Posted by CrazySugarFreakBoy! on April 29, 2001 at 11:55:59:
Dancer & Meggan Foxxx (a.k.a. Action Figure) in ... "The Fashion Fairy & Her Heroic Friends" :)
The place: The Bean & Donut Coffee Bar, on Parodiopolis Plaza. The time: Shortly before the Lair Legion left Parodiopolis to go on their World Tour. The scene: A gorgeous, curvaceous, Amazonian, cherry red-headed woman in her late forties is sharing some Greek food with a pretty, pixyish, petite, mousy brown-haired woman in her mid-thirties, when the older woman notices the attractive, athletic, twentysomething brunette waitress, who’s just brought the customers at the next table their orders. Meggan Foxxx, a.k.a. Action Figure: (Waving to the waitress, whom she recognizes) Hey, Sarah! How you doin’, girlfriend? Sarah Sheperdson, who is secretly the superheroine known as the Probability Dancer: Oh, Meg! Hi! It’s good to see you again. Meg: Yeah, it’s been a while since you and I had the chance to gab. Why not pull up a seat, hon? Sarah: Oh, I’d love to, but I couldn’t! I’m still on shift, and – Meg: Easy way around that. (Shouting to the old Greek gentleman manning the cash register, whom she correctly assumes to be the owner of the coffee bar) Hey, darlin’ ... would you mind terribly if we borrowed your employee here for a few minutes? Mr. Papadopolis: She has still not taken break? Sarah, you work six hour already today, but you do not even take 15-minute break! You work so hard, you make these nice people think I am slavedriver to you! Go take lunch break for next hour. I insist! I help customers while you relax. Sarah: (Smirking with embarrassment as she sits down) Thanks, Meg. I would have joined you anyway, except I didn’t want to feel as though I was somehow giving Mr. Papadopolis short shrift – Meg: I know, I know. You want to make sure everyone else’s needs are taken care of, regardless of whether or not your own are being met. Trust me, as a momma bear, it’s a moral code I’m more than familiar with. Anyhow, since I’ve got you corralled over here, I thought I’d introduce you to one of my other friends. Sydney, this is Sarah Sheperdson, the plucky young gal I was just telling you about. Sarah, meet Sydney St. Sylvain. Sarah: Sydney St. Sylvain ... the Fashion Fairy? Sydney St. Sylvain, who was once the superheroine known as the Fashion Fairy: One and the same, although I haven’t actually gone by that name in quite a while now. Sarah: So, do I want to know what you two were saying about me just now? Sydney: (Laughing) Meg had recommended that we visit this establishment for a quick bite to eat, and even went so far as to cite your attentive customer service as one of the reasons for stopping by. Of course, what with all of the volunteer work that she’s informed me you do for the less fortunate, I should hardly be surprised to see such thoughtful consideration for others when you’re on the job, as well. Sarah: (Blushing) Meg’s very kind, but she’s occasionally prone to moments of undeserved flattery. Besides, I should hardly think that my spending a nights a week at the neighborhood soup kitchen would be all that impressive to someone who’s done so much charity work herself. Didn’t you help Odyssey Opportunities set up Hestia House, that private girls’ school in Seattle? Sydney: (Shrugging) Fashion Fairy Fabrications consistently earns a healthy enough profit margin, not only from our fashion designs, but also from our children’s merchandising, that I’d feel like I was stealing if I didn’t give at least some of that money back. Meg: As a matter of fact, Sydney and I met when Mnemosyne Media hired her to design crime-fighting costumes for just about the entire lineup of the Goofball Gauntlet, myself included. Sarah: You’re still designing superhero suits, then? I thought you might have opted out of that end of it, in order to focus more exclusively on your consumer clothing line. Sydney: No, the Fashion Fairy’s “Hero-Wear For Her” and “Hero-Wear For Him” lines are still going strong, although I’d be lying if I said that, until recently, business hadn’t been slow in those areas for a while. Sarah: I always liked the look of the costumes you came up with. They were sleek and stylish, but still practical, and they were all actually designed with the real-life female figure in mind, rather than relying upon the women who wore them to have beachball-sized breasts and skinny wasp waists. Sydney: