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 Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 10:52 am
Paris knew it was really rather rude to stare.
She knew her manners. Even growing up on the less affluent side of town, she knew to say “please” and “thank you.” She had her “ma'am”s and her “sir”s down pat, and though she might not use them as often anymore now that she was an adult herself, as a child she knew to expect a wallop from any number of adults for not following the expected niceties. Respect your elders, do unto others as you would have others do unto you, kick 'em in the shins if they pick on you on the playground...
Okay, no, not that last one. That had more to do with survival than manners. But it was all tied into the same thing, wasn't it? Though she hadn't always been on her best behavior, she at least knew how to behave. And when.
None of that explained the fact that she was staring.
There were other shoppers making their way through the store, but the one she presently focused on was a young woman with dark hair and violet eyes, standing not that far away from the display of fall sweaters Paris had stopped to peruse. Paris was fairly certain she knew who she was, she just couldn't remember where she'd seen her face before. Hence the staring. Maybe if she stared long enough, she'd eventually be struck with the appropriate memory.
She was at least certain she'd never spoken to her before, so she could strike former classmates or schoolyard troublemakers off the list. Maybe she'd been at one of Momma Gallo's dinner parties? Or a charity event? Hastily Paris went through her mental list of Families of Wealth and Influence in the area, ticking them off one by one. The Whitneys, the Watsons, the Arnolds, the Connollys, the Madigans, the Chamberlyn's...
Jada Chamberlyn.
That was it. She'd seen her face, not at a party but... somewhere else. Wasn't she a model of some sort? Paris had heard her name mentioned a few times but never experienced this sort of familiarity.
Well. There she was. And the polite thing to do would be to introduce herself, wasn't it?
Clearing her throat, Paris approached with a bright smile, offering her hand in greeting.
“Hi,” she began, and struggled not to sound awkward. Maybe she should have rehearsed something beforehand? “I... uh... sorry, I just noticed you there and I thought you looked familiar and... uh... you're Jada Chamberlyn, aren't you? I'm... um... Paris... Gallo...” she added hesitantly, like she wasn't really sure if that should mean anything even if she knew the Gallo name had some pretty hefty weight of its own.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:02 pm
Finally! Jada had finally managed to wriggle some time off for herself in order to go and acquire some clothing that didn't feel so stiff. She loved a dress as much as the next person over, but that didn't mean she didn't want a nice pair of huggy denims, or some comfortable slacks, or a pair of those wide-legged chiffon pants to go floating around in. Maybe matched with a nice top and some sandals? She hummed, pausing to look at a pair of boots which hummed to her in the distance, seducing her, the way shoes were wont to do. Alas! She wasn't here for you yet, lovely boots. but she would definitely take your number. So pants... pants required tops. Tunic tops? Tank tops? Sweater tops? Jada pursed her lips and slid a hand to her hip, standing in the middle of the walkway and looking around. A few people bumped into her; she politely stepped out of their way with a brisk apology. Something had to call to her other than those boots. But she couldn't stop thinking about them. Pants. Pants. Tops. Chiffon Pants. Flowy tops. Something stylish, artsy, comfortably cute. Something that wouldn't have Roland in extreme distress over her slovenly attire, yet be comfortable enough? Hi, someone said from in front of her, and Jada abruptly realized the person approaching her hadn't been another shopper, but was a real person. Not- Not that the shoppers weren't real people, but they were background noise to the shopping experience. A bubbling brook to keep the sales people away. "Hi!" she said brightly, reaching out to take the offered hand. "A pleasure to meet you Paris. You have me right, I am Jada." Gallo. The name rang a bell, and she quickly traced it back through years of her mother harping on the people she'd sell her daughters off to, given the chance. The only Gallo family she could think of though was all boys, meaning this lovely young Paris might be- wedding ring. So maybe? She winced, the look crossing her face something like shame. "I'm afraid you don't look very familiar, but the Gallo- are you Michael's wife?" Best place to start, though awkward if she was wrong. Oops! "I've been out of town for a while, so I'm afraid I'm far behind on all the news."
