CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 285 - SHOOT DAY: MORNING PREP

Having to rush back to my apartment this early to grab my underwear kit before the shoot wasn’t how I’d planned to start the day... before I threw all that aside by coming to Lunarizon Tower.

But the seamless pieces I’d bought specifically for modeling were sitting in my apartment closet drawers. Showing up in nothing, like I slept in on her bed - or in that lingerie I regret wearing would just have been unprofessional.

Cutting my morning shorter than I’d have liked. I only ate one meal...

I pushed through the doors of the studio at fifteen minutes until seven. The place had the same kind of artistic edge to it this morning as it did past noon for the interview.

And from what I read in my research, this one in particular was notoriously not the sort of place that would tolerate a model showing up unprepared. Even if many of those warning stories were from the other designer tenants...

Clean face, clean hair, and having managed to arrive on time with food in my stomach despite having to cross the city so early - and drive off a clingy Alpha from my apartment parking lot. She just would not take ’no’ for an answer about also driving me to the location until I upped my threats.

In any case, I’m not going to overthink what I did last night. It was practical, nothing more.

The receptionist eyed me after I walked onto the third floor. A younger man with hair styled and fit in a way that made him look like he probably modeled as well. Or at least dabbled.

"Citra Lomdi, here for the Frost & Ember shoot."

"Slightly early is better than slightly late. Maia said to send you straight through into C when you arrived."

Walking through the doorway, several people moved around with more liveliness than I feel so many should have at this time of day. All that sat aside lighting equipment now stood at careful angles and was being adjusted by a full team that had done this many times before, if a glance could truly tell such a thing.

"There she is."

Mrs. Katsaros looked up from her tablet, wearing the same kind of business-casual outfit style I remembered from the interview. Her sharp eyes took in my clean, simple, unadorned appearance with approval.

"Properly prepped. I had a feeling you would be. Good. We’re going to have a busy day and even five minutes wasted could potentially mess a lot up. Hair and makeup team is waiting."

She clapped and gestured toward a cubicle set up in the corner. When I approach I see it has mirrors, chairs, and enough cosmetics and application accessories to stock a small convenience store.

A woman I’d never met with short, perfectly asymmetrical black hair waved me over with a smile. One that managed to be both outwardly warm and deeply assessing. I was instantly on guard.

It’s probably fine. She just reminds me of someone is all. One of my eldest brother’s wives.

"I’m Devon, I’ll be doing your makeup today. And this is your hair expert, Eddie."

*He* - because I read a glance at his mascara all *all* wrong, that a closer look and smell of the human male corrected... alongside his bassy voice - indicated a tall man arranging hair tools on a shelf next to a chair with a lot of care for them.

"A pleasure to be working with you both."

I held back my instinct to use my world’s greeting practices while settling into the chair they gestured toward. Products I wouldn’t have recognized without my days of research adorned the elaborate makeup station.

In professional mirrors and lighting, both of them studied my face with the focus of those who took their craft seriously. Like the servants that used to dress me after I gained a human form, trying to pick what I would look most ’regal’ in that given day.

"Natural editorial look today, I was told. Which is frankly perfect for you - that skin is absolutely flawless even before I’ve gotten started. You have a particular routine you’d be willing to share, or are you just one of those... blessed?"

"Blessed, I suppose. I could honestly do more to take care of it."

The specific compliment had made me slightly uncomfortable, considering it was really intended for Helene. A person who never got to hear praise like that enough... but I was learning to accept them for her with some inner grace.

Rather than the matter of fact way I would have taken it in my old body. Because then it was... of course I was beautiful, I’d been told so for years - who did this new complimenter think they were? Some expert that validates more than the thousands of others?

"Well, I’m hating you just a little bit then, but the camera is going to love you. We’ll do some basic skincare, a light base, some subtle dimension for the lighting, and just generally keep everything fresh and dewy."

He began selecting from the items around us like someone who’d done this the same thousands of times that I’d ever been called beautiful - and he just might have, if we count what he may have done in schooling, career so far, as well as his own daily management.

"This will take about two hours, so get comfortable. Your job today has definitely already started."

Seems like plenty of time to *not* think about staying the night in Kyrie’s penthouse. Vrika yawned in my mindscape, bored with my behavior already. It even chuffed in disbelief... considering the ride this morning.

Of course, it’s exactly what I’m going to do. Think about why I did all that and how to limit such things in the future.

The fact that we ended up talking about flowers and family history was just... conversation naturally proceeding. And avoiding unmated males as much as possible this week is just logical. Her point there for staying was valid, even if the escalation of her possessiveness was a little...

"Lips parched? Do you need some water to sip?"

I nod my head rather than admit to a stranger what I was thinking. It’s not like I admitted it to Kyrie either. That the danger of it tempted me to ’escalate’ a bit.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have tricked her out of her own penthouse.

And slept alone all night in it.