"Hello!" Kyle's sister exclaimed, waving him into her brightly illuminated studio. And make no mistake, though this might have been a bedroom in a past life, it was a shining example of a fashion studio now. Rolls of fabric, half-finished designs, and the gazillion pieces of paper were enough to convince Felix.
Felix smiled. "I'm really sorry, but Kyle didn't think this through at all. He didn't even give us your name," he explained, scratching his head when he realized that he didn't know how to call the girl. For her part, she seemed unfazed. She'd probably gone through this already with Harper.
"Oh, Harper told me about that. I'm Beth, nice to meet you!" she rebounded quickly, practically pushing him through the door now. So much for a shy person. Looking at her, you would never come to that conclusion. She dressed in as a strangely bright fashion as possible, with pastel colors dominating the dress that she wore. It looked to be something that she had made on her own, based on the fact that he'd never seen a dress quite like it. Then again, Felix wasn't the foremost expert on women's fashion.
"Nice to meet you, too," Felix replied, settling on a hard stool opposite of Beth, who was holding a large sketchpad in her arms. Being as short as she was – the top of her head reached maybe his shoulders – the pad threatened to dwarf her. Felix stifled a chuckle. All Beth was missing was a beret and she was the quintessential cartoon artist.
"First things first, I'd like a color scheme," Beth stated matter-of-factly, her excitement hardening to seriousness.
"Maybe white and blue?" Felix suggested, liking the pair of colors. They were about as superhero-y as they came.
"Kind of boring, but that's alright. We'll work with what we've got," she murmured. Felix didn't know if he was meant to hear it, but he pretended as if he didn't. "Any style?"
"Classic suit and cape?" Felix was hoping she'd agree. He didn't think he was an overly prideful individual, but it was everyone's childhood dream to don the cape. Even if it was tacky, it was something he wanted.
Beth looked up from her sketchpad, her wide eyes accentuated by the wide-rimmed glasses she wore. "Thank God! I've been waiting for one of you to say that!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Harper wanted everything but the superhero look. She barely let me give her a scarf, let alone a cape. Instead, she wanted something that belonged on fashion week!"
"That doesn't sound like Harper," Felix opined.
"I'm not lying. She's got a skirt and everything. It's a good thing she can't fly, or else she'd be in for a world of problems. That said, she does want a mask to conceal her identity, which I would recommend for you as well," Beth explained.
It sounded like Harper was having a fun time, even if she hadn't ever quite shown herself to be such a fashionista. Then again, as she was warming up to him, she had begun to wear flashier and flashier clothing. Maybe it was a privacy thing? Felix shook his head; he'd never be able to understand Harper.
"Yes to the mask. If you could make it a bit more substantial than the usual eye-mask, I'd appreciate it," Felix grinned.
"Of course! Do you take me for an amateur? If you go out in one of those things, you'll have your 'secret' identity uncovered in seconds!"
The rest of their planning was less about Felix's input and more about his measurements. It was an odd experience, but thankfully she was able to get everything without him having to strip or anything like that. He was able to leave the room feeling better than he entered it. Maybe Harper had been right about getting a costume.
"You sure about committing to the whole superhero thing, Harper?" he asked as he re-entered the kitchen. Harper had been lounging around the breakfast bar with some colored drink in front of her, chatting with Kyle.
She stood up and gave him a big hug. "Of course I am, you dummy. I'm not so wishy-washy as to change my mind like that. We'll be able to protect our identities, go after more dangerous crime, and look impressive while doing it!"
Felix nodded his agreement, seeing Kyle just raise his shoulders in a 'what do you do?' sort of gesture. Felix laughed, separating from Harper and approaching the man.
"Thank you for everything, Kyle. You've been a gracious host and we're incredibly grateful for you connecting us with your sister. I'm sure we're in capable hands," Felix said, shaking Kyle's hand. For his part, Kyle glared at Felix.
"Stop shaking my hand! I'd rather us be friends than work acquaintances, Felix. And this still doesn't cover what you did for me; if you ever need anything, give me a call," Kyle said, standing back. "Oh, and I'll let you know when Beth has your costumes all done. Shouldn't take long; she works like a demon whenever she has something interesting in mind."
Felix looked at his hand, realizing that he had been treating Kyle as a stranger. And while he didn't quite know what to make of the guy, he knew that, at the very least, Kyle was trustworthy. That was a strong basis for friendship.
"I, for one, count us friends already," Harper said, beaming.
Kyle responded in kind, and the two looked as if they were perpetually stuck in a smiling contest. Neither contestant seemed like they wanted to give up, so Felix interjected, pulling Harper towards the penthouse door. Kyle followed them, bidding a final farewell before locking the door after them. Felix heard the deadbolt slide shut; for all his eccentricities, Kyle was much more concerned about security than Felix gave him credit for. After his encounter, Kyle ought to be.
"I can't wait for our costumes," Harper said dreamily, riding the elevator all the way down to the ground floor. Felix laughed at the sudden fashion guru.
"Just don't forget about me, yeah?"
"How could I?" Harper exclaimed, wrapping Felix up in another hug. Felix smiled; for all the doubt he had had, today had been a good day. He just hoped that Beth didn't take the whole costume design thing too far. If he found pastel colors on his costume, he was going to flip. And if there was glitter… there'd be hell to pay.
He shuddered at the thought. He'd cross that bridge if and when he needed to.