Who: Mel and Carmen What: Donation Appointment Where: Aphrodisia When: Tuesday? I'll get back to you on that. Warnings: Near flirting? Glazed over nudity? Not too much.
Appointments weren't Mel's favorite thing in the world, and they were even less so when she didn't know what to expect. The woman had barely given her time to explain on the phone, instead giving her a time and date to show up at the shop. So, when it came time, Mel styled her hair a bit, though it still looked slightly wild, and grabbed a dark blue blouse and black fitted pants. They were almost like slacks, if you ignored the pockets that were fitted against the fabric, not meant to be used, but there all the same. The ones on her hips carried the normal variety of items, though the untucked blouse flared just enough to cover it up. Arriving a bit early, she paused to stare at her sister's work in the windows, taking in the subtle details, and nodding a bit... only then, eyes still on the art, did slow steps move to the door. It'd probably look bad to arrive late when she was asking for something.
The shop door was propped open, various people inside. Some were carting items around, others were carrying bundles of lingerie into the backrooms to try on. Aphrodite stood on one of the small stages from the room, showing the scantily clad woman next to her how to pose properly. She adjusted the girl's stance to her liking and hopped off the stage, noticing Mel making her way in.
"Hold that pose," she said to the girl, waving her had as she went to greet the new face. "You're early. That's good. Carmen Summers," she introduced properly, hand extended.
"Melpomene Smith," she answered, deciding the full name was probably more professional just now. "Mel, if you want." She took the hand and gave it a firm shake as she stepped properly through the door. "I thought it best to give myself some time if Val's window distracted me as much as everyone says that it would." Talking of distractions, the owner was a distraction on her own. The muse kept her eyes on the face though. That'd give her a better idea how much the woman worked for it.
"Melpomene?" she asked, crossing her arms loosely across her abdomen. "Interesting name. It seems word about the window is getting around," she moved on quickly, nodding to the font. "Wonder what they'll do when the women inside are real. So you're here for more than the right?"
An eyebrow cocked. Few people managed to say her name exactly right. "It's Greek, but most people can't say it right." Hence, Mel. She shrugged and stuck her hands in her pockets for the time being. Time for business. "My partner, Joanna, spoke with you and gave me your information. She thought you might be interested in the event that we are planning on holding on Halloween."
"Ah yes, she is helping me with my catering problem," she said, glancing up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "A Halloween event? Tell me about it," she snapped back to attention with a kind smile.
"Do you want the short version, or the long one?" Short might be better, and with most she kept it to the point, but something made her think that an interesting detailed story might not go completely amiss. Without turning her head, she looked at the set up over the woman's shoulder for clues. Everything big and over the top? Yep. Someone who might like dramatics.
"I've got time, why don't you tell me the full story?" One glance over her shoulder and she noticed the woman she had been schooling before was still standing in the same position. It made her smile and she gave Mel her complete attention.
"Nick Aiolos is the son and heir of Luke Aiolos. Luke was big on throwing charity parties at their ranch, inviting the community to come, party, and give a large amount of money in a form of giving back to the community. Luke died only a short time ago, but his son has choosen to throw the party in a small tribute to him. Joanna and I own the theater that it will be held at. It's new to us, so it's also a way of show casing the changes that we've made." She gauged the woman across from her, and continued on. "We're going to build it up into a proper theater, but for now, this is a chance for fun, fund raising and advertising. It's a costume party, of course, but there will also be a silent auction with items and package deals that local vendors have donated to help raise that money for the charities. We're also looking for small give away items." Pausing, Mel wasn't finished, but she tilted her head to purposely look at the model. "It'd give you a great chance to show off some things, get a small tax break from the donation, and be doing the owners of the Peira a favor."
She listened intently but her face was blank, at least until she finished. "Peira?" she asked with a soft laugh. "Does that have something to do with your name?" She was not going to agree to anything until her question was answered.
Wait, she knew the name? "What do you mean?" Best to play dumb, at least for a moment.
"You can't tell me you're named after a Muse and you just happened to call your theatre by their birthplace. Did you just Google for something clever?" She lifted her arm, letting her chin rest on the pad of her thumb with a smile, curious to hear the explanation.
"Most people don't know the names of the muses, but if I'm called Melpomene, and I own a theater, wouldn't it be a good name? Birth place of the muses, a home of the arts in all it's forms..." She forced a shrug and looked away, acting nonchalant despite her inner questions. Would even someone born in Greece know the name? A test then. She turned back to the owner. "I trust I'm saying it right?"
