all_inclusive | open § everything i'm not made me everything i am

Entry tags:

open § everything i'm not made me everything i am

[ OPTION ONE ]

Ask and you shall receive. It's been months ago that Cinna has requested an area to work in. The hotel has given him a space on the first floor near the cafe. Supplies have been gathered and the space redone to accommodate Cinna and his craft. That's right, there's officially a clothier's shop in the hotel. Cinna is indeed in his element.

Upon first entry to the shop it looks very unassuming and casual. There's the mixed aroma of freshly brewed tea and coffee as well as some pastries brought over from the cafe. The front half of the shop holds everyday clothes that seem to be the norm of what most of the people in the hotel wear, things like tees and sweaters and jeans and shorts. In the middle of the shop there's a round dark mahogany table with three high-backed plush armchairs around it. The armchairs are cushioned black with golden embellishments. Toward the back is where Cinna's influence shows through more prominently; clothing, both everyday and formal with unique and futuristic flares and touches. It's Couture at its finest. There are tall, large mirrors in the back as well as dressing rooms.

It should also be noted that as he has befriended both Milady and Aramis, there is attire befitting both men and women from their time period in Paris. Beautiful gowns and carefully stitched shirtsleeves and doublets. Cinna is always accommodating and will take special orders all day every day.

Outside of the space is a bracket with a swinging sign placard bearing the shop's name in an elegant golden script: Design by Cinna.

Cinna can almost always be found at the mahogany table in the center of the shop, sitting in one of the chairs with material draped over his lap and needle and thread in hand. He'll welcome anyone to his new shop. Please feel free to stop by!

[ OPTION TWO ]

Oftentimes Cinna can be found in the conservatory, sitting among the plant life and sketching new designs. It's peaceful in there. He'll greet and chit chat with most anyone who happens upon him.

However, one day he opens a door that he thinks goes to his hotel room but finds himself in the outdoors instead. The environment is boisterous and loud, crowds walking through fairways and strange music in the air. The sky is blue overhead, with the occasional cloud here and there. There are shops and tents and big contraptions with some kind of transport on them that has people screaming as they zip over rails.

Cinna, coming from Panem, has never seen anything like it. A man comes by and offers him a stick with a ball of pink cotton on top of it. What is it? He sees someone else with something similar eating the cotton. So he pinches some off and puts it in his mouth. The sugary sweetness surprisingly melts in his mouth.

Certainly, a place such as this can't be anything bad, right? Cinna is off to explore the amusement park.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Chiana walks into the shop, all bright-eyed and curious, and moves quickly from the first area of the shop. It's very Earthan in a way that doesn't work for her. But the back... now this shows promise, and she's going through the clothes on a rack, wondering if she could get away with stealing one of them. If there's anyone else in the shop, she hasn't noticed them, and her fingers stroke over fabric, hips shifting in hesitation.

She may not have seen him, but Cinna sees her. He's a master of noticing things unnoticed though. Such is the life of a double agent. Of course Cinna remembers Chiana. He isn't one to bombard a person the second they enter a shop though. So for awhile he lets her walk around while he continues his work at the table in the center of the room. You can learn a lot about a person by watching what they gravitate toward if given the opportunity to do so.

Once she seems to linger toward the back of the shop for a time, Cinna stands and sets his things on the table and on his seat. He walks over to her, a small, soft smile playing on his lips. "Hello. Chiana, right? It's good to see you again."

Chiana had just been about to stuff a top down her corset when she hears footsteps, and she turns around a little sharply - but then again, she tends to move sharply as a rule. Her head's cocked to the side, and she laughs at Cinna, her usual shrill little laugh. "You've come a long way from asking about fabric in the library."

While Cinna would hope that people wouldn't steal from him, he isn't naive enough to think that it won't ever happen. On top of that, he's a gracious enough person to help out of someone is truly in need and has nothing to pay. While the thought that he might have caught her doing something questionable is in the back of his mind, for the most part he thinks he might have simply snuck up on her.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." He says with a contrite nod.

