Friday Afternoon, Room 220

[swerval_zero]

The door to 220 was shut, but a little handmade sign on the door said,

I NEED HELP.
If you are female or a male with fashion sense, please knock.
If you are Peter Parker, I'll see you at seven.
If you are M Parker, I need shoes.

Inside 220, it looked like Zero's closet had exploded, and the green-haired wonder herself was pacing the floor, pulling at her hair in something approaching panic. Fish has taken up a perch on top of the TV to watch his owner behave even more strangely than usual.

((Anyone want to help Zero get ready for her date?))

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker wandered by on the way to her room, saw this notice, then returned with five or six pairs in hand, then knocked on the door with them. "Zero! Open up! Shoe delivery."

[swerval_zero]

Zero untangled her hands from her messy hair and opened the door, looking wild-eyed. "Parker. Thank goodness. I don't know what to do."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I seriously thought you were just going to wear your combat boots. What changed your mind?" Parker asked, setting down her shoe choices and studying what Zero was wearing. "Breathe, while you're at it."

[swerval_zero]

"Well, it's a first date. I want to look nice on the first squalling date, y'know? I mean, he sees me around school in my combat boots all the time."

Zero was wearing a pair of black pants and the Flogging Molly t-shirt she'd been wearing all day. "D'you think I should change my shirt? I should change my shirt, shouldn't I?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No, you look very cute. It's a great color on you, even without your hair almost matching. Don't change it," Parker said firmly. "But you're right, you need the right shoes. Hmmm..." She narrowed her eyes, looked at what she'd brought, and fished out these:



"Try them on. If you can't walk in them, I've got something else in mind. You are a size six or seven, right?"

[swerval_zero]

"Yeah, 'm a six. Arsenal always used to make fun of my little feet. I was going to just wear those boots you gave me for Christmas, but they might be kinda intimidating." Zero slipped the shoes on and stood up. She was actually quite good at walking in heels. If it hadn't been for her sister's designer boyfriend giving her lessons (she'd never asked where he'd learned), Twitch had had a string of incredibly queeny boyfriends while he was separated from Henry. Some of them had quite liked her. "These are cute." Zero inspected them, then looked up to beam at Parker. "I'm tall! Or...average!"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker laughed. "I'm sure Peter will be impressed that you can look him in the collarbone." She shook her head. "I think those look good, and they're the best for the basic, but I have some fun ones here if you want to try them on too." She inspected Zero's hair. "Um. Is that your look for tonight?"

[swerval_zero]

"Oooh, sparkly!" Zero tugged at her hair and said, "Um. No?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Good answer." Parker looked around for a brush, loosened the topknot Zero usually kept her hair in, then ordered, "Hold still. I want to try something. Got any setting gel?"

[swerval_zero]

Zero opened the closet that had once been her roommate's and took out a large toiletries bag. She unzipped it and let the contents tumble out onto her bed. Gel, mousse, styling wax, high-hold hairspray, peroxide, and temporary color in every shade of the rainbow, plus a plethora of clips and hair ties. And a curling iron. "I'm a performer. Of course I have gel."

She handed Parker her brush. How she'd located it in the disaster area of her room was a mystery.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker brushed out Zero's hair until it wasn't looking shredded any more, then looked thoughtful. "Streaks or no streaks tonight? Because a little pink might look good."

[swerval_zero]

"Maybe just a little," Zero said thoughtfully. She was picking through her jewelry box, trying to find a full set of matching earrings and the little green spiky balls for her industrial bar. "I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's just a date. Right?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Carefully, Parker brushed Zero's hair into something like this:

Only with more little spiky tendrils to curl, if they wanted to.

"It's a first date. Nerves are normal. New situation for you two. He's a cool guy, though. Despite having the impulse to tease everything that moves. Hand me the pink gel."

[swerval_zero]

"Oooh. That's cute. You're good at this." Zero handed the pink gel over her shoulder. Excellent, little spiky balls were found. Parker now got to watch as Zero removed the safety pin from her ear and put a steel barbell in its place. Zero thought better of that before she actually started the process, though. "Er, you don't squick easy, do you?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"After Rory's arms wandering off on their own, nothing bothers me unless they're huge amounts of blood," Parker assured her. She painted in a few pink streaks running back to the pony tail, and then got the mousse to spike the bangs. "Let's see your nails."

[swerval_zero]

"Good point." Zero held up one hand. Her nails were painted black and kind of nibbled on. "Er."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No, no, no. Strip it off while I finish your hair. Then file them. We'll pick out another color as soon as your hair's done." Parker shook her head. "Guys don't know they notice these things, but they do. Pete may have seen it before, but this is a date."

[swerval_zero]

Zero obeyed. Parker was kind of scary when she was being all girly. Who knew?

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker finished Zero's hair, leaving the pink streaks in, and few long tendrils around her face, and smiled in satisfaction. "There. Good? More poufy? I'd think this is enough, but it's your call." She inspected Zero's nails and nodded. "Do you want to stick with black? I was going to suggest emerald, if you've got it."

If there was one thing Parker *always* had control of, it was how she looked. Fortunately she could use her powers for good, too.

[swerval_zero]

Zero inspected her hair in the mirror. "No, it's cream. Swerval. Um..." Zero held up a bottle of sparkly black nail polish. "Is this all right?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"It's great," Parker reassured her. "Want me to put it on, just to make it easy on you?" She grinned. "I'm no manicurist, but I'm not the one going on a date."

[swerval_zero]

"Yes, please? My hands're all...wobbly."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Uh-hunh," Parker said, not unsympathetically. "So. Got money, in case of emergency or mugging? Got your phone?" She brushed on a sparkly dark coat onto Zero's right hand, then slowly did the left. "Got your stake, cross, extras?"

[swerval_zero]

"It'd take a moron to try an' mug me. Even in these shoes." "I've got a squirt bottle of holy water, does that count?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Good enough. Just don't let Peter forget he's not a superhero any more. No impulsive moves to climb walls needed." Parker finished the job on the nails, then said, "Blow," while she looked for a lipstick on Zero's countertop.

[swerval_zero]

Zero blew. "What're you lookin' for?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Lipstick? Gloss? Pencil?" Parker frowned.

[swerval_zero]

"Oh, um. Most of my makeup's not really...understated. I'm probably better off without it."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker cocked an eyebrow, then said, "Eyeliner and powder, then. Just to make it look finished." She grinned. "I hope you guys have a good time tonight. It's been a while since I was on a 'date' date. I think I'm getting my vicarious romance, here."

[swerval_zero]

"I'll be sure an' give you a recap," Zero promised as she carefully outlined her eyes. "I'm surprised you, Rory, an' Angela haven't reserved a table in the corner to glitter flag at us."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Rory's undergoing a crisis of whatever, to judge by the hair-cutting. And Angela just had her anniversary with Marty last night, I think." She grinned. "So you're off the hook. This time."

[swerval_zero]

"Oh, thank goodness." Zero froze. "I forgot about Rory's...you know. Thing. You don't think it's that?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"He hasn't come back yet, and she's starting to feel it," Parker said, uncapping an eyeliner. "Look up." Carefully, she drew cat's eye lining on Zero's lids, then grabbed the powder. "Close your eyes." She patted Zero's face down, then brushed it off with quick strokes. "And she's wondering if he'll be allowed to call, write, anything. So, I think she just wants to forget for a little while."

[swerval_zero]

"I wonder if I could hit him with a mallet when he gets back," Zero mused. "Oh, I look pretty. Thank you, Parker!" Zero flung her arms around Parker's waist.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker froze in shock, then found herself grinning. "Um. You're welcome." She patted Zero's shoulder. "Least I could do."

[swerval_zero]

"Okay, so. I should...probably get going. Thank you, Parker."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Have fun. Good luck. Call if his charge card is declined."

[swerval_zero]

"To mock? Don't worry, I have cash. And a charge card of my own."

[janet_fraiser]

OOC: Oh, I want to, so badly, but I don't know when I'll be kicked offline and after that when I'll be back on.

[swerval_zero]

OOC: *sads* It's cool. There's a possibility my friends may drag me away at some point (they were threatening pub crawlage earlier), so I don't know how this is going to work out.

[janet_fraiser]

OOC: It's been a hell of a weekend anyway. :)