#Pisces: Angelique Lamour | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-zodiacs-written-in-the-stars · 5 years ago

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Chapter 18: Angelique Lamour

You make a beautiful mermaid, you know.”

“What do you want, Tony? You only give out free compliments when you want something.”

Angel smiled into her mirror at the image of Tony standing behind her. The heterochromic model ran a hand through his hair and pouted at her. He was looking pretty good himself as a merman, with the various shades of purple adoring his torso and face, patterns of scales making him look completely different. Continuing to smile, Angel fixed her hair a bit. Most of them had been finished with make-up, but the shoot couldn't start without the star; Poseidon. So they were all currently waiting for the finishing touches on today's center-piece.

“I was hoping you had some hot guy you could set me up with”, sighed Tony.

“...Are you serious?”, asked Angel surprised and turned around in her chair. “You?”

Tony huffed and crossed his arms. “Look. I'm aware I'm an absolute catch and I have no problems batting my eyelashes at a guy and make him buy me a yacht. But that's all so... superficial.”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Tony sat down on Angel's vanity, pouting at her. “Kit's been talking all about the cutesy little dates that Joss has been having with that hot lady doctor Laureen set them up with. So, I figured, maybe stop seducing rich guys who just want sex, maybe ask a good friend to set me up with someone they think is a good match. Congrats, you're the friend I chose because Kit is too much of a lesbian to even acknowledge that men could be dating material for others, she just wiggled her nose at me and glared in a very disturbed way. So. Set me up with a guy.”

Angel smiled at that and perked up a little. Tony was right, Joss had been happier in the past two weeks than Angel had seen them in a long time. Maybe if finding a date yourself isn't working, trusting a good friend can work. She was more than happy to help. Just to deflate a little.

“I... don't exactly know a lot of gay guys. Or, you know, guys on the gay-spectrum. Uhm. Would you say that like that? Like, bisexual and pansexual men”, elaborated Angel before pausing. “Actually no never mind I just had an absolute genius idea! Oh!”

She suddenly jumped up in excitement and got her phone out. Tony raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“Do not make me regret this, Lamour!”, warned Tony seriously.

Angel just giggled delighted while texting before holding up her phone and taking a picture of Tony. Look at that pretty face. Fancy a date with him? 28, professional model, hobby baker and artist at heart. He's a cutie! And you've been a sulking single for OVER a year now!!!

“Just you wait”, chimed Angel and pulled up a picture. “Look at this. Would want to date him?”

Tony made a drawn-out humming sound. “Cute. Freckles. Bit of a kitten-vibe and I'm more of a puppy-person. But sure. Nice to look at. Seems... familiar somehow.”

“He's my ex. Jamie, the pub-owner”, offered Angel, tilting her head.

“Mh. Business-owner”, whispered Tony. “Nice. Okay, sure. If he's on board, set us up for a date.”

Angel made a delighted noise at that, before someone cleared their throat next to them. Both models turned to look at Noxia Black. The photographer looked incredibly unimpressed, a glare on her face as she tapped her fingers against the side of her camera.

“If you two are done playing dating app, you're at work here”, grunted Noxia annoyed.

“Sorry, boss lady”, grinned Tony and Angel sheepishly.

“I'm not the boss lady. She is”, stated Noxia and jerked her head toward Sonia Gold.

It wasn't necessarily regular for Sonia to sit in on a shooting herself. Tony and Angel exchanged a curious look. Granted, this was a huge shoot for this campaign. Poseidon had first been presented as a competitive swimmer, showing off the swim-suit line-up together with other such sea deities. After the first big ads had been aired and plastered all over the streets, showing the athletic Olympic gods in Chiron Training gear, they now wanted to broaden the campaign and double down on the mythology. Poseidon presenting a gold-medal to an actual Olympic gold-medal winner, with the other models who played the Olympian gods dressed as mermaids and mermen surrounding them as bystanders. Angel absolutely loved the pitch for this one – and the costumes!

“Don't be bothered by the boss”, assured Sonia with one of her charming smiles.

Sonia Gold fascinated Angel. She was downright perfect. Always perfectly dressed, with no wrinkles on her clothes, not a hair out of place, make-up, shoes and jewelry always fitting the outfit. She was the perfect image of a business woman the way Angel had always pictured them.

“What can we do for you, Miss Gold?”, asked Tony, his smile matching hers.

He looked amazing with the silk wrapped around his lower body, his upper body painted purple and with scales. The only thing missing about his outfit so far were the contact lenses meant to make him look like a predator. Angel understood that; she hadn't put hers in yet. They always irritated her eyes so she'd rather wait until they were necessary.

