Scarlett Charity Crosskey
Name Given at Birth: Scarlett Charity Todd
Nicknames: Lettie, though a sweet tongue or jingling coin may purchase rights to more familiar terms.
Hometown or where you were born: Dover, in a small, rundown old house by the sea. I remember it being noisy and smelling strongly of sea air (which was not so bad) and fish (which could be, come summer).
Current Residence: Canterbury, in the old Crosskey Inn.
Age: 23
Class: Middle/Working Class
What do you do, your main function in life/society: I see to it that our inn finds patrons enough to feed me and my lazy, good-for-nothing husband. I'm also not opposed to spreading any news that comes riding into town, generous soul that I am.
Have you ever gone skinny-dipping / do you know how to swim: No proper lady would ever count swimming among their hobbies.
Do you make fun of people: My mother taught me proper: one never makes fun of people when they're within earshot.
Favorite Color: Gold, though silver and copper will also do.
Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime: Vicious rumors being what they are, my husband and I have been accused in the past of running a less than reputable establishment. I hardly think the keeping of a fair amount of maids to tend to our customers and see that they're made comfortable amounts to the sort of work they implied, and it's never been proven that we're anything more or less than a hospitable stop for the wayfaring soul.
Closest friends/How did you meet: Pad my purse well enough, and you can be my closest, dearest friend.
One Pillow or two: One properly stuffed may do the trick. Two tends to leave a crick in my neck something awful.
Pets: We once had a cat, but the ill-tempered beast ran away two summers ago. Now, we're kept company by several families of mice.
Favorite Type of Music: A soothing voice is the best sort of music.
Hobbies/Pastimes: Oh goodness, as if I've time for such things. In between cleaning the inn, cooking meals, mending clothes, and seeing what the townsfolk have been up to all week, I'm dead on my feet! I have been known to participate in a game of chance, or two, when the opportunity arises...the lass in me does still love a good game. Particularly one with monetary rewards.
Personal Hygiene: I'm very strict on this. I bathe once a week, whether I need it or not. Does a sight better than masking the stink with fancy perfumes, and less expensive.
Favorite Food: I've always been quite fond of stuffed dates.
Are your parents alive, do you get along with them: Likely not, though it's been ages since I've heard or seen of them. I don't recall my father at all, save for my mother's stories and complaints, and I left her company and Dover at large when I was fifteen.
If your parents are dead, when and how did they die: My guess would be a cannonball, cutlass, or drowning in the case of my father, sailor of reputable nature that he was, and my mother...well, I can think of plenty of nasty ways she might have met her end, but I suppose I'll never know for certain.
Favorite place to relax: I know the forest is said to be infested with fae creatures, but the wind is pleasant, and the shade is plentiful. If ever I found the time to escape my duties around the village, it'd be here I retreated to.
Favorite Holy Day / Why: October 28, the feast of St. Jude, patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes. Most are happy with their lot, but I suppose it is my curse to wish for something better, or at the very least different and not much worse.
Favorite Drink: I do have a soft spot for rum.
What's your bedtime: Not long after sundown, though prayers and dinner and those staying at the inn for the night be tended to, firstly.
What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet: A lovely pair of divet-toed shoes my mother was kind enough to lend me upon my departure, without her knowledge or consent.
Are you married or single: Married, quite miserably, to the only oaf in the village who'd take a girl with no dowry, family, or background, and who offered any sort of escape from absolute poverty. His mistake for taking my sweet and docile nature for all that I am capable of.
Do you have a family / who are they: None I would claim. Better left to the imagination, for it can be no worse than the truth of the matter. A sailor who might very well have been a pirate in truth, and a woman of the streets do not lend well to a woman's reputation.
Favorite Entertainment: Mm, those gypsy boys do provide one with a lovely view...it's worth peeking one's head out the window if their jingling can be heard coming down the lane.
Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Sewing did well to calm my nerves, despite the strain it gave my poor eyes.
Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Growing up, I was often required to help my mother gut fish that we'd get from the market, and to this day I dislike having to prepare any meal involving it. Particularly since most of what we receive here in town is slightly less fresh.
Favorite Sport: Would chasing my husband about the inn with a rolling pin count?
Most Humiliating Moment: Well, I had made an idle comment or two about what I thought I might have heard from one of the other villagers about a certain noblewoman's, erm, less than chaste encounters with one of the gypsy sons, when suddenly she found out the rumor was circulating, and the wretch I'd considered trustworthy enough to share this juicy bit of gossip with decided to point a finger my way. Thankfully, I was able to divert attention to the one who'd told me in the first place, but Lord, I don't think my face ever glowed so red. Lesson learned. Choose the ears to bestow such tales on more carefully.
Proudest Moment: Likely the moment I realized I was out of Dover. Out from under my mother's thumb, and knowing that now, there wasn't any turning back, and whatever happened from this moment on was going to be my doing. My life was in my own hands. As miserable as I might be now, it is a happier fate than any that would have awaited me in my own hometown.
Craziest Person or silliest you know: The old hag I see shuffling down the street now and again. Under the delusion she's quite the catch, she is. Proves quite amusing when she near throws herself at passersby.
What do you look for in the opposite sex: Money, muscle, and means. A fair face can turn my head for a time, but such things never last as long as a good trade and a hard work ethic will.
In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them, Who is your immediate "overlord": In theory, my husband. Better none know otherwise.
Favorite Sport to watch: Nothing quite as exciting as watching the jousts, when they come 'round. Puts a bit of a thrill in this old girl's blood.
Do you remember your first kiss: Unfortunately. The old letch will too, from the kick in the shins he earned for it.
Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends: You assume too much, perhaps. I had none. My mother would hardly let me out of the house, and for good enough reason.
Where is your favorite "Vacation" spot: Likely the very spot I escape to in my spare time. There's no place further I may wonder without causing concern.
Have you ever been overseas: Nay. I've no interest in ever setting foot upon a ship.
Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: As solidly-packed earth as you would ever hope to find. Might as well be stone!
What is your bed made of: Linen and straw, until something more comfortable can be afforded.
How many people sleep in your bed: Myself and my husband, though how many of the maids have lain there as well in my absence, I can only imagine.
10 Things Everybody Should Know About Me:
1. I am usually a creature of good humor, but I have been known to be a bit hot-blooded at times.
2. I have no intentions of staying in Canterbury the rest of my life. Should the aforementioned money, muscle, and means wander by, you may just find me disappearing into the night, someday.
3. I hate pirates. HATE them. Noisy, vicious, brutal, Godless lot! Only one ever seemed different from the lot of them, and an odd one he was, at that. I doubt I shall ever meet him again, as far from the sea as I am now, but...sometimes I wish I'd made my way off with him when I'd had the chance.
4. Though I cannot read, I'm quite keen on numbers.
5. I secretly find the begger Dustbin quite amusing, and feel quite sorry for the lad. Of course, should he show himself on my doorstep, he'd have to see himself swept out into the street with the rest of the mudcrusted peasants, as is proper. Still...
6. Under my steel-tipped tongue and sometimes harsh gaze, I do still have the tender heart of my gender. It is a thing easily crushed under the strains of this dismal existence, however, and must be guarded well.
7. Gossip is a housewife's lifesblood. The more scandalous, the better. Were it not for gossip, what would we women have to discuss?
8. In case it hasn't been made abundantly clear before, my husband can go choke on a biscuit, and t'would be good riddance. In truth, I'm hoping he one day goes lame, deaf, and dumb, so he might be conveniently stashed away somewhere while I get on with things, undisturbed.
9. It is my firmest belief that anything can be coaxed out of a person, for the right price. No matter how high or low your station, principles can be bought, though not always by coin. This thought keeps me from expecting too much out of anyone.
10. I know I should be happy with my station. And I can pretend to be, when necessary. I don't know why I can't be...it seems to be my curse to wish for more, but honestly, who has not?