The calm before the storm.

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Today had been an early call to the stage. One that Anna really hadn’t been ready for. That didn’t however stop her from showing up on time more or less. One really good thing about days like this was that she had virtually nothing to do get ready for the day.

Days like this she got to get up and just throw clothes on really. Once she was on site the crew would take care of the rest. No point in applying makeup they were just going to take off a few minutes later. She did put clothes on, though in this case it was just sweats flip flops and a t shirt. Hopefully today they weren’t filming a modeling scene. She wasn’t sure she could handle another day spent in lingerie. Thank God for bathrobes in between takes.

For now she was sitting back in her makeup chair as her favorite makeup artist for their show worked on her today. Honestly some days she would cat nap in the chair. Something not all that uncommon in the industry but she was feeling refreshed and relaxed. With luck Akiko was in a chatty mood. “So Aki, catch me up on your life.”

@crystal

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Words Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

Crystal had been in a hurry this morning, like every other morning of the week. It didn’t help that her stupid alarm never rings, or the fact that she spends about two hours in her bathroom putting on makeup until it was ‘right’. Whatever that mean anyway. She knew that today was one of the days that the talents came in to get their makeup done for their photoshoots but she still managed to sleep in for about five minutes. Catnaps are made for cats, she always chided herself. With a hot cup of mocha in her hand, she rushed to work, throwing on a burgundy dress with some kind of floral pattern and matching colored heels. Everything had to be matching. She checked the roster of who was supposed to be coming in today and found a familiar name. The girl let out a small smile as she picked up the aluminum makeup kit set on the table with the name Akiko and began to get ready for the morning session. She was always glad to see Anna because she found that the girl seemed to always be in the mood for a chat, even when Crystal herself wasn’t. She caught sight of Anna coming in her slacks and smiled once again, not at all disturbed by the fact that the girl seemed to not have dressed for the occasion. Well to be fair she was going to have to change anyhow, The brunette Asian set her makeup tools on the counter, a rather proud way to display her little collection as she got to work. As she sorted out the different tools, she was very happy to see that Anna was in a chatty mood today as well. Crystal had wanted someone to chat with for awhile now, especially on a day as boring as this. The girl thought for a moment at the question presented to her. Her usual answer would be something along the lines as boring and nothing special but who wants to hear that all the time. After a short pause, she gave a little smile and said, “It’s been…colorful? And you?”Whatever colorful meant she wasn't even sure but the first adjective she could think of that was closely related to makeup was colorful. @anna

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Relaxing in the seat Anna sat back so that her friend could get to work while they talked. They had plenty to do and not much time. Well Anna had plenty to be done to her for the most part she just had to stand or sit there for a few hours.

“Colorful? Care to elaborate on that?” But at least she was still smiling. That meant something right? That meant things couldn’t be all that bad. Then again if like herself and live was plain, there really wasn’t much you could say. Anna absolutely hated the question what’s new. Honestly her life was rather stable and other then her show or her upcoming movie she couldn’t really add much more. For her work kept her busy and honestly she didn’t have anything more to add. Really she should fix that.

“Obviously if you don’t want to you don’t have to you know that right?”

@crystal

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Words Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

The Asian girl began to apply foundation to Anna's face as she thought of a reply to the question. With the shortage of staff around, life at least at work has been quite colorful, if not hectic. She was glad that Anna came on time as most artists and models took their sweet little time and expected makeup artists to just do magic in a limited time. At least she could always count on people like the brunette sitting before her. Crystal had always admired the girls of New York City, the immaculate and bold image Western makeup seemed to give off. She had learned in college the distinct difference between Asian and Western makeup styles, quickly trying to adapt to a whole different culture. "We're always short staffed, it surely hasn't been all black and white here." her tone held a sort of bitterness that was unlike her usual sweet self. Her bitterness came from her boss, who always seemed to be more interested in her body than in her skill. He simply refused to hire more staff to help her, thinking she could handle every and anyone. A rather sharp overestimate, to say the least. She gave the girl a reassuring smile though, hoping she didn't mistake her bitterness to be directed at her. "It's been so hectic I haven't had time to go Christmas shopping. Have you bought your presents this year, Anna?" In all honesty she loved shopping but disliked Christmas. Or any other holiday for that matter. She only enjoyed shopping for herself and never quite for others. To be fair she didn't have many others to buy presents for. The makeup guru wondered if talents bought each other presents like the regular average joes. If so she wondered if Anna got many, seeing as the girl was pretty and all. Prettiness in this city mattered...a lot. @anna

