Runelords 16.5 - Proper Haircare

Foxglove caught Luna looking at him with a curious expression. Looking up from his desk, he asked what it was. She bit her lip consideringly before saying with slight trepidation, “Mmm, don’t get upset?”
“Of course not,” he frowned slightly, worried at what she might say.
“Mmm,” she hummed again before tilting her pencil towards him, “I don’t want to be rude but...are you brushing your hair at all?” He withered a bit at the implication, turning his gaze downwards. He muttered and mumbled self-consciously, and she gave him a look of pity before standing up and walking over to him. She leaned over, inspecting his hair closely, and he shrunk in on himself further. “...You were worried because it was falling out, weren’t you?” she gathered, and he managed to nod weakly. “Again, not to be rude, but are you bathing at all?” He mumbled noncommittally, ashamed. She sighed good-naturedly, “Alright, come on then.”
“What?”
“I’m running you a bath, and doing your hair. You can’t just leave it in the same ponytail forever; it’s a knotted mess. You have to be gentle with it, and you have to treat it differently because, well, it’s not alive like it was: you have to use a lot of oil and conditioners if you want it to look nice. It will be easier if I just do it, rather than shout at you through a door, particularly since you let it get in this state,” she said, wrinkling her nose at his hair. “That’s going to take forever to comb out.” She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Easier if we just took off your whole scalp and regrew it with potions, at this point.” He looked at her with a mix of shock and offense, and she replied quickly, “Joking! I’m joking! I wouldn’t do that! But really, you can’t like having your hair be in a mess, I promise I can sort it out, and if you haven’t had a bath, you might as well have one since I’m going to have to soak your hair in oil for a while if we have any hope of detangling it.” Aldern’s expression was one of reservation, and she tilted her head, “What?”
“Well...I trust you, if you say you can fix it, but...hmm...well, it’s not very...proper, now is it?”
Luna gave a snort and said, “Well, first, I extremely doubt anyone in the house would be scandalized by the prospect. You’ve met all of these people; rules of decorum are not exactly their guiding principles. Second, it’s not like we’re doing anything. I’m a bath attendant, or hairdresser. I am a consummate professional,” she said with a smirk of mock pretension. “Third, I honestly don’t care. I’ve seen naked men before. Wear shorts or something if it really bothers you.” He frowned self-consciously again, looking away, and she sighed, “I work in a medical research facility. I have seen lots of questionable things, and I don’t get uncomfortable. Really.” She looked at him gently, “Come on. I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.”
He thought about this for a moment and sighed, “The bathroom has...more mirrors than I’m comfortable with.”
“Hmm. Alright. Easily dealt with,” she said. She straightened and smiled, “I’ll go set things up, and I’ll get you when it’s ready for you.”
“...Alright.” With his assent, she smiled and skipped out of the room, ever happy to be tasked with something. He tried to turn his attention back to his work, but had a terrible time focusing: the thought of his body disturbed him, and being made to think about it or look at it made his metaphorical stomach sick. He didn’t think he even had an actual stomach left, considering the thick, rotten fluid that had been oozing out of him, apparently what was once his organs. This had mercifully stopped once he had begun to wear the amulet Luna had made, but the memory was disgusting enough to make him ill. He couldn’t stand to touch himself or look at his putrefied skin, and when his hair had begun to fall out he had been too afraid to touch it, lest he exacerbate the problem. He shuddered, and waited. 
A little while later, Luna came back, all smiles. “Ready!” With a sigh somewhere between resignation and determination, Aldern stood up and followed after her as she led on. “Between what I brought with me and what you already had, we should be in good shape for hair supplies. It’s good, saves me having to run to the market again.” She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked, “You’re not getting your teeth pulled, you know.” 
“I know, I know…” he replied, though his tone suggested that maybe he didn’t. They came to the bathroom door, and when she opened it, a fog of mist came out. Aldern blinked as Luna shoved him in quickly and shut the door behind them. 
The room was humid and hot, fogging the mirrors and glass in the room, muddling any reflections. The bath had been drawn high, and filled with a soapy froth that obscured the water entirely. “See?” she said, looking smug, “Easily fixed. Didn’t even need to redecorate or blindfold you or anything. Now I won’t look while you get in.” With that, she turned away, busying herself with some jars.
A small smile crept across his mouth, “You have a gift for solving problems.”
