Measuring Up [Selenus]

  Paige sat in a chair near the door of her workspace, staring perplexedly at a mannequin placed about ten feet in front of her. The mannequin didn't look any different from this angle, nor had it looked different from the 29 other views she'd looked at it from, but still she gazed at it, her gold eyes trailing from neck to base every few seconds. Finally she grew tired and, after placing the sketchbook that was in her lap under her chair, stood and crossed to the mannequin, looking at the one thing on it critically.

  The longer she stared, the worse she felt until finally she let out a huge sigh and buried her face in one hand, using the other to hold onto her elbow. "Oh, I'm such a fool..."

Selenus sat quietly in Trinity’s room, the girl having already gone to sleep. The day had been uneventful, yet at the same time quite stressing. There were a lot of things that he’d learned, such as that Trinity held repressed romantic feelings for him, Miyuki had definitely gone missing, and 8D of all people held the power of Persona as well and was… of dubious origin. Not only that, he’d found himself fighting demons yet again, both by complete chance and out of his own volition (well, more like, out of his teammates’ volitions). The most important discovery of the day, however, wasn’t a discovery regarding anybody else, but rather a discovery about his own self. Earlier this morning, Selenus had awoken to the power to project an illusion of a human form of himself, allowing him to blend in with the rest of society.

Still, even with all this, Selenus felt tired. It was about time he went to sleep if he wanted to start the day with a full battery tomorrow, but he felt… anxious and restless. He could just force himself into sleep mode, but that’s the thing, it wouldn’t feel right. In the morning he’d feel just as anxious and restless. So, Selenus decided to visit a place that, though previously threw him into a panic unexplainable to normal people, had now turned into a place that symbolized respite and calm: The Velvet Room.

As Selenus stood in front of the Velvet Room door, he pondered whether it was a good idea to barge in unannounced. Sure, Paige might be there, but from what she spoke there were apparently other Velvet Room attendants, ones that probably wouldn’t be as understanding regarding his whole deal with being locked in. In fact, he feared the possibility that his jail cell would still be open, and upon him entering another Velvet Room attendant would see this and identify Selenus as a problem; he looked demon-ish, he guessed.

Not wanting to take a chance, Selenus decided to adopt an appearance that would temporarily calm any other possible residents of the Velvet Room and activated Alma Humanum, hiding away his real form and substituting its sight with that of a tall, grim human. Once that was done, he’d step inside the Velvet Room once more. As he manifested in the conscious-subconscious realm, he could feel that he was chained down once more. Luckily, that dreaded lock-up program wasn’t an issue anymore, but he still had restraints – physical ones – or at least, his human illusionary counterpart did. Odd; he himself wasn’t restrained, yet his illusion was? Well… the Velvet Room was directly linked to his powers, after all. Maybe it just needed to be unchained separate from his true form? That’d be troublesome, considering it… couldn’t be touched.

Regardless, he’d approach the steel bars of his cell and call out, expecting someone to show up this time.

    Paige's ears perked the moment she heard the voice. Her head rose the moment the voice clicked in her memory. Her guest--her guest!--had come back! The woman left everything where it was, not bothering to move the chair or cover the mannequin she'd been pouring over earlier, in lieu of gathering her skirts and rushing out to the cells as quickly as her shoes would allow.

    She arrived in the circular room panting lightly, doing a quick glance around to find where her guest had gone. He must be in...

    Her gaze fell on a man, not a robotic dog, standing in a cell chained. Briefly she froze, wondering if the voice she'd heard was just her mind playing tricks on her as it was prone to do, or if she'd simply been too excited and misheard. Both were possible. Perhaps this man also possessed a similar voice? Again, possible. She blinked a few times to snap herself to attention before picking up her skirts again and gliding to the cell he was in. She could muse later; right now, there was a new guest in need of assistance.

    When she was in front of him, Paige offered a small, apologetic smile. "I am sorry for the inconvenience. Do you, perchance, still have the key you were given to enter this room?"

