Clipped Compromise

Posted on Thu Nov 22nd, 2018 @ 1:59pm by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Crewman Sharonne Washington

Mission: Escaped Pantheons
Location: Ship's Salon - Deck 10
Timeline: 2395, en route to the Galactic Core

After a full day of hemming and hawing, Melanie Dox had decided. She was on her way to the ships hair stylist for a haircut.

Or, maybe not. she thought, as she walked right past the doors of the office, not even slowing down. There HAS to be a better solution to this. Dox debated as she continued plowing down the corridor at a military walking pace that would make Rita Paris proud.

The problem Melanie was debating had to do with the U.S.S. HERA's upcoming mission. A dangerous flight into a turbulent region of space where she would be working with a largely untested flight helmet with technology that would increase her ability to navigate space exponentially. The helmet was an experimental piece of technology developed by Ensign Mona Gonadie and Dox had been working with it for almost two days now and had a problem. She had all but solved the interface issues that were causing nausea and headaches thanks to the intervention of Doctor Dael's nanobots not taking up residence in Melanie's inner ears. But the damned helmet didn't quite FIT.

It was a large and unwieldy rig with cables out the back that got tangled in her thick, curly auburn locks. And when her hair was UP, it was simply impossible to get that thing over her head properly. Something had to give as she simply didn't have time to redesign the helmet, as their mission was in a couple of days.

So again, for what felt like the thousandth time that day, Melanie had decided... the hair had to be cut down. And thanks to the circuitous path of starship decks, she found herself in front of that door again. This time, she took a deep breath and stepped in.

"Hello? I'm Lieutenant Dox. I... I have an appointment?" Dox spoke into the mid-sized room with a few chairs and workstations for the stylists along the wall.

The girl in the chair spun around, popping a piece of gum. In her hands she held a magazine, while she herself was clad in a pair of light comfortable sneakers, with some very brief gym short, a bronze bandeau top and a jersey-sleeve dove grey hoodie. But the striking thing about her was that head to toe, much of which was on display, her right side was black and her left side was white, cutting a perfect line down the center of her body.

Hopping lithely out of the chair, she stepped forward and extended her hand. "Hi! Welcome to the Goddess salon. I'm Sharonne, I'm the ship's stylist. Let's get you over in the chair and talk about what you want to do today, okay?" With that, she took a few steps, then turned the chair toward Dox with a smile, whipping the black cape off of it to reveal a modern take on the old red leather barber chair.

"Uh... Okay." Dox paused for a moment, taking in the stylist and pondering how virtually every corner of this ship seemed to offer something or someone unexpectedly interesting. She stepped over to the chair to sit down. "I guess... I mean, I just need to trim all of this down. It's getting in the way." gesturing with her hand, Dox made a swiping motion across the side of her head at ear level. "So... Um... I guess I need it much... Ya' know... shorter."

Okay, let's talk about that," the bisected barber whipped the inky black cape out in front of Dox dramatically, then settled it around the neck of the nervous pilot even as the cape settled over her seated form. Pulling out a comb, the hardresser began tugging at Dox's locks.

"So do you have your dad's hair or your mom's hair or are you a throwback and nobody knows where you got it from?" Sharonne asked as she worked to start combing out the frizz.

"Uh... Ahh." Dox stuttered as she tried to process the answer while her head was tugged around a bit. " I guess... A bit of both. My... My father's color and curls. My mother's thickness."

"Uh huh. So did your mom know what to do with your hair?" The stylist was asking questions as she worked to get a comb through the ginger curls and frizz.

Squirming slightly at the mention of her mother, Melaine paused. "Yeah... No. Not really, no. My mother's... Well. She's Romulan. So, basically the one hairstyle. My father's from Earth. Scottish descent. She never knew how to manage my hair."

"Thaaaat explains it. Okay, so your mother never had to use conditioner or any hair care products. She just washed it with soap and it was fine. Uh, so I'm guessing you still use soap on your hair? I'm not judging!" The stylist picked Dox's head up to look into the mirror opposite them. Looking into the mirror, the stylist behind her could talk to her face, which was something of a novel experience for the ace pilot. "Hi there! There we go, just talk to the mirror, now you've got the idea."

"Well, no. I don't just use the same soap I wash with, or anything. I have regular shampoo." Dox replied. "Just... Standard issue is all." She was beginning to feel slightly embarrassed.

"So yeah, I know, it sounds like I am totally beating you up and judging you but uh uh, I'm just figuring out your hair. See, that's what we start by combing it out. Of course it'll do better if I wet it down, but I need to see what it does, you know? So do you use a brush or a comb to style it up in the bun, or just hands and ponytail holder?" The stylish stylist was still working as she talked, often making quick eye contact via the mirror and reading her client's reactions.

