It was in the early hours of the morning that Dr. Jekyll had slithered into the society, careful so as not to alert any of the potentially alert lodger's to his late (or rather, early) arrival. A bag had been clenched firmly within one hand, and his gaze trailed to and fro, making sure the coast was clear.
"Mornin' Doctor J!"
Jekyll quite nearly jumped out of his skin when the woman's voice resounded through the main hall.
"You're up and about rather early! What are you up to?"
Henry was intent to keep his back turned to the girl as his mind raced for some excuse to explain his early morning walk of shame, as he would like to call it, anyhow. He regretted the decision to go in the defensive as soon as it left his mouth but there was no way he could retract.
"I could ask you the same thing." He paused after that, cracked a nervous grin despite the fact she could not see such. "Why do you suggest that I am up to something?"
Rachel flashed a smile of her own, and thin arms found themselves crossing over her chest.
"I wasn't born yesterday, Henry. I have a little brother and I've seen that walk a hundred times before."
Henry tugged at the collar of his shirt before releasing a rather lengthy sigh. It was only a matter of time before he was caught, he supposed it was better sooner than later. Besides, this would at least grant him an extra pair of hands.
"Rachel, would you do me a favor if I asked?"
"Of course! I mean, within reason. I don't want to have to lie to the coppers or anything."
Henry did find himself laughing, if only the slightest, at her comment. His head gently shook to and fro afterwards.
"No, no it is certainly nothing along those lines." He paused after that, his grip around the bag tightening.
"Tell me you are not going to laugh."
"What? Why would I lau-"
When Henry turned to finally face her she pursed her lips. A dark bruise had blossomed around the doctor's right eye and it had taken Rachel completely by surprise. It wasn't the injury that casued for amusement, but rather the injured look he gave; there was a definitive strike to his pride. She managed to suppress her giggles and carefully cleared her throat while lessening the distance between them.
"What happened? Oh, don't tell me it was something embarrassing!"
"Hyde is what happened." Henry sighed, and his self consciousness rose through the roof the longer she stared.
This comment had surprised the woman, and her brows shot up towards the sky.
"Lord, Mr. Hyde! Don't tell me he-he didn't hit you, did he?"
"No! No, no of course not."
Rachel exhaled an over exaggerated sigh of relief with his admission, and as if to accentuate the feeling, she wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead.
"I couldn't imagine he would! Especially considering he works for you and all. I mean, I know he has a temper but I couldn't imagine it was him. Anyway, what did happen, then?"
"Can we talk about this in my office? I would rather no one else over hear."
"Of course!"
By the time they had arrived at Jekyll's office Rachel felt as if she were foaming at the mouth for the details. In contrast, Jekyll had been somewhat resigned to speak and took to placing the products he had bought across his work space. He took a glance back at the girl bouncing on her heels. She had been patient and he had told her he would divulge. After awkwardly clearing his throat, and a deep breath, he turned and spun his story.
"I was out with Hyde last night. To clear my mind. What a dreadful decision." He could hear the taunts and laughter from the man but continued without skipping a beat. "You of all people know how he is. We ran into these incredibly intoxicated individuals and they were-troublesome to say the least. Hyde picked a fight and before long they were at each other's throats. Now, so as not mistake what I say, Hyde is a strong man and he can take care of himself, but he was in no way prepared for a second man to take him from behind."
"Oh, do go on, doctor. You have me on the edge of my seat." Hyde purred in his ear, causing Henry to swallow the lump in his throat.
"I tried to diffuse the situation but-well, you can see how that ended."
He carefully watched her face, trying to determine whether or not she bought the story. When her expression shifted he could breath easy.
"Aw, Doctor J! You don't look like much of a fighter." She smiled despite her words. "Is Hyde okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, he is fine. A little worse for wear but he would tell you that you should have seen the other man." The blond beamed with pride at the statement, but Henry was quick to change the subject.
"As for the favor," he began carefully, and finally his gaze moved away from her.
"You see, I have a banquet to attend tonight. I cannot exactly show up looking the way I do now, so I was wondering if, perhaps, you could-"
"You're going to try and wear makeup!"
Henry flushed at her statement and quickly flew towards the door, head poking out to make sure no one had heard her out burst before shutting it tight and moving back to his small supply.
"Yes, unfortunately. I cannot use the typical cover women tend to use because, well, I never have before and, let us be honest, I would look absolutely ridiculous. I was wondering if you would be able to help me."
