The Game 23 - Alice part 2

[Kay]

For a certain value of Wonderland - Alice part 2

“I'm so sorry!”
“Ian it's all right...”
“But it shouldn't have happened...”
“It's all right. No harm...”


And it really had started well.
“All right, showtime,” she said just before they got out of the car. “You ok?”
He nodded. He couldn't do anything else, the ball gag was in place, his arms cuffed behind. He was nervous, he had never been anyplace quite like this dressed as a girl, but he had decided to go through with it.
She had taken him to the park during the week he was en femme, but that had been different. They didn't have to go near anybody, he wasn't dressed to particularly draw attention and they didn't stay long. It was just to get him exposed to the idea.
And Rocky Horror didn't count of course. Nobody there expected him to be a girl in the first place.
He was obviously just another Tim Curry knockoff, and for most of the evening he could sit in a darkened theatre. Not exactly anonymous, but certainly not like this.

But today he was definitely dressed to attract attention. The war over his hem had been finally fought to a draw just half an hour previously. When it was finished he asked if he could see the result in the mirror, but she had replied,
“Ah... it might be better if you didn't. It might make you... self conscious...”
Well sure, he was only going to parade himself before hundreds, thousands maybe, in a short dress, blonde wig, striped stockings and big tits. He certainly wouldn't want to be self conscious...

He honestly didn't know how it was going to go. Would everybody instantly see him for what he was and laugh? Was it even strictly legal to go out like this? Or could he possibly, just maybe, get away with it?
He tried to remember Ian's tips about walking. Confidence was the key. Confidence and sincerity. If he could fake those he'd be fine...
Ian patted his butt, which did indeed feel very exposed, and said quietly, “Here we go, off to Wonderland...”
And then suddenly they were at the entrance, and then they were inside, and everybody was indeed looking at him.

To be accurate, he realized after a moment, everybody was looking at everybody. The main draw of this particular con was the cosplay. Abalone wasn't a large town, and its con certainly wasn't in the top tier. As tiers went it was very middling, in fact. But there were a couple of factors which worked in its favor. For one it was a college town, and that always helped with the weird factor. The second was that due to some unexplained demographic glitch Abalone residents really liked to dress up. There was a local quasi medieval society which regularly practiced swordplay in the park.
There was the monthly Rocky Horror night. (and a push to make it weekly.)
And there were three costume shops apparently flourishing, which was, in his opinion, two more than was strictly necessary and probably three more than was likely for a town its size.

The upshot of it all was that people watching at the con was the main draw.
At a first quick glance there were several Captains America, a scattering of Strange Doctors and a Wonder woman, with probably several more in reserve. The ever popular Darth Vader in a tutu. He was momentarily baffled by a pair of twins in bright red wigs and long robes. until the Cheshire Cat leaned over and said, “The Weasley twins... George and I forget the other one...”
And those were just the immediately recognizable ones.
There were others that were just... strange...

As they moved further into the hall he could tell that he was indeed being noticed. Several people nudged their friends as they passed and pointed him out. He saw a couple of them clearly mouthing, and clearly with approval, “wow...”
He began to relax.

As they walked Alice was flanked by a White Knight and a Cheshire Cat. Or at least fairly minimal versions of those characters. Without Alice as a clue their identity might not have been so immediately apparent.
The Cat's costume consisted of a black leotard, black tights, cat ears and makeup, which made a very adequate, if unremarkable Cat.
Ian, being Ian, was a bit flashier. He was wearing an all white suit with touches of pop top chain mail at cuffs and lapel, and a fantastical helmet made of white cardstock, rather like something that DaVinci might have whipped up for a Medici masked ball. Or as the Cat put it, “David Bowie goes to the Ren Fair.”
But as a black and white pair they set off Alice beautifully. They had both absolutely agreed not to work up a Hatter. “Too, too trite,” Ian had said. “We'll probably see one or two today. In any cosplay crowd of three or more, it appears to be mandatory...”