"Yes, well... patience and hard work pay off, especially when you're passionate about something." He looks around the shop once more, taking in the newness of it. He's most pleased about it. And it is his passion. "I'm thankful to have it. It helps to keep my hands busy. I trust you've been well?"

"Well, I'm still stuck here," Chiana answers, with a sharp grin that isn't really about amusement or joy. "But I like your designs!" She holds up the top in her hands as an example.

"It's good to make the best of the situation, whatever it may be, stuck or not." Hence the new shop. Cinna needs work. He needs to keep busy. He needs to do more than just exist in a space. This gives him a purpose beyond just existing and he'd really needed that more than he'd realized. It might not be so noble as rebellion against a dictator, but making someone feel their best self through fashion is a good purpose as well.

Even if Cinna could go home, he isn't sure he would want to go there and stay. Although, he knows that that isn't the same for everyone. Not everyone's home is so deplorable.

He smiles when she says she likes her designs. The top she's holding is a ribbed corset like top, made of shimmering material and embellished with iridescent beading that changes colors depending on how the light hits it. He gestures to a dressing room. "Would you like to try it on? I could fit it to your frame so that it feels like a second skin."

"Not sure I could afford it," Chiana says with a brief smile, and then laughs again, her usual odd little giggle. It's more punctuation than amusement.

She does love the top, though.

"Where'd you find the fabric?" She's been to a lot of places, but she's never seen and felt something quite like it.

"Oh, I'm certain we could work something out." After all, most people have jobs in the hotel to maintain their lives here. Those hotel jobs pay, he's learned. Aside from that, Cinna is always happy to work with people, especially when an item of clothing seems to really belong to someone. It isn't always about money with Cinna.

The fabric is another story. "This particular fabric is from Panem, my home. But much of the fabric here is also hotel supplied as this is officially a hotel funded business. I've also traveled to Paris to get some of the fabric. It's amazing what you can find through some of the doors here."

He slips his fingertips over the fabric of the top. It shimmers in different hues with the change of light. "May I ask where you are employed in the hotel?" Perhaps she'd like to work here.

Chiana grins again. "Nowhere. I do my thing on the other side of Doors, mostly." Her thing. She'd rather keep it vague, given how illegal some of her thing can be.

It's easy for Cinna to see that she doesn't elaborate for a reason. He isn't really one for pressing matters that don't affect him personally. He usually needs a reason to delve deeper. There doesn't seem to be one here so he respects Chiana's privacy. If she ever decides to let him in on what her thing is, she'll do so of her own volition.

However, since she does have a source of income, he sets the offer of working here on the back-burner for now. He doesn't want to infringe on her time either. Income does, however, mean that there's a way to pay for clothing.

Cinna nods slowly. "I understand. Perhaps we could set up a payment schedule or work in trade. If you come across unique fabrics, perhaps I could trade some of my work for them."

"How about - " Chiana hesitates, which isn't very like her, but it's not like she's held a decent job for more than two weeks in her life. "Would you need someone? Here?" She means in the shop, and not in his bed, for once; she thinks Nerri would like the thought of her leaving all that behind. And she finds that maybe she wouldn't mind it herself, either. But asking after something she's realised she really wants makes her feel self-conscious, and this time the shift of her hips from side to side is a sign of hesitation.

His brows lift just a bit in surprise. But of course he quickly nods and offers Chiana a small, kind smile. "Of course. It will be nice to have company here. And I know you appreciate fashion as I do." In some ways they appreciate it in similar ways. In some ways they're very different if just by circumstance.

Cinna knows the power of fashion in the necessity of survival, in the vein of spurring on a revolution.

"I'll file the paper work and you will receive payment for working here. I'll be glad to have you on if you think you can handle my eccentricities."

Chiana laughs again, because it's so odd, the thought of having a real job, proper work, nothing like what she's used to. There's something exhilarating about the thought. "What kind of eccentricities?" she asks after a beat, half flirting, half really wanting to know.

"Well I'm afraid I'm somewhat of a perfectionist to begin with." Many artistic types are not. Cinna likes order, a byproduct of living in a world where so little was in his control. He learned to control what he could. "I like things to be neat and I like to only create the highest quality product."

