Faerie Day Two (part 1)

The next day we arose forcing into our minds that today would be way better than the day before. Sunday was the last day of the event, and we were determined to make it work for us. First stop, the coffeehouse, to get hyped up on caffeine. Nimi called while we were down there, placing an order for herself and letting us know that she was making some ::ahem:: Magic Potion for us to drink once we were out there. Oh yes, we thought, today would be much better. We got back to Star's house just as Nimi was getting there, and not feeling nearly as show-offy as we had the day before, did really minimal costuming and makeup. I wore a dress I bought in Switzerland years before, a beautiful red cotton halter dress, and did my hair up with a wide band of bangs and all curly poofy at the ends (very 50's). Our plan for Sunday was to be comfortable and have fun; we weren't really going to worry about selling anything.

When we arrive at the event local, we were in a great mood, thanks in part to listening to Snoop Dogg's latest album on the drive out and acting goofy (what the poor passerby must have thought...). We sat in the bed of Nimi's truck for a few, drinking the delicious tea she'd made and gathering up our supplies. We'd got smart and brought blankets to spread out and lounge upon, and several gallons of water to make sure we drank enough. As we headed inside we knew just where we'd set up, a big tree near the main stage that provided stable shade throughout the day. We got everything laid out and were just kind of lounging, waiting for the door to open to the general public. The effects of the special tea were just setting in as a traveling bard wandered by and offered to tell us a story — of course, three gorgeous women lounging under the shade of a large oak tree, who wouldn't want to sit a spell? And so he told us a tale of what he thought was an appropriate subject for the setting, a tale of love and jealousy. It was, oh it was a great story. All the factors were perfect. But for the life of me I can't remember enough of the story to retell it, because I ended up more focused on his beautiful voice and eyes than what he was saying. It was all I could do while he sat there to keep from spasmodically laughing for no good reason. His tale over, we thanked him profusely and as he left, scrambled for our sunglasses, feeling naked without the protective shade over our dilated eyes. (Man but that was some good magic potion Nimi made!)

We managed to get something to eat, and as Star was off throwing away the plate and probably running in to more people she knew, Nimi and I continued to lounge. A man came by with a camera and looked like he was about to take a picture of Nimi (who has a gorgeous tattoo on her back) right as she moved. We got to talking with the man, and apparently he was a photographer the event staff hired for the weekend, and on his own he specialized in tattoo and yoga photography. He showed us portfolios and calendars and such with amazing photography. Of course, he could have been lying, but sometimes you just trust people. He asked Nimi and Star (who also has tattoos) if they wouldn't mind moving somewhere with a different backdrop so he could take pictures of their tattoos — my tattoo being hidden under my dress I simply accompanied them. He led us to an area not far from our blankets, behind the main stage where they had huge piles of hay bales stacked up for whatever reason. He photographed Nimi first, who was adorably cautious about the whole thing. Star and I have both become accustomed to random people taking our picture when we go out all dressed up, but this was still new to Nimi. Star was next and was a bit more care free about the whole thing. Eventually the photography turned to me and apologized for not taking any pictures of me, and he asked if I had any tattoos. I told him I did have one, but it was hidden. He took that for my being shy, but I corrected him by saying that I didn't mind showing him but it meant that I'd have to be mostly naked. Well, like he was going to have a problem with that! So I untied the dress strings around my neck, the one around my back, and undid the zipper, finally managing to pull the dress down to a PG-13 crotch level. But after a variety of poses, it was obvious that the red fold of my dress was still invading the shot, but the poor guy didn't know quite how to ask me what he really wanted. Eventually Star did it for him, saying "Oh hunny just pull it down!" and she walked up to me and yanked my dress down around my ankles. So there I was, standing naked in the hay behind the main stage, with my perfectly coifed hair and adorable red shoes, some guy taking pictures of my tattoo. Ha! Definitely not what I was expecting to happen that day. This just tells me that I really need to work on getting more tattoos in more visible places.

After we'd flounced back to our HQ under the large tree, we sat around drinking water and laughing hysterically at what had just happened. While we were sitting, a man we'd met the day before wandered by and sat down with us. He was new to the town, and had approached us the day before because he does fantasy photography, cg'ing in fanciful backgrounds and faerie wings and that sort. So then I sat there for an hour or so as Nimi and Star danced, this guy sketching me out as a faerie. I had the company of some guy I'd only met once before, I'll call him A because I really can't think of anything better. A and I sat there drinking the vineyard's pinot grois and just enjoying the languid heat. At one point my sketch artist leaned forward and asked me, in a rather embarrassed manner, if I'd prefer to be drawn with or without clothes. I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Honey," I said, "I'm your muse, you draw me however you want." Given the earlier occurrences, I couldn't really be ashamed at being drawn naked, now could I?