[wales] warm and real and bright

Another curl fell onto her shoulders and Éilís reached up cautiously to feel it. Though her hair was thin, the curls were holding alright for the moment. They weren't the perfectly-formed locks that she saw some girls wearing, but they were soft and made her hair look a bit more interesting and shiny than its usual dull, straight state. Wini and Sophie seemed sure that Éilís was going to be pleased with the final result, so she tried to stay calm and not worry before she was sure one way or the other. When a small mirror was finally held up for her to inspect Wini's work, Éilís was surprised to find that it wasn't nearly as gaudy and dramatic as she had feared. While it certainly wasn't the look she wanted in the long run, it would be fine for the afternoon.

"You're good at this," she offered, hoping Wini would hear the sincerity of her compliment. She shouldn't have been surprised; after all, Wini always looked nice. She clearly knew what she was doing much better than Éilís did. She allowed her hair to be gently brushed into a half ponytail before standing up and giving up her seat to Sophie so that she could have her own turn. She stood in front of the mirror for a moment, examining the new look. At least she could still recognize herself in the reflection. Thankful that Wini seemed to be anxious to get outside, Éilís turned back to watch Wini work again. Maybe she had forgotten her plans for make-up altogether. "Will you show me how to do it?" she asked shyly of the other blonde. Though she doubted she would be styling hair any time soon, it was probably a good skill to have. Maybe something she could do with her mother in a few weeks.

When Wini had finally finished with them, Éilís took another cookie from the plate before following the other two girls outside. It was lovely to be back in the sun and walking across the huge yard toward the lake. How lucky Wini was to live in such a beautiful place! She had the small garden in the back yard of her grandfather's house, but it was hard to find this much green all in one place in Dublin. "Do you swim in the summer?" she asked, amazed that Wini even had the option. Éilís was secretly grateful that it was too cold to suggest taking a dip, as she herself wouldn't have been able to do more than stand in the shallows and watch the other girls.

(( hopefully this is okay, @Jenny! I can take out the stuff about Sophie if it's not what she's doing. ))

Wini was a little nervous when she finally held the mirror up for Eilis's inspection of her new 'do and the Hufflepuff worried her lip before breaking into a smile at the Ravenclaw's words. "Thanks," she said brightly at Eilis's compliment. She probably shouldn't have been surprised that she would like it - Eilis looked fab! - but she had been unsure if the change was something the other blonde was going to like.

"I knew you would love it! I just knew it. I always loved when my sisters curled my hair so I'm glad we could try it on yours because you look fab, Eilis," the Hufflepuff said, chatting on and on in her usual upbeat way. Wini grew even more excited as Eilis asked her to show her how and she had a big grin on her face when she answered with, "of course! Of course I will. You'll be a curl pro in no time, right Sophie?" she said looking to her Gryffindor friend.

When makeover time came to an end, Wini brought her friends outside and it was cool, but the sun was still peeking through some overcast clouds. She nodded at Eilis's question. "It's a nice place to cool off when it gets hot," she told her and then proceeded to tell both of her friends about how some of the other neighborhood muggles would come over and hang out in the swim hole as well... at least after everyone was done with their chores for the day. They were about halfway to the swim hole when Wini glanced slyly at her friends and said, "Race you to the tree!" Then she took off, aiming for the big tree hanging right over the water.

((wini out))

Éilís couldn't help smiling a bit at Wini's enthusiasm. Truthfully, she wouldn't say she loved the hairdo, but it was much better than she had been expecting. And more importantly, Wini was clearly over the moon about the little project, and it pleased her to see her friend happy. She moved back over to the chair where Sophie was seated at Wini's invitation and watched the way the other blonde carefully rolled sections of hair around the rod. Hesitantly, she took the curling iron in turn, moving extra cautiously so she would not burn her fingers or Sophie.

When she finally managed to extract the rod from the hair she had wrapped around it (there had been a moment of panic as she struggled to release the curl and envisioned Sophie's hair going up in flames), she looked up at Wini, more pleased with herself than she had expected. This wasn't so hard. Maybe if she failed out of Hogwarts there was still hope for her as a hairdresser in the muggle world. The girls took turns curling sections, Éilís gently arranging the locks when it wasn't her turn with the tool. It was surprising to discover how nice it felt to be close to the other two, playing with hair and listening to their cheerful chatter. She was used to quiet and being alone, but she was finding a way to relax with only the two girls there. She was actually enjoying their company and forgetting for minutes at a time to worry about what they might be thinking of her.

Outside, Éilís looked over at the swimming hole as Wini talked, content to simply listen to the stories. It must have been nice to grow up in the country, she thought; having lots of space to yourself but other children around to spend time with on occasion, too. And all the little creatures and lovely flowers. She was breathing easier than ever now that they were out of the house, simply walking through the tall grass and observing the frosty grounds. Éilís reacted a minute too late to Wini's challenge, not realizing right away where Wini had been indicating or how serious she had been. She dashed after her friends, no real hope of winning on her mind but glad all the same to simply be together.

((end))