The Hair Blush

<div class="titlepage">\ <img class="vignette" src="Title.png" alt="The Hair Blush" />\ <h2>A Sulkie Story</h2>\ by Sam Lewis Illustrations by Selene Beestinger\ [[Begin->Tears]]\ </div>

<img class="vignette" src="Barn.png" alt="An old barn." />\ <div class="chaptertitle">Chapter 1—Her Tears</div>\ Sulkie could hear someone crying, though she could not identify their location. If it were an ordinary day, she would simply allow the Great Path to guide her towards the sound, or away from it should it represent some danger.\ However, the Great Path was absent and had been for the last three days. Without its guidance, Sulkie could only wander aimlessly. It was frustrating and a little bit frightening; if there was a dangerous situation then she might not know what to do. She could take the usual precautions but that was no guarantee of her safety.\ Fortunately, she had not encountered any dangerous situations in the past few days, and had been able to wander in relative peace. She knew the Great Path would return eventually and take her hand once again.\ Presently, she found herself approaching a barn on the outskirts of a small village. The barn was abandoned, as was most of the village. Even such a well travelled road as the Trade Way had its winners and losers.\ The crying was [[getting louder->Concern]].

Sulkie was nervous.\ It all came down to the identity of the crier, and the reasons for their crying. There were many possibilities, and Sulkie could only rely on luck to navigate them successfully. Talking to other people was like trying to escape a maze, and she had never understood mazes.\ Nevertheless, her curiosity had to be satisfied, so she continued to wander in hopes of finding the individual in question. The barn was an obvious location to check, but Sulkie decided not to presume.\ Her wandering took her to-and-fro, and the sound of sobbing shifted from one ear to another. She supposed that this was how other people must find their way about. How else could it be done?\ Eventually, she settled on a direction and [[crept closer->Closer]].

The sobbing was indeed coming from inside the barn.\ Sulkie quietly entered and hid herself behind a bale of hay, careful not to make a sound. She waited as her eyes adjusted to the dark; another natural cycle that she had to take account of.\ From her new vantage point, she could see a small girl crouched over in the corner, facing away from the entrance. Sulkie now had no doubts that the girl was indeed the source of the crying.\ Briefly, she allowed herself the satisfaction of having found the girl without any help. She indulged in a smile, before shaking her head and concentrating on the [[scene in front of her->The Scene]].

The girl was short. Shorter even than Sulkie. To anyone else she might haved looked like a child, but Sulkie knew better. The nature of the girl's voice gave away her Halfling heritage.\ It wasn't unheard of to meet a Halfling on the Trade Way, but they weren't a common sight outside of the larger towns. Sulkie had never actually met someone like herself while travelling, though she had seen them from a distance.\ Feeling a little calmer, she relaxed the grip on her knife.\ The girl had black hair, which Sulkie liked. It was something else they had in common, although it was very curly and big in comparison to Sulkie's own straight and short hair.\ Sulkie had been able to avoid alerting the girl to her presence in the barn, but a thought drifted into her mind: what if she were to [[speak up->Presence]]?

Sulkie was very quiet when she wanted to be. She had no doubt that she could avoid being seen by the girl as long as she wanted.\ The question was whether she needed to hide at all. After all, the girl didn't seem dangerous. On the contrary: she seemed quite sad, and Sulkie knew that sad people sometimes got better when they had someone to talk to.\ Sulkie gathered her courage. She wanted to talk to the halfling girl even if it was a dangerous idea. She could always defend herself with the knife if necessary. There was no real threat that she couldn't face. She waited a moment in case the Great Path appeared to stop her, but it didn't.\ Sulkie [[stepped out->Introductions]] from her hiding spot.

