2023-03-10: Makeup Session
- Log: 2023-03-10- Makeup Session
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Kaworu Nagisa
- Where: Tsutsujidai - Ramo Marusa's House
- OOC - IC Date: 0096-03-11
- Summary: Before prom, Kaworu does Akane Shinjo's makeup. They talk about this and that.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The unfortunate element of traveling for prom is not actually having a great plan for where you're going to go to prep. Akane really doesn't want to go back to her old house, even if it's still there, still patiently sitting full of the regrets she can't let go of; it would ruin the vibe.
So she won't!
Her prep location, then, is: Marusan's house. True to her previous threat, she is going to her friend's houses now.
Marusan herself has just departed for Ako's house, and her sister is elsewhere from any of them; her father is out, too, which means Akane has the run of the place. She's in front of the vanity mirror with a desk chair she dragged in from Marusan's room.
Most notably, though: her hair is a lush brown-black, rather than the lilac it used to be, albeit mostly the same cut. (She's also about an inch taller, but that's more subtle and easy to miss given she's also in heels.)
"Ahaha, I barely know what I'm doing with this stuff," she says, a little awkwardly, as she gets situated in the chair. "Thanks for this."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu has never gone to 'prom.' He's never had a reason to. Truly, this time around has been an explosion of new experiences, some terrible, some wonderful. It may not be the ideal state he yearns for, that he will repeat for as many times as he must, but... it's not bad at all. He's learning more about himself and others, especially Shinji, all the time.
He's also never gone to Marusan's house. But that matters little, since Akane is kind enough to give him directions and no one else who lives there is present at the moment. When he arrives, it's with a polite knock at the front door; when Akane lets him in, he smiles and takes in her new appearance with aplomb.
From there, they go over to the vanity mirror and the chair. He's brought a wide sampling of cosmetics with him, so he's prepared to fashion a Look for her.
"You're welcome, Akane," he replies. "I enjoy this sort of thing, so I'm glad you asked me. I'll be sure to bring out your charm to its fullest."
Not 'he'll do his best' but 'he'll be sure to.' Kaworu is quite confident in his skills.
"Do you have a picture of your dress available?" he adds as he sets down the make-up kit on a nearby table and starts laying its contents out. "I'll need to know the proper palette before I can begin."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The house-juggling is a little weird, but, you know, prom's a little weird too? Especially in Japan? Not that this is really Japan anymore, either... The whole situation is strange, so Akane's doing her best to take it in stride.
"Oh, yeah, sec," Akane says, stretching out a little bit and snagging her phone. She flips through a few times, eventually finding a picture of it. It's a long, ivory-white dress that hugs the model's butt, with a gunmetal-colored belt that sits at a slight angle with a gold buckle. Over all that is a deep blue shrug/bolero jacket with short sleeves.
"If it helps, all the accessories are in the same palette as the belt" Akane notes. "They're not in this picture." They're also obviously not real gold. She doesn't have a budget that big.
She fidgets a little bit, looking up toward Kaworu. "How have things been going with you, Gridman, and Rei? I got asked for some fashion advice at one point... actually two points, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu waits for Akane to bring over her phone and show him her intended dress. Ivory white, gunmetal gray, deep blue, and an accent of gold... He nods, taking it in. "Thank you. That helps quite a bit."
Colors that go well with her current skin tone and hair color, then... He finishes laying out the cosmetics he's brought to consider his options. As he does, Akane fidgets and looks at him. He isn't surprised by her question--Gridman had mentioned he would ask her about dresses for Rei--so he doesn't look back at her.
"They've been going quite well. Gridman is quite an enthusiastic datemate, and Rei is as possessed of her subtle charm as ever," he says fondly. "We're having a lot of fun together, as Gridman promised." He pauses a beat. "I know he asked you advice for Rei's dress--what was the other point?"
He imagines Mari will handle that, but even so, it's nice to have a spread of input.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Actually the dress both times -- it was Gridman, then Rei," Akane answers, with a small nod. "I did the best I could, though, uh... wow, neither of them have any background in this stuff, huh?" She laughs about it -- it's legitimately good-natured, even if it had been a little exhausting, even just over VERTEX.
"Glad to hear it, though," she loops around to add with a big smile on her face. "You guys all deserve that kinda thing." Knowing that things are starting to look up for Kaworu, even if they're not perfect, is a nice feeling...
... as is something else coming up, which she supposes she should mention. "So I didn't tell you this before because I'm trying to keep it to a few people," other than the time she bragged about it to a new acquaintance, "but... ahahaha, Rikka and I made Couple of Couples!" She starts genuinely giggling, and admits, "Even if it's only because of Marusan's meddling... I'm pretty happy. It's -- nice."
Milly Ashford teleports in.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Oh, Rei asked you directly? I see." Kaworu chuckles a bit. "They wouldn't, you know. I don't either. I'm glad they trust you enough to ask for your advice. Are you glad about that, too?"
It is, after all, a bit of a fraught topic for her. Still, she does seem overall happy about it--though maybe it's more how she feels about Kaworu and his relationship with them. He laughs again a little, more of a breath, but this time smile broadening enough to squint his eyes shut. "Yes... I'm glad I accepted their feelings."
