2009-12-17: BAM!

Starring:

Hallis_V4icon.pngNathan_V4icon.png

Date: December 17, 2009

Summary:

Brayden goes to thank Hallis for the clothes and gets schooled in fashion.


"BAM!"

Hallis' House

Hanging up the phone, Hallis is certain she heard Gene's voice again through the speaker but she just puts it off to a goodbye or something. Placing hers and Sydney's phone in her purse, she pads to her bedroom to change. A few minutes later, she emerges wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe and carrying a wire basket full of bath essentials. She's going to pamper herself before going back to the hospital, she needs it.

It's at this moment that there's a gentle rap at Hallis' door. Brayden stands outside in one of the latest suits Hallis brought by his office, except it's been paired with a red tie with a giant green christmas tree printed on it. The tree, however, is wearing sunglasses, has a smile and is lit up with multicoloured lights throughout. Brayden could only love it more if it actually lit up.

Hallis is actually just passing the door as the gentle rap causes her plan to deflate like a balloon. "One minute!" she calls out as she continues to the bathroom. If she's going to answer the door in a bathrobe, she's going to look good doing it. Damnit. She checks her lips and eyes, running her right pinky finger under her eyes first and clearing any tired circles under them. Then with her other she dips it into a small container of lip gloss and runs it quickly over her lips. Smiling at her reflection, she blows herself a little kiss in the mirror and finally makes her way over to the door.

Opening it, she's surprised that it's Nathan on the other side. Obviously she was expecting someone else. She peeks her head out and looks down the hallways before looking up at him with a smile. "Hi, you got the suits! Good! Come on in." She ushers him inside with a big smile and reaches up. "Here, let me help you with this…" Her fingers grip the tie and it quickly slides from his neck. "There, that's better."

"Hey Halli — hey! I like that tie!! I just got it and I think it's awesome!" Brayden objects rather loudly after being ushered in and having his tie removed. "Seriously! No one else has one like it, and it's got some definite personality to it." He smiles brightly following his objection before the girl's attire registers. "Oh wait, were you expecting someone? I just came by to thank you for the clothes… they look great, especially once I accessorize them."

"The only people who need ties with personality are people who have no personality." Hallis counter, balling up the tie and stuffing it between her couch cushions. Then she smiles at him brightly, "I'm sure your staff will thank me for that one. Didn't you get all the ties that I got you? I thought for sure you'd like them. I picked them out because they had just enough pizzaz without overshadowing the outfit." She points toward the big leather chair and then settles herself into one of the chaise lounges opposite it. "I wasn't expecting anyone, actually."

"But they don't have that kind of pizzaz!" Brayden objects again as he points towards her hand that holds the balled up tie. "And I have tonnes of personality so it has to come out somehow! I lived in plaid before that suit you bought me — now everyone expects me to live in suits… my ties make it bearable!!" He pouts a little as he strolls over to the big leather chair and settles into it, "Well I'm glad that I didn't interrupt anything." He pauses before he smiles, "I went and visited the kids and my… wife — I guess?"

Hallis smiles brightly and cross one leg over the other, tucking the robe back around to hide her exposed leg. "Have you ever considered socks? That's like giving people a little peek into the hidden world of Brayden or Nathan… Braythan." She holds up her hands as if trying to mime a photo or a movie screen. "Picture it, you'll be all stately in your suit… Then… you'll sit down. And people will be looking at you, but what is that?" And she ducks just a little, to try to catch a glimpse of the man's ankle below his pantleg. "Is he wearing… Santa socks?"

"Socks? Hmmm…" Brayden grins a little at the notion. "There is something about keeping people guessing. Maybe… maybe I'll do just that." He hmmms again. "You said you gave me ties? I mostly just pushed the accessories aside — do you think I could get away with belt buckles? I have this white one that says cocky on it in red lettering — used to wear it with my jeans and plaid shirts…. do you think I could get away with that?"

"How about we start with the socks first, then we'll see how much we can get away with. Okay?" Hallis suggests, sitting up again and making sure her assets weren't hanging out when she bent over. "After all, you're trying to get New Yorkers to vote for you, not people from Texas." She leans back in the lounge and swings her feet up, crossing them at the ankle. "Who is your image consultant anyway? The person that buys your clothing for you? You need one, you know… a good one."

"Really? An image consultant? Why would I need one of those? Can't I just go buy clothes from Walmart or something? I think they have suits — " Brayden asks as he wrinkles his eyebrows. "And I like that belt buckle, but I guess you're right. I'll lay off the ties and belt buckles … for now." He grins broadly.

Hallis' face pales and she turns a faint tinge of green when the dreaded word 'Walmart' gets thrown into the sentence. "No, you can't buy clothes from W-W-W… That place. Just saying it makes me dry heave." She shudders violently and then holds her head in a rather stately manner. With a long sigh, she lowers her eyes and picks at the fuzz on her robe. "You obviously need someone to shop for you. You're not going to have time to go and buy your clothes yourself. It takes a long time to get an outfit just right."

"Fine. I won't shop at Walmart." Brayden sighs as his shoulders slump slightly. He's never been a politician — not in memory, anyways. With another sigh he narrows his eyes at Hallis, "Well who would shop for me? Do people actually do that? Seriously? People pay other people to shop for them?"

Nodding, Hallis gives him a proud smile, "It's what I do for a living." She slides down a little in the chaise and folds her arms over her chest, getting a little more comfortable. "You didn't know that? I thought for sure I told you." Her eyes flit toward the kitchen and she purses her lips lightly, "Oh! I forgot to offer you something to drink. Do you want a beer? I'd offer tea or coffee… but I don't know how to make it."

