Those Remaining : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:25 pm

OOC: Sorry IN. I need that Shaman. (Ohhh, kinky!)

IC: Arybeth couldn't see the face of the guard as his throat was cut, but she could see the blood splattering into the snow, and over Karst. Even before the shaman had fully turned toward her, Arybeth was on her way to kill him.
It wasn't about revenge or punishment, neither was it justice she wanted to serve. More than anything else, it was shock. Arybeth could hardly believe her eyes, how could anyone kill anyone else without any need, and not even show remorse? She herself was struggling with guilt for killing Hurak who'd tried to kill her, and this shaman would walk away with a clear conscience?

Perhaps anger played a role in her sudden attack, and it blinded her to her surroundings. Whatever the reason, she made her move at the most inopportunate time, as Lore's spell hit her instead of the shaman. Her birthsign prevented her from being rooted to the floor just inside the shaman's reach, but it couldn't prevent her from being thrown off balance. Realizing how easy a target she was, Arybeth gasped audibly. "This is bad."

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:15 am

OOC: Ah, I'm gonna miss you Uberbau. Do come back if you get more time won't you?

IC: The Shaman didn't do the obvious thing and go for the vulnerable woman with his sword, no, he let her stumble towards him, before catching her in his arms and bringing her into a choking embrace so that the pair of them both faced Lore. He still didn't know whether he could pull this off, but there wasn't much time left; he had never tried magic like this before when he was so drained, but using the life of others to help power it? It was close to necromancy, and he had never been a necromancer, but still, worth a try.

His blade came up to Arybeths exposed neck, and to anyone who was watching, it was obvious what was going to happen next. He looked straight at Lore, and through his still smiling lips uttered the words, "If you want me so badly," His hold on Arybeth tightened, "Just leave Mountainholm and call for me, then we can talk."

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:05 am

Arybeth was frantically searching for a way out, but her mind could not seem to find a course of action that would save her life. "[censored]! It can't end like this!"

<->

Juliek had already started running when Arybeth was hit by the spell, his anger directed at himself, Lore and the shaman alike. Again it seemed that everything was his fault, had he not wasted his magicka on Lore he could have fought the shaman, and Lore might not have lived to cast that damned spell. In this moment of fear and anger, Juliek regretted having tried to help Lore, and he would have gladly traded in her life for Arybeth's.
"Curse you, foolish Altmer wench!", Juliek yelled in passing, resisting the urge to fight her.

His valor might have been commendable, but his plan was rather crude, in desperation he simply threw himself on the shaman.

OOC: It's been a pleasure to RP with all of you. :wave:

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:43 pm

It was in that instant, when Arybeth's final thoughts flashed through her mind, and Juliek leapt towards the Shaman, that the blade flashed across Arybeths exposed neck. Blood erupted from the wound like lava from an active volcano, and in an instant her body went limp. As it did so, the Shaman shouted something inaudibly; and just as Juliek landed on him, his body vanished in a flash of light and a deafening crack.

The Shaman had dissapeared, again.

And Juliek was gone too.

Leaving only the dead Arybeth lying there in their place, blood still gushing from the wound across her neck.

» Fri May 27, 2011 8:24 am

ooc: Aww.. Well, come back again if you can. It was fun.

ic: Despite her coughing and sputtering and crying in internal agony, Karst managed to sit up. I have to get up and fight.. I can't let him hurt--

Her thoughts were cut off as she looked up and her body froze up. Arybeth got hit with a spell from Lore, stumbled into the Shaman, and the Shaman slit her throat. Karst tried to stand and run to her aid, hoping to heal the wound before she bled out, but in standing her ribs moved and she screamed in pain, collapsing again on hands and knees. Arybeth's body fell next to her.

Vaguely, she heard Juliek shout something, then the Shaman do the same, but all she could really hear and see was Arybeth. She choked once and went limp, crimson still spilling from her throat. Karst sputtered nonsense quietly and even her thoughts were in disarray. No.. No, I.. She..

Her physical pain almost melted away as she suddenly felt very numb. Silently, Karst pushed herself to her knees and gathered Arybeth's body in her arms, claws digging into her hair, and wept, occasionally wincing as a sharp pain lanced through her cracked ribcage. I failed. I failed again. I.. I'm useless. I can't protect anyone.. With her nose buried in Arybeth's hair, the woman's blood spilling on her robe and neck, she sniffed and managed to eke out a question to no one. "Why?"

» Fri May 27, 2011 12:39 pm

OOC: Hi peoples! I shall go ahead and throw the character sheet up for all to see... and enter... sometime. Soon. Yes. Indeed. *just posts*

Name: Reissa
Race: Khajiit
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Birthsign: Mage

Height: 5`6``
Weight: ~130 lbs.
Eyes: Gold
Hair: N/A
Gen. Appearance: Reissa is a pretty Khajiit female, with an elegant, lithe form and soft, subdued facial features. She takes care of her body fairly well, and hates getting dirty (even her hands). Her arm muscles are not particularly large nor strong, but her shapely legs are surprisingly powerful. She has very light coloring down her middle on her front, turning to golden brown on her sides and back.

