One for the music Meme Game.
This spun out of my recent tale "Gap Year Adventures". I heard a very old song I quite loved at the time and one line made me go "Hmmm." I looked for a Discworld use. This is it.
The Urabewean jungle really began here. The two adventurers realised there was no clear-cult dividing line between the hardwood forest of the Central Plains and the tropical forest of the jungle. There was no clearly painted and well-maintained sign that said
YOU ARE NOW LEAVING HUBWARDS KLATCH. HOWONDALAND WELCOMES CAREFUL JUNGLE ADVENTURERS.
Rather, tropical plants, with no great fuss or drama, were taking over and out-growing those of the temperate zone. The undergrowth was getting thicker and more insistent, very little sky could be seen overhead, and lots more unseen animals were chirping, chittering, scampering or in some cases growling in the green around them. It was also getting hotter, sweatier and stickier.
Over their campfire – they needed it not so much for heat but for cooking and purifying water – Rivka and Mariella discussed the day's travel so far.
"Reckon it's time to experiment with the stuff Johanna and miss Lansbury sent?" Rivka asked. Mariella nodded assent and carefully unpacked a side pouch on her backpack. She brought out the incongruous tubes of clown-spa, oil-based face paints made by the Dwarf cosmeticist Grabpot Thundergust in his Halls of Elven Rouge business. Sold on by the Proust family in their business and intended for clowns making up their faces. Bought by Johanna Smith-Rhodes and Guild School Art Mistress Gillian Lansbury, who had seen an Assassin-compatible use for them. Johanna and Gillian had collaborated on the uses of clown-slap for the working Assassin, say in a dark deep Howondalandian jungle. Then sent to two Guild graduates entering the jungle via Pegasus, along with an informative illustrated booklet written by Doctor Smith-Rhodes and Miss Lansbury, published by the Guild of Assassins' Press, and marked Restricted Document.
Mariella Smith-Rhodes carefully used a rock to hold the booklet open at the right page, selected several tubes, and went to work on Rivka's face, doing as the guide directed and applying bands, streaks and blobs of the clown-slap to break up the lines and shapes that a natural human face would present in the green of the jungle. A regular expanse of pinky-brown was visible from a long distance away and could betray an otherwise impeccable concealed Assassin. (1)
Rivka placidly allowed Mariella to get on with it. Mariella applied on, with intense concentration.
Johanna referred to it as cam-cream, and remarked it was an advance on using local mud or charcoal to break up the shape of exposed skin. Mariella agreed with the idea. But it wasn't, for the moment, working out quite right…
She paused and checked the handbook again. Ah. Haven't started with the greens yet. It's not quite there…
"How's it looking?" Rivka asked.
"Bit too much bleck end white so far." Mariella said, scrutinising her friend. "Epperently they are to be used es contresting shades, end it should be mainly the greens end the browns."
She smiled slightly.
"Oh, miss ben-Devorah. You look like a zebra."
She noted the frown and added: " Et present."
Rivka frowned slightly. Mariella reached for a mid-range green and consulted the handbook again. At least the illustrations were in colour…
Inspired by Marc Bolan and Tyrannosaurus Rex, later T-Rex, "Deborah".
(1) Getting this right would, within the next day or two, save both their lives. See Gap Year Adventures.