Hair of Witches

II.
Hair of Witches

Laionne’s face is like a confused, sleepy puppy’s. That’s because she never had the chance to observe human beings, and therefore has no conception of what expression (or why) she should make. It definitely put me off at first.

“Hey, Lai-o! Wanna learn some spells today? Want me to cook some food? I went into town and bought some spices! Or, perhaps… would you like to cuddle with me all day?”

This was a week after our meeting, and I still wanted to figure out how to get under her skin and make her squirm a little bit. However, everything I tried either didn’t work or made me feel bad as a result. This was no exception.

“…I don’t suppose I understand. You said you would teach me control over witchcraft, and I would very much like that. Touching me needlessly is… No, please don’t throw away your life. I’ve been enjoying your presence so far.”

Always tugging at my heartstrings, even though I told her over and over that her power wouldn’t hurt me! Yes, she had no sense of sarcasm or mischief, and she permanently spoke with an anaemic, tired tone devoid of feeling. It’s not that she was heartless, but until I had gotten her used to casual conversation and being face-to-face with another person, she had no frame of reference at all. Apparently, the reason she spoke so strangely for a young child stemmed from the source of her education—the library of Cerulea Castle. (I haven’t yet elaborated, but it’s a large, marble castle sitting on a flowering island in the middle of a lake, connected by a land bridge of basalt.)

Unfortunately, the library didn’t have any funny or romantic books, where Laionne could learn about humour and human interaction. They were all dusty tomes about science and alchemy, pretty useless to a witch! As for Laionne, they did make her curious, and that curiosity at least always shone through her eyes and the tilt of her face. She liked asking questions and figuring out the answer before you could open your mouth.

“Why are you carrying scissors and a brush? Did you procure a horse? I’m sorry, but you can’t bring it here. Or are they for yourself? I wouldn’t have guessed…” She unabashedly put a finger to her chin, staring at my hair as if judging me. Well, it’s always been a bit messy, but that was just unasked for and hurtful!

“Hah?” I had lifted an eyebrow in annoyance, but I might’ve made a face that’s scarier than I remember, so I can’t say for sure. “No, they’re for you. You’ve never had anyone groom your hair, have you? You look like a wolf-child, so I want to fix that.”

“It’s a bit itchy, but I assumed that was the norm. Yours does not look dissimilar from mine, does it?”

“Well, I’m sorry! Guess we’ll just hafta fix that!”

Though not wolf-children, the both of us were witches. Most witches, like me, had to be always on the move, and hygiene didn’t come easy in forests and bogs. I should say most witches could also take care of it with spells, but I wasn’t like that. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity of a stationary life in an empty castle with a ridiculous salary. I could finally kick back and start taking care of myself! Well, in the end I just became Laionne’s personal hairdresser.

“Are you sure? Your hair’s been growing for a while; you won’t be able to regrow it for a few years if I cut it off for you. You’ll lose out on your mana reserves.”

“I would like that. It would make me less poisonous. I could even visit the town with you for a few minutes at a time.”

“Augh, I guess!”

We were talking in front of a mirror in a haughty bedroom in the castle, with Laionne seated in a throne-like chair and me behind her. At this time, she looked a good deal like a tree from the back, her greyish hair thick, coiling and reaching all the way to the ground and then some. She had experienced an impossible surge of hair growth as a toddler at the same time as gaining her powers, and it had only been growing ever since. However, ask any regular witch and they’ll tell you to put your paws off their hair very rudely. Since our hair acts as a storage of mana, it takes much longer for it to grow, as the mana has to cosy up and settle in before growth can continue. It’s a weird process, and it’s why witches tend to start out as tomboys.

I really didn’t want to cripple Laionne’s reserves too much, and that’s why we settled on a compromise. I snipped off most of that follicular mess, but left enough hair to style into cute, round buns underneath her ears, and it’s really the best thing I could’ve done and my crown achievement. They’re just so damn cute! Am I not a genius?

Oh, it should be said that the mane I had excised weighed as much as a sack of potatoes when I had to carry it outside. To this day I don’t understand how it didn’t just snap her neck at any point.

“So, Lai-o? Gonna style my hair in turn? Don’t you think something handsome and dashing would work for me?”

“Nn…” She shook her head (an improvement!) and sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Well, that’s fine. You’ve never done it before, so I guess you wouldn’t be confident.”

“Ah, no. I simply cannot imagine you with a different hairstyle than yours. It fits your bothersome personality very well.”

I was stunned.

“B-Bothersome..?! We’re gonna need to have a lesson about manners and inappropriate words, young lady!”

“I thought you intended to teach me a spell today? Is that lesson cancelled?”

“Youuu. . .”

Ah. It hurt, but she was growing in front of my eyes.