On nineteen,Nashalawriggled away from the minotaur’s grasp long enough to grab a couple of fingerfuls of sand.
On twenty, the sand went flying.
On twenty-one,Calamityreleased her spell.
On twenty-two, the minotaur cried out, spinning around in confusion at her sudden blindness, tripping over something in the dust and falling prone.
And on twenty-four,Nashala’sfoot came down on the minotaur’s neck.
Chapter25
Teddy
I’d been up since five in the morning, which wasn’t unusual, except thatI’dbarely slept thanks toFatima’senthusiastic snoring.Iwas just gratefulIhadn’t been sharing a room withChloe– after watching her dance with that girl and laugh all night, and after that moment by the toilets whenI’dalmost kissed her,Iwouldn’t have been surprised ifI’dbeen uttering her name in my sleep.
I’d certainly dreamed about her.Unfortunately, though, like that charged moment last night, the dream had ended right before the good part.Idecided at around six thirty thatI’dbetter just get going for the day, soIpulled on my all-black festival get-up– god, it really did look like a badWestleycosplay– and decided to head out early.I’dtextChloeand let her know to meet me there.
I didn’t need to in the end;Ifound her in the kitchen, all sleepy and dishevelled in tiny striped pyjama shorts and a vest top that left very little to my keen imagination.Shelooked adorable, all soft and cosy in a way that made my chest tight with wanting.Mademe want to cuddle up behind her, nuzzle my face in the hair pooling on her shoulder, wrap my arms around her exposed middle, feel how warm she was from sleep…
I shook off the intimate image and headed out as quickly asIcould, grumbling for her to meet me at the stall when she was ready.Betterto get to the festival grounds early,Ifigured, and throw myself into work.Saferthat way.
* * *
I hadeverything set up at our tent by the time the other vendors started arriving.Thegrilled cheese vendorChloehad been emailing gave me a friendly nod as he arranged his signage, and others greeted one another warmly as they spotted each other.Iloved the camaraderie among the sellers.Therewas something comforting about being part of this temporary community, all of us setting up shop just for the weekend.Itwas like seeingDylanandAliceat the artisan market.Iimagined that, in this line of work, a friendly face could make even the worst sales day feel worthwhile.
AsIarranged our stock and checked our cash box, my mind drifted toChloe’sparty.I’dknown her birthday was coming up– despite my borderline hermit tendencies,I’dbeen in the queer community long enough to know whenLeoseason was– butIhadn’t necessarily expected an invite.EventhoughIwas pretty sure it had come fromFatimaand notChloeherself,I’dagreed, andIwas sort of … excited?Iwanted to get her something, butIwasn’t sure what.MaybeIcould spare a few minutes to look around the other stalls?Oreven make her something?Ihad decent woodworking skills, so maybeIcould craft a cutting board or serving tray specifically for mead and cheese pairings…
But no, that didn’t feel quite right.IfIwere going to get her a birthday gift,Ididn’t want it to have anything to do with work.Sheloved this job– anyone could tell that– but she was more than her job, too.
Chloe arrived just before the festival gates opened, slightly out of breath, her chest heaving from exertion in an attention-grabbing way that made me feel like a male author writing hisgirlFriday.Shewas indeed breasting boobily.WasIcomplaining?No.Wasit torturous to watch?Yes.
I tried to focus on what she was wearing instead.Saidbreasty boobs were contained in a spotted, green linen stay, and a matching skirt was hiked up at the front to reveal green fishnets and green leather boots.Thegreen was almost the exact colour of theGwenynenlogo,Inoticed, and as she came around the table,Isaw that the dots on her top were in fact tiny bees made of gold and black thread.Asmall lump formed in my throat for reasonsIdidn’t have the bandwidth to examine.
“Sorry,” she said, setting down a bag of extra sample cups. “Iknow you’ve been here for ages, butIwanted to bring?—”
“You’re right on time,”Iinterrupted, willing myself to stop staring at her chest. “Readyfor this?”
She looked at me for a moment, and something passed between us– a moment of mutual understanding; of shared nerves and anticipation.Whenshe took a deep breath,Ifound myself breathing with her, and despite all the swirling feelings inside me,Iactually did feel calmer.
“Let’s do this.”
* * *
I’d beensceptical of how epic the festival would be, despite whatChloeand the others insisted.I’dworked far more establishedRenFairesin theStates, with permanent sets and jousts and professional entertainers creating an immersive setting, andIwasn’t sure how a single weekend event comprised of tents and temporary stages would compare.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Sure, the setup was a bit less intricate.ButI’dnever seen such a big group of people so collectively committed to the bit.Itwas a rarity to see anyone walk by without some form of costume or nerdy reference, and everyone was so friendly, both to us and to each other.Stoppingone another for photos, trading trinkets, and even speaking in character.Iwas pretty sureIheard a full-onWookieeconversation at one point whileIwas speaking to someone in the tent.Ididn’t get to see much of it, being closed in by canvas on three sides, but the atmosphere was absolutely electric, especially as folk-rock bands and vintage-style crooners took to the stage in the field behind our stall, adding the perfect soundtrack to the day.
The morning passed in a blur of conversations with customers, restocking displays, and stolen glances.Chloewas sensational, as always.Whenwe discovered that the official festival mead at the merchandise tent wasn’t selling because their point-of-sale system had crashed and they didn’t have a cash back-up, she somehow managed to redirect disappointed customers to our stand instead.Andwhen the wasps were so bad that people were losing entire pints to their intrusions, she quickly worked up some signs advertising that our bottles could be easily re-corked after opening.
“Mead this way,”Iheard her saying to a group of festivalgoers who looked frustrated. “We’vegot plenty of bottles, five different kinds.Plus, you can taste before you buy, and our bottles are fully wasp-proof!”
People were naturally drawn to her because of the way she looked, sure, but more than that, she genuinely cared about giving people a good experience.Iwatched her explain the differences between our varietals to a curious couple,recommendthe oak-aged mead to someone who mentioned they preferred drier wines, and chat about it all easily with everyone from serious mead enthusiasts to people who’d never tried it before.
Despite how nice the wheel was, we’d decided to swap it for the dice again, pandering to our audience.Infact,Chloehad bought a big sack of amber-coloured twenty-sided dice so that people could take them home as a souvenir after rolling.Andboy, did it work– we had countless people stop just because they saw the dice, and withChloe’ssalesmanship, more often than not they ended up buying something just so they could roll.
The rest of the group stopped by an hour or so into the day in a spectacular, nerdy rainbow.Theywere all in different monochrome outfits likeChloe’s, comprised of classicRenFaireitems like tunics and hiked skirts, but in modern, vibrant hues.Morganwas in bright pink,Jackin red,Greyin orange,Amyin yellow,Chloein green– of course–Fatimain blue, andPhilin purple.Greyhad even dyed their closely buzzed hair to match their outfit.
