A Rainbow of Hope

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 30th October 2014

Characters: Saidrene, J'ackt
Description: Saidrene and J'ackt patch up their frayed friendship.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 14 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Alina

Saidrene

J'ackt

Staring down at his reflection in the water, J'ackt blew a strand of
hair out of his eyes before catching it between his fingers. The
sharding strands seemed to grow a fingertip length every day and he
was well and truly getting tired of the stuff hanging in his eyes. He
crouched in a half-sit on the shore before running his hand through
his thick hair. Aye, it was about time once again. He pulled his belt
knife and tested the blade on his thumb. It was sharp enough.

}: What are you doing? :{ Zith stared at his rider with his head tilted.

**I'm going to cut this all off**

}: Why? Will it hurt? :{

**No. But it gets in my eyes and it's annoying.** J'ackt thumbed the
blade again. "I might actually just be better off shaving the whole
blasted mess. Then I'd not have to cut it for a while." Alternating
between speaking and thought speech had become a habit, but Zith never
seemed to prefer one over the other.

}:How will you do that?:{

"Well..." he took a small hunk of his hair and held it out. "I just
chop it off the length that I want it. Always done it that way." He
demonstrated by slicing the small hank of hair about an inch away from
the scalp.

A familiar voice cut through, "What. Are. You. Doing?"

Saidrene had not planned on talking to J'ackt but the sight of him
crouched beside the water with a knife in hand was enough to draw her
curiosity. Was this really how he cut his hair? Didn't he know that
there would be plenty of girls in the Lower Caverns that would cut it
for him?

**Or maybe Alina, she falls all over herself around him as it is.**
The thought was enough to make her want to roll her eyes, but she
refrained. She was still trying very hard not to care at all what
J'ackt did or did not do.

He stopped mid-slice as he went to chop another piece of hair and
turned, both brows raised. It was very easy to recognize _that_ voice.
He blinked and looked down at his knife. "I'm cutting my hair." He
frowned, quirking a brow up. "It's too long."

Zith peered around J'ackt, his eyes finding Ashareth. }: Mine is doing
hair chopping. He says he's going to make himself bald. :{

Ashareth's tone was quizzical, }:He does not like his hide?:{ Of
course without hair or fur her hide was the closest thing that
Ashareth could relate to a human's odd head of fuzz.

The corners of Saidrene's lips twitched as she fought off a smile of
amusement, "Yes, I can see that. You know that you can actually have
someone cut it for you.... With scissors. It will hurt much less too."

}: He says that it's too much and too long. But it doesn't hurt when
he chops it. I want to watch. :{

"I've always cut it this way. Never really hurt myself unless I knick
my scalp when I shave it all off in the summer." He shrugged and
turned back to his reflection. " 'sides, don't know whether or not to
shave it this time." He picked up another inch wide strand of hair and
sliced it, the cut jagged and a little longer than his last slice.

Saidrene reached out and lightly touched her fingers to the back of
the hand that was holding the knife, "Come on, at least let me cut if
for you so it won't be all jagged and shaggy. I have a pair of the
scissors I use in the dragon infirmary, they're pretty sharp and
should do the trick."

He went still and turned to look back at her, his brow only lightly
furrowed. They had pointedly avoided each other since the Hatching and
he had mostly only seen her in classes, so why was she offering now?
Deciding not to question it, he shrugged. "Okay. If you want, I
guess." He paused. "Do you know how to cut hair?"

"Better than you do I am sure." Saidrene muttered in her sarcastic
way. "Let me go grab the scissors, I'll be back." She left Ashareth
sitting, the green taking the opportunity to play in the water a bit
by splashing at it with her feet.

When Saidrene returned she had a comb in one hand and a pair of
scissors in the other, her own long black hair was tied behind her
neck out of the way. Dropping to her knees behind J'ackt, she took her
hands and pressed them to either side of his jaw, "Sit up straight."
She instructed before she began pulling the comb through his tangled
hair.

