“What, The Tarantula!?”
Rio’s phone alarm sounded at 5am, rays of harsh sunlight filtering in through the cracked blinds of her apartment. Drum and bass music was blasting from the floor above hers, the art students who rented there were clearly having a party. Again. She sighed.
Alice had gotten an uber back home at ten last night, and Rio had stayed up until about half three, pacing her bedroom with a joint, unable to stop catastrophising about her work. She was certain that Agatha would laugh in her face, hate it, and fire her all in the space of five seconds. Letting out a small groan, she sat up.
Her hair, as usual, was sticking up in all directions. Rummaging through her bedside table, her numb fingers finally grasped a slightly dusty scrunchie, and she pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. She’d come to hate the feeling of her hair on her back, especially when it was this messy.
The faint scent of yesterday’s late-night snacks filled the air, and Rio yawned, stretching her arms above her head. Catching sight of the portfolio in the corner, she was met once again with the realisation that she’d have face the scrutiny of Agatha Harkness. She let out another yawn, getting out of bed and tiptoeing across the minefield that was her bedroom carpet.
Alice had left a pink post it note on one of the only bare spaces on her wall, which read “Good Luck <3”
Rio scoffed, taking it down, though she couldn't help a slight smile, and she pushed it into the front pocket of her bag.
Deciding she’d have to look the part for Agatha to take her seriously, Rio ditched her usual tight jeans and casual t-shirts, opting for an old, long sleeved white shirt that had been gathering dust in her closet since high school, and a black shirt that cut off just above her knee. Scrapping her usual eyeliner, she applied a light layer of lip-gloss and pulled on a dark green vintage blazer from a charity shop down the road. She’d bought it when she was eighteen in the hopes that it would make her look “smart” for job interviews. It hadn’t worked.
She padded into her small kitchen, which had become more of a storage room for reems of fabric and ribbon and lace than a place for cooking, her footsteps light on the creaky hardwood floor. Shoving two breakfast bars into her mouth, she moved to the corner of the counter, where a glass terrarium was sat slightly wonkily. Inside, a large, fuzzy tarantula lay on a mound of dirt, its eight beady eyes fixed on Rio.
“Hi buddy! You doing okay in there?” Rio beamed, lifting the lid of the terrarium and giving the spiders abdomen a gentle pat. She’d had the creature since she was twelve, and it was the first thing she learnt to love. Hating to see it confined to such a small space, she lifted it from the glass enclosure, letting it crawl off her palm and onto the countertop, smiling as it scurried off into one of the dark corners. Sure, she wasn't really meant to let it roam free, but after several experiments she could conclude that her apartment was inescapable for the creature. Plus, she loved the little game of hide and seek they played every evening when it was time to go back into the terrarium.
After tidying up her hair a little, she slipped into her favourite pair of black combat boots, complete with little green flowers she’d embroidered into the sides of the leather, not bothering to untie the laces.
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Agatha had gotten into work at her usual early hour, having managed to drop Nicky off at school before they shut the gates. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a little excited to see what Vidal had brought her. Ripping into the younger woman brought her rather a lot of pleasure, and being able to annoy her while scouting out ideas that could make her business profit, well it was a perfect combination.
She’d opted for one of her usual suits, a dark blue today, perfectly tailored to show off her figure. Having nothing of major importance to do, Agatha clicked through her emails, sending most of them to junk, barely taking the time to skim each message. She had no time for pointless emails, and didn’t hesitate to filter out anything that didn't catch her interest or displayed the slightest error in grammar. She tutted, blocking a particular colleague’s email after coming across four consecutive messaging requesting a meeting with HR, before resorting to turning off her computer.
Agatha took a moment to admire her reflection in the black screen of her computer, adjusting a few loose strands of hair and puckering up her lips. A small, satisfied smile appeared on her face as she checked herself out, tilting her head to properly appreciate each angle. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts by two swift knocks on the door. Vidal.
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Rio had taken the seventeen-flight elevator journey up to Agatha’s office, this time without an intern giving her the fright of her life. Clutching her boss's coffee, which she’d checked and double checked to ensure it was the correct order, she knocked on the wooden door in the same way she always did.
