Fading into Ferelden Chapter 9: Hair stylist

     "Son of a frick!" Gosh darn it this sucks. My hair has been a mess for some time now. It is not horrible, but after walking for some time, and no showers, it is in pretty bad shape, and if I can't get it back in shape soon, I will have to cut it. That is not going to happen. "G-d this really sucks", I say, and grasp my hair, trying to do something with it to make it look better.
     
     "Hehe, you seem to be having some trouble with your hair". That is a familiar laugh. Looking to my right, I see Leliana walking over to me near the fire. The light from it illuminating her face perfectly, the red of the flames almost exactly the same color as her hair. "Looks like you've gotten it rather tangled".
     
     "Yeah. I hate it when this happens, it always sucks when it gets messed up like this", I say as I continue to run my fingers through it. "When I was at home it never got this messed up".
     
     As she walks over to me while I continue to try and fix my hair, she says, "You know, I might have something that could help you with that. It is a pity to see such nice hair in such bad condition".
     
     That got my attention. I look over to her quickly, and say, "I wish you could have told me that earlier. Care to use some of that on my hair?"
     
     I can tell Leliana is smiling, as she says, "I'd love to! I just did not know you were alright with me doing it for you. You sure?"
     
     "Yeah, definitely. You would probably be better at it than I would", I say with a smile as I get up. "So, the things you need to use, is it in your tent?"
     
     "Yes, come on. It has been a long time since I have been able to do somebody's hair", Leliana says to me. Her voice sounds almost giddy as she says so, and heads to her tent.
     
     "Heh, you are really eager it seems", I say to her as I start to follow. "Never seen someone so eager to fix my hair".
     
     "Well I just told you, I haven't been able to do so for a long time. Not to speak ill of Ferelden, but most people here just, well, don't seem to think about their appearances", Leliana says as she walks into her tent.
     
     "Well I don't know about that. They just seem to care more about functionality is all. When running into a fight, people care more about whether their boots will protect their feet, not, 'Oh, will these shoes match my leather cuirass?' ", I say to her. As I enter her tent, I see her going through her pack, as she pulls out a brush, and a vial of… Something. Not sure what it is really.
     
     "I know, but still, a lady should not have to always walk around in thick clunky leather boots. Sometimes we would like some nice heels or soft slippers to wear", Leliana says to me as I sit down inside the tent.
     
     "Leliana, shoes are shoes. Besides you look nice enough as it is, you don't need them". Wait. Did I just say that? Oh no. No I can't believe I just said that.
     
     Leliana turns around, looking at me. She seems slightly surprised, and says, "Oh. Why, thank you. So even when I am trudging around in mud covered boots you still think so?"
     
     "I, um, I, you"- Oh this sucks, stuttering again. Oh crap, and to make it worse I can feel my cheeks heating up.
     
     "Hehe, I think you are getting flustered", Leliana says, and sits behind me, the vial in one hand and a brush in the other, as I can practically hear a little smile in her voice. "Your cheeks look like two tomatoes".
     
     "Um… Sorry". G-d I can't believe I said that, this is embarrassing. I actually flirted a bit with someone who is supposed to be just a bunch of pixels on my tv.
     
     "It's alright. I have had compliments from men before, and women. Though, it is sweet of you", Leliana says, as I feel her grasp my hair. "By the Maker, I love how you have kept it so long".
     
     "You are quite a flatterer. Though, really, you like it? You aren't just saying that?", I ask her. I soon feel the brush at the ends of my hair, gently brushing through it, untangling it.
     
     "Of course! You must have a woman  waiting for you back at your home who loves it", she says as she continues to brush through my hair.
     
     "Sadly, no not quite. There was a woman who I had feelings for some time ago, but it ended badly. I have not been with anyone for quite some time". And oddly, I did not feel all that connected to her. Hell I know more about Leliana than I did about that woman, and Leliana is not even supposed to be real. I guess that shows just how bad that relationship was.
     
     "Oh. I, I am sorry. You just seemed like the sort that would have someone eagerly awaiting your return", Leliana says. "Though with hair like this I doubt that it will take that long for you to find someone".
     
     "Heh, thanks. Though, what of you Leliana? Do you have anybody waiting for you? You did mention you were from Orlais, is that right?", I ask her, though I already know the truth about it all.
     
     "Yes, I am from Orlais, though my mother is Fereldan", she says as I hear her drop the brush, and opening the vial from behind. "Though, I haven't anybody waiting for me".
     
     "Well that is something that is hard for me to believe. A kind young woman such as yourself should have many people after her", I say with a smile, and look back at her.
     
     I can see a slight smile on her face, as she says to me after a slight chuckle, "Thank you for saying so. You are quite a flatterer". Soon, she pours some of the liquid in that vial into her hand, and starts to rub it through my hair.
     
     "I'm just being honest Leliana". As she rubs whatever that is into my hair, I start smelling something familiar, and fruity. "What is that exactly that you're putting in my hair?"
     
     "Oh, just something that will help keep it soft and neat and help stop it from being tangled. It is made from different plants, and fruit gives it that scent. Though it will help, you really should braid it, since it will keep it out of the way of your face much better", she says, as she continues to rub it through my hair.
     
     "Well the thing is I actually don't know how to braid hair. Odd, isn't it?". I don't know why but I have never been able to braid my own hair.
     
     "Would you mind if I did it for you?", Leliana asks as she gently pulls my hair back, a grin on her face.
     
     "Go ahead if you would like to. But only a simple braid, that's it. I don't want anything fancy or anything of that sort, ok?", I say with a smile.
     
     "Oh, but it would be fun, I promise! I could do so much with all of this!" I can tell how much she wants to do that just by her voice. She is just like she is in the game, so giddy about this.
     
     "Nope, sorry Leliana. You can do a simple braid, that's it", I say. "I don't want to look all frilly".
     
     "Aw. Fine. Maybe Aniise will let me work on her hair", Leliana says as she grasps my hair and starts braiding it.
     
     "Perhaps. By the way, thanks again for doing this, I bet it will look a lot better thanks to you". And won't be nearly as tangled either thanks to her. Maybe she can get my hair eventually like the kind that Legolas has. Oh, that reminds me!
     
     "Leliana, remember we talked a while ago about telling some stories in camp?"