Chapter 4: My Apprentice

Junie spent the next week working on hers and Callie's cosplays. She felt a little foolish doing it since it was for a tiny meet and greet at a local cafe-type place. There would probably only be about a hundred people there, based on the restaurant's website. With the feverish way she was working, it seemed as if she was getting ready to attend the biggest con in the world.

"I love working with EVA foam. To me, it's not only durable but super easy to work with," Junie said, smiling widely as she held two pieces of foam together while the hot glue dried. She gestured at the various pieces laid out all over her floor. She had a soft blue sheet covering her ugly hardwood floor. It looked so much better in her videos. "In my next video, I'll show you all how to assemble these pieces in a way that they can be removed easily throughout a day at a con. Thanks for watching!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she let the muscles in her face relax, rubbing her cheekbones with a grimace. She was still rubbing her facial muscles as she stood to turn her camera off.

"Smiling is tough work, isn't it?"

Junie turned to stick her tongue out at Callie, who was seated on the couch, a laptop resting on her thighs. "We can't all be good at smiling."

Callie shut her laptop and set it down on the seat beside her. She pressed a finger into the dimple in her right cheek and tilted her head, causing her long hair to fall over her shoulder. "Smiling is a basic human function," she said.

Junie shrugged, taking her expensive camera off its tripod and putting it in its protective carrying case. "Well, I'm a barely functioning human being soo…" she waved a hand at Callie in a careless manner. She glanced at her computer when it buzzed with a notification. She squinted at the screen and then immediately jumped away from it, her jaw dropping.

"What?" Callie asked excitedly, rushing toward her to look over Junie's shoulder.

Junie spoke through unmoving lips. "Kyzen just commented on one of my videos."

Callie squealed, leaned forward, and started to read the comment out loud. "‘I really admire the dedication that Jun has toward her aesthetic. She truly has created a unique blend of fantasy and general cutesy style. Can't wait for her next video!'"

Junie's mind was reeling as it started to digest and overanalyze each word in the short, but extremely thoughtful comment.

Callie was babbling happily as she stood in front of the computer but Junie felt like her head was spinning. She stumbled over to the couch and sat down, staring blankly at the cosplay supplies scattered on the coffee table.

"Junie? Are you even listening to me?" Callie asked, finally seeming to realize that her cousin had sat down.

Junie ignored her. "What do you think he meant by ‘cutesy'?" she wondered aloud, her cheekbones heating up as she mulled over the word.

"Obviously he meant that you're cute," she said, smirking down at Junie when the older girl narrowed her eyes. Despite the fact that Junie's face seemed to flame even brighter at Callie's words, the younger girl just laughed lightly and shook her head.

"So, is my costume done yet?" Callie asked, standing up and peering over Junie's shoulder to look at the foam pieces on the coffee table. She hummed. "It doesn't look done to me. What do I need armor for anyway? I thought I was a magician."

She rolled her eyes, glad that Callie was behind her so she couldn't see the gesture. She had long given up trying to get Callie to use the correct terminology. It's not like it really mattered if her cousin knew the difference between a mage and a magician, or a costume and a cosplay.

"Your character still needs physical protection," Junie explained. She pulled something out of a plastic bag beneath the coffee table. "I did manage to finish this earlier this morning." She handed it to Callie, who took it eagerly.

Junie watched with satisfaction as her cousin's eyes sparkled as she held the deep purple velvet cape. Callie carefully traced her fingers along the embroidered curlycues that swirled along the edges of the garment.

"Where did you get this fabric?" Callie asked in awe. "How do they get those patterns on it?"

"I had to do those by hand," Junie said, trying not to show how pleased she was by Callie's reaction.

Callie's head jerked up so she could gape at her cousin. "You embroidered these patterns by hand? All of them?" When Junie nodded, Callie shook her head in amazement. "You know you could be working for some big design companies with your kind of talent."

Junie shrugged. The two cousins had had similar conversations several times before, about how Junie should work for some big company so she could utilize her artistic talents to earn some real money. Junie told her over and over that she didn't want to make clothing, she wanted to continue to make cosplays for herself.

"You would do so well if you just knew how to market yourself," Callie said with a sigh.

Junie gestured at the cape impatiently. "Just try it on, Cal. You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing just fine."

Callie grumbled something about how Junie would starve to death if she didn't check in on her, but obeyed and slipped the cape over her shoulders, adjusting the hood so that it sat neatly against the back of her shoulders.

"Very cute," Junie said, stepping back to get a good look at the way the fabric fell against the smaller girl's sides and back. She stepped closer, walking a circle around Callie to check that the cape fell right where she had meant it to, right at the girl's knees. She nodded, humming in approval. "Looks good! Do you like it?"

Callie did a little spin. "It's very cute," she said. "But, what are you wearing?"

Junie pulled another mound of deep purple fabric out of the bag and held it out for Callie to inspect. "Pretty much the same thing," she said, unfolding the cape and letting it fan out. "A cape and some armor. I'll have a scepter too though."

Callie's eyes narrowed as she looked at Junie's cape. "Why is your cape so much nicer than mine?"

She wouldn't really agree that her cape was nicer than Callie's. There certainly were more intricate swirly designs and she even added some shiny gems onto the hem of the cape.

"It's not nicer than yours," Junie denied. "More intricate, maybe, but they are both of the same quality."

Callie blew out a breath. "Well, why do you get a scepter and I don't?" She crossed her arms.

Junie caught a little bit of a teasing tone in Callie's voice. She knew her cousin was mostly joking, but she was a little bit serious as well. Callie loved to be the center of attention and tended to take the spotlight from Junie when it happened to go the other girl's way. Junie thought back to her eighth birthday, where Callie sang happy birthday by herself in front of their twenty relatives. Everyone cooed at six-year-old Callie that day. It was as if it had been Callie's birthday, not Junie's.

Callie tended to be the center of attention at every family reunion. Junie didn't mind, though. Callie didn't try to hog all the attention on purpose, and she was always nice to Junie. Junie felt like many others would resent Callie, but honestly, Junie didn't want to be the center of attention.

Junie pursed her lips, wanting to choose her words carefully but her verbal arsenal was empty. "Your character is kind of my apprentice."

Callie's face turned expressionless. Junie peeked at her from behind her bangs, counting to ten in her head and growing more nervous when her cousin's countenance didn't change.

"Your apprentice," Callie finally repeated flatly. "Like your lackey?"

"No!" Junie denied it immediately. "It basically means you have the potential to be more powerful than me one day. You're more like a student, not at all a lackey!" Junie cringed as Callie's face darkened considerably. She shouldn't have used the word student, she should have said something like "partner" or "cohort".

Callie's expression was mischievous. She grabbed a corner of the cape and fanned it out dramatically. "Well, the student is going to surpass the master before this meet-and-greet thing."

Before Junie could fully process Callie's words, the latter lunged forward. Junie shrieked and narrowly dodged the thin shoulder that was heading for her face.

"You don't want to do this," Junie said, facing the smaller girl. A huge grin was spreading out across her face as Callie righted herself. Junie lowered herself into a threatening crouch, spreading her arms out wide and bending her knees. She quickly pulled her cape around her shoulders as well.

Callie smirked, bending her knees as well, looking like a cat ready to pounce on an unfortunate mouse. "Oh, I think that I do."

The two spent the next hour chasing one another around the small apartment, giggling madly as they did so. Kiara watched from a safe spot on top of her six-foot-tall cat tower, her ears flattening each time one of the cousins glanced her way.