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[Neoma Gerbera]

88th of Summer, 514 AV

Ah, the Orchard Market.
Dozens of open stalls and vendors beckoned to Neoma as she made her way through. She passed red and blue canopies, but it was the bright amethyst that she was looking for. The twinkling eyes of Symenestra in the dim lighting caught her eye, each one waving her closer and inquiring what she was looking for.

By the time she found a suitable merchant, Neoma was already exhausted. The constant chatter of the others pattered on in the background as she approached the vendor. She was a sickly-looking woman with wild silver hair and a crooked smile. Her eyes and lips were caked with make-up although it was difficult to tell if this made her more beautiful or covered what little beauty she had. Either way, when she spoke her appearance no longer mattered. She had a sweet and understanding tone added to the slithering sound of her Symenos, allowing Neoma to open up to the woman and smile. The merchant was openly friendly. Whether this was from the good of her heart or a shot at conning mindless customers was unknown.

"Now what could you be looking for, Sibea? Surely you wouldn't want to cover up that pretty face of yours?"

Neoma laughed gently- little more than a puff of air- before responding in her own slightly eerier voice; she spoke higher and breathier when she addressed the other woman.

"No, Mabda, I seek cosmetics for others so that I might help them look like me." Neoma accompanied her words with a coy smile, knowing she had struck a chord when the woman chortled.

"Alright then. Let's see what I can find you. What were you looking for, Miss?"

"Just some mouth-wash and cologne if you have it. And, ah, that would be Gerbera. Ms. Gerbera if you would."

The two women exchanged a friendly nod as the still anonymous merchant ducked down to see what she could find among her goods. Neoma waited patiently, all the while watching her work intently.

[Snaeha Datura]

As with all individuals, there were some days when Snaeha woke up and it just felt like her day.

She had slept incredibly well, and had woken in a wonderful mood. Her hair had brushed beautifully smoothly, and now shone with a perfect reddy glow that even Snaeha could not stop looking at. Her make up (which, even on a bad day, looked fabulous) had to slid onto her skin even silkier than usual. Her lips were painted with a red brighter than that of her hair, complimenting her amethyst eyes just stunningly.

It was truly a good day.

It was also her day off from work, and Snaeha had planned to spend her time at home with her family. But having woken in such a glorious mood, and looking so flawless, her plan instantly changed. On such a wondrous, perfect day, there was only one thing that could raise Snaeha's mood to an almost unearthly level: shopping!

Plus, she could hardly hide away in her home when she looked this good and was in this good a mood. The people of Kalinor could not be denied the pleasure of her company on such a wondrous day. Given the constant state of worry and fear that had recently draped itself across the city, Snaeha decided that she would take on the selfless role of bringing cheer to her fellow Symenestra. Surely her appearance, so flawless on this perfect day, would bring joy to the most pessimistic of individuals.

The Orchid Market was her favourite place to spend those well-earned mizas, so it was there that Snaeha headed, swathed in one of her favourite silken gowns that emphasised the small curve to her body. She arrived at the market and began browsing. Each time she approached a stall, the vendor would instantly begin complimenting her hair, dress or eyes, and Snaeha waved the gushing words away in mock-modesty. There was nothing she appreciated more than seeing how much people enjoyed complimenting her. Such blissful ignorance meant that Snaeha would never even consider the fact that every woman browsing the market received the same well-rehearsed singsong of compliments.

She was practically gliding with joy and effervescence, and each vendor whose wares interested her was given the precious gift of one of her best smiles. She was spreading her joy, but it was tiring work being so selfless, and soon Snaeha was rather desperate to part with her money and rejuvenate her good mood.

A shot of silver hair twinned with thick, poorly applied make-up caught Snaeha's attention, and the young woman instantly changed her course of direction towards the amethyst stall. The cosmetics stall was her personal favourite, and the unfortunate looking vendor was always appreciative of her custom. Sharing her beauty with the less fortunate was yet another act of charity Snaeha was more than happy to do.

But somebody else was already engaging with the vendor, which irked Snaeha slightly. Upon getting closer to this rival shopper, however, her annoyance turned to a sickening fear.

The young woman (Snaeha guessed that she was at least two or three years younger than herself, to add insult to injury) had the smoothest, finest applied make up that Snaeha had seen in quite some time. She stood staring, half-appreciating, half-detesting this other woman. She was suddenly very aware of her own appearance, how inferior her cosmetic application must be to this younger, better made-up individual. Horrified, Snaeha touched her own face, trying to hide her appearance from potential onlookers who might realise that this other young woman was more than close competition for Snaeha.

Before she could even stop herself, Snaeha was speaking to this young rival. "Your make-up..." She was saying, interrupting the ugly vendor, whom she did not even look at, "...is... wonderful." That final word was said most begrudgingly, as if it physically hurt Snaeha to admit that another woman was as beautiful (she was not quite ready to accept that anyone was more so) than she.

oocI kinda assumed Neoma would be wearing make up, but let me know if this isn't the case and I'll change my post


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[Neoma Gerbera]

The absent vendor popped back up swiftly, holding in her pale hands a bottle of mouth-wash and a sizable container of cologne.

