wiedzminka | ❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

[ And Julie, on the other hand, does not see anything off about these costumes or what they claim to be at all. As far as she's concerned, costumes that cover everything are for kids, men, and losers. Unless you have a really good joke costume, non-loser women can also wear those. This is largely a cultural issue with many thinkpieces written about it.

Wrinkling her nose, Julie shakes her head slowly. She's not sure exactly what the ancient origins of Halloween are, maybe they were about fertility or something, but nowadays? ]

Nah, I think it was originally about the harvest? Like 2000 years ago or somethin'. Now it's just about fun. [ And really, is there anything more fun than the activities that might evoke the image of a fertility goddess? ] Anyway, these are just some that I had lyin' around. If you tell me what you think you wanna be, I can help make you one! Oh, or I could pick for you. You would look so hot as a fairy. Or a pirate! I'm sure I got both of those around here somewhere.

[ Ciri laughs, bemused. Fair enough -- it's just about fun, and the type of fun seems clear to her. Carousing, drinking, and wearing very little. Ciri might be getting slightly raunchier ideas about Halloween than intended, but maybe those aren't exactly incorrect ideas, either. ]

Saovine is also a harvest celebration, and one to ward off evil sprits and bad luck in the coming winter months. It is the beginning of the new year, so it may be more somber or more rowdy depending on the beliefs of a particular region or even village. Though I don't believe any costumes such as these would feature anywhere on the Continent.

[ She hangs the ones she was looking at back up on the rack, not particularly interested in wearing any of these. But Julie's next suggestions spark her interest visibly. ]

A pirate? Oh, I do want to know what you envision pirates wear. And fairies, too.

[ How little is it going to end up being? Ciri grins, cocking a hand on her hip and tilting her head playfully. ]

I'm interested to see what you would choose for me.

[ They absolutely are not incorrect, at least not the way Julie celebrates. Sure, she knows all about the family-friendly ways to do Halloween, but until she is cursed with children, she is not here for them.

Well, except candy. Candy is great no matter who you are.

Beaming, Julie heads into another jewel-toned room, this one a dark purple, and it turns out to be an enormous closet. Every wall is absolutely stuffed full of outfits on hangers, in every color of the rainbow and much of it heavily covered in crystals or glitter. Shoes line the walls underneath the racks, and a large table in the center, drawers on either side, displays various accessories. She moves toward a section that appears to have another variety of costumes, and begins pushing them to the side, flipping through them like pages of a book. ]

Okay, no... no... oh, that's where that went... no... 'kay, here's a fairy, but I got other colors for that too. [ She pulls down a costume with wings, and bends to add a pair of sparkling stilettos; she places the whole costume on the outside of the rack before pushing through it more. ] Aaaaand a pirate, here, it's got the shoe covers too. Mm, I think you could pull off this vampire one, too. You're taller than me, so it'd look real good on you.

Edited 2021-10-31 23:41 (UTC)

[ Ciri follows her, unabashedly staring and looking around Julie's colorful and very full home. She's never seen many of these things, and others she knows only in similar but more rustic iterations, and it's even more fascinating than Sam's home for being so packed with trinkets and baubles and items she couldn't even begin to guess at the function of.

But she doesn't ask questions, and instead just lets Julie look for the costumes she has in mind, curious as to what she could possibly think a scantily-clad fairy or pirate could look like. The shoes ("shoes??") are a surprise. They look so utterly impractical, she's actually interested in trying them on just to see what being propped up on the tiniest stilts might feel like.

It's the vampire that makes her burst out laughing though, in absolute delight. Ciri grabs it offer the rack, tugging at the tall, stiff collar. ]

Is this really what vampires wear in your world? Please tell me males also wear the same.

[ Honestly, she's free to touch or ask about anything. At this point, Julie is just creating anything she's ever even wanted in passing; there is a stack of Barbies in one corner, all still in their boxes, because her parents could never afford the real ones, so as soon as she could, Julie gave them to herself.

There's probably a veritable psychology textbook to be written about her magpie-like tendency to collect and hoard all these things, but Julie figures it's no harm done when it's not even real.

Snorting and rolling her eyes, Julie shakes her head before selecting a pair of very high black stilettos to go with the vampire costume. ]

Oh yeah, I forgot. Vampires ain't real where I come from. We only have them in movies and TV shows, they're almost all real sexy. That's like, their thing. They're all real beautiful and they can put people in a trance and get 'em to do stuff. We don't have any monsters that I know about. Most of the things we call monsters were just animals that people thousands of years ago didn't understand.

