» Tue May 17, 2011 2:36 am
Special Thanks to Leydenne for bringing to light the glitch that led to the research into and discovery of Manheim's pantless state! Thanks Leydenne, you have added a special touch to the story, not to mention a ton of laughter in the research! There is also a special mention of D. Foxy's character "Foxy."
Chapter 28: Day Of Truth
Manheim looked up to see a guard entering in an odd fashion. It appeared he had been shoved into the doorway, but there was no one else there! The guard then appeared to be shoved aside!
Suddenly Manheim felt something tackle him. Bringing his fists up he started to defend himself against the attacker when he felt a kiss on his jaw and smelled a sweet aroma he had been missing for the last few weeks. "Maxical?"
A watery form appeared before him then, but it got clearer and clearer till she stood in front of him wearing nothing but - Manheim's face turned beet red.
"It's me Manheim. I just wanted to show you it was me so you wouldn't deck me by accident. Let me put my robe back on." She disappeared again.
***
"Manheim, remember you said to come to you if I had a problem? Well, I do?see, this is the situation. I have with me two men that have escaped from prison! Well, to be honest, I broke them out. It is Owyn, the Blademaster from the Arena, and an Imperial Guard. Manheim, they were arrested for killing me! Can you believe that? I'm not dead! So you must see I had to get them out of there."
I paused for breath, wondering if I should check Manheim's vital signs. He looked stunned.
"So anyway, right now they are wanted men, and it is my fault, I forced them to come. Owyn has become a nuisance with his complaints and is inciting the guard to complain as well. They give me the headache with all their questioning of my actions! But they do need food and a place to hide till I can make sure they won't be arrested again. I have to go let everyone know I am alive first before they catch them. Would you mind if they stayed here? In the basemant?"
I lowered my voice and whispered, "If it's cleaned up?"
"Don't you worry, little lady. Just let me bring them down there and get them set up in the rooms. Have them take down some food with them, anything they want." Manheim said, the redness beginning to fade.
I eyed his pink countenance. Was he upset that I had brought escaped prisoners down on him?
"Manheim, are you okay? You aren't upset because I brought them here, are you?"
I didn't want to put him out if it was an imposition, I mean first I murder his tenant, then make him clean up the mess and hide the body, now escaped prisoners. Was it possible I had strained the bounds of friendship by bringing Owyn and the guard?
Without answering me Manheim just grinned and chucked me gently under the chin. He led the men to the basemant while I drooled over his sweet rolls, finally grabbing one. I had worked up quite a hunger wrangling Owyn this far away from where he wanted to be.
When Manheim came back up he laid down a small carpet to cover the trap door and rolled a heavy barrel over the carpet and stood it upright.
"That looks perfect! You would never know it was just placed there! Now can I borrow your shirt again so you can see me while we talk?"
Manheim was already nodding before I finished the sentence. "Yes, do. It is eerie hearing a voice but seeing nothing."
***
When I came down the stairs wearing one of Manheim's shirts and a pair of his long underwear he was standing in front of the counter with an expression on his face that looked sad. I ran up to him and kissed his jaw again, having to stand on my tiptoes and clutch tightly on the long johns to keep them from falling off.
"Thank you so much Manheim, it seems you must always rescue me."
"Maxical, I need to talk to you about something. I don't want to at all, but I need to. Come here, let's sit together. Are you hungry?"
"Yes I am still hungry, but I will admit I already took a sweet roll. I couldn't wait, and didn't think you would be able to sell them if I kept drooling over them."
Manheim brought over sweetrolls and strawberries and lay them next to the chair, then sat down, patting his lap.
When Manheim patted his lap like that it reminded me so much of home, whenever Alix was about to break bad news to me he would always sit down and pat his lap that way.
I sat down and he put his arm around me.
Oh, the news must be very bad indeed. Whenever Alix would put his arms around me it meant very bad news. The only thing worse than that was if he stroked my hair. Alix reserved that for catastrophes.
Manheim reached up and began stroking my hair.
"Tell me quick, I can't take the suspense anymore!" I cried out. When I know bad news is imminent I would rather hear it right away!
