"What's this?" Your eldest sister unfolds the scroll you've placed before her. "An acceptance letter? It's for Sixth, though."
"Yeah," you nod, blinking away the hazy swirls of smoke that fill her office. "It's for Sixth. Which is why I need your help to get in."
She blinks slowly. She opens her mouth to say something, but fails to find the proper words. She closes it to think, then opens it again. "Five.... you are aware that this is a school for young maidens, right? As in girls only?"
You squirm. You're aware of it.... but you tried your best not to think too much about it on the way here. That said, it's definitely an obstacle, possibly even bigger than the fact that the application deadline is fast closing and you'll have to be able to get in to a fairly prestigious academy at the last minute when there are probably a ton of applicants wait- no, no, best not to think too much about that lest you demoralize yourself. But, yes, you are aware that it is an all girls school.
Instead, you simply say, "That's why I need your help, One."
Your sister thinks about, then lets out a huff of amusement. She flips her pipe over and empties the ashes out onto the somewhat expensive looking carpet (you wince). "Alright then. Sounds interesting. I'm in. But you'll owe me for this."
As part of her help, the first thing she does is dress you up like a girl.
"Does this really have to be the first step?" you whine. You, you said you'd do anything, but like, couldn't this have waited until you falsified the documents or even confirmed that you had been accepted? There's no reason to skip straight to this, the most embarrassing part! You feel like all your friends would laugh at you if they saw you.
"Oh hush," One says. She has a smirk on her face and is thoroughly enjoying this. She dabs some sort of cream upon your face. t's cold and damp and the feel of it tickles and sends shivers up your spine. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be all brave and brash? Show your courage as a man!"
You shake your head, and your long hair, now free of its topnot, whips itself around too. "Men don't dress up like woman, and they don't wear dresses!"
"In the south they do."
"I-" you pause. "Wait, really?"
"In Chiaroscuro, there are men who take up the dress and life of a woman, and woman who take up the dress and life of a man." One smooths you brow, and daps her fingers in that cool damp paste again, smoothing it around your cheeks and chin. "They are called Dereth, and in all aspects of life they are treated as the other, even in bed. Dereth who live as male lay with woman, and those who live as woman, lay with men. Or that's what I heard from the patrons, anyway."
"Huh." You... aren't really sure what to think of this idea. The south is the south, and while it may be acceptable there, it's certainly not something you would dream of within the Realm. Though that might be interesting, you think. If you could choose what lifestyle you'd want to live. You don't feel any particular great dissatisfaction with your life as it is now... but the freedom to choose...
"What are you looking like that for?" One squeezes your cheeks, while she skritches on your eyebrows with some of pen. "You don't believe me, do you? You think your older sister's lying to you, huh?"
"Mrgphg," you burble until your sister lets go of your cheeks. "No... I was just wondering what it would be like if we had that in the Realm."
One laughs softly. "If we had that in the realm? No, that will not happen. Our duties are to our families, our Houses, and to the Realm. Your role in life is to live as a man, lay with a woman, and have strongly blooded children in the future, just as mine is to one day pick one of my suitors, and birth strong children of good breeding so that they must strengthen the realm."
"For the South, of whom few are of strong breeding and do not produce many princes of the earth, their partners and their lifestyles are a luxury they can afford to pick, Five," your sister says, a somewhat dismal and somber tone in her tone. "For us Prince and Princesses of the Earth, duty takes place over all. Enjoy your childhood romances while they last. One day you'll have to grow up too."
...what a forlorn and sad thought. You look up to see your sister's face, for once devoid of her ever amused smirk. For once, the though passes you that being mother's favorite is maybe not the best thing. You and the later born of your mother have always had the freedom to pursue your own interests in life, but One Heartspun Prayer has been groomed from the moment she was born, and her life planned out.
When you were young, you used to resent her for getting the attention that you and Sixth never got. Now.... you wonder if she felt the same way.
"Anyway, enough about unpleasant topics." One soaks her hands inside a boat of water which quickly turns murky with cream, and wipes them gently on a towel, before picking up her pipe again. "Take a look. What do you think?"
She passes you a mirror and you gaze within. And then gasp a little at the reflection you see within it. You can... barely recognize yourself. Is that you? it doesn't look like you.
You know how you look. Sea green hair, elegant and highborn features tanned from long hours out in the sun, a discerning and sharp ocean blue gaze. Some have called you pretty, however they never mistook you for anything but a man. But the reflection in the mirror is clearly a beautiful young woman, with flowing green hair, skin tanned from long hours spent on the beach under the sun, and sparkling deep blue ocean eyes. You recognize yourself, bits and pieces at least- but at the same time, you don't.
"It's subtle work," your sister smiles at her own work. "All I had to do was slightly smooth out the edges, make the eyes appear a little larger, and reframe the face. You were pretty beautiful already, for a boy."
You blush, smile, and brush your hair back behind your back at the compliment. Or at least what you hope is a compliment. "Thanks."
One's eyes widen a bit and she sucks in hard, only for a slightly choked expression comes over her face. She spits out the pipe and lets out some hacking coughs. Smoke expels its way out of her mouth with great force. Naturally, you're alarmed and turn to help, but she waves you off. "Nothing, nothing. Just too in a little too much at once. Give me a second. Maybe pour me a glass of water."
You stand up to do just that. As you move, you hear One mutter behind you. "That... was dangerous. Maybe I did too well of a job."
When you turn back, One has most recovered from her impromptu coughing fit and has regained semblance of composure. You pass her the glass of water. "Thanks."
She downs half of it in a few gulps, then sets what's left back down on her desk. "So, what do you think?"
You look at the gi- look at yourself in the mirror again and after a moment nod. "I think... it looks pretty good. Maybe even good enough to pass."
"Good." One smiles. "Then it's time to move on to the next stage of your disguise."
"Clothes."
IN WHAT AREA OF EXPERTISE DID YOU EXCEL?
[ ] Leadership and Martial Arts
[ ] Politics and Socializing
[ ]
Romancing the Ocean <3
PROFICIENCY IN OTHER TWO SKILLS WILL BE AS VOTING ORDER