It sounds like this could get very complicated with Nerussa. And with all these battles of self control brewing, ha, ha- should be good!!

The chapter was a great read, as Acadian pointed out, it was the contrast between Nerussa and Vols that made it hit the spot.
One minute- soft lovely curves, the next- cold, hard iron.
Delicious.

I love the new love interest you have here. I'm not sure if this was what you were implying last time Nerussa was in the story. I thought she was just admiring her hair. I can't wait to see what comes of it!

ARGH! You didn't tell me you had posted! Poor Vols! Teresa needs to fix him some eye-fixing herbs. Awesome write! (as usual!!) I am getting wound up for your next chapter!

The conversation between Teresa and Voldinius was like I was standing next to them while they were conversing. MAGNIFICENT!

Acadian: Stringy wood nymphs thank you!

Teresa's temper is something that has come out naturally in writing her. I was not really planning on her becoming temperamental, but when I was writing some of the future chapters I noticed her losing her temper more and more. That is why I went back and edited this chapter to include her noticing it herself. Apparently one does not have to be born with red hair to be that way. Even just dyeing it does the trick!

The Vols stuff is something I have wanted to do since the first chapter, and especially after Teresa saw him in all the bandages. I wanted to reveal what the Crisis cost him. I also wanted to reveal a little more about his background, namely that he was part Nord/part Imperial.

And thanks for the editing. That was from an earlier draft. I changed the words some, and missed pulling that out


Winter Wolf : Thank you! Things will get interesting with Nerussa. At least I hope people will find it interesting!


Jacki Dice: Thank you Jacki! I was indeed implying that in Not A Hero, I tried to be subtle about it in general, but Teresa did go to bed hoping that Nerussa would join her in it, and the next day Teresa found herself thinking how unfair it was that Nerussa had used her feminine wiles on her as she was going to kill Aelwin's slaughterfish.


mALX1: I did not want to distract you from helping me with the next chapter, because it was a great help! I got wound up writing it! (and in a good way, but not one I can describe on the forums... )


RemkoNL: Thank you Rem. I always worry when I have long stretches of dialogue that I am going to lose the reader's interest.

Ahhh. So what I had suspected about Teresa was true. Huh, I wonder where this will lead . . .

Anyway, good job on the chapter. Something I personally find interesting is when writers include the character's own thoughts in their writing, which you have done perfectly with Teresa. It's also cool to have reminders of what the Crisis cost people, which wasn't included ingame. You have reminded us of that with Vols losing his eye. Keep up the good work! (wow, i need to find something else to say :facepalm: )

Lol, should I send over another list of things we can't say on here? I never start thinking till after I have clicked on "Post" or "send" lol.

Broken-Scale: Oh, you suspected that Teresa had a hair-trigger temper?

Thank you for the compliments Scale. I have always put my characters thoughts in when I write. It makes it more personal. It is not as intimate as writing in the First Person, where you can say "I", but when doing a Third Person Limited perspective like this you can still get quite a bit into the protragonist's head. On the other hand I have never liked the Omniscient Third Person perspective because it completely lacks any intimacy.

Oh, pay special attention to this following post, because you make your appearance in it.


mALX1: Now that you mention it, is there a list posted anywhere of the words that the swear filter blocks out? If not I am going to PM one of the mods to find out. It would come in handy to know when I am writing people having arguments. Not to mention for some of the steamier scenes...

* * *

Chapter 6b ? Heart of Steel


"So when did you get back in town?" Volsinius asked, "and what's with the fancy get up?"

"I just got back this morning, I explored one of the old ruins on the east side of the lake yesterday, Fort Magia." Teresa said. She was not about to mention why she was dressed up.

"Fort Magia!" the legionary made the name sound like a curse, "didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" Teresa wondered.

"About the damn necromancers!" Volsinius exclaimed, "they murdered the mages from the Arcane University on Wellspring Island just a few days ago."

"What?" Teresa said in shock. Wellspring Island was less than a mile down the coast from the fort, across a little strait of water from the mainland. She had swam right past it when she had returned to the Imperial Island.

"We just got briefed on it this morning by the battlemage that found out," Volsinius said, "some creepy-looking Dunmer named Saya. Turns out she just graduated and went to get her staff made on the island, and found it crawling with necromancers. They'd killed everyone from the University a few days before and set up shop there, probably would've frosted her too if she wasn't a battlemage."

"I never saw a thing," Teresa's head whirled at the idea of those murders taking place so near to where she had been, with her having no idea. "Maybe that explains all the undead I found in the fort though. It was packed with skeletons, even a ghost."

"A ghost!" he cried, and suddenly Teresa thought that he sounded just like Simplicia, "dammit red, you gotta start being more careful if..."

