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Okay….let's try this again! Gidget had at least called her office and tell her she'd be there closer towards closing now because she ran into a small road block. After taking a shower, changing into a simple pencil dress and locking her apartment she made her way back outside again. Looking around, she'd pull those oversized sunglasses down onto her face and started down the sidewalk before she would see that car that had gotten beat up after having a person thrown into it. Sighing, she would shake her head as she looked down to where the pieces of her old sewing machine was; it was just no way she was going to be able to fix that old thing and wrote it off.
Kwabena is a patient man, when he needs to be. After escaping from the scene of skirmish, he found himself to a rooftop, where he watched until the police were gone; at least, those investigators with half a brain. Beat cops, well. They're easier to handle.
Finally, he pulls the hood and gloves from his costume, and tucks it away beneath the shirt he buttons back up. It takes a short while to climb down from the fire escape, and begins making his way from the alley toward his parked, amazingly unticketed, and surprisingly unharmed taxi cab. With his sunglasses lost, he's forced to keep a low profile in the hopes that nobody spots his inhuman eyes.
Gidget would be in her own world as she started to walk but spotted the man leaving the alley. Blinking behind those shades she would stand there for a moment and just stared at him. Shrugging, she'd make her way up to man and stopped right in front of him. Slowly, she'd pull those shades down to look up at him? She herself was 5'10" and it was nice to actually be able to not tower over people. "You know….." Her voice was quiet as she looked him over and then looked to her handbag, digging in it. "You really should have something better to wear if you're trying to hide….."
Kwabena is halted, and he doesn't seek to move around Gidget, as he usually might. He recognized her from the fight, and clearly, she him.
His eyes move from side to side, then back to Gidget. He's not going to be hanging around here for long. He's about to speak up, but falters at her words. Then, of all things, he laughs.
"You called for taxi?" he answers quietly, before reaching out to place a hand on her forearm, the one digging into her handbag. As if to stop her. "Good, let us go, den."
Turning quickly, he jangles keys and pops open the driver side door.
She'd blink as she felt that hand on her arm and looked up at him. "Huh? What? No I-…." And he would head to that taxi without even waiting for her answer. Hesitating she would look at the car then him before she quickly walked after him and slipped into the backseat of that taxi. Sighing she would pull the door shut and then laughed a bit. "I mean…I was on my way to work so might as well….might be quicker than if I walked…." Was she really getting in the car of a dude that just body slammed some rhino looking thing? Sure! Why not?
"I will bring you back," Kwabena answers, once the door is shut. "And, I will not charge." Indeed, he hasn't engaged the fare meter, but he does pull out into traffic after smiling and waving to one of those silly beat cops.
The forced expression fades, and he reaches over to grab a pack of smokes. While lighting up, he glances into the rear view mirror with curiosity. "I do not mean you hahm. I know dis is strange. But I do not want to be… identified. What did you mean, something to wear? I have something to hide in."
Gidget would watch him intently then nodded as she got comfortable. "Okay…then in that case….Casa di Pucci in Midtown…." Licking her lips she would note his change in demeanor but it didn't seem to phase her in the slightly. "If you wanted to I'm sure you could have easily in that alley so….." Shrugging the young woman would then go back to digging in her purse before pulling out a card and leaning forward. "And you're the most normal I've met in the past couple of weeks so….not too weird. And also….I get that." She'd plop her business card on the passenger seat and smiled. On it was her name, Gidget M. Boileau, the title Tailor/Seamstress and her office with it's address. "And no offense but…..my nephew has worn better costumes at Halloween that she made herself….." Crass? Yes. Ballsy? Well she did drop a sewing machine on someone.
To midtown. Kwabena banks the car onto a northward avenue, then offers the pack of smokes toward his passenger, should she care for one.
"I do not take offense," he tells her. "But you don't… really undahstand." He ashes the cigarette out of the window, then reaches over to take the card, reading it. "Dat is not de only trick I have up sleeves, Gidget M. Boileau, and I'm afraid costumes do not work so well with… oddah tricks."
"No thanks…my father did plenty of smoking to last me a lifetime." Chuckling she would sit back then as she crossed her legs and looked at him in the rearview mirror. "Okay….fair enough. But I've gotten some crazy requests I'm already dealing with so….try me." Looking at the watch on her wrist, she'd sigh as she rolled her eyes behind those sunglasses. "….I don't even know why I'm bothering going on…." Laughing she would close her eyes and shrugged. "Anyway….like I said….the offer is there. If not…cool."