“When I was getting ready this morning, I was thinking about the shoot and a piece of my private jewelry caught my eyes. I thought that it would work wonders with the costume-design for you, Angelique”, explained Sonia and opened her purse.

She got a black box out and opened it to show a breathtaking pearl-necklace to Angel. It was a three-strand necklace with pearls of various white and blue shades and different sizes. The biggest pearl at the front of the upper strand looked as though it had an H on it. How curious.

“This looks beautiful and expensive”, noted Angel softly.

“Oh, believe me, it is”, laughed Sonia. “You truly think I own a single piece of jewelry worth less than 50k? Sweetheart, please. I couldn't embarrass myself like this.”

“So when you say that, just... how much is this one?”, asked Tony slowly, motioning at the pearls.

“250k”, replied Sonia with a smooth smile. “So try not to lose it and return it to me later.”

“W... What? I can't wear this”, sputtered Angel flustered. “Sonia, please.”

“Oh, nonsense. I have over half a dozen pearl-necklaces”, dismissed Sonia casually. “I saw the design-pitch from Elizabeth and knew something... eye-catching was missing. This, this will do. I want this campaign to be perfect. Now, back to work, people.”

“You heard the boss lady. Back to work”, repeated Noxia louder. “Let's get this shoot started.”

~*~

Angel had a skip to her step as she walked the halls of Gold Standard, heading toward her best friend's desk. Joss looked deep in thought, hunched over their laptop. For Angel, who had come to the US from France, it had been strange to talk about a single person with plural pronouns because they were gender-neutral. That just did not naturally exist in the French language in the way English offered 'they' and ever since meeting Joss, Angel had come to appreciate this special thing about the English language. Because while Joss mostly preferred either 'she' or 'he', Angel was not a mind-reader and when not with Joss – which was generally the main instances when one used pronouns for people – Angel couldn't always know what pronouns Joss preferred that day, unless she had talked to Joss that day beforehand. Angel had voiced that confusion to Joss after the two had first become friends and Joss had encouraged her to use neutral pronouns then. Most working close with Joss knew and respected that. And some days, particularly when Joss was already stressed and telling people what they preferred was just too much work and too exhausting on top of everything, Joss just generally went with 'they'.

“Yo—ou look like you could use a cupcake.”

Smiling, Angel placed a cupcake with blue frosting in front of Joss. Blinking a few times, Joss looked up at her. After taking a bite from the cupcake, Joss offered Angel a small smile.

“Thanks”, mumbled Joss around the bite. “Sugar and food was exactly what I needed.”

“Wonderful. So that will make it easier to get details about your date”, stated Angel eagerly.

“Oh no. No. Don't”, groaned Joss. “Why are you so invested in my love-life?”

“Call me Amor, I seek love-stories”, chimed Angel. “Come on, please. You've been so busy lately, you and Sunny must be going on a ton of dates, right?”

Joss shifted a little and cleared their throat. “It was... very nice. Unexpected, to be honest. I've never been to a charity gala before. Gave me an excuse to wear that fancy cocktail dress you gave me for my last birthday. Savitri was... flustered and gaping at me. It was... a nice feeling?”

Angel giggled a little at that and sat down on the edge of the desk. “I like this new thing you have going on. With the smiling and the staring at your phone with a far-off look when she texts you.”

“Shut up”, grumbled Joss and tossed a piece of cupcake at Angel. “Did you just come here to torment me and interrogate me, or did you want something else...?”

“Yes, I wanted to go get lunch with you. And before that, I wanted to drop these off with Sonia again. They're... hers. She gave them to me for the last shoot.”

Her fingers played with the pearls. Joss narrowed their eyes at Angel. Some days, Joss presented as very feminine – with the hair, make-up, heels and wearing a skirt-suit. Angel had come to realize that the most strict of dress-code, pants and vest, when Joss would also be binding and usually had the hair up in a bun, usually meant that Joss was presenting as a guy that day. Angel, as a model, knew that clothes by far weren't everything. And then there were the more ambiguous days, or the days where even though Joss was feeling female, she still had no mind/focus/time to put thought into make-up or hair, so it was tricky to judge based on looks alone. Angel had to admit, it had fascinated her a lot at first – when she had come to Los Angeles, she had just been nineteen and only had a vague understanding of trans people existing, but a broader spectrum? She had tiptoed a lot and probably asked many inappropriate questions, but Joss had been very indulgent and patient. Which, Angel now knew, was really not something Joss had owed her and, the more often Angel saw it, saw people who did not understand anything about Joss' gender-identity, the more Angel understood just why. It really couldn't be Joss' responsibility to explain everything to everyone. Moments like those had Angel realize just how easy her life was, being CIS and also being straight. Well, the whole being pretty, white and from a well-doing European country also helped.