"Hello there," she said.\ The girl instantly lept to her feet and pulled out a small stick, which she brandished at Sulkie as though it were a weapon, which it clearly wasn't.\ "Who are you?" she yelled. "What do you want?"\ Sulkie was not afraid, and she didn't flinch at the girl's sudden aggression. Instead, she crouched down and put her finger in the dirt. She carefully traced out a circle around herself.\ The girl hesitated. "What are you doing?" she asked.\ "What does it look like I'm doing?" said Sulkie.\ "What's your name?"\ "Sulkie."\ The girl sniffed and put the stick away. She walked over and quite deliberately stepped on the circle Sulkie had drawn. She scuffed the dirt until the circle was well and truly broken.\ "You're such a liar, Selene," she said.\ She sniffed again. Clearly, she was trying to hold back her tears, though it [[wasn't working->Liar]] very well.

"How did you know my real name?" said Sulkie.\ "Magic."\ Sulkie clambered to her feet and dusted herself off. She was a bit upset at the fate of her circle but she decided to let it go.\ "I don't believe in magic," she said.\ "Then why were you inscribing a ward?"\ Sulkie only looked at her with a blank expression.\ "Were you," the girl looked back in confusion, "just drawing an ordinary circle?"\ Sulkie didn't answer. Instead, she marched towards the entrance of the barn before suddenly swinging around and putting her hands on her hips.\ "I love to draw, but I'm not very good yet." She pointed at the girl triumphantly. "What's your name?"\ The girl was baffled, but she spoke up.\ "Renee Bellerose."\ "You're a liar too," said Sulkie. "Your name is Nene; that's what I just decided."\ Renee let out a small laugh. It was a nice laugh and Sulkie was glad to hear it. Sometimes doing something unexpected was the right course of action. [[She smiled->New Friend]].

"Why were you crying, Nene?"\ "I wasn't crying."\ "Yes, you were. I can still see the tears on your face."\ Renee wiped a hand across her cheeks and turned away. Sulkie walked around until she could see the side of Renee's face. Renee didn't say anything.\ "Tell me," said Sulkie.\ Renee gave Sulkie a glance, her face still stained with tears. Her lips trembled and her arms went limp. Sulkie was surprised to feel a twinge of empathy as their eyes met; she felt a connection that she didn't quite understand.\ "It's a family matter. You wouldn't care," she said.\ The tone of her voice was gentle, and invited Sulkie's questions more than the words resisted them.\ Sulkie did not know why, but she was finding much it easier to talk to Renee than expected. She thought that if everyone else spoke merely in sounds, Renee must be speaking in colours. It was a new experience, and without the guiding hand of the Great Path she felt compelled to explore it.\ "[[Tell me->A Family Matter]]," said Sulkie.

<img class="vignette" src="Renee.png" alt="Renee has dark skin and curly black hair." />\ <div class="chaptertitle">Chapter 2—A Family Matter</div>\ Renee took some time to compose herself. When she was feeling more comfortable, she invited Sulkie to join her outside the barn. She found a comfortable patch of ground next to the wall and indicated that Sulkie should sit next to her, which she did.\ It was midafternoon and the Sun was warm and inviting. An untended field stretched out in front of them before being met by a sparse wood in the distance. The rusted and abandoned farm equipment was one of the few reminders that this place did not always belong to nature.\ They sat together for a time without speaking. Sulkie did not often engage in conversations, so she was used to long stretches of silence. Indeed, she gave no outward indication of restlessness at all and occupied herself by passively observing the movement of ants on the ground.\ Renee was evidently less comfortable with the awkward silence between them, so she was the first to [[speak up->Speak Up]].

"I'm not a very good wizard," she said.\ "Should you be?"\ Renee threw Sulkie an exasperated look and raised her voice slightly. "According to my family, yes. It's all they're interested in."\ Sulkie, for her part, was satisfied with the answer and waited patiently for Renee to continue speaking.\ "I study really, very hard and I do my utmost but it's never enough. I just can't wrap my head around it."\ This time Renee was expecting the interruption.\ "Do you want to be a good wizard?"\ "I like magic," Renee answered, "but not as much as they do."\ Sulkie turned her head upwards in thought. She considered Renee's words carefully before speaking, clearly trying to navigate her way through the logic.\ "Are you crying because you're a bad wizard?"\ Renee was momentarily taken aback. The question was so innocent; there was a purity in how precisely it managed to miss the mark. It was as if Sulkie had drawn a circle around the truth [[without touching it->Deeper]].

