Smash City - Rolling into Town

[SHM 128 III]

Shelly swooshed the cape around Roll before gently leaning her head into the sink.

"'Bother' nothing..." Shelly insisted, "I'm a stylist; it'd trouble me more if I let it stay like that."

The koopa let the water run through Roll's hair for a minute while she decided on what shampoo and conditioner to use. After comming to a conclusion, she opened the shampoo bottle and added it's contents into the basin.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she worked the shampoo into Roll's hair.

[Vize Viper]

The girl's eyes drifted half shut before she answered. It'd been, well, a REALLY long time since she'd had time for anything like this.

And she loved it.

"Mm hmm... Dunno how I can repay you for being so nice to me, though."

[SHM 128 III]

"It's nothing, really... Consider it a 'thank-you' for cleaning up around the place."

Shelly then moved onto using the conditioner in Roll's hair. Once that was done, she leaned the girl back up and spun her back around to face the mirror. Her hair, which was previously rather grimy, was now pratically radiant, seemingly reflecting the lights shining down from overhead.

"There you go, hun, good as new!" Shelly declared, "Feel clean again?"

[Vize Viper]

Roll, once she actually saw the koopa's handiwork (even if it was only washing her hair), flat out grinned, only adding to the glow supplied by her hair.

"I don't think I've had it THIS clean for a while, again, thanks. I still feel like I should do something for ya... If I knew where it was, I'd offer to have you come to my house some time and I could fix you dinner." The girl's smile showed no signs of fading as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I almost forgot my hair was this blonde."

[SHM 128 III]

"Heh... It's okay, hun, really. I'm just glad you're happy with it."

There was a short pause as a thought came to Shelly's mind. Playfully running her own fingers through Roll's hair, she looked at the girl in the mirror and let out a mostly-playful, sightly-mischevious smile.

"Say, while you're sitting here... You wanna haircut as well?"

[Vize Viper]

There was a long pause as Roll looked at herself in the mirror, and at her past shoulder-length hair, and seriously considered Shelly's question. She'd had this hair as long as she could remember, the only change having been the green ribbon she started tying it with...

Maybe a change would be good. If nothing else, it'd surprise Rock.

But...

"Did you have something in mind?"

[SHM 128 III]

"Well..." Shelly began, still playing with Roll's hair a bit, "I think you'd look really cute with a super-short cut, like a pixie... But I'm not sure if you'd want to go that short that fast. Maybe something less dramatic, like shoulder-lenght or a tish longer?"

She took her hands out of her hair and went to pick up a pair of sissors.

"However, the important thing is that it's what you want. If you like it, then that's what matters."

[Vize Viper]

The girl examined her hair in the mirror, imagining herself with hair that short... and let out a little giggle.

Dad would FLIP if I came home like that. And as funny as that would be to see, he was still her dad... and a older human. Who knows how that shock would affect him.

Regardless of the fact that if she wanted she could just grow it all back within a few weeks...

"I think I'll go with closer to shoulder length. I don't think the world's ready for Roll with super-short hair." Another giggle, still imagining the "what if" scenario, adding her brothers to the mix.

[SHM 128 III]

"Okee-dokee... Shoulder length it is."

Grouping all of Roll's hair together, Shelly eyeballed around two inches below Roll's shoulders... And cut straight across. About five seconds later, she was holding a foot-long ponytail in her hand.

"There we go!" Shelly announced before placing the mass of hair on Roll's lap, "Here, have a souvenir."

[Vize Viper]

The girl just stared at the large portion of hair that'd just been cut off, less in shock, and more just... surprise.

"I guess this is still a pretty big change for me..." With a glance in the mirror, though, Roll just grinned.

"I like it, though."

[SHM 128 III]

The koopa just smiled, picking the hair up off her lap and placing it on the counter.

"Well, that's always good to know. I'd feel awful if I gave you a cut you didn't like."

Shelly took a few minutes trimming the end of Roll's hair to make sure everything was even. Afterwards, she stepped back to look at it from a distance.

"Hmm..." she pondered, "I think your hair looks better when it's put up in some way instead of just hanging straight down. You have any preferences on that, hun?"

[Vize Viper]

Roll's answer was almost instantanious, as she looked over her shoulder at Shelly.

"Oh yeah. I've always wanted to braid my hair, but I never have the time."

[SHM 128 III]

"Well, you have time now!"

Shelly needed no more encouragement and quickly went to work styling Roll's shoulder-length hair. Within ten minutes, the koopa had given Roll a full braided ponytail.

"All finished!" she declared, letting Roll get a good look at herself in the mirror, "What do you think, hun?"

[Vize Viper]

He answer was a pleased giggle as Roll reached back to play with the ponytail.

"It looks great, thanks again. Although I still feel a little bad for making you work after hours." The girl smiled a little nervously, and rubbed the back of her neck from where she sat in the chair.

[SHM 128 III]

Shelly just smiled as she undid the cape and let Roll out of the chair.

"It's okay, dear. The fact that you love it makes it all worth it."

There was a moment's silence as Shelly suddenly realized something that sombered the mood a bit.

"I suppose... You don't really have any place to go tonight, do you?"