Chapter 72 The Salon

“Why are we even going to the auction if I can just get my weapons from a shop?” Evernya questioned.

Meira humored her kitten’s attempt. “Typically, all the highest quality weapons get sent to auction, and the shops uninvited to the auction sell anything left. So we will probably find your practice weapons in the stores, but we will have to wait until the auction to find a primary weapon worthy of my little kitten.”

“Well, either way, I am going to the auction. I don’t want to waste my sixty-four thousand crystal outfit.” Evernya replied with a shrug, giving up on avoiding the inevitable.

Meira’s face brightened from her victory. “We may find something else we want, so even if we find a weapon for you at the festival, we should still attend the auction. The auction doesn’t just sell combat equipment. Dresses from the designer of your dress occasionally show up at auctions, for example.”

“This auction seems like a huge deal for local businesses,” Evernya commented.

Meira nodded in agreement as she continued to explain. “A lot of businesses use the auction to show off what they have to offer. It’s one reason I continue to send my extra enchantments to auction, even though I could easily sell them elsewhere. When you live as remote as I do, you need to keep your name well-known, or people may forget about you. Besides, I like to show off my capabilities as an enchanter at the most prestigious auction in the Northwest outside of Buran.”

“To be honest, I don’t care what rich people think about me or what I do, but your business is depending on those people shelling out money,” Evernya said, suddenly dreading the auction even more.

Meira gave her kitten a quick hug before speaking. “Yeah, I don’t get along with them either, hence why I only go to the auction once a decade. Usually, upper echelon people have a servant or underling order the enchantments for them, or they use my website. So my actual face-to-face time with them is minimal.”

“Ironically, you are just as if not richer than they are,” Evernya commented, as she pushed her dread out of her mind for now.

“I don’t know. Some of them are from old money, including ties to bloodline families or maybe a minor bloodline family themselves. Some old families in tier 1 cities have enough money to buy an entire Tier 3 city if they wanted. We are talking hundreds of billions, maybe even trillions, if they liquidate their assets.” Meira explained, trying to temper her kitten’s view of riches.

“Why would you ever need that much money?” Evernya questioned, instantly triggering her draconic instincts.

I don’t know what’s more annoying, my shifter instincts or draconic. At least my shifter side gives me some confidence, but I can’t say the same about my draconic instincts. I have a bad feeling I may begin hoarding something sooner rather than later. I guess hoarding isn’t something new. I always had a weird drive to stockpile money and gems and every game I played on earth. As long as it stays at that, I’ll be fine. I hope I don’t feel the urge to hoard something ridiculous like dresses. Evernya thought, shivering slightly at the thought.

Meira answered her question, unaware of her kitten’s thoughts. “You don’t, but that doesn’t stop them from making more. It isn’t all that peaceful in tier 1 cities. Most of the old families compete with one another on everything. It isn’t about how much you have. It’s about how much more you have than your rivals.”

“How do you know so much about tier 1 cities?” Evernya inquired.

“I have tier 1 visitation privileges, but I prefer living out in nature away from all the cutthroat old families. I haven’t taken advantage of the privilege for over thirty years, but I doubt things have changed much.” Meira replied.

“I find it ridiculous you can’t even enter a city without permission. I don’t want to deal with people like them either, but it sucks they take your right away.” Evernya commented with annoyance.

Despite sharing her kitten’s views, she explained. “I don’t know how it was like from where you are from, but here it’s always been this way even before the founding of Sespina. Every race has its hierarchy, and the city tier system is the human’s way of imposing their version of hierarchy.”

“I am still trying to get used to the differences. I’ll get there, eventually.” Evernya said with a scowl.

“You are doing fine. Anyway, are you ready to get going?” Meira asked after a glance at her cell phone.

“Yeah, I think so. I just got a little freaked out by the cost of my outfit.” Evernya replied.

They stood from the bench, picking up the bags containing Evernya’s new outfit, and proceeded to the exit of the store. As they passed through the exit, Evernya waved and smiled at the two security men standing near the door. They return a friendly smile and nod in response just as the duo passed.

“Those were the security men who helped you?” Meira inquired, just outside the door.

“Yeah, if you look past their stuck-up fancy suits, they are actually nice,” Evernya replied with a fond smile.

“They are pretty cute. You should get their numbers.” Meira teased.

Evernya replied seriously, missing Meira’s attempt at flustering her. “I guess they are, but I don’t feel an attraction to them, so there is no point. I doubt I will meet them again.”

“That’s a shame since they are definitely into you.” The smiling elf revealed.

“How could you tell? I didn’t notice anything,” Evernya questioned, genuinely confused.

