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She had the dress, she had the shoes, she had the mask, and this afternoon she would have the hair figured out just in time for the Halloween Masquerade that she was going to write up for one of the places she freelanced for. Now all she needed was a date. So here she was carrying a tray of coffee and a bag of bagels sashaying down the sidewalk, pausing only once to check the address she was given before bouncing up the steps of the most gorgeous brownstone ever.

Shannon rapped on the door and waited impatiently for it to be answered, her cream pumps tapping against the brick stoop as her silver eyes roamed the townhome. It hummed with polish and old world charm with an accent of green thumb. It was damn adorable! Who did she need to flirt with to find a place like this she could rent? Sadly her own place was a small apartment that had walls paper thin, pipes that like to leak, and a super who was a real sleaze. The only good thing about it was the rent was low and no one really cared about her ‘guests’. Besides it was a pretty private place where she didn’t have to worry about her neighbors getting up in her way or if her rent was fudged by a day or two. Freelancing and blogging payed the bills but some months were tighter than others… that and she had expensive tastes.

When the door was opened by a young man with pale blond hair that rivaled her own in length, if it didn't insist on curling like it tended to do of course, Shannon was a bit taken aback. With a frown she checked her phone, the town home’s number, and even leaned back until she could see the nearest street sign before she looked the boy over quizzically. Her mind already catalogued the cost of his shirt and shoes, expensive…. drool worthy… out of her payrange, damn it, and what she could glimpse of the lush interior and prayed to whatever gold digging god there was that this teenaged boy had a hunky, single father who was looking for a little fun.

“I'm sorry sweety,” tossing the kid an embarrassed smile she tried to explain, “it seems I've written down the wrong address for my friend. My name is Shannon and I don't suppose you or your dad happen to know a guy named Alex do you? He lives around here but I’ve never visited and well,” she shrugged a bit, glad she didn't really wear one of the more distracting outfits. They would have been wasted on Alex since he was gay and she wasn't after jailbait like the kid… the unknown father on the other hand…. her fitted jeans and off the shoulder blouse would just have to do the trick.

“It would be a big help.” A winning smile, a bit of vulnerability, and some flattery… a winning combination. “I bet a smart young man like you would know everyone in the neighborhood and would be the perfect one to help.”

The kid in front of her was most definitely someone she didn't know but he seemed so damn familiar especially when he commented about ‘sweety’. She only hesitated a bit before following in the teen, her heels clicking on the wooden floor of the entrance way only to be muffled moments later by the lush carpet in the living room. God the place was gorgeous. Shannon did her best to soak it all in while her inner greedy self practically died at the smell of money the space exuded.

That funhouse mirror feeling was abruptly shattered when the boy said ‘visiting me’. She had faced someone she had never met while at the door but here he was standing among his luscious living room and she knew exactly who he was. Just like when you stood in front of a mirror and wondered who the strange looking blob is only to realize it was you all along.

“Well I'll be damned!” It was Alex in the flesh. He had been the ‘kid’. “That's the ‘glamor’ right? Because I could have sworn you weren’t, well, you?” Shannon’s smile was much more natural this time, less sweet and kind and more calculating with a hint of cruelty. “Oh this totally has possibilities.” If she could fool others into not recognizing her… the options were endless. “Here, I brought coffee and some assorted bagels. Figured it never hurt to bring food.” Especially if you're going to ask for a favor. She silently added. Not that it was really a favor but more of an inquiry. That Halloween shindig she had to work needed a date but she had to work it so there could be no distracting funny business. Best way to avoid that… bring a gay date!

Shannon hummed in agreement as she put down the tray of three coffees and the bag of bengals. The glamor was a two edged sword if the little ‘order’ fighters could also utilize it. A real shame. “Oh no I'm quite alright. Mine is just the way I like it but the other two coffees are black. I didn't want to get something for you or your boyfriend wouldn't like.” She pulled her own drink from the holder and settled down on the chair, nearly moaning in pleasure as she sunk into the subtle leather. God she wanted this... chair and the money it took to buy it. Instead she commented around a sip of her drink, “He is a cutie by the way. Blond hair and blue eyes… yummy. It’s a shame he is yours.”

He really had been hansom from what she saw before she followed the white mooner she had been tormenting earlier. “I didn’t really get to see much since I took the straight path while you two looked like you were going to head down those stairs, but I saw enough,” Shannon grinned and winked at her superior, her smile fading a bit when the shorter man bent down to pick up a dog. A shaggy dog of some sort. She wasn’t a dog person… or a cat person. They made messes, shed a ton, destroyed stuff, cost money… a lot of it, and to top it all off they tended to draw more attention than her. That particular breed looked familiar actually, “Is that one of those dogs thats a game thingy in Monopoly? Scotty or something?” In truth Shannon didn’t know a lot about animals and other then it looking familiar she had no idea what the mutt was.