"No, that's not why," said Renee.\ "Then what?"\ Renee sighed and stood up, brushing herself off. The stress of the conversation was taking its toll. Sulkie mirrored her in standing up, but made no other moves and did not inquire further.\ "Will you walk with me, Sulkie?"\ "If you like."\ The pair set out from the barn at a slow pace. Renee led the way, though she had no destination in mind. The wind was low, and the field was quiet but for the sounds of distant birds and insects.\ As they walked the perimeter of the field, Renee kept sneaking glances at Sulkie. Sulkie took note of every glance, but did not return them. She was too busy counting their steps as they walked, making sure to match [[Renee's pace->Feel Better]].

Renee considered her words. There was no particular reason she should want to be understood, except that being understood was so rare. If someone like Sulkie listened to her, it might help.\ "My parents don't understand how difficult magic is for me. They think I don't study enough."\ "But you do study hard."\ "That's right, but they don't believe me. They think I'm wasting time learning nonsense spells."\ "I don't think I get it."\ "Some spells are easier for me to learn, so I study them in my spare time. I don't feel useless when I practice them, unlike my regular studies."\ Sulkie considered this new information. Magic didn't make much sense to her, but she felt like she understood what Renee was describing; it felt [[curiously familiar->Familiar]].

<img class="vignette" src="Spellbook.png" alt="An old and worn spellbook." />\ <div class="chaptertitle">Chapter 3—Get It Back</div>\ Renee was shocked at Sulkie's proclamation. She had not even considered that Sulkie might be willing to help her; it didn't seem like something a stranger would offer to do. She wiped new tears from her face.\ "You would help me?" she said.\ "I'm not doing anything else."\ Renee put her hand on Sulkie's shoulder and turned her around so the two of them were face to face. Sulkie did not resist.\ "I don't understand." said Renee. "Why would you help me?"\ "You need help and I can help."\ "But I'm nobody to you. You know nothing about me."\ "I know you're Nene Bellerose from Cormyr and you study hard. You want to be a good wizard but your parents punished you for not being good enough."\ "But I could be lying."\ Sulkie shook her head. There was no question in her mind that Renee was telling the truth; Sulkie had learned the colours of Renee's speech and dishonesty was [[not among them->Honesty]].

"You see, Selene—"\ "Sulkie."\ "My apologies, Sulkie. You see, the Bellerose family, my family, is quite well know for our magic."\ Sulkie gave her a curious look.\ "I've never heard of Bellerose before," she said.\ "Yes, well, quite." Renee was clearly flustered. "I suppose we're not well known everywhere, but we do have a reputation."\ "Is that bad?"\ "Not as such, no."\ Sulkie was curious, but she did not press Renee with more questions. Instead, she simply waited; it was the infinite patience of someone who has suddenly found all the time in the world.\ "Perhaps you should tell me something of your own life," suggested Renee. "After all, I don't even know why I should trust you."\ Sulkie picked up a stick and started drawing another circle in the dirt, only much smaller this time. The caution she usually carried with her was [[nowhere to be found->No Caution]].

"I have no family," she said. "I come from the East."\ Renee put her hand on the ground to steady herself. She leaned forward and stared into the earth apologetically.\ "I'm so sorry," she said.\ Sulkie waved her hand dismissively. She was not ashamed of her life and sought no sympathy from strangers. There was no reason to pine for a different past; she was proud of her journey.\ "Where do you come from, Nene?"\ "I also come from the East. Cormyr, specifically."\ "I don't know it."\ "Do you remember much of your own home?"\ "I remember a village. A river. My house and my mama," said Sulkie. "There's not much else worth remembering."\ Renee reached over and put her hand on top of Sulkie's. Sulkie did not react, except to stop her drawing. Renee searched her face for any signs of sadness, but there was nothing.\ Renee sighed and the pair lapsed into [[another silence->Comfort]].

