“[color=FFE63D]I think I'd like that.[/color]”

The words were an incredible relief, but not nearly as much as the smile on Quinn’s face. It was small, and god, it looked so delicate, but it was there. It vanished quickly, but Besca didn’t despair over it. She could still smile. They could bring it back. They [i]would[/i] bring it back. No matter what, Besca swore she would bring that smile back. 

“[color=FFE63D]...Do you have a hairbrush? Can you help me with hair?[/color]”

“[color=gray]Oh.[/color] She looked at Quinn’s hair. Really looked at it. “[color=gray][i]Oh.[/i] Uhm, yeah, hun, of course. ‘Course I can do that. Yeah.[/color]”

Leaving the commons momentarily to retrieve a brush from her room, Besca paused to clutch her face and panic. God. Oh god. She’d never done anyone’s hair before, not like this. Putting clips in Dahlia’s hair, or helping Safie rinse out dye, none of that was any kind of preparation for managing the [i]beast[/i] on Quinn’s head. 

[i]Figure it out, Besca.[/i]

“[color=gray]Alright! Got it![/color]” she called, bounding back out, brush in hand. She rounded up behind Quinn, and took solace in the fact that she couldn’t see the fear in her eye. This first part, undoing it, brushing it out, that wouldn’t be so bad, right? It was the second bit that worried her. Tying it. She didn’t know how to tie a braid. She knew how to tie her shoes, and the strands on her workout pants—which was, effectively, just the same tie as her shoes—but a braid? And one so long? 

[i]Figure it[/i] out, [i]Besca.[/i]

Very gently, very slowly, Besca began to brush down the length of the braid. It had been a minute since it had been cleaned, clearly, but the more she brushed, the looser it became. When it tugged on a knot, she would stop, adjust, finagle it out, and then continue. Easy—ish. Eventually she brought her other hand into the fold and started to coax the braid open bit by bit. It was a slow process, but, still steady. 

“[color=gray]It won’t take long,[/color]” Besca said, a bit absently with her focus split. “[color=gray]The test, I mean. They want to see how long it takes you to phase once you’re connected. Some people are fast, some people are slow. Normally it doesn’t take longer than fifteen minutes or so. Could be you’re quicker, could be you’re slower. There’s no wrong answer, you can’t fail. You just have to…do it. Then you’re out, it’s done.[/color]”

The last plaits came undone, and Besca marveled at how [i]long[/i] Quinn’s hair was when it was down like this. She ran her fingers down it, continued to brush it straight and smooth. 

“[color=gray]I uh…I don’t really know how to describe it. I’m not...I’m not a pilot, I’ve never had to do it.[/color]” But she’d watched it before, listened to it hundreds of times. How could you describe something like that in a way that wasn’t [i]terrifying[/i]? Melding your body and mind with an alien creature, sharing your senses. “[color=gray]It’s uh…you…well you get into the cockpit…[/color]”

“[color=skyblue]It’s like being really tall.[/color]”

Besca jolted, glad she hadn’t taken hold of Quinn’s hair yet. Dahlia emerged from Safie’s room, dressed, looking only a bit less tired than before, but still less. The bright yellow jacket was a far cry from the muted colors of her usual wardrobe, but it fit her just fine. 

She came over behind Quinn, taking long sweeps of hair into her hands, and Besca scooted aside. 

“[color=skyblue]People told me all sorts of things before I did my test. I read a bunch of articles, and interviews. I was nervous, and I really thought it was gonna hurt.[/color]” Dahlia’s fingers moved as dexterous as a spider’s legs. She wove the hair like webbing, like thread, with never a harsh tug or mistaken yank. Gentle as silk. “[color=skyblue]But I got up there, and you know, the cockpit was kinda dark, and being up that high made me a little dizzy, but one I was in, once I connected,[/color]” she shrugged. “[color=skyblue]I opened my eyes again and it just felt like I was taller. Didn’t hurt, didn’t feel weird, really.[/color]

“[color=skyblue]Phasing is a little different. I don’t really know how to say it…it’s like…well for me it’s like falling. Like that feeling you get in your gut when you jump from somewhere really high up. And the longer I go, the closer it feels like I’m getting to the ground, but I have a parachute and I can pull it whenever I want and I’ll stop. It doesn’t hurt, really, it’s just…weird. Sometimes there’s other stuff, too, like…in my head, if that makes sense.[/color]

“[color=skyblue]It also doesn’t feel like I’m alone, after I phase. Not like I’m with someone, but like I’m, I dunno, on the phone. And I’m talking to this person, or they’re talking to me, and at first I don’t recognize them, but the longer we talk, the more it starts to sound like my own voice. The more I’m sure I’m talking to myself.[/color]”

Besca hadn’t even realized Dahlia had finished the braid. It looked absolute pristine. She came around to Quinn’s side, looked her in the eye. 

“[color=skyblue]I was scared my first time. My first few times. It’s okay to be scared. Being strong doesn’t mean you’re never afraid of anything, sometimes it means being afraid of something and doing it anyway.[/color]” She brushed a few strands back behind Quinn’s ear, smiled a warm and tired smile. “[color=skyblue]Remember you’re not alone. We’re with you. I’m with you, even in the dark. Especially in the dark. That’s what it means to be friends.[/color]”

She gave the girl a hug, quick and tight, and then headed for the exit. “[color=skyblue]I’m gonna check in with Follen, then I’ll come to the test. I’m behind on my sims, so I’ll have to catch up on that afterwards. I’ll see you guys for dinner.[/color]”

Then she left them. Besca felt a weight in her shift, uncertain. At the very least, Dahlia was walking again, talking again. She looked down at Quinn’s braid and smiled. 

“[color=gray]I think that looks fantastic, how about you?[/color]”