2012-09-17 Command Performance

The tickets weren't that hard to locate, but they were hard to acquire in that seating was limited. It's one of those small coffeehouse venues, with a small stage in the corner of the place. Quaint, intimate, and easy to throw together with three days of work. Literally. Edith Mode, noted materials designer and off the wall fashion designer, fresh off New York Fashion Week, has declared that there would be a party. SOmething light, festive, and flashy. Oh, and headlined by the one and only Dazzler!

Debuting her new single, the lightshow diva Dazzler is set to perform as the house lights dim to nothing. Flash photography is stricted prohibited, and at the door, the bouncers are informing everyone that when the performance starts that are to be no cellphones, as the LCD screens will be seen. Anyone with any sort of lit device will be escourted out, physically. If they leave their things, the bouncers aren't going to cry about it.

Edith herself spent part of the preshow back stage getting Dazzler into the outfit for the night, and instructing the make up artist on a very particular make up look. The designer must have everything JUST SO, even for a trial run. With Dazzler set and ready, Edith gives the singer air-kisses and makes her way out to the ground to stake out her table, the one with the tallest chairs right smack dab in the middle of the audience, which has been saved for her by her securuty staff. Anyone wanting to get near the table had better think twice about it, or get shown to the door. Upon her arrival, security eases only slightly, in that they back away to give hte designer some space so she can literally jungle gym climb up to the chair and settle herself upon its height. Her personal assistant, a middle aged woman in a sharp professional look, brings Edith her drink and some of the light refreshments. It's all on her tab anyway, since the venue is shut down to the general public. Anything anyone wants to eat or drink tonight, Edith will pay for.

"The highspeed cameras working, dahling," Edith asks of her assistant, Janis.

"Yes, E," Janis replies.

"And the lights will be completley off?"

"Yes, E."

"Marvelous!" Edith waits happily, sipping her drink and fidgeting slightly. she'd light up, but the glowing cinder would ruin the effect. And tonight is all about The Effect.

One of the people getting in -no- problems getting past security-- not when the obvious MiB shows his badge. He takes his sunglasses off, tucking them in the breast pocket of the plain black suit he's wearing; he glances to the door, glances to the stage, scans the interior, and then props himself up against the wall by the door, taking out a piece of chewing gum and grimly putting it in his mouth. "/Marvelous/."

Laser didn't even have to go out and splurge on a new suit - he's just wearing the skin-tight suit E made for him. Normally that would be for business only, but for the special event? Why not! He's already backstage, a special guest of the designer, and acquaintance of the star of the show. Even as dimmed as he can go though, his eyes never quite shut off in full dark, so he's donned a pair of E-grade stylish sunglasses (Eakleys), and is sipping a mojito in the wings, eager for the show to start.

One last check before Dazzler moves into place for the beginning of her performance; makeup: good! Hair?: Perfect! Outfit?: Snug, sexy, and surprisingly comfortable for it. Nerves? What nerves?! It's showtime!

Standing in place, Dazzler takes a few deep, quiet breaths as the lights go totally dark. And then, before anything is seen; the sound system picks up. Stylish synth tones and instrumentation, lots of keyboard.

As the music blooms into sensation, the first visible bit of APPROVED light is a single star, streaking upwards seemingly inside the fabric of Dazzler's outfit - up the leg towards her heart... Where it explodes in a silver and gold cascade with the first major chord and exultant vocal tone that comprises the opening bars of the song.

Edith shushes Janis unnecessarily as the lights dim with an almost frantic wave of her hand.

"shoo shoo. Show's starting," she says aloud in the silencing club. Her voice is easily heard.

"Who's making that racket? You! Be quiet," Edith admonishes a few whispering, twittering fans in front of her. They're lucky it's dark and the security guards took away anything small and flingable from E's table before she sat. A few seconds pass, and the first chords start up. Edith falls silent. Behind her glasses, her magnified eyes widen in childish joy. On her face, her lips spread in a bright gleeful smile. The designer leans forward intently, looking for all the world like a slightly under-grown fangirl... in her fifties. Tiny hops and waggling feet accompany the first sparkle of light upon the singer's garment, and forgetting all concert etiquette (if she even cared about having any to begin with), Edith crows out, "It works!"

No one shush her, or she'll drop capes on the lot of you!

It's kind of tragic, in a bizarre and awful way, that Wisdom's attention is more on Edith bouncing around handflappy and excitedly shushing people like a librarian on meth... than on the frankly /awesome/ light-show starting. He edges away and back toward the door, leaning on the wall in a place where he can split his attention outside. If that's impossible, it's okay, he's in the process of putting in a bluetooth with the little light electrical-taped over. No lights, no lights. Just chewing gum and stealth-comms. But then most of his attention does turn to the lightshow.

