Hair dye date (Tag Evelyn) on Magical Arts Room and Sports

Ness McLeod

March 09, 2019 4:24 AM

Hair dye date (Tag Evelyn) by Ness McLeod

The water room of MARS was designed to mimic any environment in which one found water. Whilst that usually meant bodies of water for swimming on scenery, it seemed it could also mean a room in which water was a prominent functional feature. Such as a hair salon, with those special little sinks that you could tip your head back into from the comfort of a comfy chair to get your hair washed. Ness wondered what the limitations were, given that almost everything contained water. The rooms could not produce food, so testing it by seeing whether it could turn into a room full of cucumbers or lettuces, which were mostly water, was not possible. But like… a puppy. Another human. Could the rooms mimic life in that way anyway, or was that falling into the trap of being impossible for another reason? What about a room with a sink in the corner but not one you really needed? Or a room with… a stack of timber. Timber contained some water. But it was not really watery, not the way something like a cucumber was. Did the thing have to be famed for being water-based, or did the water have to have some kind of functionality for the room to be able/willing to produce it?

That was going to be a fun experiment for another day. Evelyn had entered first today, and was thus controlling their environment, which was probably a good thing given the number of thoughts whizzing through Ness’ brain.

They had both opted to make hair dye in potions - the recipe had said it was wash-in, wash-out, so it was something that was presumably harmless enough to play with, especially with the weekend coming up. And a teacher had let them both make it and remove it from class, which in Ness’ book automatically sanctioned it as appropriate.

Whilst there were other options for hair washing and dyeing, MARS had seemed like the easiest. They weren’t allowed in each other’s dorms after all, and washing their hair in the sinks of the bathrooms around the school sounded awkward. The Quidditch Pitch had showers but they were the full body kind. The kind that involved getting undressed. Which meant showering on their own, which didn’t sound very sociable. Or sounded sociable in a way that was grown up and scary and not about to happen. MARS would let them dye and wash their hair together without awkwardness - be it the awkward angle of bending over a bathroom sink or the awkwardness of needing to get declothed.

“My aunt makes us this stuff for Pride,” Ness commented with a grin, pulling the tub out. “At least, I assume it’s the same stuff. Hers is a bit neater looking.” Getting all the colours in had been pretty tricky. The dye was meant to be able to be mixed in a single cauldron, using a separating spell to stop the colours from merging. Some of the more similar ones had blended together a bit though, and there was the occasional swirl of brown. Still, a vague idea of rainbowness was present.

“How’d yours turn out?”

13 Ness McLeod Hair dye date (Tag Evelyn) 1419 Ness McLeod 1 5

Evelyn Stones

March 12, 2019 3:39 AM

Three of my favorite words! by Evelyn Stones

Some sub-conscious part of Evelyn's mind had guided the creation of the room she and Ness entered for their adventure. She'd gone to the salon with her mother before, and those were happy memories, exactly the sort to fuel such a place now. Of course, there were no staff members now, but it was clearly a commercial salon. The emptiness of it made it seem more adventurous than it already was, and Evelyn felt giddy. For a moment, she and Ness might've been Muggles, sneaking into an old, abandoned salon to dye their hair with Kool-Aid. Instead, they were full of magic, and so was the world around them. That was pretty special.

"I've never been," Evelyn admitted when Ness mentioned Pride. "I'd love to though," she added, grinning. "I think yours looks good. Mine's blue and pink, which worked out because there's some purple where it mixes." Evelyn held up her own bottle as she spoke and then set it out on the nearest counter top, turning the water on in one of the basins. "The one bit of magic my mom sort of passed on to me was potions, so hopefully I managed to make something that works," she laughed. That thought would've scared her a year ago. When did she become this person? It felt good.

As the water in the hair wash station got warm and cascaded across Evelyn's palm, she had the sudden realization that they would either need to wash their own hair while laying in one of these stations, or wash each other's. The latter sounded much more enjoyable, particularly since one of the best parts of any salon trip was the hair wash and head rub. She turned to Ness to gauge the Aldadren's expression as she asked about it.

"I think it would be sort of fun to help each other. So long as you don't dye my eyebrows or something," she added, smirking mischievously.

Evelyn had left her lipstick and other makeup off for the day, sure that she would just get it smeared if she didn't. She'd taken off her earrings as well, but didn't feel plain anyway. It was so easy to be comfortable here that she didn't need to worry about these things. The room was warm, even in her tank top and shorts, and swirls of magically enhanced steam drifted from the basin as the water heated. The abandoned salon thought really seemed to have taken off, because the mirrors in the room were unlit except the one that Ness and Evelyn would be using, and there was a peaceful quiet about the place.

