Ash looked around in a panic. “Oh crap! It’s happening now. What are we doing? What’s going on?”
Luke walked over to the side of the stage where Ash was.
“How is it going?” He asked.
“Good, good.” Ash crossed his arms.
“I came over to tell you that my father is almost done.”
“Done with what? Whose team are you on?”
“His, not his, I don't know. This has been a very confusing day.”
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the stage.
Chance held two fingers to his temple while keeping his eyes closed. One of the Mermaids stepped out onto the stage. The stage lights above moved to highlight her.
Chance’s eyes snapped open and he thrust out his hand. “Behold! A summer shawl. Made out of genuine summer grasses.”
As the Mendicant Mermaid was illuminated by the spotlights overhead there was a flash of magic. Her regular sequined fishtail was replaced by a long trailing dress woven from dried meadow grass. The young woman maintained her composure.
The Mermaid made a quick turn in front of the judges’ table.
The Orchid Keeper leaned back in her chair and scrutinized the Mermaid. “Hmmm, yes, delicate, but also complex. And since it's made of perishable materials it also has an innate rarity. I would give it nine points.” She nodded at Jack.
Jack also examined the dress. “A clever use of common materials. And the weaving of the grasses isn’t too bad either. A strong start for Mr Eaupéril. Eight points from me.”
The leaf wrapped Mermaid model did another turn on the stage. The audience whispered to themselves in appreciation.
“Looks flammable.” Platina sneered. “But whatever, ten points. Let’s get this over with.”
The Mermaid maiden made a modest bow and marched mincingly back to her mark next to Chance.
Ash tried his best to contain his panic from his position on the other side of the stage. “Is that what we’re supposed to do? Summon clothes directly onto people?”
“It is the nature of fashion contests.” Penny said.
“That looks like it might actually take talent. I’m not going to be able to pull that off. I’ll try to summon something and then you change into it. Will that work?”
“I can try a quickchange.” Penny chewed her lip.
Lady Starling’s voice boomed out over the crowd. “And now for the next contestant. Will you please present your choice of clothing.”
“Burn it all! There’s no time to prepare.” Ash held a hand out at Penny. “Hold on. I’m going to try and imitate what he did.”
“Wait! How should I pose!?” Penny tried to hold her arms out away from her body.
*Siz-Zap*Thud*
There was a semi-formal explosion on Ash’s side of the stage. Penny was suddenly enveloped in a pile of satin fabric. Different clothes covered her in different directions making her look like a mis-stuffed sausage. Penny did her best to waddle out the center of the stage.
The three judges waited a moment as their confusion cultured into curiosity.
The Orchid Keeper spoke up. “And what is it that you are presenting?”
Penny shifted back and forth on her feet. “It’s an evening dress?”
It was difficult to tell where one outfit began and another one ended. A mauve princess dress was wrapped around her upper torso while a blue deep v neck dress was slotted over her left leg. Her right leg was stuffed into the satin arm of the dress.
There was a *Ripping* noise that reminded everyone present of the sound of a pillowcase tearing in half.
Penny froze in place. “... It was an evening dress.”
Tattered cloth fragments rained down on the stage.
Platina smirked. “It was a safe bet to keep your regular clothes on.”
The Orchid Keeper fluttered her fingers at the stage. “Wardrobe malfunction. A technical foul resulting in zero points awarded this round.”
“Round one is over! Everyone back to your corners.” Lady Starling announced.
#
“Did you intend for that to happen? For all of those clothes to appear at the same time?” Penny peeled the last few scraps of satin off of her thighs.
Ash’s mouth twitched. “I expected it. As for what I intended, well, let’s say we were both disappointed.”
Luke rubbed Ash’s shoulders. “It’s all right. You’ll do better this round. I’m going to check on my father. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Ash frowned. “I’ve been meaning to ask Luke, did your father agree to this knowing that my summons are trash and that he could use that against me?”
Luke grimaced. “Honestly, I don’t think that he even remembers about your summoning ‘quirk’. I don’t think he’s paying any attention to you. My father doesn’t consider you a threat.”
“You really know how to make me feel better right now don’t you.”
Luke hopped down off of the stage and snuck back to the other side.
“Alright, I need to figure out what I’m going to summon for round two.” Ash said to himself.
“Maybe you can summon something more neatly this time. Something I can try to put on afterwards. That last one really made a mess.” Penny said.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Made a mess huh?” Ash rubbed his chin.
#
“What to do this round? What to do this round?” Chance paced back and forth. He looked over at Luke. “Luke, mon fils, you do something with bugs don’t you?”
Luke looked up and held his gaze. “I received instruction from a Master of Entomology, yes.”
“Entomologie? Bugs right? Yes, yes, I have an idea. Something to keep the audience on their toes.” Chance smiled. “Bring me one of my traveling trunks. I have what I need inside.”
He looked over at the Mendicant Mermaid.
The Mendicant Mermaid had stripped off the grass dress from earlier and was frantically rubbing an antihistamine cream onto her red thighs.
“And I’ll need a new model.” Chance frowned.
#
The lights of the Convention Hall played over the audience.
Lady Starling stepped out on stage. The lights focused on her.
“It is time for round two!” She shouted. “The challenger will now present first. Are you ready young man?”
“We’re almost ready.” Ash announced. He finished pulling a bonnet over Penny’s hair. “Okay. Are you ready?”
Penny nodded. “Yes. This outfit feels like it will at least not fall apart this time.”
“Great. It’s your stage now.” Ash kicked a pile of stray clothing pieces off of the stage.
Penny strutted out into the center of the arena. She was dressed about 85% franzes maid and about 13% foundry worker. She had on a black dress with white lace trim with matching striped gloves. A white bonnet held her hair back and on top of everything a heavy canvas apron was belted around her waist.
