Marriage is Murder

Jim chuckled at Irena's words "That's jack for you, hes always on the defensive " he said and saw Jack roll his eyes at him.

" Sorry Irena its just I don't like to think of myself as a were and I never know how people will react to knowing " he said and took the jacket to try on walking back out he nodded as he moved his arms " yea it is some what tight around the shoulders " he said as he flexed his muscles the back tore and he looked at Irena " sorry" he said and slipped it off and handed it to her. Jim had changed into the tux Irena had given him .

" Much better thank you Irena , and I haven't Margaret see's that I don't put too much weight on" he added smiling at her.

Irena scowled, looking at the expensive tux jacket now ruined. "I did tell you it was going to be tight. I presume you knew not to do exercises in it until I resize it for you," she said. Brian couldn't resist a small laugh. Irena and Tobias did seem to fit in well with Robert's sort of circle of allies. They spoke their minds quickly, just like Robert. He watched her take another jacket off the rack, a larger one and resized it to the point where Brian knew it was going to be ridiculously much too large even for Jack before she entrusted it to him to even try on.

Brian put his own jacket on, and Irena looked at it. "The fit is good enough, but the style isn't you. Take that off at once," she told him. He wanted to laugh and say, "Yes, Mother," but he thought better of it. He merely took it off, and she flicked her fingers at the jacket so that it placed itself back on the rack.

Then she looked at Jim's. "That will suit you well. Here," she said, She flicked her wand at it to adjust the fit for him. Then she handed him the trousers and the rest of it. "Go try the rest on, and lets get it fitted. In there." She pointed to the changing rooms and then floated a completely different jacket to Brian.

Jim took the trousers and nodded moving to change soon he was changed and stepped out. Jack sighed and hung his head " sorry " he said feeling a little like the small boy being scolded and he slipped off the ruined jacket he placed it down , looking at the over sized jacket he slipped it on arm length was fine but it sat long on his body " I said I was sorry " he said looking at Irena " this fits like a sack of potatoes " he said as Jim stepped out .

"Maybe you should try being less defensive, jack " he said to Jack as he turned to Irena " Irena would you mind making the leg length a little shorter please. " he asked and turned to Irena."Everything else fits nicely thank you"

Irena adjusted the length of Jim's trousers and did some fine tuning on his jacket so that it gave him a sharper edge to the tailoring of the suit. She ignored Jacks' childish behaviors and attitudes. She was his tailor, not his mother.

"It fits like a sack of potatoes because it isn' tailored," she said. "I didn't intend for that one to fit. Not as it is. How the devil do you work for Robert, anyway?" Irena had never known of anyone to be able to last working for Robert who didn't act his age. She flicked her wand at the suit coat and tailored it, putting in gussets at the shoulders to keep him from tearing out the fine tailoring. "Go try the trousers," she told him.

She turned her attention to Brian and frowned again. "Still not your look," she said, disapproving. "Take that off."

"I rather liked it," he said.

"No," she repeated. "Take it off. You're going to be a devil to fit. I hope Tobias is having more luck with your wife. I still have Michael to fit, and he's more finicky about his tuxes than I am." She went to an entirely different rack of suits to look for Brian.

Jim chuckled and stood still as she fixed his trousers " hes still learning Irena" he said and looked at himself " thank you very much Irena, Margaret will love this look" he said and smiled as she moved to Jack. " better stop being so fidgety Jack and behave, your acting like a child" he told him and Jack sighed. Jack stood still as Irena sorted his jacket when she told him to try on the trousers he did so. Jim watched Michael and then turned to face Brian who was looking good in his tux but Irena had other ideas and told him to change

"Margaret will like it if you don't ruin it like you ruined the last five tuxes you bought from me before she ever got to see them," Irena said.

Brian was about to go try on the next jacket she passed to him when he heard Khaat's irritation. "Michael! This is the 8th dress I've tried on! And each one gets worse!"

"Be quiet and go try it," he ordered calmly. "When its right, I'll know it." A moment later, Brian heard the dressing room door slam, presumably because she was obeying, unhappily, but obeying. Brian walked over to the doorway of the room.