Then his gaze trailed away, fixing on something down the street from them. Seconds later a shout came up from the same direction. Even as Teresa was turning to see what it was, the legionary was springing into action. His helmet clattered to the pavement as he darted to one side of road, his open hand reaching out in front of him.

Teresa marveled at how quickly he moved in the full suit of steel legionary armor that he wore. She doubted that she could even walk in all that metal, let alone run. He had the muscle for it though, she thought, probably more in one arm than she had in her entire body!

Teresa saw an Argonian vendor at a food stand down the street waving his hands and yelling, while a flash of dull brown and green made its way through the throngs of people toward the two of them. Teresa knew what that was in an instant, a thief who had just robbed the merchant of something, although she could not see who it was yet.

Somehow Volsinius did however, and he was standing directly in front of that blur when it emerged from a crowd of people. The next thing Teresa knew his steel-clad hand was clasped around a tiny arm, and the blur of motion had transformed into a little girl wearing dirty green clothing and clutching an apple in one hand.

She could not be more than ten years old, Teresa thought, feeling her heart lurch in her chest once more. The street urchin's brown hair was as dirty as her clothing, and her Breton features were thin to the point of gauntness. Her brown eyes were filled with woe as they looked up at the legionary who towered above her, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

By Mara, that could have been herself a decade ago, Teresa thought with growing horror. Her tongue slid into the hole between her molars where a tooth had once been, until Volsinius had knocked it out with an backhanded smack when she was a child. A slap because she had stolen a sweetroll, she thought.

She could not let him do that to this little girl! she thought with urgency as she scooped up his helmet and ran to where the two of them stood. She was not sure how, but she had to stop him.

"Well what do we have here?" the legionary rumbled, once more the lion of the street as he glowered down at his prey, "stealing is it? Do you know what the penalty is for theft?"

"Volsinius no!" Teresa shouted as she closed the distance between them, the folds of her long skirt threatening to wrap around her legs and trip her. "She's just a child!"

The watchman looked up at her, his face hard as stone. Then something odd happened to his features, something she had never seen him do before. He winked at her. It seemed so strange on his scarred face that it left her dumbfounded.

The girl said nothing as he took the apple from her hand, and still clutching her arm, marched her down to the vendor. The Argonian stood beside a simple wooden stall on the side of the street, piled high with apples, pears, and other fruits, with an awning of canvas overhead to block out the sun. He hissed with satisfaction and stared down at the Breton.

"Ahhh, you have captured the prey," the Argonian said in the low, raspy tone common to his race. "Now it can learn the error of its ways!"

"So this is your property then citizen?" Volsinius asked as he held up the fruit, all business now.

"Yes, it is mine," the Argonian hissed, "the tadpole snatched it when it thought I was not looking. But Broken-Scale sees all!"

"That's it then," Volsinius declared and handed the apple to the vendor. Then he glowered down at the Breton, "we have a special punishment for criminals like you."

She did whimper then, and tried to squirm from his grasp. But there was no escaping the vise of the legionary's grip, and she was forced to keep up as he strode down the street away from the Argonian fruit-seller.

"Volsinius, don't you hurt her!" Teresa cried, feeling her heart in her mouth, "Look at her, you can see she is hungry!"

"Stay out of this red," Volsinius rumbled, turning a corner down a side street and continuing to the larger, busier road beyond. "This is a watch matter now. Crime must be punished."

"She's just a little girl!" Teresa said, fighting to keep her rising anger in check this time, "not the Grey Fox!"

Volsinius looked at her and winked again. Teresa's words evaporated in her mouth. The legionary was up to something, she thought, but what? This was not like him at all. The Volsinius she had known before the Oblivion Crisis had been a blunt instrument. Was this the same man?

He stopped the front stoop of a leather shop, out of the traffic of the street, and knelt down to look the girl in the eye. She tried to look away from his maimed face, but he raised his other hand to turn her features back to his own.

"Now, what's your name girl?" his words were quieter now, only a low rumble rather than a loud growl. Teresa was not sure, but she thought it might be his idea of a soft voice.

She did not reply however, and once more tried to squirm away with a whimper.

"Oh let me," Teresa breathed, kneeling down and taking the girl in her arms. She felt a sigh of relief escape her lips as Volsinius relinquished his hold of the girl. At least he trusted her that much, she thought. She only hoped that she could find some way to salvage this mess.

"My name is Teresa," she said in a voice that was truly soft, and brushed the dirty hair from the girl's soft brown eyes, "and that Daedroth over there is Volsinius."

"Now what is your name?" she asked, doing her best to form a welcome smile.

"Brekke," the girl breathed, eyes darting from her to the legionary.

"How long has it been since you last ate Brekke?" Teresa asked.

"About three days," the girl mumbled. "Am I going to prison now?"

