I'm Your Mannequin (Lucah)

[Roger Vandelay]

Roger Vandelay was in his element.

Having been working at La Maison Magnifique for just a few weeks now, the teenage boy had found that this was truly his 'happy place.' As one of the costume designers and outfitters, his job, in a nutshell, was to make sure everyone going onstage looked good - a job he took very seriously, for he himself always wanted to look his best, as well. He thought himself to be fairly fashion-forward, so when he first stepped into the large backstage area where the many clothing items were kept - lovingly referred to simply as "the closet" despite being a fairly large room lined with many dressers and bureaus - it was as though he had been stepping into Paradise.

He simply loved working there.

Currently, the shape-shifter was in his usual form, as he hadn't been given any reason to be anybody else and wasn't particular interested in trying out a new personality at the moment. He had work to do, anyway; as it was a Tuesday, they were just a few days away from that weekend's shows, which meant that it was time to figure out what the dancers, singers, and other performers would be wearing. Usually, this meant making some costumes (mostly using old pieces but occasionally sewing something new or making some purchases), having the performers try them on, and letting Cynthia give her notes. However, there was a new musician working at the House who had yet to be fitted, so somebody was going to have to size him.

The task, as one might expect, fell on Roger.

He didn't mind: as menial a task as it was, he knew it was important to do a good fitting so that this new performer would be as well-dressed as everyone else. Besides, given the fact that it was a he who was to be fitted, Roger could only imagine what the young man might look like. Hell, if he looks half as good as the rest of the guys around here, I'll put my measuring tape wherever I damn well please.

As he waited for the boy to arrive, Roger was sorting through some things he was planning to use for some of the female dancers' outfits. There were feather boas flying around, hats being tossed this way and that, and mini skirts left in a pile to be ironed.

"Ugh, look at this vest," he said to himself, holding up a purple vest that was sequined front and back. "I would rock thiiiiiiis...." He tossed it aside, though. "Oh, who am I kidding; I need another vest like Lindsey Lohan needs another line." He chuckled. "And I ain't talkin' 'bout scripts, either," he added to nobody.

He was alone in the closet, but that never stopped the boy who loved to hear his own voice from making his usual snarky remarks aloud.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

The House was turning out to be a pretty decent place to work. He had several friends that worked there and was even widening his horizons by socializing with people he didn't already know. The whole thing with Tanner had turned out alright-ish. People seemed to like the act and thankfully Tanner turned out to be a decent singer as it was. Luc was pleased with this fact and it was probably best for the other man that he had proved Lucah wrong.

As much as he liked working at the House, there was a downfall. The costumes.

If it was up to Lucah, he'd just wear his usual attire. Black button-up with dark jeans. Wasn't that hot enough? Seriously, on him it was. The whole over the top feathers and sparkles and grossness had Lucah cringing, but he said nothing because he'd like to keep his job. Still, he would much rather just wear what he liked to wear.

Unfortunately he was being forced for a costume fitting with someone he hadn't really met quite yet. Apparently the guy's name was Roger something-or-other and he was the one who made the costumes. Which meant he was the one to blame for the sequins.... This whole thing was just bound to go terribly terribly wrong. Not because Lucah had anything against this guy personally (other than if he made him wear sequins or girly colors), but a guy was going to be very close to Lucah manhood, and well, that was just not something he wanted.

Walking into the costume fitting area-- he refused to call it the Closet-- Lucah came in just as Roger held up the flashy vest. He raised an eyebrow, internally sighed and shook his head. This was going to be awful. Clearing his throat, Luc folded his arms across his chest and appraised the younger boy, "If you're done talking to yourself, can we please hurry up with the costume fitting?"

[Roger Vandelay]

Roger hadn't been aware that Lucah was standing there when he made the remark about the purple vest - if he was, then why hadn't he laughed? - so while he was a bit startled by the other's sudden appearance, he wasn't particularly embarrassed. As far as he was concerned, the guy was lucky to have caught one of his hilarious one-liners. Besides, the shape-shifter figured he had plenty to be ashamed of, and occasionally thinking out loud was least among its peers.

