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RPC Background Stories Part 4: Evanescent Loyalties (sec.3) |
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“That is a horrible disguise,” Kuro said bluntly.
Rei frowned. “What’s so bad about it? I think I look different enough.”
“Well, for one thing, you can see your binding point.”
“So? They’ll just assume it’s a tattoo. Besides, if it’s out in the open it’s less suspicious.”
Kuro rolled his eyes. It was a few minutes before they had to leave for their mission and everyone was trying on different disguises. “Wear a different shirt.”
“No!” Rei’s disguise consisted of a black halter-top and a long black skirt that fell to just above her ankles. The skirt was wide enough for Rei to be able to kick with ease. Under her skirt she wore with black leggings that came to just above her knees. She was wearing black ankle boots with short, thick heels. She had straightened her waist-length hair to the point where Rei was convinced she’d damaged it permanently. She’d also dyed sections of her hair bright red with a temporary dye.
“Please, Rei? Stella Mare’s outfit will probably be bad enough!”
Rei turned away from her mirror to look at Kuro. “I know what this is! My God, you are so old-fashioned!”
Kuro’s face reddened. “It’s not…I mean…Just change,” Kuro muttered uncomfortably.
Rei rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. She leaned in close and pulled at the corners of her eyes. “My face still looks the same, though,” she sighed. “Maybe if I changed my eye color…”
“I can loan you my eyes if you want,” Kuro said.
“Could you?” Rei asked excitedly. Guardians and their partners can trade senses with one another. When they trade eyesight, they also trade eye colors.
Rei and Kuro closed their eyes and Kuro muttered something under his breath. When they opened their eyes, Rei’s eyes were purple and Kuro’s were black.
“Wheee! Thank you, Kuro!” Rei said happily. She turned back to the mirror and began to put on make-up.
Kuro blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Your eyesight is horrible, Rei,” he said crossly.
“You’re a demon, Kuro. Besides, you’ll be dismissed the entire time. You won’t need your eyes.” Rei finished putting on her make-up and looked at herself in the mirror. “What should my name be?”
“I don’t know.”
Rei frowned and thought for a moment. “How about Etsuko Hitomi?”
“Aren’t those both first names?”
“Yeah? So?” Why can’t I use Hitomi as a last name?”
“Because it’s odd.”
Rei rolled her eyes. “Fine. Etsuko Nasu?”
“That’s better.”
“Good. I wonder what everyone else’s disguises will be.” Rei said as she put on a belt with several bags for gun ammunition. She took her two handguns and put them in the holsters. “Should we bring Shinigami?”
Kuro looked at the katana leaning against the wall. Shinigami had been Kuro’s sword when he was alive. It was demon made and the blade was made of a metal harder than diamond. His teacher had given it to Kuro. Somehow, the sword always found its way to Kuro’s current partner. “I’m reluctant to leave him.”
“You can carry him if you want. I don’t have room on my belt.”
Kuro nodded and tied the sword to his belt. He then turned into a very small dragon and wrapped himself around Rei’s neck. “I’ll just hang out here for a bit,” he said as Rei left her room.
Outside Rei’s door, Kim’s guardian, the red wolf, was waiting and looking very bored. When he saw Rei exit, he perked up immediately. “There you are, Miss Rei,” he said. The guardian spoke with a slight accent that sounded similar to a southern drawl, though it was a bit less pronounced than Kim’s was.
Rei recoiled slightly in surprise. “Oh, hello. Um, Kiran, right?”
The wolf nodded. “I like your disguise, but will your hair get in the way?”
“I might tie it back later. So, are Ichiro and Kim-chan ready?”
“They’re just waiting on you.” Kiran stood up and began walking away.
Rei followed Kiran to the room where the weekly meetings were held. Kim, Ichiro, Stella Mare, Darius, and Ciro were all there.
“Hey, Rei-chan,” Kim said. Despite the fact that she and Ichiro butted heads like billy goats, Kim got along very well with Rei.
“Hi,” Rei said, waving slightly. She noticed that Kim hadn’t even bothered to wear a disguise. There were only two things that were different about her outfit. She had a holster at her belt with a small handgun in it and a katana strapped to her back.
“Why aren’t you wearing a disguise?”
“I figured since I’ve only been in the country for a week I’d be fine, but I will be changing my name. Please call me Jill Stuart.”
Rei smiled. “In that case, call me Etsuko Nasu.”
“Aki Guchiyama will be my name,” Ichiro said. Rei looked over at him and was surprised at how different he looked. Ichiro had slicked back his hair and he was wearing silver glasses. Rei guessed that the glasses were fake. He was wearing black slacks, shiny black dress shoes, a black suit jacket that was unbuttoned, and a white dress shirt with the first couple buttons unbuttoned. Rei couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her brother in Western clothing, nor could she remember him looking so old.
“Where’d you get the suit?” Rei asked.
“One of the guys let me borrow a few.”
“I see. It looks good on you.”
“Doesn’t it, though?” Stella Mare said. She spoke with a Spanish accent. “The suit was my idea, of course.”
Stella Mare’s outfit wasn’t nearly as bad as Kuro had envisioned. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with puffy sleeves and ruffled cuffs that nearly covered her hands. Over the shirt she wore a black bodice. She wore tight black pants and knee-high black boots. Her elegant rapier was attached to her belt. She’d tied her hair back into a long French-braid.
“Your outfit is…um…well, it’s certainly interesting, Stella,” Kuro said uneasily.
“You think so?” Stella Mare asked, still not dropping her accent. “I wanted to wear something else, but Ichiro wouldn’t let me.”
I can only imagine why, Kuro said to himself.
“Stella, what’s with the accent?” Rei asked.
“Oh, so you noticed?”
“It’s kinda hard not to,” Kuro muttered.
Stella Mare scowled. “You are so impolite,” she huffed. “Anyway, I decided that I would be Spanish. My name shall be Maria Estrella.”
“Isn’t that a little too close to ‘Stella Mare?’”
Stella Mare glared at Kuro. “What if it is?”
“Kuro, don’t go trying to pick a fight,” Rei sighed. “I think you look very nice, Stella. Maria Estrella is a nice name, too.”
Stella Mare smiled. “Thank you, Rei.”
Ichiro stood up and picked up his slightly oversized katana. “Well, now that our introductions are over, should we get going?” he asked the assembled group.
“Hold on a minute,” Darius said. “We just received some information that I think you should know about. The electric company that hired you also hired another group of demon slayers. We don’t know who they are, so be careful. Oh, Stella Mare, I suggest that you wear contacts. Yellow eyes don’t exactly make you look human.”
Stella Mare frowned. She took a little case and a mirror out of a bag. She opened the case and popped in a pair of bright green contacts. Darius nodded and continued.
“The inquiry squad thinks the group may be affiliated with the Somai Clan, but we don’t know if anyone from the family is a member. Let’s just hope that the Somai Rei seems to keep running into isn’t there.”
“Knowing our luck, he will be,” Ichiro muttered.
“Shut up! You’ll jinx us!” Kim said angrily.
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 Kyokiri · Thu Apr 24, 2008 @ 12:55am · 1 Comments |
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