on the catwalk, on the catwalk...

[emodebauhaus]

Now Open
MODE CoutureThere. And about time, too. It's not easy putting together inventory AND fixing up a storefront all by yourself. However, this is Edna. NOTHING is impossible, just too often on the top shelf. Either way, she's now open for business

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[clockwork_doc]

Clothes shopping isn't exactly Doc's favorite activity. Still, he figures he could use a few more shirts and pants, and he'd like to select something he knows he'd like rather than just hoping he'll get lucky with the Conrad clothing closet. Mode Coture wouldn't be his first stop on the list, but hey, he's interested enough in the new store to stop in and see what they have. Probably way out of his price range, considering he only gets twenty bucks a week, but still. . . .

And hey, if the owner turns out to be Wanderer-friendly, maybe he can get something with slits pre-cut in the elbows and knees.

[emodebauhaus]

"Good afternoon, Darling."

An extremely petite woman in a simple black dress wanders up from between the clothing racks and inclines her head politely. She's seen the Doc somewhere before, but she's having trouble placing the name- if she ever got it and she's not sure she did.

"Please, feel free to look around. Let me know if you have any questions."

Ah, America. Ah, twenty-first century. E remembers a time when customers did not even HANDLE clothing unless they were trying it on; a sales clerk did it all for you. However, times have changed, and people seem to want to do it all themselves now. There aren't many things she misses about her youth, but personalize shopping was definitely one of them.

[clockwork_doc]

Doc does a slight double take at the woman -- Great Scott, she's short -- but then smiles at her and nods. "Thank you. Looks like a nice place." He's still not sure if he has enough funds for a place like this, but looking never hurt. He wanders over to a nearby rack of men's shirts and starts sorting through them, looking for something colorful.

And then there's a hiss of steam from his elbows, seeping through the fabric of his coat. Doc grimaces. He really hates those vents. He glances over at the woman, wondering if she noticed.

[emodebauhaus]

Doc's elbows are just about level with E's head, so it was hard for her not to notice. She quirks one slender eyebrow. She'd been wondering. While undeniably human, his gait and movements didn't seem quite right for someone 100% organic.

"If you're looking for something special I do custom work as well."

She's done this more times than she can remember, and therefore does her best to exude a calm, understanding "it's okay, I'm on your side" vibe; her smile hinting at the layered meaning in her seemingly mundane offer. Ah if only she still had her old portfolio and gallery. Never mind. Maybe Doc will be her first new project!

[clockwork_doc]

Doc looks back at her, smiling awkwardly. Okay, she is Wanderer-friendly. Good. "Sorry about that," he says. "And yeah, I suppose I could use a little clothing help. Nothing special, just -- well. . . ." He shrugs off the coat. Now E can see that he's got rather large gears sticking out of his elbows and the backs of his knees. There's smaller ones in his knuckles too, though those aren't nearly as noticable. "Been cutting my current clothes up with scissors, but sometimes stray threads get caught." And he doesn't know much about sewing.

[emodebauhaus]

She doesn't even bat an eyelash. Instead she takes Doc's arm and ushers him over toward one of the dressing rooms and whips out a tape measure.

"Have you any other external moving parts? Gears, pistons, anything else that's been getting caught?"

She's buzzing around him like an overlarge bee, hopping up and down from a step stool and stretching out the tape measure against his back, his shoulders, his arms and legs. Once she's exhausted the tape measure, she's madly scribbling away on a small note pad. Measurements, requirements, things of that nature.

"I can offer you a nice, sturdy, oil-resistant fabric as well as a cleaner cut of clothing. Tell me more about yourself Darling. What is it you do for a living, and please, don't feel as if you must beat about the bush. I myself am 'unique'. We're all friends, here."

[clockwork_doc]

Doc is a little startledy by the woman's energy, glancing around her as she moves around him with the tape measure. "Er -- not really. There's gears in my knuckles--" he clenches a fist, showing her "-- but I don't usually wear gloves, so those don't bother me. There's also a couple of steam vents, one in each elbows and one--" He blushes faintly. "One situated above the tailbone. Though those haven't given me any trouble either. Clothes-wise, at any rate." Spurting steam at inconvienent times, though. . . .

