Bonding Time

Havermouth, Present Time

Talen took his time shampooing and then conditioning Aislen’s hair, using his fingers to comb the conditioner through and picking out little bits of debris, lining them up on the edge of the vanity like a record of Aislen’s travels.

“There’s a ladybug somewhere,” Aislen was lulled almost to sleep. “You can add it to your hair trophies if you find it.”

“You’re just randomly keeping bugs in your hair now?” Rhett asked from the bathroom door. His arms were filled with products, and he emptied them out onto the vanity. “Or are you practicing for when the kids bring home headlice?”

“Oh my gawd,” Aislen gaped at him. “Headlice.”

“Yeah, it’s totally a thing,” he told her. “I get a lot of mummies in for tattoos, and they tend to do it in pairs or small groups. It’s like a bonding thing. They sit, I tattoo them, they talk to each other. Stuff like little Jenny Junior brought home headlice for the fifth time this year and now the mummy-getting-Jenny’s name tattooed with