Well. I'd be a poor hostess if I kept everything about this place to myself.
[He isn't wrong though. As if to make up for the fact that he was stuck with her until then, Amelia did feel obligated to show Henry the hidden facets of Blackgale. This wouldn't have even crossed her mind had it not been for their visit to the Blue Moon Belly as well as their conversation in her memory.
They had both been trapped and currently in Henry's case, it didn't have to feel like that if she played into his natural curiosity and showed him the non-mundane that lived side-by-side with Blackgale's everyday residents.
Or maybe she's reached a point with him where she just wanted to do things with Henry. Who knows? She's not telling.]
Go on then. Emil should be done setting up.
[The golem is certainly all done. That suitcase was definitely holding more than its size indicated. There's a whole triple-tiered cart with scissors, bottles of hair serums, and the like and there's already a chair ready for Henry when he goes outside. Emil calls from outside, waving to Henry.]
[So while Amelia gets ready for their outing, Henry will be in Emil's good hands. The golem boy shakes his head, grinning at his question.]
"Hehe! No, not me! This is Berna's magic at work. Though a lot of witches know how to create extra space in any bag or case. I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue for Miss Steinbeck."
[Emil pats the seat.]
"Here! Just relax and I'll make sure it won't take long. But I hope you'll be surprised by my work!"
[More handsome? Bless that unexpected compliment because Henry does not view himself in that light -- not out of some misplaced self-deprecation, but he just legitimately doesn't look upon himself in that way. Doesn't care terribly for his own degree of attractiveness beyond merely being clean and presentable.]
Do you think so? To be fair, I probably wasn't the best houseguest when I first arrived. Your face was proof of that.
"I do think so. She gave a lot of small smiles while we were talking back there."
[Emil hums as he takes a comb and runs it through the man's hair to assess how to part it.]
"And my face is all better now! Berna fixed me up in no time. I'm a lot more durable now too, so if you try that again, I'll probably just get chipped."
[Henry's quiet for a moment, as though unsure what to do with this (harmless, probably) information. Amelia smiles more? He'll have to bring that up to her, couched in a tease. Surely that'll go over well.
Interesting, though.]
I think if I tried it again, Amelia might disapprove. Besides, you caught me in a particularly bad mood that day.
[To say the least. More accurately: he was his true self that day.]
"And you're in a better mood now! I know you won't hurt me."
[And as much as Amelia would like to deny her warmer expressions... Well, they'll cross that bridge sooner or later.
Emil will now proceed to spray Henry's hair down with a solution to make it pliable and to begin the haircut properly. It doesn't hinder his ability to reply to Henry.]
"Mm, what would you like to know about her? I guess the first thing I could say about her is that she's referred to as the Crystalline Witch, kind of like how Miss Steinbeck has her own title, the Emerald Witch."
[Emil begins to trim and shape the edges of Henry's hair and over the sound of the scissors clipping, he continues.]
"The other thing is that she has a lot more golems like me! I'm the youngest one."
[Getting his hair cut like this isn't unusual—he had to be presentable all those years in the lab, of course, and even before that—but having such a chatty barber is new and unusual. Emil really is a very excitable golem, isn’t he?
He’s not wrong about his mood being substantially better than before, at least.]
How many more?
[Crystalline Witch. Maybe it’s fitting for a witch that creates golems.]
"Hmmm... I guess if I had to put a number to it, about the size of a small school population?"
[That's still a lot of golems! And they all serve the witch in one way or another, though not all of them appear among normal people.]
"We usually live in the workshop with Berna unless she brings one of us with her. Or in my case, Miss Steinbeck borrows me a lot when she needs help around the house!"
[Snip, snip! Tufts of Henry's blonde hair start to fall to the ground.]
"If you're wondering more about Berna... Hmmmm. I think she's someone who has a taste for the finer things in life! When she isn't working on her projects, she loves dressing up, going to parties, mingling with all sorts of people, that kind of thing. She likes dragging Miss Steinbeck along too."
[The size of a small school population? That's a lot of golems.
