Sekhmet followed cadence with their leader for the morning run. As per usual, M led the pack with Gregorio while Raelle begrudgingly fell to the back. During the grueling time, she'd momentarily meet M's eye as they checked the group's pace.

"Let's go, only one mile left," they encouraged the groggy unit.

The coven had been improving significantly and with the help of superstars such as the Bellweather Unit, M had gotten much more attention and praise than they had initially received as a first year. They turned the corner to their final stretch and everyone picked up the pace. M felt Gregorio and a few others catch up to their heels, so they dug deeper to hold the lead. They felt a hand nudge their shoulder.

"Slow up a bit," Gregorio requested.

With a quick glance back, they spotted Tally fall back with Raelle, so M held a slower pace until they caught up again and finally completed the run. They waited by the door to Sekhmet as their peers filed in, gasping and sweaty in time for breakfast. M checked their watch and as the final two joined the coven.

"Not bad, Craven, that's five seconds faster than last week," they complimented. Raelle slipped past them and jogged up the steps to get cleaned up. "Still had some energy." M closed the door behind themself and joined a few of their comrades by the hearth. "We have one and a half hours left before the first session."

They acknowledged M and continued about their business while their coven leader headed up to get cleaned up and changed. With their toiletries in hand, they jogged back down the steps past the telephones where Raelle spoke with her father again. M curiously studied her as she calmly spoke with him, despite her tense stance. She ended the call and caught their glance before heading up to join her old unit.

M busied themself with their usual routine which ended with using an electric razor to freshen up their hairstyle.

"Oh, you're the one leaving hair in the drain," Collar mentioned. "I thought it was just Abigail."

M brushed the stray hairs from their head. "Yeah yeah yeah. It takes work to look this good though."

"You're just shaving your head, can't be that hard."

"I also don't want the Barracks Special, so," they laid out the different-sized additions. "I have the whole set to give me the perfect fade, like this one-"

"I don't mean to be rude, but I don't need to know your routine."

"Yeah, of course." M packed the additions away again. "You doing alright?"

"I'm fine," she dismissed

They grabbed their belongings, "Okay."

"How often do you, ya know," Raelle mimed shaving her head with her hand.

"Um," M began rubbing their freshly cut hair. "Once a week, but I'm letting the top grow out a little."

"Good, makes you look less like a skinhead."

M merely smirked at the joke.

"Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?"

"I've smiled at you before."

"Really?"

"Yeah," they continued to grin.

Raelle chuckled and peeked at them on their way into the showers. She hadn't really noticed her Sekhmet leader, and honestly didn't think much about them at first with all of the tests performed on her along with the constant classes. Looking at it now, Raelle wouldn't mind a distraction with someone as alluring as them.

As she went about her routine, she began to notice what M had admitted to her. When they passed each other by, Raelle caught them looking at her. She must have just never realized it when they were first paired up, but now that's all she paid attention to. She found herself increasingly distracted by M's warm gaze in class as well. She would feel their eyes at her back or otherwise on her and now she met theirs.

As the day came to a close, Raelle stopped her superior while everyone else went to dinner.

"I see what you mean now," she explained.

"What do you mean?"

Raelle shrugged, "I can see why you keep your hair short."

"Because I like it that way?"

"Yeah."

"Are you trying to get me to shave your head, too?"

"Why not?"

"Okay, how about after dinner, then? I'm starving."

"Deal."

Again, M kindly smiled at her as they squeezed past them to the cafeteria. Even as they ate, they couldn't stop stealing glances at one another, even when a soldier sat between them. Abigail even slid in her eye line and was still looked through. Once they finally returned to Sekhmet, Raelle caught up with her leader.

"We should go outside," M recommended. "Don't want you to get blamed for stray hair." They stole a chair from the entranceway and carried it into a well-lit area. "So, what are we thinking about?"

"I don't know. I like your style, but I don't know if it'll look good on me."

As M took out her braids, they suggested, "I could go five or seven millimeters around the sides and leave your hair, like, four inches long so you can style it." They showed the length with their fingers. I can go seven right now and shorten it up if you'd like?"

"Yeah, just as long as it's not a pixie cut. I don't know if I could pull it off."

M nodded and began combing through the unraveled braids. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, my dad taught me how to cut hair, so you're in good hands," they tried to comfort her as they took the first cut.

Once the sides of her head were cut, they sheared down the remaining hair and began working on the top. M wetted then combed out her hair and cut back a few more inches. They then stood in front of Raelle to style her hair.

"Okay," they pulled out a hand mirror. "What do you think?"

"My head feels lighter," she immediately noted as she ran her hand through her hair. "Oh my god, I look so gay, I love it," she smiled.

"Perfect. Thoughts on the sides? Shorter or fine?"

"You can go shorter."

M turned the shears back on and began trimming down her hair. They brushed out the stray hairs again. "Okay, how about now?"

"Perf, thank you."

They whistled the chair clean and brought it inside. "Let's go blow dry your hair." M took a blow dryer to her hair and combed the stray hairs back in place. "Okay. I think you're all set. Now, are you gonna tell me what's up?"

"My dad's been worrying about me since the initial update about the mission."

"I get that, when only one of you returned in the helicopter, we all thought you were dead, too."

"Yeah, so I've been checking in on him and he keeps asking about, you know… her."

"Oh, yeah the Spree Cell."

"Scylla, she wasn't a 'Spree Cell'."

M kept their mouth shut about that and began putting everything away. "Well, don't let the calls distract you from class."

"Yeah, that's not what's really distracting me, to be honest," Raelle huffed. She messed with her new hairstyle again and looked at herself from various angles in the mirror. "I look good, thank you!"

"No problem. Just let me know when you want to get another trim."

Raelle nodded and looked at M through their reflection. "So what do I owe you?"

"How about B average by the end of the semester."

She chuckled and turned around to face them. "Yeah, sure thing, Lieutenant." As she passed them, Raelle pulled M down to press a peck against their cheek.

M stood up straight, completely surprised, and watched her leave. "Damn."