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The cardinal sighed as he sat at his dressing table looking in the mirror at his unpainted face, the brush rested in his gloved hand and although he was in danger of running late he made no effort to move it. This was the third day back after his first tour and the bright lights and cheers still seemed to echo through him leaving him with a longing for more, he had definitely proved himself despite what Nihil had said but he wanted nothing more than to be better, finally show the ministry that he was worth something. He was also exhausted from the performances, disturbed nights on the tour bus and his return to his duties. It was never ending, it had such a tight hold that nothing could ease it no matter how much he slept at night. As if to prove a point he yawned at that moment, dropping the brush of black paint onto the carpet. “Shit.” He muttered as he reached down to pick it up and saw the large black mark left behind, the housekeeping ghouls were going to kill him, he didn’t want to make it worse and didn’t have the time so he left it as it was resolving to buy them a box of chocolates or cake as an apology for all the times this has happened. He couldn’t procrastinate anymore, a frontman’s work was never done, so he took a breath and lifted the brush, he painted the black circles around his eyes although he was so exhausted the paint wasn’t really needed and moved on to his lip wincing as the brush grated against the sensitive and dry skin. That was another result of the tour and promotion, before he only had to wear the face paint for the occasional meeting or important ritual but now he was in the spotlight and it was necessary every day much to his sensitive skins anger. The areas were the paint went on his lip and eyes were dry and cracked making it painful all the time, he had tried different paints and various creams he found half price at the shop but none of it seemed to work, it also looked hideous.
He spent hours that day in meeting with various high up people and more hours spent hunched over paperwork in his office feeling the tension and ache build up in his shoulders. He had always had bad shoulders but with the stress lately and having to carry so many paper in his bag it had gotten worse, copia often wondered why they couldn’t just make it all digital but when he had suggested it Nihil screamed at him for hours about disrespecting tradition. He cared about tradition but he cared about his shoulders as well and it didn’t seem normal that some days he could move them because of the pain, the heat patches he used only helped so much.
It was around lunch that he finally put down his pen, stretched as all his joints popped, then stood up. Copia had agreed to meet the ghouls for lunch that day, after spending all day every day together on the tour he missed their company and they also missed him, he quite liked that they actually enjoyed his company and weren’t just putting up with him out of duty or pity. He made his way to the door with a spring in his step that had been missing since his last time on stage and threw it open to see the familiar marble walls of the ministry, his squeaking shoes tapped against the tiled floors letting everyone know he was coming but for once he didn’t linger on the clergy and if those laughs were mocking or cruel. He was either too tired or exited to see his friends to care, it felt freeing really to not feel the shadow of the childhood bullies still following him, he had proved them wrong anyway because he was performing with Ghost and in line to be the next Papa while they were in minor positions in far away ministries. They never learnt to push through and struggle, believing they could rely on their cruel words and parents to succeed but they had been cruel to him and taught him very valuable lessons even if their words still haunted him years later. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was shocked when the columns and carved oak doors of the dining hall appeared in front of him, it was heaving inside as normal and he felt a familiar flicker of fear as he looked at all the clergy gathered in there making an absolute racket. He hadn’t come hear much before meeting the ghouls but remembering the snide remarks and looks, a foot intentionally stuck in his path, hours spent sitting alone made him falter his earlier confidence shaken. All the tables were taken by sisters and brother as well as a dotting of higher ranked members but he couldn’t see any ghouls, he felt a sinking feeling of dread as he wondered if this was all just a set up to embarrass him. Copia slowly backed away from the door praying that no one saw him but something at the edge of the room caught his eye, in the darkest most shadowy cobwebbed corner sat his ghouls almost hidden behind a pillar but he could see Cumulus waving at him and he relaxed as he smiled back at her. He weaved between the tables trying not to get in anyone’s way his earlier tension easing more the closer he got to the table of ghouls. They all had their masks on as they had to while in public but he could see they were all smiling at him as he got closer, their tails were also moving steadily back and forth showing they really were pleased to see him, although Rain got a little too enthusiastic and ended up smacking Sodo in the face earning a hiss from the smaller ghoul. There was a seat free between Cirrus and Aether that he happily sunk into slumping against the backrest as well as leaning against Aether in any way that didn’t hurt his poor shoulders. He felt Aethers arm slide around his shoulders and the light press of his lips against the top of his head, Cirrus looked over to smile in greeting before going back to throwing grapes at mountain who sat calmly eating his mashed potatoes even if the spoonful included a rouge grape. Aether slid a bowl of rigatoni in a thick tomato sauce over to him knowing that it was his favourite and that he hated going up to get the meal himself, he slowly sat himself up and took the fork but he noticed the others staring at him concerned. “What?” he asked between mouthfuls of the delicious pasta, the ghouls looked at each other trying to decide who should speak. They settled on Cumulus. “You look absolutely exhausted,” she began in a concerned tone, “and we know how hard you are working and we just want to check on you.” He felt touched and had to blink back the tears that had suddenly sprung to his eyes, not many people had cared enough about him over the years to check on him. He almost didn’t know how to answer. “I’m just stressed with work, Imperator and Nihil keep dumping more jobs on me.” He tried to laugh and turn it into a joke but it fell flat. “I’m just all tense and stressed and I don’t know how to relax.” He looked up from his pasta worrying he had said something wrong, he was still new to this friendship thing. Aether gave him a supportive squeeze on the shoulder but it made them hurt more, to his relief the boys weren’t looking at him with pity just gentle understanding. The girls made him more nervous because they were looking at each other with a gleam in their eyes, they were plotting. “You know what that calls for?” asked Cirrus, looking from Cumulus to Copia, “Girls Night!” the two of them said in perfect unison.
