redjacketthief | Appointments

[He hopes that she's happy as he styled his hair similar to how he did as a kid-- the Parisian teenage school girls loved his boyish charm, even if he was quite short for a fourteen year old. The same style worked all right as an adult, as it was more controlled than the Commander's standard style. Unstyled.

Lipstick was next, a subtle pink. Nails followed in the same shade. As a final touch he added a pair of extra wide sunglasses and a short jacket.

His sideburns were well hidden, legs, arms, and chest were shaved and, with the cut and make of the clothing with a subtle emphasis on his slim waist, he felt that he was able to pass reasonably enough.

Lupin made a mental note to consult Grell later. She would get a kick out of it.

As satisfied as he could be in lacy lingerie, he felt it was time to step out from the walls of CH 1 and look for his clothes. The red jacket especially, as it was a special gift from Keimi that he didn't want to lose.]

[Once he's out and down the hall she ducks back inside to fetch her journal, flipping it closed. Sneaking out around him, though, that took a bit of work. She might have managed it. Still, Lupin will find his clothing bit by bit throughout the village, strung up here and there between buildings, damp from washing with the most obnoxiously fruity smelling soap she could find.]

[Why the hell is there a pair of fruity smelling men's boxers hanging above the banana bin?

What the hell is WRONG with people?!

/things one thinks while trying to do an innocent grocery shopping trip.]

[He did notice a glint of blonde hair as she skirted out of sight, but he ignored it in favor of maintaining his cover. He--no she, since there was a guise to be maintained, cultivated an air of haughty distance as she stepped out into the the pathways that ran throughout Luceti.

The first sight of something out of the ordinary, a pair of striped boxers, left her wondering if she shouldn't have located an oversized fashion bag before she left the apartment. She ignored it for the moment, but set her mind to heading for the shop in order to find one.]

[He was far too comfortable with going about dressed as a woman. And that? That simply would not do. Falling into an actor's mindset and taking on a role is well and good but not when it defeats the purpose of the prank. Lupin should remain Lupin, and to ensure this Adele has no compunctions whatsoever about walking up behind him and reaching out to pluck the hat from his head, pulling it over her hair instead.]

Now that is a lovely color for you.

[She, thank you, was unimpressed. She glanced down at Adele through her wide lenses and kept her distance, but used her greater height to snatch the hat back into possession.]

And that was quite cheeky of you, Miss. If you don't mind, I will be on my way now.

[Her voice was kept low, within the range of Lauren Bacall. This could be done, Lupin thought. There was no way that Adele would get full satisfaction out of this, or come away unscathed.]

Oh come now, it is not such a terrible thing. Embrace it. Everyone wants to feel pretty now and then Monsieur Lupin.

[She giggles and gives a faint snap, a small spark to flick at his side. Not enough to hurt, but enough to startle.]

[She jumped, startled, and stumbled in her heels. Adele earned a frustrated pout when she managed to recover her balance, and a pointed glare from behind lowered sunglasses. Lupin placed a hand on the hat and breathed, chest heaving underneath the scarf and jacket as she fought for her focus.

Adele needed to leave. Now.]

Aurelie.

[That husky voice took on a harsh undertone and a heavy French accent. Oh-ray-lee. She stood on her own again, back ramrod straight, and continued on her path. Maintaining a light, more feminine gait was tough in the pumps and on the uneven ground, but Lupin had been working around the crippled balance for months. A disguise could be maintained, with work.

The skills were there. They weren't compromised.]

Check the grocery store, Aurrie. You'll find some things there, I'm certain. And the Library.

[As much as she'd like to force him to break character- this was enough. Her point was made for the moment and anything more would just be cruel. So instead she walks alongside Aurelie without further comment- mostly to make certain that the uneven terrain doesn't allow him to fall. None of the heels she'd left him were terribly high- she'd even gone so far as to leave him ballet flats. These shoes he'd chosen all his own.]