"Maxical, Alix found out about Rufio. I didn't tell him, but he found out. I even told him I did it and to have me arrested, but somehow he knew. 'Tsh, it's okay baby, he wasn't mad. And he told me something I never thought of, he told me that if you slept afterward that the Dark Brotherhood would come to you. Come here now, don't cry, it's okay, hush now, you have nothing to cry about." Manheim put both arms around me and held me close while he continued.
"So Alix and I went to Cheydinhal to try and save you. Fathis was there looking for you. He has posted a reward of 50,000 Septims for anyone that finds you."
"Fathis was looking for me?" I sat up wiping my eyes and searched Manheim's face. He looked hurt by my reaction, but ignored my interruption and continued talking.
"Someone named 'D' sent Alix a note telling him some vampire was trying to have his way with you, turn you into a vampire, and?and making you ill. This man named 'D' tricked the vampire into meeting us at the stables, telling him you would be meeting him there."
"Foxy did that? Why?" Again Manheim continued without answering, determined to unburden himself.
"Alix, Fathis, and I, we all fought this vampire, but he got away. They did most of the battling. I've never seen anything like it in my life, the two of them. I was out of my league, I only got to hit the vampire with my fist once, but Fathis said fists don't hurt vampires." Manheim sounded sad. "Alix says he will train me in blade though so the next time I will be more prepared."
"No, you need fire or silver, but I am glad Alix has agreed to train you. He trained me, you know, he and Agronak." I said, trying to cheer him up.
My head was reeling from all he was telling me! Fathis and Alix fighting side by side? I would have more thought to hear they battled each other! A terrible thought hit me then.
"Did you all drink a cure potion?"
"Yes, Fathis insisted, and magically made enough bottles of it for us from the one he had. He said you used this trick to make watermelons in someone's bedroom."
I laughed, but then got serious. "Manheim, I need to tell you the truth about something, the Dark Brotherhood had already come to me before I killed Rufio. I was supposed to come here and murder him, but if I hadn't been supposed to, I would have done it anyway after I met him just on principle. I was already in the Dark Brotherhood for killing my friend Agronak, the Gray Prince. It was in the Grand Championship match. I had my eyes shut, and he dropped his sword. I killed a man who had given up in the Arena. I didn't know he had, but it is murder just the same. Are you sorry you helped me now?" I couldn't keep that secret from Manheim.
"Never! I just feel like I let you down, you know, Alix finding out after I gave you my word no one would. You aren't still in the Dark Brotherhood are you?" Manheim didn't sound like he would be too happy if it had been yes.
"Manheim, if you spend any time at all around Alix you will find that there is nothing that can be hidden from him. He finds out all. That is why I didn't go home when I left here. He would have taken one look at me and known I had done something. He would have followed a trail of evidence no one else could see and had the whole, as you have probably witnessed for yourself. The Blades could do no better than Alix when his mind is on something. And I have left the Dark Brotherhood, Manheim. Rufio is the only one I killed. They sent me on another task, but I could not do it. Can you forgive me for not telling you all last time?"
Manheim squeezed his arms tighter around me for his answer. "Don't you worry about that, little lady. I'm just glad you have gotten away from that place! Now, these two men in my basemant, you say they are escaped prisoners? You wouldn't happen to be the one that flooded the Imperial City Prison with rodents would you?"
"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.
"It's in the latest issue of the Black Horse Courier" Manheim said, reaching over to the table and grabbing it.
I looked it over quickly. "Oh no, Foxy will not be pleased with this! I have to go, will you please make sure they get food and air?"
Manheim tightened his arms quickly and then released me. "I'll take care of them, you just come back soon."
He led the way outside, and I noticed he wore no pants, only his shirt and apron!
"Manheim, you have no pants on!" I was shocked.
"Well, see, I'm from the mountains, it's in my blood to live in the cold. Down here, well, it just gets too hot to wear all that cover. One shot of the 'rotgut' and the shirt and apron have to come off too."
"What is 'rotgut'?" I asked, intrigued by the thought of Manheim running around the Inn waiting on customers in nothing but his underpants.
"Nordic Whiskey. You can't get it here, I make a pilgrimage every now and then up to Skyrim, it's made up high in the mountains."
"Bootleg? You bootleg whiskey? Why Manheim, I would never have suspected! Do you not find it uncomfortable to wait on customers in nothing but your underpants?"
