Tested and Tried

[Life.]

It was already a rough morning for Jacquelyn Grace. She barely managed to get a wink of sleep from the disturbing pleasures that her new neighbors were experiencing all throughout the night, the water in her building had stopped due to some plumbing work, a random cat had to be chased out of her condo, and her coffee machine broke. So now she walked down the streets of a city she loves and hates. The city had its charms with the vibrant culture and various personalities, but the liveliness of the city was due to the mixture of humans and supernatural creatures. Jackie shivered at the thought of them. She grew to envy them which then changed to hate. But at the age of 27 her hatred has succumb to sharp remarks and blistering comments. It was hard staying angry at supernatural creatures considering there were many that were denizens of the city. Perhaps I'll grow to be that one angry old person that everyone hates. I don't think I would mind that...I know at least people won't disturb me then.

The gal dressed today in a very casual, comfy outfit with a loose t-shirt and dull sweatpants. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up into the perfect, messy bun that clearly states her carefree attitude in her appearance. She had on a kids band-aid with unicorns over the burn scar on her cheek and she wore her favorite aviator glasses to cover up her irritated, bloodshot eyes from the lack of sleep she received. Slowly she strolled her way over to her favorite place in the city, a small, local, coffee shop that employs one of her few friends, Valoire Moore.

Luckily it was early enough that Saturday morning where many people and creatures were still asleep for Jackie to peacefully enter the coffee shop. Her light brown eyes scanned the small shop until they landed on the familiar, small figure of her friend. She had her back to Jackie. With a sly grin on her face the blonde woman tiptoed her way over to the counter. Quietly she made her way over to Valoire and stopped when she was right behind the woman. When Jackie felt that she was not discovered she threw her arms around the shorter woman, "Good morning Valoire! How's my favorite barista doing? I'm in dire need of an espresso. My cursed neighbors kept delighting each other all night so I couldn't grab a wink of sleep."

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

The tag within her hand was damp with hot chocolate as she crouched down to mop up the spill a child had caused. His mother had apologized more than enough, clearly embarrassed by her son's actions. But, kids were kids in the woman's eyes, and so she said that there was no harm in any of it. Once finished she had to return back behind the counter, eagerly washing her sticky hands and ridding the sodden cloth from her grasp. Val seemed to be in a pretty relaxed mood for once, as everything had finally settled down. Her co-workers normally teased her about it occasionally but aside from that things seemed pretty normal as far as her daily life was concerned.

Well... up until now.

She had moved to clean the counter a bit now that there was a lull in the morning traffic they got, wholly absorbed in the task and unable to noice as a certain someone crept right up behind her, throwing themselves around the small barista. Valoire was somewhat glad she's had been grabbed from behind for it was harder to see her face pale as she heard who's voice it was.

Her and Jackie had been friends since college, or her brief year their rather. She had to scrape the money together herself to afford to go and seeing as paying rent on an apartment wasn't cheep in the city, she couldn't afford more than one full round of classes before calling it quits. Her and the blogger had bonded rather quickly as roommates, becoming fast friends. Although for the past few months, they hadn't seen each other all they often, and for good reason.

Valoire was absolutely terrified.

Jackie's thought on the supernatural weren't something she hid. Whether it be from her posts online to passing a nearby centaur-drawn cart or magical street performer a sideways glance, it was more than obvious what she felt about them. And seeing as she wasn't aware of Val having turned (her absense being explained as a terrible car accident) she wasn't sure she could reasonable face the woman without a bit of warning.

Well... this time, there wasn't one.

Heart bounding it took quite a bit of willpower to push the horrified look off her face and trade it for a more surprised on although if one looked carefully enough, it was surely strained. Turning around in Jackie's gasp, she returned the hug before almost pulling away. "Long time no see...!" She responded hesitantly, moving towards the expresó machine. "One expresso coming up."

Life.

 

[Life.]

Jackie had miss her short friend. In the past few months, for some reason Jackie was not allow to visit Valoire when she was in the hospital after her car accident. As much as she wanted to visit, Valoire's family stopped her. Jackie respected Valoire's family so she ceased any activity in visiting Valoire. Now that Valoire was out of the hospital and back at the coffee shop, Jackie was elated. The crazy blogger was so happy that she didn't want to let go of Valoire, but at the mention of espresso the woman quickly seated herself on one of the stools that sat across the counter, ready for her drink.

