Waiting for the Kill

“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

quarterformercy:

Zarina held up her hands in defense. “Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard. I’m not judging at all.” She wasn’t really allowing herself to, since she had a thing about weird things herself. “I do have to say, that looks very impressive.” Totally not her taste, but she couldn’t see into the whole room, just the fur. Maybe there was more, and maybe Carla was willing to cooperate. She was a little offended at the way this alleged fashion guru eyed her and talked to her, but she needed her help. “I can pay you? I mean, I will pay you. I need a kick-ass Halloween costume to fuck with people and I’m stuck.” She fiddled with her necklace. “Zarina.”

A Halloween costume. She was being bothered for a...Halloween costume. Carla wasn’t sure if she was offended or not. She had so much knowledge about the fashion world and all this girl...this Zarina wanted as costume advice? She sighed. “Don’t even bother giving me your money. You clearly need it.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Well what kind of feeling do you want? Sexy? Ugly? Chic? I can’t help you if you give me nothing to work with!”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

quarterformercy:

As soon as the door opened, Zarina couldn’t contain her curiosity and attempted to look past the woman into her room. What she saw, shocked her; racks filled with fur coats - but her attention was quickly diverted to the woman herself: she looked like she could command armies just by standing in front of them. If she demanded it, Zarina would probably throw herself on her sword for her. She had to be careful; Astra seemed to have a lot of these types. “But I do. I’m not a hobo,” thank you very much, she wanted to add, but she contained herself. “I heard you had a thing about fashion. I need some help.”

Carla wasn’t sure if she believed her when she claimed to not be a hobo. She had the look, not so much the smell, but also the desperation. It was....something. “A thing about fashion? Darling, look around!” She moved over just so she could let her in enough to take a god look. Her coats were impressive, but her closest was even better. “I live, breathe, and die for fashion! It is my very soul!” She took a deep breath and looked back at her. “Of course you need my help. But why should I give it to you? Who are you?”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

📺

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

haydenkokinos:

Whenever he could, Hayden liked to walk Cerberus before dark — it was easier for him to see, and he could keep better track of his dog. Granted, he was much more terrifying than most, working as both his security guard and attack dog, whichever reason he was needed; but he felt as if it wasn’t safe for Cerberus to go trotting around so late. Hayden had been in Sacramento for months, but he still felt suspicious of everything.

The meeting had finished late and Megara had her own plans; so he was stuck with the job of walking Cerberus late at night. It was severely off-schedule and Hayden hated it, but he cared for his dog very much — more than he did most people. He also figured he could take a night run around his usual loop for the time being, just to ensure he only got tired once he finished his round. He and his dog went around until only the street lights illuminated the pavement, a clear sign for them to return back to the compound. Hayden clipped off the leash as they drew closer to the building, the fluorescence of the convenience store sign a clear mark of where they were going. He was pulling on his jacket when he heard a familiar voice close to the entrance, eyebrows raised as he saw Carla with a small dog in her arms. “Miss DeVil?” he called out. “I didn’t know you had a pet.”

Carla nearly threw the dog into a bush. Of course it was Hayden of all people who saw her with her little beast. She couldn’t even pretend Vlad wasn’t hers with the way she tended to it; Carla did not have the reputation to back it up. So instead she clutched Vlad to her, tighter than she meant to since the dog let out a small whimper before she loosened her grip at all. Great, now she really look like she gave a shit.

“Most people don’t,” she settled on saying, using a free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She may look like some vulnerable and weak dog person, but at least she was hot. “Barkis is the only who does, actually. This is Vlad.” She paused so that he could properly look at her pathetic creature. “It was a gift. I don’t normally keep dogs......” Alive? At All? “.....with me. I’m more of a cat person.” She knew that sounded weak, but it was better than talking to a man she had been trying to get to buy her things that she enjoyed skinning animals and making them into couture. “I don’t think I’ve met your....bea-dog, until now.”

[quarterformercy]

@cleverasthedevill

Halloween happened to be one of Zarina’s favourite holidays, and every year, it was a tradition for her to dress up. She would definitely take any opportunity she could find to do so, which was what she’d done at the Renaissance Faire, but she’d also played her strongest card immediately, which was a mistake. Halloween would be different; the staff had assured her there would be some sort of party to attend, which was why she’d already started brainstorming and researching - and she’d found Carla. The woman’s reputation was what had Zarina standing at the door, her fist still raised after a knock. This fashion guru would probably know what suited her best.

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

Carla was busy at work, and by work she meant tending to her many, many, fur coats.She made sure they were fluffed and tended to weekly and it was a very delicate and daunting process. Despite that, it relaxed her more than anything. And her afternoon would have stayed that way; relaxed and content. But then she heard that blasted knock on her door. Irritated as ever, she got up to answer it. She swore on her dog it better not be one of Barkis’s colleges. When she opened the door and saw a scraggly-looking girl she sighed. “I don’t have any money.”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

📺

@royalrisen

Carla was in her element; cutting into fabric, pinning it against one of her dummies, finally, finally designing. It felt so good to stitch and sew. She felt like she was doing something she was born to do and for so long she felt herself to be in a rut. But luckily she was able to depart from Astra long enough to return home, be a part of fashion week, and before she knew it she was back at the compound and creating things again.