Luckily, Selenus didn’t have to wait long, as before he could call out again a familiar figure stepped into his line of sight. Paige was indeed working here today, it seemed. Good, he’d wanted to talk to her since their last meeting, but he couldn’t seem to get a hold of her in the Velvet Room. Maybe she’d just been busy yesterday. Selenus wondered what attendants of the Velvet Room took up to in their spare time, since as far as he could tell they weren’t precisely human; then again, demons were the exact opposite of humans, yet they too had personalities and hobbies and lives to lead. He shouldn’t’ve expected much different from Velvet Room Attendants, he guessed.

“You asked me that same question yesterday, didn't you, Paige?” Selenus would chuckle heartily. As much as it wasn’t his usual style to tease people, he couldn’t help but have a little fun and see how long it took Paige to figure it out. “To be fair though, I did kinda overcomplicate my response. But hey, it was legitimate trauma, can you blame me?” Selenus’s human illusion would hand Paige his Velvet Key, then fold his arms gently and smirk, an accurate representation of how Selenus felt, or rather, an accurate translation of his canine body language to human body language.

   ...yesterday? The more the guest spoke, the more confused she became. She knew she hadn't met a man like this before, nor given anyone like this her name. Rather, she'd only seen two people enter this room in ages, and neither of them were this man. Her brow drooping perplexedly, Paige gently took the key from the guest, crossing quietly to the door to unlock it. "I am afraid I don't recall..." she trailed off hesitantly.

    In all her years of service, Paige had never uttered those words. It felt strange, disarming, and somewhat terrifying to think her one talent was fading. "What is your name?" She questioned, stepping inside the cell and using the key to undo the manages on his wrists.

Selenus quietly and compliantly stepped outside his cell, breathing in the refreshing mystical air of the velvet room. His footsteps were unnatural – well, to him they were, anyway. He was so used to hearing an interval of two sets of two steps each that hearing only one set threw him off very slightly every time he walked using this form. He’d get used to it eventually, but for now it was still very much a novelty. “Did I say yesterday? I meant the day before yesterday. Sorry, I’m a bit out of my element, hehe.” He’d give Paige complacent look before stepping into the middle of the velvet room, the shackles on his illusionary form automatically vanishing. “Huh, must be the symbolism embodiment thing.”

He put his hands in his pockets and turned around cheerfully, happy to be here in this form and, quite frankly, simply amused. “You’ve forgotten my name already? Eheheh, Paige, you wound me~” He’d put a hand to his chest, making an expression of being offended that was clearly playful and fake. “And here I thought our contract was infallible.” Chuckling once more, his hand would return to the pocket of his coat. “I’ll give you a hint, then. It starts and ends with S.”

   As the seconds passed, Paige became more and more conflicted. On one hand, there was a man. A man. She hadn't interacted with one in so long, nor had she this familiarity, the laughter, or a guest so comfortable here. It was a wave of nastalgia that made her almost giddy, and she couldn't help but smile. But still...he seemed like he knew her. Why couldn't she place him...?

    The smile slipped from her face, becoming an incredulous stare as he mentioned a contract. Her mouth dropped open just slightly when he hinted at his name. This...no, how...? "...Selenus...?" She murmured. She reached out a hand, drew it back, and after a few moments gently reached her hand to his face, trying to run her fingertips along his jaw. Was this a trick...?

As Paige’s fingers made contact with Selenus’s jawline, a light trickle of a mysterious, bright light would fidget around in the place they touched, and her fingers would find themselves touching… nothing. Absolutely nothing. This man standing in front of the velvet attendant could only be seen and heard, unfortunately. Once Paige had retracted her fingers, Selenus would figure he’d had enough fun and deactivate Anima Humanum, bringing the tall, grim man out of existence and bringing the robotic canine back into it. “Peekaboo.”

