Things were looking good. The country appeared to be on the road to recovery and all the old cliches were being heard over and over "Invest in your future." or "Strike while the iron's hot." It was true. Business was good, in fact it was thriving. The "New Empyrean Retreat" was ticking over nicely and had more than recouped his initial outlay on the restoration.

Having wasted no time walking the streets of Detroit and seeing new businesses opening he had finally decided on what it was missing. There were enough bars, restaurants etc. Vinnie wanted something different. He wanted somewhere that he could glean valuable information which could either be a great business deal to get involved with or god forbid save his or someone close to him's life.

He found a suitable premises and after signing the contracts, instructed the same workmen he had used previously to get to work and make sure it was ready to go by the end of the month. No excuses! In the meantime he placed a card prominently in the window "Now Hiring." He neglected to put what he was hiring for because if they couldn't figure it out from the name above the door then they weren't for him.

It hadn't take him long to come up with the name of the new venture due to his nickname. Vinnie Gorgeous. Ladies I present to you:

                                     GORGEOUS HAIR & NAILS - DT                                                  

The sign-makers had not let him down yet and had once again risen to the challenge of his exacting demands. He stood outside, looking up, proudly admiring it and excited about what the future held.

The weeks passed by without too much stress or headaches. The day was finally upon us of the grand opening of his salon. Staff were all trained from the Senior Stylist, Colorists, shampooists, Junior Stylists and apprentices. On the nail care he had hired an experienced manicurist and an apprentice.

He took one last look around the shop with the four cutting stations running along the left hand wall which was covered by a huge mirror which made the salon look far bigger than it actually was. 2 separate sinks for rinsing and shampooing on the back wall. The all important driers Five in total in a semi circle around a glass coffee table festooned with the latest magazines. The manicurists were side by side by the front picture window as they insisted that this was the best location due to the light.

They had been taking bookings mainly from wives and girlfriends of his business associates as he wanted to make sure he didn't let any of them down as a refusal often offends he had found in the past.

He glanced at his pocket watch and then at the two waiters standing by the entrance. One offering a glass of champagne whilst the other offered a range of canapes. Satisfied he nodded to Juliette his Salon Manager/Receptionist to open the doors.

Transformation

It had been a long time coming from the Freak to finally make his way into the upper echelons of the American Mafia, and after so much hard work, everything had come together when he received his biggest and most important promotion of Made Man. Now that his clout levels were high enough to rub elbows with the cream of the crop of illegal society, the tall man made his way into a business which promised to give you both gorgeous hair and nails; his grimy fingers caked in soot and his hair just piled on top of his head with no real rhyme or reason behind its wild look.

Pulling the expensive cigar out of his mouth that he had just purchased a few hours ago at a nearby shop, he walked towards one of the seats and sat down without saying a single word yet. With his ascension to Made Man, he decided to try out this new thing where he made other people speak first as a sign of respect.

"Hey, so, uh, is Vincent around? I need a makeover." 

Running his dirty hands through his greasy hair, he looked around at everything in the store and smiled knowing that he was in good hands with the man known by most of the ladies to be quite gorgeous. Maybe he too would be considered beautiful, but he would settle for people just not crossing to the other side of the street when they saw him walking down the road.

"I'll pay top dollar if you turn me from a zero to a hero." he pulled a wad of cash from out of his pocket and waved it above his head in hopes that this would bring him prompt service. 

Lissa had just arrived back in Detroit from a visit out to her cabin. She had been busy with some parties that she had been hosting. Once she was backed, she noticed her nails didn't look as they should. After cleaning them, she found Gorgeous Hair & Nails. Stepping through the doors, she smiled politely and found someone to help her.

"Hello. I was hoping you could help fix my nails? They are absolutely terrible! Seems I may have put off doing them a little too long."

Pausing briefly, she glanced around nervously.

"Do you have any suggestions to fix this? I mean there is no dirt, but they look hideous."

A sigh escaped her as she remembered the very terrible mess of getting rid of bodies. This was what probably did her nails in.

