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Orion stumbled as they tried to get their footing after teleporting. He stood there for a few seconds to wait out the dizziness. He turned to see Caldarus sitting and reading one of the many scrolls he held onto.
“Good morning, Caldarus.”
“Oh, hello Orion. It's very nice to see you.” Caldarus smiled as Orion came closer. Now that the distance between them was smaller, however…
“Cal, what happened to your hair?” Orion asked, raising an eyebrow. Caldarus's hair was knotted and tangled with leaves and twigs. Orion even spotted a few blueberries in the mess along with what looked to be a ladybug.
“Ah…I…may have fallen into a bush…” Caldarus said sheepishly. “I attempted to fix it with my claws and a pine branch…it did very little.”
“Wait right here. I'll be back.” Orion turned around sharply and used the small statue to return to his farm. Only a few minutes later, he returned with a hairbrush in his hand. “Hold still.” Orion started to slowly work the brush through Caldarus's hair, picking out the twigs and insects as he went. “Sorry if it tugs. Your hair's in a bit of a state right now.”
“That's alright…it feels…nice.” Caldarus said. “You have very gentle hands, Orion. Is that from your experience with your animals?”
“Maybe. Though none of my animals have hair as long as yours.” Orion said. “It's very pretty…”
“Ah…thank you…” Caldarus felt his face grow hot. “Your hair is also quite beautiful…”
“I condition it regularly.” Orion said. “Speaking of…what is your hair care routine?” There was a tinge of concern in his voice. “You’ve been brushing with a pine branch, what in the world are you washing it with?”
“Does…hair need to be washed?”
“You haven’t been washing your hair!?” Orion sighed. “I’ll be back…again. While I’m gone, why don’t you start filling a bucket with water?”
“Cal, please hold still…”
“I apologise, Orion…the water is just a bit cold…”
“I’m almost done, it’ll only be a couple more minutes.” Orion took his time rising Caldarus’s hair after he finished washing it with soap and conditioner. “There. Now we can dry you off. I grabbed an extra fluffy towel just for you.” Orion started gently drying Caldarus’s hair. “How’s that feel?”
“Very nice…”
“Once it’s dry I’ll braid your hair for you. That should help keep it easier to maintain without chopping it off.” Orion said. He finished squeezing the water out of Caldarus’s hair and set the towel to the side before slowly starting to work on the braid. He pulled clumps of hair and started to twist them around each other. As he worked, Caldarus started to emit a low rumbling sound.
“Cal… Are you purring?”
“Hm? Oh, is that what humans call it?” Caldarus said. “It’s an autonomous response in dragons. One of contentment and pleasure. I believe mother dragons would produce such sounds to speed up the incubation of her eggs and promote good health in the hatchlings. Though…in this case…” Caldarus seemed a tad flustered. “It’s simply because it feels nice to have you braid my hair…”
“Cute.” Orion muttered under his breath.
“Did you say something?”
“It’s nothing. I’m almost finished. I just need to tie your hair off with a ribbon.”