Evelyn considered Ness as she waited for a reply to come her way, and decided that the room was only really special because of who she came here with. She'd come here with Malikhi and discovered that she was indeed magical. Now she was here with Ness; what would she discover next? She was pretty sure her friend was arguably responsible for the discovery of self-worth that had taken root over the past year, but that was not really all their relationship had done for her.

Evelyn hoped she'd done anything in return. She had the sudden urge to thank Ness with a bouquet of planets, organized in proper astrological order, and an epic that would rival Homer's works. She wanted to offer the secrets of the universe to Ness, this person who would appreciate them so much, and cherish each one like a butterfly kiss, holding them on a sleeve for the world to see the truth where a heart was meant to go.

She shook herself to clear her mind when she noticed the galaxy simulation pattern that hadn't previously been present on the ceiling above them (it looked suspiciously like a window into the universe itself), and a few errant butterflies drifted by in rainbow colors.

"Thanks for doing this with me," Evelyn said sincerely, withdrawing her hand from the tap and wiping it on a towel nearby. "I'm excited to spend time with you, and to really up my majestic-ness." Her tone was light and she was probably joking, but it all felt very sincere.

22 Evelyn Stones Three of my favorite words! 1422 Evelyn Stones 0 5

Ness

March 13, 2019 9:22 AM

With one of my favourite pebbles by Ness

Evelyn wanted to come to Pride! That was exciting. Ness had never doubted Evelyn's ability to be absolutely awesome and into all the right things but it was still nice every time it was confirmed. Did this also mean Evelyn was not straight? Again, Ness tended assume that everyone was queer until proven otherwise, because screw heteronormative bias and assumption. But again... having it confirmed was... well, more than a little bit nice.

"I'll take you one day," Ness promised, "And cool. That means you pretty much made the bi flag," the Aladren nodded, in response to Evelyn's hairdye.

"I figured we would," Ness nodded when Evelyn mentioned helping each other. "Or at least, you can help me and I can follow your directions regarding your hair, but I have no clue how to do anything with it. And are you sure?" the tone was teasing, rather than serious, "You don't want bisexual eyebrows? They would go with your lipsticks."

Speaking of which, it was a little odd seeing Evelyn without lipstick and the like, though something Ness had seen several times during the holidays when Evelyn had stayed over. Still, it wasn't evening-school-activity Evelyn. It was early morning, chit chatting over tea in their fluffy dressing gowns Evelyn. It felt special, like something not many people got to see. Ness wondered with a slight twinge of jealousy whether being in the same house meant that Malikhi got to see Evelyn like that on a regular basis, or even semi-regular, or... at all. Ness didn't really want to share Evelyn with Malikhi in general, but especially not this Evelyn.

"You're welcome," Ness smiled, when Evelyn thanked her for doing this. "I'm excited to do this with you," the Aladren added, because otherwise it seemed way too much like Evelyn was thanking Ness for a favour, and in reality, Ness was just as excited to be spending time with her. “I like what you’ve done with the place,” Ness added, and the words were cliché, and the tone suitably playful, but it was true. It felt like something out of a movie, with the singly lit mirror. And like something out of a dream with the galaxy swirls and the butterflies. Ness wasn’t quite sure why those were happening, but had absolutely no complaints.

"And you always were this magical. We're just bringing it out. I'm not trying to split hairs," the Aladren added, worrying that sounded like being argumentative. "I just think it's nicer to think of people that way... They are who they are on the inside, and always have been. Just it takes different time or different circumstances to make them realise.

“Right. Step one… wet hair. Shall we do me first, seeing as I’m probably easier?"

OOC – if Evelyn agrees, you can assume Ness would get into the chair and let hair wetting occur

13 Ness With one of my favourite pebbles 1419 Ness 0 5

Evelyn Stones

March 14, 2019 1:18 AM

And you, my friend, a gem. by Evelyn Stones

Ness would take her to Pride! That meant they would spend more time together and it wasn't just limited to Sonora time. She wasn't sure what the bi flag stood for, but wasn't sure she wanted to ask, either. She thought that she may just be able to figure it out, and considered it as Ness answered her question about washing each other's hair. Bisexual eyebrows really wasn't a concept she could wrap her head around.