“Sonia is out on a lunch-meeting with Carroll Lewis”, informed Joss.

“Carroll Lewis? Like the CEO of Red Queen Records?”, asked Angel in awe. “Oh. I mean, I know they work together on many occasions, but... oh, basically all my favorite musicians are under that label. She has such a keen eye for talent, it's amazing.”

“Mh”, grunted Joss with that furrow-browed look.

“What? What is it?”, asked Angel curiously as the two of them left Joss' desk behind.

Joss led the way to the elevator. “I... have a bad feeling about her. Something about Miss Lewis is... peculiar. And not in the quirky, adorable way you are peculiar.”

“Hey”, huffed Angel with a pout. “I think I may take offense to that.”

Joss quirked their lips as they entered the elevator to make their way to get lunch.

~*~

They barely made it into Liddell's Sweets, by pushing past panicking people. Angel gulped and felt herself immediately pushed behind Joss. She stared wide-eyed over Joss' shoulder just to see the chaos. Costumers, turned to stone. Statues now. Behind the counter, a purple-skinned, scaled version of Laureen Liddell, hissing – no, her hair. Her hair was hissing. Her dreadlocks having come to life and turned into dozens of snakes. Angel squeaked high-pitched.

“What is that?”, exclaimed Angel.

“You need to get out of here”, ordered Joss seriously. “Now.”

“Oh, I am not leaving without you!”, stated Angel sternly, grabbing Joss' wrist.

Joss tried to wrangle out of her grip, but for someone as petite and dainty as Angel, the model really had an iron-grip when it came to protecting those she loved. Only around the corner did Joss manage to shake Angel off, but the blonde still stood close, glaring fiercely.

“What were you planning?”, hissed Angel. “You're my best friend, I won't have you throw your life away trying to save people when you are clearly not qualified! The police, or the local superheroes, are going to take care of this, I'm sure.”

Joss' lips thinned and their face hardened. “Angelique, this is not the time for arguments, this-”

Before Joss could continue with the preaching, a bright blue glow emitted from the pearl-necklace. Moments later and there was a... fish... floating right in front of Angel's face, bubbles – no, that was actual water but it looked like bubbles – floating along with the fish.

“Hello, I am Pisces. Please cease the quarreling, it is unproductive. That in there is Como Berenices, a powerful constellation under the element of fire. Her stare can burn the life away from a person. I am water personified. Pisces, leader of the water-signs. Best equipped to fight them.”

“I... I... The fish is talking. The fish is talking, Joss”, hissed Angel.

“So... Pisces has been laying around at Sonia's place unused”, whispered Joss wide-eyed. “Of course, she is not born under your sign so even if she found the pearl and thought it pretty, it was useless for her because the Zodiacs can only attach themselves to someone born under their sign.”

“What are you talking about? Zodiacs, like the superheroes?”, asked Angel surprised.

“But... You said that Sonia gave you the necklace? You, specifically?”, asked Joss, looking at Angel.

“Hello? Can we please focus on Coma Berenices in there?”, requested Pisces, flapping her fins.

“Yes, Sonia gave them to me, but... So, am I a superhero now?”

Angel looked from Joss to Pisces, completely overwhelmed. The little fish nodded and smiled.

“Close your eyes and concentrate on your costume and a weapon of your choice”, instructed Pisces.

Nodding, Angel did as she was told. She made a delighted sound when she opened her eyes again and turned to look into the window-front of the long-since abandoned store next to them. Most businesses around had already been evacuated thanks to the villain-attack on the café. She was wearing a strong, if her wishes had been fulfilled bullet-proof, shirt with frills running out looking like scales, her waistline highlighted like she remembered seeing mermaids in cartoons, the skirt light and wide enough to allow for good leg-movement. Her shoes were sturdy boots matching her shirt and her mask in color. Light blue, nearly cyan. Her lips were a darker shade of blue, matching the shells woven into her long, blonde hair. A braid was far more practical for fighting. And in her hand, she was holding a trident as long as she was tall.

“You look ridiculous”, whispered Joss softly. “How does a professional model have zero taste in fashion, I just... don't understand that...”

“How is that the reaction you have to me becoming a superhero and just... sparkle-changing into a new outfit! There is a flying, talking fish right there!”, exclaimed Angel frustrated.