I'll admit though, you've excellent taste.

Aurelie. You haven't earned the right to a nickname.

[A stubborn pout at that, but she proceeds to ignore the rest. There was a point made all right--the prank war was back on with vengeance. As irritated as she was, however, she grudgingly accepted the silent assist. It was what she had wanted all along for the last season. Support, not protection.

She had only picked her outfit from the most reasonable options available. While there were flats offered, the only items available to pair them with were cheetah print leggings and overlong lace cardigans.

Lupin huffed at the comment, falling back into the proud demeanor that she had adopted back in January. It was so easy to slip into...]

I'm not as out of touch as you think, mon cherie Dellie. It's a matter of observation and drawing from a muse. Like the great actresses of Hollywood, from back before technicolor.

Aurelie, then. You've chosen the only things in your wardrobe that I would consider wearing.

[Adele huffs a soft laugh and continues along just next to Lupin, well within reach if she stumbled but not so close as to be imposing. A fine line that reminds her much of how it had been in the beginning, before the mess became, well. A mess. She'd put too much stock in one person too quickly. It's not something she'll do again, Lupin or no.

At least it wasn't that long a walk to the grocery store, and Adele subtly gave a look out across the plaza to a few other buildings that would contain Lupin's clothing proper.]

Mmm...Adele. Dellie belongs to Pinky now. So sorry.

Mm~ That's too bad.

[She adopted a sulky tone that was almost like one Fujiko would use when she was being coy. Aurelie similarly looked around for any hints of the missing clothing, and briefly wondered why she had even allowed Adele to get under her skin in the first place. It was too many questions, too many pointed looks--

The overarching belief that Adele could compromise everything if she made a wrong move was what compelled Lupin to watch her instead of leave her ask too many questions on her own.

Never again.]

The rest of the pieces in there made me wonder if you had fallen into a storehouse where fashion designers keep rejected styles.

[A huff, and a distant look. The sky was so bright, like it had been that day at the end of June. There was so much laughter that day, laid out as a thin disguise for their lingering concerns. So much laughter and so many promises that followed...

Her eyes were off of the path. Lupin, having forgotten the uneven terrain for a moment, misstepped on a stray stone jutting out from the earthen path. He--disguise didn't matter for a moment-- grabbed for Adele's arm as a last fail safe before he stumbled.]

The point was for them to be horrid. If I'd given you tasteful clothing it would have made this easy on you- and that is no fun at all. Besides, you told me once you enjoyed a challenge.

[This was quite likely not what he had in mind, but a challenge is a challenge and Lupin seems to be doing well enough. Whether he understands the point to this exercise or not is something else entirely. The fact that not a single pair of shorts or slacks aside from leggings that couldn't be worn on their own had been left in his closet should have been hint enough.

Adele wears the pants in the relationship, were they hypothetically married. that she has him wandering around like this while she's keeping stride in a simple button down, slacks, hair bound up and slicked in place, and flats provides an excellent counterpoint to Lupin's current filmy, feminine form.

When Lupin stumbled she stepped in, deft as dancing, caught his arm and helped him along into the next step without making it apparent that Lupin had, in fact, stumbled.]

[The women in his life all wore the pants in their every interaction--he accepted that much, and loved it. Fujiko, his usual dance partner, was as dangerous and wily as she was beautiful; Grell was equally dangerous, but in a wholly playful way. Adele...

She caught him on his stumble without word, maintaining her grace of motion while never breaking her pace. Lupin looked down at her for the briefest of moments, and was glad for the shield provided by the wide sunglasses. He didn't think that he could hide his surprise at her attentiveness.

Aurelie, back in disguise, quirked her lips into a shadow of a smile as she straightened her hat and leveled her gaze on the road once more.]

I do like challenges. [The husky purr was back, but her tone softened with her next words.] Everything is a challenge right now. Times are...'interesting.'

[The veil of emotional distance had returned, but Aurelie didn't pull away.]

Appointments

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