After we left the artisan store, I wonder to myself where we should go next.
"Hey!" Lucy said with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Ah, yes?" I reply with a guilty tone, I didn't do anything wrong, right?
"Did you forget about the malls secret?" She sounds really annoyed right.
Oh crap, I totally forgot about that. Well now should be a good time to go. "Nope, I haven't
forgotten at all, let's go." I told with a bit of confidence in my voice since I didn't want her to know that I had forgotten all about it.
"Okay then" Lucy said with the sweet smile. Well her mood sure does fluctuate.
Upon reaching our destination. Lucy had an utter expression of disbelief. "This is a small unknown store for wannabe designer, right?"
"I let you in on the secret when we go inside." I replied with a smirk as I walked into the store.
"Hello, how are y… Oh Mr. Xu, are you here to accept the Madam's offer?
"Sorry Eve, that would still be a no, I'm only here helping a friend out." I replied to the store attendant.
As Eve tip toe to look over my shoulder her eyes went wide open. "Jason don't tell me you kidnapped her? How else would such a beauty be following an androgynous guy like you? It would make much more sense for Alvin to be here instead of you."
Hey! Wait a minute that joke not even funny but so I was thinking but then I heard a soft laughter behind me. Damn it, so even Lucy is laughing at me.
"Hello my name is Lucy and I'm guessing that the reason Jason took me here, is for you to design an outfit for me?" Lucy introduce herself to Eve with a polite smile.
"No! No! My work won't be able to express your beauty, I'm think Jason want the madam herself to make something for you." Eve admitted with a sadden expression.
"I think your designs have improved quite a bit." I state while I admire some of the clothing being displayed on the mannequins." I stated after hearing the sad tone in Eve's voice.
Eve's expression lighted up a bit after hearing me say that her design had gotten better.
"But it's is true that the madams design would be better suited for Lucy, your designs would be sub-standard." I tease her a bit since it had always been fun. Last time Alvin and I had met Eve she threw a shoe at us.
"That is true but I think I can make the perfect design for you." Eve said with a hint of confidence in her voice.
Oh, her design has improved in quality, maybe I should accept a design from her but then I heard her continue but this time with a bit of happiness in her voice. "A black dress would give a nice balance when matched with your hair or I can make a white dress with some blue colors to make you an ice queen."
With that said, I heard a bit of a giggle from Lucy. Maybe I should stop teasing Eve so much.
"Excuse me. Who is the Madam you two are talking about?" Lucy's question made me realize that I still haven't explained anything to her yet.
"We're talking about Josephine Rousseau, Madam de Veligonnia. She is currently one of the world's leading fashion designers. She had a successful showcase every fashion week in Paris, Milan, London and New York for the past two decades." Eve spoke with pride in her voice.
"Madam Rousseau is from a family with strong French linage, and she became know as Madam de Veligonnia in Paris. The city recognized her work and decided to allow her to use the name. She the actually owner of this store. The ole bag take all the serious work and give the other work over to Eve, so she can have some practices." I added in the tidbit that I knew about the store.
"Madam Rousseau is the real owner of the store but she will only make a design if she likes the canvass that she been given and the rest is up to my discretion." Eve corrected me, clearly showing that she was a bit annoyed with me.
I nodded showing that I was agreeing with Eve and I began to speak my mind. "That rude ole bag can be really picky with her stuff, and she so stubborn to boot. Once she has her mind sent on something there no changing her mind. I won't mind working for her if she had accepted my demands and wasn't so much of a slave driver."
"So, this rude ole bag is a slave driver, huh? When did I ever force you to do anything or work you hard enough to say that about me." Came an old, intense voice behind me.
"Madam Rousseau, it's a pleasure to see you again" It seems that I had mess up, it was her store but I never heard that she was ever seen here. I had only work one showcase for her but that was brutal, some of the other models on site said that Madam Rousseau showcases are always more intense that the others.
"Good Day" Seem that Lucy always have her manners.
"Maybe I should've said that Madam Rousseau was in one of the backrooms." Eve made a quip at me.