"How are you feeling Valoire? I'm sorry I couldn't visit. It's not like I did not want to or did not have the time to, cause we both know I have plenty of time, but your family said that it was best to give you space. And since I respect and like your family so much I complied with their wishes. Oh and are you free tonight or maybe the weekend? I want to hit the bar." Perhaps Jackie didn't need an espresso. Her words quickly flew out of her mouth due to her excitement in seeing Valoire. She placed her elbows on the counter and rested her head on top of her hands, watching Valoire and patiently waiting for a response. Jackie was aware that she was probably making Valoire nervous, considering her quiet nature. But Jackie was too elated to see her friend. It was almost like she was a dog finally greeting her owner coming back home.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

It was growing difficult to remain calm, her hand shaking somewhat as she began to make the drink. Once it was finished she set it before her friend, leaning the counter to try and quell her fidgeting as she nodded while listening. Her family didn't let anyone in on her request, mainly because it would've been a hell of a lot more difficult to explain something she didn't even understand herself. But even now with having a vague grasp at what she was... she still wasn't sure she could tell Jackie. At least, not willingly.

When she finally finished, asking if she were free sometime soon to go out to a local bar. This taking a moment to register, as Val had been lost in thought, she nodded, responding. "U-Um... sure. I'm free tonight if they works for you." A few drinks wouldn't hurt, after all she was off most of the heavy medication the hospital had issued her and the next full moon was not for a few days so it was unlikely something would go wrong, right?

Life.

 

[Life.]

When the espresso was placed in front of her Jackie quietly murmured thanks and quickly downed the drink. She exhaled loudly enjoying the strong flavor of the coffee. "Ah that hits the spot! I'm probably going to go on a writing streak after this. It's been a few days since I've written anything and my "manager" is wanting new material from me. Although...it has been becoming harder to think of anything to write of. Well I know hitting the bar will probably inspire me to write something for sure!" The highly-energetic gal finally slid off her sunglasses, her eyes not red anymore. "Nice. Want me to head over to your place before we hit the bar so that I can help you pick out an outfit? It's been a while since we've done that."

Even though it has only been a few months since the two have seen each other, Jackie was treating the situation as if she had not seen her for years. Oh the mind of a writer. She slid her empty cup over to Valoire, "And can I get another espresso pretty please madam? Unless you think I do not need anymore." Jackie smiled mischievously. "Then do not give me anymore if you think so. Sometimes I cannot tell what my limit is. And due to my shitty morning I'm needing to release my anger in some way. And I guess that way is me talking away. " Due to her lack of social interaction, Jackie was very talkative to those she was comfortable with.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Valoire had purposely not read the most recent posts on her blog for obvious reasons. Yes the woman had toned herself down since she had met her, but it still wasn't all that encouraging to someone who had been in a fragile state of mind. "That would be lovely." Valoire murmured, moving to refil Jackie's cup. It was more than clear she was not distracted as it was past back to her, the liquid fresh and hot. Normally by now she would've cut her off the caffeine and told her to rest like a normal person would, but not today. It was clear something was changed about her overall demeanor, something different. But someone intoxicated by a shot of concentrated coffee and the joy of seeing a long lost friend was surely going to miss these obvious signs.

Life.

 

[Life.]

"Wooo you surely are hooking me up today aren't ya Val?" Jackie laughed as she grabbed the refilled espresso and proceeded to down it in one go. "I feel like your espressos are the best I've tasted from any I have drank. Tell me, do you add anything extra to it?" she leaned forward, flashing her a teasing smile. The caffeine was clearly working its job well on the anti-social blogger. "Cool, so I will be at your place...say eight o' clock? The real drama and such doesn't start till ten in the bars. Although I'll have to stay sober if I want to find something to write. Plus the last thing I want to do is end up with a supernatural," Jackie emphasized the word with a slight hiss to it, "Last time I nearly went home with a sorceress. Yikes. And then another time it was with a vampire. I really have to watch myself."

"Oh before I go can I check to see if I have your number right on my phone? I tried texting you a few times before, but they never went through. If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were trying to avoid me," she gave a slight chuckle to her comment, "But I wouldn't blame you. Not many stay with me." As she said this the woman calmed down, resting her head in her right hand and looked off into the distance. It was the truth, and Jackie knew it. Due to her odd and bitchy personality, not a lot of people stayed with Jackie. "Anyways, back to our plans. I want to check our numbers and then I'll be heading out. I have to submit at least some outline to my manager."

