[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/B0Icqub.png[/img][hr]Jocasta [@Force and Fury][hr][b][color=7ea7d8]Event:[/color][/b] Hugo's task [b]|[/b] [b][color=7ea7d8]Location:[/color][/b]Tethered Refuge, Torragonese High Desert.[hr][hr][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Iw8PUCy.png[/img][/center][hr][center]🙨 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🙨 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🙨[/center][hr]

[color=#FFDEAD]“I don’t see why this is necessary,”[/color] Jocasta huffed, rolling along after Ayla, who traipsed about in front of her. [color=#FFDEAD]“I am perfectly good with words and negotiation.”[/color] She glanced back at the others over her shoulder as they receded into the distance. [color=#FFDEAD]“Look at how I defused that pool situation!”[/color]

Ayla started recalling the pool situation, her version aimed at attempting to de-escalate the situation before Jo bared her teeth. [color=#7ea7d8]“It was a very nice touch at the end.”[/color] She gave credit where it was due as she redirected from the statement. [color=#7ea7d8]“Your skill set would be invaluable, if you were free to act and not caught up in noble pleasantries and sycophancy. We don’t want our trump card on display whilst we are at a disadvantage.”[/color] She smiled widely. The irony of her own comment was not lost as she moved closer. [color=#7ea7d8]“You know how persuasive my words can be. Let us do what we do best.”[/color]

Jocasta heaved a much-put-upon sigh. [color=#FFDEAD]“Someday, mama, I’ll be a real girl.”[/color] She quirked an eyebrow. [color=#FFDEAD]“For now, I’m just curious to see how badly you fail in a wheeled-chair.”[/color] They’d reached the wood workshop, where open space abounded and they could talk in private. Jocasta reached out with a kinetic grip and plucked a newly-finished chair from the corner. [color=#FFDEAD]“Now sit,”[/color] she commanded, [color=#FFDEAD]“and we can speak further as we roll.”[/color]

Ayla seats herself in the wheelchair, [color=#7ea7d8]“You left such a lasting impression, we aspired to be like you so much, we wanted to become you.”[/color]. She smiles towards the blonde as she is practicing acting more snarky in her comments. [color=#7ea7d8]“The logical next step.”[/color], she puts her hands to the wheel as she practices pushing them forward in the manner she has seen the others, seeming far more clunky than she anticipated.

[color=#FFDEAD]“Step, hmm?”[/color] Jocasta teased. She observed Ayla for a moment. [color=#FFDEAD]“This isn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but you do need to look authentic. First thing, when you turn, not one at a time; both: one forward, one back. You can pivot on the spot.”[/color] She pursed her lips, suddenly some kind of Zeno.

Ayla moves her hands as instructed, able to turn on a neskal. She gives a smile in return, [color=#7ea7d8]“Thought you were going to refer to the hair and eye color with the authentic comment. But it appears we’ll soon be rolling and they will be hating at this rate.”[/color].

[color=#FFDEAD]“Better,”[/color] decided Jocasta. [color=#FFDEAD]“You’re not dogshit anymore, pardon my Perrench."[/color] She immediately softened The comment with a smirk. [color=#FFDEAD]“As for the hair and eyes, nothing a little blood and chemical magic can't fix.”[/color] She focused for a moment and her hair darkened until it was nearly black. [color=#FFDEAD]“wait,”[/color] she interrupted herself, [color=#FFDEAD]“I should’ve asked. You've been taught how to do this? Wanna handle it yourself?”[/color]

Ayla does open up her saddle-bag, full of various trinkets, including a piece of flat metal with a shine. [color=#7ea7d8]“Cosmetics is my forte, if you give me a moment, you could soon pass for me.”[/color], she gives a teasing manner as she starts to dig for powder and make-up. [color=#7ea7d8]“Got a reputation to maintain, won’t pass with just changing your hair colour. You will soon be the prettiest flower in the garden.”[/color] 

[color=#FFDEAD]“Trying to tell me something?”[/color] Jocasta raised an eyebrow. People often assured her that she was pretty, though she knew it was more out of pity than anything else. [color=#FFDEAD]“Anyhow,”[/color] she continued, [color=#FFDEAD]“these!”[/color] All at once she reached out and slapped Ayla’s knees: hard enough to draw a reaction. She shook her head. [color=#FFDEAD]“They can't move. You're moving them without realizing it.”[/color] She drew her hand in a line across her waist. [color=#FFDEAD]“Nothing below here. Sorry for the slap, by the way.”[/color]

Ayla grins for a moment with the final comment, [color=#7ea7d8]“Don’t worry, plucking your eyebrows in a moment.”[/color] She pulls a pair of tweezers out, as she taps them together in a teasing movement. [color=#7ea7d8]“But going to tell you a secret, two actually, first thing, you have good bone structure, don’t want you telling me you’re not pretty. Second, every beautiful girl is very talented when it comes to applying make-up, so once we are done, you would not be pretty, but ravishing. No pity.”[/color]

Jocasta blushed. [color=#FFDEAD]“...got cheekbones like a Nashibansek,”[/color] she grumbled, but then she smiled. [color=#FFDEAD]“Also, get that torture device away from me. I'll use binding. Just guide me.”[/color] 

Ayla smiles warmly, teasing further, [color=#7ea7d8]“You sure? No pain, no gain…”[/color] She puts the tweezers back in her bag as she moves to hold upon Jo’s hand, extending the index finger and moving it towards her eye-brow as she begins to guide the blonde. 

