Gonna Make You Popular

Jiao hadn't known prior to this day it was possible to be so bored. Everyone in Sidhe was busy being all panicked over the barrier falling, these new people...she agreed they were weird, but...she still had a shop to run and no one was buying. Not that she could go to the newcomers for entertainment either; all of them so far had been routinely dull or just...nice.

She needed a project. A project that was willing to be a project. Someone hideous, who would let her make them over, without spewing any sentimental claptrap about their wedding rings. Getting such a person to appear could be difficult, though...

...then, through the trees, she saw him. Messy black hair, mottled and scarred skin, ugly baggy clothes, a grumpy expression. Jiao practically clapped her hands together with glee. If he would let her, he could be her most amazing achievement yet. Leaping through the trees, light on her feet with the assistance of her wings, she leaned out from behind two trees in front of Peter.

"Hi! Are you busy? I have a fun idea for you!"

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

Peter didn’t know what the big deal was with these new woods. Maea had mentioned a barrier, way back in their first conversation, but then (now?) suddenly there wasn’t one, and the world had opened up just a little bit more. Not that Peter even knew the implications of that either, to him it just seemed like they’d gained access to a bunch of trees. So of course he was going to go wandering in them, to see what the big deal was. And so far, it had been exactly what he’d expected, just endless forest, which was in itself a novelty for a man who’d grown up in a desert, but also a whole host of noises and rustling that set him on edge, afraid that behind every disturbance was an enemy. There was a dagger clutched tightly in his hand, ready for whatever could jump out him. He had just been beginning to relax, to pick out which sounds were nothing, and which were something when a buzzing caught his attention, like some kind of large insect, caught his attention. Before he had too much of a chance to focus on it, a face popped out in front of him, his knee jerk reaction to raise his dagger and- oh. It was... a woman? There was something off about her, though Peter couldn’t put his finger on it, still trying to recover from the scare. It also took her words a moment to process, though when they did, he looked up with equal parts confusion and suspicion, blade still raised between them. ”An idea?” He repeated, not comprehending. ”I’m not...not  busy, but I... I’m not um... not doing any jobs either. No, um... not taking new ones, I... I mean.” Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

For just a second Jiao seemed alarmed at the sight of the knife pointed at her, but then the tension in her face left with a giggle as she pulled a face at it. It was clear from the still of his hand that Peter wasn't going to hurt her with it...besides, she could fly away quicker than he could stab, she was sure.

He seemed responsive at least. She nodded happily and pointed to his face. "No no, it's not a job. You don't really have to do anything actually. Just let me fix your face!" ..Hm. She was not often tactful but even Jiao knew that sounded...wrong. Shaking her head she began again. "I mean...you don't seem like you know a lot about..looking good. Clothes and things. So I can help you with that."

Reframing her mission as helpful, she motioned down to herself. "See, I can make you look pretty. It's my talent. It'll be fun!"

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

Peter frowned, lowering his dagger but keeping itnin his hand as the strange woman made a distinctly unafraid face at it. With the defence of the blade gone though, he felt exposed, something not helped by her words. His frown deepened, a furrow growing between his brows as he lifted his chin and stared at her, waiting for her to finish speaking. ”I like... I like my clothes.” He insisted softly, not quite confident enough to put any bite into his words. Peter wasn’t lying, he did like what he wore, but more for practical reasons than aesthetic ones. His eyes flicked up and down the woman, pausing for a moment to stare longingly at the colours she wore, his face softening just the slightest. Peter shook his head, the word pretty taking him out of the fantasy where he could be dressed in colour. ”I’m not pretty. Not supposed to be.” He said sharply, the words belonging to someone other than him, but repeated enough that it was truth now. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

"Um...okay." Jiao mumbled as Peter insisted against all odds that he actually liked his clothes. How anyone could like looking like a pile of depressing bedsheets she wasn't sure, was actually pretty sure that he was definitely lying. He didn't sound too confident about it at least.

She saw the way he wistfully looked her up and down and smiled, even though his next bizarre statement that he wasn't meant to be pretty. "Everyone's meant to be pretty. Why couldn't you be? I mean, sure, you got...a lot of work to do, but..."

