[3:00 a.m.]

I’m having a mixture of relief, disappointment, and confusion right now. I’m relieved that I feel much better compared to sleeping on the couch over the previous night, and Fleur didn’t sleepwalked into my bed again; however, a part of me is kind of disappointed, and slightly lonely that I’m still by myself in bed. Why that is, I don’t know, but I hope something like this doesn’t happen again. What I’m also relieved about is that I didn’t have another one of my nightmares overnight, yet that meant I couldn’t speak to Princess Luna about my concerns… Huh, I’m disappointed because I didn’t get any nightmares last night. How fucked up is that?

As for why I’m confused, though I’m still tired, I somehow got up at what looked to be three in the morning. Probably because of the sound of moving that woke me up so late… Wonder what’s causing it?

I groggily opened my eyes, and though the room was still dark, my vision adjusted to the lighting enough to make out a figure that was quietly putting on some clothing from the looks of it. After it was finished, it walked across the room, picked up the room key, and quietly opened the door to leave. From the lighting outside, it gave me a better look at the figure briefly, making out its mane, curves, and white fur reflecting the rays.

“… Fleur?” I asked in a whisper before I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. I looked over to the bed across from me, and saw one lump rising and falling under the covers. I could only assume that it was Shining, as the white stars from the cutie mark on her arm stood out under the dark.

Realizing Fleur must have left the room, my concern was fighting against exhaustion, with the former winning as I quietly stepped out of bed. I put on a coat, socks, my glasses, and tennis shoes before I left the room without making a sound.

Once I got to the hallway, I looked both ways to see where Fleur might have went, and saw a familiar pink tail just moving out of view from around the corner. I followed her as I tried to rub the tiredness out of my eyes until I saw her standing in front of an elevator. She didn’t look all that great, as she was still wearing her camisole while wearing a pair of yoga pants. Her mane and tail were slightly out of place, probably from her sleep, and without her make-up, I could see some bags that were under her eyes.

As I walked up to Fleur, her ears perked and swiveled to my direction before she turned to me. “Oh, good morning Ozzy,” Fleur said tiredly.

“Morning,” I replied. “Couldn’t sleep last night?”

“Not really. Did I wake you?”

“Nah, I couldn’t either,” I lied.

“Excuse me for my appearance. I must look like a wreck right now,” she chuckled tiredly while moving a few strands of her mane out of her eyes.

“You’re fine.” I waved off. “Where are you heading?”

“Just heading into the lobby to think.”

“Mind if I join you?”

She gave a small smile with a nod in response. “I’d like that.”

The elevator dinged before the doors opened, and we walked inside. We were silent on the way until we got to the hotel lobby, where she and I sat next to each other on one of the couches. She was shivering slightly as she rubbed her arms, which I found odd because I thought her fur would keep her plenty warm already. With a shrug, I slipped out of my coat before I covered Fleur with it. She was surprised at the sudden second layer covering her before turning to me. “Dearie, you didn’t have to do that,” she said. “I mean you don’t have any fur on you like I do.”

I shrugged “I don’t feel all that cold really. Plus you look like you needed it more than I did, so why not?”

Fleur blushed slightly as she slipped her arms through the sleeves, and looked ahead of her. “Thank you Ozzy.”

“Anytime,” I said with a smile.

She then leaned against me like usual, and I pulled her in by holding her side, helping her feel secure. “Are you nervous for later?” I asked.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I’ve always wanted to work with Vogue since I started modeling. It was actually in one of their magazine advertisements that inspired me to be one.”

“So this must be really important to you huh?” I asked, and she moved her head that was on my shoulder in a nodding motion in response.

“Even if I get turned down though, I won’t take it personally,” Fleur continued. “There’s always a next time, and I’ll have you and Shiny to support me. Still doesn’t help me being so nervous though.”

“But it’s a nice way to look at it,” I pointed out. “If anything, they’re missing out if they can’t take in somepony like you for their commercial or photo shoot.”

“Thank you, but do you mind if we talked about something else?” Fleur asked. “I’d rather not dwell on this thought too long before I start to get anxious.”