[color=#FFDEAD]“Ipte,”[/color] Jo huffed. [color=#FFDEAD]“I'm a golem now.”[/color]

[color=#7ea7d8]“Mhm. Have you ever dressed up before? Experience being like another person. It is a surreal and enjoyable experience choosing to be like someone you are not out of choice.”[/color]

[color=#FFDEAD][i]A dozen times,[/i][/color] Jocasta thought, [color=#FFDEAD][i]but I have to go back to being myself every time it’s over.[/i][/color][color=#FFDEAD]“Here and there,”[/color] she replied pleasantly, [color=#FFDEAD]“but if I tell you, I might have to kill you.”[/color] She grinned wickedly. [color=#FFDEAD]“That's neither here nor there, though. For now, are you ready to become blonde? Then, we play dress up, hmm?”[/color]

Ayla nods as she smiles, as she starts to apply the finishing touches upon Jo’s face. She leans very closely towards it, her breath gently blowing against the blonde as she is very delicately applying the freckles with her brush as they are face-to-face [color=#7ea7d8]“Pretending to be a villain can be a fun act, especially when your ancestor is considered to be a Grand Demon.”[/color], she moves her hand up as if to take the shape of a claw, making a scratching gesture. [color=#7ea7d8]“You would need to make these already pretty eyes a sparkling sapphire too however, and then we should be done with the make-up. You would make a very beautiful Arslan.”[/color], unable to resist teasing the blonde with compliments as she blushed in response.

Jocasta backed up a couple of pushes. [color=#FFDEAD]“Uuh, yup,”[/color] she replied, a little bit uncomfortable with the closeness. [color=#FFDEAD]“Green to blue.”[/color] She focused on Ayla’s hair, changing its composition until it shone golden, and giving it a bit of a wave. She maneuvered behind the Torragonese, taking up her hair, and starting to braid it as she usually braided hers. [color=#FFDEAD]“Next, we need to change,”[/color] she said, [color=#FFDEAD]“but I don’t think our clothes will fit each other.”[/color] She scowled. [color=#FFDEAD]“Might not seem like it, but I think I’m actually taller than you standing.”[/color] 

Ayla appraises Jo as she looks her up and down, [color=#7ea7d8]“You might be right. Could use a couple of pins to hold it tighter. Nothing difficult to modify. Could always put a blanket over my legs.”[/color]

[color=#FFDEAD]“Pins!?”[/color] the tethered exclaimed. [color=#FFDEAD]“I can use binding, you know. Just might be… interesting fitting back into things after, unless binding is used again. As for the blanket…”[/color] she paused, thinking. [color=#FFDEAD]“Might be a good idea anyways. Your legs are too full.”[/color] She shook her head. [color=#FFDEAD]“Mine are like sticks. Now,”[/color] she chirped, starting to head for a nearby screen. [color=#FFDEAD]“have we decided where I should sit?”[/color] She disappeared behind it momentarily. [color=#FFDEAD]“if I’m you, probably somewhere in the front, but the back would be ideal…”[/color]

Ayla rolls her eyes in an exaggerated manner, [color=#7ea7d8]“Forgot how you can use the gift to do everything for you. Next you will tell me we don’t even need to roll to the Duque and we simply appear there.”[/color], uses tongue-in-cheek teasing as she starts to move behind her side of the partition.

Jocasta blinked, just as she was disappearing behind the screen. She rolled back one push, sticking her head out.[color=#FFDEAD]“Actually, yup!”[/color] she teased, [color=#FFDEAD]“But we’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Give you some practice.”[/color]

Ayla undresses as she starts to put her clothing along the top of the partitioner, before glancing towards the hanging items. She was about to ask if Jo was able to reach, catching herself, then decided to practice her mannerisms. [color=#7ea7d8]“Uh oh, my one weakness, reaching for items above my head.”[/color]

[color=#FFDEAD]“A crippling weakness,”[/color] Jocasta laughed, [color=#FFDEAD]“Truly.”[/color] Then, she began plucking the clothes that had been slung over the top.

[color=#7ea7d8]“You know you will have to start hugging everybody, right?”[/color]. Ayla smirks, already aware some of the tethered children have jokingly started saying “Ayla hug” when they greet each other. [color=#7ea7d8]“My personal boundaries will now be violated, how fate prevents me from being able to avoid intimacy. We must now embrace the power of friendship, and witness the demise of my social anxiety.”[/color].

