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“I didn’t see you at the last Tarot Card Club meeting.” Fors Wall hummed, having randomly appeared in the Angel of Concealment’s dwelling whilst he spent his days in Bayam investigating a matter for the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
“Yes, as you can see I am drowning in work.” The Star sighed, a helpless smile on his face as he sorted through tufts of paper on his desk. “Was there a matter that required my attention?”
“No, but I just thought I’d drop by for fun.” Fors turned to the wannabe poet, cheekily scrunching her nose as she twirled a pen in her hand. “There’s something different about you today, I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Is that your roundabout way of telling me that my haircut looks bad?”
“No. I wouldn’t say that it looks bad.” Fors scoffed, a smirk tugging onto the corner of her mouth after Leonard shot a skeptical brow her way. “I just think… It’ll take some time for me to get used to, you know?”
“Is it that bad? I thought I looked quite dashing. Some of the Goddess’ believers said that I look even younger now that I’ve cut it all off.”
“Hmm, I can see your face better now that all of your hair is out of your face, but you’d even look good in rags. I’d say it looks good, but I prefer you with long hair. I’d be willing to argue that there were demonesses that would have killed for hair as beautiful as yours.”
“They’ve certainly killed for less.” Leonard furrowed his brows, his eyes flickering towards the mirror as he gave himself a quick once over. “Is there a reason you want to talk about my haircut? Has it inspired a new book?”
“I think it has.” The author smiled as she took a turn about the room. “Does Gehrman know that you’ve cut your hair?”
“No. It’s not like I have to tell him about every time my hair meets a blade.”
“Hmph, if you say so.” The woman sang, stopping once she stood beside the poet, resting one hand on Leonard’s desk as she held a pen to the ends of his hair. “What made you decide to cut it this short? I don’t think your hair has ever been at your neck ever since we’ve met.”
“Klein keeps saying that my hair is too long, that it’s messy and it’s always in my face.” Leonard explained, moving boxes as an excuse to quickly step aside now that Fors was in his personal space. “I gave it some thought, and ultimately agreed with him.”
“Did it really require thought? I think you just cut it because he said so.”
Fors had a cheeky grin on her face, setting the pen down and leaning forward on the desk now that she had caught Leonard in a lie.
“Trust me, I understand Leonard. As an author, I often have to think about how both sides feel when writing a romance. He tells you to cut your hair, you think cutting it will make him favor you more. I totally get it!”
“That’s- I didn’t cut it so Klein would like me more. It’s not like that. Klein probably won’t even notice that I got it cut.”
“Mr. Star!” Fors cried out, practically stomping as she followed Leonard throughout his hotel suite. “There is no way he wouldn’t notice! If I might be so bold, before you cut your hair, the length of your hair could rival Xio’s height!”
“I think I might just tell her you said that-”
“Don’t you dare- I have good and pure intentions here, Leonard!” Fors hollered, having teleported and forcing Leonard to quickly turn on his heels and begin walking the other direction just to avoid her.
“So what? Klein notices that I cut my hair. It won’t be a big deal!”
“Leonard, I really thought you were different from the rest.” Fors sighed, massaging her temple as the poet dramatically rolled his eyes. “However, at the end of the day, you are still a man. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.”
“Are you done?”
“No! You’re supposed to tell me that you cut your hair because you want Klein to say it looks nice! You want to hear him say that it suits you!” Fors complained, almost mocking Leonard as she intentionally used the name The Star found most familiar. “Just say it outloud, it’ll feel good.”
“For you or for me?”
“The truth is liberating. Trust me, once you accept the truth you’ll experience great satisfaction from acknowledging your true feelings vocally to a friend such as myself!”
“I see, I’ll contact Miss. Justice and schedule a session with her, thank you for your concern.”
“Leonard! I am here now, you can tell me.” Fors dropped her pen and grabbed the man’s hands, clasping them within her own as she gave the man a cunning grin. “I’m here for you, I support you even if I don’t really understand what the appeal is-”
“I cut my hair because Klein told me to. Are you satisfied?”
“Hardly!”
~~~
“You know, my life has been pretty boring lately. I think I need a change of pace.” Fors sighed, leisurely lounging on a couch that Klein summoned in the space of the gray fog.
