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The Kigurumi Waitresses

Katherine was in a thoughtful mood as she closed the door to her private dressing room adjacent to her office. That done, she looked herself over in the floor-length mirror, then pulled the open-face hood of her full bodysuit over her head and tucked the stray strands of her hair which showed in the opening. The suit - called a zentai by some - was a flesh color almost indistinguishable from her natural skin tone. Even from only a few feet away it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. Next, she put on her mask, which actually covered her entire head. It featured huge light green eyes, slightly wavy golden blonde hair that reached halfway down her back, and a demure, somewhat shy smile. Once she was satisfied with how it sat on her head, she reached behind herself and tugged on a cord hidden under the hair at the back of her mask. Now neither she nor anyone else be able to take it off until she tugged on that cord again, in the opposite direction.

When she was finished dressing, Katherine stepped back and looked herself in the mirror once more. She like what she saw, a black floor-length dress with long sleeves and a suitably long apron. So snug did the fabric of her bodysuit cover her fingers only the most sharp eyed would notice except up close, and she herself sometimes forgot she had gloves on at all. She smiled under her mask, as a mundane she didn't have the issues many of her waitresses had to deal with, but she wanted to show her support for them, so she subjected herself to the same dress code and code of conduct many of them had no choice but to obey.

It was November eighth, in three days time would be the anniversary of the Xanadu event, when thousands of conventioneers attending the Kubla Con had found themselves suddenly and forever changed. Several employees of the Orlando Kigurumi Cafe were among those thus transformed, and Katherine figured she most likely would have as well had a cranky appendix not sent her to the hospital instead the day before. When she first learned what had transpired in her absence she was concerned her themed restaurant would lose its popularity and eventually be forced to close. Instead, the kigurumi genre gained popularity. Business increased, and she found she needed to hire more staff. Women transformed into kigurumi were especially eager to apply; some had been canned from their previous jobs as a consequence of their changes, while others had been rejected by family or old friends. It did not take long for word to get around among Xanadu survivors that here was a place where they would be welcome, either as employees or customers.

On this evening Katherine's restaurant was bustling with activity and eight waitresses were on duty. All had been at the Xanadu Center and had been changed. Due to a quirk of scheduling and one filling in for a sick coworker, no mundanes were working this evening, usually there would have been at least two or three. College and pro football on television, an Orlando Magic home game, and the various local theme parks were just a few of the reasons visitors flocked to Orlando, and sometimes to her establishment.

Even this long after the Xanadu event, many people continued to be astounded at the incredible variety of ways people had been changed, regardless of what costume they had been wearing at the moment Eric Winters had accidentally cast a transformation spell over the convention. Kigurumi cosplayers were no exception. Indeed, it seemed to Katherine that of all the transformed kigurumi waitresses she now had on her staff, no two were affected in the same way.

Just consider those who were on duty this evening.

Elisa had been a blonde with light brown eyes, until in the blink of an eye the mask she had been wearing over her face BECAME her face, complete with the enormous eyes that were one of the trademarks of kigurumi masks. Her eye color was the same as before, but her hair color was now a pale pink. It had not been a favorite color of hers, but all her attempts to dye it to a color she liked better had been unsuccessful. She bore no resemblance to her old self, but her family and friends still recognized her by her voice, which was the same as it had been. Unlike many transformed conventioneers she was not subject to any restrictive clothing spells and could wear what she chose. At work though, she favored long dresses and aprons, like her boss.

Clarice was the sister of Elisa, and had also been at the convention that fateful November eleventh. Now she had a face highlighted by oversized light blue eyes and very long red hair. She bore a striking resemblance to Ariel, especially when she had modeled some of the dresses she wore as a human. Also like Ariel when she had first become a human, Clarice soon discovered she no longer had a voice. Unlike with the little mermaid, nothing could be done to restore it, though months of practice eventually enabled her to communicate with equal effectiveness via sign language. Like her sister she was not magically restricted as to what clothing she could wear, but did prefer wearing dresses with knee length skirts and shorter aprons while on duty.

Ruth was an original Kigurumi Cafe waitress who had chosen to spend one of her days off at the Xanadu Center. Physically she was unchanged, but quickly discovered she was now subject to a version of the 'clothing curse.' On and off the job she could still wear her choice of clothing, but literally could not venture outside her home unless she wore her mask, which featured brown eyes and curly dark brown hair and a huge smile, in contrast to her own light blue eyes, pale blonde hair and a low-key smile. To her surprise she could still speak while in 'civilian dress,' but was mute while in costume. She was equally fond of both long and shorter dresses while on the job.

