Petty Woman [Open]

[hellfire_empath]

Fashion porn.

That's what it felt like to Brooke whenever she entered Lanvin's New York flagship store. Everywhere around her there was just fashion. The young woman reveled in it, her high heeled basic black Prada pumps digging into the plush zebra-striped rugs as she slowly walked around the three-story shop. She wasn't looking for anything specific, mind. It was simply that the weekend had come and as per Brooke's agreement with Rachel, weekends could be spent in the city, at Brooke's own apartment, doing whatsoever she pleased.

This usually included shopping, with Brooke's maid Sharona accompanying her with all of Brooke's necessities for the day.

Brooke's raspberry-lacquered lips curved into a triumphant smile as she came across a sleeveless white blouse with a cute little bow-tie collar. She reached up and touched the tie on her own peach coloured sleeveless blouse - a Lanvin creation itself - and snapped her fingers. The blouse, she decided, would pair beautifully with the black textured pencil skirt that she'd just picked up at Opening Ceremony. Sharona reached out to pluck the blouse from where it hung - there was only one left in Brooke's size - when another woman reached out and grabbed the same size, giving Brooke a particularly catty grin as she did so.

Brooke recognized the girl immediately. Candida Archer. She'd been a former student at the Spence School, one of Woodbridge-Robillard's chief competitors and a girl that Brooke had particularly despised for a perceived slight done to her at her debutante ball.

Wordlessly, Brooke gave Candida that look. One which she'd perfected in high school, but one which she hadn't yet gained the ability to add her empathic powers to back then. Today, that was no longer the case. Brooke raised her chin ever so slightly, and her eyes narrowed just a little. She stood a little more taller, maintaining eye contact with Candida as she effortlessly manipulated the other girl into terror and subservience. The blouse was hers and Candida inexplicably felt inferior to Brooke. She rushed past the empath and out onto Madison Avenue.

Triumphant, Brooke handed the blouse to Sharona, who was already saddled with many other clothes that Brooke was purchasing from the shop that day. As she made her way to her favorite salesperson to make her purchases, Brooke faltered just a little bit. This is what Rachel was telling her about, what Rachel was warning her about.

A sociopath. Manipulating a girl's emotions for a blouse.

She froze for a moment as something akin to guilt started wriggling its way into her heart. No. She suppressed those feelings. It was the last blouse in my size. I was absolutely justified.

Still, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it was true, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it wasn't.

Comments

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander Aaron had checked out how men's fashion worked and he wanted to get something nice for his sister. Lanvin's was apparently the place to go, from what he'd been told as as he entered, after being bumped into by a young woman with utter fear in her eyes, Alexander stopped as thought he'd just smelled the finest flower in a field.

Fear had so many subtle undercurrents that it was almost like tasting wine. He wished he could have known what that vintage was before it ran off.

Entering the store, Alexander went to the blouse section and began looking through the racks.

"Too small. Too big. Rhinestones, ugh. She's not going to wear any of these. Hmmm...now that might work." he said, finding a particular blouse in navy blue, the color of his sister's eyes. And there, another in white.

Damn it. He needed an assistant. Or a minion. Or a dark priestess.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke thanked the salesperson and turned away, promising Sharona that they'd stop for frozen hot chocolates as a treat for the woman's hard day of work.

Even if during the other five, she simply lazed around Brooke's apartment while Brooke trained at the institute.

Still, Sharona's hands were free now, since Brooke's packages would be delivered straight to her home, and the two women were getting ready to leave and hit the next store on Brooke's list when she heard someone speaking to himself.

A man - a handsome man - looking over blouses. Presumably not for himself.

"What does she like?" Brooke asked, walking up to the man and waving Sharona away. "This person that you're shopping for?"

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander almost didn't hear the woman when she walked up as he was still looking at a few items. When he turned his head, though, he couldn't help but smile. She didn't look like she worked here.

But he could use a woman's advice anyway.

"It's my sister. I just got home and she's letting me stay with her. I thought a gift would be a good way to say 'thank you'." Alexander said.

"She's taken to wearing darker colors these days but I'm trying to change that a little bit. She's big on blouses, dresses and shoes. She has at least a million pairs, I think." Alex said.

"What do you look for when you're shopping, if I can ask? I hope I'm not being rude by doing so." he said.

[hellfire_empath]

"That's so sweet," Brooke said, her tone implying that she didn't care very much at all. "Any girl who shops here - she does shop here, right? - would have to have closets filled with clothes. I know I do." Save for two bedrooms, all of the spare bedrooms in her apartment were filled with her own clothes.

Many of them got thrown out for being out of season at the end of every season, whether Brooke had worn the clothes or not.

