Welcome to the Masquerade

"This Is What You Came For" by Calvin Harris feat. Rhianna

AN: Because (pick your favorite reason) We can all use a little extra right now. The muse decided to be nice. My favorite Author is releasing a new book tomorrow. and/or I just felt like it.  So here you go 1700 extra words. Standard disclaimer! I only own Lory. Everything else is the property of C.L.Stone. Constructive criticism is welcome and even requested, but flames will be used to make s'mores. I love votes and views. Please let me know your favorite lines and moments. Happy Reading.

*~*~*Thursday evening*~*~*

Lory checked for the tenth time she had everything to completely remake another person. Latex mix, fake scars, Pros-Aide© and Skin Tite©, henna paints, self-tanners, hair colors, wax beads and a warmer, note pads, brushes, pens, camera, ruler, tape measure.

"I think I've got it all...," Lory muttered as she rifled through the growing pile. They had come home Thursday and she had drafted her brothers into helping her empty it. Several boxes now lived in the storage trailer at the Taylor's house. Most of the boxes, including all of the ones with pictures of her mom, went to the Broad St. house. The whole point of clearing out the POD was to get to the tubs that held her cosplay tools.

There had been a tub for everything. Fake skin, paints to color the latex scars, and adhesives had been in one tub. Hair Colors and rinses in another. There had been rolling makeup cases that stood nearly to her hip. On and on. The back section of the POD had been packed floor to ceiling. Gabe had at one point hugged Lory in spontaneous glee.

"Dyes and rinses, latex, brushes,..." Lory continued to mumble. "So much easier to do when I know where I'm starting from."

"What time do you plan on starting?" Owen asked. "Do you want me to go with you? Or perhaps Kota."

Lory smiled up at him. He was nervous for her. Bless him.

"I'll be fine, Gabe'll be with me. I just wish I knew who I was working on. I'm having to take everything just so I'll have enough."

"Consider it an assessment," Owen said thoughtfully after a moment as he regarded her pile of plastic tubs. "How well you do with a minimum of information."

"Okay," Lory nodded, taking a deep breath. "I can do that. Since I'm not sure how long it will take, I'd like to start about four or five tomorrow afternoon. I'd start earlier, but we can't take it to school. Maybe I should run it over to my house and stage it there?"

"Sean needs to go to the hospital. Load our cars and we'll drop the boxes in your garage," Owen offered after a moment.

Once the boxes were loaded, lory looked at them and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Take the Jeep after school," North grumbled at her. Knowing exactly what was worrying her. "Then you can Gabe can load up and go wherever you need to."

"Thanks. I'll drive Lucy that way and you and Luke have wheels."

"We'll see you in the morning, Imoto. Get some rest and stop worrying. As you've told us," Sean grins, "This is what you do."

*~*~* Friday afternoon *~*~*

"Ok, you going to tell us who we're working with now?" Lory questioned Kota as he helped load up the jeep and donated the use of a folding wagon.

"Mr. B didn't tell you?" Kota blinked in surprise.

"He didn't fucking tell us anything, " Gabriel complained as he hoisted another tub into the back. He'd added some of his own tools to the mountain they were loading.

"The Toma team."

Lory stared at Kota for a minute. "The Toma team. Well hell," she huffed, "If he'd told me that I could have cut some things. Oh well. Better to have it and not need it. Apartment 714, right?"