The Parchment Chapter 4

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Heart of12379719-crop.pngthe Beholden.

The Parchment Chapter 4

*Before…
“My good fortune for meeting a lady of integrity.”

Oh…I look at him as he moves up and he goes from holding my fingers to walking and holding my hand but in this kinda fantasy way and he guides us to the hostess.

It feels…

It feels like all that stuff that I was scared and being nervous about from before but just in a whole new way…like the butterflies I had somehow changed colors inside of me or something and I’m feeling all my clothes and the way that I’m dressed and the way that I’m breathing and it’s not bad but it’s just so….

I don’t know but it’s a good thing…he knows and we’re still cosplaying and yet there is part of me, part of Jade that’s being led to our table and she’s…I’m…

I know it’s not like right but I feel like Mulan when people found her out and it didn’t matter.

Oh…and it’s really nice in here.

*And Now…

I’m not really, really hungry but it’s still nice to be here and it’s kind of amazing with the way that people look here.

It’s been booked I think for the Con because people are still definitely doing Cosplay but they’re also dressed for court or for formal uniform dress or for a fancy night on the town as their costumed identities.

The ones I like is the vigilante woman Ghost all in her white hooded costume and looking like her character but also really elegant.

There’s an X-men table with a whole bunch of people having a dinner party and someone went so far as to do Nightcrawler with the blue and the ears and the tail and in a tux. But Cyclops looks really beau hot…the guy’s is good looking but he has the movie visor on and again he’s in a tux.

I’m sort of on the fence sometimes sexually it’s not like I’m experienced but there are some things that are to me very guy yay and a cleaned up guy in a tux is now apparently one of them.

Oh the girls look great too there’s a Dazzler and an Storm though she’s long haired comic Storm and not the Halle version but she looks amazing and she’s actually dressed not formal like but in this off the shoulders dress with an African print and its sheer and she has like matching jewelry. She looks like the real deal if she was in something that was relaxed but good enough to wear out to dinner with friends.

And there’s a lot more that are great looking in all the different genres.

I love this…here you can Cosplay who you feel like rather than who you’re stuck as in real life. And it works too. Some of the make-up and stuff is top notch but it’s even just stuff like the thin girls can find stuff…and I mean thin like the ones that have problems putting on weight that get overlooked or accused of having an eating disorder.

Like there’s a Char or Charlez the French blonde girl that was posing as a guy from Infinite Stratus. In the academy uniform and she looks great very much him but with her natural build being the hints of the girl under it.

Did I mention I love anime?

And even the bigger girls…like heftier built ones there’s stuff for them too…there’s a sort of stocky girl sitting at a table dressed too in a LBD but she has a glued on sort of neat little black gothy beard and stache and she has tattoos and stuff and what looks to be glued on cyber-ware and pointed ears. I’m guessing she’s a dwarven decker out of Shadowrun. I freaking love her purse. It’s a small folding keyboard built right into her purse and its black and faux leather and still looks good enough for here while still being her cyber deck.

And yeah she’s short and she’s not what a lot of girls like “Cinderella” would call good looking but I think she looks awesome and from some of the looks from the guys and stuff I’m not the only one.

I get my attention back on Alexander and the fact that he’s still doing the hand thing with me and we get to our table and it’s nice and it has all the silverware and stuff for a fancy meal and stuff and he let’s go of my hand and he pulls out my chair for me.

I slip into it remembering to sweep my hand under my dress and he slides me in. Okay…that was…it was nice doing that but while I’m not big by any means I’m not too small either and there was that little zip of a guy doing a guy thing like that.

I like the zip it gave me.

It was just something sort of like this yep-girl moment.

The hostess gives each of us our menus and it’s a lot different that the house menu for room service this is all sort of fancy stuff. I look it over then I look at Alexander. “Uhm…excuse me but what should I order?”

He looks at me. “Anything Jade, I had worked very hard for the funds for this with my previously intended companion. I can afford this; my deeds outside of this realm have paid me quite well?”

“Really? Can I ask how old you are?”

He looks at me. “I’m quite old, or at least by human terms.”

Okay I smile a little but then just do the signal for time-out. “I meant…”

Alexander nods and sighs. “I’m seventeen and I have a part time job fixing computers out of my house home and I really did save up a lot of money for this…I was kinda hoping to sort of show Donna that I’m not the guy she knows.”