“Hum? Oh the possibilities with the glamor?” Sipping her coffee she smirked and hid behind the cup for a moment. “Oh just think, running into the same person twice with them not realizing who you are. So many ways to play with them. So many way to twist them around your little finger.” She would have added more except another dog showed up. A bigger dog. A faster one. One that didn’t mind flattening it’s master apparently. “You have two dogs… neat.” Her tone was nearly palpable. She wasn’t a animal person and that was very clear. “Anyway I came over to ask for a favor. See I got a job going to a fancysmanshy party for Halloween and I was wondering if you would like to come with me.” She batted her eyelashes at him and made puppy dog eyes all in the hope to get him to agree to go to a party with her.

“Your cousin?” Shannon perked up just a tad when she learned that the cutie that was with Alex wasn’t his boytoy, that meant he was free… maybe. Mentally making a note she focused back on the task at hand, the party. “It's a masquerade party on Saturday, the 28th, at the Chamberlyn's home. The invite mentions the dance as well as a few extra activities like something called a ‘Ghastly Gallery’ or something like that, oh and a raffle for charity. I’m suppose to check it all out and even get some interviews with other guests.” She sipped from her coffee and eyed the interaction between Alex and the dogs, she just didn’t really get why people liked pets. “So anyway, I think I’ve gotten my costume figured out. Basicly a Ice Fairy or Queen or Princess theme. I wish I had more time but my contact who passed me this job while I was sick…” She trailed off and contemplated her drink. Maybe Alex knew about the pumpkin spice illness that seemed to smack of magic, he also obviously knew about the whole mirror nonsense since he had been there. This seemed like such a good time to maybe get some answers about both of them.

“Don’t suppose I can pick your brain as well about recent events can I? I can make it worth your while,” Shannon smiled at him and winked suggestively. She knew Alex wouldn’t take her up on her offer but she wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t at least try. He was cute… and rich as ******** apparently. Totally her perfect mix when it came to men.

“Oh I wouldn’t worry too much about color matching. I know it's asking on short notice so anything you can come up with would be appreciative.” Shannon was self centered but she wasn’t a complete a*****e. Alex was doing her a favor of even contemplating even going with her. Besides if they looked too much like a couple she wouldn’t be able to pick up a guy to spend a few hours with… well she might be able to but it would be harder and if any of the rich MFers that were going assumed she was ‘cheating on her boyfriend’, aka Alex, then any future potential invites might be flushed down the toilet. No rich socialite would risk her own husband/boyfriend/boytoy by inviting someone they thought might steal them away.

Her eyes sharpened slightly as she saw Alex’s reaction to her question regarding the odd incidents plaguing the city. He knew about them, hell he was affected by one, but something about it really interested him, which was interesting for her. “Well the main one was that mirror thingy. It wasn’t a big deal although I was really glad I set up some auto posts for my blog… being stuck in a empty cell for a few days would have put a crimp in my wallet. It wasn’t so bad really since I got to spend some of that time with a boy who was quite amusing to torment.” She grinned at the general. “He turned red so easy. All it took was some mild flirting and a bit of double entendre. Quite an enjoyable way to spend stuck in a cube.” Her smile faded to a grimace as she thought of the other incidents she had encountered. “There was also the food poisoning… that had the odd addition of turning your skin orange. I do not appreciate looking like a oompa loompa.” That wasn’t the only thing she had heard on the gossip network that was the internet. It was almost like Halloween was a curse upon the city. Or someone decided to cause mass nuisances through the area… in which case she owed them a swift kick to the nuts.

Mentally Shannon shrugged. If Alex wanted to match, even remotely, that was up to him. She wouldn’t dissuade him, not really. Besides he just dropped a much more interesting nugget of information regarding the mirror world they had been trapped in. It was rather telling that her ‘boss’ was on speaking terms with the dark senshi ‘prince’. Hell, he even called them friends. He had connections. He had power. He had money… he had everything she wanted damn it. With a mental growl Shannon squashed the little voice of jealousy that eyed the shorter male. She was under no illusions that the icy man would rip her heart out if he sense any danger from her, its what she would do after all. She would just have to follow his example and work that much harder to get her new skills down pat. To learn to ‘be all that she could be’ and all that crap.

Her jealousy settled back down as Shannon mentally crooned to it, telling her inner gold digger of all the power she would one day gain even as she vocally kept up with the topic of the strange happenings of the city. “In all honesty my situation and others that I had heard about didn’t seem to have any real and lasting effects. They were annoying, frustrating, and beyond gross but not ‘nega worthy’ if that makes sense. At least not from what I understand.” She shrugged and tried to act more nonchalant then she actually felt. She still wanted to get her hands on whoever spiked her drink and turned her orange!

“Anyway,” She finished up her coffee and sat up to check the time on her phone. “I’ll definitely keep an eye out for any further issues.” And maybe even dig into the city history some. See what else had been magical in nature that has since been glossed over. Shannon mentally made a note. There might be something buried in the myths and legends of the city that would explain all the odd situations that seemed to occur without any human intervention. “But right now I’ve got a hair appointment I need to head too.” She paused and glanced over at Alex before adding, “Unless there is anything else I can help with.” Her tone was suggestive and playful. Like the flirting earlier the dusky skinned woman knew he wouldn’t take her up on it. It was still fun to do suggest it though.