A/N: Well, this one was a bit of a trickster! The prompt is "cosplaying", and I was like, "wow. So out of character for either of them." So it was a little hard to work with, but hey, I think it's okay. After all, with people as fantastic as you supporting me, audience, how can I go wrong?
Audience: "You suck."
Aww, you're making me all warm and fuzzy inside! Anyways, this chapter is about cosplaying, apparently. Have fun reading, I hope!
"C'mon, let's go, let's go!" Ken shouted, Koromaru barking with enthusiasm as they drove to the complex. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat, urging Kikuno to go faster.
Yukari tried to keep it on the low down, but seeing as Ken was such a big fan, it couldn't be avoided. The Phoenix Ranger Featherman R convention was being held in Tatsumi Port Island, so naturally, he insisted everyone go along. Yukari tried to discourage him, but Ken was surprisingly adamant in his decision. No matter what protests were issued to him or who complained, he absolutely refused to take no for an answer. And thus, all the Shadow Operatives were in the back of Mitsuru's limousine, being driven by Kikuno, on their way to the convention. In some . . . interesting wardrobe, to say the least.
"Ken. . . You all really didn't have to do this." Yukari cleared her throat, looking around the car at all her friends in costume.
"No, we did, we did!" he said, he and Koromaru in matching Feather Red Hawk costumes. He looked absolutely ecstatic. "This is gonna' be so much fun!"
"I still think it was unnecessary. . ." said Mitsuru, in a Feather Blue Swan uniform. "This outfit. . . It's embarrassing, let alone impractical. . ."
"Nuh-uh!" Ken said, showing off more of his childish side. "We totally had to do this, or we couldn't call ourselves fans! And it's perfect combat attire. If anything, we should wear it more often, Mitsuru!" It was interesting to see the usually-mature Ken in a completely childish mindset.
Akihiko laughed. "Let him have his fun. This is our first time at one of these things. Even if this outfit is a bit restricting. . ." Akihiko's Feather Yellow Owl costume was also wonderfully crafted, though he wasn't too fond of it. Still, Akihiko seemed like he was enjoying himself. "I could stand to fight in it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mitsuru sighed. "Regardless of my opinion, these costumes are exquisite. . . Fuuka, where did you get these?"
Fuuka, who had wisely omitted herself from wearing a costume, shook her head. "Kikuno-san made them."
Kikuno's dedication was admirable. The costumes were spot on, after all. They could easily be actual outfits from the show. It was obvious she spent hours on this, at Ken's insistence.
"Ah, I see. . ." Mitsuru then shifted her attention to Labrys, in a Feather White Horned Owl costume. She seemed pretty embarrassed. "Labrys, this is your first time at an event this large, right?"
"U-Uh, right, yeah." She looked about at all of her friends in costume, unsure at how they were pulling them off. I must look ridiculous, she thought, stretching her hands underneath the rubber gloves. It covered all of her parts, but the form-fitting suit was uncomfortable and restrictive.
"It should be fun, sister." Aigis, too, had come, but she wasn't in costume. Ken insisted that this would be the perfect opportunity to show off her mechanical parts, as enemies from a certain arc of the manga were metallic and robotic. No one had questioned it, really.
"Of course." With everyone else here, it's definitely gonna' be fun. We're gonna' have a great time. She smiled enthusiastically and looked to the person to her left.
He, however, looked miserable.
Makoto was garbed in a Feather Black Falcon costume, insisting the color "suited him well" as opposed to one of the brighter colors. He was pretty sure he could handle dressing up in public. However, now that he was on his way there, he was getting cold feet. Makoto never really liked being the center of attention, unless it was a one-on-one thing. With five hundred random strangers watching his every move, that was different. Not only that, but it was kind of embarrassing to dress up as a character from a kid's show. Especially considering how well made the costumes were. . . Yukari's was official, but everyone else could easily pass as members of the cast if they tried and said some hammy dialogue. With that in mind, he was clearly going to get a lot of pictures taken of him. I can at least hide inside the helmet. It won't be too bad if I just hide inside the helmet. It wasn't really nervousness, it was just not wanting the attention.
Labrys poked his cheek, getting his attention. "Hey. What's the matter? You don't look so good."
"Nothing." He put on his helmet, deciding to fully devote himself to being Feather Black. He'd watched a bit of the show back in high school, anyways. If Featherman Victory was anything like the previous iterations, he could pass pretty well.
"Man, you're getting cold feet, aren't you?" asked Junpei as they pulled into the parking lot, donned in a Feather Green costume. "C'mon, the pictures are the best part! We're gonna' be legends!"
"Yeah, Junpei's got the right idea!" He and Ken exchanged a high five and some laughter as they bounced around giddily. He must be a fan, thought Labrys.
"We're here, everyone," said Kikuno in the front seat.