“No you’re definitely not, she…maybe I shouldn’t say…”

“She thinks I’m a loser.”

“She thinks you’ll be like some of the people here at the Con, she said with some other girl that she’s here just for the cosplay pictures so she can use them to go and do bigger and better things.”

He looks at me. “And you’re not looking for that guy that’s super successful?”

“I don’t know this is my first time being me. I mean I’m not out to my family or anything.”

“Oh…I…I don’t know anyone else like you Jade honestly so…I mean…”

I nod. “There’s like no out trans-people home either so yeah I can get not knowing.”

He blushes. “Sorry though.”

“No, it’s okay I mean you really could have gone the other way with this and a lot of people wouldn’t blame you.”

“I’d blame me. I might not know a lot about this whole thing but I know that I get treated differently because of the way that I look and stuff and I have some gay and lesbian friends back at school and their lives have been kinda shitty sometimes from the flak that people give them. It’s really not something that can ever be y’know justified.”

“Some people do.”

“Some people are bigots Jade….you are like you said new to doing this and stuff but you actually came here to see that I wasn’t just left standing and stuff and that takes a lot of guts…girl.”

Okay he adds the girl in as a sort of short afterthought but it’s a very yay thing for me to hear especially while we’re being candid.

“Thanks Alexander.”

“While we’re in time out it’s just Alex okay Jade?”

“Definitely okay.”

“So…? What do you want to try?”

“I literally have no idea. “ I look at the menu again and Alex sets his menu down and looks up. It’s like some kind of signal because out waiter shows up.

“Yes sir can I take your order now?”

He gets that elfin look back on his face. “Aye kind sir if we could have a chilled bottle of this sparkling cider I’ve heard of and we would like to try some of this caviar and this oysters on the half shell and the flowers of melon and boar.”

I’m trying to track the things on the menu and it’s really pricey. The waiter looks at us and then at Alex again. “Sir the price on the caviar is quite high.”

Alex looks at me and I was caught looking at the two hundred dollar price tag on it. I think I’m blanching.

“Jade, have you had this before?”

“Uhm no, not this stuff…”

“Then we shall try it then yes?”

I give him this are you crazy look.

He actually gives me this please look!?

Man…boys…okay elves with puppy dog eyes are killer. (Whine.)

“If you’re sure?”

Alex looks at the waiter. “Seeing your concern shall I pay for this upfront?”

The waiter blanches a bit like he’s actually not sure what to do. I can get the concern though it’s seventy five dollars…which is a lot of money. Actually it’s a LOT of money. He does this little bow thingy. “If you’ll excuse me I need to consult with the dining room manager.”

He leaves and I see him go over to this older guy and they both come over to us and the manager actually does the time-out thing.

“I’m sorry but we will need proof that you can pay before we can fill that order for a pair of young adults such as yourselves.”

Alex doesn’t get angry but he just nods and he reaches into his tunic and he pulls out a very elvish looking wallet and passed the manager a traveler’s cheque. “Will this do sir?”

The manager gives it a look and he nods and passes it to the waiter. “It will do fine sir and thank you for your understanding. We’ll comp the cider and the oysters for the difficulty.”

Alex nods. “That would be excellent thanks.”

They both leave and the waiter comes back with the ice bucket thingy and the bottle of cider and then the rest of the stuff.

Okay…the caviar is not what I thought it would be like. I like it but it’s so not worth the cost. I’m from Nova Scotia so I’ve had roe before and a few different kinds of it and while the caviar is awesome tasting it’s not worth two hundred dollars.

It was very delicate and salty but sweeter than I thought it would be I’ve had lumpfish caviar before at a New Year’s thing and it wasn’t as sweet as this. The one thing that I will say is that it came with a lot of fancy things like the service set it was served on and the little pancake things and this sour cream that’s like sour clotted cream but not quite as tart and other things.

Alex is making faces as he eats it though.

“You don’t like it?”

“No…not so much.”

“Then why are we eating it?”

“Because I was going to do this with Donna and I’ve never actually had anything like this before Jade.”

“I’m a pretty simple girl you know. We didn’t have to have this.”

“Yeah but we can actually say that we did. I mean I’m kind of stoked that we’re doing that.”

I look at him. “Do I pass enough for pictures?” I almost bite my lip.