The cab driver's sarcasm is a shield. He looks into the rear view mirror again, frowning. "If you can help me?" he offers. "Den you would have customah for life."
Without warning, he turns into an alleyway, driving about halfway down before parking the car. "Here. I will show you."
Stepping out, he snuffs out the cigarette and looks around, as if casing the alley for something important. Then, as if he's found what it is he's looking for, he begins unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the costume beneath.
Chuckling she would ruffle her short hair and nodded. "I stand behind my work as much as I can. I like to help people." Then she'd squeak at the sudden turn and watched as they went down an alleyway. Gidget would blink as she would feel teh care stop then slowly got out of the car. Taking off those sunglasses, the big brown eyes would look him over as she watched him start to unbutton his shirt. A tilt of her head as she looked at it and then up to his face. "I mean…tell me about it. Or what all you can do…."
"It is," Kwabena says, and then pauses shirt in hand as he looks up toward the rooftops. "Hahd to explain. I will show you." He then sets the shirt down, nice and neatly, next to a dumpster. Then, he begins unfastening his belt.
He pauses, awkwardly, and looks over toward Gidget. "Please. I am trying to be a gentahman." The pants come off, and he sets them just below the shirt, as if outlining a human body right there.
His costume, as it were, seems to be one of those one piece bodysuits, with gloves and hood affixed but usually tucked under and hidden. He pulls the gloves out from where they are tucked beneath the hem of tight fitting sleeves, snapping them into place with a slight scowl. Then he does the same with the mask. "Stay here," he tells her, and turns for a fire escape. "And don't be alarmed."
Well she was waiting as she leaned against the car and watched. Hearing him about being a gentleman, she would laugh. "Dude…I make clothes for a living. I've seen people in just their underwear so I can measure them. I am not shy nor am I weirded about." Rolling her eyes a bit then she would then make her way over to clothes but stopped when she told him her to stay still. Sighing a bit she would a bit she would tilt her head as she looked at him then. "And I'll try not to freak out too much."
"De last woman who saw dis ran off," Kwabena offers. There's a sense he'll appreciate it if she didn't. Then, with a jump, he's grabbing hold of the bottom rung and hauling himself upward.
He climbs and climbs and climbs until he reaches the uppermost platform. Then he climbs upon the guard rail and eyes the target below. Finally? A small grin. He can't help it; this part is fun.
With a leap, he goes into a swandive, descending five stories in a suicide free fall. When the costumed man his the ground, however, the costume goes slack, flopping around. His body is gone! Instead, it's been replaced by so many tendrils of black smoke, which pour out of the costume's porous material in a spray that fills the alley from end to end, even swirling around Gidget's heels for a time.
"w-wa-wait!!!" She'd call out as she watched him jump off the building. Honestly she would expect some webs to shoot out but….nope. Licking her lips she would look around and then squealed. She'd cover her eyes expecting the worse but then blinked as she saw the smoke. Gidget would look around as she saw that but just stood there. "….holy….shit balls!" Those eyes were wide but she stood there. "….that is so cool!!!"
The smoke lays out on the ground for a moment or two, before it suddenly begins collecting around the pile of clothes. It tries to enter the costume, but it just flaps around on the ground for a few moments. Then, it tries to gather inside the discarded street clothing, again to no avail.
Finally, the black smoke collects into the shape of a man, and with a pop of displaced air, he takes shape. Naked, of course.
Therein lies the challenge.
Turning even as he reforms out of modesty, Kwabena gathers up his street clothing and quickly dashes behind the dumpster.
"Yes," his voice calls out. "Damn cool. But, I don't enjoy being naked in a fight." A pause. "Would you?"
She'd watch but then blinked as she stared at him. "Wait…." That's when her eyes would widen and she grinned. "…you can't get back in your stuff…." Now she was in work mode now, not even paying attention that he's naked at the moment. "I think I can help! Give me some time….and if I can get what I'm looking for….I think I can help!" Gidget was now down right giddy as she watched him then blushed as she came back to the real world. Turning, she'd put a hand up to shield her eyes as she made a move for his clothing. "No…being naked would totally suck. But I think I can help you. Just….give me a week or so….."
