Harrowheart (
westfallcorndog) wrote2018-02-16 04:23 pm
Entry tags:
Girls' Day Out (for Runa)
Life's got to be a little hectic when you're Viatorus Durant and Runa Soon-to-be-Durant. One moment you're enjoying a calming morning in your Nexus apartment, probably eating breakfast, and the next someone is bursting through your front door with a boisterous, "Y'ALL!"
It could only be Harrowheart, and in fact it is. He's got his hands bound today, and the one that hadn't slammed the door is holding onto a satchel full of something. He's uncharacteristically dressed for the weather in what looks an awful lot like the Azerothian clothes he wore when he stole Viatorus away for a Westfall fishing trip: beige trousers, tall boots, suspenders, a long sleeved shirt with a high, stiff collar, and a cabbie hat. His sword, as always, rests on his back, but it doesn't bother with as much as an eye glow as means of hello. Viatorus and Runa are used to it -- it knows it won't get a rise out of them.
Harrow strides over to where the young couple are and invites himself to scoop Runa into his arms, holding her like a bride (or a very large, very patient sort of cat.) He keeps her face on level with Viatorus' and says with a proud grin "Kiss him goodbye before I kidnap ya away forever and ever."
It could only be Harrowheart, and in fact it is. He's got his hands bound today, and the one that hadn't slammed the door is holding onto a satchel full of something. He's uncharacteristically dressed for the weather in what looks an awful lot like the Azerothian clothes he wore when he stole Viatorus away for a Westfall fishing trip: beige trousers, tall boots, suspenders, a long sleeved shirt with a high, stiff collar, and a cabbie hat. His sword, as always, rests on his back, but it doesn't bother with as much as an eye glow as means of hello. Viatorus and Runa are used to it -- it knows it won't get a rise out of them.
Harrow strides over to where the young couple are and invites himself to scoop Runa into his arms, holding her like a bride (or a very large, very patient sort of cat.) He keeps her face on level with Viatorus' and says with a proud grin "Kiss him goodbye before I kidnap ya away forever and ever."

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It's a good thing she's already patted him down with foundation by the time she compliments his smile. It means she doesn't have to see him blush, though his pursed lips and the aversion of his eyes gives away his humility and urge to (of course, as always) smile.
It's a relief to hear that Runa's family are simple business people, but he hadn't expected anything worse. He couldn't imagine them seizing the lands of country peasants in dire straights or any of the things he might have once figured the Durants for. But by the time she asks him about his world he finds he'd almost rather not speak. It's been so relaxing sitting in silence, Runa patting down his face with all her soft tools, him listening to her rather than speaking. It's how he used to be before he came to the Nexus. Quiet... But this time not alone. What a strange little twist.
"On my world," he begins quietly, careful not to move his jaw too much when he speaks, "The strong take what they want from the weak. That's just the way it is. We all do it. Even I do it. And rich folk are strong, and poor folk are weak."
He pauses a moment, his blue eyes searching her face as he thinks. "Like this: There was a war up north in a place called Lordaeron. All the people had to leave their homes in a hurry, or they woulda died and turned undead. They had to flee to the south, to the kingdom of Stormwind, where I'm from. But that's all the way across the world. People who had the means to guide folks south made the refugees pay everything they had with 'em for protection. Whole lotta folks still didn't make it even after they paid their way, but you better believe the rich folks kept all the things they stole from 'em."
"It's the same with land, too. Wars come through, people lose everything, and the folks with the money swoop in and take and take. There ain't such a thing as charities, either. When you're rich and you got too much gold, you melt it down and paint it over statues of yourself just like the crown did in the capitol. The king had enough money to make a giant gold statue of himself in front of the keep, but not enough to repay all the Westfall masons who rebuilt the city after it burnt down."
He shrugs one shoulder and blinks slowly. "Just the way things are. Slave drivers, money lenders, warmongers... Only thieves and killers like that are rich. But it ain't like I got room to talk."
What an unpleasant note to leave his part of the conversation on. His eyes glance at the nearby mirror but he can't get a good look at himself.
"Back in the Scourge, death knights like me used to put ashes around our eyes to make the glow look brighter. You gonna put mascara on me? How bout eyeliner? You know, the kind that's like..." He sweeps his fingers upward from the corners of his eyes.
