That Devil Woman

X - Loud

It was late in the evening, later than Cruella had ever stayed cooped up in Hell Hall. Her studio was in a very spacious room, of course, but the mannequins, clothes racks, sewing equipment, and fabrics draping every surface all made the room feel smaller. Cruella sat in the centre of her studio, hunched over a sewing machine, furiously sewing a beautiful black garment. It was doing horrid things for her posture, but she did not care; she knew the result would be worth it, and she knew she only had a limited time frame in which to complete the outfit.

There was a quiet knock at the door as Jasper slowly walked inside. Cruella stood up from her desk quickly.

"Well," she asked urgently, "did you find it?"

Horace followed shortly after, clumsily carrying a large, unwieldy clump of white fur. Jasper snatched it from him and unfurled it, allowing the long cloak to reveal itself to its beholder.

"That's it! That's the one!" Cruella exclaimed. "You two have done it!"

"It wasn't easy," Jasper added. "The owner there really locks the store up tight."

"Of course, Maureen was always so paranoid about theft," Cruella recalled. "I guess we're what she has to be worried about."

"You could say that again," Horace agreed. "Robbed her blind, we did!"

"I'm very much in debt to you both," Cruella said with utmost sincerity. "You've been so helpful. It's the least I could do after what you two had been through. Here's what I'll do: I'll let you two in on my fashion career. Think of it as unofficial employment. I make money, you make money. And don't worry: I won't be the monster that is Maureen."

Jasper seemed enthusiastic and exceedingly grateful that he would be able to work again without the police on his trail. Horace, however, was hesitant.

"Why would two men want to work in women's fashion?" Horace asked.

"You idiot!" Jasper responded to Horace's petty question. "We would be so grateful, Miss. We could really use the money."

"And who knows? Maybe one day you'll even be able to buy your own beers," Cruella added. This made Jasper somewhat nervous. He had hoped that Cruella was not implying that she wanted them to leave soon. He decided it was best to change the subject.

"Is the outfit complete?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not quite sure," Cruella admitted. She picked up the black dress and held it up for the Baduns to see. "I thought it would be finished with the cloak, but it doesn't seem... loud enough. Never mind though, I'll think of something."

"We'll leave you to it, then," Horace said whilst exiting the studio and going back downstairs.

"Oh, and you left this in the downstairs cabinet." Jasper took a small tin from his pocket and placed it on Cruella's desk. It said L'Oréal on the front, which Cruella was familiar with, but she did not understand the other French text. So, she opened it and looked inside.

"Oh? It's black hair dye. That would be my mother's, actually. She must have left it here years ago. Thank you."

Jasper exited, leaving Cruella standing next to the desk holding the dye in her hand. She stared at the tin for some time, deep in thought. She could just imagine how shocked Maureen would be to see her at the party. She knew one of two things would happen, both of which she was in control of; either Maureen would be intimidated by her, or she would laugh at her. She could not dare to show up at the party and not shock the guests, and she knew she had to do everything she could to avoid the risk of this event not symbolising her glamour and talent. She would do anything to see that look on Maureen's face.

She grabbed the black dress and the fur cloak and took them to the standing mirror in the corner. She held them both up in front of her body. The contrast between the two was stark and intriguing. But, she feared, was it loud?

She looked at the tin of hair dye again and held it up to her face.

"I need to be loud."