Jun heard the stylist talking about Meisa's hair and smiled. She was going to look lovely and he had a feeling that there would be some striking shots to come out of it. Jun submitted to his own stylist who was pushing and pulling at his hair, streaking in temporary color and teasing out sections. "I'm getting some purple," he called to her. It wasn't going to show up very well, he thought, without bleaching it out first but it would make a nice sheen.
"We're going to add a bit of splash to you," one of the wardrobe assistants told him, holding up different bits of leather and feathers. "Just a touch of it, looping it off the belt--get you matching to Miss Meisa."
"Right," Jun said, standing still while he was finished with and then went back to the set. There were a few balloons left, the mushrooms, and a fine mist making things damp and slippery. "So--"
"On the mushroom, Mister Jun!" the photographer clapped. "Up, up! And Miss Meisa? Where is Miss Meisa? I want her under it! First a bit of leaning, serious, solemn faces! Pretty in the rain! And then, some fun, yes?"
"Yes," Jun agreed, crawling up on to the mushroom cap. Even though it was one of the slightly stranger sessions he'd had, it was fun.
"Very nice," she commented when she saw the sheen of purple in Jun's hair. "Somehow I think purple suits you."
Meisa had no idea what they were supposed to be anymore. If the photographer knew, he wasn't sharing. Hearing her name, she went to stand under the gigantic toadstool mushroom. Well. More like lean against the stalk. She was short, but not that short. At least that's what they wanted. "How are you doing up there?" she called up to Jun. It was getting pretty damp under the mushroom. The sandals had no traction and she could feel herself sliding down the stalk.
"Less mist! Less mist!" the photographer shrieked. "We want ethereal, people! Not drowned puppy! C'mon! Work with me here." He turned to the mushroom Jun and Meisa were at. "Mister Jun! Miss Meisa! I want serious! But not intense. More innocent, yes?"
Adjusting her position, Meisa could only nod and try to give the photographer what he wanted. And wonder what Jun was doing on top of the mushroom.
He was drowning. And slipping. He draped himself over the top of the mushroom as much as he could, trying to keep centered so he didn't fall off the edge. It was slick up there! He took a short breath and tried for an innocent serious. "Think of bambi," he muttered to himself, trying to make doe eyes at the camera.
Thankfully the water wasn't--oh, crap. And a fog machine? Jun thought of every zombie movie he'd ever seen and the fog and had to bury a groan in his arm. Zombie fay. Great. The ridiculousness of it struck him and he scooted over, hanging off the edge of his perch so that he could peek in at Meisa. "I think I owe you the dollar based on just how strange this is," he told.
"More of this!" the photographer shouted at him. "Cici? Wind! A gentle breeze in the rising mist!"
Jun slapped his damp hair back out of his face. His shirt was clinging to him in a way that was now uncomfortable. "Tell me again about the Korean barbecue?"
Meisa was trying to be pretty and ethereal. Really she was. It was just hard to feel woodland fairy-like when there was so much water that the best she could feel like was a fish. Shifting only caused her to slip further, which was uncomfortable and felt awkward. "Push through the pain," she mumbled, wishing that she could cast an spell that would make her impervious to water without anyone noticing.
"This is strange beyond strange," Meisa said, looking up at Jun and subsequently slipping onto her butt. "Oooh, that hurt." ("Wonderful! Very graceful!" cried the photographer in the background, "The interaction! It is a nice touch!") And now she had wet(ter) jeans to deal with. Great. "Let's save the dollar for next time, I don't think anybody could have predicted this!"
The 'breeze' started off a little too strong ("Not a gust! Cici! Breeze! Breeze!"), causing Meisa to shiver.
Mmmn. Korean barbeque. As far as she knew there were no hole-in-the wall establishments. "Do you want to go to K-town? Or try to find a place near by? It'll be pricey, but so, so worth it after this."
Jun nearly fell off the top of the mushroom trying to make sure that Meisa hadn't hurt herself slipping. He gave up when the wind hit and slithered down, dropping as gracefully as possible beside her and hedging them both back under the mushroom. "Koreatown is great," he said. "We can go to Miss Korea. I've got time before I have to get to New York downtown."
