Elaine walked down the hall to the elevator, listening to the humming on the descent down to the first floor. She yawned when it dinged and the door opened, allowing her to make a tired exit into the lobby.
"Morning, Ms. Wolf," the morning security guard greeted her, "Early start to the day?"
"Something like that," she gave a tired smile, "Just heading to the studio."
"Hard at work as always." He smiled, "Drive safe out there."
"Always do." Elaine nodded, exiting through the spiral door into the cool morning air to retrieve her car from the garage.
She slid into the driver's seat, starting the ignition. Before she could pair up her phone, the radio started up mid-segment. She paused, turning the dial to listen to Zac Booth, more commonly known as DJ Spider, and Megan Richards, Neptune.
"...And rumors are still swirling like a wildfire about Luca Hunt's break from the stage." Zac's gruff voice filled the car as he spoke. "Ever since the Black Diamond performance, Architects are wondering: Is Luca Hunt officially done performing?"
"You know, Spider, I don't buy it," Megan chimed in. "The guy's a genius. He just needs time to rest."
"Maybe." Zac hummed, "But the question is: Is he planning a comeback? Or has the spotlight burned him out for good?"
Elaine's fingers folded around her steering wheel, listening to the two hosts before their voices faded into the station's next track: Midnight Kiss by Premise of Design.
She rested her chin on her hands, listening to each verse. "He sounds so tired…" She murmured, letting out a soft sigh as she slowly sat up to put on her seatbelt. Come to think of it… Wasn't this the last track he sang in?
She sent a quick text to Enzo before pulling out of the garage to the address set up in her GPS. Unlike the music studio, the drive was a bit longer, taking her into a high-end part of the city filled with boutiques and other design studios.
She pulled into the parking lot, parking near what she assumed was Enzo's car, and stepped out, taking a quick look around before swinging her bag over her shoulder to enter the building. The bell above the door jingled as she entered, blinking in surprise, spotting Enzo leaning on the wall next to the entryway.
"Right on time," Enzo murmured, holding out a coffee cup, "Hazelnut, right?"
"Oh." Elaine blinked slowly, a bit confused and surprised. "Yeah, thank you… How'd you know that?"
"I pay attention." Enzo shrugged, "The other day at M.I.U., there was a pod missing from the tower. Luca hasn't been drinking it lately, so that left Lucian or you."
He stepped past her, beckoning her to follow him into his workspace. She gave a silent chuckle, following before pausing behind him as she stared at the mess before her.
"...It looks like a boutique exploded," Elaine murmured slowly, looking around at the bolts of fabric draped over furniture, hundreds of outfits hung on several racks around the room, hangers strung about across the floor and railings, even the mannequins looked as if they had been in a fight with outfits halfway settled on them.
"That's generous." Enzo snorted, giving a faint, awkward grin. "It's been like this for three days? Photo shoot prep and all that… Casen's fault, mostly."
"Of course it is."
"Don't encourage him." Enzo groaned. "He's been on a creative streak lately. Basically, that's code for: no sleep, new ideas at 2 a.m., and hundreds of concepts that I cannot use."
Elaine laughed lightly, putting her coffee and bag on an empty chair, before she began sifting through the fabrics. Let's see, maybe, if I start by separating the mess, then I can see what he's working with. She examined each article, forming neat piles while she separated scraps from pieces of outfits.
Enzo tilted his head, watching her closely before his brows subtly furrowed. "What're you doing?"
"I'm narrowing it down," Elaine hummed. "Half of these don't match the concept you mentioned."
Enzo blinked, glancing to the side a moment, no doubt trying to remember when he mentioned anything about the shoot. "...You don't even know the concept…"
"Sure, I do." She chuckled, neatly folding a pair of pants over a hanger. "You said it's for the next promotional shoot. Basically, high contrast, personality-focused outfits that match with a minimal background." She turned, gesturing to a rack to her left, "These here are too busy. The rest are workable."
"Okay." Enzo blinked, impressed by her wit before hiding it with a dry laugh. "Remind me never to play chess with you."
Elaine let out a soft laugh, matching outfits together by their colors and sizes, hanging them on a rack near the back wall. Enzo glanced at his phone, leaving for a moment before returning with a bag of food from The Maple. He kept an eye on Elaine as he cleared off the coffee table, separating everything on both sides before sitting partially sprawled out on the floor.
