Chosen gossiped and drank wine as they lounged in the hotel's central plaza. The scent of Cologne, Elijah's cigarette smoke, fabric softener, and ego lingered in the air. Baroque Military music played on speakers while acrylic paintings of previous Augustine Prime's decorated the off-white walls. Golden vases housed potted plants, placed next to elegant furniture and behind the receptionist's desk.
Sarah glanced around as Chosen squinted at her with faint suspicion before returning to their conversation. She stared into Rachel's mulberry eyes that were attracting all sorts of attention. Rachel's dingy windbreaker and maskless face operated as natural camouflage, subverting the crowd's growing suspicions. Elijah handed a pair of sunglasses to Rachel as Alice nodded at him as she waited for Rusev and Emily to enter the elevator with her.
"Any idea where we can get some uniforms?" Elijah asked Rachel as the elevator door closed.
Rachel shrugged. "No idea, my parents came here a lot, but I didn't."
Sarah rolled her eyes and then walked over to the receptionist's desk. "Excuse me mam. My friends and I are new employees, and we didn't get our uniforms at our orientation. Could you point us in the right direction?" She asked with a smile.
"Oh, um, I wasn't aware we had any new employees," the receptionist said, looking at the monitor in front of her. "What are your names?"
"I don't want to be rude, but we are kinda in a hurry, " Sarah replied with a thin lip smile. "The manager has us handling stuff related to the chosen and is expecting us in five minutes."
The receptionist nodded. "Right, you can get some uniforms on the fourth floor. Just go down the hallway, and there is a storage room on the left."
"Thank you, dear," Sarah said, then walked back to Elijah and Rachel. "Fourth floor, let's go."
"How did you?" Rachel mumbled.
"Don't be so surprised, Rachel of Augustine. You don't need some elaborate scheme or mulberry eyes for common folk. Play the part convincingly enough, and they will just hand you the keys."
"You sound like my mother," Rachel grumbled as she followed Sarah down the corridor.
"I hope your mother likes live performance," Sarah chuckled as she glanced back at Rachel and Elijah as they climbed a flight of stairs.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I will be performing once we get our intel."
"Why?" Elijah asked as they climbed another flight of stairs.
"A distraction of sorts."
"Diego, right?"
Sarah nodded. "Alice and I cooked up a plan while you two were ordered waffles," she explained as they reached the fourth floor. "I dazzle the crowd while you guys steal our goldmine of intel."
"Solid plan, but what about you? Everybody is going to know you're Sarah in disguise the minute you start singing," Elijah asked.
"That's where Rachel and Emily come in," Sarah replied as they walked down the corridor.
"So you want Emily to freeze time and me to portal you basically?" Rachel asked as Sarah stopped at a door labeled storage.
"Exactly," Sarah replied as she glanced down the hallway, then opened the door. "Jackpot," she said as she looked at the various outfits wrapped in plastic bags.
"Of course you wear a pink bra," Rachel said, rolling her eyes as Sarah got undressed.
"Well, of course. I have to color match," she replied, then looked at Elijah, who had his back turned as he undressed in the corner. "Elijah, why are you being shy? You already saw me naked before."
"You're not the only one in the room, Sarah," Elijah grumbled as he got dressed behind a cabinet.
"Tight around the chest but much better than that dingy ass sweater," Sarah said as she admired her bust in the employee uniform. "Decent material, though I wish they had pink instead of black."
"Get some pink spray paint then," Rachel replied as she fixed the cuffs on her outfit.
"Don't give her any ideas," Elijah grumbled as he stepped out from the corner.
Sarah's eyes widened as she stared at Elijah. "Looking sharp, Elijah. I should have had you wear something similar back when you were my bodyguard."
Elijah shook his head and then left the room. Sarah and Rachel followed shortly after, gazing at the chosen walking past them, oblivious. They climbed several flights of stairs, then stopped when they noticed Alice, Rusev, and Emily coming from the opposite direction.
"Good, you guys got outfits as well," Alice said as she glanced at everyone's uniforms.
"Emily, why are you not wearing one?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.
Emily crossed her arms. "Because I don't want to."
Rachel rubbed her forehead, then shook her head. "Emily just put on a uniform."
"But it's ugly and I can just-"
"Em-"
Emily crossed her arms. "Nope."
"Rachel, have you ever been in Sarah's vacation home?" Elijah asked.
"Yeah, Sarah invited our family over once, two, or three years ago. Why?" Rachel replied with a raised eyebrow.
"It was two years ago for my private album listening," Sarah explained.
Elijah nodded. "Can you portal us there?"
"Yeah...why?" Rachel asked.
"You got any outfits Emily can wear at your crib, Sarah?"
Emily's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."
"Uniform or Sarah gets to play dress up with you. Your call," Elijah threatened.
A grin stretched on Sarah's face as she tapped her chin. "Now that I think about it. I still have a pink dress I wore back when I was Emily's age."