He looked up when he heard the boy clear his throat, one finely-plucked eyebrow arching on his forehead as the other spoke. "Oh, you're standoffish," he remarked, eyelids lowering bemusedly. "How original." He made his way around the table he had been standing at, getting a better look at the newcomer. Oh, he is simply scrumptious, he thought to himself, standing a few feet away from the boy and allowing his eyes to trail over the other boy's body. He didn't do this in any sort of sexual manner; as costume designer, he was interested in the various performer's frames so that he could determine what they would look good in. Since this kid was a musician, he didn't need to wear anything fancy; just something dark and professional that didn't look like he'd worn it to class that day. Roger shifted his weight onto his right hip, crossing his left arm over his stomach to settle on his right hipbone, and allowing his right hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he sprang into motion; such was the eccentric behavior of the teenager. "Oh, you are too fucking adorable," he stated, as he dug around a cupboard for the measuring tape. "I know just the thing. We'll put you in a little suit, with a cute little bowtie - ugh, you'll look just like a Vermont Teddy Bear." He was grinning like a scheming little devil as he approached the boy, the measuring tape stretched out taughtly between both of his hands as he bore down on the brunette.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Just feeling the guy's eyes on him made Lucah uncomfortable. Again, nothing personal against the guy, but he was looking at Luc as if he was a piece of meat. Instead of squirming to show that he was in fact uncomfortable, he stood there extremely still, his hands curling into fists and his biceps flexing slightly from the strain. The closer Roger got to him, the more he wanted to back up, but that would have prolonged this process and he had no intention of doing that. Best to get it over with.

It took everything Lucah had not to make a snide remark because it was what he did when he was in a situation he didn't like. This was one of the situations at the top of his list. Stuck alone in a room with a creepy kid. Not. Fun. Luc's jaw clenched and he watched the younger boy as he himself was appraised. Sure, he understood that costume designers needed to get a good look at someone before going to work, but this guy seemed to be taking his sweet ass time and it was rubbing Lucah the wrong way.

Out of nowhere the kid practically jumped for joy while he rushed off towards the cupboards. Lucah said nothing in response to the boy's statement, even if he happened to agree, he didn't like being called adorable by anyone outside of a pretty girl. "The fuck is a Vermont Teddy Bear?" Luc asked as the kid approached him in a rather creepy fashion. And to think, this guy had to get up close and personal while measuring him. Lucah gritted his teeth. Fuck. This was panning out to be his worst nightmare.

[Roger Vandelay]

It didn't usually take a costume designer very long to determine a person's body type: after all, a quick glance was really all it took, and the rest of the story could be told by the measurements. But Roger was an observant fellow, and he could tell this boy was uncomfortable. He saw it in the way he clenched his fists, in the way he subconsciously tensed the muscles in his arms as though forcing himself to remain stock still - in the way the lower half of his mouth stuck out like he was clenching his jaw to keep his thoughts to himself. Yes, Roger was very observant - it was what allowed him to be so successful a shape-shifter - and the fact that this boy was simply oozing discomfort only egged Roger on. So he took his sweet, sweet time allowing his eyes to inch their way over every part of Lucah's body.

And if he didn't like it, he could take it up with the Madame.

But Roger was in a good mood now, for he knew exactly how he was going to dress this boy. He saw every new face as an opportunity to demonstrate his superior fashion sense, and this was no different. So when Lucah asked what a Vermont Teddy Bear was, Roger simply reached over, patting him on the head - not so easy given their height difference - as he got to work. "It's cute as a button and doesn't talk back, sweety," he replied with a smile. "Now spread your arms like you're playin' airplane." He walked around the boy to stand behind him so that he could measure the distance between the boy's wrists; he wanted the boy's suit to fit him perfectly.

It took him a few steps to do so, as it were, as the boy was much taller than him. "Jesus Christ, you play for the NBA or what?" He mused aloud as he worked his way across the Romanian's body. "What am I saying? Of course not, you're white." The boy wasn't actually racist; he just liked to make jokes and see how different people reacted to them. The light brunette sighed, as though getting lost in his own thoughts. "Well, you know what they say about men with big hands..." He added dreamily. All of the little comments he made like these were mostly for his own amusement, but hey, if they had the added effect of making Lucah uncomfortable, then that was just gravy.

"So, tell me about yourself, champ," he offered, tone changing to one more casual as he used the tape to measure around the boy's neck for the purposes of tailoring his collar. "What in Hell brings you to Vermont?" He had no idea whether this guy was a student, or college boy, or professional. Might as well make conversation with the subject, no?

