Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010

http://www.knology.net/~eshoemaker/images/MTilly2005-Mars_makeover.jpg

Something more comfortable

Mars awoke from her slumber thanks to an insistent, delicate hand which shook her shoulder. "Come on, sleepy-head. What I have in store for you is worth a couple centuries of beauty sleep, at least!"

The Maiden of Battles opened one unusually crimson eye. "I thought we agreed to spend the next four days resting, to prepare for the next round of the Game?" She murmured plaintively.

Venus shook her head. "We changed our minds. You shouldn't have fallen asleep so quickly, sweet sister. Now come on, stand up. Let me get a good look at you."

Mars ran a hand through her short, spiky hair, tousling it further. Venus grabbed her sister's hand, pulling her to her feet. Slowly, the Maiden of Serenity circled around her sister, making quiet noises of disapproval. "This will never, never do."

"What won't do?"

"Well... you." Mars looked shocked and hurt, but Venus flashed her a disarming smile. "But don't worry, that's why I'm here."

"...What in Elsewhere are you talking about, sister?"

With a long-suffering sigh, Venus draped her alabaster arm over her sister's broad shoulders."There are so many unhappy virgins in the world, Mars. I cannot bear the thought of you being one of them."

Mars' face flushed the color of molten iron, glowing softly with sheer embarassment.

"Really, dear," Venus continued breezily, "it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just something that needs to be fixed. Fortunately, it falls into my area of expertise. Of course, our dear sisters want in on the action too, but when they give you advice, just remember who is the authority on this subject." The Maiden gave Mars a quick hug, and then pulled up on her shoulders. "You're slumping, dear, it makes you look dowdy."

"DOWDY? I am the totality of conflict and battle-- I am slaughter and sacrifice! I am bloodshed and victory. I am--"

"Slouching, and you need to stop, because it's not pretty."

Mars' looks could, indeed, kill. Fortunately for her sister, they required Saturn's approval in order to do so. "This is absurd."

"Absurdly wonderful! I can't believe we didn't think of this sooner. I mean, you really ARE quite lovely, Mars. You just need a new coat of paint on the battlewagon." With a pat on Mars' behind, Venus ushered her out the door. "Now let's get going. We have an appointment."

"Sister, darling, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the greatest tailor in the entire Cerulean Lute: Deadly Tailor Onizuki."

The god bowed to Mars with a flourish, his hands clicking strangely beneath silken bandages. He turned to Venus, his face aghast. "How can something so powerful be so powerfully drab? My lady, this is an even more dire emergency than you led me to believe!"

"Emergency? Sister, I DEMAND to know what you told him this instant! I will no--" A half-dozen crabs crawled up to Mars and began tugging at her clothes, much to the Maiden's dismay. She shook one off of the her leg, and turned to Onizuki with a horrified expression. "Are these crabs trying to undress me?"

"I must see the bare canvas before I can create a masterpiece," Onizuki demanded, steel-colored eyes glowing with intensity. "Take off your garments or my assistants will do it for you!" He turned on his heel and began to walk away. "You have remained clothed far too long already."

"That's the entire point, Onizuki," lamented Venus.

Onizuki spun around, then flicked his wrists; the silk which had covered his hands fell to the floor in slow, fluttery streamers. The deadly tailor posed dramatically, his long fingers-- made of scissors and needles, thimbles and shears-- all glinting dangerously in the light. His self-satisfied smile drooped into a frown of irritation when he looked over to see Mars still clothed.

"Why aren't you nude?"

Mars blushed and looked at her sister. "Do you mind leaving?"

Venus snorted indignantly. "Of course I mind leaving. I need to see what I have to work with, you know."

Reluctantly, Mars stripped down to her undergarments as Onizuki and Venus regarded her critically. They turned to each other.

"New underclothes as well." Onizuki declared.

"Oh, definitely. Those will NEVER do."

"Behold the brilliance of Deadly Tailor Onizuki! Minions, bring forth the tools with which I shall give birth to genius!" Onizuki clicked his metallic fingers and a large swath of red silk began to move slowly across the floor. Shell scraped across stone, revealing the cloth's mode of transportation.

Mars opened her mouth to say something, but in a moment, Onizuki was inches from her face, pressing the blunt part of a needled finger to her lips. "No, don't speak. Just stand there... perfectly still."

The Maiden repressed the urge to make a face, and simply stared off at a point somewhere in the distance. The sounds in the room were not foreign to her; it was as if minuscule warriors were fighting a battle-- the clash of steel on steel filled the room as needles clacked together, scissors snipped, and pins pierced through fabric. Sprays of incarnadine fabric arched through the air, falling in bloodlike puddles on the floor. Finally, the fabric admitted defeat, and Onizuki stepped back, his face flush with victory.

"Behold the rebirth of beauty!"

Mars shifted uncomfortably, instinctively covering her well-muscled torso with her arm. "Ah... Where's the rest of it, Onizuki?"

The tailor gasped, deeply wounded; the crabs, who had been quietly gathering the scraps of silk, clicked their claws in disapproval, their faces red with embarassment for the Maiden. Venus laid a reassuring hand on Onizuki's shoulder, murmuring soft words of apology. "Do not mind my sister, Onizuki darling-- she would not know beauty if it slapped her across her face." She shot a menacing look to her sister.