In his periphery, blond locks of his hair fall away. He thinks about that answer, trying to imagine Amelia getting dragged along to a fancy party. It amuses him, in two ways: it's just funny to think about, but also, though they're not going to a fancy "party" tonight, is he the one getting dragged about instead?]
I can't imagine Amelia allowing herself to get "dragged along" anywhere. Are they close friends?
[Emil nods as he makes a half circle around Henry, brushing his hair again to part it to the side. The curls he was sporting before are starting to tame from the hair solution the golem applied and already Henry's looking different. The golem will show Henry later though since he didn't set up a mirror.]
"They're close enough that Berna's been working very hard on creating the tool that will help you return to your dimension. She usually doesn't take requests but for Miss Steinbeck, she will.
Berna was really mad when she saw I had my head broken, she almost didn't want to lift a finger!"
[Gotta hand it to the golem, he held no grudge even at the time when they first met.]
"I'm not exactly made for action like my other siblings so yeah, she wasn't really in a good mood... But some time has passed! I'm sure she's relaxed by now. Work puts her back in the rhythm and all."
[The golem pauses really focus on the haircut since it's coming together and he hums to himself all the while.]
"... We're almost done. I'll show you as soon as I dry and give some volume to your hair."
[Just some more combing and final touches to make sure the edges are to Emil's liking.]
"I hope you'll like it! I think you and Miss Steinbeck will be surprised."
[He really wonders what his hair will look like. He's already gotten an idea of what some of the younger men in this world are sporting simply by walking around but then again... he's almost forty. So.]
Maybe someday I'll get to meet her.
[Berna, he means.]
As for my hair, I'm sure I'll be surprised, Emil. So you were just created for this kind of thing? Domestic tasks?
"It's what I'm starting off with! My siblings tell me that my purpose can change as the years go by and if I want to learn more. I'm only ten years old after all."
[Perhaps a little surprising since Emil appears to be within the age range of a teenager appearance-wise but he did say he was the youngest. His social skills, domestic talents, and now stylist abilities are on another level which really speaks to the Crystalline Witch's work on him.
Emil finally dries out Henry's hair and brushes it out. Already it should even feel different, with less weight from the lack of curls, and more light because of the type of cut he's done.
The golem takes a mirror from the cart and stands to hold it in front of Henry. He looks extremely pleased by his own handiwork.]
[Only ten years old… But he should expect these kind of proficiencies inherent in someone who’s made by magic. Crafted by a powerful witch, at that.
Well, he can ask more about that later. Right now? Right now, Emil’s holding out a mirror, and Henry is catching a glance of his face with a new haircut to frame it.
And— it’s surprising, to say the least. He’s not quite sure what to think of it, having been so used to the old style, but it seems to suit him?]
I look like someone completely different. [Maybe not that extreme, but that’s what it feels like. Emil seems proud, though, so—] I like it, it’ll just take some getting used to not surprising myself when I look in the mirror.
"Hehe! Awesome! I'm so glad you like it. I really think I brought out your best features and it'll be easier to maintain. It's going to look nice when the hair grows out too."
[Emil is so, so proud of himself. He'll finalize everything by sweeping all the stray hair off of the cape and some extra blow drying. As the golem removes the cape, he happily remarks:]
"Now the real test is to see what Miss Steinbeck thinks! Oh! Speaking of —!"
[The back door opens and Amelia goes to check on the both of them.]
Finished already? It sounds like you were both getting along —
[She catches sight of Henry and. Pauses. Looking. Blinks.
Emil is all but bouncing as he looks back and forth between her and Henry.]
[This is truly a bit more pampering than he ever received in the lab when he had his haircut — and that’s saying a lot, since he’s barely being pampered at all, but the bar was forever low.
He follows Emil back inside, and when he catches sight of Amelia's scrutiny... Henry isn't self-conscious, per se, because he's lost that particular flaw when he was much younger, but he is very much aware of her pause.]
Yes. What do you think?
[Good? Bad? Is she processing? Maybe he isn't suited for slightly longer hair.]
[That's not exactly answering the question so that makes the golem move closer to Amelia suddenly as he tries to examine her expression.]
