Chapter 11: Operation Let's Party Gone Wrong
Ria burst into the room, her eyes sparkling with contagious excitement. "Guess what? Our first proper party is a costume party!"
Manon looked up from where she was examining her smartwatch, a question forming on her lips. "Wait, what do you mean 'our first proper party is a costume party'?" Had they been to other parties she didn't know about?
Just then, Mariam appeared, holding up a sleek black outfit complete with perky cat ears. "Already on it! Catwoman, reporting for duty." She winked, a knowing glint in her yellow eyes. "And you know me, always come prepared." She gestured to a neatly folded bundle under her arm. "Got my mummy costume ready as backup."
"Come on, let's tackle hair first!" Ria exclaimed, already gently tugging Manon by the arm towards the door.
They stepped into what looked like a makeshift salon. It wasn't as fancy as the one downstairs; this seemed to have been set up just for the party, with colorful streamers haphazardly strung across the ceiling, some tangled with what looked like leftover Christmas lights, and various styling tools scattered across a long table next to a half-eaten plate of cookies.
Mariam arrived a little later, just as Ria was carefully coaxing Manon's hair into loose, flowing waves. It wasn't long before their hairstyles were complete, each one unique and perfectly fitting for the night's masquerade.
Back in their hotel room, Manon glanced at Ria, a touch of impatience in her voice. "So, when does this costume extravaganza actually start?"
"By 7:00," Ria replied, glancing at her own watch.
"And it's currently 6:09," Mariam added, already struggling with good-natured frustration to pull on her tight Catwoman costume.
Ria's eyes drifted to the garment Manon had carefully laid out on the bed. A sudden, dawning horror flickered across her face, but she kept her voice carefully neutral.
"Manon," Ria began, her voice taking on a tone of gentle but firm concern, "please, please tell me that's not the dress you're actually planning to wear tonight." She sighed inwardly, her gaze fixed on the rather shapeless and questionable fabric. Mariam gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "No offense, Manon, but you look like you're about to attend a very serious conference on beige!"
Manon just stared back, a picture of innocent confusion. Mariam walked over to the bed and picked up the offending piece of clothing. At first glance, the full extent of Manon's fashion misjudgment hadn't fully registered.
"We have to fix this," Mariam declared with sudden determination, holding up the questionable material as if it were a dangerous weapon. She and Ria exchanged a knowing glance, grabbed a pair of scissors from Mariam's emergency kit, and left a completely bewildered Manon to start on her makeup.
Soon, the snip-snip of scissors and excited, hushed chatter filled the air outside the bathroom door. They cut the dress with surprising precision, adding a few strategic openings here and there and cleverly adjusting the fit.
In no time at all, their impromptu tailoring session was complete. They helped Manon into the revamped outfit: a stylish white crop top that hinted at the curve of her waist and a chic black mini skirt. They added a pair of surprisingly comfortable high heels and let her dark hair cascade down her shoulders. A sleek detective-style jacket, a cool mix of white and black, completed the unexpectedly fashionable look.
They chose a pair of dangling earrings that subtly highlighted the blue in her eyes and handed her a sleek black face mask with elegant cutouts. "Remember," Ria reminded her with a playful nudge, "it's a costume party! No one's expecting to know who anyone else is."
Mariam looked every bit the feline fatale in her form-fitting black catsuit. She had cleverly used a temporary dye to streak the lower half of her hair a vibrant red, styling it into playful coils while keeping the top section neatly pulled back. A sly smile played on her lips beneath her cat-shaped mask.
Ria, after a last-minute change of heart involving a near-wardrobe malfunction with her initial sparkly dress, was now wrapped in layers of slightly off-white bandages, transforming her into a surprisingly alluring classic mummy. The bandages were a little too snug in certain places, accentuating her figure in an unexpected way, so Manon and Mariam had carefully adjusted the edges. Her whole face was covered, but a mischievous glint danced in her bright green eyes. "I wonder who will get their first kiss tonight?" she mumbled through the bandages, and all three girls burst into laughter.
