"Looks like they're here, Madame," said Carrie Anne.
Madame Bella nodded and inspected her reflection in the mirror.
"Great work as always Micro," she said approvingly.
"Thank you."
Madame Bella stood.
"I'll let you get back to work now," she said, a smile crossing her face. "Can't have royalty thinking you're lazy."
"No, never," Carrie Anne smiled.
Sure enough, Prince Harry with Miette and the rest of his usual security, Mia and Tina with theirs, had arrived at Madame Bella's Beauty Parlour.
This, felt Madame Bella, was the cementing moment. When royaly approved of your faciltity, not only did it prove that people would continue to come, but it would encourage others. Yes, her beauty parlour was here to stay. All that time in the beginning spent wondering if her parlour would collapse was far behind her now.
The royal entourage got out of their cars, and Madame Bella met them at the door.
"Good day, your Royal Highnesses, and friends," she said, suddenly nervous and hoping she had the words right. "I am Madame Bella, and this is my beauty parlour."
Tina and Isaiah
Tina smiled. "I've been here before," TIna said. "Izzy helped me." At the sound of his name, Isaiah poked his head out.
"Hello. Good to see you again, Tina. But back so soon?"
"No, I was just bringing some friends by," Tina said.
Madame Bella, Mia and Prince Harry
"Ahem," Madame Bella said, attempting to maintain officialness. "Please, allow me to show you around."
"Thank you," Mia smiled.
She gave Tina a grin, and they all followed Madame Bella through the foyer.
"These are the hair dressing and make up rooms," she said.
She talked a little more about what goes on while they all peered into the room. Prince Harry gave a low whistle as Madame Bella explained some of the mutant powers in use.
"That's pretty cool," he said. "Y'know, I was a little apprehensive about a mutant powered beauty parlour."
Tina
"I think everybody was," Tina said. "I mean,there are risks, making body altering painless and quick can make it even more addictive than it already is."
Madame Bella and Miette
"Oh, 'tis true," Madame Bella said, having heard this last comment. "And you can rest assured we do our best to make sure that repeat customers aren't falling victim to such a thing. We always encourage those who come in for liposuction equivalent proceedures, for example, to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Of course, some proceedures are rather popular with repeat business, such as skin pigmentation. But we feel it is better to get a artifical tan - if you will - with us, than trying to get one by sunbaking on the beach, where you can get sunburned or skin cancer. Of course, there are those who's idea of changing skin colour is to make it green, but we have no control over fashion."
"Why would anyone want green skin?" asked Miette.
"Oh, you'd be surprised. A lot of humans around here like to look like mutants even if they aren't one. And them some mutants would prefer to look human. Of course, not all mutant have different coloured skin, but you know what I mean."
"Why are we talking about addiction?" Prince Harry asked. "I was thinking more along the lines of, what could be so special about mutants running a beauty parlour?"
Tina
"Oh, okay," Tina said. "BUt I was just thinking about that girl I met here last time, Elata, with her white skin. Like, white like the snow white. And that girl who had her earlobes twisted to look likesprings? That was cool. It's the fashion here, I suppose."
Madame Bella and Mia
"Ahh, Elata..." Madame Bella smiled. "She just can't seem to decide what colour she wants. Eventually she'll settle I'm sure. Fashion is a starnge thing, but it's giving us good business at the moment. Not that I'm planning on relying on that, mind you."
"Fashion does tend to be fickle," Mia agreed. "Just as long as mutants are safe, I don't care what fashions come in and out."
Tina
"It seems to me thatunique ears is the fashion in Genovia at the moment. I've seen quite a few girls with their ears manipulated into different shapes. Personally I don't get it," Tina said. "But whatever floats your boat."
Madame Bella
"It certainly makes things interesting for piercing," Madame Bella agreed. "Which, I might add, is a facility we don't offer at the moment. But to continue the tour..."
She lead them down the hall.
"These rooms are used for the surgical-type proceedures," she said. "At present there are only two people here who conduct those proceedures. We also have a doctor, Dr Carter, who is here to provide medical and other scientifical information to potential customer about those proceedures, and he's also in charge of the research department. As you can imagine, this is a field where we must be kept informed, not only for our sakes, but for those of our customers."
Tina
Tina smiled and nodded, and tried not to act bored.
Madame Bella, Mia, Miette and Prince Harry
Madame Bella continued the tour, showing them the other facilities and introducing them to more of her employees. At last the tour concluded and the entourage headed back to their vehicles.
"Well," said Mia, getting into the car, "That was rather fun."
"Was," Miette agreed.
"Learn much? Any ideas?" Mia asked Prince Harry.
"Mmm, think so..." Prince Harry murmered.
Tina
Tina smiled, happy to be done with that. there was a momentary lull in conversation, and of course her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She laughed.
"ANybody else want lunch?"
Mia, Miette and Prince Harry
"Lunch sounds good to me," Miette agreed.
"There's a mutant-run restaurant down the street," Mia suggested.
"Any good?"
"I haven't actually been there before," she admitted ruefully.
"Well, now seems as good a time as any," Prince Harry said.
Tina
Tina agreed and they all left.