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:51 pm
Paris did not expect to be recognized and so was hardly offended that Jada seemed to have no idea who she was. The initial guess, however, struck her with a jolt of horror.
“Michael's wife?” she choked.
The laughter that bubbled out of her began as a quiet, nervous-sounding chuckle, her expression frozen somewhere between bewilderment and revulsion. Her reaction was swift to increase in sound, until finally she burst into hysterical peals. Mirthful tears sprung into the corners of her bright eyes.
It continued, loudly, for a quarter of a minute, long enough to draw attention to herself, but hopefully not so much that it seemed rude.
Between that and the staring she certainly wasn't putting on her best performance.
“No, no, I feel so sorry for whoever ends up getting roped into that one,” Paris said. She waved one of her hands as if she meant to perish the thought. “I'm Chris's wife,” she explained. “We were married last year. In March.”
The “wife” part took some getting used to, but it seemed to roll off of her tongue naturally enough.
Paris beamed another smile. Her expression probably seemed somewhat admiring, but then Jada had something of a sophisticated look about her in Paris's eyes, the sort Paris herself was never quite able to emulate despite her best efforts. Pale, thin, delicate-looking, with golden curls and small features, Paris thought she looked a bit childish in comparison.
“You've been out of town?” she wondered. “For work? What brings you back?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:47 pm
If there was one thing Jada hadn't meant to do, it was drive the pixie-like young woman in front of her into hysterics. Her eyes went wide at the chuckle, an apology quick to slide to the tip of her tongue, and halted by the way Paris waved her hands. "Not Michael," Jada acknowledged with a shake of her shoulders as she suppressed a laugh of her own. Jada hid her grin behind her right hand, lips brushing up against the almost-faded scratch. "I can't tell if there was a horror story behind that laugh, or just normal family politics." "Primarily work," Jada agreed easily, grateful that the excuse was so easy and true. After all, the other part of the truth would be so much harder to explain. "I came back to handle the sale of some property, and possibly pick up a few odd jobs while I prepare for a few changes in my career." She crossed her legs, shifting the pile of tops in her arms and glancing back at those boots. "I came back in a bit of a hurry, so I have to pick up a few extras. My manager has a great sense of style, but no sense of comfort." Paris had a lovely smile. Jada felt herself returning it, feeling a little lighter at not having actually offended her. Though, flattering as it was, it was a bit startling to be recognized. "How did you know me?" She inquired, wondering if maybe (just maybe!) she was becoming known for her work, rather than her family's money. It would have to be, wouldn't it? She couldn't picture that the Gallo family had sat around pointing at pictures of rich children in the newspapers, and if she recalled, none of them had come to her debut. She'd never met Chris, and the youngest was a few years behind Lucas in age, if she was correct.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:01 am
Paris listened avidly, and not just to be polite. There was an obvious interest in her expression. The life of a model seemed rather glamorous and exciting to her, even if she knew that wasn't always the case. She wasn't completely delusional, nor so naïve or ignorant as to believe it was all riches and splendor. After all, people tended to look at a ballerina the same way. They saw the costumes and the make-up and the perfection hours of practice and rehearsals (and a life of grueling work) had accomplished. They didn't often see the sweat, blood, and tears that occurred behind the scenes.
Maybe she felt a bit of kinship toward this stranger in that respect. Regardless, she was eager to respond—chipper, bright-eyed, energetic.
“My mother-in-law mentioned you once. Claire Gallo,” she explained, and offered Momma Gallo's name in case the recognition was not immediate. “I'm not exactly... um, before Chris I wasn't really all that up-to-date with all the high-society stuff, so Momma... I mean, Claire's been introducing me to people and filling me in on the who's who. I saw a photo of you once, maybe from a shoot? Do you do fashion modeling or are you more commercial?”