He doesn't want to sound too hopeful, but he just can't help it when he asks, "And I get to do all'a this to you, too, right?"
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Still, she can't help but stop what she's doing and gasp when he tells her the fate of the Lordaeron refugees. "That's terrible! How could they do something like that?"
Her frown hardens in disapproval and she shakes her head at the thought of it. Rich people are fortunate, they don't suffer the same way as impoverished people. How they could add to the misfortune of others is beyond her. A small, frustrated huff is the only sign of how deeply she's thinking about this before Harrowheart goes and distracts her.
"Ashes?" She blinks at him and then smiles. "That's clever!"
Even with how unpleasant the topic of conversation has been, she still can't quite help a small laugh with his last question. "Of course you get to do my makeup. You can go wild with it!" She gets back to covering him in foundation. "And I can give you wings if you like, but I'll use eyeshadow too. You'll have a stare that even Isidor will envy."
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He smiles in return at the supposed cleverness of wearing ash around your eyes and a little more when she confirms that he'll get to reciprocate here. Even go wild! She might regret that in about ten minutes.
A stare that even Isidor will envy... That sparks something in him. His eyes shine with hope and mischief and his smile is so sincere, so eager even as he tries to subdue it. A chance to make Isidor react – maybe with jealousy or amusement or even pride – is such a wonderful thing. He presses his hands between his knees and sits forward in his excitement. Yes, Runa! Give him the eyeshadow!
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She talks a little bit about style and fashion as she goes, reminiscing about embarrassing crimped hair, and saying that of her sisters, only Carita doesn't have a goth or emo streak. In between her conversation bits she hums little tunes and sings a little whenever she's concentrating hardest. She does her best to give his exceptionally pale complexion some warmth. Contouring helps her emphasise his more masculine features, strengthening his jaw and lending angular aspects a bit of shadow. Though it's not as common for men, she even uses a very neutral lipstick to give him more life. Once that's all set she can set it with some powder and move into the next part.
Everything is carefully built upon until finally she gets to his eyes and eyebrows. Of everything this is where she spends the most time. His eyebrows have to be shaped just perfectly and it's more difficult than she though to work with glowing eyes. His eyelids look so different when they're closed. She picks out a particularly dark purple eyeshadow for a careful gradient to help her emphasise his eyes. The process of putting on the winged eyeliner is what gets her biting her lip and going silent with concentration.
Eventually she sits back and lets go of the breath she was holding. She nibbles her lip some more, scanning his face to see if there's anything she missed or should add. It looks quite good, she thinks, but she can't help but be nervous. What if Harrowheart doesn't like it? What if it's not a good enough job and he just gets reminded that he's no longer living? She's done the best job she can, but what if that's not enough?
She worries at her lip some more, and then smiles at him, trying to push her worries aside. "Ok. You can look now."
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Emo, he learns, has something to do with being vibrantly, publicly sad, but in a sense enjoying it and reveling in the emotionality of it all. He likes it. Of course he does. And when she hums and sings, he likes that, too, but he has to keep from smiling as it will ruin her perspective on his face. He keeps a steely, dead-eyed stare throughout, except for moments where she leans back to inspect her work and he can't help but let his enjoyment show through in a twist of his lips.
Such anticipation builds as he watches her become increasingly serious about her difficult task. Her work slows as her technique becomes more and more precise around his eyebrows and eyes. The first time she plucks a stray hair at his brow he blinks, surprised, but he quickly realizes that perfect brows don't stop with one pluck and he reverts to stoicism until the work is done.
Before he knows it she tells him those three magic words: You can look. He doesn't hesitate to turn to the mirror and see himself, and his immediate reaction is a quiet gasp. His eyebrows rise and he blinks in confusion as he looks over himself. More has changed than stayed the same! He traces a finger over his eyebrows and the perfectly crisp line of his sideburns where she'd taken a few out of place hairs. A little 'ah' escapes when he touches his cheeks and finds that the shadowy dimension she's given him is only an illusion of sharp cheekbones.
He turns slightly and looks at himself out of the corners of his eyes, then turns the other way and considers how symmetrical he is. "Shoot," he whispers, his voice so low he can hardly hear himself. Next he leans in to look closely at himself. His lips purse and he blows air through them, then he smiles, then he frowns. He presses them together and glides them back and forth to feel the strangely smooth texture of the lipstick there.
