Discoveries | TMR | Three

2:2

Adeline feels lighter, now that her matted hair no longer weighs her head down. Lily had managed to salvage all that the young girl had asked for, and now, her curls are smooth like a fur coat, defined like the embers of ash that collect at the base of a bonfire, and bouncy like a spring as she makes her away across the Harbour.

The position of the rays on the sundials situated near the start of every pier tells her that it is nearing eleven-AM. It is far later than she would normally arise from her slumber and vacate her yacht, but the night before, Daniel and her had remained awake until the wee hours of the morning discussing her experiences with charging each compound. It also took her much longer to prepare for the day by spending nearly twenty minutes brushing her freshly cut hair and dressing herself in her favourite garments to suit.

The silver lining in this, however, means that she has managed to miss the morning rush for breakfast, and with any luck, there will only be a few stragglers left. This is also the first day she has been gifted the opportunity of leaving her boat since she tested the red vial, and so, she is in a much excitable mood.

She strides confidently into old boat showroom that now doubles as a canteen, and feels herself growing that little bit more exuberant when she spots Nick sitting at one of the tables. Strange, indeed, for out of everyone who lives at this Harbour, he is the only one - aside from Daniel - with whom she would want to share this enthusiasm.

She keeps her pace the same so as to not seem too eager, and the second she reaches his table, she plonks herself directly opposite him. "Morning," she chirps.

Nicks brows raise as he looks up, though his features soon soften when he realises it is her. "Ah, so they finally let you out, I see."

"They did", she states proudly. "No more being locked up for me."

He picks up some dry cereal from his plate and stuffs it in his mouth before pushing the plate to the centre of the table so she can pick from it too. "Go on then, tell me," he start, "how does it feel to be a free woman?"

''Uh... refreshing,'' she tells him, tilting her head and gazing off into the distance for a quick second before looking at him again, ''but also strangely disappointing. I kinda liked being waited on hand and foot."

Nick laughs. ''And that's coming from the girl who claims she's not a damsel.''

''Maybe I've found my true calling,'' she quips, smirking.

''What, getting looked after?''

''Exactly,'' Adeline confirms, happily pinching a few pieces of his cereal before throwing them in her mouth.

Nick just watches her for a moment, enjoying the sight of her smiley face and sound of her giggles. It is only in this moment, as she continues to take tiny fingerfuls of his food, does he notice her hair. No longer waist length, no longer matted, no longer broken, frayed and unkempt. Now, with soft, wavy curls that twirl neatly along the top of her shoulders and a few shorter strands on either side of her face; the right-side tracing down her cheek and the left tucked behind her ear, her features have been framed perfectly.

He had not thought it possible, for her to ever be more attractive to him than she was previously, yet here she is now, looking more mesmerising to him than she ever has before.

''You look really nice with your hair like that.'' Nick finds he has to comment on it. Not out of a need for flattering the girl, of course, but rather, because he simply could not go another minute without mentioning it.

Adeline appears surprised at his comment. ''Thank you,'' she beams, reaching up to caress the wispy and healthy ends. ''Lily did it for me last night.''