Three Twisted Knots

My sojourn in the gorgeous forest that I may make a home in was once again interrupted by another phone call from my fixer. His name, or the name he gives me anyway, is Jeremy.

Perfect job for me, a two week guard gig at a Mabon festival in the large town of Farthingdale, in some Realm on the mediaeval side of things. No idea about the accommodation, simple portal outside of town, meet with the Chief of Guards, get your assignment, settle in, and watch for brigands, keep the townspeople from getting too crazy during the big Mabon festival they hold there on the day of the Autumnal Equinox, the 21st of September. Stick around a few days after it’s done to take care of stragglers. No problem; I like mediaeval gigs, as long as I’m not forced to drink crap lager and engage in arm wrestling matches with local ruffians who can’t seem to stomach the idea of a woman in armour that doesn’t make her look like she’s about to go subdue monsters with her baps.

Of course I took the gig. Portal landed me there sometime in the late morning, but it was nearly noon by the time the Guard Chief had me all checked out. It’s surprising, really, how much bureaucracy there is in backwater mediaeval Realms: it’s almost like they’re so bored they have to create paperwork in order to give their lives some meaning.

Guard cabins, I was told, were outside the city gates, natch, beyond the big statue of the lady harper. So off I went. My hovel was the first one on the right. Apparently that means I’m the first of the hired help to arrive this Mabon season. I suppose I should thank Jeremy for giving me the downlow on the job early: otherwise I might be stuck in a tent in the woods. Not that I mind tent camping, mind you, but while I was ready to be in a tent for a fortnight, I do prefer someplace with a cot. Of course, the cabins looked pretty ramshackle, though the roofs were well-thatched.

Ah, Hovel, Sweet Hovel, at least for the next couple of weeks. There were only three or four more identical-looking cabins spaced evenly on the road out of town; that is, before the road dead-ended into thick forest. There are always thick forests surrounding villages like this: otherwise highwaymen would never make their cut and the local economy would flounder.

I paused briefly before entering Hovel, Sweet Hovel. I might have said a brief prayer to Her Whom I worship, just to beg briefly for running water and decent tea-making facilities. It’s not like I can ask for more, gig like this.

I have to say, I was stunned when I walked in. These little places usually have a weird sense of style, and this one was no different—but it was bigger than it looked on the outside, and I don’t think it was magic: I think it might have just been good engineering and the fact that a single large room looks bigger than a bunch of smaller ones tacked together by a long corridor and a series of narrow doorways. The English could learn a bit about open plan homes by just looking at places like these. Not that they would.

My new temporary home sported running water and decent washing facilities! And the bed, while narrow and absolutely meant for one person (no hanky panky for you guards at our revels, missy!), looked comfortable. I dumped my pack between the end of the bed and the washbasin: I’d unpack later into the cabinets in what looked to be a decently equipped washroom cabinet….even if it did have a picture of two pelicans just staring at me. Not quite as weird as The Morrigan sort of staring over my bed with her Bad Raven Self, but you learn to shut things out when you have to stay in as many weird places as I do.

And speaking of weird…. let me tell you about the kitchen. So, I’m used to these out-of-the-way Realms being full of what I’d think of as anachronisms, but never before have I seen what amounted to a modern flat kitchen just sort of slapped into a stone hut with a thatched roof. Running water, glassware and crockery for four, a hob with a usable kettle, and, Oh, Thank You Goddess, decent tea! Once again, it was definitely made for one: there’s only a stool and a tiny table for eating, but fuck it; I don’t like people much anyway, particularly when I’ve already been told I have to masquerade as a lios alfar for the next fourteen days. No glamour-dropping here, though I may change up my skin just to give myself a little giggle.

That said, aside from the two ends, the cabin was strangely bare. I wonder if they repurpose it for different things throughout the year: there were some scuff marks on the floor that suggested at least one large piece of furniture had been recently removed. Again, there was no couch, just a single armchair with a huge stack of books beside it. I guess I’m definitely being told what to do with my down time, eh?

Nope; I do not look a thing like Her Morriganness. And once I’d had a chance to investigate, I realised the privacy screen between the bed and the rest of the cabin was, well. Not all that private.

Still, it could be worse. I could be in a tent in the woods, sharing a kettle with a brace of trolls from Goddess knows where and digging latrines a ladylike distance away from aforementioned brace of trolls.

The next two weeks might not be so bad, after all….

Style Card:
Body: Maitreya
Head: LAQ, Trinity
Ears: Gauze, High Elf Ears, Naturals
Eyes: Avi-Glam, Elysian Eyes, Ivy
Skin: 7 Deadly s{K}ins, Maeve (Freckled), in tone Oak (Available through the Buy Now event, a Second Life Marketplace event that offers exclusive items on Marketplace. The skin comes with Omega face appliers, Omega body appliers, Slink hand and feet appliers, Tango breast appliers, and Phatazz booty appliers. Other appliers are available at the 7 Deadly s{K}ins Main Store.)
Hair: Tukinowaguma, Aloisi (available at Hairology!)
Clothes: Moon Elixir, Rebel Pants & Top in Cocoa (Available at We RP!)
Boots: Illi, Brown Archer Boots
Ring: Aisling, The Good Wife
Necklace: Sweet Lies, Triskel Medallion
Poses (In order):
An Lar, Marilyn Series 5
!bang, Taurus 1
!bang, Taurus 3
!bang, Taurus 4
!bang, Taurus 5
Bauhaus Movement, Shattered Minds 20
Bauhaus Movement, Shattered Minds 23
Bauhaus Movement, Shattered Minds 28
Bauhaus Movement, Luna, 31
!bang, Stand 350
Location Details:
Tree Gate: Sweet Revolutions
Town Gate: Stormwood
Town: Death Row Designs
Forest: Studio Skye
Harper Lady Statue: Death Row Designs
Guard Cabin: Khaleesi’s Shin~Anigans Store, Viking Hut (Available at the Spoonful Of Sugar Event!) The Spoonful of Sugar event is a charity event to benefit Doctors Without Borders, an amazing charity that sends doctors all over the world to change and improve people’s lives.
Room Divider: Fetch
Bed: Aisling
Wash Stand with Shelf & Sink: Noble Creations
Charcoal Wash Stand: Magic Happens By Monavie (Available at the Spoonful Of Sugar Event!) The Spoonful of Sugar event is a charity event to benefit Doctors Without Borders, an amazing charity that sends doctors all over the world to change and improve people’s lives.
Kitchen: Trompe Loeill
Morrigan Tapestry: The Rabbit Hole
Armchair with Books: 8f8
Spiffy photos taken with the indispensible aid of my LumiPro. The Amazing Catwoman never takes a two-week gig in the middle of nowhere for a raucous Mabon Festival without it!