FESTIVAL

It was two hours later before Quill-Weave saw Rosie again. The games were beginning and Quill had taken her place in the grandstand. Happily it was at the behest of Mrs. April who apparently had forgiven her little show of rebellion at the judging booth and was even now recounting the various feats of physical prowess she was about to watch.

"Oh! I see your maid has returned," said Mrs. April, indicating the white khajiit's entrance to their right.

"Rosie! So glad you're back! You're just in time. The games are just starting," Quill-Weave said, scooting a bit to the side to make room for her friend. So, is your cooking project finished?"

"Not quite, but Mookie and his wife are finishing it. So, what's happening?"

Quill-Weave tried to explain as best she could what Mrs. April had explained to her. "The first game is the rope pull. Those people over there grab one side of that big rope, and the ones over there take the other side. Then basically they just try to pull the rope until that middle ribbon gets pulled too far in one direction or the other."

Then, in a whisper Quill-Weave leaned over to her maid. "I don't think your paella is going to be needed though. They're just about ready to throw the meat on the fire pit I hear."

Rosie just smiled back.

"That," Quill-Weave laughed softly, "is the most shit-eating grin I've ever seen."

The rope pull contest began, but before it had really gotten serious a commotion had begun from the other side of the field..

"What's going on?" Mrs. April called out to a local who had just come running over from that direction.

"Oh, it's terrible!" he replied back. "Something's gone wrong at the barbeque pit. You can't smell it yet?"

As if the local had brought the fumes with him, suddenly they all smelled it. Though the smoky aroma of burning wood had ebbed and flowed across the field all morning, this was a new smell - and it wasn't good.

"Oh my Lord!" Mrs. April cried, standing up and covering her nose with a cloth. "What on earth is that?"

"Oh! Smells like someone burning wool!" said another.

Quill-Weave looked at Rosie who was the picture of innocence.

"Rosie?"

"Hmm?"

Quill thought quickly. "When I brushed you this morning..."

"Don't worry about it, Mistress. I gathered all the fluff that you'd thrown out the window. It's all been properly disposed of."

"Has it? Where, pray tell, has it been 'disposed'?"

"Oh, just some garbage pit I came across."

"I see."

"Well, that's it then," Mrs. April said, having finished her conversation with the local. "The festival is ruined. The barbeque is off."

"Wait a moment," Quill replied. "Rosie, didn't you say you were making something for the town?"

"Oh yes Ma'am! Enough for everyone here I do think!"

"Oh?" Mrs. April replied, hope dawning on her face. "Really?"

"Indeed! You recall that fishwife from the market stalls earlier? Well my Rosie just happens to be the best seafood cook you'd ever want to meet. She tells me she's cooking something over at the tower that my Mookie will be bringing by later. Maybe not as good as your excellent barbeque surely would have been, but it should suffice as a replacement."

"Really?" Mrs. April said, re-appraising the albino khajiit. "You cook?"

"I do, Mrs. April," Rosie bowed deferentially.

The elderly lady looked back to Quill-Weave as if to confirm.

"Indeed, she really is a great cook. You'll see."

"Well then, please excuse me - I really must tell some people. Can the feast continue? You're sure? Enough for everyone?"

"I think so, Ma'am," Rosie assured her.

With that Mrs. April left the grandstand and Quill began to tail-speak with her maid.

"You are a little more devious than you appear, my lover!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, mistress."

"Oh, I didn't say you disappointed me. But you have a little more depth than you admit to."

"I do admit it!"

"Say, Quill," Rosie said aloud, "Do you suppose they would let us join in some of these games? I get bored just being a spectator."

"Only one way to find out!" Quill laughed, and they stood up.

By the time they'd found the people in charge of such things, the rope pulling game was over, but they had managed to sign Rosie up for the greased-pole climb.

"So," a man was explaining, "the goal of this game is simply to climb the center pole to the top. It's a bit messy though, and you can't use your claws or tail. We've not had many khajiit or argonians obviously, but to keep things fair there is a rule that you must not use your claws or tail in any way. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Rosie replied cheerily. The first of the other contestants was already beginning his climb. His state of undress was immediately obvious.

"Wait, why is he only in his underwear?" Quill-Weave asked.

"Well, you can wear anything you like..." replied the official. "However, most people get a better grip without too much in the way. Plus... the grease. It's not easily washed out of clothes."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that," Rosie said, chagrined.

"I could go back and get whatever you need," Quill-Weave suggested, but Rosie was already rummaging through her bag.

"Wait, I've got a strip of cloth I could use over my boobs. And unlike some people, I do have some panties on under my skirt."

"Hey! I've got my leggings."

"Whatever you feel comfortable in," the official said. "Clothing requirements are pretty lax during the games - of necessity."

"Come on, Quill. Help me put this on behind the grandstand!"

Quill and Rosie ran behind the grandstand to where at least there weren't too many people gawking. In an instant they had Rosie out of her maid outfit and the makeshift bra firmly in place. Meanwhile, they heard the crowd give a collective sigh. The first contestant had obviously failed.

