Day 35: Pearl’s Beauty Salon Hair and Nails

[mateswithnobody]

[from here]Donna whisked into the salon and breathed in a deep scent of all the things she knew would make her happy for at least the next hour or five. The little coupons said that she would only be allowed a manicure at this place, but if she couldn't talk her way into more than just that here, there was a facial or massage to be had elsewhere.

Comments

[razing_phoenix]

As Guy watched his friend debate over which kind of pink she wanted, he could only reflect to himself how different men and women seemed to be. He just couldn't relate to this kind of thing, but that didn't meant that he was necessarily trivializing it. After all, there were things he got excited about that other people didn't understand, such as fontech. Everyone had different likes and different things that got them excited.

So when he asked for his opinion, Guy figured he should do the nice thing and at least act like he was interested.

"Yeah, that looks nice," he said with a small smile. "It should make you stand out a little more once they force us back into those boring uniforms, right?" He wondered how long it would last before the nail polish started chipping, though. It should be good for at least a week, though, right? Then Anise could always come back here and get them repainted.

"Anyway, I guess we should try and find someone to help you..." He turned and looked over the store, trying to see if anyone was free to see to them.

[damned_town]

"Just a moment!" A figure came running up to the counter, accidentally knocking over a clipboard that had been set on the top in the process. "Oops! My bad. Hold on."

The girl had short, pixie-cut blonde hair that was obviously dyed extra light. Every other word out of her mouth was accented by a smack of chewing gum. "Hi! My name is Trish, but all my friends call me 'Triz.'" She drew a Z in the air with one finger. "Can I see your coupons?"

A quick wink was sent in Guy's direction.

[Lauren]

[gald_digger]

Anise nodded, eyes still fixed on the array of colors before her. "Yeah! If there's anything they need at that crusty old hospital, it's more color." She did still have the little colored bracelet Mion had made for her, and now she had Tokunaga too, so she wasn't completely without color on her person. But every little bit helped!

It wasn't much longer before someone came to the counter, and Anise looked up from the display to face the stranger. 'Triz,' was it? What a weird nickname. It wasn't even shorter than her real name. And it looked like she was chewing on something... If she was in the middle of eating, couldn't she stop for long enough to deal with customers? Anise wasn't sure if it was rude or if it was something people normally did on Earth, so she decided not to think too much on it.

Anise caught that wink and quickly shot a glance at Guy in hope of getting a glimpse of his reaction. Whether he liked it or not, he really did have that charming sort of effect on girls. Anise would have been worried about competition over the young and handsome count, if it weren't for that problem of his.

Her attention was quickly brought back to the salesperson asking for coupons. "Oh! Sure, it's right here." She slipped her hand in her skirt pocket and retrieved the pack of vouchers, picking out the right one and holding it out for the girl.

[razing_phoenix]

When someone came rushing over, Guy raised an eyebrow and then winced when she sent a clipboard clattering to the floor. Seeing how he had been raised, he wasn't able to stop himself from kneeling down to pick it up for her, setting it carefully back on the counter.

He had caught the look she had given, along with Anise's glance at him. Guy tried to keep his cool, sending the helper a small smile in return. So long as she kept her distance, there was nothing wrong with being friendly. Other than the odd name and the stuff she was chewing, she seemed nice enough.

Besides, Anise was the one who really needed to be seen to. He watched as his friend pulled out her coupon and then he looked to the stranger. "That's all," he said with a small laugh. "I'm pretty sure I can pass on this one." He just hoped the manicure didn't take too long, since he would have liked to get a better look at the town and see what else it had to offer.

[damned_town]

The girl looked sincerely disappointed when Guy declined. "Aw, for real? A gentleman like you could always use a set of fine nails. I don't have to paint them, you know."

She didn't pressure him, however, as she took Anise's coupons and led them both over to an empty booth. "All right. You just take a seat right there and- oh! Forgot the basket of polish. One sec." She rushed off for just a moment, returning with a cheap green plastic basket full of most of the colors on display up front.

[gald_digger]

It was a nice try on this Triz girl's part, but Anise knew that Guy wasn't getting into one of those chairs even if she was offering something he'd actually want. Did men really get their nails done here often, or was she just grasping for excuses to get up close and personal with him? Despite being able to relate, Anise couldn't help but feel it was a little funny to watch when it was someone else's flirting attempts getting brushed off.

Anise followed the girl over to the indicated chair, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she hurried off to grab the basket she had apparently forgotten. She sure seemed like a scatter-brain. Sitting down at the booth, Anise just hoped this girl wasn't as clumsy at her job as she seemed to be at other things.