As much as he could feel himself starting to crumble inside, he knew that the rat brains would hold it off. He was only so hyper-conscious of it right now because of the cameras. He had time before it got bad enough for anybody else to notice. "After all of this? It'll be nice to-"
"Nice, lovely, now separate from Miss Meisa! To your own mushroom! Distance and beauty! Give me more of the jeans! Wrap yourself around them!"
Jun wasn't sure if he wanted to work with this guy again or if he never wanted to see him again. "Right." He gave Meisa a smoldering look. "I'm going to my own mushroom. He found an intact balloon that the fans had blown over. "Keep this as a token."
Her butt didn't really hurt all that badly, the exclamation was more out of initial shock than actual pain. It didn't mean that Jun's gentlemanly gesture was any less appreciated. He was definitely a gentleman through and through. She smiled in both thanks and agreement. "K-town it is then."
"Wrap ourselves around the jeans?" Meisa would work with this photographer again provided that Jun also was booked for the same shoot. Jun was the only other one who seemed to realize the craziness that the photoshoot had devolved into. Or rather, the photographer...
She returned Jun's smolder with a demure look, trying to project innocence when all she really wanted to do was laugh at the balloon that had steadily crept onto the set. "Have fun at your mushroom, hopefully we get to be dry soon." Jun offered her the wayward balloon. "Thanks, I don't know what I'll do with it though!"
"Wonderful! A couple more shots and you can change!" Meisa hugged the balloon and rested her head on it as if pondering the mysteries of life. In reality? She was wondering what the next crazy idea was after she and Jun had to change. "Let the balloon go!" She did as directed and gave the camera a wistful look. With the aid of the fans, the balloon meandered towards Jun. "Mister Jun! Oooh! Try to catch the balloon!"
Try to catch the balloon. Sometimes Jun really wondered if all the craziness was worth seeing his face in print or on television. He pushed it aside--because he knew, once he saw the finished ads, that it would be worth it--and reached for the balloon. He tried to project yearning at it as it grazed his fingertips and passed him by.
"Very nice!" the photographer enthused. Jun could see him circling the set, changing something on his camera, and so he crossed his eyes at Meisa.
"Very nice," he told her.
"Mister Jun!" He uncrossed his eyes and went back to crouching under his mushroom, looking solemn and like his jeans really, really mattered to him. He folded his arms on his knees and rested his cheek on them, looking at the camera.
"Now, Miss Meisa!" The camera went off rapid fire. "Now change!"
Thank goodness. He could only hope that drying off for the next outfit would mean--
"Stay damp! This is the look we want! Umbrellas? Arick, where are the umbrellas?"
Meisa made a goofy face back at Jun behind the photographer's back when he went to focus on Jun. Luckily, she was able to contort her face back into something more model appropriate before the camera came back to her.
"Yay!" She exclaimed under her breath, seeing the hope she felt mirrored in Jun's face... a little too soon. "Noooo."
"What's the point of umbrellas if we're already damp?" Meisa asked Jun as they left to get changed. Bootleg jeans and a white, clingy shirt that would become see through once wet awaited her along with another wide leather belt... and heels. Great. Time for a stabilizing spell. And considering how wet the set had gotten, an anti-slip spell wouldn't be amiss. "What have you got this time around?"
"Arick! These umbrellas are too small! Renee! Bring me the big one! It's more romantic!"
Rolling her eyes, she peeked over at Jun. "Bet you fifty cents we have to share the umbrella."
Cici came up to them with a spray bottle as soon as they were finished. "It's just water to get the clothes slightly damp. Please stay still."
Combat boots, dark jeans, and a deep, dark purple velvet jacket over a plain white oxford shirt. The leather and feathers were taken off his belt and a bit of silver chain clipped in place around a belt loop to dangle pointless and bright. "Well," he started and then got sprayed in the face. "Hey!"
"Sorry," said the man behind the bottle. "We need to dampen you up a little."
Hands were in his hair, ruffling and arranging. "Rumple you a bit--"
Somebody else unbuttoned his jacket and ripped it open, pulling it slightly off one shoulder.