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

"Oh you know I can't tell you the recipe." Valoire chuckled, glancing towards Jackie as she drank from her cup. "And eight... works..." she trailed off, nearly becoming inaudible at the way she mentioned supernatural. Before it hadn't been a bit deal, just something she brushed to the side. But now being in the situation she was in now... it was much clearer and upfront than before. Almost painfully so. It reminded her of what she had been told by the pack leader after her first transformation, to avoid types like the blogger as they were unpredictable. Val, however, knew the woman and also was aware that she didn't know, which meant a night out would be good for her. Zero room for error.

As the blonde stared off into the distance, Valoire gave her head a soft pat before taking her now empty mug from her once more. "You'll find someone eventually I'm sure. And I do have your number, my phone has... been acting up lately." With that she pulled out her cell and brought up her contacts list, quickly unblocking the number before sending a quick text as a test, looking up to see if she got it.

Life.

 

[Life.]

Jackie gave a soft smile to Valoire when she felt her give a pat to her shoulder, but inside she felt a bit of emotional pain from Valoire's comment. From the way she said it, it made it sound as though Valoire was not going to be staying with her for the long run. Jackie decided to take this as a warning then, prepare herself for the future when the time did come. She could mope all she wanted but that would probably drift them apart sooner. The blogger simply had to live in the moment.

Jackie looked down to her smartphone when she felt a buzz follow immediately after Valoire sent a text. "Alright seems to be working now. You should really get your phone checked out if it's acting up like that or else you might miss some texts or calls from your family. Now that we have your number working I'll be texting you when I'm on my way. I'll see you at eight then." She slid off the stool and stretched, feeling energized from the espressos. Before she walked off, Jackie pulled out her wallet and placed some cash on the counter, "Here you go. My payment for two espressos. And you can keep the change. I'm not a big fan of carrying around coins. They always fall out of my pockets. Have a good day Valoire, it was nice talking to you. Don't scare yourself too much now, okay?" She flashed her one more smile before making her way towards the exit.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Valoire would give her friend a smile and a soft wave as she stood, collecting the cash she had left. But as soon as she exited the building, her expression paled to one of pure terror. It apparently remained as such as she collected the mugs that had been used and set them aside for cleaning, one of her coworkers, Julian, who had returned from his beak, passing her an odd look as he moved behind the counter. “Did a customer toss their drink at you again?” His tone was slightly playful but still nonetheless concerned. With a stiff shake of her head, she would hesitate before asking him if he knew of Jacquelyn’s blog. The vampire would give a slow nod in response, “I’ve read it a few times here and there…” The man taking the mugs and beginning to was them and a few other assorted dishes. “But I find it all racist garbage. Don’t let it get to you, as I'm assuming you read some of the nonsense she spouts.” “You could say that…” Val mumbled, leaning on the back counter, eyes fixed on watching the few customers they currently had mill about. “She and I were roommates when I went to college, and… we’re going out for drinks tonight.” The man paused momentarily in his washing, a low whistle escaping his lips. “What does she know?” “That I had gotten into a car accident.” “Right…”

They stood in silence for a few moments after this, the man finishing and drying his hands off before tugging his phone out of his pocket and checking the date. “The next full moon is about four days from now… but seeing as you have reasonable control over yourself, and you don't willingly tell her anything, got should be find to escape and potential conflict.” The nervous werewolf nodded, gaze darting around the room before focusing on the older supernatural that flashed her a humorous, fangy smile. “Thanks Ju.” “Anytime Kid.” He chuckled, leaning on the counter beside her. “If only your transition was as easy as mine was…”

Hours later Valoire was sat within her apartment, pacing nervously before her front door. It was nearly eight and if she remembered correctly, Jackie was to help her pick out something to wear. With her scar, she hadn't touched anything remotely revealing in months, so she hoped this would be quick and easy without too much convincing the blogger on her part.

Life.

 

[Life.]

There wasn't much that Jackie was able to brainstorm for her blog to report to her "boss." Her ideas were running thin. She hasn't been out and about to dramatize any events that occurred between her and a supernatural, although Jackie herself has been feeling iffy about her over-reactive imagination. Her hate was beginning to appear childish in her eyes, at least in the form of her blogs. The personal hate and her ideals were still formidable...to some degree. It was slowly wearing the woman thin. She was growing tired of constantly holding the weight of hate for supernaturals. Plus it wasn't helping the mental health of the woman.

