463/It's all about the fashion!

It's all about the fashion!
Date of Scene:	12 March 2020
Location:	Shadowcrest Manor - Bristol Township
Synopsis:	Zatanna introduces Satana to Bea
Cast of Characters:	Satana Hellstrom, Beatriz da Costa, Zatanna Zatara

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Satana Hellstrom has posed:
After meeting Zatanna and promising not to kill anyone (with the gentle reminder of a magical oath for encouragement), Satana finds herself crashing at Shadowcrest Manor. THE Shadowcrest Manor, ancestral home of the Zatanna family and a magical paradox all its own.

After just one night with the demoness-guest the mansion is still standing and Satana hasn't been magically evicted, but they're running dangerously low on ice cream.

It's mid-morning when Satana picks up her (stolen) cell phone and dials the number Zee gave her: a Beatrix da Costa. Tilting her head to cradle the phone between cheek and shoulder, she uses a large spoon to scrape the last of the chocolate fudge ice cream from the carton.

"Hello? I'm looking for Beatriz da Costa, please. Zatanna Zatara gave me your number to call about a new wardrobe."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    The phone rings in the middle of Bea's workout routine. "Oh thank God!" she exclaims, quickly shutting down the treadmill and slipping off the end to run for real to the phone. Her breathless voice replies, "Bea here." Not even the traditional "Hello" (or, by her accent, "Allo," maybe). "Oh, you must be Zee's friend she left me a message about. She was being a bit vague, but she mentioned clothing. How can I help?"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana ponders, slowly licking the spoon while listening to the out-of-breath woman. And the accent as well. "Well I'm in a bit of a pickle, actually. I'm... from out of town and lost my luggage during the trip. So I'm sort of stuck with nothing but my travel clothes for the forseeable future. Zee thought you'd be able to help me out." There's a pause, and the demoness adds. "My name is Satana, by the way. And yes, my father had an odd sense of humor. I'm at Zee's mansion right now, but I can meet you somewhere in Gotham if you'd like."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    Gotham. That's a great place to meet. Nothing could possibly go wrong there. Still, not knowing where Zee's place actually is...
    "Well, honestly, and embarrassingly, I'm not actually sure where Zee lives," she confesses. "We're colleagues of sorts, not really the kind who go visit each others homes. GOOD colleagues, but still colleagues. So unless you have an address, Gotham may be the best option."
    In the background a pencil scratching on paper can be heard as Bea reorganizes her day to cope with the new addition.
    "So, do you have an address for me?"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana pauses for a moment at the question, then she lets out a little giggle. "Actually, the house is sort of weird. You won't find it on a GPS and it's not even on the 911 registry. It's in Bristol, so let me get you an address that'll be close. I'll meet you there and walk you in, okay?"

What could go wrong indeed?

"So you and Zee are 'colleagues', which means you sort of know about her. Right?" Whatever that means.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    Oh. That's ... yes, let's not go there...
    "We're both in the public eye in what amounts to the entertainment industry," she says carefully. "We've worked together on some jobs too."
    She pauses to tear a piece of paper off a pad. "OK, shoot. Give me the address to meet at and we'll go from there. I'll be easy to spot. I'm the one all in green, including the hair, but not the skin."

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana chuckles softly at the response. She gives an address in Bristol that's more or less the nearest cross street to the manor. "Sounds good to me, Bea. Can I call you Bea? I'll be the redhead dressed in black leather, leaning against the street sign like a hooker."

There's a pause, and she offers. "We can talk more freely once you're here. See you in a bit."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "My leathers are green," Bea says with a chuckle. "And sure, call me Bea. I'm not one for protocol."
    Hmmm... Going to Zee's house. Probably drinks will get involved.
    And so it is, after a while, a Lyft car drives up and deposits a woman, true to her word, all green from toe to top except in the (many) places her cassia skin shows instead. She looks around, trying to get her bearings, glancing down at smart phone to place where she is in the city in relation to landmarks, then looks up and around for a streetwalker leaning against a street sign.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana is there as promised, leaning against the street sign with arms folded over her chest. She's wearing skin-tight leather pants and a matching halter top that strains valiantly to support and contain. No jacket, in spite of the slight chill in the air.

Arms unfold when Bea gets out of the car, and the pale redhead grins broadly. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said 'green'." she offers. "I just love your hair, by the way." Stepping slowly closer, Satana offers a well-manicured hand with black nails. "I'm Satana."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "Beatriz Bonilla da Costa. Bea to my friends. Which is most people." Bea offers her own hand in return and shakes before stepping inside the comfortable social distance of North Americans to air-kiss each cheek. "Always pleased to meet new friends, especially when they're friends of an already dear friend." She takes Satana's arm, then, looking around for anything nearby that qualifies as a mansion. "Nice area Zee chose. Old moneyville. Real estate costs must be astronomical!"
    Her finger juts out to the spookiest-looking building nearby. "Is that it?"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana greets with the handshake, and looks amused at the air-kisses. But she returns them smoothly. Linking arms with the green-haired Brazilian, Satana starts down the street. "You'd think so, but no." she replies. Leading the way down the street, there's a lot that looks more like it's transitioning back to its native swampland.

