What is beautiful about you

Licking old wounds, and bandaging new ones

"How's your leg feeling?" The yellow inkling asks me from his own personal bathroom just on the offshoot of his bedroom, looking to me with worry as I try not to sink into the seemingly engulfing creature he calls a bed. 

"They're fine Emp..!" I huff, trying to push myself up and sit on the pearlescent bed frame, brushing the deep purple curtains that surrounded his bed out of my face as I do so. "Are these silk?? These feel like silk." I comment, almost in economic disgust as I see just how much decadence lays in this house. 

"No, actually. It's a fabric that imitates silk without the use of any worms. My mother prefers it." He explains in his way back, walking over and crouching down in front of me to take my knee starting to clean the wound. "Now, this is gonna sting. You didn't brush all the rocks and such out before hand." Emperor speaks in a soft tone with me, that catches my attention more than his commanding or even his normal voice. I guess there always is another side to every mirror, even if you don't believe it exists. 

Nevertheless though, he treats me with gentle care, dusting off the pebbles and spraying my knee before bandaging it all up. "There! All done. Can you move your knee now?" 

"I started to be able to move it again since you brought me here and I started to warm up." I reach over, pushing his forehead back with tow fingers in a playful manner. "Thanks again. Though, I don't appreciate you answering on my behalf about staying the night." I bring up my concerns about being indebted to him for the hotel experience, crossing my arms as I watch him stand up, walking back over to his vanity as he responds. 

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you were actually considering weathering the storm." 

"It hasn't gotten that bad yet. I coulda made it back." I gripe, leaning forward to keep my balance  as I watch him pull out a baggy of some sort. 

"Yet, Rider, yet." The monarch sighs as he pulls out a small wipe from the said bag. "You have any idea how much snow we're predicted to get by tomorrows dawn? Over 7 inches darling! 7!! Not to mention the icy conditions! It was too dangerous to let you go home, so I figured it wasn't harmful to extend hospitality. Even if it's just for one night."

Just for one night?  I repeat to myself as the wording seems, weird. Like he wanted to try and keep me at his side longer than just tonight. But why? That doesn't seem like something he'd want. He has an armada of maids, not to mention his own team and stuff. Am I just reading too much into that? 

I don't have much time to dwell on the question though as a new one immediately pops into my head as I watch the glittering cephalopod take a wipe to his face. "Hold up, hold up, hold up—" I stand up and walk over to Emp, examining his face closer. 

"Er, yes?" He asks, blinking as me with a blank face of confusion. 

"You wear make up???" I ask, first getting a hearty laugh out of my host before an actual response. 

"Did, you not know that darling?? I'm flattered you think I can look like that naturally but inklings aren't born with wingtips on their face masks—" the reside king of assholes laughs at the misconception, even though I don't share the same reaction. Honestly, he looks like a completely different person. Like, Prince, I guess. (Huh, who would have thought two brothers would look alike?) 

But, with that being said, "Do...you think that..—" I pause, catching Emperor's attention from the shift in my tone. "You know what? Never mind." 

"No no, what is it Rai?" Emp persists, and I look down from my own scathing embarrassment. 

"I was wondering if...you think that a bit of make up could.." I stutter over my words like a dunce, moving my hand up to the left side of my face. The burnt texture, wrinkly appearance and just, overall stained color has haunted me ever since that shitshow back in the metro. Whatever was in that ink that phone jacked me up with, it left a mark that I've been trying to ignore for years. It feels like people stare at my face a lot more than they used to. And even if Bamboo, Stealth, and Uniform say that it's really not that big of a deal...it is to me.