She was making her lack of sophistication rather apparent and knew it. Later she might look back over the conversation and feel like an idiot, but she couldn't be bothered to worry about it overmuch in the moment.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:02 pm
Oh, she liked the attention. Such polite interest. Sweetie! Most people she told about her career, they waved her off as a whore to the canvas, or assumed immediately that she took her clothes off on camera or in a room full of art students. She was pleased to say she had never done either. "Claire Gallo," she let the name slide off her tongue, consideringly. "I think my mother mentioned her. Hopefully Ms. Gallo was flattering." Goodness knew that could go either way. "One thing to remember about High Society," Jada waved her hands, "Half of us are rebels to antiquated rules, and the other half are old goats who forgot they were once, too." An eyebrow raised, and a decisive nod. "Or young snots." She beamed at Paris' interest. "Here," she said, and pulled out one of her cards with her personal contact information. "The phone number is correct, too. I have a lot of different things I have done over the last couple years, but runway is my favorite. You just feel so powerful up there." Her smile was open, eyes twinkling. "Have you ever thought about it? You're perfectly built. So thin." Envy? Maybe. It was hard to get a niche, with her curves. Luckily, some artists liked figures like hers. Runway was harder to find, but for photos, sculpture...
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:19 am
“Don't worry, Momma's always flattering about everyone.”
Paris beamed at the following compliment and took Jada's card eagerly.
She tried to effect some modesty, and looked like she might counter Jada's observations with an “Oh, stop!” or some other banal response, but beneath the bashful expression that flitted across Paris's face was a streak of pride and vanity. It was perhaps a shadow of what it once was, as she'd not always been entirely comfortable with her body, but as the months passed and Paris regained more of her lost confidence, a bit of conceit came along with it.
Even as she acknowledged her luck and gave thanks for her good fortune, Paris's pride in her looks often outweighed the true significance of them. Her appearance meant that her femininity went without question.
“I might have thought about it once or twice, but never seriously,” she admitted.
She almost wished she had a card to hand to Jada in return—it was mature, impressive—but thought she had much less to include on one. A phone number, a Youtube channel. It'd probably seem silly to someone who was so well-traveled.
“I'm a little short for it anyway, aren't I?” Paris joked. She laughed gently, slipped Jada's card into her purse and clutched at the strap over her shoulder like she meant to restrain herself, emotionally intense but physically poised. “I dance, actually,” she explained. “Ballet. I have the look for it, I guess. Maybe one day I'll get my own spread in a magazine or something. Get some endorsements and shoot some ads. I don't know that I could do it full time, though. It seems like it'd be an entirely different world.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:55 am
"I wish I could have said the same about my mother." Her voice was wry and dry, but her lips quirked at the corners. Szelem had been a harpy, but goodness- she had been formidable. "Well, modeling isn't for everyone, just like any other art form." And that really was what modeling was. Anyone could do it, but not well. It was a sport, a performance. Just different. "I wanted to be in ballet when I was young," Jada said with a grin. "I was never very good at it. As for height-" Jada lifted a foot, showing off her heels. "I am only 5'2-5'3ish. Short for a runway, but if you can wear the right shoes anything's possible. Plus modeling isn't always full body shots." She grinned at the blonde, and then said, "So what brought you by the store today? Getting ready for autumn?" She could work on getting Paris into a shoot with her later.
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Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 7:19 am
Paris marveled at Jada's confidence and the ease with which she spoke of herself in relation to her career. Her height, or lack thereof, had always been a bit of a sore point for Paris, but Jada seemed to accept her own without much of a second thought. She'd gained her own success regardless.
“Oh,” Paris said, startled out of her thoughts when she realized she'd almost missed Jada's question. “Yeah, I was looking for some more decorations for the house, and Chris needed some things so I figured I'd pick them up for him while I was out. Naturally I got distracted. At least I haven't gotten sucked into the shoe department yet.”
But it was oh-so-close. Paris was sure she'd make a stop there before this shopping trip was done.
“How about... I mean, would you mind browsing together for a while? I'd love to hear more about your work,” she said. “If you're busy, that's totally fine. I don't want to intrude. I just... well, adjusting to this... um... well, being married to Chris is an entirely different lifestyle than what I'm used to, and I'm a little ashamed to admit I haven't made very many friends despite all the people I've been introduced to.”Infinities I am so super sorry for my incredible slowness with this tag!! The last couple of months have been crazy! QQ
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