Copia didn’t know what he was getting himself in for, he had never been to a ghoulish girls night before, he had never been to any girls night, he wasn’t a girl. How he qualified he did not know but that didn’t seem to matter because here he was walking down the large marble halls towards the ghoulettes room wearing the only casual clothing he owned. He was still slightly happy to be invited to something but his ever present nerves were still in the background. The door to the ghoulettes privet lounge loomed in front of him and he could already hear talking and giggling coming from inside, he was right on time but found himself reluctant to knock on the door. He waited outside for another minute, then another, one more and an extra minute trying to gather the confidence to go in when suddenly the door opened and he jumped back trying to look calm, like he hadn’t been waiting outside for nearly ten minutes now. Cumulus blinked up at him with her large pale eyes and smiled, “What were you doing out there? You haven’t been out there the whole time have you?” He blinked back not knowing what to say. “No, I…. er, well.” He fidgeted with his gloved hands as he tried to think of an excuse. “I was… late. Yes. Nihil. Imperator, wanted to hear about costumes.” She didn’t look convinced but was far too nice to question his admittedly bad story, she just smiled showing her small fangs and turned around, “Oh ok, come on in then.” He followed her through the door, it was very different to the main ghoul den, the main den was cozy but much darker with a lot of broken stuff and the faint smell of smoke coming from sodos room but the girls lounge had warm lighting, soft sofas that weren’t sagging and it smelled nice from the candles positioned around the room. There were tall windows although the long velvet drapes had been closed giving It a very cosy feel, most of the colours were still dark as they were ghouls but it just made the room feel warm and safe, it was also a nice contrast to the pale blue accents of the room marking it as the property of two air ghoulettes. The music was also calm, something classical. Cirrus was lounging in a dark blue armchair without her mask but she got up to greet him, Copia gave her a light kiss on the cheek in greeting and she threw herself back into the chair with a content purr. It was nice to see them without the masks, he thought their little horns were cute and after so much time with them removed on the tour bus Copia still found it strange to look at the chrome masks instead of the various blue, green and greys of their natural skin. “Come on darling, sit down.” Said Cumulus as she took his hand and led him to the navy coloured sofa, it was impossibly soft as he sat down although he still remained rather stiff not knowing what to do, Cumulus didn’t have the same problem as she flopped down on a beanbag at Cirrus’ feet and blew a kiss to the taller ghoulette. Their was a third ghoul. One he didn’t know, sat on another arm chair already focusing on her claws with a nailfile although she looked up and nodded in greeting. She was obviously a different kind of ghoul to the others as she was more blue, blueish-grey skin, silver hair that fell just below her shoulders and piercing eyes the colour of a stormy sea. Definitely water. He felt a bit intimidated but the new ghoul smiled at him, “Hello Cardinal. I’m Mist.” He did know her, she played for Terzo briefly. He smiled back this time, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” He was getting quite good at this friendship thing.
