Off the Clock [Vee/Gigi/Candice]

Had she really needed to travel halfway across the globe for the second time in as many weeks just to sign some forms and pose for a new press release? Not at all. But she did love watching the corporate suits squirm as she made such demands of them. They could hardly say no to her, after all, such was the life of the heiress extraordinaire. Besides, whilst she was in the neighbourhood, she could drop in on Giselle. A single message, that's all she would get. If the girl didn't respond then she wasn't going to make a big deal of it, but it was expected that a prospective partner be able to drop everything at a moment's notice if they actually wanted to spend time with Candice.

She was pleased by how quick a reply came through, even if it was as disjointed as text messages could be. If anything, she could not fault Giselle's earnest nature, and that certainly mattered a great deal to her.

Candice arrived after Giselle did, such was the nature of their relationship, though she made no subtlety about her entrance as she announced her presence with the familiar clicking of her heels against the stonework. Towering above most of the other women in the crowd, it would be hard to miss Candice as she made her way towards the meeting spot with an elegant grace to her step.

"Okay, today is your off day. No work, Vee. For serious this time."

She'd mumble to herself as she kept firmly reminding herself to just take it easy for the day. She had been walking the pristine streets, trying to just get her mind off doing anything even closely related to training or work. She'd been working her ass off all week, she deserved a day to relax, but she kept noticing that even on her off days she found herself lapsing into studying, or wondering about her weapon, or whatever else, when she should be relaxing! Ugh, she was such a dummy.

She'd been pacing about looking for something relaxing to do, but really it just turned into a pretty long stroll through town. Hopefully not getting lost or anything in the process, but hey maybe getting a little lost was worth it...

She stopped when she swore she saw someone familiar, or rather, two someones - one more for her flashiness than the other. Halting and keeping herself as inconspicuous as some red-head chick in the middle of the street could, she tried to get a better look at what her eyes caught.

The person she had seen was some pretty woman who was extremely familiar looking, with... Giselle? Vee held her breath as she tried to get a read on the situation. The two of them seemed to just be meeting up - Maybe they were friends? She hadn't seen the other woman around town before, but still she looked awfully familiar... Though she was definitely an eye catcher.

Would it be a good idea to just...

..Too late she was already walking by them.

"Oh, hey there!" Vee would say in the most hilariously fake 'Oh i'm so surprised!' tone ever, "Didn't see you there, Giselle! Hi, who's your friend?"

Given the slight sparkle in the woman's eyes, there clearly was an additional word she wanted to use to describe said friend, but refrained.

"Oh, am I not special enough for you?"

That was how Candice first responded to Giselle's greeting, that familiar pout already present upon her features. She was teasing her, toying with her as Candi was wont to do, but there was that ever-present danger that she would actually take a comment like that at face value. So, of course, Giselle played with fire by not simply worshipping the ground she walked on. Though Candi would have certainly enjoyed that, she found those playful taunts just as enticing.

"You know, I was just in the hemisphere and deigned to drop by. Lucky you were free, Z. You know, I couldn't help but think that I left a little something behind the last time I was here..."

Her eyes ran up and down the length of Giselle's body, lingering upon the woman's midriff for a purposefully long moment before she advanced a step to close the distance. Those pouting lips quickly twisted into an impish smile as her legs and then her outfit was quickly complemented in turn. They were indeed new shorts, so was every item in her outfit from the hoodie to the shoes and even the necklace that sat just above her plunge top, it would be easy to say that she was putting on a show but there was only one person's response that Candi truly cared to hear. So, despite the approach of another that she was yet to acknowledge, she did lean forward in a manner that certainly exaggerated her frame just a little.

As Vivyan introduced herself and Giselle began to introduce her in turn - as was expected - Candi swivelled on her heels with her posture still unchanged. She didn't even respond to the glance that came her way as a label was requested for their relationship. It would have been all too easy to say dominatrix or master or anything else that she deemed closer to the truth, but she didn't know this new girl in the slightest. Something more moderate then.

"..Dearest friend.."

Those green eyes now drilled into Vivyan with an idle intensity. Was this the opposition? She had been worried that there might have been some other hussie trying to make a move of her territory, not that they could have ever hoped to compete. Still, pleasantries first. There was still time for this new woman to prostrate herself before her.

"Lady Catnipp will do fine, Vivyan. And allow me to say that I just adore your outfit, it's so retro for this season."

When it came to slinging insults, Candi was always going to be the one to throw the first punch. This one veiled behind a compliment at least, but it would be on Gigi to play damage control as it would be pretty clear to her that the heiress was on the defensive now but ready for an all-out attack.

Vee was silently admiring the taller, flashier, unknown woman until Giselle put out with the...

..Oh man, oh no way?