“Definitely, Jade you look amazing honestly if you hadn’t been so honest and forthright about yourself I wouldn’t have known.”

“But you did know.”

“Only because the way that you were acting sort of clued me in. honestly I still don’t see the boy that’s there.”

“Well…” I’m smiling a little but I’m blushing too. “That’s…that’s because she was never meant to be one.”

“Definitely not.” He raises his glass and we chink glasses and I can’t help but to smile and blush some.

I take a breath. “Okay pictures?”

“You don’t mind?’

“Nope, I want to do it too…I want to remember this and remember doing things that I’d never get to do and be with someone that knows and is cool with me being comfortable and myself for a change.”

We take pictures with our phones and with each other and eating and feeding and stuff and it’s cool. I know he might post them but after I see a few of them I…I’m not sure that I pass like he says but I’m looking at me so I’m not all that able to be non-critical and stuff.

I can’t believe I’m taking pictures of food. And the fact I’m having a night like this even.

The oysters are good and they’re big ones too and there’s stuff to have with them but I like mine just as is.

I have Alex’s as he just couldn’t get the first one even down.

He’s looking at me. “How can you do that?”

“I grew up with them; you go to a beach party or a BBQ someone will bring some. I mean you can get them at the fresh fish section at Sobey’s.”

“What’s Sobey’s?”

“Oh it’s like a grocery store chain, kinda like Boston Market.”

“Oh…well I still tried them.”

“You’re lucky you’re not allergic if you’re just trying something out of the blue like this.”

“Oh I can do shellfish, I love clams and crab and lobster and stuff.”

I nod. “I like most seafood; I’m not a big red meat eater.”

“Watching your weight?”

“Why do I look fat?” I raise my eyebrow at him again.

“Nooo…you look amazing.”

I laugh. “Good backpedal there.”

He grins. “Thanks Jade I’m having a great time.”

I smile. “You’re welcome Alex…Alexander.”

We share the roses that are made from Serrano ham and cantaloupe it’s all ribboned but folded into little rosettes. We actually feed each other those and take pictures it was an actually a great start to things.

We just get done all of that and the busboy took things away and were going to pick the menus back up when I see Donna…that’s Cinderella coming over our way and she’s stomping…she looks mad.

“Alex! Where the hell have you been I was looking all over for you so we could have supper together and then I see you in here with…?”

She glares at me. Looks me up and down with this look that goes from pissy to distasteful.

Then she glares back at him. “I thought you wanted to be with me?”

He looks at her and he looks at me and he looks confused and scared of her even maybe. She’s definitely a scary girl when she’s this worked up. A pretty bully that is used to getting what she wants.

He swallows. “I invited you and you stood me up.”

“No you didn’t” She sort of hisses at him.

“Uhm…” I hold up the scroll case.

She actually looks confused for a second or two like she’d already completely put it out of her mind. Then she recognizes it and she snatches it from me hard…in fact I get clawed by her nails when she does it.

“Ow…” That hurt.

She glares at me. “That’s mine, where’d you get it?”

“From where you tossed it in the trash.” I reply sucking to get the poison out.

“She’s lying Alex.” She says at me almost like she was spitting it, kinda shouty too.

Alex still looks scared of her or hurting even and I can almost picture it too just how much he had pinned on this and how hard he must have worked and saved and stuff. I can also see her being one of those popular girls that begs to get what she wants when she’s not doing this and bullying people into agreeing with her or doing what she wants the rest of the time.

I take my hand out of my mouth and I look at Alex and I do the time-in signal.

His eyes widen a second and then it’s like that whole gamer thing…he doesn’t have to feel the way that he is right now because she’s Donna and he’s Alexander…an elf. “No, she’s not Donna. Jade’s been way more honest with me that you have.”

Yep elf-tude trumps preppy-wench-tude for sure!

“She took it from the garbage!” Again all shouty.

“So it was thrown away then?” He asks and now he’s slipping into Alexander mannerisms and stuff.

It sounded cool like would commander Tuvok please examine the witness.

“I…I…It…you only wanted me to go so you could like pay and stuff and pressure me into like having sex with you! You’ll have spread it all over school just so you can act like you‘re actually cool or something!”

Okay…wrong Alexander isn’t like that; her crowd might be given that’s where she went for her excuse and all but nope.

A whole heck of a lot of nope.

