Once again, I'd like to thank Aliamort for her time and expertise in editing this sucker. And some advance thanking for those stories yet to appear, of which there are quite a lot. Comments are always welcome, for without them, I can't improve. Votes are appreciated, fives even more so!
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It was just one of those mornings. Clear blue sky, crisp air, not too cold. . .nobody could wake up in a bad mood with such a great start to the day facing them, and Psly was no exception. He even decided to take his morning coffee out on his small back porch to enjoy the sunrise. Having a house on the outskirts of the city made for very peaceful mornings.
Psly spent some time running through recent memories while lighting a morning cigarette, a process made all the easier by the cameras hidden in his eyes linked to storage chips near the back of his skull. It was also a very handy system for smuggling information, but in this instance it stayed a means of entertainment. Besides, Psly sometimes wondered if Kaja might want to augment her video collection. That was one of the excuses that he used for video his exploits with Alicia. The thought of Kaja having videos of his sexual exploits never failed to make him smile.
Psly finished his coffee and morning cigarette with no real hurry, and was feeling rather refreshed when he checked the clock display in the corner of his eye. A quick shower and change later, and Psly was out on the road to the Bella Sera Salon, whistling cheerfully as he walked. The distance was just about perfect, to his way of thinking. Far enough to drive and get a good head of steam going, but not too far for a pleasant walk to clear his mind.
On the other side of town, a different morning routine was being enacted. Alicia had woken up rather abruptly with the alarm, and almost smashed the sucker before realizing what she'd thought she'd been dreaming about, had actually happened over the past couple days ... yesterday had seemed quite surreal after waking up at her front door, sitting on a brand new scooter. It was a good thing Alicia was half-fairy; otherwise she'd still be sore.
Alicia's own morning ritual consisted of a full pot of Irish coffee and a nasty cold shower to jump start her system, followed by a hasty throwing on of clothes so she wouldn't be late. This time, however, she finished her coffee with a wicked gleam in her eye. Psly wasn't there yesterday, due to some prior engagement at his shop, but she knew he'd be there today. And it was most certainly time for a little ... payback on her part. Selecting her outfit with more care than usual that morning, Alicia set out on her mission.
Fortunately for her plans, Alicia lived somewhat closer to the salon than Psly did, so she got there first. She had dressed very businesslike, choosing a dark gray casual suit over her normal shirt and skirt combination, with a pale cream chemise sporting spaghetti straps, just to show a little sass. Alicia’s hair was neatly up off her neck in a bun, and the suit did a wonderful job of matching her eyes. Settling in quickly behind the desk, Alicia quickly got everything in order, lining up the appointments for the day with a brisk efficiency normally unheard of in her case. ‘Yes’, she thought, ‘let him see me as very mature and businesslike, and then we'll test his ability to think when it's closing time...’
Walking up the steps quickly, Psly almost didn't recognize Alicia behind the desk, seeing as how her usual clutter was nowhere to be seen. wasn't evident. After a quick double take, he finally spoke. "Um, mornin', 'Licia. How's the day lookin'?"
"Somewhat busy today, Psly. You've got three appointments, for two hours each before lunch. Your first two are simply here for the full beauty treatment, but your third client needs a good session of physical therapy." Alicia stated briskly, pausing to look up at Psly before continuing.
"I’ve already penciled in your lunch break, but you’ve got one last appointment after that. I believe she's here for tension relief. I've got a few hair appointments as well, including your two socialites, and Kaja won't be here until this afternoon. They're putting on the additions to the salon today, so she'll be tied up until closing time. Looks like a full day, that's for sure."
Alicia didn't lie to him; there were quite a few appointments. But she knew hers would take up much less of her time, and give her that much more to set her plans into motion. Alicia also knew Kaja had hired contractors who worked very, very fast, and they did quality work. The hot tub would be installed and ready halfway through his last appointment. She barely kept the grin off her face, as Psly nodded and went into his studio to prepare for his long day.
‘Alicia must be mad at me fer ditchin’ her like thaht,’ Psly thought, ‘Ah guess a scooter ain’t a good "thank you for some mind blowing sex" present. Well, so much for thaht idea ...’ Psly sighed to himself as he changed into one of his work outfits, loose silk pants of a bronze hue, and sandals, with a few silver ornaments in his ears and around his neck. Psly went for the shirtless look, he liked to show off the tattoos on his back.
The largest one ran across his shoulders, and at first looked like gibberish, but in reality was the first letters of a very famous quote. TWDNKUOMUS. “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger.” Even the lettering was very ornate, in a neo-gothic way. Very few of Psly’s acquaintances knew what that one meant, even fewer what it meant to Psly. The other tattoo sat at the small of his back, and by goodness, everybody knew what “Man Ho” meant. Even though, to date, no one had ever needed to pay for his services ...
As an added afterthought, Psly quickly twisted a few small braids in his hair, placing silver beads at the ends, and tying the rest back in a loose ponytail. He figured it made him look more like some kind of old world healer, and sexy to boot. And in this line of work, appearance mattered just as much as ability.
He made his way through his first couple of appointments, both of them prominent people in the community, but definitely not pleasing figures. Too much soft living, not enough exercise. They didn’t even feel particularly tense under Psly’s fingertips. He figured they just wanted someone’s hands rubbing on them. Lucky for him. And people wondered why he never hung out with the socialite crowd. He kept that smile on his face, though. Something about these two made Psly think the sarcasm would be wasted.
