fandomhigh | Through a Glass Darkly: Spies and Spying; Week 9

Aly was having a staring contest with three of the tiny trolls when the class arrived. They had their clubs raised but hadn't, yet, attacked. She stroked the beaded necklace at her throat, looking amused, and then consciously turned her attention to the class. The trolls grunted at each other a few times before forming a huddle. They looked like football players trying to call a play without a quarterback in charge.

"Morning all," Aly said with a grin. "I hope you had a good break and an enjoyable Halloween. Today we're going to take a cue from Halloween and practice dressing up for a role." She gestured towards the back of the classroom where there were clothes of all varieties and sorts, makeups, brushes, wigs, skull caps, props, pretty much anything that could be used to costume or disguise a person.

"The general goal when choosing a disguise is to be unnoticeable in the company you're going to be keeping. Whether it's a Court ball or a back alley den, you want to fit into the place without comment or question. If that means using makeup to roughen your skin, a wig to disguise an obvious hair color - or dye for a longer term mission, or simply different clothing to appear a diplomat, thief, or simple, everyday politician, then that's what you're going to want to do."

"Today, your job is to dress up - use the makeup, wigs, clothing - as someone other than who you are. Next week, we'll talk about how to put together the rest of your cover, how to move, how to enter situations, how to be convincing in the role. But for today, just put together a disguise for yourself. Help each other figure out who you are and why you're dressing and making yourself up the way to are, and at the end of the class, I'd like everyone to give a short presentation on who you are and where you're going dressed like that. And I don't want to see anyone dress up like a 'student' unless it's something very, very different from your everyday student wear."

[OOC: OCD ~~coming up~~ is up! And do feel free to mod the costumes, makeup, and props. Be creative! Also, there's an unexpected visitor to the class...]

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"Have you decided on anything yet?" Molly asked, also going through the costumes.

Teddy held up a costume that would look more at home in a performance of ~~Cats~~ Felines. "Not really. You?"

"I'm thinking about a boy, but I haven't exactly decided what kind of boy yet."

Teddy gave Molly a once over. "I'd suggest one who wears baggy clothing."

Molly chuckled. "Maybe a misunderstood loner type," she said. "One of those guys who walks around with his shoulders hunched, wearing an army surplus jacket." She pulled one off the rack of clothing in triumph and grinned at Teddy. "You think I could pull it off?"

Jake glanced over at her from where he was poking a clown suit. "No," he said firmly. "You're girly."

"I think it might work," Teddy replied. "But he's right, you are pretty girly. You might want to try some fake facial hair too."

"Ooo! Good idea!" Molly grinned as she looked for other baggy clothes. "I could wear a goatee!"

"Make sure it's not an evil goatee." Because that happened a lot back home.

Teddy held up a baby doll t-shirt, "How do you think I'd look as a girl?"

Molly snickered. "With your current shape, you really can't pull it off," she told him.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Of course not in this shape."

"Wait, are you saying that I'm fat?" Teddy asked, mock pouting.

That made Molly laugh. "For a girl? Yes."

"Well there go my childhood dreams of being a drag queen," Teddy replied, sighing dramatically.

Molly laughed even more. "Oh, drag queen you could do. They don't always look like girls."

"Some of them do!" Teddy pointed out. "But then again, some have giant adam's apples and scary facial hair too."

"Oh! You should dress up as a bad drag queen!"

Teddy looked frightned. "But that would mean putting on makeup!"

"What's wrong with putting on make up?"

"It's makeup!" Teddy flailed, trying to express his distaste for it.

"So?" Molly didn't normally wear make up, but she wasn't opposed to it. "If you want to do a really good disguise without relying on your shape shifting, you're going to have to wear make up of some kind."