Disguised As A...

Let's say there's a person in a uniform--a grocery cashier, a maintenance person, etc.--that you see frequently in the same place, for at least a year. After so much time, you usually nod and smile at one another, or maybe even say a quick greeting. Then one day you see them on the street and you walk right on by. Or you do a double take. You're so used to seeing them dressed a certain way and in a certain place, you don't recognize them without the uniform and in a different environment. I don't know about you, but this has happened to me several times. It's a little embarrassing. In a way, it's like telling them that they're the uniform and not a real person.

It's happened to me the other way around, too. I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt to my day job, or a sweatshirt if it's cold. There are times though, when I have to "act like it" and wear the kind of clothes that makes everyone think I'm a class act (you can laugh now--I sure am). When I do, people don't recognize me, sometimes even up close. They don't realize it's me until I say something. I always say I'm in disguise.

So I bought this big, fancy church lady hat yesterday, just for fun. I've decided to buy a church lady suit to go with it. Me, dressed like a church lady--the perfect disguise! I don't think I'd recognize myself. I know a helluva lot of other people wouldn't. Hey! I could wear it for Halloween!

All of this is to say that disguises are going to play a role in my next book. At least as far as Melera is concerned. If Beloc's coming to Earth for a visit, she'll have to change her looks--completely. She's a shifter, so at first blush it might not seem like a problem. But she can only hold to her new form for a couple of hours before being forced to revert. And then, because shifting takes so much energy, afterwards she has to rest for a long longer than that. Disguised, trapped in close quarters with Beloc and nowhere to hide. Does he capture her? If not, it'll be interesting to see how she pulls off her escape.