Satana gestures towards it. "There. Not sure if you can even see it, so you'll have to trust me." Forward they go!

Satana reaches forward, and only when she opens the door to show the entryway can Bea see what's inside.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
In her chambers, Zatanna's feels the sudden pull as Shadowcrest has an unfamiliar guest. It takes a second, but it connects and Zatanna lets out a few choice cuss words in a dead language. "I should have told her 'NO VISITORS'." she reminds herself, but relaxes only marginally when she realizes it's Beatriz.

The manor house comes into view in the middle of the swamp as Zee relaxes the wards to allow entry. She'll let the house deal with the rules as she faceplants back into the pillow.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "I'm going to be SO disappointed," Bea giggles, as they head into the swamp area, "if this is an elaborate ruse to kill me. I mean I'm flattered that someone would spend so much effort, but still, it would be SO disappointing!"
    A door opening in mid-air? Yeah, that's Zee alright. There's no flinch. No expression of surprise or shock. Not even when the mansion suddenly appears. Instead there's a distinct "squee" noise. "That is so COOL! Zee's always had a real flair for performance, hasn't she?"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana keeps her arm linked with Bea's as they step inside, and she feels the wards release. The redhead looks around, nodding once. "She knows you're here..." she offers softly. "And don't worry. I promised Zee that I wouldn't kill anybody, under pain of sudden eviction." And worse.

Once inside, Satana relaxes a little and gestures magnanimously around the entry way. "Welcome to Shadowcrest! Can I get you a drink or something? I'm afraid the ice cream stock is running JUST a bit low."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    Bea looks around curiously, but years of working with the League has taught her well. She doesn't touch things out of curiosity. (They still mock her for the time she accidentally opened the airlock in the satellite. Both doors.) "Well if this doesn't look like JUST the kind of place I'd always pictured Zee living in, then nothing ever could!" she says, radiating cheer and curiosity and amazement all at the same time.
    Then Satana's words register. Not the killing part...
    "Wait, no ice cream?"
    You have to have priorities in life.
    Bea giggles then, and steps further in to take the feel of the place. "So you've got only one outfit, and it's a hook-up outfit for some of the bawdier bars. I can see why Zee suggested you needed more. What do you have in mind."
    Beat.
    "I can get the web in here, right? 'Cause I need to get to my company's site if we're gonna look at clothing."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
As the pair enter, Zatanna's no where to be found, but the suit of armor at the entrance speaks. "Greetings, Miss da Costa. Forgive Miss Hellstrom, she took leave of her manners and didn't ask Mistress Zatara for permission to invite you over." it rattles, before the voice moves to am extinct dodo bird in the main study. "Miss Hellstrom is temporarily barred from ice cream in the manor house due to her gluttony."

Which means there is ice cream. The house just won't let Satana have it.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana closes the door and corrects softly. "That's Hook-ER, Hook-ER, not hook-up. No need to mince words around me..." she begins. Then the suit of armor speaks, followed by the stuffed dodo. She stops, cocks her hip, and pouts.

"Dammit all, anyway." Satana mutters. In a louder voice, then, she yells "YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE I'VE HAD ICE CREAM, GOD-DAMMIT!!!!" She squints, unusually-colored eyes narrowing a touch. "Sorry about that, Bea. But yeah, Zee's wi-fi is pretty good."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    Ooh, that's harsh! Bea looks across at Satana with sympathy, verging on pity. ~Zee is quite the harsh taskmistress,~ she mouths Satana's way silently in the (probably vain) hopes the house can't understand. Verbally she instead asks, "Satana Hellstrom? Yeah, one Hell of an odd sense of humour for sure! I'd go so far as to say it's positively devilish!"
    Satisfied that her terrible puns were sufficient to cause groans, she reassures Satana, "I've got clothes more whorish than that. Hook-ups. Hookers would be wearing a microskirt with a thong visible."
    Beat.
    "Got one of those too, but that's for private shows."
    Grin and wink.
    "OK, well, let's find a place to sit down and I'll go over some choices from my house. If none of them suit, we'll look at Janet's. If none of THAT suits we'll call the doctor 'cause you're officially dead to taste."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Mistress Zatara is resting in her chambers at the moment. You may use the study for your research." the dodo responds, before the voice moves to a floating moose head. "But as a reminder, Shadowcrest is not a place for you to 'hook-up'." The flat look of the moose just works.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana tilts her head, looking openly curious at Bea. "Girl, I'm really starting to like the way you think." she offers, mood shifting back to playful already. Gesturing towards the study, she leads the way and works the walk. "I should probably tell you a little bit about myself, while we're getting acquainted. When I said I'm from 'out of town', I really meant another dimension. My father likes to call it 'Hell', but he's a bit egotistical and thinks he's more important than he really is."

"I've been a hooker before, during previous visits. But I'm what most people would call a succubus. Zee and I have an... understanding. But I think she wants to keep an eye on me for a while."

