Thank you very much Acadian! I had not noticed that, it had to have been where I edited the wording and missed it - You ROCK!!!


@ Zalphon - Yeah! You finally started reading Maxical!! I appreciate you a lot!!!

You can officially add my name to the extensive list of those hopelessly addicted to Maxical! :clap:

Thank you so much Destri! We are even then, I became instantly hooked on your writing after reading the first chapter! I appreciate so much your taking the time to go through the old chapters, thank you!

What?? No update? :cold:
I gues I'm not only one not writing during the weekend.

@ RemkoNL - sorry, I had a touch of writers block this weekend. Thank you for stopping by!




Chapter 45: Janus Hassildor


Janus had never tasted of the blood of a virgin, the purest. Even never having smelled it before he had recognized it instantly; a primal instinct borne in the blood of centuries of vampires that is handed down through the ages like an inheritance each time the Dark Gift is given.

The vampire that made Janus was from a very old line of immortals, their powers tremendously superior to other lines from eons of honing them to perfection. Janus could not be killed regardless of what came against him, and was much more powerful than vampires of other lines that were centuries old.

He could give the Dark Gift without passing along the immortality or transferring the powers that came with his ancient line by using a spell; but the ones he chose to share his blood with would live forever, and that he had never given anyone.

He had smothered the vampire in himself for decades; until now never finding any temptation worth risking his position over. But the powerful instincts the smell of virgin blood raised could not be denied.

Assuming Maxical used a chameleon spell, he had ordered her to remove it. Instead she wore enchanted clothing, and she stripped naked before him. The sight of her nvde, combined with the intoxicating aroma of her blood took every ounce of strength he had to fight taking her immediately as either man or vampire, whichever reached her first.

The nature of the vampire that had lay dormant for decades rose up inside him, breaking free of the shackles of his willpower that had held it back. He felt his fangs extending and hardening into arched erections of ivory in spite of his efforts to hold them back. Juices began to trickle from the sharp points creating rivulets of heat that heightened his senses and filled him with euphoria. Testosterone and adrenalin flooded into his system causing his heart to pound, his arousal to heighten. His vision became almost thermal, he would see her even if she tried to use that invisibility spell. He had been honed in on her reading her thoughts as she fumbled out of her clothes, he knew she had readied it. His hearing had already been heightened, he had heard her instructions to the lad; but now they were acute, and he could hear her heart beat and the blood pulsing in her veins. Her breath could be heard clearly as if it were isolated.

Janus fought, but could not stop the rising up of the vampire in him, it was fully aroused by her virgin blood and could not be pushed back. He only hoped he could control his urges long enough for it to be a satisfying interlude.

He placed scents in her bath in an effort to smother her aroma, not wanting to lose control. It should be a sweet dance, not a hurried affair. With Maxical as his prisoner he had the time to woo her, a courtship. That was his initial plan, he hoped he could hang on long enough.

Sitting beside her bed while she slept drove him mad, the perfume of her virgin blood still detectable in spite of the scented bathwater. If Maxical had not burned his nose with bath scents the second day he would have succumbed to the temptation and been unable to hold out.

By the time his superior sense of smell returned his original plan was changed for one that meant much more to him than the fleeting pleasure tasting her blood would bring.

The forced solitary isolation he endured for decades was an agony, he was more of a prisoner than any that rotted in his dungeons, for at least they could rely on death to release them.

But in eavesdropping on Maxical's thoughts Janus heard her say that she could talk to him forever and never tire of it. The idea of an eternal companion, a lover for the rest of time?a new plan was formed. She would be his prisoner for a long time; he would make her fall in love with him then talk her into accepting his Dark Gift. She would be by his side forever.

Maxical was the first breath of life he had in decades. Her mischief and spirit, the sound of her laughter; she made him feel young. As a companion none could match her. She sought his conversation, and did something no one ever had before, she used her mind to tease, provoking him into laughter for the sound of it pleased her. She used it to thank him, and once to bait him. His heart would pound each time, even when she used it to rouse him to a confrontation. She conversed almost as much with her eyes as her hands or mouth, and when she was still her mind continued to pvssyr. He was beginning to become deeply attached to her, feeling things that had been long buried.

Janus could cast a spell to gain her love quickly, but preferred she come of her own accord, reaching out to him when she was ready for the next step. He would use the spell only as a last resort.