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To say actors ran on their own schedule was an understatement. Anna knew that many of them only made a pretense of caring about showing up on time. Not to mention them being drama queens about many things. She liked to think she wasn’t as bad as all that. But she couldn’t exactly say. Not that she didn’t have a moment from time to time.

She couldn’t help but wince really at the comment about being short staffed. It seemed to be a common issue really. While there was no issue getting the actors required, sometimes the core people behind the scenes were overlooked. Not to mention the discrepancy of pay between them.Anna Knew very well that some of them worked just as hard if not more than she did. “Any sign they plan on getting anyone else in?”

Anna laughed as she asked about Christmas shopping. “Thank god for Amazon Prime and two hour shipping. I may actually have it all done the weekend before Christmas. Just in time to fly home.” Thankfully they had a week of downtime for Christmas. It would give her time to actually visit with her parents. Let people assume when she said home that it was LA. That was what her agent had propagated for several years when she first started. While she had lived there for a few years it had never been home.

@crystal

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Words Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

Crystal loved her work, loved being the magician behind making even the ugliest people pretty with dashes of color. She felt a sense of superiority in a way, masking flaws and accenting features with her mere hands. That was probably what persuaded her to go to vocational school in Japan and then later to fashion school in New York. Although she did want to be an actress before, she much rather hold the spotlight where it wasn’t as apparent. Yes, she was more than proud of her job. And for that matter, she had every right to be. The girl was talented, her color coordination top notch compared to the other makeup artists here at USBC. That was probably the reason why she was recruited in the first place. Seeing as the salary wasn’t half bad for this city, she obliged. It gave her more time to save up money to launch her own makeup brand. A dream that she had insisted on for the past three years. "With the budget cutting and stuff going on, I’m surprised they kept me here, much less letting more people in." It was indeed really hard to get new people to come in. She was certain that the director of the company wouldn’t at all oppose to hiring a few extra people but her boss was always a money pincher. If he had had his way, she wouldn’t even be here now, no matter how talented she was. Hopefully she could get the opportunity to meet the directors of USBC or at least the big boss. She needed to tell him how understaffed this place actually was before she passes out from the work overload. But for now she would bite her tongue, as she often did to survive in this country. Getting too full of yourself wasn’t a good thing and it certainly came with repercussions. "Amazon Prime? You use that too!"Crystal had to mask the fact that she still hadn’t bought nor sent any gifts to her parents yet. They lived in a small house in the countryside of Tokyo, living off the monthly allowance from the government as well as money sent home by her and her siblings. Since she made the bigger share of her three siblings, she was almost responsible for all her parents’ monthly spendings. That didn’t matter very much to her. She was grateful that they had agreed for her to come all the way to New York to begin with, and had funded her schooling here too. The girl had actually wanted to get some ideas from people about what to get people as presents. This had always been a problem for her and she hoped that Anna could be of help. ”What’d you get your friends and family for Christmas, Anna?” @anna

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The funny thing was, Crystal probably saw Anna at her worst when it came to how she dressed. Most of the time she didn’t leave the house in flip flops and sweats. About the only time she did was when she was on her way here oh so early in the morning. Beyond that she tended to at least wear jeans and a nice blouse. Plus you know her hair was done and she wore makeup. Still the paparazzi would have a field day seeing her like this if it was the middle of the day.

She could only frown as her friend talked about budget cuts. The truth was she was part of the problem there. Well not her specifically but her as an actor. They tended to get raises season after season. The same couldn’t be said about people like Crystal. Even if some like Anna felt they should. “I wish I could help with that you know.” But what could she do really?

