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[She's not Padmé Amidala. Nor is she Jane Foster. It's just Ariadne, sitting on the wooden floor of her home, in front of an enormous, four-poster bed with a canopy of sheer, white fabric. Splashes of color occasionally hit her face and the background, as her homemade mobiles, flitting with broken pieces of colorful glass, catch whatever sunlight there is. Her long, long, long brown hair is hanging loose over her left shoulder, crinkled to show that it's just come undone from its braid.]

I...I've noticed that a lot of important holidays seem to be in the middle of the winter. And I guess it makes sense. The days are short, the nights are long, and everyone is cold and missing fresh fruits and vegetables. It raises the spirit to have something to celebrate and people to celebrate it with.

[There's a small smile. A memory or two from her days in Valeria.]

Back home, the New Year was the most important holiday. There would be parties and feasts and masked balls. Presents. Lots of music...

[And she misses that music. But Ariadne won't let herself stay sentimental for long.]

Last year, I learned about an Earth holiday. The one where the fat man breaks into people homes and leaves them gifts, instead of stealing stuff. Christmas!

[Makes no sense, but it's a lovely sentiment.]

I was hoping to maybe learn about some other holidays from this time of year. What do your cultures celebrate? Maybe we can find a way to all celebrate together. I'm still convinced that togetherness is the only way we're going to survive this place. And I...I know I'm not alone, feeling that way.

[A small shrug.]

So let's talk to each other more. When there isn't an emergency. Talk about some of the happy things, maybe. Tell me about the good stuff.

[Ariadne doesn't really know where to go from here, so she shrugs again.]

Anyway, that's all. Sorry to interrupt anything.

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[As always, Ariadne hesitates only a moment before uncurling her long, dainty fingers. She's gotten better about the way humanoids use their palms.

But it's still always strange.]

All right...now what?

Just relax and wait a moment.

[Her fingers ran over the lines of Ariadne's palm, but she was looking past it. It was her third eye that was doing the work. Palmistry was nothing more than a trick, a parlor show for the audience. It helped her focus, but her eye looked into the vagueries of this 'Sam' and the girl who was before her.

A moment later, she quirked her head.]

That's... a little odd.

[Why did she see that? It seemed helpful, but ... it was so banal.]

...odd?

[There's nothing innately bad about 'odd.' It's really just a state of being.

But somehow, where Sam was concerned, she was expecting something...well, kind of awful, really. Since he's been kind of awful. Since he has all of them tied up in knots.

Compared to that...odd doesn't seem so bad.]

What? What do you see?

Oh... I just don't usually see specific visions, and I'm not really sure how this applies? But...

...

Why would you be doing his hair?

[She was cocking her head, looking at Ariadne in honest confusion and mild curiosity.]

Are you two more than friends?

Doing his hair?

[This is decidedly not something Ariadne was expecting. And her expression shifts from shocked to disgusted to utterly bewildered.]

Wh-what does that even...

[But figure of speech or not, she's pretty sure she understands that one.]

You mean...touching it? His hair?

Yes, as in actually washing, caring, brushing, tending to his hair. It's... I mean... it's the sort of thing friends do among humans from time to time, and intimates do more often? [She shrugged]

Do you not do that in your world much?

[Unconsciously, she puts her own hands over her braid, as if protecting it.]

I...can't really say for sure.

But Alastrians are...

[How to put this delicately?]

My people are very particular when it comes to letting anyone touch our hair. It's a sign of...enormous trust.

[And the fact of the matter is that she doesn't trust Sam right now.]

Then... if that requires trust, that might be a hint that the two of you will be able to get past this? That certainly seems a good explanation.

Though I'll admit that humans are rarely quite as concerned about it.

[Or it means she's going to take Sam up on his offer.

Which is a bit of a baffling and scary thought, at the moment. One that makes her shudder.]

Maybe...?

Well, if it's any consolation? You didn't seem distressed in the vision. So, while it doesn't seem likely today? It may actually have been a very positive thing in the end.

...

Try not to worry too much. I think you and your friend can find a way to help this Sam.

Well, that's something.

[And it does cheer her. Not enough to fully dismiss this whole hair notion. But enough to shove it into a dark corner of her brain for the time being.

She'll worry about it another day.]

I was beginning to worry that we were going to be stuck with this awful version of Sam.

If it's something that happened in his time here you usually won't be stuck with it. But I understand the worry. Especially with the issue of corruption running around. It's difficult to really get a sense for what helps with that, though I think you being there for him will assist.

Of course.

[As she would for any of her friends in Trench, Vira-Lorr included.]

Thank you. It's strange but...it helps.

I wish you the best of luck with this situation. And really in everything. We've got a lot to deal with. But for now, we can relax and enjoy our tea, yes?

[She bows her head, smiling shyly.]

I would like that very much.

Here then. Another cup?

[And so she offered to pour for Ariadne while the two chatted about hopefully lighter topics.]

(OOC: This feels like a good 'fade to black' moment, but we can definitely hit each other up again soon! Ty for the scene.)

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