Renfaire Fantasy 2: Raising Tents (Patreon)

The tent Kelly helped Rebecca set up turned out to be a huge fucker—the wooden frame with the carved figureheads came together to make two “A” shapes, between which a long pole was fetched from the leaf piles behind the cabin and fixed into place to make a structure. Colored canvas was pulled over the frame and had dangly ties that needed tied into place, which Kelly figured out while Rebecca sorted out the ground cloth and made sure they wouldn’t be tripping on any folds or wrinkles there.

In no time at all a nordic-looking historical tent was erected in the small clearing just beside her uncle’s shack, the space where presumably a vehicle would park. Kelly had no idea why Rebecca had left her hatchback down by the road instead—in any case, their other tent was an ultra light modern collapsible two person affair which they began to assemble in the dwindling free space between the shack and the campfire area. Although, Kelly discovered that ‘two person tent’ in modern terms meant a waist height super-thin polyester sheet and fiberglass rod enclosure with a six feet by four feet footprint, while the ‘two person tent’ in viking terms had meant a nine feet by seven feet sturdy canvas and wooden frame room that both of them could easily stand up and walk around in.

“And these are both ‘two person’ tents?” Kelly felt a little incredulous at comparing them side by side like this.

“Yes, but,” Rebecca smashed a tent stake deep into the ground with a cute grunt. “Back in the middle ages, they could be living in these tents for a good part of a year. Modern tents are really just for overnights or single weekends, so—usually ‘two person’ assumes sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder, and they have to be over-engineered to be able to collapse down into a little carry pouch, and all that.”

“Right, right,” Kelly watched Rebecca finish up the work. “So—at first I was going to say I can just sleep in one of the cars, like, put a seat down, but. Damn, can I stay in the nice big one with you tonight?”

“Oh, I’ve just been sleeping outside,” Rebecca assured her. “Since it’s so beautiful out. I have a balm that keeps the ‘squitos away, that’s why I might have smelled a little funny to you. I was going to make sure Brian and you girls all had room to uh, to do whatever you needed to do in the big tent, and then there’s the little one for if you all need more room to sleep comfortably.”

“You expected we’d all be out here banging?” Kelly was a little surprised. “And, in your nice tent?”

“You’re all in love,” Rebecca gave her a small shrug. “I understand how it is. I think I won’t be surprised if you do, and I won’t be surprised if you don’t. It’s been a rough night, hah, and everyone deals with this kind of stress in different ways, right?”

“I doubt Brian’s in the mood,” Kelly said with some regret. “Which means Steph also won’t be, because she soaks up all of that. I could definitely use some relief though, or like at least a little magic infusion. My head’s pounding right now.”

“Um,” Rebecca stood, brushing off the knees of her linen pants and surveying her handiwork. “How does that all… go? I guess? Can I ask? Do you need to recharge your own magic from Brian, or Brian’s… discharges?”

“I don’t have to, but it helps a ton,” Kelly said. “When we’re initiated into it we have our own magic, sorta, but doing stuff with him, or even each other—it’s kinda where two plus two can equal more than four. You get more out of it than either of you puts in?”

“Huh. I like that,” Rebecca remarked. “You become greater than the sum of your parts?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kelly said. “So… are you interested?”

“I am!” Rebecca was candid. “It’s all incredibly interesting! But, also—I’ve been careful. Used my handkerchief—uhh, well actually I guess this one’s a bandanna? To grab the charm out of the lockbox. Haven’t touched it, I’m not um, ‘zapped’ back into things, yet.”

“Oh, okay,” Kelly said.

“Not because I don’t want to!” Rebecca explained. “It’s just—now doesn’t seem like it’s the time. Not while all of this with Chloe is going on. And, I do want to talk with Brian about, um, about me being part of this, and see how everyone feels about that before I just—yeah.”

“Have you ever been with a girl?” Kelly asked.

“A little!” Rebecca laughed. “Years ago, when I was much younger. It wasn’t—well, I don’t know how to describe how it was. It was very innocent and sweet. Found myself very taken with a sweet shy girl at this one campout, and when we started, um, when we started experimenting a little bit with those feelings, we were a little confused as to what to even do. But, it was nice! We’re still friends. She got married, has a one—no, a two year old, now.”

“I’m not a virgin,” Rebecca gave her another shrug, but this one was a bit more awkward. “I, um, I hope that Brian won’t think less of me for that. I’ve been with a few guys. That was always much more straightforward than my, hah, than my time with a girl. I know Emily was a virgin. I just—”

“Stephanie was, too,” Kelly said. “I don’t know that it’s such a huge deal for Brian, though. I have a past, he knows I have a past. Can’t even really wish that my first time was with Brian, because—I was such a different person, back then. Hurt a lot of people, fucked up a lot of nice things. Know I broke some hearts, and when I was in that part of my life, figuring out what the fuck I was about or who I was trying to be… it’s hard to say I was all that much better than Chloe.”

