Game Master in Another World

It wasn’t long before the door to our room opened once more; Vera stepped inside, her face bearing a heavy frown.

“What’s wrong, Vera?” Juliana called out.

Vera sighed. “Igasnov refused to satisfy me.”

“Likely because Toby was in the room, if I had to guess.”

Vera pouted. “That was his excuse, but Toby was fast asleep and unlikely to wake.”

“Still, I’m afraid, dear Vera, you are much too noisy during your mating practices,” Juliana replied.

“But I promised to be quiet!” Vera practically shouted.

“Well then, next time you have the chance, you will just have to prove your capability.”

“How do you stay quiet when riding a man?” Vera asked.

“I’ve never had enough interest in anyone to mate with them, so I do not possess enough experience to relay, unfortunately,” Juliana responded.

I, of course, had experience, but I didn’t feel quite comfortable relaying that information to Vera. I did find it interesting that Juliana hadn’t had sex; I had never written her backstory with that level of detail.

Now, Drisnil was a different matter; her experience was immense, as she used it as a tool to get what she wanted. I began to wonder if she was still utilising those skills to achieve her goals, whatever they might be.

“Is that bath still warm? Do you mind if I hop in after you?” Vera asked.

“Sure, I think I am finished now.”

We stepped out of the tub and began to dry off.

Vera undressed and climbed into the bath; she let out a sigh as she relaxed into the warmth.

We changed into our undergarments and slipped into bed, drawing the blankets over us. It wasn’t long before we fell asleep, listening to the soft humming from Vera as she washed.

We awoke to a knock at the door; Juliana sleepily rubbed her eyes before rolling out of bed. Thankfully, it was only a few steps away. We opened it to find the innkeeper.

“Good morning, Juliana. You know, you should probably get dressed before opening the door.”

“I care not for my coverings, for we are all but creatures of the world. How may we be of assistance at this moment?” Juliana responded.

Corin looked us up and down with a bemused smile before handing us a small box.

“I’ve brought you a disguise kit; it should beat covering yourself with soot and flour every day.”

“You have my gratitude, Corin.”

“May I ask one thing? Are you a Nhalyri?” Corin’s smile began to fade.

“Yes, that would be my lineage. I, however, have removed myself from that society due to my distaste for their customs.”

Corin’s face seemed to relax subtly.

“Great. I won’t pry anymore. I trust Igasnov, so I trust his judgement, but I don’t trust you yet.”

Corin turned and headed back down the hall.

We stepped back inside our room and dressed in our everyday clothing.

“What time is it?” Vera mumbled groggily, keeping her eyes firmly closed.

“Morning,” Juliana replied.

“Ugh, what does that mean?” Vera groaned with an annoyed tone.

“I presume it is nearly time to rise; the lack of windows in this room makes it difficult to know when to wake.”

Vera groaned before rolling over.

I took control and sat at the desk with the newly acquired disguise kit. Opening the box to inspect the contents, I found two wigs—one black and another brown. I pulled out the wigs, revealing an inset full of makeup. Lifting out the inset revealed another set of coloured paints.

The box lid had a small mirror set into it, with another handheld mirror resting beside it.

My memories of using disguises as Drisnil returned to me; I plaited our hair and coiled it into a tight bun on top of our head. Next, I pulled out the foundation and began applying it to our face, creating a layer the paint could adhere to.

I checked the mirror, ensuring I had covered our face suitably. I missed a couple of spots, but I was surprised at how much skill I had actually retained.

Next, I pulled some white paint from the box and applied a layer to our skin. Our face was now a ghostly white, far too pale to look real.

The next step was adding some colour back in; we dabbed a bit of pink onto our face, just small amounts around the cheeks.

We checked our work once again; our face was starting to look much more natural.

I grabbed an eyeliner pencil next and began drawing freckles, using the mirror to place them where the sun would most likely have kissed our skin.

I found some coloured lenses and carefully placed them over our eyes, changing their hue to blue. I selected the brown wig and fitted it over our white hair, using the second mirror to ensure it looked as authentic as possible.

Lastly, we needed to deal with our hands; I carefully painted them white and applied some nail polish.

Now to test our disguise, I thought, smiling.

I donned our cloak, keeping the hood down, and walked over to Vera, gently shaking her awake.

“Ma’am, your friends are waiting for you downstairs,” I said.

Vera rolled over, looking at us with half-open eyes.

“Uh... who are you?” Vera asked groggily.

“I’m the housekeeper. I need to clean this room, so if you could please head downstairs soon,” I said sweetly.

“Okay, okay, give me a minute,” Vera muttered, rolling out of bed.

We watched with a smile as Vera dressed; she squinted, observing us more closely.

