thecapitol | Nobody expects the Strider Inquisition

It isn't the safest place to be, Dave is sure. But it isn't prison. If they can make it here a few days maybe they can find a way out further and deeper. Is this what it's going to be now? Running until they inevitably run out of places to hide? They don't know this place, they don't know the people. Anyone could double cross them and they could misstep any second now. His heart is sinking and his stomach is knotting just thinking about it.

So much is weighing on him that he's barely aware of the alcohol, of what it could do to Rose, but a glance to her has him thinking about what she might be looking at over there. He does his best to remain impassive while also making it clear that he knows it's there.

"I think if you tried hard enough you might find yourself a nice slinky gown. They're kind of tailored for dudes anyway." He gives his shoulders a heavy shrug. "Super inconspicuous too, you have this in the bag." He stands up too, a little closer to Rose as he moves to open a drawer full of various shades of lipstick. His hands are going straight for the red and he's popping it open to look at it without actually using it. "I want one of those joke names, like Ivana Kiss. But less lame. Probably."

"Go old school Bond," she says finally, and it's soft enough you could miss it. Especially since she stays turned away, head down as she studies the vanity top for the umpteenth time. "Pussy Galore, Holly Goodhead..." And she drifts off again, though at least she looks up, glancing back to them.

It's better now, since Bro is changing and she feels a little more at ease as he sheds the helmet. At least now she knows it's him, even with the rest of the white uniform. At least now she can see his face, see his responses and reactions and it's not just another faceless someone here to extract information she won't give.

She shifts, all her movements slow and cautious and goes to take the lipstick from Dave, while also going to pick out another one and hand it to him. "That one's got too much of an orange tone, it'll look weird." It's a distraction and she'll take it, anything to keep her hands busy as she tilts her head at Dave. "You'll need a pencil too, red looks weird without pencil underneath."

"Yeah, maybe," he murmurs in response to the gown comment. "But fuck me, I don't know how to tuck my junk in like these bitches, I'd be so obviously a dude." And it occurs to him that he's gonna have to shave his sideburns off, and fuck that lie. Drag was fun in theory and now he's realizing how difficult it's gonna be. Or maybe he's just over thinking it because his dick is rebelling at the idea of being tucked and his sideburns are growing furrier at the idea of being shaved off.

He'll keep on looking through the clothes until he finds a gown that looks like it might fit him. It's pink. He could totally rock pink, he's pretty sure. He holds it up to himself as the two of them muse about drag names, and he has to let out an amused scoff at the suggestions that the two of them throw out there.

"Frita Goodholme, more like," he says to Dave, because that's clearly the best name for the younger Strider.

He'll raise an eyebrow at Rose as she starts talking about makeup and shit. "What?" he asks, raising a brow quizzically. "You mean you don't just put this shit on and... y'know, magic happens? Because it looks like fucking magic to me."

"I never fancied myself an old school girl." He murmurs, wondering why his self-proclaimed name isn't up to their standards. Since when were they experts on drag queens? Maybe they spend too much time around those stylists. He doesn't know how they do it, Oceana consistently decimates his self confidence with a nose crinkle.

"I don't want to know about your junk and fuck you. Just put the shitty dress on and shut up, mister-sister." He gives Bro his own nose crinkle before letting it fade when Rose speaks again, looking calculatingly at the lipstick and back at her. He takes it, despite himself, cheeks heating ever so slightly. "I wasn't gonna put it on." He mumbles under his breath.

"Wear something loose, no one will notice," she says to Bro, glancing up from where she's been going through the lip liners, trying to find the best match for the colour she's given Dave. And really, if anything it's going to be the sideburns that give it away, that or his very obvious male build, nothing like many of the slim or curvaceous queens they've seen around. "It could all be your shtick, the blurring of the two genders, feminine and masculine." A slight shrug, but she's slowly coming back out of the shell she's built over the past week, feeling a little more at ease with herself.

Still, she can't help the little glance she gives to the alcohol in the corner, or the way she keeps her back to the mirror and her gaze away from any others. But she looks away, back to the pencils and picks one out, uncapping it and testing it on her hand. Bro gets a slightly amused look as she finds a sharpener and uses it. "You caught me. It's actually a skill only witches of the most satanic and lesbian can learn. And I just happen to be High Priestess, guess you're in luck."