"Uh... I have a brush. I try to brush it out when it gets all tangled, but then it gets frizzy." The perplexed pilot replied. She was used to putting in only the most perfunctory efforts into her hair and was feeling overwhelmed by Sharonne's questions. "I don't want to spend an hour fussing with it. I just want it... I need it out of the way but still nice, I guess."

"Okay, I gotcha. So you don't know how to braid it I'm guessing? Right, okay. So, I'm gonna be straight with you- you haven't cut this in a while and there are a lot of split ends that have to go But that's good, because that will give you back a LOT of manageability. So, there's this thing called conditioner... see, shampoo is soap that's very gentle because it's for hair, not your body. I know, I'm a terrible person to suggest maintenance, but- Mighty Aphrodite, show her what her hair would look like just shampooed, conditioned and air dried without the split ends."

The computer chirruped, the first familiar sound in all of that, and over Melanie's actual hair a glossy coat of ginger waves appeared, that appeared to be soft and yielding. It was much longer than it was now, but maybe another 20mm or so. "And that's after a cut. Go ahead, you can touch it."

Pulling her hand out from under the cape, Melanie felt the holographic representation of her hair as it was projected. "Wow, that is nice." She looked in the mirror toward the stylist. "And this is just shampoo and conditioner?" She chuckled slightly with a twinge of nervousness in her voice. "I have clearly never used the right kinds."

"That's okay! See, that's why I asked all that stuff about your mom. Girls usually learn their makeup and hair care from their mom. Your mom had that straight, silky Romulan hair. See, the sebum just flows off her scalp and her hair transmits it easily, so she never gets oily hair or tangles or dry hair. You got daddy's hair, and curls down't transmit that sebum so well. That's why the hair close to your scalp feels soft, but the ends tend to be kinda crunchy no matter what you do. Amirite?" As she spoke, Sharonne was still combing out Dox's less that cooperative hair. She was holding sections of it in her hands as she worked the comb through them so that she wasn't pulling on the ginger girl's scalp.

Still, Melanie felt a bit guilty about the extra work she was giving the skilled stylist. "Sorry about it being an even worse mess then normal. I came here right after the end of my shift and I had to take my hair up and down all day because of this flight helmet thing that I'm testing and..." The generally introverted pilot suddenly became aware she was going on. "Sorry. I don't mean to ramble."

"Nah nah nah, pffft," The hairdresser to the stars dismissed. "Girl, this is my job. And you... whew. Sweety, you could use my help. Because I know what's goin on with yo hair, girl. And I'ma fix it, and you gonna look fierce. So you ain't puttin me out none, I got you. I ain't even gonna wait, watch this." Stepping forward, from under the ultraviolet blue antiseptic station she pulled a pair of simple metal shears. "Short, cute, uses the curls, easy to fix and comfortable in a helmet? I got it?"

Something about the matter of fact tone used helped Melaine relax a little. While the style was different from her own as a pilot, she could recognize that vibe that someone who knew their job had in the moment. Something that was called 'the zone', once upon a time.

Seeing that focus put her a bit more at ease, although the anticipation still had her stomach a little tight. "Yeah, that sounds pretty much exactly what I'm hoping for, thanks."

"Okay. Now don't freak out, I'ma just cut some of this dead frizzy stuff off. This ain't your haircut, I just don't need it around for this part, so I'ma cut it off first. You trust me?" The stylist took a step forward and leaned in so Melanie could actually see her face to face, and she smiled with teeth that were clean and straight but by no means perfect. She could benefit from orthodontia.

"Sounds like... clearing the path of debris before going to warp. Makes your scissors kind of like the deflector dish." Melaine smiled, feeling like she might be following along with what Sharonne was saying, even if her analogy didn't make any sense. "Unless I'm misunderstanding, but regardless, yeah... yeah, I trust you. Thanks."

"I think so, yeah, cuz that made sense to me, so yeah, clearing the debris. That's good, I'm gonna use that!" the stylist drew the hair up with the comb, held it between her fingers, and swiftly worked her way around the head, taking about 4 inches off. Her hands moves smoothly and confidently- it was clear that she was very comfortable with what she was doing, and even though she was just hacking off the dead ends, she was still measuring the large sections she was cutting. When she was done, she blew the shears and the comb off, then slid them back into the UV sterilizer.

