Raevynn shuffled her way over to Abbra. She was sure Abbra was going to have the hardest time dealing with their new look.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll grow back." Raevynn assured her, half trying to convince herself at the same time.
"Alright! That's enough talk." Mendez barked with rage as his dark emotionless eyes swooped over the crowd of whiny Spartans. "You all shut your mouths and follow me. You're ALL gonna get a hair cut, and your sorry asses aren't going to mutter a single complaint about it! Understood?" He waited for the unsure, halfhearted reply before turning and muttering something to the Lieutenant. The man adorned in the Spartan III's dream armor nodded, and Mendez made his way through the crowd of Spartans, towards the door. He stopped directly in front of it and turned to face the group one last time.
"I'm taking you to a different building. There you will be prepped for your next mission. Quite possibly the most important mission you will ever embark on. This mission is not like anything you've ever been trained for. It will separate the weak from the strong, and it will randomly filter through you and your team without prejudice. There's nothing I-or anyone else for that matter- Could tell you to prepare you for what is about to happen, but what I can say is this: Don't ask any questions." He finished his sentence then looked over their faces once more through those distant eyes before turned to lead them to their next "mission."
The Spartans were led outside, piled into a series of toned-down warthogs, then driven about a half hour away to an underground facility that none of them had seen before. Inside; waiting for them in a sterile environment were rows of seats and mirrors.
"Don't just stand there, Find a seat!" One of the trainers yelled.
Raevynn didn't need them to tell her twice, she scurried off towards one of the nearest seats and climbed in, turning to face the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a long while before a trainer with a pair of scissors approached the chair with a malicious smile.
Raevynn took a deep breath and a long look at the face staring back at her in the mirror. Somehow she knew it would be the last time she saw that same face.
As the scissors made contact with her long hair, she clamped her eyes shut. She felt the tool hacking away and knew that this haircut was shorter than some of the boys hair. But this feeling was nothing compared to the shock she felt when she heard a soft buzzing sound next to her ear. As the cold metal touched her head, she knew there was going to be nothing left of her long hair. The girl took a deep breath and reminded herself that everyone else was going to look this way. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
[]Long post, But I tried to keep it as sort as possible. Everyone can post their own characters getting their hair cut. And YES everyone is going to be bald xD[]
Abbra’s expression was one of terror and she bobbed her head. Her silky hair bobbed slightly as she did. She would give anything to keep it. But begging wasn’t about to phase anybody. Raevynn was her angel as she decided as she tried to comfort her.” I guess.” She choked, a painfully large lump in her throat proved impossible to swallow. Abbra slipped a clammy hand inside Rae’s trying to steal some of her courage.
With leaden steps she sat herself beside Raevynn, wishing she could have stayed in the gym. Usually she was eager for missions, any chance to prove herself, she almost never fell behind, and Abbra usually conducted herself with skill, diligence and with good leadership. She heard Mendez’s sharp voice tear through the group, but it didn’t bring her out of the deep fog she was in. Girls were supposed to have hair. She was going to look like an ugly boy.
Abbra took up a seat beside Raevynn and refused to look into the mirror. She stared at her friend. Feeling the cold metal scissors cut up her self esteem. The sound of metal meeting after tearing her up was enough to make her sick. She slammed her eyes shut, shaking so much, after one minute a trainer snapped at her. His voice was so cold it burned in her ears. She turned her head to the ceiling and opened her eyes, searching for one small shred courage in the ceiling.
Abbra choked as the metal made contact with her skin. Her breath sounded so patchy and uneven it was as if the were cutting her skin with the razor instead of her hair. The curtain of dirty blonde hair puddle around her. It wasn’t fair. Abbra hunched over as the razor finished shaving the back of her head. Her eyes glared at the mirror. She was different. She was about to become a Spartan. But she knew something. That courage in the ceiling dropped into her hands. Abbra had just faced her biggest fear. There was nothing she had to loose. It was just another sacrifice, it was just another obstacle.
She ran her hand along her pale skull. It was smooth, and they had managed to not miss a single square inch. She licked her lips, which still remained small. While all her other features seemed to increase in size, her lips still remained pale pink, small and curvy. She turned to Raevynn who was finished as well. “That was actually [i]harder[i] than I thought it would be. But at least I know the mission won’t seem as difficult after following this.” She said amazed in herself. Amazed she was still saying something with the faintest hint of optimism. She probably sounded like an ass.
