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The two ghosts were waiting in the corridor outside Crystal and Niko's rooms. In theory, they were guarding from intruders, but mostly they just waited until their living compatriots next awoke. Edwin had paused in his note taking.
"Charles", Edwin said, "do you ever want to stay in your disguise for longer?"
"Uh, not really, mate. I'd much rather keep my youthful charm, thanks."
"Hm"
Charles looked over at where Edwin was sitting on the floor. "Why?"
Edwin sighed through his nose, focused directly in front of him, "I rather enjoy being in disguise. It's nice, being seen by the living. Though the talking is rather exhausting."
"Too right, especially for you" He teased.
Edwin furrowed his brow and seemed to consider something. "I think I rather like being seen as a woman. Is that odd?" He turned towards Charles with a concerned look on his face.
Charles raised his eyebrows. "Well, I think it's as odd as anything else we do. Not like many people have access to disguises that can completely change their appearance, do they?"
Edwin looked almost disappointed for a moment. "I suppose they don't."
Charles frowned at him for a moment. "Hey, what's all this about, mate?" He nudged Edwin with a shoulder.
"Well, I suppose I've been thinking about it…" He drummed his fingers on his knee, "I... I don't think I'd mind being seen as a woman all of the time." He looked up at Charles with wide, worried eyes.
Before he could get a word in edgewise, Edwin quickly continued, "But that's impossible, of course. I mean, yes, we have magic that can change our appearance and yes, I could simply magic myself a more feminine appearance but I don't even know what I'd look like as a girl, I mean I hardly knew my mother, and then there’s the agency to think about, our reputation to uphold-- It is simply a ridiculous idea and I need to stop thinking about it." He finished, hugging his knees.
“Woah, there mate.” Charles put a hand on his shoulder with a concerned expression. “That was a lot. How’s about we slow down a bit, yeah? I’m not sure I’m keeping up, here.”
Edwin hunched over even more, “I apologise, that rambling was– was unprofessional.”
“Hold on, now, mate.” Charles gave a small smirk, “I think we’re well past professionalism, you and me.”
Charles squeezes his shoulder. “Look, Edwin,” He tries to catch his eye, “I’m not sure I really get what you’re saying, but like– if you wanted to dress up as a girl, I really wouldn’t mind. You’re my mate whatever, yeah?”
Edwin looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
“And also– I don’t actually give a toss what reputation we have. I mean, we’re in a new country anyway, right? Even if it’s temporary. I think if you want to look however you want, you shouldn’t let others hold you back. You still wouldn’t be half as strange as some of the ghosts we’ve seen, right?”
Edwin smirked a little, “Well, that’s true.”
Charles bumped his shoulder again, “See?” He smiled, before his expression became serious again, “But look, Edwin… I’m glad you said something, yeah? I can tell this was really eating at you”
Edwin looked away uncomfortably, “I think it’s been in the back of my mind ever since our first set of disguises.”
Charles frowned and thought that over. “So, do you want to… be a woman, or look like one?”
He looked at him with wide eyes again, “I… I think I want to be a girl. I… think I am a girl, actually.” She seemed to realise it as she said it.
She suddenly jerked into a kneeling position. “Charles! I’m a girl!” She took him by the shoulders, looking him in the eye as she realised the answer to what had been haunting her for years.
“Oh!” Charles said, taken aback by the sudden energy, “Cool!”
“I’m a girl,” She said again, confirming it to herself and smiling.
“You’re a girl,” Charles repeated back, almost reflexively.
At his words, Edwin grinned wider than Charles had seen in a long time. He smiled back at her.
Then, she seemed to realise herself. “Is that… okay? With you?”
Charles rolled his eyes, “Mate. You could secretly be a pit viper and you’d still be my best mate. If it makes you happy, I’m okay with it.”
Edwin huffed, “Well there’s no need to put it like that. I would tell you if I was a pit viper, of course, so I could finally kill those rats in the attic of our building.”
“You would kill the rats?” He said with faux disgust.
“Well I would have to eat something, wouldn’t I?”
Charles huffed a snort of laughter, “It’s nice to see you happy, mate,” he said fondly.
Edwin blushed slightly, “I– Well, thank you. Goodness, this has been quite the adventure.”
“For you, yeah, Miss ‘I’ve been hanging onto a life changing realisation for ten years.’”
At the correct honorific, she inhaled sharply and looked misty eyed at Charles.
He laughed slightly, “That was correct, yeah? You want me to call you girl stuff?”
“Yes, please.” She attempted to compose herself.
“Do you want to tell Crystal and Niko, then? That you want to be called girl stuff?”
Edwin paused at that. “I… think I do want to tell them eventually.” She bit her lip, “I think I might ask for advice. On. Being a girl.”
“I suppose they would know, right?”
“Yes. But I think I’m going to think a little more before I tell anyone else. So, keep this between us until then?” She looked over at him.
“Of course, mate.”