“Of course. What do you have in mind?”

“Well… You mentioned you had your first kiss by a girl crushing on you right?”

“That’s right.”

“How did it come to that if you don’t mind me asking?”

I had to take a moment to recall that distant, slightly hazy memory before answering. “Well I honestly didn’t consider that she had a crush on me until I thought back on it years later. How she had a crush for me, I’m still trying to figure out, and I still doubt that was even the case with her. I wasn’t like a lot of boys back then, who were usually loud, obnoxious, and of course some teased me from time to time. I was usually quiet, not very social with other kids, or active when recess came. I was usually by myself just lounging underneath this tree we had on the playground. That girl though, who I don’t know what her name is now, one day asked if she could join me under that tree. I didn’t really care what others were doing at the time, so I just shrugged and said go right ahead.

“After that, she was usually the first to ask about partnering up for certain projects, talk from time to time during recess, she was probably the closest thing I had to a friend during that period. One day, she was telling me one time where she overheard some girls talking about kissing boys, and that was somehow becoming a thing where ‘if you don’t have this, or haven’t done that, then you’re not cool’ kind of fad. I didn’t really care about things like that, even when other boys were giving me a hard time for not having my first kiss, so I wasn’t too bothered by it. I’m not sure if she took that as an excuse, or if she felt more left out about it than I was, but she asked me quite nervously if she could have her first kiss with me. I shrugged and said ‘eh, why not,’ and we found a secluded spot, or at least what we thought was secluded, to have our first kiss in private.”

“How did that go?” Fleur asked.

“It felt good actually,” I replied. “We weren’t sure how to go about it at first during the time, so we just thought touching lips for about five seconds sounded reasonable. When we closed our eyes and locked lips, I could have sworn my whole body just tingled in that moment, like I had no idea what I was missing out on until then. It felt soft, smooth, and kind of sweet like she might have applied some flavored lip gloss or something beforehand. Those five seconds took longer than what I had imagined, until a group of kids caught us, and laughed at what we were doing.

“I think it might have been because of my reputation of being ‘that lame, boring kid’ that got them laughing at us, perhaps the girl slightly more than me, as if she just got lamer from kissing me like I was some kind of virus. The girl couldn’t take it and just ran away crying. That good feeling I had that time felt like it died and got stepped on after that, as if that may be the last time I’ll ever get something that amazing again, even though it was my first.”

“That’s awful,” Fleur commented.

“The girl didn’t come and talk to me after that,” I continued. “We stopped hanging out under the tree, we didn’t become partners for future school projects, things were going back to the way it was before she came to me for the first time, only I had to deal with the loneliness that I didn’t have before until then. I stopped trying to get close to other people since then. I just made acquaintances of people who I knew from work or school, and didn’t get any further than that.” I pulled Fleur closer to me, a little tighter than what was necessary. “Fleur, I just want to thank you and Shining for being friends with me. Something I thought would be better to live without until now.”

“Oh sweetie,” Fleur said before she pulled me into a hug. “We’re happy to have you with us Ozzy. Just remember that we’re here for you if you need us, like what you have done for us.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

… But would you still be here with me if I told you what happened in my nightmares?

Trying to shake the morbid thought out of my head, I pulled back with a straight face. “So what about you? What was your first kiss like?”

“Would you believe me if I said that Shiny was my first?” Fleur asked, and my eyes widened at the question.

… Oh yeah, I think Shining mentioned how the two of them… ‘Tried’ a few things, but I’ve tried to not pay too much attention to it until now. Didn’t think they’d shared their first kiss together.

“How did that happen?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It was around junior high as we were going through puberty,” Fleur explained. “We saw a few pairs of mares were getting close and intimate with each other as we walked around the school. While we had health class together that included sex education, we were piqued with curiosity to try it ourselves. So during our next sleepover, once we got settled in Shiny’s room, since her parents weren’t as… Open with same sex relationships as mine, we just went ahead and just locked lips.”

“And how did that go?” I asked.

