alexis! (celebutante) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-06-10 17:57:00 |
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Sometimes being in Rose Apothecary was difficult - and Alexis would fully admit that it was due to the fact that this was really David’s store, both him and Patrick, and she was kind of just an interloper. Tasked with keeping it stocked, customer-friendly (so no toilet plungers displayed by the door), clean and tidy, and yeeting any potential shoplifters into the volcano. Of course, she had hired a few locals to help her out - one was this sweet vampire lady with sleek, shiny fangs and alabaster skin that was perfect; she also had super speed and super senses which meant she doubled as a security camera. Apparently she could go out in the sun too - it didn’t blister her, just kind of got her all squinty-eyed so she toted around a lacy umbrella and managed to make it work with her outfits. A wise decision - because as much as Alexis liked the Outlanders, she was well aware they could disappear on a whim. It wasn’t their fault - just the way things were. But she wanted to keep the Apothecary stable and in prime condition while she was here - and maybe if she disappeared, she could trust that it’d be left in perfectly manicured hands. Today, she had stopped by during her DOA lunch break - after picking up a salad to-go from Café Tropical (god, she missed Twyla’s crazy concoctions - it just wasn’t the same without her), she headed over to the Apothecary and did some work on the displays, seeing what the employees had come up with. One was a beachy design, complete with towels and flip flops and advertising proper skincare and suncare regimens - she made a few changes, moving the eucalyptus soothing gel to the front, head tilted as she considered. Marketing was her thing, and she wanted to be ready for those summer sales. She was also due to meet with someone - another Outlander person, looking for a job in the mecca of all handmade, locally-sourced beauty products. Alexis hoped it worked out because she really could use the extra help. And the focus on her proper employment, which happened to be public relations and DOA dumpster fires. If she were honest with herself, Katherine hadn’t actually expected to be here for this long. Lots of people were fleeting, in and out with a sprinkle of different versions and who's to say she’d be an exception? It wasn’t as if she was against integrating herself into the society - Nadia was enrolled in school, after all - but part of her thought that the moment she dug roots deep in here, they’d be ripped right the fuck out. Whether she left, or Hank (her greatest fear) poofed into thin air without a trace. Nothing that could be controlled, sadly. She had toyed with browsing the real estate here (but hadn’t settled - yet). Toyed with other job prospects aside from the help at the laboratory - that was a part-time gig, and it wasn’t the worst. Plenty of ladies to talk shit with and obviously she wasn’t a dumbass, so she learned the ropes quickly and paid attention to what needed to be done. It was definitely an interesting turn of employment. They weren’t suffering in the money department (Hank worked too, plus her bank account was here and hello shoes), but maybe she ought to find something a little more her? Something that didn’t involve making people cry. Reality television days were over, she wasn’t really looking to get back on the runway anytime soon (though she had some interesting conversations with fashion designers of Vallo - some part of this shady coven she kept hearing about), and now she had Nadia to consider. Flexibility was important. Which was why she ended up here, shades on and mane of beach waves and a casual shirt that also blessed the world with cleavage. The lapis lazuli charm that kept her from being set on fire from the sun was a bracelet today. “Hey gorgeous,” Katherine greeted smoothly once she came through the door, having recognized Alexis instantly - a few conversations on the network, Eleanor in common. She knew the face. “Aren’t you just the person I was looking for?” Why, yes, Alexis did look gorgeous today - though she usually did, so that wasn’t anything new. But after the whole ‘we’re being threatened by a fairy-villain, oh no’ thing (and after the aforementioned fairy-villain went out in a literal blazing inferno with like, lots of blood and gore that apparently painted the forest floor, not like she knew because she wasn’t there and ew), she thought it was time to pay more attention to her ensembles. And really perk herself up with the whole ‘look good, feel good’ vibe - because prior to that, she’d been drinking a lot of coffee and wandering with a purpose to put out PR flames. Over-the-top villainy just wasn’t a good look for Outlanders. Like, anti-heroes, sure - but the storybook characters who wanted chaos just for the sake of it and found mass murder to be amusing were a major no-no. Whatever. It was done and today she had one a red floral mini dress, with her natural curls amplified and a block letter monogram necklace in gold to complete the look. The letter A, the best letter. “Hey girl!” she grinned, flashing polished teeth. “Right, yes, thanks for coming by - I thought I’d just give you a tour and then we can like, go in the back and talk?” Katherine wasn’t too much of a stranger with the apothecary - she shopped a few times, deeming the wares as quality stuff. A few things had been picked up for Nadia too since she liked the ‘good smelly stuff.’ Plus she always knew what she was looking for when she came here, even if a skin-care routine wasn’t all that important for a vampire perpetually frozen at the age she was. Habits, she supposed. It never hurts. Now that she was indoors she pushed those sunglasses up, letting it rest cozily like a crown atop her head. “Lead the way,” she gestured. “I see you’ve got things set up for the summer, too?” Katherine had noticed her tinkering with the display arrangement - yes, she’d agree that the gel would have good placement there. “Mmm, I like it. Sun can be the worst on skin.” “Definitely - and wrinkles, ugh,” Alexis rolled jade eyes with the appropriate amount of dramatics, because she really loathed the idea of crow’s feet that came about from squinting. And sun damage to the skin? So not cool. Get enough brown spots and you’d start to resemble one of Cruella’s Dalmation pups and that was also a big fat no thanks. “But yes, we’re setting up for summer. The herbal sunscreen stick blends super easy - “ She demonstrated by giving one of those sticks a little push up, “...and then next to that we have face wipes, which are bamboo cloths dowsed in handmade facial toner. The body butter has argan and jojoba oils aaaand the bug spray has two natural bug deterrents: lemon and eucalyptus.” Then of course there was the cooling gel which felt amaaazing. After the summer display, Alexis moved on to other parts of the store - they didn’t make coffee or tea here but they had canisters of both for people to purchase and prepare at home; also locally made right here in Vallo. There was goat cheese as well, on display in a cooler, and she briefly went over the other skincare and hair sections before ending up opening the backroom door. “I’m considering finding someone who can source honey as well?” she mused. “I think jars of it would be nice to sell. But anyway! Have a seat. I’m super excited to have a chat.” The backroom was neat and tidy too, since she used to hang out and work on her laptop when it was basically just her babysitting the store. Her brows may have shot up, impressed. Katherine wasn’t an amateur when it came to products by any means - though back home she had a team that set it all up for her, recommending the best of the best (though probably not as organic as all of this). Also for, like, promotional stuff from brands. Alexis’ attention to description was utterly insane but only in the best ways. And the goat cheese, nice touch. Very aesthetic. This store was a Pinterest Wet Dream. “So this shop,” she began, plopping down after draping her bag over the corner of her chair. “I know it’s from your home but you’ve mentioned it’s not technically yours, right? I’m surprised. Almost every corner of it screams your influence.” A nice mix of hip and posh, flirty and classy. Alexis took a seat too - one of the desk chairs, and it was just them in the backroom for now. She had a couple other employees out front (Eleanor wasn’t working today) who could handle things and make sure that no one burned the store down. “I guess it sort of became mine?” she mused. “It’s technically my brother’s. He and his now-husband went into business together back home, and they run the store. It actually showed up during the first time David was here in Vallo - but he disappeared and I was left with it to like, look after.” So she’d sort of taken it upon herself to really make it nice and keep it running smooth as a baby’s butt - otherwise, the guilt would set in. And also a part of her had this stupid feeling that if David ever showed up again (third time’s a charm?), and the Apothecary was in disarray, he’d blame her and get all pissy. The last thing she wanted was to let him down - and, yeah, she may have a different vision than him, but the goal was to make the whole thing an ‘immersive experience’ (and make money) so she thought they were on the same page with that. “I can always use the help though, since I’m the main PR person for the DOA,” she went on. “I don’t have time to be here everyday. I mean, I love the store and all and I love my brother - “ Ew, David - admitting that wasn’t as hard as it used to be, at least. “But my degree is in Public Relations. So I’m glad someone experienced with beauty products and hair care is interested.” Ah, right. So she had it out of obligation. Katherine could understand that, and also get why she wanted to pawn off the management stuff to someone else - Alexis wanted the store to thrive for her not-present brother, but didn’t want the day-to-day responsibilities of it. What a good sister. Maybe she should take notes. “PR seems like overtime work in itself here anyway,” she whistled, flipping some of those curls over her shoulders - not a split end in sight for this one. “I was the face of a few products back home for advertising, and plus - you know the business. The regimens are strict. You learn quickly what’s best for what when it comes to blemishes and in-grown hairs. I have a little gig with my boyfriend in this laboratory. Admin stuff, and I occasionally help hold things in place. But that’s his expertise, and this -” A flared gesture to everything around them. “Is mine. I just need to make sure it’s compatible with motherhood.” School was about to end for Nadia anyway, which meant she’d be home full-time. There were camps popping up that she thought to sign her up for during the day (obviously not ship her off for like, two