A/N: Here's chapter 2. The part with Marin and Aphrodite? That was kind of based off experience with my friend, who goes by the penname SereneIceDragon on this site. She's very natural when it comes to her appearance (and also a redhead), and I love all sorts of beauty products. Needless to say, she's been forced into wearing makeup and skirts and having her hair done by me several times. Enjoy!
Aiolia frowned as they stepped into Scorpio Temple. The stench was almost as strong there as it had been in Leo.
"Hm. Didn't think the scent would travel this far", Milo commented cheerfully.
Aiolia's stomach flip-flopped and he felt like throwing up again. He wasn't the only one suffering-Kanon's eyes were watering and he was leaning heavily on Shura's shoulder, trying not to put weight on his right leg. Shura and Camus were both grimacing.
"I hate you, Milo", Kanon ground out, his green eyes dancing with a flame that promised slow, painful revenge when this was over.
Shura and Camus nodded in agreement.
"You'll get over it", Milo replied, pulling out two chairs. He helped Shura get Kanon situated on one and motioned for the Gemini Saint to prop his leg up on the other. "It's not like this is your first time getting hit and it was only two strikes this time!"
After the incident with Shaka, Kanon had told Milo he'd gone far enough and had refused to take part in the mission any longer. He had been on his way back to Gemini when two hits from Milo's Scarlet Needle had effectively taken out his right leg. Milo had been serious in his threat that he would punish anyone who tried to escape. Come Hell or high water, they were going to suffer together.
"Alright, first things first. Who here actually owns a suit?"
Aiolia, Kanon, and Shura all stared back at him blankly.
Milo was not surprised. He suspected that he and Camus were the only ones who owned suits.
"We'll have to go into town and visit a suit shop."
"I don't want to wear a suit", Aiolia protested.
The Scorpio Saint rolled his eyes.
"You have to. We're going somewhere real nice tonight. When people go out to fancy places, they wear dresses if they are women and suits if they are men."
"Well, they don't necessarily need suits", Camus pointed out, and for a moment, Aiolia looked hopeful. "Dress pants, a collared shirt, and a tie usually satisfies the dress requirement."
The Leo Saint visually deflated.
"So either way, I have to wear the tie?"
The Leo Saint looked so uncomfortable his comrades almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Then they remembered if he hadn't been so stupid when it came to asking Marin out they wouldn't be in this mess anyway.
"How's your leg, Kanon?", Milo asked.
The Gemini Saint glared at Milo.
"Why don't you look at it and tell me? Oh, should I consider myself lucky that it was just two?"
Kanon swung his legs off the chair and stood up. For a moment, it looked like his leg would give out again, but he managed to stay upright. He turned and started to stalk off, only limping very slightly.
"Where are you going?", Milo demanded.
"I can't exactly go into town with you with my pants soaked in blood, now can I? The bleeding's stopped, so I am going to wrap my knee and change my clothes."
His voice was so sharp, even Milo knew it was best not to question him.
"Can you let go of my hair now, Milo? I am seriously starting to get a headache", Camus muttered.
"No. I'm not letting go until we are actually in town."
Camus decided not to tell Milo that escape would be easier in town, where they were forbidden to use their techniques. He could run a lot faster than the Scorpio under normal circumstances. All he really had to do was make a run for it and hop on a bus. He just needed to be patient.
While the guys were wasting the better part of two hours playing Musical Temples, Marin was quite confused as to why she had been whisked away to Aphrodite's house. The Pisces Saint was frantically going through his closet, searching for something. Even more confusing was why Shaka was lying across a plush-looking sofa, fast asleep.
"Ummm...Aphrodite?", Marin asked curiously. "Can you please explain to me what is going on?"
"Aha! Here it is!", the Pisces Saint declared, ignoring the girl's question.
He came into view a moment later, dragging with him a huge trunk. He flipped the trunk open, revealing enough Victoria's Secrets beauty supplies to stock the shelves of several stores. Lotions, body washes, body spritzers, perfumes, lipsticks, mascaras, blushes, eyeliners, eyeshadows, bronzers, concealers, nail polishes, nail files, and several things Marin couldn't identify filled the trunk to near overflowing.
"Is that your personal collection?", Marin questioned, feeling a little dazed. She had never seen one person with so many beauty products. She didn't even own makeup, used regular bar soap, and had one bottle of perfume she used when she went out to down. Before Athena had eliminated the mask rule, there had been no point in owning makeup since her face had to remain hidden anyway. After the mask rule was eliminated and female Saints were permitted to go without masks, she just hadn't felt the need to wear the stuff. The only person she was really interested in was Aiolia, and she knew he could care less if she wore makeup or not.