“Ms Harkness?” She called softly, hoping to catch the woman in a good mood.
“In.” Was the only response she got. On entering, she was a little stunned to see Agatha in a colour that wasn't purple. She’d gotten used to the obnoxious violets and garish indigos. Maybe she’d started to like them. This much of a change so early in the day already set Rio’s mind reeling. She was a creature of habit, and seeing Agatha without her signature colour seemed like a bad omen.
Agatha was fairly taken-aback Rio’s outfit too, when she finally bothered to look up from her reflection.Damn, the way her skirt swayed as she approached her desk was captivating. The white shirt she was wearing had been rendered somewhat see-through by the heavy rain, revealing the outline of a black sports bra underneath.
Agatha was the first to break their staring contest, clearing her throat and sipping the coffee that Rio had presented her with.
“Ah, Rhiannon. Congratulations. It seems that unlike Teen you can carry out basic instructions to a satisfying level of competency” She drawled, spitting the poor boys name as though it was some sort of curse. “I’ve missed this.” She moaned, swirling her coffee cup. What she really meant was that she missed Rio’s presence.
Rio couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction, it was rare to receive any form of praise from the demanding woman, and the fact that she’d gotten the unnecessary complicated coffee order right was a small victory. Perhaps it would set the tone nicely for what Rio hoped would come next. Trying to clear her throat in the professional way Agatha did prior, but instead mustering up something between a choke and a cough, she began.
“Well, uh, I got your email about seeing my work, and I’ve brought-”
“Ah ah.” Agatha’s sharp tone cut in, waving a perfectly manicured finger at the younger woman. “I want my week’s schedule doing first, and then I’ll have a look. I trust you can handle that without any mistakes?” She says, taking delight in drawing out her assistant's clear stress.
“Of course,” Rio let out a barely concealed huff, which made Agatha chuckle faintly.
Sitting down at her own desk, which was much smaller and significantly messier than Agatha’s pristine workspace, Rio set about organising the wretched womans week.
It was mundane as usual, scheduling in pointless meetings and calls and discussions that Agatha probably wouldn't even bother attending. The older woman’s sole focus at the moment was talking to her friend over the phone about how amazing the upcoming Paris Fashion Week would be.
~“Oh, Wanda darling, it’s going to be gorgeous as always, you must come and visit when I’m there!” Agatha gushes down the purple dial phone.~
Rio had dreamed of going to Paris as long as she’d lived, her mother always insisting it would be too expensive. Being invited to Fashion Week was like a holy grail for aspiring designers, and Rio couldn't help the stab of envy in her chest as she watched Agatha discuss it so casually with her friend. She sighed and got back to typing up the schedule, her thoughts constantly drifting back to the overly loud phone call on the other side of the room.
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It wasn't until that afternoon that Agatha found herself flipping through Rio’s sketches, an unimpressed look on her usually stony features.
“I asked for ten examples darling. Ten And this is what? Twenty three? Do you struggle with numbers as well as words Rhiannon?” Agatha says cruelly, tutting.
Despite Rio’s evident talent , Agatha seemed to find fault in every design, leaning over her shoulder as she scrutinised the sketches that she and Alice had picked out the day before. Rio could feel the woman’s hot breath on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.
Agatha perused the first couple of pages of Rio’s portfolio, her mouth set in its usual pout.
“Well.. I have to say darling, these designs are certainly ambitious, though they lack any practically and have pretty much zero marketability. No model on this earth is going to want to come anywhere near that” Agatha snarls, gesturing to a corseted red concept, with ribbon straps and a plunging neckline. “Though...”
She stopped at a particularly eye catching design. It was one that Rio had produced a few months ago, sat at her work desk with nothing to do but listen to Agatha’s endless complaints about another unfortunate intern. She’d found herself sketching out a new dress design, a little more lavish than what she usually came up with. It was perhaps slightly inspired by the older woman, though she wouldn't admit it.