I see.

[ Thankfully, she understands most of the context for what Julie is saying this time, as she's had similar conversations with Sam, and by now feels rather like an expert on what a "TV" is and what the words are for the performances projected upon these devices.

Sam had briefly touched upon the idea that monsters from other spheres like her own have been relegated to nothing but myths in his own; Julie's home sounds similar, another place where such creatures seem to have gone extinct or left the sphere long before they could be encountered by the humans living there. At least, that's how it makes sense to Ciri to think about it.

So she nods and grins and holds up the leathery-looking outfit on the hanger against her body, where the legs flop listlessly against her own. What a strange material. Ciri can tell instantly it isn't actually leather from any sort of animal she knows (or any animal at all, she'd bet), but she couldn't even begin to guess at what it's made of. ]

There are a few types of vampires where I'm from. But only the most powerful look fully human -- and generally do a much better job of blending in, as far as I'm aware, than such a ridiculous garment would allow. I know of one vampire -- ah, half vampire, apparently -- among our group of off-worlders who would probably get a kick out of this. Or maybe hate it. I bet Geralt would think it's funny too.

[ At least, Geralt's version of thinking something is funny. ]

Now I'm curious to see what other 'monster' costumes you've got. Any other ideas?

[ The fairy doesn't suit her. And fairies aren't real anyway.

Ciri reaches sets aside the vampire costume for now, though. That's an option for sure. Even if it smells a little weird and the shoes look like they might be used for torture with only very small adjustments. ]

Got any griffins in there? Or a wyvern? Oh! Lamias and Sirens are rather sexy, as a rule. I mean, not really, certainly not up close -- but definitely the type of monster one could easily romanticize and dress up as for fun.

[ It is, in some ways, a blessing that at least the concept of many of these monsters seemed to stay the same across the worlds. As far as Julie knows, Sam comes from a world mostly the same as her own, at least to a certain point in time, with the biggest difference being the whole "hero" thing. Another fiction for her, although at least it's one that she doesn't see as too impossible.

But while such things as vampires and werewolves might be universally defined, Ciri is now throwing out beasts that Julie hasn't heard of; they might be mythical creatures, but they're minor enough that most people wouldn't know the names. Julie does recognize griffins and sirens, though she twists her mouth with thought. ]

So, I don't know what a wyvern or a lamia are, I ain't ever heard of those. I know what griffins and sirens are, and I don't think I ever saw a griffin costume before. But I know I got a mermaid costume! Mermaids and sirens are... kind of the same? At least they are the way I always heard of 'em.

[ She pushes through the rack until she finds a long dress with hand loops attached to the hem, and a crown made of shells around the neck of the hanger. ] Like this? Mermaids are real popular back home. There's all kinds of stories about 'em.

Wyverns are... large, flying lizards, I suppose. Assuming you have lizards. They're venomous, and they tend to go after sheep. Occasionally shepherds, if they get too close. [ Ciri explains while Julie looks through the costumes again. ]

Lamias are snakelike beasts with the head and upper body of a fair maiden. If you know what a Siren is, you can consider them similar, but they live in the desert rather than in the sea.

[ And Julie does seem to have some frame of reference for a Siren. If not... one Ciri really recognizes, but the costumes are meant to be fantastical and romanticized, not realistic, so that's all fine and well. She nods. ]

Hmm, kind of! Tail's longer, more serpentine. And they have wings. [ And no bras. But that's not a complaint she's going to level against the costume when her main takeaway before this was that there wasn't enough clothing to begin with. ]

You'd look good in that. It's very sparkly. Suits you.

[ Speaking of... ]

What are you thinking of wearing, anyway?

Ain't a big flyin' lizard just a dragon? We got dragons. There's two kinds, fairytale ones and then the Chinese ones, they look like big ol' snakes with itty bitty legs. [ Look, Julie is not a monster expert. She's frankly above her pay grade just remembering the difference between European and Asian-style dragons. ] I feel like I heard about somethin' that has a snake bottom but human top before, but not wings. And it wasn't called lamia, it was somethin' else. Nagini, maybe?

