Using a small brush to apply the last of her deep maroon lipstick, Mai checked her work one last time before leaving the bathroom and preparing to head out for the evening. She went over in her head everything she thought she would need, re-verifying for the third time that she had the keys to her apartment and her emergency money safely tucked away in a hidden pocket of her small party purse. She and her two closest friends were making it a girls' night out and going to a club they had never been to before.nnIn her living room she stood far back from the large oval mirror which hung at eye level on the wall next to the front door to see how she looked. She didn't have a full-length mirror and so had to improvise as best she could. Her metallic cobalt blue sequined dress with its black accents hugged every curve of her body. Tight enough to show off her petite figure, she was only 5' 4", yet loose enough to move around in comfortably. It complemented her blunt cut, raven black hair falling down her partially exposed back.nnThe only offspring of a white father and Vietnamese mother, she had inherited the best of both genetic pools. Her hair, skin tone and elegant curves being the Asian portion while her green, rounded eyes and more angular face being the European portion. Where the two met, such as her high cheekbones and small chin, they combined to produce an exotic beauty. nnRaised in what most people would have considered a conservative household, her parents had instilled in her the value of modesty which she had carried with her until she moved to New York a few years after graduating from college. Soon after starting her first real job after school she was befriended by Christine, or Chrissy as she preferred, and Tina who very quickly absolved her of the notion that she had to hide herself under non-descript, plain jane clothes. They took her on whirlwind shopping sprees stopping at the big stores such as Macy's, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman. They dove into the small, nook-and-cranny stores hidden away in SoHo, Chelsea and the lower east side where deals on designer clothes abounded. They showed her the luxury that awaited at spas and surprised her by treating her to having her hair done by one of the most prestigious hairstylists in the city.nnThe result was a woman coming into her own. She had grown more confident as the months passed, more poised, more citified yet still retained some of the habits and sensibilities she had grown up with. Now, as she examined herself in the mirror, she contemplated changing outfits. While the color and fit were perfect for her, the reflection of the sequins almost made it look like she had on a skin of small fish scales.