He offers her another kind smile. "I suppose that's the worst of it. Do you think we can still work together?" He does hope so. It will be nice to have some company.

Not exciting eccentricities. Not even very eccentric at all. Chiana sways on the spot, and tilts her head to the side. "Let's find out?"

"I would like that very much." Cinna says. He remembers the ribbed corset he'd seen Chiana working on the first time they had met. "I've already had a glimpse of some of your talents, after all."

Chiana laughs again, because that's not a line she usually hears about her sewing skills. "When do I start?"

"How does tomorrow sound?" Because of course he wants to give her and himself some time to prepare. There's really no hurry.

"I've always been a bigger fan of right now," Chiana answers with a small, nervous chuckle; she might be pushing her luck.

"Well then." Cinna offers Chiana a soft smile and a slight nod. Cinna is usually a workhorse. He works while here and while he's off work. Keeping his hands busy helps him to keep his mind busy as well. Cinna doesn't do well being idle. He can appreciate that in Chiana as well.

He gestures to the shop. "You are free to man the shop then. And of course you're free to use any of the materials and supplies in the back room to design and create your own ideas."

Chiana was about to ask how exactly you manned a shop - she could pretend pretty well, she was sure, but she figured he'd want more than pretend - but then she was distracted by his next words. "My - my own ideas?"

For all that Milady deWinter is or is not, she does appreciate beautiful clothes.

And she knows that Cinna makes good clothes. So, she walks into the shop already smiling just a bit. Her own dress is elaborate and lovely, taken from Paris of her day, full of satin and stays and covering her from wrist to foot, but showing off her cleavage to its best angle.

When she sees Cinna, she stops. It feels like it has been years, even if she remembers what he did for her. For her, it has been years. Does he remember her?

It has been a bit since Cinna has seen Milady, although perhaps not quite so long for him as it has been for her. The community at the hotel is small and tight. Cinna has been very cautious about who he befriends and speaks to on a regular basis. Milady is, of course, one of his favorites. She appreciates his skill. He enjoys dressing her because of her appreciation of fashion.

He's just putting a fresh pot of tea on when he sees her nearing. Cinna turns toward her and offers her a soft smile. He dips his head in respectful greeting. "Milady deWinter. Such a pleasure to see you again. I trust you are well?"

A handful of seconds last before he tears his eyes away from hers and has to appreciate her dress. It's a compulsion, especially in regard to something so lovely as this. "You look beautiful, Milady. Is this from your home?" Without touching, he admires the dress, shifting this way and that to study all the stitching and ties.

She's not above preening. Milady stands as if posed, letting him look as he wishes to. This is good for her ego, it's true, when so much else is unsure.

"It is from Paris," she tells him. "In fact ... " She turns to meet his eyes - how can his eyes be so kind? She is unused to that, even more so than she had been the years ago when they met. "This is your shop? If it is, I do hope to utilize your expertise."

While Milady is not above preening, Cinna is not above stroking one's ego. However, that sort of thing is made all the easier when his admiration is absolutely true and honest. Cinna is possibly the most genuine person Milady could know. His compliments are not idle flattery. His praise is not empty. He really does think Milady de Winter most beautiful.

He's pleased that she allows him his admiration and his curiosity. He steps in to gently touch and admire the fabric, the lines, the hems and the stitching. Eventually though, he does make himself step back to allow her her space.

As he looks into her eyes, he does take note that there is something different about her. He can't quite place what it is. Perhaps it is that she is even more guarded than before. Cinna hopes she can see that she need not be so where he is concerned.

"It is." He nods. "I'm so pleased to have you here. Designing for you is one of my favorite things about the hotel. I'm glad to know someone who appreciates fashion as you do."

Some habits are far too ingrained, Cinna. Milady has fought too long and too hard for every little scrap of a life she's had. And even though she has Athos now, she is not a fool: she does not expect to be able to keep him.

