Tina had not anticipated her language being a big deal, and so Elizabeth's mild rebuke caught her off guard.
She merely nodded, though. She didn't think it was such a big deal, but apparently it was, and though she disagreed with that, she was smart enough to realize that she needed to adapt to where she was.


She followed Liz around the store, happy that she'd just heard the woman say that they could go upstairs as well, almost as though she'd read her mind. And so, Tina decided to play ball downstairs. Yes, that skirt was fine, but did it come in black, or at least some other color than that? Yes, jumpers might be a good idea - these seem ideal!


"Well", she said when it came to the matter of underwear, "Regarding that I don't really mind the color. Just not something babyish. Maybe it's better to go upstairs for that?", she suggested, meaning to have a look at the more "grown up" underwear on top of them.

Finally, she went with the PJs. She'd overheard that it could be cold here in this part of the world, just like at home, and she wasn't sure about how well houses were heated in the old days.


When they headed to the dressing room, Tina started by putting on the skirt, and she couldn't help but smile as she saw herself in the skirt. It made her look good, she thought, and she was sure that the skirt hid some of the extra kilos she was not fond of. So much so that she smiled wider than she had at any point before that when she exited the changing room to let Liz have a look. It would be an exaggeration to say that she was beaming, but she was definitely in a better place than before.

"What do you think?", she said with a smile as she spun around and then looked at Liz again, expectantly.

All in all, the shopping trip seemed to be going well. There was no shortage of things that Tina was prepared to wear, though the style she seemed used to in her own time seemed rather subdued in comparison. She seemed to want to have every item proposed in black, a bizarre choice to Liz's mind. Bizarre too to the wider world it appeared, as almost nothing was available in plain, mournful black, particularly in this section. She did try and find things in less garish hues and patterns, and hoped that would suffice. That aside, Tine seemed content with what was available, and there were even moments of enthusiasm, the first Liz had seen that day, and which she took as a very good sign given what the girl had been through.

'I think you are going to struggle if you don't like all these colours,' she laughed as Tina again hopefully asked for something in black. 'I mean aside from the odd dress or something, black is a colour for old widows and nuns if you ask me. Do people really dress like that back in Denmark?' she asked, then immediately forestalled that conversation. It was categorically not a sensible subject to be discussing in public.

'I don't know about that' she said with a slightly furrowed brow when Tina suggested going upstairs for underwear - not because of any prudishness at the idea of allowing Tina to buy lingerie, simply because she saw no point for such everyday items, and the idea of Tina wanting something 'risque' by 70s standards never occured to her. 'I don't know that you'd find much difference upstairs, and at least you know your size in here. As for it being babyish, what would you mean by that? All the bright patterns and stuff will be the same upstairs. Come on, pick some out here, briefs or bikini briefs, and white or something else?'

That dealt with, along with the rest of the items in play, she waited patiently outside the changing room while Tina tried on the skirt and one or two other items.
It gave her real pleasure to see the happiness on Tina's face when she emerged - she would not have expected herself to be so emotionally involved having only met her hours before, if that. The skirt suited her, and Tina clearly was happy enough not wearing jeans.

'Looks great Tina, really suits you' she agreed with total sincerity. 'We can get some more stuff like that if you want.'

Shortly afterwards, they had accumulated a fairly sizable load, consisting of all the essentials as well as several skirts, flared jeans, colourful shirts and shorts, brightly coloured tights and a couple of dresses including one that would do for even quite smart occasions. And all of it without Tina turning up her nose or insisting on looking upstairs.

'Well that's a decent amount already' Liz assessed. 'Is there anything else you feel like we should look for?'

"Well, you know", Tina began to reply slightly embarrassed, "Black makes me look less fat, so I tend to wear black as much as I can", she went on, "But....yeah, what I wanna do is not stand out in a crowd, so if that would make me do that, then...yeah, let's try something else", she said, trying to smile.


When Liz mentioned that they could get more skirts, Tina smiled genuinely and nodded. "I...I'd like that", she said as she turned back into the changing room to try some more of the clothes she'd gotten, to make sure it fit. Hearing that the choice of underwear wouldn't be much different in the grown-up section was a claim that Tina wasn't quite sure whether or not to believe, but she also didn't want to have an argument about this in public, so she decided to go along with it, and got mostly white panties, but also one that she thought looked cute, even though it was pink nylon.



She loved putting on the dress even more than she had the skirt, seemingly. It was as if she felt differently than in jeans, though she couldn't put a finger on why. But the difference was clearly there.
When they'd gotten as much as she thought they could, Tina thought long about Liz' question.

"I'm...not really sure?", she said. "I mean....That's a lot of clothes", she smiled, and her feminine "shopping instinct" was definitely being sastisfied at the moment. "Like....I don't really know if there's anything else I need? Like....something I'm not prepared for, if you know what I mean? I....", she began, then obviously frustrated at her inability to explain what she meant. "I mean...", she tried again, "that....I don't know if there's anything else I'll need. Apart from that uniform-thing, you know", she said in a "durr, obviously"-voice.