"Fine...fine....I will wear the stupid uniform," Emily grumbled as she started to gaze around the corridor.
"Emily, I can tell you're trying to weasel your way out of this," Rachel said, then crossed her arms. "I will know if you try something."
Emily tugged on her hair, then sighed.
"Actually, I vote for Sarah to play dress up with Emily as karma for fucking with time," Rachel said.
"I second that," Alice stated.
"Third," Elijah replied.
"Fourth," Rusved stated.
Emily blinked, then stared at Sarah with a mortified gaze.
"Looks like it's a unanimous vote. Payback is a bitch!" Sarah chuckled, then grabbed her by the shoulder as Rachel gestured everyone to follow her.
"This is going to be fun," Sarah cackled as she pushed Emily through the door, then stepped through.
"Guys...please...let's just talk about this?" Emily asked as she gazed around at the pink walls of Sarah's vacation home. "I promise I won't fuck with time anymore."
"Oh, we know, but you are not getting off for all the other times you did," Rachel said as she watched Sarah throw an arm around Emily's neck.
"This is the greatest day of my life," Sarah cackled as she pulled Emily down the hallway.
"This is the worst day of my life," Emily grumbled as she dragged her feet on the carpet.
Fluorescent lights flickered on as Rachel and Sarah carried a squirming Emily into the dressing room.
"I will wear the fucking uniform!" Emily yelled as they forced her into a salon chair. Her body quivered as she stared at the various pink outfits hanging on a clothing rack.
"She really hates pink," Alice said as she leaned on the wall next to Rusev and Elijah.
"Like a cat that hates water," Elijah replied as he lit a cigarette.
"These teal highlights gotta go as well," Sarah said as she rubbed her hands through Emily's hair. "They are so faded and mute," she laughed, then grabbed some pink hair dye from the counter under a vanity mirror.
Emily frowned as she wiggled in the chair, and Rachel held her in the chair. "Rache...come on. Don't let her do this," she pleaded.
"She won't because I will be doing it," Rachel snickered as she took the hair dye from Sarah.
"This fucking sucks. Pink sucks...you all suck...suck....suck," Emily growled as Rachel tilted her head into the shampoo bowl attatched to the salon chair.
"Please keep complaining. It's music to my ears," Sarah cackled as she washed Emily's dirty black hair.
"Fuck off," Emily grumbled, then crossed her arms.
"You do everything not to be noticed. Wear everything to not be noticed, and hate the one color that screams notice me," Rachel insisted as she applied the pink hair dye over Emily's faded teal highlights.
Emily cursed under her breath. "Just fucking get this over with and stop psycho analyzing me."
"I think you need to take a hard look at yourself, Emily of Leonore," Sarah cackled as she browsed her pink outfits. "The lack of self-awareness in you is baffling. You really think being dressed in black is going to stop anyone from noticing you now?"
"It did for most of my life," Emily grumbled as she glared at the gothic pink and black sleeveless dress in Sarah's hands. "You can't be serious?"
"I think it's cute," Rachel said as she stared at the onyx and silver embellishments woven into the outfit. "It's not totally pink either."
"Can the men leave the room while we get Emily dressed?" Sarah asked as Elijah and Rusev left the room.
"You must wear this during our little duet," Sarah said as she closed the door.
"Wait, I thought you were the only one performing?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I lied," Sarah chuckled. "Emily and I are going to be putting on a show."
"It was supposed to be a secret, Sarah," Emily grumbled.
Sarah shrugged. "Oh well...they would have figured it out anyway," she replied, then clapped her hands. "Now lets get you dressed."
Elijah gazed at the door when he heard footsteps approaching, minutes later.
"You absolutely need to see this," Sarah squealed as she opened the door and gestured Rusev and Elijah to enter. "Emily, stop hiding behind the cabinet and show everybody your outfit!"
"Fuck off!" Emily yelled from behind the cabinet.
"She is a little shy, but she looks magnificent," Sarah whispered.
"She is livid," Alice said flatly as she leaned on the wall.
"Emily, we've got things to do. Let's go!" Rachel yelled as she grabbed Emily's wrist.
"I don't care. I ain't going anywhere looking like this!" Emily screamed as she pulled away from Rachel.
"You look fine," Rachel replied as she pulled on Emily's arm. "Now get the fuck from behind there!"
Dresses, jewelry, and glass were scattered on the floor as Rachel knocked over the cabinet. Emily's emerald colored eyes widened as she gazed at the clutter on the floor. Her eyebrows raised as she noticed everyone's eyes on her black and pink sleeveless dress. The pink highlight glistened in her long, wet black hair under fluorescent lights.
"That's Emily?" Rusev asked as his eyes widened. "She kinda-"
Elijah nudged Rusev, then shook his head. "Don't finish that sentence if you want to live."
Emily's eyes narrowed like a pissed-off cat. Her emerald eyes dared any of them to finish that sentence.