“Sometimes, maybe I was worse?” Kelly recalled with a wry smile. “I don’t dwell on it, but I’ve ruined people before. I don’t know that I would wish all that, all that young and dumb Kelly, on Brian or any of you. I was a virgin for a while because I hadn’t had sex yet—I was never pure, or innocent, or anything like that. Had too much hate for everything.”

“Hmm,” Rebecca seemed to be sizing her up. “We should share a tent, tonight.”

“Hah,” Kelly shook her head. “Is that your type? Fucked up ‘oh, I can fix them’ cases? But uh, no. No offense—but, no. I’m not shacking up with anyone outside the little polycule or whatever I’m in without discussing it with Steph and Brian and everything.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Rebecca chuckled. “I mean—sometimes you just seem like you’re bristling. You know? Like you could use a hug, but you don’t know how to ask for hugs anymore. Or even just cuddling—I’ve cuddled with Emily before and it wasn’t sexual or anything. When she’s struggling to deal with everything I can just hold her and it’s not weird.”

“A likely story,” Kelly smirked. “Well, I won’t be seduced by your wicked charms. Not yet. Let’s see how your talk with Brian goes about your involvement in the uh, in the whatever the fuck this is, first. Yeah?”

“I want to kiss him,” Rebecca said. “I want to kiss someone. I want to kiss someone before we get all of the magic and charm stuff in there, muddying the waters with what’s going on. I feel like that will help Brian, help everyone a lot. Knowing for sure how much the magic is affecting things.”

“I get it,” Kelly nodded. “I was down to fuck right from the beginning—before the charm bit me, before the kisses. Brian’s tall and good-looking and he’s in great shape. If he wasn’t so fucking stubborn, or in such a weird fucking mental spot after the breakup there, I maybe could’ve been with him without the charm stuff.”

“Do you wish things had gone that way, instead?” Rebecca asked.

“Hell no,” Kelly snorted. “Are you kidding me? Then I couldn’t have Stephanie and Emily too, we wouldn’t have amazeballs fucking out of this world magic orgy sex. I had a threesome years back before, you know? It was fucking disappointing. S’not like you see in the pornos, it’s awkward and tense and either one person is mostly left out and just like, watching, or it’s weird and impossible to sync up a good rhythm to it all with three people. Let alone have everyone on the same page with intimacy and chemistry and all that.

“With Brian, Steph, and Emily? We’re like, pre-synced in our wavelengths, there’s magic channels or energy or something connecting us mentally, emotionally, spiritually—I can’t even put into words how great the sex is.”

“Wow,” Rebecca blinked.

“Yeah, and like, even all that aside—” Kelly turned her attention to where Brian, Stephanie, and Emily were now leading Chloe out of the woods and towards the campfire.

“I don’t want for anything,” Kelly tried to explain as best she could. “Not that I’d ever feel dissatisfied with Brian, Brian’s packing meat. I don’t even just mean dick, either—he literally brings the meat of the relationship, he’s committed to you and caring and putting thought into you from the get-go. But then also, Stephanie brings dessert. For both of us, for each of us. She’s so sweet and tasty and I just want to eat her up. We all do. Emily? Well, she’s a snacc. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with her, because we’re either butting heads and arguing over pointless bullshit, or we’re so in fucking step with each other that it’s surreal and kind of kinky.”

“You think I’ll fit in, too?” Rebecca sounded more bemused than curious.

“I do,” Kelly said. “It’s easier to picture you fitting in with us than Chloe, to be honest. No clue how we’re going to square all of… well, all of that.”

“Yeaaah,” Rebecca drawled. “Sometimes, she sure doesn’t make it easy.”

Both tents were up, but they hadn’t collected the bedrolls and sleeping bags and handful of pillows from the two vehicles yet. Deciding they could just grab all that stuff right before bed, Kelly and Rebecca ambled back over to the fire, where once again Brian took a seat upon one of the log sections. Stephanie immediately installed herself on his lap and held onto him like an angry cat guarding its food dish, and Emily had her arms crossed and was pacing back and forth behind Brian.

Chloe stood with hunched shoulders on the other side of the campfire from them as a prisoner awaiting judgment, and so Rebecca and Kelly claimed the remaining two seats. They were all gathered again, but the stormy atmosphere was completely different than it had been for their talk earlier. Exorcising even just some of the crazy out of Chloe made a transformative difference, and Kelly was very interested in how conversation would go now.

“First things, first,” Kelly began by breaking their silence. “My retarded fingertip lightshow earlier—like I might’ve said before, it has a cost. My head is fucking splitting, and it’s making me super irritable.”

“You haven’t seemed irritable,” Rebecca quirked her head. “You’ve been very nice to me.”

“Well yeah, but that takes a ton of conscious effort to not bitch out on everyone when I have a headache,” Kelly grinned. “And, can’t exactly vent shit on you when we all kinda owe you. A lot. So—I know this isn’t the best timing, but if I can, I’d like to top back up on magic and be at my best, before we continue.”

“I’m, uh, I’m in the same way,” Brian shook his head. “I’m dry, or uhhh. In deficit. Kissing Chloe back there wasn’t like it was with each of you. Tapped out everything I have, and then it took a tiny bit more, I’m real spent.”