Now that the members of the Tarot Card Club were so busy running the Church of the Fool, the Major Arcana’s weekly meetings turned monthly while a more casual gathering would be held every week for those who were available.
Since these gatherings were completely optional, the present members changed every week and this time around only Klein, Fors, Emlyn, and Audrey were present.
“If you would like more work, you only need to ask.” Klein smirked, opting to use the face of Klein Moretti in these casual gatherings, which was often a huge appeal to the rest of the members of the Tarot Card Club that wanted to get to know the real man behind The Fool and The World.
“I didn’t mean like that! I meant it in a small way. I was thinking of cutting my hair.” Fors explained, forcing herself to sit back even if she wanted to sit on the edge of her seat. “I don’t think it would suit me though, right?”
“Depending on the way you style it, I think a haircut is a good way to add some variety in your life. If you need ideas, I have a lot of practice doing hair.” Emlyn spoke up, the silent disclaimer that his experience solely came from his hobby of maintaining his collection of dolls going unspoken as Fors weakly grinned.
“I think it would look cute, it might make you look younger. Why are you focused on your hair specifically? Are you tired of your current look?” Audrey asked, genuinely curious, but with her spectator abilities she already knew that Fors had some tricks up her sleeve.
“I’ve just been thinking about experimenting with different looks. Klein, you understand don’t you? All of your different personas have their own individual styles.”
“Yes, but most of them are designed based on what I needed at the time. Like Dwayne is handsome because I needed him to be a charming tycoon in order to form connections to Loenese nobility and the military.”
“Do you think Dwayne is handsome or is he just generically handsome?”
“I based him off of someone dear to me… so I’d say I find him handsome as well.” Klein gave it some deep thought, Audrey’s eyes softening how Klein’s tone suddenly turned into one of reminiscence.
“Is he your type?”
“Dwayne?” Klein choked, coughing on his sweet iced tea, as Audrey hid a knowing smile behind her teacup. “No, I don’t fancy men. What made you think that?”
“I had lots of reasons to believe that you preferred men to women.” Fors shrugged, trying to keep it cool whilst her thoughts spiraled as she began to think about how she should break the news to the Light upon the Beacon of Destiny.
“Really? If he liked men, then I’m certain he would have had feelings for me. As a sanguine-”
“If you knew what Leonard was like when I first met him, then you would know exactly why I didn’t like you.”
“Really? Well, you liked Emlyn enough to invite him to your secret gatherings.” Fors shot back, slapping Emlyn’s shoulder as the sanguine grimaced in pain and began to rub his arm.
“I thought of Emlyn as a friend, and I already had one annoying pretty boy in my life. I wasn’t exactly trying to build a roster.” Klein scoffed, giving further clarification as Fors began to question if Leonard would be willing to hold a funeral procession for his hair that had been sacrificed for no good reason.
“Right… you weren’t trying to build a roster and yet both Emlyn and Leonard ended up in your secret gathering.” Fors spoke her thoughts outloud, turning to Audrey with a look of complete disbelief as the blonde merely shrugged.
“By your logic, am I in love with all the men in the Tarot Card Club?”
“I never said that! But, can you blame me? Even as Dwayne Dantes, who saw every woman as a possible partner, you never officially courted anyone! Don’t you agree that’s suspicious behavior?”
“I was more focused on handling important mystical matters! Romance wasn’t exactly in the forefront of my mind. Where did you even get the idea that I favored men?”
“You had all those private conversations with Leonard, I found it suspicious, especially after Leonard was tasked with writing poems about you.”
“Leonard makes everything seem gay, that’s not my fault.”
“I didn’t know Leonard was gay.” Emlyn furrowed his brows, turning to Audrey as the blonde let out a tired sigh.
“I think we’ve strayed too far from the original topic, should we go back to talk about what you should do with your hair?” Audrey swiftly ended the conversation about The Star. “How short were you thinking of cutting it?”
“Thank you for asking, I was thinking of getting a bob. I was inspired by Leonard to get a haircut, but his hair is now far too short for my tastes- I don’t want to look boyish.”
“Hold on- What did Leonard do? Did he cut his hair or did he tell you to cut your hair?” Klein cut off Miss.Magician, ignoring the grin that appeared on the woman’s face at his question.
“Ah- I think I understand everything now. ” Audrey sighed with a tired smile, occasionally letting out a short laugh as she gave the topic more thought.