Yes, that was pretty much the point. When I first got involved with this crazy capes and cowls crowd, one of the things that struck me the most was how profoundly unfriendly many of its accepted conventions were to women. The guys got to wear whatever they wanted, depending upon what each one’s persona in the public eye happened to be, but us poor girls somehow got stuck struggling to shoehorn those unwanted extra pounds into spandex suits that were even more unforgiving than most of the villains we went up against. I mean, fortunately for me, I’ve always managed to maintain the aspiring model figure of my younger years, but still ... Meg: I believe the term you used for it was “girl-friendly feminism”. Sydney: Exactly! I wanted every woman out there, every little girl who was growing up, to be able to say, “I can fight crime and be a superhero just as well as any man or any little boy can!”, without having her feel like being allowed to beat the bad guys was just another form of the No Girls’ Club, that they couldn’t take part in because they had cooties, or because their boobs weren’t big enough. It’s the same reason I created the “Fashion Fairy & Her Heroic Friends” line of dress-up dollies for the preteen girls’ toy market. Sarah: Oh, I remember those! I used to love those dolls, when I was little! They even had a cartoon, didn’t they? Sydney: (Nodding) They still do, on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and the dolls themselves continue to do fairly brisk business on most toy shelves, although I can understand why they might have slipped under your radar. As I said, the superhero side of the Fashion Fairy house hasn’t been selling its wares nearly as heavily as it once was, back when yours truly was an active-duty member of the Valiant Vanguard, although our visibility seems to be picking up pretty steadily again. Sarah: But why would your superhero-oriented products slip in popularity? It was all quality merchandise, as I recall. I wouldn’t think that simple good taste would go out of style. Sydney: (Smirking) Unfortunately, one of the most depressing lessons that you learn in the fashion industry, again and again, is that good taste is one of the first things to go out of style. Even now that the Fashion Fairy label is gradually getting more and more orders for sensible and non-sexist crime-fighting costumes, you still have misogynist hacks like Marcus Millar, the head of Extensive Enterprises’ “Aesthetic Authority” in-house fashion design crew, coming up with these skintight leather bondage gear abominations, that are clearly created as a symptom of his absolute hatred for women. Sarah: (Trying to maintain a straight face) You mean, like those mentally-controlled, height-adjustable, stiletto-heeled boots of his, that not even the fetish-wear crowd would consent to be seen in? Bad enough that he actually attempted to sell the silly things, but it turned out that the idea hadn’t even been his to begin with, since he’d swiped the whole concept from some anonymous, and obviously misguided, poor soul. Sydney: (Shaking her head in exasperation) Honestly, I sometimes can’t help but wonder whether the whole of Millar’s target market consists of would-be strippers with inhumanly plastic surgery-altered physiques ... Meg: (Grinning) Actually, speaking from personal experience, a lot of outfits with the Aesthetic Authority label on them DO wind up getting used as strippers’ costumes, but even WE complained about how uncomfortable the damned things were. Of course, if you’re the owner of a strip joint, it’s not exactly a bad business move, to stick your fillies in stuff that’s so stifling that they actually WANT to rip it all off onstage. Sarah: (Forgetting herself for a moment) That’s why I – um, I mean, I suspect that’s why women like the Probability Dancer prefer to have the majority of their adventures in everyday exercise outfits, and similarly casual items of clothing, rather than in any sort of bona fide crime-fighting costumes. Sydney: (Arching an eyebrow) Yes, Meg had mentioned to me that you were ... familiar with the Dancer. From what I’ve heard of her, she seems like a genuinely nice girl. Plus, she’s clearly possessed of a wonderfully winsome sense of kicky retro-eighties chic, what with those leg warmer-accessorized aerobic ensembles that she’s always being seen in. In fact, I don’t suppose you could contrive a means of making