Renee took her hand away and allowed Sulkie to resume her drawing, which was steadily becoming more complicated; circles were appearing inside other circles.\ "You know, Sulkie," said Renee after some time had passed, "you don't have to tell me anything."\ Sulkie's drawing slowed and stopped.\ "But I'll listen if you change your mind," said Renee.\ "There's nothing to tell, Nene."\ "Of course, it's as you say."\ Sulkie tossed her stick away and turned to face Renee. Her face was now filled with a new determination, her eyes narrowed.\ "I think you should tell me why you were crying now."\ Renee looked back at her, but hesitated before speaking.\ "If you'd really like to know, I suppose I can explain," she said at last, "but you must listen carefully."\ Sulkie's eyes looked directly into her and did not waver in the slightest. Another moment of silence passed before she [[began to speak->Awkward]].

"Did they punish you?"\ "Yes, they took my spellbook away from me and sold it. They said I had to forget my nonsense spells and start over."\ "Who did they sell it to?"\ Renee stopped and looked curiously at Sulkie. She seemed to be wondering why Sulkie would be interested. Was it the innocent question of a child, or had Sulkie had already met the new owner of the book? The possibility was too much for Renee to resist.\ "Why do you ask?"\ "I'll get it back," said Sulkie.\ The answer was quick and unreserved. Sulkie's bluntness in this moment seemed to have struck a chord deep in Renee's heart. It was so much that she froze in place and almost began to [[cry again->Get It Back]].

"I don't know what to say, Sulkie," said Renee.\ "Tell me who has your book and where they are."\ "You're not going to hurt them are you?"\ "Only if you say so."\ As she spoke, Sulkie slowly drew the knife hidden in her sleeve, just far enough to make the blade visible. Renee recoiled at the sight of the knife.\ "I'd rather you didn't," said Renee.\ Sulkie shrugged and tucked the knife safely back into her sleeve.\ "My parents sold the book to the Olivier family," said Renee. "They're another magic family like mine."\ "Oh, I see," said Sulkie, who didn't.\ "The Oliviers have many daughters, and my parents think they would make better use of my book."\ "Rude."\ Renee suddenly grabbed Sulkie's hands and held them tight.\ "Oh, Sulkie. Will you help me, truly?"\ Sulkie nodded calmly, and Renee could not help but [[smile->Her Smile]].

"The Oliviers and my family are travelling together. We're even staying at the same inn," said Renee.\ "Then I should break in and rescue the book."\ "Perhaps, but you should at least look as though you belong. It would be no good if you were chased out."\ Sulkie had been in similar situations in the past and remembered them now. For some reason or another, people were never glad to see her inside their buildings and often chased her out. She supposed that they must be afraid of her.\ "Yes," she said, "that would be annoying."\ "I have an idea, but you have to trust me."\ "I do trust you, Nene." It was true.\ Renee looked deep into Sulkie's eyes and tightened her grip on Sulkie's hands. Sulkie replied with her own intense gaze.\ "I mean it. You have to trust me all the way."\ "I said [[I trust you->Trust]]."

Renee smiled a wide smile.\ "You know, Sulkie," she said, "you remind me of little Elise Olivier, only your hair is not the right colour."\ She let go of Sulkie's hands and reached up to brush her hair instead. Sulkie tilted her head slightly, but didn't recoil. With her other hand, Renee drew the stick she had waved at Sulkie when they first met.\ "What are you doing?" said Sulkie.\ "Only a little adjustment."\ "Will it hurt?" Sulkie closed her eyes.\ "No."\ "How do you know?"\ "Because I use this spell all the time."\ Sulkie felt something touch her hair, then started to lose her balance as a feeling of lightheadedness washed over her. She reached out and grabbed the first thing she could find, which happened to be [[Renee's arm->Transform]].

