Catching Up Who: Frankie and Maggie When: Morning Where: The salon
Frankie was running late for her hair appointment. She really sort of loathed calling it that, because it had nothing to do with curling or styling and everything to do with allowing Maggie to cut about an inch of her hair off to get rid of split ends for about another month or so. It was simple, and probably wouldn’t take that long, but Frankie didn’t trust herself with her own hair and a pair of scissors. Besides, this way she got to say hello to Maggie and help out her business too, in a monetary kind of way.
With the skies so cloudy and the wind picking up, they had tried to get the horses and cattle settled before the storm started, so Frankie left the ranch later than she had meant to. Thankfully she didn’t live too far from Maggie’s, and the weather nudged her along, the wind keeping her from getting distracted by something, or someone else, and forgetting her appointment all together. Her hair whipped about her face, creating a curtain of red as she stood on Maggie’s door step and knocked loudly. Hopefully Maggie remembered the appointment. Frankie had seen her the night before at the barn dance with a few beers, so a hangover was always a possibility.
Even with a hangover, Maggie was at work. When she had an appointment on the books, she never missed it, preferring those over walk-ins any day. If she could schedule everyone by appointment, life would have been easy. But this morning was slow so far, most people not wandering about town due to the weather. She still didn’t know how a storm could blow into town in a roofed city, but she’d stopped asking those kinds of questions. So little made sense these days.
When she saw Frankie making her way across the square, she ran to the door and held it open with a smile. “Wasn’t sure you’d make it with the weather!”
Frankie started to respond, but got a mouthful of hair instead, courtesy of the strong wind that blew past. She used both hands to push her hair back and quickly stepped inside. "I probably should have stayed at the ranch, but this could be the only errand I get to run today if it storms the way it looks like it might!" Which, yes, was very strange. But so were ghosts, and Frankie had always been intrigued by the unexplainable. "Besides, my hair is getting long and unruly and starting to scare the horses when I go out to take care of them. Split ends." Frankie grabbed a strand of hair, waved it back and forth and released a weak, "Aaah!" before she smiled. "I'm hoping you can make me pretty again before I go back to mucking hay and shoveling manure."
“I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it to do any styling afterwards, unless we can get you home before the rain starts,” Maggie smiled, watching Frankie fuss with her hair. She had the most beautiful color, the kind people always wanted, but red was hard to maintain. It was the first to fade and needed to be applied more often. A number of women had come in asking for a color like Frankie’s, but Maggie always thought it looked better when it was natural. “You know you’re always pretty, except when you have manure on you,” she laughed. “Let’s go back and wash your hair, then we can see about trimming off those split ends.”
"Oh! No, I don't need any styling anyway. Just a trim," Frankie said quickly. "I would feel bad ruining any extra work you did anyway, especially if I've got to go back to work after I'm finished here. I wear my hair in a ponytail so often that sometimes I think it would just be easier to shave my head, but then I remember what an oddly shaped head I have and I would probably end up scaring people off, or at least giving the horses a fright. Although I guess I wouldn't have to go to the extreme of shaving my head bald. I could probably just cut my hair super short... but I think some of my co-workers forget I'm a woman as it is, having a boy cut would only confuse them further and then I'd really be hurting for a date unless I decided I liked women." Frankie paused and released her hair to drop her hand to the side. "Okay, yes! Washing of the hair. That sounds good. How are you feeling anyway? Did you get home all right last night? Obviously, or you wouldn't be standing here talking to me... I just mean, do you feel okay? It looked like you were having fun at the barn dance."
“If horses were scared of bald people, they’d have a whole lot more trouble with men,” Maggie laughed. “And I seriously doubt they forget you’re a woman. The men, not the horses. I don’t know if the horses care.” All that aside, she was still going to blow dry Frankie’s hair and at least check her work. It was harder to do that if it was wet and, even if it was raining, she never sent a customer away with a wet head. “I’m feeling fine,” she said, leading Frankie back to the sink. “I had a little too much to drink, but I got home and drank a ton of water before crawling into bed. I love it when we have things like that in town. I think it really brings people together.”
Frankie pulled off her jacket and sat down in the chair in front of the sink. "Oh, yeah, definitely. I'll take any event that has someone doing the cooking for me. The music was fun, too. And it's always entertaining to watch people dance after they've had too much to drink. Talk about no inhibition! I love it. Plus, I get the chance to talk to people I usually don't see on a daily basis, so that's nice too. I saw Mickey walking you home. Is it too nosy of me to be nosy about that?" Because she tended to be nosy, especially when she found herself living vicariously through other people's love lives.