months - she didn’t get why the fuck that was a popular practice in movies). “Nadia’s six, we’re looking to sign her up for camp activities during business hours and of course - if shit hits the fan, she’s my priority.” “Oooh, right!” Alexis also worked with people who had the motherhood gig going on - Caroline had Lucas and there were others with that responsibility, some Outlander parents and then some that weren’t; it must be difficult, especially since so many of the things that happened were like, totally not kid-friendly. Or the school closed because of monsters stomping around. Made any sort of stability seem like a pipe dream. She crossed her legs, one knee tucked over the other. “Totally get that - and I’m also really flexible? Like I definitely wouldn’t expect you to come in if the school gets shut down because of an attack by pissy squirrels. Or whatever. Go get the kid, for sure, just let us know and do what you need to do. I’ve been here awhile and I’m way used to how weird it gets.” Shit hit the fan so often - sometimes it was super cool to see (raining candy, or random money appearing in bank accounts so people could #treat themselves) but moooost of the time? It was just more ways to screw up their lives and their schedules and add more trauma to the mix. As if they all weren’t constantly dealing with whatever crawled from Hell (literally in some cases) trying to kill them. Katherine actually exhaled a tiny sigh of relief - how weird. It wasn’t as if she didn’t expect Alexis to not understand where she was coming from. This place was batshit, but unlike back home everyone was in on it at least. She didn’t have to make some weird excuse to cover whatever flavor of horseshit plagued them that day. So, yes. Infinitely better than what she and Hank came from but still - kind of surreal, to think that this could be long-term for them despite how often people came and went. “Thank you - that’s an important thing for me,” she smiled, almost sheepishly. It was an uncommon look with someone that always had she-devil eyes and a wicked smile, like she always knew more than what she let on. “Nadia’s father is involved too. One of us is usually available if rocks fall from the sky trying to kill us all.” That wasn’t an invitation, by the way. Behave, Vallo. “But I also double as a bodyguard, potentially. If something does threaten the store, well.” No need to show off the veiny vamp face, but she did let those sharp canines pop out with a hiss. She was strong, fast, and efficient. Snapping necks, ripping out organs. A total professional when it came to dealing with threats. So Alexis was pretty sure she knew Katherine was a vampire - like her other employee, such a ruby red-lipped sweetheart - but it was something else to see the teeth pop out. She made a little squeal of delight, because she was impressed. “I love it - and I’m all for extra security around here. Shoplifters are always a problem.” They were back in Schitt’s Creek too, such a quaint little town, but that hadn’t stopped those teenage grifters from running their schemes - and Alexis knew those schemes, she’d run them before back in her day. But having another vampy vamp to work her magic and prevent theft was a-okay. She felt safe and secure in knowing that Katherine would fuck a bitch up if they tried to stuff jars of hand cream into their bag without paying. “When would you want to start? I’m open for anytime,” she said, because clearly the job was going to be hers if she wanted it. It paid well, so she’d have something that was cushy for her fam and that was more along the lines of her interests. “Oh! And if you might want to help me with another project? I could use some assistance.” A project she’d handled on her own last time, but she had people who assisted the day of - the logistics leading up to it were a lot of work, however, and Alexis had a lot going on so she’d appreciate not giving herself stress wrinkles worrying about overworking herself. Katherine, of course, was a bit more tame here. Plenty more tame than this other version of her that had left bodies in her wake throughout the span of five hundred years - she wouldn’t dare throw a shoplifter through the display window or anything. Too much clean up, possible loss of product. But she’d remove them - harshly - off property without breaking a nail. “Whenever you want me - the lab already knows of my plans of finding other opportunities even if I do happen to look fantastic in a lab coat,” she gestured with a hand. Oh, and she was keeping that lab coat too - for extracurricular home activities. Turns out that she was also available for whatever project Alexis was conconcting too, so she leaned forward and propped her chin into her palm. “Also up for providing assistance with what you’ve got. Hit me, babe. What are you planning?” “If you want to start next week, that’d be super,” Alexis suggested - however if two weeks notice was a thing, she’d take that too. It sounded like the lab was already aware of Katherine’s plans to find employment elsewhere - maybe they needed to secure another lab assistant in her stead; she’d work with whatever, since she was at the DOA frequently and the lab was attached to the building. Not like she ever went over there because science was so not her thing - but it seemed pretty cool to have all that stuff. As for her other project, she wiggled her fingers together conspiratorially, pressing them in pyramid shape. Amore was one of her favorite