Page 65 of Cosplay & Consequences

“Your majesty!” they called out.

Jessica walked past me. I realized she had changed back into her cosplay or at least the parts that hadn’t fallen apart. The wig was gone and her red hair tumbled down her back in messy waves. The brocade had been left open revealing a partially unbuttoned shirt and tank top underneath. The skirt was rolled down at the top with the thigh slits now raised to dangerous heights. If I hadn’t been out of my mind with worry, I would have had other ideas.

She gave each man a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Guys, I know you got a line, but he’s not lying. His niece is in there and she’s a minor. Fourteen.”

The eyes that had been glaring at me before now went wide. “Sorry, man,” the one called Jeremy said, opening up the gate to Hell for us. “Usually, we have better control on who gets in, but it gets messy when there are costumes involved. Need help finding her?”

“I know you do your best, Jeremy,” Jess said, giving him a pat on his enormous arm. “We’ll take care of her. Thanks for letting us in. Hey, have you two started the book for this month?”

Both men groaned. “It’s awful,” the other man complained. “I know it is supposed to be a cozy fantasy, but getting through the first chapter is a pain. I couldn’t get past the scene with the pineapple pizza without wanting to DNF it.”

Jessica laughed. “Just wait until you get to chapter two!”

Jess took my arm as they waved us into the “Devil’s Disco.” The entire room was a sea of red lighting and decor. All the male waiters were shirtless and probably had Jorge or a similar sadist as their trainer. All the female servers wore a red-one piece with red tights and had devil horns on a headband. The entire staff looked like they’d rather be somewhere else. Everyone else dressed in cosplay of one sort or another. Most of the party goers were dancing, though some were filming each other for their social media feeds. The music was impossibly loud, to the point where I could feel the bass levels of the music vibrate from my feet up to my chest.

“Thank God they were fans of yours,” I said, leaning over and speaking into her ear.

She gave my arm a squeeze and flashed me a grin, but her eyes were scanning the party. She leaned over and said, “I don’t see her. We should split up. She said in her post that she was dressing up as a fantasy version of Paloma Clover from the Scott Mayflower movie.”

I had no idea what she was talking about.

I gave her a blank look and she laughed. “Just keep your eyes open for a purple wig,” she said into my ear and kissed my cheek. We split up, circling through the club on opposite sides.

I was completely out of place in my sweatpants and T-shirt. Everyone wore costumes, armor, royal regalia, and in some cases some, steampunk blend. I couldn’t be sure who, if anyone, had dressed up as a character or were wearing a costume of their own design. Let alone a girl wearing an outfit from someone named “Paloma Clover.”

I made it halfway around the club without finding anyone in a purple wig. Well, I did see one purple wig, but I knew Faye had not turned into a six-foot-tall black man with silver wings, carrying a war hammer.

I then realized I had lost track of Jess in the crowd and began to panic. I turned abruptly and walked into a mountain of a man. He was dressed only in a loincloth and boots with a giant plastic battle axe strapped to his back. He had grey body paint and elaborate tattoos all over him. I stammered out an apology.

“No worries, friend!” He shouted back over the music. “You all right?”

“I’m looking for my niece! She’s wearing a costume as Paloma or something with a purple wig!” I shouted back.

He nodded in recognition. I breathed a sigh of relief until I heard what came next.

“She was here! Pretty sure she took off! The girl in blue over there might be able to help you! They were hanging out with her earlier.”

I turned to see where he pointed and found Jess was two steps ahead of me. She chatted animatedly with a blue-skinned girl, wearing an ornate horned headdress and a frilly pink dress.

I shouted my gratitude and made my way over to Jess and the girl. They were talking very loudly with a lot of arm waving. Jess broke away when she saw me and took me by the hand. “She’s not here!” She shouted in my ear.

“Do you know where she is?” I shouted back.

She signaled me to follow her and led me outside. A sense of relief washed over me, being away from the dance music. It still thumped behind us but was now muffled.

“What did you find out?” I asked.

“She left twenty minutes ago,” Jess said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “She’s hanging out with another mutual follower of mine who’s a bit of a party girl.”

My heart clenched as she said that. “Who?”

“Her name is Cameron MacCalley. We’ve done a couple of collaborations on events, but she’s not what I call a friend. I’ve texted her, but I haven’t gotten a response. She’s ignoring her phone or can’t hear it. She left with Faye, but Jokester wasn’t sure if they went to the Lycanthrope Rager Raver or to Karaoke at the Bard’s Lament.”

“Jokester?” I questioned.

“The girl with blue skin and horns,” Jess said, pulling out her phone. “Bennet and Bray mentioned something about Karaoke tonight with Bray’s TTRPG group. I’ll text her and see if she’s seen Faye. Meanwhile, we can hit the Lycanthrope Rager Raver first, and if Faye’s not there, we’ll go to the Bard’s Lament.”

My phone buzzed. While we were inside the club, I received twenty-two missed messages requesting updates and four missed phone calls. With the loud music, I hadn’t noticed.