Author's note: This follows the ending of Whiteout, and assumes the reader is familiar with the characters and events of that story. If you have not read Whiteout, it is recommended that you do so before reading this and future Grayscale stories.
* * *
It felt so weird being in the costume again.
Yun-hee slipped on her elbow-length gloves and picked up her mask. It was the first time she'd worn her old costume since Team Rainbow dissolved, and even though she'd worn it almost every day for years, it now seemed alien to her. She was acutely aware of the way the fabric hugged her body, compressing it and shining a spotlight onto her curves. She looked at herself in the mirror, and it was like looking at a stranger.
There was a knock on the door. "Yun? You done in there?"
"Just a sec, Val." Yun-hee sighed and slipped on her mask.
When she first got to Val's place, Yun-hee thought she had messed up the directions somehow. The building had been abandoned for as long as Yun-hee could remember, ever since she started coming to the Pink Mansion. But, to her surprise, Val was actually living there. Weiss had bought the place with the money she got from her stint as a supervillain, and now they'd moved in together. Weiss herself was out for the evening, and Yun-hee hoped she would stay that way. She still had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that she and Val were dating.
Yun-hee stepped out of the bathroom and tried not to look uncomfortable. Val stood across from the door, in full costume just like Yun-hee was.
It suits her more than me.
They walked into the main room, where Patti was lounging on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her.
"Evening, ladies," Patti said, waving at them. "Are you both ready to go?"
"I guess so," Yun-hee said. "But I'm not quite sure how this is gonna work."
Patti sat up, the blanket slipping just enough that Yun-hee could see a hint of something pink underneath. "What do you mean?"
"Like, we're not on Team Rainbow anymore, right? Why would we be wearing our costumes? And we're your friends, we know you're not a-"
"You're worried we're gonna notice something's off, and that'll snap us out of it?" Val asked. "Honestly, I don't think that's gonna happen. I mean, maybe I'm just
really
suggestible, but you'd be amazed how well the brain can rationalize away inconsistencies."
"And even if you realize it's all fake," Patti added, "it just becomes normal roleplay. Like, you knew that I wasn't
really
your math professor back when we used to do those scenes, but you went along with it anyway."
"But that's the thing!" Yun-hee said. "In normal roleplay, you know it's fake. What if it
does
work, and I think we're in real danger?"
"You'll have your safeword, and you'll know to say it even if you don't remember any of this." Patti smiled warmly. "Do you have any more questions? Or can we get to the sexy-times?"
Yun-hee furrowed her brow.
I remember what Patti did with us back in her apartment, but... there's no way she can actually make us believe all this, is there?
* * *
It felt so right being in the costume again.
Yun-hee stepped out of the portal and sighed as she felt the cool night air hit her. This was what she loved about the job - the atmosphere of the city at night, the anticipation and energy coursing through her body, and working alongside her friends. When Val reached out to her about suiting up one last time, she jumped at the opportunity.
Val's hair stopped glowing as the portal closed behind them. She looked up at the dead neon sign and scowled. "Looks like this is the place. Kinda weird for a supervillain to set up shop in a sex dungeon."
"That's what this place is?" Yun-hee glanced up, the sign instantly recognizable even turned off. "Hadn't realized."
The Pink Mansion... Can't let Val know I've been here before. Even if she's dating Weiss, I don't know how she'd react if she found out what I was into.
Val walked over to the door and checked the handle. To her surprise, it was unlocked. "Eyes sharp, Blue. Smells like a trap."
"You got it, 'Violet.'" Yun-hee rolled her eyes.
Ugh, she's always so serious when she's on the job! The team doesn't even exist anymore, I don't know why she insists on using our codenames!
She focused for a moment, and felt electricity flow into her fingertips. She always liked to go in with a bit of energy stocked up, in case they got ambushed right away.
The door creaked open. The two superheroes slowly crept in, careful not to make too much noise, their eyes straining in the dark. Yun-hee closed the door behind them, and Val opened a small portal in her hand, illuminating the area in front of her in a purple glow. She scanned the room, keeping her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.
Yun-hee closed her eyes and tried to feel for something. She hadn't gotten much practice with it - her evaluations had seemingly missed it entirely, or perhaps ignored it as being "irrelevant" for peacekeeping applications - but she'd gradually realized that she could sense the flow of electricity around her. It was faint even at the best of times, but if she really put in the effort she could sometimes tell when someone was hiding, or if there was a trap somewhere nearby.
Unfortunately, Val's portals always caused a ton of interference. Whatever she was doing to generate those things, it made her body light up like the world's biggest Christmas tree. Yun-hee could barely even feel her own electrical current, let alone-
"Look out!"
ZAP! ZAP!
Yun-hee's eyes shot open, realizing too late that the slight buzz she felt from behind her was an electrical device. She stood still, her body suddenly feeling rigid.
Shit. That's not good.
"Now," said a high-pitched, sickeningly-sweet voice, "what do we have here?" Yun-hee heard footsteps move from behind her to in front of her, then two claps.
The fluorescent lights flickered to life. If Yun-hee could move, she would have jumped back in surprise. Just a few inches in front of her was a black woman with bright pink pigtails, a silver, plastic-looking tiara, and an outrageously skimpy pink princess outfit that looked like it came from a Halloween store. She stared into Yun-hee's eyes, her grin slowly getting wider and wider. "Oh, yay! Looks like a couple new dollies wandered in!"
"What?" Yun-hee hadn't expected to be able to speak. "Wh-What're you talking about? Who the hell are you?"
The other woman scowled and smacked Yun-hee on the head with something. "A good dolly shouldn't be so rude! But, as I am a fair and kind ruler, I will answer your question." She spun around and struck a playful pose. "I am Princess Patti, ruler of the dolls! And I'm your new owner!"
"Fat chance," Val scoffed. Yun-hee could just barely see her out the corner of her eye. "You can't own a human being, psycho."
"The only human I see around here is
moi
," Patti giggled. "You two are just dollies! Isn't that right, Yun?"
Yun-hee's eyes went wide.
What the fuck?! How does this crazy bitch know my name?
"Va-Violet, get us out of here!"
"Oh, I'm afraid your powers won't work," Patti cooed. "Not unless
I
want them to, that is! Your bodies are mine to control." She grabbed Yun-hee's arm, and to the superhero's shock, Patti was able to pose it with no resistance. "See? Just a silly little dolly."
Patti let go of Yun-hee's arm and walked behind the desk in the corner of the room. "Ah, but you two are special! You've got dollies of your own!" She reached down and pulled out something from behind the table.