It was common knowledge that Mayari was a fallen moon goddess, summoned to the Earth by evil spirits and cursed to be trapped in this flesh prison forever. This was common knowledge because Mayari spewed this bullshit to everyone who listened. As such, she had never really cared for desires of the flesh, including the desire to make oneself look more 'beautiful', at least in human terms. As a goddess, her hair always fell perfectly and her skin always glowed -- in fact it glowed so much she looked like a half-broken glowstick on full moons -- at least, it used to.

As she spent more and more time on this planet, she noticed herself losing her usual glow... her hair started drying out and her skin looked dull. Perhaps being in the presence of mortals had this unsightly effect on her... or perhaps it may also just be a side effect of all the crack she's been smoking lately, no one will ever know. Either way, she had had enough of looking in the mirror and disliking what she saw so she made her way downtown and entered the first salon she saw.

She was asked what services she wanted done and she cocked her head to the side in confusion as a response. "I don't really know... everything that can make me pretty and my hair stop falling out!" Mayari answered before making herself comfortable in the plush seat of the salon, picking up a magazine and humming along to the tune playing over the radio.

It was saturday evening and Carmen was damn sloshed. This was not part of her plans. She had things to deal with, she had business to conclude and a threesome she wouldn't lose for the world. She couldn't get to those places with her nails stained yellow from smoking too much and with her hair looking like she just had sex on some forest ground full of spider webs. She needed to do something about it, so she went straight to the best beauty parlor in Detroit. The Vincent_Basciano 's saloon.

Her bodyguard had to help her out of the car, cause she was stumbling like a lone thin coconut tree. He guided her to the front door and she slapped him on the head:

"What the fuck! I'm not a child, Sebastian, i can see myself in without you rubbing your damned sweaty arms on me!" She slapped him on the arm again and felt like she was hitting a rock, so she gave up and said "Ugh, you huge moron! Wait for me here and don't let anyone in, doesn't matter who it is. I don't want anybody seeing me ragged like this! I look like a drunken hooker and you know that." She stares at him and waits for a laughter that doesn't come. The big babysitter is stupid as a donkey, but loyal as a dog. Satisfied, she pushes the door and goes in. 

It's late and when she enters, she is pleased to notice only two girls there. One doing her nails and another having her hair washed down. She actually recognized the latter one as being Mayari, who was said to be a goddess or prophet of some sort. She actually didn't believe it before, but now, looking at her hair being washed by three girls and being served all kind of fruit and drinks, she really looked like royalty or something.

She was thinking about it, when two girls appeared out of nowhere in front of her and asked:

"What can we do for you today? Please, sit here, we gonna take care of you." She was almost falling so she sat and tried to focus only in one of them. "Oh my, you poor thing! Look at your nails, im sorry but they are terrible! *giggles* I'll fix it right away! Can i offer you a drink or something to eat?"

Carmen finally focus, and notices it was only one girl all the time. She seriously adresses the girl:

"Um, yes, my nails are awful, so is my hair. Please, take care of everything and make me look decent again. Also, i want a glass of your best prosecco, i need to cure this annoying haziness." The girl takes off and returns in a second with Carmen's drink.

"There you go, madam, may i ask your name?" Carmen takes a sip of the sparkling wine and nods:

"I'm Carmen. Can you hurry along, honey? I have an appointment." The girl answers:

"Right away, madam! Just relax and i'll take good care of you."

Carmen relaxes and waits for the girl to end the job.

Carmen looked in the mirror felt nothing but deep pleasure. She was herself again. Her same mischivious smile and her same naughty beautiful face was there. She would fuck herself hard, right there, on the same hairdresser's chair she was sitting. She was feeling better from the drunkness and standed up. She thanked the girl with a hug. To be honest, she just wanted to smell the girl's hair. She went to the counter and payed what her bill, also she left the girl a huge tip. She walked out of the saloon, not before taking a last look at herself in the mirror.

She was ready for the rest of the evening.

