Myshuno Prompt #7: Red lipstick
Oct. 5th, 2012 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silverbelleljPrompt: Red lipstick (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tatdatcm)
Characters: Alice, Rosalie, Shirley
Rating: PG for conversation topic
Summary: The girls get together one afternoon.
Notes: Canon. May or may not appear in a future chapter so can be considered a spoiler.
Word Count: 508
“You said you would help me roll bandages, Shirley,” Rosalie snipped in an accusatory tone.
“And I will, Mrs. Prissy Pants. But I want to get this letter to Walt done first. Poor fellow must think I’ve forgotten him; it’s been three whole days since I last wrote.”
Rosalie looked up from her work in shock. “Shirley Alcott, you know one of the most important things we ladies can do to help with the war effort is to write to our soldiers as often as we can, to keep their spirits up. I myself write to Bruce every day, even if it’s just a few brief words. You should do the same.”
“Sure, putting a pen to paper is more important that building a battleship,” Shirley deadpanned. “In case you haven’t noticed, Rosalie, I’ve been pulling double shifts for the past few days, trying to make sure we meet the Navy’s deadlines. I’m sure Walt will understand when he hears.”
“I’m sure he will,” Alice said to Shirley but at Rosalie. With Nick gone, it fell to her to play mediator between the two polar opposites.
“I suppose it’s a good excuse as any,” Rosalie conceded, returning her attention to the bandages she and Alice were rolling.
“Thanks,” Shirley replied with sarcasm only Alice picked up on. “He better.”
It was quiet for a few moments, the only noise being the scratch of Shirley’s pencil against the paper. After a several minutes passed, Shirley put down her pencil. “There, done.”
“You should send that by v-mail, so he gets it faster,” Rosalie advised.
“Can’t,” Shirley replied. “Walter asked for a new snapshot of me, as the one he took with him got wet and spoiled. Say Alice, got any lipstick on you?”
Alice went to her purse and pulled out a tube of the soft plum shade she wore.
Shirley frowned. “Do you have any red?”
“No, I don’t. I can’t wear it; it doesn’t suit me.”
“Rosalie…”
“No.”
“But Rosalie, I want to seal my letter with a kiss. It will be so much more dramatic if it’s with a red kiss.”
“Use your own lipstick, Shirley.”
“Rosalie, in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t wear lipstick.”
Rosalie grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “no surprise there,” but she reached into her handbag and pulled out a small tube, which she promptly handed to Shirley.
Shirley grinned, and pulled a small mirror out of her own bag. When Rosalie gaped at her, Shirley gave her an innocent look. “What? I have to make sure all my hair’s tied up before I go into work.” She carefully applied the cosmetic, then pressed her lips together and released them with a pop.
“Thank you, Rosalie,” she said, handing the lipstick back. She then picked up one of the pictures she was sending to Walter, and carefully pressed her lips to it. When she removed them, there was a near-perfect kiss mark in the corner of the photo.
“There,” Shirley said with a smirk. “Let’s see him lose that photo.”
* * * * *
V-Mail, or Victory Mail, was a real thing. Read more about it here.
tatdatcm)Characters: Alice, Rosalie, Shirley
Rating: PG for conversation topic
Summary: The girls get together one afternoon.
Notes: Canon. May or may not appear in a future chapter so can be considered a spoiler.
Word Count: 508
“You said you would help me roll bandages, Shirley,” Rosalie snipped in an accusatory tone.
“And I will, Mrs. Prissy Pants. But I want to get this letter to Walt done first. Poor fellow must think I’ve forgotten him; it’s been three whole days since I last wrote.”
Rosalie looked up from her work in shock. “Shirley Alcott, you know one of the most important things we ladies can do to help with the war effort is to write to our soldiers as often as we can, to keep their spirits up. I myself write to Bruce every day, even if it’s just a few brief words. You should do the same.”
“Sure, putting a pen to paper is more important that building a battleship,” Shirley deadpanned. “In case you haven’t noticed, Rosalie, I’ve been pulling double shifts for the past few days, trying to make sure we meet the Navy’s deadlines. I’m sure Walt will understand when he hears.”
“I’m sure he will,” Alice said to Shirley but at Rosalie. With Nick gone, it fell to her to play mediator between the two polar opposites.
“I suppose it’s a good excuse as any,” Rosalie conceded, returning her attention to the bandages she and Alice were rolling.
“Thanks,” Shirley replied with sarcasm only Alice picked up on. “He better.”
It was quiet for a few moments, the only noise being the scratch of Shirley’s pencil against the paper. After a several minutes passed, Shirley put down her pencil. “There, done.”
“You should send that by v-mail, so he gets it faster,” Rosalie advised.
“Can’t,” Shirley replied. “Walter asked for a new snapshot of me, as the one he took with him got wet and spoiled. Say Alice, got any lipstick on you?”
Alice went to her purse and pulled out a tube of the soft plum shade she wore.
Shirley frowned. “Do you have any red?”
“No, I don’t. I can’t wear it; it doesn’t suit me.”
“Rosalie…”
“No.”
“But Rosalie, I want to seal my letter with a kiss. It will be so much more dramatic if it’s with a red kiss.”
“Use your own lipstick, Shirley.”
“Rosalie, in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t wear lipstick.”
Rosalie grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “no surprise there,” but she reached into her handbag and pulled out a small tube, which she promptly handed to Shirley.
Shirley grinned, and pulled a small mirror out of her own bag. When Rosalie gaped at her, Shirley gave her an innocent look. “What? I have to make sure all my hair’s tied up before I go into work.” She carefully applied the cosmetic, then pressed her lips together and released them with a pop.
“Thank you, Rosalie,” she said, handing the lipstick back. She then picked up one of the pictures she was sending to Walter, and carefully pressed her lips to it. When she removed them, there was a near-perfect kiss mark in the corner of the photo.
“There,” Shirley said with a smirk. “Let’s see him lose that photo.”
* * * * *
V-Mail, or Victory Mail, was a real thing. Read more about it here.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2012-10-06 02:13 am (UTC)I love all these insights, but they must constantly be anxious in these situations and being so far away from each other... :/
no subject
on 2012-10-06 03:29 pm (UTC)It's fun to finally be able to share more tidbits about the characters and what's going to happen. So much of this plot has been in my head for so long. But yes, it must have been very stressful to be so far away from their loved ones, especially when the boys were in so much danger.
no subject
on 2012-10-06 04:26 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-10-06 03:36 pm (UTC)Women and those at home were encouraged to write to their men overseas as often as possible, to keep their spirits up. It's one of the reasons that V-mail came about, as the War Department tried to make the process as fast as possible. I imagine a letter from home, even one filled with mundane things, was VERY welcome.
no subject
on 2012-10-06 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-10-06 08:50 pm (UTC)Since I'm not caught up I don't know who Alice's fellow ladies are, but I liked it anyway!
no subject
on 2012-10-06 09:18 pm (UTC)Shirley is Viola's daughter. Viola is James' younger sister, so Shirley is Viola's first cousin-in-law. :P Rosalie is the daughter of Taddy & Calla; Taddy is James' first cousin (his mother is Lizzie, Jefferson's twin sister). So if I've got this correct, Rosalie is Alice's first cousin once removed-in-law. And Rosalie is a June Cleaver wannabe, while Shirley is a total tomboy.