contact with Dancer sometime soon? Sarah: (Wincing) Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that ... Sydney: Oh, I understand. It’s just that I’m interested in licensing her distinctive likeness, as part of the Fashion Fairy line of girls’ dollies, and basic copyright issues aside, I simply wouldn’t feel right about minting anything in her image, without securing her permission first. Sarah: (Gaping) ... What? Sydney: One of the main goals of “Fashion Fairy & Her Heroic Friends” - both the toys and the tie-in cartoon - has always been to promote the achievements of superheroines in the real world. To that end, I’ve sought to include the likenesses of real-life female costumed crime-fighters in our line of dress-up dolls, whenever possible. Now, I realize that the Probability Dancer may well be little more than a passing acquaintance of yours, Ms. Sheperdson, but please, be honest; do you think she’d at least entertain a discussion of this type of business proposition? Sarah: I ... I’m not sure I could say for certain, right at the moment. Why would you want m – I mean, why would you want Dancer to do this? Sydney: (Pausing for a couple of seconds, to gather her thoughts) In my humble opinion, the Dancer is exactly the sort of positive role model for young women that the costumed crime-fighting profession can always use more of, especially what with all of the sexist objectification of girls that goes on in the superhero medium. Besides, given that her demonstrated civic streak seems to match your own generously altruistic nature, I’m sure she’d be pleased to note that the majority of monies made from the sales of her “Heroic Friend” dress-up dolls would find their way into the pockets of a lot of worthy causes - aside from the percentage of the profits that would go towards reimbursing her for the use of her trademarked image, of course. Meg: (Sensing how overwhelmed Sarah is becoming, and interrupting Sydney before she can go any further) Slow down, sweetie. Give the gal a bit of a breather, to take in some of what’s been said, rather than hitting her all at once with the hard sell. After all, it’s not like we can expect her to speak for her famed acquaintance, in any event. Granted, I tend to suspect that the Probability Dancer would be willing to sit down and talk about this offer, if nothing else, but I kinda doubt our Ms. Sheperdson here feels free to make any promises on behalf of somebody she’s only remotely associated with. Sydney: Oh, how impolite of me! Please accept my apologies, Sarah. There’s really no rush for her to make up her mind on any of this. It’s just that ... well, I really believe that the Dancer has a tremendous potential to do good, perhaps even a greater good than her own modesty allows her to admit to herself, and I’d love to open the door for her to do that good. Sarah: (Smiling, and hoping that Sydney can’t see the rising blush that’s returned to her cheeks) No need to be sorry, Ms. St. Sylvain. If Dancer were sitting here right now, I’m sure she’d appreciate hearing such kind words spoken on her behalf. Tell you what; I’ll do my level best to get in touch with her, and to inform her of your intriguing offer, but I can’t give you any definite guarantees, as to what her eventual answer might be. Sydney: (Nodding agreeably) Fair enough. As I said, there’s no deadline for a final decision on this matter. All the same, I’d still enjoy an opportunity to share some small talk with the Dancer – you know, just an informal little kaffeeklatsch of gab between us two girls, in a cozy family-owned establishment not unlike this one, to get to know a little bit about her as a person. Meg: Too bad you can’t join the Lair Legion on its upcoming world tour, then, since the Probability Dancer and myself are among the handful of Lair Legion allies that have been extended invitations to accompany them on the trip. I’d ask you to come along for the ride, but poor Finny is about fit to pitch a tantrum as it is, what with all of the vacation-minded non-Legionnaires that have suddenly cropped up for him to look after, on this meant-to-be-serious mission of his. Sydney: A world tour? Oh, how exciting! Will you be stopping by Japan, by any chance? Meg: (Shrugging her shoulders) Could be. As far as I know, Visionary’s the one who somehow wound up being put in charge of all the actual stops on our trip, so the odds are better than even that