The dressing room at the bar was chaotic as usual. It was as chaotic as it was small. It had white walls like much of the back rooms, with a long matching counter attached to the wall with mirrors to the ceiling with bright exposed lights around each individual panel. There were two similar mirrors on the walls, except they went from the floor to the ceiling. 

You'd think with so many queens using it, there'd be a bigger room than this.

"Where's my lotion?!" Cham asked in a harassed way, as usual. As if someone took it. 

"Where's his bag?" Darla asked me, gingerly trying not to lean into it. He'd thrown out his back yesterday, he'd told us, so he wasn't performing today. Instead, he'd be on a chair being the MC instead of my Tata, who'd be taking his place in the show. 

But, that's where the trouble started, because...

The dressing room door burst open and into the room stepped the biggest monster of a skirt I'd ever seen and somehow my Tata was in there. Globs of tulle, ribbon, and a satin overskirt. It was several waterfalls of layers, and I don't know how to describe that. All of it was various colors of blue. It somehow didn't go together. As if it were several different outfits Frankensteined into one. A Franken-skirt. 

"Ohhh, I love that skirt. Are you bringing her out of retirement?" Darla asked, positively aglow in delight. 

"Maybe," Tata said, kicking out the bottom of it while simultaneously throwing the front of it out with his hands. It was only bigger now. 

"How heavy is that thing?" Cham asked, distracted now surely. He started touching his lips, though.

My eyes were wide, staring at the skirt behemoth before me. What was there that I could possibly say? It made my slim, black dress appear modest. Nobody would be looking at me at the piano, and that was kind of the point of my dress. That was even the reason for the color. I didn't want to distract anyone from the main event, which were the singers. But, I don't think anyone would be looking at anything but this skirt.

"How is it going to fit through the main door to the bar?" I asked, my hand going on my forehead at the sheer mass of it. 

Tata giggled at me. "It's tulle, silly. It will squeeze however I want it to."

"Yes, but how heavy is it?" Cham asked. "Can you even move in it? Come here. Let me touch it." He made grabbing motions with his hands, and Tata grinned and slowly shuffled over there. Cham snapped his fingers and pointed at the skirt, though. "I knew it. You can't move in it. How are you going to wear it?"

"Where did it come from? I've never seen it," I said. I was near enough to touch it. I pinched the satin in my fingers, fascinated. Even the satin was thick and heavy. 

"It was in storage. For a long time. I don't know, Darla usually wears such flashy clothes. I wanted her audience to enjoy the same level of entertainment."

"Hmm. Maybe it's a bit much, darling," Darla said. My head tilted at him. That was rich, coming from him. Even injured and therefore unable to dress in his usual flashy drag, he was still wearing a billowing free size gold dress with orange and day glo green pom poms on it. His oversized faux gold hoops earrings clacked against his head as he shook it slowly, finally being the voice of reason in disapproval. He was really the only one who could tell him no. He was about twenty years older than him, after all. Tata even called him "mother" often. 

"Oh, is it?" He sounded a little disappointed. He peered down perhaps sadly at it. I hoped it wasn't sadness. 

"Well..." I petted the satin layer and he shuffled more over to me. I could have taken him by the waist if I wanted. I shifted in my seat at the mirrors, turning fully to him. I looked up at his face and he was looking down at me searching for approval. He just smiled, though. I knew this kind of smile. My mouth opened a little bit to say something, but-

"That's okay!" he announced, suddenly energized. 

"Oh, here we go," Cham said under his breath, turning back to the mirror and going to adjust his hair. Completely ignoring the situation now. How was this ignorable?

But, with a flourish of Tata's hands, my jaw dropped. Darla clapped quietly to himself. More than half of the skirt monster fell away, and Tata threw it to the side. His lovely legs dressed in semi-sheer white stockings were nearly all exposed, complete with garters. A short layer of light blue tulle remained, the darker blue satin hanging down with a half cage support underneath. Tata started dancing a little, his knees going. I was transfixed by his movement, staring at his suddenly exposed thighs. 

"Do you like it?" he asked, blinking femininely at me.  

Darla clapped louder. "Oh, I used to love it when you ripped that off on stage. That was the best," he sighed, clearly in some fantastic memory that I wish I had.

"Yes. Um. I do like it," I said, quieter than I meant. No wonder the whole skirt looked Frankenstein. It was two skirts in one. The bottom half wasn't meant to be worn the whole time. How stupid I was to question it.

"Oh but, the reason why I retired it was because of this," Tata said, and with a literal flash-

My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped. My hands went up to my face in a small horror. He was spinning around, and quite clearly the tulle in front was coming up, exposing fancy black under things. He stopped spinning and just swayed his hips from side to side, the cage of the satin part swaying more wildly and hypnotically with the slightest movement of his hips. 

"Yes, it's a shame," Darla said. "It's really not that kind of show." He started to chuckle.

"No, it's not. So I have to wear the bottom layer or I can't wear it."

Cham let out an annoyed noise. "And how are you going to wear it? It's impossible. You'll be still as a statue. How is that interesting for the audience?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Mm. Well, but, what can I wear to entertain Darla's audience? They love seeing your costumes, Darla. They're signature. Classic. Half the reason they come is to see them." He was touching the tulle now, smoothing it out with one hand. I put the satin between my fingers again, and this got a smile from him in my direction. It made butterflies in my heart. I couldn't help but smile.

Cham let out another annoyed noise. "Obviously wear one of Darla's dresses, right? There's some in storage upstairs. Really old ones. That's where you put them, right?"

Tata gasped. 

Darla clapped his hands again, really the only gesture he could do with his back in pain like this. "Go get some that you like. We'll make a coordination. My customers will be happy to see those old costumes. I haven't worn them in maybe twenty years or more. Never thought I'd wear them again, because they don't fit. I bet they'd fit you, though. You're still young."

Tata giggled, starting to walk out of the room excitedly. As he did, that cage swayed and swayed. "Nonsense. You're still young." 

"Now, now," Darla gave a slow chuckle to him. "Don't tell lies." Tata just turned to him as he went to leave, blowing a loving kiss and he blew one back at him. 

The door closed, and Cham let out a low, rumbling groan. "That skirt really is hideous. Am I right? Please tell me I'm right."

"No, you're right. It is grotesque." Darla agreed, to my surprise. It was so shady of him. My hand went over my mouth to try to keep from laughing. 

"You just told him you loved it," Cham tsked at him. 

Darla turned to me, and I jumped. "You're laughing." He pointed at me. "You're the boyfriend and even you think its hideous. Admit it."

I covered my face. 

"Admit it!" He pointed at me even worse.

Cham just sighed, criticizing his own makeup in the mirror as he'd been doing. "His silence is him agreeing."

God, he couldn't have been more right.