So I hadn't planned to do another oneshot and I wanted to work on my longshot ideas (which are smashing and involve much character torture), but norodenn on LJ posted a drabble that involved how Rodoreamon got her other braid and spiffy new haircut. It inspired me to do my own take on the idea, and this fic is the result. It actually was a lot of fun to write once I got started. Enjoy, and leave feedback if you can :)
The Simoun landed gracefully, and with ease. As the mechanics gathered around, the hatches opened, and both Rodoreamon and Mamiina climbed out. Mamiina walked off, not intending to wait. Rodoreamon followed behind her, fooling with the short, uneven strands of hair she now sported along with one remaining braid. She picked strands of hair from her uniform that had settled on her shoulders during the flight. She could feel more beneath her shirt, and the thought bothered her.
Mamiina held the door open, not watching behind her. She had thought Rodoreamon had been following right behind her. When a few seconds passed without Rodoreamon, she turned, frowning. She saw the girl fooling with her uniform, looking quite uncomfortable. "Are you coming?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"Oh! Yes, coming," replied Rodoreamon, embarrassed. She walked quickly to catch up, one hand still fooling with the hair on her shoulder.
"I don't see why you keep doing that. You know you have to cut off the other braid, don't you?" asked Mamiina. She had crossed her arms, leaning against the door.
Rodoreamon looked down at the floor. "I know."
Cocking her head, Mamiina looked at the girl for a few moments. "Why don't I help you straighten up your hair?"
"Really?" asked Rodoreamon, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Unless you want to walk around like that," retorted Mamiina.
"No!"
"Then let's go."
The two ended up in the dining area since the rest of Chor Tempest returned to their shared quarters. Rodoreamon didn't want to have her hair cut in front of everyone, embarrassed to have them watch, fearful they'd laugh. Mamiina had dragged her to the dining area and sat her in a chair farthest from the kitchen, claiming that she didn't want hair in her food that night.
While Mamiina prepared, Rodoreamon played with the remaining braid, fingering the long, silky strands of hair. Once she cut it off, it wouldn't return for a long time. She touched the short hair on the other side of her head. It was uneven in her fingers and tickled the sides of her face. It didn't stay back, and got in the way when she bent her head down.
"Having second thoughts?" called Mamiina, piercing Rodoreamon's thoughts. As Rodoreamon looked up, she saw Mamiina had a large pair of scissors in one hand, and a small mirror in the other. Mamiina was opening and closing the scissors, a smirk plastered on her face.
"N-no," replied Rodoreamon, looking nervously at the scissors.
Mamiina continued to open and close the scissors, and Rodoreamon flinched each time she heard the metal slide together. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't fearing what Mamiina might do if she did.
"What's wrong?" asked Mamiina, acting as though everything was perfectly normal and that she wielded scissors in such a fashion every day.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to help you cut your hair," replied Mamiina nonchalantly. "You don't want to leave it that way." She stopped in front of Rodoreamon and looked down at her. One hand placed the mirror on the table nearby, while the other hand continued to move the scissors.
"I don't, but you're scaring me, Mamiina," answered Rodoreamon in a soft whisper. She shrank back into the chair.
Not wanting to take it too far, Mamiina reached out and cut the other braid off as close to the same length as the rest of Rodoreamon's hair looked. She gently unbraided the remaining pieces of hair, saying nothing as Rodoreamon looked at the braid nestled in her lap. Her fingers reached for the other piece of hair that had long been a part of her. She sat in shock, gently touching the silky braid as Mamiina continued to snip at her hair.
A tear slid down Rodoreamon's cheek. She couldn't picture herself without braids, couldn't picture herself with another hairstyle. She couldn't remember ever not having her hair braided. The idea of herself with short hair was hard to imagine. Her sniffles were the only thing heard besides the snipping. She kept looking into her lap, watching the pieces of hair fall out of the corners of her eyes.
"Hold your head up. I need to even out the ends," stated Mamiina. She had stepped back, studying her work so far.
Rodoreamon raised her head, staring at the wall. Her vision was blurry, and she didn't care what Mamiina thought of her tears. All she wanted to do was cry. Why had she thought it a good idea to cut off her braid? Why had she wanted to prove something to Mamiina? What good had it done?
"Finished, little ladyship," came the warm whisper in her ear.
Oh, that was the reason why.
She jumped, wondering when Mamiina had gotten so close. She tried to smile. "How…how does it look?"
Mamiina handed her a mirror. "See for yourself."
Taking a deep breath, Rodoreamon held up the mirror. A girl with a short bob looked back at her, quite uncertain of the new look she sported. "It looks…nice," she replied, unable to find the right words to describe it.
"You don't like it?"
"No, I do. I'm just not used to it. It looks really different."
"I know what would make it better," stated Mamiina after a few moments. She left the dining room, leaving Rodoreamon to wonder where she'd gone. The girl sat quietly, fooling with her new hairstyle. Her head felt much lighter and less weighed down. Mamiina had done a wonderful job, making it even all the way around. It no longer looked as though it had been hackneyed with a pocket knife.
The dining room door opened and Mamiina entered, closing it gently behind her. Something burnt orange in her hand caught Rodoreamon's eye. It appeared to be a ribbon.
"Hold still," instructed Mamiina as she held up the fabric, measuring it against Rodoreamon's head. Satisfied, she placed the ribbon across the top of the girl's head, fastening it near the nape of her neck. "Now it'll hold back your hair better," remarked Mamiina. She gestured to the mirror once more.
Holding up the mirror, Rodoreamon took a second look at herself. The hair ribbon added a bit of color. Mamiina was right; it did seem to hold back her hair better. "Thank you, Mamiina," she replied, a large smile on her face.
"There's no need to thank me," replied Mamiina, acting as though the gesture meant nothing to her. Secretly, she was pleased to see Rodoreamon happy about her new haircut.
"But you made it so nice," continued Rodoreamon.
"Go on. I need to clean up the mess here before dinner. If you're not careful, you might find hair baked into your food next."
"Mamiina!"
Mamiina smirked. "Do you want to find out?" She placed on hand on her hip, eyes studying Rodoreamon's face. One might say she was having too much fun teasing the poor Sibylla.
"You wouldn't!" Realization hit her as she remembered the meat in the soup. "You would!"
Mamiina only grinned, not saying a word. She replaced the chair at the table, and then walked into the kitchen, returning with a broom and dust pan. She set to work, humming to herself. Rodoreamon forced herself to stay and watch; she had to make sure that the hair was placed into the trash bin, and not the mixing bowl for Mamiina's next meal.