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“Aaaaaaand… done! Been a while since I gave someone else a haircut—Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever cut someone else’s hair before, but I think I did a pretty good job considering.”
[Armando can help make look better.]
“Hey! Rude. What do you think, Jack?”
Simon leaned towards his reflection, surveying his new look. His hair hadn’t been so close-cropped since his time on Mars, the longest ends by his face only reaching the tips of his eyes. Nearly everyone kept their hair longer after the Quiet Rapture just for the sake of practicality. An extra bit of warmth in a universe that was suddenly so cold.
But there was no need for such precautions aboard the Hail Mary. No need to worry about tomorrow’s survival. And no need for a butcher like him.
Grace had offered him a lifeline, plucked him straight out of hell without asking for anything in return, and what had Simon done the minute he’d regained his senses? Lashed out, screamed, landed a swing right across Grace’s cheekbone. Simon would have bitten him with his newfound extended mouth were it not for the many-armed Armando quick to hold him back and put him under.
It wouldn’t be the last time Simon would assume hostility from his saviors, but by his unbelievable luck, Grace’s well of patience and forgiveness seemed infinite, providing an excuse for Simon that given all he must have gone through and the state he’d been found in, it was perfectly understandable that his first reaction would be panic.
Simon of Eden could never have taken advantage of a second chance. Not one like this, not when he was doomed to ruin every last thing he touched.
So, he simply wouldn’t be Simon anymore. He’d be Jack instead. A member of the C.O.I. A volunteer for the mission into AT-5’s ocean. A good guy.
The rock seemed suspicious of his story but had yet to call him out on it. If he could make himself useful, likable, then maybe being caught in the lie after their journey wouldn’t matter.
But if he could keep up his stolen persona forever, he would. Looking at Grace through the reflection, “Jack” smiled and said, “It’s perfect, Ryland.”