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[cache_coeur]

INBOX

”Allô, mon amie! Je ne suis pas disponible pour le moment, mais laissez-moi un message et je vous rapellerai dès que possible! À bientôt!”

CODING

Comments

[maellum]

Maybe a little longer than that? I still want to put it up.

[Enjoy your fussy client, Sciel.]

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel fiddles with the clips, dropping Maelle’s hair down to her armpits. It’s still a good eight or so inches off, still a very dramatic difference. Sciel smiles at the two of them in the mirror.]

Just a little shorter than mine.

[maellum]

That's better.

[Still a lot to make Maelle a little nervous about the cut, but she soothes herself by opening the bag of candy. She offers it to Sciel first. Manners.]

Have you been keeping up on your trims?

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel takes a piece and pops it in her mouth, and then starts sectioning off Maelle’s hair, piling the bulk of it on top of her head.]

My fringe, yes, but I’ve been letting the rest grow. I was thinking I’d just let it grow until it gave me a headache to put up.

[maellum]

And how long do you think that will be? Three years?

[Maelle pops two pieces of candy into her mouth at once.]

[cache_coeur]

Maybe! But by then it might be so long I’d be accidentally sitting on it.

[She picks up the scissors.]

[maellum]

[Maelle takes a breath.]

Should I close my eyes?

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel pulls out a long length of hair between her fingers, scissors poised in the other hand. She pulls it out front to show Maelle where the cut line is, roughly level with her armpit. Yes? No?]

Do you think I’ve been doing a poor job on my own hair or something?

[maellum]

[Maelle considers, then nods. A tiny nod, so not to make Sciel lose her spot. Then, more candy.]

I've been told I can be a little... dramatic. I used to fight Emma when she took me to get my hair cut when I was younger.

[Then it sort of... stopped. Hence the long hair.]

But no, your hair is beautiful, Sciel.

[cache_coeur]

You, dramatic?

[There’s a flair for it, certainly, but Sciel has scarcely seen any temper tantrum that seemed outside the realm of normal for an overwhelmed child. She just hums, snipping the lock of hair short, and then moving to the next.]

Did Emma want it very short?

[maellum]

[The cutting begins. Maelle distracts herself with more candy.]

Sort of? I get it now, though. I wasn't very interested in brushing my hair when I was younger. I'd get all sorts of things stuck in it. Food, leaves, mud...

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel just continues on, working in sections, measuring them against each other. Somewhat seriously:]

Well, who has time for that? Little girls are always very busy and have so much to do, they can't be expected to be taken away from more important things. You would have looked cute with short hair, though!

[maellum]

What about you? Have you had short hair?

[... she holds up a piece of candy for Sciel to take. Don't stab her.]

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel waits until she's between sections to take the candy. No stabbing here, she promises.]

I did! My dad liked my hair long, so after he Gommaged I gave it a nice good chop, only about as long as my chin. I kept it that way for a few years. It was nice. Very light.

[maellum]

Yeah? Did you like it that way? Short. Or long, I guess. Since it's long now.

[Gustave finds it funny to tug on her ponytail, so she figures he likes that, at least.]

[cache_coeur]

I did! It was easy to wash and go, and I think I looked very nice, but it was not so convenient for dancing when we had to put our hair up, or when I had to be bent over some project. And now I like how versatile it is!

[maellum]

Yeah. Versatile is fun.

[Even if Maelle wears her hair in that damn ponytail almost every day. It keeps it out of the way!]

Would you ever color your hair? Go blonde, maybe?

[cache_coeur]

[Sciel smiles, looking at Maelle through the mirror briefly before going back to sectioning her hair.]

Tried it once, blonde didn't suit me! I'd sooner go some wild colour if I were to switch it up again. Would you go blonde? You could get that pretty strawberry blonde colour, I think.

[maellum]

Me? No. I like my red, now. I used to just want brown hair.

[Because she would maybe blend into her adopted families a little more. She doesn't think she could ever fool anyone into thinking she and Gustave are blood, but it matters less now.]

I think you would look great with streaks of... purple. Or pink. Both!

[cache_coeur]

I would! I should consider it. Maybe go to Verso's guy, someday.

[Since he's the purple expert.]

What changed your mind?

[maellum]

I guess... [Don't make it sound lame, Maelle!!!] You said your dad liked your hair long so you kept it like that, huh? Gustave and Emma would always say how nice my red hair was, so... I guess I grew to see it as that way, too.

[cache_coeur]

[As a kid, she'd found it flattering. As an adult, sweet to know her dad was willing to put in the effort, and something to be nostalgic about now. As a schoolteacher... what kid doesn't gravitate towards whatever they're guided towards feeling best about?

Sciel smiles, taking Maelle's hair down to start another layer.]

They're right! It's very striking, too. I remember looking at you against all those golden leaves in Yellow Harvest, the way your ponytail caught the wind and lit up bright red, and thinking about how beautiful you looked.

[maellum]

[Maelle laughs, the sound pained. She can feel her face threatening to turn the same shade as her hair.]

Sure, Sciel. Sure.

[Anyway!!!]

You look like a professional. Like you really know what you're doing back there.

[cache_coeur]

I mean it!

[She just continues to smile, picking up the scissors again.]

It's not hard to do a trim, you just work in sections. And it's easier on someone else! I bet you could.

[maellum]

Are you volunteering as my first experiment?

[At least she's good with a blade.]