The woman released a heavy sigh as she sat in front of her laptop, her arms wrapped around her legs that were brought up to her chest. Her eyes were focused on a blank document in front of her. "Ideas, ideas, ideas...I...need...ideas..." She managed to sit like this for an hour before her stomach grumbled. Her eyes shifted down to the corner of her screen seeing that the time was around seven o' clock. "Oh I have to get ready."

Knowing that she was going to hang out with a person she liked, it took Jackie no time to get ready. She managed to eat dinner, get dressed (with make-up and everything), and walk to Valoire's place. With a small smile on her face and a small skip to her step, Jackie sped walk the block down to Valoire's abode. Once she reached the front of her place, Jackie pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her friend. She didn't know who would be with Valoire now at this time and she didn't want to disturb anyone, so Jackie felt that texting was the quietest way to let her friend know that she was there.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Valoire was naturally a skiddish person. Throughout all her childhood it was one of her major flaws that made her a rather large target when she had been in school, and even her transition into a different species didn't seem to change that. Well, not entirely. She had noticed how easy it was to get herself riled up then before, which wasn't all that assuring. And as if to prove this point, Val jumped when her phone went off, a texting having came in. Quickly looking it over and realizing it was from Jackie, she hesitated with a response, a rather pure fear draining what color remained in her already pale features. But as she unlocked her cell to respond, she slowly felt this fear turn into something a bit different. Anger? Blinking a few times and giving her had a brief shake, she then replied saying that she was ready for her to join her, although not sure how true that statement really was.

Not more than a few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Taking a breath Valoire would rip of the bandaid so to speak, not giving herself a moment to change her mind as she opened the door. The smile upon her face was genuine because she was glad to see Jackie after all this time, but her hate for supernatural just made her nervous about the potential outcome if her long-time friend would ever find out.

Hopefully she wouldn't. And there was no reason to worry.

This fact made the woman relax slightly, inviting the blogger and and closing the door behind her. Valorie's eyes looked her over with a nod. "I see you're already." Her tone held a slightly teasing edge. "Let see if I can turn out the same way."

Life.

 

[Life.]

It took a little longer than what Jackie expected for Valoire to answer the door. Either that or she didn't read her text fast enough. In either case Jackie was beginning to jump to silly thoughts that maybe Val didn't want to hang out with her or maybe Val didn't like her anymore or maybe Val found some new friends to hang out with. Ah the mind of a writer. The blogger began to pace outside for a bit rethinking the idea until she heard the sound of the door opening. "Val!" Jackie returned the smile that Valoire greeted her with.

She walked in, "Oh don't you worry. I'll be sure to make you look stunning. So drop dead gorgeous that you might convince me to like girls. Especially since it seems as though you've been working out. Your figure looks great!" The woman then looked around a bit, "Is anyone around? I want to know how loud I can be." Jackie took off her heels, feeling some relief on her feet. "I've been told before that I can get quite loud when excited. The last thing I want to do is disturb your folks if they're here."

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Valoire struggled to hide a grimace as Jackie mentioned her supposedly having been working out. In truth she hadn’t done anything to improve her physical form at all, at least not on purpose. The transition, however, did cause a bit of muscle to form which was rather noticeable compared to her previously thin form. “Y-you could say that.” She replied before quickly moving onto her asking if anyone else was home. “Nope, just me-” Her sentence cut off as her cell phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID and realizing that it was the last person she wanted to talk to at the moment (the alpha of the local werewolf pack) she would silence the ringtone. “Too many telemarketers these days…. Heh…” She would say after a moment, mentally kicking herself for sounding so nervous.

Clearing her throat she would then move past Jackie towards where her room was. “I guess we don’t want to wait any longer, right?”

It... was going to be a long night.

Life.

 

[Life.]

Jackie looked towards Valoire when she began answering her question, until she was interrupted by a call. The woman didn't think much of the call, although it was a little odd why her friend seemed so nervous. Perhaps she wasn't feeling it to go to the bar? Or perhaps she received a call from an ex-boyfriend? Or maybe a lover she rejected? The blogger internally slapped herself, trying to regain focus on the now.

Jackie followed along after Val, slowly remembering Val's home from when she visited it before. Once Val's bedroom door was on sight, Jackie grabbed her hand and dragged her along, her excitement getting to the best of her, "Woohoo let's get you all dolled up, shall we?" The woman enjoyed quality time like this, just doing simple things with friends.