An inner struggle began then; the man in him wanted Maxical by his side, but the vampire in him was being driven mad by her scent dangling under his nose like a carrot to be eaten.

Both sides of his nature strained his willpower and self-control, pressuring him to act. Maxical was not falling in love with him quickly enough. Janus had to speed up the process lest he lose control of the vampire.

While Maxical slept Janus used his powers to enter her thoughts at a time when her defenses were at their lowest; controlling her dreams by visualizing things and sending the image to her mind. He slipped unobtrusively into her subconscious planting images, things he would give her in the days that followed. Little things like flowers, or ice cream. The subtle connection of seeing something in her dream and then it happening was established.

Next Janus eased images of himself standing in a field, swimming, just appearing various places in the background, but successively closer with each dream till he was by her side. He implanted dreams of the two of them having fun, maybe horseback riding or swimming.

Janus was anxious to take it to the next level. His vampire nature would not be held at bay much longer with her sleeping beside him, and the man in him was struggling with never being able to touch her. So far he had kept his promise to her, but was finding it increasingly difficult. Sometimes she touched his hand and her soft flesh against his stirred cravings.

He planted a dream where he took her hand, standing side by side. Surprisingly she seemed to accept it well. But Janus found that visualizing touches eroded his willpower and self control. Memories of her touches taunted him, and fueled by increasing desire he became weakened by the images but could not bring himself to stop once he had begun.

He broke under the temptation and took her hand in his, but had not increased the spell he put her under for sleep. She was too sensitive, the touch of his hand woke her. He had said the right thing then, and she accepted it. Had she not he would have used his spell, at that point his frustration was growing. Their relationship improved after that though, she stopped doubting him.

Janus's struggles increased as his feelings for Maxical developed. The imagery he was planting in her dreams continued decreasing his self control and willpower. He had a constant battle with his desire to touch her, or kiss her when she looked up at him.

At the same time he was beginning to lose control over his vampire nature. He fought against his fangs extending nightly as her aroma wafted to his nose and she lay so trustingly with her neck exposed. So far he had been able to fight it off, but did not know how long he would be successful.

If he could take her virginity the vampire would go away, and his other pressure would be relieved as well. He would not frighten her by taking her before she was ready, but the thought of using the love spell taunted him.

Then last night he planted the image of them holding hands, but his own desire to kiss her had come to mind and he found himself visualizing it, dwelling on the image before he remembered he was sending it to her dream. The kiss had awakened her, and it had taken every bit of strength in him not to cast a spell right then and take her.

She had become agitated and frightened. Janus used several strong spells to calm her and cause her to sleep, instead she became ill and then unconscious. He was anxious to get back to her before she woke. Tonight he would plant the thought in her mind that she was falling in love with him, or this morning if he got there before she woke. He was desperate for her to come to him before he lost control of his vampire side.

Whew! that was steaming! With things extending and hardening, and arched erections... I loved how you not only showed his human lust for her body, but also his vampire lust for her blood, side by side. He must have some willpower to hold out as long as he has.


One nitpick:

instead she became ill and then it knocked her out.

knocked her out sounds out of place, too informal for the rest of the piece. Perhaps something like "instead she became ill and was rendered senseless" or something similar might sound better?

mALX! :read: This is wonderful. Powerful, sensual, and moves your story along.

Gripping to read - testimony to your skill.

Despite the darker themes, it was this light and beautiful passage that really caught my eye as to who Maxical has blossomed into:


Wow! :goodjob:

Well done!

Wow. And who said you could not write from the male POV??? Brilliant.


This is what makes your writing so good. Everything ties together and makes sense. :thumbsup:

@ SubRosa - Thank you so much SubRosa! I wrestled with this since the last post, and just couldn't seem to get it right till yesterday afternoon. That struggle between his two sides just wasn't coming across right, it was the hardest thing to pull out in that chapter.


@ Acadian - Thank you very much! That line was on my original draft, I hung on to it when I did the (thousand) re-writes trying to get the chapter right. I was just about to drop the chapter for another day when that epiphany hit yesterday afternoon.

@ Winter Wolf - Thank you so very much! YEAH! I finally got a male POV right! I was a little iffy on leaving that line in, then finally decided to let it ride, lol. Glad I did now!

