"Say Cerberus-kid, what's your name? Your real name I mean." Said a man wearing a cheap rendition of a Mecha Man armour suit.
This wasn't the first time I received such a comment. You wouldn't have to look hard to notice that I lacked the boobs, the ass, or a generally attractive feminine frame to play the part of the Triple Demon from the Helltaker game. Most of the people that passed by me would comment "nice crossplay!" or something similar meant as words of encouragement. Though had I been the one to call the shots, I would have switched this costume around with something else in a heartbeat. I kind of accepted this deal from my cousins because the costume itself still looked somewhat ambiguous in the images. I suppose these clothes still make the man though, in a more literal sense than I'd hoped to be honest.
Because it meant that the occasional prick would be callous enough to make me feel embarrassed.
Rather than speaking up, it was my cousin Mia who answered in my stead. "Great to meet you. I'm Cerberus." Came her response, a big smile on her face. I played along and gave the stranger a big smile as well, despite the heat crawling up my neck.
Confused, the man turned his attention to Mia. "I wasn't talking to you."
In mock confusion, Mia responded in character. "Huh? What are you on about? You were just asking my name." I cocked my head questioningly to play along with her. Tessa, Mia's twin sister, approached from the other side, gazing over towards mock-Mecha Man in a similar fashion. All three of us stood staring incredulously at him.
"Wait, is this part of the act? He can just answer for himself you know. Or uh... let your other body speak."
"Nonsense." Exclaimed Mia. "I'm not going to waste more of my voice than necessary to answer your silly questions. Now be gone." And with that, we dispersed, turning our intention elsewhere, leaving the man stammering.
Watching the man leave after a minute, I let out a long, drawn out sigh. Mia overheard, and let out a chuckle. "I'm starting to think the ticket for this convention wasn't worth the price of cross-dressing into one of your silly game characters Mia." I commented blearily. "But thanks for sticking up for me."
"Keep your chin up little cuz'!" Came her response. "There were only so many relatives we could've picked from to take part in this, and only one of them actually wanted to come to KublaCon with us this year."
That would be me. Back in school, I was kind of an outsider with my own cosplaying hobby. Mia and Tessa at least still had each other.
"You needed someone who looked like you."
"Yup! And lucky for us you still look androgynous enough for a guy that we thought we could get away with it. Though you did end up growing a couple of inches ever since we invited you."
That much was true. Just three months ago, I stood at about the same height as her and Tessa. I'd grown a little since then, finally becoming more of a man I suppose. That said, it would still take a while before I overtook my dad in height. Just my luck being a late bloomer.
"By the end of this convention, I've probably outgrown this costume." I say with a grin.
"Oh please." Tessa chimed in. "It's hardly a costume. That Mecha-dick was just trying to rile you up. If you think about it, you could be a butler as well."
"I know, I know. But that guy knows just as well as me and the two of you that it's not what this outfit is supposed to represent." Left unsaid was the fact that I was wearing a long white wig with a pair of dog ears on top, and I had a black arrow-tipped tail attached to my back. A small fishing line connected the tail's tip to my wrist, making it look prehensile whenever I waved my right-arm around.
Other than the occasional fan-art that passed my feed, I knew very little about the Triple Demon Cerberus. I initially believed the three of them to be sisters, but from Mia and Tessa I got to learn that it was actually one individual possessing three bodies, like a hive mind of sorts. Hence why she always wore the same apparel on all three bodies, though she's traditionally depicted as wearing a red button-up long-sleeve shirt with a black waistcoat on top. A pair of black suit pants underneath, black ties around the neck, a pair of black gloves and a pair of black cuffs, one on each arm, just underneath the shoulder. Apparently black and red colours were a central colour palette in the Helltaker in-game universe. My cousins copied the Triple Demon's clothes down to the slightest detail. And they definitely had their act together when performing.
Make all of these clothes form-fitting, or even tight-fitting, and one might understand why it looks appealing on the figures of my two cousins, but a little less so on my own.
"It's up to you cuz'." Answered Tessa nonchalantly. "Eye of the beholder and whatnot. But I appreciate you for sticking to your role thus far. Just let us do the talking and you're golden. And on the last day we might just let you enter the con without your costume on." She ended with a wink. I could see Mia nodding at her in the background.
I laughed at that. "I will hold you to that."
Honestly, the sooner I could get out of this attire, the better.
