ficlet: Leverage, no title
I blame vickyocean and palmetto
No spoilers.
"This dress," Sophie complained, twisting to stare at herself in the mirror.
"Gingham," called Nate from the other room, "It's wholesome. I'm sure it looks fine on you."
"Fine is not the issue," she muttered, tugging at the hem, trying to pull it lower. Not that she minded short hems, but on this dress it just looked odd. Sophie did admire the way her legs looked in the white knee-socks, though.
"I don't understand."
Words everyone was used to hearing from Parker. Sophie glanced sideways, prepared to roll her eyes, and paused at the sight of Parker decked out in tin-foil.
"How is this supposed to help?" Parker asked, crossing her arms and making the foil crunch against itself. Not as though she were uncomfortable, though she had to be. More as though she were just annoyed and wondering how to rob the nearest bank sounding like a bag of soda cans.
"You're the tin woodsperson," replied Nate, coming back in, carrying something that looked like a cardboard axe covered in tin foil. "Here. You'll need this, just don't hit anyone with it."
"I am not cowardly," objected Eliot as he joined them, talking over his shoulder to Hardison.
Alec looked somewhat scraggly in his straw-covered patchwork suit. "I never said you were, just that, in the movie--"
"I always prefered the books," Sophie noted idly, "They were such an interesting social commentary on the treatment of children at the time."
For a moment, all of them looked at her.
"What?"
Nate face-palmed, "We are not here for social commentary. We are here to run this con, get it in the box and get it over with."
"How come you don't have a costume?" Eliot asked, eyeing Nate with something between annoyance and amusement.
Parker nodded, making herself creak. "Yeah, shouldn't you have to wear hobbit clothes?"
"Ah, hobbits are from Lord of the Rings. He'd be a Munchkin, though he's too tall for that." Hardison corrected her.
"Munchkin, then!"
"Too tall."
"He could be a Wheeler," suggested Sophie, still trying to ignore the way the dress was too-tight, compacting her chest a little too much. Sometimes, a little cleavage could help matters. She knew that from long experience.
"No, no. I'm the dog, all right? I'm Toto. Just pretend I'm there, following along in your footsteps."
"You could be Glinda," Sophie pointed out, relentlessly. "Though I'm not sure you'd look exactly good in a dress. And the tiara would be a bit much."
"No dress. No tiara. No costume." Nate gestured at them all, "You've all got your comms? Good. Go. Shoo. I'll be watching from here."
"Toto doesn't give the orders," replied Sophie serenely, though she headed for the door, glancing back at the others, "Are you coming, or should I simply assume I'll have to find you, as Dorothy did?"
"We're ready," Eliot said, his tone grumpy.
Alec knocked a bit of straw off his shoulder, then said, "I don't see why y'all aren't looking at this as a learning experience."
"Learning what?" asked Parker, giving him a glare.
"Team spirit."
Nate realized, as they all trooped out the door after Sophie, that maybe having Hardison on the team had been a good idea. And maybe not. He wasn't sure if he wanted another family.
No spoilers.
"This dress," Sophie complained, twisting to stare at herself in the mirror.
"Gingham," called Nate from the other room, "It's wholesome. I'm sure it looks fine on you."
"Fine is not the issue," she muttered, tugging at the hem, trying to pull it lower. Not that she minded short hems, but on this dress it just looked odd. Sophie did admire the way her legs looked in the white knee-socks, though.
"I don't understand."
Words everyone was used to hearing from Parker. Sophie glanced sideways, prepared to roll her eyes, and paused at the sight of Parker decked out in tin-foil.
"How is this supposed to help?" Parker asked, crossing her arms and making the foil crunch against itself. Not as though she were uncomfortable, though she had to be. More as though she were just annoyed and wondering how to rob the nearest bank sounding like a bag of soda cans.
"You're the tin woodsperson," replied Nate, coming back in, carrying something that looked like a cardboard axe covered in tin foil. "Here. You'll need this, just don't hit anyone with it."
"I am not cowardly," objected Eliot as he joined them, talking over his shoulder to Hardison.
Alec looked somewhat scraggly in his straw-covered patchwork suit. "I never said you were, just that, in the movie--"
"I always prefered the books," Sophie noted idly, "They were such an interesting social commentary on the treatment of children at the time."
For a moment, all of them looked at her.
"What?"
Nate face-palmed, "We are not here for social commentary. We are here to run this con, get it in the box and get it over with."
"How come you don't have a costume?" Eliot asked, eyeing Nate with something between annoyance and amusement.
Parker nodded, making herself creak. "Yeah, shouldn't you have to wear hobbit clothes?"
"Ah, hobbits are from Lord of the Rings. He'd be a Munchkin, though he's too tall for that." Hardison corrected her.
"Munchkin, then!"
"Too tall."
"He could be a Wheeler," suggested Sophie, still trying to ignore the way the dress was too-tight, compacting her chest a little too much. Sometimes, a little cleavage could help matters. She knew that from long experience.
"No, no. I'm the dog, all right? I'm Toto. Just pretend I'm there, following along in your footsteps."
"You could be Glinda," Sophie pointed out, relentlessly. "Though I'm not sure you'd look exactly good in a dress. And the tiara would be a bit much."
"No dress. No tiara. No costume." Nate gestured at them all, "You've all got your comms? Good. Go. Shoo. I'll be watching from here."
"Toto doesn't give the orders," replied Sophie serenely, though she headed for the door, glancing back at the others, "Are you coming, or should I simply assume I'll have to find you, as Dorothy did?"
"We're ready," Eliot said, his tone grumpy.
Alec knocked a bit of straw off his shoulder, then said, "I don't see why y'all aren't looking at this as a learning experience."
"Learning what?" asked Parker, giving him a glare.
"Team spirit."
Nate realized, as they all trooped out the door after Sophie, that maybe having Hardison on the team had been a good idea. And maybe not. He wasn't sure if he wanted another family.