Talking? (Markise/Michael)

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was, surprisingly, able to smile with the tease before looking at the instructions on the back of the box. "Well it's good to know there's an expert to come to," he said, examining the instructions, though he doubted he would be able to figure it out himself. "Is this really supposed to tell people how to do it?" He didn't think they would be worth much of anything unless someone already knew what to do.

[Markise Sterling]

"It doesn't tell you how much to put on, and most people use too much, but yeah. See? This dark area has a number three, the medium has a two, and the light has a one, they're imprinted in the eyeshadow." He flipped the box back over to show him. "This is beginner stuff, they don't expect you to know how to mix your own shades." And neither did Markise, though he was going to show him.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael thought it was probably a good idea not to try doing anything past basic putting the stuff on, personally. He was doing good doing what he had already done, and being willing to do what Markise was going to show him. "Well, I'm somewhere below beginner, so..." So he definitely wouldn't be up to the level of mixing his own shades.

[Markise Sterling]

"You put on eyeliner without looking like a circus freak, you're doing great," Markise assured him. He pointed out that both sets of eyeshadow were the same—dark, medium, and light—then showed him which to apply and how much of each. "And if you want to look more awake, I have a secret weapon." Which wasn't much of a secret, since Dare knew, too. He brandished a white eyeliner pencil and showed him how to apply it to the rims of his lower eyelids, then to smudge the darker eyeliner with it. It was a simple tool, but it added a lot of depth. With two pencils, a small set of eyeshadows, and a couple minutes, it was amazing what he could do.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I'm going to have to come for lessons or something," Michael said absently as he gave it a shot, feeling the whole time like he was going to jab his eye. Well, at least this one was white, it would blend in with his eye if he slipped and something went horribly wrong. "Really, how do you know all this?" He couldn't imagine going through a trial and error period with something like this.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise was silent a moment before he tossed a glance out into the shop and another one up the stairs, listening hard to be sure Ariel wasn't shuffling around at the top. "I got bored one day and picked up my mom's Witch Weekly," he said, the words a bit clipped from defensiveness he couldn't quite get rid of. His dad would have killed him if he'd found out. "Then I got a hold of one of Dare's mom's Cosmos and no one there cared if I looked through." The rest was history, as far as he was concerned.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had never read one of either of the magazines, and he didn't exactly plan on running home and doing so. "I guess it was worth it," he said, examining the work in the mirror. He never would have done that, but then, he and Markise were so incredibly different it was almost unfair to compare them. "So was your mom okay with it?"

[Markise Sterling]

Markise gave Michael a sidelong glance. "I don't think she knew," he said. His mother could be so completely oblivious that he wasn't entirely sure what she knew. She was so easygoing though. She could have known all along and just kept her opinions to herself. "My parents work long hours, it wasn't much to do something when they weren't home and Brin wouldn't have told."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"What about now?" Michael asked, looking over at Markise instead of focusing on the mirror for the moment. His mother would probably do that thing where she smiled but he could tell she didn't approve. He had seen that look often enough and it would most likely be worse if he showed up wearing makeup. Coupled with Dare's father's reaction, it was hard to imagine parents being perfectly okay with it.

[Markise Sterling]

"Well she's seen me with makeup, not much though, and I don't know if she's got any idea where I picked it up. For all I know she thinks I got it from Dare." He'd still been figuring it out himself when he'd gotten Dare into it, so it wasn't as though he'd been walking around with makeup for years and he certainly hadn't gone all-out when there was a risk of being caught. His parents accepted, but for his father at least it was partially because he didn't have constant reminders thrown in his face.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wondered what Dare's mother had thought, had she known? It always seemed like she was the more open one, especially when faced with Dare's father's reaction to them. It was easy to wonder what it would have been like had his mother been alive. "So, what, did you two hide out in an empty classroom in front of mirrors or something?" he asked.

[Markise Sterling]

"Something like that," Markise said. He seriously doubted that Michael actually wanted to know and didn't feel like poking the jealousy monster to life, so he didn't volunteer more. It had little to do with being personal, since he really had no trouble talking about most things, but Michael was being nice to him and seemed interested, and he didn't want to let that go.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was being nice, he wasn't even having to try very hard. As hard as it had been to bring up the subject and get going, everything had gone easily since. "I don't think he ever expected me to do this, but I guess it's a pretty good way to surprise him." A moment later his eyes widened before he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Eros and Mano are going to see, too." That would certainly be interesting.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise gave another sidelong glance. "I don't think they'll mind," he said. In fact, if their reactions to him were any sign, they found it interesting at the least. He blinked and looked back to the mirror, then started rearranging hair that had become less artistically tousled over the day. "Whatever they say, they'll like it."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

There was a difference between Markise, who they had only just met, and Michael, who they had known for many years. "Hopefully, though whatever they think I'll never hear the end of it." No, he imagined visits during which he would be poked and prodded for information on the whys and the hows. Or maybe they would just smirk and move on.