Chapter Text
«◈･ ｡ ˚ ° ⋆✦【 Sophie 】✦⋆ ° ˚ ｡ ･◈»
This morning, I woke up to find a note slipped under my door. It ordered me to report to Gisela's office immediately. The neat handwriting provided specific instructions on how to get there. I wondered if she finally discovered my true identity and decided to eliminate me discreetly.
As I approached a corner, I paused, hearing footsteps echoing down the passageway. I was almost relieved when it was Fintan. His sharp eyes fell on the note in my hand.
"Phoenix, you got one as well?" The pyrokinetic held up a similar paper.
"Yes, I did." I said, and before I could react, he snatched it from my grasp and compared the two. "Hmm... let's go."
While we walked, I saw two people being intimate down another hallway. Fintan heard my gasp and stopped to glare at them. They still hadn't noticed our presence.
"Ugh, stupid Gisela, letting Gethen do whatever he pleases. Members should not be fraternizing on duty."
"That's Gethen?" How did he recognize him in his cloak? "Who's the other person?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. Let's get going." Fintan sighed and continued on. He eventually stopped at a door and knocked a secret code. There was a long pause, filled with tension, before a muffled voice came from within. "Come in."
I strode inside, and Gisela sat behind her sleek desk. The office was overly orderly, with meaningless paintings on the wall serving purely for decoration. A geometric red rug covered most of the wooden floor. The air smelled stale and lifeless.
Tam stood off to the left, his surprise mirroring my own at finding him here. He raised an eyebrow at me. I transmitted back, I have no idea what's going on either. Fintan closed the door behind us.
Gisela finished organizing her papers and scrutinized each of us, her eyes boring into us as if testing our resolve. The silence thick with unspoken expectations. Nobody moved for what felt like an eternity. Every breath felt thick with tension.
Finally, Gisela sighed, breaking the silence. "We're assigning you three on a mission."
When she didn't elaborate, I asked, "To where?"
"A new thirteenth Councillor is being elected. The Council is hosting a party at Atlantis to find candidates and to celebrate their successes." Gisela sneered. "The mission is to infiltrate this party, identify those who support the Council, and, more importantly, those who oppose them." To find new spies, maybe even get one of their own elected, I thought, shivering mentally.
Gisela abruptly stood up. From the closet behind her, Gisela took out a dress studded with rubies, shoving them into my hands. She handed Tam a blue outfit and Fintan a green one, along with a pathfinder.
"Couldn't you have given me red? And why are you sending me on this pitiful mission?" Fintan grumbled.
Gisela ignored his tone, smiling slightly. "It was on short notice, and it was very difficult to get enough invitations. And you were demoted, remember? This should be an honor, being assigned a mission at all."
Fintan glared before muttering, "Demoted or not, this feels beneath me."
"You say that about everything," Gisela said, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Why send us?" I couldn't resist asking.
"Because you need to prove your loyalty. Hurry and change; there will be disguise elixirs for you here." Gisela tapped a black box on her desk. "Then come to the courtyard so I can inspect how well it fits. The party starts in under two hours."
Gisela allowed us to use her fancy restroom in her office, and I went first.
After putting on the gown, I faced the mirror. The fabric was a deep, velvety crimson, with rubies studded in intricate patterns on the skirt. Black lace adorned the edges, and the sleeves were long and sheer. I turned off my Addler to get a better look.
Fintan pounded on the door. "ARE YOU DONE YET?"
"Almost! Do you know how annoying dresses are?" I scrambled through the drawers, realizing they would expect me to come out without wearing the Addler. I needed to find face-changing elixirs. Gisela had to have emergency ones, right? She's paranoid like that.
Jackpot. A drawer filled with organized elixirs. I picked the sea-blue eyes elixir and chugged it. Less than a minute later, I felt a tingling behind my eyes as they changed. I marveled at them before I got out of the restroom.
"See? I'm done." I sighed, stepping to the side, subtly hiding my face from Fintan.
Fintan looked at me approvingly. "Red suits you." He remarked before turning to Tam with a glare. "I'm going next."
Tam glanced at me, a small, almost nervous sound escaping him. "Ah... you look... nice." He swallowed hard as his gaze shifted awkwardly to the bundle of clothes in his arms.
His reaction left me confused. It shouldn't bother me, but it did. The silence stretched on until Fintan finished changing.
Fintan's outfit was a striking emerald green, vibrant against his pale complexion. His jacket was adorned with gold embroidery reminiscent of flames. The shirt beneath was a dark green, and the trousers matched, tucked into tall black boots.
The elegant style made Fintan even more menacing and imposing, especially when he took the effort to dress well, pulling his hair into a braid. The transformation was unsettling. He smiled at my reaction, deepening the effect. I glanced away, and Fintan chuckled softly. Tam, without saying a word, slipped into the restroom.
Sweat trickled down my back as I waited beside Fintan, who was straightening his outfit. Tam changed faster than both of us, emerging from the restroom in deep, midnight blue attire. The jacket emphasized his broad shoulders, with silver embroidery on the cuffs and collar shimmering faintly in the light.
My face reddened as I caught sight of Tam. I'd never seen him wear anything fancy before, he looked undeniably good. His quiet confidence only made it harder to look away.
Tam noticed my reaction and tried to play it off casually, though the faint pink tinge in his face betrayed him.
Desperate to break the silence, I stumbled over my words. "Aren't we still too recognizable?"
"Weren't you listening earlier? Gisela's giving us elixirs for that." Fintan sighed, his patience wearing thin. You'd think an Ancient would have mastered patience by now, but apparently not.
Fintan opened the box and handed us two vials each. Without hesitation, he downed his first. Tam and I exchanged a glance before drinking ours.
Immediately, I felt a change. My skin got more tan, and my hair darkened to black. Tam's hair turned stark white (to hide the silver), and his eyes shifted to a sky blue. Fintan's transformation was the most dramatic: his hair turned a thick, poofy brown, and his eyes became a piercing electric blue.
Fintan's hair puffed up too much, causing the bands of his braid to snap and unravel. "Damn the stars..." he grumbled under his breath, running his hands through the mess.
While Fintan was distracted, Tam stretched his shadow over me, his eyes narrowing as he studied my altered appearance. You know, the red really does suit you. He paused in thought, Not that you need it.
I felt a flutter in my chest at his words, a warmth spreading inside that I tried to ignore. Before I could respond, he turned away and said, Let's go on ahead before Fintan makes us late and we get in trouble.
Before Fintan could waste any more time fussing over his hair, Tam and I slipped away, making our way to the courtyard. Fintan grumbled and eventually followed.
Gisela awaited us just outside the exit, her sharp gaze taking in every detail before checking her watch. "Thirty minutes early; this should suffice. Fintan, just remember to use good etiquette, and you're good to go."
Fintan rolled his eyes at being singled out but didn't argue. He activated the pathfinder, and we stepped into the light.
