6688/Fitting the bell to the Cat

Fitting the bell to the Cat
Date of Scene:	27 February 2019
Location:	Janet's studio
Synopsis:	Janet and Selina get the kitty kitted out for the upcoming gala
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Wasp (van Dyne)

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Catwoman has posed:
Reschedule, reschedule, reschedule. If it wasn't bad weather, it was a sudden change in plans for one person or the other, a variety of things conspiring to delay the chance for Selina and Janet to meet back up to further their plans for world domination, or at least turning heads with a new look. There was a little worry on Selina's side that Janet might just tell her not to bother any more, but here she is, finally at the place she was instructed to go to, ready to take that next step. It should be fun. Who knows, maybe Janet was working on some ideas all along. The woman arrives in black: jacket, jeans, short boots, the whole nine yards.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet's offices are a riot of color and contrasts. On the right side of the room-- stark, crystalline white. Subtle and airy colors complement the near-flawless marble hues. Gold inlays, sapphire blue statues. The furniture, the walls, even the office items on the huge desk like pens and papers and staple pullers-- all white. A space for total zen focus.

The other half of the room is an explosive riot of color. A fitting pedastal centered between three mirrors and surrounded by a lighting display that would put a glam rock band to shame. Miles of ribbon and silk and cotton and wool, bolts of cloth stacked in some order or configuration that makes sense to no one but Janet. Clothing, completed and partially assembled, drapes from a half-dozen huge rolling steel garment racks, all centered around a massive drafting table with a rainbow explosion of colored pencils and inks.

"Selina!" Janet's half-sitting on her desk, reading something. She comes off the furniture and tosses aside the manila folder. Her nude stiletto pumps click on the smooth tile as she hustles over to the socialite in black. She wears a calf-length, close fitting tan dress with subtle creases and folds that clings to the line of her navel, and a fuzzy red shirt with a wide collar that sits on the corner of her shoulders and leaves her forearms exposed. "I'm so glad you made it! C'mon in, c'mon in! I have been going like GANGBUSTERS for the last few days, I have some ideas I think you're really going to like," she assures her companion.

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle's eyes sweep the room, not out of any ideas of making off with something she shouldn't - the things here are not really her type of target - but because the place is filled with so many different visuals to be distracted by. It's a few moments before she's returned her focus where it's meant to be, namely the woman greeting her. "Nice place you've got here. A bit on the dull side, don't you think?" she offers by way of open but light-hearted sarcasm.

Moving in the rest of the way to close the gap, she adds, "Again, sorry about the time it's taken. I'm supposed to be doing this thing in a couple weeks, I only just got Bruce Wayne to go with me to see this animal shelter out in Wyoming over the weekend, and I think stuff's starting to come together."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet hooks her arm around Selina's and escorts her into the room. "Oh, y'know, it's the whole artist/business divide," she says. It's laughed off with an airy wave. "Good business work needs focus and a lack of distraction, but real *art* needs a giant messy pile of color and nonsense everywhere to trigger the creative juices."

She moves Selina to the fitting stand and hipchecks her with a sly grin. "And lookit you, hooking up with Bruce Wayne for a weekend gala. I mean, granted, it's Wyoming, but daaaamn giiiirl," she sings. "Get your hooks into that one fast, he's not going to stay on the singles market forever," she warns Selina.

Catwoman has posed:
"If you say so. I've never been the artistic type," Selina replies, allowing herself to be led along. "You know, going into a ball or gala like this might get people talking about us," she quips, though it isn't a long escort at all. "You've got the messy part down, I can say that much. Do you even know where everything is in here?" the woman wonders, her tone still light.

After she takes up a spot where indicated, she smirks at the bumping of hips. "The place is in Wyoming, but the ball's going to be in Gotham in case it wasn't clear. I just asked him for a nice donation and he started playing Twenty Questions with me. I don't think he realized I didn't want to be grilled by him. It's for a good cause, and it's not like I'm asking him for millions of dollars. He can afford it anyway." She deftly avoids getting too far into talk of them as a potential couple. "He's handsome, it's true, but I'm still trying to figure him out. What about you? Anyone you're chasing after?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Well, you know that rule about dating coworkers," Janet says, mischeviously. She moves to the windows and palms a button on the wall near them. They all start tinting heavily, even as the skylights overhead open up more to admit as much natural light as possible. "I've been trying to get a little closer to Steve Rogers. He's... well, I'm trying to figure *him* out," Janet admits, wryly. "I'm used to raves and Tindr, not guys opening doors and giving me ... dance lessons. It's weird. Good weird," she hastens to add. "I just can't figure out if he's giving me the old-school courtship thing or if he got hit below the belt in the war and he's just being suuuuper polite." She shakes her head. "I'm half tempted to rip my clothes off and throw myself at him to get the point across but I'm also scared I'd scar the poor man for life."