“Nifty, isn’t it?” Selenus’s tone of voice was, for once in a very long while, devoid of tiredness or annoyance. “My Persona Fenrir helped me develop an alternative form of my Mask, one that I can use to pass off as a regular person. Fenrir insisted that we call him Hroti for whatever reason, but we ended up deciding that while out in public and in human disguise, we’d call ourselves Simon.” Selenus didn’t really know why he went with the name Simon, he just sorta liked it, he guessed. He could’ve looked up etymologies to find a name that held symbolism, as he liked in every aspect of his life that he could control, but in this particular scenario that felt a bit like cheating. “So, what do you think? Is it convincing? Does it look good?” He’d look up at the attendant, eager to hear her input.

    She thought he was going to burst into flames. Her hand drew back the instant she saw the glowing lights, eyes wide, and she was a few moments away from calling her compendium to her side--

    That is, until her guest reappeared in the man's place. Dropping her tensed shoulders, Paige smiled, inking her fingers in front of her mouth as if to hide the relieved laugh slipping from her lips. "Goodness, I thought...my, I wouldn't have believed it was you if you hadn't said something!" She listened to Selenus' explanation with rapt curiosity. The persona had developed it? On...its own? That part intrigued her to no end. She'd heard of some personas having quite the life of their own, but this was new even for her. ...Simon... "I think it's lovely." ...Wait, no, that hadn't been the question! "Ah, the name, I mean. The form is lovely too, of course-" She paused. Her tongue was beginning to go faster than her head. After taking a small calming breath, she began again. "What I mean to say is yes. Your persona and you have done a wonderful job." She bent over and gently patted his head with a smile before standing tall once more.

    "To what do I owe this pleasure, Selenus? May I assist you somehow?"

Selenus’s head would rub softly (well, as soft as a head mad of nigh-supernatural metal can rub) against Paige’s hand as she slid it over him. It was true that his instincts had become more and more canine as time went on starting from the moment he was bound to Fenrir, however he hadn’t displayed this specific reaction to being petted with anyone, not even Trinity, it was truly only Paige. He wondered why, but he knew that looking for the answer would most likely simply end in frustration and confusion. It wasn’t like he had a sense of physical feeling either, so it’s not like the reaction was because it felt good; the mystery only deepened the more he pondered it. Thus, for now he wouldn’t question it, only enjoy it as it happened. “Thanks.” He would reply simply as Paige complimented his new creation; though the simplicity wasn’t a result of ingratitude, just a simple fear of saying something embarrassing.

“I came to see you.” Selenus said, matter-of-factly. “My day has been… stressful, so I wanted to spend time with a friend. My other friends were busy or asleep and I didn’t want to bother them, so I figured I’d check if you were available. I tried to find you yesterday, but… you weren’t here.” He was rather dissappointed about it too. "I know we have a contract and everything, but please; for now think of me like I told you to the other day; not as a guest, but as a friend."

    ...Friend.

    A strange sort of smile stretched across Paige's lips. It was...pained, perhaps, or confused, or bittersweet. Perhaps all of the above. It had been quite a while since she'd heard anyone call her such, not since...

    Casting her gaze to the ground for a moment at the thought, Paige hummed softly, then quickly shook her head to focus on the current moment. "Ah...My apologies. I was...indisposed when you arrived, I believe. Did my siblings help you instead?" She'd listen to his response before motioning him to follow her. Sweeping up her skirts, the woman went back down the hall she'd come form earlier, retracing the familiar steps back to her office...which she promptly gasped at and began bustling around.

    "Oh, I am dreadfully sorry for this unsightly mess. Oh, my mind is just gone nowadays..."

    Only her mannequin and its cover, a chair, and her sketchbook had been left out, but they seemed to take up the whole floor and thus make everything look far cluttered than it really was. Immediately Paige picked up the chair and began placing it behind her desk, leaving her open sketchbook on the floor and the mannequin decorated with a piece still in progress available for Selenus to see.