The smile faded as she nodded, turning away from her to go to the register where a notebook was sitting. "How many items would you say you need from me for this auction? I've got plenty to give."
"It depends on what you would like to give. Whatever size you donate, they may wish to come back to get in their own, but if you would like to donate a few pieces, or some money and a piece or two to build a romance package, or a gift card..." Mel considered. "We're also doing something like a scavenger hunt. If you have some gift certificates we could give out in that, you could do a few small amounts, plus an auction item." She was giving ideas, seeing what seemed to fit best with the owners own desires.
Jotting down a few notes on the paper, she let the pen tap between each thought. She could get some special certificates made for the occasion, something a little more exclusive for the event alone. "I can throw a few gift packages together easily. Tell me, what sort of items are being auctioned?" Turning around gracefully, she leaned on the counter with a curious smile. If she knew what they had for the event already, she could get something better.
Mel blinked, and pulled her thoughts toward the question. No, no staring at her and wondering how practiced moves were. She'd probably taken ballet as a kid... Maybe she'd been born into money? And now she was throwing it in her parents face with some lingerie shop and spending money as if it were endless. Melpomene managed to hide her inner cringe as her little inner theater showed the woman coming to some terrible failure an falling out with her parents. Oh how heart breaking. Oh how Lifetime. Hopefully the pause and slightly dazed look would be passed off as remembering the other donations. "Not many yet. We have some money donations, and the theater will have some. I know there will be a number of custom art masks being auctioned as well as sold..." She shrugged again. "I have to go to a jeweler tomorrow to pick up some things."
She waited expectantly for an answer, about to press the girl for information when she finally spoke. Satisfied, she just smiled and nodded. "Well, I have a few things I could give. Should I have them appraised?" Old things, really. Trinkets from her from past admirers, not lovers. She was much to selfish to give away the gifts that reminded her of those who had been worthy of worshiping her physically.
"Appraised?" Why would she need clothing appraised? That didn't exactly follow Mel's line of thought at that moment.
"Yes, I have some nice things. Art, jewelry, whatever you want I have. I figure if I'm giving to an auction, I should make it something grand. You do want to raise money afterall and a few small items won't fetch much. It will make me look good," she added, smiling.
"I don't think you need help with looking good," she mentioned off hand. "But we'll accept anything that is offered. You can mark the proceeds to go to a certain charity if you have a preference. It's silent auction, so it's hard to know what amount the items will actually get." Then again, Mel was sure a lot of people looked at this as a reason to party, with the charity part as a well of not feeling guilty about it.
"Hmm, well, I'm sure they'd love to have a piece of paper telling them how much money their little purchase is worth." Her attention was back on the notepad, writing down a quick thought. "How about ten gift boxes and, oh, thirty gift cards of varying worth?" It was unclear if she was asking for agreement or if she was simply thinking outloud as she tapped the pen on the counter.
"That would be wonderful, and greatly appreciated." They'd need to find a way to say thank you to some of the bigger sponsors, but that could come later. For now, the woman might have to be satisfied with a simple invitation to the party, despite it being open to the public as well.
"Alright, I'll have them for you in a week." Another spin and she offered a dazzling smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw the posing model on the runway. The girl's arm was shaking and her jaw was set as she fought to hold the stance until she was told to release it. Amused, Aphrodite's smile only grew. "Is that all you came to ask?"
Wasn't that enough? Mel turned her attention to the same place as the owner, and nodded her head. "Yeah. I should let you get back to work. I have some masks to make and a daughter to feed. Do you need a contact number or anything?"
"Oh yes, here," she thrust the pad of paper into her hand and turned away momentarily. "Alright, Elise, you can relax," she said and the girl sighed with relief, hustling from the stage. Aphrodite chuckled and walked back to Mel, arm extended to take the notepad away when she was finished.
Taking the paper, Mel scribbled down her cell number, and the number for the theater itself, then tagged on Thalia's name and number as well for good measure. Finished, she offered her empty hand to the woman. "Thank you, for your time and promised donations, [woman]."
Her head snapped up and her brows were raised. "What did you say?" she asked quietly, frozen in place momentarily.
Ah, that answered it. The flawlessness and answer to all the questions, the knowledge of pronunciation, and, on top of it all, the store name. Bingo. But, theater muse that she was, none of this showed on her face, and her hand dropped slightly. "[Woman]? It means lady..." She let a little bit of concern show in her voice and face, the hints of the teen that she normally looked like showing more as she did so.
