Cosplay Shenanigans

3 - of punchable look and violet eyes

"Wait, someone cosplayed Kaito?!"

"Ahh, please let me take your pics next!!"

And barely a few minutes in, Abel's confidence skyrocketed high into the heavens as more people flocked into him... as they always should. At their requests, the young cosplayer struck poses - as he had practiced in the mirror - iconic to Kaito, and some of them squealed. Not forgetting to smirk, he wrapped his arm around his fans as they snapped some photos. Lotte should have been here early so she can see how popular Kaito is and not that dude.

"You're so passionate about that cocky detective, huh?"

Speak of the devil. Charlotte and Adrian, at long last, were here, but she had her hands on her hips as they approached him. Her orange hair blazed like a dancing fire underneath the sun, probably since she dyed it to further intensify the hues. Dressed in a lime green yukata with red stripes, she had a yellow hira obi tied around her hips. A drawstring bag dangled from her arm, mimicking the character she had been extremely fond of.

Wow, her cosplay's flawless too. Abel mentally whistled. Well, this girl's basically Midori in a nutshell. Pretty badass in her arc.

"Heh, you should have been here earlier. I've been getting lots of photos." He simpered. "See, I told you Kaito's more popular."

"Oh my God, please... do something with your ego. I'm literally cringing," Charlotte huffed, but that didn't stop her from flashing her friend a mischievous grin. "But just so you know, my cosplay can be much more popular."

"Let's prove it then," said Abel between his chuckles, before he averted his gaze towards his other friend. He was... well, wearing a graphic T-shirt and jeans as if it was another typical day. This time, a mini green cape was his sole prop. I guess he tried, but...

"What the hell is that, Adrian?" Abel protested. "That's not even cosplaying, that's just... you."

"Exactly," Adrian concurred, as this man didn't even put much effort in smiling. "I'm simply cosplaying as Adrian Gardner."

"Just admit you're lazy, dude..." Charlotte dismissed, bumping into him as Abel continued gawking at him. "And here I thought you're willing to at least dress up when you said you're cosplaying."

"There ain't rules forbidding us from cosplaying as ourselves, right?" Adrian asked, and when no one bothered confirming his statement, he shrugged and curled his lips. "That's what I thought."

At this point, I don't really expect anything from Adrian... Abel groaned silently and placed his hand on his face. "But you've been cosplaying as yourself all the time, man. You had time to find a decent costume, but I guess you're more committed to being in bed and binge-watching Netflix."

"Whoa, whoa, please don't expose me like that," Adrian guffawed, forcefully slapping Abel's back, recoiling him off his spot. "Sometimes I can't help but to-"

"WHOA!!!"

The sudden uproar of the crowd caused the trio to simultaneously whirl on their heels. They pointed their fingers to something above them while they shielded their eyes from the sun's penetrating rays. With a raised brow, Abel craned his neck up, tracing after the gazes of the crowd.

A young woman zoomed past the horizon, drifting through the air. Many heads turned, pursuing after the woman as she landed on the roof of the convention centre. Raising her arms, she waved at them before leaping off to the distance. For some people, witnessing a human gliding in the skies might sound so outlandish, but for Abel, it wasn't much of a remarkable news.

Gosh, it's just the Leaper.

"Oh, it's Rhea Crawford payin' us a little visit,'' Adrian initiated. "Never knew she would be interested in conventions."

"Man, I wish I could be like her." Charlotte clapped her hands together. "She's so cool, and she rocks with her superpowers! She's the embodiment of girl power."

"Oh yeah. Don't wanna mess with her. She could practically swoop in and kick your sorry ass to space," Adrian shivered.

While his friends rhapsodized about the superhero, Abel wordlessly beckoned them to the entrance of the centre. The sun wasn't fooling around today, acting like a gargantuan oven baking the entire town. Moreover, his suit and pants had begun sticking to his muggy skin. Yeah, I'm definitely not ruining my costume and hair.

However, before he could experience the cool breeze inside the building, he suddenly halted on his path. Consequently, Charlotte and Adrian nearly bumped their noses against his back.

"Dammit Abs. What's with you?" Adrian interrogated, but Abel muttered no words. He was too busy ogling at a familiar person who manifested from the swarm of cosplayers. With silky black hair hanging loose until her hips, taupe complexion and dull violet eyes... those were the unmistakable traits of his sworn contender.

Mairi.

Despite her fans bombarding her, she preserved her deadpan look as she promenaded through them. As one might expect, she kept her iconic crossdressing style. Fully clothed in a white royal uniform and a mantle ornamented with golden lacings and embroidery, she had a belt fastened around her hips, equipped with a sheath containing her sword.

She's cosplaying as a prince huh... but what prince is her cosplay from?

Drawing closer, Mairi's gaze instantly wandered towards him, because why the heck not. And like always, Abel felt something clenching against his ribs as his fingers grew cold. He neither could move nor budge his muscles, so his legs were totally glued on the spot. He gulped, pulling himself together he leered at the woman he had been taciturnly interacting with for endless months.

Seriously, what the hell's going on with me? She's your rival, for heaven's sake!

At this point, Mairi would have left him all tensed up as he struggled recuperating from her stupid spell. However, the expressionless crossdresser did the unthinkable: she headed straight towards Abel with no questions and stopped right in front of him.

What the...

What's this?!

Why is she approaching me?!

As the couple soundlessly gazed and examined each other's outfits, cosplayers started turning their heads to each other, exchanging inaudible whispers, but their hushed voices briskly saturated Abel's ears. And as for Abel himself... a tumultuous battle between his thoughts had just started.

***

A/N: Thank you for reading, and please do let me know your thoughts of this chapter!

Rhea Crawford (know as the Leaper) is the main character from Leap of Faith, a book I put on-hold, which also took place in the same city as Cosplay Shenanigans.

Here is a term you might be unfamiliar with.

*Hira obi: The ribbon/tie that is used to tie around a yukata, a Japanese traditional clothing.