She laughed and nodded “Hello, two hour delivery. How could I live without it?” It hadn’t been bad with two day, but two hour? Oh so worth it for her. She did however wince at Crystals’ next question. “Um. I haven’t actually gotten anything. It’s… I’m not even sure what to get my little brother. I haven’t seen him in about a year. Or my parents though I do talk to them on the phone. But.. That’s not the same.” Really she should try to get out to visit them more now that she lived this close. It would be a quick flight really. “I plan on doing most of my shopping once I’m back home visiting.” She rarely talked about home. It was a habit from her younger years when her agent had her under a much tighter control.
@crystal

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Words: 455 Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

Crystal knew that the job of a talent was much different from hers. But while Anna got bonuses, her job was technically a lot harder. At least she got to stay in the comforts of the makeup and styling room like this one and she didn’t have to watch her every move in fear of paparazzi and making entertainment news headlines. She had been jealous of people like Anna years ago, because she knew she could never make as much money as the talents. Money was a very important part of her life, because she loved shopping so much. Her semiannual trips around the world and her vast collection of makeup and clothes told everyone that she was actually a shopaholic. "Presents are sadly not my field of expertise" she confided to the girl truthfully. It was true. She was not good with presents at all. Crystal had always left shopping for holiday things to the last minute, making it very difficult for her to get everyone on her list a present. And to be honest, she always managed to at least forget someone every year. It couldn’t be helped. ”Oh, your brother? How old is he? Maybe I can help.” She didn’t recall Anna talking about having a brother. Or maybe she did and the brunette just forgot. The absentmindedness was slowly turning into an illness for the young Asian. And as though a lightning bolt struck her, Crystal stopped putting on makeup for Anna at that moment, telling the other girl to wait just a moment for her to return. She would head to the staff room, an office behind the makeup room, and head towards her locker. She had went shopping the weekend before, looking for the new lines of makeup that brands were coming out with for the winter season. It was also because the Christmas sales were rolling in, the perfect timing for her to buy things for herself and for the rare people she actually remembered to buy things for. She had bought Anna a Christmas present, which was of course a makeup set. She knew that talents were especially into makeup, since they must look their best at all times. Crystal had seen an eyeshadow palette of twelve colours that just came out from one of the luxury brands and had immediately thought of her friend. She had wrapped it with pink wrapping paper with a lavender sash tied in a bow and placed it in a black gift back. On the little message card attached to the bag was the words To Anna. It was just her luck that she could see her friend today or else she would have forgotten about it all together. @anna

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That was true and some actors tried to argue that they deserved the money because of having to live in the spotlight all the time. True it wasn’t as easy a life as some thought but at times Anna wasn’t sure she deserved everything she received. But in the end, Anna truly enjoyed her job and being able to play various parts. Even now starring in this show she had a movie lined up that was set to start filming in a few months. Then her schedule would truly be crazy.

Presents weren’t her field of expertise either. She had no idea where to begin with half her family. Though her waiting this long was more her own fault and her own lifestyle than anything right now. She smiled as Crystal asked about her brother. “I do! He is..” She had to pause to do a bit of math. “Sixteen?” It came out more as a question really but then she barely knew him at this point. Honestly she hated that aspect of her life. “I uh… haven’t really seen him much since he was five and I started my career.” She had to look away for a moment. Was she a bad sister? How did he think of her? Honestly Anna didn’t know and that scared her.

And suddenly just like that Crystal had told her to wait a moment and bolted off “uh” She hadn’t looked sick so it wasn’t anything like that, but what was it? A few minutes later Crystal came back in holding a small bag, obviously a christmas present. “Crystal! You shouldn’t have!” Now she felt bad and felt herself tearing up. She hadn’t gotten anything for Crystal yet. Not that she didn’t want to but again she hadn’t even started. Now she certainly had to and today! “ She stood taking the bag from Crustal and giving her a hug of affection. “I feel really bad now. Told you I hadn’t started any of my shopping yet.” With that said she backed away and sat back down wiping at her eyes, carefully at least so as to ruin as little as possible what Crystal had already done. “Did you want me to open this now or wait?
@crystal

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Words: 407 Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

