When she set her mind to something, Trixie was like a force of nature that just couldn't be stopped. She dragged Judy into her dressing room, shoved her into a chair, then scampered off to close the door and turn on the lights around the vanity. Judy had to fight down a rising tide of panic as she was backed into a situation she'd never experienced. Her instincts told her to flee, but her rational mind beat them back as she took in the room. It was a well-lit room with a sofa, a coffee table, and a vanity with enough makeup supplies to cover up every female in Judy's family. She reached out trembling fingers to pick up a bottle and stared at it.
"No! Not that one!" Trixie exclaimed, startling Judy so that she dropped the bottle. "Dress first! Then makeup! Haven't you ever done this before?"
"No," Judy said, her voice small.
"No?" Trixie stopped and stared at her. "Really?"
"I was a romper growing up," Judy replied.
"A… romper?" Trixie asked, approaching with a thoughtful expression. "I'm afraid I don't know what that is, darling."
"I was outdoors with the boys all the time. Out in the fields growing carrots and blueberries. I never liked dressing up with my sisters and doing makeup."
Trixie laughed. "A tomboy, darling. We call them tomboys."
"Tomboy then."
"Well, Judy dear, it's time for you to embrace your femininity! You will be gorgeous. Now slip this on."
It was then that Judy noticed the garment bag draped neatly over the vixen's arm. With great trepidation, she gingerly took the bag. Then she remembered the bet and shook her head. She would stand firm. Nick wouldn't win this one. She pushed the bag back at Trixie.
"I'm afraid I'll be staying in uniform, Ms. Foxx."
"Call me Trixie," the vixen replied. "And it simply won't do. Put on the dress."
The last sentence was an order the likes of which Judy had never heard before. Even Chief Bogo didn't give orders like that. Judy found herself being ushered behind a partition to change. She fumbled the bag and hung it on a hook then slowly began to take off her uniform. She had trouble pulling everything off, and she felt very exposed. She quickly pulled the dress out of the bag and was startled into stillness.
Without a doubt, this was the most expensive dress she had ever touched. It was made of taffeta with several chiffon layers covered in sparkling beads. She was unsure of how to even get it on.
"Everything okay, darling?" Trixie asked.
"Um… how do I get it on?" she squeaked, afraid the vixen would come around and see her practically naked.
"There's a small zipper in the back. I'll zip you up once you have it on."
Relieved that she could mostly do it herself, she carefully unzipped the back and stepped into the smooth fabric, pulling it up onto her small frame. She slipped her left arm into a small sleeve that covered her shoulder, wider than a spaghetti strap, and searched for the other one. The dress was fancier than she thought as she realized it was the kind with only one sleeve. Clamping her arms nervously against her chest to make absolutely sure the loose dress wouldn't come down, she came out from behind the partition. Trixie swooped in at once.
"Let's get you zipped up so I can see how fabulous you are!"
She turned the bunny around and zipped her up in one smooth movement. She didn't even catch Judy's fur, which was something even Judy sometimes did with back zippers. Then she spun her back around and took several steps back. Trixie's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together.
"Breathtaking, darling! Breathtaking! Now you just wait a moment, and I'll change into my dress."
And to Judy's embarrassment, the vixen began to strip right there. When she noticed Judy's face, she laughed.
"Sorry darling. I forgot. When you act in movies and theatre, you must change clothes quickly sometimes. I'm used to stripping around other females. I'll go back here if you'll just hand me that garment bag."
The vixen hurried behind the partition, and Judy relaxed then headed over to grab the garment bag. She carefully carried what was no doubt a very expensive garment over and stuck it around the partition.
"Here."
"Many thanks, darling. You go and sit in the vanity chair. I'll be right there. Brush your fur while you're there. Don't be afraid to use my brush. I clean it every time."
"Okay," Judy said, a bit dazed by the bigness of the vixen's personality.
She went and hopped into the chair. The dress she wore was obviously made for bunnies and only bunnies. Though it was long, it had splits down the side to accommodate hopping and scurrying. She didn't get tangled in the long skirt, and she stood in the chair to see herself. What she saw was a frightened bunny with big eyes staring back. She hardly recognized herself in such finery.
"Don't you look fabulous, darling?" Trixie asked as she came back around the partition.
"You do," Judy said honestly.
Trixie wore a shorter dress than she did. It was a rich, dark purple dress that went down to just above her knees. The sleeves were made of sheer fabric and puffed out a bit, though it was tight against her wrists. Sparkling silver beads were scattered here and there across the body of the dress, and the neck plunged down a bit too far for Judy to even consider wearing it.
