ONE OF TWO. - razor

Chapter Fourteen

Days passed by quicker than Razor could process – most likely due to his nerves regarding his rapidly approaching trip – but by the time the morning prior to the set departure date rolled around his emotions had somewhat locked into a state of nullity, as if neatly corked into a glass bottle that allowed one to see its contents but not taste them.

He had bathed first thing in the river and Tighnari had tried to brush a number of tangles out of his upward-swooping locks of silver, so long and dense that they were akin to a winter cape on his back. It was his suggestion to tie it together, if only to keep it somewhat tamed, and it was Collei's eager voice that proclaimed they should twist it into a plait.

Razor wasn't sure what a plait was at first but upon Collei's nimble fingers creating a fine one in her own short hair as demonstration, he came to understand it was the same technique Teacher occasionally used for her own lengthy brown locks. He quickly nodded at the realisation, happy to have something in common with her.

The four of them therefore remained huddled at the riverside, Razor folding his legs in and doing his best to stay as immobile as possible whilst Collei worked on his fur behind him. It felt strange – not necessarily uncomfortable – to have someone repeatedly touching his fur, but he mentally berated himself after every wriggle away, reminding himself they were the hands of Collei that he felt, whom he knew and trusted.

When he began to fidget with his poncho's tassels – head flicking around in search of an entertaining subject or his neck straining to have a look at what Tighnari and Cyno were quietly doing just a metre or two away – Collei made a sound of bemusement and let what was woven together of his hair rest heavily against his spine.

"Would you like me to teach you how to make a plait?" She offered, leaning past one of his sides so that he could see her smile, "I can ask Cyno if he's willing to let you practise on him."

Razor's eyes marginally rounded in reaction, the idea of being tasked with styling the General's hair being intriguing whilst also somehow daunting. What if he did a terrible job? What if he couldn't get the hang of it at all? So as to not leave Collei without a reply however, he gave a gingerly nod, eyes averted to the damp blades of grass that poked out from under his thighs. Collei beamed at the go-ahead and whipped her sights in the direction of the two men who were conversing in hushed voices.

"Cyno, can Razor learn how to plait hair using yours? I'll be guiding him along the way."

The General spared a scant number of seconds to think the question over prior to nodding and shuffling closer, setting himself down in front of the boy so that the trio formed a train of sorts.

"Go ahead, make me look pretty," His tone was impassive, but there was a certain twinkle to his eyes that Razor could see amplified in Tighnari's own that watched over the development with interest.

Truthfully he was trepidant to start, teeth gnashing together as his eyes honed in on the white waves that starkly contrasted against the brown back facing him, but he braved past the initial hesitation and reached out with uncertain hands. By following Collei's instructions, after some minutes he had gotten the base of the much shorter plait looking decent and sturdy enough to retain its form. The feel of Cyno's hair between his fingertips was intrinsically different from his own, for while his was fine and relatively straight, Cyno's was thick and spiralled into loose curls, akin to the flurry of water at the bottom of a cascading fall.

He and Collei worked in tandem with each other and concluded their projects together; him having leaned back to examine his handiwork after the girl reached forward and securely tied the plait's end.

"To keep it from unravelling," She supplied as an explanation, and then she went to stand, hands on her hips and head tipped downwards at the two who in turn blinked up in wait.