<img class="vignette" src="Mirror.png" alt="Sulkie's face appears in the mirror, her hair is bright red." />\ <div class="chaptertitle">Chapter 4—The Blush</div>\ Sulkie looked up at Renee, who was still grinning in satisfaction at her work. Sulkie, for her part, wore a dumbfounded expression on her face.\ "I look like a fool," she said.\ "You look like an Olivier," replied Renee, "but the two are as near as makes no difference." She started laughing, but put her hand gently on Sulkie's shoulder to reassure her.\ Sulkie did not know how to react.\ "It's not forever; I'll change it back when we're done," Renee said in-between giggles, "your natural colour is much nicer."\ Sulkie wasn't entirely pleased with the transformation, but Renee seemed to understand the appeal of black hair well enough, so Sulkie decided to keep trusting her for now.\ "You can keep the mirror. I have another that matches it, and you may speak into it if you wish."\ "A way to remember you?"\ "Well, I certainly hope I'm worth remembering."\ Sulkie closed the compact mirror and slipped it carefully into one of her pockets. Renee let a shy smile spread across her face.\ "Perhaps I should explain my idea [[in detail->Renee's Idea]]."

"Steady now," said Renee, "I'm almost done."\ "I don't feel so good."\ "You're doing very well."\ As quickly as it had begun, the feeling vanished. Sulkie gingerly opened her eyes and looked around. Renee stepped back and smiled at her.\ "Not bad at all," she said.\ "What's not bad?"\ "Take a look."\ Renee pulled a small round device out of her pocket and handed it to Sulkie, who did not know what to do with it. Renee indicated that she should open it. Inside the device was a small mirror, and inside the mirror was Sulkie's face. Her hair had changed colour from black to [[bright red->The Blush]].

The pair began to make their way back to the barn. Renee walked with a little spring in her step, clearly excited at the prospect of having her spellbook returned.\ "It's a large, leather-bound volume with pictures of the Sun and Moon on the cover," Renee explained.\ "I will recognise that," said Sulkie, "but what if there are other books with the same pictures?"\ Renee considered this for a moment. It was certainly possible that the Oliviers might have many spell books with a similar design to her own. Wizards could be very predictable sometimes.\ "There's a short paragraph on the inside cover; 'This book is the property of Renee Bellerose,'" she said, "but it's written in old Luiric script. Can you read it?"\ "I can't read," said Sulkie.\ "I don't blame you. My parents insist that I write in it, even though most everyone speaks the common tongue these days."\ Renee thought to herself for a moment. "There is another way," she said after a short while. "I drew a picture of myself on one of the pages. I'm not a very good artist, but I suspect it will be recognisable enough."\ Sulkie grinned and nodded. "Drawing is fun, even when you're not very good yet. I will find your book, Nene. I am very good at finding things; [[I found you->Finding Things]]."

Renee blushed and coughed to cover her embarrassment. She looked over at Sulkie, but saw only a childish grin.\ "You're a very kind person, Sulkie," she said.\ Once again, Sulkie was oblivious as to how she should react, and so she chose to stay quiet. It was very unusual for her to have such a long and involved conversation.\ What was even more unusual was the connection that seemed to be forming between herself and Renee. Sulkie felt a pang somewhere inside her heart and didn't know what to make of it. It certainly didn't feel like the Great Path, and she could percieve no coincidence of natural cycles that might be responsible.\ "There are still some hours left in the day," said Renee. "I think it better if we proceed as quickly as possible to the inn. I should like to retrieve the book before the Oliviers retire for the night, otherwise we may get into trouble."\ Renee was going over the details of the plan as they walked, though she was talking to herself as much as she was to Sulkie.\ "Of course, you mustn't wear your hat," she said.\ "What's wrong with my hat?"\ "Nothing, please don't misunderstand," said Renee. "It's very charming, but little Elise doesn't have anything like it."\ Renee slowed her pace for a moment. She spoke softly.\ "You should know that you don't have to help me," she said. "I'll understand if you [[don't want to->Second Thoughts]]."

Sulkie shook her head.\ "I said I would help you and that's what I'm going to do."\ Renee smiled, but didn't say anything. It was a long while before either of them spoke again.\ They arrived at the barn in silence, and then made their way up to the old farmhouse. The worn path was nearly reclaimed by nature, but Sulkie and Renee both knew where it was. The shadows of old fence posts stretched out in front of them as midday turned into afternoon, and Renee could not bear the silence any longer.\ "I wonder if my parents are looking for me," she said.\ "Should we hide from them?"\ "I don't think it's necessary," said Renee. "My parents are never too eager to see me. I doubt they would even notice if I ran away for good, so long as a straw dummy sat at my desk. They could chastise it for failing to learn spells."\ "I ran away from my home."\ Renee was surprised, but she didn't speak for fear of interrupting. Sulkie, however, did not elaborate.\ Renee decided to [[change the subject->Change The Subject]].

