2019-10-16 - Detective Green Thumb gets a trim

It's mid-October here in the PNW. That means it's drizzly. Yes, rain happens all the time, which means October is no different... but it is a cooler day and it actually feels like autumn. Mid-day of mid-week of mid-month are not often busy times in the salon, so today, Nicole is the only one present. There aren't any waiting clients, and since she isn't cleaning, it's been a bit since her last. She can be found sitting in the chair at her station, flipping through a catalog. There are four in total. One looks like it barely sees anyone at it, but there is a license hung beside the mirror. Another is full of garish colors and small flyers advertising band night at this or that place, some pictures, and various other artifacts from the life of a punkrock hairdresser. Nicole's has plants resting on shelves on the wall around her station and photos she has taken and printed all around her mirror; mostly subject studies and landscapes, though there are a few of people she knows and a couple selfies. Above her license hangs a whimsical sketch titled 'Hair Fairy' in which a woman that resembles Nicole works in an Alice in Wonderland-esque salon.

She's dressed in uniform, which is just to say she wears all black from head to toe. Black ballet flats, black skinny jeans, and a black wrap-blouse that ties at her waist. Her hair today is currently down, summer-blonde locks cascading down. Music plays above, something a bit different from her usual working playlist; more bass, a bit more funk. Flipping pages in the catalog, one foot bounces in the air as she relaxes, legs crossed at the knee. There is a bell above the door that jingles when it opens. How long will it stay silent?

Jingle-jangle! Sniff! In comes Detective Gabriel Quintanilla, though he's just Gabe here. Or at least he tries to be. "Hey. Nicole. You got time for a walk in?" He wears a long-sleeved henley shirt over his jeans and simple cross-trainers. He looks around, apparently confirming that she can, in fact, take a new client.

"Plants look good." Nicole might well know that Gabe fancies himself a green thumb. He's even brought her some flowers from his garden from time to time when he's come in for a cut. Not today, though. "I've got a big interview tonight and want the look cleaned up for good luck." He gestures at his hair.

Lowering the catalog, something about salon furnishings and equipment, Nicole begins to rise when she sees Gabriel. "Gabe! Hey!" her plants are just your run-of-the-mill house type plants at the moment, and she inherited most of them from the previous owner, as he knows, but they are doing pretty okay so far. "Yeah. I have time. My next appointment's in like an hour, and Lacey takes over after that. Come on over. She gestures to the chair she just vacated and moves to one of the cabinets on her station to pull out a black polyester smock. She pats the top of the chair. "Take a load off. Just a trim then? Little clean up of the facial hair? What's the interview for?"

Gabriel wipes at his nose with his sleeve as he comes down to sit on the chair, grinning at Nicole as he does. He looks like he might be coming down with something. But it's still in the early stages, whatever it is. He drops in, taking a load off, but then sits up so she can put the smock on him.

"Yeah. You know how I like it. Just like that." This is why Gabe comes to Nicole. He can sort of gesture vaguely and she makes it all work. "How have you been? How's business? Interview's for a big murder investigation I'm working. Hoping to make some headway on it."

Nicole takes one real good look at Gabriel and his sniffly nose. She smiles at him, but it is a very polite smile. "I'll be right back," she says, handing him the smock. "Want to put that on while you wait?" Meanwhile, she walks to the back of the salon, just to the side of where the manicure tables are. There's a counter that runs the length of the wall that separates the front from the back, where all things are stored. Upon that counter is a Keurig and various other implements for a client's comfort. Setting a cup in place she runs the machine without a pod in. Just hot water, please. Once the cup is full of steaming water, she adds some honey to it, and a teabag before returning and handing it to Gabe. He didn't ask for it, and she didn't ask if he wanted it. "You're gonna need that. And you are going to need some heavy duty meds, like Nyquil... and a case of kleenex, chicken soup... you got someone to take care of you, Gabe? If you are getting what has been going around, it is NO fun. I had it, I know...." Pause. "Drink that."

Where was she? Oh yeah. "You get gussied up to interview someone about a murder? Just imagine what you do for a date!" She laughs and helps him finish putting the smock in place, adding some cotton around his neck to absorb any moisture and help prevent tiny hairs from falling down his shirt."

