Nothing to Wear

“Fashion has been heavily influenced by the Enhanced subculture, especially Tailors and most especially public Tailors and Toymakers, and not just in the private sector. When Los Angeles forwent the tendency towards ‘tactical’ fashion in favor of enhanced designed, more style-oriented uniforms that just happened to be made of modern, bullet resistant polymers that provided superior protection people noticed.”

“This spread to other departments, and branches of the government with fire departments turning up with Toymaker constructed, high tech pumper trucks that while nowhere near the ‘bleeding edge’ of super-tech put anything else on the market to shame.”

“There’s a reason Tailors get away with keeping arsenals of weapons and hypertech toys in unregistered locations. They know how to ‘donate’ to the best effect.”

Andrew Fitzgerald, Analysis of Public Service and the Heroic Age.

Elizabeth turned away from the television as it changed back to a commentator explaining the background about Killian Von Volkard and why he rated such a response. “Ah, politics, make sure to include why I’m inviting those you suggest, so I know how scathing I can be if they annoy me. I’ll also need something special to wear. Maybe my Tailor can recommend someone who can do bespoke evening wear.”

"I'm going to suggest keeping the scathing to the minimum here. You've already started a fight with one person I don't want to deal with right now." He chuckled. "I have a suggestion I can throw out regarding clothing. Let me know if you want or need it."

“Oh? Who do you know? I don’t mind networking with others.”

"A Public Tailor. Wait, you might not be familiar with that concept in this sense. I don’t mean a mundane tailor. Some Tailors came out of the shadowy cape world, and into the public starting in the Sixties and a subset of them are publicly accessible. They have fashion lines, and now a days even tactical fashion brands. The one I'm thinking of is one Cassie Maynard, out of Green Bay, though her brand is out of New York. She's twenty-nine, and while Berghoff hasn't taken a line from her yet, Macy's, Abercrombie and Saks all have. A couple of our clients, not directly mine but other offices, have worn her at fashion week as well as the awards show circuit. She's an up-and-comer whom also happens to be a speedster of the 'universal' type, so can pound out custom orders in a fraction of even a sweatshop times."

“She sounds perfect. With Kriegsmarine in town this is going to be a bit of a rush job. Do you have her contact information? And what do you think the timeline will be for this party?”

"Oh, the Chancelor is not going to get to set his own schedule for at least a week, much as he may want to. The UN has plenty that will demand his attention, and that ignores NATO and American interests. Power moves at the airport aside, he still has to play the so-called 'great game’ and play mostly nice. I'll see if I can get Luna to do an interview with our podcasters since you'll likely want to postpone that to prepare for whatever’s coming down the pipe. They would likely love the chance to hang about for a while longer with him here, I’m sure."

“I was going to call them and see what they wanted to do, since if I try to talk to them now I know my old enemy would crash the interview, albeit in the politest way possible. I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable talking to him as well.”

"I'll run it by them when I offer a second interview. Luna needs a bit more national coverage anyhow." Zakai said. "That way you can focus on prep. I already know your duplicator friend has menus planned, since she requested some information for potential services from my team several weeks ago."

“Good, I’ll check with her if we want a party planner. I’ll let you get to your machinations. I’ll need to let the fledglings know what’s going on if Elenore hasn’t told them yet.”

Solaris hung up and waited a few moments for Zakai to text her the Tailor's number, sending a quick, for her, message off to her project manager to give the gang a heads up.

She dialed the young Tailor’s number, getting the woman’s assistant, “Hello, my name is Elizabeth Summers, I would like to talk to Ms. Maynard about doing some evening wear, and perhaps some other bespoke outfits. It is a bit of a rush, and unexpected, but it seems I will be needing to set up a party in a couple of weeks. I do apologize for the short notice, but I wasn’t expecting Kreigsmarine to just drop by.”

"Well, that's certainly a lot to unpack." The assistant said hesitantly. "May I ask who gave you our contact information? We're not publicly listed, for obvious reasons."

“Of course, my publicist Zakai, from EpicEmblem recommended her to me, I apparently am going to be hosting a white glove event in the next couple of weeks.”

"Could I perhaps get your number to call back? It should only be perhaps twenty minutes, but I need to track Ms. Maynard down in the building."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Of course.” Solaris gave her number, “please let me know either way so if she can’t do it, I can ask my Tailor for other recommendations.”

"Of course, we wouldn't want to leave anyone hanging." She agreed. After bidding farewell, she hung up. Fifteen minutes later Solaris's phone was ringing from the same number.

“Hello?” She said with an ingrained friendly phone voice,

The voice on the other side of the phone had the tone of someone who had just stopped laughing. "She'll be here in just a moment. She may have unintentionally unseated her husband from their couch."

A minute later, in a soft, but clear, voice Solaris heard "It's not my fault he's slower than usual." The handset changed owners. "Good evening, This is Cassie Maynard. I'm speaking to Solaris? Full disclosure, we called your press agency before returning the call, if they mention it."

