Wash and Worry [attn Lynne]

Kate sighed as she walked into the salon; she was running far too late to deal with her hair herself, and this particular one was the least busy she'd seen so far. Get a simple wash and dry, then she could be on her way home before going out again.

She gave the receptionist a stiff little smile, and interrupted the spiel of whatever specials were on offer today with a terse, short sentance. "Just a wash and dry, thank you."

Lynne heard herself being beckoned to the front, so she put away the broom and made her way to reception.

"Wash and dry," the receptionist said, looking over at Lynne disdainfully. "You're the only one free."

Forcing herself not to shoot a dirty look at the receptionist in front of a potential client, Lynne looked over at the other woman in the waiting room. "Hello, I'm Lynne. You can come on back; ready when you are," she said, holding out a hand to shake.

Well, that was certainly rude, though she should have expected it from the face pulled when she interrupted that idiot spiel. Kate rather thought she'd leave a rather large tip just to spite the wench. And besides, the designated 'only one free' looked to be a pleasant sort - she might deserve the tip anyway.

She smiled sweetly at Lynne, ignoring the sourpuss behind the desk, and shook her hand. "Pleasure. I'm Catherine, and I am in just a bit of a rush, so shall we?"

"Absolutely," Lynne said with a smile as she led Catherine back onto the floor. "Nice to meet you, Catherine and I'm really sorry about that. That was incredibly rude of her. I can discount your service, if you like," she offered. It wasn't the first time Lynne had to offer the discount and doubted it would be the last.

"Have a seat and I'll just be one second, getting a cape, and we'll get going so we can get you out of here in a timely manner," she replied, gesturing to the manager's empty station at which Lynne did her few appointments. She hated having to talk like that; it wasn't her at all, but if that's what Panache required for Lynne to keep her lowly job at an overly pretentious salon, it'd have to do.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm quite all right. It takes more than a poorly mannered glorified menu-reader to disturb me." Kate did have to wonder though, just how many times Lynne had found herself having to offer that discount, and couldn't stop herself from asking. "What is she anyway, owner's daughter?"

Oh dear, and there's the set spiel she'd expected, though not as annoying as it could have been. Why do places insist on making their employees spout inanieties like that? She sat down where indicated and shook her head. "I hope you're not required to follow a script the entire time; that could get boring for both of us."

It would also make it difficult for Kate to get a feel for Lynne. With their project nearly ready to be tested, it would not hurt at all to investigate potential test subjects encountered at random.

"What is she anyway, owner's daughter?"

Lynne looked over her shoulder as she stepped away to get a cape. "How'd you guess?" she asked with a smirk. Lynne liked Catherine already.

She headed back with the cape and wrapped it around Catherine, snapping it into place.

"I hope you're not required to follow a script the entire time; that could get boring for both of us."

Lynne laughed a little and leaned a little closer, lowering her voice. "I am, but if you don't tell, I can fudge it a little and be a little more normal," she said with a grin. "Come on back to the sinks; let's get you washed," she said, gesturing toward the other side of the salon where six pristine, white sinks were lined up against the wall.

"A normal person wouldn't be able to keep both job and attitude, one or the other would have to go." An easy deduction, though she had to wonder if any other customer ever even thought of it. Probably not, people never really think.

Well, that was certainly disappointing, though not completely unexpected. Still, Lynne did offer to cheat, and that would help quite a bit. Kate winked and nodded. "Mum's the word. I'd rather have a normal person than an automaton anyway."

So far it was looking interesting. Likely no stellar intelligence or she wouldn't be here. Lynne was also...well, spunky didn't quite cover it, but she wasn't quite sure what would. Unless something changed, she thought Lynne would do quite nicely for the final round of tests.

"Good point," Lynne replied. "You'd be surprised how many customers just assume she's a rotten person and take the discount on account of it, though," she added with a small smile as she led Catherine toward the sinks.

"And thank you; I'd rather be a person than an automaton, anyway," she said, lowering her voice to add, "it gets old real fast." She winked and smiled, gesturing for Catherine to take a seat as Lynne rounded to the side of the sink and took a towel out from the cabinet overhead.

"I suppose the moment you offer the discount, all other thoughts leave their heads. People never do think when there's a chance to pay less." She rolled her eyes and sat down.

"I never have understood why people insist on trying to turn their employees into mindless drones." Kate smiled at Lynne and leaned back, quite pleased with her thus far. Quite a lot of potential, and she's a personality as well. An excellent challenge to subtlty, that.

