Buffy looked up distractingly and smiled at the large awning that shaded her from the bright sun, when the double doors of the restaurant were thrown open with a flourish.
"Ah, Mrs. Van Sant! Looking fine as always, I must say! Welcome once again to Dorsia! We have a table waiting for you," a short bald man in a tuxedo proclaimed exuberantly to the redhead. He wore an almost giddy smile on his face for the shapely Charmaine, "And some of your friends are already inside! Mrs. Wellington, Mrs. Kresby, Mrs. Carver, Mrs. Sunderson. Oh, you should see what Mrs. Sunderson has done with her hair! You're going to absolutely adore it! They're all here. Taking a break from shopping or the spa today, hmm?"
Charmaine giggled at the cheerful man, "Oh, Mario, you know to call me Charmaine! And yes, I'm taking a small break from shopping today to grab a bite to eat. I'm with my new friends, Buffy and Dawn Summers. They're new in Stepford. They'll be joining me for lunch today, Mario. Isn't that lovely?"
Both Summers girls smiled back at the man. Charmaine's mood was so infectious, as the music bathed their minds.
Mario looked past Charmaine, seemingly noticing Buffy and Dawn for the first time. His joyous smile faded from his face and his eyes narrowed at the sight of the pair.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Charmaine, and I do apologize with all my heart. At Dorsia we have a strict dress code and I couldn't possibly allow your friends to dine here dressed in such...clothing," his nose wrinkled as he nearly spat out the word 'clothing.' Both Buffy and Dawn looked down at their sensible tops, pants and shoes. Buffy quickly compared the way she was dressed and compared it to Charmaine and the other women of Stepford. The difference really was striking. She glanced over at Dawn. Her smile was now a thing of the past and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Buffy was about to reassure her sister, when Mario's biting voice rang out of the momentary silence, "If they are going to dine at Dorsia, they will need to wear dresses. Rules are rules."
"Forgive me, sir, for being such a foolish women. I was so excited to dine with my new friends that I totally forgot about the dress code. It's just that no one dresses like that in Stepford, you see. If you would allow me, sir, I have two dresses that I picked out earlier for my daughters. I think they may fit Buffy and Dawn. I told them earlier that they're practically skin and bones, for heaven's sakes," Charmaine sighed, "Can they try them on inside?"
Despite the fog that had overtaken her brain, Buffy still knew she didn't like being talked about as if she wasn't there. The Slayer wanted to step forward and give this Mario a piece of her mind. Maybe even her fists, but something held her back. A distracted thought popped in her head. Had the music gotten louder? Instead, she just stood there along with Dawn and let Mario mull things over.
"This is quite unordinary, Mrs. Van Sant," Mario huffed, "However, you and your family have been loyal customers for years at Dorsia so I will allow it just this once. But I will tell your guests that should they elect to stay in Stepford for a while I would suggest that they find some real clothes. Not the rags they are currently wearing. And for God sakes, tell them to buy some proper shoes as well. What were they? Born in a barn?"
"Yes, sir," Charmaine cooed, "They will, sir."
The clearly rattled Mario contorted his face to smile as Charmaine passed the threshold to the restaurant, but sneered at Buffy and Dawn. Buffy found the will to glare back at him, while Dawn seemed to shrink in the diminutive man's presence.
Buffy looked over at Dawn, who still looked so troubled. There was a part of her that felt like she should grab her sister by the hand and run from the restaurant. She knew deep down that she would have done that in the past, but Charmaine's voice rang in her head, telling her that in Stepford they do things differently. The growing part of her fogged mind told her to simply go with the flow. If eating at this fancy restaurant with her new friend, Charmaine, meant that she would have to wear a dress, then that is what she would do. After, all, she had to admit she was hungry.
The short maitre d' rushed to lead the small group of women to a side room of the restaurant. He looked around nervously, so no one would see what he was doing. It was like he was committing the gravest of crimes, and there was a part of Buffy that wanted to laugh at his paranoid behavior, but she didn't want to embarrass Charmaine.
"Make it quick," Mario bluntly told Buffy Dawn, before opening the door to let them in. Charmaine was the first to enter, and he again flashed her a beaming smile. The stark difference between how Mario acted towards Buffy and Dawn compared to Charmaine wasn't lost on the Slayer, but she, or something mysterious, held herself back from making a scene.
The door was shut behind them. The three women could hear Mario stammer to himself about girls wearing pants, and what was the world coming to? Charmaine ignored the maitre d' and smiled at the two Summers sisters.
"Don't mind him, my lovelies. Although, you could be a little more polite to men like Mario and our handsome driver. I didn't hear either of you once call either man 'sir'," Charmaine cooed, flashing a wide smile that almost reached the tension caused by the rather particular man, "And don't worry. After we eat, I will take you shopping. You'll never have to wear those clothes again."
This struck Buffy as odd. She wanted to tell Charmaine that she liked her clothes just fine, but she couldn't find the words. Also, why would she have to call these men 'sir'? She narrowed her eyes and rubbed her temples at the mental battle being waged inside her mind. Dawn, for her part, did manage to utter, "That sounds really nice, Charmaine. I'd really like that. Sorry for embarrassing you in front of Mario." Dawn then hung her head in shame.
"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to apologize to me!" Charmaine exclaimed, mincing toward Dawn and giving her a reassuring hug. She pulled the youngest Summers girl in tight. Dawn's face was pressed against her shoulder, and the thick floral scent of Charmaine's expensive perfume filled her nose. It caused her to become lightheaded, but she didn't mind. Dawn loved the motherly embrace. The Stepford woman caressed the back of Dawn's head, before finally releasing a now far more dazed Dawn.
"Now then. We mustn't disobey that nice Mario," Charmaine said, clapping her hands lightly. She then moved over to the shopping bags and fished out two dresses. One was dark blue, while the other one was white. They both looked tiny, and Buffy wondered if they would fit. She wasn't thrilled that they were seemingly doing this for that jerk, Mario, either. Still, she didn't want to disappoint their new friend, who looked so excited. The wide smile gracing Charmaine's glamorously made-up face could have positively lit up the room, "I need you to change into these as fast as possible. Here, Buffy. I picked this out for Yasmine, my oldest. And Dawn, this is going to be for Aria. I'm sure they won't mind if my two new friends wear the dresses before they get a chance. They really are such good girls."
Charmaine then regarded the pair before her, before cooing out, "Now, clothes off, my darlings."
The strange request broke though the fog in Buffy's mind and she looked over to Dawn, "You want us to do what now?"