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Place Lucah in any situation that involves a person he wouldn’t willingly get to know and he’s uncomfortable. It didn’t take a whole lot and this was just unfair. All he wanted from this job was something to keep him busy and the money to go with it. He didn’t care if he looked like a Vermont Teddy Bear while he did it. Seriously though, who made that kind of reference anyway? He didn’t look like a teddy bear. He was not adorable. He was the strong, silent type. A mystery if you will. (That is really only in his mind, but he likes to believe that everyone thinks that of him.) What was the point of dressing him up in a monkey suit when that was the exact thing he had wanted to get away from by moving here. Welp, Cynthia was the boss and she put this kid in charge so Lucah couldn’t say a damn thing.

But if Lucah knew Roger was doing this only to make him more uncomfortable, he would have not taken it very well.

As best as he could, Luc attempted to dodge the little pat on his head. This was bad enough, he didn’t need to be treated like a child. The best part about his height was that usually people couldn’t do that, unfortunately this kid didn’t understand personal space and he reached just far enough for it to happen. Again, it was a wonder Lucah could bite his tongue. It was only a matter of time before he really did snap at this guy though. He was pushing buttons and Lucah was not taking it well. Without a word, he stuck his arms out and stared straight ahead.

As the boy continued making random remarks, Luc remained quiet, at least until the comment about the big hands things. He looked down at the boy and shifted uncomfortably. Homosexuality didn’t bother Lucah honestly, but this guy was creeping him out. Unfortunately for the Romanian he couldn’t just ignore a question blatantly otherwise that could create problems for him. So taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat and spoke, “I am going to college at the University of Vermont. Just graduated from the meta school.” That was enough information right? Because he didn’t want to give too many details about his personal life to this guy.

[Roger Vandelay]

Roger's intention was certainly to make Lucah feel uncomfortable, but it didn't come from a place of malice. He really wasn't a bad guy: he just liked to have fun, and fun, as he had found through years of experience, often came at the expense of others. He had been the butt of his fair share of jokes over the years - both to his face and behind his back - and he knew it just came with the territory of being as fabulous as it was. He felt no qualms, then, being a bit over-the-top when it came to making his own jokes. Laughing at others, and being laughed at in return, was simply part of life.

Similarly, his little jokes about the boy's, well, endowment were not made purely for sexual reasons. Sure, this Lucah character was attractive, and sure, Roger absolutely loved to flirt. But more than anything, he liked to ramble and hear his own voice, so if a naughty comment came into his mind every once in a while, then he saw no harm in voicing it. As it were, he wasn't trying to get Lucah to confirm or deny his vocalized assumption, so it came as no surprise to him when the reticent boy chose to simply ignore - or rather, not acknowledge - the comment.

"Meta school, eh?" Roger asked, placing the end of the measuring tape on the boy's waist and measuring the length of his right leg. "What's your power? I'm..." he paused for a moment; it would be no fun to disclose that he was a shape shifter, as that could spoil future fun. On the other hand, he needed to choose something he couldn't be asked to demonstrate. "...an animal communicator. Can talk to animals." That was safe enough, no? Besides, he was practically an animal himself, and Lucah was basically hissing at him like a street cat, so it all tied up together in a neat little bow pretty nicely.

Once the boy's leg had been measured, Roger moved to stand behind Lucah, wrapping his arms around him for just a moment to snag the other end of the tape and measure his waist. As he did so, his hand brushed against the boy's stomach, unintentionally (as much as he joked around, he wasn't actually going to molest this poor child) though the teenager certainly didn't mind what he felt. "Jesus Christ, I could scrub my dirty panties on those things," he observed aloud of the boy's abdominal muscles. In truth, Roger usually wore boxers since they were just more comfortable for him, but 'panties' was the funnier word. "Oh, I'm Roger, by the way," he added as he made a mental note of the boy's waist circumference. "I'm head of wardrobe, so I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of each other. Or at least, I'll be seeing a lot of you." He giggled at this last statement.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Lucah often ignored a lot of comments made by people whether it be because he thought it was an ignorant remark or like in this case he was uncomfortable. If he acknowledged this kid’s comment about his…size, well that would be like encouraging the kid to make more comments and that was just not going to end well for either of them. So it was best if Luc kept his comments to himself and just suffered through all of the awkward remarks this guy made. And already there had been a lot of them. This was probably the worst situation ever.

