The hot water streamed over and down my skin, gradually washing away the dirt and grime. I lathered myself with the luxurious feeling products that caused the scents of lavender and vanilla to fill the air.
With a little curiosity, I try to manipulate the 'wand' and find it excellent for aiming the pressurized stream underneath my bust and into other crevices that the water falling overhead simply does not get to.
Taking care of my body on my own is lovely, to be honest. It is certainly more work than letting servants handle you like a newborn kit, but if there were three women poking and prodding at me with their bony fingers right now…
I'd probably bite their hands off.
After all, I don't have to take that sort of 'help' here if I do not want to do so. I can be independent.
Not just a princess that must suffer the whims and norms of the royal life I was born into.
More Citra only. A woman whose pettiness is no smaller than her ample chest.
> Sorry. <
A little apology is quickly voiced along with removing my attempt to frustrate my wolf. The snake pile which it had climbed on top of disappeared in a flash from my mindscape… and I just continue to share the wonderful sensation of warmth and lack of itch.
Eventually, I decided to try to do something about the braid.
My hands make some small progress in the surprisingly fogless mirror… but, this was not something to handle on my own. Using the shampoo and trying to detangle it only went so far.
Frustrated fingers sling the knobs into the off positions.
I wrapped the highly absorbent robe around myself and secured its tie. Then I step out of the private room to locate the attendant.
The woman - Tess if I recall, they should really have nametags here too… glances up from a small 'tablet'. Or a large phone?
"How was your shower?"
"Wonderful. But I'm afraid I am having some trouble with this."
I gestured to the mostly still-intact braid hanging heavily with water over the shoulder of the robe.
"It's been up in this for quite some time and I can't seem to properly undo it myself."
"That does look challenging. Would you like some help with it?"
"Is that… acceptable?"
She nodded while pocketing the device.
"It's my job here to make sure our client has what they need to be most relaxed. If that includes some simple help with grooming matters, I am authorized to try… or make an assessment over who I should send you to next."
"Then, please. I'd rather not carry this particular... style through the rest of my treatments."
She guided me back to the room to sit on the edge of the mattress and retrieved a wide-toothed comb from a drawer. A drawer… I did not even know was there.
The wall there looks flat and it just popped out when she pressed in on it! Like a particularly tricky mechanism for hiding illegal trade goods.
> Are all the surfaces in this world so mysterious? Should I just be walking around and pressing them all? <
When I popped into my mindscape and asked animatedly, my companion just raised their paw and swatted at my snout. Not sure if they think I'm being silly or if they are still upset about the snakes.
The attendant's hands were gentle as she attempted to work on the lower end of the braid first. But after only a few careful tugs, she paused.
"This is quite an intricate pattern. Is it a traditional weave of some kind?"
I frowned slightly. She seemed to be completely human, so it was unlikely she knew anything.
"Yes. A bit of a family requirement where I grew up, you could say."
After another minute of careful attempts that were better than my own, she set the comb down and stood up with a professional smile.
"I think this might be beyond my expertise."
"Oh."
The disappointment that came out of me with that simple syllable was almost manipulative. I could see her face twist with concern.
"Normally we'd handle hair styling after your bath and massage treatments. That's just how the course is generally laid out. But in this case..."
She gestured to the wet and dark source of my darkened mood.
"I believe it would be far more comfortable for you if we adjusted the order slightly."
"Is that possible?"
Helene's mandated braid felt almost like the last thing keeping me from feeling 'at home' in this form.
"Of course. Our priority is your comfort throughout the experience."
While there were certainly plenty of arguments about the wisdom behind getting attached to this body… even if it were possible to give it back to the deceased woman, I'd prefer it to be without this symbol of her pack.
And if she truly wanted to in that instance? She could get someone to put it back up herself.
Call it the price of me helping that hypothetical her survive.
"I'm sorry if it is any imposition, but I really would prefer to have it undone as soon as possible."
"No problem at all. The salon specialists would simply be better equipped to handle this without causing any damage or discomfort."
Tess extended her hand and helped me to my feet. Ten minutes later, after waiting for a free 'stylist', I found myself seated in a salon chair.
Nimble fingers of a woman with vibrant pink hair carefully worked through my braid.
"This is a very distinctive style. Quite unusual to see in the city, though I've met a woman with it before. "
She commented in a friendly manner as she applied some kind of sweet-smelling detangling solution. I merely hummed in response, not wanting to explain its origins.
"She definitely didn't like my suggestion that it would be better clipped off, haha. Oh, don't worry, though. I was just trying to get her in my chair that day. I'll save yours right away."
As promised, it came undone under the stylist's expert hands. Long, straight dark hair I'd only seen in memories was left.
Memories that weren't truly mine.
With the last strands free, I felt another piece of Helene's life falling away. The whine from the wolf inside proved I was not the only one who felt that way.
"There we go. Would you like anything else done while we're here? An easy trim perhaps?"
I considered it briefly, running my fingers through the loose hair. It was not the light, tawny, cream color I was familiar with.
Not the hair from the years that I'd been able to transform into a human from my original fox form.
But it was still thick and healthy looking. I had no doubt it might look passable if placed up in my preferred hairstyle.
The high twin-tails were one of the few things my mother allowed me to pick. To represent myself in public as an individual shifter in her human form.
"No. Nothing more for now."
I speak my answer quietly. While I'd already named myself for the soul now inside out loud to the Rimecoat's Alpha…
Styling this body after my old self may be just a step too far too quick. I can at least wait a few hours to see how I feel.
The pink haired woman only smiled while brushing it out for me one last time.
"You have beautiful hair. I hope I'm not too busy later to work with it, but another stylist can continue after your other treatments if I am. Please enjoy the rest of your visit."
Tess led me back to continue with the original sequence of treatments after that. I caught myself staring at the reflection in one of the many mirrors lining the hallway.
With this hair hanging loose around these shoulders, I looked quite different. Less like a Duskpaw she-wolf.
More like someone capable of making her own choices.