"I don't know. Look right, feel right, the rest of it follows, right?" Gabe grins as he settles down onto the chair, clicking the smock around his neck. "And yeah. I've got a friend who has me loaded up with Mucinex and Nyquil and tissues and all of that. She's at least checking on me." He closes his eyes for a moment, then taking a sip of the tea. He isn't going to fight his hairdresser on this matter.

"But I don't know. Do I need a reason to get it cleaned up, Nicole? Maybe I just wanted to see your smiling face."

"Who could blame you? It's an adorable face!" Nicole stops in front of him and smiles, cheekily, before getting a spray bottle of water. "It's good to see you again. been a while, Gabe. Was afraid you ran off with some tramp hairdresser in another town, desperate for cash who'd do you cheap," she jokes as she mists his hair all over before reaching for a fine-toothed come to brush the water through. "What have you been up to, aside from finding out who-dunit?"

Cassidy comes in dressed casually on this brisk autumn day. She's wearing a faded pink batwing that slides off one shoulder. She has a denim jacket tucked under her arm along with her purse. The hand of that arm holds a giant iced coffee. Two large shopping bags are locked into her other fist.

"I'm Cassidy here for a 4:45. She tells the receptionist as she goes to sit in a waiting seat and peruse the dated magazines.

"Oh, you know. Not quite spring in the garden, but there are still seasonals and shrubs to work on, so keeping me busy." Never let anyone say that Gabriel doesn't take his yard seriously. He takes his yard very seriously. "Guy at the precinct tried to sell me a second-hand ride on mower, but if you're not walking it, what's even the point? Just hire someone." Like he would.

"And you know you're my one-and-only hairdresser, Nicole. I'd never cheat on you." The detective pounds his fist against his chest. "Promise." Solemn vows. But then there's another voice. "Hey. Cassidy. What are you doing, stalking me to my barber?"

It's a slow day at a salon in a small town, Nicole is currently Hairdresser AND receptionist. When the bells above the door jingle jangle, interrupting (or accompanying) the music playing overhead, Nicole looks up to smile at Cassidy. "Oh, hi! You are a little early. I'll be with you shortly." Of course, she has Cassidy's information in the appointment book to know which service she is there for (she hasn't upgraded to the computer system yet. Things are old school here). The magazines are a bit dated, but not too bad. Mostly, there are books on hair cuts, colors, a magazine about tattoos, a few Home and Garden type, and of course, the rags.

"I better be, Gabe," she winks at him in the mirror. Trading hands with the comb, she reaches for her scissors next to start trimming up his dark locks. "I should have yo come look at this shrub I rescued. It's doing a little better than it was, but... I can't seem to get it truly thriving. Of course, now, winter's coming and probably going to kill it all." She pouts. They have talked before about her trailer in the Huckleberry, where she has a multitude of flowering plants and such outside her door, trying to make it look more welcoming.

"Oh! Hey Detective Quintanilla." Cassidy's voice is soft and feminine, and her smile a simple warmth that accentuates her cheek bones and touches her eyes.

It's not flirtatious, it is professional. It's just that Cassidy isn't about to let anyone forget what it feels like to have those bright blue eyes sparkling at them above a mesmerizing smile. The reward for being on Cassidy's good side.

"Good to see you."

"Good to see you, Cassidy. Big talk today. Going to crack this wide open." Gabe, it seems, is not immune to the ADA Smile. The knowledge that there is the carrot and the stick and maybe he can keep the carrot on his side if he only works hard enough, plays through the pain, and closes the case.

But then Nicole needs help with her yard, and that captures the detective's attention fully. "Oh, sure. I can come out and take a look at it. Winter might get it, but there's no reason I can't try to keep it going until then. And you never know. Some shrubs, they can weather the winter all right, especially depending on how bad the weather is." He can hold forth on this at some length.

"I don't even know if it helps, but I got a little shed thing with shelves? Thought maybe I could keep some plants in there with a light if they can't hang in the colder temps... You can maybe let me know. You still got my business card? My number is on there, we'll text plants." She smiles, snip, snip, snipping away at the man's short hair, making it look all nice and neat, just how he likes.

And because she hasn't gone back over to her book yet, she asks Cassidy, "what is it we are doing for you today? I looked earlier but, I swear I still have leftover brain fog from the flu." Speaking of the flu, she leans down and near-whispers in Gabriel's ear. "Don't breathe on her. No getting my customers sick."

"I already had the flu so I think I'm like, immune, or something?" Cassidy brings the side of a dainty fist to her mouth and expresses a very short, 'ehe' cough.