Lawrence walked out of the booth that he was assigned, saluting smartly.
Oh, jeez. he thought. Too weird. What the hell was I thinking? He ran a hand along his smooth head. Because his hair naturally was short and buzz-cut, the barber on duty had asked him whether he wanted to keep it that way or shave it.
Naturally, Lawrence had thought it was unfair for him to be let off while others had looked askance at the prospect of going close-shorn.
"Take it all off and give me a polish and sunglasses after." he said, smiling slightly.
"Affirmative." the barber said with a wolfish grin.
After he had stepped out with a pair of complimentary sunglasses, it felt like he had the top half of his skull immersed in cold water.
He pocketed the shades as he approached Abbra and Rae conversing. Neither seemed to be too happy; Abbra was downright miserable.
Both of them gaped at his shiny baldness as he approached.
Raevynn hopped down from the chair, looking at herself in the mirror as she did so. Her head felt so strange. The room seemed to have gotten alot colder, but she knew it was just her body heat escaping through the top of her head.
She stood there for nearly two minutes staring at her face. Her dark eyes were much more visible now, and she was amazed at how big they were. Raevynn puffed out her chest and forced a proud smile. Even though she was a little more upset than she had hoped for, she wasn't going to let it dampen her spirits.
"Well this is different." She replied, running a hand over the top of her head. Taking another breath she turned to face Abbra and Lawrence. "Even without hair you still look like a model, Abbra." She laughed.
Jumping into one of the seats, Parker screamed to one of the barbers "Hit me!" Like a drunk man in a bar. He just shut his eyes and hummed a tune while he felt clumps of his hair fall off. When it was done, he made a long whistle "Damn! I look good!" The barber chuckled and let him go.
Walking out to where everyone was waiting, he saw Lawrence with his shiny head shook his. "You are one lucky son of a.." He cut himself short and just chuckled. Though his head wasn't as shiny, it probably felt as cold. He would need to start wearing caps again to keep his head warm.
Abbra snorted, "Heh, my ass. I look about as masculine as Lawrence here. But you, well baldness suits you." She laughed half heartedly, still depressed about her lost hair, but it couldn't keep a small grin off her face. Everybody seemed to be taking the loss of hair with a grain of salt.
"Don't poke fun." Abbra said and lightly swatted the back of Laurence's head."I feel like I should be wearing a hat..." She said and ran her hand along the top of her head.
Originally posted by Ambience
Abbra snorted, "Heh, my ass. I look about as masculine as Lawrence here. But you, well baldness suits you." She laughed half heartedly, still depressed about her lost hair, but it couldn't keep a small grin off her face. Everybody seemed to be taking the loss of hair with a grain of salt."Don't poke fun." Abbra said and lightly swatted the back of Laurence's head."I feel like I should be wearing a hat..." She said and ran her hand along the top of her head.
Axel shook his head. Now that he was awake for some time, the pain had subsided. His armor was still full of holes however... One on his left shoulder, several on his legs and arms, and one particularly large one on the left center of his chest. A matching exit wound was marked on the back of his MJOLNIR as well. The suit still worked, amazingly, but it was far from air tight... And the power would run out soon. He'd talked with the Lt. There was still a suit here made for him... He sighed, it wouldn't be the same as the one he'd grown with the past parts of his life, but MJOLNIR was MJOLNIR, even if it made him more like the "Spartans" that were here on Reach.
As he entered the room, gazing at, and summing up, the Spartans the young man was torn between two personalities... When he was a kid, Axel was caring. He was nice, and looked out for others. He'd thought compassion, and companionship held people together. How could he beleive that now? He frowned... He'd practiced control, and discipline. The practice had worked... But in the past few months, he'd started showing signs of friendship...and every time he did something went wrong. Someone died, someone was hurt, something didn't get done. Reality was looking him in the eyes... Friendship, emotions... No matter how nice, still clouded judgement. He was bred to kill... He was a soldier. That was his job. His life. He closed his eyes for several seconds... That was what he was to become? He sighed. If that's what it meant to be a Spartan, if that's what his responsibility was, he couldn't do any less. His hands formed into fists, this used to be his family. But not any more. He'd lost every family he'd been in.. One way, or another.
