Tommy rocks impatiently on his heels. He crosses his arms behind his back for extra stability. He tries distracting himself with his sketchbook or reorganizing the pillows on his couch, but his attention is always drawn back to the doors leading into the dressing room stalls. He hears quiet movement muffled through the wooden material. It hasn't been long since the people have stepped into the room, but Tommy feels like he's waiting forever as he idles awkwardly in the center of the room. Part of him even feels perverted for keeping his eyes on the doors. He doesn't dignify that part of himself with a response since the rest of him is bursting with anticipation and excitement. He wants to bang his fists on the door, demanding that his customers hurry up. He doesn't do this for the obvious reasons of him being a good businessman and his clients are supervillains that could swat him like a fly, but the temptation persists against the waves of rationality.

After an eternity, the doorknob for one of the doors jiggles. Panicked, Tommy rushes to straighten the pencils on his desk, pretending he was cleaning up after himself the entire time. He hears the door creak as it opens. He hears the person move across the room. Their heels clack against the wooden stage. He sees colors in his peripheral vision. Tommy decides with a deep breath that he's pretended not to be excited for long enough. He shoves the remaining pencils into a mug left on the corner of his desk. His cheeks burn with embarrassment, and his heart quickens with restless energy. He extends this energy to rush behind the stage, staring at the person's reflection in the three mirrors surrounding them.

Lady Necrosis turns to face him, her head leaning over her shoulder before the rest of her body spins around. Tommy's heart immediately stops in his chest. His breath feels cold as he looks upon her visage. It is with little exaggeration that Tommy thinks she genuinely looks like a goddess of death. She is both beautiful and fatal. Her presence is comforting and overpowering. She is like a blade laid to rest on the ground: innocuous in the dirt, but destruction given physical form when raised into the air.

Golden armaments are sewn into a bodice as black as the night like ceremonial armor. The highlight is the ruby heart at the center of her chest (the design is an exact replica of Azrael's symbol). It pulsates faintly with magic Azrael placed inside it when he brought over the materials. Her bodice extends into an open skirt held closed by a dull gold sash around her midsection. It is mainly a royal purple, but there are many designs incorporated into the skirt in rows like stygian feathers and emerald teardrops. Her pants are more akin to plum purple. Gilded thread creates geometric patterns around the thighs. Her knees are covered by a thick golden armor piece, and this marks the top of her long black boots. Tiny emeralds hang from the bottom of the knee-pad to match the ones hanging from her skirt. These emeralds appear again around the brim of her wide hat covered in wither roses (another gift Azrael brought without Tommy asking for it). A gray-purple veil hangs from the brim, covering her face. When the veil does part, the shadows on her face barely conceal the skull mask painted gold, purple, and green. Her eyes are visible through the eyeholes, and perhaps that is where the spark of divinity Tommy is sensing comes from.

Lady Necrosis turns back to the mirror. She slides one foot across her calf. She lifts into the air a second later. Her veil and skirt sway gently as she hovers above the stage. She raises her arm. The long black gloves extend to her elbows. They are mostly without design except for the kite-shaped emeralds placed on the back of her hand. She stretches her fingers. Purple-black energy pools together beneath her palm. She aims the energy blast at her reflection. Her eyes glow bright enough to pierce through the veil. It doesn't reveal her identity; it only adds to how terrifying she is.

Fear or no fear, Tommy stumbles forward. He trips on the steps, and his knees bang against the stage's edge. Tommy ignores the pain. He manages to remain upright as he puts his hands on the stage. He stares up at Lady Necrosis' reflection. She turns her eyes to him. They are pinpricks, so Tommy doesn't understand what she's feeling at the moment. Tommy raises one of his hands as if he could dismiss her anger with only a motion of his fingers. "Don't fucking shoot. Please don't shoot. I'll fix whatever you're dissatisfied with."

The energy disperses. Her eyes fade back to a normal illumination level. She places one foot on the ground, then the other foot joins it. She turns to face him properly. Lady Necrosis squats down, arms wrapping around her knees. Her voice is completely garbled as she speaks to him (it didn't used to sound like this. He used to be able to hear her voice with minimal interference from the secret charm. Does it have something to do with the magicked ruby on her chest? Or has Tommy met her in his real life recently?) "I apologize. I did not mean to scare you. I have no problems with the suit. In fact, I love it. I only wanted to see what it looked like when I was using my powers."

"She might not have any problems," A voice calls from one of the occupied dressing rooms. Parasite pushes the door open with his shoulder. He stands in the threshold with a haughty expression, pulling at his gloves to bring them further down his forearm. He turns his eyes to glance at Tommy. "But I have a lot of problems."