“They’ve been staring at your ass since you walked past them,” Meira replied as if it was obvious.

Curious, Evernya peeked over her shoulder towards the glass door, catching the two men watching her with an hungered gaze. They quickly averted their gaze upon making eye contact with the smirking girl. A sudden urge overtook Evernya, prompting her to sway her hips, drawing attention to her pert ass covered in tight black short shorts pierced by a lazily swaying tail.

“Well, I guess some humans really can look past the animal parts. I am surprised humans like them would work at such a Mage’s only store.” Evernya commented with a proud smile.

Meira stared at her kitten in disbelief as she said. “With your body, I doubt many could resist, racist or not. You damn near gave those poor security guys a heart attack with your little stunt. I thought you weren’t interested in guys.”

With a shrug, Evernya replied, “to be honest, I don’t know what came over me, but I think my shifter instincts just wanted to show off my body. Guy or girl, I would probably have the same reaction.”

Meira stored away their purchases in her storage ring before turning right down the sidewalk while shaking her head in the absurdity of shifters.

“Why aren’t we using the motorcycle?” Evernya inquired after jogging to catch up with Meira.

“Because the salon is only a block away,” Meira replied.

“Is this a fashion district or something?” Evernya commented, glancing at multiple clothing stores as they walked down the sidewalk.

“Kind of, this area has a lot of high-end shops, restaurants, and services, which just happen to be multiple shops that are fashion related. For example, the auction house is also only about a kilometer down the road. A couple of kilometers past the auction house is the mansion district housing most of the wealthiest residents in Minea. Basically, this area is a haven for the rich. Most Tier 2 and above cities have districts like this, so the rich don’t have to go to normal parts of the city.” Meira explained as they walked past several richly dressed people, some giving them sneers of contempt but otherwise leaving them alone.

“So this salon will be high-end too? I’m not just getting a haircut, am I?” Evernya questioned, staring up at her elf in suspicion.

“I could trim your hair myself, so no,” Meira replied as if the answer was obvious.

“I like my hair straight and down, so I don’t want some elaborate hair styling. A simple braid or ponytail is the most I would do.” Evernya stated, glancing at her reflection in the window of a restaurant.

“So boring! I expected that to be your stance, but I hoped you would be open for more.” Meira pouted.

“Sorry I am boring. I just don’t like to dress up.” Evernya replied, embracing her boringness.

“But you have a fancy outfit. It would be a waste to keep your hair plain.” Meira argued.

“And if I had any say, it wouldn’t be nearly as fancy.” Evernya shot back, refusing to budge.

Meira slumped her shoulders in defeat. “Fine, you win. I’ll let you keep your plain old boring straight hair. I suppose any hairstyle would get ruined by tonight anyway. Would your hair even curl? You are immune to bed head, so would your hair return to its natural straight state?” Meira questioned, glancing at her kitten’s perfectly straight, jet black lower back length hair gently swaying in the wind.

“I have no idea, but I am kinda curious too,” Evernya admitted.

A few minutes of walking later, they arrived in front of a store with various pictures of models with different hairstyles. Evernya strained against the collar to read the sign above the display window stating ‘A Mage’s Locks’.

“Do all of these stores have mage in their names?” Evernya questioned, having spotted at least a dozen mage-related store names during the walk.

“Humans have an obsession with naming things with mage or something related to magic, especially if the business is mages only,” Meira replied.

Evernya observed the dozens of richly dressed men and women entering and exiting the salon. “It looks pretty busy. Are you sure we will get in?”

Unworried Meira replied, “I made an appointment last night for 11 am, which is in fifteen minutes, so we are fine.”

“You could get in that easily? I always had to make appointments weeks in advance for a simple hair cut though that was for a specific hairstylist and time.” Evernya questioned in disbelief.

“Usually, that is the case here too, but I got lucky and there was a cancellation. We have an appointment with a hairstylist named Amber.” Meira replied as they neared the busy entrance.

“She any good?” Evernya inquired.

“I don’t know how good she is, but the website says she is a dual water and air sorceress, so a good combo of abilities for this line of work. The reviews give her a good rating, with many reviewers mentioning she is very good at giving relaxing hair washes.” Meira replied, showing a 4.8 out of five-star rating on the salon’s webpage on her cell phone.

“Isn’t it rare to have two elements?” Evernya asked, earning a few annoyed looks from the surrounding people because of her seemingly stupid questions.

“In a Tier 3 city, it is, but here, not so much,” Meira replied as they approached the salon entrance.

Once again, the door to the salon said ‘Mages Only’ and locked like the Mage’s Elegance. Like last time, Meira stepped back and had Evernya unlock it. They walked through the now open door, ignoring the sudden silence, and approached the reception desk to check in. The brunette woman who appeared to be in her 20s looks up from what she was doing with confusion.