She reaches for a tall cylinder rack and haults it closer, huffing and puffing with both hands on the steel and her heels scraping for purchase. Bearings creak protest as the rack's rolled up next to Selina. "I've got a few to choose from. Black catsuit, little black dress, evening gown, this fun little cocktail dress," she says, fingering a tiger-striped ensemble. "Where do you wanna start?"

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle shakes her head slowly. "No, tell me. What, dating coworkers makes it easier to find a broom closet when you just can't wait to get back home?" she asks, crossing her arms as she awaits the response after Janet's altered the way the lighting works in here. She glances up, and her naturally pale skin looks a bit more so. "Oh, Captain America? And you think I'm setting /my/ sights high. Something tells me he's not going to be the social media type. So what is it, ballroom dancing?" She could offer an opinion on the way he is based on what little she knows, but she suspects, "Do that and he might never recover."

Then, she watches with amusement as the woman fights with the rack, coming to a stop just a couple feet from her. Catsuit, dress, gown, the striped outfit, which draws a closer look. "Mmm. I'm expecting some bold looks. I'm only thinking of covering this much of my face," she says, putting a hand over her nose and eyes, "But I expect others to go with full masks so you can't even tell who they are. Tell you what. You pick first."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Okay. Let's start with the catsuit," Janet says, and pulls the black garment down. She unzips it and holds it out for Selina to shrug into one the feline-themed socialite is ready.

A magnetic wristband is slung around Janet's slender forearm and she transfers a few fitting needles to her teeth, moving around Selina with a practiced motion. It's a classic catsuit, crushed velvet, leaving only Selina's face exposed. Gloves and boots are expertly built seamlessly into it and the accessories are simplicity itself: a gold link belt slung low on the hips and a necklace of circular medallions. Janet tugs the mask into place, a butterfly-wing domino masque with two adorable cat ears that nestle into her hair.

"A little on the tight and slinky side," Janet concedes, and steps back off the fitting stand. She kicks a foot pedal and the circular top slab starts a slow revolution as lights come down from above, walking Selina through the light of day and then dimming in time with the overheads to create the appearance of a late evening in a ballroom. "But wow that does some things for your butt," she says, enviously. "I don't know what your squat routine is and I'm afraid to ask."

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle shows no qualms about stepping out of her clothing, in - you guessed it - a black bra and panties, not even bothering with the screens for privacy. This is one woman who's comfortable in her skin. "A catsuit? How interesting," she remarks as she takes hold of the upper portion to help keep it there with Janet's own hands, stepping into one leg then the other. "Does this remind you of someone?" she wonders aloud, playing up the look with a bit of posing this way and that, showing off an athletic body.

The light show draws her attention after the mask and ears are in place, which she reaches up to feel at, and she glances at the shift in how it looks based on how much light is on her. "I'd tell you, but it might scar you for life," she teases before miming a swipe at the air. "Meeeow."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"I've made that mistake before. I told Captain Marvel I wanted better arm tone. I still get flashbacks when I walk past the bicep cage." Janet shudders eloquently.

"Y'know, it /does/ look familiar on you, but I can't place it," she concedes, finally. "Anyway. Fun, flirty, very 'in theme'," she says, and flicks at a length of tail sewed to the base of Selina's shirt. "Plus, shows off the goods."

She turns the rack and pulls down the little black dress, holding it to the side. "This is a classic van Dyne. It's a good baseline for any occassion," she assures Selina. "Simple, clean lines, very elegant. You'd have Wayne eating out of your palm in this number," she assures the other woman.

