Elijah made a face. He knew he couldn't dress himself but he could dress his children when it came down to it. Oddly enough, they were like their mother's when it came to their outward appearances. That was something Vivienne and Giselle had in common. They were both vain and self-absorbed. Fauve and Thierry weren't quite like their mother's - thank God - but that tendency, that paranoia, was there. Kitty would no doubt be dresses sensibly by her mother. Elijah wanted to put her in as many ridiculous outfits as possible before she thought her dad was boring and old. That, to Elijah’s horror, was probably what he was going to become in his children’s eyes. How awful.
His thoughts turned to his mother and his hand groped for the locket around his neck. Elijah wondered what she would have thought had she been able to see him now. She first would have turned her nose up at the fact that he was in a Muggle shop. She then would have turned her nose up at the fact that he was shopping for his daughter and then finally, he hoped, she’d smile and place a kiss on his cheek before launching herself into the clothing rails. He could only do but dream. Dead and buried, she wouldn’t have done that had she been alive. There was definitely no hope now. Elijah wondered whether she would have been proud of him or as horrified as his father was secretly.
Sophia’s voice caught Eli’s attention and he turned to her, managing a smile for her benefit. She seemed to be as displeased with his clothes as everyone in the shop was. Elijah frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, half tempted to send her home if all she was going to do was comment on his choice of dress. Still, he was in a good mood and Sophia was Chase’s friend. If anyone was going to fill the female void and give a sensible opinion while he was out then it was going to be Sophia. She knew Chase. She knew what she would like. Elijah knew what Chase liked too but put him in a shop with a credit card and an objective and he’d buy the whole store out.
As it was, he probably only needed a few sections out of the whole.
“Hello to you too, sweetheart,” Elijah quipped in return, smiling once more. He released the locket and reached forward, plucking a little bear outfit off of the rail. “Don’t you think this is cute?” He grinned, tilting his head to the side. “Or, or, this!” Elijah grabbed another outfit, this time a unicorn one, and held it up for Sophia to see. “Maybe a bumble bee one would be better though?”