[ Julie, that is Voldemort's pet. She's thinking of nagas, she just can't put a name to it. ]

Yeah, this one is real pretty. I have a costume, though! I was gettin' it ready before everythin' happened back home, so I can make it look even better now. [ She moves to a different section of the closet, then pulls out a hanger bearing way more accessories than the others, a signal of her already-done planning. ] It's a deer! I learned the makeup and everythin'.

It isn't. They're a completely different species. [ She doesn't have any context for the rest of what Julie is saying, haven't never heard the word "Chinese" before in her life, but it's not too important. The idea is Julie has some context for a dragon (itty bitty legs, though?) so even if they're just stories where she's from, they can communicate well enough. About monsters. It's the little things.

Ciri's here to discuss costumes, though, not compare bestiaries. She follows along, peering at the garment Julie's showing off now, including the antler accessories and all. She laughs, clapping her hands once in front of her. ]

How cute! Can I see you wear it? I want to try on the vampire one.

Sounds like splittin' hairs, if you ask me. [ Not that anyone did or ever should, particularly when the subject is dragons. She will eventually show Ciri a Chinese dragon though, because they're cool.

Julie beams at her and nods, lying the costume out before she slides the antlers on her head. She then does not hesitate at all to just strip out of her dress (which, in fairness, revealed basically everything anyway) and let it fall to the floor with a soft clink. She answers as she begins to wiggle her way into her bodysuit. ]

Oh definitely, you're gonna look amazin'. And you gotta let me do your makeup!

[ Considering baths and swimming are usually done in public and with others where she's from, obviously sans clothes, Ciri doesn't even bat an eye as Julie strips to change. She's seen plenty of semi- and fully-naked women (though she'd admit, Julie is certainly a shapely one).

That brilliant smile is contagious, and Ciri immediately smiles back. ]

You think so? And-- oh, my makeup? All right, if you'd like to. Thanks.

[ Ciri ducks away only briefly to go back for the costume she'd chosen, following suit. The clothing is a bit strange to her, but she figures it's easy enough to tell where to put her arms and legs go. The material is still... a mystery. ]

Say... what is this made out of, anyway? It's not any leather I've seen. Or smelled.

[ It also takes her a minute to figure out how the fuck to unclasp the bodice part. This woman has never seen a zipper before. But she tugs, and it comes undone, and it's self-explanatory from there.

She doesn't realize it, but the pleather goes on a lot easier in the Horizon than it would in the real world, mostly because she doesn't expect it to cling and stick the way it should. She's not wriggling or hopping around nearly as much as the tight, shiny material probably warrants. Ciri slides the trousers up her legs -- strong and leanly-muscled, as covered in scars as her arms, and there's a flash of something colorful tattooed on her inner thigh before it's hidden -- and then tries to figure out how to get the top on. ]

Do I think so? Girl, look at yourself in the mirror. If you lived where I come from, you'd be rich just from postin' selfies. That's when you take a picture of yourself.

[ Julie pulls on spike-heeled black ankle boots, which she then goes to look at in the mirror, still trying to decide if she want to wear them with this costume. She goes over to help Ciri after a moment, adjusting the collar and helping her find the right holes for the arms. ]

This is called pleather. It's like an artificial version of leather. It's cheaper and a lotta people care about not killing animals for their skin. I ain't one of them, but pleather has some other good stuff. It's usually shinier, which is good for a look like this.

[ Good thing Julie explains. Even if it only sort of makes sense. It honestly doesn't matter what the details mean because she takes Julie's point -- and blushes, looking away suddenly flustered as Julie approaches to help her into the attached bodice. It's tight, but not structured, clinging but not constricting. Actually, it's quite comfortable. ]

That's sweet of you to say.

[ It makes her self-conscious, but also... a bit happy. ]

Pleather...? What's the "p" for?

[ Artificial leather sounds so strange to her. As does the sentiment Julie describes. It does remind her a little of how Julie was unwilling to unmake her Horizon constructs. It speaks of a world far less used to death than her own. ]

It does look nice. And it's lighter, too.

It's the truth. I don't lie about who looks good, you know.

[ Just say the word, and Julie will manifest Instagram for you, Ciri. Think of the filters!

Straightening out the cape, Julie plunks the shoes down in front of Ciri, reaching her hand out to help balance if needed. She's starting to get the vibe that heels might be pretty new for Ciri too. But she will learn. Oh, she will learn. ]

The "p"'s for plastic. You can make basically anything out of plastic, and it doesn't cost a lot, so it's used in pretty much everything. And you don't have to keep thousands of cows to get the skins. Besides, it's thinner so it's easier to dance in.