She had asked Anya to come and model clothes but she forgot because she was so lost in her own designs. She had left her door unlocked so that the girl could enter and when she did, Carla was still snipping away. She had two finished dresses from earlier in the week on mannequins in the corner and she was currently transfixed on the half finished piece in front of her. When she finally did notice someone was watching her, she immediately assumed it was Barkis trying to mess her up. “Get away from me….I’ll cut you…..” she mumbled, taking a small moment to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose before diving back into work.

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

📺

@haydenkokinos

Carla very rarely let people see that she owned a dog. Her darling little Vlad was just not the most...threatening of dogs. In fact, he was a complete fluff ball that Carla was disgusted with. Its fur was not the kind she would want to make any sort of accessory with so she was stuck with the creature and has been for the last few years of her life. She didn’t like to admit it, but at times Vlad was a comfort of some sort. She was never truly alone in her life when she had her little beastie.

It was late at night and she was walking Vlad near the compound’s entrance. She didn’t like going very far with him, fearing he would run into the street or something else stupid. He wasn’t the brightest dog and not easy to spot. For example, the poor dog seemed to get tangled in some sort of prickly bush and had prickles all over its fur. How typical. She picked up her disgrace of a dog and brought him over to a bench where she started removing the prickles from his fur. He whimpered under her touch and for a small moment, Carla frowned. “I’m hurting you because I love you….” she whispered to him, taking a more tender approach to removing the prickles. She was so lost in tending to her dog that she didn’t see a familiar figure approaching her.

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

🎵

@lightscandelabrasaction

Carla must be going mad. She woke up, went to her expensive mirror wall that she had to really convince the astra to let her have and paled. For the first time in what felt like forever, she looked...like she was aging. She touched her face, smooth, and then ran a hand through her hair. It could have been unnoticable if she wasn’t seeking it out, but there it was; a single gray hair. This place was getting to her. She quickly got dressed and made her way towards the gym. She needed to work off a few years or something. She was absolutely livid.

On her way to the gym she ran right into a youthful blonde and if her eyes could flash red they would have. “Oh GREAT! A youthful young man to remind me that I’m withering away into nothing!” She grabbed him by the collar. “I’ve seen the world, done it all, had my cake now. Does this mean I’ve peaked? DO I LOOK OLD TO YOU?”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

🎵

@roscoe--sykes

In Carla’s time, she has had a fair amount of affairs. Some were decent and some were just dreadful; she had only ever committed to one person and that ended in devastation. To keep her story short, she got around. Every so often she would see someone who reminded her an awful like her many affairs and this man was no exception. He was everything she found attractive; male and good looking. It was refreshing to see another as attractive as Hayden for once. She was sure she was going to be able to focus on her work at Astra, but it looked like fate had other plans.

“I tell myself I’m done with wicked games….” Carla stopped herself, putting her pencil down on the table she sat at and observed this fine specimen of man. She wasn’t prepared to talk to someone she actually was interested in getting to know; she had her glasses on for christ's sake! But she wasn’t going to let him go by without introducing herself. She was too old for this. She sat up, placing her design book in her bag before walking up to the man. “Darling! Has anyone ever told you that you look like you should be walking for fashion week? Because if they haven’t they are lying to you. You have a magnificent structure to yourself.”

[ptonkinsource]

[ofhotheads-blog]

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[tatianasharma]

With her suitcase in one hand and purse in the other Tatiana entered the building that was going to be her new home. As always her mind was in a million different places. This time it ranged from the readings she had to do for school, to how she was going to decorate her room, to what she was going to have for lunch later. The familiar sound of her ringtone snapped her from her thoughts and Tatiana began fumbling in her bag to find her phone. “Not again,” She groans as she pats herself down looking for her cell. Pinpointing the noise to her suitcase, and forgetting how very very full it was, she opens it up only to have it betray her and explode open causing her clothes to go flying. “I’m so so sorry! Gosh, this is so embarrassing. Maybe if I close my eyes and count to ten I’ll find out it’s all a dream and I won’t have to go into hiding.”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

Carla was making her way back to her room that she shared with a sad excuse of man when she noticed clothes flying in all directions, most of them towards her. She was speechless for a few minutes. Who was so careless as to have clothes just flying everywhere? This wasn’t The Great Gatsby. And once she saw the unfortunate girl who’s clothes were everywhere start speaking gibberish at her, Carla understood. She was a walking bad luck token. Tragic. But it wasn’t as tragic as her clothes. Carla bent down to pick up a top that fell right next to her shoes and she flinched a little. What was with these girls here and their homeless lady attire? She wrinkled her nose in disgust before finally paying attention to the sad girl in front of her. "You should apologize again. These clothes....Are you proud of yourself?”

