A Fashion Escapade

Ready, Camera, Action!
Men and women ran from one corner of the room to another, as they gathered recording equipment and set up the stage for the big shoot. The noise of screaming fans could be heard just outside the club, the doors banged with excitement as journalists and bloggers alike tried to get a scoop of the show before it started and maybe an interview with the man of the hour. A young boy in his late teens with stunning black wearing the iconic Balmain winter hat, handcrafted from real genuine albino lamar mink hide, a real piece of art made right here on Taute Haute. A remote winter Island home to many of the region's most popular restaurants, fashion shows and parties located along the quiet seas of Paradise.

If one were to venture further inland they would find streets littered with clubs radiating bright lights and colours, fast speaking businessmen with Den Den Mushi in hand, conducting business deals and meetings on the fly, women lined up as far as the eye could see. The smell of good food and wine drenched the streets of Taute Haute, club music burst through the walls enticing the youth. Young and women waiting in line to get past the bouncers guarding the club doors was a common sight on the island but tonight was a special occasion. It was the début of Balmain Fashion Chateau's flower dance tribute and in honour of this the company had decided to host the first interactive fashion show there at the club, where on top of their own models the townsfolk could come and model clothing of their own design. And should they impress the president of said company they would receive a cash prize of to open up their own boutique under Balmain Fashion Chateau.

Tensions were high among local fashion designers and models alike who heard about this competition, some decided to team up against foreign competitors whilst others maxed out their credit just to fund the creation of their fabulous designs. Bairon swore that some of these ladies stares could cut clean diamond. He didn't feel completely safe, after all some of these girls looked like they would claw his eyes out if he didn't choose them but with a security detail as large as his there was no need to worry. He had hosted fashion shows before and although all his fans seemed to do was rile themselves and make more noise nothing, he wanted to be careful. He wanted, no he needed, a large audience, especially for the big unveiling.

"Sir Bairon the models are all in their appropriate positions and the special guests are being shown to the VIP area." The short man said whilst wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Just as you have requested, Lord Chuuchuu and his mistress are seated far away from the Larrimores but the Garelds demand to sit a bit closer to the stage on account of Lord Nathaniel's terrible eyesight. Do you know that the poor man one mistook a peafowl for his wife. Gigigi! A peafowl!"

"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first the Edrick. For the last time, the Queen and her daughter will be sitting in the front row and I cannot have some bumbling fool standing in the way of my courting the princess' hand." Bairon said as he wrote down inside a small notebook as he counted the number of chairs set up, "198… 199… 200… good it seems that all is in order. You can start letting in our other guests while I prepare the models." Pushing the curtain aside as he made his way past the worry warts who were the stage directors to the dressing room.

Sounds of glee and excitement bounced off the club walls as the host of the fashion show himself made his way down the runway, followed by an entourage of his models. The screams got louder and louder the further he made it down the runway, camera Den Den Mushi flashed others beeped a red light as they began broadcasting the show.

"3...2...1… and action!" A woman with a camera in hand whispered as she signalled her crewmen to encircle the stage. "Be sure to get all of his good sides."

"But mam' every side is his good side!" One assistant jokes. Giggling a bit the camerawoman quickly composed herself and retorted, "Of course! But don't let him hear that his ego is already but as it is!"

" ' ' Cough, cough.' ' " He cleared his throat, silencing not only his crew but the crowd as well before speaking. This was a big day for him, it was a make or break time of his career and he intended to blow up, but to do so he needed his grand opening speech to be, well grand.

A smile formed on his face as he put one hand in his pocket and began waving with the other. He shied away from the cameras but they could tell that he wanted the attention. "Firstly, good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am so honoured to be hosting this year's flower dance tribute and more to be blessed with the presence of Her Majesty and her daughter, Princess Aria." The teen clapped his hands together and soon after others followed suit. "Come on, ladies and gentlemen put your hands together for the Queen and Princess of Taute Haute."

The royal duo simply stood up, waved their hands for a bit and sat back down on their behinds. The two didn't seem to care much for the other guests but her daughter did seem to have an eye out for Bairon. In response the teen offered his hat and took a bow in front of her before standing up straight once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen before we begin to have a special announcement to make." His guests whispered in confusion whilst others merely puffed at the prospect of waiting any longer and while he couldn't blame them, I mean some of these people had come from as far as the south seas, he just felt that he needed to do this.

"Four years…"

"It's been four years since that fateful day…"

"The day on which my mother, the o só noble revolutionary, met her end by the hands of the same man that she had entrusted her heart to, the one that she had grown to love. The same man who despite her mother's warnings whose child she bore inside her for fourteen painful months…"

"My father…"

"She spent nearly thirty four hours in the delivery room, some of the worst moments of her life, all for naught. Maybe grandma was right, marrying that bastard was a mistake that should have never crossed her mind in the first place. I mean, what was she thinking when she fell in love with a marine officer?"

"A marine of all things?"

"But hey, love has a funny way of working out right, right? I mean there were tales of Fishman and people wedding and starting families surrounding the Red Line, so anything was possible at this point. In essence there were more or less the same, both in mind and physiology. But in this case it was a matter of ideologies, a marine and a rebel. Kejikejikeji, whoever came up with this pairing of was either a fuckin' genius or a real asshole. Because this shit is straight up laughable."

"But on a serious note, and this is coming from me, her son, my mother was a bitch. A stupid bitch and for god knows what reason I pity her poor soul! Not that she cared much for me though. She was always too busy working on securing "our" freedom to enjoy some of that which we already had. She made that abundantly clear through her constant beatings and days of starving me. But hey, part of me feels for her. Felt for her. And well, for the most part I did care about my mother, the part of that wasn't a stone cold revolutionary."

"But yeah, obviously by father didn't feel that way so he betrayed her. Her own husband no less. Divulged information on her friends, got them arrested her too and for what a measly badge of honour. Ludicrous. Though I guess the old timer felt somewhat bad. Why else would he get into drugs, leave me on the doorstep of some stranger he hardly knew or flee the island with some mistress, someone else he hardly knew, and not with his only begotten son?" Whispers and murmurs engulfed the museum as he spoke looks of concern and worry painted on the faces and souls of the onlookers but before anyone could comment.

"Guilt perhaps? Joy at the prospect of losing his cover? Who knows really? Certainly not me, that's for sure but whatever turned him into that wasn't the thing that turned me from a lowly street rat into one of the most reputable businessman on this floating rock." Laughter erupted from each corner of the studio as the young man.

To be continued...