Imposters

Who: Laura and Helena
Where: Uptown, at the Rideaux en Boeuf
When: Afternoon

The dream filled bubbles of youth were finally bursting. The harsh reality of her situation was never so stark as when she was out shopping through the uppity corridors of uptown boutiques. Women with strands of diamonds and strings of pearls strutted around her like over dressed peacocks. Their painted lips, stained with garish red, were crinkled disapprovingly as they walked by. Eagle eyes noted the accessories Helena garnished herself with - like dressing was to a Turkey. They knew she was not one of them, no matter how hard and adept she was at fancying herself a woman of means.

Helena couldn't guess what they were so sour about. It was obvious by the clothes they wore that these women had all anyone could ask for. Why couldn't they show her mercy? Why couldn't they just pretend?

It was because of their patronizing glances that she now stood in front of the Rideaux en Boeuf under her umbrella. In the window was a magnificent dress. Not even winter could cool the royal colors of the garment. Spangled with crystals it shined brilliantly through the murk of the day. No price tag was present so Helena knew it had to be expensive. It was a silent subtlety of the upper class. If you had to ask how much it was then you couldn't afford it anyways.

She gazed through the glass and a passing shadow enabled her to catch her reflection. She was no longer so youthful and although, her beauty had not started to fade Helena knew it was only a matter of time. When the time came then all this, all these dreams of the life she always wanted, would fade along with her looks.

Along side of her she saw another body join her reflection to gaze up longingly at the gown. This girl was the age she often wondered about and sadly pined for. "If only I was going somewhere I could wear that to..."

"It would be beautiful on you." Laura didn't draw the same scornful looks. The women of this district barely glanced at the young girl in her cheap dress. Most of them probably took her for a servant out on some errand. None of them imagined she might have any delusions of being their equal. It made it easy to listen in on their conversations and now and then to steal a purse that had been set down.

"I'd never be able to wear something like that. I'm too short. It would just look silly." That comment might have gotten a condescending smirk from many of the women browsing those shops, as they would have thought that being short was the least of the reasons she'd never wear such a thing. Laura did not wonder why they so jealously guarded their status, keeping the 'lesser beings' aware of their place. Treating them as equals would make them think they were, and in the end, they would be because of it. They wouldn't stand for being ordered around or being passed over in favor of their 'betters'.

Just as the women on the street saw differences in Helena, Laura saw that and more. This woman was talking to her. She enjoyed walking the street and looking in the windows, and the fact that she was ignored, as long as she didn't stand too close to anything expensive, was a good thing, mostly. It meant no one was going to bother her, but then again, no one was going to bother with her either. It always produced a strange ambivalence that left her unsettled for the rest of the day.

"That's nonsense." Helena answered, turning so she could see the girl completely. If she noticed the raggy getup of the youthful example beside her she didn't let on. "Size has nothing to do with wearing a luxurious item. If you feel beautiful you'll be beautiful.Regal" Helena smiled as if she was holding on to a great secret and maybe she was. She certainly could present herself as being one of the beautiful people and if men believed in her allure then that was all that was necessary to propel her to her sought after station.

"Have you ever gone into this boutique?" She asked, as if that question didn't have an obvious answer. "I think we should see if we can get you inside that gown. Then you can judge for yourself."

The girl's eyes turned back to the dress, which was certainly a temptation, but she shook her head. As soon as she set foot in there, they'd probably tell her to go ring the bell at the back if she were picking up a package. There's no way they'd let her try it on, and if they did, it would bare her arms, shoulders and back. If not for that last thing, she would definitely have said screw 'em and marched right in. Even if they did toss her out, it would have been fun just to see the looks on their faces.

"It wouldn't come close to fitting me, if they even let me try it." She was only five foot one. Laura figured it would bunch up weird and she'd step all over the hem. And that was without thinking about the reaction to the marks on her body. It was a nice little fantasy, but it would be a fabulously bad thing to actually attempt. "Soo... no thanks. It is pretty, though." She smiled up at the lady, with just the smallest bit of tension around her mouth and in her eyes.

The worry that glimmered out from the girl was shiny and Helena frowned. Quickly she turned the expression from pity to thoughtful,"Well..they have to have something you'd want to wear. Something is bound to catch your fancy." She exasperated, "If you follow me in and follow my lead, I am sure we could pick out a few frocks for you...They have a petites section you know." She hinted, giddy at the prospect of trying on couture like fashions and even better have someone she could preen with.