"I've tried," he answers from behind the dumpster. "But, cannot really control it." He comes out then, mostly dressed. Pants, shirt, yes, but the little stretchy costume is gonna have to wait. He gathers up his shoes.
"You really think so?" he asks, looking up toward Gidget while sitting down on a stray box to put his shoes back on. "I don't see how is possahble. It isn't just dat. I also… can change to something like liquid. Dat one I don't even know how to show you."
He has to be scared for that to happen; really, truly scared.
"Yes yes…." She'd wave her hand dismissively as she walked over to his costume. Picking it up, she would then tilt her head and looked it over. "Look just get me to my office and I'll take your measurements. I'll sketch your design her….improve it a bit then you're good." Licking her lips she would seeme to go back to work mode and made her way back to the car. "Come on, dude." Gidget was excited again as she went back into work mode then.
Kwabena climbs to his feet and goes back to the car, pulling the driver's door open and taking his spot back.
"Alright, okay." He starts up the cab and pulls back out, resuming his course uptown. "Here's de thing, dough," he asks. "How ah you going to do it? You can't make something just… transform with me. Dat isn't possahble. I don't even undahstand what it is, aside from… wild guesses."
Gidget had ignored his questions and comments then as she waited to get to there office. After arriving to that fashion house, she was quiet as she walked inside that salon area. When he would come in, she would wait but he probably got some stares but she ignored them as she motioned for him to follow her into a door marked 'Private Office'. When he would come in, she would shut the door behind them and locked it before heading to her desk. "If you have some faith in me….you might end up with something cool. But first I need to see if I can test it out on someone else…."
Kwabena follows along in a dutiful manner. He tries not to draw much attention to himself, but, having lost his shades in the skirmish with Rhino, it's a bit hard to hide his mutant eyes. Those looks earn a similar response, a look of his own that screams 'fuck off'.
Once inside the private office, he takes a moment to look around, inspecting the way Gidget has decorated. "Only thing I ask," he answers, "is… try to keep quiet about me. What I can do. I don't want to be a tahget." It's probably why he hasn't properly introduced himself to her as of yet.
Gidget would slide upon that desk as she dropped her purse on and she'd sit on it, crossing her legs. Those brown eyes would look him over, more analyticaly than anything as she was quite literally sizing him up. Holding up that costume in front of her then, she'd look it over before tossing it over to him. "Discretion is my specialty. You're not the first….different person to come to me." With that she'd hop off her desk and walked around to the bar cart behind it and began to fix herself a glass of scotch for a decanter. "And I don't need it coming back to me that I do this type of stuff. Last thing I need is if someone that doesn't like you think I can help them out. Because…..no." She'd look over to him with a smile then. "….I'd offer you a drink but….you're driving, right?"
It isn't the first time someone has sized him up, but in Kwabena's experience, it's because someone was about to try kicking his ass. He doesn't have any kind of superhuman size, but he clearly has spent quite a bit of time in a gym somewhere. He makes a slightly sour face at being sized up, but he's at least clever enough to understand why.
The costume is snatched out of the air, and he turns to eyeball it. It's nothing too fancy; the item has the appearance of having been modified out of so many pairs of commercially purchased tights. Not exactly the ideal costume, but practical in its own way. The thing is designed to zip up the front, and when worn properly, all but the lower half of his face is covered.
He scoffs a bit before setting the costume aside. "I undahstand discretion," he agrees. "And I don't expect someone to keep my secret unless I will keep deres."
At the offer of a drink, he smirks. "Sure am. Hasn't stopped me yet, dough." Finally he opts to be more pleasant. "My name is Kwabena."
She'd sigh a bit then as she tilted her head then. "That's fair…." Gidget would then start to fix him a drink, chuckling to herself. "I just want to check though. I'm not like you….I'm quite squishy. Plus….I'm alone. I don't have a protector….a defender." Licking her lips as walked around and passed him the glass with a smile. "And just don't get pulled over dude…." A wink then as she leaned against her desk, grabbing her own drink and taking a sip. "But as for this outfit…give me time. I may be able to solve your little problem, Kwabena…."
Now comes an honest to goodness smile of appreciation when Gidget pours him a drink. Kwabena steps forward to accept it. "Resisting arrest?" he points out. "Dat's my specialty, you know. Bullets ah, well. Not effective." He lifts a hand, makes a gun gesture at his own face, then mouths a 'poof' sound and spreads his fingers apart like a cloud.
