Leonie/Marianne - 5+1- 3/6
5 times Marianne and Leonie handle each others hair, and 1 time they don’t have to. (This is part 3 / 6) (part 1, part 2, or altogether on ao3).
Marianne sighed. She had wanted to go over to the stables to groom Dorte, but it was raining much heavier than she had anticipated. She drew back, biting her lip. The weather had been dreary already, and getting out of bed had taken more energy than she cared to admit, but anything was worth it for Dorte. But now… It really did seem like the goddess herself was personally sending her a message.
The bag full of brushes and ribbons and combs felt heavy on her arm. Well, it hadn’t been that long since she’d last braided Dorte’s tail and mane. It was maybe a little overzealous of her to do it again so quickly…
“Ow! Shit!”
Ah, right. Marianne was right outside the ground floor rooms. That had sounded a bit like Leonie. Marianne had never actually been to her room. Or anyone’s room, really. She had seen Mercedes leaving her room when they were both on the way to the cathedral for their daily prayers, but that was about it.
That door was Mercedes… so one of the other two must be Leonie. She took a hesitant step towards the doors. Would she really be of use? Or would she just be bothering her? She had said she was never a both, but she couldn’t always know that would be the case.
There was another burst of cursing. Whatever was going on in there, she could at least tell Leonie to go see someone who could handle it.
She knocked before she could second guess herself. There was a pregnant pause, the only noise the rain pattering down onto the wood above. Then Leonie’s door swung open. She was rubbing one ear with a cloth, and looked a bit ruffled.
“Ah, is this a bad time?”
“Marianne! Not at all! I mean, I was doing something, but I had to take a break anyways. You’re always welcome to visit.” She gestured awkwardly and stepped back from the door.
Marianne now faced the dilemma of where to sit. She felt embarrassment crawling up her neck as the seconds ticked on. This was such a silly idea.
“You can sit on the bed, it’s comfier. My desk is kind of cluttered right now.”
Leonie didn’t strike her as the kind of person to be overly messy. She carefully made her way to the bed and sat down, back hunched, hands folded in her lap, her bag nestled beside her feet on the ground.
Leonie shut the door and moved to her desk, pushing aside a pile consisting of oil, scissors, and a towel.
“I was trying to give myself a trim, but I nicked myself instead. We usually traded haircuts for haircuts back in the village, so I’m not as good at using the mirror to coordinate it. Not the wisest circumstance to wield pointy things by your ears in, I know.” She rubbed at the back of her neck, where her hair was indeed shaggier than what Marianne was used to picturing when she thought of Leonie.
“I-I hope your ear’s okay.”
Leonie grinned. “It’s definitely seen worse. I’ve had my ears boxed and wet willy’d plenty.” She settled back into her chair, seemingly satisfied with the new placement of her haircutting set-up. “What’ve you been up to today? Bit slow without any classes, huh?”
Marianne shuffled one foot, nudging the bag at her foot. “I was on my way to groom Dorte, but it looks like the goddess didn’t permit it…”
Leonie chuckled. “I guess she figured the crops needed rain more than Dorte needed brushing. She’s always the prettiest horse in the stables, you know. Ferdinand and Lorenz were both jealous when they saw her the other day. Serves them right! If they spent less time prattling on about nonsense and spent more time with their horses, maybe they’d stand a chance. You have a good eye for that kind of thing.”
“Um, Lorenz probably has a better fashion sense than I do…”
“Even if he does, he doesn’t apply it like you do!” Leonie pulled the cloth from her ear and glanced down at it. “Do you mind if I finish up with this? I don’t want to end up with hair as messy as Sylvain’s.”
Marianne looked up at that. What if Leonie cut herself again?
“M-Maybe I could do it?”
Leonie blinked but then beamed. “Really? I’d definitely appreciate it!”
Marianne rose and shuffled over, carefully surveying Leonie’s desk. Leonie picked up the towel, which was already speckled with bits of orange hair, and slung it around her neck.
“Most of it should be taken care of already. Even though you have to cut it more often, short hair really is just easier to manage.” Leonie settled her arms on the desk, propping her head up with one hand. Marianne cautiously picked up the scissors. Just like trimming Dorte…
“I actually used to have it long. My parents just never bothered to cut it. And then one day I was out messing around in the woods and got stuck in a bush! I was trying to follow a rabbit trail. My hair was so tangled they had to come and cut it all off to free me. I was kind of upset, but more about losing the rabbit than the hair. And I just haven’t looked back since. It takes less water and soap to clean and it never gets in my eyes.”
Snip. Snip. Marianne ran the fingers of her free hand through the strands to hold them up and comb out any spare hairs. Leonie’s hair was a bit bristly, like straw. She couldn’t imagine it curling everywhere like Sylvain’s even if she did grow it out.
“Ah, sorry if I’m rambling. You’re free to talk, too. No conversation is bad.”
“That’s alright. I don’t think I have much to say today… But it’s nice to hear someone else talk.”
Snip. Snip. Brushing her fingers against Leonie’s neck to clear it of any itchy hairs.
“Well, that’s definitely in my wheelhouse. You have a free pass to tell me to cram it and shut up some other day, though! Now, where was I.. Ah, right. No one in the village would let me live that down until a few months later, when I did something even more fun to gossip about. I was out on one of my first real hunts…”
Marianne made sure to listen, but she kept her focus on Leonie’s hair. If she messed something up, Leonie would have to wear uneven hair or go bald. Better to not have either of those happen. Clipping hair was at least something she could do, and something her Crest couldn’t interfere with. It was simple and repetitive.
When Leonie seemed to falter in what to say, Marianne managed to pipe in.
“Um, how are things with your mare?”
Which led Leonie down another winding rant. Her and that mare had more in common than either of them would ever say. The thought made Marianne’s lips curl upwards in a small smile.
When she was finally done, she drew back as Leonie craned her neck to examine her hair in the mirror.
“Hey, that looks great! Maybe I should get you to help out with all my haircuts.”
Marianne wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. Leonie seemed to notice and cleared her throat.
“At the very least, I owe you one. If you ever need a favor, just let me know, alright?”
Marianne nodded, though she wanted to insist Leonie had done her a favor. The day certainly seemed better now than it had an hour ago. Maybe if she was lucky, the rain would even stop by the evening. Dorte would be excited to hear the update about Leonie’s horse. Maybe she’d even have her own gossip to share from the mare’s perspective.