As soon as she announced what services she needed, the girls in the salon all looked at each other excitedly before they whisked Mayari away with high-pitched squeals and ear-high smiles. Terms like 'makeover' and 'new woman' were thrown around more times than she could count (It didn't help that she didn't know what came after six) and at first, Mayari was shell-shocked at the flurry of action... but after a while, she just stopped fighting it and let the girls do their thing.

She'd never really done this before so everything turned out to be a pleasant surprise, from the way cooled cucumbers were put over her eyes and how she was asked to choose what scent she wanted for the massage oils. Mayari was pondering what colour she wanted her nails painted when she noticed a familiar face walking in -- Carmen, a well-reputed member of the Detroit mob. She was just about to say hello when suddenly, she was carried off to get her hair washed, her face being stuffed with cheese and fruits, rendering her speechless. With a mouthful of food and spitting out little crumbs, she managed to get out a few words but unfortunately, it seemed like the other woman couldn't hear her. "Hi Carmen, you look lovely." Well, it's the thought that counts.

After her hair was washed, Mayari happily waddled back to her seat where her hands and feet were massaged before they were painted a cute powder blue colour, reminiscent of the shade of early morning sky in the moments right before the sun rose. She wiggled her toes and fingers gleefully before turning to the mirror, watching the hairdresser work her magic with a cacophony of ooohs and aaahs.

She didn't get to do that for too long though, because she was then promptly asked to close her eyes as they steamed her face before putting some sort of tea-tree-witch-hazel-aloe-vera mask on it. However, what she didn't know was the mask wasn't to come until after they poked and prodded her face until all the gunk was out, and although Mayari's been through some tough shit, that was undoubtedly the most grueling 20 minutes of her entire life.

With her hair wrapped in aluminum foil and her face coated in some sticky mixture, Mayari had the first bit of silence ever since she arrived. She didn't even notice it but she was absolutely exhausted from the makeover and she slipped into a deep sleep...

She woke up to one of the girls violently shaking her and calling out her name. "Miss Mayari! We've been trying to wake you up for the past half hour" Oops. She had always been a heavy sleeper. It took a few seconds for Mayari to gather her bearings but when finally she looked up, her eyes met her own in the mirror and she let out an audible gasp. She was glowing again, literally. Hmm, it must be a full moon tonight.

With a wide grin and pep in her step, she made her way to the front desk and paid a hefty sum along with a hefty tip, but she couldn't care less. In her opinion, a few hundred bucks was a small cost in exchange for the most important thing in the world -- conforming to society's superficial and capitalism-fueled beauty standards. B)

It was a long day in the Detroit streets for Relentless. Doing numerous Bank Heists and Prostituition rings which had brought him a lot of revenue and profits. He had handed the boys some money to go have fun and called it a day for them and himself also. 

He shook his coat and started walking in the dark streets with a hat on his head. As he walked about, he knew his hat wasn't fitting properly and realised it was time for a cut. To his amusement, Relentless always found whatever he needed right infront of him. "It was more like a sign from the universe he thought to himself, always guiding him to the right direction or more like where he wants to be when he wants to be". 

As he walked into the Barber Store, he saw someone reading a Newspaper sitting there as it was almost midnight. He went and sat in the chair and "2 on the sides, and craft for teh top as it is. STICK to what I said" 

The barber went about his way and started trimming away. 

CoolHandLuke watched Samantha from the leather chair. He knew he would be regretting the time he was spending with her. He was not supposed to get close to the girls, but Samantha was different and when he was not with her, he kept thinking her. And that smile, just put him to butter.

He kept telling himself, as long as he kept it quiet, Dagda would not fuss. Time passed quickly as he settled himself in his thoughts and made his concessionns.

Samantha emerged from the back, her hair very luxurious and her smile ever so bright. Butter. Yeah, he was in trouble. She grabbed his arm, and with a small squeeze walked him outside. Luke pulled his hat lower over his face. Nothing to see. Nothing to see.