And oh. This man, this cranky not-a-pop-guy with the SHIELD badge and the nicotine gum and the faint odor of scotch, he's watching. And actually /listening/, /evaluating/.

Wow. Laser is impressed as well, his own holographic abilities falling well short of this. Wow! He just shakes his head and admires from the wings. Maybe with practice, some day... Sipping at his drink, he just admires the view. And from backstage! It doesn't get any better than this. Once the main hook begins to play, this is PROBABLY where Dazzler will break into a flat out knock-you-on-the-ass-with-the-GROOVE dance routine during the stage show. But since this is a small shop, she restrains herself to dancing in place and being very evocative Florence Welch Interpretive Dancy;

The lyrics to the song are not spectacular - the song is one about perseverance and hope in dark times, and recognizing opportunity and resultant joy. The beat is good, the hook is catchy, and Dazzler's voice is really just THAT GOOD.

But it's the lightshow that always helps to get that across. Every 'soft' laser, every pulse of color, every echoing bloom of light and emotion in the song plays out in the air around her -- simultaneously, complimentary swirls and patterns of light play out across the fabric of her skin-tight outfit; Even simple lines meant to accentuate her form during particularly busy 'air show' moments ensure that Dazzler is never /lost/ in her own explosions of light and color.

"Yes, good; good," E's saying, leaning to far forward in her chair, it's a miracle she hasn't fallen /out/ of said perch yet. Her hands are on her seat, feet kicking beneath her. Several people near her, glance at her annoyed. She's chattering after shushing them? HMPH!

"Janis, note this down: the dicolor connections need to be faster. Some of the transitions aren't syncing up properly. Have Clarice check the high speed and get me the raw data so I can double check the wavelength configurations." Screw you eye-glaring couple right in front of her. Edith's paying for your drinks; she can be as obnoxious as she wants to be.

The spook by the door glances out it once more, then pulls at the arm of a security guard outside. He cups his hand around the man's ear, murmurs a bunch of stuff in varying levels of annoyance, makes a couple of reasonable gestures, then slips out the door and disappears into the night.

Moments later, Wisdom's slipping backstage from an outside door, and comes up abreast of Laser, standing loosely with his hands in his pockets. He doesn't disturb, though.

Aloke is frankly stunned, not even noticing Pete's arrival yet. He thought he knew a little something about light shows. And even a little about music. He had downloaded Dazzler's album just to get a feel for what the music would be like. Ok, pop-and-groove kinds of stuff. No problem.

He was not prepared. His eye can even catch some of the 'flaws' in Dazzler's new suit, but it doesn't matter. Seeing her live, hearing the music live, witnessing her not just sing the song, but /perform/ it... well, lets just say Alison has a new fan boy, and he's twice the age of her target audience.

It probably also doesn't hurt that his vantage point from the wings gives him an excellent view of her re-...

Rendition. Of the song.

This is the gal who has won over the King of Asgard - not that everyone ever knows that, or that Dazzler herself always remembers it; but those are the sorts of thing that bubble up every now and then and give the ol' Self Confidence a much needed pick-me-up. Dazzler is /feeling/ this, and it shows.

The closing bars of the song end with a clash rather than a bang or a slowdown, a great sudden stop light so many songs do; But as the lightshow goes through a final signifying pulse and flash, they remain - the final crash signifying a return of the 'star' at the center of Dazzler's chest, pulsing silver and gold, flaring out dozens of much smaller 'child' stars - that then serve to faintly light the audience and area between songs.

"Fabulous. Save the high speed, dump it to my mainframe, and everyone get yourselves a five or whatever," Edith chirps, hopping off her chair and nearly toppling it. Janis has to reach to keep it from falling down. The short statured designer weaves and bobs her way through the crowd, her path obvious by how people squeak and squawk and look /down/ as she makes her way through.

"That's tacky. It's called a mirror. My /god/, what are you /wearing/?"

Pushing her way back stage, Edith comes up beside Laser and Pete. She peers at Pete, eyeing his suit, which is similar to her own Men in Black, though hers has the white coiled cord for the comunit, instead of whatever Starkiness SHIELD tends to use.

"Who are you," Edith says bluntly, tiny arms folding over her chest. One of the two security agents that followed her from the table reach up to press into his ear piece and subvocalize: "ID on unknown MIB backstage. 5'10", Black/Blue/Caucasian."