He still didn’t know what to expect from this girls night or why he was there but soon after he sat down Cirrus clapped her hands to call for attention, “Right. We have a Chinese being delivered at seven, Copia you like Chinese takeaway right?” He just nodded not wanting to admit he had never tried it before. “Good. So, nails or face stuff first because we need to give Copia the works, work through that stress.” She winked at him but still felt nervous, he had no idea what they were going to do to him. Cumulus came up to him while Mist stopped working on her own claws and moved to Cirrus. “Why did you come with your paint on?” Cumulus asked while laughing at him, “I had meeting before I came. Sorry.” She smiled back and he felt some of the anxiety fade, she reached for a bottle of make-up remover and dabbed it on a circle pad of cotton, “I’ll have to take it off, don’t worry it wont hurt.” It was slightly cold as she started wiping the black paint off but it did sting as it caught on his raw, irritated skin, “What do you normally use to remove your make up, darling?”
“Water and a flannel.” She shook her head at him but smiled, “That’s no good. I’ll give you my favourite make up remover, its all natural and should sooth this poor skin. Do you use moisturiser?” He had to shake his head again, “I’ll have to give you some of that as well it will help your skin stay nice and fresh. Also lip balm, your lip looks so sore.” She had managed to get all the paint off by now, she had been surprisingly gentle as she wiped the make-up off carefully. “I never knew about any of this,” he tried to explain, feeling embarrassed that he seemed to know so little, “I didn’t have anyone there to teach me.” Cumulus looked over from the mirror where she was applying some cream to her own face and smiled, “You have us now, We’ll have you feeling like a whole new cardinal in a few hours.” Surprisingly he felt himself smiling back. It seemed like an entire pharmacy was making its way onto his face in the form of creams, oils and sprays but he was actually enjoying himself as he spoke to his ghoulettes and got to know Mist, they were right about the relaxing because with every new cream Cumulus gave him he felt a little more tension leave his body. The smaller ghoulette seemed especially exited as the final creams went on everyones faces and she pulled out a selection of little packets, “face mask time.” She squealed, she let Copia chose his first and he chose a red pomegranate one that matched the red of his robes, Mist chose a charcoal one, Cirris a refreshing seaweed one while Cumulus chose a raspberry one that was a startling shade of pink. It felt slightly odd as it went on but Copia found it rather soothing especially around the areas irritated by the paint, the others seemed to agree because he could hear a few contented purrs as the masks worked their magic although they all looked quite silly. Mist approached him now with Cirrus in tow, Cirrus went behind the sofa and reached out to begin massaging his shoulders but she had barley made contact when Copia flinched away. “Is everything alright?” she asked concerned, he nodded although tears were burning his eyes from the pain, “Yeah. Err, my shoulders are just a little sore at the moment. From the stress.” She nodded sympathetically, “I’ll go gentle I promise but it will help if you let me do it.” He nodded again to agree and tried to stay still as her hands came back to his shoulders, “Cirrus is good,” Whispered Mist, “She massages Cowbells shoulders, with his posture I’m sure they are worse that yours.” He laughed at that, Cirrus was skilled, his shoulders felt better already. Mist took one of his hands in her own, he noticed that she had added extensions to her claws to make them longer and have a very intricate pattern of clouds that looked almost real. “I wish I could have nails like that,” Cirrus admitted with a sigh “but I wouldn’t be able to play properly with them on.” Mist looked up from where she was easing off copia’s gloves, “That’s why you don’t stay in the band, I was happy to leave I never wanted to be in it, I was just an emergency replacement.” Cirrus hissed at her in mock jealousy but went back to massaging his tight shoulder as Mist unveiled his hands with his bitten nails and sore fingers that looked particularly picked raw after a tense meeting with Nihil earlier in the day. To her credit, Mist got right to work even if she didn’t have much nail to work with, a conversation started soon later when Cumulus suddenly gasped, “I forgot to tell you, I was going to get a new microphone from the store cupboard yesterday and I saw Nihil and Imperator in there, in the dark kissing.” There were shocked gasps from all three other people and a rush of questions for the storyteller to answer in gory detail. Copia was more comfortable now, he knew gossip even if most of the time he was the subject of it. Cirrus was next, “Well. I saw two ghouls that claim to despise each other locked in a very… passionate embrace this morning. Sodo and Rain.” Mist was third, “I heard that hunky one in the band with you, yeah Aether, is dating some high up in the clergy, bishop or Cardinal.” The other two looked at a now very red Copia was Mist slowly realised, “Holy shit. Its you. I feel sorry for you, he has a real obsession with bananas you know eats seven every day.” They all turned to him with a eger look, he cleared his throat as he gained confidence, he knew exactly what to say.
