Protective Camouflage

## Content Information

*Sometime later...*

~~Monday afternoon~~

“This is quite a specific list of stores. . .” The woman at the driver’s seat commented as the car turned off on a street around downtown. The statement came out in the midst of a conversation they were having about Tamzen’s wardrobe.

Tamzen sniffed. “Well, after the *grande dame* lowered herself to ‘educate’ me on the deficiencies of my wardrobe - for two straight hours, mind you - she decided at the last minute that she couldn’t trust me to make the required purchases without some kind of oversight. It was either the list, or having Herself come along.” She held her fingers out, as if to ward off evil. “A fate to be avoided at all cost, I assure you.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Though, I feel like even my mother would be paradise compared to that one from what you told me, and my mother runs around with the fashion world, ” Iva sighed, thinking briefly on the fact that her mother is big in the modeling and cosmetic care business. It came with obvious downside that her mother was particular with her standards, but her education was less ‘oppressive’

Tamzen glanced down at the list again. “Well, hopefully between the two of us, we’ll be able to put together something that will placate her without making me feel like a complete stranger when I look in the mirror.”

“That’s what I’m here for, right? To rebel within her shitty rules?” Iva smirked as she drove to park into the first store.

Tamzen laughed. “Oh, *most* definitely.” She shot Iva an impish look. “Not to mention, given the amount of someone else’s money that I’m about to spend… well, this level of spending really deserves an appreciative audience.”

~~Two Stores Later~~

Tamzen sighed and ran her fingers through her bangs for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. “Okay, the shine is officially off the apple…” she said as she inspected a pair of high heeled pumps, and looked over at Iva. “How do people *wear* these all day?”

“It’s a matter of stubbornness, really.” Iva spoke while picking at a part of zebra heels that were questionably nearing stiletto type. “High-heels were always used as a matter of displaying a symbol of superiority. Adorn originally by kings as a form of setting a exotic standard to show his rank.  Sometimes they were used as a means to being able to connect with the stirrups on horseback.” With a sigh after those words, she put the heels back. “By the time they became widespread, the illusion was already artificed into society, and the ability to do things that usually require having a stable footing on heels tends to compel others into fascination or great skill. The thinner the heel during the feat, the better the..’cred’ I think as they say. One of those feats involves one’s endurance to keep them on, despite our bodies not being made to maintain a balance with such an inhibiting item on them. ”

“If you ask me, the illusion is a lump of horse shit,” Iva concluded with a sharp breath. “While I’m not a fan of flats either and have skill with high heels, I don't use them for rank and file. It’s only when they tend to coordinate the display that one wants to appear to another. . .sorry, I was... ranting just a little.”

“Oh, rant away. Apparently these are part of the ‘image’ she wants me to project. I’m not sure how twisting an ankle while trying to walk is going to make me look more confident and in control…” With a sigh, she slipped off her canvas shoes and carefully tried on a pair of pumps- ones with a slightly less perilous heel. She took a couple of hesitant steps, her posture uncertain, and her ankles wobbling slightly under the effort. “Oh, gods…” she muttered. “I’m going to have to practice walking around in these tonight, aren’t I?”

“I don’t think full-fledge high-heels are needed, I wouldn't be opposed to giving you some tips.” Iva thought while looking through some of shoes, picking them up and back down., “Maybe we can buy you some square heels or maybe kitten heels to get used to the fact that you can’t feel the ball of your foot on the ground...as practice. Sorry, you might have to practice on a date or in the room with...Arsling.” Iva thought soberly over the events that happened the day before, before looking through the array of shoes to ward the thought away.

As she showed Tamzen both versions of the similar shoes with the mentioned heel types, Iva continued, “Honestly, pumps and high-heels aren’t really a predominant professional shoe anymore. We might be able to have you get away with some professional designed medium heels, and you can make her believe that you have strength to pick a professional shoe if she gives you shit about it.”

“I think that woman is still permanently stuck in the last century…” Tamzen muttered as she slipped the pumps off, and handed them off to the shopping assistant who was discretely hovering nearby - coming into a store with an effectively unlimited budget did have it’s perks after all. “Best get that pair, so I can at least say I followed her instructions.” She turned back to Iva and smiled. “And now let's find some shoes that I won’t kill myself trying to wear.”

