(no subject)

[blue_karat]

Oh no, oh no...

[My, this little rabbit lady seems to be in great distress! She's digging through her purse, her eyes widening with ever-increasing panic. Suddenly, she grabs the entire bag and flips it upside-down, spilling out all of its contents!]

[...Well, no wonder she's having trouble looking for whatever she's looking for! She has at least five kinds of lipstick, two cases of eyeshadow, and all sorts of other cosmetics in there! And most of them are of similar size and shape! She even has two wallets. Who even needs two wallets?]

Karat, no, I had to have brought it with me. I must have! Oh, where could the stupid thing possibly be!? Just because it really is a needle doesn't mean it should be so hard to find it! ...Oh.

[It appears that yelling at inanimate objects really does help! Francine brushes one of the wallets aside and picks up a small case with a transparent cover. Sharp-eyed folks can spot a small sewing needle and a few spools of thread inside the case. She looks down to carefully inspect the presumably-torn hem of her skirt...]

[...And realizes she just roughly dumped all of her cosmetics onto the grass.]

...Kya!

[And she is in distress once more!]

Comments

[monotreme_101]

Geeze. You oughta be more careful with your stuff, lady.

[Still, he can't help but be helpful, so, he drops to a knee and starts gathering up whatever is closest to him.]

....You sure got a lot of... make up? Right? That's what this stuff is?

[Well how would he know, after all.]

[blue_karat]

I am usually more careful than this! I just had a bit of a wardrobe emergency and couldn't find my sewing kit. [ Francine's tone of voice suggests that she believes she is very well-composed and will not stand for any hint otherwise. ]

Yes, it's all make-up, karat. I need to have many colors on hand in case I have to go out on an unplanned occasion.

[ She works on grabbing the cosmetics as well, although she takes the time to inspect each one and meticulously sort them out, apparently by color.]

[monotreme_101]

Wardrobe emergency, huh?

[He couldn't see much of a problem with her outfit. But he was naked except for shoes and gloves so you really couldn't trust his opinion.]

Here ya go. There's the rest of it.

[He's holding all the bits he picked up cupped in his hands. He... didn't sort it at all. He wouldn't know where to start.]

[blue_karat]

Yes, karat, the hem was starting to fall apart, and I needed to fix it before it got any worse. Thank you for your help, umm...? [ She trails off, waiting for this helpful man to fill her in on his name. ]

[ Francine starts to put her makeup back into her purse. However, she's rather slow in taking them back from Knuckles, pausing every now and then to consider which brands and colors to cherry-pick from what he's holding. She almost wants to just grab everything and sort it out right now, but in her mind she's saving time and effort (on her part) if she just sorts them as she goes. ]

[monotreme_101]

Uhh... Oh. My name is Knuckles.

[So, he just stands there super helpfully while she figures out which lip... thing goes where and which cherry colored... brush and powder... thing goes where and just kind of wonders if it's really necessary to be so meticulous about girly face paint.]

Guessin' you're pretty new around here?

[blue_karat]

[ Oh, yes, it is very necessary. If she misplaces even one object, the cycle never ends. Thankfully, as she whittles down the pool, her decisions become a lot quicker, and she's getting close to finishing. ]

Thank you, Knuckles. Yes, this is my first time on this campus, and I wish to see if I should enroll here. My name is Francine!

[monotreme_101]

Good to meet ya, Francine. You're lookin' to enroll, huh? You should! It's a great school. What kind of stuff do you want to learn here?

[There is no Makeup 101]

[blue_karat]

[ It's called cosmetology you plebe, and give her a few years and she'll make it happen ]

Well, I'm interested in the classes that cover different arts and humanities, such as theater and dance.

[ She lingers on the word "humanities" for the briefest moment; it really doesn't feel like the right word to use when so many non-human beings, present parties included, are capable of experiencing these complex thoughts and appreciations. ]

I know that this academy is primarily used to teach students combat skills. But with the reputation it has, I imagine that only the best lessons would be taught here, regardless of content, karat.

[monotreme_101]

[Cosmetology is the study of space, duh. You know. It's a play on cosmic and comet and ology.]

We got a drama class, a dance class, and a painting class. Those might be right up your alley. And there's all the regular science, math and English stuff too. All the teachers are pretty great. Well. Most of them. I wouldn't go takin' demolitions if I was you. Guy teachin' that is a real jerk.

[hisho]

[ GASP. Isn't that one of Smashville's residents...?!

Isabelle must help her out! She hurries over to her side, refraining from touching anything just in case Francine doesn't approve of puppy mitts on her possessions. ]

Goodness! Do you need a hand? Or, um... a paw? More like a paw, really!

[blue_karat]

[ Francine had left several months before Tortimer retired and didn't get a chance to meet Isabelle. But, hey, doesn't she look like one of the girls in the Bubblegum K.K. music video...? ]

Hmm... Yes, I would appreciate some help. I need to reorganize all of these before I put them back in my purse, karat. I sort them together by type, then by color. Oh, except for these – [ she holds up one lipstick tube with the GracieGrace emblem branded on it ] – because they never mix well with other brands, so I put them all together by themselves, karat.

[ Thankfully, Francine starts gathering the GracieGrace cosmetics herself, rather than leaving Isabelle alone to guess all of her rules about organizing makeup. ]

[hisho]

By type, then color...? Oh! So these pink lip glosses would go together, right?

[ Isabelle begins scooping up the little containers into her paws, holding them carefully. She doesn't want to mess up this person's makeup. It looks like it all means a lot to her, anyway. Look at how she was freaking out over it just a moment ago! ]

Then those pink blushes... and those blue eyeshadows? Do the black mascaras go together, too?

