"Let me cut it for you."

Etihw looked back, not having heard him enter the room until He was half the room away from her. He carried the most serious expression-as if He didn't always, she corrected herself. But He was less tense than usual when approaching her now.

"Cut what?" she asked monotonously, not bothering to turn in her seat to face him.

Even so, He continued to approach her and stopped a few feet from her to hold out the hand that'd been in his pocket. A pair of scissors rested in his gloved hand. "Your hair."

It had gotten rather long, hadn't it?

Etihw winced.

The war ended a century ago. A truce that began with the shaking of hands, standing before numerous graves that faced each other while their leaders waited to see if the other would pull away first. Neither did, leaving them locked by their hands while discussing the terms under which the peace they'd decided upon would function.

Both of their palaces were torn down that day, replaced with a new castle with two large towers; one black and one white. It was the closest they'd ever come, and quite frankly, a little too close to be immediately comfortable with. The citizens, angel and demon, remained segregated. Crimes dealing with old war vengeance occurred regularly with the excuse that it 'couldn't be helped.' What would either of them know about dealing with this new society? As far as they knew, they were the only world possible of pulling such a thing off.

And who knows how long it would last.

"It's time for a change," He continued, speaking despite her back turned to him. "This is the simplest step, Etihw."

Maybe at some time, she would have eventually turned back to look at him curiously. They would stare at each other in silence, not even blinking as it would break a delicate bond of eye contact. One of the only bonds they were able to keep. Etihw would close her eyes, though, and stand to levitate her way in front of him.

"Bring me another pair," she'd say, pointing to the scissors in his hand, "and I'll cut Yours as well."

And then they would.

But she didn't.

"Hair is hair. Please concentrate on more immediate matters instead." She kept her back turned, not giving him another glance.

A few minutes passed before she heard his footsteps trailing away, punctuated by the door slamming shut after him.

Etihw let out the breath she'd been holding, reaching up to stroke a strand of her long hair.

She'd surely done something to make the powers higher than even her upset. This could be nothing but a prank of fate, passing judgement onto a corrupt god. It was pitiful. It was painful.

It'd been eons since the war that ended it all, when she fought alongside him.

The first war that hadn't been between them. When everything had finally settled, when peace was almost becoming boring. She'd underestimated its worth while they had it. At the time, Etihw would have given anything to stand by him again. Or to merely see his face just once more.

And she'd gotten her wish.

Perhaps existing beside him now would be less excruciating if she hadn't been the one to survive.