Maggie let Frankie talk as she leaned her back in the chair and began to wash her hair. There were a few things she might have replied to, but it was hard to get a word in! Of course she finished off with the question that Maggie was hoping people wouldn’t see the need to ask. “He’s just a friend,” she told Frankie as she worked the shampoo through her hair. “I was a little drunk and didn’t want to walk home by myself, and he was kind enough to accompany me.” He was a sweetheart, but she just wasn’t into him, which was fine, since he seemed to feel the same way.
"Aw, well that's not scandalous at all," Frankie mused before she grinned and lifted her gaze up to Maggie's face. "That was nice of him though. Gentlemanly, which is also nice." Frankie sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing. This was her favorite part of getting her hair cut, even if she didn't do it as often as she probably should. "You have the best hands. I should always have you wash my hair. That'd be weird, but still awesome. How are things? Other than work and being walked home by Mickey the friend."
“He’s a good guy, but I think he’s been a little too badly burned lately,” Maggie said, thinking of the way Mickey had spoken the other night. He seemed so down on himself and, while she wanted to cheer him up, had no idea how to do so. “But definitely gentlemanly.” She wondered if Mickey was like that all the time. Jack could be a gentleman, but sometimes, well, sometimes she didn’t want a gentleman. “I know, right? I wish someone could come wash my hair for me, too!” she smiled. “Things are okay. My brother and sister are still at the orphanage, which sucks. I was kinda seeing this guy, but he hasn’t been around as much lately, so maybe I was making too much of it. But otherwise things are good. Yourself?” She couldn’t exactly bring up the werewolves, could she?
Frankie could definitely agree with that. She had always fancied herself with a guy who knew how to be a gentleman, but could also challenge her and stand up for himself. No one wanted a straight out asshole, right? Frankie watched Maggie for a moment before her gaze shifted to the ceiling. “Oh, I’m fine! Everything’s… well, same as last time we talked. Is there any chance you might be able to get your brother and sister in your care soon?” She knew it would drive her crazy to be in Maggie’s position where she had family in the dome but couldn’t care for them, especially when Maggie seemed perfectly capable and responsible.
“My brother will be free to live where he wants when he turns sixteen, but my sister’s probably stuck at the orphanage till she’s of age as well,” Maggie said, washing the shampoo out. It was the most infuriating situation, especially the part where she could do nothing about it. She understood what they were trying to do, but it just felt so wrong. And then the few times when she knew that they were right about keeping them in the orphanage felt bad. “They don’t think someone my age has the ability to work a full time job and support two kids who need an education and attention. If they were my kids, I could’ve kept ‘em.” But they obviously weren’t. Maggie was too young to have had either of them.
"I'm really sorry," Frankie said. "It frustrates me just hearing you talk about it. They're really lucky to have you, though." Even if they couldn't live together, Frankie thought it was wonderful that Maggie had real family in the Dome. So many people didn't. But she didn't want to keep going on about family and end up depressing Maggie. It was already a crappy day, weather wise, and Frankie wanted to keep a smile on Maggie’s face. "What about your guy? You're not seeing him anymore?" Okay, that probably wasn’t the best topic to achieve a smile, but the questions slipped out before Frankie gave it any real thought.
“I’m lucky to have them,” Maggie said with a little smile. It was better to have them at the orphanage than not have them at all. It still kind of amazed her that she’d managed to keep them safe. “Things‘ve never been really established with him. I might still be seeing him and I hope so, but he’s kind of got his own thing going on. He might even be seeing someone else. It’s just so hard to tell,” she said, moving on to the conditioner. “I feel like I don’t know anything about boys these days.” Another part of life she needed a manual for.
“That sounds confusing,” Frankie admitted, since it did. Seeing a guy, maybe, and maybe realizing he was seeing someone else, but maybe not. She was all for casual dating as long as it wasn’t complicated and everyone was on the same page. But with guys, who knew? “Hey, and guys say women are the mysteries, huh? You could try to talk to him about it, maybe, unless you think that would chase him off. I don’t get why guys are so freaked out about talking, like their brains will somehow implode and melt out of their ears if they have to do any real thinking, you know?”
“I probably should talk to him about it. It just that, when I’m with him, I feel, I dunno… special, like there couldn’t possibly be anybody else, so it’s never really come up.” It was only in the days inbetween, when Jack was missing, that she wondered what he was up to, how he occupied his time. Running a brothel had to be time consuming for the girls, but what exactly did Jack do? Now she knew he was running around as a wolf, which should have made her feel better, but just seemed to complicate things. “We talk about everything else, though. I never felt like he was avoiding the subject.”