"No, not prison," Volsinius said, taking his helmet from Teresa and fixing it around his scarred head, "we have something else for you."

He stood up, then reached down to take the girl and lift her up in his arms. She squealed in surprise as he effortlessly hoisted her up on one shoulder, his arm still locked around her in a rock-hard grip.

The crowds parted in front of him, as they did for all legionaries, and Teresa followed in his wake as he marched to the same hot food stand that she had bought dumplings and wine from the first time she had visited him in his watchtower.

"Make way here, legion business!" Volsinius barked as the stepped up the stand, and as if by magic a space formed for him to step into. Setting the girl down on the stone counter, he gestured at the earthenware jars simmering with hot food that ran its length. "Now what do you like kid?"

Teresa felt her heart leap with joy, and for once a real smile crested her features as she looked up at the legionary. His blue eye met hers, and she thought she saw it soften for just a moment.

"How about some sausage?" he suggested, "or maybe some minced beef, well, maybe its beef, it looks like it's from some kind of animal with four legs at least..."

"You aren't going to lock me up?" the girl asked, looking up at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"Does it look like it kid?" the legionary rasped in exasperation. "Now are you hungry or not? 'cause if not then we can just go..."

"No! I want that!" the young Breton declared as Volsinius pretended that he was going to step away, her finger pointing to a jar filled with steaming fish.

"Good choice," Teresa said as she stepped to the other side of the street urchin. The Khajiit vendor filled a plate with the succulent fish and smothered it with garum, and Volsinius passed over a coin to pay for it. "Some of that goat's milk for her too." Teresa declared, handing him another coin.

"I want wine!" Brekke declared, pointing to the steaming red liquid in one of the jars along the counter.

"Not a chance kid!" Volsinius laughed, still looking across the child and at Teresa. "You drink that milk and you'll grow up tall and strong like Teresa there. Maybe you'll even be great a Daedra-slayer like her too! That's how she got that way you know."

The girl's eyes widened as she looked from one advlt to the other. Then the Khajiit put the plate of food in front of her, and she had eyes for nothing else. She devoured it with single-minded gusto, and Volsinius ordered a loaf of bread afterward and handed it to her as they walked away.

"Now you hide that so the big kids don't take it away," Teresa warned her, and the girl obligingly made the bread vanish in her skirts.

"From now on when you get hungry you come and find me," the legionary declared, "and we'll get something to eat again. My name is Volsinius, can you remember that?"

"Vols..." she muttered, staring up at his towering form. "Vols..."

"Aww, that's good enough kid," Volsinius chuckled. "You can tell which watchman I am 'cause I'm the handsome one right?"

Brekke laughed then and beamed back up at him.

"Now if I'm not on the street, you go to that tower down there and tell them you're looking for me." he said, pointing down the street to the same watchtower that Teresa had been visiting him at since the Oblivion Crisis had ended.

"And one more thing kid, and this is very important" Volsinius said, now kneeling down to look her in the eye. "You gotta make a solemn pact with me. You gotta promise me you're gonna keep your nose clean and stay out of trouble. I catch you stealing again, and the deal's off. You got that?"

She nodded, still smiling up at him and Teresa. The wood elf felt her heart melt when she stared into the street urchin's brown eyes. That could so easily have been her, Teresa thought. What might her life had been like if Volsinius had done the same when he had caught her, so many years ago? How would she have felt about the Legion then?

"Run along now Brekke," she said, biting her lower lip again, "and be careful."

The little street urchin took off down the street like an arrow and vanished into an alley in moments. She had been just the same, Teresa thought as she stared after her. So quiet, so wide-eyed, so filled with desperation...

"You did that because of me, back then, didn't you?" she turned to face Volsinius, thinking of that backhanded smack across her face ten years earlier.

"I'm just doing my job is all," the legionary continued to stare down the street after Brekke. "That kid might be the next Grey Fox if I don't turn her from a life of crime."

That was just like him, she thought as she put her arms around his armored form and held him tight. But maybe his heart was not made of steel after all...

Wow. Vols is my new hero!

I thought surely Teresa was going to get to use a healing potion on the little girl's jaw, and maybe bruise her own hands again on Vols' armor with that temper? nope. :shakehead:


Heart of Steel.:read: This was a lovely story, and well done.

Wonderful interaction between Teresa and Vols using the young girl to show vs tell us so much about the characters of Teresa and Vols. It is clear they have become friends and I believe both are the better for it. I thought Vols would change Teresa over time. I see I was right. I didn't realize that she would change him as well?.

Ok, I expect you to give me credit for not pestering you with any 'editory' nits... er, notes. (Only because I saw none of course ).

Now? some questions:

-When are we going to hear more of this 'creepy' (do you mean 'goth hot' here?) looking Dunmer, Saya and some of her carnage?