"This?", Aphrodite replied, digging through the trunk, taking inventory on its contents. "This is my overflow trunk. I put all the things I am not using in here. He motioned to the closet, and Marin peeked in, to find it lined with shelves full of beauty products. "That is my personal collection."
"Your hands", Aphrodite said. "When was the last time you had a manicure?"
Marin looked down at her hands. Come to think of it, her nails could use some filing down.
"I don't remember", the girl admitted.
"And this hair! We must do something with it!"
"Uhhh..."
Marin really didn't put much thought into her hair. It was a modest length and curly. She usually just let her curls do whatever they wanted, sometimes she'd pull it back in a ponytail.
Aphrodite pulled out a blow-dryer and flatiron, both very pink in color.
"You have electricity in here to be running those things?"
Aphrodite smiled.
"Yes. Lady Athena had electricity and running water installed in the temples."
Marin felt dizzy. She felt worse when Aphrodite pulled out a set of clothes, complete with lacy undergarments, two towels, a bottle of body wash that was apparently "romantic sweet-pea" scented, a new razor, and a body sponge. He then produced from thin air a new toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and mouthwash.
"Now, go through those doors and get yourself bathed and dressed. The shampoo and conditioner are already in the shower. Oh!" the blue-haired beauty added something else to the load in Marin's arms. "Can't forget the lotion and the pumice stone."
The girl stared at him.
"You use the pumice stone to grind away the dead skin on your feet. After you finish showering, you dry off, put on your undergarments, and use the lotion before dressing."
"Sexy Little Things Oh La La?", Marin questioned, nearly blushing at the name on the bottle.
"Just go. Make sure to brush your teeth and don't forget to shave!"
He practically shoved Marin into the bathroom and listened. Once he heard the water going and was sure she was doing as he instructed, he set up his own beauty station. The flat iron and blow-dryer were placed on the table, along with a nail file, nail polish, and makeup. All of it was in soft pinks and browns, colors he knew would compliment the girl's hair and skin colors.
Thirty minutes later, Marin reappeared. She looked over at Shaka, hoping maybe he would be awake and could help her out of this madness, but the Virgo Saint had merely curled onto his side, golden tresses spilling off the sofa and almost onto the floor.
"Did you check him to make sure he doesn't have a concussion?", Marin asked, causing the Pisces Saint to jump.
"He's fine. I drugged him when we got him here, that's why he's still sleeping."
Marin remembered Aphrodite helping Shaka drink some sort of tea when the man had appeared to be waking up.
Before she could question why Aphrodite had drugged the Virgo Saint, she was shoved into a very comfortable chair, her feet propped up on an equally comfortable foot rest. Aphrodite switched the chair on, and immediately, the girl felt her body relax as the chair's massage feature kicked in.
Aphrodite set to work. He started with her face.
"This is an astringent cleanser", he explained as he applied something cold to her face. The concoction made her skin tingle. After a few moments, he wiped it off and applied something else. Her skin tightened and felt like it was crawling.
"That's a clay mask", the Pisces Saint informed her. "It will remove impurities from the skin and shrink your pores."
Marin wanted to ask how much shrinking her pores could possibly do when she was only sixteen, but she felt too relaxed. Aphrodite was currently working on her hands, and he was doing a fine job massaging them with lotion.
It took over an hour, but eventually Marin's hair had been blow-dried and straightened, her hands and feet manicured and pedicured, complete with pale pink polish on her toes and a French manicure on her fingers, and makeup was applied to her face.
The girl stared back at herself in the mirror.
"That's really me?", she asked, taking in the wide brown eyes framed by long lashes. The dusting of pink shadow across her lids really made them pop. Her hair fell in a straight sheet to the small of her back and was far shinier than she could ever recall it being.
"It is. It still looks like you, only better. Makeup was never intended to create a new face. It was intended to enhance natural beauty-if you are not beautiful, then I am afraid all the makeup in the world can't help that", the Pisces Saint replied, giving her a warm smile. "Now, was that really so bad?"
"I suppose not", Marin admitted, looking down at her freshly painted fingernails. "It felt nice, in any case."
Aphrodite's smile widened.
"That's the spirit! Now that you look presentable, the real fun can begin!"
The sparkle in the Pisces Saint's blue eyes immediately brought a feeling of dread back to Marin.
"Real fun?", she asked.
"Why, yes. We have to go into town and pick out a gorgeous cocktail gown for you to wear on your date tonight."
"My...wait, what?"
The girl's brown eyes narrowed.
Aphrodite sighed. This was the last time he agreed to help Milo. The girl really didn't know she was supposed to be going on a date with Aiolia?
"With Aiolia?"
"I'm going on a date with Aiolia?", Marin asked.
"Excuse me a moment, please", Aphrodite said sweetly.
The next thing Marin heard was the Pisces Saint bashing his forehead into the wall.