Helena gazed at the regal dress once more, the gem stones on the collar were worth more than she'd make in a lifetime...if her life continued to go the way it was. She knew she could make a replica of this garment but it wouldn't be made of anything as luxurious as the fabric this was executed in. She wanted to try it on. She wanted to feel rich. "What do you say?"

Laura turned fully to face Helena, pushing the hood that protected her hair from the rain back slightly, and hoping that the make up she'd carefully applied over the small bruise and busted lip would do the job that close up. "Worst they can do is say no." She smirked faintly. Laura had never seriously considered going in to try things on, but at that moment she wondered why not. She suspected that many of the clerks would simply ask her to leave, since nothing about her suggested that she could afford anything in these shops, but Laura was certainly not the type to curl up and die of embarrassment over a thing like that.

Rich or poor meant little to the girl. Stuff could come and go, and people were always just people when you stripped away the trappings. She only liked the look and feel. The way the crystals in the window caught the light and the drape of expensive material. The weight of it and the fit and fine texture. Beauty for every sense, strictly for its own sake.

Helena knew a thing or two about using make up to cover up a bad run in. Eddie had never laid a hand on her but there had been others. So, even if she glimpsed something askew about the girls perfect Elvin face, she made no remarks. She didn't even know the girls name. Sometimes a best thing a stranger could do was leave stranger things alone.

That didn't mean she shouldn't introduce herself before they marched in, "I'm Helena by the way..."She offered her gloved hand so they could shake hands and become friends.

"Laura" She didn't know why she gave the woman her real name. She rarely did that with people outside the neighborhood. It wasn't trust exactly, but somehow it didn't seem right giving another name. She took Helena's hand in her own, which was bare and cold. "If I don't find anything I want to try in there... can you imagine their faces if I say so?" That drew a little giggle from her. Laura understood their snobbery, but that really only made it more irritating to her. Most of the time she used it to her advantage, but she hadn't gotten anything interesting today anyway, so she might as well put a toe over the line and see what happened.

Helena could feel how cold her hand was beneath the cotton of her gloves. They were for show more than anything. "Well, Let's see what they can do for us. After you Miss Laura." she said and gestured for the girl to go first. Of course, this was only so she could hold the door for Helena. It was important that they both be seen by the store clerks inside a certain way.

Once inside the petite blond did not waste any time. She looked over the floor and for help and when it wasn't offered immediately she became impatient. "Come on Laura. We must buy your dress this afternoon and it looks like it will take ages to get what we need here. If alterations are necessary then we can't afford to stand around and wait for anyone." She turned to go. This was, of course enough to set off the women who worked here. They were suspicious but intrigued that she'd entered with such bluster. One of them approached.

"How can I help you?" The woman that approached was smaller than Helena and Laura with sloping shoulders and a chin that wiggled when she spoke. She was in her forties and the wrinkles in around her eyes and mouth made her snootiness more pronounced. Her nose was large...it was probably what had her sniffing so hard as a potential commission.

Helena glanced to Laura with a slight smile.

Laura returned the slight smile, glancing up through her lashes and feigning shyness. She turned to the clerk with that same sweet smile. "Have you got anything that will cover me well enough to please my grandfather, but not look like my grandmother should be wearing it?" She would have loved to try on something elegant and beautiful like the dress in the window, but the open back and bare shoulders made that impossible for her. She didn't know how these people would react if they saw the marks on her body, but it wasn't likely to be pleasant. "He thinks young ladies should be modest." She gave the woman the pained look which was to be expected from a teenager with that sort of unreasonable restriction on her fashion choices.

Helena gave the appropriate look of concern and added, "He is bringing her to the Opera and insisted that this was the store to come to. He is passionate about the Opera....

The woman nodded and straightened as if she understood everything. There were loop holes but this could potentially make her enough money for the radio she wanted. "He is correct. This is undoubtedly the correct store. We pride ourselves on our ability to please the customer. Do you have a budget?"

Helena answered quickly, "No. Of course not." She looked uncomfortable. Then she scolded Laura, "I can't believe you wore that. Straighten up."

The sales woman seemed sympathetic, "We have all styles. " She spoke directly to the teenager." Do you have a favorite color?"

The girl's face brightened. "Red!... um...." She shot a glance at her companion and grimaced slightly. "Grandfather likes white. I don't want to look like I'm going to my confirmation, though."

When Laura exuberantly proclaimed red the woman's face pinched up as she shot a look to the girls "aunt". Red was too garish for a young girl. Her disapproval was pronounced and sharp. But, this look softened when she announced that grandfather liked white. It was hard to be young. Wisdom was not a prize yet won. "Why not compromise? We have plenty of pink frocks." and she started to shuffle her way, leading the two over to rack where pink dresses hung primly in a row.