"What about this?" she asked, pulling out a simple satin t-shirt in a bright fuschia. "It's simple, she can pair it with anything, and it's bright." Pause. "What's her colouring? If she's a winter, the emerald tone might work better." She may not work there, but if there was one thing that Brooke Wyngarde was an expert on, it was fashion.

[call_me_phobos]

She was pretty but she reminded Alexander of someone he knew. He had yet to remember if that was a good thing or a bad thing but he knew that tone when he heard it; he'd used it a million times when someone was spewing on about something he couldn't care less about.

Alex looked over the fuschia top and shook his head. "The emerald might work a bit better. She's very fair-skinned but she's a brunette, much like you." he said.

In fact, she was a little shorter than Roxanne, maybe.

"Do you model? I swear you look like a model I've seen." he asked. Women loved to talk about clothes and themselves. He'd let this one do both.

[hellfire_empath]

Quite a bit shorter. Brooke was generally about five feet six inches tall, though the four inch stilettos she tended to wear helped round her up to a nice five feet ten.

"I don't, no," Brooke said, pleased. The easiest way into Brooke's good graces was to stroke her ego, after all. "Though maybe you've seen me in the society pages? I'm Brooke Wyngarde," she said, extending her hand so that he could kiss it.

[call_me_phobos]

And kiss her hand, Alexander did. He had class, after all.

"My name is Alexander Aaron. And if you don't model, you should. A wise man would thank the gods to have a muse half as beautiful as you, Brooke Wyngarde." Alexander said.

"Yes, that's where I've seen you. You're a very important woman." Alexander said smoothly. He hadn't seen the society pages at all but if she said she was in them, he would verify it later.

"Has such a wise man claimed you for his muse?" Alexander asked.

[hellfire_empath]

"A muse? No." Though there were many designers whose shops she'd frequented who should have considered doing so, given the business she'd bestowed upon them. When she'd ruled Woodbridge-Robillard, she'd been something of a trendsetter.

Maybe not as much of a trendsetter as Roxie Danvers, but trendsetter enough for the girls who had class.

"Perhaps most designers find me intimidating."

[call_me_phobos]

"Intimidating? I don't quite get that vibe from you. You're determined. I think you know what you want and you take it, because that is the only way to get what you want in life. Some would call you heartless or self-absorbed, but those are people who haven't reached your level." Alexander said.

"I happen to be a designer. I'm in the process of starting my own label and I am wise enough to know a muse when I see one. Perhaps you'll favor me with a bit of your time and consider modeling for me?" Alexander asked.

"I would love to get you into something that shows who you are, both inside and out." he said. He still hadn't let go of her hand, holding it a moment as he felt her skin.

And in that moment, Brooke's visage was replaced with a vision.

Not now, but the future. Two thrones. Alexander sat upon one throne, looking down at the humans who had come to page them homage. As they should. His queen and dark priestess deserved such tribute. It was her birthright and his. The humans departed and now the gods themselves came before them, offering allegiance. Even Zeus himself bend the knee, understanding that Phobos time had come.

But there were those who stood against them, who dared to speak against the King and Queen of New Olympus and Phobos raised his hand to smite them...until /she/ stopped him.

"No, Phobos. I will handle this."

And Brooke Wyngarde rose from her throne and placed the terror of Hades in the heart of their leader, who fell to the ground weeping in agony. She forced the others to love them, molding their hearts as though they were clay and forcing them to their knees in worship. When the last of the resistance faded, Brooke smiled at him and returned to her seat at his side.

The God of Fear returned the smile of his priestess and looked out at their legions of worshippers. And he said that it was good.

The vision ended as abruptly as it started and Alex looked at Brooke again with new eyes.

"Yes, I think you would make an excellent muse, Brooke Wyngarde." Phobos said, offering her a genuine smile.

[hellfire_empath]

If it was a vision that Brooke had seen, she would have loved it beyond anything. Beyond everything. Her mother had been grooming her to be queen since she was a child - sure, it was to be queen of all of the united Hellfire Clubs, but if she could ascend to something more...

Brooke blinked. She'd sensed a shift somewhere within him - what it was, she couldn't put her finger on. Her powers weren't quite so fine tuned. But my, when he turned that smile onto her...

"This certainly isn't where I saw my day heading," she said lightly. She wasn't complaining, though.

[call_me_phobos]

"Nor I, Brooke." Alexander said. "Nor I."

That vision held tightly to Alexander's mind. Could this woman possibly understand him? Even Roxanne didn't understand what it was to sense the fears of those around her. Alexander had sensed them for so long that he considered them part of the landscape of his life. And now this woman could someday learn to do the same in his name?

Not only that...but his Grandfather and all of Olympus would kneel before him in acknowledgement of his greatness? In that moment, Alexander Aaron made a decision. He had to know more about Brooke Wyngarde.

"Will you allow me to try to throw another twist into your day? I'd like to take you to dinner so that we can talk a bit more. Your help with the shopping has been invaluable and an artist should know more about his muse if he's to work with her, should he not?"

