2020-09-25 - The Mark of a Professional

There was some social back and forth, that usual song and dance that comes with “Can I have so and so’s number?” “Sure, let me see if that’s ok.” So on and so forth until there’s a small gamer walking into the front door of the salon. Abitha looked at least a little harried. Usually there was some travel involved when it came to her hair, but this whole fiasco with her shop burning down had meant she hadn’t really had the time to travel out to her stylist of the past. Honestly, it was time for something new, closer, and more convenient. Plus, she’d had a stellar recommendation.

Mac was wearing a wide-V necked, short-sleeved top, and some skinny jeans, fresh-looking kicks, normal stuff. But the gypsy wife style scarf wrapping her hair up neatly and out of sight was all but normal. She pauses at the entrance, taking a second to get the jitters out.

As the door chimes it's cheerful sound upon opening, Nicole looks up from where she is sweeping up the bits of hair from her last client into the floor vacuum. She is in her Salon uniform, which is regulated to be: Black clothes you can work in. Today, that means a pair of wide-legged black trousers, black ballet flats, and a light-weight, soft black wrap sweater over a (Gasp! Color!) purple fitted tee. Her hair is loosely gathered in low ponytails just behind either ear, allowing the length to flow in magnificent waves while also keeping it out of her face.

Smiling at Mac, she says, "hi! Welcome to Curl Up & Dye!" Having pretty much memorized her appointments for the next few hours, and having also seen her around town here and there, Nicole says, "Go ahead and have a seat, Mac." She gestures towards the most decorated work station, full of artwork given to her by clients (Hair Fairy being a featured piece), pictures of clients with awesome hair, as well as shelves with plants upon them, sharing space with products for sale on display. "Can I get you some coffee, tea, or water?"

"Hi!" Abitha's voice has a high-pitched, almost surprised sound to it, like she was for some reason, not expecting a greeting from the only person she had specifically come to see at a designated appointment time. "Uh, thanks. Water? Water would be really good. Please... Thank you..."

It was a spill of speech, quick, weirdly inflected, something Nicole had likely seen before: terrified of trying a new stylist, probably a good bit socially awkward. This behavior would look at home on a young teen, and yet here Abitha was, looking like a 'boo' would launch her skyward out of her own skin.

Still, she sits obediently in the chair after setting her bag on the ground nearby, but at a reasonable distance so as not to draw hair to it. At least all the decorations were distracting enough, her eyes dancing over all the pictures and things.

You'd think she'd take off the scarf. She doesn't. Awkward.

Finishing up the sweep, Nicole takes the broom to a small closet nook made specifically for it, one of the few things renovated so far, and stows it away. She heads to the sink and washes her hands then opens a small under counter fridge and takes out a bottle of water. "Glass or no glass?" she asks Mac, turning to her direction. She feels the awkwardness, anxiety or apprehension, in the air and offers the woman a smile. There's plenty of reasons for people to seem jumpy in this town, Nicole won't take it personally.

One of those current reasons, in Nicole's life, is plants. Just behind Mac on a shelf, a small potted Pothos plants starts to stretch it's gangling branch towards Abitha, as if to snatch that scarf off her head. Nicole spots it and her eyes go wide for a brief moment. Bringing over the bottle of water and a glass, just in case, she swoops behind Mac and snatches that plant up in her hands. "Sorry, I just noticed this thing needs a bit of water and such..." Believable, right? Walking it to the back, she deposits the entire planter in the sink, then returns.

"So, what can I do for you today?"

“Oh, no, don’t bother, bottle is fine.” Abitha offers, trying to be amicable. She sits a bit awkwardly a few more moments as Nicole handles what she was handling, seeming blissfully unaware of whatever plant peril she may have been about to suffer. But, finally, the question is asked and can’t be avoided.

“Ok, so...” she starts, looking sheepish, “I, uh... tried a thing, cause I wanted to do a thing?” Really specific, right? “And I quickly figured out that I was way, way out of my depth trying that thing...” Abitha looks back up at Nicole, trying to gauge reaction, “I’ve never colored my hair before? But I looked up a bunch of things online, and took some recommendations, and... tried to lighten it first...”

She reaches up and pulls the scarf up and back, off her hair, revealing the fact she’d done exactly what she said. Only, Abitha was likely of some ethnic origin that did not do well having her hair lightened. It was pretty much orange and coppery. Not quite Leeloo Dallas Multipass, but it was not a good color on the geek. She looked stricken. The silver lining was it was mostly just uneducated panic, she hadn’t fried or damaged her hair, she hadn’t used a super strong product, its just how her hair reacted sent her into a tailspin.