Helena interjected, "This is a time for Laura to come out from child hood. Do you have something that would ease that transition? Red might be too much but perhaps something with red trim. Something sophisticated..." Of course the icy blond didn't know anything about Laura's taste. "Unless you still prefer pink?" She looked back with a questioning curve of her brow.

Pink? Oh hell no. The look on her face said it plainly enough that she didn't have to speak the actual words. "Red trim!" She seized on that idea like a life ring. "Red trim might be good." Laura turned to follow the clerk, unless she was still headed for the pink. It was strange, really, even to her. She had always liked frilly girly things, but never pink.

The woman looked tired suddenly, "I think I might have something." She turned direction and started for the white section of the racks. "How about this?" She reached for and pulled down a ruffly dress in white. Tulle floated from the bottom - light as a cloud. There were short sleeves that were trimmed in strands of red bead work. The back was full, clasped with pearlescent buttons. Along the front, at the princess waist,it was lined with red details and the bodice sparkled in demure flowers of red and salmon beads. "No?"

Helena looked to Laura for approval. It was as if she was expecting a thumbs up or down. "What do you think? Should we try it on?"

"nnnn..." Laura looked over the dress, and then shook her head. "It's nice, it really is... but is there something a little more grown up?" The girl was thoroughly convinced that she was not a child, though almost no one agreed with her. "I'm sixteen." Sometimes she had to explain this to people, since she looked more like fourteen. She was sure that since the woman had been informed that she was much more mature than she looked, she would be shown something with fewer ruffles and a more grown up cut.

Helena shook her head and the slump shouldered dress matron put the frock back on the rack. She breathed a sigh and turned back around tapping her chin with a finger, thinking. "Something more adult..." she was saying out loud as she considered her inventory. "We might not have anything in white with red trim but if you want something with a sophisticated cut you may want to shop through these racks over here."

She lead the two elsewhere in the store where floor length gowns, glittered under the soft lighting. There was satin and velveteen, taffeta and rayon, empire waists and ruched sweetheart collars. All colors beckoned to the two shoppers and Helena almost skipped. "Is there anything you might like?" She took out something in an emerald green and held it up in the light.

"I love that color." Laura couldn't help but reach out and touch the fabric. "Ooh.. can I try it?" It was probably going to be too long, but that was fine since dresses could be altered. And since she wasn't going to buy it anyway. The girl tore her eyes away from the one in Helena's hands and looked at the rack. God. She could spend the whole day in there.

"I would suggest that's what you should do." The employee said with as much patience as she had. Helena figured they weren't the only two that had this much trouble with store clerks, while shopping. "It will need alterations after all...especially if you want something for tonight."

"She'll try it on." Helena remarked as Laura turned back to the racks. "In fact we may have a few other things too. I'd like to try the dress in the window as a matter of fact."

The woman's eyes glossed over, "You would? Alterations for that dress can't be done for tonight. All the bead work..." Her mouth had gone dry, intoxicated as she was by potential money to be made.

"It will not be for tonight. I'm not even sure I will be purchasing it." Helena told her, trying to cut her hope down so she wouldn't be too disappointed that no sales would be made...at all.

"I'll get it down then. It should fit. It's one of a kind!" she might have used a shoe horn if Helena was a little too large but she was slim and size was not usually an issue for her.

Laura grinned at Helena as the woman headed away from them, reaching to take the green dress. She was pleasantly surprised by how easy it had turned out to be to get into the shop, and soon, into the dresses. She determined that she would find a way to get dresses out of the shop when Helena asked for the one in the window. One day she was going to be able to walk into this place just as they had done today and have these people rushing to make her happy, and then she wouldn't have to find something wrong with everything and wouldn't have to put back something she really loved. One day. Soon.

Helena grinned back. Confidence. That was key. If you didn't believe in yourself then no one would believe for you. These woman thought they could afford these gowns because they acted assured. But, then again...money talks and bullshit walks and after they were done with dressing up they'd be walking out of the store just as poor as they'd come in. "Come on dear." Helena said to Laura, "Let's get to the dressing room. I'll help you with the zipper."

With a quick glance toward the clerk, who was just getting to the window display, Laura nodded. Helena hadn't earned her absolute trust, exactly, but she had more than most at that point. She'd noticed Laura and treated her like a person. The girl gave a little giggle and hurried into the dressing room, attempting to seem excited and not as if she were racing the clerk. It wasn't much of a stretch, really, because she was excited.

