Beauty Queen

“I’m doing okay,” she nodded, smiling as she spoke in a soft voice. Bao Bao was waiting for her at home, but she’d wanted to take herself out for brunch that weekend and perhaps do a little shopping. Her blonde curls had been pulled back in braids, the warmth of her skin radiating with sunshine as the light peeks through the windows. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in the longest time,” she continued, puppy eyes looking up at him, “Are you working too much again, Viggo? It’s not good for you if you don’t go out to have fun.”

“What about you? How have you been holding up? There’s a lavender panna cotta on the dessert menu today; I think you’ll like that.”

There was a slight stiffness in her smile when he’d asked how she was holding up. It had been so, so long since she had broken up with Woozi, and Aura knew that she should have been over it by now - everyone told her so. However, it was hard to just get over her first love. “I’m doing well - I’m a groomer at Stop n’ Paws now so I spend my days with all of the cute animals,” she responded, avoiding the topic of her ex-boyfriend, “Pannacotta it is, then! I trust your recommendation.”

“What have you been up to lately, hm? Anything exciting going on at work?” She asked, hoping to get Aura’s mind off of the unpleasant encounter. “You work at the pet shop, right? I bet that’s a lot of fun, being surrounded by cute fluffy animals all day~”

“I’m in charge of giving everyone baths and making sure their fur is nicely trimmed,” she continued, smiling, “I’ve only done it for Bao Bao in the past, though I used to help out when I was a volunteer too. I was actually worried that I couldn’t handle it but... I think I’m doing okay! What about you, Charlotte?”

“   great .  just  fucking  great .   ” “   any  ideas  on  how  to  get  us  out  of  this  mess ??   ” “   this  is  the  last  time  i  go  anywhere  with  you .   ” “   haven’t  you  done  enough  already ??   ” “   don’t  worry ,   i  have  a  plan .   ” “   well ,   that  didn’t  work .   any  plan  c ,   genius ??   ” “   you  know ,   i  genuinely  don’t  think  this  could  get  any  worse .   ” “   how  did  you  manage  to  do  everything   incorrectly ??   ” “   this  is  wrong .   all  of  this  is  wrong .   ” “   looks  like  we’re  stuck  here .   ” “   admit  it ;   you  have  no  idea  where  you’re  going ,   do  you ??   ” “   we’re  completely  lost .   ” “   of  all  the  people  in  the  world  i  could  end  up  stuck  with  …   ” “   well .   was   this   your  idea  of  a  fun  vacation ??   ” “   how  is  the  tank  almost  empty ??   i  thought  you  said  you  got  gas  before  we  left !!   ” “   there’s  a  gas  station   five  miles  /   eight   kilometers   from  here .   we’re  just  gonna  have  to  push  the  car  there .   ” “   the  good  news  is ,   i  found  someone  who  i  think  can  help  us .   the  bad  news  is ,   i  don’t  think  they  speak   [ language ] .   ” “   thank  god ,   it’s  about  time  you  showed  up  to  help !!   ” “   could  you  run  any  fucking  slower ?!   ” “   i  can’t  get  any  signal  out  here .   ” “   someone  stole  my  fucking  wallet .   ” “   we  are  below  rock  bottom  right  now .   we’re ,  like ,  in  hell .   ” “   are  you  really  just  going  to  leave  me  here ??   ” “   okay ,   you  being  dramatic  is  not  going  to  help  us  find  a  way  to  fix  this .   ” “   are  you  bleeding ??   ” “   i’ll  try  to  find  us  somewhere  to  spend  the  night .   ” “   i  don’t  know  what  to  do !!   i’m  not  a  doctor !!   ” “   of  course  this  happens  to  me .  i  can’t  even  be  surprised .   ” “   i  can’t  walk  …  you’re  gonna  have  to  carry  me .   ” “   things  could  always  be  worse .   at  least  you  don’t  have  flesh - eating  bacteria ,   right ??   ” “   don’t  panic ,   but  i’m  pretty  sure  we’re  being  followed .   ” “   maybe  some  music  will  help  you  calm  down .   ” “   my  glasses  are  broken  …   ” “   i  didn’t  have  enough  rocks  to  write  out   ‘ help ’   so  i  just  spelled  out  ‘ hell ’ .   ” “   maybe  we  can  play  a  game  to  pass  the  time  until  someone  notices  we’re  missing .   ” “   okay ,   i  swear  this  is  not  what  it  looks  like .   ” “   there’s  a  killer  storm  going  on  outside ,   so   unless  you  want  to  disappear  under  mysterious  circumstances ,   i  suggest  you  get  comfortable .   ” “   how  long  was  i  out ??   ” “   well ,   at  least  i’m  trapped  here  with  you .   ”

so despite his grand pout and his little whiny sounds, he walks alongside her and curls his fingers around hers more than a little happily. “do you also have food for me?” he asks after they round another street corner, and all of the protest leaves him then as he looks at his friend hopefully.

Bao Bao led them back to the apartment, his short legs running along in excitement - he just wanted to be back with his puppy bed. Aura opened the door for them, sliding her shoes off as they entered. Her place was neat, with cute feminine touches in all crevices. “Do you want something warm to drink?” she offered.

   Invidia takes her up into her arms and it doesn’t seem to phase him at all– and that is because she is notably not heavy. She is of good weight and it’s pleasant in his arms but heavy? Not nearly! He walks her along the slightly icy sidewalk until they clear the patch that had been slightly frozen over by a leak in a city fire hydrant. Once they pass it safely and she asks him to set her down to rest, the sinner nods and looks for a bench or a chair of outdoor seating or even a warm looking space to slip into so that she can be comfortable for while she relaxes from the roll.   “Sure thing, mi vida,” he coos.     It’s only a moment more of walking before he spots a little shop that he dips into and sets her down in an open chair before he kneels before her and takes her leg in his hands carefully. “Just testing, tell me if this hurts at all, okay?”     Careful, he takes her ankle and moves it just a bit to gauge if she reacts in pain or not at all. Pain means a small trip to the doctors office to have it better examined, if not then it’s just tagging along with her until she makes it to where she was going originally. Beside him the small dog that follows her like a pixie wiggles in worry and he reaches his other hand down to comfort it too. “This little one knows best if you’re lying about the pain so don’t fib to me if it does hurt, I will help you either way.”

Aura sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat, “I’m sorry that I ruined your day, Invidia. I was really looking forward to going rollerskating together!”

(comfort) : one muse has been having nightmares and unable to sleep, so asks the other to cuddle with them to help them drift off