"Would that make them bi-brows?" Evelyn laughed, always enjoying a good pun. "They would, that's true . . . so maybe do my hair and then if the eyebrows seem like a good addition, we can do that too." The idea of having multi-colored eyebrows horrified her a little bit, but her eyebrows were naturally blonde and somehow having bright hair and invisible eyebrows also sounded ridiculous.

When Ness commented on their surrounds, Evelyn found herself suddenly feeling like she'd bumped into a wall and was trying to recover. Her face was hot and she was sure it was red. "Thank you," she murmured, convinced that the butterflies or ceiling decor had been too much. Was Ness being sarcastic? Or genuine? What did it all mean? One of the mirrors behind Evelyn cracked and she scowled at it, not appreciating the room's sensitivity to her thoughts in this case. She shook a little and forced herself to relax.

"Get it?" Evelyn said, glad that she didn't have to respond to Ness' comment about being magical when there was such material for puns present. "Splitting hairs?" She laughed sarcastically but it dissolved into a real giggle as she gestured for Ness to take a seat.

"Lean back and let me know if anything doesn't feel good," she said, adjusting the water a little and beginning to wash Ness' hair. She didn't know enough about salon products to have any of those conjured into the room, and the nearby bottle of shampoo smelled suspiciously like her regular products instead. "This probably isn't really good shampoo, but it'll do the trick," she laughed, beginning to rub it into Ness' wet hair. "Is that alright? I always love this part."

It felt very personal to touch Ness' hair and head this way, but simple too. It was a bit like standing at the edge of the ocean, as she'd done so many times growing up. There was nothing in the world as simple as the line between the heavens and the waters. At the same time, what in the world could be any more complicated than that? The question made her think of a question she still hadn't been able to answer and she decided to finally fess up to her lack of knowledge.

"Ness," she began, scrunching foam and warm water around the Aladren's scalp and hair. "What does bisexual mean?"

22 Evelyn Stones And you, my friend, a gem. 1422 Evelyn Stones 0 5

Ness

March 17, 2019 12:37 AM

And very educational by Ness

“Nice,” Ness grinned, as Evelyn suggested they would then be bi-brows. That kind of deserved a bi-five. Except to be a bi-five, it had to be going down between two people both of whom identified as bisexual, and Ness wasn’t sure whether that was the case for either of them.

“Yeah. Let’s go with hair first,” Ness agreed. Evelyn’s willingness to dye her eyebrows was admirable but Ness wasn’t sure how it would be possible to achieve that without streaking dye all over Evelyn’s face, or how they’d rinse it off without it going in her eyes, both of which sounded bad.

Ness leant back, flinching slightly as the water first hit. Not that it was bad, just not being in control of the shower head meant not knowing the exact moment it was going to happen. It was easy to relax though, once the water was continuous, and with Evelyn’s hands gently working their magic.

“It feels nice,” Ness assured the other first year. “It smells like yours,” the Aladren added, regarding the shampoo. And that was definitely not a bad thing either. Being surrounded by the soft, Evelyn smell… Having Evelyn’s hands playing around.It felt… special. It wasn’t like they were touching in a… sexy way. Or at least, not in places that were intimate or private. But it wasn’t exactly a way that you’d get touchy with everyone. It was nice to share that kind of thing.

Ness was initially taken aback by Evelyn’s question. Ok, the Aladren kind of knew that not everyone grew up being told about such things by their parents. And Evelyn’s parents were… well, kind of crappy. Or at least her dad was. Or had been. And allegedly was better now. But how had Evelyn spent all Christmas with them an not got Queer 101’d? Ness supposed it didn’t come up that often, given that they all just knew…

“Okay… So, you know how there’s straight people and gay people? I mean, allegedly. I’m not sure I’m convinced that straight people aren’t a myth…” Ness joked. Half joked. It was hard to imagine that most people weren’t at the very least just a little bit curious, though her own dad professed not to be but he was old and it was gross to think about him being attracted to anyone anyway, so it didn’t count. “Or, to give them their Latin names, heterosexual - attracted to what is different to you, or homosexual - attracted to what is the same. Bi means two, so you’re attracted to both - that which is the same and that which is different to you. Some people say bi means attracted to both men and women, but that’s a stupid definition that reinforces the gender binary. Some people then go onto say that that means the term ‘bisexual’ needs replacing and/or that bi people aren’t inclusive of people who are genderfluid or trans. Which is stupid and not true, but you might also hear the term ‘pansexual.’ Pan is Greek for ‘all’ - like in pandemonium or panopticon,” Ness offered, aware that perhaps those weren’t the most every day words but not able to think of any other examples of the ‘pan’ prefix at work, “and means attracted to all types of people. Both terms are fine. I can also explain genderfluid and trans if you need me to,” the Aladren offered, suspecting that if Evelyn hadn’t known the word ‘bisexual’ those might be new to her too, but not wanting to throw too much information out there if Evelyn wasn’t done with this part yet, or if she didn’t actually feel the need to know the rest right now, seeing as she wasn’t about to dye her hair their flag colours. “There’s also asexuals,” Ness added, because people often forgot them and that was rude, “You see the letters LBGT used a lot, but the full set is actually LGBTQIA+.”

