[b]Gratia Mindaro - VGGB Dorm, Bathroom[/b]

"[color=9ACD32]How long has it been since I last did your hair?[/color]" asked Severa Mindaro nostalgically, running her pale hands through her daughter's silky, dark locks. "[color=9ACD32]Has it been several years yet?[/color]"

Gratia shifted slightly in her seat, watching her mother in the mirror. "[color=66cd00]It was before I chose to go to high school,[/color]" was her succinct, toneless reply. "[color=66cd00]You and Papa started taking extra shifts. There wasn't time for it.[/color]"

Her mother played with a few black strands, looping them around a finger. "[color=9ACD32]I would have definitely taken time off to do it if you wanted me to,[/color]" murmured the elder Mindaro quietly.

"[color=66cd00]And could you have afforded it?[/color]"

It was a question that didn't need an answer. The rising figures on the bills had necessitated those extra shifts. It wasn't something Gratia begrudged them for, not when she had walked past the decadent, crumbling hall where the trashy shitbags responsible worked everyday on her way to school. It had been irksome, seeing less and less of her parents as she pushed through her studies, but spending less time with them was unimportant compared to them being able to earn money to spend on everything else. 

They didn't need to worry about that anymore. Not when they were now being supplemented by the payments she sent home. Not when she had the power over her parents' fate, rather than the arseholes in the council.

"[color=9ACD32]That's why you're providing us with so much each week, is it not?[/color]" mused her mother, picking up a brush and delicately beginning to move it through Gratia's hair. "[color=9ACD32]You don't need to worry that much, Grat, we can pay for ourselves![/color]"

[I][color=66cd00]Unless you need to buy pork.[/color][/I]

"[color=66cd00]I don't want everything Mama and Papa have done to go unpaid,[/color]" said Gratia flatly. Almost stubbornly. "[color=66cd00]I have the power to make sure of it.[/color]"

Severa smiled sadly. "[color=9ACD32]And for that power, you became a Huntress.[/color]"

The older woman continued to brush her daughter's hair, letting out a quiet sigh. 

"[color=9ACD32]Your father and I worry a lot about your occupation,[/color]" she admitted, glancing up at the mirror to meet her daughter's eyes. "[color=9ACD32]We know you've enjoyed fighting ... but as your parents, it's always worrying to know that you've thrown yourself at another opponent with reckless abandon.[/color]"

A pause.

"[color=9ACD32]But if your opponent is now the Grimm, it's more and more frightening. I know you love being a Huntress. It's made you so much happier.[/color]"

A light, teasing smile. 

"[color=9ACD32]It's even made you friends~[/color]"

She hesitated again, watching Gratia's silent, stoic expression. 

"[color=9ACD32]But I still worry. I'm sorry, but it's scary.[/color]"

She breathed in. 

"[color=9ACD32]I don't want to lose you.[/color]"

"[color=66cd00]You won't.[/color]"

Gratia's voice cut through the silence. Stated as if it was a fact. Because she refused to allow the repulsive pests born from creation's dregs to kill her. 

And her mother giggled.

"[color=9ACD32]I'm sure,[/color]" she said honestly. "[color=9ACD32]You've never ever let us down before. Except maybe when you were three and-[/color]"

"[color=66cd00]Not important,[/color]" Gratia immediately interrupted, looking away from the mirror. There was a tinge of red in her cheeks. Yet she was happy. Happy at the praise. 

"[color=9ACD32]Ahaha, sorry dear.[/color]" Severa gently ruffled her daughter's hair. "[color=9ACD32]But just remember, the word Hunter; it's somebody who hunts, who works to obtain a [i]hunda[/i] - a prize. You might hunt for wealth or fame, but against the Grimm, I ... I believe the prize is safety.[/color]"

She placed the brush down. 

"[color=9ACD32]That is what you risk your life for,[/color]" she whispered. "[color=9ACD32]To ensure our safety. Your reward is to know that we can still look forward to tomorrow. So that's why ...[/color]"

Severa Mindaro reached down to embrace her daughter. 

"[color=9ACD32]Please stay safe,[/color]" she murmured once more. "[color=9ACD32]It's not a reward if you can't be there for it.[/color]"

It was a repetition of the feelings her mother had expressed earlier. But Gratia Mindaro didn't mind. Because she would be safe. She wouldn't die.

She giggled. "[color=66cd00]I won't leave you or Papa or Galla, don't worry.[/color]"

Her mother hugged her tightly once more, before slowly pulling back. 

"[color=9ACD32]Well, shall we get back to picking you a new outfit then?[/color]" asked Severa happily, as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. "[color=9ACD32]I think you would look great in twintails again~[/color]"

"[color=66cd00]No.[/color]"

Utter rejection. 0/10.

"[color=9ACD32]But you looked great in them when you were younger! Then how about a bun or a braid? It might look nice with that cardigan you have![/color]"

"[color=66cd00]The latter would take longer. Do you want to miss the café, Mama?[/color]"

Her mother pouted. An unfitting expression for a middle-aged woman. 

"[color=9ACD32]I want you to look as good as possible, Gratia! Also, what are your opinions on a skirt ...[/color]"

There seemed to be no stopping her mother now. 

Gratia Mindaro could only allow herself to be caught up in the wake. 

But ...

It was fun.