Spinning Melanie Dox around, Sharonne pointed to the hair on the floor. "See? Not much, and it's all fluffy and crunchy. Now, let;s get you all ready for a good haircut. I'ma show you what I got in mind, then we'll talk about it. Right now, I'ma lay you back, get you all sudsed up." The stylish stylist kept talking as she lowered the back of the chair, settling her client into a reclining position. Sliding a towel under her neck, the bipolar beautician turned on the water.

"I'ma work over your hair and your scalp, so you just lay back and enjoy the massage. You like peppermint?" Grabbing a few bottles from the cabinets next to the mirror, she squired some into her ebony black hand, which emphasized the jade pearlescence of the product. "Take a sniff?"

Pulling her head up slightly to smell, Dox's expression went slightly wide as she took in the aroma. "Hmm. Yeah, that's nice."

"Groovy! Okay, this is some of my favorite stuff, because it moisturizes all hair great, it smells good and it tingles! So get ready..." The water started running and the hairdresser looked up. Yo, Mighty Aphrodite! Gimme a beat... ahhh, Bach, Cello Suite No. 1 in G major," the cosmic cosmetologist called, and suddenly deep strings filled the area, not too loudly, but enough to be heard along with the running water, which added a white noise underlay to the experience. Expertly maneuvering the water hose of warm water across Melanie's scalp and hair, , when it was soaked, she set the hose to run in the sink to grab the shampoo and squeeze a generous dollop into the palm of her chalk white hand. rubbing her hands together, she them began working it into Dox's hair and scalp.

The hairwashing handmaiden was, as she had mentioned, delivering a scalp massage, and it was far better than it had been advertised. Using only the pads of her fingers, Sharonne started by working the shampoo through, then she basically scratched every inch of the ginger girl's scalp. removing any dead or dry skin, while working in the lightly tingling minty sensation of the shampoo.

Letting out a slightly cartoonish moan, Dox had a doofy smile on her face as the skilled stylist massaged her scalp. And while the music was vaguely familiar to her it only served to help her relax that much more. "Oooh... Khnai'ra." She muttered in Romulan, still smiling broadly.

The hair washing went on for a moment, then it was time to rinse the warm water washing away the tingly minty shampoo. When it was all clear, Sharonne got another, smaller dollop of shampoo, worked it between her hands then went back to worl. "Once for the scalp, once for the hair. Let's get it allll scrubbed clean before we go work some magic."

The second shampoo went on for a bit, some light scalp massage following the first initial invigorating scrub. When the spray returned and again washed away the shampoo, the dichotomous dilettante tapped Melanie on the shoulder to get her attention. "This stuff. The Dive Curl? This gonna change your life, girl." Squirting a rather large amount of the pearlescent green goo that looked a lot like the last stuff but had a very neutral scent into her chalk-white hand, Sharonne began working it into Dox's hair and scalp, and now as they settled in for the next few minutes, the real scalp massage of long, slow, hypnotic movements really played out.

To which Melanie Dox actually nodded off. The recurring nausea and headaches caused by the flight control helmet she had been running simulations on for two days straight were taking their toll and the relaxation caused by Sharonne's scalp massage was beyond what she needed at the moment.

What felt to her like an instant later, she snorted herself awake again with a slight jolt. "Oh my gosh! Did I just? I am SOOO sorry!"

Beside her, Sharonne was sitting in the other barber chair with her magazine. The classical music was still playing at a low soothing level and the water was still running in a slow trickle in the bowl behind her. "Girl, you okay. You been out for like 45 minutes. Girl, I put you OUT. S'cool though, I booked you two hours cuz I knew we needed time. So you good! Would you like a bottle of water?" The lithe young woman slipped out of her chair to put a cool bottle of water into Dox's hand. "Rub yo eyes, yawn and stretch. You needed that, looked like."

Feeling extremely embarrassed, Melanie's face turned a deep tan as she blushed. "Forty... oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Dox took a sip of the water realizing that her mouth was extremely dry. "I can't believe I did that." She chuckled slightly. "I can say that the headache I've been nursing for two days is gone, though. So thanks for that." She said, smiling awkwardly.

"Just washing some folks hair puts them to sleep. I gave you the deep down. Check it out, your hair, because of the curl? Keeps the sebum close, so it leaves you with oily hair and dry scalp, while starving the rest of the hair. So I gave you the deep conditioning treatment, and you went out. You didn't come to when I rinsed ya, so just letcha go. I woulda woke you in another half hour so we'd have time. You professional types, you wound tight. Client like that, you take some time. You like this look?"

Flipping the magazine around, it displayed a sharply angular bob, with quite a bit of length on top.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eye as her focus returned, Dox squinted at the image for a moment until waking up enough to process it. "Hmm... That's nice..." But her tone was one of indecision as she wasn't quite sure. "I don't know, though."

