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This fabulous salon can be found near the end of Main Street, not far from Pick Pocket Park. It looks cramped from outside, but it's surprisingly roomy. That's not to say it's a large place, however, only that it's bigger than it looks. When you enter, there's a small waiting area in front of the receptionist's desk. Behind that, four haircutting stations line the right wall. The first three are used by any of the salon's employees, but the fourth is only used by the owner. Beyond that, there's a small doorway which leads to a second, smaller room with a pair of hair washing stations and a small spa area for manicures and pedicures. Also back there is the door to the cramped staff bathroom and the spiral staircase that leads to Mr. Clover's apartment upstairs.

Hue's living space is the same size as the salon; a rather large area for a single person, some might say. He really only spends his nights there, but then again he rarely spends his nights alone, if you know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean, well then when a man and a woman love each other very much...

"Erin, it's been too long," Hue greeted one of his most loyal customers with a warm smile and a hug. "How are the girls?"

"They're fine, Hue," The woman opened her purse and pulled out a small stand and set in on Hue's counter. She pulled out a triangle and gave it a rap with her nail. It filled the air with a dull ring that seemed to separate the two of them from the rest of the salon. "Put that comb away, Hue. If I wanted a magic cut, I'd do it myself."

"You never let me have any fun," Hue feigned disappointment as he put away the moonsilver comb. As he got to work, he could feel the energy curling off his customer. "You seem more stressed than usual, if that's even possible. What's got you so troubled?"

"It's Penelope, Hue. I'm afraid she's started projecting," Mrs. Greenhill sighed. "And the day of that break in at the school, she was positively soaked in wild energy..." She trailed off and looked at Hue in the mirror, "You're going to say 'I told you so,' aren't you?"

"Evidently, I don't have to. I did tell you so, though." Hue was silent as he continued to work with Mrs. Greenhill's hair.

"You have more to say, go ahead and say it."

"It's nothing I haven't said already..." Hue sighed and launched into his old speech, "You need to teach those girls everything. Elizabeth could come of age any time now and Penelope reached arcane maturity years ago. They have to be trained now before they start to experiment on their own."

"I know, Hue, I just don't want this life for them."

"I know you just want to protect them, but you can't." Hue snapped just a bit more than he wanted to, but it was too late to stop himself, "And frankly, I wish you'd worry a bit more about protecting the rest of us. Those kids are blood witches and if you don't train them, they're going to become sorceresses. Wild, undisciplined, and just a nudge away from blowing away an entire town."

"Penelope would never-"

"She's a teenager. They're adorable, but they're also just little angst bombs." Hue shook his head, "Plus, you should also start trying to protect yourself. The bond between a teacher and student can be one of the only things stronger than blood bonds. What if either of them finds a teacher who wants you dead?"

"You're right, I know you are." Mrs. Greenhill suddenly stiffened, nearly causing Hue to take part of her ear off. "That wild energy Penelope was giving off the other day; what if it wasn't hers? What if something else got a hold of her..."

"The fact that she's still alive makes that very unlikely. You have no idea how much energy Penelope can produce, either. Maybe she can spout off some of the move unstable kind."

"All the more reason to get started on her training..."

"You're all set, Erin." Mrs. Greenhill stood and put the triangle back in her purse.

"I'll give you a call for the initiation. I presume you know how to do that?" Hue nodded. "It'll have to be after prom, I can't send her to a dance like that... Speaking of prom, is Penelope's appointment all set?"

"Of course. When are you going to surprise her?"

"I was thinking of doing it today when she gets home. All she needs now is the boy," Mrs. Greenhill chuckled, "He's a real sweetie, but he couldn't take a hint if it was stapled to his forehead. See you again soon, Hue!"

"Not soon enough," Hue gave Mrs. Greenhill a few minutes to get on her way before grabbing his own coat. He was free until one o'clock and he desperately needed confirm a suspicion. Penelope had a lot of power in her, but it was very unlikely she was pumping out truly "wild" energy. There was really only one place in Delmor where she could have picked that up.

Afterwards>>>

Hue woke with a start, sending water splashing over the sides of the tub. He had planned on a nap, but the darkness out his window indicated that his nap had gone on a bit too long. He rose out of the tub, cringing at how black the water had turned, and stretched. He felt more than simply healed or rested; he felt truly restored. There were worse things in life than oversleeping in a regenerative bath. He looked back out the window and was surprised to see little beams of sunlight creeping from the horizon. It was morning and more sleep was out of the question. Hue got dressed and threw out his torn and bloody clothes from yesterday. It was somewhere in the middle of this that he thought of the centaur.

"I imagine she'll be up with the sun, too... Perhaps I can bring her some supplies." Hue rounded up some basic food (bread, water, a little wine) and a whole basket full of medicinal supplies be for ducking out of his salon into the cool morning.

Afterwards>>>