Earlier that afternoon, Coran and Allura had rummaged through storage for whatever formal attire they could find that seemed like they would fit. Color-coded for each paladin because, in the words of Pidge, what were they, animals? Several options ended up being placed on their bunks so they had the freedom to pick something they liked best. By the time the team finished training, they would have just enough time to clean up and change before the Castle would land on their host's homeworld.
It was an event that Pidge had been dreading for the past seven quintants. Being in the spotlight had made her uncomfortable from a young age. That, compounded with the fact that they needed to win over this planet before the galra got to it, made her stomach knot up. There was another reason, however: the delegates of prior negotiations had seen the green paladin as a boy. She had sat there, fidgeting nervously in her seat, a deep sense of wrongness clouding her thoughts. Of course, she never spoke up about it for fear of offending their potential allies. Not that it made her cringe any less.
This time, she was determined to keep it from happening in the first place. The clothes laid out for her included a long shirt and pant combination, and a dress and cropped coat. She mulled it over for a few moments before Practical Pidge finally won. If a battle were to break out, a dress wouldn't be nearly as easy to fight in. However, this was a formal ball that they were attending, so maybe the dress would do better at hiding her two left feet… No, Pretty Dress Lover Pidge would have to wait for a more peaceful planet. Besides, the suit was still fairly feminine.
She combed out all the tangles from her shower-damp hair, then teased it until it returned to its usual state of fluff. Looking in the mirror, she nodded in approval; time to apply the finishing touch.
Allura was talking with Hunk and Coran on the observation deck. As usual, she was immaculate, not a thread out of place. It was honestly a bit intimidating.
"Uh, Princess," the paladin piped up. When Allura turned her attention to her and smiled, she asked, "Do you have a few minutes to spare?"
"Of course, Pidge. What is it?" she replied easily.
"Well, I was wondering if, maybe, you could do my makeup for tonight?" Her voice unconsciously got higher and more imploring with every word.
Allura's whole face lit up with unfettered joy. Bouncing on the balls of her feet several times, she let her grin engulf her. "Come with me."
Pidge yelped as the princess took her hand and half-led, half-dragged her out of the room.
"First, we need to find your color. Luckily, many nobles also spent time in the Castle while traveling to diplomatic summits. There should be some things left over."
Watching Allura root through a drawer that spanned the length of the sink, Pidge wondered how viable ten thousand year old makeup was. Her mom had told her that expired makeup would make her break out. Then again, Allura was using it and her skin didn't have a single blemish. Maybe Alteans designed it not to expire? Did their species even get acne?
Then the princess was swatching different shades of Pidge's cheek. Her eyes squinted and the tip of her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth in deep concentration. She let out a satisfied little "Ah!" when she found a match.
"This should work nicely. Go clean that off while I find everything else."
Nodding, Pidge headed back to her own bathroom, giving a thumbs-up when Allura called after her to remember to use moisturizer. She ended up needing a washcloth to get the makeup all the way off; she probably scrubbed her face a little harder than she should have, too. Finding the moisturizer took a few minutes, as she'd never bothered to use it before. Once she slathered some on her face, however, she decided to incorporate it into her bare-bones care routine, 'cause dang did her skin feel good.
Allura's sink top was decked out with more cosmetic products than she'd ever seen in one place when she returned. Clasping her hands together, the princess grinned from ear to ear and declared it was time to begin. She beckoned Pidge to sit on a stool next to her, then pulled her hair out of the way with a headband. Having seen her mom put on the stuff daily, the green paladin was able to recognize most of what was on the counter, despite the labels all being in Altean. The only part that unnerved her was that she'd just handed the reins over to someone else, and had no control of what went on.
"You have such a clean complexion," Allura remarked as she smeared liquid foundation across her face with a sponge. "It really only needs some concealer under the eyes to smooth things over." She did that next, followed by a few more swipes of the foundation applicator to blend it in.
Next, she tapped some pink powder onto the biggest, fluffiest brush in her arsenal. "Smile for me? Perfect." The rouge was dusted upwards from the apples of her cheeks to roughly a few centimeters below her temples. "Do you have a preference on which color shadow I use?" she asked as she opened up her largest palate.
Pidge's eyes bugged out at the sheer amount to choose from. Ballpark estimate was around a hundred or so. Sensing her confusion, the princess suggested, "A soft bronze would make your irises pop."
"I trust you," she replied slowly. The color pointed at was actually quite elegant, with flecks of gold contrasting the umber undertones. Closing her eyes, she let Allura work her magic while simultaneously willing her eyes not to water.
"Keep them closed; I'm just going to apply some mascara to the top lashes." Then her eyes did water, but it was quickly dabbed away with a tissue.
For the final step, a tube of lipstick was brought out. "This is somewhat darker than your lips, but it should look very natural."
The substance felt creamy; Pidge had to resist the urge to lick it off. Sitting back on her stool, Allura clasped her hands together with pure admiration in her expression. She gestured impatiently for the younger girl to inspect herself in the mirror. When she did, the green paladin almost gasped out loud. Professionals had nothing on Princess Allura. Each minute detail blended together and flowed like a perfect sequence of code. And it all made the green paladin feel like a million bucks. She could easily go to one of those red carpet shows in Hollywood with this. Now her eyes threatened to water for a different reason.
Turning to her, she said, "Allura, I… thank you."
"It was no trouble; in fact, I enjoyed this," came the earnest response. "It's nice to have someone else to do fun girly things with." Then she winked. "You will make all the young noble girls swoon."
Pidge giggled bashfully, taking a deep breath. Then the two stood up and made their way back to the observation deck to show the others.
The boys showered her with enough compliments to cause her whole face to burn scarlet. It was so validating, though, so she graciously accepted it all.
Hunk and Lance, decked out in their own fancy outfits, assumed positions on either side of her, leaning in and offering their arms. "May we escort the fair lady to the dance?" Lance inquired, voice mock-serious. Hunk waggled his eyebrows encouragingly at her.
"You guys are dorks," she laughed, but nonetheless she accepted. The other planets' delegates may not always see her as she really was, but that didn't phase her at the moment. There was a smile on her face, a warmth in her heart, and the knowledge that, no matter what, she would always find acceptance here.
A battle did break out. It was epic. Consequently, however, Pidge was too exhausted to remember to wipe off the cosmetics before face-planting into her pillow. The next battle was not between two warring cities, but between Lance and Pidge's problem skin. It was decidedly less epic.