He immediately sat straight, back taut. His skin prickled where she
touched and even his scalp tingled as she ran the comb through his
hair. He didn't flinch when she pulled at the tangles, keeping still.
No one had combed his hair for him since he was a child, and he found
it surprisingly soothing, though there was still the element of
discomfort and awkwardness around her.

}: Well, that's interesting. :{ Zith chimed in. }: I didn't know she
looked like that without her clothes bits. :{

J'ackt's eyes popped open and he flicked a gaze at Zith. ** Hey! Butt
out of the memories there, runt. I don't need to be thinking of that
right now. **

}: Why does she have two wobbly bits and you only have one? You don't
jiggle like that. :{ Zith had latched on to a particularly graphic
memory before J'ackt quickly locked away that visual.

He struggled to keep a straight face as Saidrene combed his hair, but
his jaw worked from side to side. **Because she is female and I am
not. **

Zith blinked, tilting his head side to side. }: Oh. :{ The bronze
considered that and then trotted over to Ashareth and began peering at
her with interest.

Ashareth would stamp down on the water and then watch with fascinated
interest as the water droplets showered into the air, causing shimmery
pale rainbows in the sunlight.

As Saidrene combed through J'ackt's hair she remembered back to a time
when she would have practically fainted at the thought of even
_touching_ J'ackt. She recalled the first time he had touched her...
It had embarassingly been when she had been choking on a redfruit and
he had helped dislodge it for her. At the time she had been mortified,
now it simply made her chuckle.

She smiled at the safe, happy memories of her time with J'ackt.
Raising the scissors, she drew up a strand of his blond hair, "How
short do you want it?"

Not being able to see her smile, J'ackt rolled his shoulders a little.
"I usually take it down pretty short. About a fingertip length if I
can." He paused. "Thanks. For doing this. You didn't have to."

Zith peered at the rainbows and huffed as he turned back to Ashareth.
}: Why're you doing that? :{

Saidrene gave a little shrug, "No reason why we cannot be friends, I
suppose." She said as she began making precise snips with the
scissors.

Ashareth paused and peered up at Zith, }:Because it is pretty....
See!:{ She stamped her feet in the water again.

"Really." He didn't dare move his head while she had a sharp object in
her hand. "I thought you hated me." His voice was soft. "Can't really
blame you for it."

}: Guess. :{ Zith didn't really do pretty things. }: Where are your
wobbly things? Mine says females have them, but I don't see any on
you. :{

Saidrene contemplated what J'ackt said. Did she hate him? It had
certainly felt like it at the time. But now, looking back at the
incident months later, she could say that she didn't hate him...
Annoyance was a slightly better way to phrase it.

"Well, with my family gone to Dragonsfall I can't really afford to be
losing friends, can I?" She pointed out softly, snipping carefully at
the hair around his left ear.

At Zith's question, Ashareth stopped splashing around in the water and
stared up at the bronze as if he were some strange, foreign creature.
}:What?:{ She asked quizzically, and then she looked from J'ackt to
Zith, }:Maybe your rider bumped his head? I do _not_ have parts that
'wobble'.:{

His brow furrowed, but he waited until the snipping stopped before
turning his head. "And I'm your friend?" He fell quiet for a moment.
"After everything, do you think that could happen?" His voice didn't
betray anything, not hope, nor sarcasm. It was flat, very carefully
modulated.

}: He didn't bump his head. I saw. Your rider has wobbly bits and he
said females do, so you have to have wobbly bits some where. :{ Zith
nudged at her and then tried to look closely at her rump. }: Maybe
your tail wobbles? :{

Saidrene exhaled a measured breath as her hands paused from their
work, "Yes, I think we could be friends." She said finally, taking up
the comb once more to comb out his much shorter blonde locks to make
sure everything was even.