“I’ll admit, it was kind of hot,” Fleur said. “Then again, the both of us were near our first heat cycle, so that might have gotten us feeling good a little more than normal.”

“I asked Shining if you two were some kind of item, or if she had a crush on you after what happened in that dressing room last week,” I pointed out. “She mentioned you two… Tried a few things before you realized things wouldn’t really work out. She wasn’t open about it at the time, so I didn’t pay too much attention to it.”

“Ah yes, I’ll admit, that was kind of fun for both of us,” Fleur said as she looked up in thought with a smile. “After our kiss, we kind of explored with each other, and even tried going on a few dates to see how things went. While we realized that we weren’t into each other romantically, we’ve concluded we’ll always love each other as friends, and watch each other’s backs. We would, however, help each other with our heat cycles so we wouldn’t constantly feel unsatisfied for the next couple days.”

Well that certainly explains how they know so much about each other’s behaviors during their heats like they mentioned yesterday… Seriously though, besides getting kinky, what would ponies even do with riding crops in the first place?

“We also agreed on a few things like how would we deal with both of us getting interested in the same stallion,” she continued. “Neither of us want to become part of a herd, even if we both joined in, because we want one stallion to give us the most attention, and not feel like he’d have to share it between the two of us.”

“That sounds very reasonable,” I commented. “Sounds like you two planned a lot of this out.”

“Oh we did Ozzy, we did,” she replied with a nod. “Enough where both of us agreed on a method that wouldn’t get either of us hurt so badly in the end, and not spite each other.”

“Well let’s just hope neither of you will resort to it too much,” I said. “You two deserve the best after what you’ve been through.”

“Thank you Ozzy,” she replied with a small smile before yawning. “I need some more shut eye.”

“Probably a good idea to get some more sleep before we start our day. We’ll need the all the energy we can get,” I commented as I got up, and pulled Fleur to a stand as well.

“Sounds good,” Fleur agreed before we made our way back to our hotel room.

[2:45 p.m.]

Fleur and I ended up waking around six hours later, along with Shining who got up for the first time this morning. Once we had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, the three of us went over the rehearsal for the interview a couple more times before Fleur felt confident enough to get that spot with Vogue. We decided to stop at a point before a few hours so Fleur can focus on mentally preparing herself.

Once we got to that point, we had a quick lunch before we changed into our best outfits for the interview. I had a navy blue suit jacket with matching slacks, black shoes that were shined, a white dress shirt, and a tie with Fleur’s mane and tail colors striped diagonally. I was also shaved, my hair styled with some pomade, and my laptop case in hand.

Shining had her light pale blue mane tied to the usual bun during business days. She wore a suit jacket in a lighter shade of blue than my own with a matching skirt, and a white dress shirt. What surprised me is that she also had thigh high fishnet stockings, and black slippers on her hooves as well. Strange how that makes her slightly more alluring since I’m used to her not wearing stockings, or that ponies in this world even had stockings. She had a small case of her own that contained Fleur’s portfolio with her best pictures inside, and other information about her successes.

Finally, Fleur wore the outfit Shining and I had to help her pick after 45 minutes of going through clothes. We went with what the girls called the ‘innocent, yet attractive’ look that would hopefully catch Vogue’s attention. She wore a white silk dress with a cowl neckline that stretched down to where some of her cleavage was shown. The skirt was open and free to move around in as it stretched to a few inches above her hooves. She also had a matching purse, and a pair of white framed shades that was optional to wear.

Yeah, why they called it ‘innocent, yet attractive,’ I had no idea, but I’d rather not get picky with the girls on it if I don’t want the same treatment like two days ago when I questioned Vogue’s business.