The glass is lifted in a silent toast, before he moved to claim one of those fancy seats. This level of sophistication is not the world he grew up in, and it certainly isn't the world he lives in now. "Well, you won't have to worry about dat on my paht." A pause. "Of course, I would offah protection. But, I mean to say, you should not need it."
He does give her quite the curious look, still clueless as to how she plans to solve his problem. After a moment, however, he laughs. "Don't tell me you ah thinking of a magic costume. I've had my fair share of magic. Could go without any more of it."
Hearing that, she would tilt her head a bit. He somewhat reminded her of another acquanintance of hers in that sense but said nothing. As he sat down she would tilt her head a bit then nodded. "Well that is handy. I could have used that trick the other night…." Sighing she would close her eyes and take another sip of her drink before setting it on her leg. "That's sweet but….don't go out of your way. If I end up getting hurt it's my own fault. I mean hell….last night I got harassed because I was apparently out of place while visiting a friend. So trust me….every day is a danger." A shrug before she would tilt her head. "Magic? Heck no. Science? Yes."
At her describing it as 'sweet', Kwabena leans forward and adamantly shakes his head, pairing it with a gesture. "No. Is not 'sweet'. Dat… big-ass dude you took out? Would not have happened by yahself. I could not have done dat myself, and de kid in de red and blue tights? Not by himself." He taps a finger on her desk, adamantly. "Peopah eidah stick togedah, or…"
Catching himself, he sits back and shakes his head. "I apologize. But I disagree. Peopah sometimes get hurt and dey did nothing wrong."
He takes another drink, then sets it down on his knee in similar fashion. "What we call science dey used to call magic, you know."
"What about him? The dude said his head and I figured with the right amount of force…." A shrug as if she said it matter of factly then. "I had an old machine…it's solid steel…it was broken anyway." Chuckling she would raise her glass then. "I just wanted to help you guys out…..I mean anyone would have done that." Licking her lips she'd take a sip then sat back on one of her hands then. "And don't apologize. It's a simple discussion. I mean…if it's your time…maybe it's your time." Gidget would smile brightly then and nodded. "Very true….but we'll go with the word science."
"Well, I'm glad he at least knew where to hit him," Kwabena agrees.
He's also quite comfortable letting that subject go to rest. "You study science, den?" he asks, curiously. "I… read a lot." May he surprising, considering his rugged appearance and career choices. "Best I can tell, unless I am an alien and de parents failed to mention it, I am a mutant. And it would seem my body adapts to different states of mattah. Solid, liquid, gas."
"Very true." Chuckling she would lick lips as she tilted her head before sipping her drink a bit. "I don't. I just know people that do." Smiling she would lean forward a bit. "I read but….it's a lot of art books, history….stuff like that." Gidget would grin before she would stand and walk over to one of the work tables in her office. "So do you want me to see if I can get this stuff before I try to design something…..or….." She'd grab a measuring tape and smirked as she turned around to face him. "Or should I take measurements just in case."
Another drink is taken. It's good booze, unlike what he's used to drinking, and he eyes the glass with an expression of appreciation. He sets the glass down and watches curiously when Gidget rises and relocates.
He stands as well, coming over curiously, before halting when she comes out with that measuring tape. "Wait. What? Measurements?" He turns his head skeptically. "What exactly ah you designing, Miss Boileau?" He considers it for a moment, before begrudgingly lifting his arms out to either side. "Ahkay. Just in case."
She'd grin then as she looked at him, setting down her drink on the table. "I'm making…your new disguise." Licking her lips she would grab a pencil off of that table and placed it behind her ear. Gidget would laugh as she nodded then tilted her head. "Oh no sir….you have to take off all of your clothes except…boxers. I need to get the most exact measurements." A tilt of her head she would then smiled. "Now then….come on. I have other things to work on."
Theres one small problem. When he was in the alley, he only removed his shirt and trousers. If he was wearing underwear, then it's still inside the costume he poofed out of.
Then again, at least judging by her name, she's French.
"Just promise me one thing," he tells her, while removing his shirt. "Please don't make de disguise green."
Well she didn't think about that and had forgotten about that. Exhaling a bit she would nod then grabbed her notepad. Gidget would then smile as she nodded. "I'll hang your stuff up on the rack so it doesn't wrinkle." A tilt of her head and she'd smirk. "And no….it won't be green. And no….capes."