“I am a professional!” she said brightly, smiling self-consciously to herself as he began to undress. “I should be an assistant something-or-other.” 
“Head something-or-other,” he corrected. “Given your breadth of talent and skill, you should at least be chief of staff...No, lady of the house.” Aldern winked while he slipped into the water, letting it come up to his nose. He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to relax. 
Luna groaned, blushing and shaking her head. “You’re too much. Ready?”
“Mhmm…” 
With that, she turned and moved a stool to the edge of the tub, positioning herself behind his head. She had a shallow bowl filled with oil, and a few different combs. “Sit up a bit, I need your hair,” she commanded. He complied, and she placed down her things as she untied and removed the ribbon that had been holding back his knotted, tangled hair. In life, his hair had been glossy and well-kept, a brown nearly dark enough to be black, but now large clumps had fallen out and what was left had lost its healthy sheen and lay in tangled knots. Luna placed it in the oil and took up one of the combs, beginning to work out the mess with extreme care. “See, your hair won’t get greasy or anything anymore, but it means that it gets very dry and brittle. You have to condition it really thoroughly, or it will break and you’ll get split-ends and frizz and things. And, with the medallion, you don’t have to worry about it falling out unless you yank on it, but even if that happens, a potion will fix it, like your nails. I don’t really know why it does that. Magic, I guess. People think it’s because the magic sort of imprints you, and always just brings you back to that original form? With the exception of rotting? I don’t know, I haven’t found any really good books on it yet. I’m sure someone somewhere knows why. Point is, you have to deep condition and don’t rail on your hair, but don’t worry if you lose some, because we can get it back.”
“How did you figure this all out on your own?” Aldern asked.
“Mostly just practice,” she said. “Some reading; the original team I was part of had a fair bit of literature on undead, but most of it was technical and not really relevant. Most books are about puppet undead; you know, the mindless zombies from stories and things. How to make them, how to fight them, stuff like that. The rest is mostly case studies on the products of curses: hauntings and ghosts and the things that crawl out of dark corners and bloody places. Again, nothing useful for actually being undead. Not much of a market. So I learned from experience, and I’ve just been making it up as I go along.”
Aldern himmed, staring at the bubbles around his face. There was a silence, the only noise being the quiet scraping noise of the comb over knotted hair. Eventually, he piped up, voice embarrassed, "Don't...don't you think this is...improprietous?"
"Well...I guess," Luna said, still focused on her work. "Technically. But again, I don't think anyone minds. I'm not looking. And it's not like this kind of thing is unheard of or anything."
"Well, yes..." he agreed, "but...this isn't really something that friends do. Helping with baths is a servant's job." His voice dropped slightly, and he added with a soft tone in his voice, "Or a lover's..."
Luna missed the meaning of his statement altogether, replying blithely, "Well, I don't much mind being thought of as a servant. It's not too different from any other job I've done, really. Whatever you're comfortable with." 
She continued brushing his hair out carefully as he sunk slightly deeper into the water, eyes downcast with rejection. There was a sudden, subtle shift in his expression, and he sat up straighter once more. "I would never call someone as talented and exceptional as you as a servant; it would be a horrid disservice to you. I am terribly sorry if I've given you the impression I think of you that way."
"Oh, heh," she said, grinning subtly, "No, no. It's just, you were uncomfortable and it's a strange situation, so I just meant that you should think about it however makes it less unpleasant. I just want you to be comfortable, that's all."
"Spending time with you is never unpleasant," he replied, "and I could never be comfortable thinking you a mere servant." She grinned and shook her head as he leaned back, closing his eyes and savouring the bath, letting her work with the comb. "You're too kind, to help with this, like this," he said. "I would return the favour."
"That's alright; you need help with tangles like this," she said
"If ever you need assistance in kind..." he alluded.
Luna missed his subtle innuendo entirely. "That's ok. I try to not let mine get this bad. Honestly, if it did, I'd cut it off and regrow it. But thank you! I really don't mind helping. I like it." He gave a small snort of laughter, smiling and letting the line of conversation go.
Eventually, the comb slid through his hair easily, the tangles and knots worked out at last. She rinsed through his hair and applied some soap, gently working it through to remove the copious oil and accumulated dirt, chattering about how he should wash his hair in the future to ensure its cleanliness and vitality. Foxglove had a vague, dreamy smile that played about his lips as Luna ran her fingers through his hair and over his scalp, which she didn't notice as she sat behind him. As she rinsed out his hair again and moved to conditioning, he spoke at last, "Pardoning my currently indisposed state, I have to ask something of you."