None of that matters in this very moment, however. In this moment, she will take advantage of Cinna's expertise and his willingness to do this for her. He says that this is one of his favorite things and she smiles, pleased. "Your work is excellent, Cinna. Just tell me what you need me to do, so that I may have your impeccable designs again."

Any compliments toward his work from Milady mean very much to him since they both have the same appreciation of fashion. They both know the importance of it. They both know that the world could be falling apart around you, but you can hold it together in the right outfit. You can get inside if you're wearing the right attire. You can influence nations with fashion. You can be stone cold on the outside and crumbling on the inside.

People underestimate fashion. Cinna and Milady do not. Fashion is powerful. Fashion is power.

He already has her measurements on file, so he doesn't need to remeasure, at least not from what he can tell. And Cinna is usually a very good judge on guessing a person's measurements.

"Are you looking for something for a special occasion, Milady, or something for every day wear?" He knows that his and Milady's everyday wear is not the same as most anyone else's.

Indeed; her everyday wear is what she has on now. Though, if she is to be here, perhaps ....

"I would like more like this but in finer fabrics," she tells him, spreading out her skirts. "I am to be a woman of status in Paris," she adds with steel in his voice. She will hold Athos to his word on that. More silk, brocades, lace.

"Perhaps here," she says, though, "for when I am here, something more ... modern?"

What that is, she isn't sure. She only sees the trousers on the woman and do not like that idea at all, frankly.

"Milady you are already a woman of status here." Cinna tells her. And it's true. From Cinna's perspective, she's stately and most lovely. She cares about things deeply, he can tell. And that sets her apart from most.

"But I have some beautiful fabrics here, silks and satins. I have some that shimmer and change color in certain lights." He loves talking about this kind of thing. He could, in truth, go on and on about the things he's capable of, clothes that transform, things beyond Milady's wildest dreams, things he could only do because he used his imagination to harness some of Panem's technology for fashion.

But then she speaks about something more modern, his eyes light up with ideas. "Some sundresses, perhaps. Sleek lines and sharp corners. Milady, have you ever thought to wear pants? I could see you in a streamlined suit and beautiful heels."

Ah, Cinna is very good at flattery and Anne appreciates it. "I will look forward to what you can make with those fabrics," she tells him, resting a hand on his arm. "As for trousers, I ... " She offers a smile, near a smirk. "I usually only wear trousers when I ride a horse. But ... "

She takes a moment, then lifts and lowers a shoulder, "If you think you can make something nice enough, I shall try it, though I may decline. What is a 'sundress'?"

"You need only try them. If they don't suit you, then surely someone else will enjoy them. I promise, I love to work and it's very rare that my work goes to waste. If I have your permission to play with your wardrobe, I won't be offended if you don't like what I make for yourself." He assures her, hoping that that will quell some of her hesitation.

He looks around his shop and finds a certain area, rifling through clothes until he comes up with a dress, bringing it over to her. "Something like this. Daring but still tasteful. What do you think?"

Edited 2016-07-25 14:13 (UTC)

Daring, indeed! There is a good amount of leg to put on display at that. Milady looks both amused and curious at the same time. She has seen some women dressed like this and - while not scandalized, as she doesn't get scandalized - she did look at them amiss.

But times being what they are, she gazes at him. "May I try this one now?"

"Of course you may." To be honest, Cinna is both surprised and impressed by Milady's willingness to try something as new as this. He remembers several from another world he was in who were so hesitant to branch outside of what they know. The Lady Anne and Porthos, to name a few.

Knowing what he knows of Milady so far, maybe he shouldn't be surprised at all. She is someone different, someone who is seemingly unafraid.

"There's a dressing room right there." He offers her the dress. "Go ahead and I'll find some shoes to go with it."

Even when she goes into the room and pulls closed the partition, the knife in her hair stays there. She isn't much to letting down her guard.

Without surprise either, it takes her a good deal of time with help from Cinna, to get out of her dress, too. (She assumes he finds her appealing, yet he can sense that he is not one of the men who wants her sexually. It's nice, actually.

Then she gets herself into this "sundress" over her corset and knickers, though the knickers have to go as the dress is shorter than the knickers!

