1964-01-15 - It's Only Fashion
Summary: Janet has taken note of the rising supermodel Elizabeth Braddock, and scheduled a meeting with her in the lucrative Hellfire Club, to see if they can do business.
Related: None
Theme Song: "Vogue" by Madonna - https://youtu.be/GuJQSAiODqI
wasp psylocke 


With Elizabeth Braddock making more and more of a name for herself lately, which coincided with Janet Van Dyne doing the same, Janet thought it would be just spiffy if she could get Elizabeth to model her work. After all, in the fashion world, even if they were strangers, they were likely well aware of one another. So what better place than the perfectly luxurious and decadent Hellfire Club.

Janet is sitting at a private room she arranged for the two of them, a glass of daiquiri set before her, which she's been sipping on while waiting for Elizabeth to arrive. She made it a point to arrive early.

*

Betsy had been awhile from the US for a few days. She had booked a trip to a remote location where a geological 'event' was active and in-progress. She'd had Fantomex accompany her, telling him she was on a secret mission and she needed his assistance.

Upon returning to the United States, Betsy had received the message once she had come back to the Xavier School. She'd settled in for a moment, putting her luggage away and then went to leave the school once more, dropping a pamphlet into the waste bin that had information about an active volcano and the 'dangers of getting too close'. On her way out, a student walked past Betsy and spoke. "Hey, where's your manboy?" Betsy paused and looked back at him. "Working on his tan." She replied, in short and then left the school.

Arriving at Janet's location, she was wearing a long black coat that went down to the knees. She was a tall woman, so she had to get extra long clothing made for her, but that wasn't a problem, most of her clothing was given to her for free. "Hello." Besy said to Janet upon arriving, moving toward the woman to sit across from her.

*

Janet does get up when Betsy arrives and smiles a rather beaming smile at her, "oh my, you look absolutely fab, Betsy, great to meet you in person." She gestures towards the seat across from her, "I wasn't sure what's your drink so I didn't order anything in advance. If it's something Japanese, I'm sure the club carries it, they have literally everything under the sun!" Janet laughs a bit, quick to get comfortable with perfect strangers, which might be a bit off putting to some. She doesn't introduce herself, assuming Betsy has either heard of her or read about her in her line of work. Perhaps a passing glance in one show or other.

*

Betsy showed Janet a soft smile that lasted for only a few moments. "You are kind." She said shortly and then moves to lower herself into the seat indicated. "Water would be fine, with… lemon please." She said, her accent was a mixture of Japanese and British as of right now, since detaching herself from her 'manboy' she had had a sense of inner peace that was making her usual turmoil easier to bare with, at least for today.

"I have heard of you…" Betsy said, eyeing Janet. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, and it is a striking honor to have you call for me." She seemed to be a bit 'cold' but she was actually making quite an effort right now to be as warm as possible. She shrugged her long coat off and let it fall behind her, wearing a dark purple turtleneck sweater beneath it that nearly matched the shade of her hair, but her hair was a bit darker. Beyond that she just had on black slacks and some heeled black shoes.

*

Janet motions at the servant who is quick to go fetch Betsy what she asked for, and then turns to look at Betsy precisely when she lets the coat slip off and reveal the dark purple turtleneck, which works remarkably well with her peculiar hair. "I just have to ask, is you're hair color a Japanese thing? Or something of your own choosing? It's fantastic! I adore it!"

Janet clearly has her mind reeling with possibilities as she moves to sit back at the table. For her part she's dressed rather conservatively today, a red a-line dress with a matching pillbox hat, as is fashionable. Her hemline, however, is a tad daring in not quite reaching the knees and her heels are taller than the common kitten heels all around in abundance. She does enjoy experimenting. "You have no idea how brilliant it is to talk to someone who knows what I do, and appreciates it, so many people just don't have the proper appreciation for fashion!"

*

Betsy settled a little more into her chair, allowing herself to lean back on the rest as well (she had been repeatedly told to relax by her advisor. He said she had the rigid appearance of a statue frozen in ice and dipped in glue left out in the sun to dry, then covered with a coat of plastic on top, Betsy hadn't enjoyed this comparison.)

"It is natural." She tells Janet. Sure, Mutants may not be well liked in this world right now… some might even want to do harm to a mutant should they expose themselves. But Psylocke? She welcomed it. "I am a mutant." She boldly just blurts out to Janet. "Fight me if you wish, hate me if you want. Or just ignore it and lets talk about better things, such as clothing and how I shall wear them for you to make lots of money." She showed a faint smile then, a look of powerful arrogance on her flawlessly featured face.

*

"That is remarkable!" Janet seems besides herself at the unexpected reply, "your hair looks gorgeous." She seems entirely unfazed by Betsy admitting to being a mutant, clearly she has no personal issues with the matter, though she does offer, "perhaps better not to share it, so you don't get black listed by companies run by bigots. You'll be surprised how many are…"

By the time Betsy's drink arrives, Janet has emptied her daiquiri and orders herself a mai tai. Variety is fun.

Any ideas of fun banter around the 'mutant' issues are done away with when Betsy talks surprisingly directly, causing Janet to drop the pleasantries she had in mind, and quip instead, "Betsy, anybody ever told you that you do business just like a guy? I guess that's part of why you're so successful, huh? I should take a page from your book."