"You demanding to only model male clothing is just going to hamstring your potential in the modeling business. I want to groom you into one of the best model's the world had ever seen before, but you instead you had no confident in your masculinity that you would refuse to wear another dress." Well I did deserve a scolding for the things I had said. But why did she had to mention that part of the ordeal?
"And who would this be? She got looks but she too short and too fat. I don't need her." Madam Rousseau judged as she looked at Lucy.
"Excuse me" Lucy said with an angry, bewilder expression. Lucy looked cute with an angry expression.
"Please don't take it personally, Madam Rousseau is only judging your potential as a show model. The most important thing for a show model is not looks, but actually height and waist size." Eve explained to Lucy, hoping to calm her down.
"She has no use as a show model but I do think I got a design for her. She has a gorgeous outline and well proportionate figure. I can see that you have a fiery, and strong spirit which classical clothing would suit you the best." Lucy had an amazed expression after hearing Eve's explanation and Madam Rousseau judgement.
"Eve take her measurements." Madam Rousseau told Eve. Well guess it just me and the madam for the time being, as Eve and Lucy move into the back room.
While I was waiting, I walk around inspecting some more of Eve's design while Madam Rousseau was deep in thought. She really had gotten better in the last three year ago. Well it be weirder if she didn't improve since she the student of Madam de Veligonnia herself.
"Kaaa!" I heard a surprise scream from Lucy in the backroom. It had only been about 5 minutes since Lucy and eve went into the backroom. What could they be doing in the back?
"Does she have Stockholm syndrome?" Madam Rousseau ask me with a speculative expression.
"What's wrong with you and Eve asking the same nonsense?" I answered her with an annoyed tone in my voice. I began to think that maybe even Madam Rousseau personality is being taught to Eve.
"That the only logical reason I can think up of after all this time. Why would a girl as gorgeous as that would be with an androgynous guy like you?" Yep, her personality is definitely being transfer over to Eve.
"We're not dating, she's new in town so I decide to show her around the place, that's all." I replied so Madam Rousseau would stop making such wild speculations.
"You just met her and you take her to this place. Would you take every girl that you met here or are you already bewitched by her?" When had Madam Rousseau become interested in my personal life?
"She said that she wanted to buy some clothes, so I was thinking that this place would be perfect for her. And I was also assuming that you would be interested in making something for her." I reply defected.
It took another 10 minutes before Lucy and Eve came out of the backroom. But when Lucy came out her face was red as a tomato. What were they going at the back.
As Lucy and I was about to open the door Eve began to shout. "Jason I'm going to need you and Alvin to help me out at Veligonnia Fashion week, it three weeks away."
"Okay, I'll let Alvin know and we'll be there" I reply to Eve.
"How do you know Madam Rousseau and Miss Eve?" Lucy inquire from me.
"Back in our high school days, Alvin was having difficulties with cash, so he decides to sign up for a bunch of random jobs. He said modeling would pay well but he would be embarrassed to go by himself so he added my name to the list. We went for an audition for modelling after watching a few videos on the internet and surprisingly we both made it." I started to tell Lucy my past but I did purposely neglect to tell her about the other embarrassing jobs Alvin sign up for both of us. The time where we had to dress up in a chicken suit to advertise at a football match was the worst job during Alvin money shortage ordeal.
"Eve was the designer for our third showcase. During that showcase the outfit I was wearing at the time caught the eyes of Madam Rousseau and she decided to take Eve as a student and wanted to recruit me as a full-time model. Her reason being that I had okay height being 1.75 meters tall but my figure and skin tone would make me the best model in the world. I was excited back then and decide to try out one of her showcases and it was then that I knew I wouldn't be professional model." I explain to Lucy about my past showcase but I left out the part where I was to force to model in a dress.
"Is that the showcase where you had on the dress?" Lucy question hit me by surprise, damn that Eve.
I guess my expression had answer Lucy's question for her. "Miss Eve showed me some pictures in the back room. You look fabulous at the showcase." Yeah, I going to kill Eve the next time I time I see her.