The Biz: Versatility: Model Me
DGM
Chapter 2
First Day: Flaws?
Allen read and reread the card Komui handed him the other day. He was still unsure about this modeling stuff. It sounded absurd, but the money. . . . . Curse Cross. He wouldn't be in this mess if not for his pathetic master, but if he finds how much money earns now, how will he react? "Cry me a river and sail me to Hades. I'm going down." Allen said, palming his face.
Although Allen had a few doubts about this, he wondered, what kind of name was the Black Order for a modeling agency? It sounds dark, but also mysterious. Maybe it's to raise questions? Allen tried to think of why someone would name this business the Black Order. It was strange. Then again, Allen would fit in just fine. Wouldn't he?
He put the small business card in his pocket and gripped his left arm. His left arm, that was what he was mostly worried about. He can't change in front of anybody and definitely couldn't take his shirt off. Standing in front of the large and tall building, Allen got more nervous as time passed and found he couldn't move his body anymore. This job was shameful. He had to find another way to raise money. "Hey Allen, what are ya doing just standing there buddy. Walk in. You're welcomed here." Lavi said, putting a hand on Allen's shoulder and shoving him towards the door.
"Wa-wait. I-I'm no way ready for this. I don't even know why you want me for this. I look peculiar." Allen said.
It helped him with nothing. He was jus pushed further in the void and faster. Allen's feet started moving, but he wanted to turn around. He couldn't model. Allen was always shy in front of the camera. It wasn't that which stopped him. It was the thought that Master would find out about all the money and triple his horrible habits. Why on earth was there a man like him in this life?
'It's for the money. It's for the money. For the money. For the money. Need to get out of debt. Need to stop paying his debts. Why am I repeating everything I think of?' Allen thought to himself. Allen exhaled as he slowly tread into an elevator with a few people. He leaned on the railing in the back as Lavi pushed the button for them and Allen took note of which one it was. The second to the top floor was where they were heading.
Lavi ran his fingers through his messy red hair and leaning on the small wooden rail, right next to Allen. "You'll like the job. It's easy and fun. That and all the cash you'll stack up. The more popular you are, the more you'll rake in." Lavi told him, grinning.
"How is modeling fun? All you do is pose and get your picture taken dressed in some fancy and designer clothes." Allen replied.
"You'll be surprised, but there isn't many girl models here. Most of them are guys." Lavi said.
"How does that answer my question?" Allen inquired.
"It doesn't. I can't describe fun to you because my definition could be different from you, but from the looks of ya, you're a stick in the mud right now. I bet you've never had fun." Lavi said in an almost whisper.
"I have, but I spend most of my time trying to keep up in school and paying debts that I don't get much time to myself. When I'm through with everything I go home and sleep. Temporary jobs don't pay much and it's not easy to find money anywhere. So. . . . Heh, I suppose you're right. I did say just yesterday my life was dull." Allen commented.
Lavi glanced at Allen. He noticed a glove on his left hand, but hand right hand was glove free. He wasn't positive, but he was almost sure he wore that same glove when he first brought Allen here, but both hands had a glove that day. He decided not to ask Allen. There was a chance he wore it because the way he was raised or because of where he was from. Allen did appear to be a gentlemen. It took some time for him to bark at Lavi yesterday. "By the way, what's your name?" Allen asked.
"Me? You don't know who moi is?" Lavi asked dramatically.
"Uh, no. I only know who Komui is." Allen said bluntly.
"You don't pay attention to magazines or billboards?" Lavi asked.
"Me? Nothing of the sorts. Sorry." Allen answered, shaking his head and feigning apology.
"You really don't know anything about modeling. Lord save his soul." Lavi said, praying to some lord above.
The doors opened and they both walked out of the elevator. Allen looked around and found a handful of desks with people working at them right now. There were a couple of doors and big windows so the room was bright. Many hallways led out of the room and to other parts of the floor. Allen had been so caught up in how amazing the place looked, that he forgot to pay attention and ran into somebody. He stumbled backwards and looked at the person. "I'm sorry."