"You're probably not wrong," Lynne laughed as she guided Catherine gently to lie back and turned on the faucet. "Let me know if the temperature's all right. Sometimes it gets a little funky on me, but I'm pretty desensitised to it...if it gets hotter or colder, I won't notice until you're already being frozen or scalded," she warned.

"I never have understood why people insist on trying to turn their employees into mindless drones."

"Because it gives them more power," Lynne replied easily. She'd maintained this theory from the moment she'd started at her first job back in high school. "Doesn't make it any less ridiculous, though. I mean, I'm not so bad; I can throw around ten dollar words every once in a while and not sound like a robot. I just wish they could wrap their heads around that," she sighed. She opened her mouth to go on and promptly closed it again. Complaining to a client was not only frowned upon, but it was rude and Lynne prided herself on being courteous and professional.

"I'm actually not often wrong, especially when it comes to cynicism." She smirked as the water started flowing and nodded before resituating her head where it would be easiest accessed. "I'll make sure to let you know if it starts to be too hot."

Hm. So Lynne was also dissatisfied with her lot in life; sensible if slightly surprising. Perhaps there was an angle of approach in there, but she would think about it later. Kate shrugged as she returned her thoughts to the conversation, little plans and plots burbling away in the background.

"Conformists. Bloody annoying, the lot of them." She raised an eyebrow at that somewhat abrupt halt to Lynne's complaints, but chose not to pursue that conversational dead-end any further.

"Conformists. Bloody annoying, the lot of them."

"Amen," Lynne laughed as she lathered the shampoo into Catherine's hair. "I solemnly swear to let my employees be more colorful and entertaining if I ever manage to open my own salon," she joked.

After rinsing the shampoo, Lynne shut off the water and put a towel around Catherine's head. "I'm going to use a leave-in conditioner rather than a cream, rinse out...your hair is a little bit on the finer side and I'm afraid a cream conditioner is just going to make it too soft to hold a style for very long," she explained. Lynne always explained to her clients everything that she was doing so that they were in the know. She hated it when the same courtesy was not paid to her when she was in the stylist's chair rather than behind it.

She started to lead Catherine back to the station. "What kind of style are you lookin' for?" she asked.

Kate was startled into laughter by the joke - she hadn't expected that. "Good for you. Is that a goal of yours, opening your own salon?" She almost lost the answer as she relaxed into the shampooing. "Oh, you're very good at this."

She listened to Lynne's explanation and nodded. "I'll have to try that the next time I try to do something to my hair other than pull it back." It seemed to her that this was something Lynne did as a matter of course, explaining the whys of what she was doing. Something to remember for later on.

As they arrived at the station, she smiled. "I'm aiming at understated elegance tonight, so other than quietly drawing attention to my face, I'll leave it in your hands."

"I'm aiming at understated elegance tonight, so other than quietly drawing attention to my face, I'll leave it in your hands."

Lynne smiled. "That answer is always a hairdresser's dream, just so you know. I like you already," she said, winking at Catherine's reflection in the mirror. "And to answer your question from before...it's a pie-in-the-sky dream more than a goal. It takes a lot of money to open a salon, what with equipment alone costing thousands and I can barely keep up with my flat's rent as it is, so...while I'd love to someday, my hopes aren't that high, to be honest," she admitted. She let out a sigh and pushed the thought away, focusing her attention on Catherine's hair as she spritzed in a leave-in conditioner. "Okay, apologies ahead of time, but I have to..." she cleared her throat and glanced around furtively to be certain she wasn't being overheard before continuing, "confirm the style before I carry it out..."

Running the comb through Catherine's hair and pleased to find no tangles with which to fight, Lynne smiled a little. "So, if you're going for understated, but wanting attention to your face, I'm thinking we can sweep your hair back into a sort of casual french twist. Forgive me for saying, but you look a bit too young for it to be all smoothed out, prim, and proper, so I'm thinking a few pieces extruding at the top sort of casually waterfalling back down over it to break up the stiffness that a twist sort of automatically gives.

"And then, your bangs are a little long, but not terribly so, so I'd like to have them sweeping a little sideways over your forehead and you can tuck 'em behind your ear if they annoy you or get in your way. I just think if we leave them out of it, rather than plastering them back it'll give you a softer more approachable look. Assuming that's what you're going for. Plus, with your face shape, it'll really accentuate your cheekbones, which, if you don't mind me saying, are gorgeous."

She paused and looked back up at Catherine's reflection. "Yes, no?" she asked.

