Spy Games, Class 3, Monday period 5

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

When the class filed in, they didn't find Sarah waiting for them, but a rather familiar looking priest.

"Hello class," he greeted them. "Your teacher couldn't be here today so she asked me to fill in for her. I'm Father Winchester.

"Our sermon today is on disguises. Yeah, sure you can get a lot of information by the breaking and entering route, but sometimes you're going to have to interact with people. Sometimes you're going to want to blend in, get them to not notice you. Other times you're going to want to get them to trust you, tell you things they might not ordinarily do so. Disguises are an important tool in both situations.

"Say you need to check some medical records -- you're going to have a lot better chance of getting to them without incident if you dress like you belong, some scrubs or a white coat and suddenly youre an orderly or a doctor and no one's looking at you twice or questioning why you're roaming the halls or going into that office.

"Or say someone's died and you think there's something hinky about it. The family's in mourning, they're not going to want to talk to just any Joe Blow about the details." Dean put on his most pious expression. "But a priest paying a courtesy call to pay his respects and offer his condolences, now that's someone they'll feel comfortable talking about the gory details to."

Dean grinned at them. "Every situation is going to be different, but with a little ingenuity you can come up with a disguise to fit. Need to get into a place and have some uninterrupted time there? How about posing as exterminators that are spraying for something that requires an empty house? All you need is to think outside the box."

He gestured to a set of racks full of all sorts of clothing and boxes of accessories. "Over there is a broad selection of things you can use to create a disguise. What I want you to do is to not only put together a disguise but come up with a senario where that particular disguise would be useful. Extra points given for originality."

[ooc: wait for ocd's up! Have at it]

Comments

Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Where would your disguise be useful?

Re: Answer the question

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Military camp," he explained.

"If I'd need to know what the soldiers know, I could talk with them or listen to them without being obtrusive. Need to get into files or places I shouldn't be? Claim a lazy superior office, grouse a little, and they'd more than likely let me through.

"Everyone hates their superiors."

Re: Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"Not everyone," Dean said, "but yeah it's common enough that it would definitely work as motivation."

Re: Answer the question

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo flipped through the index cards she was holding -- not really making a show of it, just doing something with her hands.

"You want to be careful with that, Greeneyes. Rub the wrong person's sense of loyalty the wrong way and you're gonna end up in more trouble than you might need."

Re: Answer the question

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That got a raise of an eyebrow.

"I think the military is a bit different here than it is at home. I've spent plenty of time among soldiers.

"Grousing is practically their hobby."

Re: Answer the question

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"And anybody else who's in there spying for the other side'll know that too," Katchoo answered with another idle glance at the cards.

Re: Answer the question

[intraspective]

She flicked her fingers at him. "You're assuming people are so blind as to not know their officers," Ino said reprovingly. "That's lazy thinking."

Re: Answer the question

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shook his head.

"Certainly not. Only name names if you have them, though those are easy enough to get."

Re: Answer the question

[intraspective]

"Names aren't personalities though," she pointed out. "So your Intel had better be good if you don't want to name the wrong one, and you can't ignore the fact that most officers will already have soldiers that they prefer to send for things--if you're using that as an excuse you'd better have a reason for why the usual guy isn't doing it."

Re: Answer the question

[intraspective]

Ino shrugged impudently at him, chin raised stubbornly. "If I need more than my attitude changing," Ino drawled, "most things I'm going to look too young for anyway. Easy enough to accessorize--gloves make me a gardener, a cashier's apron makes me a cashier. Make your disguise too elaborate and you mess up."

Re: Answer the question

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo looked up from a set of notecards -- ostensibly the notes Sarah had left for them to use, and in a way she had to appreciate that using that as a prop basically meant she was in disguise too.

"Depends on the situation," she said coolly. "What if you're trying to infiltrate a high-class party? That's going to call for something elaborate in its own way, long as you keep your backstory simple enough to not mess up."

A beat, as she tried to figure out how to phrase this as innocuously as possible.

"Looking young isn't always going to work against you, anyway."

Re: Answer the question

[intraspective]

She rolled her eyes. "If I was infiltrating a high end party, I'd have more time than a piddly class and more back up than a rack of clothing--I'd have a history laid out. If you're talking everyday crap, though, there's no point in disguises other than a different attitude and hairstyle."

Re: Answer the question

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"You have a point there," Katchoo agreed, and half glanced at the cards again even though she wasn't really looking at what they said. "It's the attitude that'll sell you more'n anything, right? The most accurate disguise in the world won't do you &*#@-all good if you look like a lost tourist in it, anyway."

Re: Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"Age is as much about the attitude you project as anything else," Dean pointed out. "I've been passing as way older than I am for years just by acting like I am. Being able to come up with something on the fly is great, yeah, but sometimes you need something elaborate. You won't mess up if you do your homework."

Re: Answer the question

[intraspective]

"Homework means Intel means more time and prep than a rack of clothing," she pointed out sweetly. "And I am wee and tiny and cute and while I can pass for younger, older ain't happening 'less I go way old and shrunken. For most things, especially an in and out job, minimal effort is required 'long as you've got a good grasp of the basics."

Re: Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"If you're trying to fly under the radar, sure. But when you actually have to interact, get people to tell you stuff, you might want something that gives you some presence, authority."

Re: Answer the question

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"My disguise would be useful in a hospital or doctor's office," Claire said.

Re: Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"It would," Dean said. "I'd make a comment about a sexy nurse uniform, but it would probably be in bad taste considering my own outfit."

Re: Answer the question

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"At the scene of various disasters," Alice said, as professionally as she could. (Really, her idea of 'professional' was to imitate Turtle.) "I was sent here by the insurance company to determine liability. I'm afraid I'll need to see your records so we can discover how much of this is covered."

Re: Answer the question

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean gave her an approving smile. "You nailed it."

Re: Answer the question

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Thank you, Father," she beamed. "I shall hope it also explains all of these photographs I'm taking, and the quite detailed notes. Though I do hope no one asks me about specific insurance terms I'm unaware of."

Re: Answer the question

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

"I'm a ballerina!" Agnes chirped sweetly. The tone of voice was at least half the disguise -- flighty, but also bitchy, with a fake cheerfulness that was pasted on so hard it came out the other side and became believable. "I can go in dance halls, and theaters, and onstage, and... and dance halls! And twirl through dirty men's fantasies!" She giggled.

No, she didn't look like an actual ballerina, especially not with her heavy black boots still on, but... sometimes, when faced with something so ridiculous, the mind shut down and just gave up and accepted it.

Re: Answer the question

[glacial_queen]

"Psst!" A stretch of blank wall hissed to get Sam's attention.

Re: Answer the question

[likethegun]

Sam glanced up at the sound and looked around.

Re: Answer the question

[glacial_queen]

"Over here!" A hand appeared out of nowhere, gesturing Sam over.