"You have beer?" Brayden glances at the woman skeptically, but nods. "Sure I'll have a beer. I'm not much of a coffee or tea drinker anyways, the beer is much better." With a smirk he narrows his eyes, "You wouldn't be in need of work then, would you? Apparently I'm in need of help… and my bid for that Senate seat can't be stopped because of the way I dress…"

A pair of blonde eyebrows raises quickly as the small smile graces the glossy lips of the young woman. "Are people going to be voting for you? Because if they are, image is everything." She pads to the kitchen and opens the fridge to grab two bottles of beer. She was going to stop at the one earlier this evening, but there's company. They tops don't twist off, so she expertly pops the caps off with a little bottle opener retrieved from the drawer. As she passes by Nathan to retake her seat, she passes him the bottle. It's not the kind he likes, it's a pale import, unfortunately. But it's beer. "I have a job already, with the greatest boss in the world… Sorry." She makes an apologetic face before tipping the bottle to her lips and taking a drink. Her eyes drift over to the last suit jacket that was carelessly placed on the other chaise in the room.

"Eventually they will. Hopefully. I'm trying to maintain a relatively good profile with the public." Other than the Single Ladies incident. Brayden raises the beer bottle to his lips and takes a swig. It's better than not beer, at least. With a smirk he nods, "No worries. I figured you'd already be employed. It's just… very important that I get this senate seat. To more than myself, but then I guess it might help me recover my former self too." He shrugs a little before he grins again. He's not divulging anything odd. Not really.

"You know…" Hallis glances over to Nathan and then the suit bag on the other chaise. "Your assistant is going to kill me for this. But I think you need it." She places her beer down on a small table and swings her legs to the floor, tightening her robe as she gets up. Striding to black bag, she holds it up by the hangar and turns to face him. "Before I do this… you need to make me a very very serious promise."

"Assistant?" Brayden quirks with a titled head as he watches Hallis walk to the suit bag. "Who exactly — you mean Linda, the one you left the clothes with? She's more an advisor than…" he peers at the bag. "What's the promise?"

"No ties. No ties with this ever." Hallis says sternly, slowly pulling the zipper a bit further. "And you have to wear it with pants and a shirt that I approve of." She pulls the bag away to reveal a fabulous grey blazer with a paisley print and black edging. "If you promise me that, you can have this. Now this blazer is personality that is full of style."

"Oooooooooo," Brayden murmurs as he stares at the jacket and stands to his feet. "I. Must. Have. This." He walks over to touch the jacket and unbuttons the one he's wearing before slipping it off his shoulders to put on the new jacket. He pulls it over his shoulders before turning in a circle, "So? What do you think?"

Dusting off the shoulders with her well manicured fingers, Hallis nods, puckering her lips a little as she considers it. "I knew it was perfect. Makes you look a hundred years younger." She flashes the man a quick smile and straightens his collar under the shirt, unbuttoning the first two buttons and pulling at it just a little to raise the corners above the lapel of the jacket. "Now, I approve of plain black stretch wool slacks and a plain white shirt with this. And those shoes that I bought you in Washington. You can wear whatever flavor of socks you want with it."

"This jacket is awesome. In every way." Brayden turns around, "BAM!" and 'shoots' the kitchen area with his finger before blowing the 'smoke' away. He grins broadly as he turns back to face Hallis, "Bond didn't look this good in a suit." He smoothes the jacket and takes another swig of his beer. He feels at home in the jacket.

Hallis smiles brightly as she watches the politician's antics. "I'm not going to let you keep it unless you say the words." By her stance and posture, it's obvious that the small woman means business. She's not going to let the man get away without them. One of her eyebrows is arches as high as the vaulted ceiling in her living room. The other is lowered into a half frown over her eye. "Now say them…"

"I promise not to wear a tie with them and will follow your directions about the pants and shoes," Brayden holds up two fingers and adds for good measure, "Scout's honour." And then he grins again before finishing off his beer. "I bet Superman himself couldn't make this jacket look so good."

Smiling, Hallis reaches up and touches the man's nose a little bit flirtatiously. "Good boy. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now the rules… You can wear it with faded jeans, flat black pants… You know what? I have just the person you need." She skips over to her purse and pulls out her wallet. Wandering back, she's flipping through the various cards within it. Finally, she plucks one out with a smile and hands it to him. "This guy, HE is exactly the guy you need. His name is Trey Clovis, you're going to love him."

"A guy?" Brayden wrinkles his nose as he places his rolls his empty beer bottle between his fingers. "Really? I'm not sure how I feel about having a guy dress me… honestly Hallis, having a woman dress me is good, a guy is a little… odd…"

Looking up at Brayden, Hallis puckers her lips a little, a look of complete disapproval painting her features. "You're going to love him. Trust me. He's probably the only person on the planet (other than me of course) that's not going to take that jacket away from you." Picking the card out of his fingers again, Hallis clips to the kitchen and bends over the counter as she jots down some more information on it. "In fact… He's the salesman at Neiman Marcus that suggested that blazer. He'll be good for you. Trust me."

"Alright. I'll hire him. Trey Clovis it is," Brayden sighs as he takes the information from Hallis. "I'll be sure to get in touch. Hopefully he can help me. AND convince my staff that jackets like this one are actually all kinds of awesome." He picks up his other suit jacket and pads to the door. "Listen, I'll take you out sometime for drinks and we'll party it up old school and I will wear this." He grins. "I owe you one. Seriously."

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