+ [open post]

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Oh my God," Kade murmurs when Susan shows up at his door, knocking briskly. It's quiet, practically subvocal, but she can still make out the words distinctly. He wipes his hands on his trousers and extends one. "Susan Pevensie. Hi! I'm Kade. Kade West."

"I know," she says, glancing at his hand for a moment and then shaking it. "You're our tailor. I'm afraid I've been delinquent in introducing myself." She's been busy, but in the wake of all of the Mansion's most recent spat of strangeness, she decided it was high time that she conspire to meet him. She needs some sort of change-up to her days, which have become rather routine and increasingly feel uninspiring. Not that she wants more Mansion-driven mischief, just that... it was nice, to have a little adventure, once she set her worry for Lancelot to the side. "But you worked wonders for Lancelot's wardrobe."

A bright grin flashes across Kade's face as he takes in her pointed tone. His teeth are extremely white and, frankly, unsettlingly straight. "You want I should give you a makeover, too?"

Susan glances down at herself. She's back in mourning black, one of her everyday dresses. It feels more comfortable than color, sometimes, but... in truth, she misses being eye-catching. "If you'd be so kind," she says, briskly. "I haven't got a particular look in mind. I'll try whatever you think might be interesting."

Kade's smile broadens. "You're giving me a blank check?"

"I shan't wear it if I don't like it."

"Of course, of course," Kade says, and opens his door wide. "C'mon up. Tell me about your Worlds. I'll get you all sorted out."

---

Three days later, Susan decides she might as well try debuting the first outfit Kade selected. It's all black, so it seems a good gateway to the more colorful options, especially as she's not convinced of trousers - she's ever so used to the skirts and garters and stockings she defaults to day after day. And, she finds, as she checks the outfit in her mirror, it's strange to wear a top with meagre built-in supports but no brassiere. The red heels he chose, though... those, she loves. He'd recommended curls and a bold lip with this look, but she doesn't like the fussiness of curling her hair and instead leaves it loose and smooth down her back.

She can't deny that she looks phenomenal. The trousers, though they feel uncomfortably tight, look flatteringly as if they're painted on. She has, delightfully, gained some weight since arriving here, especially now that she's off her grief diet, and her figure is truly striking. The top is on the verge of indecent, with a low neckline and sleeves that fall off her shoulders, and she considers throwing on the jacket Kade suggested just for some degree of modesty across her decolletage... but that would go against her purpose of trying something exciting and different and new. So she shrugs, leaves the jacket on the edge of the bed, pats the spot where usually she would have her pocket and her notebook, fetches a handbag so she might still carry her notebook along with her (she wants a change, but that's no reason to be unprepared!), and sets out, Regina at her heels.

Susan has no way of knowing this, but anyone who's been to Earth after the late 1970s will recognize that Kade has put her in a perfect recreation of Sandy's greaser outfit at the end of Grease.



People who will find this hot and/or striking and/or familiar in some way are obviously welcome, but also anyone who wants to touch base after the AU days and/or meet Regina are encouraged to tag in too!

Comments

[papadopoulos]

"The pandai are a tribe of monsters from India. Really big ears, furry, they're kinda mercenaries. They're incredibly hard to fight, and also not known for being musicians."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan doesn't think much of monsters. "I see."

[papadopoulos]

They're not generally Apollo's favorite, either -- they were all trying to kill him, after all. (Aside from Crest, his previously mentioned student.) "So yeah. Teaching one was -- essentially fruitless; but I guess it couldn't be helped."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"So you spend too much time with monsters in South Asia to dip over to Southeast and visit with their native fauna, then?"

[papadopoulos]

"Well, no, it's mostly just that mouse-deer have never tried to kill me. The pandai served under a group of guys that really didn't like me. I try not to spend time with monsters as a rule; they don't get along well with, uh, gods."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"What an interesting life you seem to lead!" says Susan, raising her eyebrows minutely.

[papadopoulos]

He shrugs. "'Interesting', yeah, in the curse form rather than the actually interesting one. I think I'd prefer being boring. Gives me more time for music, or shooting, or reading."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Curse form?"

[papadopoulos]

"Oh -- it's an old wives' tale, I think? There's supposedly a Chinese curse that goes 'May you live in interesting times.' I don't know the actual veracity of it; but it's one of those aphorisms people like to throw about."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Hm. I see."

[papadopoulos]

"Enough about my 'interesting', though, I've got 4000 years of stories. Tell me about yourself, Miss Pevensie."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Susan, if you please." She tosses her hair back. "What would you like to know?"

[papadopoulos]

Apollo watches appreciatively, smiling. “Whatever you’re inclined to tell me. ‘Everything’ is a pretty broad descriptor of hobbies. Do you shoot, do you read, how do you pass your days here?”

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I do shoot. And read."

[papadopoulos]

He raises an eyebrow. “What do you like to read? Are you generally this mysterious, or am I just special?”

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan decides to take a small measure of pity on him, even though he's a god and as such ought to work for it. "Science, primarily."

[papadopoulos]

Apologies, he is not an omnipotent god, and reading people's minds is just rude. (Also, that's more Dionysus' thing than his.) "Science?" He brightens. "What sorts? I'm interested in medicine, mostly; but it's so hard to pick just one thing to concentrate on."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I was studying ethology before I arrived," says Susan, "but lately Galahad and I have been making a study of local soil biota, so I've mostly been reading about microorganisms."

[papadopoulos]

"So you're a biologist, then? Noticed anything particularly strange about this place, out of curiosity? Other than, uh, you know. The two moons. I know it's very definitely not the world I'm from, the sun is different."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"If I was a biologist," says Susan, archly, "I would have said 'I am a biologist.'"

[papadopoulos]

He raises an eyebrow, somewhat amused and not really trying to hide it. "It's the science of behavior from a biological and psychological point of view, isn't it?" he points out, trying to not sound like he's mansplaining.¹ "I'm not the god of biology, but it's somewhat related, right? Or are you coming from a more psychological standpoint? That's more Sissy's thing than mine."

¹ He might be. A little. But it's entirely unintentional.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I was studying ethology before I arrived," says Susan, steadily. "And Galahad and I have been making a study of the soil biota here."

[papadopoulos]

"Forgive me for trying to make a logical assumption," he says drily. "Do you have a title you prefer, then? Student? Soil scientist? Ethologist?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Seneschal." This is only partially a joke!

[papadopoulos]

"Seneschal Susan, then," he says with a grin. "Impressive and vaguely mysterious. Seneschal of what, if I can ask?"