The look of surprise was gone and her eyes narrowed. "Hmm," she said, taking the paper but not shaking her hand. "Where did you pick up a term like that?" It was hard for her to play careful, but Hermaphroditos' warning was still clear in her mind. So far she had had nothing to worry about but she was trying to be careful.
In Peira. An eyebrow arched. "I don't remember. It's Greek. ... Why?"
"Just a question," she responded simply, back to leaning on the counter nonchalantly. "It's not every day you hear someone throw Greek into everday language."
"Have you ever met Trystan Jube?" she asked, now wondering how long the goddess -- or one playing the goddess if she wanted to be paranoid -- had been in town.
"I haven't been here long, so no. Should I have?"
"You might want to, if you can. He's another one of the donors, but he seems to know a lot of Greek things as well." That was only a part lie. The part about him donating hadn't been confirmed yet, but she was hoping too. "Maybe if you did, the two of you could put a package donation together. Hotel and romance..." That didn't sound sleazey at all.
That wasn't a bad idea. "Do you have a number I can reach him at?" she asked, holding the pad of paper once more. Jube sounded familiar and her brow was creased as she tried to remember the reason why.
Pausing as if trying to remember, she pulled her phone out and went through the contacts. Okay, pretended to go through the contacts. She made sure the other couldn't see before she scribbed off a number on the pad. "You might have to go through the secratary to get to him, but he got back to me quickly, so I doubt you'd have a problem." Which was an utter lie. She had given is office number, but she'd call his cell if she wanted him.
"Secretary?" Oh! The bright smile on her face smoothed her features substantially and she raised up on her toes happily. "Jube Hotel, now I remember," she said outloud, taking the piece of paper. There was still something else she felt like she needed to remember about the name but she shrugged it off, too excited to become thoughtful now. "Well, I think that's all we need to discuss, yes?"
"That's all I had planned." She glanced about. "Do you mind if I look around?"
"Go ahead," she lingered by the register as the woman started to walk away. "If you need a second opinion, I'd be happy to help."
I'm sure you would... "Too bad the boyfriend isn't here..." That would help. And it made her wonder how big the dressing rooms were. That question in mind, she started her way in that direction, pausing to look at anything that was out and easy to see along the way, wondering if anything would catch her eye.
Giving the woman some time alone, she approached her as she was searching through the darker colored lingerie. "Tell me about your boyfriend," she said, lifting a black teddy off the rack and holding it up to the woman's body. With a slight hum she pulled back and set it on the rack, going for something gray instead.
"He owns the Aiolos Ranch. A long line of Greek horse breeders. He likes basically anything fast, and has the money to back the interest up. He's also my daughter's father." As much as she liked the black, the first items wasn't to her taste, and the gray wasn't looking much better. Slowly drawing away, she fingered a blue piece, pulling it out a bit to look at.
"Ah, and how old is your daughter?" she asked, keeping up the small talk if only to continue her search for something to give the woman to wear. She followed her line of sight and slipped over beside her, grabbing a silk piece from the back. "How about this?" she asked, waving the basque temptingly.
"She was born July 20th..." Mel eyed the piece, and nodded. "I like it..." Carefully reaching forward, she felt the fabric.
"Go try it on," she motioned to the door leading to the dressing rooms. "Push the other girls out of the way, they only work here."
Taking the item, she eyed the size briefly before heading to original goal. Another girl was stepping free of one as she went toward them, making it clear for Mel. Stepping inside, she glanced around and pulled the curtain partly closed. She wasn't overly concerned with hiding herself away, and turning her back to it, appeared not to realize it.
Tapping her foot as she waited, she gave the woman only a little time before poking her head in the back. "Come out on the stage when you're finished. Let everyone get a good look."
Stage? Mel turned and arched an eyebrow at the woman, then looked down at the top that she had on. "... Hopefully that pants don't look weird with it." She didn't think so, but with it fully in place, she gave her hair a bit of a flick, and turned to exit the room... Trusting she met Summers approval.
"Ah, lovely," she said with a smile. Again, she was pleased to see that the women who came into her store were comfortable with being seen by others. "Now what about the rest of it? There's a cute little set to go with the basque."
There... oh. There was. Mel peered at the garter and tights, and paused. "I would, but I'm not wearing any underwear." And the set didn't have any in it, unless they'd dropped on the floor. Possible. Mel had been eying the size of the dressing room more then anything else.