"But...like...there seems to be nothing really to do at home for fun but read and watch TV?", she asked, hoping for an answer in the negative, but realizing that the affirmative was more likely. "So....I mean...some books, I guess? But I don't really know any good books or writers or whatever", she said, somewhat embarrassed at her lack of knowledge of the period she'd suddenly found herself in, and it annoyed her quite a bit to be in a position of weakness like this.

Liz couldn't help scoffing slightly at Tina's reasoning for wearing black. 'Really, as if that's something you have to worry about at all Tina.' Liz herself had always been slimmer than most people, but she could not perceive Tina as being in any way larger. If the girl was genuinely worried or convinced she was fat, that was a little worrying, but she hoped it was simply a part of her teenage self-consciousness.

It was a relief to see her brighten up again at the prospect of some more skirts, and looking pretty happy about her situation. That made her feel better about the time ahead, in the knowledge that it was possible for Tina to be happy in her new life and home, and not perpetually sorrowful and resentful over what she had lost, as Liz had feared. That she was equally happy about the dress was equally gratifying. All these clothes seemed very ordinary and hardly worthy of comment to Elizabeth, but she reflected that they probably seemed very exotic to Tina, if fashion continued to evolve as quickly over the coming decades to her own time.

'That's fine, there's no need for us to get everything you might need all at once.' she said, as much to herself as to Tina. 'I reckon you've got a decent wardrobe there for now don't you? We can always get anything else once you realise you need it, and don't hesitate to let me know if you do think of something.' She could sense Tina's frustration at not being able to express herself properly, and sympathised with it. If the girl was struggling to decide on where to go with shopping, there was no point persevering with it.

'As for stuff to do at home, of course we can get you some books, but you should probably have an idea of what you want first. Do you know what sort of thing you might like? We can easily go to a library one day and you can have a browse.' Equal to Tina's embarrassment at her lack of knowledge was Elizabeth's at her apparent lack of ability to cater to Tina. 'But in terms of stuff to do at home, yes there are books and there's TV, there are board games and puzzles and things if you are into those. I mean if you fancy you can always get involved with the stuff I'm working on, but that might not be of any interest to you.' she finished self consciously.

Seizing the initiative so as not to leave them both brooding awkwardly, Elizabeth set off, leading Tina through the department store so as to pass through the hobbies and pastimes section to see if at a glance anything caught her eye, whilst ultimately leading her out into the street and past a row of similarly themed shops. She found herself sadly without inspiration in this matter, and the last thing she wanted to do, after coaxing Tina out of her shell a little, was to suggest something off the mark, or something Tina dismissed as childish, and leave her feeling misunderstood again.

"Well, like....I mean...I haven't really read all that many books except for school, you know, and that doesn't really count", she explained matter-of-factly, "But like...I mean...I know it isn't cool and all, but...I kinda like happy endings you know? Because there aren't really any of those in the real world, so it's nice reading about", Tina explained.

"And yeah, probably going to be spending a good amount of time with that TV, so I hope that there's something good on it, though I doubt if HBO even exists yet", she grinned in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm not smart enough for puzzles", she explained when Elizabeth brought up puzzles. "I mean...I'm not retarded, that's not what I'm saying, but....like...puzzles are for those who're smart, not me. I can see what the puzzle is supposed to be, but I can't solve it. So yeah, probably not the best of idea. Thanks, though", she smiled defeated, as they entered the hobbies section, and then into the street to other shops. Tina couldn't stop herself from looking around as puzzled and in awe as if she'd just stepped into the hallowed fields of Elysium, and didn't realize that she was unknowingly attracting a bit of attention to herself in this way...not to mention almost bumping into streetlights. It was after one particularly close call of that nature that she shook her head with embarassment.


"I don't know what to do", she said, her voice not breaking as such, yet, but it was obvious that something was up. "Like.....I'm not supposed to...", she began, then realized that the only direction this conversation could take would be one one she couldn't entertain in public, so she shook her head. "N...nevermind", she said as she then quickly changed the subject. "Yeah, heading to the library at some point is good.", she said in reply to the point brought up minutes ago. "I don't really know how to do anything with my hands", she said. "I know my mom and grandma can like knit and sow, but I can't. So that's off the table too", she said as they continued down the street.

The obvious catch in Tina's voice took Elizabeth aback, and filled her with empathy for the girl. With all she had been through, being separated from everything and everyone she knew, she was hardly going to be in a positive state of mind and was probably still spinning in confusion and disorientation. Elizabeth was probably going to have to impose a little more structure than she had initially intended. There was no problem with that, as she was used to orderly and structured living and working in her own life, but she would have to tailor it to Tina somewhat. However she managed it, Tina wasn't going to sort herself out and settle into her own life given her understandable lack of confidence, so Elizabeth would have to try and pave the way for her.

'Well Tina', she began, 'to me you seem like a very smart young woman, so enough of that nonsense for a start. If you don't think you're into puzzles though that's fair enough, but I remember quite enjoying them, so I think I'll get a couple, and then if you change your mind you know where to look.' COntinuing their journey to a smilar shop, she picked some things from the shelves as she chatted to Tina, hoping that this action might prompt Tina to at least try things later. Along with jigsaws, she gathered a few other bits and pieces of entertainment that seemed at least partially suited to an adult brain and not for small children; with visible enthusiasm, she included some sets of Meccano.

