"Now that I have you all to myself let's get you in a chair! I have so many things that I wanted to ask you!" Cindy said as she dragged me over to the chair.

"Wait! Oh boy, you are a pushy one!" I laughed at the excited woman, stopping her from pulling me.

"Hmm?!"

I pulled free and went back to the door, opening it up, and Senna practically fell into my arms. She must have had her ear to the door.

"Why don't you give me about an hour here? I will meet you at the clothing shop after I am done here," I said as I helped Senna push off me.

"How will you know where to go?" Senna asked.

"I will bring Galio after, now scram, Senna! You get to spend time with this one effectively whenever you want!" Cindy snapped from behind me, and Senna put up her hands defensively with a grin.

"Good luck! Don't rush. If Eliza takes less than two hours to get ready, I would be extremely surprised," Senna said with a smile as she left, closing the door behind herself.

I smiled and turned back around to my impatient hairstylist. She had a small waist, generous hips, and a modest chest. Cindy was wearing a white apron with a short green dress underneath it. Put that all together with her mischievous smile and perfectly smooth hair, and you had yourself a damn good-looking woman!

"While I do appreciate the way you are admiring me from head to toe, you can do that from the chair. If I only have an hour with you, then we better not waste time. Haircutting is no joke, and it is my job to keep everyone looking their best! There were some other girls that were working, but I asked them all to leave so we could have the place. I wanted to make sure it was just you and me for this. Not every day that a girl like me gets to meet someone like you in person and spend time with them you know?"

I just came over and sat down. I was pretty sure that if I had tried to say anything, Cindy would have just interrupted me. This woman seemed to have a lung capacity that would dwarf my own.

"So, tell me about yourself. I have heard a million and ten stories, but you know how that can be! Or maybe you don't? This is my first time actually being able to talk to you in person!" Cindy explained as she wrapped a towel around my neck to cover me from the hair.

"No, I really don't know how it is. I have heard about this Vine you all seem to share, but I am not connected," I said.

"Really?! Well, that must feel strange, not knowing what everyone thinks! That is how we keep from driving each other nuts! Who do you tell your thoughts to? Do you just talk to yourself? Doesn't that make you a bit cuckoo?" Cindy asked as she sprayed my hair with water, stating to comb it down.

"Hmm? No, I mean, I have Xieus, my Succubus partner, so we talk. I couldn't imagine everyone always knowing my thoughts," I said as my hair was brushed to one side.

"Succubus?! She is drinking your life force?! Are you letting her, or does she have hold of you?!" Cindy exclaimed as she walked in front of me to grab her scissors.

"Xieus is my partner, and yes, I give her my Life Force, but she offered herself to me, not the other way around. We are equals," I said, but then there was a poof of blue smoke.

"You are my master; we are not equals," Xieus said as she took a seat in the other chair.

Cindy had frozen in place, and I could see the shocked look on her reflection in the mirror in front of me.

"You are her master?! How is that even possible?!" Cindy declared, clearly flabbergasted with her lack of words.

"Galio is not only strong and wise beyond anyone that I have met, but this person makes me feel like I am a real person. I am sure you know what I mean, considering your first reaction to Galio telling you about me," Xieus explained, and Cindy nodded as she went back to cutting my shaggy hair.

"I had heard about this, but I had just assumed that it was another one of those things that got mixed up in transition. Things can be like within the Vines, but this is clearly not the case. Absolutely intriguing. A million to one odds of something like this happening, yet I get to see it with my very own eyes! Xieus? Like she-aye-us?" Cindy asked as hair started to fall in clumps.

"Yes, that is very good. I will return now. I just wanted to make it clear that we are not equals, and Galio is the one in control. He is nice enough to give me Life Force, but I would be fine if he didn't. I can finally say that I am enjoying my life," Xieus said as she was about to stand up, but Cindy put her hand up to stop her.

"No need to leave! Sit down and relax! You said he? Did you mean she?" Cindy asked, but Xieus shook her head with a grin.

"Galio is not a woman like us. He is the pronoun for those of his kind, Man. He and his, rather than she and hers. That should be something that is spread on the vines. I know that it frustrated Galio when we first met," Xieus said, and I grinned.

"I don't let it bother me, but that is a good idea to get it out there. Do all races have access to the Vine?" I asked, and both women nodded.

"It is just a thing that we can all do at birth. When we are young, we can't really do much more than listening. After the first year, everyone learns, though," Cindy explained as she trimmed down my sides.

"Babies learn after the first year?!" I asked with surprise, and Cindy stopped cutting my hair.

Both girls gave me strange looks, and I blinked at them. You can't tell me...

"What is a baby?" Cindy asked.

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