Week 68: The Fabulous Fashion Fiasco.

Tonight was the night for everything to go right. Anasigma had booked 'The Show,' one of Vastaag's favourite venues for its premiere, complete with class coming out of the place's ass. The invitations to the rich and powerful had been pretty well recieved, not hurt at all by the fine wine reception. The highlight of which was Neuilly sur Seine, a wine made expertly using only the finest Multimeat and Gemini ingredients. As the audience took their seats everything so far promised them that tonight was a night to be remembered.

The debut of memetic fashion was at hand and as the models took to the stage the audience looked on with... increduclous disbelief. Wasn't that stage light meant to be tracking one of the models, rather than the man occupying seat C3? And more to the point, shouldn't the model's make up be staying, you know, on their faces not running down under these lights?

At least one third of the audience were ferverently wishing for a fuck up, after all a fashion debut going wrong? That was the kind of candy the industry and gossips so rarely got. The resulting 'publicity' would bring entirely new meanings to the phrase, fresh blood. Besides EI and B&S always loved a screw up. Those prayers were answered as the unknowing models did their best to show off the finer points of each design, inadvertantly staining the clothes with their own make up. Oncee the audience began to openly laugh, it was clear that the show was over.

Anasigma's designers, embarrased and somewhat desperate, took to the stage for their regularly sheduled Q&A session. The three faces became a tableu of hastily swallowed pride as they were met with far more mockery (and semi constructive criticism) than earnest enquiry. The designers were at last able to retreat off-stage, after what must have felt more like ten hours than ten minutes.

With that last humiltation dispensed with, the patrons wasted no time getting right to the important business of the night, discussing how they would tell this story. They had been promised this space for another hour of drink, dance and discussion. And wow, did they have something to talk about!

[Oracle agents backstage: Coraline, Hugo, Silvia. Oracle agents in with the audience: Shap, Shinobu and Fenris.]

Hugo had tried. Really really tried. (Failed LG by 4.) The outfit hadn't fit exactly, and he had ended up with some thin white girl model's make up. Plum colored power coated his hands, the sleeves, his undershirt. He had tried to work it, really, but fumbled a step, with blue mascara running down his cheeks. But that was just him. An hour had passed.
And now he was backstage, wincing slightly.

"It wasn't that bad, encantadora. Really. I pro..." But he trailed off, unable to lie, gently patting the tiny Coraline's back with his massive hand.

Coraline squinted up balefully at Hugo, her eyebrows raised and pout on full force. She opened her mouth... and bit her tongue, turning away from her friend with a tiny sigh. Not all of Anasigma were so restrained however, the techie bumping into Hugo as she walked past. "Yeah it fucking was 'buddy', and before any of you start about the light, my work on that was sound. It was a hardware problem and if you lot expected me to crawl up there and check every one pf those lights manually, hell you can shove it up yer ass." Sparks was a mouthy young thug at the best of times but she was on the same wavelength as most of A-sig tonight.

Coraline treated the techie to a death glare and only recieved one in turn for her trouble. The ex EI affliated agent's mature response was to kick her heels in the floor and punch Hugo in the arm. Coraline hit her head in frustration with her other hand, realising that the force had come up sort against his strength and armour and couldn't have hurt him in the first place. She sighed, theatrically and hung her head. "Uuuuh, I'm sorry Hugo I just... I put so much effort, so much of myself into this. So did everyone in A-sig! And for what? To be the laughing stock of Varstaag. Ugh."

Hugo looked around apologetically, ambivalent about punches and shoves. He didn't mind being yelled at; it almost certainly wasn't his fault, and if he could make these tiny little people feel better, he would. He made a few cooing noises, apologetic and understanding, to various loud and angry comments. He placed a hand on Coraline's back, pulling her slightly closer, and looked around for some support. "..At least your name will get out?" As he said that, he realized it might not have been the right thing. Instead he puffed out his chest a little more, at least being an appealing target if he couldn't be a comforting friend. Where was Silvia?

Coraline crossed her arms sulkily but did not pull away from Hugo. Another voice did carry across the room from the costume store though. "See? The big man has the right notion. We're here now and its not like we can fall much further. Sides which all of you clucking hens can calm it down, because this? This was nothing, remind me and sometime I will tell about my Tunguska show. Much too noisey about that one, wind up with nosey Gemini agents, much running." This was from Asier, one of Coraline's fellow designers, who was busily removing make up from A-sig's own model; a svelt African man who was looking at her with almost bored apathy.

"But this isn't how it was supposed to go! Coraline's voice was a small, pleading whine which nevertheless carried across the room. Anyone who had observed the Q&A knew she had only just kept it together then. "They were meant to take us seriously! No one even asked when the full ranges would be coming out!" The tiny cyberneticist was still pink around the cheeks and her eyes were beginning to shine. [L&A roll, pass by 10. D&D dice roller what?]

Hugo, lost in an emotional sea of upset people, only pet his co-worker's back again. He gave the woman, Asier was it?, a thankful look. He leaned slightly into the temporarily set-back Coraline, in an attempt to provide a shield, a buffer, against the murmurs from the room next door. "No no, encantadora. Don't be sad. You can tell them? Yes. Tell them! Act like you meant to do it. Hold your head up? If they can't take your seriously at least make them take all of you, you know?"

Maybe it was even poorer phrasing, but the poor massive agent didn't know what to do. He couldn't handle crying.