Everyone nodded, putting their helmets with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Ken couldn't contain himself anymore, his excitement getting the better of him. "Featherman, away!" shouted Ken as he hopped out of the car, running into the convention center enthusiastically, Koromaru on his heels. Junpei rushed after him, partly to make sure he didn't get lost, but mostly to make sure he was part of the action too.
Brace yourself, Feather Black. You can handle this. Makoto began the long trek into the convention center, bolstering his confidence.
He had practically collapsed by the time he made it to the front door.
That must've been at least a hundred. . . He thought, as he entered the main hall of the center. On the way inside alone, their group had been stopped for pictures plenty of times, being forced to pose. Ken enthusiastically held his sword high, shouting quotes from the show. Junpei joined him, reciting some hammy battle dialogue that the crowds just ate up. Even Akihiko got into the act for a bit, challenging Red for the title of leader, which got lots of laughs from the crowd. They looked like they were having a really good time, but this just wasn't Makoto's style.
The helmet was the only barrier between Makoto and the eyes of thousands of watchers. There were hundreds of eyes, all on him and his friends. I just want to walk around without all this attention. . . I need to bolster my resolve if I'm going to stay like this all day.
He felt a strange sensation on his hand, which he could barely feel through the rubber gloves. He turned to the left to see his companion, Labrys, or Feather White, grabbing his hand. She must have sensed his distress.
"Feather Black, ya' doin' alright?" she asked, swinging his hand in hers. "I'm havin' a lot of fun so far. Thanks for comin' with me."
". . . Of course," he said, a gentle smile forming under his helmet. "With everyone else here, how could I not be?"
"Right. As long as we're here together, we'll have a great time. So cheer up, alright?" She squeezed his hand, before letting go.
That brief gesture filled Makoto with a well of confidence, deciding to bear the burden for his girlfriend. As long as she was having fun, he could be happy. I'll be the best Feather Man there is.
"Wow, look at that Feather Pink costume!" shouted a bystander, directed at Yukari. "It looks like the real thing!"
It was the real thing, but soon, the crowd was flocking around the group once again. Labrys gave Makoto another enthusiastic nod, smiling under her helmet. This should be a lot of fun, she thought, going to pose with the rest of her friends.
The group couldn't even move for a brief amount of time, surrounded by a massive crowd of people, everyone wanting pictures. Now, though, everyone was into the act, shouting nonsensical attacks and battle dialogue that Labrys wasn't even sure was in the show. I'll have to go watch it some time. Ken and Koromaru fought for everyone's attention, trying to steal the spotlight from Yukari. "It is I, Feather Red!" A cry of "ooohs" and "ahs" shot through the crowd as he shouted the name of his ultimate attack. Junpei, too, swung his weapons around. Akihiko was giving a speech about "A good Featherman needs his protein" or something. The crowd was absolutely hysterical, especially when Aigis got pulled into the action as well. For a moment she thought it was a serious situation, so Labrys had to explain that they weren't actually fighting any bad guys.
Labrys couldn't stop laughing at how silly everyone was being. This is gonna' be great.
The crowd dissipated after a good half hour of pictures, due to some panels starting in a few moments. "Oh, crap," said Yukari, rushing off. "I have to get ready for the autograph panel! We'll meet up here later, guys!"
With that, everyone slowly separated. "C'mon, Koromaru, let's go get autographs!" Ken said, rushing off into the convention center, laughing like a little kid. Junpei followed after him, shouting for him to slow down as he ran out of the main hall.
"Hey, Mitsuru, Fuuka, let's go grab lunch." Akihiko punched his open hand. "Maybe we can get some more pictures taken on the way." He seemed to be enjoying himself.
"Alright, Akihiko." And so, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka and Kikuno left to grab food, leaving just Makoto and Labrys in the center of the square.
"Makoto," Labrys said, voice muffled from underneath her helmet. "Let's go check out the vendors. I wanna' see if we can grab somethin' for Ken-kun while he's gettin' autographs."
"Sure," he said, nodding to make sure the helmet didn't silence him completely. "We'll go to Yukari's panel after that, alright?"
"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." She grabbed his hand and led him off into the crowd, with absolutely no idea where she was going. But as long as he was with her, that's where she wanted to be.
"This is so cute! Makoto, we just gotta' pick it up for Ken-kun," Labrys said, holding the object in question out to Makoto. It was a little Feather Red plush doll, with a tiny strap so you could tie it to a key chain or cellphone.
"Alright, alright, calm down." He laughed a little at her childish enthusiasm. "Sure." He pulled out his wallet, paying the vendor for the doll. Labrys cheered as he bought it, smiling gleefully. She skipped along next to her, humming the Featherman Victory opening as she walked along. "Having fun?"
"You betchya! I'm really glad Ken-kun dragged us along to this thing. But mostly. . ." She grabbed his hand yet again. "I get to spend time with you, y'know? So it's great."
He squeezed her hand back. "Yeah. Say, you see anything you want? I'll get you a souvenir."