Winter Wolf, you always see what lies beneath the surface! Awesome! It was just little things someone might not notice, the bathwater, the flowers and ice cream, the dreams - I was trying to show the contrast behind how Maxical viewed what happened and what actually took place, but since it was a couple chapters back I didn't know if those things would be remembered (like my plain jar with the clear yellow liquid, ROFL) - I can always count on you to notice the underlying path in the story - You ROCK !!

:twirl:
So that's what behind Janus' kindness. Another suitor lusts for Maxi.

Cheers. :foodndrink:
The very interesting part about your writing is that so little of it is driven by combat scenes. Unlike us male writers (who thrive on battle), your stories have huge, complex plots that must require a tremendous amount of sitting and thinking just to be able to get the job done. And of course, it is another thing to be able to present it in a way that is a nice easy read.....
The most recent chapter had a very intricate weave that looped throughout it- the setting up of the dream sequence, the scenting of the water, the subtle way that Janus won her confidence and the plans that he had for her.

I shake my head at the ability of you, Acadian and SubRosa. How do you each generate so much material in such a short time??

Beyond the rising nature of the vampire and the extending and hardening fangs you paint a picture of a man longing only to love and be loved. In doing that you show us the humanity behind the enigmatic count of Skingrad. Wow!

@ RemkoNL - or her blood, lol. Thank you very much for reading.

@ Winter Wolf - I learned my lesson from that jar, lol. I am trying to keep the distance between where things link down to a minimum couple chapters.

I learned to follow plot lines from my children, who were all banshees and constantly up to something, lol. Maxical's school days (chapter 3) were nothing compared to my son's (the one who has returned from his third tour in Iraq and will be home for Christmas - Yeah!).

I agree with you on the fighting, Maxical has only had one fight since the Arena, and that was with Sneakers. She has a lot of fighting coming up soon, it just took longer to get her where I wanted her than I thought it would.


@ Destri Melarg - Oh I am so glad you caught that! Yes, the loneliness of the forced isolation over such a long period is definately driving him. When Maxical went to Skingrad Castle to get the screenshots for Janus, I did not even have to shut down his AI, he let her stay in his bedroom as long as she wanted, if his bed wasn't owned he probably would have let her stay there. He doesn't sleep, and I had her in his bedroom for hours trying to set up the screenshots with him, I got over 50 of them! He did a lot of smiling at Maxical, and rarely took his eyes off her the whole time she was in there. (Odd, since she was tresspassing! lol) - Thank you so much!

There is something that came to my mind today when I was thinking about your writing. In the past you have often been criticized for writing men too 'girly'. Janus Hassildor does not have that problem, at least not in my mind. In both the chapters written from Maxical (mALXical's?) pov and this one from his own, Janus comes across as a very strong figure. Even when dwelling upon his own vulnerabilities (i.e. his loneliness and attraction to Maxical), he still comes across that way. I think it was the chapters with Reynaud Foxy that saw the turning point in your writing when it comes to this. In any case, once again you have clearly improved your craft. Congratulations! :celebration:

Yes, I took Winter Wolf and Treydog's advice and chose people I know to role model them after. Wait till you see Fathis after the makeover, ROFL !!! Seriously though, thank you very much, and you are very much on the mark. Foxy's "Foxy" character did have a lot to do with it. I read Foxy's parts quite a bit to get a feel of a man that was strong, virile, had a laugh that was rare, not ready, and had a romantic side.

You have a son in Iraq? I hope he's doing fine. I know what it's like to have relatives send to warzones. My brother has been in Afghanistan twice. I know what you must be going through!

*

@ RemkoNL - thank you, I appreciate that a lot. Best wishes that your brother always has a safe return too.


Chapter 46: A Place In Time

Alone for decades and isolated by his vampirism, Janus knew his position as Count Skingrad would be forfeit should his nature ever be revealed.

He had come into the position as a handsome young newlywed; not only well liked by the residents of County Skingrad, but with abilities that far outweighed his opponents for the seat. He and his beautiful wife Rona moved into the castle, and for almost a year had been living a perfect life, beloved by all. The castle was opened for all public celebrations, and he and Rona frequently came into town, greeting the residents by name as they met them in the streets. It was an idealistic time for the people of Skingrad as well as for the Count and Countess.

