Intas 34, 2720
Outskirts of Vienda, a boat moored on the Arova, afternoon.
Matty got back to work, a bit more deft at working through the knots than he had been before. He had gotten the hang of it now, and no tangle would serve to hinder him. He was pleased with how quietly Sunner sat for him. No more of the whining child he’d been forced to deal with before. He managed to brush and comb his way through the remaining mess in short order, and was left with gleaming golden locks for his trouble.
Of course,the silence couldn’t last. Sunner griped again, asking if they were done.
“No,” Matty said, taking the end of the comb and carefully dividing Sunner’s hair into three parts, “we are not done yet. Sit still.”
The hair divided, Matty began to braid it. Nothing fancy, no Bastian braids or fish-tails, just a simple braid to keep it contained and — he hoped — clean. He was quick at it, too. He had often helped the girls he liked at the Gilded Lily do their hair, a simple braid was nothing. He didn’t even give Sunner the chance to protest, pulling a hair tie from his pocket and wrapping it around the end. He regarded his handiwork, quite proud of himself, then patted Sunner’s shoulder.
“There,” he said, “now I’m done.”
His patting turned into a grip, and he leaned close, talking directly in Sunner's ear. “And you’d better keep it clean, or the next time it gets as bad as it was I will chop it off. In your sleep.”