“We have an appointment for Evernya with Amber at 11 AM,” Meira stated.

“I’m sorry we don’t offer our services to non-mages.” The receptionist stated, glancing at Evernya spelled out in the catkin’s collar next to Meira.

Instantly agitated, Evernya fumed, “Seriously, why is it so hard to believe I am a mage! I just unlocked that stupid door in front of everyone! I am sick of this blatant racism!”

Evernya ran her eyes over the various objects on the receptionist’s desk, causing an idea to form. She flexed her telekinetic magic, levitating multiple objects including several pens, a stapler, and a pair of scissors, setting them into orbit around her before gently setting them back on the desk.

“That enough proof for you?” Evernya asked the now trembling receptionist.

“Yes, I am sorry for disrespecting you.” The receptionist squeaked in a fearful tone.

“Just check us in, Stephanie, and we will forget this happened,” Meira cut in, after glancing at the receptionist’s name tag.

Stephanie rapidly typed something into her computer before returning her fearful attention to the two women. “Please sit down in the waiting area. Amber will be with you shortly.” Stephanie directed, pointing towards the packed area lined with light blue seats to the right of the entrance.

After they sat down, Meira commented, “You know you could have proven you were a mage in a much less dramatic way. You terrified that poor woman.”

Evernya glanced at the surrounding seated customers silently listening before replying, “I could have, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun and frankly, I am sick of having to prove it. Going overboard allowed me to vent off a bit of steam. I have the fact I am a mage engraved on this stupid collar, so I have the right to do something like overboard to prove it as punishment.”

“Just be careful performing potentially dangerous magic in public could backfire. What if someone saw your stunt as a threat and attacked you? Or what if you lost control of something dangerous, like a pen or pair of scissors?” Meira warned.

Evernya replied, seemingly unconcerned or remorseful. “I don’t know. I was just pissed that I had to prove myself yet again, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I had all those items under complete control, so there was no way I would lose control of them. Besides, the only people within my range limit were you and the receptionist. Controlling items as light as pens and scissors is a breeze compared to five kilogram balls or even two-kilogram balls.”

“I have to admit your control is becoming excellent. I think I counted twelve items at once. However, try to keep a lid on your temper next time. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Meira praised, with a hint of warning in her tone.

“I’ll try, but no promises. I am sick of dealing with racism.” Evernya grumbled, glaring at their eavesdroppers.

“I can see how having to prove yourself all the time can be infuriating. Even shifters who grew up dealing with it lose their tempers sometimes. However, if you lose control of your temper, it could be a lot more dangerous than a normal shifter because of your magic.” Meira warned.

“It makes me want to hide out at your house forever, but I know I can’t do that,” Evernya whispered, just barely loud enough for Meira to hear.

“I would suggest instead of being so blatant about it, why not do subtle things? There’s no need to make a tornado of office supplies to prove your point? Telekinesis is perfect at sneaky application of magic, so why not take advantage of it?” Meira suggested, trying to lessen the possibility of her kitten getting in trouble.

“True, the way I went about proving my point wasn’t the best.” Evernya agreed.

At 11:02, a loud tapping noise of ten centimeter high heels announced the arrival of an attractive woman who appeared to be in her early 30s with long wavy blond hair flowing down her back. She froze when the receptionist pointed out her next customer. However, Like a professional, she recovered near-instantly and strutted over to greet the catkin and elf seated in the waiting area.

“Hello, my name is Amber. I will be hairstylist today,” the hairstylist greeted.

Evernya politely returned her greeting. “Nice to meet you, Amber. As you can probably read, my name is Evernya, and this is my big sister Meira.”

Amber glanced at the other customers in the waiting area who were trying to act like they weren’t listening. “Let’s head back. We have a bit of an audience here.”

Amber spun on her heels and tapped her way toward the door leading to the salon, with Evernya following. Evernya stopped, noticing Meira wasn’t following, causing her to turn back to find Meira standing by their seats.

Before Evernya could ask, Meira explained, “You can handle this on your own. You are an adult now. I have to buy a few things. I’ll be back by the time you finish if not wait outside on a bench.”

“Okay, but why did you wait with me then?” Evernya questioned.

“Just in case something happened, I didn’t want you to deal with security at two stores in a row,” Meira replied.

“Yeah, that would be a pain. I got lucky with the security at the dress shop, but I doubt I would get that lucky twice. Well, have fun shopping. I better catch up to Amber.” Evernya stated before turning around and jogging through the curtained-off doorway Amber walked through moments before.