On the one year anniversary of their marriage Janus had a special picnic prepared, that he and Rona could have a romantic day by the Shadeleaf Copse northeast of Skingrad. The day was perfect, a cloudless blue sky, and the sun warming them as they lay on a blanket in the clearing along the southeastern side of the Copse. The only disturbances to their privacy were the deer that came out of the wood on the far bank from them to drink from its fresh waters. They gave in to a moment of passion in the beautiful setting, and did not notice the sound of the deer fleeing. In the heat of their love the attack came, neither heard the approach. Hands grabbed Janus, yanking him up. His surprise held him for seconds, but he began to fight then, hearing Rona's screams as she was being dragged away. It was as if he was fighting an indestructible force, nothing he did seemed to penetrate the attackers, and he was soon overpowered. The viciousness of the attack only hid its worst damages.

When Janus came out of unconsciousness he found he couldn't move. He called for Rona repeatedly, and finally heard the slightest sound in the distance. Pulling himself along the ground by sheer willpower, Janus finally found Rona. Her injuries were great as well, and neither knew how to heal themselves; it was something they did not think they would ever need to learn.

Somehow Janus had managed to pull himself and Rona closer to the Copse, cupping water in his hands and pouring it in her mouth to keep her alive. They spent the days calling for help, but the distance from Skingrad and the seclusion that made it such a romantic spot hindered their rescue. They slept in fits when the exhaustion of effort overtook them, but their sleep was troubled by horrible nightmares.

It was two days before they were found, hunters in the area heard their cries for help. When they were carried in to Castle Skingrad and laid in their beds, Janus and Rona slept in exhaustion, grateful to be home and safe. They thought the nightmares would clear once they were safe, instead they worsened.

A servant was sent to the Chapel of Arkay for a healer to come, but when the healer arrived she refused to treat the couple, saying they were vampires. Janus ordered the healer jailed, but soon found out that she was right.

Desperate, horrified, and afraid of the consequences should this information get out, Janus sealed off their living quarters and allowed only his most trusted staff to come to their wing of the castle. His jailor's wages were raised to hide the healer inside a secret crypt in the wine cellar so she could never tell anyone about his or Rona's condition.

Rona waited till the castle slept, and crept down the back stairwell to the wine cellar hoping a woman's voice may change the healer's mind about curing them. When she entered the secret crypt Mina backed away from her till she was wedged against the rear wall of the cell, screaming not to take her blood. Rona opened the cell door and approached her, ordering Mina to heal her. Mina had continued screaming for her to stay away, and in anger Rona tore into her, clawing with her fingernails and biting her as she fought to get away.

Something happened then, Rona felt a powerful sensation as the blood touched her mouth, a hunger and yearning that came from the depths of her. She found herself svcking every bit of blood she could off Mina's arm, but it wasn't enough. With a sudden strength that she had never known she threw Mina to the floor, sitting on top of her and digging her knees into Mina's arms to pin her in place while she gouged holes in her neck at the vein as if following an instinct. She drank the hot blood as it pumped in spurts from the terrified beating of Mina's heart.

Waking up alone, Janus searched for Rona, following the screams down the back stairs. As Janus entered the wine cellar he saw the crypt was open and hurried in. Rona looked up from Mina, blood oozing down her chin and her fangs extending from her mouth. Mina's screams faded into whimpering at his approach. Janus pulled Rona off Mina and dragged her from the cell, slamming the cell door shut behind him. Still pulling Rona with him, he sealed up the entrance to the secret vault once again. When they got back to their quarters, Janus held Rona's face to the glass window of their bedroom and raised his candle.

"Do you see yourself? Look at what you look like! I want you to remember that every time you get the urge again. You can fight it Rona, don't give in to it! We don't have to be like that. We may have to hide up here the rest of our lives, but we don't ever have to be like that."

Rona was shocked at what she saw. Her face was ravaged with lines, her eyes glowed red, long fangs protruded dripping with blood. The front of her dress, her chin, and neck were covered in Mina's blood. Rona started screaming and would not stop. When Janus tried to comfort her she shoved him away.

"You make me sick! Look at you, do you think you look any better? Have you seen yourself? You look like a hundred year old man, your eyes are pink, and your fangs show when you talk. I can't stand the sight of you! Why do you think I don't let you touch me anymore? Why I avoid you every chance I get?" Rona shouted the words, not caring who heard. She shoved past Janus and grabbed her dark cloak, ripping the cowl hood off and throwing it at Janus. "Put that on, for I can't stand the sight of you!"

"I'll put the cowl on for you, but you have to realize we are in this together. We have to find some way to live with it. I can't help it anymore than you can. But we can't become like them."