She really doesn't care that Dave's trying to act like he wasn't going to do it, not when she can push that button and see where it goes so Rose tilts her head slightly, her way of beckoning him over as she holds the pencil steady in her hand. "Old school or not, what's the harm in trying? Bro might not be able to blend so easily but half these queens here can't be that much older than you, you'll fit in." And it will mean that one of them can at least leave this room if needed.

Bro has to admire how knowledgeable she seems about all of this. It's kind of weird. It's almost like she's a girl or something?? Who would have even thought. He look back at the dress he picked and wonders if it's loose enough- he guesses the only way to find out is to try it, right? And then Dave so eloquently tells him to do it, so whatever.

He'll just start stripping right then and there as Rose goes on about makeup and then about him blending in. He shoots her a dirty look as she says he won't blend in easily. "Now it's a challenge and I'm gonna be the fishiest goddamn queen in this club."

Don't challenge a Bro, you will lose. Now it's a pride thing and he's just going to nakedly put on the dress and tug it down until he's all kinds of covered and whatnot. Yeah this dress is pretty loose, he feels pretty covered. He's also hyper aware of how hairy he is compared to most of the queens there so now he's reevaluating the whole shaving thing in honor of beating the new little challenge that's been set.

"Where the fuck is the bathroom, I need to go de-hair," he grumbles, shooting a withering stare to no one in particular. He has no one to blame but himself for his competitiveness. "Y'know, while you put on your face like a good little girl." Because if he's going to suffer then Dave is going to suffer too.

It feels good to be easing back into some casual talk. He does so like it when they collectively pretend nothing is happening and focus all their energy on embarrassing each other. Like a real family. Warms his heart and all that jazz.

He doesn't really know what fishy is, but he regrets flicking his glance back to Bro because he did NOT need to see that. He squawks initially, but hushes himself into a choked sound of disgust. He snaps his head back to Rose and crinkles his nose when she beckons for him.

"Hell no." He says, but he's taking a little step forward anyway. A tiny little baby one, like a duck who isn't sure if he should trust the bread being waved at him. They have points, very valid points, but he's a little bitch on so many levels. "You're enjoying this way too much." He points out, but it seems like he's relenting to letting Rose do as she pleases with his face.

"I look forward to seeing that." She honestly does, because now she's curious to see if he'll actually have it in him to go through with losing the sideburns. After all, they will need to go if he wants to win this challenge he's set himself.

Rose may have had the sense to avert her gaze as soon as she saw Bro starting to strip, but that doesn't mean she can't tease. She can tell enough by Dave's little squawk that Bro's gone commando and so she can't help but snort, smirking faintly to herself as she reaches to tug Dave a step closer than his baby duck step. "Thank you for that display Bro. Freud will be so proud of me, I'm sure that seeing the genitals of your paternal genetic provider is part of some theory of his, I'm glad I could fulfil it."

She waves him off all the same with a soft, "Call if you need assistance." and then her attention's all on Dave. Taking his chin in hand she studies him critically, turning it this way and that before she goes to work. "Part your lips slightly for me." And as soon as he does she's applying the pencil, in efficient, smooth lines to make the shape before she colours this in. "This should be somewhat easier than the last time I did this at least."

Only Rose could make Bro getting naked creepy.

Well. More creepy than it is by default, which isn't too creepy in his opinion. Everyone is naked under their clothes, it's not his fault he just has to take them off in order to put on his stupid little pretty dress! Geeeeez. "It's not my fault you looked," he says pointedly. At least Dave had the decency to ignore it completely, save for the squawk.

"I'll be sure to call anyone but you, I'm sure you would find some way to make shaving awkward." It's strange, feeling like he's the one getting trolled for once. Is this what having an older sibling feels like? Or an older daughter, rather? It's weird. "But whatever, I'm out. He better be beautiful when I get back."

And with that, he'll disappear to go shave.

Both of you are creepy and Dave thinks you need to stop. "Shut up oh my god." He hisses that at both of them, but it's definitely aimed more at Rose. And here a younger Rose had the nerve to imply he was the one with weird Freudian issues.