Jiao tried to reach forward and grab Peter's jaw, turn his face this way and that. "You got good cheekbones and a cute nose. Curly hair, too. With a bit of polishing I could make you so cute! Isn't there a girl or a boy or anyone you want to impress?" She grinned, hoping he would have some kind of crush; it was usually a good motivator for a makeover.

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

The strange woman didn’t seem to believe a word he said, looking at him like he was crazy. Peters teeth worried at his bottom lip, his eyes falling slightly as he looked down at himself, at the same clothes he’d been wearing since he arrived. She insisted again that he could be pretty, and all he could do was shake his head quietly. Wasn’t she looking at him? The scars, the strangeness of his face. He’d already accepted long ago that he wouldn’t be pretty, and she couldn’t fix it. The hands reaching out to his face made Peter stiffen, and tip his head back, but he made no other move to stop Jiao. He lover himself be moved, this way and that, only his distant expression and stiffness actively communicating his discomfort. Her words dragged him back into himself, blue eyes locking on her face and searching for any hint of a lie. ”I don’t... bring pretty isn’t, it’s not... helpful.” Peter pointed out weakly, the tips of his ears a telling red. Crushes weren’t entirely new to Peter, but they were still rare enough that he didn’t know how to deal with it, other than immediately assuming it was an impossible dream. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

As Jiao tilted his head up, she saw Peter's blue eyes and smiled, surprised. Now that was really something she could work with. Already she could see it, blue beads and patches running down a fantastic outfit, bringing out the colour and using it to it's full potential.

When his ears began to go red, she immediately knew she'd got him. "Nonsense! Being pretty is helpful all the time! People give you things, they like you, and you feel better about yourself. You..don't seem to have a lotta confidence. I can help." She looked behind herself; she couldn't take him to Sidhe but she knew there was a clearing nearby where she could build a temporary studio.

"Okay, come with me. Come ooooon." She instructed, going to grab at Peter's hand and pull him into the forest. As soon as they had arrived, at a space with a tree trunk and a little pond, serene in any other situation, she would point for him to sit. "Okay. take off the scarves. I wanna see what I'm working with."

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

Peter didn’t believe the assurances Jiao babbled at him, didn’t trust the way thwy were said, but neither did he stop her from dragging him deeper into the woods. He didn’t exactly make it easy, his feet dragging over things he would have no issue with normally, but he did want to say he had put up some fight. The space he was taken to was pretty, exactly the kind of thing Peter had been looking for when he’d first wandered into the forest. A place to sit was pointed out, Peter going to sit obidiently, but frowning and hesitating when he was instructed to take off his scarves.”No, I.. it’s just my face? You can see it.” Despite his protests, Peters hands cane up, slowly unwinding six scarves from around his neck. He stopped at the last one, a now tattered strip of woven blue fabric, the wool so faded the design on it is nearly impossible to pick out, and looked up at her with something like panic on his face. ”Not this.” If he was pressed, he would probably take the last one off as well, but it last clear Peter is trying to keep some hold on the familiar. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

Peter sure was biddable, wasn't he? Despite his clear discomfort he followed Jiao without any real fight, despite the fact he likely could overpower her in any kind of scuffle.

He took off her scarves and she waited with wide eyes, like a child seeing a present being opened, as the layers were stripped away. He actually had quite a pretty jaw and neck, as it turned out. Certainly something she could work with; Jiao reached forward and placed her fingers lightly on his chin, tilting his head side to side again.

"Fine, Sidhe wasn't built in a day. You can keep your scarf on. Will you wait here while I go to get my powders and creams and clothes?" She had not planned to makeover a random stranger today and had not brought any of the necessary tools. Without waiting for Peter's answer she skipped off into the forest, taking one of his scarves as a kind of insurance that he might still be there when she returned.

