62. Dion's Salon

        The warm, sweet scents of Frankincence and Vanilla lifted Zara's hopes even higher the moment she walked through the door of Dion's Salon. She took a deep breath and looked around, pleased with her decision already, she knew immediately upon arrival why the establishment was so famous. No expense had been spared, it was like a small palace, the gold accented lavish decor was like nothing she had ever seen or could imagine, it felt as if she had stepped into another world.
         "Hello, welcome to Dion's Salon" A beautiful, smiling goddess-type greeted her warmly, bringing her back to the real world. "Do you have an appointment?"

         "An appointment?" Zara echoed. "No, I don't think so... I have a 10% off coupon." She handed the receptionist the card. "Do I need an appointment too?"

         "Not necessarily…" The receptionist handed back the card. "Your name is?"

         "My name is Zara" she replied.
         "Alright, Zara, I'll see what I can do."

         As the receptionist disappeared through a glistening bead curtain, Zara glanced around the waiting room, there was a bulletin board... Posters advertising real estate in Ebar... She wandered over to take a closer look, Ebar looked so beautiful...

         "Wow..." She couldn't even imagine being in a position to buy real estate in Ebar...

         "It looks like you're in luck Sugar Cheeks" the receptionist announced as she reappeared through the curtain. "We had a last minute cancellation, why don't you take a seat?"

         Sugar Cheeks? Caught off guard by the mysterious fame of her exclusive nickname, Zara studied the interior design in greater depth as she waited for her turn. Dion's Salon was the most luxurious establishment she had ever seen, what brilliant mind designed all this? She couldn't even imagine all the talent and work to construct it, let alone design it. How old was it?
         She moved toward the menu board, there were so many things to choose from, she had no idea what she was looking at. She poured over the list, unfamiliar with many of the terms and services, feeling overwhelmed by all that she knew not. Curls? She could get curls? Would that help with her frizz?

         Opening her mind, she once again glanced at the card in her hand, pondering her options. Complimentary Color? Images of Eden’s silky ebony tresses soon replayed to inspire her… Curly ebony tresses... Did she dare?

         Her fantasy was interrupted by a beautiful blonde bombshell with emerald green eyes emerging from the curtained interior.

         "Hello, you must be Zara?" She held out her vanilla-scented hand. "My name is Mel."
         "Oh, Yes.... Mel... Hello..." Zara recognized her, she knew who Mel was, she just wasn't expecting to meet her, "I am so pleased to meet you!" she tried not to gush; Mel was basically a celebrity.
         "I'll be your stylist today" Mel lifted the stranded beads aside. "Come this way."
         Mel was to be her stylist? What were the chances? Like Eden, Mel was Fina famous, top Vine Goddess, known Empire-wide to be one of the best stylists, some said she was even better than Dion. Rumor was she was Atalon's main squeeze, destined to be queen in the New Empire. It wasn't hard to believe, especially now that she saw how beautiful Mel was, it was just hard to believe she was going to style her hair!
         "Your timing was excellent" Mel explained as she led Zara through the salon, "normally you can't even hope for a drop-in after 4pm, keep that in mind for next time."
         Dazed, Zara continued to be amazed as she entered the heart of the salon. The chairs looked like they were right out of some ancient mythology book, the mirrored walls reflecting light off the brilliant chandeliers made every wall sparkle with light, the place felt like a genuine palace, it was architecturally brilliant. 

         Mel gestured for her to sit in one of the amazing looking chairs. "Would you like a glass of MoonWine?"

         "MoonWine?" Stunned, Zara pondered the additional perk, this place was too good to be true. "Yes please!"

         Dion’s Salon was much more than a salon, it was an experience. Zara sat in wonder on the elaborate chair, a chair she had seen before somewhere... Was it in a textbook at Culloom perhaps? Her reflection in the mirror soon caught her attention... NOW she could see how badly she needed to improve her looks. In this glamorous environment she looked absolutely terrible, it was almost embarrassing, a huge slap in the face, she wanted to run and hide, but then, that was why she was here. At this moment, she knew her life would change forever, there would be no going back. This was a profound, life-altering realization, she knew now, she had definitely made the right decision to come inside!

         "So...Tell me Sugar Cheeks, what would you like to do with your hair today?" Mel handed her a goblet of MoonWine and wrapped a warm towel around her shoulders.

         "Um… I think I'll just get a little trim..." she replied, feeling overwhelmed already, opting for a baby step. "Maybe a new style.... something less frizzy, a little more... Professional looking."
         Mel smiled, she knew exactly what Zara was looking for. "A polish?"

         It sounded good. Safe, too. "Yes."

         Mel picked up a comb and ran her fingers through her knotty hair, examining the quality and nature of her tresses more closely. 

         "Ouch!" Zara almost spilled her wine as Mel stole a follicle for the file.

         "Oh, I'm sorry about that" she cooed, holding the follicle up to the light to examine the iridescence, something Serpents were good for. "Maybe you should consider a rinse?" She suggested. "Your hair has some pretty red tones, an auburn rinse would really bring out the color." 

        "Auburn?" Zara wonered...

        "Yes..." Mel leaned forward to study her eyes. "And your eyes, they're almost pretty... They're almost green... The red will enhance the green, you know."
         Almost green? Hope was blossoming forth in Zara's heart with every passing moment, the prognosis only seemed to improve. She pondered the dye option more seriously now that Mel had suggested it, given that she was the best stylist in the empire. 

         "Here, why don’t you have a look at the wonderful products we have?" Mel handed her a color chart, complete with little tufts of dyed hair.
         Zara bit her lip in serious contemplation now, the idea was tempting and she did have a special coupon...
         "Okay" she agreed. "But just a subtle shade."

         "You'd be surprised how much even a subtle shade can improve your appearance" Mel assured, smiling. She reached for the color sampler and held it up to her hair, taking a moment to consider the shades. "I think this one will work very nicely with your skin tones." She showed Zara the sample of her choice, Rich Auburn. "It really brings out the green in your eyes!"