"Oh, that feels weird! That feels reeaally weird. But kind of relaxing, not going to lie."
Aether sighed. "Really, what gave you the bright idea of cutting your hair with a knife? It's a minor miracle you managed to cut through it in one swipe." It wasn't as bad as it could have been – if she had faltered midway, or had tugged her hair in the wrong angle, it would have been painful – but it did leave uneven edges and a permanently disheveled look. One that he was trying to fix via improvised curling.
This is what happens when an overly enthusiastic Archon bundled up her waist-length hair with her hand before cutting off most of the entire thing. Of course, it wasn't going to be neat.
"Hey, don't diss my dagger- ooh that was hot! Be gentler with my hair, will you? I'm going to be really mad if you burn even just a bit!" Paimon whined, even as she perked up on her seat immediately thereafter. He was standing behind her sofa, with a brush in one hand and her hair in another. "I – ow – had absolute trust in my smooth, silky, perfect hair! I only use the finest products imported straight from Fontaine, I'll have you know!"
Aether hummed absentmindedly, trying his best to curl out one noticeably longer side to match the opposite length. He would wrap her hair around his finger, apply just the tiniest bit of starlight as heat, and bam, instant curls. Maybe it was a waste of his very limited starlight, but he felt like it was the least he could do for her.
Besides, being this close to Paimon alone was slowly recharging his reserves, one drop at a time. He made a mental note that apparently, close contact helped with stealing – um, tactically acquiring starlight from her.
…he should probably talk it out with her officially. Someday. Maybe when he wasn't feeling so one-sidedly indebted towards her. But for now, he reasoned that this was an official exchange of services, and did his best to do a more-than satisfactory job at styling her hair.
It definitely wasn't an easy task, considering how Paimon kept squirming around in her seat. A quiet one, she was not.
So maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise when Paimon hesitantly spoke. "You know… I got to say, you're pretty good with my hair. Far better than I expected when you sat me down on the sofa. Maybe, just maybe, your sister had long hair as well?"
Aether froze.
Long hair, maybe just as blonde as him. He could almost imagine it, the two of them kicking back for the day just to take care of each other's hair.
…except, where his twin should be was a dark, empty void. He tried imagining a mirror image of him but female. Were her eyes the same gol- amber as his? Or maybe they were twins in name only, and they looked entirely different from one another, and he wouldn't recognize her even if they passed by each other. Or maybe she already was in a different world, having completely forgotten about him like he would have if not for Paimon, and he was setting them up for a journey doomed from the start.
Really, what kind of brother was he if he couldn't even remember what his twin sister looked like?
"…yeah," Aether replied eventually as he resumed his brushing. He did everything to keep his voice steady, but even he could hear how shaky it was. "Maybe she had hair as long as mine. It doesn't ring any bells, though."
For a minute or two, they were both silent. Curl, brush, check, repeat – he lost himself in the routine, doing his best to keep his hands steady.
So, he was surprised when the sliver of white hair he was just about to curl slipped out of his grasp.
"Eh-?"
Warmth enveloped him.
"Don't worry," Paimon whispered. She had turned around on the sofa towards him, giving her just enough height for her arms to wrap around him over the backrest. With how she had thrown herself at him, they were close enough that he could feel her recently curled, pleasantly warm hair brush against his face. He froze, unsure of what to do, unsure of what he could do- "We'll absolutely, absolutely find your sister. I swear on my honor as the former Ninth, as the Archon of Constellations, that I'll do everything I can to help you reunite with her."
There was a pause before she hastily added on, "Alive, I mean. The both of you. No dark undertones were meant to be implied, I meant what I said in the most wholesome way possible, and I'm very much hoping for a happy ending with the both of you hugging each other – sorry, I know I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, I'll shut up now. Just… know that I'll always be there for you."
Aether let out a choked laugh. Leave it to Paimon to stumble over and overthink her own speech. But it was always the thought that counted more, wasn't it?
"…thank you, Paimon." Slowly, ever so slowly, Aether relaxed in her embrace. After a moment, he hugged her back, resting his face on her shoulder.
If Paimon noticed the tears on her shoulder, she didn't say anything. She just silently tightened her hug.
And so, they both steeled their resolves for the long journey ahead of them.
With that, the prologue is officially finished. And, unfortunately, also all of the parts I've written and planned out in advance. Updates will slow down from this point on. I'm hoping for a chapter of around 3000 words once a week, but I would like to reiterate that I write in my free time! That includes working out plotlines, creating scenes in my head, and transferring that to readable writing. So, please, please understand that there will be some days that I can't keep up with my usual writing pace.
And again, thank you all for your kind words. I'll do my best to meet and exceed your expectations!