"So, aren't you going to try, Quill?" Rosie asked as they resumed their place in the line of contestants.

"I don't think so. I really don't have anything to wear."

"Well, your outfit is leather. It's pretty tough. If you want to."

"I'll think about it," Quill assured her.

Between attempts, they noticed a couple of boys with long mops reapplied the grease to the pole before the next contestant began their attempt.

"Now that last guy," Quill was advising her maid, "he had the right idea. It's all going to be in the arm strength. The legs at best are going to hold you still, but the arms have got to be the driving force. At some point you've got to move your legs up and somehow you've got to be holding tight enough not to slip till you get them re-fastened."

"And do you recommend the wrap-around leg lock like she's doing?" Rosie asked, her eyes glued to the next contestant.

"Oh, absolutely! Wrap them around like you would a lover until you're ready to move up again."

Suddenly the woman began to slide and Quill got a sudden frightening thought.

"Sir?" she asked the official. He didn't look away from the woman, but responded anyway.

"Yes?"

"Splinters?"

"Oh. No worries there. The pole is sanded and polished. At least that's one thing you needn't fear. But... it's a long way down. We've got lots of sawdust around the bottom though."

"I see that," Quill remarked then turned back to Rosie.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The woman on the pole slid back more, and was obviously trying her best to summon a reserve of strength to stop the slide.

"Absolutely!"

"Well, keep in mind that you're lighter than these humans. I'm not sure if your fur will help or hinder you to be honest. Good luck!"

The woman lost her grip and ended up upside down with her legs now the only thing managing to hold onto the pole - and they were sliding down more every second. A group of people gathered underneath her in case they were needed. In the end they weren't as she just slid back down and they helped her to her feet, though she was none too steady even then as she'd obviously expended all her energy on the climb.

The crowd gave her a round of applause for her effort, and the official did note she'd made it the highest so far.

It was now Rosie's turn. Quill-Weave and the official walked with her to the pole while the boys re-greased the pole. Quill was happy to hear the crowd give a little cheer when the official announced the new contestant though.

"Get it, cat!" Quill heard one of the audience call, but Rosie either didn't hear or was too focused on the pole to care.

"Now remember," the official said. "You can use any technique you want - but no claws and no tail. Alright?"

Rosie nodded and turned to Quill.

"Can you give me a boost?" she laughed nervously.

Quill caught herself actually starting to do so, but the khajiit had already leaped upon the pole, instantly wrapping her arms and legs around it.

And instantly finding herself sitting on the ground.

"Um..." she said

"Give it another try, Miss!" the official encouraged her.

Quill helped her back to her feet, though she felt the heavy grease on her hands.

"It looked a lot easier than it is!" Rosie declared, then took a running leap. This time she held fast.

"Oh wow. I so want to use my claws!"

"Sorry, that would be a disqualification I'm afraid," the official said as he stepped back to observe. Quill remained underneath

Rosie shifted her hands from circling the pole to just gripping it without her claws, trying to get purchase through the grease. Finally she began working her way up.

Quill heard her maid's breaths coming heavily, though she was only little farther up than Quill's head.

"Oh Quill, I can't do this!"

"Rest a little. There's no time limit."

Bit by bit the intrepid climber inched her way further up, stopping for a good while to rest between attempts to go farther. Quill found herself holding her breath with every attempt. Yet as difficult as the climb obviously was, Rosie apparently had stamina reserves. Soon she had passed the high mark of the previous contestant and the crowd began to cheer.

"Keep it up Rosie! You're almost there!"

With a last burst of energy, the white khajiit managed to top the pole and sat upon the flat top. She was heaving with exhaustion but obviously enjoying the cheers from the crowd, not the least of which was Quill-Weave who couldn't help but be proud of her friend.

But then the crowd began to quiet. Rosie was looking around her, shifting her weight as she began to show signs of worry.

"What is it Rosie?" Quill called from beneath her.

"I..." the khajiit stammered.

Quill saw the growing panic in her friend's eyes as she slowly realized just how far from the ground she sat.

"Rosie? Are you all right?"

Rosie locked eyes with Quill-Weave and the panic in her features was obvious.

"I can't... I'm too tired!"

A shout came from the audience. "Stuck up a tree?"

Someone else took up the joke. "Look! The cat's stuck!"

Chuckles began, which quickly became infectious. In seconds the crowd had turned from cheering her accomplishment to jeers of derision at the ‘cat'.

"I'm not a cat," Quill heard Rosie say meekly, though she was nearly drowned out by the laughter and ongoing heckling from the grandstand.



"Shut the FUCK UP you backwater hayseeds!" Quill screamed at the crowd. "Can't you see she's scared? What the hell is wrong with you? Are these the kind people I came to respect? People who accepted me, as odd as I am? Who are you people?!"

The crowd began to quiet.

"That's more like it. Now, if you please, I'm going to go help my friend," she said indignantly, turning her back to the crowd.

Above her, Rosie was saying something in Ta'agra - her eyes gone wide with fear.