"Don't even think about it, Venus. I am NOT in the mood for your--"

There was a near-silent hiss as the crabs pulled down the large sheets which covered the mirrored walls. Mars' face flushed as she carefully examined her reflection, preening and grimacing in equal measure. "It's... lovely, Onizuki, it really is. But how is an outfit like this supposed to protect you during conquest?" She turned slightly, examining the back of the garment. "There's not much to it at all."

With an enigmatic smile Jupiter would have approved of, Venus glided behind her sister, resting alabaster fingers on Mars' exposed collarbone. "It's not to keep you safe in battle. It's to make the opposition tremble."

Mars really couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"So, ladies, what do you think?" A grin, mischevious and decidedly feline, crept across Venus' face as she goaded Mars into a small spin. The Maiden of Battles winced, doing a slow turn.

"I can't believe you're making me do this, sister."

Jupiter eyed Mars critically. "I can't believe you're so thin."

"And so overly-muscled," chimed in Saturn.

"Ladies, please," interjected Mercury with a slight, apologetic smile to her maligned sister. "You look lovely, Mars, you just need a little... polish."

Mars shrugged, then bravely squared her shoulders. "Do your worst, sisters; I surrender. I am at your mercy."

Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn were not paying attention to their sister; they were already deep in discussion.

"Definitely longer hair," said Mercury.

"And get rid of those manly arms!"

"...Definitely do something about her bust."

"What bust?"

The Maidens cackled, and Mars looked down, a spark of horror lighting in normally confident eyes as her body began to shift, transforming before her eyes. Thick tresses tumbled down her back, pulsating between a sparkling blonde and a deep crimson as two of her sisters bickered. Muscles tensed, then lessened, slight layers of fat turning mannish lines into feminine curves. She felt her height shrink, and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself into ignorance until the whole ordeal was finally through.

"I... I..." The Maiden of Battles stared at her reflection, speechless.

"Don't you look lovely!" Squealed Venus.

"I still say we should have made her blonde," muttered Mercury.

"I look... short," stated a baffled Mars. "And... soft."

"Petite and feminine," corrected Jupiter, who recieved a withering glare in return. Mars' eyes returned to her reflection, and then fell unhappily to her chest.

She sighed, shaking her head in despair. "My breastplate is NEVER going to fit."

Venus raised a delicate eyebrow. "Sister dear, if you insist on wearing armor to your dinner tonight after the lovely outfit Onizuki made..."

"...My dinner?"

Venus glanced back at her sisters. Mercury stifled a giggle, and Jupiter smiled blankly. Only Saturn shot an encouraging grin Mars' way.

Mars sat quietly at the mother-of-pearl table, fidgeting as she took in the sumptuous decor surrounding the dining alcove of the Heart of Joy. Venus had insisted that Mars dine at her home; it was not fitting for the Incarna to be seen at one of the local eateries, and being Venus, she claimed her home was the most romantic place that had ever existed. Mars sighed, despairing at the thought of her sisters' scheming and the blind date which would begin at any moment.

The candlelit room lost its sensual glow as it was flooded with daylight. Mars stood, blushing furiously, as the Unconquered Sun strode in, his confidence betrayed by a slight glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. "Oh, hello." His eyes brushed past Mars for a moment, before returning to settle on her. His voice got infinitesimally higher. "Mars?"

She shifted her weight. "Yes. It's a pleasure, Sol." Flustered, she gestured helplessly around the room. "Let's sit down."

"Right." Sol Invictus shot a wary look at the seemingly-delicate chair across from Mars, and reluctantly sat. He let out a sigh of relief as the chair held, creaking quietly under the weight of his armor. "Oh, yes." He looked down at the bundle his lower pair of arms was holding, and held it out across the table. "I, ah, brought you a gift."

Mars delicately unwrapped the package, her eyes widening. "Are these Chiaroscuran glass?" she asked, picking up a knife, the clear blade sending prisms of color dancing across the walls.

"Yes. There are a dozen of them, they're perfectly balanced." The god looked troubled. "I hope you like them. I thought they'd be suitable, but perhaps I should have brought flowers?"

The maiden blushed. "No, really. They're perfect." She smiled, the expression transforming her face with genuine pleasure; suddenly, the smile became clouded with confusion. "Why would you think I'd prefer flowers?"

"Well, because you look..." As the Unconquered Sun trailed off, Mars averted her eyes, her fingers instinctively tangling self-consciously in foreign auburn tresses. "No, I mean, you look nice. Good. You look good." He scratched the back of his head, bemused, while drumming his other fifteen fingers on the table. "It's just that-- well, I've always thought you looked good. Nice, I mean. You look nice." His bronze face reddened slightly. "Especially when you're being yourself."

Mars flashed a relieved, nearly coquettish smile. "That's so lovely of you to say, Sol. It means a lot to me."

"It's true."

Mars glanced back toward the bedroom. "So... Would you mind if I changed into something a little more comfortable?"

"Go right ahead."

Thanking her date, Mars stood and strode toward the bedroom, demanding her sister's servants take her to her armor right away.

Peering through the window, Mercury turned to her sister. "This was certainly unexpected. She's turning this into a disaster!"

Venus put her arm around Mercury, leading her away from the manse. "Not at all. I think, if Fate smiles, our favorite Maiden may not be a maiden for long."

Comments

I love it! "Mars' looks could, indeed, kill. Fortunately for her sister, they required Saturn's approval in order to do so." Great! So funny!
-- BrilliantRain