Shards of War: Eclipsian Secrets

Chapter 76

Later that day, calie and marie's living room was transformed into a mini cosplay convention. Calie and Marie had pulled out a variety of costumes from their closets, and the room was now filled with a mixture of colorful wigs, elaborate outfits, and props. The trio had turned the day into a spontaneous dress-up session, sparked by Calie's casual question earlier at Matsu's place:

"Hey, Matsu, wanna see our cosplays in person?"

Now, Matsu sat comfortably on the couch, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he admired their work. Calie twirled in front of him in a flowing, vibrant costume, while Marie adjusted the elaborate wig she wore to complete her character's look.

"You two look amazing," Matsu said, his voice full of genuine admiration. "I mean, you always do, but this—these cosplays—wow."

Calie grinned, pleased with his reaction. "Thanks! We've been working on these for a while. It's fun to show them off to someone who appreciates all the effort."

Marie, still fiddling with the makeup and accessories for her costume, nodded. "Some of them are harder to pull off than others, especially when it comes to the makeup," she said. "It's a lot of work to get the right look, you know?"

Calie chimed in, stepping closer to join the conversation. "Yeah, but at least we can cheat with illusions if we really need to," she said, chuckling. "Right now, this is just a quick dress-up, so no need for hours of makeup tutorials and practice."

Matsu nodded in agreement, eyeing the craftsmanship of their outfits. "It's cool that you have that option with the illusions, but even without them, these look fantastic. The attention to detail is impressive."

"Thanks!" Calie said with a bright smile, clearly pleased with the praise. "It's fun to put these together, even if some of them can be tricky."

Matsu leaned back thoughtfully, watching the two of them. "So, are there any characters you've wanted to cosplay but haven't gotten around to because the costumes are too complicated or time-consuming to make?"

Marie raised an eyebrow at the question, a small smirk forming on her lips. "Oh, there's definitely a few," she admitted, crossing her arms. "Some costumes are so intricate that just thinking about making them gives me a headache."

Calie nodded enthusiastically, picking up on the idea. "Totally! There are a couple of characters with really detailed costumes that we've been putting off. It's just... a lot of work. It'd take weeks—if not months—to get all the pieces right."

Matsu's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Which characters? I'd love to hear about them. Maybe one day you'll get around to making them."

Marie shot him a knowing glance. "You're trying to tempt us, aren't you? Get us hooked on the idea of tackling those crazy costumes."

Matsu chuckled, raising his hands in defense. "I mean, it could be fun! Who knows? Maybe you'll get the urge to challenge yourselves and make those detailed cosplays a reality."

Calie laughed softly, nudging Marie with her elbow. "He's got a point. It could be fun if we ever find the time."

"Yeah, maybe," Marie conceded with a small smile. "But trust me, some of those designs are a nightmare."

Matsu leaned forward, intrigued. "Okay, now I have to know. What are the characters?"

Calie pulled up a seat next to him, thinking for a moment. "Well, there's this one character from that fantasy series we love. She has this really intricate battle armor with all these engravings and gemstones—super detailed. It's not impossible to make, but we'd need to dedicate a lot of time to get it right."