"She's losing it," Quill thought. She stripped out of her Evil outfit in record time. It wasn't that she was worried about the grease damaging it, nor that even now she had become an exhibitionist - but she also had a lot of experience climbing things and knew what was needed here. The fact was she could have climbed this pole easily without claws or tail. Her scales gave her an advantage that it seemed no one realized. If she held tight to something, they simply would not let her go backwards.

As she leaped upon the pole, she felt the squishy grease creep under her scales. She would need a truly long, hot bath after this to get the gunk out, and there was no way she could put her outfit back on. But - as she knew it would - her scales kept her from falling back. She didn't hesitate to use her claws and her tail as well, knowing she wasn't competing in anything this time.

She was up beside her friend in moments. Seconds really. She wasn't sure if the gasps from the crowd were from her naked form, or the speed with which she scaled their beloved greased pole. She also didn't care.

"Rosie?" she asked, gripping the pole with both her tail and her legs below where the scared khajiit sat.

Her friend turned towards her, eyes locked on her own.

"Rosie, do you want to get down from up here?"

She wasn't sure that in her current state her friend would understand, but she ceased her moaning and nodded, eyes still wide.

Quill wrapped her arms around her friend. "Close your eyes, Rosie. Okay?"

The khajiit complied immediately, shutting them tightly.

"Okay. I've got you. Let go and grab my neck."

In the end, Quill had to peel Rosie's claws from the wood at the top. They bit instinctively into her own scales a little, but she didn't flinch.

"Now the other. Go on. I've got you."

The other came away swiftly to wrap around Quill's neck.

"There. Now just hold on. We'll be down before you know it."

The sound that escaped her friend as she tried to tug her legs off the pole and wrap them around her sounded alarmingly like a growl, and the claws dug in deeper.

"It's okay Rosie. Just wrap this leg around me and you're halfway there."

Rosie uttered a whimper but released her leg. The other followed suit quickly and Quill relaxed her tail-wrap around the pole.

The two slid down smoothly, though Quill had to peel the khajiit off of her once back on the ground.

"We're down Rosie. You can open your eyes," Quill-Weave assured her. She was aware of the cheers from the stands but she no longer gave them any attention.

Rosie peeked out of one eye, then the other - though she didn't seem to believe it until Quill-Weave coaxed her feet from around her to touch the ground.

"Oh Quill," Rosie said, eyes tearing up. "I'm so sorry I put you through that. Wait! Quill! You're naked!"

Quill-Weave hugged her tightly. "Don't worry about it. Trust me, I've been naked around here so often I don't think they really care anymore."

She felt the soft kiss on her cheek and smiled. "Come on. Let's go back to the tower. I need a bath badly!"

Finally she looked away from her friend long enough to see the people streaming towards the two, cheering her rescue of Rosie.

"Wait!", called a familiar voice. Mrs. April fought her way through the crowd and stood before Quill-Weave and Rosie.

"Here," she said, a bit out of breath. She brought forth two blue ribbons. "This is for your maid. We owe her that much at least. Congratulations Miss..."

"Rosie. And she's not just my maid. She's my lover," Quill said loudly and proudly.

"Oh! Well, this is for you Rosie. We've decided to present you with this ribbon as the winner of the Greased Pole contest this year. And please forgive us for earlier. That was an atrocious thing to do."

Rosie gave the elderly woman a curtsey and accepted the ribbon with all the grace she could muster.

"And to you," Mrs. April continued, turning to Quill-Weave. "An honorary award for fastest climb ever. Tail or no tail, rules or no rules, that was the most amazing thing we've ever witnessed!" Then, lowering her voice, she added, "And also for reminding us what we should and shouldn't be!"

Quill bowed as the woman placed the ribbon over her neck.

"Well... thank you Mrs. April. Thank you all. Just, please remember, we may look different but we all deserve respect. Right?"

"That is right and we do apologize for that earlier outburst, Rosie. Truly we do. Will you accept our apology?"

"If you mean it, certainly."

Mrs. April, along with many within earshot, assured her they were sincere, and Rosie nodded acceptance.

"I'm not so sure," Quill-Weave said with a frown. "But at least some of you seem to recognize the error of your ways."

"As you said, Quill," Mrs. April replied, "everyone should be treated with respect no matter their differences. Speaking of which, I might remind you that your differences are currently on rather obvious display. Perhaps you might now take a minute to cover yourself?"

Quill looked down at herself, realizing that her only clothing currently was the ribbon that hung between her breasts. Instinctively she started to cover herself, but then the words of her khajiit tailor came back to her.

"The woman who wears this doesn't care about such things!"

Instead, she pulled herself up straight, threw back her shoulders and raised her snout up haughtily.

"I might at that. Rabble such as this don't deserve to witness all this beauty anyway. Come, Rosie. Let's retire to the tower. We shall return presently, in outfits suitable for... such company!"

Rosie grabbed the Evil Outfit from the ground and followed the naked Argonian as she strutted off the grounds, dressed only in her attitude. It was, thought the maid, the best clothing she had ever seen, and she was not alone among those present who thought so.