“Its so unfair,” Copia said, forgetting to keep his hand still for Mist who was finishing off a design of Grucifix’s in red on his nails, “I don’t know what is wrong with Nihil but he hates me I swear, he thinks I’m not ready as if he ever payed any attention to me before this promotion. My tenth employee of the month award was presented by him, he couldn’t be bothered to learn my name and dropped the plaque on my foot.” The others were very sympathetic, Mist just hissed at him to keep still, it did actually feel good to talk about his problems instead of letting him consume him, maybe his therapists had a point or maybe it was just easier to rant to Cirrus than some professional who could easily send him away somewhere if he said the wrong thing. He was much more relaxed now, his legs were up on cushions and the glass of wine in his hand made everything feel better, he was really enjoying this girls night even if he didn’t know why he was here. “Why did you invite me, I, you might have noticed, am not a girl.” The girls looked at each other and laughed, “Well,” explained Cumulus, “its like married at first sight, Australia of course, where if there is a gay couple they send one in with the girls to have some time away with friends. Its like that with you and Aether, if you were with the boys all the time you would end up even more exhausted, on fire or with something broken. Were helping you.” Cirrus nodded, but Mist looked up “I also just wanted to meet you.” One thing lingered in Copia’s mind, “What is married at first sight?” The girls exchanged horrified looks like they could not believe what they were hearing, “Were, fixing that.” “Watch while we eat.” “Your going to love it.”
Copia was sat in front of the wide screen tv watching what might be simultaneously the worst and best piece of tv he has ever seen, the couples had just come back from their honeymoons and he could not believe how horrible some of them were. “Think of it as a lesson, that’s not what you want to be like with your Hunk.” Suggested Mist between sips of her drink, it did seem like a good idea although Aether wasn’t as much of an idiot as the contestants on mafs. “Aren’t you going to eat your dinner Cardinal?” Cumulus asked as swatted Cirrus’ hand that was sneaking over to steal some of her chicken. Copia looked down at his plate there was rice, chicken with a sauce, some thin bits of beef in crunchy breading, noodles and prawn crackers. He had never had Chinese food before, the ministry didn’t serve it and he had never been asked to one of these things before so he had never had the opportunity to try it before. It looked decent and the smell was not unpleasant but still he hesitated, so much was new and different recently but this seemed bigger probably because he thought they would all judge him if he didn’t like it. He wound a noodle onto his fork and raised it, the girls were focused on their own plates although Cirrus looked up to give him a reassuring look, he was positive that there were no takeaways in hell so they must have tried this for the first time at some point as well. He ate it and… it was good, he tried the rice, the chicken and it was all wonderful, he was so glad he had tried now. The girls exchanged proud looks over the top of his head.
The night was winding down, they were watching one final episode and finishing off the wine, their face masks were still on but they had gotten used to them so the sight wasn’t quite as alarming now. They were all scoffing over one particularly pathetic groom when the door creaked open, the boys stood at the entrance. All four occupants of the room turned to look at them, Sodo burst out laughing as he took in the sight of them in their facemasks with their painted nails. Rain was also sniggering while Swiss was practically on the floor. “Oh my dark lord,” Sodo wheezed, “You all look ridiculous, look even Copia has one on.” They all collapsed again, “Nice nails, Cardi.” Swiss joked and nudged Aether, “What do you think of your boyfriends nails Aether?” Copia looked over at Aether pleading with his eyes, Aether walked over to Copia and took his hand inspecting them closer, “I think he looks very handsome.” He bend down to press a kiss to Copias knuckles ignoring the scars that marred most of his hands. Copia felt a flush in his cheeks, Sodo and Swiss seemed bored now, “Buzzkill, come on Rainy lets go.” Aether gently kissed his hand one last time, “I’ll see you later love, enjoy the rest of your night.” He left with the others but blew one last kiss over his shoulder. Mountain lingered slightly longer pulling out a small bag stuffed with herbs, “I got these for your masks.” He bowed slightly and left them because Sodo was yelling at him to hurry up, they also heard something about raiding the kitchen. The four left behind laughed as soon as the door shut again, “They always crash our girls night,” Explained Cirrus, “They are probably just jealous,” replied Copia, he really did feel refreshed now, they were right. “I think we should wrap it up now,” yawned Cumulus as she stretched over Mists legs, “You’ll join us again next time, right Copia?” He smiled while wiping the remnants of the facemask off, “It would be my pleasure.” Oddly he was actually looking forward to it, maybe this whole friendship thing wasn’t actually so hard.
The End