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

The eyes on him only served to make Peter more uncomfortable as he stripped his scarves off, the sharp eyes of the fey woman only heightening the feeling of exposure. This time when hands grabbed his face, he stiffness and did not let himself be moved, Peter’s wife unblinking eyes locked near her chin. He wasn’t quite bold enough for direct eye contact still. Peter want given a chance to speak up before the woman vanished into the trees, one of his scarves trailing behind her. This could be his chance to leave, and the idea was tempting enough that he was on his feet without thought, turned towards what he thought was the direction out. His feet didn’t move though, couldn’t. He owned very few things, and the strange woman had taken one of them. With an unhappy whine, Peter sat back down, drawing his knees up as high as he could and wrapping the remaining scarf he had around the lower half of his face. His fingers found a way between the fabric, Peter hooking them in his lips so he could keep from chewing them to anxious shreds. This would be how Jiao came back to him, his eyes flicking up to her when she came close again. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

By the time Jiao came back Peter had curled himself up into a little ball, was rather unattractively eating his fingers. Even though she was not usually someone prone to diving deeper than shallow judgement, she felt a pang of sympathy. It was clear that...something had happened to this person, had broken him.

She flew closer and gently set down her things, wrapping in a sparkling bag, next to the log where he sat. "Now then. I think we should start with a wash. It'll be relaxing, mm?" She reached forward and took his hands from his face, tilted it up towards the light. Fetching a cloth from her things and wetting it in the spring, she rubbed it against a block of deep blue soap then began to scrub Pet's face. Jiao went slowly but pressed quite hard, making sure that any dirt was gone. It seemed this man did not get many baths.

"You know--" She said, as she ran the cloth over his cheeks. "You're really kinda pretty. Nice eyes. If you were a girl I might have a crush on you."

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

The sparkling bag in Jiao’s hand drew Peters gaze more than her actual return did. He seemed transfixed, at least until she came close enough that he had the chance to snatch his scarf away from her again. Baleful blue eyes stared up at her as his face was grabbed again, Peters shoulders slumping as he resigned himself to his fate. As it turned out, the rough washing and cool water was actually relaxing in a way. As much as it wasn’t something Pet wanted to admit, he was beginning to enjoy it. And being clean was... nice. It had been some time since he hadn’t been coated in a thin layer of dirt. ”I’m not.” Peter retorted with a frown, his brow creasing and his lips puffing our in an attempt to make himself look less... whatever she was thinking. Not pretty. ”And I... I won’t be after either.” He wrapped his arms around his chest, and closed his eyes, completely aware that he was being ridiculous and utterly unable to stop himself. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

The way Peter objected, almost like a child, made Jiao laugh. His weak stubborn arguments were easy to combat, at least. Scrubbing at his jaw, she shook her head. "You think that 'cos you've never had a Jiao makeover before. You're gonna be so pretty after this people are going to stop you in the street and be all 'wow, where did you get to look like that?'"

With his face cleaned she put the cloth down then took out a little hook and a file, lifted one of his hands and hovering before him, began to clean and buff his nails. It made sense to do all the cleaning and prep work before she began with any colour. "I bet you've never had your nails cleaned, huh? ...I can tell." Wiping the dirty nail hook on the grass she kept going, holding his hands with a surprisingly gentle grip.

"So how come you got so many scars? Are you a fighter or something? Or are they like...a choice? Decoration kind of thing? They're quite pretty, some of them. I like this one." She pointed to a scar on Peter's wrist. "It's all silvery and it sparkles."

Jiao

Better do as I please, until I tell you to stop
When I rule the world, then you're the little girl

Peter frowned, his nose wrinkling in response to Jiao’s words. He couldn’t believe anything, even a Jiao makeover could make him more than what he was. The cloth on his face was pulled away, and his hand was grabbed, Peter barely feeling the soft touch of skin on skin but very aware of how his hand was pulled. Caught between the desire to yank his hand back and the desire to keep the fairy woman somewhat placated, Peter found himself stuck, his fingers trembling just the slightest as they were worked on. ”I clean my... my hands.” He mumbled lowly, not sure why he was trying to defend himself still. Despite how he’d hoped it wouldn’t come up, Jiao asked about his scars. Peter shifted in place, and looked up at the sky, away from both her and his hands. ”All different things.” His voice was clipped, a faux disinterest trying to seep into his tone. ”Mistakes, and... and punishments, and training.” Peters chin dropped so he could look at the one she pointed out. ”That was...” Peter cocked his head again, trying to summon the memory. ”I... think I fell. Out of um...” He gestured with his free hand, trying to use gestures for the word he was misusing . ”...the inside roof?” Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.