The bottle of water is taken from the work station where she set it before plant-nabbing and is handed over to Mac. Nicole leans back against the cabinet, listening to Mac speak. She isn't one to judge and tries to be a very understanding person, one who makes others feel comfortable. She doesn't always succeed, but she tries. Her head bobs along, nodding slowly while Abitha lays out the tale. This is a pretty common thing heard in salons. When she gets to the part about lightening it herself, Nicole winces slightly. She was prepared for the worst. What she saw after the scarf was removed was not that.

Pushing off the cabinet, Nicole starts to look more closely at Abitha's hair. "A lot of people try doing things themselves at home. It's cheaper, for one, and well, I used to do the same damn thing. I technically still do it myself, I guess, but I just know more about what to use and not use, etcetera." She is brushing her fingers through the strands, inspecting the hair health and appearance. "Some products can be extremely hazardous to use for those who aren't sure about it. I don't know what you used, but... it wasn't so bad." She is standing behind Abitha now, having made her way around the chair, and looks at her through the mirror's reflection. Smiling, she says, "it's not so bad at all! We can fix this... so what are you hoping for? I will make it happen for you!"

Abitha has to freeze as Nicole comes closer. Yes, the gamer was highly touch-averse, but hair appointments, like doctor's appointments, were something you just had to steel yourself for. Touch was required for the job, and after a moment, Nicole can see Abitha's posture visibly relax a peg or two, especially as she hears the prognosis was actually not bad. Her head actually tips back with the brushing in relief.

"Oh, thank fuck." She breathes, going on to explain, "I think it was like... Twenty developer? And I mixed it with conditioner like it said online, which is really hard to measure cause none of it sits flat when you pour it..." Again, awkward word vomit, but she was clearly already in a better mood. No smiles yet, but maybe approaching considering how this was going. She looks through the mirror at Nicole, "I bought a tube of Pravana Emerald?" She sounds curious, maybe wondering if Nicole thought that was a good product. "Its in my bag, um..." She digs her phone out of her back pocket, unlocking it and pulling up some pictures of the effect she was going for.

Of course, when Nicole sunk her fingers into Abitha's hair, she sensed the tension that was born of being touched. She does indeed need to touch Abitha, or at least her hair, so she continues, but much slower and lighter. Letting out a soft chuckle at Abitha's relief, she nods. "And, you started with natural coloring, from what I can tell. You had really dark hair, so you probably should have gone with a 30 or 40 developer. 30 if you were nervous about it. You really want to lift a lot of color. What did you use to bleach it? Was it a blue? That helps take out the brassiness, or the orange levels. Thankfully, with a 20 developer, you didn't damage it, so I feel fine lightening it some more if you want." She considers the color that is mentioned, then smiles. "Ooh, bold, and pretty. What shade are you hoping for? The brighter you want, the lighter we need to get your hair." She then leans over to look at the photos, not touching Mac for the moment.

There’s a suitably blank look given Nicole as she rattles off the true process that seemed to have escaped the nerd, a look someone might give a teacher when hearing a lecture and it just bouncing clear off their psyche without true understanding. “Yep, well... that is why you’re the professional and I have orange hair, so... I think it was blue? It was blue in color. The paste. It looked like glue.” Mac flips through a few more pictures, “Some of these they have like this really kinda flat, all-over coloring? I like the ones that look almost like... Not ombré, what’s the word... Where the light plays over it like a texture map or something.” That could only have made sense to the gamer, but she does at least point to a picture where the hair looks a mix of dark and light highlights and lowlights, giving the impression the green could almost look like a naturally occurring color, if it weren’t such a vibrant shade. “So like... Sparrow’s hair always looks good? So I’m just gonna trust you to tell me what looks best. And for what we should do.”

Nicole listens and nods, smiling when Abitha is looking for the right word. "Balayage, i think, is what you are referring to. maybe? The highlights are woven in to make it look more natural. I can do that, using darker shades to contrast, or highlight with blueish tones. Or both. Layer the colors so they flow together amazingly. I try to keep up on current trends and have seen some interesting stuff... How much time do you have? It's going to take awhile. We could finish the bleaching today, let your hair rest a day or two, then do the color, or, try it in one fell... near day long, swoop! Your call."

