"I've heard much about you..."
Who hasn't?! Ares was tempted to retort this out loud to the hairdresser behind him. The hairdresser was a rather lanky woman with tired eyes but a graceful step and professional air about her. Ares had a feeling she was good at what she did but she seemed to be offput by Ares' presence. It was natural to feel that way, to be fair. Ares was a big deal in general but an even bigger deal right here and now in Red Sun. One word from him was all it took to ruin the life of anyone here. Hans might be the mayor, so Ares' domain of influence should realistically only be the sect, but his hands extended all over the city and Hans was very prone to listening to him. With a flick of the wrist Ares could kill this hairdresser and with the utterance of a single sentence he could have this entire salon be demolished. He would do no such thing but the hairdresser was a bit panicky and was trying to figure out if she should be respectful, fearful, or silent. In the end, she went with a bizarre cross between all three and sounded like some weird supervillain greeting the dashing hero in a mocking tone. Had she been expecting him too?! Actually, maybe, Bellona had been here before and she would have mentioned her intention to bring Ares here. Anyway, point being, Ares could tell she was flustered and didn't throw back any verbal play lest she have a heart attack and keel over. The last thing Ares wanted was to shock a person unconscious or, worse, give her jittery hands while she was working on his hair!
"I don't know what you've heard about me but I'm not going to eat you or anything so you can relax." But I am a bit of a chef so I might cook you. Ares resisted the urge to tease because he knew how seriously this hairdresser might take it.
"... R... Right... I'm sorry if you don't like the end result..." The hairdresser was referring to his up and coming haircut but this only made Ares more worried than the hairdresser was! If she understood a fraction of the fear Ares felt right now at her hands she would realise he was a bigger scaredy cat than her! This was like a giant being afraid of an ant! Ares was definitely only ever going to be only victim here today!
"Don't worry..." Ares, unsure himself, reassured the hairdresser. "... No matter what happens here today, I'm blaming Bellona. You can make me bald all you want, Bellona's the one getting a talking too!"
"Bald?"
"Y... Yeah... You know you don't have to do it right?" Ares had convinced himself this was where this was going! "You are a human being with free will! look Bellona dead in the eye and tell her 'no!' You run a private business, you are not a slave to demands or monetary incentive! You are not a crude barber who shaves everyone's heads clean! Resist!"
Bellona, funny though this cowardly back and forth was, felt the need to intervene lest this haircut somehow manage to not happen. Both involved parties were desperate to back out! "Listen stupid, she's not going to make you bald. That's not what I asked her to do so can it. Besides, Nip, the hairdresser you're scaring, uses magic in her work if you ask her to. You can get a normal haircut but with magic you can choose how long your haircut / styling lasts. The more mana she imbues, the longer your hair hold before it unravels, regrows, or shortens back to its previous state exactly as it was. Obviously the longer it lasts the more you pay but what I asked her to do will only last for the rest of the day. Even if she made you bald your hair would regrow by the time night fell and I wouldn't ask her to do that to you today, of all days, anyway. Yes I was tempted to, obviously, but our date is special. A nice change of pace and I'm enjoying it so I wouldn't make you ugly for the rest of it no matter how funny it would be. Maybe in the future I'll convince you to come back and have Nip sheer you when you least expect it. Not now, though." Bellona's assurance was enough to placate Ares as her reasoning was solid and, again, Bellona's honesty track record was impeccable and spotless. "And you, Nip, I already told you Ares..." Bellona's face reddened slightly and she faltered but clicked her tongue and continued anyway. "... I told you he's a great guy right? He's not going to do anything to you. You could attack him right now with those scissors and, at most, he'd laugh at you and have the guards haul you away to jail for a day or two. He's reckless with his own safety and doesn't care about being insulted, he's not some irritable tiger you have to pussy foot around. Up until about ten seconds ago he was more scared of you than you were of him for crying out loud!"