"What's the problem?" Brian asked.

"If you put a lady--a true lady--in a trashy dress, it just does not disguise the elegance of the woman," Michael said. "So we have to just go trashier and trashier. And its so far below her tastes that she is really starting to hate it. But we do need to attract the twisted little tastes of our artist who is the host. The other issue is that the cut aways in the dress allow us to see how bony her ribs have become. And that is not attractive."

"I can fix that will a glamour spell," Brian said. "Find the dress and we'll try to work some magic on the rest."

"Go get your tux, Junior. Leave the dress to me."

"In a minute, I'm just going to go naked and get it overwith!" she snapped from the dressing room. Brian shrugged and went back to getting his own tux.

Jim coughed and shifted nervously " um yes well those were in the line of duty " he said " this one I'll make sure doesn't get damaged " he said and moved to sit down to wait for Jack to get sorted he looked over at Michael and Khaat and where Brian was trying to inter seed with the dress hunt. He hoped they would find one soon as he knew the show was drawing closer each hour they were there and he glance at his watch. " Brian time is slipping away here " he said and looked down at Enzo.

"The show is tomorrow night , Jim," Brian said. "That gives Michael another 36 hours to use her as a Barbie doll."

"I heard that!" Michael replied. Brian just laughed and tried on the jacket Irena had given to him. He wasn't sure there was much difference between that and the last one he tried. Irena's face lit up.

"Nice," she smiled. "Much better. Now that is impressive." She piled trousers and a white shirt into his hands. "Go. Put it on. That way." She gave him a gentle shove in the right direction. She looked back at Jim. "Go get out of the tux so I can press it and pack it." She looked at Jack. "You too." Then she looked towards Michael. "Hurry up, Michael. It always takes us longer to fine tune your fit than anyone else I work with."

"Fit it exactly like you did my last one," he called back.

"Same jacket?"

"I dont' care," he said. "Khaat, that dress stinks. Here. Try this one." Brian heard her groan at trying a 9th one on.

"I think I should go rescue her soon," Brian said.

"You let me deal with Michael Tremaine," Irena said.

Jim looked at his watch and tapped the glass " dratted thing never tells the right date or time " he said " but Margaret got it for me " he sighed and sat down as he waited . Jack walked back out and stood waiting his trousers some what up by his ankles. his black socks clearly showing as he stood waiting " Hum Jack you might want to get some new socks while your here " Jim said and Jack shrugged and chuckled. Jack chuckled along with him and looked around.

"I might do just that Jim, can never have too many black socks, according to Jess" he said

"Michael has a spell to correct that," Irena said. "You ought to ask him to repair it for you. Stolen clocks are worth considerably less if they do not work, after all. He's had to learn that little charm out of necessity."

"Better," Michael said, in reference to dress number 9. "Irena, come fit it." Irena looked into the b ack room and saw the dress.

"We just got that one in. And I thought it was black."

"It was," Tobias laughed. "Its not now."

"So I see. Can you fit it, Tobias?"

"I'm working on it," he replied. "You fit her, and I'll fit Michael."

"Deal," Irena said. She flicked her wand at Jacks' trousers to refit them. "I fit those once. I don' know how they got short again. Oh, well. Whatever. Take that off. I can't pack it if you're wearing it unless I hex you into pieces of packing paper and put you in the boxes with the tuxes. Your choice. Brian--I'm not getting any younger. Come show me that tux."

"Jeesh," he laughed, coming out.

"Better. Much, much better," she said. She flicked her wand at his tux, tapering it. Not pleased, she kept tapering it and tailoring it until there wasn't a ghost of a chance it would ever fit anyone but him.

"Stop drooling over the boy, Irena," Tobias said in her ear, coming in. "He's married." She swatted him in the chest with her wand. "You can take it off, Brian. I think she's done with you lot." Irena went back in the back room to fit Khaat, and Tobias picked out a tux and began to resize it automatically to Michaels' measurements.