“One way or another, Chloe’s always just a fuckin’ vampire who take take takes,” Emily grumbled. “Of fucking course she’d—”

“I’m sorry,” Christine murmured.

“I have magic,” Stephanie volunteered from where she sat upon Brian’s thigh. “I can give. Emily can, too—both of us could, ah, benefit from releasing some. So that everyone is… equalized.”

“Let’s do that, then,” Kelly suggested. “I mean, if that’s cool. I kinda assumed we were saving the jar for her royal highness, here.”

The jar in question had been set upon the red camp cooler next to Brian and Stephanie, and at its mention each of them turned their eyes to it.

“Sooo—” Emily started to say something, but was cut off.

“I’m giving to Brian,” Stephanie insisted. “I’m going to help him.”

“Tch,” Emily scowled. “Fine.”

With a jealous huff, Emily stomped around the firepit with arms still crossed, making her way over to Kelly. They were all obviously in a terrible mood, and although it was hard not to feel slighted by Emily’s strong preference for Brian rather than her, Kelly completely understood. The important thing in her mind was to cool down the extreme negative feelings here, because if they were going to proceed and actually get anything done tonight, they would need clearer heads to prevail.

“C’mon, in the tent,” Kelly directed Emily one way while turning to address Rebecca. “You’ll keep a close eye on Chloe for us? For a bit?”

“Sure,” Rebecca held her gaze for a long moment before nodding. “No problem.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said.

Following Emily past the little tent and through the flap of the larger A-frame one, Kelly found darkness and privacy and a surprisingly refreshing smell—rather than musty canvas or mildew, the inside of Rebecca’s tents carried a fresh and floral scent. The stewing Latina however seemed like her composure was falling apart the moment she was out of sight from the others. Kelly couldn’t quite make out Emily’s expression, but she was a quick read of the girl’s hostile posture and could guess at all of the murderous things that were prancing through the girl’s head.

“Hey, Emily,” Kelly took the girl by the shoulders, and kept both hands planted tight there despite an attempt to shrug them off. “Listen to me—need you to put your game face on, here. Brian needs you. We need you. I know you’re pissed. We all are, but after a certain point that stops being okay and starts getting in the way of what we have to do. You know?”

“I fucking know,” Emily hissed. “I just wish that—”

“You were using your magic,” Kelly lied. “Probably you weren’t even realizing it. You’re lucky it’s so dark and everyone’s so distracted—I don’t think anyone but me noticed what you were doing.”

“I was?!” Emily froze up. “What the fuck? I was trying to motherfucking do something, I mean anything, but fucking—I know I can feel it. What happened?! How could you tell, was there—”

“Emily,” Kelly got her attention again. “Focus. Really focus. I need you to give me a bit of magic, so that I don’t start losing my fucking cool, alright? Then, whatever in you that you’ve got left, Brian needs it. I think he seriously overdid it trying to fix Chloe. Okay?”

“I—yeah, yeah, okay,” Emily was flustered. “But, what was I doing?”

Nothing, Kelly didn’t have the heart to tell her. You’re still a long ways from figuring out your power, because it’s a strange one. Sorry, Em. But, I need SOMETHING pivotal to snap you out of the bad headspace you’re locked up in with the Chloe situation. I promise I’ll make it up to you.

“Kelly?” Emily demanded.

“I know it’s frustrating, but… I think we should table the stuff with your powers for some other night when all of this bullshit isn’t going on,” Kelly proposed. “So that we can make that time all about you, and give that the attention it deserves. Rebecca was also wanting to bring stuff up about how she fits into all of this—for that we’re also just kind of waiting on getting tonight out of the way. You know?”

“I—yeah, okay,” Emily said again, sounding frustrated but understanding. “Fine. Whatever. I, uh, I guess you know some special ritual or something for transferring magic from one person to another? From the future?”

“Uhhh,” It was Kelly’s turn to be a little dumbfounded. “Not… really? I always just assumed it kinda happened whenever we did stuff. Because of the charm bullshit.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emily snorted. “So, what, I’m just s’posed to make out with you, and we hope magic transfers across?”

“I don’t fucking know Em, I can’t think,” Kelly swatted her friend. “I did the magic finger-guns thing earlier, and my head’s fucking killing me. Alright?”

“Whatever,” Emily said. “So, we just kiss.”

“I guess?” Kelly said. “We just kiss. But, I think… you have to kiss me like you mean it.”

( Previous: Darkest Night | Renfaire Fantasy | Next: Campfire Conversation )

/// Sorry this is all dragging on so slowly—as a multiple protagonist story rather than a multiple POV one, I don't want to skip past large segments where several characters have a lot going on. Like, if we skipped past the Kelly/Rebecca bits the pace wouldn't be quite so glacial, but then also we wouldn't know much of how their interactions shape up. Doing my best to keep up with steady writing and posting!

It's not particularly smart to go super in depth with all the characters when you're writing a harem fic, but also I feel like few harem fics do that. Lot of harem fiction starts to feel shallow when additional girls are collected into the harem and girls start to be benched or get sidelined.