“That’s a word!” Abitha confirms. Not that it was the word she was thinking of. Or knew what it meant, just that it was in fact a word she had read. The description at least matches up with what she wanted, and she nods along with the suggestions. But the question. Abitha blinks. She hadn’t thought about time. She looks down at her phone, does some mental math, eyes peering around the space, not so much searching, just moving in thought. “Uhhh... Honestly? I don’t have anything I can’t do from home later so...” She meets Nicole’s eyes in the mirror, looking a little hopeful, “I guess that depends on how much time you can spend on me?”

Nicole laughs and nods. "It is indeed, a word. And technically, there are all kinds of types of Balayage..but, I think I know what you are talking about, which is the important thing." Smiling to the woman, she says, "I have plenty of time for you today, mac. besides, you've gone through a lot and if anyone could use a pick-up... I imagine you are high on that list. Really sorry to hear about your shop, by the way. If you need a friendly hand with anything, let me know. I don't know your plans; if you are renovating, building elsewhere, or what, but, I have some talent in stuff like that. Anyway..." She tips her head towards the sinks area and says, "come with me."

After equipping Mac with a protective nylon cape and tucking some cotton in between her neck and the cape's neckline, Nicole begins the lengthy process ahead of the two women. More bleaching first, and while Abitha's orange hair is covered in blue goo, Nicole steps to the phone to call Lacey, her coworker/employee/friend. Can she come in a bit to handle any walk-ins and the couple appointments that were scheduled after Abitha? Great! That done, Nicole is able to focus her attention more on Mac and her process. The bleach is rinsed out and towel dried. The result is a lot lighter, closer to a level 8 or 9 than an orange 5 or 6. "We'll trim out any ends that look damaged," she says, though in the end, there really isn't. She'll end up with a smoothing trim anyway though, to complete the look. Coloring comes next, several bowls of color are brought out from the back mixing area, one of them containing that Pravana Emerald Abitha brought with her. Mac is asked if she wants anything to eat during the process. There's a sandwich place nearby.

No foils are used as Nicole brushes in the colors in sections. Some lengths getting multiple shades from root to ends. She unclips a section, colors it from top to bottom then lets it rest, unclipping the next section to the same. It is not a uniform process at all, layering the colors as if she is creating a painting. They talk throughout, about a wide range of topics, perhaps getting to know each other more as they go. Mac is a friend of Sparrow's, after all, and Sparrow is her future wife, so this presents a wonderful opportunity for that.

Nicole rinses out the color, checking in with Abitha, "how do you feel? I mean, you haven't seen it yet, but, you doing okay? It's been hours, I know. These sinks and chairs can get very uncomfortable. We're almost done though! Excited?"

In the extensive time such a process took, Nicole had been let in on Abitha’s plans, as they were. She’d already bought the old comic shop, as the name branding had always been better applied to gaming instead anyways. She was in the process of reordering stock, but she was torn between using the space above it to live in, like she had at the Pad or continuing to live with Sparrow, as she seemed to have no end to roommate troubles. There might have been a story or two of shirtless men just showing up and having to scrub out camera footage as well.

Abitha had done better as time passed as well. She was touch averse, sure, but Nicole had been respectful and courteous, and as hair things go, it’d been less and less of a visible reaction, until there wasn’t any at all. In fact, there’d even been a few faces of enjoyment at certain points during wash-out phases or brushing.

When it comes to the question there’s clear anticipation, the sort of expression usually reserved for things like stage fright or opening Birthday presents. She looks to Nicole, “Yes? Yes. Scared maybe too? I’ve never done anything this severe. Like, I’ve done wigs for some cons but... my own hair... How bad will the upkeep be if I want to keep it for awhile?”

There was understanding laughter when shirtless men and having to scrub camera footage is mentioned. Perhaps also some sympathy given, with a giggle of course. She knows her friend Sparrow all too well. "You really couldn't ask for a better friend in the world. She's Sparrow, which means amazing and quirky all in one, but she is also very loyal to those who are loyal to her. You could do worse in living situations." Over time, their interactions eased into a comfortable exchange, at least for Nicole, and seemingly for Abitha as well, given how much she relaxed during the process. Nicole is a conscientious hairdresser, careful to be gentle and try not to be abrupt or cause pain in her tasks. That might help. She also gives a rather de4lightful scalp massage during washings. A person or two have been known to doze off during them.

"I think it turned out fabulous," Nicole says without any shyness. "Shall we go blow it out and take a look? Upkeep shouldn't be bad. There are color depositing conditioners you can use in between to help if you want. As the green fades you can add more in while your own hair grows out. If you get tired of it we can color it back to your natural color, or, try a new one. As your hair grows we can add in more highlights to keep it blended, by lightening sections for color... It all depends on what you want to do, and if you want to do it yourself or keep coming to me," cuz she isn't going to suggest another hairdresser. She takes pride in her work. "Or, let your hair grow a bit then we cut it all off if you want! So many options. I am happy to help with any of them."