-'By Mara, that could have been herself a decade ago, Teresa thought with growing horror.' Aside from the fact that this is a beautiful sentence, does your Wood Elf also follow Mara? Sounds like she might like Bravil (the City of Mara) - it's a wonderful place.

-Don't you think that beautiful gown is going to get trashed if Teresa doesn't get to the Wawnet Inn soon?

Another pleasure to read! :foodndrink:

SubRosa:

I read through Teresa II - Moving Through Darkness while at work today. Very well done. One of the things you do well is let the characters tell the story; the dungeon chapter, Fort Magia, I thought, was particularly well done. I also enjoy the "voice" of Teresa's character, the way she thinks and sounds. Overall, I enjoyed reading this immensely.

I can offer grammar and punctuation corrections, if you wish. Some people don't like grammar criticism, so I won't say anything until I sure you want to hear it.

Keep writing. I'll keep reading.

ADDED LATER: Wow, somehow I missed the screenshots. I mean, I saw them, but skipped over them. Amazing! Thanks for posting those, they really do add to the story.

YaY! Vols does rock does he not? I am so happy with how he went from the barely mentioned demon of Teresa's past in Not A Hero to his current role. I actually have some Vols scenes (sans Teresa, basically a small Vols story) planned for the future. :toughninja:




Thank you. They have an interesting relationship, and yes both have changed the other because of it. I am not sure if friends is the right term yet though. The reason is that their relationship is founded upon guilt. Teresa's guilt for Vols being maimed in the Crisis, and Vols' guilt over what he did to Teresa when she was a child (which you can see him trying to exorcise in this chapter). I do not think they can ever truly be friends until they can forgive themselves for these things. Yet there certainly is a strong bond that has formed there, in spite of all that. That bond will be put to the test in the near future...



Inconceivable! oo: Well, maybe Danielle will have some for me...



Yes, that is goth-girl (or should I say Gothmer?) hot there. I hesitate to say, because in my original outline Teresa was supposed to be in Bravil at the start of Chapter 4. Well, I have written up to Chapter 8 so far, and still nowhere near Bravil. I keep adding things to the story I had never originally intended. Like this entire chapter in fact, and the next and the next. If I keep to my current outline then Teresa should be in Bravil at Chapter 10. Saya ought to appear sometime after that.

Teresa never really followed anybody, except perhaps Nocturnal (and even that was your typical thief's rather ambivalent attitude toward the Night Mistress). But as you have noticed, she has not been the same since meeting the Emperor, and she continues to grow as a person. Learning what happened to Simplicia, and her own part in the old woman's life, have certainly had a very powerful, if subtle effect on her beliefs. Likewise with meeting Brekke. Then there will be other events in the future that will sway her too.

Although to be honest, it is Dibella who is foremost in Teresa's mind at the moment, not Mara or Nocturnal...






Thank you very much. Wow, you read though all of Moving Through Darkness! That is quite a chore! Thank you again for taking the time to do that.

Please shout out any grammar mistakes you find! Usually Acadian and Treydog find them all between the two of them. But if you are quick you might be able to beat them to the punch! Especially since Treydog has not been around much lately. I think he and his Dunmer wife might be out hunting missing-link moose-mice...

It feels very strange (but I did like it) to have a child wandering around the land of Cyrodiil. Those game designers at Beth have so warped with my thinking that something as natural as that now seems abnormal. Somehow that doesnt seem fair. And what did they do? Yes, they put kids into Fallout 3 and made them imprevious to guns, weapons, knives, grenades, missiles and nuclear explosions.
Now Iam even more confused than ever....


Quick, change the middle part around and this will be a fantastic line. :ninja:


Yes, and expect a visit from my Bosmer assassin if this doesnt happen soon. :flame:

Very powerful and emotional interaction between Teresa and Vols - she is still haunted by that memory, and getting into the head of Vols is a good thing; to know what motivated him may help Teresa let it drop into the past. Awesome write, this had me riveted from start to finish - extremely well written!




When I want to check a word to see if it will be censored: send a PM to yourself and write the word on it. If it won't fly it will be censored in the PM.

Okay, just a couple of grammar suggestions. First, the sentence:

"Fort Magia!" the legionary made the name sound like a curse, "didn't you hear?"

Should be punctuated like this:

"Fort Magia!" The legionary made the name sound like a curse. "Didn't you hear?"

There use of the ! makes for three independent sentences. Also, "legionary" is an adjective meaning relating to a legion (one easy way to tell: if the word ends in y = adjective). The noun you're looking for is legionnaire. (You do that several times throughout the chapter.)

Sorry to nitpick!