Rona screamed and cried the rest of the night, pushing Janus away from her each time he approached. She refused to clean the blood from her face, nor change the bloody dress. If Janus removed the cowl she attacked him, scratching his face.

Slipping a sleeping tonic into her drink, Janus carried her to a sealed vault in the outer courtyard, worried his trusted staff would leave the castle in fear from her appearance and violent actions. Her screams would not penetrate the thick stone walls there. Once she calmed, he would send her duenna in to her, but feared to now in the state she was in.

A servant was sent to the Arcane University to insist that the new young Arch Mage Traven personally attend the Count Skingrad at his earliest convenience, the matter being urgent.

By the time the Arch Mage arrived, the vampirism was full blown in Janus, he wore the cowl.

"I ask for our meeting to be held in the strictest confidence, as I am sure you realize the gravity of this situation given my position. My wife and I were attacked two weeks ago by vampires, and require a cure."

"You are asking for something I can't give you, there is no cure known at this time. The Arcane has been researching it, but we have limited resources. It is not the Septims of which I speak; the research requires testing of bodily fluids from a vampire, questions need answered. I am sure you realize how hard these are to obtain. If we could be assured of your cooperation, there may be hope that a cure can be found.."

"I would only deal with you personally, I want no others knowing of my condition."

"I would be willing, and I can assure you your identity will remain secret. I can also provide you with any assistance I can from the knowledge of your condition we already have; however I will help you under one condition. You cannot actively pursue your vampirism, or the Arcane will withdraw it's support."

"I have no intentions of pursuing it, I just want to be rid of it for good."

"You must realize I can't promise a cure, only that the research will be done in the hope of finding one."

"Arch Mage Traven, my wife?she is not handling this well. She screams constantly, refuses to change her clothes or wash. Shoves me if I near her. We were in love two weeks ago, now she says the sight of me makes her ill. She has become violent, not just to myself. I have been forced to lock her in a room that she not harm anyone, and the disease be spread. I want none of this going on any log, this is between us. Also, I had to see her lay injured for two days and could not help her. I must learn healing immediately, can you teach me?"

"What powers have you been given with your vampirism?"

"Powers?" Janus question reflected his answer.

"Yes, there are different lines of vampires almost like there are different races. Each comes with their own powers. While I am here we can begin the research. That will bring us closer to finding a cure and tell us more about the one who made you. The first thing I will do is test what powers you have. I will show you how to draw from them to test your abilities."


Arch Mage Traven looked slightly stunned at the end of the testing. "This is quite unusual. From the tests I have conducted it seems your attacker was a very rare vampire, none known in Cyrodiil at least. We know of all the higher powers here, but we have no knowledge of the one who made you. Count Hassildor, you were attacked by an Immortal. You cannot die, will not die. Your powers are extraordinary, higher than other vampire lines that date back for centuries. You don't need my teaching for healing, you can heal yourself and others using the powers you received in the attack.

"They were a group, would they all be the same? Would my wife be immortal as well?"

"It is possible, although vampires of different lines may group together in isolated areas. Any vampirism will give her longevity. Whether she has immortality or not I couldn't say without the testing we have done here. I can't test your wife in the state she is in. If her powers match yours, your spells may be useless, but you can try them to calm her. I will need some fluid samples from you. Due to the rarity of your line a cure made for the average vampire may not work on you. It would be best if we use your fluids for the research so the cure can be specifically designed for your line. I may need to continue to get samples from you as the ones you give will be used up in the research."

"That is fine. Do you want me to just go in one of those cups?"

"I don't need your urine, open your mouth, a little wider. Now this will hurt for just a minute." Arch Mage Traven drew fluids from Janus's fangs by sticking the roof of his mouth with a sharp object, causing the fangs to drop down and pour liquid into a small cup.

Janus spewed a stream of curses, causing Arch Mage Traven to laugh.

"I warned you it would hurt." he said as he carefully poured the fluid into a vial and corked it.

"What was that, and is there a way I can do that without the stabbing?"

"That was your fangs extending. The fluid that comes from them is vital to our research for a cure. You can heal yourself now, remember?"

***

Mina, whose blood Rona still wore had turned into a vampire. Rona continued to scream and attack Janus when he entered her chamber to see her, even with the spells he tried on her. Then one day she lay still on the bed when he entered. She seemed to be dead, but her heart still beat. Panicked, Janus sent the servant to the Arcane to bring Arch Mage Traven immediately. Then before the Arch Mage would arrive he washed all the blood off Rona and changed the bloody dress for a clean one.