It wasn’t really that she was an exceptionally considerate person and enjoyed buying gifts for other people. In fact, she was a little conceited, too concerned about herself most of the time to even think about others. But she realized earlier on in her career that making connections was a very important and yet unwritten part of her job, especially if she wanted to make the spotlight as a brand producer. Crystal did most things for selfish reasons, to get something out of people with every move she made. But with Anna she admitted it was a little different. She genuinely thought of the girl a friend, even though she didn’t get to see her very often. That was probably half the reason why. Crystal was never attached to anyone. In fact she was kind of fearful of being attached to people. She didn’t like commitments of any kind, fearful of having to lend an ear for problems and things. With Anna she could just talk to her like a normal person and the brunette was very thankful of that. In fact it surprised her that she and Anna could be friends since she hardly ever spoke to any of the other talents who came and went. Of course she talked to them about their makeup and stuff but that was different. She was giving her expertise then and it was part of her job. She longed for just a friend, someone she could share things with and open up to. But then, who would want to do that when she wasn’t willing to do the same? “You can open it any time you want.” She replied, noting the that Anna was tearing up. In her heart Crystal felt really happy because Anna was one of the few people who would show some genuine emotions. All the other talents just seemed…shallow. She continued her work, glancing at the clock above their heads. The photoshoot that Anna was doing would start in about an hour which meant that Crystal had to get her butt moving with the makeup. She took out her brush kit and set it on the table, choosing carefully the colours that she was going to use today. As this was for a winter catalogue, the colours were naturally going to be darker. All this time she was thinking about what she could suggest getting Anna’s brother. Teenagers could be really difficult sometimes, especially boys. @anna

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She didn’t do much for herself actually. She didn’t have much time to do much for herself. But she did try to do some things for her friends and family. Crystal was a friend even if her fellow actors frowned upon that. OK only some of them would say that. There were plenty out there that viewed the other people in the industry as human being. The days of not talking to any of the makeup artists and stylists were long over. In truth about the only time Anna wasn’t willing to talk to them was when she first started, she was all of twelve and the makeup artist was thirty. That was more from nerves at the time.


The hard part of getting close to anyone for Anna. Her face and name was out there and fairly well known. It was always was a risk running into someone. Were they being nice because of who she was or because of what she did? With Crystal it wasn’t an issue really. The woman saw celebrities daily so that was a non issue. But despite all that she was grinning ear to ear as she hefted up the back to open her gift. “I still feel really bad about not even starting my shopping yet.” With that she opened her gift and pulled out the eyeshadow palette. “I love it!” She leaned over pulling Crystal into a quick hug.


Anna could tell by how Crystal started moving that they were getting short on time. Well short on time just meant shorter than before and now they were pressed for time. But she had little doubt Crystal could handle it. This was about the time most people showed up. “What would I ever do without you Crystal? It really isn’t the same when you aren’t here.”
@crystal

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Words Outfit: burgundy dress JUNIER OF GS + ADOX

Crystal watched as Anna opened the gift, her smile growing wider as she unconvered the eyeshadow palette. She pulled Crystal in for a quick hug, one of the many things she liked about Anna. To be honest the young Asian didn't really like talents. They always pulled up a cold front and treated other people as not their equal. It was difficult to watch and bear when some artists would yell through the roof if the makeup artists and assistants were not fast enough or didn't heed to their every command. But Anna was different and she was ever so thankful. At least she was lucky to have found such a nice and laid back talent to work with, shuddering at the thought of her other colleagues who were not so fortunate. "You still have time, don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for some good present ideas and message you." Crystal was a shopaholic and definetly spent more time in malls and department stores than Anna would. In truth she didn't believe in online shopping because one couldn't see the quality of the item they want to buy. All shoppers had were images to go by and she recalled the time where she had bought a dress that did not deliver to what the description said. She preferred seeing and touching the actual thing. She noticed that the other artists were trickling in for their makeup to be done. She watched as they walked past her, not even giving her so much as a glance. She bowed to them slightly, a custom that most do in Japan. Even after years in America she just couldn't seem to shake off certain habits of her childhood. Crystal would turn her attention back to Anna and give the girl a reassuring smile. The makeup job was almost finished and soon the two girls would have to part. She really didn't want to though, preferring Anna over her other bookings. "Say Anna, would you like to go on a trip to Japan with me? I have to visit my family there but hate traveling alone." It was true she hated travelling alone. Before she would go with her ex boyfriends but since she became single again recently, she had no such luxury. Crystal hoped Anna didn't find her invitation too weird although it did come out of the blue. The Asian girl would finish up the last touches, smiling at the outcome and satisfied with her work. @anna

