Kiona calls in a favor.

Almost a half an hour passed. The line inched forward as the admissions were processed agonizingly slowly. With all the people gathered in the line, it didn't feel like the BB Brigade had made any sort of progress at all. Movement had been minimal at the very best, and the sun hadn't let up for even a moment. It felt like water could boil out in the light of the horrible sun that morning.

Kiona prided herself on her determination and her iron will. She wasn't a woman that gave up easily, no way. But being inside all that plastic armor was something else. If things were bad for most of the girls of the BB Brigade, they were twice-- three times!-- as bad for poor Kiona. The big blue-and-yellow suit was like a greenhouse, letting all the heat of the morning in but not letting any of it escape. It quickly became worse than unbearable, and Kiona realized that if she planned on staying in this line for even a half an hour longer, she would most definitely come down with a case of heat stroke and ruin the entire weekend for herself.

Thankfully, Kiona knew that she didn't have to suffer in silence. She hadn't planned on exploiting her little advantage with the other members of the BB Brigade around, but if there was ever a time to utilize one's advantages, it had to be now. Kiona was honourable, but that didn't mean that she was a fool.

There was an old friend of Kiona's working as Convention Security for the weekend. She knew for a fact that she would be able to skip this line if she called in her favor with him. He owed her, big time. The kind of favours she had done for him weren't the sort that any person forgot about easily, and this guy-- Mike-- had been very, very grateful. He'd promised her the moon.

Kiona shot off a quick text to Mike explaining her predicament. "I just need to get into the locker rooms. There's even a back entrance out on the other side of the building. Cmon man, you know you owe me. I'll make sure you profit from this, I promise."

Those were the kind of magic words that Mike loved to hear. As soon as he read his old friend's message, he knew that he would have to give Kiona all the help that she needed. He really did owe her a lot, after all. He returned the message quickly, offering to meet her at the back of the convention hall to let her into the locker rooms that she had mentioned in her own message.

"I'm sorry, I have to get out of this heat," Kiona said to her fellow cosplayers. "Can I meet you all inside?" No one could judge her for wanting to escape the sun. Her forehead was slick with sweat. It was only her fine workswomanship that kept her makeup from running off under all her perspiration.

"Of course we understand," Marigold said. "Lynn can text you when we get inside and we'll find a place to meet up. Go cool off, Kiona."

Kiona put her helmet back on her head and fired off one last salute at her fellow members of 'Overwatch' and slipped out of the line, around the building to the back entrance. Thank God for this opportunity. She could have really suffered if she had stayed out there.

Unbeknownst to her, some fans of both Fareeha Amari and the woman cosplaying her noticed Kiona leaving the line, and resolved to follow after her in the hopes of getting a little closer, not to mention maybe a little more personal, with her.