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A phone call, to Sarah, from Donnie over the weekend.

"Hey Sarah, remember you and Colin were talking about costume ideas over lunch? I totally had a brainstorm while browsing the comicshop shelves. Have you ever heard of the comic series Kabuki by David Mack? I can totally see you wearing a noh-play kabuki type mask when kicking someone's ass with that quarterstaff of yours. I will email you the website with some of the masks David Mack came up with for his awesome series. Perhaps it could give you a cool idea or two."

After the conversation, Sarah receives an email with the following website attatched: http://davidmackguide.com/portfolio/kabuki/masks/ (http://davidmackguide.com/portfolio/kabuki/masks/)

ooc: didn't know if this should be ooc or ic, so here it is.

OOC: Good enough for me.

Sarah hits check mail and loads the pics up. 

'Those are really cool masks Donnie.  They might work really well.  I don't think I'd be comfortable with one.  It wouldn't feel... appropriate?  Like, none of that is my culture and while I was thinking about being a geisha for Halloween I couldn't do that on a semi-regular basis.  Of course the problem is I'm a fourth generation mixed up mutt American and I have no culture.  I can't use something that I'm not.  Know what I mean?  So I'm going to try and dig up something.  I'm heading over to Megan's later to work on something.  Who knows, maybe by Monday I'll be ready to face the public."

She clicks on a few more of the masks, "This was really nice of you Donnie.  Any ideas for Colin?  He was wondering about something for himself."

"Maybe he could use his cultural background, something Native American? I'm not talking about feathered headdress or anything, but raw leather, beadwork, that sort of thing. I wouldn't want him to make a mockery of his heritage. Hmm, maybe a leather jacket, with a beadwork blackbird on the back? I know the blackbird is his totem animal, and perhaps a necklace or two made of natural things: polished turquiose, hematite, or malachite, animal teeth, beads. I dunno. I will try to sketch up some ideas.

About the masks, they do not have to be pure japanese, you know. A simple porceline mask does not denote heritage, as it is used in many cultures. Phantom of the Opera anyone?"

Donnie scrolls through websites as he talks to Sarah, pondering his own costume ideas. I really need to lose the gut. Heroes don't have bellies.

"Colin said he had some ideas but he didn't really share them.  He didn't want anything with a crow or blackbird... said it was too easy to figure out it was him.  I think I'm going to find a softer mask.  One good sock in the face and I'll be picking chips of it out of me for a week.  Maybe a half mask for my lower face.  With the added bonus that I won't get all nasty wind chapped if we're out doing good work this winter.  I'm going to spend some time on the internet looking for ideas.  What about you Donnie?  You got something to run around in?"

"Not yet. I'm still sketching. I'll let you know what I come up with. I am leery of sharing my ideas with Sylvia. I think she will just give me one of her looks and I'll feel like an idiot."

Sarah laughs and replies in mock horror, "Not the look!  Not the look!"  She gives another light laugh and continues, "Seriously what's up with that?  Did she place into AP Withering Glare studies or what?  Your ideas are safe with me.  All I can say is steer clear of a cape.  because then you'll get the look from all of us."  

Donnie laughs and does an impression of Edna Mode from the Incredibles. "No! No capes!" Switching to a normal voice, he continues. ""I dunno. Sometimes Sylvia seems to have much more going on inside of that brainy head of hers than she ever lets on about. She's two different people sometimes, and waaaay to serious. I despair of ever making her have fun and act carefree."

"She is an enigma wrapped in a mystery rolled up in a cheerleaders uniform.  You are blessed and cursed with this path.  Only time will tell what her true face is or if she will even reveal it.  Please insert twenty-five cents to continue your fortune.  Beep." 

"Wow! that's cheap. Colin charges me fifty cents per augury. I am totally gonna come to you from now on."

Donnie is silent a moment, and Sarah is about to ask him if he is still there when suddenly he speaks again.

"Do you think she keeps a lot of secrets? Sometimes there are moments when I know she is hiding things from me. She usually, uh, distracts me from asking aboiut them again, but I feel that sometimes I'm being put off.."

"Well Colin's fortune's have the tendency to be accurate so that costs extra.  On the other hand with my readings if you don't like them you can just shrug and say I don't know what I'm talking about."  She smiles over the phone and continues, "But seriously I don't know Donnie," says Sarah.  "I don't know her well enough to tell you if she's keeping secrets.  When I talk with her she seems pretty straight forward but... maybe it's all a lie.  I don't really believe she's doing that though.  Maybe she is just trying to figure out who she is... and who she thinks different people want her to be." 

"I'm not so good at relationship advice.  I mean... this is my first one.  I guess getting uh, distracted is pretty fun but you are concerned about your relationship with her... so you're going to have to find a way to avoid getting distracted long enough to tell her your concerns."  She brightens up adding, "Maybe bring Pip along and keep him in your pants.  Tell him if anything moves... well maybe that would be too severe.  But Pip is pretty good at picking up on your mental state so maybe he could keep you on track." 

"Nasty thought, Sarah, but the idea of using Pip to keep me focused has merit. I'll give it some thought, then try to talk to her about things without letting her distract me. Thanks for the advice. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out with the costume idea. Talk to you later!"

ooc: All finished, sorry for the delay.