Feeling Roger feel up his right leg, Lucah swallowed hard and focused instead on the question, “Cryokinesis, I manipulate ice and the cold.” Hence the reason his whole body was freezing to most. The other boy’s power was simple enough, not one he could demonstrate, but Luc didn’t particularly care either way. He didn’t pay much attention to abilities of others. If they wanted to share, have at, but Luc didn’t outright ask that often. In this case, he really didn’t give a shit.

Lucah was praying that this would just go faster. He understood that measurements had to be precise and that it did matter if Roger was a centimeter or so off. Still, this was not something Lucah was enjoying and to think, he had to deal with this more than once. Ugh. The younger boy reached around Lucah’s waist and when his hand brushed against the boy’s abdomen, Luc tensed. And to add on top to his discomfort was the comment about this kid’s dirty panties? What the actual fuck? Clearing his throat Luc gave a nod at the boy’s name and answered with simply his name, not willing to comment any further on that last part. “Lucah. Pianist.”

[Roger Vandelay]

Roger nearly laughed out loud at Lucah's answer to his question about the boy's ability. Oh, that's just rich, he thought to himself. The fact that this distant, callous kid could control literal ice was almost too perfect. "You? Controlling cold? Unbelievable," he replied, unable to resist vocalizing his thoughts as his eyes rolled just slightly around in their sockets. "Is there a camera somewhere? Am I being filmed? Is Ashton Kutcher gonna come out and fucking hug me?"

As the raven stated his name, Roger swayed his head from side to side as though literally tossing it around in his mind. "Lucah," he repeated, moving his hand lightly up the boy's leg to take the outer measurement. "Lllllllucah." It was a nice name, though certainly not the most common in the states. Unique, as it were. Roger wasn't exactly a common name for a kid their age, either. "Oh, piano," he said with a smile, genuine interest evident in his voice. "So you must be good with the ol' fingers," he suggested, dancing his fingers briefly back down the boy's leg as though it were a keyboard. Such a thing likely made the boy uncomfortable, but again, this wasn't the real intent behind the gesture: Roger just liked to be playful, was all.

And now, since Roger hadn't already made this young man uncomfortable enough, it was time to measure the in-seam. This was important since it ensured that the pants fit comfortably, but it was necessarily a rather awkward moment. He stifled a squeal of excitement as he maneuvered to kneel directly in front of the boy. But as much as he did like to see how the handsome cryokinetic reacted to his playful double entendres and soft touches, he was also a professional and didn't want Lucah thinking he was actually trying to molest him or something. That certainly wouldn't make Cynthia very happy, even if she did think he was adorable and hilarious. That said, he decided to keep the conversation going in the hopes of taking this boy's mind off what was going on.

"How long have you been playing?" He asked casually, placing one end of the measuring tape on the floor by the boy's foot and reaching up for his crotch to measure the length. "I wish I could play an instrument. Seems like the type of thing that would be cool to be able to - well hellooooo." Okay, so that hadn't been very tactful, but he hadn't been able to help it. It had been a while since he'd measured a guy and, well, he'd been a bit surprised when his hand had suddenly run into... "...How big did we say your hands were?"

[Calliope Gallo]

"Hellooooo, Roro~" Callie called out in response from the other side of the door. "I brought you some coffee," Now, she was simply under the impression that somehow Roger had known she was on the other side of the door when he had called out. She opened the door and backed into the room, "Y'know, since you said you're day's gonna be so-" As she turned around, she paused suddenly and looked at what was in front of her.

"-Long." She breathed.

After a second or so she turned and placed the cup down on the table. "Am I too early? Wow, that's a first." Callie said, moving towards the rack of clothes where she knew her costumes were. She reached around to her back, trying to catch the zipper of her dress in her hand. "Could you get that?" She asked, pointing to it before pausing suddenly and looking between them; "Oh, should I wait outside? I'm sorry."

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Lucah once again ignored every random thing Roger had to say because he was being a good boy. For now. That was until the younger boy knelt down in front of him. Luc’s eyes widened before he bit down hard on his tongue to keep from freaking out. This was not going to be good. Of course Luc had been expecting this because it was necessary in order for his pants to fit right, but he wanted a girl or some less creepy guy to be doing it. Roger just kept making him super uncomfortable with all of the comments he kept making. Taking a deep breath, Lucah tried to calm himself and focus on the conversation. At least Roger was trying to make things a little less uncomfortable.