Once we were ready to go, we took a taxi carriage to get to Vogue’s business building. Unfortunately, while we tried to find a carriage, Shining lashed out on a few stallions who I had to admit were rude to us, but still not an excuse get so aggressive over. Shining and I agreed it would be better to enact her ‘punishments’ as she called them in private while Fleur wasn’t in the room, and I’d keep count with a small notepad I kept in my pocket of how many tugs she’ll get at the end of the day. We also came up with a sign I would do (which was me scratching behind my ear) to let her know she made a wrong response on a stallion, and will get a tug later. If she argued, I’d do the second sign (scratching my face), telling her that she’ll get two consecutive tugs added into the total as well. How many tugs will she get later tonight? Let’s see, she lashed at three, two of them she argued with me, so that makes three tugs with four consecutive ones adding to a total of seven… If we were in any place other than Manehattan, I think she wouldn’t get this many so quickly in one day. Considering how she was with only three the day we got here, I’m kind of worried on how she’ll be later on tonight.

Oh, and the one bout she had with Puff Tie yesterday was a freebie because come on, from how he treated her after hearing their history? Why should I enact her punishment for that? Heck, that guy should get ten for what he had done with her, hard enough that I’d rip the hairs out of his tail.

Anyway, we finally arrived at our destination with fifteen minutes to spare for our appointment. The building was big, I’ll just say that much. There was a sign above the main entrance that had the company’s name in capital letters with a stylish format.

The three of us stepped out of the carriage, paid for the ride, and gazed at the sight before us.

“Well… This is it,” Shining said.

“Yep,” Fleur agreed.

“Uh-huh,” I added in.

We stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before I spoke up. “Shall we head inside?”

“O-oh yes, right,” Shining said while fixing her glasses. “Let’s do this everypony.” She took the lead as Fleur and I followed inside, the glass doors sliding open when we got close enough.

We got to the front desk where a mare was fiddling around her computer before she saw us approaching.

“Welcome to Vogue’s clothing brand and design, how may I help ya?” She said in an accent that’s similar to someone from New York.

“We have an appointment at 3:00 today? Fleur de Lis?” Shining asked.

“Ah yes, here you are,” she said before she picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Ms. Autumn Winds? Your 3:00 appointment with Fleur de Lis is here… Alright, thank you,” she said before she hung up and turned to us. “Please have a seat over there, and our Vice President will be with you shortly.” She pointed to the small area with tables, chairs, and sofas.

“Thank you,” Shining said before we complied with the receptionist’s request, and we waited.

The next couple of minutes felt agonizingly long before an orange pegasus mare with a red and yellow mane and tail approached us. The colors reminded me of the changing colors of leaves in the fall season, so I could only assume the mare in question was Autumn Winds. She had a black business ensemble like Shining’s with a white top underneath, and white slippers on her hooves.

“Good afternoon, I’m Autumn Winds,” she introduced with a smile as she turned to Fleur. “And you must be Fleur de Lis?”

“Yes indeed. It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Winds,” Fleur greeted with a smile after she stood up with a handshake. Shining then got up and walked over to the pegasus, and I followed suit.

“Hello, I’m Shining Star, Fleur’s manager,” she introduced as she shook Ms. Wind’s hand.

“And I’m her secretary Ozzy Shore. You can call me Oz if you’d like,” I greeted last.

“Ah yes, I remember you,” Ms. Wind said. “I saw you in the news broadcast last week. A pleasure to meet one of the first human settlers in Equestria in person. Now our president is waiting for us in her office on the top floor, so if you three may follow me please,” she requested before we nodded, and let her lead the way to an elevator. Ms. Winds pushed a button, and the elevator started moving. “I’d just like to say before we get started that I’m quite thrilled to have you over Fleur,” she said.

Fleur blinked a few times in surprise. “Really?”

“Oh yes,” she replied with a nod. “With the past applications and photos you sent over, I’m quite interested in your work from how you’ve improved over the last couple years.”

“If I may ask, what brought you to calling us over on such short notice?” Shining asked. “And why pick now to have an interview with the president no less?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself quite frankly,” Ms. Winds admitted. “From what I can see, Fleur’s got great potential to be one of our models, but President Mascara somehow couldn’t give the time of day to put her in an interview for our previous dressing lines.”

“… So when did she suddenly gain interest in Fleur?” Shining asked with a raised brow.