Jun tuned them out, used to the tugging and pulling. It didn't feel like anything that was going to tug something important loose. "No deal. I know we're going to end up sharing it." He craned around to glance at the set, trying not to upset the hands tugging at him and trying to put more powder on his face. "I wonder if he's got one of those mutant 'couples' umbrellas," he mused out loud. He glanced back at Meisa. "I can't really believe that this shoot is going to end on a normal note."
"Set!" Renee (he thought it was Renee) said, pushing him at it. "Go, go!"
Street scene. With mist and fog and a breeze. Maybe it'd be a rainbow umbrella but he doubted it. "C'mon, ladybug," he mumbled.
Like they were doing to Jun's belt, some stylist or other was pulling out the various bits of feather and leather from Meisa's hair as she was being sprayed with water. She was surprised though. The shirt wasn't as see through when wet like she thought. It did get more clingy though.
"Here! Wear this!" A fedora with a purple feather was thrust into her hands at the same time her braids were unwoven, leaving her hair in slight waves. Hairspray was applied generously, presumably to prevent the waves from straightening out in the wet environment.
Meisa tipped her hat at Jun and smiled. "Fair enough." Oh god, those so-called couple umbrellas were hilarious. They were also ugly. Hopefully they didn't have one. "Don't jinx it!" she mock admonished, "There's still the winter test shots to get through!" Besides, their photographer might decide to dish out a bit more crazy before the day was done.
A giant purple umbrella was handed to her as she followed Jun to the set (Meisa sighed in relief that it wasn't a couple's one) to receive their direction from the photographer. "This time I want classy! We're going to make it black and white, but keep the purple accents. Everything together! Under the umbrella!"
Classy. Yes. "We're dressed like classy pimps," Jun whispered to Meisa, tapping the brim of her hat before putting a hand at her waist. He put his hand over hers on the umbrella, just like a classy pimp couple on a stroll.
"Back, Mister Jun! I want no shadows on Miss Meisa's face. Not yet!"
Maybe they'd have to be vampires. Jun mentally cringed at the thought. He tilted the umbrella back and leaned close to whisper in Meisa's ear. "I bet you sixteen cents I turn into a vampire later."
"Naturally. Who else would dress like this in the rain?" Meisa whispered back, adjusting her hat so that it wouldn't shadow her face. She had to duck her head down to try to hide a smile at Jun's bet. "I'll take that bet. Double or nothing I get to be the damsel in distress if you do?"
"Lovely! Wonderful!" The street scene had a fake curb that they had reached the end of during their pimp stoll, and their photographer took a second to contemplate what he wanted. Meisa spun the umbrella around in her and Jun's hands as they waited for directions. "Okay! Mister Jun! I want you to step down on the curb and help Miss Meisa over the puddle we'll photoshop in later! Miss Meisa! I want you to jump! Gracefully!"
Oh god. In the heels she was wearing? She prayed that her spells prevented her from breaking her ankles.
"Hookers," Jun deadpanned. "And you'd be the snack." It would be cliched vampire sexy-ads. "So I'll take your bet."
Jun stepped off the curb, trying to look cool and sexy and--crap. He left the umbrella in Meia's hand and offered out his hand, trying to look charming and suave as he did so. Jun had used to help his mother and sister over puddles back home but he adopted a more exaggerated pose for the shoot.
Until the photographer told Meisa to jump. In high heels. Like the professional she was, Meisa was doing it. Jun ditched the professionalism to catch her up before she could land, swinging her into his arms. He felt something in his shoulders and back pull--the way he had in his fingers earlier--but it wasn't much and it probably wasn't going to show.
"Mister Jun!" the photographer sounded like he wasn't sure if he liked this or hated it. Good, Jun thought. Let him be confused for a bit.
The camera was clicking madly as Jun positioned himself into an act of chivalry. After taking his hand, Meisa thought briefly about how to position the umbrella as she readied herself to jump. With her arm outstretched behind her? Or raised up high above her and Jun's heads? Which would look best? She decided to let fate decide in three... two... one.