They had been strolling the aisles admiring the booths of comic books, masks and Japanese robots for about five minutes when they got the first request for a photo. Obviously anyone on the floor was fair game, but if one wanted a posed photo with a character the proper etiquette was to ask. Alice posed with groups of college kids, individuals in and out of costume, and in one case, a young married couple pushing a toddler in a stroller.
What the hell, Alice thought, after they had left. I'm handcuffed, I'm wearing a ball gag, Thanks to Ian's shelf bra I've got a rack that Jessica Rabbit would think was a bit much. I'm not G rated! I'm not family friendly!
But on reflection he considered that the couple might do things behind closed doors that their respectable appearance didn't suggest. Or maybe, perhaps, they wanted to...

They got so many requests that eventually they stopped walking and parked themselves beside a plain backdrop. He couldn't help noticing that none of the requests were made to him. Everyone was very polite, shy even, but somehow no one worked up the nerve to approach Alice directly. In a weird way she was a bit too scary. All negotiations were made through the Cat.
The last group was a trio of giggling female Japanese students who had no English at all. After they left, still giggling and saying 'Harajuku!' Ian strolled over.
“You know, we should get a booth next year. We could charge for this.”
“Well, I've already made five dollars,” said the Cat.
“What?”
“They insisted! It would have been impolite to refuse!”
“Right, we better move on. I think the con takes a dim view of unlicensed commerce,” Ian said, but just then the Cat had caught sight of something.
“In a moment, Hatter at three o'clock...”, she muttered. Sure enough about twenty feet away were three very young, nervous boys, staring at them in fascination. The Hatter's costume was obviously a homemade affair but he had done quite a good job with it. The second kid was sort of a spiderman, but the third apparently hadn't got the dress code memo, unless he was dressed as Homicidal Maniac Looks Like Everyone Else.
The Cat walked over to them smiling reassuringly. They looked on the point of bolting.
No, they're not staring at us she thought, as she got closer. They haven't seen us at all.
But they sure have seen Alice.
They were possibly high school age, but if so only just.
“Hi!” said the Cat brightly. “Would you like me to take your picture with Alice?”
The two shook their heads no, doing very good deer in headlights impressions, but the Hatter gulped, nodded and handed over his camera. The Cat brought him to Alice, said, “Alice, Hatter, Hatter, Alice,” arranged them and then stood back.
He was almost a head shorter than Alice and that was counting the hat.
He also looked scared.
Just before she took the shot the Cat puckered her lips. Alice wondered what the Cat meant? If her hands and mouth were free she could take his head in her hands and give him a kiss he would remember forever. But now...? After a moment's thought she leaned over, giving the near panicked Hatter a very closeup and personal view of her impressive cleavage and, looking into the camera kissed his cheek with the ballgag.
The Hatter quickly retrieved his camera and scuttled back to his equally stunned friends. They almost ran off.
“That was perfect!” said the Cat. “I wish I had a copy of that picture. He's going to be the most popular geek in the computer club!”
“If he's not scarred for life...” Ian added. “Let's move on before we're charged with corrupting a minor as well...”

And that was when it all went wrong.
They were walking down an aisle which featured replica and fantasy weaponry when Alice felt a pat on her butt. She jerked away and tried to say something along the lines of “cut it out, Ian” which came out “mmm mm mmm mmp!” Then she realized it wasn't Ian at all when she felt a hand slide inside her panties.
“MMMPHH!!” she cried out louder and everything happened at once. Ian rushed by, knocking her aside into the Cat and shouting,
“ Get away from her you bastard!!”
When Alice looked around she saw Ian had shoved a shortish man back against a booth and was now advancing on him with clenched fists.
“Who the hell are you??” the guy shouted back. He was trying to sound and look threatening but Ian was taller and at the moment, despite the white suit and cardboard helmet, a good deal scarier.
Alice felt someone touch her arm. She started to jerk away again and then saw it was a girl. She had blonde hair tied in two ponytails, a lot of eye makeup, short tshirt, amazing hot pants... and a baseball bat. Alice recognized Harley Quinn. Behind her was one of the Wonderwomen. And more were gathering, drawn by the disturbance.
“Are you all right, hon?” asked Harley.
Alice nodded. “Mm”