Cinna is needed again to help her "zip" the dress.

Then she can look at herself in the mirror turning this way and that.

Well. This is quite something, isn't it. There are her legs, shapely and pale, and her arms, also pale and rounded as is the fashion of her time (unlike the muscle and unhealthy thinness of those in the hotel). She turns a slow circle and turns to Cinna - what does he think?

This is Cinna's work. He is fond of Milady, but he wants nothing more from her than to be her friend and make her feel like her best self in the clothes he makes for her. It's very nice, indeed.

When the dress is zipped up, Cinna leaves for a moment and returns with some sheer white stockings, much thinner and more durable than what Milady is accustomed to. And a pair of heels.

She's looking at herself in the mirror and Cinna thinks she looks lovely. He's sure that shows on his features as he sets the stockings aside and kneels before her to gently touch one ankle to lift one foot and slide a heel on, then the other. The heels make her legs even more shapely.

Cinna stands back behind her a bit and looks at her reflection. "Absolutely lovely. How do you feel?"

Angelica had been unable to find the way home for so long that she'd almost decided that the hotel was home. But only almost. When she couldn't bear it any more, she had a ritual, wandering the hallways, exploring every one of them. She was looking for new doors; instead, she found a new shop.

The front section wasn't all that appealing to Angelica, since she came from a time where people dressed with a little more formality. In her neat schoolgirl skirt and blouse, she examined the casual clothing with only casual interest, because it was new. But then she caught sight of one of the elaborate gowns and her eyes widened and she moved forward as if drawn by a string.

She'd seen its like in a museum, and she'd seen similarly elaborate dressing gowns when she visited Chrestomanci castle, but never anything that -- was she tall enough, old enough? Of course she couldn't afford something like that, but maybe she could try it on?

Home can be such a subjective thing, Cinna knows. As he can't return to his own home, he tries to make the best of wherever he is. There really is no alternative at the moment. He's glad to help others in that vein of thought. He's glad to help people make the best of this place, even if they're stuck here against their will, even if they have a home they can return to.

When he sees the new face enter the shop, he allows her some time to look on her own. You can tell a lot about a person by what fashion they gravitate toward. Only when she's lingering in one place for some time does he set his things aside and go to find her. She's by one of the elegant gowns he's fashioned. Cinna loves that piece for the amount of work he put into it, the amount of care he put into each stitch, each embellishment. Cinna pours his heart into his work.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" He says, hands held together behind his back. Today Cinna is in a pair of slacks, dress shirt and fitted vest. His eyes are lined with gold. His nails painted black and gold. "I don't think we've met. I'm Cinna." He nods his head in a respectful greeting.

Angelica was startled out of her fantasy, but there was no way around that, no matter how gentle the approach, because she was completely lost to the world as she stared at the gown that had captured her fancy.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said, with all the sincerity that was in her. Her cheeks turned red as she said it, the contrast between the image in her mind -- Angelica in a gown like this one, at home with such elegance -- and the everyday reality of introductions seeming harsh and difficult to bridge.

"I'm, umm, Angelica," she said, looking down in confusion.

"Angelica. What a beautiful name. It's a pleasure to meet you." Cinna's eyes are kind, his demeanor soft and understanding as always. His approach is always gentle, understated, calm... until it's not. He is somewhat of a madman, after all, hidden behind the persona he puts out into the world.

Cinna reaches one elegant hand out to run slender fingers over the fabric. He pulls up some of the skirt where intricate bead work is artfully placed in swirling designs. "See how it glimmers in the light? The beads change color depending on how the light hits them."

It's obvious that he loves his work. He takes pride in it. He also takes pride in finding the perfect human match for his work. This dress is calling out to Angelica in every way. "Would you like to try it on, Angelica?"

"Oooooo," Angelica said appreciatively, reaching out to touch the beads lightly. See how they shimmer.

When he asked about trying it on, it was like he had read her mind. Angelica's flush deepened with the thought that she was so obvious, but she wasn't about to pass up the offer.