Winter Wolf: It is pretty weird how there are no children in Oblivion. Or bathrooms (this is starting to sound like a quote of Sheogorath's...). (You would think the Skingrad Mages Guild would be full of kids the way everyone down there is sleeping with everyone else...

That was bloody brilliant with swapping around that line! Thank you very much!


mALX: Well, Teresa is not really haunted by the memory anymore, but she will never forget it either. The idea of it happening again to someone else does haunt her though. Especially someone who is a mirror image of who she was at the time. In a way it is actually Vols who is more disturbed by it now, hence the way he handled Brekke. Again, because she is a mirror image of what Teresa was at that time. Brekke is his only chance to go back in time and make things right, as it were.

What I did a bit of today was to edit one of my old posts, put a word in, and do a preview. It censors the previews, so you can see without making any actual changes.


GothGirl Danielle: Thank you for taking a look at things and making notes! Please do not take any of this negatively, but I have to make some disagreements below. Please do keep criticisms coming though! I know I make mistakes and I really do appreciate it when people point them out so I can fix them. It is the only way to improve.

I used to do the punctuation in dialogue exactly as you illustrated. But I have learned that an exclamation mark does not end a sentence in those caes, rather it works like a comma. The same with question marks too. It was actually Rachel the Breton who turned me onto that back in the beginning of Not A Hero. http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/page25.html describes all the ins and outs better than I can.

Likewise Legionary is not an adjective. It is a noun, because it is a Latin word, not an English one. So the regular English rules do not apply. It means a member of a legion, basically the same as our word "soldier". Legionary is what all members of the Roman legions are called, both by the Romans themselves at the time and all historians. Legionnaire is the French word for a member of a legion. It is used to denote a member of the French Foreign Legion. Or it is used if you are speaking French.

I have gone out of my way to use legionary because the Imperial Legion is loosely modeled after the Roman Legions, and has no similarity at all to the French Foreign Legion, so I feel it is much more appropriate. I honestly have no idea why Bethesda used the French word. At first I thought they must be a French-speaking company but now I believe they are not. It is not the first time I came across an inappropriate title in Oblivion. Sir Mazoga for example should be Dame Mazoga, as that is the proper title for a female of the rank of Knight. Sir is only for males.

Now I will be forced to go back to an old post and see if you may have left a curse word on one! lol. (if I see one and have a drink in my mouth, the keyboard has had it, lol)

Lots and lots of SubRosa goodness in these latest installments. Teresa's experiences in Fort Magia were brilliantly described- I could feel the icy water around my feet as we waded through the darkness.

This line stood out:



Simple, elegant, descriptive.

The scenes with Volsinius were equally brilliant- I love good, tension-laden dialogue. And you provide useful background information without breaking the narrative...

Finally, the way you weave "in-game" information into the story in a "real world" fashion- of course the Legion would hear of necromancers so close to the City, esp. after the Mythic Dawn business. But it is only "of course" once we see it as you have written it.

Good job again. I know, I'm stating to sound repetitive, but I can't think of anything else to say. Good job on the incorporating of other in game storylines along side Teresa's tale (is the dunmer you mentioned another character of yours?) and of making the world a little more realistic by adding children into your story. Little things like these go a long way.

P.S. Nice job with Broken-Scale. I actually did have him become a trader after retiring from adventuring, so it fits. :goodjob:

mALX1: No need to go back, I have not tried to squirrel any naughtyisms in old posts.

Ever think about buying one of http://www.google.com/products?q=plastic+keyboard+cover&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3a%6ffficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=5SEkS729NM6FnAfFtpTiCQ&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CC8QrQQwAg They probably come in handy when reading or watching pR0n on the computer too...


treydog: Welcome back dog! Thank you for the kind observations.

The Legion is actually having a lot of problems Post-Crisis, due to heavy losses at Kvatch, Bruma, and the Imperial City. In a few more chapters Teresa will learn more about it first-hand when she journeys to Bravil and meets a legionary on patrol. I am also going to show a much tighter relationship between the Mages Guild/Arcane University and the Legion than there is in the game. I am going to portray the Arcane U as being like many U.S. (and probably European) Universities in that it receives government subsidies in return for giving students military training (these are the battlemages). Some go straight into the Legion upon graduation and remain there as career soldiers. Most however are only called up to serve in wars and other crisis', such as the Oblivion Crisis. So because of that the Imperial Legion will really be the ones fighting the necromancers in the Mages Guild questline, not the teachers at the Arcane U (although people such as Raminus Polus and Archmage Traven would serve in important advisory roles, given their wealth of knowledge).


Broken-Scale (sees all): Thank you Scale. Yes that Dummer is another character - Saya, she is my current avatar in fact. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion231.jpg she is in her killing clothes, and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion228.jpg she is sitting with Kud-Ei at the Mages Guildhouse in Bravil. She will be turning up as a minor character later, if I can ever get Teresa to Bravil...