Jack nodded his head. “I see. A classic working uniform. Seven points.”
The Orchid Keeper smirked. “What is she supposed to be?”
“She’s a maid.” Ash said.
“Why is her apron covered in soot?” The Orchid Keeper sneered.
“Because that’s what an apron looks like!”
“A blacksmith’s apron maybe. A maid shouldn’t be dirty.”
“Who do you… what are you even talking about?” Ash pressed his fingers into his forehead.
“Is that really what maids dress like in the provinces?”
“Sure. My grandfather had all of his secretaries dress like that.” Jack said.
The Orchid Keeper straightened one of her gloves. “Maids don’t dress like that in the city. Or anywhere else really. Zero points.”
“Oh, nevermind then. Two points.” Jack frowned.
*Cha-Sneeze* “Ugh, I think that grass skirt from earlier irritated my sinuses.” Platina pinched her nose and blinked her eyes several times. “The apron is fine, the rest of it sucks. Zero points.” *Cha-Sneeze*
Ash paced at the edge of the stage. “What are they talking about? That’s a perfect recreation of a maid’s uniform.”
One of the lace trim pieces fell off and dragged on the stage. Penny rushed out of the spotlight as stitching on her apron started to dissolve.
“You summon a lot of material but it doesn’t hold up very well.” Penny said to Ash.
“I know. We are really working against the clock on this stage.”
Lady Starling pointed to the other side of the arena. “And now for the defender’s second showing!”
Chance stepped onto the edge of the stage. He untied his cape and let it fall behind him into the darkness.
“It is not enough to simply be incroyable. To merely be a man that is absolutely the best at summoning fashion. One must also be an artiste. One must be a visionary. Now please, enjoy, a démonstration of my haute couture. The latest in ‘mode animalière’. I present to you the Vêtements d’Armadillidiidae!”
A Mascot Merman took to the stage. His seashells and sequined skirt had been replaced by a thin black jumpsuit.
*Tic*Tic*Tic*
The Merman’s arms, legs, and chest were now covered with layers of ceramic plates. The plates curved around his arms and shoulders and were attached so that the upper plates overlapped the lower plates like roof tiles.
*Tic*Tic*Tic*
The ceramic clothing clattered with every step. On his head the Merman also wore a ceramic helmet with two small antennae that protruded off of the front.
The Mendicant Mermaid looked over the edge of the stage. “I don’t speak franzes. What is an arma-dil-day?”
Luke leaned over to speak with her. “It’s a woodlouse. He means pill bug.”
“That’s right everyone. A set of clothing made from ceramic. Feel free to marvel at my supreme skill.” Chance preened.
On the other side of the Convention Hall Ash’s face was red with anger.
“That’s the stupidest thing that I’ve ever seen. That costume doesn’t even have a segmented carapace! And there’s no cephalothorax. He’s only wearing a bucket on his head!”
Chance waved at the audience but spoke at Ash. “It’s fine. It’s only a bug.”
“Don’t you ‘it’s fine’ me old man.”
“I’m only in my thirties.”
“You didn’t really summon that! There is no way that you could pull something so complicated!”
“I summoned the underclothes. It still counts.”
Ash spun his head around. “That can’t be legal, can it? What are the judges saying?”
Jack gave a thumbs up from the judge’s bench. “An interesting use of ceramics. And a fine representation of a bug. Seven points.”
“You know nothing about insects Jack!” Ash shouted from across the stage.
“Eight points!”
The Orchid Keeper interlaced her fingers. “Even if the ceramics were summoned ahead of time, the attachment to the underclothing is still a mark of quality tailoring. Eight points from me as well.”
Platina leaned back in her chair. “Eight points, let’s hurry this up.”
#
High above on the catwalks, Bede directed the rigging personnel.
“Good keep the lights focused just off the stage. I want the whole Convention Hall to be able to see all the participants. The process is part of the show after all.”
He turned to another worker. “You! Make sure to sweep your light into the audience after every exchange. That burst of light wakes them up and keeps the adrenaline high.”
Bede leaned over a safety rail and scanned the stage below.
“Oh they’re really getting into it now. This is great stuff. Vance! Do you remember where I keep my folio of colored gels? You know. The transparent sheets that we use to change the color of the lights.”
Vance joined him at the rail. “Of course I do. Theater equipment is about the only thing that you can keep organized.”
“Good. Go get it for me. I’m going to set a mood.”
#
Ash collapsed against the proscenium.
“What’s the point? They clap for anything as long as it has that braggart farts on it first.” He pulled at his sleeve.
Penny pulled the bonnet off of her head.
The roar of the audience was deafening.
The glare of the lights on the stage was blinding.
At the center of the stage, at the center of the hall, at the center of the city, Chance waved and smiled.
Penny shifted her weight from one foot to another, then back, then again.
“Do you really want to win?” She asked.
“Yes. Of course I do.”
“Then you need to try.”
“I am trying! I… I have a condition.” Ash sputtered.
“I’m not talking about that. What I mean is that you need to try to win. Right now you’re only trying not to embarrass yourself.” Penny put her palms together.
“I’m not, I’m not embarrassed.” Ash didn’t look her in the eye.
“Do you want to be a hero?”
“I am a hero!”
“Well you’re not acting like it. Listen, I don’t know what your situation is, but fashion is all about presentation. It’s the second thing people notice about you.” Penny pointed at Ash’s clothing. “Right now you’re trying to present yourself as Constanine Grimager. Well Constanine Grimager never gave up. He was a hero (historically). He fought a manticore!”
“I fought a manticore!”
“That’s the spirit! That’s exactly what a hero would say. And if you want to be the hero right now you need to put aside your ego. Put aside your ego, and focus on their egos.”