“Surprisingly enough, just last week when she and Oz here were in that news broadcast,” she answered.

… Huh, strange, but I guess my coming here turned out for the better with the girls?

“She and I were watching it that day, and that was when her curiosity piqued,” Ms. Winds continued. “From that point, she wanted to keep track on Fleur’s involvement with other businesses in modeling, and pulled a few strings to get a couple pictures and recordings that were taken both on and off set.”

Why would she want pictures of her off set? I’m pretty sure pictures of her on it would get more appeal if we compare.

The elevator suddenly dinged before the doors opened, and we stepped out to where there was another receptionist typing things in the computer at the center of the room, and there were three doors labeled “Chief Designer,” “Vice President,” and “President/CEO.”

“Right this way everypony,” Ms. Winds said before she led the way to the president’s door, gave a few knocks, and peeked inside. “Ms. Mascara, Fleur de Lis is here.”

“You may enter,” a mare’s voice from inside called before Ms. Winds opened the door fully, and we walked inside.

The office looked very impressive when I stepped in. There were pictures of models hanging along the wall that looked to be taken for past advertisements. The mares looked like they resembled the company’s ideal vision of beauty in its time as each one progressed chronologically with different designs that were in style. There was also a file cabinet, a shelf containing many portfolios, a safe with a combination lock, and a couple chairs laid in front of the desk that was facing away from the glass wall. In that desk was a unicorn mare with icy blue fur, and a styled white mane with a black streak that stretched from her bangs to the back. Her business attire was the same color as mine, except for the teal top that was under the jacket. She also had small, black framed, oblong shaped glasses perched on her muzzle. Taking a good look at her, she may have the image of a mare in their mid to late 20s, but somehow she seemed older than that. Just not enough to be my mother.

She smiled as she stood up, and walked over to us. “Good afternoon everypony, my name is Mascara.”

“Fleur de Lis, and it’s an honor and pleasure to meet you Ms. Mascara,” Fleur greeted with a smile as she shook the president’s hand.

“I’m Shining Star, Fleur’s manager,” Shining greeted as she got her turn.

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Mascara said before turning to me. “And you must be Fleur’s human secretary?”

“Uh yes,” I said as I shook her hand. “Ozzy Shore, but you can call me Oz.”

“Nice to meet you Oz, you can just call me Mascara,” she replied. “If you’ll all have a seat please, and we can get started.”

“Of course,” Fleur said before she, Shining, and I sat across from Mascara’s desk while Ms. Winds sat on a chair beside it facing us. Mascara used magic to pour herself and Ms. Winds some coffee from the maker that just finished brewing a fresh batch.

“Can I get you three anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?” Mascara offered as she poured a mug for herself and Ms. Winds.

“I’ll have some tea please,” Fleur answered.

“Me too,” Shining added in.

“Could I get some water please?” I asked.

“Of course,” Mascara replied as she floated Ms. Winds’ coffee over to her, and she picked up the phone before she dialed a number. “Pantyhose? Could you please bring two teas, and a water please? Thank you,” she said before she hung up, took her seat, and took a sip of her drink. “I’d like to start off by apologizing for calling you over on such short notice, as I’m sure you’re quite busy with other appointments.”

“Oh not at all Ms. Mascara.” Fleur waved off. “I’m just glad to be here.”

“I understand you’ve submitted numerous applications and photos to us for quite some time,” Mascara said as she pulled out a folder that was unusually thick with papers and pieces of photos sticking out.

Fuck, how often did she apply herself here?

Fleur couldn’t help but blush a little when she saw the stack. “Please excuse me, I’ve just been wanting to work with Vogue for a while now.”

“Not at all Fleur,” Mascara giggled before a mare that looked to be the receptionist outside of the office came in with two mugs of tea and a bottled water in her hand. We thanked the mare who I assumed was Pantyhose for the drinks before she walked off. “Please understand that getting a spot in this company can get pretty competitive, even for just the reserves list.”

“Oh I’m sure it does,” Fleur agreed with a nod.

