03:06
Scarlett looked into the mirror in the bathroom of the suite she shared with her best friend, Lady Jaye and gave herself a critical once over.
Eyes: Bloodshot, but considering the hour and the stress, that was excuseable and explainable. She reached over and got some eye drops, adding them to her eyes, blinking until the images cleared again. Better. Not great but better.
Hair: Still red, thank God. She inspected it carefully, finding a few strands of pure white. She uncerimoniously pulled them, not even wincing at the sharp pain as she pulled. She was going to have to start dying her hair soon.
Chin: Not looking too saggy. Not as nice as it once was maybe, but not bad. No weird hairs, another small blessing.
Wrinkles: There. She couldn't deny it, there were some. Her pale skin and avoidance of sun was a great help in that department, but nothing could stop time.
Breasts: No major sagging, she could thank her lack of children for that. And somehow they seemed to be getting smaller, which was totally not fair.
Tummy: That at least was still in great shape. She'd never had time to be a couch potato and no pregnancies meant that it all was in the same good shape that she'd left it in several years ago.
Ass: Did she even have one anymore? She craned her neck around to inspect it. At least cottage cheese wasn't taking up residence yet. Yet. She vowed to do extra PT sessions to ensure it never did.
Legs: Always a good feature, seemed fairly untouched still by age. Her knees though creaked more than they used to, and she felt sore sometimes after a big battle.
She pulled her gaze out to take in her whole body. Thirty five. This is what Thirty five looks like. She was scared to think of 40 and 50. But, all in all, thirty five isn't that bad. She could still rock some young stud's world. Maybe. Not that she had much time to cruise the bars for young studs with her job, but a girl could dream.
A pounding came at the door, "Come on out Red. I know it's your birthday, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world stops and I don't have morning duty."
Scarlett adjusted her robe before opening the door, wrinkling her nose at Jaye, "Please, don't say the "B" word."
Jaye snickered, "What? It's barely started, how could it already suck? And aren't you on the 13:00 shift? What in the hell are you doing up this early."
"I couldn't sleep. And it sucks because it is here. Why can't I be some unaging picture? It's not fair to give us bodies and then slowly ruin them with time!" Scarlett lamented as she flopped onto the couch.
Jaye slipped into the bathroom with a grin, "Your life isn't over. You're only thirty five." She paused, sticking her head out then yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANA!" Quickly ducking back into the bathroom to dodge the pillow that Scarlett sent flying to her head.
07:12
She was walking through the chow line later that morning, trying to keep a low profile, not easy to do when you are one of only three women on a military team, and the only one with blazing red hair. She slouched over her tray when suddenly someone came up behind her and put a hat on her head.
As she turned around quickly, reaching up for the hat, a flash went off. "BASTARDS!" She threw the hat off and smacked the man with the camera. "Shipwreck, I'm going to kill you!" It was a plush hat in the shape of a birthday cake, complete with candles, bearing the legacy of 'Happy Birthday'. "Leave me the hell alone guys, ok?"
Assorted snickers came from the breakfast audience. She glared at anyone she could catch laughing, making mental notes of them, planning on punishing them in the training ring later on. Beach Head usually inspired the most fear, but the hand to hand instructor could hold her own in making people's lives miserable.
She slipped over to a table where she would be alone to mope, head down over what passed for food when Roadblock wasn't cooking. She looked up as she heard trays being set down around her. Flint, Duke, Snake Eyes and Cover Girl surrounded her, and except for the masked Snake Eyes, they all wore cheesy grins on their faces.
"Not today guys. Please? I am just so not in the mood for it all." She pleaded with them, knowing that it would likely be totally ineffective.
"Come on Scarlett, it's not that bad!" Cover Girl smiled at her.
"Let's see how you feel when you turn thirty five, Miss Pretty Face."
"Ouch, grumpy grumpy!" Cover Girl grinned and took a mouthful of food.
"She's just jealous Courtney, she wasted the best years of her life on the military and she should have been a model like you," Duke smirked as he teased.
"The best years of my life are not over yet!" Scarlett replied hotly.
"Of course not Scarlett, you are just starting your golden years." Now Flint took his turn at ribbing her.
Scarlett just gritted her teeth, stood up, leaving her tray and stalking out of the mess. She knew they meant well, but some of those digs hit closer to home than she'd like to admit. She left her friends behind whether to laugh further at her expense or try to make amends. Laughter won out and it followed her as she stormed down the hall.