“If Leonard cut his hair, do you know what he did with all of the hair? If he has no use for it, I could turn the hair into wigs for my doll collection-“
“No, I think we misunderstood- Leonard would never cut his hair, he’s been growing it out for as long as I’ve known him.”
~~~
“Well…. Hello, Klein… and everyone else.”
“I wouldn’t say he looks boyish, but he certainly looks younger. Still, he looks very handsome. He could certainly pass for a model.” Audrey spoke first, pleasantly surprised by Mr.Star’s new look. “Leonard, is there perhaps a more spacious area all of us could converse in? I’m afraid your makeshift office isn’t suitable for the five of us.”
“The living room is right outside the door, but why are you all here?”
“The topic of hair came up during our casual discussion, and Fors mentioned that you recently cut your hair.” Emlyn explained, examining the Angel of Concealment very closely before letting out a content hum. “When she said it was short, I didn’t think she meant this short. I’d say that your looks are now on par with that of the sanguine.”
“Thank you?” Leonard smiled awkwardly, leading the group into the living space of his hotel suite. “I wasn’t expecting guests so I don’t have any food, but feel free to order room service.”
“It’s so short.” Klein’s tone sounded as if he had experienced the loss of a loved one rather than having made a simple observation. “Is the Goddess aware that you’ve cut your hair?”
The room went silent as Leonard tilted his head in confusion, his eyes flickering towards Fors and Audrey as both women avoided his gaze with small smirks present on their faces.
“I guess so? I have prayed to her several times since having cut it-”
“I suppose it’s a good thing I told you I was considering cutting my hair. I didn’t realize it was a matter that required your permission.” Fors sang, throwing herself onto the couch before picking up the room service menu and flipping through it leisurely.
“I wasn’t either. Do you need to know every time we shave as well?” Emlyn furrowed his brows, rubbing his jaw as Klein’s eyes twitched.
“Did you leave your brain back in Sefirah?” Klein asked as Emlyn immediately put his hand down and shook his head.
“I think Klein is asking because the Darkness pathway has abilities that are tied to their hair.” Audrey stood up for Klein, knowing Fors was messing with the God while Emlyn was genuinely asking an innocent question. “Therefore, Leonard must be the only one that requires Klein’s permission in order to cut his hair.”
“What? No. Leonard does not need my permission to get a haircut, I’m just shocked.” Klein cut in, staring back at the poet that almost seemed unrecognizable to Klein without his long hair.
With short hair, Leonard’s facial features were perfectly visible. From his sharp jaw to his beautiful sparkling green eyes. Even though his long hair that threatened to fall past his waist often caught the attention of anyone walking by, his face would certainly still hold the same effect.
Leonard looked so annoyingly handsome. He looked less like a desultory romantic poet and more like one of those idols in a boy band that girls went crazy over every time they dyed their hair a different color.
Still, in Klein’s opinion, Leonard looked better with long hair.
‘Why do I even care what this guy does with his hair? It’s none of my business.’
“Did all four of you just come here to gawk at my hair?”
“Of course! I told them that your haircut was so inspirational that I want to get a haircut of my own.” Fors smirked, teleporting to Leonard’s side, catching the Angel of Concealment off guard as she ran her hand through the man’s short hair. “You know, your hair looks so sexy pushed back. Klein, will you please tell him that his hair looks sexy pushed back?”
“What?” Leonard’s voice cracked as Audrey carefully averted her eyes away from Leonard’s flushed face to gauge Mr.Fool’s reaction.
It was entirely unlike her to observe the God, but after years of getting to know Klein as a friend, she felt like it was entirely within her right to observe the man in a space where he was simply Klein and not the mysterious Mr.Fool.
Considering Klein had the ability to control his expressions, Audrey knew that the man wouldn’t show any emotion he didn’t feel comfortable expressing outwardly. However, as his personal therapist, Audrey knew that Klein was also trying to express himself more clearly in order to help maintain his humanity and relationships.
Despite this, the young scholar showed a complete lack of reaction. Klein was the best actor Audrey knew, and that meant every action was well thought out and intentional.
To Audrey, Klein having no reaction at all was the biggest reaction he could have!
It meant that millions of thoughts were running through the man’s head, and none of them were able to help him understand how Klein should react to Fors so blatantly running her hand through his colleague's hair.