There's so much unabashed grinning from Pete, who will still swear up and down it's his kind of music, and who wouldn't be caught dead listening to her records, but who'd give a LOT of money to see her at Madison Square Garden. Grinning, that is, until Edith comes all up... uh... down in his face. He blinks uncomprehendingly for a second, then pulls out his badge. "Pete Wisdom, agent of S.H.I.E.L.Dd; just minding the place doesn't get attacked by a nutter in long johns or with a pitchfork. And since I've been to a lot of shows where shit's been attacked, I let your lot out there know to be on the lookout from the ground; I'm in here because the most common dramatic entry point is usually over the stage if a point's being made, or backstage if there's something brewing against the performer."

Laser applauds with the best of them as the song ends. When E gets back stage though, he turns to look at the man who snuck up on him, frankly surprised to see him there. He moves to stand with E's security people to make it absolutely clear who he's with here. SHIELD, sure, but E hasn't cleared him yet.

Edith looks up at her security guy who, after a few moment's pause in which its clear he's listening to his compiece, nods to the designer. She turns back to Pete, a bright smile on her face, as if she hadn't just bluntly, almost rudely, demanded she know who he was less than five seconds ago.

"Yes; lovely to see you, dahling. Your suit's horrendous. Thank you for helping with security on my fabric," Edith says, tone shifting from happy to insulting to pleasant with statement, because Edith's mouth moves faster than her internal filter can keep up with most days. Note: the fabric, not the model.

"You can loose the glasses, Laser-dear. They are so very cliche, but stylish. WHo's are they," Edith says, turning to Laser with her big bug eyes.

"I-- what. Of course," says Wisdom, more than slightly baffled. And then he lets irritation creep in. "I *like* being horrible. Though if you make fireproof underwear I'd be all over it like white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm." He abruptly /glares/, all eyes and teeth, at Laser. "And if you breathe a word of that I'll find out and do horrible things to you with a permanent marker."

Laser laughs, much more relaxed now that everyone's been vetted, and everything's cool again. "Well, they're yours, of course, E. What else would I wear?" He turns to show the E logo on the side, and Laser's tone is only have joking. I mean, honestly, who do you wear to a party by Edith Mote? E.

Laser complies by pushing them up onto his head, revealing the soft yellow light in his eyes he was trying to cover up. He shifts in his suit too, suddenly aware of E's scrutiny. He's not overweight in the least, nor is he a broad-shouldered 'buff guy' but he is looking fit in that new suit, like a runner, or a dancer.

He turns to offer his hand to Pete as well. "Hey, why do you think I came to E? My clothes kept blowing off at high speeds. Hi, I'm Laser." He grins.

After soaking in some much-loved applause, Dazzler herself slips backstage to catch a breather; "I /love/ this stuff," she gushes at E - totally blowing in to bend down for immediate air kisses; "It's a whole new dimension, E, you're a /genius!/"

Of course, she notices there are others present -- Laser she's met once or twce, "Very snazzy," she tells him. Wisdom, however, gets a raised eyebrow and visually compared to the other security types here. Dazzler /actually/ hums the 'One Of These Things Just Doesn't Belong Here' game jingle.

"Oh, I do, dahling. I do. Aren't they standard issue at SHIELD? I'll have to call DOD about that one. But, tomorrow. Tonight is all about Dazzler, dahling..." Her focuss shifted from Pete, whom she had begun talking to Dazzler midsentence. She tip toes up to offer air-kisses, uncaring if they only really reach the singer's shoulders.

"You were sensational... The dress needs some work. How did it feel? Uncomfortable? Noisy? Too bright? Too soft? Tell me, dahling. We're all dying to know." Well, Edith's dying to know, and for Edith, that's just about everyone. She pauses, the looks at Laser, as if it suddenly occurs to her that he said something and showed off /her/ sunglassses.

"Oh. Yes. Well. They're nice," is all she says about the glasses, before her eyes trails down Laser's body. Oogling, sure. Not his physique, and not in the slightest bit sexual, but rather she's checking the fit and the snugness. The dancer's lines to his body she's making sure look even more graceful than usual by the cut and color of the outfit she's made for him. She still needs to get him moving at top speed, just to be certain the fabric can withstand the friction of the air mocules across- Oh! Dazzler's talking now.

"Yes, dahling. I know. I /know/," Edith replies with an almost annoyed wave of her tiny hands at Dazzler's word: genius. The smile, however, completely destroys any notion that the designer might be truly upset at the compliment.

"Dazzler, Laser, Wisdom, E. There. We're all friends, or acquaitences or whatever. Now we can- JANIS! Where's my cigarette?"

