Did I just hear an alarm start ringing?

[Milton Hughes]

Complete with a coffee, Milton sat in the soda shoppe and poured over some of the larger city papers, spread out around him in a mess. He looked about his usual slightly rough self, and took gulps of his coffee as though it were a necessary commodity.

[Belle Fawkes]

Belle breezed into the soda shoppe with her normal, cheerful smile and magazine in her hand. Several pages were turned down, all with beauty tips that she was eager to devour with Beth. "Hurry up," she called teasingly, holding the door open for her friend.

[Beth Ham]

Beth knew that Belle wanted to devour through the beauty tips in the magazine. The two of them headed towards the Soda Shoppe but Belle reached there first. "I'm coming, although the minute you suggest I use any of those tips I leave." She entered the shop right after Belle and saw Milt sitting there.

[Milton Hughes]

Milt looked up. "Morning, ladies." His eyes found the magazine, and he raised an eyebrow. "So some people do read that garbage. Nice lunch yesterday, Beth?"

[Belle Fawkes]

"Good morning," Belle returned, smiling in his direction. She really didn't know him well - but then, Belle only really knew people from the college as that's where she stayed most of the time "And don't be a spoil sport Beth, nothing really bad has ever happened."

[Beth Ham]

"Good Morning Mr. Hughes. Belle this is Mr. Hughes- he is a journalist with the paper." She nodded her head. "Yes actually it was a nice lunch with my family. I really was sorry that I couldn't stay longer." If looks could kill Belle would be dead with the glare she was given. "I'm not trying to be a spoil sport but if you remember the last time we tried something..."

[Milton Hughes]

"You two look just fine without any of that stuff. And please, call me Milt." he grinned, and put down the paper that he had been perusing. "Can I get you two anything?"

[Belle Fawkes]

"It was such a nice shade of orange though, Beth," Belle said a bit hopefully, tucking one of her own golden locks behind her ear and blushing slightly at the man's comment. "Thank you sir - er, Milt." She made her way over to a table and plopped down, opening her magazine.

"I couldn't possibly have anything - I'm dieting you know!" As if she really needed to diet.. she was actually a bit too thin.

[Beth Ham]

"Don't go there Belle" And as much as she wanted to be angry with her friend for bringing that up in Milt's presence she couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Thank you." Beth watched as Belle wandered over to the other table. "Pardon Belle..she gets flustered easy". With that Beth wandered over and took a seat next to Belle so that she could also look at the magazine.

She raised an eyebrow at the mention of Belle dieting. "As if you need to diet darling." Beth whispered quietly and then looked at Milt. "No thank you. I'm fine."

[Milton Hughes]

Milton shrugged. "Suit yourself. And orange sounds hideous, she's right. Do you two want to read about something real?" He gestured to the spread of papers in front of him. "You realise that if they ever actually put any beauty secrets in there they'd never sell another copy? How could they, when everyone was so beautiful already?"

[Belle Fawkes]

Belle looked up, glancing at his newspapers with a slight frown. They were so boring, really. In fact, they reminded her of school - textbooks were boring like newspapers. "That looks very - nice," she said a bit lamely, trying to sound half way interested. Her eyes widened at his comment about the beauty tips. Surely that wasn't right.

[Beth Ham]

"I read the most recent copy." Beth was not ashamed to admit that she was a 'bookworm'. She loved to read and would read anything that she could get her hands on. Beth knew that Belle avoided extraneous reading which is why she had avoided mentioning that Mrs. Dunn had given her extra books for the summer. "The orange wouldn't have been that bad if my hair wasn't a shade of reddish-brown to begin with."

[Milton Hughes]

"Right." Milton's eye had been caught by an article, and his attention to the girls wavered as he leaned forwards, and became increasingly engrossed in the paper.