\* \* \*

By the time, they reached the last major item on their list. Iva’s trunk was full of bags and boxes, and Tamzen’s bag was full of tailoring pick-up tickets. The last item on the listing is…

“The trick behind makeup...is little as needed to hide certain things and enough to hint. Anyone you can look at for half a second and tell they have makeup on is either doing at least one thing wrong or prefer the clown look.” Iva talked while she worked on Tamzen’s face, they were at the cosmetic booth. There was some surprise when Iva had dismissed the consultant politely but went across this particular cosmetic display and quickly pulled out the basic makeup set of foundation, concealer, primer, and both spray and powder, handing them to the consultant to ring up and buy. Iva added a makeup box since she would have to do eyeshadow next.

Right now, Iva was applying the facial makeup on Tamzen at the *Vélo* Makeup Section, and the consultant didn’t mind too much once she saw the woman work. Tamzen had been watching the other girl with a look of apprehension that was rapidly verging on outright panic, as she had seemed to effortly pick out the required supplies from what was, to Tamzen, an overwhelming jumble of choices.

“Iva?” she ventured hesitantly, gesturing at the cluster of products that Iva had picked out. “This seems like...like a *lot*. Is this really all needed?”

“Hmm? I had only picked the basic components just to even out your face,” Iva answered, as she seems to apply so little of each purchase and apply them on the woman’s face with accuracy. “You can’t do one part of face makeup, save for those all-in-ones, and trust me...they tend to have too much or too little of something, and this woman that you described to me, would notice such laziness and give you hell if I allowed you to go that route. I don’t want to let that happen. Also, I don’t mind applying this whenever you need it. It’s like riding a bike for me, and you can learn from observation.”

“Just the basics?” Tamzen looked shocked. “But…” She shook her head once, as if to clear it, then looked at Iva again. “How did you learn so much about all of this?”

“My mother...this is her line of makeup products actually.” Iva admitted once she had paused to take a step back, “Naturally made, simple and does the work better than something overly elaborative. I didn’t have much to do where I lived, and my mother was very proud to show me her work from time-to-time. A makeup artist who prepares her for a special out-of-town appearance allowed me to watch.”

The gorgon gave a brief nod of approval before walking back to the makeup display, looking at the lipsticks and eyeshadows,  “I find face makeup is always the hard intimating part about all of it, since one bad shade will mess it up. The fun part is the eyes and lips, since you have more liberty with colors just as long as they coordinate.”

“Which, I think you would look smashing with blues, greens, maybe a black and purple sometimes. They have strong symbolism in business. Mascara is optional, because too much is just bad. Which, you have more liberty to pick out, Ms. Shaw. I, of course, will provide recommendations….and no, you do not have to have red lipstick. That old hag can shove it there, and I will do it personally. ”

Tamzen raised one eyebrow. “Ms. Shaw? I feel like I’m either in trouble, or in a lesson with *her.*”

“Huh?” Iva paused, stopping at a eyeshadow set she was about to pick up. She turned back to Tamzen, slowly gaining some realization of what happened, “I see. Sorry. I was saying it as a show of respect. I didn’t realize she’s used that formality in a demeaning or demanding way.”

“I don’t think Gertrude Crossman does anything in a way that *isn’t* demeaning or demanding…” Tamzen grumbled, glancing over the eyeshadow pallets on offer. She held one up for inspection, a muted assortment of greens and browns. “But… what I meant is… well, you’ve come to my rescue twice now. I thought maybe we might be...  *friends*?”’

There was a moment that Iva’s broken her cool tone with a brief muttered sound, at the mention of the certain word. It took her off-guard for a moment. *Come on, Iva. You have to be a bit better at this. This isn’t six years ago.* “Hmm..friends?” Iva mused, “Well, you seem pretty cool and in a bind...and still didn’t get too scared of me, which is a plus. Yeah, we might be...and if we are…”

Iva stole a look at the brown set that Tamzen had, “Friends doesn’t let friends use too much brown in makeup. Moderation or none.”

“I thought it would look subtle…” Tamzen protested as she handed the palette over to Iva.

“Now bronzes...don’t count in that rule, if you’re feeling that daring...”

\* \* \*

Tamzen’s education in the art of make-up took up the better part of the remainder of the hour, and by the time she finally escaped from the boutique with what seemed to her to be an excessive number of bottles and containers tucked into a small bag, there was just enough time to walk down to the other end of the block to pick up her tailoring. After a moment of conferring with the proprietor, Tamzen was ushered into a dressing area to try on one of her new outfits, with Iva ducking out long enough to return to her car and retrieve a few items to complete the outfit - the better for Tamzen to see the ‘full effect’.

