This is definitely not my best writing and Sylus infuriates me but he claws at the corners of my mind regardless.
This is also my first time posting my writing on Tumblr. Please bear with me. 🧍🏻♀️
All the better to pet crows with
What a lousy, lousy day. Well, it wasn’t all that lousy but one wrong mishap and it became lousy. Work was fine, nothing out of the ordinary with the Wanderers—hell, they even went down beautifully today. Food was in her belly for once and het face was beginning to finally clear up.
So what made her say so lousy..?
She was embarrassed to admit it, maybe even ashamed for letting it get to her, but a broken nail. She had been growing them out naturally, shaped them into easy curves, and was even trying to use a serum on them to keep them strong. But the nail on the middle finger had caught on a jagged edge of a Wanderer during combat. Thankfully it hadn’t hurt and was really just the overhang of the nail that tore off.
She had cut it off and filed it but the longer she stared at it, the longer it bothered her. One shorter nail in the middle—it was an eye sore. No one would notice but her unless they were looking closely but it was making the skin on her spine crawl. So, she cut them all off. Short and stubby and while not ugly, she didn’t like the look of her nails short.
She sat in the lounge of Sylus’ home (the one she has listed as The Nest in her list of Sylus’ residencies) examining her short nails with a small frown. She curled her fingers into a fist, at least she could feel the pads of her fingers into her palm again. But it didn’t ease her any further.
“Something wrong, kitten?”
Her eyes snap up at the voice, she hadn’t heard him come on. Tall, pale, silver hair, and red eyes—Sylus had entered the room and she had been too out of it to notice. He was dressed casual for Sylus. A black button up—of course a few buttons undone—with minor red embroidery, black pants, shoes that cost more than her life, oh and he even had a little silver chain on today. He had invited her out for dinner and she had accepted before her nail broke, when she was in a better mood and felt like she could tolerate him. Now though, she could feel that familiar irritation she naturally got around him. She tried to push it down.
“My nail broke,” she admits, uncurling her fist to look at her nails again. “I cut them all down because of it. Kind of bummed.”
She half expected a snarky or sarcastic quip from him, for him to say it wasn’t that big of a deal.
She nearly jerks back when his long fingers curl around her hand for him to raise it closer to his face to peer at them. “You were growing them out, yes? What happened?”
She shrugged. “Got caught during a fight and broke. It looked dumb so I cut the others.” She felt like she was being pretty nonchalant about it despite how much it bothered her.
“And it’s bothering you,” he released her hand.
She huffed with soft irritation—his minor interrogation shouldn’t have been bothering her and yet it was. Maybe she was embarrassed for being upset at something so small.
“Yeah well, I like them long,” she defends. She didn’t need tog et defensive but she was getting ready still for him to downplay such a minor mishap. “They look prettier long.”
“Then why not get them done—it’s a simple solution.”
She bristled slightly at that, her frown deepening. “Yeah well, that’s money.”
He raises an amused brow at her. “A hunter such as yourself can’t afford nails?”
She flushes slightly and huffs, finally pushing herself to stand. “It’s… it’s more than that. I can give you a million reasons—“
“A million excuses you mean.”
Oh, she wanted to hit him.
“Whatever!” She throws her hands up. Now she really didn’t want to go to dinner. “It’s just more convenient not to get them done and just wait for them to grow back.”
“And yet you’re upset about it.”
“Are we going to dinner or not?” She snaps, arms crossed now and glaring up at him. He’s smirking at her, always so cool and collected even on the face of her agitation. He must be enjoying seeing her like this.
Her jaw drops open just a tad, but it still makes him rumble with a deep chuckle. “Then why the hell am I here?” Her day was beyond lousy now. Her day was ruined and he was smirking at her like he knew it. She wanted to clamber this mountain of a man and pull on his hair while cursing him and his very existence.
Her face must have scrunched up and gone red with how he laughs lowly. “Calm yourself, kitten. We’re still going out, grab your jacket,” he was already turning to leave, grabbing his own leather jacket.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to go out with him now, but she still grabbed her jacket with a grumble and tugged it on, following him out.
One close proximity bike ride later and they were coming to a stop in front of a quaint little building tucked between two much larger buildings.
She stands, tugging her helmet off and shaking out her hair before looking up at the building.
Nail Spa Simple and straight to the point.
She felt… conflicted staring up at it. “Well?” Her gaze flickers to Sylus, who was already walking towards the door. She quickly caught up, lips tightly sealed. A mixture of emotions were swimming through her.
“Did you find a random nail salon?” She asks and it comes out more bitter than she intended. He chuckles at her.
“No, sweetie. I happen to enjoy nail treatment once in a while.”
She imagined Sylus, in a robe with cucumbers over his eyes and with one or two ladies tending to him and his nails. Oddly enough, it was a sight that didn’t seem so far off.
They enter and it’s comfortable inside. A little chilly, low music playing, soft murmuring voices, the lights are a little dim with the nail artists having their own lights to better see nails with. It was nice. “Cute,” she murmurs, following Sylus up to the front desk.