"Of course I did a good job, Miss Steinbeck. But how do you think it makes Mr. Creel look?"
[The witch is doing that tell with her fingers again where they start fiddling when she's nervous or uncertain of how to answer.]
He looks very...
[The more Amelia pauses, the more a pouting Emil pushes for an answer.]
"Don't be so stingy with compliments Miss Steinbeck! You can just say it!"
Emil, please...!
[why is this woman so awkward?? She puts her hand on top of the boy's shoulder to calm him down and at that moment, even with her hair hanging down, Amelia's face is... Pink?
And she somehow manages to mumble it out, hope you can hear her Henry.]
[...Oh. He can hear her, and that awareness of himself? How funny. It spikes a little in tandem with that awkwardly-given compliment, and he has to hold himself back from running a hand through his hair.]
Aha... Emil did a good job, I think.
[Ah, and he could leave it at that, but. You know. He won't.]
Sorry, I didn't hear you, though, Amelia. Do you think it suits me, or should we try for another style down the line?
[He's a villain and he's here to make people suffer.......from embarrassment.]
[Do not perceive her, the both of you! Emil takes a step back and says nothing but he's grinning from ear to ear. Amelia turns away from Henry and crosses her arms.]
It suits you, alright? It's a handsome haircut and Emil has highlighted your best physical features.
Then thank you. I'm glad you think so, that just means we'll be more suited for our outing together tonight, right? I have to match you somehow.
[He leaves that hanging, though the implication is surprisingly clear and straightforward or Henry. Match her in what? Presentability? Attractiveness? Yes.]
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sunfloras2023-04-20 07:42 pm
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You're trying hard to expand my horizons, aren't you? So I'm more well-rounded when you fling me back into my world?
[He teases her in that wheedling yet gentle way of his. But he moves again to the exit to meet up with Emil, who is surely eagerly waiting.]
We'll have to talk outfits, then.
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[He isn't wrong though. As if to make up for the fact that he was stuck with her until then, Amelia did feel obligated to show Henry the hidden facets of Blackgale. This wouldn't have even crossed her mind had it not been for their visit to the Blue Moon Belly as well as their conversation in her memory.
They had both been trapped and currently in Henry's case, it didn't have to feel like that if she played into his natural curiosity and showed him the non-mundane that lived side-by-side with Blackgale's everyday residents.
Or maybe she's reached a point with him where she just wanted to do things with Henry. Who knows? She's not telling.]
Go on then. Emil should be done setting up.
[The golem is certainly all done. That suitcase was definitely holding more than its size indicated. There's a whole triple-tiered cart with scissors, bottles of hair serums, and the like and there's already a chair ready for Henry when he goes outside. Emil calls from outside, waving to Henry.]
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And then pauses, surprised, because-]
You fit all of this in a suitcase?
[Magic. Of course he did.]
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[Emil pats the seat.]
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[Hammerspace in a suitcase. That's a compliment for you, Amelia, his certainty that it would be so very simple for you to manage.
All right, well. All or nothing. Henry takes a seat, all polite air.]
Not too surprised, I hope.
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[God bless this little golem. Emil covers Henry in a salon cape and fastens it behind his neck.]
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Do you think so? To be fair, I probably wasn't the best houseguest when I first arrived. Your face was proof of that.
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[Emil hums as he takes a comb and runs it through the man's hair to assess how to part it.]
[honey no]
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Interesting, though.]
I think if I tried it again, Amelia might disapprove. Besides, you caught me in a particularly bad mood that day.
[To say the least. More accurately: he was his true self that day.]
Is Berna your... creator? Tell me about her.
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[And as much as Amelia would like to deny her warmer expressions... Well, they'll cross that bridge sooner or later.
Emil will now proceed to spray Henry's hair down with a solution to make it pliable and to begin the haircut properly. It doesn't hinder his ability to reply to Henry.]
[Emil begins to trim and shape the edges of Henry's hair and over the sound of the scissors clipping, he continues.]
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He’s not wrong about his mood being substantially better than before, at least.]
How many more?
