bellyache.

“there are bits of me that i’m not proud of. things i’ve said or done that i like to ignore and i guess he’d just become the me that still does those things. i don’t want to be that person again and facing the reality that i even was like that is terrifying for me.”

typically celeste is a quiet person, though she seems to lose all her inhibitions when she’s out out. she’s exuberant and sociable, ready to talk to anyone and that’s just what she does. still, being normally a bit of an introvert she can recognise quite quickly when someone is uncomfortable with their surroundings and that’s just what he seems to be. somehow she thinks she can fix it though that could always just be the alcohol talking. she could also be completely wrong and it wouldn’t surprise her but that’s not going to stop her from making her way over to him. “hi,” she speaks just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the music playing and stepping into his line of sight so he knows he’s who she’s talking to. “you don’t look like you’re having much fun, are you not a big halloween fan? or is it the clubbing?”

                                             little red KILLED the wolf !

sue her for trying, celeste smiles when he catches on quickly. “no, no way. the smell is even worse when it’s in a little room and i get such a headache. the best fix would probably be just not to do it at all but pain is beauty and all that.” not that she’s really doing it for any actual purpose, it’s rare that she ever does so she can’t help but let out a laugh at the question. “not a hot date, not a date at all, unfortunately. i’m just doing this for something to do. do you not have anything that you do just for the sake of it?”

celeste and trendy don’t seem like two words that belong in the same sentence, if you ask her. it’s entirely been a stroke of luck and yet she finds she doesn’t want to admit to that fact, but she’s greeted with such enthusiasm about the topic that she really doesn’t want to put a dampener on it. "an accent nail, huh? you’re a real pro at this, aren’t you? very up-to-date,” she comments, quite happy to push the topic off of her and her very fashionably uninformed self. she gives a thoughtful little glance towards the professionally done nails, letting out a little hum. “i’ve thought about going somewhere to get my nails done before but i always get so bored of the colour after a while, it would probably end up being a waste of money,” she confesses with a small shrug. she couldn’t even put nail-painting down as a hobby, it’s more of a useless past time that’s turned into a habit. “really? i think i have one but it sucks. it makes like... this sticky residue and before i know it, it smudges everything. that’s what i get for grabbing something from the dollar store though, probably.”

once he’s decided upon his own little set up, celeste outstretches her hand to settle just lightly enough on his knee to keep her fingers steady. it’d be awfully unfair if her own shaky limbs were to be what ruined him painting her nails and it would entirely defeat the purpose of getting someone else to help, anyway. “thanks, s’one of my favourites,” she admits, even if she’s not sure it’s strictly true. it’s simply one she always seems to gravitate towards since it tends to match up with whatever she has in her wardrobe and just so happened to be the first her hand came across that day. still, it feels like the right thing to say. “flex?” she repeats with a laugh that she can’t even try to stifle, free hand raising to settle over her mouth in a useless attempt. “well, you flex away. i’m ready to be thoroughly wowed by the... flexing of your nail painting skills.” 

she wasn’t actually expecting him to say yes, mainly due to the fact he looks like he’s heading home from a long day at work and she’s sure he’d probably rather do anything else. celeste is pleasantly surprised though, beaming widely for a few short seconds before she’s holding her hand out for him. “a nice save on your part, then. i’ll be sure to put in a good word for you if i ever happen to hear anyone mention your name in a less than friendly way,” she insists lightly, handing the bottle over to him so he can set it wherever he finds easiest. “you ever done this before?” she asks, even if really it is already too late. probably a question she should’ve posed before she’d let him get settled, not that she plans to stop him now even if he says no. 

celeste nodded a little bit and watched her go, shuffling herself a little more to the side so that once she returned there would be more room. she blinked a few times in surprise when she returned to view, carrying more than enough nail polish and wine too. the situation had grown arms and legs very quickly but in all honestly she couldn’t find it in herself to care, she didn’t have anywhere else she’d rather be. it was such a kind and unexpected thing to do. “you can do whatever you’d like, really. i’m sure whatever you come up with will be just fine,” she insisted, since clearly she was talking to someone who seemed to know what they were doing. “if you want you can flower me up, don’t have to use my polish if you’ve got better colours there.”

her gaze flickers between his face and watching his work, since it feels a little impolite to look for too long at either option. she doesn’t want it to feel like she’s scrutinising the job he makes of her nails or him in general -- a feeling she has a tendency to give people with her mostly blank stare. she hums in agreement with the comment, even if she still wouldn’t be caught dead with lime green nails. that is a choice and it’s not one she’s about to make. she doesn’t even know why she still has the colour in all honesty but that doesn’t mean she’s about to head back home to throw it away. “bentley,” she repeats with a little nod, “not just some odd, but nice mind you, stranger who paints nails other stranger’s nails, huh? i’m celeste, it’s nice to meet you too. do you stay here or am i stopping you from visiting someone?”

she watches every movement closely even if truthfully she doesn’t feel like she has to, since he seems more than capable of doing a stellar job without her watchful eye. she probably won’t even have to go around the edges with nail polish remover, which sadly she can’t say for the hand she thought she’d done well by herself. “i promise i won’t slam the door in your face if you come lurking around late at night for nail polish.” there’s an earnestness to her words even if celeste is still talking lightly, she doesn’t expect him to appear at 3am for nail polish though if he does she doubts she’d be bothered by it. it’s the refreshing sort of energy he gives off, since she wouldn’t open her door to just anyone past midnight. that’s her own time. “i think i might just be able to cope with that, it seems like more than a fair trade to me,” she agrees, lips turning up at the edges in an almost fond manner. “you think it makes you better? maybe that’s what i need to try. can’t get any worse, surely.”