With that kind of hinting, her expression looked a little lost and confused, having in her mind that they were.. More than friends? Two girls? Together? Like... Huh. She didn't really get how those kinds of relationships worked, like, how were you supposed to have kids and stuff? Questions for later, but the taller woman had corrected it to 'dearest friend' which was.. Definitely not what Giselle was hinting at. Sure, she was kinda quirky but she never took the woman for someone to stretch it.

Wait, bigger question, how did it work when Giselle was a z- Whatever she probably shouldn't think about that.

She shrugged awkwardly at her rather plain attire and Candice's pointing out of it, not really understanding it to be an insult, but just awkwardly shrugged, "..Uh, thanks? I really can't afford prettier..." Her voice trailed off when she realized who she was speaking to, the name and appearance clicking.

"..Wait, the Candice Catnipp? Like, from the fashion industry and more, Candice Catnipp?" Vee couldn't help but raise her voice a few octaves at that realization, a smile growing on her face,

"That's so cool! You're with a pretty celebrity, Giselle?! Lucky!" She'd fuss in the other girl's direction for a second before looking back at Candice, but respectively keeping her hands to herself, "Wow, you still look amazing even off camera! It's so nice to meet you Can- Lady Catnipp!"

Candice's personality pivoted upon an axis at perhaps a record pace. She felt Giselle's hand land upon her lower back but paid it little heed as she listened to Vivyan's response, straightening herself out as she was first smug that the girl had such a timid response and then elated as she actually recognised her for her work. That smile that had oozed passive-aggressive malice now shone with a genuine pleasure, which only grew as she felt Giselle's grip tighten ever so subtly.

"Ah, I have done some modelling work though the title of celebrity feels a little much. I'm more of a mogul really, sponsoring up and coming brands and the like. And I am also an executive for my family's company, yes, Giselle."

Though she spoke with the slightest degree of modesty, none of it was genuine. Of course, she was a celebrity, people should know her name wherever they went, and few things made her happier than being recognised for her fame. Suddenly, this girl was much more tolerable. And she was not just girl anymore, she was little Vivyan.

"It's so wonderful to meet someone out here that actually keeps up with the industry, Viv. I have only recently started on bringing my brand out here, so you might be seeing this face around just a little more."

How quickly her mood had changed could probably not be understated, cold indifference and aggression replaced by a friendly and inspiring warmth, as she now shifted to calling her Viv just like Giselle did. She was still riding that little high as Giselle spoke of their plans for the day. Suddenly that grip around her back was even tighter because that sounded like a cute little date and suddenly she had to share it with a fan? She was bluffing, right, but how could Candi refuse? To her, this was the perfect storm.

"Oh that sounds wonderful, you simply have to join us!" She reached out a hand suddenly, aiming to place it upon Vee's shoulder, whilst she used her other hand to hide her mouth from Giselle whilst continuing to face Vivyan. "We can even talk about fashion just a little, when Giselle here isn't paying us much attention.

A playful eye-roll in Viv's direction followed, before Candi turned to look back briefly at Giselle and bit the corner of her lip ever so slightly. It was certainly no coincidence that she timed the gesture with a slight stretch of her back under Giselle's grip. This was something she really enjoyed, and Z's response only amplified that.

Is she looking down on me?

Of course the thought was more to the figurative than the reference to her literal height difference - that smile to her response about her outfit seemed pretty condescending rather than endearing, which actually gave Vee a moment of 'hang on, what the hell?'. However, such a thought was dispelled when the woman's face changed from that smug look to a far more genuine smile, something that made even less sense to Vee. Did she think she was some kind of threat or something? She just could not make sense of the initial reaction at all - honestly she didn't have much experience with women who actually had a spine.

"Well, either way you sure did look like a celebrity in the articles and magazines i've read," She'd try her best to keep the interaction mutual and light rather than hang onto that weird intro; at least she didn't keep to it. She was just surprised someone she had seen only in stills or even videos was just in front of her, beside one of a few mentors to her, just chilling in public.

"I mean, I personally only got onto looking at that stuff recently," Her face would redden a bit, "I was trying to figure out what my own tastes are since I r... Got out of the house, and came here. I didn't really have much of an opportunity to investigate back home."

"I caught wind of you and I took a shine to what I saw, is all. It's just really surprising to actually meet someone like you in public!"

She'd look to Giselle, who offered Vivyan come along with them, though the girl visibly yet slightly cringed with each utterance of the nickname 'Viv', "..I mean that'd be great if everyone's okay with it, but just call me Vee or Vivyan... I totally forgot to say that. But yeah, I should be having a day off anyway."

She'd shrug her shoulders, "So, where are we off to eat?"

Hopefully nowhere expensive.