The slight look of surprise vanished and the woman burst out laughing. "Fantastic answer," she praised, grabbing the bottoms to the item she had given and handing it out to her. When the woman reached for it, she took her hand and pulled her down gently so they could speak more quietly. "Do you often parade around under dressed?"
The muse arched an eyebrow, keeping her voice equally low. "I wouldn't call it 'parading around' since more people don't know, but it does tend to be the normal state of things."
Smirking, she stepped up on the stage and turned the woman around so she could adjust the back of the basque. "You should try the rest on. This little number isn't complete until you have a whip," she said playfully.
"Nick might dislike that last part..." Her tone was serious, though the thought actually amused her. Taking the last items needed, she didn't bother to move away as she stripped off her pants, and began to put the rest of it on. Somehow, the change in clothing also let a bit more of her youthfulness show through, though she could easily be teenager, or somewhere in her twenties.
"You know, I have had quite a few girls in here who had no problems with showing off their forms, but none of them stripped down in front of me," she said admiringly. "It's refreshing."
Mel finished getting herself recovered, and turned to look at the woman, slightly surprised by the admiration in the tone. Clearly it didn't bother her. "You've seen it all before, and I don't have anything to hide. It takes more time to go with society and be shy about it."
Replying with a nod, she watched the woman for a moment. "Straighten up a little, strike a more sexual pose. You've got a playfulness about you that's eye-catching, use it to your advantage. Add a little smirk and we're all set." Moving closer, she took the girl by the chin and gave her head just a little turn, "There. The perfect look."
She held the pose for a moment, then shifted. Her hands clasped each other behind her, her weight shifted as she rolled her shoulders back, her head tilted to the side. Feet shifted to fidget, just like a little child caught doing something they knew the shouldn't, but as she lifted her eyes to the other, the innocence and child like nature of the stance was completely set off by the smirk and playfulness that suggested she was nothing but naughty.
"You're quite good at that," she mused, stroking her finger along the girl's chin. "With a look like that, how did you ever think dating one man was the right choice?"
Mel's eyes half lidded at the touch, the smirk growing as if she might try to turn the look on the woman herself. "I don't sleep in only one bed..." But then the attitude changed as easily as changing clothes, and the muse's smirk shifted away, her posture relaxing. "But why I am with him and loyal to him within the terms of our relationship is a long story."
"Something I'd rather not hear right now," she added, drawing away from the woman. "Well, the shop has yet to open and I don't feel like ringing that little item up, so you're free to take it home and try it out on whoever you please. Just come back before the auction so we can finalize a few things."
She nodded and grabbed up her clothes, debating if she should just put them over the top or change back. It didn't exactly matter... and it could be a surprise for Nick when she got home. "You have my number..." Pausing, a glance around the space helped to show her that she doubted the owner cared much about who came through before the true grand opening. "Do you mind if I bring the boyfriend next time?"
"That depends. What do you plan to be doing besides shopping?" With a knowing smile, her arms crossed loosely over her abdomen, watching the girl curiously.
"What would the owner allow besides shopping?" she returned, her street clothes still in hand as she watched her, waiting for the answer.
"As long as there's no real mess left behind and no physical harm is brought upon my customers, you can do whatever you like, as long as you promise to keep the noise up."
"The noise up?" Her eyebrow arched. That was different. Next she'd want to join them...
"What? You expect me to tell you to keep it quiet? Please, I want people to enjoy themselves. I'm even looking for the ocassional person to be uncomfortable, which is exactly what a dressing room romp would bring." She paused, glancing away thoughtfully. "Just don't expect me to stop anyone who wants to take a peek."
"Just don't let anyone record it." That said, she gathered her pants and started to put them carefully back on. "Are you keeping everything to lingerie?"
"At the moment, but that will change," she said, starting to walk away. "I just have to make sure I have enough devoted patrons before I branch out."
She almost asked which way she intended to branch, but realized, it didn't really matter. The blouse went on next and the bra she had been wearing was stuffed into a pocket. Perfect. She stepped down from the stage and followed the owner. "Thank you."
"Mmm hmm," she dismissed the thanks. "Just come back and we can get the rest sorted out for your event." Slipping behind the register, she as back to poking at the touch screen in hopes of getting a few things working, no longer giving Mel her attention.
And she was dismissed. Mel knew that look. Giving another wave, Mel headed out the door, with a second glance to her sister's window. She wondered what her father would think...
Summary: Mel goes to the shop to of Carmen Summers to met and see about acquiring a donation for the party as per Thalia's suggestion. The meeting goes over very well, and another muse walks away with free lingerie.