2022-06-20: How Does It Look? (Pt. 1)
- Cast: Anita Rosetta, Rena Lancaster
- Where: Londenion, Side 1
- Date: U.C. 0096 06 20
- Summary: Rena Lancaster has finally gotten a new haircut. She asks Anita how it looks and they talk about a lot of things. Including mutual coolness.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena is meeting with Anita in Londenion!
This is not such an unusual change of pace, because she goes out with Anita often enough. Today, though, she has a goal mind. She wanted to get her shortened hair styled and worked on -- she had the short cut given to her to make it presentable by medical staff, but it really needed some styling and work. More than that, though, Rena had an idea in mind.
This means Anita has been abandoned in the front of a salon while Rena was being worked on. It might have been boring; they have a few chairs, a table, and some old magazines.
But now, Rena emerges!
Her ash blue has been styled -- layered on the sides, bangs cut shorter and feathered, and a very important addition: a streak of red, along the part, that looks a little like a split comet's tail. Rena looks at Anita, smiling, and her fingers tugging a little on some of the hair.
"...so..." She is a little flushed. "...How's it look?"
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
A salon! Anita approved of the idea right away. Sometimes, putting your own spin on a situation goes a long way toward helping one feel better about it. So, Anita gladly accompanies Rena to the salon, and doesn't mind at all camping out front. She leans back in her chair, tapping away at her phone. She's probably playing some kind of game - the magazines are arranged in a way that suggests she's already leafed through them.
And then, Rena emerges! Anita stands up right away, and looks her over with a discerning look. And then she nods, offering Rena a grin.
"Nice. Very nice. The red's a nice touch - it really pops next to your natural hair color. Like a comet shooting through space." Anita replies. "You'll really knock the others dead next time they see you."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena flushes a little more red, and her fingers stop playing with her hair. She breaks out into quite the smile, though, as Anita compliments her. "I did tell them... I kind of wanted it to look like a shooting star." She flicks her bangs, and her hair shoots up -- then falls back down.
"You think so?" she says. "I-I mean, knocking the others dead. I want them to like it, s-so..."
Her cheeks turn a brighter red now, because that is a little embarrassing to admit aloud. But, Rena isn't walking it back, either. She actually walks a little closer to Anita, hands clasped behind her back, as she peers at her for a second more.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"I should've known that was your idea. It's very you - and they did a great job pulling it off." Anita comments, watching briefly as Rena flicks her bangs. She nods, then, at Rena's question.
"Oh yeah, absolutely. No question." She confirms. "Trust me - they're gonna love it."
She begins to run a hand through her own hair... but then pauses as Rena takes a step closer with her hands behind her back, looking at her like that.
"Uh- what's up?" Anita asks.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"I'm glad. I thought it'd look nice. And it's... fitting somehow."
Rena cracks a smile when she hears that it's very her. She likes the idea of that, and then she blinks her eyes. She watches Annie's hand leave her hair, peering at her for a second longer, before she straightens her back up.
"Oh, nothing--"
No, that's a lie. Rena hesitates, and she could well be caught in it; her eyes actually dart to the side. Then, they come back to Anita, and she purses her lips. "Um. Me and Eight. And me and Ah-ri. It's... um..."
She scuffs a foot on the floor. "...It's not weird or anything to you, is it?"
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Nothing, huh...?" Anita replies consideringly, studying her for a moment longer. She catches the way her eyes dart away. She doesn't sound convinced... but at the same time, she doesn't seem about to press her on it, either. "Well, if you change your mind on that, let me know, huh?"
And then, Rena asks her a question. Anita frowns, considering her answer.
"Well, I mean... what matters is how you guys feel about it, you know?" Anita replies after a moment with a shrug. And then, she frowns, folding her arms in front of her. "...But I guess that doesn't answer your question. Let's see..."
She 'hm's to herself, thinking for a moment.
"If anyone could make it work, it'd be you three. You all seem pretty happy with each other. So, nah - I don't think it's weird." Anita replies. "The important thing is how you feel about it."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
The question, as it happens, is what was on Rena's mind.
She tilts her head to the side, as she speaks -- and it's true, both that what they think about is important, and that it isn't really an answer to her question. Rena watches her as she answers. It's very Anita, she thinks, that she can always be so calm, no matter what the topic of conversation is.
Then, she smiles. "Thanks, Annie. I'm... ah..." She hesitates. "I'm still figuring out, but not in a bad way."
Then she laughs. "I just didn't want you to feel, um, left out. Or weirded out. Or... you know." She hesitates for a second more.
"And it's me, you know, I'm always worried about what people think."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Don't worry, that's normal... or so I hear, anyway." Anita replies with a smile and a nod. "It's always gonna be something you have to figure out as you go. At least you've got Ah-ri and Eight right there by you to help figure it out, right?"
Rena laughs, and Anita laughs a little too.
"Hey, it's okay. I appreciate you thinking about me, though." She replies, with a shake of her head. "I'm just happy to see the three of you happy. You guys deserve it."
Rena points out that this Rena they're talking about - she's always worried about what people think. Anita chuckles.
