The Fall of the Society

Chapter 9: Envy

The aroma overtook her like a flood and her head felt light. Lovely tapestries that were bright and colorful were hung along the walls and they looked like they would be incredibly soft. Half dazed she stepped into the space in wonder and amazement.
"Oooo," a high-pitched voice rang out. "It is you! The Crimson Rose! And what a delicate and beautiful flower you are," the voice said excitedly as a figure stepped out from behind a row of shelves full of different crafting materials. The person was fairly tall and very slender, with golden skin and bright blue hair that went in all directions by design. "I was hoping I would get the opportunity to meet you! It is such an honor!" The figure was wrapped in an elegant, frilly and flowing form fitting robe. "Come in, come in," they said waving her toward a large and luscious looking blue couch. "Oh my, dear, dear, dear. You are quite exposed and that will not do!" the person said, taking in the tattered state of her clothing, making her feel slightly self-conscious and cross her arms. "Do not worry, Envy will take care of you!" the figure said as they whipped a beautiful and flowing robe from a hook nearby and glided across the room and wrapped it quickly around her shoulders.
Warmth and comfort spread across her body like wildfire, and she instantly felt much more relaxed. "You are Envy?"
Joy and excitement crossed Envy's smooth and attractive face. "You know of my work and of me? That is most excellent!" Envy said exuberantly, hands clapping.
Rose tilted her head, vacant of an expression. "I know of your work from an assassin named Chrome. The Society sent him to find me. Tripp killed him and destroyed your suit."
The excitement on Envy's face disappeared. "Well, working for the Society has its downfalls. I do not get to choose whether or not to make gear for Socialites, but they do give me the absolute best materials." Envy pulled a tea pot from a burner and grabbed two cups and a plate of delicious looking muffins. Sitting down on the couch, Envy continued. "Even though I had hoped to meet you, I was not sure whether you would make it. I will admit that I was not sure you would get by Void and the fire-resistant armor I made him," Envy sighed. "He is a very resourceful and efficient hunter."
"Was," Rose said blankly. "If he had not been ordered to keep me alive, I would likely be dead, I did offer him the chance to walk away though." Her body and mind were having a hard time keeping upright and awake. The aroma and comfort of the room and robe was making her head swim.
Envy smiled at her. "That's okay, he was quite insane. Not to mention the amount of people he would continue to kill for the Society would have been staggering." Pouring a cup of tea for Rose, Envy motioned for her to come and sit on the couch. "You will feel better once you have some tea and a treat. The Society will not send anyone here for you, you are safe."
"I was safe with Tripp," she said as she sat beside Envy, her eyes distant and her expression vacant.
Sitting a muffin on a plate, Envy placed it in front of her with a cup of tea. "Eat! I have a surprise for you!"
Rose grabbed the muffin and took a bite of it, an instant feeling of being pulled back into herself exploded in her mind. Her eyes focused and she was able to fully take in her surroundings again. "What is in these muffins?" she asked while staring at the muffin in her hand.
Envy laughed, "Just an antidote for the poison that is laced into the aroma of my home. Just a precaution I use to keep Socialites from coming here whenever they want. I used to basically have a revolving door of heroes demanding that I make them equipment. My request for a requisition's office was finally recognized and I was able to decide which to prioritize and which to ignore. Anyways that is beside the point and we need to get back to the most important task of the moment. You!" Envy stood and glided across the room toward a large shelf. Grabbing a few items, Envy flowed back across the room and out of sight.
Rose felt as though she could trust Envy for some strange reason. She could not explain it, but a feeling in her gut told her she was safe while in Envy's apartment. Running her hands along the fine robe that was draped comfortably around her she noticed something very weird. The remains of her tattered garments were gone. Had the robe gotten rid of them she thought to herself.
Envy must have noticed the look of confusion on Rose's face. "What is wrong dear?" Noticing what Rose was doing, Envy quickly smiled and continued working. "Do not worry about those old rags! Give me a few moments to make some final adjustments and we will have you up and running or flying!" Envy said with a laugh. The tall and slender form of Envy darted around the apartment purposefully, gliding as if on skates. Suddenly Envy reappeared with a glass of wine and hors d'oeurves, placing them on the table in front of Rose before returning to work.
Rose was not sure how long she had been sitting there, but she was surprised at how hungry she had been. Once the food was gone she contemplated whether she should sneak away or not, Envy had been gone for quite a while at this point and Rose was worried that her quarry had set this as a distraction to keep her from her goal. Just as she was deciding to sneak out, Envy reappeared.