He looked up at the "Spartans", if you could call them that. Confusion was in his mind... What the hell was wrong with these people? He'd seen the way they acted, talked... Like a bunch of unruly kids. The Lieutenant had briefed him quickly on how they'd grown... These soldiers were pathetic... He smiled faintly. They weren't soldiers, they were kids. They were still kids.
He didn't take another step forward. Instead of talking, like he set out to do, he turned and left the room without saying a word. Time waited for no one, and he had to get to training with Hasely's MJOLNIR if he wanted to perform his best.
Jacob didn't mind getting his head shaved. It was close enough as it was. Besides Jacob thought he looked better bald for some reason either way he didn't have nearly the trouble as the girls did.
Jacob thought that Abbra was about to cry. Oh well she would be fine. Perhaps Jacob give the hair a funeral for her later.
Walking over Jacob spotted Axel about to come in. Even now his eyes were as sharp as ever. axel was about to come in and looked torn but in the end Axel left without saying a word.
David walked into the room, and before taking a seat he took a deep breath. Saying nothing, he pulled his overall down, removing his skii glasses, and with no questions asked, the machine slid over his head serveral times, and shortly after his head was empty of hair. It went quick, and painless, and he did not notice much of a difference being balled. It turned slightly more chilly, which to him was a positive thing. He enjoyed chill, and as soon as the man who cut his hair was complete he gave the words and David got up from the chair.
He turned and looked into the mirror, and by that he shruged a little. The sight that was revealed to him was not very comfortable, as he really enjoyed his hair. He said nothing, and pulled the overall back up over his body. He grabbed his skii glasses and pulled the hood over his head to cover his baldness.
He was not happy, nor sad of what just happened, but got rather amused when he looked at the girls who did not like this at all. Malicious pleasure was nothing that was appreciated, and due the fact that David was a quiet and carefull boy it was not like him, but a grin covered his face. The girls was torn up when they lacked hair, and he covered his face with his arm to not reveal that he was actually laughing. "It is just hair, big deal" He thought to himself and watched the girls. He turned around facing the wall, with his back towards the rest of the group, to hide the fact that he was actually enjoying their suffering. With slight and quiet laughing sounds he leaned his head towards the wall, keeping his arm covering across the face.
Originally posted by Ambience
"I meant I looked like a guy, not that you looked like a girl." Abbra said with a giggle, not believing he had misinterpreted what she just said. "Oh my! Maybe you should have slept in yes?"
He was most definitely looking forward to the feel of a good old unyeilding gauntlet. If Mendez had said it was right about their agility and strength being boosted like never before, it would make even Lawrence, a runt, dangerous even when unarmed and in melee range.
He smiled dreamily, mentally picturing Abbra smashing her way through bloodied Covenant ranks with a stolen Gravity Hammer. The thought was comforting, even slightly arousing.
Spike looked around at everyone now leaving the barber shop his hair was in corn rolls so it didn't need to be cut so to trick everyone and the trainers he put on a dew rag that covered his head and made it look like he was bald but he only knowing that he really wasn't bald. Spike walked over to the others.
"Well that was fun now wasn't it now what is our next mission."
Spike said grinning because everyone but him got their hair cut and they didnt know about his still being the same he would never remove his dew rag for any reason because he would never lose his rolls but he had thought about how he would look like with out them but he liked them enough to keep them.
Abbra turned around and stared at Axel as he entered the room. It might have been rude to say aloud, but God he was in ruff shape. His armor was too, and it was supposed to be safe as houses. She arched an eyebrow, the only hair she virtually had left, in surprise. What the hell had he been doing? Did she really want to know? Would she even find out? She wouldn't even ask.
But unfortunately was not able to get to him before he vanished again. A frown spread across her face. This day so far had been so bitter sweet she couldn't decide if she liked it or not. Why did he leave? Of coarse it was some reason she didn't know about. But could he spare a few words? He hadn't seen them in years. He hadn't even said hello to her. The she remembered she hadn't said hello to him. Only a "So you remembered my name." It could quite easily be taken the wrong way. But that couldn't be it.
Abbra sighed and peered over her shoulder. She didn't feel like talking anymore. Everybody else in the room seemed to though. She looked around, finding David. She didn't recognize him, he looked quiet, he looked perfect. She stood beside him and slid her back down the wall. She hugged her knees to her chest and sighed. No hair, no Axel again. New armor, new mission. Abbra wondered if it was to early to judge, it was still early. But she was more than ready and willing to go to sleep. Why did today have so much in store for her?