Tactical Haircut Action

[agent_fumoffu]

Who: Sousuke and Serra
When: Saturday, February 23, evening.
Where: Room 205.
What: Serra ordered Sousuke to keep lookin' good, so he wants to get a haircut, Unfortunately, due to various circumstances he is barred from the barbershop.
Warnings/Notes: None.

Comments

[bubblyhealer]

Serra, sprawled out on her bed with her handy-dandy pink glittery Notebook of Evil, otherwise known as her diary, wasn't really expecting anybody. Except maybe Mist. And Mist was probably preoccupied with her cooking duties. She perked up considerably at the thought it might be food delivery, though.

She sat upwards on her bed, tussled her hair in a beautiful and fashionable way, and bounced across the room to answer the door. She paused momentarily at the doorknob. Should she check who it was, first?

Naaaaaaah.

"Hellllllo," she trilled, throwing the door open.

[agent_fumoffu]

When dealing with situations he wasn't accustomed to, Sousuke always had a tendency to fall back to the mental sanctuary of his military tendencies. As the door opened, he stood to attention and saluted.

"Sgt. Sagara Sousuke, reporting for duty, Lady Serra." After a brief pause, he added, "I have... er, a request to make."

[bubblyhealer]

It wasn't food.

Why wasn't it food?

Ah, well. She beamed at him, just the same. "A request? How interesting. Of course I shall do my best to fulfill it! Do tell me what it is, really!" And then she realized she had to play the part of a nice hostess. "Oh, sorry, forgive me. Would you like to come in? You can sit anywhere. Then you can tell me." She held the door opened and made hand motions to try and usher him inside.

[agent_fumoffu]

Sousuke entered the room obediently, unconsciously choosing to remain standing. He surveyed the room briefly. This is commander Serra's personal quarters? It seems a little... disorganized.

All right. Where to begin?

"My request... it, uh, concerns the orders you have me recently. Concerning the Bachelor List."

[bubblyhealer]

She closed the door and plopped down on her bed again. After a moment of thought, she raised her head from the pillow and looked at him curiously. "Orders . . . ?" Well, she always gave orders, but at the moment, she couldn't quite remember what she told him. Which was a very, very bad sign because he was the nervous-weird type to do things she didn't remember telling him to do but she did indeed tell him to do and aaaaaaaahhhhh.

Then she sat up and smiled. "Oh, yes, I remember the Bachelor List. Yes, yes, continue." She clasped her hands together and blinked winningly at him.

[agent_fumoffu]

Sousuke remained standing at attention as he tried to figure out how to explain his dilemma in a way that didn't sound, well, strange.

"Well, as you recall, you ordered me to maintain my physical appearance with greater attention. Well, in accordance with your orders, I went to get a haircut, but there were, uh... complications, and now I no longer have access to the barbershop."

[bubblyhealer]

Complications. There was something about the way he said it-- no, rather, there was something about this entire situation-- that made Serra feel a little weary. How did one have . . . complications . . . at a barbershop? It was inconceivable! But, ah, perhaps she should try to be understanding. Maybe he, uh, had a bad talk with the barber. Yes. Indeed. Differing viewpoints. How dare the barber kick him out! And this entire situation had been peaceful. Yes-yes, she could delude herself into thinking that.

"I understand," she said smoothly, convincing herself that she did. "So, what did you want me to do?"

What sort of complications could there be?! She shushed herself and waited for his answer.

[agent_fumoffu]

Again, Sousuke hesitated.

"...commander Serra.

Are you proficient in the skill of male cosmetics?"

[bubblyhealer]

"I am proficient in everything!" she answered promptly.

Then the statement began to register.

"Er," she said, "What are male cosmetics? Or, rather, what sort do you mean? You have to more specific than that! Though, um, I'm still proficient in everything." Yep, that would assure him.

[agent_fumoffu]

"Serra..."
it didn't even occur to Sousuke that he had stopped addressing her by her full title.

"Please give me a haircut."

[bubblyhealer]

A-ah? There seemed to be something different now, though she couldn't quite register it.

"Of course I shall give you a haircut," she said, nodding. "Yes, yes, you look like you've been needing one. And being kicked out of the barbershop and all, I see no other choice! Let's see, I think I have scissors somewhere . . . and we're going to need a comb--oh, I think I can borrow Mist's, she shan't mind a bit, and, oh, do sit down, this is going to be great!"

She nudged a chair forward and began to scramble to gather the items.

[agent_fumoffu]

Sousuke quietly sat in the chair as she said, and looked straight forwards nervously. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had gotten himself into something that would not end well for him.

[bubblyhealer]

Mist's borrowed comb? Check! Scissors? Check! Did she need anything else?

She thoughtfully put some bandages and a basin of water on the drawers. Just in case.

"You should wear something so all the hairs don't go on your shirt," she said. She pondered for a moment, and then scrambled through her closet to find an old shirt with a pink elephant stenciled to the front.

"Wear this," she said, throwing it at him. "And then we shall . . . begin." She clicked her scissors in a completely non-threatening way.

Oh, right. "How do you want it to look?" she asked. It might be bad to ask that question after she finished cutting.

[agent_fumoffu]

As Sousuke awkwardly put the girly shirt on over his own, he considered her question.
Or at least, he tried to, but his eyes kept following the ominously clicking scissors in Serra's hand. It's just an ordinary pair of scissors. There's nothing to be afraid of. Serra means you no harm.

If her intentions become hostile, then I exceed her in both body size and reflexes, so I can easily outpower her. The only real danger would be the first blow - in a best case scenario, I could lose an ear; if she's fast enough, she could kill me in one stab of the scissors. To minimize chance of a fatal impact, I should -

With a start he realized he hadn't answered her question. "Oh, uh... I hadn't given it much thought. I don't care much about style, as long as it looks reasonably normal, and less disorderly than it is now."

Calm down. Serra is your ally. You can trust her.

[bubblyhealer]

He wanted a mullet, most obviously.

All right, maybe not a mullet. For now. She'd just give him a little trim. But if he truly insisted, a mullet it must be. Though he needed more hair for that, she mused. But that was fine.

She put down the scissors and wet the comb a bit, and then adjusted the mirror so it would face both her and him so she didn't accidentally cut off his ear. Even with the comb. One must be careful in these situations. After all, many people had warned her away from sharp pointy objects. It would not do to affirm their fears!

"It will be great," she promised, and then began to lightly brush his hair. "Or, you know. Semi-great. But everything I do is really great, wouldn't you think?" At least, she thought so. This haircut would be excellent!

Though she supposed she couldn't put his hair into pigtails. Disappointing.

[agent_fumoffu]

"Mmm."

Sousuke was barely listening to Serra at this point. Under her brush he was gradually starting to feel relaxed, but his eyes kept flicking back to the scissors in the mirror.