Frankie closed her eyes briefly, simply because it had always been relaxing for her whenever anyone played with her hair. She wondered if she could hire a part time hair washer, just to have someone do this whenever she showered. Although yeah, that might have been kind of awkward and weird for all involved. It was a nice fantasy though. “If you talk about everything else, I don’t see why it should be a big deal just to figure out what’s going on. Get on the same page, so to speak. If I were you, I think it would start to drive me a little crazy, wondering, especially if there was a possibility that he could be seeing someone else. But, I guess it’s different for everyone? Some people are totally cool with the casual thing.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m cool with the casual thing,” Maggie said with a little frown. Maybe she had it all wrong. Maybe Jack wasn’t interested in seeing anyone else. He’d never given her any indication that he was, or that he wanted to. She just wasn’t sure they were serious enough to call themselves anything. “I guess I was just under the impression that guys weren’t usually exclusive unless they told you they wanted to be, or you pushed them to be. He’s a trader who runs a brothel, and I doubt he’s used to doing the girlfriend thing.”
Frankie pulled a face briefly at the idea of pushing a guy to be exclusive. She hoped to never have to do that. But maybe it was wishful thinking to hope to find a man who knew what he wanted and just said so. Her thoughts, of course, were derailed by Maggie explaining her maybe-boyfriend's profession, and her eyes widened as she tipped her head back to look up. "A brothel? No kidding? How did I miss that there was a brothel in the dome? Oh my god!" Not that she was put off, in fact she found the idea sort of fascinating. Not in the sense that she wanted a job there, or that she even wanted to visit it, but how scandalous was that? "You would think with how many guys I work with, I would have heard about it. A trader who runs a brothel," Frankie murmured. "Wow, I bet he's gorgeous too, huh?"
“He runs it, he doesn’t offer his own services,” Maggie grinned. “But he could. He’s definitely hot enough.” Jack could make her blush with the right look and practically melt with the tiniest of touches. If he wanted to take on the girls, she had the feeling business would sky-rocket. “But yeah, that’s the business he and his brother decided to take on upon getting trapped in Delphi. Definitely scandalous, so maybe don’t go spreading it around that I’m seeing one of the owners? I step one foot near the place and there’s no way in hell I’ll ever get my brother and sister to live with me.” Children were the future, and therefore highly protected, even from their own family. The last thing Maggie needed was a scandal with her name on it.
"I promise, I won't say a thing." Frankie lifted her fingers to her lips, making the motion of zipped lips before tossing the key away. "That's definitely an interesting career choice, all around. And here I thought my job was messy. Though I think I would rather shovel manure than have sex with strangers, you know? Not that I'm judging! I'm not. I'm sure it pays well. I would hope anyway. I can only imagine what those kind of girls have to do." Frankie blushed lightly before rolling her eyes. "Okay, I'm going to shut up now before I make things uncomfortable. I have to say it sounds like you've found someone to hold your interest for a while, at least. I've always thought the traders that came through her were really interesting people. They always had the best stories. I hadn't even wondered what they were doing, now that they couldn't actually leave."
“I don’t even want to imagine,” Maggie said with a little laugh as she rinsed out Frankie’s hair. She knew a lot about sex, but not having experienced it, she was sure there were holes in her knowledge. The girls that worked in the brothel had probably seen so much more. “Jack and his brother were the ones to equip me with everything I needed for my salon, so I kind of knew them before they got stuck. I think they kind of had to improvise and figure out what they could do in here. Most of the traders aren’t the sort that want to do farm work.” Otherwise they’d have been living in the dome already. “You might have a few working with you, though. They do have good stories.”
Frankie couldn’t help but laugh. “I love that they improvised a brothel! Good for them, though, right? Talk about making a profit.” It was hard enough finding ‘romance’ back when the world’s population was so high. It had to be even harder now to get laid with significantly less people. “I never thought about asking around the ranch to see if anyone there was a trader. I don’t think there’s been any new employees lately, but maybe I haven’t paid much attention. I would love to hear what it was like on the outside though. I can only imagine how different it is from being in here. I sort of built it in my mind as being dangerous, and exciting! Traveling from dome to dome. I don’t think I could trade successfully though. I would feel bad and give everything away, and be labeled the worst trader ever.”
“I think it’s doing well,” Maggie smiled. “It’s not my thing, but I hear it can be a good way to relieve stress.” And with the way things were in the dome lately, everyone could use a little stress relief. As Frankie continued to chat, Maggie sat her up and began to towel dry her hair. “Yeah, you’d be an awful trader if you just gave things away. I do think it’s dangerous out there, but I think most of the people who stayed out there preferred that to being trapped in here. Either they liked the freedom, or the excitement, or they just didn’t want to risk being trapped inside a bubble like we are now.” Which was still a tad bit frightening, but so far they were surviving.
Oh yes, sex could definitely relieve stress. And it was probably fortunate that Frankie hadn’t been under a lot of stress lately, so she would just be shit out of luck, because pickin’s felt slim these days, so to speak. She sat up at Maggie’s urging, moving her head as needed so Maggie could dry her hair. “Yeah, I’m trying to think of it that way, in cause I start to feel panicky about it. I had no desire to leave the dome before, but now it feels strange, knowing I can’t even if I wanted to.” Thank goodness she wasn’t severely claustrophobic. “But hey, maybe they’re adapting well enough. I mean, like you said, two of them have already opened a brothel. So it can’t be too bad!”