She digs her fingers into her hair and shakes the tresses at the root with her hand. "Light brown to gold blonde ómbre. Long layers. Jagged cut ends." She then removes her hand from her hair and just makes a circular motion next to her locks with fingers waggling as she moves her hand down - indicating she'd like to keep it wavy, as well.

She then looks back to Gabriel and nods. "Oh yeah! Pursley." she half-turns her head and leans in a bit, "I bet you'll kill it." She gives that a smile and sits back to stick her face in a magazine - letting Gabriel supply the '...or else...' himself.

Gabriel laughs at the breath near his ear, but nods his head in agreement with her. Yes, yes, he seems to say. He won't drive away business by making the customers sick. But at the mention of texting about plants, he brightens. "That's a great idea. I may need to put it off until -- whatever this is -- passes, but definitely. I'll come on out. We'll see what we can do to keep everything in ship shape until Spring." He rubs his hands together under the smock, appreciating the challenge.

But then it's back to work. "Crack it wide open, Cassidy. Promise. I'll bring by a bottle of champagne after we're done." She does, after all, live on his street. He may also be kidding on that.

"Pursley... is that the murder case?" Nicole asks, setting aside comb and scissors in favor of an electric clipper. She turns it on and the sound makes her talk a little louder as she tidies up Gabriel's hairline at the nape of his neck. "You a detective too?" she asks to Cassidy. Regarding Gabriel in the mirror, she smiles and says, "the texting can wait. In a day or two, you won't be able to lift up your phone, let alone make coherent sentences... if you get it as bad as I did anyway."

"No. I'm an assistant state's attorney." Cassidy looks up and answers. She looks back to the magazine. "So I kind of just wait until the detectives are done working so I can start."

"That is untrue. Cassidy provides invaluable guidance on our investigations as to the law and feedback and encouragement that helps us get our suspect." Is Gabe buttering her up? Is Gabe being sarcastic? Could it be both? It could be both.

At the statement about how bad the flu is going to get, he groans, in anticipatory misery. "Oh, goodness. Well. I'll be sure to have my Netflix subscription up to date before the worst of it happens."

"Ah...." Nicole says with a nod. Meanwhile, in her head...'In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories... DUN DUN' She looks to Gabe, and then to Cassidy and grins. "Is this your way of flirting, Detective? I think it needs more work. " She brushes his neck off with a soft neck duster. She turns him slightly to take a look at his facial hair and gets the clippers again, putting a guard on tho clean that all up.

Cassidy has crossed one leg over the other and smiles softly to herself while she studies People magazine.

"I hope not," is a statement Cassidy lets float over the pages and insert itself between Nicole's question and Gabe's answer.

"You kidding? I would never." Flirt with Cassidy, apparently. Gabe knows the boundaries there. "But that's bold, from the woman who just had her lips down by my ear to whisper." To tell him not to cough on Cassidy, mind you, but he can tease Nicole. "I'm smart enough not to try to sleep with the person who grades my work." That would be Cassidy.

Nicole can't help but laugh, pulling the clippers away from Gabriel's face so that she doesn't mess up that scruff he has going on. " Sorry... sorry.. just that... how else am I supposed to pretend to whisper? The number of body parts that end up in the vicinity of a persons face while I work is... well, I just don't like to think about it. But really, if I were flirting, Detective, you would know." She chuckles some more then says to Cassidy, "seems you are safe."

Cassidy looks up and smiles. She licks a finger tip and uses it to more easily turn a page. "Hmm?"

"Good to know that being invited over to see your bush is not flirting, Nicole," says Gabe as he waits for her to finish up, smiling when she pulls the clippers away, getting just the look he is going for. "Almost done? Wanted to grab some dinner before heading out."

Nicole turns a look onto Gabe, staring at him for a moment incredulously. "Yeah yeah... I think you're done, Mister Man. Take a look in the mirror?" Then over to Cassidy. "I'll get you started in just a second."

Gabriel takes the mirror and turns it so he can see the back, and then looks over at Nicole. "It looks great, Nicole. Thanks. I appreciate you fitting me in." He waits for her to brush off the stray hairs and then takes out his wallet to pay her fee and a solid twenty-percent tip. "And I'll text you soon about coming over, yeah?"

"To look at my shrub... not my bush." Nicole sticks her tongue out at him as he makes the bells jingle and heads out the door.