Blondie’s eyes flitted back and forth. Not being able to see his facial expressions was probably driving her nuts, just as not knowing her real name was drivinghimnuts. Deadpool Jake snapped his hand into a salute, drawing laughter from the girls. Good, he’d put them at ease.
Raised by a single mom, he heard all about how women had to protect themselves. She’d beat into his head why his female classmates would go to the bathroom in packs. And something about Blondie had his protective instincts flaring, even if she didn’t need the help. Maybe it was the outfit, or maybe it was Baldy getting hands-y earlier.
“Alright then, thanks.”
Blondie smiled at him, and it was the prettiest sight he’d ever seen. Goosebumps erupted on his arms and his heartbeat took off to the races as he committed her smile to memory.
Jake took a position by the girls with his arms crossed over his chest, looking menacingly at the line of cosplayers who wanted their photos withSexy no Jutsu. The remainder of the people in line behaved themselves, whether from decency or having watched security drag Baldy off, it wasn’t clear. Either way, it felt good to be near her. He’d stand here all day if it made Blondie feel safe. He spent the time hoping to learn more about her, especially her name. But it remained a mystery. It was as though the girls had mastered telepathy. It was quite remarkable.
Eventually, the line dwindled, and time ran out. Brunette turned to him and stuck out her hand.
“Thanks for hanging around. We’re going to the cosplay competition now, so you’re off the hook.”
Jake shook Brunette’s hand and nodded. When Blondie held out her hand, instead of shaking it like he’d done with the other woman, he bent over and pretended to kiss the back of her hand through his mask. A giggle bubbled out of her.
“Will you be back tomorrow?” she asked.
He nodded emphatically, giving her two thumbs up.
“Come on, we gotta go.” The one called Rosie pulled Blondie away toward the ballroom with the competition.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully,” she called out behind her.
Smiling behind his mask, Jake waved and watched them go.
Sailor Moonhad been Olivia’s first exposure to the anime culture. She had fond memories of running home from the school bus to catch the show on television before Mom would make her do her homework. Her brother didn’t get home until it was over so he couldn’t complain. The titular character was the leader of the Sailor Guardians, a group of teens that transformed into superheroes. Each one represented a different planet; Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. It was the most popular, best-known magical girl series to come out of Japan. Unlike the Western superhero shows of the time,Sailor Moonwas unabashedly girly. It didn’t just focus on the girls kicking evil’s butt; it focused on their friendships, normal lives, and very often, boy-crazy ways. She’d longed for her own tight-knit group of friends like the characters had. Olivia was desperately lucky to have found hers in college; the same ones that had agreed to dress up as the Sailor Guardians.
On Sunday morning, they woke and ate at the hotel, then went back to the room to get ready for the second day of the convention. Olivia clipped the bangs extension into her hair, eschewing the full wig Rosie and Mia had decided to don for their Sailor Guardian characters. Her real hair was twisted into twin buns on her head. Matching blonde ponytails she’d ordered from eBay hung off them as the tails in her Sailor Moon hairdo. Next, she clipped the little red shields in front of the buns, and straightened her pantyhose attached to her shoe covers, creating the immovable illusion of the character’s signature red knee-high boots. She fluffed the blue skirt over her white body suit, admiring Jade’s impeccable work. Jade had been the one to sew the costumes, even making them the signature Sailor Guardian tiaras out of metallic gold fabric and rhinestones. Everything was perfect, down to the collars and the elbow-length gloves. They all matched perfectly. No cheap store-bought costumes forthissquad.
Nadia, dressed as Sailor Jupiter, slid pink rose earrings into her ears, ditching her glasses for contacts. She hadn’t needed bang extensions like Olivia. Her hair was the perfect shade and style to pull off the loud, boisterous guardian.
Rosie looked adorable as Sailor Mercury, despite her earlier misgivings about the form-fitting costume. Olivia would kill for boobs like Rosie, but her friend was notoriously self-conscious. Her blue wig hid her brown hair and made her look the part.
Mia, as Sailor Venus, pinned a giant red bow in her blonde wig before pulling it on, while Jade made a fabulous black Sailor Mars.
Olivia bounced in her heels, testing the gel insoles she’d bought for the con. It was going to be a long day. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to be carried off before the competition. Humming the show’s upbeat theme song, she practiced the pose for the contest in the hotel mirror.
“You ready to fight evil by moonlight?” Nadia straightened the big bow on her chest.
“Hell, yes, Nad. Or should I say, Sailor Jupiter?” Olivia giggled and her heart expanded. She had the best friends. Not everyone had friends that would do this with them, or enjoy it.
“This is going to be so fun.”
“I’m almost ready. I need to finish pinning this wig down!” Mia called from the other bedroom.
“Do you think we’ll see Deadpool again?” Nadia asked her, tightening her ponytail.
“Hopefully. He seemed nice,” Olivia answered Nadia, as she swiped on her gloss. She may not have gotten a look at his face, but he’d called help for them and backed them up without going all alpha. It gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling that he’d care about a total stranger. She’d never had someone step up for her out of the blue like that. Maybe chivalry wasn’t dead.
“What if he’s in a different costume?” Rosie asked them.
“Crap, I hadn’t thought of that. If he is, hopefully he’ll talk this time. And tell us his name.” Olivia slipped her gloss into her wristlet and made sure everything she needed was inside.
“I thought you weren’t interested in guys. What happened to career first?” Nadia raised an eyebrow at her in the mirror.
Olivia’s thoughts flickered to her mom as she brushed on more mascara. “Just ‘cause I swore off relationships doesn’t mean I can’t make a friend.” Her mom had been pregnant with Olivia by the time she was her age. But that didn’t work for most women in today’s world. Plus, as a nerd, she didn’t attract very many guys who didn’t live in their mom’s basement. The one time she thought she’d found someone worthy, she’d been duped.
“Uh-huh, you haven’t looked at a guy in ages.”