Coraline swiveled around to face Hugo, tears running down her cheeks and an expression of wounded disbelief on her features. "Take all of me? Really Hugo, jokes now? Any other time.... I know I would have found that funny. The petite plague doctor wiped her nose with her arm and shielded her eyes as if from the sun as she began walking off to the backdoor. [L&A roll pass by 2]

"Well, yes she would leave, being the flithy rich agent from another corp who doesn't have to deal with this. And I don't just say that because I have your delightful self cleaning my even more delightful.face with a wet rag, Asier." The designer responded to this by rubbing her 'rag' all over the self assured model's face. "Not half as good at being quiet as you think you are Granger. At least say these things to her face."

By and large, Hugo was an affable, gentle man. He felt pretty fortunate. He had grown up safely, he was so good at his passion that he got to do it as a job, he'd been fortunate with sex and love, and he had a good job now with people he really, really cared about. Even still, he gave a little whine, cast a glance around for ANYONE who wasn't a model with wounded pride or a furious little fashion designer, and... "Coraline's run off. If anyone else in Oracle can help, or.. Maybe talk up the show.. Fuck, I don't know. Just find us, okay?" Hugo whined a little 'why me' under his breath and took off after Coraline, moving at speed.

He exited the back door, taking a deep breath. he cast a few glances around. "Coraline?" He pronounced every syllable of her name, Core-a-lee-nay. He looked around. "Where are you? Don't leave us yet, enchantress."

The back door opened on to a narrow alley running between 'The Show' and the adjacent building. Even without any lighting of its own the alley was half lit by the neon glow of the city. For no immediatelty obvious reason, security were not manning the back door. Coraline had only had time to go halfway down the alley but somehow rage had enhanced her ability to blend into the background, though her videoskin wasn't hurting. [stealth roll pass by 7, somehow] She froze as Hugo called her name.

"Hugo! No. I mean sure I suppose I ought to stay, show solidarity and hold my hands up. Say yes, I did screw up, but here is why this is something great and this is all the important information we need you to know. But I don't want to, not after all that. I-I want to go and get smashed or smash something or... or I don't know. Hugo, I don't know what I ought to be doing... not anymore." [L&A roll pass by 8]

This wasn't small spaces or emotional commitment to a human, so Hugo had really no idea why there was a reason to run. But Coraline had spent so much time and effort, well, she was bound to be disappointed. It took him a moment to find her in the glow of the distant lights, and when he did, he put his hands on her shoulders. "I don't blame you for being upset, but you shouldn't run. You can do a prideful appearance, and then... And then we can all go get drinks, okay? You and me and the Oracle agents and the A-sig people. But running is.. is weak. You're not weak. You worked hard and things just didn't go right. Like.. like a plasma backfire. You can aim all you want but sometimes things don't work out. And maybe you need to repair the gun and you take some damage afterwards, but you fix it up and you learn, you get even better with it."

Hugo nodded encouragingly, confident in his metaphor. He flashed his brilliant if make-up spackled smile.

Coraline had flinched when Hugo had put his massive hands on her shoulder and clenched and unclenched her left fist as he spoke. After a moment the plague doctor said dubiously, "I'm not sure I entirely follow Hugo. But.... maybe. I don't want to make a pideful appearance though, not right now. This whole thing was humiliating. An announcement over the intercomn or-or as someone else maybe." She crossed her arms across her chest and still seemed ill at ease but didn't pull away from Hugo. [L&A roll pass by 4]. "What do you do when things go so wrong like this then? If running is weak and you think I'm not, then what is strong?"

"Generally, I reload." He laughed at the little joke. The massive agent had really only did one thing, and he knew it. "And strong is.. fighting. To live, to win, to get what you need. Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. When it's.. intimidating." He looked away from her, his face darkening. "Running isn't bad when you need to do it to live. And fighting isn't good when it's for nothing, or worse, something.. terrible. Strong people protect weak people, and make them strong. They don't make them feel even weaker." He wasn't talking about the show anymore. He seemed to realize this as Coraline did, and he looked down at her. His expression softened affectionately. "An intercom announcement should be enough, encantadora. Make everyone else know that this is you reloading, and not the end of combat. Even if you need to go medpack and relax for a little bit."

Coraline's expression softened and she blinked up at Hugo, comphrension beyond her grasp. The plague doctor reached up a hand to his cheek and then moved closer, pushing her face down into his chest. After a long silent moment the tiny fashionista breathed in heavily and drew back, wiping her eyes. She sniffed once and let herself relax. "Alright Hugo, I'll... try what you said. Let's just not be too long about it. Do we uh, have an accord?" Coraline offered vaguely, trying to smile. [L&A pass by 9.]

Hugo softly, gently pet Coraline's beautifully made-up hair to comfort her. He smiled down at her.  "Sure. And if anyone says anything mean, I'll punch their faces into mush." He cooed a death threat in a sweet way, and after the tiniest of embraces, took Coraline's hand and tugged her quietly to the door. "C'mon, sweetie. Everything will be okay."

The plague doctor did not resist, but did look up at the nuke, scandal written across her features. "Hugo, charming as that notion is you can't be punching these people in the face. I mean what would happen if you couldn't get work as a model from anyone else? I dread to think." Coraline gently teased her ex fed friend, a sure sign that he'd helped. [pass L&A on the dot].