The man to mannequin connection
(Janice belongs to the bestie @monstersdontdance !!)
The look wasnāt quite finished. It was almost there, but still lacked..a something. Janice didnāt exactly know what that missing something was just yet but her gut hadnāt let her down yet (well..not too badly at least).
The Dollhouse was, to the untrained eye, a whirlwind of bright colours and varying fabrics seemingly thrown about random but there was always method to madness. To its owner it was well oiled machine, ready to fight the good fight against all the borings of conventional fashion. In fact, there she stood in the middle of the sales floor, squinting and staring at the half mannequin placed amidst a spinning rack of scarves.
āA necklace? No thatās not it. Maybe some earrings? No thatās not it either. Itās definitely needing jewelry but what..ā The seamstress playfully looked up at the stylishly dressed model. āFeel free to chime in at any time.ā
āEdwardoā as Janice had gotten used to calling him, lived up to his shy guy reputation and said nothing. Figures. As always she had to do all the work! She turned incredulously to the left and made āeye contactā with a female mannequin dressed in a flared polka-dot suit.
āCan you believe this Audrey? I mean, I donāt ask for a lot here! Talk some sense into the man!ā
Audrey remained silent which was especially odd considering her gift for gab. If Janice didnāt know any better, she'd say this was on purpose.
āCome on not you too Audy! I havenāt done anything wrong lately so why oh why am I being iced out?!ā
Iced outā¦Iceā¦Iceburg. Suddenly her models were giving very knowing looks (especially for being faceless). They seemed to tell her to spill her guts lest her worries consume her and she break another stapler. Fair enough, staplers were weirdly expensive after all. She plopped down into her favourite gauchely patchwork armchair and began bemoaning her woes.
āI havenāt heard from Iceburg in days. No stopping by the boutique, no coincidental meetings on the street, he hasnāt even called me to get out of work! Iāve tried talking to the guys at Galley-La but they say itās ānot their businessā which by the way SINCE WHEN?! Itās just so frustrated! UGH!ā
The more Janice talked the more and more she slouched in the chair until she resembled something of a fallen accordion. Now throughly steamed she leapt from her position and pulled out her jewelry box, lightly pricking her fingers on pins in the process, before finding what she was looking for: a silver beetle brooch, wings spread beautifully and ready to take flight. She delicately pinned it right over where Edwardo's heart would be.
āThere, I feel like I was gonna go crazy there for a second.ā She stepped back, framing her fingers like a camera as she admired the finished look.
āThatās a really nice brooch, do they make mouse ones too?ā
āOh yeah mouse brooches are definitely a thing but I donāt have any right now but I could..order..some?!ā
Too wrapped up in the bliss of a finished outfit Janice failed to notice the door open, close, or any footsteps. Curse her roommate, that new door chime couldnāt arrive fast enough! She quickly grab the first item within her reach (her iron) and made to turn and throw it at the possible assailant only to stop short when she saw that familiar blue curl.
āIceburg? You-You canāt just sneak up on me like that!ā
His hands were raised, both in asking for an apology and in case she still decided to throw the iron. āSorry, sorry, my fault. I was justā¦ā he trailed off, pointedly looking elsewhere before abruptly clearing his throat.
āUh anyways I came here to apologize for being so absent lately. Things have just been so busy and Alice practically chained me to my desk.ā
Janice nodded, that girl was a scarily efficient little machine that wanted nothing more than 130% out of everyone, itās no surprise she managed to nail down the notoriously hooky playing boss of hers. He seemed to relax a bit at her understanding before going just slightly pink.
āSo uh..ā He rubbed his neck. āIām kinda hungry, you wanna go grab a bite? My treat of course.ā
He was asking her out? On a date? She guessed he hadnāt actually said the word but it was so obvious! If this was his way of making up for his lack of presence he..well sheās not gonna say he didnāt need to. She was upset sure but it is infinitely harder to do so when heās right in front of her. She sent
āSure! I just need to close up really quick! Stay right there!ā
A quick (totally causal) sprint began as she took off to turn off lights and grab the āOut to Lunch!ā sign from the back of the shop, only stopping to do a quick check in the mirror before heading out for her not-officially-a-date-that-is-still-totally-a-date date.
THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!! YOU CAPTURED JAN SO PERFECTLY I AM IN AWE!!! YOU HAVE A PHD IN JANBURG!!!! AAAAAA!!!!!! ā”ā”ā”ā”ā”ā”ā”ā”