[Crystalline Witch. Maybe it’s fitting for a witch that creates golems.]
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[That's still a lot of golems! And they all serve the witch in one way or another, though not all of them appear among normal people.]
[Snip, snip! Tufts of Henry's blonde hair start to fall to the ground.]
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In his periphery, blond locks of his hair fall away. He thinks about that answer, trying to imagine Amelia getting dragged along to a fancy party. It amuses him, in two ways: it's just funny to think about, but also, though they're not going to a fancy "party" tonight, is he the one getting dragged about instead?]
I can't imagine Amelia allowing herself to get "dragged along" anywhere. Are they close friends?
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[Gotta hand it to the golem, he held no grudge even at the time when they first met.]
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I imagine she's protective of her creations. I hope I didn't get on her bad side?
[Well. He hopes if only because it might make his return journey home all the more delayed.]
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[The golem pauses really focus on the haircut since it's coming together and he hums to himself all the while.]
[Just some more combing and final touches to make sure the edges are to Emil's liking.]
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Maybe someday I'll get to meet her.
[Berna, he means.]
As for my hair, I'm sure I'll be surprised, Emil. So you were just created for this kind of thing? Domestic tasks?
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[Perhaps a little surprising since Emil appears to be within the age range of a teenager appearance-wise but he did say he was the youngest. His social skills, domestic talents, and now stylist abilities are on another level which really speaks to the Crystalline Witch's work on him.
Emil finally dries out Henry's hair and brushes it out. Already it should even feel different, with less weight from the lack of curls, and more light because of the type of cut he's done.
The golem takes a mirror from the cart and stands to hold it in front of Henry. He looks extremely pleased by his own handiwork.]
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Well, he can ask more about that later. Right now? Right now, Emil’s holding out a mirror, and Henry is catching a glance of his face with a new haircut to frame it.
And— it’s surprising, to say the least. He’s not quite sure what to think of it, having been so used to the old style, but it seems to suit him?]
I look like someone completely different. [Maybe not that extreme, but that’s what it feels like. Emil seems proud, though, so—] I like it, it’ll just take some getting used to not surprising myself when I look in the mirror.
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[Emil is so, so proud of himself. He'll finalize everything by sweeping all the stray hair off of the cape and some extra blow drying. As the golem removes the cape, he happily remarks:]
[The back door opens and Amelia goes to check on the both of them.]
Finished already? It sounds like you were both getting along —
[She catches sight of Henry and. Pauses. Looking. Blinks.
Emil is all but bouncing as he looks back and forth between her and Henry.]
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He follows Emil back inside, and when he catches sight of Amelia's scrutiny... Henry isn't self-conscious, per se, because he's lost that particular flaw when he was much younger, but he is very much aware of her pause.]
Yes. What do you think?
[Good? Bad? Is she processing? Maybe he isn't suited for slightly longer hair.]
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[That's not exactly answering the question so that makes the golem move closer to Amelia suddenly as he tries to examine her expression.]
[The witch is doing that tell with her fingers again where they start fiddling when she's nervous or uncertain of how to answer.]
He looks very...
[The more Amelia pauses, the more a pouting Emil pushes for an answer.]
Emil, please...!
[why is this woman so awkward?? She puts her hand on top of the boy's shoulder to calm him down and at that moment, even with her hair hanging down, Amelia's face is... Pink?
And she somehow manages to mumble it out, hope you can hear her Henry.]
It's a handsome look.
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Aha... Emil did a good job, I think.
[Ah, and he could leave it at that, but. You know. He won't.]
Sorry, I didn't hear you, though, Amelia. Do you think it suits me, or should we try for another style down the line?
[He's a villain and he's here to make people suffer.......from embarrassment.]
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It suits you, alright? It's a handsome haircut and Emil has highlighted your best physical features.
[She throws her hands up in exasperation.]
There! Satisfied?
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Then thank you. I'm glad you think so, that just means we'll be more suited for our outing together tonight, right? I have to match you somehow.
[He leaves that hanging, though the implication is surprisingly clear and straightforward or Henry. Match her in what? Presentability? Attractiveness? Yes.]
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