Summary:Catseye takes Hank to be fitted for a suit. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Since his transformation, Catseye has been more of a noodge to Hank than ever. She's tried to get him to go shopping for clothing, but there's always work, always excuses. Finally she just bought him several outfits for his new form. Which would be creepy her getting his sizes right, if he didn't know she was excellent as estimating dimension by sight. Finally she set an appointment for him for her tailor and reservations for lunch… and made her nag-ware remind him.
Repeatedly.
There were threats to power off his lab…
Sadly, the new form has different, slightly, proportions to his old. He was able to modify quite a few things, especially things like shorts and of course t-shirts are easy, nice clothes? When he's really needed something he's be reprogramming his armor, but that's not fun. He generally prefers /real/ clothing. It just feels better. Sort of like the difference between a physical and an eBook, sure, the content is the same but there's a huge difference between them.
A bit grumpily, he does let Cat have her way. She's only going to escalate things even more if given even a fraction of a chance! Better to just get it over with. Not like he doesn't actually need the clothes.
Donning his reading glasses, Hank calls ahead to let Cat know he's on the way, emerging from Bessy (his car) with a faint bit of nerves. Once he finds Cat he moves to greet her with a hug. "Hello Catseye."
Catseye hugs Hank warmly. "Hello, DoctorHank. Thank you for being on time." She gives his hand a squeeze. "Will be alright. Promise. Though should warn you, Antoine is a flirt." She leads him down the block, then down a side street. The building is old, but in excellent shape, restoration having brought it back to its former glory. The brass plate beside the door is engraved with 'Antoine's' but it's not a sign, it's a nameplate. Apparently, if you need a sign to find the place, you don't need to find it.
Walking in, they are greeted by a slender woman behind the desk in the entrance who smiles warmly. "Miss Frost and guest. Please, go right on back, Antoine is waiting for you."
The room they pass into was no doubt a sitting room back in the days when people still entertained. The floors are restored hardwood, covered by thick persian rugs. The man who rises from the couch is perhaps an inch or two taller than Catseye, his hair a gleaming pale grey that would normally be called silver. He's dressed in a pale blue-grey suit with a white lace cravat of all things. "Sharon, darling." He air kisses her cheeks, then looks at Hank with wide eyes, "This is who you want me to do a fitting for? But my birthday isn't until NEXT month!"
"Not DoctorFuzzyHank?" Hank asks with a grin and a firm squeeze as he releases the hug. "Why am I filled with trepidation, now?" Not like Hank has socialized all that much for most of his life, too much time spent with his nose in a book, or doing lab work, or any of the other bazillion pursuits. And frankly, most people found him off-putting - especially his furry form.
He notes the building, and the lack of a sign, not sure what to make of that. After all he's well off, he's not rich enough to have a tailor or seamstress of this level of exclusivity.
A genial smile to the reception woman, a half bow offered, and then they get to the former sitting room, and Antoine himself, cravat and all. "I…how do you do, good sir?" Hank asks, more than a tad embarrassed by the man's greeting.
Which will probably only make thing worse.
Poor Hank.
Antoine smiles, a hint of huskiness to his voice. "Oh, I do very well indeed."
Sharon just sighs, shaking her head. "Flirt. He has a girlfriend."
And that makes Antoine give a melodramatically heart-broken sigh. "The cutest ones always do, darling." Thankfully. the assitant brings in a tray with tea, small cakes and cookies, even crackers with artistically arranged soft cheese and cured salmon on top. Antoine uses the distraction of the food and drinks to get up and get several binders from one of the bookshelves against the wall. "You said a suit and a tuxedo? Surely he'll need more than one suit…"
Catseye nods, "Yes, but one for now. Summer weight, of course." She gives Antoine a LOOK. "Buying WOOL? In APRIL?"
Antoine chuckles, "True, dahling, true…" He begins to page through the binders of fabric samples, glancing occasionally up at Hank and back as if comparing colors in his head. Staring at his fingers is when Hank might finally realize that Antoine's proportions are just… slightly off. The fingers a little too long, little too thin… the rest of him is similar, his face, his limbs, all slightly elongated. Elvin, one would say if his ears were pointed. But the cut of his clothing doesn't so much hide it as make it seem right and natural, so the difference just… doesn't register immediately.
More looking at Cat than Antoine, Hank corrects gently. "Fiance, actually." Oh! He is going to be in TROUBLE for not telling immediately! He was going to, but they got distracted, and then there was work, and research, and the two papers he was working on, time in residency towards his full MD…investigations, a couple of fights…
He really is a very busy fellow, honest!
Hank just looks between the two, pretty sure of something, and then he just relaxes. "I really don't get any say here, do I?"
He /is/ a genius, after all, one of the smartest people on the planet. Even if he lacks for common sense a lot of the time.
