estoria | [open!] it's a hard knock life

Who: Riku and you!
When: 3/31 ic
Where: Various places
What: Come join Riku in an exciting day filled with stunting doubling and mascara mishaps.
Warnings: n/a

a. on the set

[back in the city, back on the set. being a stunt double wouldn't have ever been his first career choice, but it's not a bad one. actually, it's been sort of fun. all it involves is pretending to get shot or drive stuff into other stuff or stuff. if the whole keyblade master thing ever gets old, taking this up as a side gig might not be the worst idea.

somewhere near the pleasure district is where today's filming is taking place. who is he a double for? a premier soap opera star. yup. some long lost cousin who turned out to actually be the twin brother of the husband of-- whatever. riku stopped paying attention halfway through the synopsis. apparently the long lost cousin whatever is getting 'killed' this episode and then dropping in to ruin the wedding of his baby mama to his murderous best friend next one (sorry, spoilers).

riku can be found various places during today's shooting and is dressed in a very snazzy tuxedo, with the itchiest blond wig in the world to go with it.

maybe you catch sight of him at the crew food table munching on a bagel. maybe you saw him get 'shot' atop a tall building and fall off. weirder yet, maybe the falling involved no safety equipment and him vanishing briefly before appearing safely on the ground seconds later. or maybe you're a fan of the show who wants backstage access and thinks the stunt guy might be able to pull some strings for you. good luck with that.]

b. ViViDa

[stunt doubling it up, not bad as it is, lacks too much in the way of effort or real exercise. what he really needs is a work out. only a complete lazy bum would let themselves sit still after that jungle adventure the other day. why not vivid? riku hasn't been back since that fun retro gaming stint. someone mentioned it not being AS glitchy normally so why not? worst comes to worst he ends up eating garbage again. please let that not happen. it took 3 days to get that smell off.

impressive is the first word that comes to mind upon stepping inside.]

They went all out with the place, huh?

[what a shame they couldn't have wasted the money on toning down on the near death experiences. there's definitely a lot to take in, almost too much. observing things a little might make things easier. he'll stand and watch some other people's games. sorry about the audience if someone happens not to like it.]

ViViDb

[watching people doesn't make the level choosing any easier. there's still so many options, even with just fighting stuff. options aren't bad. question is which of these options won't glitch him into a second date with a dumpster?

why not get a second opinion? chatting people up can lead to some interesting information, too, especially with so many different worlds all dragged into one. without much more of a second thought, riku casually approaches whoever's close by.]

So which one of these levels do you like?

c. around the residential district

[stunting falls under the fun job umbrella. testing mascara? not so much. or at all. the job got clicked accidentally upon arrival and the tester kept on spamming him with 'we need you!!' messages at all hours of the day. riku yielded, if only to get the guy off his back. that earned him a nice reward, one in the form of stabbing himself in the eye with a mascara applicator. rewards like this are definitely ones he could do without. how people manage to apply this stuff without losing an eye...

it's this deep philosophical thought that preoccupies his mind on the way back home. riku can be seen walking while grumbling under his breath and blinking his left eye far too much, an eye that's really red. doing so makes him pay way less attention than normal while walking. did he walk into a pole? only once. trip over a bump in the sidewalk? maybe twice. walk into a person? possibly.

oh and maybe he forgot to wash off that mascara, too. whoops. at least his eyelashes look fabulous.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[sorry about that swerving!! having your vision go from 20/20 to pain/20 makes seeing straight a little tricky. he appreciates korra stopping the crash from happening, too. the last thing he needs right now is breaking something... or breaking something on someone else.

after the near collision, his gaze shifts from the ground and at her. one eye looks fine; the other's really red and squinted. both look stunning with the added flair of mascara. he gives her a wry, if apologetic smile.]

It's a little too late for that.

[the horribly red eye ought to say as much. he sighs while bringing up a hand to rub at it. bad idea, maybe, but it's irritating and this helps for all of two seconds.]

Simply put, I got tangled up in one mess I shouldn't have.

Yikes, what happened to your eye?

[At this distance, it's hard to miss, especially when he's looking straight at her. She pauses, curiosity momentarily overriding the concern when she notices something else about his eyes.]

Huh. You're wearing eye makeup. Not a lot of guys I know do.

[Actually there's just the one, and Riku's already way more pleasant than that one is. She might be slightly biased against a certain Wolfbat, but only slightly.]

