[RiddleRose]: 298.Gold Dust - NaNoWriMo '07.Chapter eighteen

Chapter eighteen.

The paper disappeared, just as the paper of sex with Lisa had. Wren was beginning to just accept these things as odd, and move on. He figured that way he might actually keep his sanity for a while longer. Or even, after a while, he might not notice the impossible things that kept happening. That would be nice. To be a normal, untroubled by drugs and disappearing papers person...

But then he stopped that thought. He would be bored. He knew he would be bored. He had been bored before he started dealing. He loved dealing Gold Dust, it was exciting, and kept him engaged and alert. He probably owed a good deal of his happiness to dealing Gold Dust. The trade off, he supposed, was his addiction to it.

And even that really wasn't so bad. He got to see and talk to Lessa, and he only felt any other effects when he had weird dreams. And the headaches of course, but as long as he continued to take it, those probably wouldn't happen. All in all, he was happy. Really, except for the existence of Livia in his life, everything was just plain peachy keen.

Another piece of paper blew into his hand. It was so obviously a piece of paper that Wren rolled his eyes. He could just tell that somewhere, someone was laughing at him. Or something. Maybe they were actually typing desperately, trying to write something down. You never knew. The paper read:

“i really hate societal expectations. you know, the constant questions you ask yourself... "is this acceptable? can i do this? will the world hate me? is it allowed?"

“i hate them. hate them. really really hate them. i just had an insight. it's true. i can tell it's true. it's about me, and the way i work. the way my mind thinks of things, the way i see the world. i didn't know it before. i figured it out. if i post it, if i write it down anywhere that anyone can see it, i will be considered a self-centered, pompous, arrogant, obnoxious ass by society in general. 

“but it's true. it is. i know it is. it's about me. i know myself. i have ot live in my body, in my brain, with my mind, every single minute of every day. i know myself. i never ever lie to myself. or if i do, i call myself out on that lie. i had an insight, and it's true, and i CAN'T SAY IT. this happens to me a lot, because i overanalyze things.

“see, i can say that. i can say i overanalyze things because that's not necessarily a positive statement. but if i say something inherently positive about myself, even if it's true, society labels me 'arrogant'.

“i hate societal expectations. truth is not the enemy. “

Wren wondered absently, as the paper vanished in a puff of orange smoke, which was new, why so many of these random bits of writing were all lower case. Perhaps they wer journal entries of some variety. That could be it.

He wandered on. There was a woman with gold hoop earrings waiting for him by a tree. She licked him up the side of his face, which was less enjoyable than he had always imagined being licked up the side of the face would be. She also gave him money. He slapped her on the bum, and gave her a quick grope under her coat, slipping a bottle of Gold Dust into her inner pocket as he did so. She blew him a kiss as he walked away.

Soon Wren found himself walking next to Lessa. She was holding Nash's hand, and Wren examined him warily. He thought that Nash was probably pretty cool, but he couldn't be sure. Nash was examining him just as closely. Lessa was chattering excitedly, saying, “Nash, this is wren! Remember, I told you about him, but you didn't believe me! I like Wren, he's ever so nice. Wren, this is Nash, my dancing instructor. I told you 'bout him, I know I did.”

Wren grinned. She was wearing her red dress with white trim, and carrying her parasol open against the sun, “yes, you told me about him. How de do Nash. I trust you're taking care of our girl?”

Nash eyed him, and nodded, tipping his hat, while taking hold of Lessa's hand with his other hand. “Yes. I take care of her. Very well. Is Neil around? Do you know him?”

“No,” said Wren shortly, thinking that probably Neil and Livia were cuddled up on his couch or something, watching television and eating something delicious, “He is otherwise engaged. Why, do you need him?”

Nash shook his head, and watched with curiosity as another piece of paper blew directly into Wren's hand, “Does that happen often?” he asked curiously.

Wren rolled his eyes, “Well, it's been happening more and more lately, I can't think why though. Wait til after I've read it, it'll vanish under mysterious circumstances.”

He looked at the paper in his hand. It read: “Ren Faires are the natural environment of a very specific subculture. For those who love fantasy, dressing up, acting, and anything along the lines of romanticized pirates, nobles, quests, faeries, knights, ladies, lords, and humble peasants, a Renaissance Faire is the place to be. If you're hardcore, you dress up. 

