Task at hand- Dressing up. ( Story)

[Railen Morana]

After dropping off Ryan at Maddy's, Railen returned to the house.
She sat at the vanity, and picked up the Kohl sitting in the disguise kit.  Carefully she attempted to line her eyes to make herself look Tokunese.  She applied the rouge and red lipstic, yellowing and darkening her skin. She sat back to look at herself in the mirror.

It was a disaster.

She looked like some two bit whore on a drug induced binge after waking up in the gutter.

"GAH!!! No way in ell I'm goin ou' lookin like this!"

She re-read her orders. "Well, looks as though wha' 'e really is after is information. I kin do this." she said to herself. Opening the closet doors wide, she looked through the few pretty dresses Raiden had gifted her with. Most were slinky things, not really appropriate for a long walk in the winter snows. She would freeze to death long before reaching her destination. Then she spied it. The silk Duponi skirt, the colour of the winters sky. It brought out the colour of her eyes, Raiden had always said. She slid into a black fancy shirt appropriate for mourning which she had taken to wearing since the disappearance of her husband. Then she slid into the lined skirt and tied the matching obi around her slender waist. The skirt had grown large, but the Obi secured it. She looked into the mirror, smoothing the fabric. It was the first time she had been out of uniform in as long as she could remember being in the army.  "Ye used tae say ye bought it tae match my eyes."

"Well, it ain't a disguise kit, but its dressed up. " she muttered to herself.  Packing her gear into her backpack, she paused, and added the Disguise kit to her usual set of gear.
"I may be nae good at usin it, but I kin prove I ave one."

She headed out the door, walking to the Minoc Moongate. Looking to the intricately drawn map Mizuho had drawn up for her, she followed the directions.  "North east of Brittain, just before you reach the swamps, just west of the waterfront. Stay along the water and you cant miss it" was scrawled neatly upon it in the corner. A good scout depended on their connections- and Railen was not about to miss this opportunity to show Keane she could get the information that was requested.

She followed the directions through town to the other side, along the waterfront until she came to the swamps. "HOSPITAL of New Hope" a sign boasted. The building was large, its yard tidy.  Some of the decor out front familiar as she stepped up the stairs and knocked. Hearing no answer she stepped inside of a large room with many beds. Signs of recent use were there, a few discarded and bloodied bandages in the trash, the indentation of a head on the pillow. The place was clean and tidy otherwise. "Maddy would approve of this place" she thought to herself.

"May I help you?" a voice asked, nearly startling her. She turned to look, and there stood Kal. "You're a sight for sore eyes" he replied. They chatted a while about family and children. Brenna came in then, her belly distended and round. They spoke of changes that had happened while she stayed in seclusion. Of Raiden's disappearance,and the soon to be birth of Kals grandchildren- Brenna was carrying twins.

"So, why are  you here?" Brenna asked, direct as usual. "Well, aside from missin ye and wantin tae visit, Ive been assigned a task. I need tae know all of tae uniforms an ranks o' a town an bring it back tae our library.  "Oh, I can help with that. Just let me get a book!" Brenna offered helpfully. "That's if its alright with Kal." "I'm the leader of the Dragoons here" he said in a tone that was modest, yet Rai could hear the pride behind it. "Its nau exactly a secret." he said. Railen shuddered hearing the drow accent in his voice. He reassured her of her safety. Brenna wrote up the book as they chatted, her nephew coming in- he had grown- a precocious lad of three with hair nearly as red as Kas's- with a tinge more orange to it. "Well, that's it!" Brenna handed over the book to Railen. Inside the names of every officer currently in New Hope, their rank and each uniform associated with every rank of their armed forces.

"Be well, and if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." " We're here for you Rai." they told her as she hugged them goodbye.

Book and disguise kit in hand, Railen returned to Cove to speak with her mentor and turn in the information she had acquired.