Soul Bound

1        Soul Bound

1.2      Taking Control

1.2.5    An Idiosyncratic Interlude

1.2.5.13 Gorana's passion

Later, back at her kafana, Bahrudin shrugged the incident off.

Bahrudin: “Well, it’s not as though you didn’t warn us she was loud, Scottish and of an unusual external appearance. At least she distracted everybody from asking why we were practising sneaking around. I just hope”, he added philosophically, “that Gorana and the other young women don’t decide to imitate Ms MacQuarrie’s sense of fashion.”

She found Heather back in the kitchen, discussing the status of women in the village with Gorana, while Gorana prepared dishes for the evening shift. A week ago, before Gorana had arrived, Nadine couldn’t possibly have found time to spend the afternoon away just watching drone sports; the wealth she’d gained from playing Soul Bound with the wombles had made a real concrete difference to her life.

Gorana: “I loved that dance video you showed me. You both play Soul Bound, right? I’ve never tried it. What’s it like?”

Nadine: “We do play it, but we’re trying not to let that be known. If you become too famous online, you get fans trying to track you down in arlife, and that can cause problems. Please don’t mention it to anyone.”

Heather: “It’s set in the 1600s, but it’s a fantasy version of it, designed to be a game that modern people could enjoy playing. The language isn’t authentic, and neither are a lot of the attitudes. For obvious reasons, they’re not being at all realistic about how women were treated, and they’ve done their best to skip any issues related to skin-colour based racism or slavery. I think they’re aiming for ‘an alternative past as it ought to have been’.”

Nadine: “It’s full of regional myths, all mashed together, and that tends to merge into stereotypes. For example, there’s a nomadic group that looks like it's been based upon stereotypes of Romani with a dash of Mongols, Irish Travellers and a few other sources thrown in. It’s nothing like the real Romani I knew in Sarajevo.“

Heather: “But it’s also great fun. You can count upon the doors to haunted mansions creaking when they’re opened, trolls living under bridges (what would they even eat under there?), nobles being scheming and woods being mysterious. And there are lots of places you can sing or dance or paint or craft wonders. You can follow your passion, there’s no one route you’re forced down. You don’t have to grind experience by fighting.”

Gorana: “My passion is dancing. I’ve been working on a cross between a Zoroastrian Yalli and a Sufi Haft Sema. Maybe I could do it in Soul Bound? I wish I could do it here at the kafana, but Grandfather would kill me.”

Heather responded enthusiastically: “Nothing’s impossible. It just depends on how you spin it. Maybe we can come up with an approach. I’d love to see some dancing while I’m here. And I could make you costumes. TinkerHub has loads of free designs. I could show you how to find one you like, customise it and set it crafting!”

Nadine: “Heather, talking of crafting, how’s your mythoi stuff going? I’ve got a big question I want to discuss with you. Will you have any time this evening, or should I wait until tomorrow?”

Heather: “There’s loads more to do, but I’m planning on taking a break after nightfall; there are a few things I’ve crafted that I want to try out.” She looked coy, almost pleading, as she added: “Tell you what, if you come along with me and let me show them off to you, you can ask anything you like.”

Nadine: “Deal. Say 10 o’clock, after my second set of singing?”

Heather: “Works for me.”

She thought through the timings. If she hurried, she could get the briefing about the big dynasties out of the way now, before she needed to start serving customers.

Nadine: “Gorana, I’ve got some homework to do. Can you handle things down here until 7pm?”

Gorana: “Not a problem. I love chatting with Ketah, your virtual sous-chef. I can’t wait until she gets her topsy body - I’ve promised to teach her how to dance and she’s going to teach me how to make kadaif nests.”

She retreated to her bedroom and briefly considered putting on The Crown. No. It had only been, what, seven hours? She could last for the full twenty-four. She wasn’t an addict, no sir, not her. Resolutely she turned to face her wall screen and spoke out aloud, summoning one of her more intimidating family of expert systems away from its standard ongoing duties. No, not "it" - "her". Rizah, the researcher, had designed her own avatar and it was both formidable and definitely female.