Prompt 6

Señorita

She remembered the first time well.

Something had always felt… not quite right. She couldn't quite explain it, though, when she was a child. She ignored it, mostly. Shook the questions from her head. Pushed on, grew up, learned a man's place. Learned to fight.

Learned to observe. To listen. To hide. To kill.

And learned to bury her feelings. They got in the way in this line of work.

She was often sent on spying missions; gathering information and tracking targets. Hiding in plain sight. Disguises tended to be required. And for this particular mission, no other assassin on the team could fill the role but Gabriel Montoya. Her small stature, soft features and innocent, yet charming smile were just right. She'd make a rather convincing young woman.

Something stirred inside her at the thought. She shoved it down.

She was given a dress; she didn't make it herself the first time. And it didn't fit her quite right. Not wanting to cause any trouble for her superiors, due to still being quite low in the ranks at the time, Gabriel took it upon herself to make the necessary adjustments. When it was finished and she tried it on, standing before a mirror, that strange feeling came back again. She told herself it was nothing, she was just satisfied with her work.

It was time. They were infiltrating the home of some noble family, and Gabriel was to sneak in disguised as a maid in the hopes she might overhear something incriminating, but when she fell into line following two young ladies carrying a set of folded sheets, she didn't see the man coming from the opposite direction. He must have been another servant.

They only bumped into each other, simple as that. Gabriel dropped the sheets, immediately muttering apologies as she stooped to pick them up again. She needed to catch up with those girls, or else she might lose her way. The man reached for the one that had managed to unfold itself and began folding it back up again.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

He just smiled and placed the sheet on top of the pile, "It is no trouble, señorita."

She froze.

Señorita.

Before, it was just her.

She faltered briefly, then she curtsied.

"Gracias."

And hurried along.

Señorita.

Now someone else had seen it, too.

She did complete the mission, make no mistake, but all night long, that word played on her mind. Why, though, when that was exactly the point? To fool them?

… Well, that was just it, wasn't it? She couldn't keep on denying this feeling. She'd only ever been fooling herself.

Back at headquarters, Gabriel was changing out of her disguise. Or, she was meant to be changing, but instead, she stood staring at her reflection, running her hands down the bodice, appreciating the shape of it. She carefully gripped the skirt in both hands and swayed it back and forth, then spun around, letting it flare out.

Señorita.

She curtsied to herself. Then, with a sigh, she began to undress.

She smiled at the memory now; that was the day she found herself.