The woman there greets Sylus kindly by name—he must come here more than he lets on. The woman peeks at his companion and she smiles awkwardly with a wave. The woman excitedly looks up at Sylus, who chuckles and shakes his head.
She lets Sylus handle speaking to the woman as she continues to look around the little nail salon. It was designed in color palettes of gold and cream, with a dash of blue—a complete opposite to Sylus’ aesthetic. Fake diamonds glitter at her from over head chandeliers and there’s even a little fountain on the far wall.
“Come on, kitten.” She looks up and Sylus is nodding his head for her to follow. She does and the woman takes them towards the back of the salon. They enter a room and it’s clearly meant for couples to enjoy a spa day together. “We’ll just be doing nails today, Ms. Sinclair,” he says easily. “We’ll save the spa treatment for another day.”
She steps further into the room and carefully sets the helmet under her arm down at the wall and out of the way. “This is nice,” she murmurs.
“Good that you think so,” Sylus hums and hands her a little booklet. She takes it and flips it open. Different images of nails and designs are inside it, clearly sets the ladies in the salon are familiar with and offer.
She glances up at Sylus. “You really brought me here to get my nails done?” She feels… ashamed? Maybe for getting so mad at him earlier. Maybe guilty is a better word for it.
He raises a brow at her. “Unless you want the spa treatment too?”
She shakes her head and she can’t help but smile a little. “Nails are fine.” He gestures for her to sit in one of the chairs and she does, still flipping through the booklet.
A particular set catches her eye just as the woman, Ms. Sinclair, returns with a small cart carrying various nail supplies and two flutes of champagne. Sylus takes a seat in the chair next to her and a second woman enters, a younger one.
“You’re getting yours done too?” She asks Sylus curiously, the animosity gone from her voice in the face of his consideration.
“I’m just getting them cleaned up,” he says smoothly, taking one of the flutes of champagne offered. She takes hers as well. “I like to avoid hangnails.”
It was a very him thing to say.
“What would you like, dear?” Ms. Sinclair had sat in front of her while the younger woman sat in front of Sylus.
A little shyly, and hiding it from Sylus, she shows Ms. Sinclair the photo of the nails she wants. Ms. Sinclair beams and nods, taking the booklet.
Both of them are instructed to soak their nails in warm water first and she sneaks a peek at Sylus.
“You didn’t have to bring me here,” she murmurs, looking away again. She didn’t want to make it out as a big deal but… it was nice.
Her brow twitches at his response however.
“But I’d hate for something other than me to make you frown like that.”
She pauses then a laugh leaves her. She shakes her head disbelievingly. Of course he would say something like that. She wasn’t even sure what to say but the smirk on his face implies nothing needs to be said.
Ms. Sinclair gets started on her nails while the woman tending Sylus slowly takes her time. Ms. Sinclair would be taking longer anyways with a full set.
“I would have expected you to prefer some bigger nail salon. Ya know, the ones celebrities are always visiting and such,” but even as she said it, it didn’t make sense. As much as a powerful figure Sylus was, he did like to avoid being recognized in places.
“The ladies here treat me like a son rather than the leader of Onychinus.”
Ms. Sinclair nods in agreement. “Sylus has always been very good to us. It’s about time he brought a nice lady with him.”
She blushes furiously and glances at Sylus, aghast. He only chuckles knowingly at her and lets the older woman believe what she wants.
She finds it easier to talk to Sylus as their nails are done. Perhaps because any time he tries to make a sly remark, Ms. Sinclair chides him affectionately to be kind to his lady.
“Yeah, be kind to your lady,” she had teased with a snicker. She had quickly looked away with a blush however at the raised brow look Sylus had given her—as if he didn’t mind the thought.
“Thank you so much,” she breathes as she looks at her new nails. An acrylic set with a stiletto shape. The underside of the nails are bed, the tops black with intricate silver designs depicting a flock of crows going across her nails, her ring nails adorning small red gems for a more prominent crow’s eyes.
“Look, Sylus,” she turns to Sylus, grinning wide and showing off her nails. One of his hands—smooth with the lotion applied to them—holds her hands steady to look at them. “They look like Mephisto!”
That gets an amused chuckle out of him. “And why would you get nails that look like him?”
The two nail artists clean up their stations and leave briefly, leaving she and Sylus alone.
“And the shape?” He inquires, pressing the pad of his thumb into one of the shape points of her nail. “Aren’t you worried they’ll break again?”
She shrugs and presses back into his prodding thumb. “I used to get this shape a lot in college. Besides, they’re really good for something.” Her grin only widens and he raises a brow at her.
She gestures for him to come closer and he leans down, looking a little suspicious of her. She raises her hands and carefully glides her fingers through his hair before gently scratching at his scalp. She can see his brows twitch with surprise at the sensation before he hums lowly, eyes closing.
“They’re better to pet crows with.”
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