2026-10-10: Finishing Touches
- Log: Finishing Touches
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Remi Ryuuja
- Where: Le Chat Marron
- OOC Date: 2026-10-10
- IC Date: Tuesday, Jan 22 2013
- Summary: In an effort to conceal his identity at the butler cafe, Hyousuke calls on Remi for help with some makeup.
(|============================== Le Chat Marron ==============================|)
-========================================================= Tokyo/Akihabara ====-
Take a left off the streets of Electric City, then down a stairway, and you'll
find a door with a frosted glass window labeled 'Le Chat Marron'. On the side is
a menu stand listing the seasonal offers and any specials.
Inside, one will be greeted by a cozy but elegant cafe setting with a vaguely
European Old World feel. The white walls are accented by dark wood wainscot half
panels, above which are framed posters of turn-of-the-century lithographs from
European artists such as Jules Chéret, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Alphonse Mucha.
There's a bar against one wall, with various bottles set against a mirrored
display. Lighting is kept bright enough to portray the place as elegant, while
also being dim enough to feel cushy.
You'll be attended to by a butler of your choosing, though who is available
largely varies from day to day. Unlike many cafes, the butlers may be female or
male, and their theme, while in keeping with the general turn of the century
European feel, can run the gamut otherwise, as will their quality, acting, and
ability to speak English (or any other language, for that matter). Really, it's
more likely you'd be here for the desserts, savory snacks, teas, and fancy
drinks (non-alcoholic, as this is an all-ages cafe!) than the butlers, but there
is a certain appeal to being called 'ojou-sama', 'danna-sama', or 'bocchama'. If
your butler is particularly good, you just may feel like a member of the upper
class!
(|============================================================================|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
No matter how many times he wore the suit, Hyousuke could never manage to get used to it. It wasn't that it didn't fit, even if it had taken a small miracle to find an ensemble that fit his height and build. It wasn't that he felt he looked ridiculous - he'd spent enough time in the company of other, more experienced butlers to be assured that he looked passable. It was more a clash with who he was as a person, and nowhere was that more apparent than when he dressed up for the day.
The gloves covered worn skin on his knuckles. The shirt obscured a small patchwork of bruises. The trousers hid scrapes and scratches he'd taken in the course of his explorations. He still stood without complaint, but it felt odd to him to act the part of a refined gentleman when he thought - hell, when he *knew* - he was little more than a screaming brute. But whatever discomfort cropped up was quickly quashed by the prospect of a decent paycheque, even if it still lingered in the background of his mind whenever he went about his work.
As experienced as he was at putting on the uniform by that point, however, there was one part that always gave him trouble - the makeup. The jet-black and medium-length wig sat well upon his head, the matching reading glasses were a staple of his outfit, and he'd long since broken in the shoes. But when he looked in the mirror and squinted at the layer of concealer he'd applied to his face, a frown began to weave itself into his features. That deep trench carved from brow to cheek might have been hidden from a distance, but with how close he needed to be to serve patrons, he doubted it'd hold up.
"Ryuuja-san?" He asked, not looking away from the mirror. "Need your help with the makeup again. Doesn't look like it's sitting right..."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi, by contrast, has taken to the role with relative ease. Oh, she needed a fair bit of instruction at first in the finer details of customer work and interacting with customers--that was not a thing she ever had to worry about with her upbringing, though she didn't exactly advertise her upbringing.
But for the actual role, that of a mysterious French gentleman with a charming yet sad fallen nobility air to hi... she had taken to it quite well. And even some of the small lapses she'd made early on with unfamiliar takes she had managed to work into her character, with some coaching.
Of course, she has her own set of injuries that she kept hidden, but that's just par for the course.
Her own wig is a light brown, with no glasses, but she uses makeup regularly to help contour her face a little, to sell the fantasy of being a male butler. Her wig is off, though, and she's slowly working on removing that makeup, looking at the mirro but her thoughts far distant.
'Ryuuja-san?'
Remi blinks, the question taking a moment to sink in. She shakes her head and looks over. "Hmm?" Her eyes--brown with green flecks--squint as she studies Hyousuke's face. "Ahh, I see." She puts her makeup wipe down and steps closer. "Mmm. Chin up, dear," she says softly, "Let me see."
She leans this way and that, nodding to herself. "You're applying it unevenly. Would you like a hand?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke moved as instructed once he had Remi's attention. Stepping away from the mirror and towards her, he angled himself to give her a better look, and remained as still as possible to keep the light overhead from interfering too much. As helpful as it could be in obscuring something that could very well identify him outside of the cafe, the lighting could just as easily prove a hindrance to detailed work. However, he also made sure to keep a slight distance from her. He tolerated her proximity, given its necessity, but that didn't make him comfortable with it.
"Could you? I've been trying to figure out doing it myself, but it's..." He pulled a slight face in place of finishing his sentence, letting his displeasure with yet another failure speak for itself. With him still and angled right, it was clear to see that - compared to when he'd first stumbled in and asked for a job - Hyousuke had gotten markedly better. While part of that was no doubt down to the scar being a single, clean, line carved across into his face, the very basics of application were there. But he was still an inexperienced rank amateur, and his work definitely needed tidying up. "Just wish I didn't have to wear it at all. Feels kinda weird to keep putting it on."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi can see the improvement, of course. Though a part of her does wonder if it's fully necessary to hide the scar--it's distinctive, and adds character... but she also knws she' not up on all of the butler 'tropes'.
Still...
But Hyousuke agrees, and Remi nods. "Certainly. Hold still a moment." The first step is to remove the existing concealer, of course. But when Hyousuke trails off she just nods. "Mm-hmm. It is a skill, dear.