Scarlett looked into the mirror in the bathroom of the suite she shared with her best friend, Lady Jaye and gave herself a critical once over.
Eyes: Bloodshot, but considering the hour and the stress, that was excuseable and explainable. She reached over and got some eye drops, adding them to her eyes, blinking until the images cleared again. Better. Not great but better.
Hair: Still red, thank God. She inspected it carefully, finding a few strands of pure white. She uncerimoniously pulled them, not even wincing at the sharp pain as she pulled. She was going to have to start dying her hair soon.
Chin: Not looking too saggy. Not as nice as it once was maybe, but not bad. No weird hairs, another small blessing.
Wrinkles: There. She couldn't deny it, there were some. Her pale skin and avoidance of sun was a great help in that department, but nothing could stop time.
Breasts: No major sagging, she could thank her lack of children for that. And somehow they seemed to be getting smaller, which was totally not fair.
Tummy: That at least was still in great shape. She'd never had time to be a couch potato and no pregnancies meant that it all was in the same good shape that she'd left it in several years ago.
Ass: Did she even have one anymore? She craned her neck around to inspect it. At least cottage cheese wasn't taking up residence yet. Yet. She vowed to do extra PT sessions to ensure it never did.
Legs: Always a good feature, seemed fairly untouched still by age. Her knees though creaked more than they used to, and she felt sore sometimes after a big battle.
She pulled her gaze out to take in her whole body. Thirty five. This is what Thirty five looks like. She was scared to think of 40 and 50. But, all in all, thirty five isn't that bad. She could still rock some young stud's world. Maybe. Not that she had much time to cruise the bars for young studs with her job, but a girl could dream.
A pounding came at the door, "Come on out Red. I know it's your birthday, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world stops and I don't have morning duty."
Scarlett adjusted her robe before opening the door, wrinkling her nose at Jaye, "Please, don't say the "B" word."
Jaye snickered, "What? It's barely started, how could it already suck? And aren't you on the 13:00 shift? What in the hell are you doing up this early."
"I couldn't sleep. And it sucks because it is here. Why can't I be some unaging picture? It's not fair to give us bodies and then slowly ruin them with time!" Scarlett lamented as she flopped onto the couch.
Jaye slipped into the bathroom with a grin, "Your life isn't over. You're only thirty five." She paused, sticking her head out then yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANA!" Quickly ducking back into the bathroom to dodge the pillow that Scarlett sent flying to her head.
07:12
She was walking through the chow line later that morning, trying to keep a low profile, not easy to do when you are one of only three women on a military team, and the only one with blazing red hair. She slouched over her tray when suddenly someone came up behind her and put a hat on her head.
As she turned around quickly, reaching up for the hat, a flash went off. "BASTARDS!" She threw the hat off and smacked the man with the camera. "Shipwreck, I'm going to kill you!" It was a plush hat in the shape of a birthday cake, complete with candles, bearing the legacy of 'Happy Birthday'. "Leave me the hell alone guys, ok?"
Assorted snickers came from the breakfast audience. She glared at anyone she could catch laughing, making mental notes of them, planning on punishing them in the training ring later on. Beach Head usually inspired the most fear, but the hand to hand instructor could hold her own in making people's lives miserable.
She slipped over to a table where she would be alone to mope, head down over what passed for food when Roadblock wasn't cooking. She looked up as she heard trays being set down around her. Flint, Duke, Snake Eyes and Cover Girl surrounded her, and except for the masked Snake Eyes, they all wore cheesy grins on their faces.
"Not today guys. Please? I am just so not in the mood for it all." She pleaded with them, knowing that it would likely be totally ineffective.
"Come on Scarlett, it's not that bad!" Cover Girl smiled at her.
"Let's see how you feel when you turn thirty five, Miss Pretty Face."
"Ouch, grumpy grumpy!" Cover Girl grinned and took a mouthful of food.
"She's just jealous Courtney, she wasted the best years of her life on the military and she should have been a model like you," Duke smirked as he teased.
"The best years of my life are not over yet!" Scarlett replied hotly.
"Of course not Scarlett, you are just starting your golden years." Now Flint took his turn at ribbing her.
Scarlett just gritted her teeth, stood up, leaving her tray and stalking out of the mess. She knew they meant well, but some of those digs hit closer to home than she'd like to admit. She left her friends behind whether to laugh further at her expense or try to make amends. Laughter won out and it followed her as she stormed down the hall.