Three Twisted Knots

From Lira:

I have no idea where Belgium is, or if I am in fact there. But I landed in another nice room today. I’ve been thinking so hard about getting in to the Academy in Callisto, but I haven’t gotten around to writing that second letter yet. I really must do. I think I can remember who I’m meant to send it to.

I woke up in this gorgeous canopy bed. For a moment I thought I was back in the lovely hotel (or whatever it was) with the Disembodied Voice. I don’t know where Uggla got to; I figure he has his own life, or whatever. We’ve been arguing a lot lately, ever since he got a top hat and a pair of round spectacles. He’s even more convinced he is the smartest creature ever now. Really: you don’t want to know about our conversations, although you’ll probably hear about them soon enough.

The only down side of the space was there was no humongous bathtub, although I figured I could go with it. I mean, a bed that comes with its own chandelier is probably worth quite a bit. And the vanity — I mean, I thought it was a vanity at first, anyway — was at least pretty, although there wasn’t much space for cosmetics, what with all the candles. But the room was gloriously purple, so decided I could work with that, as well. Maybe I’m just becoming more and more adaptable as time goes on.

Interesting thought: what if I end up back in Awenia, in my Great Library, and no time at all has passed since I left? Like, no-one will have missed me, and everyone will just figure everything is normal (lol normal), and that I will want to get back to kicking tourists out of my Restricted Section. And I’ll have to explain to them that for me it has been months, and no-one will believe me, and they’ll say I’m a fanciful little Chimerical Librarian, aren’t I?

Because patronising me always helps.

I do like this nifty wand, though. It suits me. It almost seems matched to the spell book I found on the bed when I woke up. Come to think of it, the wand was lying right there. Is it OK if I take the wand? No Disembodied Voice has made itself known and made it known that I shouldn’t take it… so, yeah. I have a wand! I have this feeling the spell book wants to stay here, at least for a little while. And surely there’ll be a copy of something similar in the next Library I stumble upon, won’t there?

I ran across this hilarious film the last night I stayed in the Nice Room with the Disembodied Voice. I should really think of a better name for it. But yeah: there was this character in the film who I could almost identify with, except she obviously wasn’t a faerie. Her hair was all over the place, like mine, though. And she did seem to know a lot about everything. I have not found her ways of magic to be sound, at least not for me. Absolutely nothing happens when I do a swish and flick.

I was thinking about why swishing and flicking wasn’t working for me, and then it all seemed to fall into place.

‘Lira’, I said to myself. ‘You write with your left hand’. Well, it’s not like I had an owl to talk to: don’t judge me out there in whoever-is-reading-this land! ‘Maybe you should try doing magic with your left hand as well. But then there was this really loud clanging noise, and I figured I might have overstayed my check-out time, if that’s even a thing here. So I closed my eyes really tight and thought of going someplace … someplace, yes. Someplace quiet.

One day, I’m going to have my own bedroom, somewhere. And my bed will have a built-in chandelier, just like this one. That spell book looks really lonely there on the bed, though. Maybe it wants to go with its special wand. Which is ridiculous, because even a spell book is an object, a tool, like a ledger, or a computer.

It wasn’t until the familiar misty cloud surrounded me that I felt something soft and heavy drop into my messenger bag.

I guess I have a new spell book now, too. Maybe when I get to wherever these paths take me next, I’ll have time to start, I don’t know, reading it.

Notes & Credits:

Featured Items from Enchantment’s Midnight Requiem:

Midnight Requiem: Echoes of the Underworld opens TODAY at noon SLT. Come taste the darkness: It’s like chicken, only made from flesh-eating plants. Or something. I might have got that wrong. I’ll update this post with the landmark once the event opens!

• Photo Backdrop: Saintstreet, Goth Night Scene Backdrop (comes in both Gothy Purple and Gothy Red, but I am all about the purple, of course!)
• The Bed With Its Own Chandelier: Dreamland Designs, Danika Wrought Iron Canopy Bed (The rug comes with!) (All those draperies! All that crystal! I felt … well, I don’t really know how to describe how that bed made me feel, but something happened in my stomach. I think it was my stomach.)
• Table, Mirror, Cage & Candles: Sunflower Identity Designs, Moonless Night — Night Table, Cage, Mirror, and Candles (Maybe I should have experimented with drippy wax for makeup! I’ll try that. I mean, it can’t be any more difficult than mopping [that means stealing, according to some other television show I ended up watching recently] Her Fae Majesty’s eyeliner, right?
• Lira’s Delightfully Gothy Dress: Exia, Amelia Dress, Bolero, & Boots (Comes in lots of colours, but the red and black just made sense, you know? And that fluffy net skirt thing just felt so nice, and I need boots that lace up like that to go with everything!)
• Lira’s New Wand And Apparently Loath-to-be-Left-Behind New Spell Book: Simply Shelby, Moon Magic Wand, & Spell Book (It has long been said that if there is a thing in the world, Simply Shelby can make it so adorable it’s OK if it drops into your messenger bag without being invited and might be planning to give you nightmares.)

Other Items from My Delightful Sponsor Faeries (Or demons, or fellow 10th kingdom aficionados, or screaming mad rebel mermaid kin, or glorious flesh-eating fox kin… I mean, they’re all really nice, I promise!):

• Lira’s Amazeball Hair: Analog Dog (Natch!): Nique. Get it at the Dubai Event!
• Lira’s Perfect Horns: Rivendale, Dainty Horns. Get them at the Rivendale Main Store!
• Lira’s Who-needs-makeup-when-you’re-wearing-this Skin: EnLight, Xio. Get it at Uber!

Other Fancy Stuff:

• Eyes: Birth, Glimmer Eyes BOM. Eyes worn: T’ville, Starry Eyes, BiChrome 4
• Ears: Petrichor, Kefira Ears
• Glasses: BONDI, Usuke Glasses
• Nails: Eventyra, Guen’s Grace (Did I mention The Author has this thing where if she sees something named “Gwen”, she kind of has to buy it? Yeah. It’s a habit. Good thing she’s not named something more common, right?)
• Ring: Kunglers, Phoebe Ring (Fun fact: each persona has an individual ring that only they wear.)