“I’m not saying that.” Klein scoffed, rolling his eyes, abruptly turning his attention towards the window. “Why did you even get a haircut? Since when have you cared about your appearance?”
“It was starting to become unmanageable. Besides, even you said my hair was getting a little too long.” Leonard laughed awkwardly, taking a step away from the mischievous author before combing his hand through his hair to fix the mess Fors made of it. “It’s definitely a lot to get used to, but what else can I do?”
“Did you throw away all of the hair or did you hold onto it?” Emlyn asked as everyone else stiffened at the image of the sanguine making doll wigs out of Mr.Star’s hair.
“I held onto it, but my old man suggested that I let Ma’am Hermit analyze it. If my hair can’t be used for its mystical properties then I’ll let you know.”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting concept. Perhaps your hair could be used in a potion or medicine to aid sleep. If Ma’am Hermit finds that your hair has retained mystical properties, then let me know as well.”
“Leonard, I think that’s just an excuse for him to get his hands on your hair regardless of Ma’am Hermit’s findings. Don’t be fooled.” Fors smirked, ignoring the roll of Emlyn’s eyes. “Now that I’ve proved that Leonard has indeed cut his long luscious locks, shall we go back to Mr.Fool’s divine kingdom?”
“I don’t see why not. We wouldn’t want to impose, Leonard is busy with work.” Audrey smiled, gesturing for the four invaders of Leonard’s work space to gather together. However, Klein continued to stand frozen in place, his eyes fixated on Leonard’s nape before they slowly made their way down to his thin waist.
“Yes, we’ve overstayed our welcome.” He frowned, teleporting everyone back to their previous positions before bringing them up to the gray fog.
~~~
Klein knew that he wouldn’t be able to hide the drama in his heart from both transmigrators for long.
Several days had passed since Klein was made aware of Leonard’s heinous crime against the Church of The Fool.
If there were ever a reason for the Lord of The Mysteries to call an emergency gathering solely consisting of Amanises, Roselle, and himself then he assumed that the logical conclusion would be that Klein wanted to discuss matters that would require talking about their past lives on Earth.
However, it seemed that both Amanises and Roselle knew him far better than he expected.
“I’m assuming you’ve finally witnessed the consequences of your actions.” Amanises spoke softly with a snide grin.
“Did our Mr.Fool do something foolish?” Klein’s fellow countryman, Roselle, asked with a curious raised brow and a wicked grin. “Does he require advice from his two senior transmigrators?”
“I don’t need advice, I just thought that we should talk-“
“Nonsense! If you just wanted to talk to someone then you would have gone to that pretty boy that works for Amanises.” Roselle sneered, gently shoving Klein as the Evernight Goddess raised her brows and patiently tapped her fingers against the long bronze table in the gray fog.
In hindsight, Klein might have saved some of his pride if he just told Roselle and Amanises what he was summoning them for in the first place, but it was too late now.
“Leonardo, right?”
“Leonard.” Amanises was quick to correct the man, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she leaned towards the head of the table. “Klein is having romance troubles and needs our help.”
“Romance troubles? Why didn’t you say so?”
“I am not having romance troubles-“
“Leonard got a haircut, and now Klein is confused. I’ve seen the haircut, and I think he looks very handsome, but I think someone doesn’t like it.”
“Oh? Can I see what he looks like now?” Roselle asked as Klein used his clown abilities to prevent the two transmigrators from seeing his disdain as he projected an image of Leonard. “Why don’t you like it? He looks good- Honestly, I’ve tried men before and I thought they weren’t my style, but-”
“Stop, I don’t want to know.” Klein let his elbows bang onto the table, covering his face with his hands as Roselle simply smirked. “Yes, I agree that the haircut suits him. It’s just-”
“Klein has been complaining that Leonard’s hair has been too long for years and now that Leonard’s gone and cut it, he’s in mourning.”
“I am not mourning over some cut hair. I just- I was having a conversation with some of the Tarot Card Club members. Somehow, the topic of my preferences came up and I was made aware that Miss.Magician was under the impression that I favored men.”
“Was it supposed to be a secret?”
“This guy-” Amanises sighed, her head dropping as she laughed before she threw her head back and revealed a wide smile. “Klein is straight.”
“Oh… So the issue is that everyone assumed he was gay?”