“Yes, this is Solaris, I don’t mind, I don't have the history with your shop the way I do with Phantasique’s. I’m guessing Zakai was waiting for your call as quickly as you were able to get back to me.”

"He was. Of course, considering what happened when I dressed that TV star for them, he would be." She sighed. "But we like the new bus better, anyhow. Now, my understanding is you need something for a white glove dinner party that will have the Living Dreadnaught present? Should I also assume other dignitaries are likely to show up?"

“Yes. Zakai hasn’t sent me the guest list yet, but I’d assume at least some bigwigs from the MLB. Probably someone from the Guardians and St Nicks.”

"I'd expect more to be suggested. And perhaps offices contacting you when they find out. Kreigsmarine is notoriously prone to not leaving the islands, so expect to also get invitations to other parties while he's in town. I'll be shocked if you don't have messengers by morning." What she didn’t need to say is that some of the invitations would be an attempt at getting free security, as opposed to more social invitations.

“Good point… Penny, can you ask Nahoa to do extended hours for a bit, someone is going to try and jump the fence. Sorry. Now do you think you have time to work me in. I know it is short notice.”

"I'm working on my New York Fashion Week line for Febuary,and I'm also working on finding... Never mind, that's not important. I am not in the weeds yet, so I can take the time to do a bespoke project. Or three, if they're for one client." She chuckled. "I will book a flight and come out by tomorrow afternoon. I'm assuming you don't need me to just Marathon myself over there."

“No reason to do that unless you want to avoid the hell of commercial flight. I’d offer my plane, but I think my toymakers have stolen it for refits.”

"Yeah, if you fly me out on a private plane, you better want more than just a few dresses honey. That's too fancy for me to be lazy." A bit of urban California worked its way into her voice as she laughed. "That being said, I usually sketch the entire time I'm on a flight. Granted, it makes my carry on basically a stack of sketchbooks, but I tend to lose track of time during the flight."

“Better that than trying to eat the food. I’ll put you up in one of the guest rooms. It’s the least I can do. Do you have any dietary restrictions?

"There's nothing I'm allergic to, and I don't have any religious convictions." she said. "That being said, I believe you've worked with speedsters in the past?" She chuckled.

Solaris laughed, “Yes, several, including Breakneck, and Hummingbird.”

"Then I feel safe saying "Large portions" are an understatement. I also will need someplace to set up my workspace."

There was a voice in the background. "And my husband is asking if he can accompany me. He's recovering from a rather rough series of events, recently."

“Of course, you can set up in the guest office, and if you need more space, you can use the library off the media room. Your husband is welcome, I hope he is not too unwell.”

"Apparently he was attacked by an alligator while helping a realtor examine a house in northern Wisconsin. I'm still trying to get him and the other two to admit to what they were actually doing."

Solaris blinked. "Isn't Wisconsin a bit chilly for Alligators? It sounds like it will be an interesting story

"Yeah, especially since the three of them, and their new friend, came back with four vintage motorcycles, two splicer beasts, and no explanation for them. They did another urban exploration, villain edition, and didn't tell me before and now don't want to tell me what happened since he broke his foot. Ryan thinks I'll drown him. I mean, he's right but only since I know he can't actually drown."

"That, plus pretending we didn't all see his new gecko pet throw its tail to blow up the Roomba and we are basically just on a ticking timer on them giving up and telling me."

"So, are you more upset that they had an adventure without you, or that your husband managed to break himself in the process?"

"That they think they can act nonchalant. It means they did something ridiculous and think I'll be angry. They're only right if they really screwed up." She laughed. "I know, the speedster doing the adulting isn't the default assumption, but I actually control my adhd. Mostly."

"You are old enough to be a grown up. That means a bit more with speedsters." Solaris said. " Why don't you go get packed. Send me the flight details and I'll have someone pick you up at the airport. I look forward to seeing you."

"Will do. give me your email and I'll forward all the details there."

The man known as the Living Dreadnaught smirked at his chief of security. The young woman, his granddaughter as it happened, was glaring at a stack of pizza’s and selection of two liter sodas on the dining table in his suite.

“Dear Belinda, do not fret so. It isn’t hard for those whom know to predict where I will stay.”

“But how did they get pizza sent to a five star hotel?”

“One, my dear, this is New York. Pizza is a religion. Two, considering the soda and” he lifted the lid of one of the boxes, still hot he noted and loaded with meat and extra cheese just the way he liked them. “the pizza in question, I know who sent this. She’s not trying to poison me, I assure you.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because she’s had chances to destroy me in the past, and didn’t take them then.” He handed the top pizza over to the interns he had been forced to take into tow. “Enjoy this and take a bottle for yourselves. These four are mine.”

He chuckled as he walked into the bedroom with his pizza and soda. “Only Solaris would send junk food to a world leader and bribe a concierge well enough to get it for me! She is more like her brother than she pretends.”