The Arch Mage arrived and did a thorough examination on Rona.

"Count Hassildor, what she has is a form of a mental breakdown. She has taken herself into a catatonic state, a self induced coma that only she can bring herself out of. Being a vampire, she will require no food or drink to sustain her, just as you no longer need them. But she could linger like this forever if she is immortal like you. Have someone sit with her, and check on her regularly, otherwise there is little you or I can do. I can take samples from her, and gear the cure toward her first, rather than yourself if you approve."

"I approve under the condition that any records remain sealed, and show she chose this rather than feed."

***
Skingrad Castle didn't hold public days after that, Janus Hassildor never left his wing of the castle, and only a select few were allowed in there. He and his wife were never seen again, and as the years passed the residents grew to despise him for the recluse he became and the lack of social functions at the castle.

Several decades passed, and the Arcane never brought forth a cure. Their relationship with Janus became strained.

Rona continued to linger in the vegetative state, neither succumbing nor reviving. Janus visited her regularly, but there was never a response from her.

Janus thought they would be isolated together, instead he was sentenced to a life of loneliness, unable to take a new wife while she lived; knowing as a vampire she would not die.




http://www.uesp.net/w/images/images.new/thumb/9/95/OB-Shadeleaf_Copse.jpg/800px-OB-Shadeleaf_Copse.jpg




*

Very enthralling! :twirl: So now we get a peek behind the curtain to see how the Count Hassildor became Count Dracula. Were the details in the game? Or is all of this purely your own?

The priestess of Arkay being named Mina was an excellent touch! Was she the Pale Lady who Maxical found in the dungeons, killing prisoners one by one ? (I figure it was either Mina or Teresa is going to become a vampire some day...)


A few nits:

Mina backed to the back of her cell

you use "back" twice in the same sentence. Perhaps this might sound better:

Mina retreated to the back of her cell



This sounds a bit awkward:

A servant was sent to the Arcane University that the new young Arch Mage Traven personally attend the Count Skingrad at his earliest convenience, the matter being urgent.

did you mean something like:

A servant was sent to the Arcane University to petition that the new young Arch Mage Traven personally attend the Count Skingrad at his earliest convenience, the matter being urgent.



I think you missed an "and" in here:

despise him for the recluse he became, and the lack of social functions at the castle.



It seemed un-Janus-like to say "pee" here:

"That is fine. Do I pee in a cup?"

Maybe something more formal, like "urinate" would suit him better?

Thank you so much for helping me with those, I completely missed them on edit! (And thank you for reading!) - You ROCK!!


* This is the actual story, expanded just a tad.

* Yes, Mina is the Pale Lady - however making her the healer from the Arkay chapel was my idea.

* My son said "drain the vein" or "drain the lizard" or "take a leak" or "whizz" - Both Janus and Traven are well under 30 years old here, and Janus was a very laid back type then, informal. He had nothing to do during his isolation for decades but read, which is why his conversation is so interesting now, and the formality came from lack of social contact with people. I didn't think he would say urinate...but if anyone has a suggestion that is somewhere between "pee" and "urinate" I am up for suggestions. I tried to watch that South Park episode where the "golden log" was left in the urinal to get some clues but it didn't help. If we ever need to write a story about that, however, I have an arsenal of names handy after watching that episode. - (although I don't see it happening soon).

*

Brilliant idea with using her as the healer. I have been wondering where that Pale Lady came from all this time. That not only ties up loose ends, but does so in a very tight, sensible manner.


You might have him just say "Shall I use a cup?" and make to head for the bathroom or reach for his belt, leaving the peeage implied.

I think it is odd that the game has no explaination for her, but there is a Mina in every vampire movie somewhere, lol. - Thank you Subrosa!!


ROFL, "stand back while I whip this out." (From Blazing Saddles)

Oh, he might also say "should I just go in a cup?"

That is a rather common expression, well, without the cup at least...

I fixed it, lol. Thank you so much for this (I used a variation of this one) It looks pretty natural there. Thanks SubRosa!!!

That was a brilliant idea to use her as the healer.

I do hope that Beth has you on commission to help write TES V ??

Layers upon layers. I too was struck by the name 'Mina'. I actually feel bad that I killed her now.