Page 16 of Right Next Door
She never even mentioned him.
Tsok’s position hinged just as much on Misty as it did on himself. If she were miserable, if she were distraught, unhappy, or otherwise stressed, he wouldn’t be able to make the arguments he did against Boktare and the other traditionalists.
But shewashappy. She had found a way to occupy her time, she was making Fellbud Manor her home, and she wasn’t cursing his name. In fact, according to Davard, she seemed perfectly content never talking about him at all.
Wonderful. She was, in fact, perfect for him then. He’d wait for her to ask for his attention and give it to her upon demand.
Yes, indeed, he was a very good mate. This was going perfectly.
That satisfaction of a plan well executed fueled him as he continued to work late into the night.
Chapter 7
Misty
The General growled at her. Making his displeasure known in the most loud, demonic way possible, his entire body vibrating.
“You are such a drama king,” Misty mumbled, using her thighs to keep him still as her fingers worked quickly on his fur. “You’re the closest thing I have to a living dummy right now. So, hush, and accept the fact that you’re currently a pretty princess.”
The General hissed, but she paid him no mind.
Misty had run into a problem.
She was a hairdresser on a planet of people covered, entirely, in fur. The problem was, they were mostly of the short furred variety. There was some variation, but not much.
But whatwastrue was that they were covered head to toe in fur. She couldn’t focus only on people’s heads. Well, shecouldbut it would look weird.
The cosmetologists here – whowerecalled groomers – tended to the full body. There was a bit of a subspecialty around the groin and butt and tail region – like bikini waxers back home. Most people trimmed and tended to their own legs, and theyweren’t usually seen anyway, so it didn’t matter. Professionals, therefore, primarily focused on everything above the waistline.
Currently, the kreecharma style had an emphasis on shaving their fur. Not quite perfectly bald, as that wasn’t really considered attractive. Instead, they shaved patterns into fur, allowing a 3D effect to create geometric or swirling patterns. There was occasionally some braiding for those who had an abundance of fur around the neck – a ruff – but not everyone had a ruff.
They didn’t have long hair on their heads. They did have longer, poofier hair on their tails, but tails were considered erogenous zones, and no one showed their tail in public. It would be the equivalent of Misty jamming out with her clam out. She could no more style tail fur than she could style pubic hair – technically possible, but not at all feasible, practical, or desirable.
She’d learned all the shaving and trimming techniques used on Kree in her lessons. She learned fur care, claw care, and ear care – all of which were considered part of a cosmetologist’s purview. It was interesting, and she was really intrigued by all the cool ways fur could be styled.
But Misty wasn’t satisfied with just that.
She could open her new salon here on this foreign planet and it would be different and interesting just because she was a human. People would be curious and come in because of her connections. She could rely on both of those things and she very well could have a good business on that alone. She knew she was a good hairdresser – groomer – and that would show in her work, and she would eventually build a client base here like she had on Earth.
But that wasn’t enough. She didn’t want to be just another groomer, giving the same service that every other groomer here would.
She wanted to bring her humanity to this. She wanted something of her own culture to join in on what she could offer them.
And that’s why she was practicing braids on The General. Fur wasn’t like hair. It was denser – furrier if she wanted to say the obvious. There was an overcoat and an undercoat to consider. The individual strands were different in texture, thickness, and strength. It wasn’t at all the same as working with human hair, but it was close enough that she could adapt what she knew and what she had learned to the challenge.
But she didn’t know any kreecharma well enough to ask them to let her practice on them. Therefore, The General had to be drafted. His conscientious objections were noted and ignored as she continued perfecting her new technique.
Braids weren’t really big here. There were some people with longer neck ruffs that would have small braids, usually behind their ear. They were short and simple, sometimes with a colorful bead woven into the strands or maybe a charm at the end. But that was the extent of it.
Which meant braids were an untapped market.
One that Misty was eager to dominate.
If she could just master this.
She was being careful not to pull too hard on The General’s fur. She didn’t want to damage his skin, or the skin of the people she’d eventually be doing this on, which was all the more reason for her to practice. She had done plenty of braids before. Long braids, short braids, twists, cornrows – she was good at it. But that was on human hair. This was, quite literally, an entirely different beast. She wanted this for the kreecharma. It would look excellent on their fur as like a design. She just had to get good at working with fur rather than hair.
The General eventually got tired of fighting and, with a dramatic sigh, finally let his head rest between her knees. He was definitely not purring, but he stopped hissing as she worked. And with him being still, she finally got to work without resistance.
