Hourly Challenge: Blue

a/n: L is having trouble selling his newest item, and Elma helps him determine why.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft. Spot the original dialogue!

Elma watched with amusement as L dealt with a customer, a problematic one by the looks of it. The tall blue alien was gesturing and exclaiming, lifting a well-formed hand to the sky, probably praising his goods to that level in the process. The customer, an unremarkable brunette, seemed to be struck with incurable giggles. She finally fled the area, her face as bright a pink as L's face was azure. Elma took the opportunity to leave the sidelines and address the merchant.

"Trouble with you newest product?" Elma asked, casting a glance at the item. L had returned it to a place of prominence, atop a crystal pedestal. It resembled an old-fashioned compass or perhaps a smaller Nopon comm device, round and golden and highlighted with tiny bright gems. It was surrounded by several other delicately decorated boxes, none of them bigger than her palm.

"Most of our items sell like large quantities of waffles in front of hungry Nopon, but alas with this line we cannot hook any fish."

"May I take a look?" Elma asked politely.

"Of course, of course!" L snatched up the most recently positioned item and handed it to her with a flourish. "We will let you examine it with your whole heart. Once that is satisfied by our item's obvious qualities, let us also boast about several subtle advancements."

Elma turned the case around in her hands. It was cool and heavy, but not unpleasantly so. She noticed a small tab on the side and pushed it. The top flipped open to reveal a pool of some blue substance. A mirror fit snugly into the lid.

"A compact?"

"Indeed!" L beamed at her. "You are every bit as sharp as your weaponry."

"Flattery indeed," Elma said with a small smile. "May I touch it?" she asked, extending a curious finger. L nodded and she poked the bright blue sample. As soon as she did, she recoiled slightly. The substance had appeared smooth and dry in the box but felt wet and greasy when touched. She rubbed her fingers together and was dismayed to see the small dab smear across all of them, its color undiminished.

"You see?" chirped L enthusiastically. "The coverage is superb, and the color is durable. No need to fear streaks or smudges even in the most inclement weather."

"It's rather oily for eye shadow," Elma said weakly. By now her palm was turning a cheery robin's egg color.

L frowned dismissively. "Nothing of the sort, although we suppose one could use it for that. No, no, it is intended to be the foundation of civilized faces. Guaranteed to outlast Gradivus, the Ridiculously High Healthed."

Elma rubbed her fingers along the back of her other hand. The makeup indeed covered her brown skin smoothly, turning it a soft and lifelike blue. It even highlighted the bumps of her knuckles. "It seems to spread everywhere, that's true."

"It will dry without cracking, and your skin will be sealed in freshness for a minimum of 8 hours. It offers an not insignificant weather resist as well." L plucked the compact from her hand and replaced it with a smaller tube. "Now, if you are more concerned about stun resist, this will make a nice addition." Elma needed no prompting to remove the cap and twist the base. As expected, a small angled lipstick appeared. As expected, it was a deeper blue, not exactly indigo but well past cobalt.

"Would you like us to apply a lick on you?" L offered.

"No, thank you, L." Elma returned the item and waved away his offer of the next product. "L, you realize that these don't exactly match the majority of the many skin tones seen in New Los Angeles."

"But they apply a lovely color, you must agree."

"Perhaps. However, most people prefer something closer to their original version."

"We must say, that seems rather narrow minded." The alien shopkeeper shook his horned head with dismay. "On a planet full of unimaginable possibilities, we wonder why humans do not try a new whirl."

Elma glanced at the twinkling golden cases one last time. "Maybe you'll find customers eventually."

"Indeed! We have heard rumors. You must expand Frontier Nav farther into Oblivia, my friend. You simply must!"

a/n: Please understand: I forgot entirely about blue avatar options (sorry SubspaceWarrior) and more importantly about ... true form Elma ahhhhh! I blame it on a) my hyperfocus on Tree Clan Prone, and more likely b) my hyperfocus on L's abs, the first thing I thought about when reading the prompt, but I couldn't write an entire story about those.

Last two sentences are straight from the wiki on L.