Eight p.m. The next night.
Jax sat at the workbench. Piece of Hunter blade in his hand. Polishing it.
Knock on the door.
Not three knocks. Just one.
Soft.
Jax looked up.
At the door stood a... person?
No. Not a person.
A long-haired... ghost?
Hair down to her ankles. Flowing past her sides. Face pale. Eyes big. Light red pupils.
Tattered white dress. Bare feet.
Text popped up:
**[Longhair]**
**[Level]:** 12
**[Type]:** Wraith
**[Danger Level]:** Low
**[Bio]:** A wandering wraith in The Underbelly. Used to be a hairdresser when alive. Timid. Not malicious. Been really into fixing things lately.
Jax stared at the screen.
Then at the lantern by the door.
Flame wasn't going crazy.
So yeah. No threat.
"Come in."
She stepped careful over the threshold.
Walked slow. Like every step was a test.
Jax pointed at the chair.
"Sit."
She sat.
Her long hair spilled onto the floor. Spread out in a circle.
Jax looked at her.
"What needs fixing?"
She reached into her dress. Pulled something out. Put it on the bench.
A pair of scissors.
Rusted. Chunk missing from the blade. Handle wrapped in yellowed cloth strips.
**[Ding! System auto-diagnosis in progress... Scissors damage: Blade chipped. Handle loose. Severe corrosion overall. Repairable.** **]**
Jax picked them up. Looked them over.
"For hair?"
She nodded.
Voice soft.
"They were... my favorite... when I was alive."
Jax glanced at her.
"How long you been dead?"
She thought.
"Maybe... thirty years?"
Jax went quiet.
Thirty-year-old scissors.
Rusted this bad. Could they even work?
He didn't ask.
Put them on the bench. Picked up the grinder.
"Hour."
She nodded.
Just sat there. Didn't move.
Hair all over the floor.
---
Forty minutes later.
Jax put the grinder down.
Blades were sharp now. Handle tight. Rust gone.
He grabbed a cloth. Wiped them clean. Handed them over.
"Done."
She took them.
Stared at the scissors. Like new.
Her eyes went red.
"Th... thank you..."
Jax shook his head.
"Fifty."
She blinked.
"F... fifty?"
Jax nodded.
She felt around her dress. Pulled out a little cloth pouch.
Dumped it out. Thirty-something coins.
She looked down. Voice even softer.
"I... only got this much..."
Jax glanced at the pile.
Thirty-seven.
Took thirty.
"Enough."
She looked up. Eyes wide.
"Really?"
Jax didn't answer.
Went back to the bench. Kept working on that Hunter blade.
She stood up. Walked to the door.
Stopped. Turned.
"You... what's your name?"
Jax didn't look up.
"Jax."
She nodded.
"I'm Aling."
Scissors in hand. She disappeared into the fog.
---
**[Chapter Thirteen · End]**
**[Ding! Quest complete: New Customer. Rewards: New Coins +50, Mechanical Repair EXP +50.** **]**
**[Ding! Longhair's favorability toward you +30.** **]**