"Oh no, I don't take a shot of it when customers are going to be around."
"Well how do you know? You had no idea I was coming, I just showed up! Doesn't that mean that I may show up one day or night and find you in here in nothing but your underpants?"
Manheim's face reddened. "Well, it could happen, I guess."
He looked embarrassed, so I quit teasing at him. "Oh Manheim, I am just joking with you because I did not expect to see a man in his underwear running an Inn. In the Bloodworks men were always seen in various stages of undress, it means nothing. Please don't let my teasing embarrass you. I was just surprised, that is all."
Manheim still looked uncomfortable. I felt bad that I had voiced my surprise, but couldn't take it back now. I sought instead for a change of conversation to put him at his ease.
"Manheim, are you and Minerva?you know."
Back came the red face. I guess my choice of changed conversation was not the ideal one.
"No, never! Never did, never would!" His voice was adamant. I believed him.
"I'm sorry, Manheim. I just?I wondered about that the last time I was here, when we were eating dinner. You know. I felt uncomfortable. Like I was intruding"
Manheim's answer was to kiss me. Just a short gentle kiss on the mouth, awkward, but there was no denying his passion, certainly not in light of his outfit. My head reeled slightly. Did Manheim care about me like that? Surely he knew about my feelings for Fathis. Surely he did.
"Manheim!" I breathed, shocked. "Uh, I have to go. I'll be back for them - for the men. I have to go." I tottered away with my fingers touching my lips.
I got my first kiss from the ghost of a vampire, my second from a man in his underpants. And the only man I wanted to kiss had refused to speak to me in well over a year. Why were men so confusing?
I wanted to go home. I needed to, where things were so simple once. Surely they could be that way again. I hadn't been around my family in so long.
Being with Manheim always made me so homesick for my family. He was too much like Alix, the way he cared for me and did things for me, held me close to tell me the worst news, hugged me goodbye, and the little nicknames. And the way he winked at me across the table that last time. I hoped Manheim would remain friends with me, because I would miss him if he didn't, but he knew I loved Fathis. He should not have kissed me like that. Not like that.
I decided to go home before returning to Foxy to face the music for the mouse fiasco. From what Manheim said, Alix already knew everything I had done wrong, so there was no point hiding out anymore. I wanted so badly to see them, to be held by someone who loved me again. I cut through the woods toward the Faregyl.
S'Jirra was ecstatic to see me, and hugged the stuffings out of me. Even Abhuki gave up her dour expression and smiled. But when I found out Alix and Fathis had gone together to the Imperial City to look for me, I left immediately. I wanted to see Alix so badly, but more than that, I wanted to see Fathis.
If Fathis was looking for me, and fought a vampire for me, he must care! I touched my lips, thinking of Manheim's kiss and how it would have felt if it had been Fathis. I hated to leave S'Jirra so quickly, but this was my only chance to make up with Fathis after well over a year since our last fight. The thought of him kissing me like that, feeling for me what Manheim did?I had to go.
***
Manheim watched her leave, wishing he had never mentioned the Courier. He could have sat like that all day talking and never grown tired of it. And the kiss. It had been too soon, that was obvious. She was still in love with Fathis.
Maybe she belonged with Fathis. They were both Mages, both smart. Both could fight like nothing Manheim had ever seen before. Even Alix had said that.
Manheim knew he wasn't smart, not like Fathis. And he would never be able to learn all that magic. The only fighting he had ever done was with his fists.
They had history between them, too. Other than going to all her fights Manheim had only met her the one time before, but when she was here, everything was so natural and comfortable. He felt confident and at ease; it was as if it had always been that way.
When she was gone that confidence was eroded away by doubts, specifically having to do with Fathis. Especially after that fight with Vicente, the way Fathis fought and took charge.
Maybe he was just chasing a dream and she would never feel for him what she did for Fathis. But somehow when she was here all he could think of was how perfect she was for himself, how easily they could converse and trust each other, how wonderful she felt in his arms.
Not just because she is the first girl I've ever seen naked, either, Manheim thought, dwelling on that image, and on the kiss, his first real kiss.
Especially walking behind the horses. Plop plop, fizz fizz... 
).