Just as Luc was about to answer the question, Roger’s hand found something that was completely off limits to any guy. And again with the comments! That was it, Lucah couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped back away from Roger and shook his head. “I think we’re done here. I’ve seen tailors do this stuff before and never once have I seen one completely creep out their customer! I’m going to talk to Cynthia and see if I can just give you my measurements instead of you taking them so neither of us have to deal with this again.”

As Lucah was practically wigging out, still trying to be as civil as possible…Callie walks in.

She went on talking about to undress and he had a feeling she hadn’t seen what was just going on. And for that he was glad, well until she turned around and did see it. Lucah had to force himself to not run and hide behind her. That would have been childish and Luc knew that Callie was more than likely friends with this guy. She was friends with everyone and Lucah wished she wasn’t sometimes. “Please, please stay here!” He exclaimed tripping over his own feet just to get away from Roger and move towards her. So much for not freaking out. “I mean, uhm, we were just about done anyway. Right Roger?” He asked hoping that this guy would get the hint.

[Roger Vandelay]

Roger knew that what he had said and done - accidentally, mind you - would set the boy off. Frankly, he would be surprised if it didn't freak him out, but again, it had been completely unintentional. But even though he had anticipated some sort of strong reaction, he still thought Lucah was overreacting quite a bit. It was just a simple touch. A surprise groping, if you will. The brunette, still kneeling on the ground, rolled his eyes as the boy stepped back away from him. In his opinion, the taller male was being a little silly.

But then Lucah called him creepy, and Roger scrunched his nose. He wasn't really hurt, but it was sort of a mean thing to say. Hey, at least when I was poking fun at him, they were really compliments, he thought to himself. I mean, who figures a guy's gonna get offended being called big. But before he could respond to the comments with some of his own, Callie was on her way through the door, and Roger looked up at her with a smile.

"Cal-Cal," he replied - not that he ever really called her that, but she'd called him Ro-Ro so he had responded in kind - getting up off the floor and standing in place. "Coffee?" He asked with an exaggerated gasp. "Well aren't you just the sweetest little munchkin." He moved towards the table to grab it, watching Lucah with amusement as he took a sip. "No, darling, you're fine," he stated; he didn't unzip her, though, for he wasn't sure whether she wanted to disrobe in front of this boy. Hell, Roger would, but Callie? Probably not, and better safe than sorry. Besides, Callie wasn't his target du jour. Frankly, Lucah hadn't been, either, but then he'd been rude and now it was on.

When Lucah suggested they were done, Roger turned towards him, positioning himself so that only Lucah, and not Callie, could see his face as he responded. He had certainly gotten the hint, but that was to Lucah's misfortune. "Actually, I wasn't quite done, was I?" he replied, folding his arms loosely across his chest as he approached the other boy. "You can hang out, right?" he called over his shoulder toward the blonde girl.

After all, it wasn't fun without an audience.

[Calliope Gallo]

Callie twitched her nose at the responsive nickname. She didn't use it often either, but when she was happy to see someone she didn't really know what she'd make up. "Someone's gotta keep you fueled, y'know." Callie pointed out, smiling towards him before looking back at Lucah. Her bright blue eyes went a little wide when Lucah called out to her in such a way. She couldn't help the small amount of laughter that fell out of her mouth when he tripped, but she covered it quickly with a hand. "Don't stop on my account, okay?" She said lightly. It was just a fitting after all. At least, to her understanding it was.

"See? Not done. It's fine, really. Feel free." Callie replied, turning to a nearby counter top and hopping up on it. She crossed one leg over the other, idly fiddling with the hem of her dress despite how short she knew it was. "If only you had an assistant. You could get both done at the same time."

[Lucah Ivaskov]

His luck really just wasn't good. Sure, he didn't really help the situation by being a dick, but that was how he always acted. People just needed to get over as far as he was concerned. Seriously though this guy was groping him! How was he supposed to react? Honestly, he thought Roger deserved worse because if he'd done that to any other guy, making the comments he had, they'd have reacted the same way. Or so, he thought.

When Roger turned towards him, Luc saw his expression and it took all the composure he had left not to snatch the little punk up and scare the bejeezus out of him. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway, but it would have been an outlet to keep him from freaking out further. He gritted his teeth and shook his head, glaring at the younger boy, "Right. We've got a little more moles- I mean measuring to do."

He wished at that moment that he had some amazing ability that would get him out of this, but that didn't seem to be happening. "Come on now, let's get this over with quickly as to not keep the lovely girl waiting." He couldn't even look at Callie right now because he was seething and there was no way he could fake a smile for her.