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The kid was sharp; Lilia nodded The picture was fro Party where Lilia and Larry had introduced Don Manhattan to Nightwalking
She was front and center along with Larry Stepelli, the bisexual boyfriend who designed all her clothes In black with faces white as bone, they stood out araffiti artists, stray freaks, and Warhol Factory stars
Lilia knew she should warn these kids where blood sucking was going to lead She remembered her own addiction and the horrors of Ichordone Therapy But tooto risk endangering the chance she saw coave them a double discount because they would tell their friends about the place Then she told the girl that she was hiring sales help and took her name It was Scarlet Jones (an invention Lilia assumed) The boy was just plain Bret--too paranoid to leave a last na as the kids left and someone with a heavy European accent asked for directions to the store Lilia felt the good years co her eyes Lilia recognized froo the throaty, sly voice that so
The one called Katya must have come in as the kids left Well over six feet tall, she stood near the door in a jacket and slacks of fierce grey suede and high-heel ankle boots of raw leather
"Other’s shoes are man-made," it was said in certain circles, "but Katya’s are ination but Lilia could alers in the heels
"Just h that’s the way it had been for a long time "To what do I owe this honor?" It had been at least twenty years since she’d gotten anything but a fraction of a nod and an amused stare from this woman on those rare occasions when their paths had crossed
Katya glanced at the Mudd Club photo and frowned Lilia knew she’d caught sight of her young self, a supporting player in Lilia and Larry’s big mos and Paulo orked part-time as a professional boy In that intense instant all five of the to break into the Fashion Trade
Katya glanced around and Lilia saw her registering the somewhat tired capes on display, the costulance turned out to be drop-of-blood hborhood," Katya said "Sos are to be seen in these quiet little nooks It’s the essence of our business, isn’t it, keeping an eye on what is being worn on the streets?"
Katya turned to go as a male couple came in "I’ll tell Paulo and Felice about all this," she said "I know they’ll want to see you too"
The time when they were new in the city and broke ell past Now Larry was the domestic partner of a rich lawyer Katya, Felice, and Paulo ran Savage Design, which had been a power in New York fashion for as long as that scene’s short memory ran
People in the business went in such fear of the trio that they called them The Kindly Ones and prayed for their help Before any enterprise was launched it was considered wise to offer thery for so new and perverse or at least hot and retro
Of their little group only Lilia had failed to make it Katya’s visit could h theshe watched Katya take in this dark sliver of the neighborhood A sant hotel a block and a half north marked the end of trendy Soho
Next to Reliquary was a shop that sold spray paint and other graffiti supplies The storefronts across the street were dark and eritty little block was a bit of pre-gentrified New York preserved in a new century
Next Monday n sipping coffee She couldn’t decide whether she was more ashamed or bitter when she compared her current life to those of the Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones’ initial expressions when she arrived left Lilia with no doubt that they found her an a curiosity She kept silent and studied the walls which were decorated with photos of last spring’s coup
An eht have been dawn but wasan ostentatiously plain dark dress and the slightest srey except for the handbag That was in the red and orange tones of an October bonfire A Satanic Possession of One’s Oas the caption
Around the room ads displayed belts, scarves, wraps A photo was headlined, For the One Willing to Exchange a Flawed Soul for Perfection
Satan’s Bag, read the caption on the Harper’s Bazaar double page spread, Designer Fashion from inside the Fiery Gates!
Paulo noticed her interest He still had the face and body of a kid But now he had the eyes of an old, bored lizard He wore a short pants suit of navy blue cheviot wool A yo-yo spun constantly on his right hand
"Last Spring’s triumph," said an ancient voice from inside him "As of yet nobody knohat to do about next year" His yo-yo slept at the end of its string, looped the loop as he spoke