“No. The issue is that Klein told everyone he was straight, but after seeing how much Leonard’s haircut affected him this guy now realizes he’s made a fool of himself because he’s liked Leonard all this time.”
“I don't see that as an issue, I think it’s totally normal! I just told you that Leonard just made me question my own sexuality too, didn’t I?”
“I thought I told you to not vocalize that.” Klein deadpanned, rubbing his temples due to the migraine he was beginning to develop as the conversation progressed. “It’s not that I feel stupid, I just don’t understand how a haircut can have such a strong effect on me.”
“Is it because you miss his old hair or because you think it’s cute that he cut his hair because you’ve constantly complained about it?”
“Both.” Amanises answered for The Fool, thoroughly enjoying teasing the Lord of the Mysteries until an illusory voice caught her attention. “I think Leonard’s finished his mission in Bayam. Why don’t you go tell him your feelings now that he’s free?”
“I can’t! What if Leonard’s not actually gay? All this time I’ve only ever assumed that he was!”
“Is this even up for debate? You’re a Seer! Just divine whether he has feelings for you!” Roselle scoffed, gesturing for Klein to do it now as if the three transmigrators were teen girls asking a magic mirror if they’ve already met their soulmate.
“I won’t do that, it’s an invasion of privacy.” Klein grimaced, his hand shaking as he wanted to do nothing more but to flip and coin and find out the truth of the matter. “I will simply have to do things the hard way.”
“Right, the old-fashioned way is always the way to go! By overcoming your fear of rejection, your loved one will realize that you feel so strongly about them that you simply cannot hide how you feel any longer! It’s very romantic.”
“I think he meant that he’d just steal Leonard’s memories if he got rejected.” Amanises sighed as Klein nodded along, leaving Roselle to bask in his ideas of a perfect romance all on his own.
~~~
Klein’s plan was simple.
He was just going to tell Leonard that when he was drowning in hair, the Angel of Concealment’s perfect proportions often went unnoticed due to the already lethal combination of the man’s pretty face, long hair, and desultory temperament.
By having long hair, Leonard was essentially saving the universe by no longer distracting The Fool from his duties by no longer being the recognizable poet that he was before.
“Ah, Klein, it’s been a while since it’s just been the two of us.” Leonard smiled, kicking his feet up on the long bronze table, his fear of offending Mr.Fool long having disappeared after finding out that the recovering god was actually Klein Moretti.
“Leonard… What happened to your hair?” Klein’s eyes widened, recognizing the long black locks that cascaded down Leonard’s back. If Klein wasn’t mistaken, The Star’s hair was even longer than it was before he had chosen to cut off all the length.
Had someone told Leonard in advance that Klein missed his long hair?
Had Klein accidentally projected a version of Leonard in the gray fog with even longer hair in order to make up for the fact that he regretted telling his dear poet to get a haircut?
“Oh- Well, the conclusion of my investigation in Bayam resulted in a short-battle with the perpetrator. It wasn’t difficult, but I had to use my spirituality to grow back all my hair. I guess I’m too used to using my hair in battle.”
“I see…”
“Does it bother you that much? I could cut it again, but I would probably end up having to use more spirituality the next time I’m in battle-”
“No, don’t cut it again.” Klein interrupted Leonard as long silence filled the space between them.
“Are you sure?”
“I have come to the realization that I prefer your long hair, so if it is also your preference then… I think you should keep the length.” He explained, avoiding making eye contact with Leonard, but able to spot the wide grin on the poet’s face as he comprehended the underlying meaning of Klein’s words.
“Ah, so it is not the Goddess that I should ask permission from to cut my hair, but you?”
“No-”
“Should I inform the rest of the Tarot Card Club that they will have to ask for your blessing the next time they plan to cut their hair?”
“No, that won’t be necessary-”
“Then, is Mr.Fool saying that this is a rule made specifically for me?” Leonard lowered his feet from the long bronze table, his face melting into the palm of his hand as he leaned towards Klein with a lazy grin.
“It’s not a rule, I’m just telling you that I was wrong back then.”
The Lord of the Mysteries nodded his head, content with his answer as Leonard let out a soft unconvinced hum.
“I understand, but can I ask you one more question?”
“What is it?” Klein felt his cheeks burn with shame, turning to look down at his entwined hands that rested on his lap.
“Did my hair look sexy pushed back?”