Nip looked down at Ares who was nodding vigorously in the seat. His earnest self depreciation, and Bellona's encouragement, was enough to calm down Nip somewhat.... Somewhat... Luckily she was good at her craft and the nerves wouldn't affect her but it still felt like she was handling a dog with rabies. Being cautious was better than inaction, though, and she finally got around to doing her job while Bellona moved the mirror in front of Ares away so he couldn't tell what was happening. Nip was using some kind of magic, probably a technical, to make his head feel like it was submerged in shampoo but that was about the only hint he got. For what it was worth, his hair was still attached and hadn't been cut off so Bellona wasn't lying at least. Whatever was being done to him was finished about two to three minutes of concentrated effort from Nip later so now came the moment of truth. Ares' head felt foreign to him, as in his hair was not warming up the places it usually did and various strands were in odd places, but he had a gut instinct the style of his hair wasn't the only thing changed. Sure enough, when he looked in the mirror Bellona brought back, it was impossible not to notice what had been done to him but he didn't hate it. It looked alright, actually, because having his hair dyed blond was surprisingly workable. It wasn't the brightest blond ever but it stood out compared to his previous colour and the styling also made it pop. His hair had been fashioned into faux-hawk but it suited his face and general vibe down to a tee. With his new clothes on too he looked like a radically different person to when he first left the house earlier today and Bellona's fun dress up doll exercise had remodeled Ares and given him a complete makeover. He looked good. It wasn't ever going to replace his default look but this was a decent disguise if nothing else. Unless somebody knew Ares well this new version of him would fly completely under the radar, doubly so if put the hoodie up. Granted this look's disguise capabilities were not the reason Bellona did this to him, she just liked the look and wanted to drag him around like this. She could show him off to Enyo later as well though knowing her she wouldn't care too much, it was Ares she cared about and not the way he looked. It was novel, sure, but she would maybe prefer the original which was fair. To each their own. Bellona liked this though! She was very happy with the outcome and let out a somewhat rare brilliant smile at her handiwork coming together to produce her envisioned form of Ares.
As for Ares himself, it felt weird looking in the mirror. There were still traces of old him in the face he saw but it was as though he'd been reborn in the body of a stranger! He was probably more so shocked the power of clothes, haircuts, and, though he didn't use any, makeup, could do this to a person. He'd heard of treasures and artifacts that allowed one to change their appearance but why bother when methods like this existed?! Well, treasures could change bone structure and even DNA in some cases, so they passed more rigorous checks, but this method was completely natural and didn't require a rare, or pricy, item. He hadn't expected this but clearly one of the benefits of having a large family was that one of his partners was inevitably going to know how to dress him up and disguise him. It wasn't even Bellona's goal but she'd done a great job at it. If ever Ares needed to infiltrate a place he could just ask around the harem for ideas as this was better than anything he'd come up with. Rather, he'd just take the Nyxian Prowler and sneak around in the shadows. This way though he could avoid having to creep around like a rat and blend in with the scenery provided he had the right clothes. Again, the Neo Gear example was coming to mind. If Ares had Nip here make his hair blond, and gave him a more subdued style, with the glasses and professor-like outfit he was good to go. Hell even Aejaz might not recognise him! His voice was somewhat of a dead give away, and there was little he could do about it as his vocal range wasn't excellent nor was he practiced with throwing his voice around, but if he hadn't spoken to to the people he was actively fooling it would be a roaring success no doubt... Ares felt a little bad, though. Bellona brought him here to have fun and yet here he was, in full cultivation mode worrying about miscellaneous crap in the future. For shame!