[blue_karat]

Yes, that's correct, karat! I tend to use cooler pinks over warm ones, so I usually sort them even further, but sometimes they get mixed up in the bag anyway. The important thing is that the occasional dark purple doesn't get into the light pinks.

[ Francine quickly swaps the positions a few pink blushes to highlight her point. ]

My name is Francine, by the way. And you are?

[hisho]

Oooh... I think that makes sense! So the warmer pinks are more reddish or orangeish, and the cooler ones are more mauve and purple... [ She starts separating the lipsticks accordingly, getting a couple of the hues wrong, but otherwise doing a decent enough job. ]

I hope this works! By the way, my name is Isabelle, and I'm Smash Academy's secretary. It's very nice to meet you, Francine! You... don't happen to be from Smashville, maybe?

[ She looks like a Smashville citizen, for sure. ]

[blue_karat]

[ It's close enough! Francine begins to place the cosmetics back into the purse, keeping them in their groups and separating them by pockets whenever she can. ]

I was born there, yes, but my family moved shortly after I finished high school. We've lived in this city ever since.

[hisho]

Oooh, so you came to live in the city a long time ago! Then I guess we never have met... [ She hums curiously. ] That's kind of funny. I thought we met before. Really, I did! Maybe you're just familiar because you're an animal as small as I am? I think so.

Um, anyway, I digress. [ Isabelle sheepishly smiles, realizing she probably went overboard. ] Did you come to the premises for business or anything? Do you have anything you need? Just making sure, because I'm here to help! [ SHE IS A GOOD PUPPY, PROMISE. ]

[blue_karat]

I did do a touch of acting after I came here. Nothing major, but perhaps you saw me here or there.

Anyway, I'm considering enrolling in this academy as a college student, karat! I want to see the campus for myself first, however. I've heard rumors about the more...chaotic happenings that take place here.

[kuragekasa]

Waaah-!

[ That startles a nearby stranger, causing him to whip around to the source of the noise. All he notices is... a bunny. A cute, fluffy, tiny bunny with shiny things on the ground.

Needless to say, Clear makes a beeline her way. ]

Aaah, you're so fluffy-wuffy and puffy~! [ He clasps his hands together, eyes glimmering with excitement behind his mask. ] May I pet your head?

[ Must. Pet. Cute bunny. Cute bunny-wunny-boo. ]

[blue_karat]

[ Francine tugs on her hood slightly. Though she usually loves being showered in compliments and attention, she isn't open to people just petting her head as if she's a common animal, especially if they're strangers wearing a gas mask! ]

No, I do not think that is a good idea, karat! I spent half an hour getting my hair ready for today!

[kuragekasa]

Oh. Then...

[ Clear sulks a little, but suddenly, he springs back up, swearing that a light bulb is glimmering over his head. ]

Then may I pet your head and then fix your hair? I am not a hairstylist, but I will try my best! It is the fair thing to do. [ He gives an affirmative nod, feeling more confident that this idea will work. ]

[blue_karat]

[ Paws still on her hood, Francine figures that this person will not stop bothering her unless he gets a quick pet. Carefully, she pulls the hood back a bit to reveal more of her head, although she doesn't slide it fully off, leaving her ears mostly covered.]

You may pat my head gently, karat. This is the only time I will let you do this. Do not drag your hand across my hair or brush against any eyeshadow.

[ Her paws are twitching slightly. She already has the urge to snatch her comb and mirror and make sure she didn't already pull any strands out of place. ]

[kuragekasa]

Ah, yay! [ Like a giddy child, he shouts happily, clapping his hands together repeatedly. ] Yes, gentle pats! I will be so very gentle with your puffy, soft head!

[ He almost isn't, his excitement making him a little jumpy and impulsive, but his touch when his hand does reach her head is gentle. He only taps his palm onto her fuzz a couple of times, resisting the incredible urge to ruffle her fur. ]

You really are very soft. [ Clear gives a firm nod, pulling his hand away at long last. ] You truly are the puffiest bunny I have ever seen~ ♫

[blue_karat]

[ She visibly winces at Clear's excited chatter and fears for the worst, pleasantly surprised at his restraint. ]

...Thank you.

[ She cracks a smile, but it's a strained one. She's nervously relieved that the petting has stopped. Francine reaches out and grabs a compact mirror to inspect her hair and fur, attempting and failing to be subtle about it. ]

Believe me, there are rabbits puffier than me, karat. I think there's a point where you have too much fluff, and I stay far away from that line.

[kuragekasa]

[ Well, he isn't offended. She just wants to fix her hair up, doesn't she? Thankfully, though, it doesn't seem like he's disrupted her fur too much.

Something she says, however, throws him off. ]

Eeeh? Too much fluff? But...

[ He raises his voice, merely out of surprise more than anything. He never thought he'd hear something like that! ]

Why would there be a such thing as too much fluff? Fluffiness is very enjoyable and relaxing and cute! I don't think there is anything tooooo fluffy...

[ He frowns behind that mask. Nooo, he needs all the puffies. All of them. ]

[blue_karat]

[ Francine's attention is split between watching herself in the mirror while smoothing down her hair and actually looking at Clear when talking to him. ]

If properly maintained, yes. But you wouldn't believe how many people just let their fur grow all fluffy and fuzzy without even trying to groom it properly. Oh, sure, they'll use a brush sometimes and maybe use some cheap shampoo, karat, but most of them just let it grow out and hang loose! And believe me, they could never pull it off right.

[ Uh oh. She's on another rant about ~fashion~. As she goes on, she finally stops messing with her hair, deeming it acceptable. ]

Why, I knew one pup who would only trim his bangs after he stopped being able to see through them! And don't get me started on sloppy eaters who insist on shoveling spaghetti into their fluffy faces, karat. Yes, I enjoy having lush and soft fur, but I try to keep it under control, thank you.