How perfect Broken-Scale retired! Now it even fits.



I was going to wait until tomorrow to start posting chapter 7, but no time like the present! Let's dance...

(Chick Writing Warning! All the men in the reading audience may want to put a football game or war movie on in the background when they read this chapter, otherwise they may experience an overdose of estrogen...)

I want to give a special thanks to mALX, who helped me a great deal with this next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7a ? Dibella's Dance


The sun was sliding under the horizon when Teresa reached the Wawnet Inn. She felt her heart quicken its pace as butterflies fluttered about in a lively dance within her stomach. Nerussa was inside, she knew. Would the high elf remember her? Would she like her? Would she feel the same way that Teresa did?

By Dibella, how do people do this! Teresa wondered as she pushed open the door and stepped inside. Pausing to lick her suddenly dry lips and run a hand to smooth down any errant locks of hair, she turned to the right and did her best to gracefully move down the steps.

A dozen men and women sat around the wooden tables scattered throughout the room. Most were clad in fishing waders or other simple garb, their hands were rough and their faces weathered. However, she also saw a few members of the Imperial Legion, their armor dusty from travel and eyes looking worn and bloodshot. Most of the patrons looked up from their mugs as she entered, and Teresa imagined that it must have been the soft burgundy skirt and top she wore that caused their eyes to linger.

"Teresa! is that you?" Nerussa's voice rang out to the left of the red-haired Bosmer. Turning, Teresa saw the tall Altmer woman standing behind a small bar. She wore a gown of black and gold velvet that was highlighted with lace, and once again her blond hair was cunningly tied behind her head by thin sticks that dangled eye-catching jewels.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion192.jpg

It was the Altmer woman's eyes that caught Teresa however, as they always did. She felt a smile cross her lips as she fell into those deep amber pools. It was not the usual faint smile that she reserved for most, but a wide grin that sparkled with ivory-white teeth. Teresa felt the breath catch in her throat as she lost herself in the other woman's stare, and for a moment she forgot about everything else in the world.

"Nerussa," she finally said as awareness returned to her. Stepping up to the bar, she laid her hands on its smooth wooden surface and leaned forward. "Hi."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion193.jpg

Dibella, I am such an idiot! Teresa found herself silently cursing. She had spent all day thinking about this moment and that was all she could say? Hi? Nerussa must think she is a bumbling fool, she thought.

"It is so good to see you again," Nerussa smiled, leaning forward herself. If the attractive high elf did think less of her, it certainly did not show. She took Teresa's hands in her own and held them gently. Her fingers were soft and warm, Teresa thought as her heart picked up its pace, just as she had imagined they would be.

"I never had the chance to say goodbye when you were last here. Or to thank you for helping Aelwin. I am so glad you came by again," Nerussa continued, still looking deeply into Teresa's eyes.

"Um, how is Aelwin?" Teresa asked, hoping to steer the subject away from her abrupt departure during her previous visit. She prayed that the fisherman was not sitting in the room behind her. The last thing she needed was to look like an even greater idiot.

"Oh he is wonderful." Nerussa beamed, her hands still warmly holding Teresa's. "When he delivered those slaughterfish scales to the alchemist in Skingrad he fell in love with the city. He says there is not a drop of water anywhere in sight, and that is just how he likes it! He came back to pack up his things and was off again the next day to retire there."

"But what am I thinking?" the Altmer said, finally disengaging herself from Teresa and stepping back to look around behind the counter, "would you like some wine?"

"Oh, speaking of wine?" Teresa smiled again, or was she still smiling from when she had first set eyes upon Nerussa? she was not sure. She slid the bag from her shoulder and gently laid it on the bar. Untying the cord that held it closed, she reached inside with only the slightest quiver in her hand and drew forth both of the bottles of wine that she had recovered from Fort Magia.

"I brought some for you," Teresa declared, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.

"Oh my goodness, Shadowbanish Wine!" Nerussa exclaimed, clapping her hands together with a delight that could only be genuine. "You found some, and you remembered me!"

"Of course I remembered you," Teresa said automatically, "I've been thinking about you since we met."

"Oh you say the sweetest things Teresa," Nerussa's smile deepened and her eyes practically glowed, while her cheeks took on a warm, rosy hue. She walked around the bar and put her arms around Teresa, enfolding her in a gentle embrace.

Teresa sighed in contentment as the smooth velvet of Nerussa's gown surrounded her. She smelled lavender on the Altmer woman's hair and the scent pomegranates underneath it. Most of all she was keenly aware of the softness of the high elf's body as it pressed against her own. She closed her eyes and drank in the moment, savoring every breath of Nerussa's scent, every inch of her body that she felt.

