So what shall I do today…
It was strange, but these days I’d been feeling somewhat restless. Deciding to clean up around my hut, I began raking with a handmade rake. It wasn’t particularly effective, but it gave me something to do.
Pushing my messy hair out of my face, I surveyed my newly somewhat-partially cleaned surrounding.
“Wow. You are so bad at this.”
“GAH!” I yelped and turned around, swinging the rake like a bat.
A familiar redhead stood where she was unperturbed, smirking.
“What are you doing here, Arirala?” huffing, I went back to raking. “I’ve no time for your nonsense.”
“Oh but…considering the absolutely horrendous job you’re doing here,” she walked closer and shook her head. “Spending time in literally any other way would be a better use of it.”
“What do you want?” I tossed the rake aside and folded my arms.
“Testy, testy!” She leaned back in the wall of my hut. “It’s been literal years! How many? Thirty…eight?”
“You kept count?” I scoffed. What a ridiculous woman.
“Well of course! After all,” she placed a hand on her cheek, as though reminiscing. “You met me when I was just a wee baby Immortal. It hadn’t even been a year since I was immortalized.”
“…Right, right,” I’d known she was immortal, but of course, as most immortals, she was considered one of the “Immortals”, that is, those immortalized by the Organization. Immortals then worked tirelessly for the Organization, which acted as intergalactic peace officers. They make it sound so good but really it’s just glorified slavery.
“My…you look dreadful,” she shook her head as she looked me over. “What is this rag of a robe you call clothes, what’s with your hair, and why aren’t you wearing any shoes?”
“Don’t make me kill you.”
“Ha! What would that even accomplish?” she twirled her hair around her finger. “It isn’t though you can kill me. I’ll just…die and be regenerated.”
“You underestimate the power of instant gratification,” I growled, frowning when this only made her laugh.
“Well then,” she narrowed her eyes at me, a glint in them that made me suspicious. “How about… you don’t do that because…I can be useful to you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I headed back into my hut, entering it and moving to close the door. “Get lost, useless woman.”
“Ruuuude!” she gasped in mock offense. “And here I was going to offer to help you get closer to the prince!”
“The what?” I ducked my head back out.
“Aha, that got your attention, didn’t it?”
“No, why would you offer something like that to begin with?” I was beginning to get an unsavory feeling about this. “Why would you think I want to get close to anyone of the royals? You know how I feel about people like them.”
“You’ve guessed it, haven’t you?” she tapped her chin. “You won’t say it, but you’ve guessed that I’ve been watching for a bit.”
Thought so… “What do you want?”
“Weeeelllll…” she got closer, tracing a line down my cheek. “It’s so boring just working for the Organization all the time. So I thought…why not have some fun?”
Leaning back, I pushed her hand away. “Why are you touching me? I’d think you wouldn’t want to touch a man or stand so close to him.”
“Then, why are you avoiding it?” she stepped closer as I stepped back. “I thought you didn’t care if a person you’re intimate with is a man or a woman. All the same to you, isn’t it?”
“That doesn’t mean I want to be touched by any random garbage,” I shoved her back lightly.
“Garbage! You’ve got a nerve!” though she said this, she didn’t sound angry.
She really enjoys messing with me, doesn’t she?
“Ha! You’re pouty like a child,” she beamed, all too proud. “It’s really rather adorable.”
“Well, get on with it! What kind of help are you here to offer anyway?” I folded my arms.
“Hmmmmmmmm…” she looked me over again. “Did you know that tomorrow is the royal gifting for the prince’s birthday?”
“…yes…”
“Then? Use your head!” she slapped my forehead. “Can’t you go get him a gift? All you have to do is get a makeover, stand in line, and hand him the gift.”
“Oh…I suppose I could do that,” I frowned, lost in thought. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I would accomplish from befriending Shuba. Getting closer to him – it wasn’t as though he’d just gift that pendant to me. Then I gave a start. “Hold on.…One, why are you helping me and two, what do you mean makeover?!”
“Just the basics! Take a bath, comb and tie your hair, and change your clothes!” she took out some tools from her giant handbag.
I hissed as she stepped closer to me with what looked like a maraga scrubber, presumably for my hair. “I’ll do it myself!”
She snorted as I snatched the brush from her and attempted to comb my hair. It became trapped almost immediately.
“Oh geez , how long has it been?” she cocked an eyebrow as she watched me struggle. “Two years? Ten years?”
