This choice: Talk to Caleb about using Yumi's cousins • Go Back... "Is that you, Will?" Jelena asks as you enter the fuck room. She takes a drag of her cigarette and then gets wide-eyed. "Yeah, that'll work." she says, her eyes gleaming and her face not even bothering to hide her interest of your new home. "That'll work wonderfully."
"That didn't take long." you reply to her in kind, "I figured you wouldn't be able to get her until tomorrow."
"It was just a matter of calling Jelena up. She knows Charles has problems with Lynch." She shoots you a smile, "It was just a matter of having her meet up at his place so he could vent. Easy peasy."
"So what's it like being in there?" you ask.
She gives a snort. "I could ask you the same question but I'm sure Yumi's body feels wonderful." she replies coolly. You sigh and shake your head. "That's not on Caleb... mostly. It's been a while since I've been with someone; I'm feeling a bit undersexed."
"Well you're not getting anything from me." you shoot back, "I'm not into the whole girl's club routine. Yumi isn't rather."
"Too bad. Last Asian girl I was with was really nice." she leans back against some of the boxes taking another drag, "College girl. Really pretty. We were both trashed at a show. Fun times. What was her name...?" she thinks for a moment and then you see a light bulb go off above her head. She simply gives a glance in your direction and snickers a bit. She notices you giving her a look that tells her you're curious. "No, it's just funny because... I can't remember. Must've been more trashed than I thought." she shrugs. "So what's up? I doubt you came out here to ask me about my love life."
You nod, "Right. Actually there was something I wanted to talk to you about."
"I'm listening."
"I've got two cousins, Dana and Sarah Pak. I was thinking about bringing them in." you state.
"Pak? That sounds Korean." Jelena points out.
"They're mixed; my mom and their mom are Japanese. She married a Korean guy." You whip out your phone and look for a picture thinking that it'll help your chances. "Here," you say handing the phone to Jelena after finding a picture of the three of you. You can tell she's impressed as she hands it back.
"And you want to bring them in?" she asks. "Don't you already have a group?"
"I'd have two." you say and you can tell that disgruntles her a bit. "I'm not trying to pull one over on you if that's what you think." you say defending yourself from unlevied accusations, "They go to Eastman: Dana's a senior and Sarah's a freshman. I kind of lucked into this and thought 'why limit ourselves if we've got an opportunity sitting right in our laps?' We'd get a foothold into Eastman we could duck into every so often when our groups are more set." Jelena just stares straight ahead so for the final push you add, "We'd have more girls. More masks of them."
"We'd have your cousins too?" Jelena asks finally speaking up. It's not really a question. "We'll give it a shot, why not? If things go south though we're golemizing their masks. We cannot have people running around with knowledge of what we're doing if they're not all in. Same goes with James, Carson, and Jenny. Same goes with my group."
It's cold; stone cold. But you realize that it's also very reasonable and logical. You agree to it and tell her that since they're family and there's only two of them you'll work on getting them set up before working on the trio. "Heh, god it was a pain getting out here. I had to come up with a story about going out to eat with some friends. It took longer than you'd think to convince her that I wouldn't be out too late." you sigh as you flop down on one of the mat piles.
"Luckily I don't live with my parents." she says, you can see a flash of pain on her face. Not a physical pain but an emotional one. "They sucked, the environment was toxic, and no you're not getting more than that. I live out by Keyserling with my sister and the rest of our band."
You let things stew unsure of what to say before finally blurting out the first thing that pops into your head. "So getting drunk and sleeping with girls you can't remember the names of. Doesn't sound like the healthiest of lifestyles." you say, "No girlfriend or anyone you love?"
"There's someone I like, yeah, but..." she looks down and sighs. "Aurum shines more brightly than any man, yet my hopes are burnt or turn to rust." She looks up and gives you a smirk, "And that's all you're getting on that. Piece it together yourself."
And until you realize that you should probably get going so your mother doesn't get on your case the two of you spend time chatting mostly as an excuse to get more into the heads of the roles your occupying in ways that would give you more clarity and understanding than simply pulling up a memory. You make sure to get the book and other materials as well before you leave.
* * * * *
School the next day is full of lots of cries of "congratulations" and "good job" and other similar things. As you met Chelsea in the morning you followed through on your vow to rescind the extreme orders simply telling her to treat you nicer. Not so much that it would cause suspicion but just enough to project a good image. A changing image. A level of begrudging respect. And not once do you talk to the trio, the group you were going with originally, much like you told Caleb. In fact you couldn't even if you wanted to as you're pulled in this direction and that. And there is already whispers of jealousy among some of the girls and of Yumi's desirability among the guys skyrocketing.
After school you head across town to the Pak residence thankful that both of your cousins are indeed home. You head up to Dana's room and explain to them that what you're about to show them and tell them does not leave this circle. That they are not to tell anyone about any of this. They seem to take a bit of an amused tone but promise you that they definitely won't tell anybody. Afterwards you hand them each a blank mask.
"Put them." you tell them, "Just press them against your face."
They give each other a look but do as they're told and both are out as the masks absorb their images. Once they've finished but while both sisters are still out you grab the mind bands and shove them onto their foreheads. Once their memories, their personalities, and such have been copied you wait for them to come to. Both are confused but you tell them to sit patiently as you have to do a few things with these. In the bathroom you seal the masks, combine them with the bands, the usual. Then you strip out of Yumi's clothes and, sitting on the ground, remove the Yumi mask.
"Well, how do I look?" you ask as you step back into Dana's room. Both of them are absolutely stunned by what they see as you close the door: it's Dana Pak only dressed in Yumi's outfit.
"Wha... but.." is all Dana can sputter.
"Yumi?" Sarah asks nervously, "Dana? Wha-what's going on?"
You can tell both girls are freaked out. "Don't worry, it's still me. This is what I wanted to show you: this book, these masks... they're magic." you smile, something that unnerves the both of them. Both want to call BS but the evidence before them means they can't. "These masks copy a person's appearance; bands copy their mind. With them you can simply put on a mask and become a whole new person. Anyone you want."
"And you're showing us this... why?" Dana asks still not sure what to make of anything.
"Because you're my cousins AND my friends and I want to share it with you guys." you reply, "I want you guys to copy people with these masks... just a fun little thing. It'll be like a secret clubhouse: something only we know about."
"And what do you want us to do with them?" asks Dana.
"Nothing untoward, honest. It'd just be fun to have, mess around with them here. Spend some time as other people and learn things without ever leaving the house." you explain. You look at their faces: they're not sold. They're unsure. And then you're surprised at what Sarah says.
"I'll do it." she says quietly and you both turn to her in surprise. "It sounds... neat. I'll do it but, and Dana please don't get mad, but I want to be Dana."
"Sarah!" Dana exclaims.
"Only for a day or two!" she exclaims, "I want to see how it is. I want to see how it feels. I can be Dana and she can be me. Just give us that and then we can tell you if we want to do it or not."
"Dana?" you ask turning to her, "How does that sound?"
"I... I don't know. It's weird. It's kind of messed up." she looks over at her sister, probably the one person she cares for more than anybody. You admire the closeness they share. "But if she wants to do it I'll go along with it."
Sarah brightens up a bit at that. "Oh my god." she says quietly, "So... you'll do it right Yumi?" her tone is practically one of pleading. "You'll let me and Dana switch for a couple of days?" | Members who added to this interactive
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