She raised her chin, and finally met Cinna's eyes. What she saw there made her smile in a way that showed a flash of genuine pleasure beyond the self-consciousness. "There's nothing in the world I'd like more," she said with total frankness. "Any world."

Cinna's eyes flash with excitement as well. He has no reason to hide his own excitement at seeing the garment on her. This is what he loves to do, after all. And while in Panem he might have tried to keep many of his true emotions hidden, there is no reason for that here, especially about this.

"We can absolutely make that happen. In fact, I insist." He pulls it off the display, untying ribbon laces that hold the upper torso corset tight. He gathers up the fabric in both arms.

"Dressing rooms are over here. Once you get the dress on, come out here to the mirrors and I'll help tighten the laces for you." After laying the dress on a bench in one of the dressing rooms, he turns to smile excitedly at her. "I can't wait to see it on you."

Angelica gave a little bounce and then a slightly nervous giggle as she followed Cinna to the dressing room, but Cinna's clear excitement loosened something inside her; she was unselfconscious and smiling widely as she promised, "You won't have to wait long."

Alone with the gown, Angelica took a moment to hold it up against her body, savoring the anticipation of wearing it. Then she took a moment to examine it more closely for just how the fastenings worked and how it was meant to be worn and how to get into it. She'd never worn anything like this; she didn't want to get it wrong.

When she emerged from the dressing room, the laces were still loose and the gown was just a little long on her, but her eyes were bright and she stepped into the light with a little extra flare calculated to make the beads shine. She'd tried that out -- just once -- in front of the mirror. But as she stepped forward, her eyes abandoned the mirrors and sought out Cinna, full of hope.

While Angelica is in the dressing room, Cinna finds some hairpins and a silken ribbon that's a similar tint of the satin in the dress. He has a notebook and a tape measure and a few straight pins as well. He's fully prepared when she exits the dressing room. And when he sees her, the way the dress is truly hers, he smiles. It isn't all that often that there's a match so perfectly made.

"Absolutely lovely. I can tell that you feel lovely as well." It's in her smile, in her eyes, in the way she's carrying herself. A perfect match.

Cinna is buzzing, in his element in every way as he leads her over to an elevated pedestal for her to stand on. He gets behind her and weaves the ribbon into her hair before pinning bits of it up to accentuate her neckline and the low cut neckline of the dress as well. It only serves to add an air of elegance to the moment.

Angelica is reflected in a semicircle of mirrors so she can see herself. "This is making my entire week, Angelica. I hope that you'll indulge my creativity for just a few more moments if you aren't in a hurry."

"Oh," Angelica said faintly, examining herself in the mirror once Cinna had added the finishing touches. She wasn't sure she recognized herself -- would anyone recognize her?

And would it be such a bad thing, she thought defiantly. She'd started off looking for home, and she'd found this instead.

She reached up to touch the ribbon in her hair, didn't quite dare examine the neckline, except to think that it must be just as it should, because she was certain that Cinna wouldn't steer her wrong. Cinna would know what was right for his gown.

"I'm not in a hurry at all," she said softly. And purely in the spirit of curiosity: "What are you going to make of me?"

There's a moment where everything clicks together between a person and what they're wearing. Cinna gets to witness those moments, the moments where a person feels like the best version of themselves just because of the work that he put into a garment. He's just witnessed that with Angelica and even though it's her confidence, her happiness, her beauty inside and out, he feels such a high from the periphery of it.

"Oh Angelica, there is little to make of it as this is you in every way." He says.

When she says she's not in a hurry, Cinna hurries away to get a small box and return. He gets up on the circular pedestal with her and asks her to close her eyes here, open them there, adjust her lips just so. When he's done, her eyes are lined with dark kol to make them pop. The corners of her eyes and some underneath are outlined with tiny golden gems.

Last, but not least, he moves behind her to clasp a chandelier necklace, beads interconnected and entwined with one another cascading from her neck with barely visible wire so that it looks like the beads just float against her skin.

He steps back to eye her appreciatively and smiles. "Now. What do you think?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open § everything i'm not made me everything i am

Option One

Re: Option One

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject