Couture and Brochures | Light Backstage Banter

The click of the lipstick cap seemed to be the only noise for a moment, cutting through the tension backstage. The other models around seemed to be stressing out a decent bit, walking around and triple checking every part of their outfit. Salem, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, watching the mirror carefully as he pressed the soft wax of the lipstick to his mouth, the dark red following his motions as he applied his standard lip-heart makeup.  It was a stark contrast from what he was currently wearing. Velveteen had asked him to put on one of the gray shirts and a pair of skin-tight black pants from the studio, a fully achromatic outfit thus far. With that in mind, he made a few more adjustments to the lip makeup, extending it further than he usually would in Once he was done with the lipstick, he closed the container, just in time for him to look up and see a familiar face behind him in the reflection.

"Salem, I would like to thank you for your help again. I genuinely do not know who else would wander by with the correct figure, considering the time of day. Much less do I believe I would find someone willing to entertain me in such a way." Velveteen spoke, and Salem nodded. "Of course, If I didn't want to do this to some extent, I wouldn't have followed along." He turned his chair around, now able to see that Velveteen had a pair of large boots in their hand. There were belts going all the way down the boots, leading to a smooth end which was further attached to some hefty platforms. Attached to the belts were also small rings that connected a large collection of chains to each other. Salem recognized the brand immediately, as well as the exact model. "Huh, Deadlift-815s, the new version with the chain add-ons. I imagine that's for me to wear?"

Velveteen didn't react at first, but then nodded after a moment. Their expression hadn't changed, but Salem could tell that they were a little surprised at how easily he could recognize the boots. Sure, Salem was a bit of a recluse at times, but he knew enough about the fashion scene when it came to more alternative styles. "Correct, the show is primarily for a new line of boots and jackets. You know how to wear platform boots at this height, right?" He looked to the boots again, they easily would add four inches to his already large height. "Four inch platforms, I don't usually wear those that tall for the sake of the doors I come across, typically only do three or two inch- but I can manage." 

Velveteen handed over the boots, and Salem quickly unzipped the back of them in order to step in. Some buns that Salem knew always thought that this kind of boot needed hours to put on because they believed the belts on the front were real, which admittedly humored him quite a bit. The boots themselves were simple to put on, but hard part about them for most was actually just standing and walking in them. Salem wasn't one of those people, and Velveteen knew that. He zipped up the boots, and made sure that they sit well over his leg. The boots went up to his thighs, and when he stood up, they only sank down a little bit, still covering his knees entirely. He could see some of the other models around him looking over to him- or more accurately, looking up at him. Velveteen had to look up at him as well, but not as much as some of the others. 

"You look great." Velveteen stated, voice as monotone as ever- but Salem understood the sentiment and could look past the other's way of speaking. It certainly helped that he could also speak rather monotone when he wasn't forcing some sort of reaction. The shorter succubun handed Salem a jacket from one of the racks nearby. The jacket was made of leather, and included a large amount of belts and chains, similar to the boots. One of the primary differences was the implementation of the color red throughout. "I take it you understand why you would be the best model for this article, yes?" Velveteen commented, and though they didn't let out any sort of laugh, Salem could tell the slight humor from the statement, given that he had plenty of red on his person even without any clothes. Salem smiled, pulling the jacket onto himself. "Of course, I was wondering when you were going to put some color into this outfit."

They both shared a bit of silent humored glances. "Well, I didn't want to overwhelm the audience. Besides, I'm sure that you're not one to be opposed to more dark and edgy color palettes. But, that is besides the point. How do you feel? Are the measurements correct?" To that, Salem stretched a little, feeling the way the clothing moved with his body. There was a little bit of resistance, but nothing that was unexpected for something made out of any form of leather. "A quarter-size small in the arm region, but that can't be helped and I can move just fine." Velveteen looked him over one final time and nodded. "Fantastic, we'll be on stage in five minutes. I'll leave you to do anything you need beforehand, but do tell me if you need something. I've got enough models here who think they're too good for a little bit of assistance."

"Ah pride, how it leads to a bun's downfall." Salem rolled his eyes, smiling to himself. Even as Velveteen turned away, Salem could catch a small smile on their face as well. A lot of buns would find his comments about sins objectionable, sometimes even offensive, but Velveteen was one of those rare individuals that didn't mind them as much. It made for good interactions between Salem and Velveteen, and enough of an acceptable relationship to where him being dragged off the street for a sudden fashion show wasn't objectionable.