"And so do you, Judy! You must be confident in your beauty. Come now. Say it with me: I am beautiful."
Judy snorted as she turned back to the mirror. The bunny looking back at her was very pretty, but beautiful?
"Say it!"
Judy flushed. "I am beautiful," she murmured shyly.
"Louder, darling, louder!" Trixie ordered. "You are bold! You are confident that you are beautiful!"
"But I'm not…"
Trixie huffed. "No, darling, you are beautiful." Trixie marched over and placed her paws on Judy's shoulders. "Look at that fluffy, healthy fur. Look at those bright, beautiful purple eyes. Look at that gorgeous, fit, strong body. You are beautiful, Judy! Say it loud and say it proud. You are beautiful!"
Judy watched as she straightened up in the mirror at each piece of praise. She was beautiful, wasn't she?
"I am beautiful," she said, and she was surprised by the confidence in her tone.
"Louder!"
"I am beautiful!" Judy proclaimed and beamed at herself in the mirror.
"Exactly darling! Exactly!" Trixie crowed. "Now brush that fur while I get everything ready."
Judy picked up the brush and carefully began to run it through her fur until it was smooth and shone in the light. Trixie was picking out some things and placing them in two different groups on the table. When she was finally satisfied with Judy's fur, she took the brush and cleaned it then set it back on the vanity.
"Now, darling, let's get you made up. Hold still."
Judy was pushed into the seat and the fox's steady hands hovered over her. Judy flinched back.
"What are you doing?" the rabbit demanded, holding the hands back.
Trixie looked stunned and straightened. "I'm going to put eyeshadow on you. I think a nice purple to match your eyes would be fabulous."
"Oh…" Judy sat up and looked embarrassed. "Sorry."
"It's quite alright. I'm going to use this brush," she held up the eyeshadow brush, "and color the fur on your eyelids purple. Is that okay?"
The explanation helped to calm Judy's nerves, and she nodded. "Yes. Do I close my eyes?"
"Lightly. Don't squeeze them," Trixie said. "Now, I'm going to touch you."
Her clawed fingers lightly touched Judy's face and she began to carefully color the bunny's eyelids. First she brushed the color against the grain of her fur to work the powder deep into the fine fur. Then she brushed with the grain, smoothing out the crumpled fur with sure strokes. She pulled back and observed her work.
"Blink, darling," she commanded. "Then look at me."
Judy obeyed. Trixie clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"Not good enough. Close." She repeated the process then checked again. "Much better. Other side now. You're doing fabulous darling. And it will be worth it."
Trixie carefully brushed the eyeshadow on Judy's other eyelid, repeating the process as soon as she was done without checking. Then she stood back and studied Judy.
"Look at me." Judy opened her eyes, which were so perfectly accentuated by the purple eyeshadow that Trixie grinned. "Yes! Perfect!"
"So we're done?" Judy asked.
"With the eyeshadow. On to the mascara."
"Is that the stuff you put on your eyelashes?"
"Of course." Trixie picked up the tube of mascara. She unscrewed the top and pulled out a brush that looked like some kind of torture device.
"And we do this… how?" Judy asked, eyeing the brush with great misgiving.
Trixie smiled, her demeanor soft even as she boisterously laughed. "Here. Watch."
Trixie took the brush and faced the mirror. Judy watched the vixen's reflection carefully run the bristles of the brush through her eyelashes. They looked much fuller after one pass, but Trixie brushed several times until it was perfect. Then she dipped the brush back into the tube and did the other eye. She blinked and looked critically at herself in the mirror then nodded.
"It's as simple as that darling. And isn't it a nice effect?"
"It does look very nice," Judy admitted.
"Now settle back and let me work. Eyes closed and be very still. It's a pain to get this out of fur without ruining the eyeshadow."
Trixie touched Judy's face again and carefully brushed the mascara into the rabbit's eyelashes, which were already quite full. She meticulously did both eyes, her movements careful and deliberate as the bristles ran along the soft fur. When she pulled back, she narrowed her eyes and looked intently at Judy.
"Open, dear," she murmured. "Let me see the full effect."
Judy obeyed, blinking at the fox as her face lit up. "What?" she asked self-consciously.
"Those purple eyes are stunning darling!" Trixie exclaimed. Look at yourself. You're so lucky to have purple eyes!"