"Now, Sulkie," she said, "you absolutely must remember which room to investigate. You won't have much time."\ "Have you told me? I don't remember."\ "My apologies. I was so concerned with impressing upon you the importance of remembering that I forgot to say what it is you should remember," said Renee. "I'm sorry if I confused you."\ Sulkie shook her head. "You did confuse me, but I don't mind. There is danger so you're probably just nervous."\ "Perhaps I am, Sulkie. Yes, it seems likely."\ "So, which room do I need to investigate?"\ Renee took a deep breath. "The Oliviers are staying in rooms six, seven, and eight. Focus on room seven, as that is where Elise and her sisters are staying."\ "Room seven," said Sulkie, "I will remember it because it's important. Where is room seven?"\ "Between rooms six and eight," Renee said with a wink, "if the innkeeper has any sense."\ Sulkie knew her numbers, but she didn't always remember how they were written. She decided not to tell Renee; there would be other ways of finding room seven. She would think of something while [[they walked->The Road]].

After a few more minutes of walking, the pair came upon the main road that passed through the centre of the village, and took cover behind a large bush.\ Like most small settlements, this village had always depended on its main road. For many years it held the distinction of being a key waystation on the Trade Way, before careless surveyors in the South made some relatively minor adjustments to their measurements and completely bypassed it.\ Local businesses like the inn would not last longer than the memories of travellers who had passed this way before, and then only if they could still find it on their faded maps.\ Renee pointed to the inn across the way. "There it is, Sulkie. It's called the Stout Kingsman."\ Sure enough, a sign hung above the door bearing the image of a jolly soldier drinking heavily.\ "I'm sure it was nice enough in its day, but it's showing its age. The owner must be over one hundred years old."\ "Should I go in now?" asked Sulkie.\ "Give your hat to me, and then you may."\ Sulkie was reluctant, but she eventually removed her blue hat and handed it to Renee, who took it gingerly into her arms.\ "Don't worry, Sulkie. I'll take care of it for you."\ "And I will find your book."\ Sulkie looked around for any signs of danger, but she saw and heard nothing. Even the wind was still. Across the road, the front door of the Stout Kingsman was [[waiting for her->Crossing The Road]].

Sulkie crept out from behind the bush, and made her way across the road. She was light on her feet when she needed to be, and barely made a sound.\ When she reached the other side, Sulkie looked back across the road to see Renee giving her an encouraging wave. Sulkie gave a hurried gesture to indicate that Renee should conceal herself in the bush before anyone spotted her. Fortunately, Renee got the message and sat back down.\ Sulkie patted the dirt off her jacket and imagined what kind of people the Oliviers were. Acting was one of Sulkie's special skills, and she was very good at affecting the mannerisms of different people. Renee had not described the Oliviers, but Sulkie guessed that they were well-mannered, but with a healthy dose of self-importantance. She modified her body language accordingly.\ With a little bit of swagger, Sulkie pushed open the door of [[the Stout Kingsman->The Stout Kingsman]] and walked inside.

<img class="vignette" src="Kingsman.png" alt="The sign of the Stout Kingsman depicts a jolly soldier and a tankard of ale." />\ <div class="chaptertitle">Chapter 5—The Stout Kingsman</div>\ When Sulkie opened the door, a bell sounded from elsewhere in the building. Looking up, Sulkie could see an unusual contraption which seemed to relay the motion of the door to another room via a piece of thread attached to the ceiling.\ The rest of the room was less impressive to Sulkie's eyes. Although the sign outside promised drinks, the interior seemed ill-equipped to fulfill that promise. Many years ago it might have been a bustling tavern, but now the tables and chairs were stacked against a wall as if besieged by an onslaught of dust and cobwebs. The bar itself had been repurposed as a reception desk.\ To be continued...