Miss Vivian's Intimacy Boutique was not your average lingerie store. And it was more than just because it catered to Animalians. The design of the place drew a lot of influences from Gothic architecture. There were several pillars inside, chandeliers that had both bulbs and candles for different mood lighting, and the floor was covered in red satin that was quite similar to the lining of a coffin. Despite this, the place still got a lot of customers who were pulled in by the allure and mystique of the place. And it was definitely a lingerie shop as there were several aisles that showed various kinds of lacy undergarments as well as some naught roleplaying costumes. Even the gargoyles that were part of the building were more anthropomorphic and sexualized than the grotesques that were on real Gothic buildings.
Dr. Lucy Vivian, or Miss Vivian to her patrons, was checking the lights of one of her chandeliers. Usually, she wore a vampire dress not unlike those worn by Carmilla or the Brides of Dracula. But today she was wearing a different outfit: a black catsuit that included a mini-corset and a large belt. This particular outfit was inspired by Selene of the Underworld films. Miss Vivian didn't care much for the romanticized image of vampires these days, particularly the ones that were sparkly and annoyingly moody. But Selene was a very different case, being an action-oriented woman who was every bit as dangerous as the older vampires. Also, Miss Vivian like the way her catsuit closely hugged the curves of her body, enhance a little bit by her corset. Besides, wearing a catsuit was much more prudent than wearing a dress when you're handing from the ceiling by your feet.
Miss Vivian's ear twitched when she heard the door open. She didn't need to put a bell on the door. Just the soft sound of it creaking was easily picked up by her bat hearing. She looked down from her spot on the ceiling to see two Animalian women walk in. To her amusement, she saw that they were Maggie Jones and Janice Cumbertin. The two women were alike and unalike in so many ways. For starters, they were both mustelids, Maggie being a leucistic mink and Janice a striped skunk. They both had gotten considerable fame from Animalia Ambassadoria, Janice for being their first interviewee and Maggie for her story about how Project Phoenix saved her body which had been ravaged by a flesh-eating bacteria. And both of them were in modeling.
But at that particular point, the differences began. The two of them had rather different views on modeling. In fact, they were arguing about that. "'Ow can you let all zose young girls parade around in such revealing clothes?" asked Janice with her thick French accent.
"That's the point of modeling," said Maggie, "Companies need attractive women t show off the clothes they make."
"Zey do not 'ave to be wearing such things," said Janice, "Zere are more 'olesome zings zey could be wearing."
"It's their choice of what they want to wear," said Maggie.
"No, it is society 'oo is choosing for zem," argued Janice.
Miss Vivian smirked a little before dropping from her perch. She flipped as she fell before landing on her feet in front of the arguing mustelids, not unlike Selene. Both Maggie and Janice jumped at that. Miss Vivian briefly felt a bit of anxiety at the way Janice cringed. It was well-known that skunks spray when they're startled and the last thing she needed was an obnoxious odor inside her shop which could spoil her lingerie. But thankfully, Janice was able to control herself. "Ladies, what is the reason for this quarrel and why do you bring it into my parlor?" asked Miss Vivian. She already knew, of course. But this incident would make an interesting addition to her psychology paper.
"Janice here wants to pick up lingerie for her mate," said Maggie.
Janice glared at Maggie and said, "Zat's private!"
"Well it's obviously the reason why we're here," said Maggie. She turned to Miss Vivian and said, "She'll want one of the sexy maid outfits."
Janice's glare intensified and she extender her claws. "I am not...a French maid!" she snapped.
Before she could lunge at Maggie, Miss Vivian got between them and said, "Whoa, time out. I will not allow fighting in my store." She looked over her shoulder at Maggie and said, "You shouldn't have riled her up like that."
"It was the best for her to really talk about her feelings," said Maggie, "When people are mad, they generally aren't able to come up with good lies."
Miss Vivian raised an eyebrow. Maggie was smarter than she looked. There was a little nagging feeling that Maggie might not the REAL reason Miss Vivian moved to Lyre. Why else would she pick a fight like this in the store of a psychologist? But that was mostly speculation. "And what feelings did you really want to know ?" asked Miss Vivian.
"Why she, a model herself, has such an over-conservative view on modeling," said Maggie.
"Just because I am not as shameless as you does not mean I am not normal!" snapped Janice.
"That's part of the problem right there," said Maggie, "In case you've forgotten, Animalia has a completely different concept of 'normal'. You're still thinking by human terms."
"Obviously, the heart of the matter is that something happened in your previous life that has given you a darker opinion about public sexiness, for lack of a better term," said Miss Vivian. She might not be openly operating as a psychologist right now, but she could see that Janice had some serious emotional baggage and required help. "Why don't you tell me about it?" asked Miss Vivian. Janice gave her an odd look. "I run a lingerie store, I'm very good at keeping secrets. Margaret, would you mind leaving for a while?"
"No, if she leaves now, she'll never stop pestering me about it," said Janice. She took a deep breath before saying, "My family was not particularly rich. In fact, the women of our family 'ave been maids almost as far back as Napoleon. Ze family business was well-known and plenty of important people have 'ired a maid from our family. Some of us 'ave tried for better, but it is not easy. My own maman tried to make enough money for me to live a better life by working for the richest people in Paris. But her treatment was...'orrible. She was abused near constantly by her employers, forced to wear a 'uniform' more adequate for sleeping zan actual cleaning. And ze rake who was to be ze next heir of the family fortune would constantly paw at 'er and smack 'er if 'e was drunk at ze time. But she did end up earning enough money for me to go to college. I will never forget what she 'ad to sacrifice to give me a better life and I promised myself I will never let myself be as debased as she was."
Maggie and Miss Vivian were silently stunned for a minute after that. They had never expected the Frenchwoman to have had such an unpleasant past. Janice and her mate, Walter, did model, but it was just the normal clothes that Animalians usually wore. The reason Janice avoided trying to dress sexy was more obvious now. Maggie was the first one to speak up. "That isn't the same as modeling, you know," she said.
Janice gave her a sharp look. "'Ow can it be different. You wear such scandalous things and invite men to ogle and grope at you," she snapped.
"I didn't say they weren't alike, but there are big differences. Models have more protection. People can't just touch models whenever they feel like. And while we dress sexy, it is because we choose to, not because we're forced to," said Maggie.
"I think your main issue might not be because your mother was put into a needlessly-scandalous position, but because her choices were taken from her," said Miss Vivian, "You don't have to feel that dressing the way you want is something society forces on you." She took a piece of loose paper from her counter and wrote something on it before giving it to Janice. "Here is the name, address, and phone number of a therapist I know. I think it would do you some good to work through your issues."
"And as you might have heard, next month the Modeling School will be heading to Mieni Atoll to do a big swimsuit shoot," said Maggie. Janice gave her an annoyed look and Maggie said, "I'm not saying you should be a part of that. But I think you and Walter could come along and enjoy a vacation. Think of it as a honeymoon if you want."
"And here's something more to think about," said Miss Vivian, "You may be able to earn enough money for your family in France to come live here. Your mother won't have to be anyone's maid anymore."
"Zat is somezing I have been dreaming of," said Janice, "It's not so easy to bring a family to a new country, especially zese days."
"I'm sure things will work out," said Maggie, "Now, how about getting that sexy sleepwear for Walter?"
Miss Vivian smiled as the two of them started browsing her wares. This was what she really wanted to see: people trying to overcome their issues in regards to their sexual natures. Janice might have a long way to go, but Maggie will be trying to support her, hopefully in a less aggravating way. This will all make a great addition to the paper she will eventually write about this place.