Judy did look, and she was startled by how her eyes popped. The purple didn't clash with the red of her dress, instead it enhanced her eyes and made her look almost mysterious. She smiled, her face warming as pleasure filled her. She did look beautiful. Trixie beamed at her.
"One more touch of makeup, darling. A bit of lipstick will make everything perfect."
Judy nodded absently, still mesmerized by how different she looked. Trixie handed her a brand-new tube of very expensive lipstick.
"I got this for you. I don't mind sharing most makeup, but not lipstick. Now, watch carefully and copy me."
Trixie opened the lipstick and pressed it to her mouth. She carefully outlined her lips with a purple lipstick then pressed them together until it formed a perfect outline of full lips. Judy did her best to copy her, but she did get some on her fur. Trixie smiled.
"I have wipes. Hold still." Trixie leaned over and wiped away all the lipstick. "Now try again. We have plenty of time, and you must get it right in case you need to reapply it."
Judy obeyed. It took two more attempts before she got it right, and the effect was stunning. She had never looked or felt so beautiful before. Trixie quickly and expertly applied her own eyeshadow, a shade of red that exactly matched Judy's dress. When she was satisfied, she turned to look over Judy.
"Accessories," she said decisively.
The vixen turned and pulled out a jewelry box. She opened it and peered inside, her lips pursing as she considered the options. Then she smiled and pulled out a fine gold chain with a pattern of rubies across the bottom.
"That's amazing," Judy breathed. She had never seen such fine jewelry up close before.
"Fabulous, isn't it?" Trixie said with a smile. "Turn around."
"I get to wear it?" Judy asked, her eyes shining with glee.
"For tonight, you may wear anything in this box you like. With my approval of course. The sunstones wouldn't go with your outfit at all."
Judy allowed Trixie to fasten the necklace around her neck and adjust the chain so that it hung perfectly. Then she turned and looked at the box.
"May I see?" she asked.
Trixie nodded. "Of course. Tell me if anything catches your eye."
Judy handled the jewelry with great care, looking at what seemed to be a full rainbow of gems. But two sets of cuff bracelets caught her eye. One set was gold and had a golden sun symbol set on the tops. The other set was silver with crescent moons on the tops. Judy pulled them both out and stared at them.
"These are nice," she said.
Trixie had been putting the makeup back in place on the vanity, and she turned to look. For a brief moment, shock and some unidentifiable emotion crossed her face. Then she spoke in a voice that she hadn't used until then, soft and gentle and almost shy.
"Those are very special to me. A dear friend gave them to me when I turned sixteen. I cherish those. You have a good eye."
Judy smiled a bit nervously, unsure if she'd offended her. "I just think they're really pretty."
"We'll wear them," Trixie said, a sly smile crossing her face. "You'll wear the gold, and I'll wear the silver. It'll go with my dress. And I should have an amethyst necklace on a silver chain…"
She dug around in her jewelry box and gave a cry of delight when she pulled out the necklace.
"Fasten this for me," she said, kneeling down so Judy could reach.
Judy did so then was handed the golden bracelets. She carefully put them on, adjusting them so that the suns were facing up. She was surprised they fit so well. Then she noticed that Trixie had small wrists.
Trixie turned to study Judy intently. "Something's missing…" She looked her up and down then snapped her fingers. "The headband!"
She hurried over and pulled out a small headband. It was made of black velvet with a gorgeous rose in full bloom on one side that would be nestled right by Judy's ear. She knelt down and carefully placed it over Judy's head, making sure the rose was right against her ear. Then she stood back.
"Perfect! Now for the purse! And a spritz of perfume. And then the shoes."
Trixie hurried over to one side of the room and selected a hand purse made of a rich black material. She handed it to Judy, instructing her to slip the strap over her wrist. Then she grabbed a bottle of perfume and spritzed the bunny once. The smell was sweet, something Judy couldn't quite place, but she liked it very much. Then Trixie stood back and looked over her handiwork. A pleased smile crossed her face, and she nodded.
"Fabulous! Now the shoes!"
Judy went to look at herself in the mirror as Trixie went to a bag and ruffled around it. She was amazed at what she saw. The red dress accentuated her form, and the ruby necklace rested against her chest, glinting beautifully in the light. Her eyes looked big and bright, and her lips were full and red. She looked alluring.
"Here we are!"
Judy looked over her shoulder in the mirror and her eyes widened. She spun around and gazed in horror at the shoes Trixie held up.
"No!" Judy exclaimed.
"Yes!" Trixie said.