Blazing through like Sonic the Hedgehog, Jackie slammed Val's bedroom door open and dived into her closet without waiting for the permission of the owner. The blogger began pulling out multiple blouses, trousers, and even dresses. "What are you feeling to dress like tonight? Simple? Head-turning? Jaw-dropping? Noticeable?" Jackie poked her head out of the closet, examining her friend's figure once more before calculating potential outfits for her to wear.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

As she was dragged, the woman realized that she needed to loosen up a bit, although she had already realized that fact from the start. Allowing a small smile to spread across her face, she would follow the blogger into her closet, slight waves of nostalgia engulfing her as she did. It had been a good few months since she had done anything like this with anyone, and the last time she had, it was with Jackie. So it was fair to say she sort of missed the other woman bounching around her things, excitedly picking out around things from her closet.

Remaining in the doorway as she began to toss up suggestions, Val would look between everything she had collected and sighed. "After all this time you still can't remember?" With that she would gesture to a few of the items that were held, all rather simple and a bit concealing. "I don't want to attract attention if that's what your aiming for." She chuckled quickly at this, waiting upon a response.

Life.

 

[Life.]

"Boooooo," Jackie gave a light-hearted frown to her friend's response, "Hm I was hoping perhaps over the past few months you'd have a change of fashion. Especially with your change of figure." She gave a tiny whistle and a teasing smile after her comment. Her eyes looked over to a few of the pieces Val gestured to. "Well it's not bad. With some make-up we can up the outfit to head-turning. Here," Jackie threw the clothes Val had selected onto her bed and hung the rest of them back onto the racks, "Get changed. I'm going to dig for some shoes." The woman pulled herself back into the closet to search once more.

As she did this she raised up her voice in order to keep the conversation up with Val, "So is there a specific bar you want to hit up? Or what about bar-hopping? Oh there's this new bar that opened up recently. I heard that they have some really interesting drinks. That is if you are looking for a place for drinks. If you want to simply enjoy the night, perhaps get a guy or gal--I'm not judging--, then we can go the usual bar we hit up."

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Passing the woman a slightly sheepish smile in response, she would move to where she had tossed the clothing, beginning to change rather hastily. It wasn't the first time she had undressed before Jackie, seeing as they did share a dorm room at one point, but a scar that spanned the length of her torso and then some wasn't something she was interested in flaunting. "Nope... haven't changed all that much." The lie weighted heavily upon her tongue, setting a bitter taste in her mouth. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she continued. "Which includes my body." The constant commenting upon herself had embaressingly caused her to blush slightly, making sure to keep her back turned toward the entrance to her closest as she didn't want it to be made worse.

When the bar they were going to was in question, Valoire thought for a moment. "Something new wouldn't be such a terrible idea. And maybe limit who you might be going home with tonight." She couldn't help but tease Jackie, as every time they had gone out together in the past, she had always picked up someone for the night.

Soon she finished dressing and set the clothes she had been previously wearing back on her bed to take care of once she got home. Hopefully they wouldn't be out too late, considering she did have work in the morning.

Life.

 

[Life.]

"Boooooo again. Trying to limit my fun I see. Well I guess drinking isn't bad. Oh and drinks are on me," Jackie popped her head out from the closet so that Val could hear her clearly. "It's the least I could do since I wasn't able to visit you at the hospital." She swooped back into the closet quickly with a small exclamation, "Oh I think I found the perfect shoes!"

The crazy woman jumped out of the closet with a simple black pair of shoes. "What do you think of these? I think they scream elegant but feisty." She held out the shoes in front of her when she noticed the outfit on Valoire. "Nice. Have you worn that before? I don't think I've ever seen it on you. But like I said, with some make-up we can bump ya to head-turning!"

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

"You don't have to do that..." Valoire dismissed her buying with a wave of her hand, nearing the closet like before. "It wasn't as if I didn't want to see you." Another lie. Tonight was going to kill her. "And I am working so, if anything they should be on me."

Having to take a quick step back a Jackie reappeared with a pair of shoes within her hand, she gently took them from her grasp with a sigh. "I think they're shoes." But as she mentioned her outfit, Val gave a shrug. "I might've... don't remember buying it though."

Next, her makeup. Normally Valoire wore minimal amounts due to not wanting to spend the time (or money) on her face. But she suspected that was going to surely change with Jackie in the room.