He does think about Shinji still, but he'll always think about Shinji. Gridman and Rei both know and accept that about him. That, more than anything, makes him grateful for their love.
"Ah, did you? Congratulations," Kaworu replies, totally unsurprised to hear it. Maybe it is because of Marusan's meddling, but he suspects it would happen anyway. Akane has had a lot of presence in a lot of ways over the last year, and those who've been affected by her would of course be happy to see her with Rikka, someone she loves who loves her back.
"I was voted Crown Princeps, myself," he adds, then picks up a few shades of eyeliner, lipstick, and blush to set them aside. Rather than start applying any of them, though, he holds up a few cleanser pads. "The first thing we must do is wash your face. But before even that: do you have any allergies? It wouldn't do to cause a rash."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"It's getting easier," comes Akane's answer to Kaworu's question. "It's still, like, kinda difficult, but ops training is actually helping a lot? Like... my first intensive had a practical where the options were do it right or the pilot dies and I nailed it. By comparison, like... this is still a big deal, but it's kinda a different kind."
Waving that off, she smiles -- and then her eyes widen as Kaworu admits that he also ranked in prom court. She looks to Kaworu in the mirror, saying, "Well, congrats! You deserve it." It's good, she muses, to have Kaworu get a taste of a part of the world that's unmistakably 'human' rather than 'monster.'
Then the practical questions start. Akane feels a little unprepared for them -- but she manages. "Uh -- not that I know of? At least not that's like, skin contact stuff," she answers, brow furrowing a little as she runs back through her medical history. "There's a couple of antibiotics that give me hives but that's probably not relevant."
While she thinks about probing a little more on the nature of Kaworu's relationships, she realizes that this is also a practical task and stays quiet for a bit. She needs to give him some time to actually work on a face without that face moving.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Though he doesn't look at her directly at first, Kaworu does listen as Akane describes things getting easier--and about her ops training. It's good to hear about that from her; he has a basic grasp just by virtue of being an administrator in NERV and not having gotten any bad reports, but it's not the same as listening to her say that she's specifically doing well. Prom really is a different beast, though.
"It truly is," he agrees. His smile blooms again as she congratulates him. Does he deserve it? Whether he does or not, it's good to have a friend think so. "Thank you. I'm excited for the new experience."
...in that subdued, restrained way he usually is.
No allergies, to her knowledge--at least not relevant ones. Kaworu nods once, then delicately begins to wipe her face. It's a deep-cleaning pad to remove the oil and dirt that even a daily face-washing might miss. He hums as he works, and when he's done, he announces, "Now I'll dry your face and apply foundation."
He gets to work on exactly that. He's already selected a shade matching her skin down, and gently dabs it on and blends it across her face with another make-up pad. Akane will get to watch in real time as her skin smooths out and loses its tiny imperfections--and as Kaworu's smile gains an extra depth and warmth as he uses her face as a canvas.
BBSYS: Post 753, 'FC Opening 9 Mar 2023' has been published to Character Announcements by Haro.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It turns out clear responsibilities instead of 'literally everything' works out for Akane Shinjo. Who'd have thought?
Those words -- 'excited for the new experience' -- nag at Akane a bit. It's not so far off from the sort of vibe she'd get from Alexis. It makes sense, given they know each other, but at the same time... it brings her thoughts back to something she'd already wondered a bit about.
She still doesn't ask the question, though. It's Kaworu's business. ... mostly. In a way that could change.
As Akane feels the pad scrub her clean, she starts... giggling a little bit? That's a new one. "Oh no I'm still ticklish," she says -- though it comes out pretty muted, as she tries not to move her lips too much.
Akane watches her face take shape. When she gets a spare moment between applications, she notes, "You're incredible at this. When'd you even have the time to pick this kinda thing up between administrative work?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It's Kaworu's business, certainly. And not asking means he doesn't have to answer. He always appreciates that.
"Oh, are you? I'm sorry," he says, though he doesn't sound sorry--he sounds amused. He does give it a bit of a lighter touch, but that might just make it worse. He will continue to adjust until Akaken is fully comfortable, though.
"I didn't. I started on cosmetics before I was promoted," he replies. Before long, he sets down the applicator pad. "You can talk, but try to keep your expression still while it dries," he advises her. "Next, I'll contour your cheeks and add blush to add contrast and color. Then I'll work on your eyes, and finally, your lips."
He doesn't mention the colors, but Akane can see them for herself on what he separated out on the table: dusty rose, dusky red, coppery orange, and deep blue is the palette, with a bit of pearlescent white.
"I dreamed of being a make-up artist, once," he adds them, a certain bittersweetness to his smile. "Perhaps I still might, someday, but... I was more naive back then."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Doing my best," Akane says, trying to keep her affect fairly flat. It's not actually that hard for her to do, once she orients on it -- and once she has the giggles under control. That part takes a bit. The answers to Akane's questions make things add up less, rather than more. She still doesn't actually ask, but the more she listens -- the more Kaworu sounds like he's had an unusual amount of life experience.