The man was still sputtering defiance, not apparently having enough sense to assess the developing situation and flee.
Ian looked around and sized up the crowd. He stepped closer to the man who cringed away.
“See, the thing is,” he said in a suddenly conversational tone, “we seem to have gathered a crowd, and I suspect they aren't as reasonable and sweet tempered as I am. You see all those weapons...?”
The man stared, half hypnotized by Ian's voice.
“Impressive aren't they? Now all weapons at con are supposed to be safe, foam and such like. But the thing is people have got so good at painting them that they can look real. Maybe some of them are... what do you think?”
The man looked around at the hard faces of the women who had almost surrounded them. Ian said quietly. “You had better run along. While you still can...”
The man shook his head, the spell suddenly broken and snarled, “I... I'm going to report you, you're crazy!” He ducked between two stalls and ran off. There was a round of applause from the surrounding crowd, which at any other time Ian would have acknowledged with a bow. Instead he hurried to Alice. “I'm so sorry, are you all right?”
“She's fine,” said Harley. “That was neatly done.” She knocked her bat against the ground with a satisfying clonk. “Of course alternative measures were also possible...”

Ian was shaken and wanted to talk, but that had become difficult. Several of the Warrior Women had attached themselves to their party to protect Alice from further attacks. Presently they found themselves near the main stage just as announcements were being made. They decided to stop, take a breath and regroup.
“And now we're going to announce the winners of the Secret Costume Contest. During the day our agents have been prowling the floor looking for the best, the most creative and the strangest...”
“Excuse me, could I have a word...”
Ian and Alice turned around to see a Little Man with a Clipboard.
Ah, thought Alice. The universal sign of Trouble Ahead...
“Yes?” said Ian.
“It's about...ah...the young lady...”
As usual Alice thought, no one speaks to me. Well, I couldn't answer anyway but still...
“Yes?” Ian repeated coldly, giving the man no help.
“It's... well, her costume...” He trailed off.
This time Ian just stared.
Finally the man had to start up again.
“I'm afraid it doesn't comply with... with our guidelines...”
“I see. In what way?”
“We're... ah... family friendly here... and she is...” He trailed off.
“What's the matter with her costume? Is she showing too much?” That was Harley. With her hotpants and cutoff shirt she was showing far more than Alice. By several square feet.
“There's a Mystique in the next aisle wearing nothing but paint!,” shouted another of the Warrior Women.
There is? thought Alice, I want to see that...
The Warrior Women were closing in. For a moment it looked as if it might go as badly with Mr. Clipboard as it almost had with Mr. Grabby.
“We've had a complaint...” he managed to say.
“Ah,” said Ian, understanding. “I'm sure you have. Short little guy, needs a shave? Just recently attacked my friend?”
“I...ah...don't know anything about... it's just about...”
Several of the women had begun to crowd around the little man, telling him all at once what happened, when there was a disturbance from some of the others at the periphery.
“Here! Here she is! Come on, hurry, you've won!”
“What? What going on?” cried the Cat as several of the women began to drag Alice toward the stage.
“She won one of the secret costume awards!”
“Come on! You'll have to talk for her!”
Ian turned back to the little man and said, “Ok, it looks like we're going to busy for a few minutes. How about this? We're going to go pick up her award and then we'll be out of your hair, will that be all right?”

After the brief presentation, and wild applause from the Warrior Women, they left the stage.
“Come on, Alice,” muttered Ian. “Let's get you the hell out of Wonderland...”
The applause of the Warrior Women followed them.