Life.

 

[Life.]

"No no no. This is my gift to you. Plus the past few blogs have been bringing me in some money. Oh and I've been doing some endorsements for some products." Jackie was adamant on her decision. She felt terrible for not being by Valoire's side, perhaps when her friend needed it the most. The guilt and sadness had been eating Jackie alive a few weeks after she heard about her friend's accident and not being allowed to see her. But that was all in the past now. Jackie needed to brush away past feelings to live in the now.

The blonde woman gave a loud laugh to Valoire's response on the shoes. "Oh Val. I forgot how straightforward you could be at times. I was asking what kind of image do you think the shoes will show off when you're wearing them. Especially with that nice outfit of yours. Speaking of outfit, let me get a good look at it," with a hand beneath her chin, the blogger circled around her friend, "Hm. Nice, nice. For sure you'll have some eyes on you. Of course it may also be the combination of the outfit and me by your side." Jackie flashed Val a teasing smile and jokingly brushed her hair up to flaunt her beauty.

"Alright let's move onto the final stage of dress up, make-up!" All in quick movement, Jackie pulled up a chair, seated Val down onto her seat, and began rummaging through her handbag. "Luckily I brought some make-up. I forgot that you don't have much. But do not worry. I'll be sure that you radiant like an actress who is walking down the red carpet." Jackie bent down in front of Val, her eyes intently examining the woman's face. "Hmmm...what kind of look shall we go with? Glittery? Natural? What do you think?"

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Jackie's excitement was almost infectious. While she was eager to get going, the nervousness she was feeling turning to a general anxiety that burrowed into the pit of her stomach. All she could do was ignore it.

Being abruptly sat down, her hands fidgeted with themselves in her lap as she replied "Nothing much..." but knowing the person that sat before her, she doubted that she would listen.

"Since I've been stuck in a hospital for a few months-" Valoire began. "What have you been up too?" Jackie hadn't really said anything about herself, so now was the time to ask before they got to the booze.

Life.

 

[Life.]

"I'll take that as a natural look." Jackie returned to her handbag once more, pulling out the appropriate brushes and make-up. She bent down once more in front of Valoire, gently placing a hand beneath her chin to move Val's head for a bit. "Your skin is impeccable! I never noticed how flawless it is. Well this makes my job easier then. And looking at the time," Jackie clicked her phone on for a moment, "this should only take me five minutes top."

As she worked on Val's face, her friend asked her a question. "Hm. What have I been doing for the past few months? Sad to say that I haven't had an exciting few months. It's been kind of boring actually. Simply been working on my blog, doing some endorsements, and...living I guess. Well living in like a zombie mode. To be honest I haven't done much since you've been in the hospital. The last time I went out to a bar was...with you." Jackie pulled back a bit once she finished her work. The make-up was minimal, some eyeliner around the eyes, mascara to the eyelashes, the smallest amount of bronzer, primer, and foundation, and a faded, rosy-pink lip color to her lips. "There. Now you're ready for the night." She pulled out a mirror from her handbag to hand over to Valoire, "What do you think?"

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Once again, her comments both caused her to blush slightly, her gaze shifting from Jackie's face, darting around the room once more, as well as tightening the knot in her stomach even more.

Was there anything she couldn't notice?

As she worked and answered her question, she would nod gently, not wanting to disturb her work. Not realizing how much of an impact her sudden disappearance had been. Now feeling sick due the amount of conflicting emotions, she would turn to face the mirror, blinking a few times to see what she had done.

Being stuck between a rock and a hard place was a living hell.

Not noticing she had fallen silent for a considerable length of time, Valoire cleared her throat before standing. "I-it looks great! Should we get going?"

Life.

 

[Life.]

"Well isn't someone eager?" Jackie teased, her voice changing into a higher tone on the last word. "Let me just get my things together." She turned towards her handbag and threw all her make-up into it. The woman was aware of how much she loved to drink so tonight she was prepared. "Our driver should be here already. And I have even tasked him to pick us up at 12:30. Hopefully that's not too late for you. If it is let me know and I can change it."

The blonde woman straightened out her outfit and hair, and she even looked over her make-up once more. "Hmph I think I may have done a better job on you than I did for me. Well at least one of us has to look good, am I right?" she released a small laugh, that was soon followed by a soft smile. Her eyes looked over to Valoire, "I'm glad we're doing this. I think I needed this for my sanity."

StoneWolf18