Silver Rose

Chapter XVII - The Most Perilous Battlefield

"Oooh!" Lilly shrieked as the hairdresser finished with Ingrid. "Your hair looks so nice!"

"Is that a little blue I see?" Athena asked her.

"It's barely visible on your black hair," Lilly said, "but I think I see the blue tips!"

The trio turned to the doorway that led into the back rooms as a familiar face joined them.

"Oh, fancy seeing you guys here," Penny said to them.

"Penny!" Lilly said before running to embrace her, careful not to ruin her new hairdo. "Ohmygosh, we're all looking so pretty today!"

"Athena stopped her tomboy thing, too," Ingrid said.

"The fuck?" Athena said. "I ain't no tomboy."

"Dude, you can't even girl half the time."

"Look, just cuz I don't throw on makeup every goddamned day doesn't mean I can't girl."

All four turned to Echo as she rejoined them. Her dark brown hair, which used to fall to her lower back, was all gone, replaced by a sidecut. What remained was swept to the left, falling right down to her chin.

"All your hair!" Lilly said. "It's gone!"

"I like it," Athena said with a smile.

Ingrid and Lilly both gave looks to their friends. Echo's face was pink while Athena wore the usual confident grin.

"You think it's gonna happen tonight?" Lilly whispered to Ingrid.

"It better," she whispered back. "God knows it's taken way too long."

"Not as long as you!"

Ingrid faced her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Lilly replied with a giggle. "C'mon! Nails!"

* * * * *

"All right, this is it," Perseus said, straightening up his coat collar. He turned to Xanthus. "Lookin' good, pardner."

"Thank you," he said. "Be honest, though. The traditional Mistral formal dress isn't too gaudy?"

"Not at all, man. Actually, I was gonna say that looks really good compared to the fashion we have back in Vacuo. Hell, if you can call a fucking vest and t-shirt 'fashion.'"

He chuckled. "Actually, I don't think I would mind such a free lifestyle."

"Look, free is one thing. Chaotic is another."

"I think Yuan does more for our country's fashion, though."

"Nah, man, don't sell yourself short. You just went for a simpler style, that's all. He went all out with all that friggin' dragon embroidery and shit." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Who do you think, though?"

"Hmm?"

"Ingrid, I mean. Cuz dude, both Yuan and Leon have been, you know, giving her gifts and shit. And they're both better dressed than you and me. Frikkin' Team LILY trying to steal the spotlight from us."

Xanthus chuckled. "I mean, I don't want to favor either of them over the other."

"Which one, though?"

He shrugged. "One cannot ignore the fact that she and Leon grew up together. However, that may also play a factor in the other direction."

"You mean she might see him as a brother?"

"Hmm. Not quite. Because from the way she's been behaving around both, I believe she has feelings for them equally."

"Shit, that's gotta be rough."