─────────
“I’ve gathered you all here to make an announcement,” Edwin began, having stood up from her desk.
“We literally sit in this shitty office every day but okay” Crystal said, glancing up from her phone.
Edwin glared at her for an appropriate amount of time, before continuing. “I would just like to say, that,” She gritted her teeth. “I am a girl. Not a boy.” She paused for a moment. “That will be all.” She sat back down.
Crystal seemed to be staring at her to see if she was being serious.
Niko looked up in excitement, “Oh, congratulations! What are your pronouns?”
“What?” Edwin was a little taken off guard.
“Like, I use she/her, do you use those too?”
“Ah. Yes. She, her, and hers.” Edwin nodded.
“Wait, seriously?” Crystal interjected, putting her phone away. “The repressed Victorian ghost is transgender.” She said, disbelieving.
“I am from the Edwardian era, not the Victorian– and I am not repressed, thank you very much.” She huffed. “Also I… don’t know what that word means.” She said suspiciously.
Crystal looked at Niko, “Help me out here,” She jerked her head towards Edwin.
“Oh, um, a transgender person is someone who, like, changes their gender from the one they were assigned at birth. So, like Crystal is saying, if you grew up as a boy and want to be a girl now, that would make you trans!”
“There’s… a word for it?” Edwin’s wonder at the idea was clear.
“Oh my god,” Crystal said in disbelief. “Wow, you really– hey, good job figuring it out, man– uh, girl,” She corrected awkwardly, “Seriously that… can’t have been easy for you.” She looked at him seriously.
Edwin cleared her throat, “Well, yes, um. Thank you, Crystal,” she said, avoiding eye contact.
Behind her back, Charles shot Crystal a thumbs up, looking approvingly at the group.
“A lot of trans people take hormones to change how they look. Is there like, magic ghost hormones you can get?” Niko asked.
Edwin looked inquisitive at the idea, and turned towards Charles, who was also puzzled.
“No idea. We’ll have to poke around in the supernatural sphere a bit. If that’s what you want to do, Edwin?”
“Oh, um.” She startled slightly. “Well– what are these hormones meant to do, usually?” She directed the question at Niko.
“Well, I only know from the internet, but I guess you would want estrogen to make you more girly?”
“It gives you boobs” Crystal piped up.
“Crystal!” Edwin hissed, cheeks burning.
“Hey, us girls outnumber Charles now. We can talk about boobs if we want.”
“Hey, I’m fine with it, don’t look at me.” Charles raised his hands in surrender.
Edwin, who was still recovering from Crystal’s last comment, cleared her throat, “Well, I suppose we’ll have to look into that option. Um, Niko,” she continued, “I was actually wondering if I could…” she hesitated, “borrow some of your makeup?” She drummed her fingers on the desk nervously.
Niko gasped, “Oh my god. Can I do your makeup?” she said excitedly.
“Well– only if you want to, I mean–”
“Makeover time!” Niko yelled, throwing her hands up. She grinned, “This is gonna be great! Ooh, what color would suit you? Purple? Pink?” she scrambled to get up and ran to her room.
“Looks like your fate is sealed,” Crystal smirked at Edwin. They both smiled fondly as Niko left.
“I think you’d look great in blue, me” Charles offered.
Before she could reply, Niko burst back through the door holding a makeup bag. “You should also try on my dresses if you want,” She said, out of breath.
“That’s very kind of you, Niko,” Edwin smiled, embarrassed.
Niko dumped her makeup bag on the desk in front of her, grinning. “Oh, I’m just so excited! I haven’t done someone’s makeup in years.”
“Hey, I can do yours once you’re done with Edwin,” Crystal offered. “It’ll be like a slumber party.” She smirked, “We can even rope Charles in.”
He laughed, “Yeah, sure, why not? We can all match.”
Edwin smiled fondly, “Sounds like we have a plan.”
─────────
"Hey, Edwin being a girl means you’lI finally have to change the name of this thing" Crystal said one day as they were all sitting in their office back in London.
Edwin, who was sitting at her desk in a long blue pleated skirt, frowned, “That’s true. The One Dead Boy Detective Agency, perhaps?" She said, looking up at Charles.
"I'm not sure I can handle the responsibility of being the only boy, if I'm honest"
"Maybe we should include us in the name, too!" Niko piped up.
"Dead girl, dead boy, and two living girls detective agency?" Edwin suggested genuinely.
"That is way too long, and still stupid" Crystal said.
"How about the Ghosts and Company Detective Agency?" Charles suggested.
Edwin thought for a moment. "I suppose that works. Should we vote?"
"Works for me," Niko said, smiling.
"I'm not sure there's a better way of putting it honestly, even if it still sounds kind of ridiculous. I'm for it"
"Wonderful! I suppose we'll have to get someone to change the sign."
"We could make it ourselves! I can go buy paint, it'll be an arts and crafts day!" Niko said excitedly.
Edwin smiled fondly. Charles patted her on the back, "Sounds aces."