“Excuse me, Donna? Alex isn’t that kind of guy and you know it; I heard everything you and the other girl were saying in the bathroom and that you’re not really here for the sake of being here at the Con. You’re here as you said so you can get noticed even if it’s by the people here and stuff and you can use that to get a start in modeling.”

“So what!? So what I mean there’s all sorts of hot looking girls here that are doing that. You honestly think that some of these girls give two freaking shits about you geeks! We don‘t the only girls here that give two craps about this geek shit are all the weirdos and freaks and uggos.” She’s still shouty and looking very pissed that she’s been caught in her lie.

And….Uhm.

“Uhm…Donna, take a real good look around you.”

She looks around and her whole little diatribe about what girls that look like her are really here for and really into has been heard by just about everyone within like four tables of us.

And they’re all glaring including the manager of the dining room.

He comes over. “Miss I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“What! why?” She points at me. “She should leave she’s the one that caused all of this by stealing the…the…this thingy.”

He looks at her. “She is not causing a scene.”

She looks like she’s ready to say something and two guys in grey uniforms and charcoal jackets and radios have come over.

Donna turns on me and she throws the scroll case at me whacking me in the face with it. “You effing little gold digger!”

She’s actually grabbed at that point and I’m holding my eye because she whacked me there with it and yeah…ow…

They’re pulling her away and she’s looking at Alex and she goes all pleady.

“Alex! Alex please don’t let them do this! We’ve been friends for a long time!”

Alexander looks at her. “We might go to school together but now I’m pretty sure that we’ve never really been friends Donna.”

They leave taking her out and she’s causing s a scene the whole way out and Alexander looks at me and he actually reaches down and takes a drink of his cider and says after it in this very elven mannered way.

“I’d have called her a gold digger but I honestly don’t think I dislike dwarves enough to insult them so.”

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Comments

Odd

I'm surprised Donna would even track Alex down, since it sounded like she wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps it's just that she saw the food prices, and was hoping to get him to pay.

Actually exactly that Miranda!

She thought the scroll was a love letter so she ditched it but she was still intending to string Alex along and have him pay for her. She went looking and saw the kind of meal Alex was having with some other girl instead of her and lost it. He's not supposed to be able to be with another girl because he's well Alex and a loser.

*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Yup!

WillowD's picture

This is very well written, Lady Baily, as is Sixteen Feet of Steel. I look forward to seeing what else you have written.

The truth shall set you free......

D. Eden's picture

Eventually a person's real character will always shine through. You can only hide yourself for so long - I know.

People can change, but it takes a lot of effort. Without putting that effort out, all that you will ever accomplish is to cover up who you really are for a while. Sooner or later, the cloak will slip and the person behind it will finally be seen. If your lucky, you get to see who that person is before it's too late.

We all hide something. I hid who I was behind a facade for decades, but even I wasn't completely successful. I can only wish that my cloak had fallen years ago.

This is a wonderful story Bailey, and a truly great start to what could be a lovely relationship. It's obvious that Jade is a real person - and a good person on top of that. I hope she can find the courage within herself to stay. Perhaps with the support of someone special like Alexander......

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

The best thing about Role-playing is...

You get to be that person that you could have been. In any setting or time or place even withing some fandoms even.

Hopefully both Jade and Alex will get to show more of their real selves under their everyday facades.

*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

that was just

not the way that Donna expected that to play out. she as much as told the room she was a whore. even models need to be able to read a room, especially the good ones.
good chapter, thanks

Donna's by far not a real model.

And she was so wrapped up in her drama with her and Alex and Jade that she forgot the kind of people around her as she was berating this geek and geekette for calling her out on her bull.
*Hugs and Howls*

Bailey Summers

reveiling

And so Donna stands reveiled
A warthog in a silken wrapper
:)

dwarves...

Lol at least you got the dwarven female having beards thing in there. Not many do.

And I wouldn't insulted dwarves either.

Some people like Dwarven females with beards.

I'm of the opinion they're not human so yes that can be biology true for them so why apply human asthetics to another species?

*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Honestly...

thliwent's picture

I'm loving the honesty here.

Jade's been honest from the start, and Alex seems to respond well to it.

Which is why Donna is getting kicked out :D

Much more

Podracer's picture

Much more to Alex than Donna concluded. I say concluded rather than thought because she jumped to one earlier and didn't do the other. I'm also of the mind that D spotted the money. Perhaps because of the manager scene.