'This doesn't seem to be in the shops so much these days' she explained. 'I don't know if you've ever seen it,' ('or if it has evern survived into your time' she thought). 'I loved it as a kid, I was always stealing my brothers' stuff when I could, which always annoyed them. "You're a girl Lizzie, go and play with your dolls"' she said in a mocking impression, with a nostalgic smile.

'I guess this is a bit boy's own as a selection,' she reflected, looking down at their purchases as they left, 'but you don't strike me as a very girly girl Tina, if you don't mind me saying, so hopefully there'll be something there you can pass the time with if you feel like it, and it's not all just for me.' she laughed. Hopefully indeed, her efforts would be rewarded and Tina would be able to find diversions, rather than sitting listlessly around the house.

________________________________________

It seemed like no time at all that a few days later they were back in town, this time armed with instructions from the school where Tina was to be enrolled at the end of the summer and an intent to buy her supplies and uniform. The former were easy enough and commonly available, pencils and notepads, and other bits of stationery, though it probably seemed rather clunky and analog to Tina. From there they had to head a little out of town to a large uniform supplier that Liz thought would satisfy their needs. She had ended up doing a fair amount of research to find what she felt was the most economical course, as well as speaking to her niece to find out what was typical for girls these days, as her own memories of how uniform was worn were probably a bit out of date, though she did not like to think so.

Again she took the approach of running things by Tina and asking frequently for her preference where she could, though of course the very purpose of a uniform meant there was less room for flexibility.

'Would you like a pleated skirt or a straight one Tina?' she asked, holding up examples. She was willing to compromise somewhat on the length, knowing that girls preferred them pretty short these days, so the examples would probably be around mid thigh on Tina. 'Or maybe you'd prefer a pinafore dress?' she added uncertainly.

'You'll need some white socks - I'm not getting you tights, they get laddered so easily and definitely will at school - do you want ankle or knee high?'

'Now they say blazers are desired but optional, so we don't need to get you one, you can just wear a jumper most days, and if you decide you do need one we can get a second hand one cheaper than here.'

'Now' she said, reaching the shelves containing underwear. 'You're supposed to wear these as uniform, but my niece says plenty of girls don't except for games, and I've never really seen the point' she said, picking up a set of navy uniform briefs. 'I'm not going to say you have to, just don't come crying to me if you don't and get in trouble for it ok?' she finished with a grin, waiting for a decision.

'Why don't you go and try it all on' she said once they had assembled a broad selection of what they needed. 'Those shoes will probably do for now, it's nowhere too fancy' she said pointing to her plain black trainers, 'but let me know if all the other girls are wearing leather shoes and I'll get you some.' With that she settled outside the rudimentary changing booth for Tina to get changed and emerge.

Tina might not have been a genius, but she was intelligent enough to know when she was being complimented genuinely, and when she was being mocked, and she definitely sensed the former from the woman when she called her smart. This took her back a little, but also made her smile as she nodded.

"Thanks", she said, genuinely happy that at least someone thought so, as she went on "Yeah, not really the playing-with-dolls-type", she agreed. "Haven't since I was like...what...10 or something? I'm too old to play even if I wanted to", she went on matter-of-factly before deciding to keep an open mind while Elizabeth made some choices. This Meccano-thing looked strange to her. The concept, of course, was building things, which she knew from the Lego that she knew from back home, but obviously more old-fashioned than the lego she knew.
The thought of "playing with toys" was one that she reacted against, but building stuff could be fun. She'd never seen herself as being good at thinking about how to build stuff, but hey...couldn't hurt to try, right?


The rest of the trip was uneventful. There was a bit of moping when it came to the uniform - Tina thought at first that it was silly - but when she saw how she looked in the uniform, Tina paused for a moment and was unable to hide a little bit of a smile as she turned around to look at herself in the mirror while wearing the uniform. She couldn't deny that she looked, well, if not good that at least better than in her normal choices for school. There was something...dignified about her look that she wasn't used to, as she was used to dressing in the second-hand stuff she could find at charity shops.

In a brand new uniform, she looked positively glowing.

On the way home on the bus, Tina actually nodded off from the exhaustion of all the new impressions, and ended up unknowingly resting her head on Elizabeth's arm, something that did cause her some embarassment when she woke up again a few moments before their stop.
She got up and followed Elizabeth to the home.


That night she slept like a log.


A few days happened, and while Tina was in no way starting to adjust to this new place as such, she was beginning the process of reconciling herself to it.
There was, after all, nothing that could be done.



She couldn't help but giggle a bit at the TV they watched, though. People looked silly, though she kept that observation to herself, and when the news came on, she shrugged. "Like....I don't know everything that happened. I couldn't tell you lottery numbers or anything like that, I'm sorry", she said, a little bit actually remorseful that she couldn't. "I would if I could...like....so you get some benefit from having me around at least", she went on, "But...uhm...well, I heard about this "cold war" thing in school, and I can tell you that the good guys win in the end, so...I guess that's something?", she said with a smirk one night before she was about to retire for bed.