“I know what you mean,” Maggie said, towel drying her hair. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but knowing I can’t makes me uneasy.” So instead she pushed it out of her mind and just continued on with her life, which felt pretty much the same as it always had with the exception of a few little hiccups, like Jack the werewolf. “Is opening a brothel considered adapting?” she laughed, though she supposed it was. It was a business that needed them to stay to run it, so maybe that also meant Jack wouldn’t take off at the first possible chance. “What would you do if you could do your own thing? Or would you end up at a ranch?”
She definitely thought that opening a brothel was adapting. They were doing something that was no doubt profitable. Why not take certain skills and put them to good use? If those two guys could pull off something like a brothel, then more power to them, right? Frankie smiled a little. "I would probably still want to be on the ranch. I grew up on one, and I love working with the horses. I don't know what else I would be good at! I used to write a lot but there's no real need for that here. Besides, I feel pretty useful working on the ranch and the other ranch hands and boarders feel like my family. Was this your first choice? Running a salon?"
“You could always write for the local paper,” Maggie suggested. It was more of a weekly paper than a daily one, and would never pass as a full time job, but it could be something to do for fun if Frankie wanted. “But no, this just seemed like something I could do. My original plan was to go to college and maybe study to become a veterinarian. I’ve got the books now and am working on it, but I’m not really at the point where anyone would want to bring animals to me. Though I guess I’m better than nothing.” She was just all book knowledge at this point.
Frankie hadn't thought much about writing for the paper. Though she supposed it was a possibility, if she really wanted to get back into that hobby. But her thoughts were distracted by the idea of Maggie being a veterinarian. "Really? That would be amazing! I admire anyone who can do something like that, self taught. I don't know that I would have the self discipline. I don't know how much knowledge Riley has, but I bet he could help you out, if you ever want some hands on experience. What better way to learn, huh? That's how I learned most of what I know about working on a ranch. My parents sort of just threw me into it."
“I think everything these days is either going to be self taught of apprenticed in some way. If we don’t have a vet in the dome, then books are the way to go,” Maggie said as she led Frankie back to the chair so she could start combing out and cutting her hair. “I would love to come down to the ranch sometime, especially if you have a calf or a colt being born? I’m sure the two of you know what to do, but I don’t have a clue!” And being a vet in the dome would mean she’d have to tend to all kinds of animals, not just cats and dogs.
Frankie loved learning new things, but she had always been a visual, hands on person. She needed to experience education first hand, or she simply couldn’t process it. She had always envied people who could read and retain the knowledge. “I’ll let Riley know,” Frankie offered, settling into the chair so Maggie could start trimming. “I bet he would love being able to show you the basics. It’s a disgusting mess, birth, but it’s kind of beautiful at the same time. Which really sounds cliche, but it’s true. I’ve never actually delivered by myself, but I’ve helped a few times. It’s an amazing experience, and then you sort of feeling bonded to the animal, you know? I bet you would love it.” As long as she could deal with the blood and mess, but if Maggie wanted to be a vet, Frankie was assuming she had a strong stomach.
“Thank you,” Maggie grinned, already looking forward to the opportunity. “I’m sure it’s a mess, but I think I can handle it. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I didn’t have a strong stomach and a baby animal is far more appealing than anything I saw on the outside.” Even though she’d been more sheltered than some, Maggie had seen her own fair share of horrors. The miracle of birth, however messy, was nothing by comparison. “Plus, it’d be nice to go out and visit the ranch. I’ve never had a real reason to get out there, aside from seeing you.” And she really didn’t do that often enough. Maggie hadn’t always been a loner, but since coming to the dome her attention had always been focused on her siblings. She was just recently becoming better at branching out and a trip to the ranch was just what she needed. “Okay, now just hold still,” she said, scissors in hand and ready to cut. It usually wasn’t a problem, but sometimes her customers got too into the conversation and forgot that she was cutting her hair.
"Well, there's plenty to do out there!" Frankie knew Riley would probably enjoy showing Maggie a thing or two about the animals himself, so it was kind of a winning situation for everyone. Frankie wasn't sure she would be able to sit still, but the thought of having an uneven, crazy mess on her head was enough to have her clutching the chair, as if that would somehow keep her body immobile long enough for Maggie to give her a trim. "Holding still," she promised, nearly nodding her head, but then remembering the whole holding still part. The weather was crappy and unpredictable, but this was nice. Surrounding herself with friends was the best way to forget that she was lonely sometimes. And Frankie was determined to do it more often.