There’s also a knowing smile given Nicole as she talks about Sparrow, a drop of her vision in consideration for the words. All the praise of Sparrow, she thought was true, “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing. She took such good care of me after the Pad burned down...” Abitha ventures in a softer voice, “Like... I don’t know what I would have done...” There’s a pause as she gets up to follow Nicole to the chair to get her hair blown out, “I hope... I hope she’ll wanna come back when I re-open... I dunno if the gym is a better job for her... I’m... kinda afraid to ask her.”

She distracts herself to listen to the hair information, nodding along, but the suggestion of cutting it all off is answered with a clear widening of her eyes. She keeps her face neutral, but the amount of white around green communicates her horror obviously. She sits down mechanically.

Lifting her hand when she sees the alarm on Abitha's face, Nicole apologizes. "Sorry! Sorry... only if you asked me to, I promise. Some people like it!" She shrugs. Her long locks cascade down past the middle of her back, so she, is apparently, not one of those people. Taking out the hairdresser while Abitha gets comfortable in the chair again, Nicole keeps talking. "Don't be afraid to ask her. I know she really liked the job at your place. Maybe she can work part-time at both if she likes both. The bigger mistake would be to not ask her and have it be something you both wanted. Missed opportunity, you know? Just my perspective though..." She is careful as she brushes out the hair, working the brush and the warmth from the blower from ends to scalp slowly. "Mind if I give you a little trim, just to smooth up the ends?" Nodding towards the mirror, she smiles. "Well, what do you think of the color?"

Abitha’s panic is quickly turned to awestruck speechlessness. Who was the green-haired person in the mirror, she seemed to be wondering. Her hand lifts and begins lightly running through the strands, her mouth just slightly ajar in amazement. It’s a tense moment before her lips slowly begin twisting up into a smile, whispering, “Holy... fuck...” She looks in the mirror, then looks at the strands she was holding, she runs her hands through it, watching the highlights and lowlights play as they cascaded over her fingers. GREEN . “This... is gorgeous... Oh my god, I can’t believe this is my hair...” She looks through the mirror at Nicole, lips pressed together, “This is amazing. You’re amazing. Holy shit...” Did she look misty-eyed? Was Abitha being emotional? Well, this was the first step of the new her, the one that focused on her shop, the adult that would rebuild from nothing. Her voice was a little deeper when she agrees to a little trim to the beautiful color, so much she realizes not talking and just nodding would probably be a little more effective in response. She does gather herself after a moment to finally speak, though.

“You’re right. I’ll ask her.”

Nicole is smiling already when she asks Abitha what she thinks. But when she sees her reaction, well, it is moments like this that make her truly love what she does. She steps back, giving Abitha space and time to admire her new hair. Her emotions set off Nicole's and she blinks her eyes a few times, taking a breath. "I am so glad you like it," she whispers, trying not to disturb Abitha's moment. She waits until those words about Sparrow come from Mac's lips before she steps closer again. She starts getting to work on the trimming, truly taking off the barest amount, just to leave Abitha with the freshest, healthiest locks. After, she fluffs up the waves and says, "I do believe you are all set, Mac. Any questions or concerns?"

"Ok, so I've been thinking about this one pretty much the entire time I've been here..." Abitha begins. She stands in front of the mirror, inspecting herself, seeing how it looks with some in her face, some pulled back, turning her head to her normal selfie angles. "Cause I'm sure some people are going to take it the wrong way, because it's me, and probably also because I'm gonna love the reaction, but..." Abitha's payment was in the form of a black Visa card, easily run, and a pretty sizable tip thrown on top. Even as she'd wait for it to run, she'd just be back at a mirror, grinning, running her fingers through her hair, muttering about how good it looks, "'Cuz, I know I'm gonna get reactions, 'cuz this looks amazing. It's gonna be all-" She swtiches easily to a mocking form of a valely-girl accent, "Oh my gosh, who did your hair?" She adds on a bit of a wide-eyed blank look through the mirror at Nicole, letting her head tip a bit to the side in a silly manner. "But then, I'm gonna be like...." She puts a hand on one hip, draws her lip into a wry line, eyes half-lidded and deadpan, the ultimate look of uncaring disdain...

"Curl Up and Dye."