It was, naturally, a dark amethyst colour. It was sophisticated, classical, yet fresh and inspired. The dress was floor-length, with an over the shoulder neckline framed by thin spaghetti straps. The bodice and skirt were covered by a gentle cascade of fabric flowers, each one a slightly different shade of purple, intricately shaded and highlighted. The fabric was soft and airy, seeming to somehow move despite being sketched flat on the page. It had an almost cape-like quality, eerily similar to the long coat that Agatha had a penchant to flourish whenever she left a room.
The older woman clicked her tongue, holding it up in front of her.
“That’s not bad. I mean, the straps are awful, but eh, it has potential.”
Not Bad. Rio didn't know whether to slap this woman or kiss her.
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After flipping through the rest of Rio’s designs, Agatha had set aside two or three that she claimed to be “tolerable”, and Rio actually felt that it had gone okay. She hadn’t been ridiculed too much, and being told she had potential by Agatha Harkness was the best thing anyone had said to her her whole life.
“Not bad Vidal, really. They all need tweaking a bit, but I’m adequately impressed. Thank you for bringing them in, some of them have certainly kept me ah.. entertained” She said, her tone overly sweet as she handed the sketches back.
Rio still had two hours left of her shift, sitting in awkward silence as she sorted through weeks old emails and enquiries.
Agatha had gotten up to grab another instant coffee from her purple De'Longhi espresso machine when she let out an ear-piercing screech.
"Shit. Shit shit shit" The woman hissed repeatedly, much to Rio's amusement. It was always nice to hear her swear.
A tarantula had scuttled across the marble flooring. It seemed someone wanted a day out of the apartment and had hitched a ride in Rio’s handbag.
Agatha instinctively jumped up onto her desk in an attempt to get away from the spider. She grabbed the nearest object she could find, that being her own Louboutin high heel, and brandished it like a weapon, ready to strike if the tarantula came any closer.
“Get it away from me! Get it away!”
Rio instinctively covered her ears at the yelling, before rushing over to see what all the theatrics were for.
“Fuck.” she mumbled, trying to contain her laugh. She couldn't help but find the situation slightly ironic, seeing the usually stoic and controlled woman shaking in fear from a spider of all things. A bit of karma for being such a bitch 24/7.
“Hey buddy” Rio smiled, crouching down onto the floor and putting her palm out, allowing the creature to climb up. She tickled its fuzzy back, grinning.
“You wanna say hi to Ms. Harkness?” she adds with a giggle, moving her hand a little closer to where Agatha was still curled up on the desk.
The older womans eyes widened in horror as Rio held out the tarantula towards her, the spider wriggling innocently in Rio’s hands. Agatha let out a high-pitched squeal of protest, the grip on her high heel tightening threateningly.
“No, no, keep it away from me!” she yelled, which prompted another slight laugh frown Rio. Seeing her usually terrifying boss so scared has emboldened her a little.
”I swear, Vidal, if you don’t put that beast back wherever the hell it came from this instant, you’re fired!!”
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Rio was on the bus home, her portfolio in one arm, and a plastic lunchbox containing her tarantula in the other, which garnered a few odd looks from passersby. They mostly moved on, and Rio figured they’d probably seen far weirder things on the streets of London than an oversized spider.
Her phone buzzed loudly; she’d still not changed that stupid ringtone, though her embarrassment quickly switched to joy as she saw it was Alice.
“How did work go? Did she like your sketches? Xx” Alice had sent
Rio pondered how to phrase her response, because truthfully it was hard to gage what Agatha thought of the designs she’d shown. The woman appeared mostly disinterested, but she did say it had potential. And there was that purple dress that she quite liked...
“Not bad. Mixed feedback, but some good stuff. I’m gonna adapt some bits tonight and show her again tomorrow if she has time. Oh, and my spider showed up.”
Was what Rio managed to type after five minutes of staring out of the window, watching the houses go by. She let out an audible groan as a guy sat down next to her. There were clearly free seats behind them, why the hell would he sit there?! Just her luck.
“What, you mean the tarantula !?” Alice messaged back a few seconds later, the messages accompanied by a barrage of confused emojis.
“I’ll call you later” Rio typed back with a slight smile, pressing herself up against the bus window to try and escape the presence of the man next to her, before turning her phone off.