Mariam winked at Manon, her cat-like mask adding to her playful demeanor. "I have a feeling it might be Manon. She's definitely… blossoming lately. Just look at how that crop top shows off her… detective skills."
Manon's cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Ria chuckled, a muffled sound through her bandages, and playfully nudged Manon with her bandaged foot.
They grabbed their small evening bags and confidently walked towards the party, their entrance immediately turning heads in the crowded hallway. Mariam's Catwoman costume, with its black crop top that offered a tantalizing glimpse of her collarbone and the tight trousers that perfectly accentuated her hips, drew admiring glances. Ria, the alluring mummy, with her noticeable curves and the way the bandages clung to her figure, had eyes lingering on her every move.
But it was Manon who seemed to capture the most attention. The stylish white crop top, cinched at the waist by a sleek black belt, paired with the short black skirt and the sophisticated detective jacket, sparked imaginations and curious glances.
"If that's how female detectives look," someone whispered nearby, taking a slow sip of their colorful drink, "I might just have to start 'losing' valuable possessions more often."
Manon scanned the huge ballroom. The bass of the music throbbed in her chest, and the air buzzed with laughter and snippets of conversations in disguised voices. The scent of sweet punch and something a little spicy hung in the air. The dance floor was a vibrant swirl of costumed figures – a pirate laughing loudly, a fairy twirling with light-up wings, and a robot doing surprisingly smooth dance moves. No one seemed particularly suspicious or out of place.
Remembering her mission, she decided to discreetly check the side rooms and the quieter area outside the main hall. According to Ray's (and her smartwatch's) information, the stolen book had to be somewhere in this hotel. As she turned to her right, her leg bumped awkwardly against a low, ornate chair, throwing her off balance. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for an undignified fall.
But the embarrassing tumble never came. Gently, she opened her eyes and found herself held steady by a pair of strong hands.
His hair was a striking shade of blonde, and his eyes were a warm, inviting brown that seemed to sparkle even in the dim, party lighting. A sleek green domino mask concealed the upper half of his face, perfectly complementing the warm color of his eyes. Manon found herself momentarily lost in their depths, a strange sense of familiarity washing over her. His mask looked expensive, almost too perfect for a casual costume party.
A gentle smile touched his lips as he slowly released her, his touch lingering for a fleeting moment. "You should be careful, beautiful," he murmured, his voice a smooth, low tone that sent a shiver down her spine, as he pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand. There was something familiar about his scent, a hint of old books and something else she couldn't quite place. He gave a slight, elegant bow, and Manon's cheeks burned with sudden heat as she watched the handsome stranger smoothly disappear into the crowd. She was completely speechless.
Snapping back to the urgency of her mission, Manon remembered the stolen book. She still needed to find it.
She cautiously approached a nearby door, drawn by the sound of hushed voices speaking in low tones. Just before she reached it, she saw a figure in a dark cloak quickly glance around before slipping inside. "...where is the book? It's worth up to thirty million!" The voices were barely above a whisper, secretive and intense.
Manon leaned closer to the door, straining to hear them clearly and hoping to glean some crucial information. But instead of gaining insight, her newly acquired high heels betrayed her. She lost her footing on the polished floor and tumbled awkwardly into the dimly lit room.
Instantly, a strong arm wrapped around her from behind, a hand clamping firmly over her eyes. Another hand pressed something with a strange, pungent odor against her nose and mouth. She instinctively tried to hold her breath, but the unexpected force holding her was too strong. Her vision began to blur at the edges, and the only thing she heard was a gruff, vaguely familiar voice saying, "Carry her to the basement."
With the last vestiges of her strength, she managed to pry her eyes open just enough to see a fleeting glimpse of her attacker's profile in the dim light. A small, familiar silver ring glinted on their hand. "You…" she whispered, a chilling realization dawning in her fading consciousness, before darkness completely enveloped her. She slumped unconscious in the person's grip.