Ashareth ducked her head down and peered between her four legs as she
swished her tail back and forth, }:Is it wobbling?:{

He turned his head back to where it had been and was quiet for a long
moment, his breathing even and deep. J'ackt's jaw worked from side to
side as he thought. Finally he spoke quietly, without accusation. "I
would have helped you, you know. I may not have been good at it, but I
would have tried. "

"I know." She said, her voice nearly a whisper, "I was just scared and
confused. I didn't know what to do.... But I wouldn't have Ashareth
right now otherwise." Saidrene glanced out toward her green dragonet,
and then frowned as she saw the pose that Ashareth was in and the way
she was wiggling her tail.

**What are you doing?**

}:Zith says I should have wobbly parts. He says his rider has images
of you having wobbly parts so females must have wobbly parts.... Why
don't I have wobbly parts?:{ Ashareth asked in innocence.

Saidrene's eyes narrowed, "What has your dragon been telling Ashareth
about... 'wobbly parts'?"

That, he decided, was true. It had all worked out for the best, though
the sting of it hadn't faded. It was simply something he had to
accept. But, he vowed, he would never have a woman unless he was
certain she was on teas. It wasn't something he was willing to face
again.

}: I don't see anything wobbling, just wiggling. :{ Zith tilted his
head from side to side and huffed in disappointment.

J'ackt blinked and went still. "Uhm..." **Zith?**

}: What? You said females have them so I went to look at Ashareth's
but she doesn't have them. She's a female. :{ Zith looked back at his
rider, blinking slowly.

J'ackt snorted and then pinched the bridge of his nose before glancing
back and turning to carefully take the sharp scissors out of
Saidrene's hands. With a perfectly straight face, he answered. "Zith
found a particular memory of you and parts of you that jiggle when
you're...active." He tucked the scissors behind his back. "I had to
explain that females..ahem...move differently and he was checking out
Ashareth."

Saidrene's eyes widened and she smacked her hand against the bronze
Weyrling's shoulder, "J'ackt! Can't you keep a tighter lid on stuff
like that? What if he decided to share it with others?"

}:So I am normal?:{ Ashareth asked.

**Of course you are normal. You are perfect. Zith's is just a ....
a.... Never mind.** Saidrene trailed off, finding no need to teach her
dragonet offensive language.

"Ow. I can't help it if it's a good image. Besides, if he shared,
well, you'd be very popular." J'ackt scooted back further and raised
his hand. "I told him not to."

}: You did? :{ Zith blinked.

**Yes. As of right now. Don't share that memory. **

}: But it's funny. Everything is all bouncy. :{ Zith turned to
Saidrene and blinked at her. }: Tell her to bounce.{

**I would like to remain breathing.** J'ackt's desperately tried not
to crack a smile at Zith's young innocence.

Saidrene rolled her eyes and shook her head, fighting off a smile at
the entire situation. It really was kind of funny if you looked at it
from a dragonet's point of view, "I would rather not be popular for
_that_ reason." She cocked an eyebrow, "Can I have my scissors back
now?"

"It depends on whether or not I'm going to be injured with them."

The green Weyrling acted as though she had to contemplate that answer
before she extended her upturned palm, "I promise not to stab you with
the scissors."

He cautiously handed back the scissors. "And I promise to try not to
think of that image...much."

Saidrene wagged the scissors at J'ackt, fighting a smile, "You, sir,
are incorrigible."

He eyed the scissors and arched a brow. "You expected different?"

"From you? Never." She pocketed the scissors, and then looked out at
Ashareth, "Come on Ash, let's get back."

}:See you later!:{ Ashareth said to Zith, leaving the water and
following her rider.

As she began to walk away, J'ackt watched the sway of her hips and had
to stifle a groan. "Hey, Saidrene....wouldn't mind reliving that
image." He rose, dusting hair off of his shoulders and lap.

"Maybe after the ban is lifted...." She called over her shoulder
letting that possibility hang in the air as she and Ashareth
retreated.

"Shaffit."

}: You're thinking of the bouncy image again. :{ Zith chimed in.

J'ackt could help but think that the ban enforced on them was nothing
less than torture.

Last updated on the November 16th 2014

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A Rainbow of Hope