[thanks for not discriminating against mascara wearing men all because of one bad egg, korra. riku really appreciates it, though he appreciates the commentary on it a little less. it really is that obvious he has the stuff on, isn't? a small, if exasperated sigh comes before he speaks up.]

That's all part of that mess I mentioned. Trust me, I'm not wearing this because it brings out my eyes.

[even if it really does. the guy kept saying that to the point riku wondered if maybe his gorgeous eyes broke his brain.]

[She can't resist an opportunity like that, even if Riku's a stranger.] That's too bad because it really does bring out your eyes. [Totally grinning as she says it.

The smile loses some of its mischief after a second, though, and she goes right back to being concerned.]

A make up mess, huh? I know how that one goes. Did someone just try to force it on you or something...?

[see? this is why you don't talk to strangers. they might spring surprise rudeness on unsuspecting people. not like he can talk, though. riku gives a small smirk, one that screams 'ha ha, you're SO funny' right back at her.]

Thanks, but my eyes already do that just fine without any help.

[pretty boy knows he's got the look. the smile turns back into that irked frown upon replying to the question.]

Back when I first got here, I made a mistake and got signed up as a mascara tester. Tried to tell the guy that, but he wouldn't take no for answer.

[and korra ought to be able to tell where this happy little story's headed.]

[He manages to startle a laugh out of her.] Someone thinks highly of themselves. [There's no bite to her words, though, just amusement.]

And...I think I know where this is going. I didn't even know mascara testers existed. [Make up, man. She's studying his eyes again, comparing the state of the two.] Well, your other eye looks fine. I'm guessing you got some of that make up in your left eye and that's why you're stumbling around like that.

[That eye looks so red, it's making Korra wince.]

[all that comment receives is a small grin in response. smug commentary getting a laugh means it was a success and he's also not going to argue something pretty true. he knows he's not the worst looking guy in the world, or that the most modest one, either.]

That makes two of us. [the more you know, right? what a shame that the lesson couldn't have ended on a less painful note.] Got in there and then some; I jabbed myself with the thing.

[direct hit in the middle, too. it's a miracle his cornea is intact.]

Ouch. [She bites her lip sympathetically.] I tried putting powder on myself once, and some got in my eyes. I thought that was bad enough.

[One last study of his red eye and she tilts her head, looking thoughtful.]

You know, I can probably ease up the irritation for you. [Adding brightly:] Just think, you could walk around and actually see again.

[that tale just proves mascara is evil and should be banned. no bias here, nope.]

You sure you can pull off a miracle that impossible? Don't get my hopes up all for nothing.

[commentary accompanied with a small smirk. in other, less snarky words: please help if you can, kind stranger.]

We'll see if it's impossible or not. [She just returns his smirk with a grin, accepting his snark with little comment--don't get used to it, though.]

Just ooooone question before I do anything. Did you want the eye makeup to stay on?

[that counts as more than little comment cause, really, the answer should be obvious. make up might work on a movie set, but he'll pass on looking pretty on a regular basis. he already looks pretty, thanks.]

Since I'm not going to any balls tonight, there's no reason to look good for prince charming.

[so take it off. please.]

I'm sure you'd win over prince charming even without the makeup. [Totally straight face here.]

Alright, one reverse makeover coming right up. [Korra reaches for her water pouch, drawing just a small handful of the liquid into her palm.] But first you'll have to close your eyes.

[ha ha ha. funny.

but he can be just as funny himself. once having eyed the water for a moment, mr. funny man makes a playful, straight-faced jab right back.]

Playing prince charming to a sleeping beauty only works when the beauty's actually asleep.

[despite the teasing, riku does as told and closes his eyes. what can a little water do against an evil so great as mascara? who knows, but please work that magic and let him be free from this wretched, painful curse.]

[Korra sticks her tongue out at him playfully.] Just close your eyes already, sleeping beauty.

[Once his eyes are shut, Korra gently presses the cool water to one eyelid, then the other, sapping away the irritation and washing the makeup away at the same time. Finally, she lets the murky water drop to the ground.]

All done. How's it feel to be yourself again?

[ah, mystery lady, you are amazing. pain is definitely gone and his eyes lack that same feeling of having gunk of them. best feeling ever.]

Beats being a princess, that's for sure. [a beat] Thanks.

[open!] it's a hard knock life

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