Ares directed his attention out of his own head for a moment. "Yeah. It looks good." His inner man woke up and did the same thing all men do after having their hair done, give a half-response that conveyed both a complete lack of understanding and gratitude for whatever it was exactly that was done to him. He wasn't bald, he was ok with the result, he didn't know any more technical a way to compliment the job. Rather, whenever he wanted his hair cut up until now he would just drop in to a local barber and have his hair trimmed. This was the first time he'd had anything more done to it. He was used to in and out, quick scissors, so the use of magic and careful craft was foreign to him. Still he knew that Nip was great at what she did so he conveyed his thanks and paid two high grade. It was a bit expensive but Ares was throwing a bit extra her way ahead of time so that whenever Bellona or Enyo came here their next appointment would be paid for in advance. He didn't know if they were both coming with him to Akarala or not and if he ever went out for an adventure it was nice to know he left them a small gift / surprise like this. After paying, Nip seemed to destress and her shoulders relaxed while Ares was walking away. She'd survived the encounter with the golden calamity himself and, if anything, made him just a little bit more gold than he was previously. Delusions of legacy contribution aside, Nip realised in hindsight he wasn't so bad and vowed to be a bit more confident next time eh was here. She hadn't even made idle conversation with the customer like she was taught to and her work could have been a bit faster if she wasn't so distracted. Regardless, she had her assistants clean up the lingering magic she used and took a break in a lounge in the back of the store, leaving the shop in the hands of some apprentices she brought along with her to Red Sun. She came here after hearing about the plans to turn this place into a moving fortress throughout the universe. Nip wasn't particularly bold or anything, the idea didn't appeal to her in the slightest, but she was looking around for her master who departed for Vraizon many moons ago. nip was an orphan, taken in by a hairdresser who, in retrospect, was quite the mysterious individual. They were larger than life, overgrown with hair to the point their form was hidden, but wielded scissors masterfully and could freely change their size. They were a soft spoken and relatively quiet person and Nip was curious enough to go chasing them to say hello again after all this time. Ares' adventure seemed like the perfect place to hop on and catch a ride for her own goals so here she was.
Nip wasn't aware of this but her master was actually a well respected an relatively important fellow. When the domains were severed, and some people were trapped inside the Primordial barrier, it's not as though some ancient experts weren't also sealed away inside it too. Some were dormant, some went on rampages, others stopped those rampages and then lived quiet and peaceful lives. Some wanted to stay like this forever, away from the harshness of the real cultivation world beyond this barrier, some had lives they wanted to return to. Nip's master was the latter. They'd settled down for some time but their search for a way out fo the barrier was still in full swing hence why they left Nip behind. To them, it was more so a brief encounter in which they could train up someone they saw talent in, someone who might even take the mantle they held one day, the mantle of 'scissor' exemplar. A niche title, for sure, but a title that meant they, when dueling with scissors specifically, were on par with, or maybe even better than, Dominus. This was a person who dwelled in the world of Gods and legends so if any of their previous customers knew this they might keel over and faint dead. They could enlarge their scissors and snip a planet in half if they wanted though probably not as another hidden expert would inevitably stop them. Those that enjoyed the newfound serenity, who lived in this barrier for multiple thousands of years as untouchable kings with no worries of death or being hunted by those with past grudges, wouldn't let such a thing come to pass. They didn't involve themselves in the affairs of the mortals of these domains, they were more like statues that watched on from the sidelines, but they were there. Ares was the strongest person in Sheryashka but only by technicality because of these people decided to make a move even he was pretty helpless. They shouldn't really be counted in the equation but they were there and they did know of him, they simply didn't care. So what if he was a prodigious upstart? As long as he didn't come looking for a fight with them they wouldn't bother with him either. They wanted to remain hidden. Some had mortal wounds, some were resting and cultivating where none could touch them, others were hiding from intergalactic threats and foes, Ares was small in comparison to their own problems.
