Content warnings: teenage whumpee, living weapon, dehumanization
The weapon stood at attentionāfeet apart, arms at sides, eyes forwardāas its new master, Mr. Whitlock, cleared his throat and addressed the blond girl sitting at the vanity across the room. āViolet, my treasure, Iād like to introduce you to your new bodyguard.ā
The girl turned and set down her hairbrush, letting out a heavy sigh. āDaddy, I told you, I donāt need a bodyguard.ā She frowned as she looked at the weapon, and the weapon carefully avoided eye contact. āIsnāt she a little young to be a bodyguard?ā
Mr. Whitlock held up his hands placatingly as he approached his daughter. āDonāt think of her as a bodyguard, then. Think of her as a ⦠a new friend!ā he suggested. Violet crossed her arms at him, and he deflated. āPlease, darling, itās for your own safety.ā
The weapon wasnāt very good at reading emotions, but it noticed that the young mistress still looked unhappy. It quickly glanced away as Violet turned towards it. āWell,ā she said graciously, āI always welcome new friends. Come in, then; we can do each otherās hair.ā
The weapon moved to obey, but Mr. Whitlock stepped in front of it with his hands hovering nervously. āMaybe that isnāt such a goodāā
Violet leapt to her feet. āDaddy,ā she interjected as she strode past him, āyou said she was my friendāno take-backs.ā She reached the weaponās side and studied it inquisitively. āDo you know how to do a fishtail braid?ā
āIām sorry, that wasnāt part of my training,ā the weapon replied promptly.
āThatās alright, I can teach you!ā Violet took its arm and led it over to the vanity. āItās like my tutor says, we should always be learning new things ā¦ā
Now Mr. Whitlock was the one who looked displeased. The weapon kept its eyes on him; although Violet was its charge, Mr. Whitlockās orders were supposed to supersede hers. But the man only threw up his hands helplessly. āWhatever makes you happy, princess,ā he sighed, watching the two with anxious eyes.
The weapon sat down at the vanity and watched in the mirror as Violet untied its long, dark hair. This assignment was already much stranger than it had been trained to expect. But, it thought as Violet began to brush its hair, it supposed it could get used to this.