" 35, Spring, 514 AV " Just after the Dusk Rest had passed, Winona had pocketed around 10 Kina and left the rest of her money sewn within Lorettana's mattress. It had been six days they first entered Lhavit and Winona had been searching left and right for something to stimulate her easily spurred mind. Lorettana wouldn't mind if she decided to explore the city so she might as well find something to do. Perhaps she would go to the Springwater Square within Shinyama Peak. Lorettana told her that she heard from many citizens that it was where everyone liked to celebrate at night. However, instead of feeling excited, she felt perplexed. She fingered her wily hair, threading it into one long braid ![]() going out tonight... She might as well try to fix herself up? Suddenly, Winona felt her body tense. Looking around self-consciously, she snuck out a small crayon of Kohl she had bought a day ago without telling her guardian. All the Lhavitians looked so extravagant with makeup and jeweled clothing while she... Well, she was just there. She never really cared about her looks but being so different in such a large city made her feel out of place. Winona felt raw emotions of insecurity... Something that she never really felt before. The city may be absolutely perfect for Lorettana but... Winona was more of a nature gal that belonged in the dry, hot desert where the pressure for beauty was non-exsistant. She glanced at the piece of black makeup in her hand, trying to picture how the other girls had worn it within her mind. Most of them lined their eyes with little wings at the end but Winona wasn't skilled enough to make it even. Before she could start, she hesitantly took Lorettana's blanket and dipped it in a bowl of water. She rubbed her face hard, wiping her tribal stripe clean off. She even cried a little bit when she did. This was the first time she had ever taken it off since she left her tribe. Her heart started to race as she pulled out the small hand mirror that Lorettana hid under her pillow. Her throat felt lumpy as she tried to swallow down her appearance. Her face looked so... Naked. Winona's regret increased when she tried her first attempt to line her eyes, looking smudgy and foreign. Why did she even feel self conscious in the first place? Maybe, she was finally growing up. She just took a bit longer to realize that she wanted to be pretty like most teenage girls felt around thirteen. She wiped her eyes again, her skin feeling sore from her rough scrubbing. Winona felt a bit frustrated as well, trying to line her eyes all pretty like the other women. Their mothers must have trained them when they were younger because it was a lot harder than it looked. The awkward chaktawe flung the piece of kohl on the floor irritably. She crossed her arms as she slumped her shoulders. Maybe she shouldn't even go out. Maybe she should just stay inside like Lorettana did when the moon was out. But then, she took a moment to think about her sweet guardian. Lorettana wouldn't want Winona to hide away, she'd want her to go out and have fun. Safe fun of course. This motivated her to pick up the kohl again, contradicting herself all the way. After numerous tries, she finally concocted a random smokey ![]() know how she did it, but she didn't care. It looked good enough to her and didn't feel like trying again. She peered into the hand mirror, slowly turning her head side to side for different angles. Winona's lips stretched into a tormented smile. She kind of liked the new look, but she still felt her heart ache from the removal of her tribal stripe. She glanced over at her bags, sifting through it to find her family heirloom ![]() right in the middle. Winona wrapped it around her neck, clicking it together in the back. She glanced back into the mirror. Much better, she didn't look too bare. She actually felt pretty. Time to go out... Winona wasn't sure what she would do once she arrives at Springwater Square. All she knew was... She had to get out of the house before Lorettana could come home and see the mess she made. She was so going to kill her for leaving a huge black stain on her blanket! |