But his eyes... His eyes are what give it all away. Eyeliner conceals the blueness beneath his lashes except for where the dead color of his tear ducts give the magic away. Well, that and the literal magic of his blue eyes. He lightly touches the winged eyeliner and quietly chuckles. She did it just like he asked, and yet it's still so strange to see on himself.
"Shoot..." he repeats, a little louder this time. He sits back in his chair and stares and stares. A pleased little tilt of his lips gives away what he thinks of her work. How completely different he looks...
"I don't even look like me!" he says, turning to Runa with a shy little laugh. He reaches out and playfully cuffs her shoulder, then quickly hooks an arm around her and pulls her in for a side-hug and a chance to look at themselves side by side in the mirror. He pats her arm gently as he smiles at their reflections.
"I look..."
What's the word he wants here? He shakes his head lightly even as he smiles. He snorts a little huff that turns into a few genuine laughs.
"Like a prostitute."
He shakes Runa playfully and says, "But I like it! My eyebrows look so good! And you gave me cheekbones and everything! And look at my eyelashes!" He blinks them quickly just to show them off. "You did the little swoops just like I wanted! Light, I gotta show Isidor."
He hurries up and fishes out his phone so that he can hold it above them for a selfie. Smile, Runa! Click-click. Click. Click. As soon as the pictures are taken he leafs through them for quality assurance. Finding them worthy fills him with renewed excitement and he squeezes Runa in another hug. That'll do, hun. That'll do.
He sets his phone down on the vanity, releases Runa, and leans back to inspect her. "Now it's my turn, and this time we're gonna gossip."
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Initially his smiling and impressed surprise seems like a good thing. She beams when he pulls her in for a side hug. It's as they're both looking at the mirror that she thinks to herself that maybe she did a better job than she thought. Swiftly followed by his comparison to a prostitute. She gasps, jumping into an apologetic expression, though she covers her mouth with her hand.
Then just as quickly he's reassuring her and pulling out his phone. She doesn't even have time to apologise or offer to redo her makeover. Swept up by his enthusiasm, all she can do is smile for the camera, the upturn of her eyebrows betraying her sheepishness.
By the time he's finished checking his photography skills she's had time to let his reassurances sink in. She smiles broadly and nods. "That sounds good. If you don't know what something is I can tell you," she says with a quick wave to the makeup around them. Then she turns to grin excitedly at him. "What are we going to gossip about?"
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No... Oh, when he puts his hands on Runa's face they're so cold! The moisturizer is spread thinly and warms quickly enough, but it's a good thing that he's going for a brush next because even a Swede might get a little chilly if he were going to spread it all with his fingers.
As he goes for the foundation he catches sight of himself in the mirror and pauses to look. A fast glance turns into admiration. He can't help but feel a little handsome, suddenly. He has to touch his cheek again, and a little smile warms his face.
"Boys," Harrow says as he looks back to Runa. "We're gossiping about boys! About a boy, anyway. A young master Durant..."
He dabs a little bit of foundation onto Runa's hand but finds it's far too pale. That's about the color she used on him! She's got more life in her than that. Hmm, hmm, hmm... Decisions, decisions... He looks his options over and his eyes now and then drift slyly back to her.
"Has he gotten any braver when it comes to romance? I saw he kissed you before I stole you away today. And he hardly even blushed! Almost like he's gettin' used to lovin' his lovely little lady."
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The topic of choice only makes her blush a little bit, and although she ducks her head shyly, her smile reassures that she's not as uncomfortable discussing it as her fiancé.
"He's trying," she says. "It was difficult after Halloween for a while. When he was ill he didn't want anyone close, and…" Her eyes stare into the distance and she goes quiet for a moment. When she focuses again she looks back to Harrowheart. "I think he was embarrassed afterwards. But he's still trying. Sometimes we go for walks, and we watch movies together."
She rolls her eyes and grins. "There as so many movies he hasn't seen."
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He flashes a smile to hear that Runa's cracking Viatorus' shell. Just as soon as his brush touches her nose she mentions all the movies Viatorus doesn't know and he pulls back abruptly. "Oh, I know!" he says, crossing one arm over his stomach and resting his elbow on the back of that hand.