Meisa leapt and let the umbrella trail after her, hoping that it looked somewhat graceful. Only her professionalism kept the wince of anticipated impact in heels off her face. An impact that never came.
Just as she felt gravity begin to tug her down, she was suddenly caught up in Jun's arms. Surprised, she let go of the umbrella as she was swung around. It flew off, who knew where.
The photographer looked confused when Meisa peeked over Jun's shoulder. Please, please, let him have gotten one good shot, she thought as Jun placed her down. "Why are you apologizing? You saved me from breaking an ankle. Or two."
"Professionalism," he said, setting Meisa on her feet. "And you probably would have been fine--it's only my poor upbringing that had me catching you where you didn't need it."
"Sorry," he called to the photographer. "I couldn't let the lady land." And he wouldn't but...he was a professional. "Did you get a usable shot?"
The photographer pinched up his face. "Enough of one, I think. We shall look at the proofs later and see how much there is!" The camera hadn't stopped clicking. "For now, we shall change into our last outfit and test a few photos!"
Jun raised his eyebrows. "No vampires?" He was going to owe Meisa.
"Trust me, heels tend to have a mind of their own." Even with her stabilizing and anti slip spells and years of practice, jumping in heels was never a good idea. If it wasn't an ankle that was broken, it could have been a foot. And not even Meisa's own foot, but possibly Jun's if she had accidentally landed on it. No, better that he had caught her in the end.
She scoffed. Jun and poor upbringing didn't mix like oil and water didn't mix. "Whatever, you're a proper gentleman, unlike the selfish vain pricks I usually have to work with."
Listening attentively to the exchange between Jun and the photographer, she have a small sigh and muttered to Jun, "There's got to be at least several good shots there." Meisa pointed to where the umbrella had flown off. "The umbrella shouldn't even have gotten in the way."
"We're going to add a bit of splash to you," one of the wardrobe assistants told him, holding up different bits of leather and feathers. "Just a touch of it, looping it off the belt--get you matching to Miss Meisa."
"Right," Jun said, standing still while he was finished with and then went back to the set. There were a few balloons left, the mushrooms, and a fine mist making things damp and slippery. "So--"
"On the mushroom, Mister Jun!" the photographer clapped. "Up, up! And Miss Meisa? Where is Miss Meisa? I want her under it! First a bit of leaning, serious, solemn faces! Pretty in the rain! And then, some fun, yes?"
"Yes," Jun agreed, crawling up on to the mushroom cap. Even though it was one of the slightly stranger sessions he'd had, it was fun.
Reply
Meisa had no idea what they were supposed to be anymore. If the photographer knew, he wasn't sharing. Hearing her name, she went to stand under the gigantic toadstool mushroom. Well. More like lean against the stalk. She was short, but not that short. At least that's what they wanted. "How are you doing up there?" she called up to Jun. It was getting pretty damp under the mushroom. The sandals had no traction and she could feel herself sliding down the stalk.
"Less mist! Less mist!" the photographer shrieked. "We want ethereal, people! Not drowned puppy! C'mon! Work with me here." He turned to the mushroom Jun and Meisa were at. "Mister Jun! Miss Meisa! I want serious! But not intense. More innocent, yes?"
Adjusting her position, Meisa could only nod and try to give the photographer what he wanted. And wonder what Jun was doing on top of the mushroom.
Reply
Thankfully the water wasn't--oh, crap. And a fog machine? Jun thought of every zombie movie he'd ever seen and the fog and had to bury a groan in his arm. Zombie fay. Great. The ridiculousness of it struck him and he scooted over, hanging off the edge of his perch so that he could peek in at Meisa. "I think I owe you the dollar based on just how strange this is," he told.
"More of this!" the photographer shouted at him. "Cici? Wind! A gentle breeze in the rising mist!"
Jun slapped his damp hair back out of his face. His shirt was clinging to him in a way that was now uncomfortable. "Tell me again about the Korean barbecue?"
