Runaway with Faye

Chapter 11

Jyri wasn't in the room. Snorting, Faye flicked on the light, and went to the bathroom. She tried on her corset, and pulled her shirt on over it. The shirt looked looser than it was originally, though not in an unflattering way. That, paired with her makeup, made her look normal. And maybe even... pretty? If only her eyes matched. She beamed, but closed her lips at the sight of her yellow teeth in the mirror. Maybe she wasn't pretty.

But I'm not ugly!

She heard the front door open, and left the bathroom to greet Jyri. Stepping into the room, he yawned, and shut the door behind him. With disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, he looked worse than Faye for once.

"Hi Jyri," Faye said, her voice high. "How was your night?"

Jyri looked at her. It was hard to see in the dim light, but he looked upset. He didn't answer her question, but asked one of his own. "What's that rubbish all over your face?"

Faye took a few steps back. "What?"

"Your face." He squinted. "Is that... are you wearing... makeup?"

Faye lowered her head. "Yeah."

Jyri made his way to the bed, flopping down on it to remove his shoes. "Since when were you into attracting men?"

"I'm not. I met these girls, and-"

"And they convinced you to alter your appearance to look good for men." Jyri shook his head. "Pathetic." He tossed one shoe aside, which thunked against the wall, and worked on untying the other.

Faye crossed her arms, glaring. "We wear makeup for ourselves, not to look pretty for arrogant man-children." Jyri stared, mouth agape, as she stormed back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Falling to the floor, she buried her head in her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks, probably ruining her makeup job. She wiped her eye, and inspected the black smudges on her hand. Definitely ruining her makeup job.

Jyri knocked on the door. "Faye?"

Faye sniffled. "Go away."

There was a pause. "Are you crying?"

"No."

"I'm sorry."

"Leave me alone."

"I need a shower."

"Too bad."

The door creaked opened, and Jyri stepped inside, still wearing one, untied shoe. Wiping away tears, Faye looked up at him, and they stared at each other for an awkward minute.

Jyri cleared his throat. "You look... nice."

"Thanks," Faye said flatly. She stood up, wiping her hands on her pants. "You can take your lousy shower then."

Jyri frowned at her back. "Where's your wings?"

"Bound."

He crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. "How?"

Instead of answering, Faye focused on her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were covered in black and red paint, giving her an almost comical look. She grabbed a towel from the rack, and attempted to wipe it off.

"Please tell me you didn't waste half our money on a corset."

"Alright. I didn't waste half our money on a corset." She continued wiping at her face. Most of the stuff came off easily, but there were a few stubborn spots above her eyes.

Jyri put his hand over his face, then ran it up through his hair. "You did."

"Maybe." Faye tossed the towel on the counter, and turned to leave, but Jyri grabbed her arm. She spun to face him, yanking her arm out of his grip. "Don't touch me!"