“For Women
common articles of clothing and accessories
Bodice or corset
full length skirt
chemise or peasant blouse
underskirt/pantaloons/bloomers (petticoats dependent on period)
shoes or boots
hat or snood
belt pouch/pocket
fan/veil
jewelry, depending on the station of your character
cape or cloak depending on weather and station
belt (dependent on character)
“For Men
shirt (usually peasant or poet)
doublet or jerkin (vest)
breeches (pants)
hat
belt pouch
dagger/knife
tunic (usually worn with jerkin and shirt)
boots
tankard (if lower class)
sword (if noble)
belt
cape (if noble)
cloak depending on weather and station
armour dependent on whether you're a knight or not.

“Accessories vary based on your character. For example, pirates tend to have pistols, cutlasses, swords, tankards, compasses, feathers in their hats, and lots of belts. Female pirates frequently wear poofy pants tucked into boots, or tight pants with short raggedy skirts over them. Bodices are almost universally used, no matter what class or creature your character is.

“When coming as a faery, elf, or other fantasy creature, your costume may vary drastically. Layers of skirts, leafy accessories, and glitter are all common among the faeries at a Ren Faire. Often face painting is inventive and eye-catching. Elves tend to be more stately. Ear extensions are common. Often there are long velvet dresses, greens, blues, and browns.

“All clothing is made out of a few different kinds of fabrics. Common are: brocade, wool, velvet, velveteen, silk, broadcloth, cotton, and linen. Leather is seen more on men, and among the various genres of pirates. Peasant costumes use mostly broadcloth, wool, and linen. Noble costumes are mostly brocade, silk, and cotton. Elf costumes tend to be velvet and velveteen, where faeries are often silk, or anything else, regardless of whether it is modern or period. Pirates tend to be cotton and leather, with perhaps some broadcloth thrown in.

“Bodices and corsets give very specific shapes. They have boning, usually steel or heavy-duty plastic, sewn into them, so rather than conforming to the contours of your body, your body tends to conform to the contours of the corset. Corsets tend to have more boning that bodices. The general shape they tend to give is a classic hourglass. Then the skirt sweeps out in a bell shape, all the way to the ground. The silhouette of someone wearing a corset or bodice is very easy to recognize.

“Men usually have much less constraining clothing, unless they are wearing some form of armour. Full plate with a helmet definitely gives a specific shape and silhouette, and even chain mail can evoke images of brave knights riding into battle.

“Pirates and faeries tend to have surprising elements to their costumes. Pirates often sport large hats with feathers, poofy pants, cinched waists, and poofy shirts. Again, since men do not often wear bodices, men rarely have the same kind of instantly recognizable silhouette that girls get. Faeries have wings, bells, feathers, twigs, raggedy skirts, interesting hair, and anything else that makes them look at all otherworldly and spritely. Elves tend to be long, flowy, and elegant. Male elves usually stick to just a tunic, shirt, belt, breeches, and boots, and leave off any accessories. Female elves often have sparkly jewelry, streamlined velvet dresses, and diadems. Also, there are a lot of elves with long hair, both men and women.

“By dressing this way, both in the Faire and out of it, the members of the Faire subculture tell the world that they believe in the impossible. They are not afraid to play make-believe. They enjoy throwing themselves into a culture and time that either never existed, or existed hundreds of years ago. They love acting, dressing up, and giving a show. Above all, a Faire is a performance. Anyone who goes dressed up is automatically a part of that performance. Anyone who comes in modern attire is merely the audience. They are not in the “in crowd”.

“The Faire culture attracts people of many ages. At Faires, one can see people ranging from six to about fifty. The people who dress up and really get into it tend to be between the ages of twelve and thirty, although many of the actors who work at the Faire are much older than that. It is rare to see parents dressed up, though their kids may be. 

“The subculture is primarily white. It is fairly rare that you see anyone who is not white at a Faire, although it does happen occasionally. Faires tend to attract mostly middle class people, although there are always outliers. Faires are expensive, so if you got you have to be willing to spend money, on costumes, on food, on admission, and on all of the amazing things that are sold in the Faire itself.”

“Well that was... not very interesting,” said Wren in disappointment, as the paper disappeared in a shower of sparkles. Usually they're more interesting. I mean, the least one was a whole commentary on societal expectations. It was cool.”

Nash and Lessa were staring at the sparkles drifting to the ground in fascination. Abruptly they both vanished.