13 Ness And very educational 1419 Ness 0 5

Evelyn Stones

March 20, 2019 5:59 PM

That's part of why you're special. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn considered Ness' words carefully, distracting herself with the warm, wet hair in front of her as she did so. Something about what Ness said resonated with her, but she wasn't sure whether that was because it just made sense or if it was . . . something else. But it wouldn't be something else, right? She tried to imagine bringing home a girl. Somehow, testing her father's new and reformed self on his semi-magical daughter and her girlfriend just didn't seem like a good plan. At the same time, the word "girlfriend" was nice.

The familiar scent of the ocean drifted through the room, and the sky let in a new wave of cool sunshine.

How could she know whether she was anything at all when she'd never dated anybody? She'd never even kissed anybody. How could she know what she was attracted to if she'd only just recently been old enough to think about it at all? But then . . . did all the straight people in the world just go around being question marks until they made out with a nice person of a different gender, and then they decided they were straight? Did they have to kiss someone of the same gender to be sure? That didn't seem likely.

Evelyn realized she'd been lost in her own thoughts when she suddenly became aware that her hands were still in Ness' hair, with soap and hot water bubbling around them in the sink. It was so easy to be around Ness, and she was pretty sure the Aladren would let her think in meditative silence all day if she wanted. Which brought another, more dangerous question to mind. . . . she wanted to ask, but wasn't sure quite how to do so.

What if Ness thought Evelyn was trying to be flirty or something? What if she was trying to be flirty? That didn't make any sense. She'd been feeling very grown up for being thirteen now, but she really wasn't very grown up at all. Ness knew that. They were just friends and Evelyn was comfortable with Ness, so it made sense that Evelyn would ask her questions to her friend.

Right?

It suddenly felt very warm in the room and Evelyn realized that it was her own head controlling the temperature, so she quickly reminded herself to cool off. A few of the nearby sinks that weren't previously in use had began running at some point and tiny sprays of multi-colored foam poured from them into their basins. Miraculously - or magically - none of them flooded.

The whole concept of a room that kept its shape by a person's brain seemed dangerous, then. It was nice to be reassured that she had some magical control (seriously, though, why was it always water stuff?) but it felt very vulnerable somehow. What did it mean that she was more uncomfortable than embarrassed? She didn't mind that Ness was seeing her brain make a mess of itself, but that she had to bear witness to what she tried so hard to keep locked up inside.

Finally, she decided to just be bold. Turning the faucet towards Ness' hair to wash out the shampoo, Evelyn spoke up.

"So what if somebody isn't a boy or a girl? Or what if someone likes someone that they aren't sure whether they're a boy or a girl? Do you have to have a word, or can you just like someone, even if they're not a boy or girl or anything else?"

The room finally settled down as Evelyn resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't figure out Potions homework half the time, let alone people and attraction. It was all out on the table now, at least as much as Evelyn knew herself. She couldn't really be sure that that was very much, but thirteen was still sort of a kid right? But she didn't really feel like a kid. She felt . . . happy. Why was that so unusual?

If she was honest, it wasn't very unusual anymore. She was happy more often than she was not, and she was comfortable in her own skin pretty often. When had that happened? The room smelled like warm brownies and pine trees and old books, and Evelyn relaxed into her environment as she washed out the last of the shampoo in Ness' hair and took a breath.

Had Ness' hair always been so soft?

22 Evelyn Stones That's part of why you're special. 1422 Evelyn Stones 0 5

Ness

March 28, 2019 12:49 AM

I like being special by Ness

Evelyn was quiet for a ling time, and Ness tried not to be worried. Thinking and processing time were totally valid things. Except... what was there to think about? What was complicated abou this? People liked people, and that was all there was to it. Evelyn had seemed to accept Aunt Lola and Aunt Catriona without any question or hesitation. Had she just been being polite because of being a guest? Ness was about to ask what was on Evelyn's mind when she spoke up again.