She shimmied into the blue and grey sheath dress, and reached behind her back to pull the zipper up - hoping that there was no one close enough to hear her muttered cursing as she contorted herself in order to fully zip the dress. Nervously, she ran her hands along her sides, smoothing out any wrinkles, before turning to pull on the deep navy blazer she was meant to wear over it. The items fit to perfection, of course - the Crossman name, or at least the Crossman bank accounts, was one to summon up miracles with.

Tamzen wished there was a mirror, but Iva had convinced her it would be better until she could see the whole look together. She paced the small room barefoot, concerned that if she sat down, the exertions of the day would catch up to her and she wouldn’t want to stand up again.

A knock sounded at the door. “Yes?” Tamzen asked.

“It’s me,” Iva’s voice answered. “You ready?”

The women waited outside the dressing room with a small shopping bag in front of her.

“I’ll be right out,” Tamzen replied, making sure that her clothes were neatly piled on the bench for when she was ready to change back into them, before opening the door for Iva.

“Alright, let’s have a look at you. . .Probably should have pulled your hair back into a bun again for full effect,” Iva muttered, musing over Tamzen’s clothes as the other woman hurriedly slipped into the shoes and donned the accessories, making sure the blazer was fitting properly.  “Well, come on. It’s best for the lady of the hour to enjoy this look, despite the necessity of the situation.” With those words, she ushered Tamzen over to the standing mirror near the area where they originally took measurements.

“Yeah, I thought about taking my hair down, but I didn’t stick a brush into my bag today, and it would just look lumpy… I suppose I should start doing something else with it, shouldn’t I?” she said with a frown.

“Not today, but another time for now,” Iva took something out of the smallest bag on her arm. “I wasn’t sure if your glasses were prescription, but if so, I know someone who can help fit something like that into new or fashion frames. For now, I wanted to see how these would help present you. . .You might have to play by some of her rules, but you’re the one who decides what rules you see fit to abide. Also, I thought it would just look nice with this business attitude we’re going with.”

Tamzen took the offered frames from Iva and looked them over: a pair of narrow, half rimmed glasses with a subtle brown tortoiseshell pattern across the temples and along the top of the lenses. “They’re...nice. But what’s wrong with my glasses?”

“Nothing’s wrong with them in general. However, take one good look at the mirror and judge for yourself while you’re in that suit.” Iva answered subtly.

“All right...fine,” Tamzen relented with a sigh, removing her own amber tinted glasses and replacing them with the frames Iva had provided. She settled them in place, and looked down, lightly tugging on her belt to center it. She looked back up at Iva, and grinned. “All right, am I properly put together now? Do I finally get to see what I look like?”

“Yes, yes. Go on.” Iva chuckled, talking a step back from the mirror.

Tamzen took a deep breath, carefully ignored how her hands were starting to tremble, turned to face the mirror…

And froze.

It was like looking at a stranger. If it wasn’t for her hair, still up in pigtails, she would have *sworn* she was looking at someone else. She raised a hand to brush against the temple of her glasses. No… it was her, all right. She wavered slightly where she stood, her eyes firmly meeting their reflection, even as she paled.

“Iva? I… I don’t think I can do this…” she whispered, still in shock.

“Not many can do it the first time, but…” Iva walks up next to her, “However, it’s nothing more than skin...an overlay, and an illusion to get close to what you planned or what you need to do. Most beasts survive by merely blending into their environments. That way, the moth looks like a tree rather than get snatched up by the bird. Think of this as a way to protect yourself as yourself and your strength while deluding a snake. ”

Tamzen hesitated, then stepped closer to the mirror, inspecting her face. “When I was little, a boy used to tease me about my freckles. I *hated* them. Now I can’t see them, and… I don’t look like myself at all anymore.”

“Looking like yourself and not looking like yourself is still you.” Iva just stated it was a simple matter. “Also, you’re a wipe away from being that cute freckle you, so don’t think too hard on it.”

Tamzen sighed and shook her head, laughing softly. “All right, all right. I’ll just have to believe you, I guess.” She looked up again, meeting Iva’s eyes in her reflection. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this on my own. Really.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what it’s the least I could do to help out a friend.”

~~Back at Carter Hall~~

Tamzen grumbled to herself as she pushed clothes around her closet in an attempt to find room for all of her purchases. She’d have to go through and see if there was anything she could give to the resale shop, or pack away for storage at Kitty and Abby’s. But at least there was

With more force than was strictly necessary, Tamzen pulled down the zipper, revealing the contents. On the top was a suit she recognized as Linny's, with a note pinned to it saying she had left it with Iva. Tamzen smiled and tugged the hangar free from the others and slipped into the other bedroom to return it to the closet...