we’ll find ourselves flung headlong in a whole mess of interesting scenarios and settings. Sydney: Well, if you do happen to pass through the Orient while in the midst of your travels, I must insist that you and all of your friends come by Tokyo to visit me, and stay on as honored guests at my ancestral family estate. Meg: (Cocking her head to one side curiously) You’ve got ancestors in Japan? Not to put too fine a point on it, Sydney, but I thought you came from a family of old-money WASP bluebloods in Arkham, Massachusetts. Sydney: (Shaking her head slowly) Not entirely. You see, my maternal grandmother was Japanese - not that I knew anything about it until I was in my late twenties, of course, since that’s not the sort of unseemly subject that’s discussed in mixed company, when you belong to the polite circles of society in New England. Anyhow, to make a long story short, I finally found out the full truth about my ancestral lineage a few years ago, and after an extended period of correspondence with my grandmother’s surviving relatives, I’ve slowly but surely been accepted as a member of the family in Japan - despite my Caucasian appearance, and my status as a gaijin in their culture. It was such a precious gift, to discover a branch of the family tree whose existence I’d never even suspected, especially considering the fact that my parents ... well, aside from my dad, who was there for me when I was a little girl, until he was taken from me like my mom was, I never really had parents, did I? (Clears her throat) Besides, Japan is quite a beautiful country, and I’ve spent so much time there, over the past half-decade, that I’ve almost started to think of it as my second home. Meg: (Gently clasping Sydney’s hand in her own, as she notices Sydney discreetly trying to swallow the lump in her throat) Us Arkham-born gals are full of surprises, ain’t we? (Both women chuckle, easing the bit of tension that had built up) I’ll have to check with the rest of the gang that’s camped out in the Lair Mansion on Parody Island right now, but barring any objections from the peanut gallery, I think our fun bunch should be able to swing by your Shinto for a spell. Sarah: (Delicately scooting out of her seat at Meg and Sydney’s table) And on that note, I really should get back to work. Meg: (Groaning) Aw, hon, don’t bail on us now! Stick around! You’ve got a good while left on your lunch break yet! Sarah: I know, I know, but still, I feel awful about Mr. Papadopolis having to cover my tables, while I’m simply sitting here, chatting with you ... not that I haven’t enjoyed our conversation, you understand, but – Sydney: (Beaming proudly at Sarah’s conscientiousness) Go, Sarah. If you feel you’re needed elsewhere, then it’s not our place to keep you here. Sarah: Thank you, Sydney. (Shaking Sydney’s hand) It was nice to meet you. Sydney: Likewise, darling. Sarah: (Waving goodbye behind her, as she proceeds to the coffee pot to fetch refills for her customers’ cups) I’ll catch up with you later, okay, Meg? Meg: (Waving back) You betcha, babe. Sydney: (After Sarah is safely out of earshot) What a wonderful young woman. Even before she became a superhero, it’s clear to see that she was always a good person. Meg: (Blinking) So, you knew? Sydney: One of the innate advantages of wielding faerie glamour is that it assists you in seeing through the mists of illusions cast by others – even when they are a function of probability-altering powers. (Winking) Besides, when you’ve dated as many fellow costumed crime-fighters as I have, it takes more than a pair of glasses or a wig for any so-called “secret identity” to fool you anymore. Of course, since the poor dear seems to believe that preserving her secret identity is so terribly important, I promise to do her the proper courtesy of turning the illusory powers of my own faerie glamour upon myself, so that I’ll promptly forget all about Sarah Sheperdson being the Probability Dancer, as soon as we’ve set foot outside of the Bean & Donut Coffee Bar, and, somewhat improbably, I shall subsequently not draw the rather obvious connection between the two women again. Oh, and on the subject of dating – she said, deliberately diverting the conversation towards a slightly safer subject - how have things been between you and Col. Drury, since last we spoke ... ? To be continued, in upcoming chapters of Untold Tales of the Lair Legion World Tour. :)