Welcome to Fashion Vale {Welcome to Night Vale}

CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 5

  Carlos tossed the overly fabulous purple sparkly-toed heels into the open cupboard once he entered Cecil's temporary office/dressing room, eyebrows furrowing as the new model glanced around for his boss. Not a trace. He couldn't help but feel rather concerned with that fact. Shrugging it off for the time being, Carlos decided to change into his clothes he had been wearing before he had set foot on stage; dark trousers with a nicely fitting plaid button down shirt. Cecil still hadn't entered the room. The male model glanced over his shoulder momentarily to make sure the area was completely empty before allowing his curiosity to get the best of him as he hesitantly approached Cecil's cluttered modern desk in the corner of the room. What first caught his attention was the large stack of small posters placed at the corner of the table bearing a grinning Cecil, and the curling text that said: 'After all, he is Cecil Baldwin', directly underneath his smiling face. Carlos chewed on the inside of his cheek and flipped over the glossy sheet of paper to find a long printed list of various national and international locations, most holding checkmarks at their side while others remained untouched against the white sheet:

. New York, United States

. London, United Kingdom

. Berlin, Germany √

. Venice, Italy √

. Winnipeg, Canada √

. Paris, France

. Florida, United States √

. Tokyo, Japan

. New Delhi, India √

. Copenhagen, Denmark √

. Zurich, Sweden √

. California, United States √

. Baja California, Mexico

. Inverness, United Kingdom √

. Moscow, Russia √

. Sydney, Australia √

. Lima, Peru √

  It was obvious that the checked places had already been visited by Cecil and his "interns", and they had clearly made a show. A box of sparkling gold trophies and heavy medals sat on the floor underneath the desk in a cardboard box, all of them large in size and very expensive in appearance. Carlos would not have been surprised if they had been moulded from actual bricks of solid gold with how dense they appeared to the eye. There were at least three trophies from each hosting country that had held the fashion shows for the 'infamous' designer, and Carlos began to feel hopeful with the situation he had found himself in. He knew Cecil was wealthy an had strong connections with Night Vale.

"This could be my way out..."

Carlos said to himself mentally as his eyes skimmed over the additional posters that had been printed in different languages for every country visited. "As if Cecil would care if I left, he's a billionaire who can get whatever model he'd like."

From the looks of the list, only France, Japan, Britain, America, and Mexico were left for tour. Suddenly-- "Okay, okay, yes, darlings! I must go, lots to do and so little time, je t'aimme!" Said Cecil who was stepping through the door. Oh god, Carlos thought, he's going to kill me for looking through his stuff...  "Non autographs. I can't. Merci beacoup, I am so glad you all enjoyed the show, look for me on the cover of the next Baldwin Fashion magazine that shall be published in a week or so! I really must rush my editors... Auf Wiedersehen!" Cecil cheered before slamming the door and leaning back against it with another trophy in hand whilst muttering something about speaking German instead of the French he intended. His eyes lifted and met with Carlos who was standing tense behind his desk with the list clutched in his hand, expression instantly changing into a thrilled grin. "Carlos! Carlos, you were so perfect!" He shrieked, skipping up to the model before throwing his arms around Carlos's neck in a tight hug. "I am so proud of you, I didn't know you would be so parfait!" {French for 'perfect' } Carlos dropped the paper he had been holding and felt his lips curl into a natural smile as his arms circled around Cecil's waist in a returned embrace. All the worry drained from him at that point. "You underestimated me, Mr. Baldwin?" Carlos questioned as Cecil pulled back to look at him with pink cheeks and a shaky laugh, letting his arms remain around the others neck. "Of course not! Oh, you don't have to call me that. Cecil is just amende." He said, clearing his throat without pulling back any further. Carlos was much cooler about keeping his thoughts and emotions in, though he was frightened that Cecil might pick up the sound of his pounding heart if things stayed silent for too long. "Alright then... Cecil.. I hope you don't mind me being behind your desk like this, I was only looking over the list here." Carlos said quietly as Cecil brought his arms back down to his side and nodded slightly, fingers still gripping the glinting trophy shaped as a poise female model with one hand on her hip and dark purple stones in place of her eyes. She was mounted on a black marble base with a silver plaque that read: To Carlos.

Cecil shook his head and smiled as he gazed down to the award, using an index finger to push his large framed glasses back up his nose. "Don't worry about it. Listen, Carlos, I may come across... Rude, sometimes, and I apologise for that. I'm sure you could think of plenty more adjectives to fit my description, but... Whatever, I just want you to take this." He said, passing the trophy over to Carlos's hands in a flustered manor. "I am glad you have turned up so unexpectedly tonight, and I hope you choose to stick around for a long time. I'm totally firing intern Stacey for, like, walking out that way. It was so rude of her... Seriously." He huffed, sliding down into the seat behind the desk. Carlos looked from Cecil to the trophy with a small frown. "

Cecil seems to really appreciate me... Could I just.. Go?"

Cecil tilted his head slightly whilst watching Carlos, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back against the creaking chair. "You seem upset, Carlos. What might be the problem? I could help."

"Nothing," He answered quickly, forcing  a small smile. "Nothing, I'm just tired. Long day." Carlos said whilst nodding.

Cecil sat up in his chair, "If you'd like, I could lend you the keys to my recreational vehicle. There's a couple beds in there and a couch... Wherever you're most comfortable." His eyes seemed to glint a bit as he said this with a smile.

"The other models-- I mean.. Interns are waiting for me, I think. Dana, I believe her name was, invited me over to be introduced." Carlos explained.

Cecil's smile faded after a moment as he nodded quickly and cleared his throat, eyes falling to his lap before forcing back the happy expression. "Yeah! I-I understand, that's.. I'm glad you're trying to get to know other people. I'm just going to be sitting in here... By myself.. Doing... Nothing. Being alone. But that's cool, you go ahead!" He said with a happy smile, but hurt eyes, that Carlos didn't seem to see.

"Thanks, I won't be too long. Mind if I leave this here?" Carlos asked as he placed the 'gilded' trophy on the table in front of Cecil who stared before managing a nod. "Sure. Whatever you'd like." He said quietly as Carlos grinned rather charmingly and brushed a hand through his perfect locks. A moment later, Carlos was gone, and Cecil was by himself in the same position at his desk. Except for now... He was gripping the trophy firmly in his left hand with white knuckles, staring down to the dirty surface of the table with wide eyes. "I am not upset... I am holding the trophy, and I am not upset..."

{AN: So, if you haven't already noticed-- 'After all, he is Cecil Baldwin' is sort of the motto of this fic... And the team has traveled all over the world for their shows, so lets have some fun by seeing 'After all, he is Cecil Baldwin' in different languages! I may make some posters later imitating the ones Carlos found... Here we go:

English: After all, he is Cecil Baldwin.

German: Immerhin ist er Cecil Baldwin.

Italian: Dopo tutto, egli è Cecil Baldwin.

French: Après tout, il est Cecil Baldwin.

Swedish:Trots allt är han Cecil Baldwin.

Japanese :結局、彼はセシルボールドウィンです。<- *has no idea what that is*

I took all these from Google Translate, so they're probably wrong.

ALSO: ONE MORE THING! I have no idea where Night Vale is officially located, but the friend who gave me the idea for this fic said it's in Baja California, Mexico... Hm. Again, thanks for reading! }