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intheheartTitle: Mirror
Rating: PG.
Summary: The difference between pretty and beautiful, or how Gina became Summer's friend.
AU: EPIC PIRATE AU
Notes: Soapbox story ahoy!
Of all the ridiculous things to pack when running away with a pirate, Gina thought the mirror was probably the worst.
It wasn't as if she was going to use it often, after all. She'd never much cared for fussing over her own appearance; she wouldn't miss the hours sitting in front of her mirror while the maids did her hair or pinched her cheeks to bring out the color. And yet... and yet she'd packed this hand mirror. Habit? Accident? Who knew?
With a faint, disgusted twist of her lips, she set it face-down on the bed and reached for her comb.
"You're very beautiful."
It was a good thing that Gina had put the mirror down already, otherwise she might have dropped it.
She did whirl, and put a hand to her pounding heart when she saw who it was. "Goodness, Summer!" she said. "You startled me."
"Oh," Summer Kendall said, and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I thought you heard me coming in."
No point in responding to that-- she hadn't, either because she wasn't used to paying attention, or because the girl was preternaturally quiet in her movements, but it wasn't worth the words. Gina set that question aside to ask Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall, later, and said, "Well, it hardly matters. I thank you for the compliment."
Summer wandered up beside her, to the bed. "It isn't a compliment," she said. "It's the truth."
There was no way Gina could respond to that without sounding either vain or falsely modest. She settled for a weak, "I thank you."
The girl shrugged, picked up the mirror, looked into it for a moment, then put it down without changing her expression. "I wish I was beautiful."
Gina, startled again, looked sharply at her. "But you are," she said.
"Not really," Summer said, and shrugged again. "I'm too brown, and I have freckles, and red hair. You have to have blonde hair to be beautiful." She picked up the mirror again and looked at herself in it, this time critically. "I do have blue eyes. I suppose that counts for a little."
"Oh," Gina said, enlightenment dawning. "You mean you're not pretty."
Summer blinked, and turned to look up at her. "What's the difference?"
"It's... hard to explain," Gina said. "My nurse used to say that pretty is what you are on the outside."
"Oh." Summer looked back at the mirror. "I'm not pretty, then."
Gina cocked her head and studied Summer for a moment. "I think you're very pretty, but ignorant people might say that you aren't." She waited a moment, then added, softly, "Do people often say you aren't pretty?"
The girl shook her head, still looking into her own eyes. "Oh, no. Ivy would kill them if they did."
She said it so matter-of-factly that Gina knew in her bones that she wasn't exaggerating in the least.
It was a little frightening, when she thought about it.
"They just don't say I'm pretty," Summer said, and Gina brought her attention back to the conversation with a wrench. A faint wistful tone entered her voice. "I suppose it isn't important to be pretty if you're a pirate, but I would like so much to be pretty like you are."
"Being pretty isn't all people say it is," Gina said, quietly, thinking of the endless hours in front of the mirror, the criticisms from her father when she was anything less than perfect, the hot, hungry eyes that had lingered on her when she passed through town. "Besides, you are pretty, Summer. Look at yourself." She stepped around behind the girl and tilted the mirror back just a bit. "You have such lovely hair, and your eyes are beautiful. Like your sister's."
"Ivy isn't pretty," Summer said, absently.
Gina thought of the evening not so long ago, of Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall in that red dress and the evening wind, her slender hand outstretched. "I have to disagree with you. Regardless, you must admit she has lovely eyes."
Summer tilted her head to the side. "I suppose," she said, doubt heavy in her voice. "If you say so. But I'm not what most people think is pretty."
Gina smiled, and hoped the sorrow that inspired wasn't obvious in it. "Very well then," she said, lightly, "you don't have to be pretty if you don't want to be. But you are beautiful. You can't deny that."
Summer frowned, and turned to face her. She didn't seem at all discomfited to find Gina so close to her, and only craned her head back a bit. "You said pretty is on the outside," she said. "What's beautiful, then?"
"Beautiful is..." Gina trailed off, thinking again of Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall with her hand out. Of Summer, solemnly taking her hand to welcome her aboard the Bedrock Drift. "Beautiful is who you are. Beautiful is how you act. Beautiful is... it's you. And you're beautiful."
"Oh," Summer said, quietly. She looked at the mirror one more time, then set it down on the bed. "I think I understand."
"Good," Gina said. "Every girl should understand that."
I should understand that.
She picked up the mirror and put it back into the bag.