"I can imagine." She smiled at Lynne's reflection, and listened to her ramble on about why opening her own salon was an impossible dream. Perhaps she might indulge in buying one, after using Lynne as a subject. A payment of sorts for inconveniences rendered. But then, she might not either, it would depend on later events. She mentally shook herself back to attention as Lynne announced she would have to run a sort of a spiel by her again, and laughed softly. "Oh go ahead. Let's hear what you plan on doing to me."

Kate listened intently through Lynne's description of the style she intended to give her, picturing the final effect. That was an interesting alteration to a french twist, at least, and in her mind's eye it didn't look too bad. It would make an interesting impression as well; as it was acceptable, she nodded at Lynne's reflection. "I like the sound of it. Let's go ahead and see how it turns out. And thank you for the compliment - I've always thought my cheekbones were the best part of my face."

Lynne smiled back. "You're welcome. You're beautiful. I don't know if you have someone at home to tell you that, but you should hear it, if you don't, so there you have it," she said sincerely as she grabbed her blowdryer. "Let me know if it gets too hot and I'll knock it down to the next setting," she added as she slung it over her bent elbow and applied some product to Catherine's hair. "This is a volumizing blowdry gel. It's the best stuff, I swear. Don't panic...your hair is going to look huge when I'm finished, but it'll save us both the trouble of me having to tease it. Better on your hair that way."

With that said, Lynne turned on the blowdryer and got to work.

"Flatterer." Kate chuckled, and would have shook her head except she rather thought it was time to hold still now. "I'll squawk if it gets too hot, promise." She raised an eybrow at the explanation of the volumizing gel, then shrugged. "It does sound more efficient, and less damaging."

With the blowdryer on, conversation was a bit pointless so she sat back and ruminated on how lucky she was to have chosen this salon. Perfect subject...and not bad at the styling either.

Lynne shut off the dryer and smirked at Catherine in the mirror. Her hair was, to say the least, huge. "Told you," she said with a wink. "And I'm not a flatterer. I just say what I'm thinking when I'm thinking it. Gets me into trouble sometimes," she added.

"All right, so, off we go, then," she thought aloud, grabbing the box of bobbypins off the station and handing them to Catherine. "I'm putting you to work, too, because they won't let me be a full-fledged stylist, so I don't get those handy magnet bracelets that hold the bobbypins in place where they're easier for me to reach. So, apologies ahead, but we're gonna have to go all kindsa old school right now and you're just going to have to hand 'em to me. Hope that's all right," she said sheepishly, looking back at Catherine's reflection in the mirror.

"Small talk or would you prefer I just shut my big fat mouth and let you relax while I work?" she asked bluntly. She hadn't meant for it to sound as such, but given Catherine's loquaciousness, Lynne reacted reflexively. Most of the women who had Catherine's sort of air tended to look down on Lynne and would rather her simply shut up and do it; they didn't want to deign to talk to her while she serviced them.

Kate couldn't help the look of shocked horror when she saw the results of the blowdrying, but she didn't panic. It was an intermediate step after all. She managed a partial smile though, and a weak laugh. "You weren't kidding - it's horribly huge. So, you have no filter between brain and mouth? I can see where it would get you into trouble, but at the same time it's a pity there aren't more people as honest in voicing their thoughts."

She blinked as Lynne handed her a box of bobbypins, but before she could ask, Lynne went on to explain why. Though she did have a question once she could fit it in. "Why ever won't they let you be a full-fleded stylist? You're really quite good. And I don't mind handing them about, no."

In another time and place, Kate would not have talked nearly as much to Lynne as she was; quite possibly the bare minimum required for common decency. But she had decided that Lynne would make an excellent subject, and therefore was being friendly. "Small talk is fine, I don't think I know how to relax. I'm always busy with something or other."

"So, you have no filter between brain and mouth? I can see where it would get you into trouble, but at the same time it's a pity there aren't more people as honest in voicing their thoughts."

"Well, I mean, I have a filter...I just choose to ignore it most of the time. I mainly only use it for filtering out the not worksafe stuff that pops into my head. Politics, religion, race," Lynne explained. "I think more people should be more open about the things on their mind, too, but I think I'm a minority," she added with a small, sheepish smile.


"Why ever won't they let you be a full-fleded stylist? You're really quite good. And I don't mind handing them about, no."

Lynne frowned slightly. "Thank you, on both accounts," she said, reaching for a bobbypin as she held Catherine's hair in place with her other hand. "Part of it's because there's no chair right now and I'm assisting to work my way up the proverbial food chain. Part of it's because none of them like me very much. I don't think I'd have a job at all if I wasn't good, to be honest," she admitted, cheeks going red with embarrassment as soon as the words left her mouth. She decided to change the subject.