“Why are you wearing a traveller's cloak if you are the cleaner?” Vera asked while tying the belt on her dress.

“Well, it seems you aren’t completely oblivious then, Vera,” I smirked.

Vera’s face began to tighten as she backed away toward the door.

“Vera, it is me, Juliana. I’ve just applied a disguise,” I said, attempting to mimic Juliana’s cheerful cadence.

“But you look nothing like her! How do I know you aren’t lying?” Vera asked, her voice quavering.

I turned around and lifted the wig slightly, revealing our white hair. “See? I’m wearing a wig.”

“Oh my, that disguise is amazing. Where did you learn to do that?” Vera gasped.

“Well, in the past, I have needed to disguise myself to fit into places where my kind aren’t so welcome,” I replied—a lie, of course.

“I like how the wig covers your knife-ears, too. It's one of your more distinctive features.”

“The goal of the disguise is to avoid drawing attention; elves, unfortunately, do just that, so it is best to look like an ordinary village girl.”

Vera stepped close and inspected our face. “You even added freckles. Huh, now that is some attention to detail.”

“Now that you are dressed, though, shall we head downstairs?” I suggested.

“Okay, fine. But please see if you can fool Igasnov and Toby; I’d love to see their reactions when they realise they’ve been tricked,” Vera laughed.

“Okay, I shall.” We exited our room and headed downstairs.

Igasnov and Toby were already awake, enjoying some breakfast. A dim glow filtered in through the window from the narrow alleyway outside.

“Good morning, darling!” Vera called out, hurrying towards the table.

Igasnov offered a faint smile. “Good morning, Vera.”

We trailed slightly behind, arriving at the table just as Vera released Igasnov from her embrace.

“Who’s this with you, Vera?” Igasnov inquired.

“Oh, this is Tabatha. Don’t you remember her?” Vera said, grinning.

I could see Igasnov scrunch up his face in thought.

“I’m not certain I recall a Tabatha,” Igasnov admitted after a moment.

“Anyhow, I apologise that I cannot remember you, but it is good to see you again.” Igasnov held out his hand expectantly.

We bowed our head slightly instead of taking his hand; I didn’t want the paint to rub off.

“Good morning, Igasnov and Toby. I am a little disappointed you don’t remember me, for we have travelled together for at least a month in the past.”

I watched as Igasnov’s expression shifted, his embarrassment visibly growing.

Vera covered her mouth with her hand, desperately trying to stifle a laugh.

“I am truly sorry that I simply cannot recall you. I may have been hit on the head one too many times.”

“Well, I can clearly remember cooking meals and fighting bandits together. We even travelled with a caravan of villagers heading into town.”

Toby began to smile, now also struggling to contain his amusement.

“Well, how about I make it up to you and buy your breakfast?”

“Okay, I suppose that might help me get over my dejection,” I replied with mock sadness.

Vera couldn’t hold out any longer and burst into laughter.

“What is so funny, Vera?” Igasnov asked.

“You... you don’t recognise Juliana, do you!”

“What?” Igasnov blurted.

“Tabatha is Juliana. Don’t you remember her alias?”

I could almost see Igasnov’s mind click into place in real time. He put his head in his hands. “You both are being so cruel; she looks completely different.”

“Where did you learn to apply disguises so well?” Toby marvelled.

“In the past, I needed to hide my identity from time to time. I picked up the skills back then.”

We sat down at the table, and shortly after, Corin placed plates of food in front of us.

“I see you made good use of that disguise kit. It must be innate in your culture to be so adept at applying it.”

Corin walked off before I could reply.

I released control back to Juliana. I could physically feel her shift into embarrassment; it seemed she hadn't enjoyed the trick we had played.

We ate our breakfast—a hearty porridge with a thick layer of cream on top, accompanied by a glass of fresh milk. It was a highly satisfying meal.

After our plates were cleared, Igasnov looked across at us.

“Now, Juliana, what do you wish to do today?”

I took control; this was a question only I could answer. “I would like to find any information regarding the incident in Ravencrest.”

Igasnov put his hand to his chin. “Hmm, I think I may know someone at the archives who can help. The documentation will likely be completely disorganised, though. Additionally, getting you inside may prove challenging.”

“How so? Is it restricted access?”

“Yes, it isn't something just anyone can access; it is highly sensitive information, after all.”

“Perhaps I could shapeshift into a mouse and ride in your pocket to meet your contact?”

Igasnov let out a broad smile. “I think we can make that work, but will you still be disguised when you change back?”

“Based on my clothing remaining on my body between shifts, I would assume so.”

“Great. After we finish breakfast, let's head straight to the archives,” Igasnov suggested.

“Brilliant. I look forward to it.”

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