“When I saw you last week on the news, I remembered all the applications you sent, and the fall design line coming up may just be perfect for you,” Mascara continued before taking a sip between a pause. “But of course like all interviews, I need to meet and speak to you in person before I can make my final decision.”

“Of course,” Fleur said before sipping her tea.

As the interview went on, I wrote down notes on my note pad for any important information like usual, taking small breaks in between to drink my water. Sometimes Ms. Winds would join in as she asked Fleur more questions while Mascara sat back and enjoyed her coffee. What I found strange though, which was probably my eyes just playing tricks on me, but it looked like the president would sometimes glance over to me at the corner of her eyes while Ms. Winds and Fleur spoke. Mascara would also sometimes ask me a question or two about what it was like working with Fleur, which I assumed was because she wanted a second opinion on how great of a model she was. Shining on the other hand… I’m kind of worried. She had that familiar look I saw when we first met and she interviewed me. It was only to a lesser degree, maybe more subtle compared to the first time I saw it, but it was there. It was strange because even with her being partially on the receiving end, she’d keep her business mask on like all the other meetings and interviews we’ve been to before this. Considering her history of mood swings I’ve seen over the week, it’s quite an impressive accomplishment. If she’s sporting that look, there must be something in her mind that’s bugging her.

“Well, I think that will be all for today,” Mascara said as she stood up, and walked over to Fleur with a smile before she held out her hand. “We’ll call you and let you know what comes up sometime this week.”

“Thank you very much for your time Ms. Mascara,” Fleur said with a smile as she shook Mascara’s hand.

“Yes, we appreciate it,” Shining added in with a monotone as she shook Mascara’s hand next.

“Oz, it was a pleasure meeting you as well,” she commented with a smile.

“Of course, same to you,” I replied as I shook her hand with a smile of my own.

“Thank you all for coming today. You’ll receive my final word sometime this week soon,” Mascara said. “You all have a good day now.”

“Thanks, you too!” Fleur bid before Ms. Winds led us out of Mascara’s office.

“Excuse me, Ms. Winds?” Shining asked.

“Yes?”

“You mentioned earlier that Ms. Mascara wanted some pictures of Fleur offset during her photo shoots, correct?” Shining asked.

“That’s right.”

“Could I possibly get a copy of all that you have please?”

“Sure! I’ll be right back,” Ms. Winds said before she walked into her office.

Wonder what Shining wants with those photos?

Ms. Winds comes back a moment later with a folder that was clipped closed. “Here you are, Mascara took the liberty of marking down which ones she liked best, but I must say some are kind of odd.”

“How so?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“There were a couple shots where you couldn’t get a good glimpse of Fleur,” Ms. Winds said as she looked up in thought before shrugging. “Eh, she does have unique eye for these sort of things, and it never failed her yet, so I can’t really argue.”

“Thank you for printing these Ms. Winds,” Shining answered.

“My pleasure! I hope things go well with Fleur—“

SLAM!

“How dare that bamboozle to think he had a chance of getting in with this blasphemy of art!” A stallion exclaimed, jumping everyone the room in surprise.

We turned to the source, and see an earth pony stallion with a dark bluish green fur, with a mint striped mane and tail where the former was short and spiked forward. His ensemble was kind of like what you see painters would create on a canvas, but adjusted to make it actual clothing. It was a white dress shirt that looked to be riddled with different colors of splattered paint that was engraved in the material. He also had a pair of black slacks that looked like it had brighter, contrasting colors splattered on it as well.

Ms. Winds groaned while rubbing her eyes at the stallion’s complaint. “Mr. Brushstroke, what are you complaining about now?”

“What I’m complaining about, Ms. Winds, is how ridiculous these submissions a recent applicant put in his portfolio looked!” Mr. Brushstroke exclaimed. “How he’s considered one of the growing designers in Equestria is beyond my understanding, and I’m slowly losing hope in today’s tastes in fashion!”

“Erm… Who is he?” I asked.

