For the moment Eliot's content to just listen to Jack puzzling it out; the walk to the section of building dominated by the department store isn't a long one, but it's still enough that he's getting overheated by the time they reach the entrance, and he takes a moment to shrug out of his coat and fold it over his arm.
They land in activewear, of all places, and Eliot's bone-deep commitment to idleness whenever possible means that his eyes tend to glaze over around this department. Jack's comparison to clothing purchasing in his own time is far more interesting. Eliot nods along, about to say something about how it's a whole ecosystem dedicated to keeping production costs low, but startles, giggling a little, at the sight of Jack pawing at a pair of leggings.
"Oh," he says, trying to keep from grinning too much, "Lycra, I think? they do all sorts of things with synthetics these days, taking stuff like rubber and plastic and turning it into fiber with chemicals. Clothing alchemy." He pauses for a moment. Maybe that's a bit insulting, but he's not sure when modern science started supplanting turn lead into gold with a basilisk egg for the mundane world anyway. "It's good for--well running, cuts down on wind resistance, but it can be blended with other fibers for things like underwear, if you want a stretchy knit that's not going to lose its shape and chafe. But unless you plan on joining some sort of...sports team while you're here, we can probably bypass this section today."
He peers across the floor, trying to internalize the layout. "Did you want to look at coats first, or should we start with like, basic shirts and pants?"
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They land in activewear, of all places, and Eliot's bone-deep commitment to idleness whenever possible means that his eyes tend to glaze over around this department. Jack's comparison to clothing purchasing in his own time is far more interesting. Eliot nods along, about to say something about how it's a whole ecosystem dedicated to keeping production costs low, but startles, giggling a little, at the sight of Jack pawing at a pair of leggings.
"Oh," he says, trying to keep from grinning too much, "Lycra, I think? they do all sorts of things with synthetics these days, taking stuff like rubber and plastic and turning it into fiber with chemicals. Clothing alchemy." He pauses for a moment. Maybe that's a bit insulting, but he's not sure when modern science started supplanting turn lead into gold with a basilisk egg for the mundane world anyway. "It's good for--well running, cuts down on wind resistance, but it can be blended with other fibers for things like underwear, if you want a stretchy knit that's not going to lose its shape and chafe. But unless you plan on joining some sort of...sports team while you're here, we can probably bypass this section today."
He peers across the floor, trying to internalize the layout. "Did you want to look at coats first, or should we start with like, basic shirts and pants?"