[color=#FFDEAD]“Ugh. [i]Shut[/i] up,”[/color] the not-blonde groaned. [color=#FFDEAD]“You know you’re going to have to swathe yourself in layers of snark, right?”[/color] She peeked out over the top of the divider. [color=#FFDEAD]“A just revenge.”[/color]

Both of them were more or less dressed now, Jocasta’s calves exposed, the garment uncomfortably tight around her shoulders and chest, probably also giving her a wedgie which she was thankful for not having to feel. Ayla was swimming in her older friend’s dress, meanwhile, the light, flowy garment frumpy, ruffled, and pooling at her feet. For a moment, the tethered rose, until she was ‘standing’ across from her counterpart. Then, tugs, pulls, sounds of things ripping, and whirling threads. Her face became a mask of concentration; the fabric around her chest and shoulders loosened and she took a grateful deep breath she hadn’t known that she needed. Everything tightened up for Ayla, until the top of the dress was snug and form-fitting as it was supposed to be and the lower hem did not drag on the ground. [color=#FFDEAD]“I think that about does it,”[/color] decided Jocasta, settling back into her wheeled-chair. [color=#FFDEAD]“Now you too: sit!”[/color] She pushed a few paces. [color=#FFDEAD]“And remind me what the plan was again.”[/color]

Ayla claps her hands together after she sits down, her fingers steepled together. [color=#7ea7d8]“The plan is simple. Jocasta the magnificent will go brazen with confidence as she holds the Duque to account with an offer too good to refuse. She will play it smart and with an open hand to build rapport. He is going to be suspicious and contemplating in those first moments if it is worth sitting at the table, so the initial plan is to give him a good reason to stay seated there.”[/color], she straightens her shoulders and makes herself look brimming with confidence. [color=#7ea7d8]“Ayla on the other hand will have a nice position overlooking the proceedings. She will be expected to play an instrument at some point and polite greetings, but he would not be expecting much. Perhaps a meek noble girl. Ayla would be easily overlooked providing her perfect opportunities to act if needed.”[/color]

She moves to open up her bag as she starts to bring out various papers, [color=#7ea7d8]“This petition for the King… may be worthwhile making a similar plea to Duque Frannemas instead. He will be more likely to grant and fulfill the wishes in exchange for certain assurances.”[/color]. She taps the paper as she looks towards Jo, [color=#7ea7d8]“Would this be a compromise that would be accepted amongst the family?”[/color]

[color=#FFDEAD]“Must everyone exist under someone else?”[/color] Jocasta grated, but she already knew her answer. [color=#FFDEAD]“But I know it is the best we’ll get. He will push to make us his soldiers, you know, or take away our freedom if we cannot prove ourselves a useful weapon.”[/color] They were rolling now, Ayla halfway respectable at it. Only another tethered on two or less would know her for a fraud. [color=#FFDEAD]“Be conciliatory, but don’t budge on bottom-line things.”[/color]

[color=#7ea7d8]“My plan is to make the bottom-line look like a great idea of his own making, cannot go wrong with a good story or a well placed metaphor. Besides being used as a falcon in his employ can be a rewarding existence, treated very well and afforded privileges, there may be those amongst your number who would volunteer. An unique opportunity.”[/color] Ayla does ponder the realities of the situation, [color=#7ea7d8]“We would be required to do a demonstration of strength and that would be Shai-aberración. Let’s hope our preparations are enough”[/color]. She does sigh a little as she thinks back to her own demonstration before them all, [color=#7ea7d8]“If it were feasible, pushing for relocating everyone to the Arapor would be my desire. It may not be a bad back plan to fall-back on if it comes down to negotiating for our lives. Perhaps that could be Ayla’s offering if it comes to the crunch or when needing to present an alternative”[/color].

[color=#FFDEAD]“I will be there if needed,”[/color] Jocasta said simply. It had occurred to her in recent days just how chained she had been. Truly, the only thing stopping her was herself. She could kill the duke and his children, probably with ease, and take care of a consistent thorn in the king’s side. She could rule as duchess from the refuge, and turn it into a shining beacon for her people. Others would not go out for her plan, though. Others might get hurt were she to do it. Why couldn’t the people she now called friends be as strong as her? She shook her head to clear the ridiculous idea. There were paths other than blood and fire. [color=#FFDEAD]“Now,”[/color] she announced, [color=#FFDEAD]“this is where we split up. I slip into the auditorium from the back[/color] She gestured as she coasted. [color=#FFDEAD]“and you roll up the front gate.”[/color] Leaning to the side and rubbernecking a bit, she scowled. [color=#FFDEAD]“Hurry, Jocasta,”[/color] she teased. [color=#FFDEAD]“I think they’re almost there!”[/color]

‘Jocasta’ puts on a mischievous smile, [color=#7ea7d8]“Don’t worry, Ayla. Everything's coming up Jocasta.”[/color] She puts on airs as she tries to roll along, putting herself in the right headspace as she imagines Jocasta’s powerful self, brimming with confidence. She makes exaggerated pushes upon the wheels to represent this, rolling to meet Amanda and Manuel by the gate to greet the Duque. Prepared to smile and wave, she fiddles with the brakes to secure herself once beside them. Some instruction on [i]that[/i] would’ve been nice.

[hr][hider=TL;DR Summary]
Ayla shares her plan with Jocasta to swap places.
They dress up as eachother.
Plan for 'Jocasta' to negotiate, whilst the meek 'Ayla' can slip under the radar as the hidden trump card.
[/hider][hr][hr]