Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 100: brought to you by Tyndali--the co-writer

From Tyndali, Taykumi, honestly I get confused between the two because my co-writer can't come up with something easy:(Honestly, for the 100th chapter, I want to do some fluff, some fan service, a break from the drama. We'll see where it takes us, but here goes, a fluffy chapter with no drama and isn't in numerical order/probably isn't canon to the rest of the story. Rest your brains.)

"You look fine, stop messing with your hair." Shay rolled her eyes and handed her another pin against her protests.

"It's not curling right!" Neara said in a metallic voice, clenching bobby pins between her teeth. "It only curls naturally, I told you we should have used the oils!"

"Whatever, I still think it might have worked if we hadn't run out of fire halfway through." She snuck a glance at the sleeping Asher, tail unfurling out of the portable stove as he snoozed.

"Anyway, nobody's going to look at anything other than your dress, and Curtis did a freaking good job, if I say so myself."

Neara patted the cream lace nervously and went back to messing with her hair. "I hate how I look with makeup... I don't look pretty or anything; just a caked up kid." She rubbed at the eyeshadow and Shay smacked her sharply with her walking stick. "Ow!"

"Leave it alone! You're going to smear everything and we don't have time to start over. And anyway, in case I need to say it again, NOBODY IS GOING TO LOOK AT YOUR MAKEUP OR HAIR! Hell, I can barely look at you without squinting." She narrowed her eyes for effect. "He put so many crystals and diamonds and gems on there... who knew this world produced something other than transparent crystals and emeralds?"

The door thumped once, then again. Two rambunctious teenagers tumbled into the room, the dark green of their tuxedos a sharp contrast to their pale skin. "Mom! Hey, Shay, Mom! Oh your gods, you look amazing!"

"I was going to say she looked fantastic. Dad's going to flip."

"And probably crack in half." The twins snickered and ate some of the finger sandwiches provided for the women. "So, when are you guys going to be done? Dad says, 'the moons will burn before she's ready' and seeing as the moons haven't come out yet..."

Shay stretched her walking stick and thwacked the boy closest to her. "Kieran! Get the fwoop out of here and take your mirror terror with you. Stop. Eating. Our. Sandwiches," each word punctuated by a hard smack. Kieran bore the beating good-naturedly, the two stripes on the back of his neck evident when he moved the mass of curls to the front of his face.

"Aw, Aunt Shay, just one more bite?"

Shay rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Sure. Fine. Whatever. Spoil your appetites even though I know you're both just constantly emptying garbage bags. What do I know? Just leave us alone."

Lorcan nudged his twin and nodded, both boys slipping away with a tablecloth draped over what looked like the rest of the food and then some.

Rolling her eyes, Shay stood and lightly slapped Neara's hands away. "If I have to do it again, I'll use these pokey diamond things in your hair."

Unable to meet her own eyes, Neara studied the lace sheath over the gown, trying to find the individual flowers that patterned her and her husband's names. Shay, infinitely comfortable with silence, said nothing and Neara, too afraid to voice her fears, kept her mouth shut.

"Honestly, I think that's about all I can do. Which is pretty great, don't get me wrong, but if I mess with it anymore, it's all just going to fall out." She precariously balanced the sheerest veil Neara had never seen in her life on top of Neara's hair, the near-invisible fabric punctuated with chips of some sparkling crystal/rock/stone/whatever. "Man, I wish you could see yourself through the guys' eyes. They're going to fall over when they see you." Turning her friend, she smiled. "Seriously, dude, you look drop-dead gorgeous, and I won't be surprised if some of them do. Good thing we didn't invite too many people. Beastmen. Ugh, I hate the vocabulary of this world."