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“Do you want some help with that?”
Suzu whips her head around to look up at Chester from where she sits on a rock by the remains of last night's campfire.
It's a fine morning: the sun is shining pleasantly in a cloudless blue sky. There's a breeze that reminds Chester of the spring mornings in Totis when he and Cress were kids, when Ami was just little. It blows his the few flyaways of hair out of his face as he finishes tying it back. The air is refreshing, but a little too cold, making goosebumps rise on his arms briefly.
Suzu blinks at him, blankly. She's still a kid—not even a teenager yet—but she's trained her face not to betray her emotions. Such a serious expression, Chester thinks, doesn't suit a kid her age. She says, “With what?”
“With tying your hair,” Chester clarifies, gesturing to his own. “You look like you're having kind of a hard time there.”
On the other side of the campfire, Cress and Mint (mostly Mint) are busy “helping” Arche make breakfast—it's her turn to cook, but if they don't do most of the work, it'll be literally inedible. There's no way Chester is getting mixed up in that, and Klarth has already excused himself from helping to get things packed up for the day. If Suzu needs help, it's a perfect opportunity for them both.
And besides—Suzu doesn’t look like Ami, and her personality’s totally different, but they’re so close in age it’s difficult not to think of her. Everyone in their party cares about her, but Chester always ends up wanting to watch out especially for Suzu. Somebody should.
Suzu continues to stare at him for a long moment. He thinks she's about to refuse, but then she nods curtly. “Please do.” She turns around again and sits very still with her small hands on her knees.
Chester crouches down behind her. Suzu passes a red ribbon and a small comb back to him. He gathers the thick curtain of her hair up. “You usually like your hair pretty high up, right?”
“Yes,” Suzu replies. “However, it isn't a problem if you aren't able to fix it exactly that way.”
“Hey now.” Chester runs the comb through her hair a few times and works out all the unevenness as he pulls it into place, just about where she usually ties it. “I had a little sister who liked wearing her hair up, too, y'know. I know what I'm doing.”
Quietly, Suzu says, “I see.”
“Yeah. So just leave it to me.”
It isn't difficult. Ami had liked somewhat more complex styles than Suzu's simple ponytail, but Chester remembers how to tie the ribbon so that it makes a cute bow at the top, looping it just so.
“Heyyy,” Arche calls from the other side of the small fire they've got going. “How come you never help me with anything?”
“Can it, Arche,” Chester says. “I'm trying to focus here.”
“Jerk.” Arche, showing incredible maturity and restraint, sticks her tongue out. Chester does it right back.
Suzu shifts, rubbing her knees together. Chester can't see her face, but he figures she's probably getting bored. A moment later, he finishes tying off the bow. He gives the ends a little tug to make sure it's secure. “There, all done.”
“I'd like to see it,” Suzu says. She lifts her right hand and passes her fingertips gingerly over the bow, feeling its shape.
“Doesn't look half bad if you ask me,” Chester says. “Hey, Mint? Got a mirror?”
Mint looks up, with Cress doing likewise a moment later. She looks thoughtful. “A mirror? I believe so. Hold on just a moment.” Mint dusts the knees of her dress off as she stands.
“Here, Mint,” Klarth says. He gives it a gentle toss, and her bag sails over and right into her hands. With thanks, she opens it up.
From the outside, the rucksack Mint carries never seems to be full, but it always has a seemingly-endless supply of useful things. She must stock up in town or something. She digs around carefully for a few moments, then produces a small, round hand mirror. It’s a simple thing, but elegant, too, with gold plating around the edges. Chester wonders if it isn’t a gift from her mother, like her hat. Stepping around the campfire gracefully, Mint offers the mirror to Suzu on the palm of her gloved hand. “Here, Suzu. You can use this.”
Suzu takes it in both of her own hands. “Thank you.” She peers into it at first, curiously, as though she isn’t used to seeing her own face. Then she raises it, adjusting the position and angle until her ponytail and the bow come into view.
Cress abandons Arche at the fire and wanders over to take a look, too. Hands on his hips, he peers down at Suzu. “Hey, that does look good. Where’d you learn to tie a bow like that, Chester?”
“I asked that old lady who used to man the front desk at the inn to teach me a long time ago,” Chester says, feeling a little puff of pride in his chest. “Who do you think did my sister’s hair every morning when she was little?”
“I remember her—she was nice. She used to give me little tips for helping out at the inn,” Cress says, and then laughs. “Good point. Ami’s hair always looked really cute. Just like Suzu’s does now.”
“You got tips? Geez. And thanks. Anyway, the most important thing is what Suzu thinks.” Chester peeks over her shoulder. She’s lowered the mirror, and from this angle her face is reflected. She’s smiling a tiny bit. “How about it?”
“I think it looks very nice,” Suzu replies, with a small warmth to her voice he hasn’t heard before. “Thank you for your assistance, Chester.”
Suddenly, Arche and Klarth, who are crowded together, give twin cries. Chester, Suzu, Cress, and Mint all turn toward them to find the pot suspended over the fire is definitely… on fire.
“How do you always do this?!” Klarth groans, dragging a hand down his face.
“I didn’t mean to! I just thought it’d help it cook faster if I used magic—”
“Oh, whatever. Undine!”
Their breakfast is pretty ruined, both burned to a crisp and drowned. Chester sighs. He looks at Suzu again. “I’m at least better at tying bows than she is at cooking, right?”
Suzu’s smile widens just a little. It’s probably the biggest smile Chester has ever seen on her. “Yes, I think your bow-tying skills far surpass Arche’s cooking skills.”