[faye-chamberlain]

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

haydenkokinos:

Admittedly, Hayden was constantly surprising himself with how he was behaving during the Ren Faire. For some reason, he seemed to be acting awfully out of character: he was happy and smiling, overly-excited with all the activities and events going on. Anyone that knew him was surprised to see him like this — but he couldn’t curb his enthusiasm, not when one of his favorite things came to him, larger than life. After the Ren Faire, he was certain he’d return to his sullen, rigid persona; but for now, he allowed himself to feel seventeen again.

He let his eyes flit to Carla’s attire briefly: of course, it was impeccably made, making her look like a true queen; though he couldn’t possibly imagine how comfortable she must be feeling in such stuffy costuming. He snapped his head up as she answered, with him walking over to her with just the tiniest spring in his step. “Glad I caught you. Yes, well, I have a bit of a conundrum at hand — I’m looking for a gift for my mother,” he explained, pursing his lips. “As you can see, there are a couple of things here that I could give her, but I’ve never been a good shopper.” That was putting it lightly. “I figured I could consult you on this type of thing, considering you seem to be a bit of an expert on the subject.”

His smile really was a lot more beautiful than she thought it would be. If she had a heart, she supposed it would have been racing at the thought of a man like him wanting her assistance. She wondered how long she could keep this up before he returned to his usual cold yet polite self. She, for once, didn’t have the urge to get him to lose his composure. He was enjoying himself and it almost felt cruel for Carla to even want to mess with that.

Ahh, shopping. The only thing she enjoyed about this little festival. She supposed she could be known for worse. Her smile was more relaxed than normal and she gave an almost amused look before answering him. “You want me to help you shop? Well darling, there is no one better at finding the best jewelry out of unique situations than me. But jewelry is your family business, so I can assume you want something a bit more creative, hmm? Because I might have seen something at a stand nearby. It was absolutely dazzling, but it wasn’t my style. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t your mother's! Come on then, I promise not to take too much of your time. You seem to be having the best time right now.”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

jamesjhook:

“History was actually where I got my best grades, your highness. What I meant was that you don’t seem like the type to let that happen. You would probably kill someone in their sleep first. Am I wrong,” he smirked at her, looking very sure of himself. “Oh I’m not getting on your nerves yet? The day must be young still. Depends on what you want to do but I’m definitely down for some real food.”

Carla laughed. “Oh no, darling. If I were to kill someone, I would do it while they were very much awake. I’m not some black widow killer. Just because I’m not married doesn’t mean I don’t date.” Did he really think the only reason why she was single was because she killed men off? She supposed that was alright. “Not yet. But you are very well on your way. Let’s just go. If I can’t find anything good enough I’m getting out of this costume and going somewhere good. Whether you join me or not is optional.”

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

maliafieri:

Malia wasn’t shy when it came to her body. If she could walk around naked wherever she pleased, she would. She was a firm believer of ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’. While Carla explained how the dress looked on Malia, she looked over at herself in a nearby mirror and eyed herself up and down. She was right. The dress hugged her curves very nicely and she enjoyed how it did. With a smirk, she looked back at Carla as the other woman helped adjust the front of her dress. “I’ve heard that before.” She winked with a wide grin and then shrugged slightly. “Well if you insist darling. I will.” Malia then removed the dress and laid it out on Carla’s bed, returning to the woman’s closet half naked and continuing her inspection. “How have you been my dearest? I haven’t seen or heard from you since you declined to fly in first class with me on the trip to Spain.”

Carla had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. That was so two months ago. Maybe less. She didn’t really care. Malia could pout and go through her closet as much as she wanted. She didn’t regret her choice in not traveling with a bunch of commoners. “Oh you know, I’ve been absolutely fabulous. And I do apologize for declining, darling. I had a previous engagement to travel there with a friend before I received your invitation. I do hope the plane ride was as dramatic as I assumed it would be. I did notice my roommate rather disgruntled by the fact that he didn’t buy the seats himself fast enough.” It was almost comical how Barkis reacted. “Don’t get too comfortable with my clothes. I can just make you them, you know. To fit your particular aesthetic and all that.” She put her hands on her hips. “How about you? Have you been doing just as great, darling?”

[astragossip-blog]

It's 2017 and people still think Carla's cheekbones are real? Really?

listen, if a woman can get away with still wearing real fur in 2017 i see no reason why she shouldn’t get away with fake cheekbones. just, you know. as long as she don’t fucking lie about it when people ask, she should be all good. (because really. no one has cheekbones like that naturally.)

[cleverasthedevill-blog]

jamesjhook:

James wasn’t the least bit shocked to see that Carla was dressed up as a queen. If anything, he might have dropped dead if she were anything else. 

“I mean I would think the middle ground is pirates. Not nearly as barbaric as Vikings but not as civilized as the royalty, obviously. Though we do share a love of fancy things!” He laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Are you one of Henry VIII’s many wives because I can totally see you as the black widow type to kill your husband before he kills you.”

“Did you fail history? He executed and isolated a good amount of his wives. The ones that weren’t lucky enough to die at least.” She would have loved to dress up as Anne Boleyn but today was no the day for it. “I am a queen simply because it’s a fact. I’m just a queen who could pass for this wretched timeline now. And you are a pirate that isn’t getting on my nerves completely. So can we switch games or find real food?”