Parasite's outfit is primarily in blues, grays, and black. He wears a dark blue bodysuit, almost black when the shadows cover it. The bodysuit is accented with black boots wrapped in white-blue strings twinkling faintly with particle effects. These strings reappear around his waist, braided together to make a branch-like shape. The spade on his chest is a teal color, and this teal is reincorporated with the edges of his hooded shawl. The interior of the shawl is a light blue color, spackled with white flecks at random. This shawl extends down to form two wing-like sections decorated like a beetle's wings. The top of the hood doesn't hide the tiny antennas leaving his dark blue-black hair. The mask over the top of his face is black with teal edges. The gloves over his hands and wrists are black, and the sleeves underneath contain an umbra effect that goes from a pale blue to the same tone as the rest of the bodysuit.

"Don't be like that, Parasite," Lady Necrosis tells him. She reaches her hands out to grab Tommy's arms. She assists him in standing back on his feet. She joins him on the floor beside the stage. She remains close by. (Tommy knows he should be afraid. He compared her to the goddess of death several moments prior. She almost blew up part of his shop. Unfortuantely, Tommy thinks his sense of danger has been severaly fucked by how many interactions he has with supervillains on the daily.) "You look plenty terrifying."

Since Lady Necrosis left the stage, this leaves room for Parasite to bound across the room. He jumps onto the stage instead of taking the stairs. He spins around a few times, arms spreading wide to let the tails of his shawl extend far past him. When Parasite settles, he rocks on his entire body forward and back. His arms cross over his chest, but he lifts one to hold onto his chin. He moves his face from one direction to the next. When he's done assessing himself in the three mirrors, he shrugs his shoulders and gives Tommy a grin. "I do look quite dapper, don't I?"

"What were your problems?" Tommy asks, joining Parasite on the stage. He turns around to grab some materials necessary for mending the suit. He could scrap the entire design for something new. He would have to get more materials from Azrael, though. It would be a hassle since everything had to be made with the exoskeletons of actual inchlings (how else was Tommy going to get fabric that could change its size?). Tommy could reuse the suit right now. It wouldn't be too difficult, but he'll probably need some additional supplies, anyway.

"I was only kidding," Parasite tells him, shaking his head and laughing warmly. Lady Necrosis sighs, lowering her face to her hands inside her veil. Tommy chuckles alongside Parasite. He feels something positive unwind in his chest. Laughing with Parasite feels strangely familiar. Tommy chalks this up to him having laughed with quite a few people recently. His life is getting better.

The last door opens from the dressing rooms. Vulcan steps into the room. With all haste, he joins everyone else surrounding the stage. Parasite bumps Tommy off the stage. The blonde catches himself, but Lady Necrosis goes the extra mile to put her hands on his shoulder to steady him. Parasite grabs Vulcan's hand. He pulls the former vigilante onto the stage. Parasite jumps off the side of the stage backwards. He cups his hands around his mouth, yelling out breathy phrases as if an entire stadium were cheering for Vulcan. The man smiles at Parasite's antics. Tommy giggles beneath his breath, and Lady Necrosis whistles for Vulcan. He spins around for them and lowers himself into a bow when he stops. Tommy can freely say that the suit looks better on Vulcan than it does on the mannequin. He wonders if Slime would still try to hug the suit if Vulcan was the one wearing it.

"I'm satisfied with this. Thank you for doing this," Vulcan meets Tommy's eyes. He is smiling widely. Tommy returns the smile. It's strange to think their first meeting involved Tommy pushing Vulcan out of a window. It feels so distant now. Miles and times separate Tommy from that moment, yet the bond that was forged in that unlikely situation is one Tommy could never forget.

"Ah, fuck, wait," Tommy says, remembering something important. He rushes over to his desk. He opens one of the drawers. It slams all the way open before the force sends it slowly moving back. Tommy keeps it open with his hand as he pulls a folder from the stack. He closes the drawer with his hip. He brings the folder to Lady Necrosis. She takes it immediately. Tommy explains it to her while tapping on the folder's surface. "This is the design for the henchman's suits. I've listed the necessary procedures for mass production. I'm leaving that to the group since I don't have the manpower or the measurements to accomplish something this big."

"Thank you. We'll make sure to pay you for this," Lady Necrosis promises as if the debt system on the island wouldn't force their hand. Tommy appreciates the sentiment, though.

"It's only business," Tommy reminds her. No matter how companionable the villains are, Tommy cannot let himself forget the nature of their relationship. They are only keeping him alive because he's useful. They are only protecting him because they signed a contract. They can be as friendly as they want with him, but the truth of the matter doesn't change. And that truth is simple: they are supervillains, and next to them, he is nothing. They are better than him in almost every way. Tommy can't let his hubris get him killed. "With this, I am officially done with the Syndicate."

"Eh, I wouldn't be too hasty. The Syndicate isn't done with you," Parasite responds. Vulcan glares at Parasite from the corner of his eye. Lady Necrosis' fingers tighten around the folder. Parasite is unbothered by their reactions. He continues fiddling around with his suit, finding new reasons to hum in acknowledgement and appreciation as he discovers another cool detail.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Tommy crosses his arms over his chest, attempting to appear more confident than he truly is. Fake it till you make it, no?

"We'll need repairs and cleaning," Vulcan answers. He stops glaring as he puts his full attention on Tommy's shoulders.