Akane begins theorizing, though it's pretty low-intensity. There's a lot of possibilities, even for a 'monster,' as to why things would be this way.
Then again, she's always been a pretty good artist, just of a different kind. Maybe she's overreading...
"I don't think people ever really give up on that stuff. I bet you'll have a shot at it. And I mean -- this is nice, too, right?" She stops herself from smiling and ruining Kaworu's good work. "Even if this is all you get to use it for, like -- I'm happy and you seem pretty happy too."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
In fairness, Kaworu has only been an administrator for a little over a year now.
In unfairness, he has certainly had an unusual amount of life experience, and his experience with cosmetics in particular absolutely did not start in this universe.
"Thank you," he says. Smile still bittersweet, he adds, "Orpheus thought Shinji and I could have a future in music. I would enjoy that, too. The two of us playing together on stage, as a part of living our lives, would be a dream among dreams."
Perhaps she's right. Perhaps he hasn't really given up on it. After all, he's still doing it even now. Whether he has a future in it or not, it's something that's still dear to him. And-- "If you're happy with it, then I'm happy too," he replies, smile broadening. "But this is only the beginning. There's more to be done before the artwork that is 'you' is complete. In all things, time is essential."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"I could see that really suiting you. I don't know if I'll ever get to that kinda level with piano myself, but it's fun." Maybe she should try uploading a couple OP covers somewhere and linking them on her To-witter... it'd be a nice way to dip her toes in. She could really use a couple more hobbies.
"Orpheus might have a future in music himself," Akane notes, laughing a little at some joke that maybe only she gets. "He can really sing. I met up with him at a karaoke place one time -- originally I just wanted the soundproof room, but if you're gonna have the room..."
Trailing off there, she lets Kaworu get back to it. It's definitely clearly easier to work faster if she keeps face movement to a minimum. ... It's hard to miss the small quirking-up of her lips at 'the artwork that is "you",' though. Maybe later she'll think herself into a corner about it, but right now...
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"I do love music. It's not something I usually consider for a profession, but I enjoy it deeply all the same." Cosmetics had, at one point, been a secret he shared with Shinji; perhaps music could be something he could do openly with Shinji. They've already performed together this time around...
But perhaps Shinji would prefer something else for his own future.
"Oh? I hadn't known that," Kaworu remarks, intrigued, about Orpheus's musical ability. Also intriguing is what the two of them might have met about in a soundproof room, if it wasn't originally meant for its intended purpose. He opts not to press on that matter.
Nothing vulgar crosses his mind. Even if he were the type of person who would think of such things, Akane would never do something like that with a boy.
For the time being, once the foundation dries, Kaworu goes to work on precisely what he said he would: contouring and highlighting her cheeks. From there, a layering of red, orange and blue over her eyes to bring to mind a sunset, and on her lips, a dusty rose... Gloss on top gives those lips shine, and a dusting of that pearlescent white across her cheeks and eyelids make her sparkle, literally. He explains what he's doing as he does it, and once he's finished, he lets Akane turn herself to the mirror.
"What do you think?" he prompts, quietly anticipating her opinion.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane elects not to share further on that particular topic -- other than to say, "His voice is exactly in the same register as the guy who did the Kai OP. It's honestly kinda spooky."
She has to close her eyes for some of this, of course. Eye makeup is like that! She also can't quite see that well out of individual eyes without glasses, even if with both eyes everything seems to work just fine... so she has to take a little time and wait to see how she looks. The walkthrough is appreciated, too -- she doesn't have any experience.
Scooting forward a little, Akane blinks a few times, looking at the whole thing. "Oh wow," she says, expression brightening. "This is incredible -- I look like a sunset over a snowbank, kind of, with that little bit of white..."
She thinks about why that might have been the target energy, and starts giggling. "You are so sentimental. It's honestly kinda cringe... in a good way, though? Like, it..." She pauses, groping for the words. "... it's nice to know someone cares enough to think that hard."
She reaches out and -- if he'll let her -- gives Kaworu's hand a quick squeeze. "Congratulations again, Crown Princeps~. And thanks."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Hmmm..." The thoughtful air to Kaworu's hum indicates his interest, even if he doesn't know... quite what Akane is talking about. He knows the shape of it well enough to understand what she's trying to convey, at least. He thinks.
Once he's finished applying her make-up, and Akane has had time to take it in, his smile warms at her open appreciation. Kaworu had put in similar thought and energy in the Christmas ornaments he'd made for several of those trapped in Tsutsujidai while it had been cut off from the world, and it's a good feeling to see someone recognize it, as Gai had.
"I am rather sentimental," he agrees. With how amiable his ever-laidback tone is, it might sound like he's just humoring her, but he fully means it. If he weren't the sentimental type, he wouldn't be so enamored with Shinji Ikari. "I'm glad you like it."
He doesn't expect her reaching out to him--but her touch is not unwelcome. When she gives his hand a quick squeeze, he accepts and returns the gesture. "Congratulations to you as well, Akane Shinjo--and you're welcome. May we each enjoy prom to the fullest."