Reply
"This is strange beyond strange," Meisa said, looking up at Jun and subsequently slipping onto her butt. "Oooh, that hurt." ("Wonderful! Very graceful!" cried the photographer in the background, "The interaction! It is a nice touch!") And now she had wet(ter) jeans to deal with. Great. "Let's save the dollar for next time, I don't think anybody could have predicted this!"
The 'breeze' started off a little too strong ("Not a gust! Cici! Breeze! Breeze!"), causing Meisa to shiver.
Mmmn. Korean barbeque. As far as she knew there were no hole-in-the wall establishments. "Do you want to go to K-town? Or try to find a place near by? It'll be pricey, but so, so worth it after this."
Reply
As much as he could feel himself starting to crumble inside, he knew that the rat brains would hold it off. He was only so hyper-conscious of it right now because of the cameras. He had time before it got bad enough for anybody else to notice. "After all of this? It'll be nice to-"
"Nice, lovely, now separate from Miss Meisa! To your own mushroom! Distance and beauty! Give me more of the jeans! Wrap yourself around them!"
Jun wasn't sure if he wanted to work with this guy again or if he never wanted to see him again. "Right." He gave Meisa a smoldering look. "I'm going to my own mushroom. He found an intact balloon that the fans had blown over. "Keep this as a token."
Reply
"Wrap ourselves around the jeans?" Meisa would work with this photographer again provided that Jun also was booked for the same shoot. Jun was the only other one who seemed to realize the craziness that the photoshoot had devolved into. Or rather, the photographer...
She returned Jun's smolder with a demure look, trying to project innocence when all she really wanted to do was laugh at the balloon that had steadily crept onto the set. "Have fun at your mushroom, hopefully we get to be dry soon." Jun offered her the wayward balloon. "Thanks, I don't know what I'll do with it though!"
"Wonderful! A couple more shots and you can change!" Meisa hugged the balloon and rested her head on it as if pondering the mysteries of life. In reality? She was wondering what the next crazy idea was after she and Jun had to change. "Let the balloon go!" She did as directed and gave the camera a wistful look. With the aid of the fans, the balloon meandered towards Jun. "Mister Jun! Oooh! Try to catch the balloon!"
Reply
"Very nice!" the photographer enthused. Jun could see him circling the set, changing something on his camera, and so he crossed his eyes at Meisa.
"Very nice," he told her.
"Mister Jun!" He uncrossed his eyes and went back to crouching under his mushroom, looking solemn and like his jeans really, really mattered to him. He folded his arms on his knees and rested his cheek on them, looking at the camera.
"Now, Miss Meisa!" The camera went off rapid fire. "Now change!"
Thank goodness. He could only hope that drying off for the next outfit would mean--
"Stay damp! This is the look we want! Umbrellas? Arick, where are the umbrellas?"
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"Yay!" She exclaimed under her breath, seeing the hope she felt mirrored in Jun's face... a little too soon. "Noooo."
"What's the point of umbrellas if we're already damp?" Meisa asked Jun as they left to get changed. Bootleg jeans and a white, clingy shirt that would become see through once wet awaited her along with another wide leather belt... and heels. Great. Time for a stabilizing spell. And considering how wet the set had gotten, an anti-slip spell wouldn't be amiss. "What have you got this time around?"
"Arick! These umbrellas are too small! Renee! Bring me the big one! It's more romantic!"
Rolling her eyes, she peeked over at Jun. "Bet you fifty cents we have to share the umbrella."
Cici came up to them with a spray bottle as soon as they were finished. "It's just water to get the clothes slightly damp. Please stay still."
Reply
"Sorry," said the man behind the bottle. "We need to dampen you up a little."
Hands were in his hair, ruffling and arranging. "Rumple you a bit--"
Somebody else unbuttoned his jacket and ripped it open, pulling it slightly off one shoulder.
Jun tuned them out, used to the tugging and pulling. It didn't feel like anything that was going to tug something important loose. "No deal. I know we're going to end up sharing it." He craned around to glance at the set, trying not to upset the hands tugging at him and trying to put more powder on his face. "I wonder if he's got one of those mutant 'couples' umbrellas," he mused out loud. He glanced back at Meisa. "I can't really believe that this shoot is going to end on a normal note."