"Small talk is fine, I don't think I know how to relax. I'm always busy with something or other."

"Yeah?" Lynne asked with a smile, reaching for another bobbypin. "Like, for work? What do you do, if you don't mind my asking?"

She'd learned in her time in the business that people preferred to talk about themselves than listen to her rambling on, so whenever she could, she tried to give them the chance to do just that.

"At least you avoid the really hot topics. Those three are guaranteed to lead immediately to argument, always." Kate winked at Lynne's reflection, and would have nodded except she needed to keep her head still. "Oh yes, but too many of us either can't or won't be that open. Still, the would would be a more interesting place if it was otherwise."

"Hmph. Well, I suppose I can understand the lack of a chair." She held up a handful of bobbypins to make it easier to reach them, and decided not to comment on the rest of that part of the conversation. It wouldn't do to appear too interested, after all. It might scare her subject away.

She smiled into the mirror, watching as her hair began to take shape. "I tinker with things, mostly. I'm just...well, lost if I'm not doing something."

"At least you avoid the really hot topics. Those three are guaranteed to lead immediately to argument, always."

Lynne nodded. "Oh yeah. Even if not between me and my client, if someone who disagrees with one side or the other...I've seen things like that get ugly in less ritzy places than this; I can only imagine the chaos that sort of conversation would create in a place with clientel like this place has..." she said thoughtfully.

"Hope you're not opposed to a ton of hairspray...your hair is really fine and I'm afraid if I don't use enough, it'll fall halfway through the evening, which I doubt is what you're going for," she said with a small smile without looking up at the mirror. Lynne inserted a few more bobbypins in the base of the style and then began the actual twist.

"I tinker with things, mostly. I'm just...well, lost if I'm not doing something."

"Tinker? Like you build stuff or invent things? Because, that'd be awesome," Lynne replied, looking up at Catherine's reflection again, impressed. "And I know that feeling; I go nuts if I don't have something to do...it's the worst at the bar, because here there's always something to do, but you can only wipe down a counter so many times before your arm feels like it's going to fall off," she laughed.

"Oh, it wouldn't be violent. At least not physically, not here...at least I don't think so. Verbally though...oh, that would be vicious." And probably entertaining as well, though not while she was in the middle of getting her hair done.

"It will wash out, and hairstyle failure would be disturbing to say the least." She smiled and refreshed the supply of bobbypins, and continued. "That's it almost exactly. I build my inventions. Takes forever to get them to work, sometimes, but it's so amazing when it all comes together." She raised her eyebrows at Lynne's reflection, a bit surprised. "You work in a bar as well?"

"Verbally though...oh, that would be vicious."

"Precisely," Lynne agreed, smiling slightly. "It might actually be amusing, if I wasn't trying to do someone's hair, though, I have to admit."

"That's it almost exactly. I build my inventions. Takes forever to get them to work, sometimes, but it's so amazing when it all comes together."

Lynne's tongue poked out between her teeth as she fought to keep a particularly stubborn piece of hair in place. "That's really cool," she said, smilling and once she'd gotten the piece to cooperate, she looked up at Catherine's reflection again. "I've always wanted to have the brainpower for that. And the patience, I suppose. I haven't really got either. I've got lots of little ideas in my noggin, but they'll never go anywhere. I don't think I was built quite that way," she replied, looking a bit sheepish.

"You work in a bar as well?"

Without meaning to, Lynne pulled a face in response. "Yeah, kinda have to," she sighed. "Commission would be fantastic here if they would actually let me do hair more often than when I'm the only free one, but since they don't...gotta supplement the income somehow, y'know?" she asked. "But don't let me bore you," she added quickly. "What sorts of things do you invent? Gadgets? Machines? Anything I'd have heard of?"

"Oh, it's not quite as cool as it sounds. I love it, but sometimes I have too many ideas that don't fit together. And the obsession quotient is extremely high - I need a keeper when I'm working, to be honest." She sighed softly, then smiled at their reflection. "And if we were all the same, wouldn't that be a boring world?" Besides, if everyone was like Kate, or even a substantial portion of the population...there would be a lot more trouble going on.

"I don't suppose you've been able to find another salon that will give you more opportunities, hmm?" She laughed at the questions, and was so tempted to shake her head, but she didn't want to ruin the half-built style. "I suppose you could call them gadgets - small electronics mostly. Creating more efficient, better functioning versions of what exists now. And no, I doubt you would have heard of my work - I haven't really bothered to patent most of it."