The paint brush flops to point at Runa and he says, "Isidor too! She ain't even seen Beauty and the Beast. Can you believe that?" Harrow clucks his tongue and shakes his head and only then remembers that he's got to learn to do makeup and chat at the same time. He leans in once more and returns to painting Runa's face. A streak on the nose, one on each cheek, a line across the forehead. Chin? Lip? Hmm... First he'll spread what he's got on and see how far that takes him.
Turns out he's placed enough to cover her face, but what harm could a second coat do? He's pretty sure he can still see her pores. That means he needs more, right? Juuuust a little bit here and there... And here again... Around the curves of her nostrils, around her lips... Good, good, nice and uniform. Smooth.
So what comes next? Once more he's considering his options on the vanity. "You ever watch scary movies with him?" he asks absently as his hand hovers uncertainly over a circle of blush. "You oughta try that. Somethin' that ain't really scary, but you pretend to be scared anyway. Act like you need him to save you. That'll make him feel real good I bet. Powerful, useful, whatever he figures a husband oughta be."
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Harrowheart's suggestion is met with a thoughtful hum. "Mm, no. He doesn't seem to like scary movies very much. We've watched a lot of romances and comedies. It's a good way to laugh together." Her mouth twists until she's unable to suppress her grin. "Have you watched any movies with Isidor?"
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"Oh, loads!" he says as he powders her cheeks. "First was Beauty and the Beast, of course, but then I got her watchin' all sorts of things. Cartoons and murder mysteries, comedies, a movie about a good dragon that helps out a knight... But I think she liked the action movies best. She'd get all excited, and..." He trails off and averts his eyes as shy smile creeps over his face. A few seconds pass before he realizes it's there and in an instant stamps it out, a single blink from warmth and love to dead-eyed nothingness. He's got to keep his composure. He can't let Runa get the
rightwrong idea.That rouge on Runa's face is simply too subtle. Maybe a little bit more. Otherwise who will be able to see his work? The soft bristles skate across her cheeks until he's decided he's through with that and moves on to the most important part of doing makeup: The eyes. She did such a tremendous job with his and he's sure his work won't compare, but that's not going to stop him from trying.
He looks into her eyes for a second or two to judge just what color they are and what he ought to match them with. Blue eye shadow, he decides, ought to make her look good. A bright, electric shock of color to contrast her 'hint' of a blush. Perfect. He dabs a smaller brush against the eye shadow and caaaarefully begins to color her eyelids with it. One at a time, each done just as thick as the rest of her makeup.
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She's a little confused when his expression dies away, but then he's putting on her eyeshadow and she has to close her eyes. But she can't keep them in silence. They are meant to be gossiping, after all.
Her grin grows wide until in blooms into a toothy smile. "So when you were watching an action movie... did you kiss her?"
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"Why would I go and do somethin' like that, huh?"
The palette of makeup is a good distraction and he taps that fine brush into the blue eye shadow again and again, quickly forming a shallow divot. He gradually slows as he begins to realize how incriminating this must look. Instead he finds his lighter and a cigarette in his trouser pocket. As he goes to light his smoke he looks past the tip of it and sees Runa again. He strikes the lighter, but instead of taking the cigarette himself he offers it first to Runa. It's only good manners to share, after all. If she refuses he'll smoke it himself, but if she takes it he'll find himself another.
"Come on, Runa," he says around his cigarette. "You're practically a Durant these days, you know the rules. And besides..."
He picks up the brush again and, calm once more, returns to his work and tries to dust her other eye to match the first. "There's a world for the livin' and a world for the dead, and sometimes that's the end of the story."
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She politely declines a cigarette and does her best not to laugh again in case he takes it the wrong way. Once he's calmed down a bit she feels free to smile a bit wider again.
"Love is a rebel who hates the rules. We can't help who we fall in love with. Besides, you're not dead, you're undead. There's a difference," she tells him with a shrug. "You do have a crush on her, don't you?"
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"You can't tell anyone, okay? I mean it, Runa." He fidgets with his cigarette and with the brush until he sighs heavily and sets down the eye shadow. Might as well try to figure out how to do mascara. He pulls the little bristle brush out of the tube and turns it around as he considers it. This should be easy... Right?...