Ness turned abruptly at the question, but unfortunately this resulted in a shower of water to the face. This was quickly wiped dry with a nearby towel and Ness resumed the previous position, resigned to the fact that it was not going to be possible to read Evelyn's face right now. It seemed like a loaded question but at the same time... maybe it was just academic interest.

"Bi and pan would both cover that," Ness answered. "But you never need a label if you don't want one.

"Whatcha thinking?" Ness asked. Evelyn's silence could have been building to that question, working out whether to ask it and how. Did the length of time it had taken her to ask mean it Meant Something, or was it more indicative of her being afraid it would be misconstrued when it wasn't meant like that? Ness wasn't really sure how to ask that, or what to ask, so just generally finding out what was going through Evelyn's mind sounded like a good bet. It was always good to know that anyway.

13 Ness I like being special 1419 Ness 0 5

Evelyn Stones

March 29, 2019 12:54 AM

You make me feel special, too! by Evelyn Stones

Ness' sudden movement startled Evelyn and her nerves came to a head as she mopped water off her front. Somehow, though, they came out in the form of a soft giggle. This was all so silly! She didn't have a clue how she felt about anything -- or anyone -- and there wasn't a thing she could do about that. In the meantime, Ness seemed so interested in what Evelyn had to say, feel, or think, that an eruption of water followed a head turn to prove it. It made Evelyn feel like she mattered. Like, even if she had to ask silly questions and take too much time to think, Evelyn mattered. Ness just wanted to see her face. Evelyn was confident, at this point, that it wasn't going to be an accusatory glance, and she didn't worry about that. Why didn't she worry about that? This was easier than it should've been.

"That makes sense," Evelyn agreed, deciding that she would just not label herself anything until she was sure about anything. Since that may never happen, she would just be Evelyn. She squeezed the first bit of rainbow dye into Ness' hair as a followup question came, doing her best not to smear the mixture into any browns.

"That I think I just want to be Evelyn," she said, smiling something playful to herself. "I can't figure anything else out; there's no way I'm going to figure out which label fits me best. I think I'll just be me." Another thought crossed her mind, the remnants of a doubt she'd done so well to leave mostly behind. "Is that okay with you? I think that I know the answer . . . but I like to hear it. Makes me feel more sure," she said with a determined voice and a nod, as if it were perfectly reasonable to need such validation from her friend.

Truth be told, she was thinking something else, though, and she wasn't sure if it was the warm water drying on her shirt or the butterflies throwing up in her stomach, but she was feeling sticky and tingly and warm. It was the sort of warm that comes from standing in line at the county fair, when you're happy it's a nice day and you're happy that you're exactly where you are, even if it's a little uncomfortable. Waiting for the Ferris wheel and eating an elephant ear with strawberries and whipped cream, Evelyn wouldn't want to be anywhere else, even for the sunburn and sweat.

All the same, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here now. Even for the . . . whatever was wrong with her.

"Just . . . I'm wondering how you find out? Like I'm pretty sure people don't just go around kissing people until they figure out what they like or who they like. And how do you know for sure whether you like someone enough to kiss them or date them? What if they're just a friend? Like, how did my mom know that she didn't just think my dad was a cool dude, but that she wanted to make out with him and stuff? Are we even allowed to kiss people?" All her thoughts came out with a rush of air and Evelyn paused, surprised by the last words out of her mouth. "Like at Sonora and stuff. And being underage and stuff. Are you supposed to ask your parents or something before you kiss people? Are there rules?"

Evelyn's face was pink, and she was glad Ness was facing the other way. At the same time, what she wouldn't have given to see the Aladren's face. With all of her muscles in her stomach seeming to simultaneously grab her guts at the same time, Evelyn reminded herself that she was trying to be brave. She wanted to be more like Ness, and more like Malikhi, and more like Julius, so she better get at it.

Pointedly, she paused, and leaned on one elbow, coming around her Ness part way so she could get a better look at her friend's face. Allowing Ness to choose whether or not to make the rest of the motion required for them to look at each other, Evelyn cocked her head, wrinkled her forehead, and blinked. "Does that make any sense?" She let her eyes roam as they searched Ness' face for any information they could find, and she felt as if she were panning for gold.

22 Evelyn Stones You make me feel special, too! 1422 Evelyn Stones 0 5