[hellfire_empath]

This didn't usually happen to Brooke. Guys didn't usually ask her out. Not like this.

"I'll have to dismiss my maid," Brooke said. "And clear a few things from my schedule," because it was good to seem as though one had an incredibly busy life, right? "But I think I should be able to manage dinner, after having been given the chance to freshen up." And find a dress that would knock the socks off of this Alexander Aaron person.

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander nodded. She'd brought her maid. He needed to invest in a minion or a manservant as well as a few other things to keep the whole appearance of being "human". Humans didn't take well to those with differences. He'd learned all he needed to know watching the issues most humans had with mutants.

"That's just fine. Here is my card." Alexander said, giving Brooke his gold-embossed business card with his number on it.

"Call me once you're free and we'll go. I'll take the remaining time to fashion myself into something worthy of a muse." he grinned.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke had never been the sort of woman to show a lot of skin on a date - or at anytime, really. The whole going out of her home without panties on thing was something she'd never really understood. Sure, her mother had seen some horrible stylistic choices, but Brooke had always fought to remain demure and elegant.

This was probably why all the boys had flocked to Roxie Danvers when they'd hit puberty.

But no matter. She'd caught the eye of a very handsome man herself - a man who seemed to want to make her his muse. To oblige him, she'd decided to be very classy and elegant that night - a simple black and white lace dress belted where her waist was most narrow, and simple black booties.

Well, as simple as Brooke ever got, at least.

As soon as the doorman had alerted Brooke to her date's arrival, the empath slipped on her favourite, collarless black mink coat, and made her way down the elevator to the first floor. She stared at herself in the mirror of her private elevator, wondering what the night was going to bring.

This was, after all, her first date in a very, very long time.

[call_me_phobos]

It took Alexander most of the day to find someone who would drive him for the night. Chauffeurs were usually prohibitive when one could teleport but he was trying to fit in right now. He would make it work.

Alexander waited for Brooke in a jet black Ralph Lauren Black Label tailored suit with Italian leather shoes. His cufflinks bore his initials, "A.A", and his tie was made of black silk with gold lace throughout. He'd done his best to make an impression and he hoped Brooke approved.

After all, a Muse must be well-kept in order to perform. Alexander walked toward her as though he'd stepped straight off the pages of GQ magazine.

"Ah, my Muse. There aren't words for how beautiful you are right now. Sadly, beautiful is all I have so I hope you'll accept it." he said.

[hellfire_empath]

She paused when she saw him walking towards her, her breath momentarily stolen from her. He'd been handsome enough at Lanvin, it was true, but here, now, he was simply breathtaking, from those piercing eyes to his wonderfully built frame to the liquid smooth way his voice sounded when he spoke to her.

Still, she took it in stride, never losing her composure. A lady always remained calm and sure and elegant in the best and worst of circumstances.

Not that she'd ever remained calm, sure, or elegant when circumstances changed for the worst, of course.

"I could say the same thing about you," Brooke said, holding out her hand so he could take it. "You look absolutely debonair." It really was the only word that came to mind.

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander took Brooke's hand and kissed it again, enjoying the feel of her skin beneath his lips. She was truly beautiful, but it was a cold beauty, untouchable though it made one desire to touch it even more.

"Thank you. I'm glad you approve, Brooke." he said, saying her name as though it were the last word of a sacred prayer.

"I hope you don't mind that I got us in at the Empire Room." Alexander said. She would certainly know of the place, an intimate A-List location that looked out on Ellis island. One usually had to make reservations months, if not years in advance to get in. Luckily, the owner owed a favor to Alexander's mother before her passing and informed the young man that said favor carried over to Alexander anytime he wanted to stop in. He'd never seen a reason to before now but impressing Brooke seemed like a decent enough reason.

Besides, his other meetings had gone so well that he was in the mood to celebrate.

"If you'll follow me, our chariot awaits. I've always wanted to say that." he said, chuckling a bit. Hopefully she was intelligent enough to carry on a conversation; he'd been disappointed with pretty packages with no substance in the past.

And the car ride would be agonizingly slow.

[hellfire_empath]

Dark, long lashes gently batted above Brooke's cheek as Alexander kissed her hand. A gentleman so far. That was good. Brooke was unlike many of her society girl brethren, going after oily Greek shipping scions, Brazilian businessmen, and star kid celebutards.

Once seated in the back of the car, Brooke turned so that she was facing Alexander a little bit. There was something about him that felt familiar, somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on what that was.

"The Empire Room," Brooke stated. "It's astonishingly difficult to get in there." Even she'd been put on the waitlist for that place. Granted, she could relax with the knowledge that the likes of Tinsley Mortimer had also been placed on the waitlist, but still. "Who are you, Alexander Aaron, that you were able to get a table at a moment's notice? Or is it simply that you've had this reservation for ages and simply needed company tonight so you wouldn't be dining alone?" She didn't really beat around the bushes much, this one.