Alix likewise was unchanged physically by the Xanadu effect, but was now subject to a more severe form of the clothing spell. Any clothes she put on would morph within moments into long dresses, be they 'civilian' or 'uniform.' She too could not venture out in public without wearing her mask, which presented a shy smile, light green hair that reached her waist, and blue eyes. She always kept the hair tied back with a large bow, and her coworkers would look forward to seeing what she would wear each day; she now had dozens in her collection. A born chatterbox, she had taken it upon herself to always wear a gag under her mask to keep herself from talking while working.

Grace and Hannah were the other pair of sisters working at the restaurant this evening. Both were now subject to the full effect of the 'clothing curse': anything they put on would swiftly change into waitress or maid style dresses; long for Grace, short for Hannah. To the astonishment of nearly everyone who knew them, they minded that less than would have been expected; both were fans of Downton Abbey and other period shows, and even before the Event wore skirts and dresses more often than many women did these days. They could also be distinguished by their post-change heads, which like all the other Xanadu kigurumi were slightly larger than they originally were. Grace had turquoise hair and lime green eyes, while Hannah now had light brown hair and light blue eyes. Both could also 'freeze' their facial expressions at will, which caused more than a few of their customers to think they were actually still wearing masks.

Susan was even harder to miss than most Xanadu kigurumi, she now had long purple hair which she kept tied back with a matching large bow of the same color (she literally could not leave her home without it), and huge eyes a lighter shade of the same color. Any uniforms she put on would turn into mini skirted versions of those her coworkers wore. Like many other kigurumi cosplayers she had lost her voice because of the Xanadu effect. Unlike most, she was well versed in sign and was even a certified teacher and interpreter. As shocked as she was by her changes, she was also more fortunate than many Xanadu survivors, being kept busy teaching sign to others who had likewise been rendered speechless. Several Kigurumi Cafe workers were among those so affected, so Katherine hired her part time originally as a teacher only, but Susan soon found she actually enjoyed waitressing as well.

Erin was unique in her own way. Up until the moment Eric Winters had unexpectedly turned into a raven, she had been Aaron, and about a foot taller and nearly one hundred pounds heavier. He had been wearing a waitress costume because of a dare by some of his friends, who in turn took up his own dare they dress as Sailor Moon type characters. None of course anticipated what was soon to happen. To put it mildly, she was shocked at first by her change, yet she soon found herself accepting her new form, much more readily than her erstwhile friends. So did her family and employer. Her hair was black like before, but now much longer. Her eyes were still light brown, but larger to match those on the mask she had been wearing before it had become her face.

~Hi...how are you doing?~ was a typical way Katherine would greet her employees as they came in to work. Dressed in proper kigurumi fashion with not an inch of herself visible, she also followed the cardinal rule of NEVER speaking while in costume. By now she was proficient enough in sign she seldom resorted to writing notes. She felt she owed the effort to her waitresses who had lost the ability to speak, they in turn appreciated her willingness to communicate as they now were obliged to do. Their 'mundane' coworkers usually took somewhat longer to become proficient in sign, but they had come to appreciate its value as well. Communication was so much easier when everyone shared a common language, and it was also much less awkward than constantly having to write notes! Also as their fluency grew, those waitresses who could found themslves doffing their masks with decreasing frequency while on break. Despite the difficulties many of them had experienced, they had learned to lean on one another for mutual support, and by now even enjoyed a rather unique comaraderie of not being like most other people.

Uniqueness was of course central to the Kigurumi Cafe from the start. Signs posted around the restaurant and in advertisments told all that trying to engage a waitress in verbal conversation was futile. Few tried, and those who did would be shushed with an appropriate gesture. While occasional male customers would cast furtive glances toward every waitress in sight, very few tried to touch one - another cardinal sin of kigurumi cosplaying! Friendly flirting was another matter, it actually was encouraged, up to a point. It tested the ability of both waitress and diner to get their thoughts across via non verbal means. By now the long time members of the staff were well versed in that art, despite the inability of most of those who wore masks to change the facial expressions on their masks.

Katherine smiled to herself under her own mask thinking of an incident from a month ago. That day Cheryl, one of her waitresses served a couple whose heads had been transformed into computer monitor screens. They were mute, but anything they 'said' would appear on their screens where onlookers could then read them. To eat or drink, they would simply put whatever they wanted to consume against a mouth icon near the bottom of their 'faces.' They could not adequately explain how they were able to see, but Cheryl listened thoughtfully. She had also been at the convention and escaped almost unchanged except for one small but important to her detail: prior to the Xanadu event she had been half blind and always had to wear embarrassingly thick glasses, now she had perfectly normal vision whenever she wore a kigurumi mask, even though their 'eyes' were not designed to substitute for glasses or contact lenses.