"Reach for the sun."

Well sort of Podracer.

Donna was looking for Alex to foot the bill for her supper and that's when she seen the kind of time he was spending on not her. How dare he not be the geeky easy had slubb she's always known him to be.

*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Ah, the Plan

Podracer's picture

I seee... she just chucked the gift, not the meal ticket.

I've only had the fishberry jam once, did like it though; salty bursting little balls of yum.

*hugs* for the story, and just - well they're hugs aren't they, don't need a reason ;)

"Reach for the sun."

I'm stealing fishberry jam.

I've absolutely never heard that term before:) Best caviar I've ever tried was actually fake. It was molecular gastronomy made caviar made from puree sea scallops and sea urchin and both were mixed together.

Very yummy.

Bailey Summers

Adventures in Fine Dining

Never been a big Fan Of Caviar, as it always seems so different from batch to batch.

We don‘t the only girls here that give two craps about this geek shit are all the weirdos and freaks and uggos.

They always lumped me in with the freaks, I knew a Lot of girls like Donna.

Thank you for another excellent piece of entertainment

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

I've had caviar too and I'm partial to the cheap stuff.

Rarity and labels don't do too much for me sometimes, there's lots of good domestic product out there. Though I'm way more partial to cheeses.

I grew up in a town with a lot of Donna's and see a lot of it here in the town I'm living in as a well off money type college town there are some girls here actually not really here for the education:(

I love freaks, they're my kind of people.
And not just interesting they're usually quite kind.

*Great Big Blessed Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Alex got lucky

he would have been hurt badly by Donna if Jade hadn't found the scroll, and he now knows it. Almost glad he got the confirmation at this point, better than having even a small doubt.

DogSig.png

Alex is lucky.

There are a whole lot of people like Donna that only care as much as they have to as long as they get what they want.

It was a hard way to end a crush though.

*Great Big Proud Angel Hugs*

Bailey Summers

The Parchment 4

Loving this story, Bailey!

I loved how Jade GETS Alex so well that she saw he was the insecure nerd, unsure of himself and totally intimidated by Donna in full rampaging spoiled bitch mode, so she gave the "time-in" signal so he would switch to his elf character, gaining the confidence to stand up to her. That was awesome.

*hugs*
Lees

Time in?

I totally didn't get the bit about time-in in this chapter and still only have a rough idea, mostly from your comment. Is this some obscure signal specific to cosplay?


I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.

LARP time-ins and time-outs are generally.

Use the two handed time-in/out from sports or a tap to a watch area on the wrist just because they're universal gestures. Cosplay might not actually have role-play elements to it it depends on the person and the group. Some LARP groups do use some other stuff but it's usually group specific stuff.

*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Jade GETS it because TG or not she's sort of been there.

I mean so many of us do get it even if it's not exactly the same experiences they are enough of the same. It was a really cool thing for her to do really though.

*Great Big Angel Hugs*

Bailey Summers

So sweet so loving.

There are so many things right with this story. The looking for new experiences, being who you are not what others want you to be. The acceptance of each other. Oh Ya the itch that can't be scratched is thrown out for being her self.

I love it when some one who deserves it receives there come uppens.

your misbehaving Faerie

Huggles.

With those with open eyes the world reads like a book

celtgirl_0.gif

It was sweet and pretty cool really.

And there is nothing like seeing someone that actually deserves a privilege check getting one.

*Great Big Angel Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Haha!

I love the last line and all of this *gestures to fancy dining room filled with amazing cosplayers*.

Thanks Bailey! *hugs*

Xx
Amy

Damn

I want to give kudos for that response.

A friend actually helped me craft it.

Lainey is a fellow gamer and we worked it out during a gaming session of MERP.
*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers

Elves rock. Mean girls less so.

Jemima Tychonaut's picture

Elves rock. Mean girls less so.

I thought for a moment it might all go to heck - Alex could easily have caved under the bullying or let his feelings for Donna blind him to the truth - but Alexander came to the rescue. Jade's honesty was very clearly an important factor.

And yet another wonderful Bailey ending line! :-)



"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I really liked writing Alex for this.

Between the shifts in confidence and the dinner and Jade helping him have a way to fight back all the way to the end line.
*Great Big Hugs*

Bailey Summers