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For Serena, clipping her toenails had always been a delicate procedure, doubly so after her training at the palace made her practically superhuman. Serena had always prided herself on her gentle touch and steady hand. She didn’t do four years of archery club for nothing. However, that all went out the window when it came to nail clippers.
Ever since that day when she cut herself with a pair of nail clippers as a child because of a random muscle spasm, the maid has had a nagging paranoia in the back of her brain. What if it happens again? As a result, trimming her toenails has been Serena’s most delicately handled act of self-care. She’d grip those clippers for dear life and only cut when she was absolutely sure. Even after she had moved past the fear, she maintained the habits. This all went out the window when she gained her super strength.
After crushing her third pair of nail clippers, Serena realized she needed to change tactics. It was time to take advantage of that gentle touch she supposedly had. Plus, she’d probably be clipping Princess Irene’s nails for the foreseeable future because it wasn’t like anyone else was getting the child to hold still for long enough to do it.
“Now, gently…frick…” Serena cursed to herself as she broke clipper number 4. At times like this, she’d reach for a nail file, but her stash of files wasn’t doing any better. At least they were only in two pieces instead of being crushed like a soda can.
“Serena, I heard something break. Are you okay?” Orion knocked on the door.
“Fine, just fine,” Serena sighed, “I only broke my nail clippers again.”
“Do…do you need help?” Orion asked.
“I...” Serena groaned, “Yes.”
“What’s wrong?” Orion entered the room.
“I’m too strong and panicky for my own good,” Serena admitted. “I’ve always been squeamish with my nails since I cut myself as a child, but now it’s gotten so bad I can’t even hold a nail file without snapping it in two.”
“Does trimming your nails really scare you like that?” Orion inquired.
“No, not anymore, it’s just…” Serena struggled to find the right word, “it’s just…I’m so used to holding these damn things so tightly that I can’t break that habit, and now I’ve worked myself up, I feel like a dumb little kid again. It’s so freaking frustrating, aagggghhh!” Serena crushed the nail clippers even further in her rage before chunking them at her floor, embedding them in the tile. “Great, now I’m going to spend all night prying those things out of the ground.”
“There’s no need to be upset, Serena. We all have our odd weak points,” Orion assured.
“Oh yeah? What’s yours?” Serena huffed.
“I don’t…Well, I…” Orion stammered and blushed, “I uh, I’ve had a hard time shaving some places after I cut myself when I was younger. Couldn’t work up the courage to bring a razor near me for a few days, and it wasn’t something I could ask Lady Aphros for help with.”
“Wow, I’ve never even seen a cut on your face before, or maybe I never noticed,” Serena admitted. ‘Then again, I’ve never seen or heard him shave either, nor have I seen him with stubble. When does he shave?’
“I never said it was my face,” Orion said quickly with a strained voice.
“Huh?” Serena took all of three seconds to absorb this information. ‘Oh…oh…ohhhh,’ Serena cringed, ‘I can see why that might freak him out and why Aphros would be the last person he’d want advice from. Dear Lord, I can only imagine what stupid things she might have told that poor boy.’
The two let the awkward moment hang in the air for a moment before they even considered talking again. After discarding a few thoughts that made her shiver, Serena considered Orion’s words.
“I guess we all have our weaknesses, but I don’t know how that will help me,” Serena exclaimed.
“Well, the problem is you’re still having difficulty controlling your strength, right?” Orion asked.
“Yeah,” Serena admitted.
“Lady Aphros told me the key to managing such strength was learning to master your gentleness,” Orion revealed. “Think about how you’ve handled Irene. You’ve never hurt her, even during your daily runarounds.”
“Well, that’s true,” Serena nodded.
“Think about when you’ve handled Irene, an egg, or a small animal,” Orion continued, “think about when you were unconsciously gentle.”
“Unconsciously gentle?” Serena almost laughed at the statement, but as she thought about it, it was kind of true. When she held back her strength without even thinking about it. It’s like, even though her fist could shatter bones at this point, could she ever throw a full-force punch at Orion or anyone who wasn’t threatening her life? Wouldn’t she just stop herself without even needing to? Doesn’t she just have to figure that out?
“Am I making sense?” Orion asked.
“I think you are,” Serena assured. She prided herself on her gentle touch, right? She just needed to use that.
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The next evening, Serena found herself with a new pair of nail clippers and a file, once again trying to perform some basic self-care. This time, however, she recalled Orion’s words and treated the clippers less like a tool and more like a tiny animal in the palm of her hand. It was a long and tedious night, but Serena managed to trim her nails for the first time in a while without hurting herself or destroying her clippers…Well, that last part wasn’t entirely true.
“Gosh darn it to heck,” Serena huffed. She had gotten a little too excited when she finished without incident and squeezed her poor pair of clippers a bit too hard. “Nail clippers number 6, here I come,” the maid sighed.
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Sometimes all you need is a steady hand and a gentle touch.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
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