Perhaps the most fortunate (or best prepared) customers were those who themselves knew sign language. Katherine looked on with some bemusement as Alix thus chatted with a pair of anthro cats who were clearly delighted to find someone who could use sign as they now did. They could meow like real cats, purr up a storm when in the mood, and even hiss and caterwaul, but they could no longer speak as most humans did. Katherine hadn't addressed the issue of sign language when she first opened her restaurant and after the Xanadu event eventually decided not to do so then either - a few waiters also dressed as kigurumi waitresses on occasion, and when they used sign they sounded the same as their female counterparts - silent!

On busier nights such as tonight, the waitresses often took their meal breaks in twos. It was then that many would take advantage of their new sign language skills: they could eat and 'talk' at the same time, regardless of whether either, both, or neither could still speak. Some mundanes were now enough into kigurumi cosplaying they did not always doff their masks while on break if they were not eating (they could still sip through a straw).

For some Kigurumi Cafe waitresses though, meal break could also be a time of frustration. Ruth for example literally could not take her mask off if anyone other than her immediate family was present. She thus had to take her meal breaks alone - best friends and coworkers did not count as 'family.' She never really complained though, she had learned early on that literally hundreds were far more severly affected than she was, but that did not keep her from occasionally being frustrated by her new limitations. Tonight happened to be one of those nights, and she could feel it in her face; she was glad she had a mask on. Her customers of course could not pick up on her mood, but when she went on break and silently chatted with some of her coworkers, Katherine could sense her somewhat troubled state of mind.

"Is something bothering you, Ruth?" she asked later as the two headed for their 'lunch' breaks. The door leading to the employees-only area was closed, so she spoke instead of signing.

~Uh, yes...no...I'm not sure~ Ruth answered.

"Come by my office when you are done eating so we can talk, if you wish." Katherine always tried to be an approachable boss and her employees often thanked her for that, especially those whose personal lives had been most affected by the Xanadu event.

~I will...thank you.~

Katherine had finished her own 'lunch' and put her mask back on when Ruth knocked on the door to her office.

"Come in."

When Ruth did enter she saw that her boss was sitting on her desk instead of behind it as usual, her body language showed her relief. Katherine smiled beneath her own mask, sitting as she now was was a way she had of trying to get nervous employees to feel more at ease. Ruth offered a curtsey in the knee length dress she was wearing today, then sat down in a visitor's chair.

~What would you like to talk about, Ruth?~ Katherine asked, switching back to using sign. ~You know I will never tell anyone what you say.~

~Well...~ Ruth began. As always when dressed in her 'work costume' she was mute and had to use sign then.

~...it's my boyfriend, he...seems kind of nervous lately...~

~Do you think he might be about to leave you?~ Katherine remembered Ruth had once told her her previous boyfriend had left because the Xanadu effect meant he could no longer lay eyes upon her face or kiss her, at least directly. Having to settle for looking at photos or kissing her mask was a poor substitute, as far as he was concerned.

~Well...I'm not so sure. Every time we are together he hugs me and kisses me on my mask and says he loves me. He still sounds like he really means it...~

Katherine's mask prevented Ruth from seeing the thoughtful look on her face, but the few seconds she sat silent and still suggested she had something on her mind.

~Actually, there might be a good reason why he seems to be nervous.~

~What might that be?~ Ruth tilted her head to show her puzzlement..

~Maybe he is trying to work up the courage to ask if you will marry him.~

~Really? Why do you think that might be?~

~Because when a guy asks a girl if she will marry him, it's not just a big moment for her, it's a big moment for him, too.~

Now it was Ruth's turn to sit for a few moments in thoughtful silence. Unlike her previous boyfriend after she had fallen under the influence of the Xanadu 'clothing curse,' Rick, her present boyfriend had never hesitated to kiss her on her mask, nor was he shy about appearing in public with her holding hands. She had given him an unmasked photo of herself which he kept in his wallet, but he preferred looking at her directly, mask and all. If they did marry, would he finally be able to gaze upon her real face, at least in private? That was a dream that had been recurring in recent weeks. She hoped it would come true someday, somehow.

~I hadn't thought about that~ she eventually said. ~I guess you do have something there.~

~When my husband asked me if I would marry him, he later said he had never been so nervous in his life~ Katherine now said. When Ruth nodded her head she went on ~If he really wants to marry you I'm sure he will ask you when he is ready. Can you be patient and wait until then?~

~I think so...~

Katherine was again thoughtful as she followed Ruth back toward the dining room. She was sure Ruth would let them all know if Rick did ask, she just had no more idea than her when, or if, that might happen.

'I'll just have to be patient, like her' she thought.