"Hmn?"
"We have been spending so much time together recently, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I was wondering, if I might be so bold, if I could make our courtship official."
Luna blinked, stopping what she was doing. "Oh! Um, wow, I, huh..." she mumbled and flustered, as Foxglove turned over to look at her. She grinned shyly, embarrassed and off-guard, but he waited for her to respond. Eventually, she composed herself enough to say, "I...I'm sorry, this is just...sudden. I never thought...I mean, for a long time, I thought..." she said quietly, "...I kind of believed, that I'd never be with anybody ever again...And," she spoke up, "and I've never, never really ever courted, that sounds so formal and I've been with people, sure, but it was never a big thing, we just dated around casually, I've never really liked getting into serious things, and that was a long time ago when I was still alive..."
"I don't mean to pressure you," he said. "I certainly don't want you to do anything you're unhappy with. I suppose I meant more that, well, we've grown rather close in the last few weeks, we spend a lot of time together, and being near you, doing things with you, makes me happy. Elated. I'm sure to others it already looks as though we are courting, and it doesn't need to be anything more serious than it is. I just wondered whether we should make official something that seems to already be the case. But only if it would make you happy."
She smiled and looked down, fiddling and making the look that implied a blush that wasn't there, she eventually nodded, "...Yeah...ok."
He returned her smile tenfold, a legitimate excitement and joy palpable in his expression. "Wonderful! You honour me."
"Gahh," she still smiled, covering her face from embarrassment.
"You're beautiful in your shyness. So humble," he commented. She shook her head, returning to her task, finishing up. "Is there some way you would be most comfortable announcing it? A particular way it's done in Columbia?"
"Oh, um, no, I don't think there's any real official way or anything. At home, we just sort of...tell people when it comes up, and it spreads around. I guess, I can just tell the others when I see them, that way it's not like, some sort of formal address. But yeah, ok."
"Excellent! Whatever makes you happy. I would just have people know that I'm lucky enough to be with the most beautiful woman in Medinipur."
"Augh! This is going to go to my head!" she exclaimed in mock frustration and embarrassment. She finished his hair with a stifled grin, "There. All done. Don't let it get like that again," she said with false patronism. 
"I will endeavor not to," he said. "Thank you for everything."
"Of course, it's not a problem. Let me know if you need help again," she said, standing. "Now I'll let you finish your bath with some privacy." Luna walked to the door, "I'll see you later."
"Yes. Thank you." With that, she left and closed the door behind her. The man lingered in the bath for a while longer, savouring his happiness.
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Aldern blinked. The last thing he remembered, he was in the bath. Now he was sitting at his desk, fully dressed. He moved his hand absently to his hair, and he could feel it clean and smooth, better than it had been since long before he had died. He swallowed hard, reeling; he had blacked out. What had he done this time? As he was about to stand up and run, desperate to find Luna or the others to find out what had happened, to make sure everyone was alright, to apologize, his eyes glanced downwards. There was a letter there, written in his handwriting, freshly inked. He stopped and turned his attention towards it, picking it up as he read,
Aldern,
While you were about to throw away your chances on self-pity and despair, like you always do, I took the liberty of ensuring that you didn't. The beautious Luna has agreed to court us, and is informing the others of our relationship. I don't think I need to stress how vital it is that you don't ruin this for us, as we both know that Luna, in addition to being the most wonderful, intelligent and charming woman in existence, is literally your only viable hope for a normal life. Should you do anything to dissuade her or push her away, I assure you that your days will become significantly less pleasant, though not least of all due to the absence of her kind and talented personage I'm sure. 
I will also stress that you destroy this letter, and mention nothing of my presence to the others, particularly the extraplanars. We both know they're on edge after Skinsaw's appearance, and we don't need them deciding to take a more uncouth hand in our business, or worse yet, attempting to bar us from our dearest Luna. I have been managing our affairs quite splendidly in your mental absence for years now, and just because you've decided to recognize my presence does not mean that our arrangements should change. Continue concerning yourself with pleasantries, Aldern, and I will continue to ensure that we succeed in our endeavours.
- Lord Foxglove
Category:Rise of the Runelords