A letter addressed to Bashir

[Phoebe]

To the diligent Scribe working so hard despite it all-

I deeply thank you for your consistent efforts, it's a pleasure to be consistently aided by someone so kind. I didn't get a moment to really discuss it but- you have a sense of aesthetic that I think is underappreciated. Might I ask your secrets to looking as such?

-Lucrecia Allaire

[The I's are dotted with small hearts.

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Dear Lucrecia,

my deepest apologies for not answering sooner. It seems that Martin misplaced your letter, and I did not discover it until recently, after I had to recover an inkwell from under our office beds... After relatively recent events, you might not be as interested in your query. However, this gives me an excuse to write about my favorite topic – my appearance! So, I will answer anyway!

Every morning, and every evening, I brush my teeth with miswak. This is the secret behind my gorgeous pearly white smile!

I wash myself with bountiful oils, of various nuts and seeds... Once a week, I use camel milk instead! And I exfoliate twice a week with a coconut shell scrub! This is why I have perfect, flawless skin!

My hair is washed with the finest shampoo, one that is not too crude or straining... And conditioned with coconut oil! My curls are natural, so no amount of cosmetics can grant anyone such beauty if they were not blessed in such a way in the first place!

Perfume is extremely important! Everyone has that fragrance that suits them perfectly. I like ambery and floral notes, and switch between them depending on how I feel... But those might not suit you... When I think of you, earthy notes come to mind. You kind of have that rural aesthetic to you. So, vetiver, orris root, and such... Those might be really expensive in a desert, I don't know... But you have to spend money to make... yourself more aesthetical...? I don't know. Something like that.

My sense of fashion was acquired through years of careful meditation. Or something. I just know what I should wear. And what others should wear. What everyone should wear, really. People should clad themselves in pastels more. People who only wear black are utter bores. To find your own style might take hours of careful examination... in front of a mirror... every week... for several years! But it's worth it! For you... I suggest a combination of black, white and gold, if you wish to look Magisterial... But maybe a subdued beige is better, for the whole "League of White" aesthetic. Maybe carry a torch around to complete that look.

Last but not least... My kohl! I buy it from the Souk. It comes all the way from Baz'eel. That's what the merchant says, anyhow. If she's lying, I'll ruin her entire life! Well, I won't, but I'll still be extremely angry with her. Makeup should always follow the shape and contours of your face, and you should not attempt to force a style that does not fit you. So many people make this mistake, and look utterly dreadful because of it. I feel so sorry for them. On a daily basis.

I hope that this aided you in your quest to be beautiful! ...er. Beautifuler. You are very beautiful already! Maybe this helped your past self, anyhow! Somehow!

Bashir