"Really?" she asked, immediately diverting her attention from him to the various stalls around her, looking for something she wanted. "Ooh, how about that?" she asked, pointing towards a figure on the wall. It was a 1/7th size Feather White figure, which was overall pretty impressive and nice looking.
Makoto immediately saw the price tag. ¥68,000? No way. I can't afford that. The expectant look on her face was killing him as he looked for a polite way to refuse. "Uh. . . That's a bit pricey, don't you think? Maybe we could get something cheaper. . ." He cleared his throat, trying to sound as polite as possible. He didn't want to flat-out refuse, but he couldn't pay that much, even if he wanted to.
She frowned a little, but didn't seem too disappointed. "Yeah, I guess so. Hmm. . ." She started to look around yet again, abandoning the idea. Dodged a bullet, he thought, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead. "Oh, oh, how about that?" she asked, her attention now on the new object of her desires.
This time, she was pointing towards something far more affordable. It was a Featherman board game, in which one played as a Featherman to defeat evil and take down the Four Kings or something like that. It was made for kids, but Labrys seemed to really want it. "We could play it with everybody. It'd be loads of fun!"
"Hmm. . . Guess so." It did sound like fun. Makoto made his way over to purchase the board game, taking his helmet off to give his full attention to the vendor.
"Wow! Your Feather Black costume is amazing! Can I get a quick picture for my son?" asked the vendor, immediately pulling out his phone. Evidently, he wasn't waiting for the answer. "Whoa, and you've got a Feather White with you? That's awesome! I've got to get a picture of the two of you."
Labrys walked up behind him, helmet still on. Makoto slipped his on. "Uh, sure."
"Alright, alright, now pose!"
Makoto cleared his throat, trying to indicate he was uncomfortable with the situation as he got into position. Labrys took a similar position behind his back, making it look as if they were mirror images. Even if one of them was a lot taller than the other, and a girl. The vendor snapped the photo. "This is awesome, guys! So what can I help you with?"
"Uh, we'll take one o' that game there." Labrys pointed at the board game, which the vendor enthusiastically grabbed, handing it to Makoto.
"Great, great, thanks, you two. Oh, he's gonna' love this!" Being a vendor must be really boring if this is the best thing he's seen all day. Regardless, Labrys looked happy that someone was so enthusiastic to see her. I guess this will be a pretty memorable experience for all of us.
"See, it's got pieces and parts for all of us to play." Labrys was explaining the details of the game as the pair walked through the convention center, on their way to Yukari's autograph panel. As Labrys rambled on, Makoto found himself staring at her. Even in the silly costume, with her helmet off, she looked amazing. He always found himself astounded by the way her face lit up at the silliest, tiny things that he took for granted. She really did find meaning in everything, didn't she? It was adorable. "Hey, Makoto, payin' attention?"
Clearly, he'd been zoning out for a bit now. "Yeah, of course," he said.
"We're almost at the panel, anyway. This has been a lotta' fun, Makoto."
"It's not over yet. We can still have some more fun. Come on, the panel's starting." And so, the pair walked into the panel, before being immediately crowded by fans. Eh, at least I'm enjoying myself. Makoto worked the Feather Black costume to the best of his ability.
"Aw, man, that was just the best!" Ken said, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. He looked a lot younger like this. "I got autographs from all the Featherman Rangers!"
Ken had waited in line for an hour to get all his autographs. "You know, you could've just asked me, Ken," said Yukari, who was tired from a long day of questions and panels.
"It's not the same if you just get them for me. I got to meet the Featherman Rangers in person! It was awesome!"
Yukari and Ken continued to have an enthusiastic conversation, but everyone else was pretty exhausted. Disregarding the fact that these rubber outfits were starting to grow uncomfortable, it had been a lot of work to walk around and pose all day. Akihiko, the most durable of all of them, looked as if he was about to pass out.
Labrys rested her head on Makoto's shoulder on the ride home. She closed her eyes and thought back on the fun she had that day. "Hey, Makoto?" she whispered, trying not to draw anyone else's attention. "Today was a lot of fun. Let's do stuff like this all the time, yeah?"
"Yeah," he said, leaning against her as well, ignoring the watchful eyes of their friends. "We'll do this all the time. It was fun."
"But, uh, maybe next time we can try without the costumes?"
"Good idea," said everyone in the car.
A/N: Wow, another successful chapter! I think this one was a lot higher quality than the last one, don't you?
Audience: "You suck."
You're the best, guys! Seriously, though, I love all of you. Anyways, I think this chapter was a lot of fun because I got to incorporate some other members of the Shadow Operatives and talk a bit more from Makoto's perspective. I've been kind of focusing the story as if it was inside Labrys's head, but now I'm messing around with Makoto a little. It's fun to write from a different character's perspective sometimes! Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed and continue reading. Favorite and review if I'm your favorite! Follow if there's a trail of cookies through your kitchen leading into a hole in the wall and you want to make sure you don't have rats so you need to follow the trail to know if you need to set traps.
Or if you just wanna' read more.