[call_me_phobos]

"I was owed a favor and I called it in." Alexander said simply. It was true enough. When she asked him who he was, he wanted to reply with a pop culture reference about being "a man of wealth and taste" but the connotations might be unsettling if she actually understood it.

"Yes, I needed the company of a charming woman to make my meal more enjoyable. Eating alone is a form of torture that no one should endure if they can help it." he said, his voice oddly vulnerable at that moment.

"My name is Alexander Aaron and I know what I want. Who are you, Brooke Wyngarde, that you entrance men with little more than a smile on those pouty little lips?" he asked, turning her question back upon her immediately.

[hellfire_empath]

"..." Brooke paused a moment and took a sip of her water. So he had favours that he could simply call in at places that were difficult to get into.

He hated dining alone and considered Brooke a charming woman.

There was something vulnerable there, but evidently he did a lot to hide it.

All of it was very, very intriguing.

She smiled that pouty-lipped smile. "There's so many different answers to that question, I'm quite sure I wouldn't know where to begin," she said. After all, to most of the world, she was simply a rich Manhattan socialite. The mutant thing, that was mostly a secret.

[call_me_phobos]

"Please start at the beginning. Time is not a concern for me." Alexander said.

"I really want to hear everything about my muse, so anything you want to tell me is what I want to know." he told her, smiling.

[hellfire_empath]

So, it was to be all about Brooke tonight? She had to admit, there was not a lot that was better than that.

So she broke in to her story, filling Alexander in on how she was primarily raised on the Upper East Side, her mother grooming her to be a society queen much like her namesake Brooke Astor (as well as a major player in the Hellfire Club, of which her family had been members for a few generations), her time ruling over Woodbridge-Robillard, her friendship with a girl named Roxie who later became an Avenger, her horrible time at Empire State University (it was filled with science geeks and hipsters, and Brooke was so very much neither), and her mother's lies about her father, who had suddenly come back into Brooke's life, and who she was now building a relationship with.

Basically, everything that Brooke had ever been through, except for all of the mutant tidbits. Because who knew how Alexander would react to that?

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander listened with rapt attention, interrupting only to ask Brooke to clarify a point here or there. He understood well about a parent grooming a child to live a particular life. His mother was willing to let him be whatever he wished, but his father was very much in favor of Alexander claiming his divinity as soon as was practical.

When she mentioned an Avenger named Roxie, Alexander couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at his lips. He should have known that this city was too small to avoid a connection with his sister /somewhere/. Ironically, Brooke had helped him pick out a gift for Roxanne earlier that day. Perhaps she'd be happy to know that? There was time for that later.

When she was done speaking, Alexander chose a particular thread of the conversation to focus upon because it mirrored something from his past.

"How do you feel about your father now that you know more about him?" Alexander asked her.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke had noticed that little smile when Roxie's name had come up. She'd continued speaking, of course, but there was suddenly that doubt in her mind. Had Alexander also done with Roxie what most of the single - and plenty of the not-single - men had already done with the superhero?

Because if so, Brooke was going to have none of it.

"Honestly? It's bizarre. My mother had made up stories about my father - none of them the truth, of course - but now that I've met him, I wonder why she made those things up." The truth was that Regan Wyngarde had created complex illusions, tricking Brooke into thinking that her father was a normal, rich baseline human who had been sent to jail for tax fraud. Not exactly something that Brooke could mention. "At the same time, though, whenever I try to get closer to him, he seems to hold me at an arm's distance. I'm not sure why. I want to trust him, but at the same time, something doesn't feel quite right, if that makes sense." Manuel de la Rocha was hiding something from his daughter, but what that was, Brooke didn't yet know. That was partially why she'd ended up at the Xavier Institute. She needed to learn more about her powers, and if Manuel was going to consistently block her from reading him, then she was going to learn from people who actually wanted to teach.

[call_me_phobos]

"Believe it or not, I know the feeling of being kept at arms' length, as well as being told something other than the truth. My mother told me that my father was a demolitions expert, when I could get her to talk about him, that is. I didn't meet him until I was ten years old. By then, I thought I was old enough to not care by that point but...meeting one's father for the first time is a powerful thing." Alexander said.

"He and I had a lot of trouble starting out. I was a very willful boy and he is a very willful man. We butted heads about a lot of things. But as difficult as our relationship was, it's nothing compared to my relationship with my grandfather. Father and I /both/ have a lot of trouble with him." Alexander said.

"Over time I came to understand my father and why he'd been so distant. I got to know him and his life and found that I truly enjoyed it. But it came at the cost of my relationship with my mother." Alexander said.

"Are you still close with your mother?" he asked.