"Ah, I'm sorry but this is all we have. Do-"

Her sentence was cut short by the approach of another Symenestra woman. The new woman's eyes shone with child-like amazement as she complimented Neoma. In spite of the faint bitterness in the woman's words, Neo responded in kind, bowing her head modestly and batting her eyes innocently.

"Why thank you, dear. Although I must admit, your makeup presents quite the competition for mine."

Neoma's kittenish words dripped with flattery. It wasn't that the woman in front of her was hideous; far from it, in fact. She had long red hair that caught the dim light just right. Her eyes were a vibrant purple, standing out proudly against her pale skin and putting Neo's own lavender eyes to shame. She was not necessarily thin, but built like a dancer- agile and substantial all at once. Notwithstanding her mildly weary and aged smile, she looked youthful and outright...spunky.

Returning to her purchase, Neoma grinned easily at the merchant.
"I wasn't looking to buy so much cologne. Perhaps a discount is in order for such an inconvenient purchase? I'll give you two Gold Mizas for the two ounces of cologne but only two Silvers for the mouth-wash. What do you say, hmm?"

The merchant's smile disappeared in a blink, replaced by an unruffled straight face.
"Two Silvers? For an entire eight ounce bottle? I don't think so. If you won't pay full price, I won't sell. Five Silver or nothing."

Neoma had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. People are so stubborn. They think they're smart when the opposite is true.

"I suppose I'll take my business elsewhere then." Neo tossed two Gold Mizas to the woman and took her bottle of cologne, leaving behind the over-priced mouthwash. "Good day, Mabda."

Giving a sly wink to her flatterer, the young girl turned her back on the stall and made her way to find some jewelry. "I'm sorry to be in your way, Miss. Good day to you as well."

[Snaeha Datura]

The Symenestra girl had looked Snaeha straight in the eye and lied; it was clear there was no real competition when it came to make-up application. Nevertheless, Snaeha smiled meekly and said a quiet "thanks," in a dazed reply.

She continued to observe the young woman, her expression still caught between admiration and disdain. The vendor was trying to sell the girl ridiculously overpriced mouthwash; foul-tasting stuff that Snaeha doubted was even half the quality it was meant to be.

Snaeha almost applauded as her younger rival propositioned the raggedy old merchant with a nice price. She rarely saw someone drive such a hard bargain. This girl has a decent head on those shoulders, too.

And then the girl turned back towards her again, and Snaeha slid to one side with a polite smile to allow her to pass. It was only when she turned back to the amethyst stall, and saw the hideousness of the old woman behind it that Snaeha spun around and finally realised the words she had meant to say. "Wait." Then again, louder, "wait!"

A nice-looking older gentleman gave Snaeha a peculiar look as her airy voice carried through the Orchard market, but she barely saw him. Her bright eyes instead were fixed on the soft waves of silver hair that were briskly walking away from her. She hurried on forward, set on her target. Upon reaching gthe young Symenestra, Snaeha reached out and placed a bony hand gently on the girl's shoulder. "Wait! You must tell me who did your make-up. It's most natural looking. I almost believed they were your actual cheekbones."

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[Neoma Gerbera]

Neoma nearly laughed out loud at the woman's admiration. That would not have been very humble though, and a polite woman was always humble. Instead, she smiled widely, glowing in the praise. This time, she could think of no compliments in return and forgot any she may have had before. In favor of flattery, she reveled in the praise instead.

"I hate to admit it for fear of bragging, sister, but the makeup you so admire is my own work- and a touch of good luck as well. You have to start with a good foundation if you are to make anything beautiful, yes?"

Neoma's soft purple eyes twinkled. She could feel her cheeks growing warm as she watched the other girl fall over herself trying to get Neo's attention. She enjoyed the attention so much that she almost thought to extend a dinner invitation to the woman.

And it would be impolite to ignore the less fotunate, She reminded herself sternly.

With this in mind, she inclined her head and batted her eyes. "If you would wish, you could come with me and learn a thing or two. Watch an expert at work, hmm? Ah, and it's Neoma- Ms. Gerbera if you prefer formalities."

Although in reality she was far from an expert, Neo scarcely thought herself anything less in any aspect of her life. She was, after all, an independent woman. If she could survive on her own in a city like Kalinor, was there anything she couldn't do?

[Snaeha Datura]

With each word spoken, Snaeha felt herself glowing with an emotion incredibly close to pride. The younger girl reminded the redhead of herself; vain, pretty, sharp in the mind. She received compliments well (though not quite as admirable as Snaeha, in her own opinion), and was clearly willing to share her knowledge with others. If she had red hair, Snaeha would fear her to be quite the rival.

"Oh, of course." She said coolly to the girl's statement of foundation. Hardly a breakthrough in the world of cosmetics, a bitter little voice snipped in the back of Snahea's mind. Jealousy was an ugly trait, and Snaeha had no doubt that, with the correct tips and demonstrations, she could rightly replace herself as Kalinor's best made-up woman. The reality of course, may be slightly different.

The invitation was met with another of Snaeha's polite smiles. "How kind," she said distantly, in a way that suggested she was constantly overwhelmed with social invites, "I would love, Neoma." She extended a hand, "and I am Snaeha Datura." Another tight smile.

An old gentleman, who had been watching the interaction between the two women, tsked and shook his head before tottering on with his business. "Women." To this day, he did not understand the rivalries of women, and why they were so obviously camouflaged with such false gestures of kindness.

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