Just another Friday morning in St. Louis.
Carol, for once, was having a wonderful day at work. In preparation for the presentation to her company's board of directors, she had gone to a local hair stylist and changed up her hairdo and now sported a head of wavy dirty-blonde hair with streaks of red dyed along her bangs. To match the flare of color on her head, she wore a bright blue business suit over a vibrant red dress shirt to bring depth to her outfit. And to her delight, her superiors were not only charmed by her looks but by her masterful presentation that led them to consider delegating more responsibilities towards her; and away from her still bed-ridden supervisor.
As Carol returned to her desk, she felt a familiar wave of confidence that gave her a pep in her step.
"Don't think I've ever seen you smile that much at work," Peggy said as she popped her head over the office dividers.
Carol returned a brighter smile and replied, "I'm just having a good day." She stood up from her chair and handed a piece of paper over to her. "Hopefully the bosses make our lives easier..."
A bit after lunch, Carol learned that she was being transferred to a less high maintenance division at the company which allowed her to travel and meet with a wider portfolio of the company's clients. This also meant that her replacement would need to be prepped soon.
"Whatcha up to?" Carol asked her friend as she walked by her cubical.
"The news. Take a look!" Peggy replied and pulled out her phone to show her friend.
Carol watched as her ex-boyfriend stood on trial not just for the crimes he committed this week, but also past crimes from other parts of the country. She looked down at a banner and read the caption:
MASKED MASTERMIND ON TRIAL
Her eyes clung to Peggy's phone as a treasure trove of evidence was presented to the court including an SD card that was left in a camcorder at the scene of the crime. The very same one that Masked Peggy had offered Carol moments before her unmasking. It showed how Peter had schemed with the green masked lady and forced her, at gunpoint, for her help. This combined with his prior offenses, which had been under FBI investigation, was enough to put him behind bars with an official sentencing to be announced at a later date.
"Your 'friend' does some good work," Carol slyly said to her friend as she swung around in her chair.
"I have no idea..." Peggy began to say before she winked at her friend. "...what you're talking about."
The news report mentioned that they were still searching for the identity of the masked lady but they had no suspects and the trail had, once again, turned up cold.
All of a sudden, Carol felt her phone buzz with a new message from David asking her to join him for an early dinner.
"Gotta go, let me know if I miss anything over text," Carol quickly said.
"Wait, can I ask you something before you head out?" Peggy asked as her friend was packing up. Carol froze for a second and looked up over the divider.
"Can I... borrow the Mask again sometime?" She sheepishly asked while looking up at the office's ceiling.
Carol's eyes widened as she thought about it for a moment. If the Mask was going to be worn by more than just her then it might raise suspicion with the cops. Fortunately for Peggy, her alter ego not only managed to avoid killing anyone but also helped her evade the police and get her ex arrested. She also spent longer than she expected remembering her Masked kiss with Peggy...
"We'll talk," Carol said while grinning at her friend.
Restaurant overlooking the Gateway Arch National Park. Friday, 4 PM.
The sunset was always pretty in October as the cool winds blew over the mid-west. Since summer was coming to a close, the sun was setting at a more reasonable time to let people enjoy a stroll through the park after work. Nearby, Carol and David sat on a balcony that looked over at the park and the banks of the river.
"Well, congratulations!" He cheered as he tipped his glass full of red wine towards Carol and clinked their drinks in celebration.
"Thanks, but... I'm not quite sure I earned it," Carol said as she drew back her glass.
"Honey, you have always earned your success. You just needed some help this time to remove a few roadblocks," David chimed in to break Carol's doubt.
"Yeah... 'help'..." Carol mused as she looked down at her slightly open purse with her mask nestled soundly inside.
"Speaking of that 'help', you never told me what happened when you went ballistic in the theater..." David asked as he began to cut into his meal with a knife.
Carol picked at her meal; trying to figure out how to describe what she witnessed within her mindscape.
"Cherry and I fought," Carol began to say. "We had different ideas about what we wanted to do with the Mask. There was some kicking, punching, and choice words."
"Wow," David said as he covered his mouth with his hand. "Must've been weird."
"That's putting it... mildly," she said as she dipped into her salad with her fork. "But we did come to an agreement. She's not gone... and I don't want her gone..."
David readjusted himself in his seat and leaned forward on the table with a concerned look.
"For five years, I've been telling myself that it was wrong to enjoy myself as Cherry. It isn't. Everyone should have the right to enjoy themselves, guilt free. It's just when other people got hurt or killed that it stopped being fun..." Carol reached for a knife and began to cut her rack of lamb into finer pieces.
"So I've decided to let her out on a leash; a long leash. If the mayhem isn't lethal and relations are agreed to beforehand then we should feel free to do what we want to do," she mused as she dipped a piece of lamb into a light pool of cherry demiglace.
"What are you gonna do...?" David asked with a bit a trepidation in his voice.
Carol continued to look down at her plate and casually said, "You. For starters."
Upon hearing that, David nearly gagged on his drink and fought the urge to cough up his drink upon his girlfriend. Carol giggled to herself as she leaned back and sipped her drink with her legs crossed underneath the table.
"I'm being serious, Carol," David said as he lightly pounded his fist into his chest.
"So am I." She gave him a sly grin, "David, sweetie, 'She' wants you. I can feel it. I know it."
She drew her gaze back down towards the crack in her purse and placed her arm on his. "Or are you saying that being with your kinky superpowered girlfriend is not something that you've thought about?"
David immediately turned bright red from embarrassment and looked away. "You know... I've thought about it," he smiled back while finishing his pork chops.
"Then let's get the check, dear." She suggested to him as the sun was now barely visible over the horizon. "We have a whole night ahead of us."
Carol leaned in over the table and kissed her boyfriend deeply now using not only her lips but also her tongue. As the two kissed the afternoon away, drawing stares from customers and even the establishment's staff, nobody noticed a subtle green glow emanating from within Carol's purse. The once eerie glow was now a welcome invitation for the two personalities to finally become one with their new love.
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The Who's behind The Mask? series and cover art were imagined by possessionmask1994 on DeviantArt!