His shoulders go slack and he watches Runa worriedly. "I mean it," he whispers. "If anyone found out – I mean even Viatorus – she'd be shamed forever. Can you imagine what folks would say if they knew the draugr liked Isidor Durant? Imagine what Poenia would say to her, or all those gossipin' old folks at parties. Then there's the Archon, who'd probably make sure I never saw any of y'all again..."
He shakes his head and leans in to try and glide the mascara brush over her upper eye lashes. It's not ideal, but they are darker now... If chunky.
"Don't even tell Isidor, okay? She ain't allowed to know." The unspoken part being 'that you know, Runa.' It's not a lie if it's only a half-truth, right?...
Suddenly he buries his face in his hands (though his cigarette sticks out between them) and heaves a sigh. "I'm so bad at keepin' it to myself," he groans. "But I can't help it, Runa!" With his face still covered he shakes his head again. "She's so perfect! She's smart and determined and powerful and gorgeous!"
His hands slide down his face but fortunately his makeup doesn't smear. His wide, guilty eyes search Runa's face for answers. In a pathetic whisper he croaks, "What am I gonna do?..."
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"I won't tell anyone. I promise," she assures him softly.
His searching eyes find her looking at him with a face full of sympathy, a gentle smile on her lips. She rests a hand on his shoulder and leans in closer to try and offer some comfort. "Sometimes it's not about doing anything."
With a sigh, she tilts her head and offers him a broader smile. "Life is a messy journey of experiences. Most of them we don't even have control over. I think the important thing is to enjoy what you have."
"There is a Danish concept called Hygge. It's not easy to translate into one word, but... it's about taking pleasure from the simple things in life. Fresh socks, sitting quietly by a cosy fire, drinking and chatting with your friends..." She nudges him lightly. "Sharing a smile with someone you like... I think sometimes that's the best way to live your life. It's a journey. So you should take every piece of happiness you can. You deserve to be happy, Harrowheart, however you can be."
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Eventually he quietly says, "I figure you're right, aren't you? Even if what a person's got ain't everything he wants... It's what he's got. It's all there is. He can enjoy it, or he can suffer."
He lets out a thoughtful little 'hmm' that shakes his shoulders. Then he's leaning in to finish up the mascara on her other eye. It's nearly even, he thinks, and with that his work is done. He sits back, inspects from afar to be entirely sure, and, smiling with a twinge of worry, turns her toward the mirror so that she can see what he's done to her.
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First her eyebrows shoot up and her mouth forms a little 'o'. She didn't even know mascara could clump that much, or that foundation could crack around creases. The last thing she wants to do is insult Harrowheart, so she fills the silence with soft, thoughtful sounds. Leaning in closer, she inspects her face from every angle.
"It's very good for a first attempt," she tells him, doing her best to sound genuine without sounding condescending.
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Harrow looks around her room, fully absorbing the sight of it. It's so warm, so bright, so pleasant. What a wonderful home she has.
"I think..." he begins, his voice distant and his eyes thoughtful... But then his eyes flash with a scheme.
"We oughta party. Drink a lot, dance a little, wreck the general peace and tranquility of this place like young people and draugrs are supposed to. Whaddya say?"
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Standing up, she remembers her new dress and beams brightly, twisting just enough to make the skirt swish around her knees. "And while I'm down I can get us some drinks!"
As it turns out, Luna is just on her way out, suddenly eager to get out of the house after her scare. Harrowheart might hear a squeal as she spots her little sister's new look. When Runa returns it's with a carefully held assortment of food and drink. She explains as she holds up the things precariously gripped by each finger. "You look like a beer man, you sound like a cider man, and I like spirits."
With crisps and dips to help them along, Runa starts by giving Harrowheart a crash course in modern music. Fishing out her brightly colour, customised laptop, the two of them delve into the endless world of music videos and streaming sites. Runa does her best to share dance moves, and happily makes a fool of herself copying what she can from the videos. At one point an utterly giddy Runa insists they sneak downstairs to find Erling. Luna's husband is asleep on the couch yet again. With Harrowheart's help, they 'decorate' his face with a marker and, successful, Runa nearly falls over trying to laugh quietly.
It's a long day of gentle drinking, energetic dancing, makeshift snacks, and as much gossip as they can get out of each other. A long day, but one filled with good memories.