Kanda glared at Allen and Allen didn't seem affected at all. He was more clueless at the moment then scared. "Watch where you're going shorty." Kanda growled.
Allen's fingers twitched and he felt like an anvil had just fallen on his bushy head. Lavi covered his mouth and snickered, but kept his mouth shut otherwise. He wanted to see where this would go. The whole point of hiring him was because of his so called patience and now to see if it would last. Could his patience stand Kanda or will he lose it and walk away or will he be scared away? "I beg your pardon, but what did you just call me?" Allen seethed.
Kanda stared at him grimly and pushed him out of the way. "Back off shorty. Before you regret it." Kanda grumbled.
Allen smacked his hand away and stood there in utter silence. His eyebrow started twitching and Kanda began to walk away. Allen clenched and unclenched his fist, but he took a few deep breaths. Now he understood why they asked if he had patience. He should be able to manage. He can handle Cross-barely-so this guy was nothing.
Lavi's grin got goofier and bigger. "This guy just might last."
"Allen, you're here. I'm so glad." Lenalee's voice said.
Allen straightened his back. Forgetting the previous annoyance, he laid his eyes on Lenalee. She was wearing a velvet black skirt that went to about mid-thigh and she had a white blouse buttoned all the way up except for three lonely buttons near the top. The blouse wasn't a long sleeve, but to add some flare, there was a red tie with a bright ruby colors and golden earring hung on her ears. She didn't appear to be wearing makeup and Lenalee also had black socks on with red anklets on both of her ankles. To finish it up, she wore red dress shoes that actually looked like rubies.
Allen nodded in response since he didn't know what to say to her, but he had to admit, she looked beautiful. Despite her not being dressed up all fancy. "Hello." Allen muttered.
"Don't be shy. We're all friends here. Nobody is gonna harm nor judge you." Lenalee said, offering encouragement.
Lenalee held out her hand and Allen held out his. While she graciously shook his hand, she gladly introduced herself. "I don't think we properly met yesterday. I'm Lenalee Lee. It's nice to meet you."
"My name is Allen Walker. Which you all seem to know somehow." Allen said.
Lenalee stifled a giggle. "Well, we have our ways of figuring things out. I should warn you though, some people can be-what's the word- aggravating."
"Apparently."
Allen let go of her hand after he realized he was still shaking it. He then followed Lenalee and Lavi to a room not far off. Cameras and lighting systems as well as wires were all over the room. Green screens and paperboard backgrounds either hung from the ceiling or stood on two or more plastic feet. There were chairs and other props laying on one end of the room and there was a rack full of clothes. Another door was off to the right and Allen guessed it was a closet, the bathroom, or a changing room. Now, if you went directly to your right and stayed near the wall, there was a hallway. Even with everything in this room, it was still neat.
The wires were wrapped together with a plastic band. The cameras around the photo scene and the background could easily be moved around. Allen squinted his eyes when the people at the cameras started taking pictures of a boy with jet black hair and a small scar across his nose horizontally. He was smiling and was having a great time, so it seemed. He wasn't dressed fancy, but he was dressed in clothes Allen would never be able to afford. They were ordinary clothes, pretty plain, but they were designers. Ones that you would buy at a mildly expensive place like at a Nike or Old Navy Goods store, only a little more expensive. The same went for Lenalee's clothes.
With that in mind, Allen inspected Lavi and the same went for him. His shirt alone could pay for Allen's outfit. It had a funky design on it. The best way to describe the design is by comparing it to a kool-aid or a regular fruit flavor packet being poured into water or even a lava lamp would fit it, but other than that, it was rather plain. "Is that the new guy?" the posing model asked, running over to Allen.
Allen's heart just about jumped out of his throat when the boy got up in his face and grinned. "Man, this kid is adorable for a boy!"