Joss looked at her fondly before rubbing their cuff-links. A blinding, white light surrounded Joss and when it faded, they were wearing a gray cloak over a black and white checkered outfit. On their shoulder sat a black and white owl. But not like a snow-owl black and white, no one half was entirely black and, split in the middle, the other half was white. How... huh.

“This is Gemini, my partner. I've been... working in the shadows until I joined the Zodiac alliance recently”, elaborated Joss with a sigh. “Pisces. You sure it's a good idea to send Angel in there? She hasn't had a day's worth of training, not with her powers or her weapon.”

“Oh, please, dear”, huffed Angel offended, whirling her trident once. “You think I'd cook up a weapon I can't use at least some? I've learned to fight with a staff and I've actually fought with lances before, on horses, when I was working the medieval fair during high school. This? Can't be that much harder. Same principle, just got three points instead of one.”

“The important thing is: You need to concentrate. Your focus is your main weapon. If you focus, you can control water”, stated Pisces seriously. “How much and how far your reach is, that depends on just how well your grip on your concentration is.”

Angel locked eyes with Joss and nodded firmly. Together, the duo ran out from the alley and right into Liddell's Sweets. Joss immediately reached out to cover Angel's eyes. Right. Looked like Medusa, had the powers of Medusa, probably. When Joss removed their hand again, everything around them was foggy. They could vaguely make out shapes, but such a thing as actual eye-contact was impossible. Angel turned to look surprised at her best friend.

“Gemini is under the element of air. I learned to... work with that”, whispered Joss. “Make the air thinner, warmer, colder, thicker. Fog... is pretty easy. But now we have to stay alert.”

“Okay. So. What is this? I mean, this... thing... is... possessing Laureen?”, asked Angel confused.

“Sort of. Your power, your costume, your weapon, they come from a symbiotic bond with Pisces. This is... a more parasitic kind of bond”, replied Joss quickly. “We need to wash it out. In my experience, knocking them out severs the bond. An unconscious body can't be used. When they part, we have to collect the... pearl. Contain it. Got it?”

“Exhaust, wash out, take the jewelry. Simple enough”, nodded Angel seriously.

The hissing of snakes was the only warning before teeth sank into Angel's arm. She screamed and tore her arm away from the vicious Medusa-like monster that used to be this kind, sweet baker.

“If we hurt it, do we hurt her?”, asked Angel panicked.

“It... depends”, sighed Joss. “I don't know for this one. Some are capable of protecting their host.”

Angel stumbled over a petrified customer on the ground. Were they dead? Would they turn back? No time to think on that. Her head snapped up and she zoomed in on the bar.

“Okay. Okay. Okay. Can you distract her?”, asked Angel. “Buy me some time.”

“Sure. Be... careful, Pisces”, requested Joss concerned.

Joss kept their head down as they started fighting hand to hand against the alien symbiote in front of them. Angel hurried over to the bar, turning on the faucet, using everything she could find that was liquid – coffee, tea, even the water from the flower-vases on the table. Closing her eyes, she lifted all the water and aimed it at Laureen-not-Laureen. The snakes screeched as Angel surrounded them in a cocoon of water, causing Joss to immediately back off.

“Pisces. What are you doing?”, asked Joss loudly.

“You said passing out makes them part. So I make her pass out without hurting her. Well. Without hurting her too much. She just has to lose conscience. So. Shut up, because I don't wanna drown her and have to concentrate over here”, barked Angel out.

Joss looked honestly taken aback by that, but remained quiet after. Coma Berenices struggled, until she didn't and her form floating in the pillar of water became limb. A purple light faded from her and left Laureen, snakes turned back to limb dreadlocks. Angel immediately dropped the water, while Joss hurried over to give CPR. When Laureen was spitting water all over, Angel picked up the small marble. Purple and glassy. She blinked curiously and pocketed it.

“What... happened?”, asked Laureen, voice raspy.

“Nothing to worry about. You are safe now, random citizen”, assured Angel.

Joss raised an eyebrow at that, though they then urged Angel on to leave the café behind while the petrified customers slowly turned back human. The two made it around the corner before turning back to their civil identity. Angel handed the marble over to Joss.

“I'll take care of this”, nodded Joss, frowning. “But there are other things that worry me more. Sonia had a Zodiac, just like that. And then knew to give it to someone born under that sign. Then she happens to be out for lunch so you can't give a three-hundred thousand dollar necklace back.”

“You're... not suggesting that Sonia Gold is... involved with this, right?”, asked Angel worried.

With a head-shake, Joss sighed. “Come on. Let's go get lunch, Angel.”

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#Story: Written in the Stars #Own Story #Pisces: Angelique Lamour #Project: Written in the Stars #Superheroes

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