…Twenty-six years… I had no intention of letting slip this information. With a sigh, I threw away the brush as it broke. “I’ll get my own hairbrush.”
“Oh? You own something of that sort?” she stepped into my hut uninvited as I rummaged through a box in the far corner of my hut.
These were the only belongings I had brought with me when I began living here. Among them was an energy-infused brush that was strong enough not to break with my hair.
“Ooh, what’s that?” Arirala leaned over and peered at it. “Is it infus-”
“What!” I jumped. “Who told you to come in!”
She seemed confused for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. “Oh man, you’re funny. You seriously didn’t notice me come in?”
“Ugh…” I ignored her and began to brush my hair. It was still a difficult task, but at the very least, it wasn’t going to break.
“You have such beautiful white hair,” Arirala touched it a little. “Why don’t you take care of it more?”
“It’s not beautiful. There’s- ugh- nothing urk- beautiful about it,” struggling, I didn’t bother to stop her as she kept playing with the ends of my hair. “It’s just a mass of ugly white hair.”
“Ugly white hair…” she leaned over and looked it over. “Well maybe right now it is…” Then she glanced up. “That black part…”
“What?”
Arirala reached out to touch my bangs, which were black instead of white.
“NO!” I backed away from her, covering them with both hands.
“Huh?” she gave a start, and then smirked slowly. “Interesting. So you don’t care what happens to or what I do to your hair…except for the black part. Fascinating.” As I went back to brushing, she peered at it closer. “It’s…strangely clean-looking. And neat. You…actually take of this part, huh? It looks soft too. What’s with that?”
“Leave me alone!”
“This again. Here, give me that,” she snatched the hairbrush from me and began ruthlessly combing my hair. “You are taking way too long for this and I have to pick some proper clothes as well. Actually! You know what?” She stopped combing. “You need to wash your hair first. Come with me.”
Dazed and too tired to argue, I followed her out. Once we were at the lake nearby, she began washing my hair roughly.
“Good, you’re listening to me quietly now,” she grinned. “Now your transformation can really begin.”
“Ugh. Just get it over with,” I grumbled.
Almost as if mocking me, the next two hours was filled with her annoying voice singing loudly and badly.
“There! All washed, dried, and combed!” she pat my head and laughed as I shoved her away with a growl. “Now, I’ll be going because I haven’t brought clothes for you to wear yet. In the meantime, pick him a good gift, will you?”
“Why are you doing all this?” I tossed my hair over my shoulder. Wow…it does feel quite soft now.
“Hmm, why indeed?” Arirala’s smile is hardly reassuring. “Let’s say I have me reasons. I’ve been observing them myself.”
“Them?”
“The cute little prince and that woman with that giant stick up her ass,” she tapped her chin. “What’s her name… I forgot her name completely. She’s his bodyguard or something. So if you’re going to win the prince’s favor and spend more time with him, you also have to deal with that woman. Keep that in mind.”
“Sure, sure…” I didn’t press her to answer my question, even if she’d diverted once more. There was no point.
“Well then, see you soon,” she tossed my brush at me and walked off.
I wonder what she has in mind...but for now…
Heading into my hut, I thought about what gift I could give a young prince with nearly everything money could buy.
Why am I thinking so much about it? He’ll probably feel glad I came at all.
After I cleaned my brush, I put it neatly back in my box. For some reason, I wished to put some effort into his gift. I’d never given anyone a gift before.
Then I saw it.
Right…I have a book.
If I remembered correctly from the first time we met, his room had a lot of books strewn around.
Taking out the book, I stroked its cover. This book… is it possible to get it anymore?
It was in such pristine condition, one could not tell it was hundreds of years old. Not that it was that way by accident. I had preserved it very carefully, using small doses of energy to encase its every page. It was impossible for it to suffer any wear and tear.
And yet I haven’t even looked at it in so long. It’s just been in my box forever.
This was it. This was a book that was no longer available, written by villagers. It was a children’s book of tales, but one that he must not have.
He’ll…like this, right? He would, I hope…
As I wrapped the book in some cloth, I felt my cheeks were wet. What? Why are you getting sentimental right now over this book…stupid…
Putting aside any other thoughts, I quickly finished wrapping it. Taking some thin rope, I fashioned a ribbon out of it. Though it was perhaps the messiest ribbon known to universe, it was the best I could do.
I’m done with this. Placing the book to the side, I left my hut to go walk around and clear my mind.