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"Is all of this really necessary?" Vivi whined as Viola straightened out the red cloth of the long double slit dress that she had put the Boss in.
The leader of the Saints wasn't too fond of wearing fancy attire like this, even though she liked how she looked in it, dresses just felt off to her and weren't something she wanted to wear for too long. But she also understood that it was required of her to look the part for certain occasions. Aisha had once told her that the right look could be more convincing than a gun, and it seemed Viola DeWynter lived by the same philosophy.
"Yes, it absolutely is," the black haired woman confirmed firmly without looking up, "this is important, I can't have you showing up looking like a tramp."
Velvet rolled her eyes at her lieutenant, "I think you're thinking too highly of those guys, if you ask me, they sound like your average arms trafficker."
Viola got up from her kneeling position, "Those guys," she repeated, stressing the two words, "are highly respected businessmen from overseas with ties to any significant criminal organization you could think of, including the Syndicate prior to Phillipe’s death."
"Then how come I've never heard of them before, are the Saints not significant enough?" The redhead scoffed, viewing herself in the mirror.
"No," Viola simply corrected her, "at least you haven't been until now."
The Russian arms dealers that Viola had set up a meeting with were respected by cartels and mafias around the globe. The Syndicate had been one of their business partners in the states, as well as some of their branches in Europe.
After Loren's death, Viola and Kiki had tried to keep their business relations going, but Killbane cared little for deals with people he deemed inferior to him, and thus their affiliation with the Russians eventually broke off. However, after the defeat of the Syndicate in Steelport, as well as the disbanding of STAG, Viola had tried to reestablish contact with dealers, and managed to secure a meeting at a local high-class establishment, in order to discuss the future relationship between them and the Third Street Saints, but they wanted to talk to the leader in person.
Viola knew all too well how the Saints' head liked to operate. She remembered when they had tried to strike a deal with the Saints after they had robbed the Morningstar’s bank in Stilwater, which resulted in Phillipe losing an eye, and a shootout between the two gangs inside of the plane. So in order to prevent anything of the sort from happening again, she tried to do everything in her power to make Velvet not act like her usual self when meeting with the Russians or their representatives, she was still unsure whom exactly they had sent to the Rust Belt city.
The backless dress graciously wrapped itself around the Boss' waist, falling more loosely in the front and back at her hips, revealing both of her tattooed legs as the fabric hung straight down between them
"You look good in velvet, Velvet," Viola jokingly complimented the Boss, but she was being honest. She wished her leader dressed like this more often, it suited her.
"I look good in everything," the redhead smugly responded, earning herself a smirk from the former Morningstar.
Velvet stepped away from the mirror and towards the dresser on the other side of the room, from which she retrieved a gun holster strap that she somewhat concealed underneath the dress by placing it around her left thigh. She picked up a small handgun, slid a clip inside of it, cocked the weapon, and flicked the safety on before putting it into the holster on her inner thigh alongside an additional two clips. She grabbed a second strap and buckled it around her calf, then sheathed a short blade inside it.
The Boss didn't know what to expect from the upcoming meeting, she didn't trust the strangers, and frankly, neither did Viola fully, who also made sure to conceal a firearm underneath her own black dress. They didn't expect a shootout to take place, but it would be foolish to not carry any means of defending themselves.
She admired Viola's figure from the back as she turned around to stand in front of the mirror again, "You don't look too bad yourself," she complimented as she stepped forward to put the finishing touches on her outfit.
She pushed her dark red locks aside to put on a pair of golden earrings before making sure her hair fell back down as it was supposed to, then snapped a white pearl necklace shut on the back of her neck. She picked up a small black box that held a golden chain wrist band, put it on her left arm, and placed a pair of golden hoops around her right wrist. She checked herself out one more time, making sure her black lipstick that matched her manicured nails was on point.
"There, that fancy enough for you, Miss DeWynter?" She teased the other woman who was in the process of readjusting her own hair.
Viola had dropped the ponytail for this evening, instead her hair fell down, framing her face in an asymmetrical bob. Her purple lipgloss and dark eyeshadow completed the look. Velvet wasn't used to seeing that hairstyle on the newest Saint, but she liked it a lot, especially when paired with the slit dress that showed her entire right leg. The black haired woman put on a rivière necklace made up of several diamonds that sat in metallic purple frames, that rested on top of her exposed cleavage.
"Wow," Viola was in awe seeing the Boss in her completed outfit, "you actually look presentable for once."
Velvet flipped her off in response, sticking her tongue out.
"Yeah, you look the part, now you just gotta behave and act proper too," Viola worried that Velvet would shit all over her efforts during the meeting by doing or saying something insanely stupid and regrettable.
"I'll be nice, don't worry," the redhead sighed, but Viola still had her doubts.
Velvet could be quite stubborn and easily take offense to anything that hurt her pride even just slightly, and knowing their own pride and attitude those weapon suppliers liked to present themselves with, it was very possible for the two factions to butt heads over hurt egos.
"Please, I know you well enough by now, you'll be nice for two minutes until one of them makes a snarky comment about a woman leading a criminal empire to which you'll respond by breaking his fingers during your handshake," Viola put her hands on her hips.
"I- damn that does sound like something I'd do," Vivi couldn't deny how spot on her partner's example was.
"I need you to be on your best behaviour for real this time, okay?" Viola sounded worried and earnest, and less like a scolding mother at that moment, "This meeting will be extremely important for the Saints' future, one wrong word could turn a potential powerful ally into a dangerous enemy. Please bite your tongue and remain civil, swallow your pride for five minutes and let me do the talking if need be."
Viola stepped towards her leader and took hold of both of her hands, squeezed them briefly, then looked her into the eyes, "For me, please?"
Velvet was taken aback a little at how serious the other woman sounded. It made her understand just how significant that meeting was going to be.
She sighed again, she couldn't say no when Viola asked her so sincerely with that pleading look, "Fine, V, I promise."
"Thank you," she said genuinely, holding her hands for a little longer before letting go, "Alright, we mustn't be late, we should get going."