FTL - Prom Shopping (?)

[lady_mab]

"Merril has two hands" and for some reason she decides to hold Max and Kerri's??? for an "anon" on curiouscat

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Kerri doesn't know how she got talked into this. Something something looks good on college applications (sort of true), something something working with other clubs (not really true), something something prom decorations (someone just kill me now).

 

What part of I'll gladly foot the bill did no one seem to understand?

 

She frowns at the back of Max's car as she follows it to their destination -- because of course, Merril can't drive. Or she can and she doesn't have a car. Or she does but she doesn't. Kerri doesn't know, frankly, she doesn't care, but what she does care about is that, for some unknown reason, Max had to be invited along.

 

On this trip? To who knows where because Merril refused to tell her but all she could do was smile and say 'of course' because it was expected of her.

 

The last thing she wants to do is third wheel on somewhere she already doesn't want to be.

 

And when Max's car pulls into the parking lot for the local swap meet, Kerri thinks she'd sooner just go drive her car off a cliff than be caught walking in here.

 

But she said she would join, and it's not that she actively dislikes Merril, so… might as well try to play nice.

 

They park next to one another, and Kerri has to resist the urge to slam her door as she gets out. She can't hold back the "Charming," though, in response to looking at the entrance to the large sprawling mess of vendors and people.

 

Max tosses her a look, which Kerri deigns to ignore. Thankfully, Merril is in between them. Small enough for the looks to go right over her head, but present enough that, if nothing else, Kerri could only resort to clawing her own face off out of boredom.

 

They approach the entrance, and the sense of dread just settles into Kerri's ribs. "I have got to know, Merril dear, what do you intend to get out of this exercise?" They are supposed to be looking for decorations for prom, not kitschy little knick knacks for her and Max's future house together or whatever else.

 

"Supplies!" Merril replies, undaunted.

 

Max has a non-expression that can make a statue feel shame. "That's not a problem Kestrel, is it?"

 

She doesn't bristle. Instead, she smiles sweetly and sets her sunglasses up on top of her head so that the full weight of her stare can be felt. "Of course not, Valera. I'm just wondering why here, of all places."

 

Merril gives her a look that actually manages to make Kerri feel like she's kicked a small dog. "I know you said you'd cover it, but like… I don't just like randomly spending other people's money. Besides, I might be able to find something for the theater department." This thought seems to cheer her up a little.

 

Max and Merril move ahead, hand in hand, and navigating the crowds with ease. But also stopping to pause at random stalls and look at various ideas that would definitely not be useful for prom, to the point where Kerri consistently loses sight of them and has to double back to make herself feel at least a little accountable.

 

"Sorry," Merril says at one point as Kerri pushes her way back through a crowd headed in the opposite direction to find them. "We keep stopping."

 

"You do," Kerri says, flatly.

 

So Merri does the incredibly unreasonable thing and grabs Kerri's hand in her free one. "Now we'll be able to catch you before you go to far."

 

Kerri looks at her, looks at their hands, then looks back at her (and Max, with her non-expression twitching). "What."

 

"When we stop, I'll just pull your hand, and you won't wander off without us."

 

Kerri doesn't know how to politely say, 'This wouldn't be a problem if you didn't keep stopping to look at every little thing,' so instead she forces out, "Thank you…" though it kind of sounds more like a question and entirely unthankful.

 

"No prob!" Merril chimes with too much honesty for it to be really fair.

 

Max raises an eyebrow and snorts, but covers her expression well enough when Merril twists back to look at her. "Nothing," she reassures her. "A little bit of dust." The look she gives Kerri is, somehow, a little smug, though Kerri has no idea what she has to feel smug about.

 

Resigned to her fate, lest she has to see that kicked puppy expression again, Kerri sighs and allows herself to be tugged along by Merril through the swap meet.