“WHO AM I?!” Mr. Brushstroke yelled before he stomped into my personal space, close enough to where our eyes practically touched. “I am the great Palette Brushstroke! Chief Designer for Vogue’s clothing design, and ranked number two as Equestria’s top fashion designers you…” He stepped back to scan my form with an inquisitive look. “… What are you? A hairless gorilla?”

*Sigh* I’m going to be called something like this for a while am I?

“Ozzy Shore here is a human Mr. Brushstroke, and you will treat and respect him like any other pony,” Ms. Winds ordered while crossing her arms.

“This is one of those humans I’ve heard about?” He asked as he walked around and scanned my form some more. “And there will be more of you coming here?”

“As far as I know,” I said while I shrugged.

“Hmm… Perhaps I should look into making a line specifically for humans?” Mr. Brushstroke asked himself while rubbing his chin. “And I assume there are female counterparts?”

“Uh, before that, but what were you saying about this fashion designer and his, *ahem* ridiculous submissions?” Shining asked.

“Hm? Oh yes, that,” he said as he held up said portfolio. “That atrocious poser of a designer submitted an application to work in our studio department, the one that comes up with new pieces of work that could be possible put in the market. this pony in particular thought he had the audacity to get into my studio with this pathetic excuse for garbage. I figured there was something off about him when he came in with that out of style ascot of his.”

Shining’s eyes widened at that last statement. “… And what was his name?”

“… Puff Tie, apparently,” Mr. Brushstroke harrumphed as he looked into the portfolio. “Why he’s named that when he doesn’t even wear one is a mystery to me. I swear to Celestia, I want to tell him straight how horrifying this is, and how he’ll never get the chance to work in my department, but just the sight of him makes me gag now.”

“… What if we told him for you?” Shining asked, making everyone in the room watching to her.

“… Would you do that for me?” Mr. Brushstroke said with a raised brow.

“Sure, we’ll be around for a while, so why not?” Shining asked with a shrug. “You got his address in the resume he put in that portfolio correct? Why don’t I give you my contact information, you write down your most detailed critiques and frustrations in a document to send for me to print, and I’ll deliver everything over to him?” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder while she checked her nails. “For a brilliant fashion designer such as yourself, you just can’t possibly make the time to walk to his home, or even call him straight as you need to save your precious breath for other priorities. I’d be more than happy to do the honor of doing this favor for such a brilliant, and talented artist like yourself. So what do you say?”

A pause filled the room before it was replaced with Mr. Brushstroke’s loud guffaws. “You’ve got me hooked! Alright, I’ll let you handle it. Thank you for doing this Miss…”

“You can call me Shining,” she said with a smile as she traded the portfolio with her business card. “And please, I should be thanking you for your generosity. Just pour your heart out into your critique, and I’ll be sure to read every single detail aloud for him.”

“It will certainly help me vent my frustration over this monstrosity,” he agreed with a nod. “I’ll get to that right away, and send you the e-mail ASAP. And with that,” he said as he walked back to his office, part of his body still outside of it. “I bid you all, ADIEU!”

SLAM!

Silence filled the room once more as all of us drank in what had just happened.

“Well, I guess we should be going then,” Shining said. “Fleur? Oz? Let’s get going you two. I’ve got a few chores I need to do today.” She then pulled us to the elevator with her things in tow, and closed the door.

As soon as we left the building, Shining gradually grew from a fit of giggles, to laughing like an insane, maniacal villain that just found the solution to take over the world. Fleur just smirked deviously at Shining’s behavior as we walked. At that moment, I wasn’t sure if I should be happy for her, or scared of her. All I know is, Puff Tie is going to crumble into atoms when he sees Shining again, and I do not envy him when that happens.

Author's Notes:

I read in a comic once that justice is where you get sweet sweet revenge, and everyone thinks you're the good guy for it, and boy will Shining get her justice soon.

So what will come for Fleur after that interview? What was Shining thinking about during that time? How will things go for Oz and Shining's 'punishment' session? Stay tuned, for the next chapter, there will be some brief clop in the mix (for real this time, I swear).

Until then, this is Dudeler signing off.