Writing prompt---Lial and hair accessories

Sweet, this is a bit of Rosegarden I needed to write eventually anyway. It fits into Lial's early emancipation sequence.

develop-your-oc

Which OC wears hair accessories?

running-dog:

Lial stepped out onto the staff balcony, into the sun, and the net of tiny crystals worked into her long hair seemed to ignite into pale-yellow fire. Her white robe was of the simplest cut, but Zela blinked at the unlikely marvel that she’d made of her already eye-catching tresses.

Zela realized she was staring, returned herself to appropriate distance, but didn’t grudge signing ‘impressive’ into their shared context. Valerai was still staring, but in a different way, her expression a thoughtful, head-cocked perplexity not at all unlike the wolfhound standing quietly beside her, as though trying to understand rather than admire what she was seeing.

The jeweled net worked part of Lial’s hair into an interlocking spiral that began at her temples, made a tight coil down the back of her neck, and spilled in scintillation down her back. A faceted stone of clear yellow glittered at her brow. It was the same bright, clear yellow as her eyes, and it was to this Valerai looked askance.

Lial’s usual regal distance had a different quality as she stared calmly into the middle distance, her expression an absence framed by the intricate crystals, and Valerai scrutinized her in the way her dog sniffed the air, trying to understand.

“Will it impress the audience?” She spoke with the inflection of one who had been taught late how inflection was meant to work in human language. In-city formal, and now Zela thought she understood the Yls-vel accent—God.

“Ought to,” shrugged Zela. “Hey Valerai, you’re staring. Nice hair. Come on, we’d better get out there.”