petit litchi

""Listen to me. Cosmetics are an extension of the will. Why do you think all men paint themselves when they go to fight? When I paint my eyes to match my soup, it is not because I have nothing better to do than worry over trifles. It says, ‘I belong here, and you will not deny me.’ When I streak my lips red as foxgloves, I say, ‘Come here, boy. I am your mate, and you will not deny me.’ When I pinch my cheeks and dust them with mother-of-pearl, I say, ‘Death, keep off, I am your enemy and you will not deny me.’ I say these things, and the world listens, Masha. Because my magic is as strong as an arm. I am never denied.””