The Witch and the Lich; The Face of Rea

Credits; Krell, Rea,
Krell managed to avoid seeing her the whole trip.  Which wasn't to say she hadn't leaned over his shoulder a few times, sat quietly in front of him while he read the latest intel, and he strongly suspected that Rea was never more than a corner behind him whenever he went through the halls.  Still, he'd managed to resist the urge to look at her; despite her best efforts to goad him into doing so.  Although he had been tricked into conversationon today when she'd asked what he was reading the one time he took a break from the intel and picked up a novelization of the first phase of the Great Ga-Vok war.  She'd mentioned it before, and he'd decided to try and learn a little more about it.  Not by reading the archives of course, the archive entry for it was boring and woefully undetailed.  But he'd read some reviews and found that this particular version was the most historically accurate to date.  She'd confirmed it as such, and admitted that she'd actually been approached to be a historical consult for it.  She hadn't, but she had provided some information to a few other historians who did help the author.  The most interesting part of the novel was that it had added characters.  Instead of the usual accounts, which focused on the courage or corruption of the first Grand Admiral, the then pirate Daniel Stone, this one had introduced a pair of characters, the admiral's father and younger sister.  What was more, it added the involvement of a shade, a warlock, and in place of the Admiral recieving a wound that took him out of commission for a year, it actually had him die of the wound and be ressurected by his sister, using unknown means.  It wasn't like any other account he'd ever read, but all of the historians and reviewers who'd read it had reported that, in light of new information, it was actually the most accurate account yet.  He was actually re-reading it in the hopes of finding out more when he heard the engines stop. 
"We've arrived.  Are you going to keep trying to ignore me or are you going to put the book down and come say hello to the mad folk?"  He lowered the book, thumb pressed in the center to hold his place.  He looked up and saw her looking down at the book. 
"This again?"  She pulled the book out of his hand and closed it.  "Don't you have something more interesting to read then a bunch of ancient history?"  She tossed it into the corner. 
"Coming from the girl who keeps a store room just for tabloids."
She shrugged, "Eh, I ran out of interesting things to read, I tried writing a few, and now I'm back to weekly gossip.  Most of your classics, I read as new releases.  Now there's just one thing you should know before we meet the Von Gravagas; they're both brilliant idiots.  Not a lick of business or common sense, sell to anyone for less than it costs to make it, sell to both sides, and the idea of being evil just doesn't seem to dawn on them.  Of course, when it comes to making stuff, they're the best.  Go hood down for this one, they met at a necrotechnology confrence so I know they've got nothing against the undead."
"And what about you?"
"I wouldn't dream of killing them, and they wouldn't dream of me killing them.  That's why I got all dressed up properly for it."
Krell pulled his hood back.  He'd pulled it down to cover his eyes when she'd grabbed the book and he hadn't realized she wasn't wearing her usual steelsil wrap.  Instead, she had a leather corset and a white shirt with puffed sleeves, all with visible laces.  Her pants matched the corset perfectly, but had a belt with an ornate silver buckle.  She had bracers made of some unidentifiable animal hide, both were bulky and seemed to have several gadgets concealed within them.  And hanging from her neck she had a mask, fitted and solid save for a few ventilating slits on each side.  A pair of goggles on top of her head rounded off the outfit, though they served no apparent purpose except to do so. 
And it was as he looked at the goggles he noticed that she was actually fairly attractive, in spite of her age.  She was still much shorter than he was, but otherwise it would have been hard to tell.  She wore her hair short and straight, and while it was black he could tell it was dyed.  The goggles held it back off of her face, maybe that was their purpose.  She had striking green eyes, although it may have been because they were somewhat blood shot.  He noticed that she'd powdered her right cheek more heavily, a scar perhaps? 
In a couple of years she'd probably be beautiful, but for now it just made being around her complicated and confusing.  Then she smiled.  He wasn't sure if she was doing it out of self-satisfaction for having finally gotten him to look or if it was because of some invisible expression she was imagining on his unexpressive skull. 
"How do I look?"
"You have had far to long to hone your looks for someone of your apparent age; its confusing and a little creepy."
"I look good then?"
"Disturbingly, yes."
"Perfect, we can go now."