When Nerussa drew away, it was far too soon for Teresa. By Dibella, how did the Altmer have such an effect upon her? she wondered. Women like Methredhel and Adanrel did not make her feel like this. Well, maybe they did, she grudgingly admitted, but only a little. But she could forget how attractive they were, they were more like sisters after all. Once she set eyes upon Nerussa however, there was no getting her out of her thoughts.

"Why don't you help me take these upstairs and put them away?" Nerussa suggested, picking up the bottles and handing one to Teresa. Before Teresa could respond the high elf took her by the hand and led her up the stairs, past the front door, and to the second floor overhead.

Teresa could not take her eyes off Nerussa's body as it swayed gently back and forth with every step above her. Her hips were hypnotic, transfixing Teresa's stare upon them. Her mouth felt dry once more as she clung to Nerussa's hand. Were they going to her bedroom? Teresa wondered.

The Altmer woman sauntered down the short hallway to the last door with Teresa still in tow. There she stopped and let go of the wood elf's hand in order to draw forth a ring of keys from one of the folds in her gown. Shaking loose one of shining brass, she unlocked the door and led Teresa within.

The room was large, easily three times the size of the guest room that Teresa recalled spending the night in during her previous visit. A soft carpet was stretched out over the wooden planks of the floor, and the walls were decorated with warm-colored hangings that Teresa imagined might be silk. Several watercolor paintings of the great forest hung between the tapestries, and seemed so vibrant and alive with color that she could swear she was looking into the actual woodland. The furniture was of polished rosewood and inlaid with delicate carvings of interlocking geometric shapes.

The bed was large enough for two, and draqed in a blue velvet blanket over silk sheets and matching pillows. Near it was a full-length mirror and a wardrobe. Beside that was a shoulder-high partition of delicate metal ribs covered in floral-patterned silk. Made in three hinged pieces, Teresa could see that it might be folded up to easily put away, or when set out as it was it would afford one a place to change clothing behind without another person in the room seeing.

Across the room was a vanity with a large mirror rising from it surface, and laid out with all manner of combs, brushes, bottles, and jars. Teresa imagined those must be all sorts of perfumes, lotions, and makeup. Next to it was a writing desk, and several comfortable-looking chairs and couches were scattered throughout the room.

Nerussa stepped to a short rack of wine bottles against one wall. Teresa marveled at the grace in which she walked. Every part of her body seemed to sway in gentle concord with the rest, as if she were dancing. Nerussa bent and carefully slid her bottle into an empty spot, then turned and reached out her hand to take the second from Teresa.

"You certainly live well." Teresa breathed as she looked around the room. Compared to Umbacano she was a pauper, Teresa knew. Yet where Umbacano Manor had a cold, ominous feel to it, Nerussa's private chamber was warm and inviting. Like rose petals spread across the surface of a hot bath, it beckoned one with the promise of its delights. When she finished gathering Umbacano's statues this is how she would spend the money, Teresa decided. After a lifetime of living on the streets it seemed like paradise.

"You like it?" Nerussa smiled as she put away the last wine bottle, pausing to let her fingers linger over the label before sliding it home within the rack. "I learned a long time ago to appreciate the pleasures in life. It is the little things, like the feeling of silk upon your skin, or the taste of a fine wine, that make life a joy to live."

"I never really thought about it," Teresa admitted with honesty. Life had always been simply a struggle to get from one day to the next for her. Things like pleasures or happiness had never entered into her imagination, at least not until now.

"You must have lived a hard life," Nerussa said what Teresa was thinking, "I can see it in your eyes. You look so sad most of the time. But when you smile, it is like the summer sun rising from the clouds."

Teresa felt her cheeks blossom with warmth as she dropped her head. Did she really seem so glum? she wondered. Worse, was Nerussa feeling nothing but pity for her?

"I am sorry dear, I didn't mean to embarrass you." the Altmer woman laid her hands on Teresa's shoulders and let her fingers slowly trace their way down her arms. "You are like a wildflower, delicate and beautiful, yet strong and enduring. I admire you so much."

"You do?" Teresa wondered, raising her head to look into Nerussa's eyes. She saw no pity there, nor subterfuge.

"Indeed," Nerussa took Teresa's hands in her own and gently squeezed, "Aelwin told me how brave you were when you killed those slaughterfish for him. I wish I had the kind of courage that people like you do. I am afraid to even think of what you faced to get that wine."

"Oh, it was not that bad, only a few skeletons and a ghost," Teresa did smile then, albeit only faintly. Not that bad at all, she thought to herself, never mind that she had nearly been killed...

"Only one of those things would send me running and screaming to the nearest legion post!" Nerussa exclaimed, her eyes brilliant with light, "you are so very courageous!"