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle clucks her tongue. "Guessing that's a mistake. I don't think I want to know." For the simple fact alone that Janet admits the catsuit seems familiar, Selina says, "I like it, but I don't think I'm looking to cover up quite so much for this." Tail in the back or not, which she glances at, goods and all, she begins the process of getting back out of it before too much more time goes by, gesturing toward the dress in question. "If that's the case, let's see how it looks. I doubt he's the only one who'd be eating out of my palm in some of this, either."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Hey, never hurts to hedge your bets," Janet agrees. She helps Selina out of the catsuit and into the cocktail dress. It's a little black sheathe of a thing, the hem a hair on the short side of propriety. Strapless, sleeveless, with a subtle herringbone structure built in that gives some support without looking like undergarments are required. "The demicorset is the real expensive part," Janet explains, circling Selina. "It's memory polymer. As it cools off, it it basically acts like a wet noodle. When your body heat warms it, it returns to the shape we configure it in. So we can really--" Janet stands in front of Selina and puts on a show of hitching, lifting, tucking, and bundling her red-clad busom. "Without needing to wear an actual, soul-crushing corset. Yes, I know, call me a dirty hippy for hating corsets," Janet says, forestalling a predicted tirade with an upheld palm and roll of her eyes. "I like being able to /breathe/ when I dance."

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle adjusts herself and looks down to take note of the features in the dress, glancing at the fit this way and that. No question, it features all the right spots nicely, which earns a slow nod of approval as she listens, then a few words. "Sounds nice, feels good too. I don't know about it for this ball, but I might have to give this one a spin some other time. And there's nothing wrong with a good corset. You just need more practice in one, it sounds like." She punctuates this with a subtle tap of a finger against Janet's nose once the opportunity presents itself. "Some of us are just more skilled, from the sound of it." She feigns a ho-hum yawn, hand up by her mouth.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Oh, uhhh-huh," Janet says. She rests a fist on her hip and slowly rolls her weight over the other foot, jaw going sidways and giving Selina a flat and offended look. "Come in here and talk to /me/ about how to wear clothing?" An index fingers traces an S-shape in the air, waggling at Selina in remonstration. "I was modelling when I was /eight/ and I will put any one of my designs up against anything you can get from those hacks who schlep their 'goods' at Saks or Barney's." She huffs in outrage.

Catwoman has posed:
"Ooh, sassy. I like," Selina rather purrs in amusement, a look of enjoyment in her expression as Janet huffs and puffs and gets all demonstrative. "At eight, /I/ was.." She cuts herself off here, shaking her head. "On second thought, let's forget about eight, and ten, and most of the teens as well." Clapping her hands together once, she clears her throat. "Now where were we? Tell me about /that/ one," she urges, gesturing to the striped number. "It looks bold." Then she whispers, closer to Janet's ears, "You know I make your stuff look /gooooood/ too."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet rolls her eyes with a tolerant smile, and reaches back to push Selina's face away with the palm of her hand. "You do /okay/," she tells Selina. "Okay. This one I did custom. Tiger stripes I'd normally avoid, but you've got the build to pull them off. So I went a step furthur." She helps Selina into the garment and hangs up the cocktail dress. There's some complicated folding to the garment, giving it an appearance of an origami piece. She steps in front of Selina, grabs two thin silver bars, and pulls them around to Selina's ribs. Through some invisible mechanism it pulls tight, flattering the curve of her waist and hips. The skirt's of a more modest length and the neckline's low but not plunging.

"Take a look in the mirror!" Janet steps back and gestures grandly. It's not just tiger striping-- it looks like the pelt of a living tiger. Stripes on the back and sleeves, a smoother near-white 'underbelly'. Rather than being merely dye on a dress it looks like Selina's actually sporting tiger stripes.

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle maintains that look of amusement, allowing herself to take the palm to the cheek and guide her back. "You know I had my eye on that first, but I had to pretend I wasn't that interested. I'm curious." As a cat would be.

Getting into the dress, for that's mostly what it is aside from the long sleeves and other sections that come together in the midsection, it clings around that area in a nice way. The dress reaches the knees and remains stretchy enough to be comfortable, and as she glances over a shoulder into the mirror to see the back, she compares it to the front and licks her lips. "At first glance I'd mistake this for the real deal, that's how close it looks. All it's missing is the tail. I'd better not let the sanctuary see me in this or they might try to stick me in there," she laughs.