Modesty wasn't an issue for Laura. The possible reactions of others always had to be considered whenever her body was uncovered, but unless it would be inconvenient or keep her from getting something she wanted, she didn't really care what they thought. Especially if she wasn't likely to ever see them again. Helena wasn't much of a risk because of the situation. She was unlikely to call attention to anything out of the ordinary since part of the deception that got them in involved her knowing Laura fairly well. The clerk, on the other hand, seemed like the type to question things, and though she was proud to be a gifted bullshitter, it was better to just avoid those questions.

She was wearing a full slip beneath her cheap dress, but it didn't cover the scars of long healed cigarette burns or the fairly fresh bite marks on her shoulders, or the cuts and scars laddered up her arms. These were the real reasons for her request for modest dresses and the reason why she was trying to hurry into the one Helena had taken from the rack.

The scars were not noticed immediately. The frantic exuberance that lead itself to this joyous occasion blurred the finer details. It wasn't until Laura turned that way and the light shone on the marks that Helena caught a glimpse of the violence that had befallen the young lady.
Helena could have gasped but she didn't. Life was full of the unexpected and she didn't think little enough of Laura to call attention to something the girl must be keenly self-conscious of. It made sense why she would want to go for a modest cut despite the girls youth.

Instead of making something of it, she helped the girl get the gown over and then zipped up the back and did the clasps up. The fabric swirled and bunched at the bottom because of Laura's height. This did not detract from the beauty of the dress or how the color complimented her complexion. "It's beautiful..." Helena punched the fabric curtain back so that Laura could see the full effect in the three way mirror.

Laura stepped up to the mirror, holding the skirt up to avoid walking on it. She turned one way, then the other, running a hand over the smooth heavy fabric. Her hands reached up to twist her hair back but she was careful to leave the tattoo at the back of her neck covered in case the clerk returned. If she had a dress like this, she could go anywhere. There was a rustle in the doorway as the little sniffly woman came in with the beaded gown. "Oh... I can't wait to see how that looks on you!"

"Me either." Helena responded, waiting a beat before she left Laura to fend for herself in front of the mirror. Of course she required the clerks help and gestured silently for her to follow back into the dressing room. The curtain was closed and the sound of fabric rustling in the background over the classical music softly playing in the background.

"It's heavier than it looked." Helena could be heard behind the curtain, her silhouette barely noticeable through the weave of the material.

"All those beads and gems add weight." The attendant added. "It took them weeks to sew them all on. I don't know how they do it." She was trying to press upon the fact that this dress was one of a kind. This seemed to be the most important selling feature, despite the beauty of the garment. "It's a little large in the bust but that can be taken in."

There was a gasp. "Stunning!" the saleswoman conveyed and the curtain was pushed back.

"Yes." Said Helena, gazing at her reflection from across the room. "It is a stunning garment but I don't know...." she clicked her tongue, a finger resting on her chin as she searched for faults in the construction. It was hard to find any. The gown was flawless. "What do you think?" She asked Laura.

The girl had spent her time posing before the mirror while the curtain was closed, and then as it opened, she turned. Laura didn't answer right away, but gestured for Helena to turn. "It is a gorgeous gown, and I don't see anything that couldn't be fixed with alteration, but if it feels heavy when you first put it on, it might be difficult to wear for a whole evening. Especially if there is dancing. It looks wonderful and everyone would ask for a dance if you wore it to a ball, but you'd have to carry it around. Shame to have to think of something practical while looking at such a gorgeous thing."

Helena hemmed and hawed but in the end her resolve was unbreakable. Not even the pitiful glance of the sales lady could break her hard expression, "I do love to dance. You're right, Laura. The dress is heavy. I feel weighted down. I don't like it." She shrugged her bare shoulders, "I didn't see anything else I liked. What about that dress of yours? The zipper ruins the back. That was what I first thought...." Helena said this matter of fact, as if compromise was no option in this fashion brokerage.

"I don't mind the zipper so much, but I'm not sure about the neck line." She looks in the mirror again, turning, and pulling up her hair on one side. Then suddenly, her eyes widen just a little. "Oh! What time is it?.. My hair appointment. If we don't make it there's no way she'll be able to squeeze me in today." Laura might like to try on another dress, maybe, but she doesn't want to push it and she figures this gives them a very good reason to leave without buying, with the option to come back any time.