What do you think?

[ Ciri has... no idea what to do with such sincerity for no apparent reason. Or the way it makes her face feel hot and her heartbeat flutter, confused. It's not like Julie has any need to want anything from her or flatter her. And she doesn't seem put off by the scars. Nor does she seem to be saying any of this with an amorous motive. She's just bright and cheerful and eager to show Ciri this little piece of her world.

And it's so charming and kind, it actually makes Ciri's throat feel a little tight. ]

I don't know what plastic is, but if it's cheaper and easier to make clothing with it and doesn't cost the famers their livestock, that's certainly a clever solution.

[ But Julie is probably asking more about the costume. Ciri's balance is excellent, but she takes the other woman's hand even so, letting herself be helped into the ridiculously tall shoes. They force her to walk on the balls of her feet, and Ciri briefly considers these contraptions might be useful for rigorous balance training. But they are apparently for dancing.

Still holding Julie's hand, she takes a few steps toward the mirror, not nearly as wobbly as someone who's never worn high heels might otherwise be. Her steps are light as a ballerina's, her body instantly compensating for the change in posture to keep her light on her toes. The flush still brightens her cheeks, green eyes wide as she stares at herself in the full-length mirror. Between the sleek black of the shiny pleather and the tiptoe-shoes adding a good five inches of height, she's got legs for days. ]

It- it looks good.

[ She sounds. A bit shocked. ]

[ Julie is, underneath it all, eager to make connections with people. Oh, sure, she's a heinous bitch to people she deems beneath herself, but she's finding those people fewer and further between now. Life gets a little more bearable when you find yourself resurrected from the dead. Besides, she really has been longing for a real girlfriend since she got to hang out with that spy Dayna. All the lying and blasphemous subterfuge aside, it had been nice to hang out and connect with another woman.

It reminds her of the friends she had before the world fell apart, how they used to get ready to go out on Saturday nights together, how they would go out to late night diners while still drunk and 80 miles from home. The only part of her old life that she ever really enjoyed.

Giggling, Julie releases Ciri's hand and goes to the table filled with jewelry; she looks over the drawers for a moment before having a thought and manifesting something totally different. Thanks, Pinterest, for creating an endless repository of covetable items in Julie's brain. Coming back, she drapes a pearl necklace around Ciri's neck, reaching up to fasten it -- even in her own heels, she's nearly half a foot shorter than Ciri. ]

Of course it does. Honey, even if you didn't look like a supermodel on your own, I wouldn't let you put on anythin' that would look bad. But this is it, if I do say so myself.

[ Once again, Ciri doesn't really have the context to understand what supermodel means, and she finds Julie's terms of endearment a little odd, but-- she doesn't need to have the full meaning of each word to understand the sentiment. Or appreciate it.

Ciri fidgets slightly, subconsciously twitching her fingers over her bangs, sliding a few strands of hair in place over her cheek to obscure the pink, puckered line of the scar on habit. Her other hand reaches back when she realizes what Julie is doing, pulling her messy bun higher off the nape of her neck, allowing the pearls to be clasped around her throat. It's a very clever and interesting design, the rubies spilling across her collar bone and the top of her breast like glittering drops of blood. Ciri stares at it. For a princess, she is not particularly used to feeling pretty.

She licks her lips, heart racing, feeling a little out of sorts.

But-- it's a costume. And suddenly, she thinks of a way to complete it. It's just for fun.

This time, when she grins back at Julie, she's got pointed little fangs to complete the ensemble. ]

You were right. This is fun. Thank you, Julie.

[ Julie doesn't really register any confusion from those so far behind herself, culturally. She has learned to quickly explain technological things, or very specific references, but it's difficult to change the way you've always expressed yourself, and Julie is a pop culture fiend. Frankly, everyone is lucky that she hasn't forced them into learning TikTok dances.

Smiling at Ciri in the mirror, Julie pats her elbow as if to say See, look at you. Then Ciri shows her the fangs, and she laughs and claps, delighted. ] Oh, doll, you don't hafta thank me! I love doin' makeovers.