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Crystal offering to help her with gift ideas was just the icing on the cake. “Really? That would be great. I just feel at such a loss. I usually cope but this time of year I realize just exactly what I lost when I started acting. I really did give up a lot of my life with my family when I started out you know?” Very few actually asked what they gave up. Most just assumed their privacy if anything. Well most assumed it was all glitz and glamour. Anna gave up much of her family and really only started to realize just what she had lost in doing so.

Crystal’s tendency to bow that came from her homeland made Anna smiled. She liked the fact that her friend had habits and tendencies from home like that. It made her smile thinking about it. While she herself had nothing like that from home anymore. Even now when she would return for the holidays she would have to struggle to shed the american accent she used day in and day out. By the time it even started to sound right to her family she would have to leave. “Don’t ever change Crystal OK?” Though with the arrival of the others it would mean their time would be pressed at best.

She blinked and then smiled at the sudden invitation. “I would love to but when? I’m supposed to fly home to my family for the holiday.” She knew Crystal’s family was a bit further away than her own. “If you aren't flying home for christmas or don’t have plans, maybe you could join me?” honestly she would love to see her reaction to meeting Anna’s family.
@crystal

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“Don’t ever change Crystal OK?” Crystal heard the other girl say. She was a bit puzzled but decided against asking Anna for more details. The girl simply smiled and nodded. There were times in her life she wished she could be someone different. If she wasn't born in Japan and lived there most of life, she probably wouldn't be as well mannered as she seemed now. In a country like America, she felt that people just somehow treated her better because of this, whereas it was often a given in her own country. Crystal liked this part of the cultural difference, especially because it went in her favour. The girl thought for a moment. She hadn't set a fixed date to go back to visit yet, still trying to see when she could take a holiday away from her ever so busy schedule. Christmas had been her original plan but plane tickets were crazy expensive at this time and the number of tourists visiting the country would make her go mad. She hated having to cue in lines and stuff, just a part of her impatient side shining through. She would wait till the new year, since taking a holiday would be like trying to pull teeth with her boss. Something she was really not looking forward to. "i don't know when yet. Depends on how crazy this workload is to be honest." she replied, adding the final finishing touches to Anna's face. She loved her job, loved transforming ordinary people with a few dashes of a brush. It was her turn to be surprised as the other girl invited her along to visit her parents in her country over the Christmas holidays. Crystal was touched and grateful at the same time, having been ever so depressed lately thinking about Christmas. Ever since breaking up with her last boyfriend, she had lost a person to spend this beautiful holiday with and had been hoping to spend it with someone. She really disliked being alone. "I'd love to!" she beamed at Anna, grateful to her friend for her thoughtfulness. "But would that be okay with your parents? I mean, having some random person they don't know show up at their doorstep..." not all parents were like hers, she had to admit. @anna

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Honestly Anna was fairly sure that at some point or another everyone wished they were a different person or that there was something different about themselves. She just hoped that Crystal kept who she was true to herself and didn’t let the industry change that.

Yeah this time of year was tough. They generally had nearly a month off for the holiday. Though she knew that was for the sitcoms not some of the other shows. She wasn’t sure what else Crystal worked on. “Yeah hectic hectic time of year.”

It was nice to see Crystal’s excitement about the idea of going to Anna’s parents house for the holiday. “They would love it, me bringing a friend to meet them. They rarely get to meet anyone I hang out with. Um.. do you speak french?” That would probably be more shocking than anything. She didn’t sound french and didn’t have a french name. Well her SAG card had an american name on it. Her birth certificate didn’t. Before Crystal could really answer she waved off her own question. “Don’t worry they wouldn’t do that to you. Just don’t be surprised if that’s all you hear from them if you aren’t in the room.”
@crystal

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