The middle aged woman sees to almost appear out of no where to offer Edith her lit cigarette in its ebony and ivory holder. Never mind the fact that the establishment is no-smoking.

Oh is that how it's rollin'. Wisdom gives Laser a slightly dazed ironic little smile, gestures encompassingly to indicate the introductions just made. "That. What she said." And then he palms his gum and sticks it in the gold paper from the back of his cigarette pack, from which he takes one. Pocketed again, he positions himself in a manner that shows an almost resigned awareness he's going to follow the bubbly chatter, but doesn't start moving until the stars do. "I just keep dropping lit ash on my boxers, me. F*&^*&ing inconvenient, that."

Laser cocks his head to one side, trying to imagine 'smoking in boxers' often enough that it becomes a chronic problem. Finally, he just shrugs. "Well, it's been terrific so far, Dazzler. The show. I mean, wow. You're gonna have to share some of your holographic secrets. I can get a lot of detail, but not all that movement, I mean... wow!"

"Just met and I already know WAY too much about your underwear, Wisdom," Dazzler says with a teasing tone -- "It's like when I met Britney ALL over again!" She does offer a hand, though; wether he shakes it or not (if not, no bigs, whatevs) she goes on to tell E, "Wouldn't change a thing. As soon as you get this to final spec, I'll want a whole bolt of it, I adore it."

Everything happens at once, so talking to everyone is par for the course. Dazz just grins at Laser; "I've been practicing 'fancy light shows' since I was 16 and playing at the high school dance. If you can do any of it, you can do some of it - put in the work and your art will thank you for it."

Edith clicks her tongue at Laser, as she turns to let the group follow her the to back stage dressing room slash manager's office.

"Quit gushing, dahling. You're getting fanboy on my dress," E quips at Laser, waving her lit cigarette in his general direction over her shoulder. It's a miracle she doesn't light her hair on fire or singe her ear or something.

To Dazzler: "Certainly, dear, certainly. If you want something truly elegant for it, I could be convinced to provide that two-bit Kohrs with enough for a little something for you, but honestly, if you want my opinion, you settle for an evening gown from Pnina. Tell her: No jewels, dahling; no jewels. And those see-through wedding gowns?" Edith audibly gags at the mere thought.

"But, I adore that she hasn't designed with a cape in years, my dovling. Years," Edith finishes, half turning toward the group as she waits for her security to clear the manager's office. She occupies herself for those few seconds by taking a hit off her gussied up cancer stick. Because she's busy sorting through upgrades to the fabric in her head.

"It could all be lies," Wisdom says to Dazzler, eyebrows up. "I could be going commando /every day/. The point is that no matter how much you want to, you'll /never see/." Quick shiteating grin, and he goes to clap Laser on the back. "You go on ahead and mingle with the stars. I'm going to go back out and report in. If something blows up, scream really loud and I'll probably hear it and come rushing in to blow up the source." Then he taps the brim of his nonexistent hat. "Cheers," he says, and it's back into the shadows toward the outside door.

Laser is practically spinning with all the conversations, people coming and going, he's definitely a little star struck. His own minor fame as an artist is /nothing/ compared to what this crowd rolls with every day. "Thanks for the invite, E. Terrific show."

"Pnina, no jewels," Dazzler repeats - she wants to make sure she gets it right. She also has sort of a reflexive horrified stare at the mere MENTION of 'sheer wedding gowns.' That's a THING? Augh!

"Thanks for coming!" she enthuses at Laser.

Yes, Dazzler. Bejeweled, sheer, wedding, gowns. Have you NOT seen 'Say YES to the Dress'? Ten k, easy for a Pnina Tornai see through sparkly princess gown of ultimate gaudiness. It's right up Edith's alley. Especially since there's not a cape in sight.

"Don't mention it, dahling. You looked fabulous. Next time, maybe you two can coordinate. Hmm... maybe a matching fabric. Your powers work differently, though. Can't use frequency harmonics for yours. It'd have to be something else," Edith rambles to herself, holding out a hand, which Janis fills with sketch pad and pen. She climbs up into the manager's chair, tries to get settled, but ends up grumping like Goldilocks finding Papa's Bear chair too hard. She finally just hops off, and finger wiggles her departure at the Wonder Twins of Lightshow Power.

"Ta, dahlings. I have footage to review, fabric to weave, lab spac eto blow up. You come by my studio day after tomorrow, okay? Okay. Tomorrow. Good bye." Edith Edna Mote, bidding her canvases adieu.