Teresa turned her head down again as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks once more. She never liked it when people complimented her. It made her worry that they wanted something from her in return. Why else would someone say something kind to her? For some reason it only felt worse when it was about fighting. All she ever did was survive, she thought, it was people like Martin Septim and his father who deserved praise, for they had not.

"But what am I thinking?" the sound of Nerussa's voice made her look back up. The Altmer finally let go of her hands, and with a smile she ambled to the delicately carved writing desk. Using another key from her ring, she opened one of its lower drawers and drew forth several small bags that clinked with the distinctive sound of coins.

"The least I can do is pay you for the wine, as we agreed," Nerussa said as she returned with the bags, passing them to Teresa, "I just hope you were not harmed doing it."

"Oh I'm fine, nothing a few healing potions couldn't fix up," Teresa said, once more not thinking of her words until after they spilled from her lips. She was not sure if she should feel grateful for the look of concern that suddenly crested upon Nerussa's finely-shaped features, or curse herself for being so doltish to admit the danger.

"I'm only joking," Teresa added quickly, and Nerussa seemed to relax, "I really am fine."

"Look at me, acting like a porcelain princess," Nerussa rolled her eyes, "I am sure you do this monster-slaying sort of thing all the time. I could tell when I first set eyes on you that you were a seasoned warrior."

Teresa tried to think of how to tell her she was not, when suddenly the Altmer looked up.

"Oh goodness, I have to get back down to the common room before those fishermen drink all of my ale without paying for a drop!" she exclaimed with an infectious grin that prompted a wide smile from Teresa as well. "I'll go broke, and there will be no more wine for either of us!"

"You will stay the night, won't you Teresa?" Nerussa asked as she led the wood elf into the hallway and locked her bedroom door behind her. "We have never really been able to spend time together."

Teresa's breath caught at Nerussa's final words, and she wondered if the statuesque woman meant them the way that she hoped she did.

"I would like that very much," Teresa said with more than just a faint smile.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion194.jpg

Man, Teresa is lucky. She only had to get 2 bottles of Shadowbanish. I had to get 6!!

Anyway, its about time she got back to Nerussa. I've been wanting to see if Teresa gets a love interest in this story. Am I right in saying that she does get one?

Now its time to help correct things:

Quote/// "You will stay the night won't you Teresa?" Nerussa asked as she led the wood elf into the hallway and locked her bedroom door behind her, "we have never really been able to spend time together." ///Quote.
In this, there should be a comma before won't and we should either be capitalized or have a comma in front of it.
Quote/// Near it were a full-length mirror and a wardrobe. /// Quote.
Were should be was here: Near it was a full-length mirror and a wardrobe.

Those are the only mistakes I saw. Good job yet again! :goodjob:

A great read. The description of the room and the character's thoughts was very impressive.
Let us hope that nobody from the Black Horse Courier was in attendance on this night. Lol.


Such a good line. :goodjob:

You had to make me choke to death laughing right before I read this, didn't you? I should have known better than to click the link anyway, but then afterward this line stood out:

- I am still trying to figure out what I could possibly do to my keyboard during such activities, - ROFL!!


Your story was Awesome, I already knew that! It seems a tad shorter than I would have remembered. Awesome write SubRosa, I know how much work you put into writing this!

Quite simply a beautiful story!

Your touch is perfect throughout. I cheered for Teresa as Nerussa seemed to welcome her warmly. Simply lovely!

Finally! A toothy grin from our Wood Elf! You have such a nice touch with her humility and self doubt. You also did a very nice job of bringning Nerussa alive as a caring young woman - someone who is easy to like.

Yay SubRosa! :twirl:

Isn't the grass always greener on the other side? Teresa admires the Atmer's 'statuesqueness'. No doubt, Nerussa admires the Bosmer's 'elven petiteness'. Oh well...

All: Keep your eyes peeled for more. This chapter is 7,500 words, so I figure there will be two more posts to it.


Broken-Scale: Thank you for catching those things!

I was not going to make her wait for 6 bottles, it never made any sense to me that the Nerussa in the game says "don't come back until you have 6". They should have just had her pay you her going rate every time you brought her some, like the Count of Leyawin does when you bring him black bows.

Love interest might not be the correct term here though. Lust interest is probably better!


Winter Wolf: Thank you. I do not think everyone in the common room of the Inn will be getting naked, so no need for reporters to document the festivities!


mALX1: Thank you, and thank you again for all your help in reviewing this and helping me improve it.


Acadian: Thank you. Plenty of big smiles in the next few posts for a change!

Nerussa is not young though. She is not old yet either, one of the privileges of being an elf... There will be a lot more about Nerussa in the next two posts, where we will see exactly what it is about Teresa that she envies.