”I called out for a few minutes and once I realized nobody was coming I absconded for the day. It’s no longer as trauma-invoking as it was last time, but that cell still does not sit well with me; I couldn’t stay there for too long.” Selenus made small chat as the two walked back to Paige’s workshop. The Velvet Room itself was certainly a sight to behold in its own right, but Selenus found that the aesthetics of its main body didn’t resonate all that much with him. He preferred the stylistic choices of Paige’s workshop, ones more anointed to rustic, old-timey visuals and feels, as opposed to the main Velvet Room’s faux-fantasy luxury-type style. Not that Selenus was any kind of professional on these matters, but his opinion still stood. Once they’d reached Paige’s office, the first thing Selenus would notice was the piece of incomplete clothing draped over a mannequin. “Hm? Oh, don’t even worry about it, it’s fine.” He’d comment simply, not really minding the mess (or even perceiving it as a “mess” for that matter). As Paige began to reorganize her office, Selenus quietly approached the mannequin, suffering from a bad case of curiosity. “Hm… is this another one of your requests?”

    "Hm?" After having placed her desk chair in the appropriate place, Paige looked up, her gaze falling immediately on the mannequin. She smiled softly at it, admiring the dress laid upon it.

    Technically, the dress itself was complete. It struck a rather full figure, with two layers of soft organza billowing out into a soft A shape in the skirt, but the simplistic halter balanced the busy ruffles. She'd considered adding sleeves once upon a time, but the intended wearer seemed content with bare shoulders, so she'd left it as is. The dress itself felt almost plain, but...Paige loved and loathed it at the same time.



    "It was." Crossing over to the mannequin, Paige fingered one layer of the skirt tenderly. "But the guest could not retrieve it."

    Having such a detailed memory was something Paige considered a great boon for her guests. While she appreciated the information she could call up on a moment's notice, it made time that much more skewed, more abstract. She could see her guest's face, remember taking the measurements, the hours spent laughing and giggling over rolls of fabric and designs...and the last time she'd seen them.

    Paige closed her eyes for a moment. It didn't help in the slightest to shoo the memories away, as she knew but yet still hoped, so she instead busied herself with covering the form with a sheet. "Not something you are interested in wearing, I assume." she smiled, glancing back and forth between the dress and Selenus as she pushed the mannequin into a group with a few others.

Selenus could immediately sense the melancholy and apprehension behind Paige’s words, and decided that to pursue the matter much further wasn’t a wise thing to do, nor would it have good results in any way. “I see…” Was all he could say, really. What do you say to something like that? “My condolences.” As Paige tucked the dress away for safekeeping (or maybe for simple order of the room), Selenus gave Paige a distant stare, not really focusing too much on her and just… contemplating her. She was an interesting individual, to say the least; Selenus felt like her and him shared a wide arrange of similarities, but at the same time like they were very different, not dissimilar to what was the case with Miyuki Walker. As Paige turned around to look at Selenus and their lines of sight met, Selenus would instinctively look away, as if caught doing something unruly. There was no need to, of course, since they weren’t strangers and were already holding a conversation to begin with, but he hadn’t really noticed that he was spacing out and staring; it was slightly flustering. ”Not that I’d be able to wear it on either form, heh.” Actually, that gave him an idea… ”…but I don’t suppose you have something more suited for human me? I have an idea I’d like to try.”

    Paige interpreted Selenus' actions as embarrassment from her comment. A wry grin lit up her face, crinkling her scars as she teased a bit further. "Of course I'm sure you'd look lovely in it regardless." A soft chuckle was the last thing she said on the matter before she dropped the subject, focusing instead on his new request.

    "Ah, hm...let me see..." She could conjure the image of Selenus' human form--Simon--in her mind easily. Broad shoulders, slim waist, tall....She frowned in thought. She'd made Men's clothes on occasion, mostly for her brother, but perhaps...

    After a moment, she began shifting around the mannequins. The one she wanted was near the middle, fortunately, and she was able to wheel it out to the middle of the room with little effort. Like the others, this one was covered with a sheet, which she pulled off.

    Atop the mannequin was a black button up shirt, neatly pressed, paired with a blue and black double-breasted vest. The gold buttons had been done up and, despite however long it had been since the outfit was made, it still looked pristine. Paige straightened the already perfectly aligned shoulders, then brushed off imaginary dust on its front before looking at Selenus curiously.

    "Is this suitable?"

   

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