But it feels weird... Remi hmms. "Well, you could go without, of course, and..." Her voice drops to a faux, conspiratorial whisper, "There are some girls who go for that sort of thing," She chuckles softly and picks up the brush and concealer once she's finished. "But I would wager that most men in your position do not have the benefit of regular practice--so it is little wonder if it might take you some time to become adept."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
His discomfort with her working on him was clear for anyone that cared to look closely enough. He remained as still as he could, but his jaw clenched tight and his gaze remained dead ahead. He was the very image of someone locking up in an attempt to not react. Despite that, he remained, recognising that it was a necessity if he was to learn to do it himself.
"Gotta admit, getting more customers is tempting..." Hyousuke said, either too dense to realise the implications or making an active effort to ignore them. "...But I don't want anyone knowing I work here. And it's hard to hide that when I've got this out in the open."
It was sizeable enough that the glasses folded up next to him would only partially obscure it, after all, and there were precious few other options available that wouldn't have clashed with the outfit. Ones that he was aware of, at least.
"Besides, I don't think men in general wear any of this stuff." He said, in regards to her other point. He said it rather flatly, with the same ease that he'd have said water was wet, or snow was cold. Like it was a simple fact of life that men would not know much about makeup. "Not like I could ask 'em even if I knew any. It'd be bad enough if they found out I was pretending to be someone's butler, but I'd never live it down if they found out I was wearing makeup for it too."
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi can't fail to notice that discomfort, being so close, but it can't be helped if she's going to be applying makeup. She is working as swiftly as she can, though.
Later, when they have more time, she'll walk Hyousuke through the process and provide instruction. Right now this is for just getting things done. But he doesn't want people knowing that it's him. "Mmm... I suppose that is a conundrum, dear..."
But as for men in general... "You may be right about that, of course... but the number may be higher than you think--turn this way for me? Yes, like that. I daresay you have seen a live-action actor or TV perosnality on the screen before, yes?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
While Hyousuke was most certainly not an actor, professional or otherwise, his impression of a nervous pet at the groomer's was remarkable. Of course, he didn't howl or tremble in despair, but there was still the abject discomfort in his expression. It was mitigated somewhat as time went on and he got used to her presence, but there was no actual relaxation there. Even when he turned for her, it was more like someone shifting a stone in place than the natural, fluid, movement of someone manipulating their own body.
"Sometimes. I leave the TV on for background noise when I'm doing stuff around the dorm, if that counts." Given that it likely encompassed everything from the news to trashy dramas that he was more invested in than he cared to admit, he supposed it probably counted. "Why? Do they got something to do with this?"
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi, at the very least, is taking care not to linger, even if she doesn't seem overly concerned with the discomfort. "One last little touch and--there!" She stepped back to an arm's length, looking Hyousuke over. "Look in the mirror, dear. Tell me what you think."
As for the TV. "Certainly that counts. And I'll let you in on a little secret--every single person you see on camera is wearing makeup. Even the men."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Though he tried to suppress the brunt of it - if only for the sake of politeness - there was no hiding all of the relief that was on Hyousuke's face when he was finally allowed to turn back around. When he looked at himself in the mirror, however, at least that relief was born of seeing the results rather than being allowed to keep his distance once again. He angled his head this way and that, letting the light hit him at different angles to better see how he looked, but the pleased look never faded.
"You've *really* gotta show me how you do this one day. Thanks, Ryuuja-san, you're a lifesaver." Hyousuke said, hoping that sufficed in showing his approval - though he made sure to address the other point when that was done. "And you're saying all of them gotta wear stuff like this? Like, all the time?"
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
Remi won't take offense, at Hyousuke wanting to keep his distance. That's why she stepped back when she was done. But there's a warm smile, at seeing--and hearing--the approval. "You're quite welcome, dear--and I would be more than glad to give you a lesson, when we both have more itme for it."
She sits down and resumes work on removing her own makeup. "They certainly do--at least, while they're on camera. The lighting is extraordinarily bright, in order to facilitate recording by the video cameras. But exposing a face to such powerful lighting can wash the face out--so they use makeup to compensate."
She looks at Hyousuke again. "... if it helps, for this purpose, try to think of it as just a tool. It's no different than that wig or those glasses."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke didn't look directly at Remi, instead performing some final checks on the last of his costume, but he was quiet and attentive nonetheless. He nodded along, then remained still when she offered that closing remark, moving only to pick up the wig and place it gingerly on his head. Neatly arranged, jet black in hue, and possessed of a healthy sheen - or, at least, as much as a wig like that could have - it was a rather stark departure from the honey-blonde and shortly-cut locks that were compressed beneath.
"Just a tool..." He said, looking at his alter-ego - his prim, proper, man-of-few-words alter ego - in the mirror, and nodded firmly. It was a short, quick, gesture, but no less decisive for it. "...Still feels weird to be dolled up like this, but I'll try and think of it like that. Thanks. And for the help with everything else." He tugged at the collar a little, shifted the wig, and adjusted the glasses, until he looked every part the tall, dark, and mysterious man that customers seemed to have a fondness for. Enough that he still had a place in the cafe, at least.
"Anyway, I'm up soon. I'll be counting on you teaching me soon - can't rely on you helping me out all the time." He chuckled, before standing up straight and pulling his tie the rest of the way up.
<Pose Tracker> Remi Ryuuja has posed.
And as Hyousuke puts on his wig, Remi takes hers off, along with a wig cap, setting both on a stand. Her face is back to its normal contours now that the makeup is removed. (She also has honey-blonde hair, but it also happens that she's half-French, so she doesn't look fullyJapanese anyway. At least it helps her character...)
But Hyousuke will try. "That's the spirit. And do try to relax, a true butler exudes a sense of calm and purpose." She speaks as if she's dealt with actual butlers before. But what are the odds. "I'll be happy to give you a lesson any time. Au revoir, dear, and break a leg!"