((out))

[Belle Fawkes]

She smiled at Beth when she mentioned that the orange wouldn't have been so bad. "Well, that won't happen again. I promise." Belle rolled her eyes, turning back to her magazine as he became absorbed in his paper. If he wanted to read... whatever it was, it was his business. "Oooh, look at this Beth!" She was pointing at list of ideas for shinier hair, and her eyes were sparkling. "Hmmm..."

[Beth Ham]

Beth raised an eyebrow as Milt turned back to his paper then the eyebrow continued to stay up as Belle exclaimed over something in the magazine. She leaned in slightly and looked over Belle's shoulder to see what was written. "Interesting...but how about this time we try it on you." Beth grinned mischieviously.

[Belle Fawkes]

"Me?" She looked incredulous. "But Beth - look how blonde and shiny my hair is already! Besides, this girl has auburn hair like you.. and I need to practice. I'm the one that wants to go to Beauty school, remember?"

[Beth Ham]

Beth shook her head strongly. "I don't know...My hair tends to do wierd things when you experiment." She was remembering the Spring when her skin/hair had turned a shade of blue. Beth didn't want to risk another change. When the last mishap happened Beth went around for a few days with a kerchief covering her hair.

[Belle Fawkes]

Belle sighed dramatically. "Well... that's true. I suppose you could it on me..." She grinned. "But I'm sure we could find someone else willing..."

[Beth Ham]

"With the school we attend I have no doubts that we could find someone more willing" There were a few girls at the school who were beauty geeks. Beth knew she looked 'nice' and made sure to uphold a proper image for her parents but she wasn't obsessed with beauty.

[Belle Fawkes]

Belle nodded, tapping her nails on the table. They matched her dress today -which was, incidentally, bright red with white polka dots. "But who..." There were lots of girls to choose from, but it might take to long to pick. Bells wasn't the most patient person.

[Beth Ham]

Beth was glad to see that the idea of doing it to her had disappeared. She began to run through the list of girls. "Well there is Clara, but seeing as her mother is one of our teachers...if something happened" Beth didn't even want to think of the consequences.

[Belle Fawkes]

"Clara Dunn? Oh no, no. Her mother would kill us," Belle exclaimed. She liked Clara, and her mother, but Mrs. Dunn was so... so strict and, well, Mrs. Dunn. "Maybe we should just try it on me afterall," she allowed. "Then we won't have to sit here and think of names." Obviously, Belle was getting bored already.

[Beth Ham]

"Clara would love to do it, but yes her mother would kill us" So much for her favourite teacher if they ever did something to Clara's hair- even if Clara was involved. "If you say so." Beth was just glad that it wasn't being done to her.

[Belle Fawkes]

Belle nodded, eyes sparkling with anticipation. She loved doing things like this... and hopefully her hair wouldn't suffer. "I do say so - unless you've changed your mind and want to volunteer?"

[Beth Ham]

Beth didn't have to be a bright person to see that Belle was excited. She knew Belle loved this kind of thing. "Yes I know you say so...and I instist that it is your turn this time." With a grin/smirk she looked back to the article- this way if something did happen Belle would be wearing the bandana and not her.

[Belle Fawkes]

"Well... unless you want something, we can go try it now," Belle said excitedly, scanning the instructions again. "I have everything we need... I think."

[Beth Ham]

"No I'm fine. Mother made sure I ate this morning." Beth rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she didn't need was a mother who made sure she ate...as Beth had no problems in that area. "Alright lets go." Beth stood up and practically raced Belle to the door. "Now whose the slow one?"

[Belle Fawkes]

"Great!" Belle laughed as Beth almost ran to the door, shaking her head as she caught up then slipped past her into the sunshine. "Come on Beth," she teased, grinning as she started down the street.

((out))

[Beth Ham]

A quick scowl crossed her face as Belle caught up and slipped past her as she was nice enough to hold the door open. The scowl quickly faded into a small laugh and Beth slipped through the door and followed her friend. "So this is what I get for being nice and holding the door open?" She shook her head and caught up to Belle.

(out)