You try with Lydia, but she doesn't like charity

A serving wench bustles out of the door to the kitchen, her face flushed and glistening with sweat. She has a steamy pile of delicious meats on her tray, along with several cold mugs of ale. Before the door swings open behind her, you catch a glimpse of the woman running in the kitchen. Lydia stands a head taller than you, with chestnut hair pulled back in a long braid. Her face, once probably stunningly beautiful, now seems tired in her middle age, but her body still shows the curves of a pentiful woman in all the right places.

As you should have expected, you don't receive a warm welcome.

"Who the hell are you?!" she roars. "And what makes you think you can come into MY kitchen uninvited?"

"I'm S-sister Sabine, madam" you stammer. "From the abbey at White Rock."

"You, from The abbey? Don't make me laugh! Look at you, dressed in gauze, your bits showing through. Indecent! You seem more a harlot to me!"

Knowing your current state you just lower your head and try to change the subject.

"Sorry madam, but the abbey has been attacked by demons and I barely manged to escape. Then I got caught in the rain and ended up here. I told your husband I could not pay but I really need to dry off and see that my horse is fed and watered to keep on with my mission and he suggested to go talk to you." After a moment, you add, "Between other things."

"Yes, I know what sort of other things he may have suggested, looking at your pretty face."
Having said that, Lydia suddenly grabs you chin and lifts you head, watching you in the eyes.
"Listen carefully, little lady. Pious sister or not, I never grant charity to anyone in my life. If you want something you'll have to earn it"

After finishing with her life lesson, she pulls back her hand from your chin with a grunt.

You stammer, "B-but, what do-"

"SILENCE!" She cuts you off. "You are fortunate, since one of my wenches is sick and with this cursed weather we've plenty of customers."

Lydia's eyes seem to size you up.

"You see that room back there? There's a trunk with her clothes inside. She's shorter than you but I'm sure you'll manage. Your task would be taking orders from the customers and hustling them back and forth to the kitchen. Can you do that?!"

You feel challenged and unable to refuse the domineering woman, "Yes...yes I think I can..."

"Good! It could also be necessary to prepare some rooms upstairs in case some of these scoundrels decide to stay here for the night. I will have Harbin see to your horse while you are working. If you do well enough then you'll have the coin needed to pay for your stay here and maybe some more. We'll see. Now be quick and go change, you're already late"

You rush into the little room and change into your new clothes as quickly as you can - a task harder than you initially thought - then take a moment to look at your reflection on a worn out mirror lying against one of the walls.

The upper part of your dress consists of a low cut frilly white blouse that leaves half of your back bare and manages to cover your arms only around the shoulders. The blouse is tightly clutched around your abdomen by a corseted bodice of dark crimson.

You notice that your bosom, despite not being anywhere near what a woman like Lydia can offer, is emphasized by the way the dress clings all around you. It's almost indecent, but the most worrisome piece of clothing is the skirt.

The skirt is the same color as the corset and its length, despite its original owner being short, comes down to your calves and only reveals your boots. On its right side, however, it's open from the bottom to the top near your waist, putting your long leg easily on display. Taking a step in the skirt gives anyone look at you from the side a flash of your leg, your bottom and even your underclothes. It also means you are accessible to wandering hands.

You gulp down, fearing what your new and unexpected job could entail. A quick thought of what your sisters endured in the attack on the abbey and what's your mission and duty is enough to clear your mind.

Gathering yourself together, with your hair still wet and part of your skin still glistening from the rain, you open the door and walk towards the kitchen. Your heart beats heavily as you wonder what will happen.