But there was another picture, half visible under Sharonne's hand that caught the groggy pilot's attention. Her eyes opened fully as she tilted her head slightly with a smile. "Hey, what do you think about that one?" Dox gestured at the half covered image. "Would something like that work with my hair?"

The jet-black hand whipped the magazine around, then she turned the magazine around to point at a cute tomboy pixie with enough length to work with her curls, with a weight line to it for feathering, and healthy bangs. "Easy cut, low maintenance and will look super cute on you."

Hopping out of the chair, the mellow hairdresser pressed the button on the side of the chair, slowly levering Doc back to an upright position. "Yo, Might Aphrodite, gimme some upbeat montage music."

There was a blur. There were snippets- dancing, singing, a cascade of images set to song. And when the song came to a conclusion, Sharonne whirled away the cape, and Melanie Dox had a haircut.

Melanie Dox looked cute.

"I... I... " Melanie was at a loss for words as the results for a moment, but the massive smile across her chubby cheeks spoke volumes until she could form a proper response. "This is just.. I love this, Sharonne!"

"Okay, so. Your flight helmet should totally come on and off easy with all this, and nothing sticking out. Little length on top so you have some flexibility. The bangs are super cute, you were born for these babies, they fit the shape of your face and eveything. Oh, and check it out. You Might Aphrodite, show our girl her cut in a level 1." In the mirror, Melanie Dox's hair turned jet black, and with her bangs coming together in a minor yet recognizable 'devil lock' center point bangs.

Seeing the image the projected hairstyle that was aggressively Romulan, Melaine shot a bit more straight in her chair as she winced a little with a quirky half-smile. "Oooh... Yikes, I really DO look like my mother. "

She turned to look at the successful stylist and chucked nervously. "This is... A little weird. Heh."

"Oh yeah, sorry. Cancel the color, Mighty Aphrodite. But as good as you sell that look, check it out," With her natural hair color restored, Dox once again looked- stylishly human. "I'm sorry, I shoulda asked before I sprung that on you. But a little coal dust and you sell that look, chica. Just sayin."

"It's okay. Just took me by surprise, is all." Melaine replied, looking at her restored hair color and smiling. " I guess I could, though."

"Okay. This one," Sharonne handed Dox a 10ml container in dark green. "Shampoo. Moisturizing and invigorating. Wash your hair first thing in the shower. Just once is fine- I'm the only one needs to do it twice. Size of your thumbnail, all you need. Take some time and feel it out, aight? And conditioner," the bisected beauty handed over a white and green bottle three times the size. "Like the size of your thumb. Once the shampoo is clear, work this through your hair. Finish your shower, rinse your hair out last. You can leave it it in all day if you want. You could slick it back like a helmet and that stuff would stay. But rinse at the end of your shower and your hair will love, honor and obey you."

Paying attention with all the focus of a mission briefing, Melanie nodded as Sharonne spoke, taking mental notes of the procedure. "Got it." She replied, assuredly but still smiling.

"That's it, Mel. No styling product, cuz with this cut you don't need it. Run your fingers through it and pull your bangs forward and you are ready for action- what you wanted, right?" The black and white barber smiled, demonstrating by running her fingers through the side of the red curls, which all lay down to make feathered waves on the side of the precision pilot's head. "Hah?"

Chucking slightly, Melanie replied. "Somehow I'm sure I'll mess that up and be back for pointers." She smiled broadly at Sharonne. "But thank you very much! This is perfect! I really love it."

"That's why they keep me aboard," The cheerful cosmetologist replied. "You get a big date or you wanna learn some makeup or skin care come on down, you now where to find me. Til then, go get you something to eat and show off your new do in 10-Forward, girl. Time for folks to see the new you!" As she spoke, Sharonne Washington was usher Dox to the door, then she called out. "Mighty Aphrodite, give her some walk away theme music!"

Heading towards the door, Melanie laughed as the peppy music started. "Thanks again. Hopefully I'll see you around the ship before my next follow up."

"Not if I see you first," the stylist called as she disappeared back into her little corner of the mighty starship once more.

In spite of her initial anxiety, Melanie was extremely happy with the end result. While she was officially off duty and was thinking of heading to Ten-Forward to relax as it was just a little way back down the corridor. But she also knew that she wanted to get some more practice time in working with the flight helmet in preparation for their upcoming mission.

However, a little food sounded like a good idea, and she did want to show off a little.

"Hmm... Okay. Dinner and then back to it." She said to herself with a smile as she turned back around to Ten-Forward.