Ritzy owns them, I'm just think it's fun to cover them in foam ;) Don't worry, I'm still working on "Give yourself over", but the virgin doth protest too much so far. Silly Janet...

Steam was rising from the still hot bubble bath. Columbia was soaking in the old danged up clawfoot tub, resting her head, tempted to close her eyes and doze off, but unable to tear her gaze from the naked man in front of the mirror. She was tired, and a little sore, but pleasantly so. Frank already got out of the tub, and now stood in front of the mirror, lathering up shaving foam and applying it with great concentration, a familiar ritual. He hated his beard… fiercely. Unfortunately, he was 'blessed' with a strong growth, so on rather special nights … like tonight… he had to shave in the evening once more to achieve his usual smooth look. Columbia had begged him to let it grow once – just a bit - curious to see what he'd look like, but he just rolled his eyes and flat out refused.

Now the only sounds were the slight drip of the old tap and the scratch-scratch-scratch of the razor on his cheeks. His wet curls were held together in a messy samurai –style pony tail, a rather fetching look she thought as she watched little droplets of water dripping down onto his shoulders and gliding over his naked back towards his glorious – and equally naked – butt. She sighed softly… he was gorgeous, regardless if he just stood naked and undone in front of the mirror with that highly focused look on his face or in his full regalia he'd surely don later. It was a special night, he said, making her a bit nervous… some 'friends' from 'home' would come over … he'd go all out and told her to do the same.

She got out of the tub and started to dry her short hair - took her much shorter than him- and applied her make-up, which again took him much longer to apply. As she finished her lips, she caught him looking at her in the mirror. She blew him a kiss with her cherry red lips and winked at him. For a moment, he stared questioningly at her through the mirror, then turned to look at her directly and took her chin in his hand, turning her face this way and that, studying it from all ankles.

"You have rather pretty eyes…"

He remarked that casually, as if he just noticed that now, his flat voice not really filled with adoration, but Columbia felt like melting into a puddle none the less. It was a rare occasion that he paid her compliments and not the other way round.

"… but your eyebrows are horrible."

Her happiness deflated instantly. Her eyebrows were horrible? They were just regular, normal-girl eyebrows!

"Here, let's try something … close your eyes."

She did as he told, thinking he'd kiss her maybe… but a second later, a cool wet brush was striped across her eyebrows.

"No, keep your eyes shut, you'll get foam in them"

Suddenly, she felt something cold and hard on her forehead and before she had the chance to complain or pull away… he had shaved her left eyebrow off.

"FRANKIE! What the hell…!"

"Shhh… hold still, I don't wanna cut you."

And with that her right eyebrow was gone too. She stood still, stunned. A towel was wiped not unkindly over her face to get the rest of the foam off and when she turned timidly to the mirror, she let out a small scream and clenched her fists to her face.

"I LOOK LIKE A FREAK!"

"Oh c'mon Columbia, quit being always so… melodramatic. Don't make such a fuss now, we're not done yet… I'm thinking … Marlene Dietrich or Faye Wray."

She stared at the mirror… and at him, shocked, back at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, unable to form words, back at him with a not small amount of hatred, but he ignored her and started rummaging through the products on the sink, grabbing a black kohl and took her chin again to tilt her face up to him and away from the mirror. She stood still, like a ragdoll, as he began to sketch eyebrows onto her forehead, closing her eyes in defeat, not wanting to look at him. How could he do this to her without even asking her? How could he be so highhanded and insensitive towards her? Sometimes she doubted his feelings for her, and sometimes… not often… he did things she could learn to hate him for.

Unfazed by her mental and emotional turmoil, he seemed to ponder something, hmming at his work, tapping the kohl against his chin in thought. He wasn't really satisfied with his results and taking the black kohl between his teeth, removed the dark eyebrows again and picked her red lipliner instead.

"Splendid… much better! Such a classic look…"

She looked at the mirror again, uneasy and still mourning her lost eyebrows. The girl in the mirror looking back didn't resemble her at all she thought, but admittedly she didn't look half bad either. Cartoonish, yes… extreme… but her eyes seemed much bigger now, and if she placed her rouge a little higher now…

"Now you'll fit in nicely, Columbia. You could almost pass as one of us."

And with his words, her heart soared, wanting so desperately belong to them, to him, her lost eyebrows forgotten and her doubt in him melting away like the foam on the razor.