"Set!" Renee (he thought it was Renee) said, pushing him at it. "Go, go!"
Street scene. With mist and fog and a breeze. Maybe it'd be a rainbow umbrella but he doubted it. "C'mon, ladybug," he mumbled.
Reply
"Here! Wear this!" A fedora with a purple feather was thrust into her hands at the same time her braids were unwoven, leaving her hair in slight waves. Hairspray was applied generously, presumably to prevent the waves from straightening out in the wet environment.
Meisa tipped her hat at Jun and smiled. "Fair enough." Oh god, those so-called couple umbrellas were hilarious. They were also ugly. Hopefully they didn't have one. "Don't jinx it!" she mock admonished, "There's still the winter test shots to get through!" Besides, their photographer might decide to dish out a bit more crazy before the day was done.
A giant purple umbrella was handed to her as she followed Jun to the set (Meisa sighed in relief that it wasn't a couple's one) to receive their direction from the photographer. "This time I want classy! We're going to make it black and white, but keep the purple accents. Everything together! Under the umbrella!"
Reply
"Back, Mister Jun! I want no shadows on Miss Meisa's face. Not yet!"
Maybe they'd have to be vampires. Jun mentally cringed at the thought. He tilted the umbrella back and leaned close to whisper in Meisa's ear. "I bet you sixteen cents I turn into a vampire later."
Reply
"Lovely! Wonderful!" The street scene had a fake curb that they had reached the end of during their pimp stoll, and their photographer took a second to contemplate what he wanted. Meisa spun the umbrella around in her and Jun's hands as they waited for directions. "Okay! Mister Jun! I want you to step down on the curb and help Miss Meisa over the puddle we'll photoshop in later! Miss Meisa! I want you to jump! Gracefully!"
Oh god. In the heels she was wearing? She prayed that her spells prevented her from breaking her ankles.
Reply
Jun stepped off the curb, trying to look cool and sexy and--crap. He left the umbrella in Meia's hand and offered out his hand, trying to look charming and suave as he did so. Jun had used to help his mother and sister over puddles back home but he adopted a more exaggerated pose for the shoot.
Until the photographer told Meisa to jump. In high heels. Like the professional she was, Meisa was doing it. Jun ditched the professionalism to catch her up before she could land, swinging her into his arms. He felt something in his shoulders and back pull--the way he had in his fingers earlier--but it wasn't much and it probably wasn't going to show.
"Mister Jun!" the photographer sounded like he wasn't sure if he liked this or hated it. Good, Jun thought. Let him be confused for a bit.
He set Meisa on her feet. "Sorry."
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Meisa leapt and let the umbrella trail after her, hoping that it looked somewhat graceful. Only her professionalism kept the wince of anticipated impact in heels off her face. An impact that never came.
Just as she felt gravity begin to tug her down, she was suddenly caught up in Jun's arms. Surprised, she let go of the umbrella as she was swung around. It flew off, who knew where.
The photographer looked confused when Meisa peeked over Jun's shoulder. Please, please, let him have gotten one good shot, she thought as Jun placed her down. "Why are you apologizing? You saved me from breaking an ankle. Or two."
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"Sorry," he called to the photographer. "I couldn't let the lady land." And he wouldn't but...he was a professional. "Did you get a usable shot?"
The photographer pinched up his face. "Enough of one, I think. We shall look at the proofs later and see how much there is!" The camera hadn't stopped clicking. "For now, we shall change into our last outfit and test a few photos!"
Jun raised his eyebrows. "No vampires?" He was going to owe Meisa.
"No vampires!"
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She scoffed. Jun and poor upbringing didn't mix like oil and water didn't mix. "Whatever, you're a proper gentleman, unlike the selfish vain pricks I usually have to work with."
Listening attentively to the exchange between Jun and the photographer, she have a small sigh and muttered to Jun, "There's got to be at least several good shots there." Meisa pointed to where the umbrella had flown off. "The umbrella shouldn't even have gotten in the way."
"Arick! Cici! Renee! Bring my snow!"
At least they didn't have to be wet anymore.
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