things - and she wasn’t sure if her last speed dating adventure had ended up in any permanent hookups but it seemed like people had fun and got out there a little, which was her goal. And by now she was like, a speed dating expert considering she’d put one together in Schitt’s Creek too - certified gold medal genius. “So like, a few months ago I ran a speed dating event,” she explained. “It was at Ásynja Meadery but if we wanted to find another spot we could - “ Places popped up all the time in Vallo, maybe it might be fun to mix it up, “....and there were five rounds. People signed up and said what they were looking for, and I matched them. But it was also a lot of work doing that and putting together the event, like, the catering and stuff too so...I could use the help? We’ll consider it part of your Apothecary gig. Event planning is just par for the course.” Alexis hadn’t worked out the details of the when yet either, but she was pretty sure she wanted it to happen in the summer - July seemed like a good time. Maybe they could even hold it outdoors, somewhere beachy - the possibilities. Huh. Color Katherine surprised. Not a project she had ever expected - she had never attended those, though she had a decent idea of how they worked - but it sounded interesting. “Cute,” she blinked those brown doe eyes of hers, the comment genuine. Event planning was something she could handle under the ‘job responsibilities’ fine. Her tastes weren’t shit, and she was capable of delegation. “I’m guessing this is Outlander exclusively?” was her first question, as opening the pool to locals was probably a bit much. The Outlander pool was pretty vast, and it was likely that they’d have enough participants out of them. “And any themes you want to work with to spice it up? Sounds like it’s got the potential to be a repetitive event if the last was a success.” Maybe not every month but - every six months, perhaps? “Definitely only Outlanders,” Alexis confirmed - because as much as she liked the locals she met (Glenn with the bagel cart, for example! He’d been great as the Baker for Into the Woods too), mixing and matching like that sounded like more of a headache than she wanted to deal with. “And I think a theme would be cool - maybe like a masquerade or something?” They had one of those awhile ago too, at Skyhold - but she hadn’t planned it and didn’t know much about the origins; it definitely wasn’t a speed dating event, however. So perhaps it was time to do a little refresh and have some fun - without repeating the same speed dating formula. She also wouldn’t mind the event being a regular thing - people came and went all the time. People also got into relationships, or they broke up - circumstances changed, especially in a world where not much was stable. “I’m a total sucker for themes though, so good call with that.” Masquerades were perfect. Gave it some spice, a dash of mystery - even gave her some Mystic Falls deja vu but it wasn’t as if she would participate in lover roulette. Katherine drummed her polished nails against her chin, her smile positively vampish. “I’m definitely in,” she expressed. Then she straightened up, leaning back into her chair to cross her arms. “Sounds like fun. I can’t wait to watch - this is going to end well for some and be disastrous for others.” Would she glean amusement watching awkward interactions happen with those matched up? Absolutely. She wasn’t above admitting that. Shameless in the occasional pettiness, this one. “Let me know when you want to start planning - dates, venue options. I’ll make a binder if you like something physical or a spreadsheet if you prefer the digital stuff. Just to stay organized.” Katherine wasn’t the most neurotic person in regards to that kind of thing, but Hank and his penchant for color-coding tabs rubbed off on her a little. Well, all of that was just music to Alexis’s ears. “I do love a good binder,” she admitted. Lately she’d been utilizing spreadsheets because it was just way more convenient - but there was something special about a thing you could touch. It didn’t have to look like Lisa Frank threw up all over it either - a binder could even be leather bound. Like Josh Groban’s binder, for establishing ground rules in what constituted a romance - she was way familiar with that. Like she once tried to tell David. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she sat up straight and flashed a happy, satisfied grin. “I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful working relationship.” And friendship too, hopefully - Alexis could always use more of those, especially since so many of her pals like, came and went. But she’d just hope that everything remained sort of normal for all of this, and they could put together a successful speed dating event - after all, the masses deserved that. They deserved to hook up. And she’d see to it that they did - safely (while also chuckling about some of the awkwardness, yes). Booty Camp, Part 2? Oh, it was on. It was the start of something beautiful, wasn’t it - Katherine could almost go yay about it. “If you’ve got time to take a break,” she began, eyeing Alexis’ laptop before meeting her gaze again. “Let’s celebrate with a little caffeine? There’s a cute shop a block down, my treat. Let me kiss up to my new boss lady.” They could chat more there - toss back and forth a few more ideas of this speed dating project, iron out more details about shop duties. Katherine was ready to dive in on both. |