Found:
I loved being at the White Wolf. The room was small, which is all I needed, and the rent cheap. Not to mention the daily presence of the wonderful Bessie and the amusements offered by the many patrons. It is not the fanciest, or even grottiest, tavern in the world but it does have atmosphere!
Still, with the amount of time I'm spending in Bree-land and the amount of time it looks like I shall be spending here in the future, it made little sense to keep paying such rent. Especially when it could never be guaranteed that a room would be free for me upon my return from... wherever I went to next.
To that end, I decided that perhaps the joke I made to Taala wasn't so silly after all. Perhaps I should look for a more permanent residence within this town. Certainly, I have a house being built for me within Evendim. That remains my ultimate destination. But I will still keep returning here for the sake of friends and supplies that I can't get two lands over. I will keep returning... and I am getting too old to be spending all of my time in a little tent hidden away from the roadside.
I asked Bessie if she knew of anywhere that might be suitable. None came to mind, but she did reluctantly recount a tale of a house atop a nearby hill, on the outskirts of Towerglan. The owners, she said, had been trying to sell the place for years to no avail. They had reduced the asking price again and again, but still there were no takers. No one was willing to buy, nevermind live in, a haunted house.
Hah! Haunted? Really? Dear me.
'Tis more likely to be rats beneath the floor, draughts from ill-fitting window frames or even a disgruntled neighbor trying to chase them away.
Certainly, I know ghosts exist - haven't I faced many over the last two decades? - but I've never come across a real case of a household haunting. Areas where large battles occurred tend to host such shades. Places of tragedy and betrayal where the death toll was so high, the overall emotion so despairing or angry, that the spirits of those departed become trapped. Not a single, slightly run down house in an otherwise affluent village.
One cannot change the beliefs of the superstitious and scared, however. So, instead, I did them a favour. I sought them out and bought the building. The price, as Bessie had said, was rather low by this point. I slipped a little extra into the purse when they were looking for the keys.
It could do with a little work, a little tidying up, but it will serve my purposes adequately.
After heading back to the tavern to fetch my meager belongings, I dropped in on the bakery. Loakee had returned from his sojourn and was in the company of two I had not yet met; Haritha and Ethynn. The former, a friendly woman, was certainly worth a second look. The latter seemed tired and uncomfortable with so many around. I didn't stay long. I bought some more baked goods knowing, as I do, that my own culinary skills are severely lacking - I'll certainly be frequenting the bakery for as long as I stay here, for how else will I manage to eat more than just stew and bacon? Thank goodness for darling Owena and her seemingly limitless skill!
When they all agreed to meet up at the Wolf, I went on my way. I own very little, but it would still need unpacking. Better to make a start on making that house habitable instead of loitering around the very tavern that I had just vacated. That's not to say that I won't go back there! I've promised to drop by at least once a week for as long as I remain, even if only to give the locals a song and dance.
Now I sit in a rapidly darkening house, candles and fire aglow, wondering if this was the right choice. Not to buy this place specifically - I've no fear of whatever supposedly infests this house - but to buy at all.
It makes practical and financial sense, but already I feel caged.