[razing_phoenix]

"Ahahaha. That's all right, really." Guy waved her off, doing his best to be polite. Hopefully she had just been teasing him, since he didn't think that men getting their nails painted was really the norm. Then again, this wasn't Auldrant. He would have to ask Claude about it sometime, if he could get the question out without it being too awkward.

He followed them over to the booth and watched as Anise sat and the girl ran off to get something, but Guy soon found himself getting antsy. There wasn't much space, really, and with the other customers and workers around, he knew he wouldn't be able to handle this for much longer.

"You gonna be all right on your own?" he asked Anise, wanting to make sure of that first. "I think I'm gonna go stand by the door and wait there."

[damned_town]

"Awww... and leave your little friend all on her lonesome?" Trish pouted. It figured. Even the mentally unstable guys never wanted to stick around in the salon. Well, there was Roger. Roger didn't count, though. He was a queer.

She busied herself instead with seeing to Anise and practically fell into the seat across from her with a long sigh. "Ah well. Men. Let's see those nails."

[gald_digger]

"Yeah, and leave me all on my lonesome?" Anise echoed, trying to sound hurt. There was a teasing smirk on her face that didn't quite match the innocent tone she had said it in. It was just a habit to give the guy a hard time. Really, she could see why hanging around the middle of such a girly shop could be intimidating for him.

Oh, but she wasn't just being mean! The more exposure Guy had to females, the closer he was going to get to completely overcoming his phobia! At least, that was how Anise justified it to herself.

As requested, she held out a hand for the other girl to see. There wasn't anything terribly remarkable about Anise's hands. Despite all the effort she put into her appearance, her hands got very little attention since her work as an Oracle Knight was liable to ruin them in all kinds of ways. Simple was safest - and cheapest. With nightshift occasionally calling for some rough work - like when she had been wrestling pipes from their sockets with the Cooking Club - it was possible that anything done to her nails today wouldn't last terribly long, either. As long as she was getting the treatment for free though, it would be no big loss if that happened.

[razing_phoenix]

Once again, all Guy could do was laugh as the two girls gave him a hard time for wanting to get away. He could tell that Anise wasn't really all that bothered, though, and so he didn't hesitate to move back to the front of the store, leaning against the wall near the door. He was soon getting distracted by everyone who was passing by outside, though he made sure to glance back and check on his friend from time to time.

He wondered how her nails would turn out looking. Anise was able to make most anything look cute, so he was sure the result would be nice. He would have to tease her about showing them off to Ion once she got the chance, though.

[damned_town]

"Ooh." Trish gave the girl's nails a scrutinizing look, as though trying to find the meaning behind a new piece of abstract art. "Yeah, these nails need some care. Well! That's what you're here for!"

She started setting supplies out on the table in front of her. "Don't worry. I know just how to deal with a mess like this." A file was in her hand at once, and she began working on the edges or Anise's nails. "At least you're not a biter."

[gald_digger]

A mess? Anise knew they hadn't had much care, but they weren't that bad! She narrowed her eyes a bit at the girl, but tried her best to stay pleasant. She wasn't trying to insult her, was she? "Of course not!" she chirped with a slightly strained smile. "I wouldn't dream of picking up any habits that could detract from my beauty." For the self-proclaimed Beauty of Daath, that would be unacceptable, naturally.

[damned_town]

Beauty? Trish quirked an eyebrow. Well, she couldn't really say anything. The kid was in a mental institute right now. She supposed she should have some pity.

"Good, good. Had a friend who was a biter. It was a nervous habit. Kept her nails down to the quick constantly. (Other hand now, please.) You couldn't even paint them, because it just made them look worse."

[razing_phoenix]

Catching bits and pieces of the conversation going on behind him, Guy assured himself that it was all pretty much trivial small talk, which meant he could focus more of his attention on what was happening outside.

He absentmindedly watched the other patients stroll past, examining their various outfits and looking for unlikely pairs, wondering to himself how people had met up and gotten to know each other. He even tried to figure out whether a group of patients had known each other from before coming here or if they had met at Landel's. It was harder than he had expected to tell...

But then he caught sight of a very familiar face. There was Claude, and it looked like he was on his own. Guy raised an eyebrow and then quickly turned back toward Anise and the store worker. "Hey, Anise! I'm going to go say hello to Claude real fast, all right? I'll be just outside."

Without waiting for an answer, he headed out of the door and onto Main Street.

[To here.]

[gald_digger]

"That's terrible!" Anise gasped. "Girls should take more pride in their appearance than that." Pulling her hand back to examine the work done to it, she offered the other.

When Guy announced he was stepping out, Anise looked over at him and opened her mouth to shout an answer, but he was already gone. She pouted as she turned back to face the other girl. "Boooo, looks like he ran away."