Now hold on a minute. [ She holds up one finger, then jogs off, only to return a few moments later with arms and hands full -- palettes and lipsticks and brushes, all manner of cosmetics. Sitting crossed-legged in front of the mirror, she puts it all down and pats the floor, signaling for Ciri to sit too. ] You need the makeup too, or you'll only look half-done.

[ Julie's exuberance is... adorable. Ciri doesn't even find it annoying she keeps calling her weird things like "doll" and "honey" when they've only just met. Something about the way she says it. Maybe her odd accent, too. She's from a very different place and culture, obviously, and it's clear none of it is meant to be offensive or belittling. It's kind of nice, honestly, how immediately Julie has warmed up to her, invited her over, welcomed her so graciously into her domain to show Ciri all these little parts of her own world.

So Ciri only smiles and nods, and waits patiently. When she's bidden to sit down, she folds her legs and sits, eyeing the boxes and brushes curiously. ]

I think if you can show me how it looks in the end, I can recreate it myself before the party. I don't have all these... things. But in the Horizon, a thought is enough.

[ She has never much been a woman who understood the need to do a weird dance of gradual closeness -- what's the point? If you want to be friends with someone, be friends. If you want to fuck them, fuck them. And if their first impression made you want to fight them, well, then break their fucking nose. Arbitrary timelines and artificial distance in the name of taking it slow is just nonsense dictated by people who are more afraid of being hurt than caring of what they might gain by connecting.

Julie sets everything in an array between them, opening several of the palettes before coating a brush in crimson shadow and leaning forward to begin sweeping it over Ciri's eyelids. ]

Oh, sure, but learning how to do it is the part that's best. It's like art, and it's somethin' you're doin' just for yourself. It's like the Horizon except real, makin' the thing in your head come true.

[ Ciri closes her eyes obediently when Julie starts brushing colors on her lids, not quite sure what the end result will be but eager to find out. ]

Why, yes... that's true. It's a sort of magic all its own. I know what you mean. I always admired the way some women can use lip paints and rouge and enhance their beauty with a few simple strokes of a brush. I admit I like to play at it sometimes.

[ She laughs, a little self-conscious, like admitting she actually likes makeup is weird. ]

That's the great thing about it. You can put on the outside whatever you feel on the inside. You can change how your whole face looks just by knowin' the right place to put the right color. Some men say it's like tellin' a lie, to do that, but it ain't for them anyway. I'll be damned if some man thinks he's gonna tell me how sparkly my face is allowed to be.

[ Julie has spent many hours of her life learning how to do makeup, and the way she delicately begins to blend out eyeshadow in red and white and black. There's a sense of purpose in how she switches between brushes, dabs glitter in the corners of Ciri's eyes to make them wider and shinier.

She eventually switches to a larger brush and shifts to Ciri's cheeks, creating the appearance of even sharper cheekbones with dark, severe blush, like she's carving the shape into Ciri's skin. ]

I can teach you, if you want.

[ Ciri's trying to keep from laughing so it doesn't ruin whatever Julie's doing to her face, but she smirks, pleased with that assessment. Fuck what men have to say about a woman's appearance -- unless the woman is doing it specifically to get something from some idiot because that's definitely one use of makeup Ciri is familiar with. ]

Men are stupid. [ she agrees wholeheartedly, letting out the laugh at last when Julie moves away to grab another brush or color. ]

Oh... yes, I would like that. I'm not used to it looking the way your supplies do, but I'm sure I can find something similar in the city. I have a small brush and charcoal liner already.

[ Using her looks to get what she wants is kind of Julie's bread and butter; Ciri will, at some point, meet Julie's idiot, who she initially snared because he was powerful, and who she keeps because she's afraid to be alone. He also worships her -- she would never bother stringing him along if he were any trouble. But he's good people all the same, for the most part. ]

Men are only good for a handful of things, and we already got substitutes for about half of 'em. Even the amazing ones do stupid shit all the time. [ See examples: continuously choosing the wrong disciples, combining insane people with nuclear warfare, not just fucking killing spies instead of turning them into a spectacle. ] They should just be thankful we ain't figured out how to breed without 'em.

[ She waits for Ciri to finish speaking, then leans in to begin painting her lips dark burgundy, carefully defining the cupid's bow, the corners. Satisfied, she sits back and offers Ciri an ornate hand mirror to examine herself. ]

So, whatcha think?

❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

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oh my god i'm screaming JULIE NO

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