"Breakfast's here." Enzo hummed, leaning his chin on his hand, cracking a small smile. "Come eat before you keep making me look bad."
"I'm not-" Elaine paused, turning around to meet his gaze, then laughed, "Okay, maybe a little."
She sat down across from him, unwrapping the breakfast sandwich, offering a quick thank you before taking a bite. Enzo nodded, taking a bite of his own as he surveyed the studio silently. As they both finished up, it was Enzo who spoke.
"You really like this kind of work, don't you?"
"Well, I like anything that feels alive." Elaine blinked, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Music, design… They're both ways of building something that people can feel."
Enzo raised a brow, then nodded slowly. "You think differently from most people." He took a sip of his drink, "It's… nice."
Elaine blinked, caught off guard by the sudden compliment. They all have a way of making me feel awkward, don't they?
"So," she smiled faintly, gesturing toward the outfits. "What's the plan here?"
Enzo leaned his head on his hand for a moment, seemingly in deep thought as he looked around at everything. He eventually gave a quick nod, standing up. "Pick your favorites. Let's go with two per member." He tilted his head, gazing down at her. "Let's see what your instincts say, Wolf."
Elaine smiled, chuckling as he offered his hand to pull her up. She took it, and he hauled her up onto her feet. She walked towards the racks, sorting through them before studying each piece on the mannequins. She rearranged, holding pieces together, humming to herself while visualizing each member in the outfits she was piecing together.
Enzo leaned over a clothing rack by the door, watching her work through her process. He discreetly snapped a photo of her while she dressed a mannequin, glancing at it while keeping an eye on her.
After about fifteen minutes, Elaine stepped back from the mannequins with her hands on her hips. Looking at the outfit each figure wore and the secondary outfit hung behind them.
"Okay," Elaine brushed her hands together. "Two each, balanced tones and clean lines."
"You've got a good eye," Enzo rumbled, leaning down to rest his head on his hands. "I think I'll keep these."
"You're welcome." Elaine chuckled, turning to look at him with her hands clasped behind her back. "My best friend's a design major, she'd love this setup."
Enzo raised his brows, lifting his head slightly. "Oh yeah?"
"Mm." Elaine smiled, "She's the creative type. You two would probably get along."
Enzo hummed in thought, giving a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind." He blinked when his phone rang and sighed, "What now?" He murmured, tilting it to look at the screen. "Ah. Sorry, I've gotta take this."
He waved his phone as Elaine nodded, turning to look back at all the outfits. After a few moments, he stepped back inside, walking over to her, "I apologize, I've got to cut today short… Something came up."
"No problem." Elaine nodded, "Hopefully, I helped you out a little."
"You did," Enzo confirmed, clicking his tongue as he walked her to the door, gently pushing it open with his foot. "Drive safe, yeah?"
"Always." Elaine chuckled, nodding. They're all like this, huh? She waved, heading to her car, leaving Enzo in the doorway until she drove off.
He stepped back inside, pulling the door closed while he looked at all the outfits Elaine had put together. He circled them, lifting sleeves and adjusting collars before striding backward with his phone and snapped a photo of the scene before him, sending it to the band's official chat.
╭────────────╮
{Enzo} (Text)
Yo, where'd you find this girl? I had fifty outfits pulled, and she narrowed it down to ten like she'd been doing this for years.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Rylan} (Text)
The goddess strikes again 😭
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Casen} (Text)
NO WAY 😮
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Lucian} (Text)
You're kidding.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Enzo} (Text)
Dead serious, man. She's got an eye for detail.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Rylan} (Text)
Oh she's dangerous 😭😭
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Casen} (Text)
ngl she looks like she walked straight outta moodboard
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Lucian} (Text)
She does.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Enzo} (Text)
You're telling me.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Rylan} (Text)
She fits the vibe already, man
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Casen} (Text)
not to stir the pot but she's makin us all look bad 💀
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Lucian} (Text)
Casen, you make yourself look bad.
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Casen} (Text)
rude accurate but rude
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Enzo} (Text)
Luca, you sure about keeping her around, man?
╰────────────╯
╭────────────╮
{Luca} (Text)
Yeah. I'm sure.
╰────────────╯