"Huh, yeah, I guess there's that, too, but that isn't the only reason," Parasite immediately undoes what Vulcan was trying to do.

"And what the fuck does that mean?" Tommy tries stepping toward Parasite. The villain is excessively chatty today even if he isn't telling Tommy what the blonde wants to hear.

"Stop talking," Lady Necrosis orders. Her words are firm and emotionless. Although she didn't tell them to stop doing anything else, Tommy can feel Vulcan's and Parasite's heart rates drop. He doesn't blame them. His heart is also beating slower. He holds his breath as Lady Necrosis breathes in and out deeply. She shifts toward Tommy. Her voice is kinder but no less blank than it was before due to the secret charm. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, Tommy. Parasite doesn't know what he's talking about."

Tommy has a feeling Parasite knew exactly what he was talking about, but it's not like Tommy can disagree with Lady Necrosis. He'll find out the truth later when she isn't staring at him like the reaper collecting his soul. Right now, he smiles awkwardly and nods his head at her words. He shifts on his feet. He glances out the window. His voice is quiet as he speaks, "If that's what it is. If you three are done, I will have to ask you to leave. I have a meeting with a potential client later who wishes to stay anonymous."

"We understand. Good luck at your meeting," Lady Necrosis responds. She grabs Parasite's hood. She pulls him forward. He makes a startled noise, following after her. Tommy can hear their hushed argument as Lady Necrosis leads him out the front door. When they reach the sidewalk, Parasite disappears. Lady Necrosis flies away. Tommy assumes Parasite is inside her head now.

Vulcan lingers behind a moment longer. He seems hesitant. Tommy raises an eyebrow at him. Vulcan wavers. "Be careful. Tensions are running high on the island. Someone's about to act and everyone else will be forced to react. No matter what we do, you might not be completely unaffected by the Syndicate's actions."

"I understand. Thanks for telling me. You look out for your own skin, okay? After making you that fucking amazing suit, I wouldn't want you to go and die on me," Tommy responds. Vulcan nods. His lips twitch with a smile he doesn't allow to spread across his face. Vulcan shoulders his way to the door. He slips through the ajar glass. He looks over his shoulder once to meet Tommy's eyes. Vulcan nods, and Tommy nods back. Vulcan throws his hands down. He shoots into the air like a rocket propelled from fire.

Tommy drops onto the couch. He relaxes for a moment. Once the moment is up, he pulls himself to the edge of the couch. He waits patiently, and sure enough, after a few minutes, someone pushes open the front door. Tommy was expecting Jester, but he's pleasantly surprised when Slime bounds into the room before Jester and Nuzlocke strides into the room right after the King of Las Nevadas. Tommy tilts his head to the side questioningly, "What are you two doing here?"

"I'm here for my suit!" Slime cheerfully responds. He sinks down onto the couch right beside Tommy. He wraps one arm around Tommy's, holding the blonde tightly like a stuffed animal. It gives Tommy whiplash to see Slime as bubbly as this when a few days ago he was plotting the complete annihilation of the Binary Killer with such potent bloodlust in his eyes that Tommy feared for his own life for a moment.

"I'm also here for my suit," Jester answers. He sits in the chair on the other side of the coffee table from Tommy. He crosses one leg over the other. He leans back, placing his chin in his awaiting fingers. He stares at Tommy from over the tips of his fingers.

"I'm here as their guard," Nuzlocke notes. She stands behind and to the side of the chair. She wears the outfit Tommy made for her. Tommy feels pride well up inside him at the sight.

"The more, the merrier. I'll get your suits for you," Tommy shrugs. As he stands, Slime comes with him. Tommy snorts as he personally escorts Slime to the hanger on the rack that corresponds with Slime's suit. He places it in Slime's hands. The bubbly man hugs the suit against him. Jester is more languid in his approach, but Tommy has the suit ready for the man to accept. Nuzlocke joins Tommy, standing right beside him as they wait for her boss and coworker to get done. Slime doesn't seem concerned with what's inside the garment bag. Jester unzips it, staring at his costume with an assessing eye.

"Good. I will wire the credits to you," Jester nods. He zips the garment bag back up.

"We need to do something more!" Slime calls. He hangs off Jester's shoulder. The boss raises an eyebrow at his subordinate. Slime's face lights up with an idea. "We should throw a party for Tommy! We can invite everyone to it!"

Jester is silent. His eyes move around as he considers the idea. When he's done, he nods, "That is a reasonable idea."

"I'll make sure to protect you from the other villains," Nuzlocke promises with a smile on her face. She nudges his shoulder with her own.

"You should prepare an outfit and mask for yourself. I will provide the secret charm," Jester continues like they are seriously considering this idea.

"We can come up with a code name for you!" Slime adds, pumping his fist into the air.

"Please stop. I don't need a party. The credits are more than enough."

"It is only right that we pay you back for everything you have done. I will send you an invitation for the party along with the secret charm."

Those are the words Jester leaves Tommy as he and his group leave the shop. Tommy exhales. Well, he's been to worse parties.