Allen blinked. Adorable? Adorable! That's the first in a long time. Everybody called him a freak or a troublemaker. "Hey there, I'm Alma Karma. The name's kinda embarrassing, but yeah."
Was it just Allen or did that make no sense at all? "Anyways, it's nice to know we finally got somebody new and I hope you stay for awhile. Oh, and don't let Kanda get to you. He's just a bully alright? So ignore him. He is the way he is. Oh, if you don't know who he is, he has long bluish-purplish hair in a big ponytail and squinty, beady little eyes. Cobalt color, might I add. He is tall, about six feet and he-"
"I met him." Allen interrupted, irritation clear.
"I see." Alma murmured. "Passing that subject, what's your name Brit?"
"Brit?"
"Yeah, I heard the newcomer was a Brit-boy." Alma said, scratching his cheek, but all the while smiling. "You don't really sound British though."
Allen wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or disappointed. These people were putting him in an awkward position and were leaving him speechless. Was it too late to quit? "That's alright Alma. This ding bat here is Britter than Brit. Just wait until you hear him speak. It's so cool." Lavi said.
"You make so sense what-so-ever." Allen mumbled.
"Okay, I'll take your words to heart. What's your name again?" Alma questioned.
"Allen Walker."
"Allen! Yahoo, you came. Now let's start with the basics." Komui said, skipping over. "Come, come. We don't bite."
Allen was grabbed by his arm and Komui sat him down in a chair. Allen had a bad feeling already and he was hoping it was just paranoia. Komui found another chair and set it in front of Allen. He pointed a light at Allen and the air tensed. "What are you doing?" Allen asked.
"We are going to figure out how we're going to take your photos. We must base it on your looks, your personality, and with clothes you would wear. We also need to figure out what kind of poses work for you. Like for Kanda, he doesn't smile. Not in his photos, but it works for him. So we have Aiden Vinciauto (Vin-ss-C-aw-tow) who narrows everything down through a one-on-one interview with you. He is also your photo shoot director. He plans, he takes, and picks, but everything is based on you." Komui said.
A man with a lot of hair gel in his shiny locks sat down in the chair and held a notepad and pen in his hands. He crossed one leg over another and smiled heartily. "You are a handsome boy. I thought they were being overdramatic when they mentioned a new cutie. I just hope you'll stick around. I'll adore our time spent together." Aiden said.
Allen put his schoolbag beside his feet and leaned back in the chair. It was comfy, but he didn't know what to get from this guy. He was bizarre. His shoes were pointy and he wore tight leather pants and a bright red shirt. "I don't think my time spent here will be a long one." Allen told him.
"Why not? With a face like yours, the people will just eat you up." Aiden said.
"Frankly, this type of graft is not in my area. I may be a young laddy, but I have been earning bees and honey for the last few years and I worked with many jobs. This may pay a lot, but I'm not mint with attention." Allen told him.
Aiden's lips puckered into a deeper smile. "If you stay long enough, you'll find a new and more fun life. This company is much different from other agencies. It was basically built for fun."
". . . . I'll keep that in mind." Allen responded, his words knocking on his brain.
"Hey, can we stay and listen? You won't even know we're here. I want to know more about this character." Lavi asked pleadingly.
"Sorry bunny, you gotta go. All of you babies. It's a one on one interview with director and model. This is for me to get to know him." Aiden told him.
'What the bloody hell did he just say?' Allen mentally shouted. "Aww, man. This stinks." Lavi said, snapping his fingers.
Allen listened carefully as all the cameramen and workers left the room leaving Allen alone with Aiden. A few moments passed by in complete silence and they both stared at one another. Aiden studied Allen's face and then the rest of his body, looking over his clothes, figure, and taking in every detail. "You're so slender. Using a whim for your size will get us nowhere. We'll have to have you measured." Aiden said, writing every word down on the notepad. "If I'm mistaken, you're about Lenalee's size, but I don't think we should dress you in girl clothes, as amusing as it would be."