"I know, I know. But trust me, it's fine - you shouldn't." Anita replies... and then pauses, thinking to herself for a moment. "...Well, maybe you should still worry a little. Just... not about their opinions on your love life."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"I guess everyone's kind of figuring out," Rena says, with a laugh. She flushes for a second more, but she nods in agreement.
"Thanks, Annie. I'm glad you think so." She tilts her head to the side as she looks at her, and then she sighs knowingly. Yes, this is Rena they're talking about. "I'll try not to. About that and... about at least some of the other things."
Maybe some things should be worried about. And some can't be help.
She pauses for a second, though. "And thanks for the vote of confidence for the haircut," she says. "I know you've had short hair forever. Yours looks so good, but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. So... hearing it from you means a lot."
A beat. "Besides, you're still the coolest person I know."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Good. Trying's all I ask." Anita replies with a nod. Someone has to be there to worry about things, after all. They can't all be like her, who doesn't worry about anything (that she lets anyone know about, anyway).
She grins, then, and offers a thumbs-up.
"Hey, no problem." She says, and then chuckles a little. "I'm glad you think so. It's just... it's a lot more convenient for me, you know? It's so much easier to take care of, and I don't have to worry about it getting caught in my joints or anything. Makes it much easier to wear a helmet, too."
Rena says she's still the coolest person she knows. Anita laughs sheepishly.
"You still think that, huh...? Guess that means I'll just have to do my best to live up to it." She replies.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena laughs. "I'm glad you're okay with trying. I shouldn't promise too much else," she admits. Then, she blinks -- and makes a face. She never quite thought about what might happen if Anita had long hair. It could get caught in joints, couldn't it? She hesitates a second, before she laughs.
"That's true, isn't it? I mean... it has been easier for washing and combing every morning," she admits. "Though it feels kind of light, still." Rena flicks her much shorter locks for emphasis again.
Then, Rena grins.
"I do! Because it's true," she says. "You're very cool. You take everything in stride. Well... almost everything. But that just makes you cooler."
A little mystery helps.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita laughs along with Rena, and grins.
"See? So much easier. Frees up a lot of time to do other things." Anita replies, and then nods. "Yeah, that can take a little while to get used to. It'll start feeling natural again eventually, though. Just gotta get used to it."
Rena says it's true - that she takes almost everything in stride.
"Do I? I guess I don't really think about it all that much..." Anita replies with a small laugh, self-demonstratively. "But you know, you're pretty cool yourself."
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<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"It's almost not fair," Rena says, with a sigh. "I went so long with long hair, you know." She crosses her arms and does a little fake-pout. "You could have told me, Annie."
But the way she breaks into a smile after -- well, it's obviously just a joke.
Then, she laughs. "See? That's what I mean! You take things in stride. It's hard to surprise you!" Not that Rena hasn't; she did just the other day. She blinks her eyes once, though.
Then she turns red. "A-Am not."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita laughs at that, and winks.
"Sorry, trade secret. But hey! You're in the club now. What you do with this hidden knowledge now is up to you." She replies with a shrug and a grin, following Rena's joke with one of her own.
Rena points out that it's hard to surprise her, and Anita chuckles.
"I guess you have a point there." She admits... and then grins, when Rena turns red. "Are too."
She lets that settle in for a moment before continuing.
"Sure, sometimes you overwork yourself, but when you see a problem you go for it, and you care about it, you know? I can respect that kind of drive. That's pretty cool to me." She says.
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<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Not fair," Rena whines. "But that's true... is there a newsletter for the club?"
She smiles, then -- even if she stays red-faced. She glances to the side, before she finally looks back at Anita. She stares at her when she says that, her eyes blinking a couple of times. Then, she blinks them, and there might be a couple of tears in them.
"Annie... really?" she says. "It's not annoying? I-I always worried it was too much, like I was putting people out, or... or just getting worked up about stuff, or..."
She looks to the side, embarrassed.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"You'd think so with how much time we save, but somehow we've never really gotten around to it." Anita replies with a chuckle.
She pauses then, as Rena starts to stare at her, tears forming in her eyes.
"I mean... yeah." Anita replies with a nod, massaging the back of her head. "Someone's gotta get worked up about things, right? It's people like you who make things happen - who make a difference. And who can point people like me in the right direction."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Maybe I should make one, then," Rena teases.
She wipes at her eyes with her fingers. She hesitates for a second, though, and looks down. Someone like her keeps someone like Anita in the right direction? She wonders about that. She would ask how, except Anita told her how. She bites her lip, then she nods.
"I... I guess I get what you mean," she admits. "But... I rely on you too. If I just felt like I was getting worked up and no one listened, or stayed with me, or didn't really care... I don't think I'd keep doing it. But you always do. And you help pull me back, when I'm too worked up."
She smiles, then, and tilts her head to the side. "So... I don't think I could do it, without you."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita chuckles at Rena's teasing, then quiets as Rena continues. Rena counts on her too...?
"...It's kind of nice to hear that sometimes." Anita admits, smiling a bit sheepishly. "I'm glad I can do that for you, you know? You make me care about things because you care about them so much, help keep me moving instead of staying in place."
She chuckles, then.
"Guess we're just going to have to admit we're both pretty cool, huh?" She concludes.