rangers. But I never thought, even among the primary Zeo ranks, that there'd ever be anything but 'the way it always is.'"
Aji noticed Kim's discomfiture, and took the bait. She tried again. "Well, at least not ALL yellow. Couldn't I wear, like, a yellow sash or a bracelet? Under my clothes? Yellow underwear?"
Kim sighed her 'exasperated' sigh that always worked so well with Tommy. "Look, let's just leave it for now and get on with shopping. I really want to have these bridesmaids dresses picked out by the end of the day." She began walking again, headed towards the bridal boutique.
Aji, willing to table for a time what she didn't understand, made a mental note to query Jason later. In an attempt to get back into a better mood, then called out to Kim's retreating back, "So, what color are these decoy dresses going to be?"
Kim turned and hollered back over her shoulder, grinning widely. "Yellow!" She stuck out her tongue at Aji. She turned and watched Aji's scowl, then hooted it broke in to a grin. Kim began to run as the other woman chased her down with mock ferocity, and the two ran off through the throngs of humanity that perpetually inhabit the mall.