*

Psylocke accepted her drink and she sipped it once and then set it down on the table in front of her knees. "I like finding out who the bigots are, and then perhaps shaming them into losing their business." She wasn't entirely truthful about that, she'd even likely consider physically harming the bigots… or showing them what she was capable of and scaring them into submission, such things amused her. Or at least amused part of her.

"I do business like a strong leader." Betsy said then, glancing back the way she'd come from. "I've seen how 'men' do business here. They laugh like they're choking on fat food, talking about their private parts with each other and 'how many women they have screwed'." She paused for just a second. "They are pigs, and should be fried on a spit like a pig. Shove an apple in their fat holes and watch the bacon sizzle."

Its possible that Betsy Braddock isn't entirely 'there' mentally. But she came with a great resume and the popularity of her products was undeniable, she had a fanbase, in in this day and age where future technologies weren't making it far easier to get exposure. She was an exotic woman to Americans, and it was actually helping her grow in fame.

*

Janet looks surprised at Psylocke's show of force. Not only for a mutant, but a woman at that, to take after bigots who run companies? That was an entirely alien concept and line of thought. She often wanted to let a guy know how disrespectful she found his behavior to be, but it just wasn't something you do. At least not around the business world.

One thing was clear to Janet immediately, Betsy was a woman she could get inspired from. Though whether in the long run it would do more harm than good to the Van Dyne brand of clothes, well, that was harder to estimate. "Well, that is certainly one way to put it, Betsy," Janet laughs, rolling with it as it were. "I think with your attitude, I might want to do something bold…maybe a pants suit for women. That ought to save from boyish peeking at the least."

*

Psylocke listened to the other while having picked her water up again to sip at it once more. She smiled at Janet's words. "Not if you put them on the cover." She said in a mixtur eof Japanese and British accents, phasing in and out of each word. "On cover you'd put like… should off, exposed skin there… Get the idiots to buy the book. Then inside they find its all covered up pants suit pictures. Then you profit off of their stupid inflatable genitals." She sipped her drink again and showed another light smile toward Janet. She seemed to like Janet, at least thus far in their conversation.

*

Upon hearing Betsy's mind for business, even if put in a most uncouth manner, Janet does the only proper reply to such a thing. Picks up her recently arrived glass of mai tai, and drink it. As in doing so in one go. She is not used to such language, and she's not entirely sure she even wants to get used to it. Refreshing though it may be. "I am mostly concerned with looking good, but I think functionality in this case, and your strength and penchant to guy like talk…well, I think it would make a perfect fit," Janet eventually says, adding, "would you consider modelling my line of clothes? You get to veto anything you don't appreciate. I'm not as full of myself as other designers, I am flexible, and most willing to compromise. I think working together will be a fun experience. Definitely so for me."

*

Psylocke considered the offer, sitting mostly still aside from one drink from her glass. She had to mull over the possibilities involved in this idea proposed to her. A few moments later she spoke again. "I do not want to become a 'gimmick'." She said. "I would be worried that others may see me as 'that model who wears man clothes' and then never hire me for something else. But…. I have swimsuit magazine coming out that might off-set this image."

The purple haired woman inhaled softly and considered further. "I believe I would need an additional chance to model more traditional clothing for you as well… just to create a sliding slope across the scales of clothing. If that sounds acceptable to you, miss." She sat her glass down again half-emptied now.

*

"Oh for heaven's sakes no! I don't do gimmicks. I see it as an avenue…what if women dressed similarly to men in the office? Would that stave off their boyish ways? I don't know, but it's a good question to ask. But I assure you, I like all manner of things. This would be a first, if you model my lines…it means all of them. I've even been toying with offering those 'superheroes' to design their costumes. That would be a nice! Would you like to model zany outfits like that? It should be fun!"

*

Janet says as she orders a glass of water for herself, needing to pace herself and not get carried away.

*

Psylocke nodded her head to Janet then. "That sounds like an acceptable arrangement then." She told her with another sip of the lemon water. A moment later she continued. "I would not be adverse to modeling such attire, though it can be difficult due to my hair and eye color… I have had many designers frustrated with being unable to match to said colors, even if it can be easily changed with a fine wig and some simple photo tricks to alter the eye shade. Nevertheless, should you feel I am the right model for your designs then I am eager to wear them." She showed another faint smile then, which in Psylocke's world was practically like throwing your hands up in the air and dancing.

*

"I can make do with any model, the mundane is boring, change and new things are what's exciting," Janet is given her glass of water which she promptly raises in a toast. "To our collaboration then? You'll look gorgeous, but for a change, you'll look gorgeous in JVD outfits."

*

Betsy returns the toast and she smiles faintly. "I do admire that you wish to shake up the modern styles. There are too many holdover designs from twenty, thirty… or more years ago in this nation. It is like they refuse to change and grow anew. And that is how Empire's tend to fall." She sipped her drink then and sat it back down. "Well then, you know how to reach me should you wish to talk further or setup times for when you would like me to be around." The level in which her accent and Japanese-like phrasing has come and gone in a very peculiar fashion throughout this conversation.

Psy went to stand up and lift her jacket back up off of the seat. "It has been an enlightening meeting, Madam." She tells Janet then.

*

Janet finds the quirky shift in accents and phrasing surprising. She's not entirely sure if it's done on purpose, or if that's how Betsy usually talks. But either way, she wasn't going to ask about it at this moment in time. She drinks her glass, and grins impishly at Betsy, "certainly has been! I'll be seeing you."

*

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