Catseye squeaks! "FuzzyHank finally proposed! And didn't tell me?" She hugs Hank tightly. "SO glad for you! Definitely need Tuxedo now."
Antoine grins, "Congratulations! And I promise, you will get to choose once I've narrowed down the fabric choices to three or four. But I will make sure everything goes perfectly together." His eyes sparkle, "And once you know the colors for the wedding, come back and we'll get your vest and tie made to match. Now, stand up and let me get your measurements, and see how you move. Sharon comes to me not just because I know how to tailor for her frame and tail, but because she can properly move by -her- standards in what I make for her."
"I…got distracted, and busy." A helpless shrug as he's hugged. "You know me, Cat." He knows himself too, and is just…who he is. Flaws and all. A smile then to the grinning Antoine. "If it is not impolite to ask, are you a mutant, mutate, or other?" There's no judgement at all, how could there be? Hank just is a curious fellow. He grins. "I'll leave you to your business then, sir…may I call you Antoine? I'm Hank, either way."
He does stand up, and then does a curious thing, he dons his reading glasses, and then taps the side and they morph into a see through amber visor. "Klaatu Barada Nikto." He states, tapping on the air like it was a keyboard, and the basic clothing he was wearing, morphs, becoming a pair of form fitting knee length shorts. And then the visor is removed and set on where he was sitting.
He does steal one of Catseye's salmon treats, though…the horror!
He stands with legs just slightly apart, and arms extended to either side.
Antoine shrugs, "I am as I was born to be. I've never seem the point of being tested for the x-gene or anything else. What difference would it make the cause? What would the point be of having another set of labels slapped on me? All words are lies, my friend, all of them, for the name is -not- the thing, no matter how much we scream otherwise." He smiles, "And please, call me Antoine… calling me sir would just be too /awkward/." And as he takes Hank's measurements… yeah, calling someone 'sir' when they are measuring your inseam and the diameter of your thighs -would- be awkward. Having someone measure every limb's proportion is awkward enough!
Catseye pouts at Hank taking one of the salmon… but doesn't do anything more than that. Well… she snags two of the raspberry linzt cookies to her plate before Hank can decimate those. But that's just good sense!
"You know, Antoine, I can appreciate that. Very unique sentiment. Myself, I'm a scientist, so my curiousity wouldn't allow me to embrace that view, I'm /far/ too curious for anyone's good, my own least of all." This said with a wry grin at Catseye's pout, and he mock sulks as she snags those cookies. He was eying them! Oh well, fair's fair, one salmon for two cookies…probably a fair trade.
Obviously Hank's proportions are fairly intimidating and odd, but no doubt Antoine bats not an eye.
"Antoine it is then. Do you need me to move?"
Antoine nods, stepping back to give Hank plenty of room. "Indeed, your full range of motion. You need to be able to run, and if need be fight without worrying about splitting a seam. Not that I want you to have to fight! But some people are just -gauche- enough to attack at a wedding or a charity event." He gives a little sniff as if his sensibilities are horribly offended.
Hank's range of motion is frankly astonishing considering how large and muscular he is, it has to be a mutation, no way that much bone and muscle should be that limber, the guy can do the splits while balancing on his finger tips. He can nearly fold himself in half. And Cat makes him look stiff as a board!
"Unfortunately there's truth to what you say. If you can make clothes I can fully move in I will be eternally grateful, Antoine."
Antoine makes him hold one ore two of the poses and takes additional measurements. Hank knows his own physiology well enough to spot that it's where he has muscles that a normal human just… doesn't. Antoine's extra measurements are to make sure he can compensate for the difference. And despite, or perhaps BECAUSE of his earlier flirting, his touch is strictly professional. "There… I can have the mock-ups done in four days… that will be muslin, and just basted together, so that you can try them on and we can make sure that everything sits right." He returns to his earlier seat, and removes several pages from the binder. "For summer, a cream colored linen suit.. Any of these three would suit you well. Then shirts in white, ecru, and a contrasting cream." He looks up at Hank, "With your coloration, pure white will seem harsh in large amounts, but when it's a shirt under a suit, it will eb fine."
Antoine might be tempted to have Hank hold them a bit longer - he has zero trouble with even the most contorted of positions, really flexible for a guy who looks like he should be a brute. Also, his voice? Deep base, his pronunciation very very deft. Once things are sorted, he once again dons his visor and morphs the shorts into jeans and a t-shirt. Then the brat inside has him offer Antoine an exceptionally florid bow, fingers nearly brushing the floor. "I thank you, Antoine, we'll see you in four days time." He does pick the colors and the materials, and if allowed will even hug the man, albeit briefly, in thanks. Hank's not one to swing that way, but he IS secure in his masculinity.
Once outside he hugs Catseye close. "You're not going to let me pay for the clothes, are you?" He squeezes. "Thank you. It was…fun, and I can see why you come here, this guy is /classy/."