They Grow Up So Quickly - Eventually

I mentioned this Wednesday, but I appreciated that Giant Days #52 gives us a chance to see Esther interact with Ken Lord again, because it serves as an opportunity to see how she's progressed as a person.

In Giant Days #28, she goes to a professor's soiree determined to show off. To prove that she's the star of the English Romantic Literature program, reclaiming that position from Emilia (who doesn't give a crap about such things anyway). Only to be stymied when Emilia starts playing some tune on a lute. Esther opts to sulk, first gorging on fancy cheeses, and then drinks way too much wine with Professor Lord while trying to impress him. She ends up tipsy to the point she's going to let him take her home with him, and it's only Emilia whisking her away that saves her.

Then she throws up repeatedly in the bushes outside.

Flash forward to now, she accepts Ken's invitation to one of his parties, to get Shelly into contact with people in the publishing industry. Esther knows full well now what Ken's hoping for. So even when her attempt to sneak off somewhere quiet to again gorge on fancy cheeses* brings her into contact with him, he hasn't got a chance. When the masculine bravado gets shot down immediately, he tries the pitiful, "I'm so lonely," approach, and that doesn't get him anywhere, either.

I really love the extremely skeptical look in panel 3 there, followed by the cold dismissal in panel 4. Old Ken is gonna need a lot of wine after that brushoff. Or perhaps counseling would be better.

It isn't as though Esther's matured entirely in the last 24 issues. She applied for a job in the financial sector because she figured she'd make money like Shelly. Because she a) had no idea what she'd actually be doing, and b) doesn't have any solid idea what Shelly does for a living. That's a bit foolish, although it worked out in the end. She asked her interviewer how one gets a good job in the place, as opposed to the job the interviewer has. Which doesn't seem like a good thing to ask, but I can appreciate the honesty**.

There are still things she doesn't know, or doesn't bother to think about before she acts, but she's gotten wiser in some ways, at least. The rate of romantic debacles has slowed considerably, for one thing. There's just been that one guy that was sure he could improve on the Hyperloop that I can think of since Ed Gemmell drunkenly confessed his feelings (then broke himself into 50 pieces climbing a wall).

She did still give herself massive carpal tunnel trying to win an essay contest typing it out entirely on her phone. But she won the contest. She's still the one out of her, Daisy, and Susan that's most likely to get them mixed up in something crazy, but I think there's more good intentions behind it now.

I think Daisy's trial by fire is up next, since she'll no doubt have to confront the rude girl after she does whatever it is she's planning. But she handled Ingrid once, and there was past romantic tension there, so this should be a relative breeze. She just has to summon that energy she gets when she's completely fed up with everyone else's nonsense.

*Until I reread issue 28, I didn't remember she actually started with cheeses before Ken got her plastered. I'm not much of a fancy cheese guy, but I understand completely taking advantage of free food when it's available.

** The closest I've gotten to that was one of the last jobs I interviewed for prior to getting my current job. When they reached the end, and asked if I had questions, I admitted I had no idea why they had opted to interview me for the position, as I had no relevant experience in the specific area the position involved.