Rachel beamed at the question and for some reason it caused Henry some concern.
"Would I! Take a seat! Let me see what I can do!"
Henry complied, and Rachel moved to get a closer look at the damage. There wasn't much she could do with the lighting in the room, and so she glided over to the window and pulled back the curtains. The morning sun was bright, and it briefly blinded him. It was then she had him swing around into the light so she could get a better look.
It was in the light of morning that she could see the extent of the damage. Aside from the mix of purple and blue around his eye, she could see just how exhausted he looked. She also noted the small bruise forming on the corner of his jawline. She hummed thoughtfully with that and moved to grab at the required materials they would need.
Henry described what she needed to mix and Rachel took it upon herself to blend until she achieved a color she was satisfied with. She had only a small sponge to work with, but she promised to do her best with what she had. When she began to pat the mixture onto the affected area Henry winced and she breathed a gentle apology before continuing.
It was only moments later did a smile bloom across her face.
"And what is it you find so amusing?" Henry questioned, though there was no malice in his voice.
"Well, I was just thinking. You seemed to know how to make this pretty fast."
"I did."
"And it's not what the ladies usually wear."
"It's not."
"So, I'm thinking you were researching makeup all night so you could make this."
"I was."
Rachel let our a giddy laugh with his response, all too amused with the scenario. She stopped her application for a moment and, instead, stared at Jekyll for a few fleeting moments.
"Find anything interesting?"
Henry smirked back at the girl and after a few moments, she resumed her work.
"I did, actually. The use dates all the way back to Greek and Roman times, did you know that? They used a lot of-interesting ingredients, to say the least. They went for a more natural look than anything. A lot of work to look like no work at all. Natural beauty by unnatural means." He smirked once more and Rachel returned the look.
"I sure hope you don't get hooked on the makeup world, Henry. You're a natural beauty. Any man would be thrilled to have you."
"You're too kind, Rachel. I'll make sure you are the maid of honor in the wedding."
She replied with another bubbly chuckle before giving an actual response.
"What do you think Robert would say if he knew you were wearing make-up?"
Henry paled at the suggestion.
"I planned on keeping this a secret from Robert, actually. I can't imagine he would take kindly knowing I was involved in a brawl. You know him."
She did and it would ensure her silence.
It didn't take much longer for Rachel to finish her work. She cheerfully announced she was done which lead Jekyll to pick himself up. She followed him over to the mirror and proudly proclaimed a 'Ta-daa!' when he finally had the chance to take a look at her work.
A concerned expression passed his features. While the job wasn't particularly bad, it was very obvious the bruise lay underneath. Rachel pursed her lips, debating on how she would fix the situation. Her hands placed themselves on Henry's arms and she forced a smile to cross her face.
"Okay, it's not the best, but I can definitely fix it! Let's just try again."
"I think I should just cancel tonight." Henry left her side and slowly slid back into his chair. He retrieved a handkerchief and began wiping away the caked makeup on his face.
"What! No, don't cancel! People will probably be worried. You never cancel on anyone!"
"I know that but how am I supposed to go out looking like this!"
Rachel picked at her brain for some form of a solution. All she came up with was a timid smile and a very gentle word;
"Goggles?"
"Looks like I will be staying in for the night, then!"
"Oh, you can't do that! It will eat you up! Hmm-oh!" Rachel was bristling again, and began hopping on her heels once more.
"Henry, why would you be ashamed of that black eye?"
"Hm? I told you."
"There's no shame in it!" She chimed, leaving Henry with a blank expression.
"I'm afraid I don't follow."
"Henry, you were defending Mr. Hyde! How could you have done anything more noble! Those thieves didn't know what hit them!"
There was a brief moment the two stared at each other, Rachel smiling all the while. A very thin smile soon veiled Henry's own lips.
"While that is a brilliant proposal, there is no way Hyde will go along with that."
"Well he fought too, didn't he? Besides, tell him I'll make him something special if he goes along."
"Something special?" The spirit echoed. "Like what? What is that supposed to mean?" Although he tried to play it cool it was more than obvious Hyde was excited by the notion. No doubt he would comply.
"Very well. But you have to stick to the story as well."
"I will! Cross my heart!" She mimicked her words by crossing an x over her heart with a pointed finger.
Henry smiled warmly in response and a very gentle laugh escaped him.
"What would I do without you, Rachel?"
"I don't know, Henry. You're lucky to have me."
He laughed again, dropped his handkerchief on his desk.
"I certainly am."