Then, she tries a few steps in it back and forth. "We might have a winner here. Now we'd just have to find a suitable mask and footwear. I'm not settled on how much of the face we should cover, now. What do you think?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Normally I'd say camo up, go full guerilla infiltrator and flirt with whomever you've got an eye on," Janet recommends. "But in this case, /you're/ the one everyone's got an eye on," she points out. "People need to spot you and know who you are. It's fun to sneak in and mingle with people incognito, but for a fundraiser..." She wiggles her hand. "This makes people more comfortable. At least in my experience. So if you can't be invisible, get so far out in front that people can't help but notice."

SHe steps back, supporting an elbow tucked against her ribs and nibbling a thumbnail in thought. "Louboutain, I'm thinking. Black with red soles (naturally). You're tall enough that three inch heels are going to do /fine/ for what you need, and you can dance better in them than five-inch lifts."

She wheels over a cabinet and slides it open. Dozens of shoes are inside, in dozens of colors and styles. "I'm thinking peeps instead of pumps, and black patent leather. Thoughts?"

Catwoman has posed:
"I feel like I'll be out of the mask enough for people to know it's me, but I think I want something that's going to go with the rest of this," Selina says, a hand passing up and down the front of the tiger-striped dress, a couple inches away from touching. She remains in it for the time being, and she says, "I know all eyes are going to be on me in this. It's bold. It fits the theme. I'm going with it."

Now considering the footwear options, she says, "I'm going to be on my feet enough that I need something I can be comfortable in for a few hours. With enough support and padding, sure, a few inches should be all right. Now let's see here..." She stays where she is as the examples are shown for her, a slow tap of her chin forthcoming. "I'm thinking you might be right."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Perfect. The mask we'll have to do custom. I know an artisan who would love to decorate it. Nothing but handwork, she's got fingers like a pianist," Janet assures Selina. "She handpaints them and seals them with a really tough lacquer finish."

She picks up a pair of bland beige pumps and starts adjusting something inside of them. They prove to be adjustable in a number of dimensions, and helps Selina step into them and starts fitting them to her foot. "These give the cobblers a better frame of reference for custom shoes, and they're so handy for testing fits and types." She replaces the pump toes with peeks and the heels are dropped from a commanding five inches to a more modest but still stylish three.

"I'm thiking roundbacks unless you've got a strong opinion about cups or slingbacks," she tells Selina. "Thoughts?"

Catwoman has posed:
Selina Kyle grins, as if she can already picture the mask before it's even been made. "Can she have it done in a week, so I can see if it will work?" she asks, aware she might be putting some pressure on things now with the timing. Not like she can't have something fitting overnighted from somewhere else, but the prospect of a truly custom piece for this? It appeals. Oh, does it ever appeal. "I want it to have ears up here, above the eyes, some gemstones lining the outside and the eyes themselves, another for the nose, we can have it end just above the mouth, striped like the dress..."

Then it's on to the adjustable shoes for a truly perfect fit, keeping her balance and adjusting her stance when needed so further adjustments can be made. "Girl, whatever keeps me in them so I don't lose a shoe and make a scene, I'm good with," she states. "So let's go with what'll work best."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet reaches for a sketchpad and charcoal pencil, and starts working as Selina speaks. She holds the pencil curled inside her hand rather than across her knuckles, and rather efficiently outlines a three-quarter view of the mask. Colors follow from a box and she describes tiger stripes and gemstones that match the garment as requested.

"There. How'd that look?" JAnet turns the design around for Selina's review. It's more color and motion than a technical schematic but it captures something about the energy of the dress clinging to Selina's skin.

Catwoman has posed:
A patient visitor waits while Janet does her mock-up of the mask in question. As Selina watches, she points out a small detail or two in her head that will lead to a slight alteration in the general idea, then she nods her approval and flashes a thumbs-up. "I dare say, purrfect. It won't hide my hair or my mouth, and..you know what? I haven't even /thought/ of jewelery and accessories yet!"

Once they've covered that, singling out some gemstones like yellow and orange topaz, enough time goes by that it's back out of the clothing to try on and, with stomachs grumbling, plans are made for food. They'd talked pizza before, the place Janet wanted to show her, and after a fine and filling meal, the two part ways with things well on their way to an eye-popping look for the masquerade ball.