Rating: PG.
Summary: The difference between pretty and beautiful, or how Gina became Summer's friend.
AU: EPIC PIRATE AU
Notes: Soapbox story ahoy!
Of all the ridiculous things to pack when running away with a pirate, Gina thought the mirror was probably the worst.
It wasn't as if she was going to use it often, after all. She'd never much cared for fussing over her own appearance; she wouldn't miss the hours sitting in front of her mirror while the maids did her hair or pinched her cheeks to bring out the color. And yet... and yet she'd packed this hand mirror. Habit? Accident? Who knew?
With a faint, disgusted twist of her lips, she set it face-down on the bed and reached for her comb.
"You're very beautiful."
It was a good thing that Gina had put the mirror down already, otherwise she might have dropped it.
She did whirl, and put a hand to her pounding heart when she saw who it was. "Goodness, Summer!" she said. "You startled me."
"Oh," Summer Kendall said, and frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I thought you heard me coming in."
No point in responding to that-- she hadn't, either because she wasn't used to paying attention, or because the girl was preternaturally quiet in her movements, but it wasn't worth the words. Gina set that question aside to ask Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall, later, and said, "Well, it hardly matters. I thank you for the compliment."
Summer wandered up beside her, to the bed. "It isn't a compliment," she said. "It's the truth."
There was no way Gina could respond to that without sounding either vain or falsely modest. She settled for a weak, "I thank you."
The girl shrugged, picked up the mirror, looked into it for a moment, then put it down without changing her expression. "I wish I was beautiful."
Gina, startled again, looked sharply at her. "But you are," she said.
"Not really," Summer said, and shrugged again. "I'm too brown, and I have freckles, and red hair. You have to have blonde hair to be beautiful." She picked up the mirror again and looked at herself in it, this time critically. "I do have blue eyes. I suppose that counts for a little."
"Oh," Gina said, enlightenment dawning. "You mean you're not pretty."
Summer blinked, and turned to look up at her. "What's the difference?"
"It's... hard to explain," Gina said. "My nurse used to say that pretty is what you are on the outside."
"Oh." Summer looked back at the mirror. "I'm not pretty, then."
Gina cocked her head and studied Summer for a moment. "I think you're very pretty, but ignorant people might say that you aren't." She waited a moment, then added, softly, "Do people often say you aren't pretty?"
The girl shook her head, still looking into her own eyes. "Oh, no. Ivy would kill them if they did."
She said it so matter-of-factly that Gina knew in her bones that she wasn't exaggerating in the least.
It was a little frightening, when she thought about it.
"They just don't say I'm pretty," Summer said, and Gina brought her attention back to the conversation with a wrench. A faint wistful tone entered her voice. "I suppose it isn't important to be pretty if you're a pirate, but I would like so much to be pretty like you are."
"Being pretty isn't all people say it is," Gina said, quietly, thinking of the endless hours in front of the mirror, the criticisms from her father when she was anything less than perfect, the hot, hungry eyes that had lingered on her when she passed through town. "Besides, you are pretty, Summer. Look at yourself." She stepped around behind the girl and tilted the mirror back just a bit. "You have such lovely hair, and your eyes are beautiful. Like your sister's."
"Ivy isn't pretty," Summer said, absently.
Gina thought of the evening not so long ago, of Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall in that red dress and the evening wind, her slender hand outstretched. "I have to disagree with you. Regardless, you must admit she has lovely eyes."
Summer tilted her head to the side. "I suppose," she said, doubt heavy in her voice. "If you say so. But I'm not what most people think is pretty."
Gina smiled, and hoped the sorrow that inspired wasn't obvious in it. "Very well then," she said, lightly, "you don't have to be pretty if you don't want to be. But you are beautiful. You can't deny that."
Summer frowned, and turned to face her. She didn't seem at all discomfited to find Gina so close to her, and only craned her head back a bit. "You said pretty is on the outside," she said. "What's beautiful, then?"
"Beautiful is..." Gina trailed off, thinking again of Captain Hirschfeld-Kendall with her hand out. Of Summer, solemnly taking her hand to welcome her aboard the Bedrock Drift. "Beautiful is who you are. Beautiful is how you act. Beautiful is... it's you. And you're beautiful."
"Oh," Summer said, quietly. She looked at the mirror one more time, then set it down on the bed. "I think I understand."
"Good," Gina said. "Every girl should understand that."
I should understand that.
She picked up the mirror and put it back into the bag.