"Don't call me either." Dave calls out after Bro, thinning his lips almost pointedly for the request before he relents and parts them. The lip liner tickles when she applies it and it's hard not to lurch away, his lips twitch to reflect this.

"I'm gonna look dumb. None of the boys will dance with me."

It's what she does. It's not anywhere near close to fun if people aren't feeling weirded out by whatever she's chosen to say or do. It's funny, really, and that is the entire reason why she does it.

Still, she just smirks at both them and their responses, looking more like her usual mysterious self again. And she drops it, after one finally hum, glancing to Bro as he leaves. "I have my reputation to upkeep, is it that surprising? And I'm almost insulted that you think that he wouldn't be."

"Keep still," she says softly, looking over him critically. Really, he still needs foundation, and she should have started with that. Oh well, no time like the now and Rose pops the pencil back down, glass bottles of foundation clicking together as she studies the shades available. He's not as fair as her she thinks, but he's still on the ridiculously white end of the scale.

"Stop insulting my ability," she says with a snort, popping a dab of foundation on the back of her hand and testing the shade on his jaw line. Too dark, and so she moves to next shade down, smirking slightly when it blends better and she sets herself to the task of applying it to his face with her fingertips. "If I can make a man in his 30's look like a natural born woman I can do the same to a teenager. All the boys will lining up with the desire to touch your padded booty."

Edited 2014-09-19 06:54 (UTC)

"I am still." He says, moving his mouth in a way that suggests otherwise. He's being way too complacent about this, but unfortunately she has an undeniable point about him being the only one who can really pull this off.

He watches her hands suspiciously, unsure as to what she's doing. He knows absolutely nothing about make up, he has no idea what she's doing or why she's looking at weird cream. Oh- okay- now it's going on his face, he should have seen that coming and he grimaces.

"This feels so gross. I don't know how juggalos do it, but I guess they're used to that feeling." Aw snap. Wait, what? "Do I really have to pad? Can't I just be an uncurvacious wallflower?"

She just raises a brow at that, though how effective that is she isn't sure. They need a tint, or some pencil put through, but she doesn't have the resources for the first and the second means staring in the mirror. Staring at that brand.

She wishes they had left the bandages on. Somehow that had been better, even though she had know what lay beneath them

Rose focuses entirely on her task, burying her other feelings and thoughts down. She's got a task at hand and she'll make sure it's an excellent job, her fingers quick and light as she works the foundation onto Dave,

"Liquid always feels strange when it first goes on- close your eyes." She'll do his eyelids then, fingers lifting to give him a look over before she glances down to the other supplies, picking up an eyeshadow brush and palette. "Keep them closed until I say so. And no, of course you don't, but there is something a touch more believable in a drag queen that pads. Unless you're going for the market that likes to know their queen is a skinny twink." She works the shadow on with care, not pressing too firmly as she goes."

Dave can't help thinking the brand needs treatment of some sort, he doesn't know how much it hurts or what Rose would like done with it. Maybe they need new bandages and disinfectant and maybe those are things he can acquire once he learns to blend.

He manages to give her one last bitter little look before he scrunches his eyes shut and then realises that won't help anyone. He exhales through his nose and lets his eyes uncrunch for ease of application.

"I'm not marketing to anyone, I'm just trying to look like I belong there." He grumbles under his breath. "It isn't like I'm getting up on stage or whatever."

It aches every so often, a dull pain she can mostly ignore, that grows sharper if she stretches her mouth too wide in either expression or speaking. She's had time though to learn that, so she knows to be careful, just like she knows there's no point complaining right now. Nothing they can do, and it's already starting to heal. At the very least they had kept it clean, they did want their mark to be clear on her after all. To show the world what she was.

"And you'll look like you belong better if you try and make yourself look as genuine as possible." She finishes the shadow and pauses to look over it critically before nodding to herself. Putting the eyeshadow down she moves onto eyeliner, stretching the skin of his eyelid slightly as she draws the perfect line and wing on. "It's about blending, and people who half ass it don't blend very well do they?"

Nobody expects the Strider Inquisition

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