"Let's start with some of the racy stuff, then. I like black and leather, tight fitting. And less is more. I sometimes need to be free to move to work some of my magic."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "...Another dimension. Called Hell. And you're a succubus." She pinches the bridge of her nose, then, and shakes her head, eyes closed. Then restores the wild strands of hair that fell down over her face while she did that. One of them fights back, so she leaves it hanging.
    "I'd forgotten what it was like to work with Zee sometimes," she says ruefully. "But yep. This is totally a Zee thing. Everybody in the biz knows: you want a weird life, you go with Zee."
    She shoots a glance at the moose head, daring it to snipe back.
    "OK, we're going with racy, then. Now, black leather is a good basis, but that'll make you blend in hon. Yes, even you. Any club, any bar, any stretch of populated street, there's gonna be loads doing the black leather thing. You've got some assets that will make you stand out a bit, but... a well-placed flash of colour will drag eyes your way from even a cornered glance, so the glance is rewarded with the feast you're packing."
    Her phone lights up and with quick, well-practiced motions she navigates her site to a set of outfits.
    "OK, so, these pants? Low-riders. Wear like a second skin. Uh ... actually, not that different from what I'm rocking now, only in black, and with that row of studs down the outside seam. Does that look like a good basis?"
    She grins. "I've got to warn you, that's the finest doe skin available. Any intimates you wear have to be very sheer or people will be able to read the brand from off your ass."

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana settles beside Bea, crossing one leg over and lacing her fingers together over the knee. "Honey, I'm riding 'commando' right now. I... borrowed... these and magically altered them to fit." Okay, so she took them off of a dead guy. But that was BEFORE her oath to Zee!

"Maybe we should start with the, um, intimates? Big fan of thongs over here and I've never really needed to wear a bra, so I usually don't. I think it's just good genetics or something." Wink.

Leaning in, she looks at the pants in the catalog. "Oh, I like those. Especially the studs along the seam."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "Yeah, the studs help define the shape and frame you, showing off the curves. If you've got the form, they're a beaut. If you've got even an ounce of flab, these things magnify it and make you look like you mainline Big Kahuna burgers."
    Bea glances down at her own pants ruefully. "Note: no studs."
    OK, let's switch over to intimates. Are you of the set that says intimates should match what's over for colour, or should they be a different colour to intrigue? And ... well, let's just hit that part of the catalogue."
    More practiced flicks of the finger. "We don't design these," she says, "but we carefully select them to go with our outfits. They're the best look and best quality we can get from some top-notch third parties."
    Lips briefly compress in regret. "I've tried my hand at designing lingerie. I just don't have the knack."

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana follows Bea's glance down towards her own pants, nose wrinkling. "Bea, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your thighs." she offers. "But I do think you're right. Clothes are sort of like curtains; they should draw the eye *towards* the window, not necessarily covering it up." Pretty deep for a demoness, right?

"So for undies let's stick to thongs. Light and smooth. What do you think about color? If I'll be wearing low-riders should the thongs be more colorful. Maybe neon or something? What about other fabrics besides leather? I'm so far behind the times. Maybe shorts? Mini-skirts?"

Yeah, the demoness is actually starting to get into this a bit more.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
    "Well, if you're wearing black and you want to sort of signal that the game's stakes have gone up, nothing beats neon for catching the eye and HOLDING it," Bea says with a wicked grin. "Not even nothing will beat a neon cap. Draws the eyes like a damned magnet."
    She shifts her eyes left and right. "Or so I heard. I'm obviously too moral a woman to practice what I preach here."
    She coughs so falsely that if she did it in public she'd be arrested for forgery.
    "Now, just pick a few out. Lots of colours and shapes to choose from. The ... ah ... less cover you have, the more you have to wax, just as a warning." She mimes 'Ow!'. "But like I said, it catches the eye and just grabs hold."
    She leans back in her chair to get a good look at Satana's whole form, lips pursing as her eyes rake over the demon appraisingly. "I can't see your legs proper, but with those leathers? ... Tell me, how much of a sway do you have when you walk normally? I don't mean when you're TRYING to sway, but just your normal day to day walk? If you've got a decent sway, I'd actually say a pleated miniskirt about mid-thigh would be better than a micro. It magnifies rolling hips into something almost hypnotic. If you've got that sway, use it, I say. So the leathers, a nice pleated broadcloth skirt, maybe ... a really dark wine. It'll look black at first glance, but when the eyes follow those pleats up to your hips, the reality sets in. It's a good "wow!" moment there.
    Then Bea goes on a roll, pointing out high stockings with hot pants that would make streetwalkers eye warily. Halter tops, loose tees, a bustierre..."You don't need the support, but they're also great on just being a platter to deliver!"...and then, oddly, a business blazer.
    "Now the blazer: basic black, but here's the trick: you wear something light, loose and sheer like silk gauze for the blouse. Button it just there..." She points to a spot under Satana's solar plexus, halfway to the bellybutton, her fingernail jabbing lightly. "...and nowhere else and you're playing one HELL of a game of peek-a-boo. Whenever you move people are going to think the girls are about to escape. Wear that with the dark wine skirt and you've got eyes on you coming or going. Every guy's going to want to be with you and every gal's going to want to BE you."