*********************

They threw themselves down on the couch, Alice, the Knight, and the Cat, too tired to even consider changing.
“That was... something!” said Alice, having finally been freed of the ball gag and cuffs.
“Thank you both for that. That was an experience!”
“I'm just sorry it went so bad,” said Ian.
“Oh, that was nothing. It was just icing on the cake!”
“Yeh, It all worked out all right,” said the Cat.
“But it shouldn't have happened at all!” Ian replied heatedly.
“I knew something like that could happen, I was looking out for it. And then for one moment I let my guard down...”
He was obviously upset and needed to talk about it.
“It's a known problem at cons and things. You'd think everybody with a brain would get that it's just playing, but there's always some jerk with a single digit IQ who thinks that all the pretty girls got all dressed up just so he can paw them... that they want him to...”
“If his aim had been a bit off off course he would have had quite a shock...” the Cat mused.
“Well, that's the thing. Misunderstandings like that can lead to violence and severe cases of death...”
Understanding dawned. She asked carefully, “Have you ever been...?”
Ian nodded. “More than a few times. Not unto death obviously, but there was a moment...
Most everyone who plays dress up gets it sooner or later. Girls mostly, obviously, but boys too...
I should have warned you. That's why I tried to be so careful to stay close... and then I got distracted for one moment by all the pretty swords. I'm so sorry I let you down...”
“Ian, it's all right, really,” Alice said. “When I said thank you it wasn't just for saving me, though obviously I do thank you for that. A white knight swoops in to protect your honor...”
“And your ass,” added the Cat.
“Yes, thank you. Well, what's not to like? But I meant for the whole thing. Really. We carried it off, I was photographed. I have a fan base! I could start a Facebook page! I won a shiny little dollar store plastic trophy and dinner coupons to a selection of Abalone's finest mid range restaurants!”
“A Facebook page... That's actually not a bad idea...” said the Cat thoughtfully.
“I was making a rhetorical point. I didn't really mean...”
Alice paused, and then said, “We'll talk about it later...”
“Miss Photogenic!” said Ian. “When I think of all the categories she could have won...”
“Such as...?”
Ian shrugged. “Quietest?”
“Not toward the end. How about 'Most Likely to Cause a Disturbance of the Peace?' ”
“Yeh, that would have worked too...”

Eventually they worked up the energy to disperse to bathrooms to wash away what Ian referred to as
'con grime' and to resume the clothes proper to what was laughingly referred to as 'real life'.
When they reconvened the Cat had reverted to her customary shorts and tshirt, the white knight had resumed his bluejeans and a poloshirt, and Alice...
Alice was still Alice. If anything her red lipstick had been reapplied.
“Couldn't bear to say goodbye?” asked Ian with a smile.
“I have become somewhat fond of her...” he admitted.

After a pickup dinner of whatever was lying about accompanied by a bottle of wine which Ian suddenly “remembered” having brought, they settled in the living room again and continued to replay the day.
The befuddled presenter who couldn't work out quite how to give an award to someone who could neither speak nor use her hands. The Cat had eventually come to his rescue. The fearsome Warrior Women. “You don't have fanbase, you have a private army...”, Alice's regret at not seeing Mystique, a regret they all shared...
By common consent they left the assault out of it. That had been dealt with.

“You are quite the actor... actress...” said Ian finally. “I don't think anyone caught on the whole day. That was rather more than I was honestly expecting.”
“Well, I had good training. I think there was one drag queen who spotted me on the stage, but she just gave a wink and moved on.”
“Ah, professional courtesy...”

They were quiet again, savoring the calm.
Finally Alice set down her drink and said,
“It was an amazing day. And I meant it. I'm grateful. On the drive home I was thinking about what you said yesterday.”
Ian looked puzzled. “That was a long time ago, what did I say? I talk a lot of nonsense but I don't always listen...”
“Oh, something pompous about parity. Anyway I decided you were right and I'm ready.”
“Ready...?”
“I'm dressed and ready to thank you properly. As I should.”
He got up from the chair and knelt in front of Ian.
“On my knees. And I believe this is customary...”
Alice pulled the puff sleeves down her arms and popped out her tits. After the vicissitudes of the day, Ian's makeup was still perfect.
She smiled brightly.
Ian was, uncharacteristically, without words.
“What...? Oh!”
Alice knew she would always cherish the memory of Ian's expression.
You couldn't embarrass him, that was certain.
But you could, apparently, if you chose your time just right, do a fairly complete job of surprising him.

[Shannon SteelSlave]

It sounds like a bunch of people are at the wrong "con."

[Kay]

The wrong people? How so? Only Mr. Grabby and Mr. Clippy.

[Shannon SteelSlave]

I mean, like, they went to Comic Con, instead of going to Fet Con.

[Kay]

Ah, yes, well Abalone isn't that sophisticated.