"Oh of course!" Helena says, turning immediately and rushing back to the dressing room. "we have to go." The sales woman fidgeted, not knowing who to go with. Finally she went after Helena. It was more important to get the most expensive gown first. The clasps were undone, the buttons were unsnapped. With the strength of a Titan the woman lifted teh gown up, off and over Helenas head and cradled it in her arms. The disappointment was written all over her face. Helena pretended not to notice, "Well..."She said impatiently, "Let me dress. I prefer to help my niece." the woman was shooed out and the curtain was closed behind her.

Getting re-dressed was quick and when she was decent she ventured out and across to where she thought Laura was, "I need help with my zipper." she told the girl and then turned. "Then we'll get you out of that gown so we can leave."

The girl was relieved when the clerk went with Helena and when the woman shooed her away. She gave her a slight smile as she passed on her way to return the beaded gown to the window. Laura then stepped into a dressing room and waited for Helena, still admiring herself in the little mirror there, pulling her hair fully up onto her head, since there was no one to see the cross on the back of her neck. When her partner in crime entered, she let her hair droop partly over the mark, just high enough not to be caught in the zipper. "I want to do this every day."

"Eventually they'd get suspicious." Helena laughed. "That's why I learned how to make my own clothes." She gestured to the dress, "I made this." It was a revelation about herself. She let the stone strong facade she carefully cultivated out amongst the public fall just enough for Laura to peek at the softer parts that lay within.

Then she cleared her throat and released Laura from her dress.

Laura turned, looking Helena's dress over more carefully than she had before. The girl was clearly impressed. Helena's clothes, while not as fine as most of the ladies in the shops, would not be mistaken for a servant's. "I wouldn't have thought... It's very nice." She chewed her lip for a moment, thinking about this. There's no way she'd have time to do things like that even if she knew how.

As the dress came away from her body the girl sighed and straightened her slip, then reached for her own clothes. "We should do this again. We're a good team." She pulled the dress on and moved without saying anything else so Helena could help her get buttoned up while she smoothed the front. She wasn't sure what would come next. Probably nothing much.

"Perhaps." Helena said, not sure what came next either. She hadn't had a girly afternoon, except with herself, for a long time. "I could give you my card." Then the jig would definitely be up...Laura would know for sure how poor and imperfect she really was. Her business was in her home and her home was a block from the bridge, up close and impersonal with the derelicts that kept her section of Eidolon from being just a little brighter.

Her fingers fumbled with the worn wooden buttons of her frock and when Laura was back in her old clothes she reached behind her for the purse she'd carried around with her the whole time. She reached in for a business card. She didn't have very many and she didn't always think to bring a few with her. It was only be chance that she did on this particular day. It wasn't as if she got any business this way.

The fact that she had a home would make Laura think of her as not so poor. It was all relative. Laura grabbed her little handbag, and looked over the card before carefully tucking it away. "If I wanted you to make me something.... should I bring the stuff for it?" Her tone was a little hesitant. She wasn't sure how much it would cost, but it was worth finding out. Laura pulled on her coat, and when the clerk reappeared, she carefully passed her the green dress, looking up at Helena both for an answer to her question and for a cue to hurry out of the shop.

"That depends darling. If you have something specific then you could bring it and we could discuss its use. Mostly I purchase the materials and they're included in the price of the finished item." The woman who'd been helping them for the past half hour stood at the door of the dressing room, the green dress folded across her arms carefully so not to wrinkle the material. It was probably starting to dawn on her now that she'd been duped but she couldn't be sure and it would be unwise to say something.

"I could make you something very pretty and for practically nothing. Think it over." Helena said, closing her purse and sliding the strap of it up her arm and onto her shoulder. "We should get going. You do have that hair appointment." She turned to the woman, still standing there and acted as if the clerk had been invisible until now, "We need our coats dear woman. We're in a hurry."

The woman's eyebrows bent sharply with confusion but in the end she nodded and then went off to get the coats for the two shopping imposters.

Laura kept her mouth shut, having noticed the look on the woman's face, but she gave the clerk a confident smile as they left the store. She started walking, looking up at Helena. "Thanks." She had very much enjoyed trying on a dress in one of those shops and never could have pulled that off on her own.

"That was fun." It certainly filled her lonely afternoon. "I should be going, Laura...but you have my card. Come by and we can discuss that dress you were wondering about or we can talk fashion." Helena smiled softly, sure that she probably wouldn't see this girl again but she was sincere despite her doubt the girl would want to carry on with a friendship.

"Yeah.. got the card in a safe place. I know the place and I'll come by." She really intended to go. Laura didn't know if she wanted more than the work of making a dress, but she liked the woman. She watched as Helena went her way, and then turned to head back to meet Mutt. The daydreams had been wonderful, but that was over. For now.