Realistically, the only involvement anyone would ever have with these experts was if they found some of their litter strewn about the domain. If they left the husk of their consumed resources from another plane of existence somewhere, or dropped old treasures they didn't care about anymore, then those lucky enough to happen across such items would be overjoyed. To the experts these things were insignificant but to someone in Sheryashka they were lifelines, things that could define them as cultivators or grant them new status in the world. Tom Tom had the fine grind and amplifier, for instance. The silver can-do bamboo Ares bought and gave to Sandy was another item that was in an ancient cultivator's back pocket but was tossed aside because it was weighing him down. Or, well, actually, he'd already consumed one before, so he had no use for this one, and the little twerp bamboo kept punching him in the leg so he got annoyed and dumped it somewhere in the desert. It's not like the punching hurt him or anything but if you had to deal with a constant whacking sensation on your leg for hundreds of years, for no gain whatsoever, it would become clear why he got tired of it. His trash was Ares' treasure, though, and there were countless examples of this across Sheryashka. Part of why the Torchbearer was such a massive threat was because he'd stumbled across his own unofficial hand-me-downs as well.
That aside, Ares and Bellona were continuing their date and just walking around aimlessly, taking in the sights and stopping off at any shops or stalls that caught their interest. There was an ice cream vendor the two were headed towards when a burglary incident took place right before their very nose! if Ares weren't 'disguised' nobody would dare try this in front of him but if they weren't aware it was him then... Well the actions of the crook spoke for themselves. The perp tried to flee in his direction, thinking Ares was an easy target, but that was obviously a grave mistake. Ares readied himself beat the daylights out of this small time pest but someone leapt heroically out of the shadow with a stone shield and slammed the crook into the ground, lifting up dust and cracking the pavement. Ares had never seen this person before but they appeared to be wearing a uniform of some kind so there was likely more than one of them roaming about. Bellona explained that Enyo had brought back some troops from the Grecian land and were training them up to be an indispensable part of the guards here in Red Sun. In terms of quality the guards were quite lacking but, ever since the new arrivals had taken up their post, the issues in the city had ben quelled with brutal efficiency. Enyo was not merciful in her training and she made sure everyone had a shield and knew how to use it. So long as there wasn't an expert going on a rampage there shouldn't be any ne'er do wells who could take down any of the guards and, thus, the citizenry was safer than it had ever been. These new guards waited and watched from the shadows and acted only when the situation called for it. Right now, that Grecian guard must have thought Ares was in danger, or in over his head trying to fight the escaping burglar, and so jumped out to do his part. The guard belatedly noticed Bellona and realised that, actually, his involvement was unnecessary and apologised. Trying to save the strongest person in Sheryashka was a bit embarrassing but it's not like he knew that! He was just doing his job and, in all fairness, he'd done it well. It was good to know Enyo had been hard at work and created a force for good that was capable and effective. These lot weren't a replacement for strong cultivators but, nowadays, the sect and Red Sun in general had a few powerhouses lying around in case things went south with another major power. Keeping the streets safe was helpful and so Enyo's taskforce were more than welcome.
Ares was able to buy some ice cream in peace this time and so he picked a gold-coloured toffee flavour while Bellona went for chocolate. She deliberated over that or pistachio for about a minute, though, and ended up making Ares pick for her by doing the whole 'pick a number' shtick. 1 for chocolate 2 for pistachio. Ares picked two but Bellona came to the conclusion she actually wanted chocolate and ignored the result. Sometimes being told to do something was the best way to realise you wanted to do something else instead! Ares' input was useful but ignored so Bellona placated him by letting him try her ice cream on the condition he let her try his. Ares was fair and upheld his part of the deal but Bellona shoved her ice cream in Ares' face as he went closer to it and left him with a bit of chocolate on his nose that Bellona poled and laughed at. She stopped laughing when Ares licked some ice cream of her cheek though, as she looked around in embarrassment and kissed her teeth with a red face. They both spent another hour or so chatting away on a park bench and watching the scenery before it started to get a bit dark out. Bellona was leaning on Ares' arm when she finally mustered up the courage to say "Hey... Let's go home." Ares knew what came next so he stroked her head and Shifted them both back to their room in the blink of an eye. He didn't know what exactly she wanted to do but it was going to involve taking the clothes he bought today off, that much was certain...