"I have done it!" Envy exclaimed triumphantly with a low bow. "It may very well be the greatest masterpiece I have ever created!" Motioning for Rose to follow, Envy led her to the back of the room, where a mannequin that was roughly the same size as her, was wearing an amazing and sleek looking leather-like outfit. The surface of the garb shimmered slightly as she approached, completely transfixed by its beauty. "It's for you dear! Do you like it?" A look of desperation for approval spread across Envy's golden face, self-doubt swimming like sharks beneath the surface, a trait Rose would not have believed that Envy possessed. "Won't you put it on?" Envy asked, in an almost begging tone while motioning for Rose to move forward and take the outfit.
A smile crossed Rose's delicate face before fading, "I would love to put them on, but I have no way of paying you for your services."
If Rose had hit Envy, the expression of disgust would have been less apparent on the smooth facial features. "I would never dream of extorting you for a service you did not originally ask for. Besides, the most powerful hero to grace the earth, trained by the one and only Tripp, to wear an Envy original, an Envy masterpiece while following the path you set for yourself," Envy said dreamily while staring at Rose. "I had always dreamed to create something for Tripp, but he was reclusive and did not use any gear to enhance or channel his abilities. From what I heard he refused to use any item the augmented his abilities. If he could not make his abilities perform in a certain way, then they were not meant to be used in that fashion. His unique skillset would have made for an exciting use of my abilities though." Envy began wandering around the studio while watching Rose examine the outfit. "Go ahead and put it on dear," Envy said while pulling a divider around her.
Rose slipped off the robe Envy had placed around her and began putting on the different pieces of the outfit. "You imbue your creations with special powers, right? She asked. "What did you do to this suit?"
Envy gave a little laugh, "Having never actually met you made creating this particular item a bit difficult. I had to design it based on rumors of your exploits. This caused me to be very careful. I knew it would need to be able to withstand great temperatures, seeing as you withstood a direct attack from Arcane Inferno without any injuries. We do not want you standing around naked every time you use your abilities!" Envy now laughed with great pleasure and admiration. "I had to make changes once I met you, no one ever mentioned how incredibly beautiful you are or the brightness of your soul!" Rose stepped out from behind the divider once dressed. A tear streamed down the incredibly happy face of Envy. "You look radiant dear!"
Moving around in the suit, Rose felt as though she was wearing nothing. It did not hinder her movement or weigh her down. "What kind of material is this?"
"A creation of my own design," Envy replied slyly. "It is an incredibly strong composite that resembles leather, but so much more powerful." Nearly squealing with excitement, Envy continued. "It has great resistance to any physical attack, be it stabbing, slashing, or even gunshots. As well as varying degrees of resistance to elemental attacks, mainly due to the powerful fire enhancements I had to bestow upon it to ensure you did not incinerate it accidently."
Rose stared at herself in a mirror, amazed at how well the uniform fit and how it shimmered dazzlingly in the light. As her happiness grew, she noticed the suit change from a light red to a now beautiful and radiant silver. "Why did it change?"
"Because of your happiness dear," Envy said in awe. "Sometimes the power of my enchantments tend to bestow additional powers and it appears this one has developed the ability to portray what you are feeling. It is also possible that you will be able to control the color shift as you become more in tune with the suit." Envy stood in front of Rose and rubbed her shoulder gently, a serious expression now in place. "I would warn you that the suit may give away what you are feeling in certain situations, but I believe it is your emotions that drive you and give you your power. Do not hide who you are, but also make sure you do not become who the Society tries to make you into."
Rose stared at Envy for a moment before moving into a hug, which Envy returned. "Thank you for everything," she said sincerely.
Envy smiled down at her, "But of course dear. You should get a move on before the Society clears up the paths above and reinforcements show up. Take care of yourself Rose," Envy told her, waving as Rose made her way back to the elevator. Looking back to wave goodbye to Envy, she noticed that Envy had now disappeared into the apartment and was no longer behind her.
Stepping into the elevator, Rose pressed the lonely button and the doors shut in front of her. Moving gently to the right with a light hum, the elevator began its descent deeper into the building. A smile spread across Rose's face, had she made her first friend since Tripp? Had she made her first fan? Her incursion into the Society headquarters had not gone the way she had imagined at all.