Allen felt his face starting to get warm. There was definitely a red tint laying on his face. "Couldn't I just give you my size?" Allen asked.
"We'll need that too." Aiden told him.
Allen awaited his first question, but Aiden was still examining Allen. So he kept quiet and listened to the only sound he could hear: His own breathing. Minute after minute passed and the atmosphere continuously changed. Still, not a word was spoken from either one for what seemed like the longest time. "Let's begin. To start off I'm going to ask you direct questions and I want your utmost honesty. This is important. Like the fabulous Komui said earlier, everything is based on the interview." Aiden said, suddenly breaking the silence.
"Uh, okay."
Lavi paced around in circles as Lenalee and Alma talked to one another. Lavi wanted to know the results Aiden got with Allen. He wanted to know desperately. It had been almost two hours and that guy hasn't finished cracking the kid, but it never took this long with anyone before. So what was going on? What could be taking so long? "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Will they just get their lazy butts out of there? I want to know already!" Lavi shouted, yanking his hair.
"You'll find out soon. Aiden might be wasting time on purpose anyhow. By the looks of it, he really likes Allen. That, and I asked him to test Allen's patience." Komui said gleefully.
"And why would you do that!" Lavi bellowed.
"To know if he'll last here. If possible, I would like him to be a permanent model. I have a good feeling about him." Komui told him.
The door clicked open and both Allen and Aiden walked out of the room. It was hard to say, but they were seemed to be getting along quite well. It was not normal for someone like Allen to adapt so easily to Aiden's personality. Unless you were like Lavi who would only act the same way for the fun of it. For the first time since they met Allen, though, he was smiling. It wasn't fake from what Lavi could tell and it didn't looked forced. It was a smile that shined. "Oh my god," Lavi said. "You are so hot!"
Allen's smile almost vanished as Lavi hugged him. "If you'd smile earlier I would be so much happier. You make my heart melt like fire to ice!"
"Excuse me, what?" Allen confusingly asked.
Lenalee giggled. "Stop teasin' him. I think what Lavi is trying to say is that you have an amazing smile. It really brightens your face. It makes you look so much better. I just hope to see your smile more."
"He smiled through most of the interview." Aiden noted. "Such a sweetie, too. I swear on my life I've never met anybody as spectacular as this cutie. His patience test, well, he passed with flying colors. He's only short tempered when certain things are spoken. His manners couldn't get any better either. As for etiquette, perfect. He has social grace and I could tell you everything, but there'd be a long, long list about this stupendous boy."
"What I tell you, he loves Allen!" Komui exclaimed.
"You're darn tootin'. I don't love him, I'm obsessed!" Aiden claimed.
"So did you figure out how to do his photo shoots?" Alma inquired.
"Absolutely." Aiden said, smirking as he held up some pictures. "We even did a few previews. Would you like too see?"
"Yes, yes!" Lavi jumped up and down.
Aiden handed the crowded group the few photos and Allen tried to find something to occupy himself with. He heard the others murmur and he wasn't sure what to think. Not only was Allen not used to having pictures taking, he wasn't used to modeling. He didn't have to change his clothes and he didn't have to really do much. He either sat down in a special way or stood in a special way. Aiden told him to do what he thought was comfortable and then told how to pose. It wasn't that bad in truth, but he couldn't say it was fun. "These are good. For just an ordinary kid and an amateur." Lavi said.
"You think?" Allen asked, somewhat curious.
"Yeah, I know." Lavi told him.
"And I agree." Lenalee added.
"We'll have to see just how far he'll go." Komui told them. "Oh, and welcome to the Black Order."
It wasn't as interesting as I planned, but I hope you all still liked it. And I hope it doesn't appear rushed. Thanks for all the reviews too! As I always like to ask, please review. (Again!)