"That would be nice," he says, smiling. "I'm a scientist, though I haven't had much chance to use my skills. I'm one of the displaced Wanderers, living at the Conrad. Right now I'm watching some man's junkyard while he has lunch to get some money and working on a project that -- it's a long story. The name's Dr. Emmett Brown," he adds, almost as an afterthought.

[emodebauhaus]

"Very good," she replies, not looking up. "An interesting way to stay wrinkle-free but I can imagine it would be inconvenient."

A length she stops and looks up at him. "I'm assuming you're interested in simple day-wear. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

She can do shirts and trousers in her sleep. If nothing else, Doc has now found himself a place where he can find clothing that won't get chewed up by his various mechanisms.

[clockwork_doc]

Doc smirks at that. "You've got that right. I'm lucky most of the regular people around here seem to just not process someone occassionally blasting steam." It's amazing what people can force themselves to ignore.

"Pretty much so. Just basic shirts and pants. Preferably with plenty of pockets." He likes pockets. "Maybe I should get a spare coat too." He likes the one he has, but it does need to be washed occasionally and wandering around without it. . . . And the labcoat he came through with just doesn't compare.

[emodebauhaus]

"Mmm...very good," she muses more to herself than him. "I can have a handful of articles ready in two weeks. Usually I'd require more notice, but since you're my first customer, you have the advantage, Darling."

Her smile is pleasant, perhaps a little mischievous, and then she's back to jotting something on the notepad. This should be fun, and fairly easy, a good way to get back into a routine. Besides, coming up with Doc's color scheme and silhouette should be entertaining; something that says "Eccentric Genius", but with style!

[clockwork_doc]

Doc grins back. "Sounds great. And first customer, really? That's amazing." The smile lessens a little. "I just hope I have enough to pay you. I've got some money saved up, at least, but. . . ." He shrugs a little. "My current job only pays $20 a week." And he doesn't want to resort to pickpocketing just yet.

(OOC: And the mun is really interested in what Edna might come up with. I am reminded of a couple certain Girl Genius comics.)

[emodebauhaus]

E just smiles. She may not go snooping in other people's heads, but she catches some of what Doc is thinking about.

"I think we can work out something. Tell me, Darling, are you fond of inventing?"

Because this world needs Megamesh. BADLY. And she needs someone with the proper equipment to help her start producing it here.

[clockwork_doc]

Doc looks at her in surprise for a moment, then grins back. "Ma'am, that's like asking me if I'm fond of breathing. You have something in mind?"

Hey, if she's got some inventing work for him, he'll gladly take it. Although he loves his time machine project, variation is good too. Though he's never really worked with textiles before. But hey, he's willing to give anything a go at least once!

[emodebauhaus]

E grins.

"This way, Darling."

She heads into a back room, expecting he'll follow. After going through a small storage room, she leads him down to the basement work area. Here, she hops up onto a stepstool and retrieves a couple of papers from a high cutting table.

"Megamesh. Endurenim. Mighty-tighty. Steeltoe. Imperviall. These all existed in my home dimension. I have the recipe for fabricating each, but I lack the equipment."

She offers the papers to Doc, each with an extensive list of chemicals and ingredients as well as method of production.

So Doc, think you're up to it?

[clockwork_doc]

Doc does indeed follow, though he freezes briefly at the top of the basement stairs. He gives himself a firm mental shove and continues down after her. This is not the same thing at all. You survived living in the Conrad Hotel basement, you can face this one. Still, he can't repress a mild shudder.

Doc takes the papers and looks at them with interest. He's more of a gadgets inventor than a chemist, but he does have some experience in the field. And with such clear instructions. . . . Of course, he's just got a basic mini-lab in his hotel room, but there's plenty of hardware stores nearby and if he can't jerry-rig something that could help with this, he can't call himself much of an inventor. "Fascinating designs," he says, rifling through them. "I think I could make a good attempt, at any rate. I'd like the chance to try."

[emodebauhaus]

"Excellent!" It's hard for E to contain her glee. "I'll be more than happy to lend a hand. I developed most of these myself, but I had much more extensive equipment back home." Not to mention a virtually unlimited budget. Sometimes Government Agencies are a beautiful thing.

"I'm afraid all I can offer at the moment is store credit, but I do hope we'll be seeing more of each other, Emmet, Darling." Her smile is teasing, as is the tone. However, she has to admit, he is kinda cute in an endearingly geeky way.