Title: Anticipating
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: General
Length: 450ish words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Post!canon, Umi&Clef
Summary: “Do you actually own a hairbrush?”

oOo

“Do you actually own a hairbrush?”

Clef frowned into the mirror, not bothering to turn and look at Umi – he was running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to neaten it which was blatantly headed for failure, and her amusement wasn’t making him feel any better about it. “I own a hairbrush. It just makes it fluffier.”

Umi snorted, and he heard the rustle of her robes as she dropped into one of the chairs back out in the main room. “How about a comb, then?”

“Not much better,” he muttered, and ignored the fact that he hadn’t actually seen any of the several combs he owned in… perhaps a century? Perhaps longer. He had got into the habit of just running his fingers through his hair when it was wet to get rid of the worst tangles, and then his circlet kept it out of the way.

Until now.

“It’s just… weird,” he muttered, pulling a face at his own reflection. He’d hardly got used to being this tall again, and to be without his circlet was just… he felt naked in a way he hadn’t expected.

It was almost enough to quash his hopes that it might not be handed back to him during the course of the day.

“You’re the one who insisted that there be a new selection process for your job,” Umi reminded him, sounding far too amused by this. “The Guild would happily have confirmed you as Guru, but no, you insisted-“

“It seems as good a time as any for someone new to take on the role.”

“You know you’re probably going to end up Guru again by evening, right?” Umi asked, and he gave up on trying to sort his hair out to turn around and eye her, but…

He wasn’t going to mention his quiet hope of who might end up with the job by the end of the day. If Umi hadn’t worked out that as a resident and a confirmed, qualified member of the Guild she was in the running just as he was – well, if Cephiro decided a fresh voice was a good plan, then let Umi make her choice then without his having influenced her.

At least Umi being here to drag him along to the moot meant that she was definitely going to be there, too. If only to make fun of his hair, which seemed determined to flick out in all directions.

He grinned, suddenly, and watched her look of confusion with a great deal of amusement. Perhaps his hair wasn’t the only thing which would be going in unexpected directions today.

Clef was looking forward to finding out.