Religious Affiliation: Interested in Meridia

Skills:
-Major: Destruction, Restoration, Athletics, Alteration, Unarmored
-Minor: Short Blade, Acrobatics, Conjuration, Spear, Alchemy

Weapon(s): Steel wakizashi with an emerald-colored hilt, sheathed at her side; Silver dagger sheathed on her right thigh
Clothing/Armor: Black leather pants, black silk bodice, usually a dark blue robe of some rough fabric hanging partially open at the front. When going out anywhere, two brown leather belts secure the robe; one just under her chest, the other at her waist with her wakizashi on it. Her dagger is worn on the side of her left leg, even at home (except when sleeping). In colder climates, she wears fur clothing on the outside of her normal outfit with the robe over it, with decent-quality gloves and fur wrapped around her paws. She likes trying on clothes, but rarely wears anything other than her normal clothing for long. She usually does not wear armor, but may if she finds it.
Items: A few health- and magicka-restoring potions in small steel vials in her robe, sometimes bottles of drinks; a small leather pouch usually tied over her right hip containing a small amount of gold, grinding stones, and occasionally scrolls or alchemic ingredients. Other items are rarely carried, but may be on demand.

Personality: Reissa is a cheerful, lighthearted girl with a keen interest in the magical arts and overall insatiable curiosity. She is quick-witted and usually quite logical, but can be naive when distracted, or in relation to subjects with which she is unfamiliar. In battle, she can be reckless, especially if gripped by anger. At times, her emotions can override her logic, and may have random mood swings. She easily gets stressed out and in such a state can be reclusive and snappy.

History: Reissa was born in Border Watch to a poor family shortly before the Oblivion Crisis. At the beginning of the Crisis, her parents moved to Bravil, seeking greater defense from the approaching hordes of daedra. Being confined to the city walls, however, did not suit her well. She could do little to entertain herself, as she knew almost no one in the city, and so she resorted to experimenting with her naturally widened pool of magicka.

As the Crisis ended and Cyrodiil enjoyed a short period of relative peace, Reissa became very explorative and often ventured outside the city. She picked flowers, other plants, and fungi and took more interest in discovering their use in potions than displaying them in vases or bowls. This was unusual for a young Khajiit girl, and her parents made a point of this, but she ignored them and continued exploring the vast world of magic.

However, at the Hurak invasion, Reissa was separated from her parents. She had nowhere to go, constantly fleeing from advancing enemies farther and farther north. She took refuge in many places before eventually settling down in Mountainholm. It was not a favorable climate to her, but it was as safe as she would get, as far as she knew. She continued her experimentation with magic and alchemy, becoming a more-than-competent mage as well as a decent fighter with smaller blades and conjured spears.

Other Infos:
-Does not drink often, but may drink heavily when she does
-Is somewhat nocturnal by nature, usually has trouble waking early
-Tends to try new ingredients by eating them (if they smell alright)
-Is adapted to a warmer climate, tends to get cold easily
-When really mad, may wish to rend flesh with her own claws and teeth (scratchy kitty)

» Fri May 27, 2011 3:04 pm

ooc: Hooray for Ja'Reissa!

We could use another furry anti-hero.

Now to get you going..

ic: Pain. Dull, throbbing pain in her head. That's all Fedura was aware of. She was vaguely aware of another presence nearby, touching her, examining her, but it didn't fully register. With a groan, one leatherbound hand went up to the side of her head and she felt tears welling in her eyes at the intensity of the throbbing in both points of impact. "Ohh.. son of a [censored]. What happened?" she asked nobody, rubbing her aching skull.

After a few seconds, her luminous purple eyes flickered open and she was in darkness. Another second later she felt something furry touch her and swatted at it. Looking up at where it'd come from, she saw a blurry shape, roughly similar to a person.

"What the..? Who are you?" Fedura asked, her voice groggy and disoriented. She wasn't even quite sure where she was right now, honestly, and this furry thing touching her confused her. "Stop poking me.."

» Fri May 27, 2011 2:59 am

A soft whine of some sort emerged from the darkness as Fedura's hand struck out at the touch. "Just stay down," said the associated voice, quietly, but with a hint of urgency. The Khajiit muzzle came into view, and behind it, the golden feline eyes looked back almost comfortingly. "There might still be some of them around. Tell me where it hurts and I'll do what I can to help. We need to get out of here."

» Fri May 27, 2011 7:56 am

Fedura still couldn't remember what had happened to her, but she was in too much pain to care. If this Khajiit said they needed to get out of here, she wasn't going to argue. Her eyes looked up to meet the golden ones of the Khajiit, who she assumed by the voice was a female, and her head nodded.

"Okay.." Fedura pushed herself up, but upon standing her vision dimmed and she nearly blacked out. She jumped back to grab the wall and made a whining noise. "I.. Where are we? All I remember is meeting up with this group of people and.." she stopped, memory flooding back to her. Finding Zant again, entering Mountainholm, the Shaman.. "The Shaman.." she said aloud, "That's who.. Ugh.. Help me get to an inn so I can lay down."

ooc: Crap post, I know, but..

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:39 pm

The Khajiit stood next to her, giving Fedura some support so she would not fall down. "Calm down. You need to give yourself a minute to adjust so you don't pass out again. We're in a dungeon of some sort." She took a quick glance around, sniffing the air for any sign of life, but seemed unable to detect anything, and looked back at the lady she was supporting. "So, who are you, and what happened?"

» Fri May 27, 2011 2:08 pm

Seeing Iris like that killed Haki inside. Seeing her, one of the most influential women in the fortress, one of the strongest people he had ever known, reduced to tears like this brought his spirit crashing down. He felt on the verge of breaking down himself, and his huge chest expanded as he sighed sorrowfully.

"I have no idea." He told her truthfully, going down on one knee so he was at her level. "We'll pull through. We always have, it's just how we live here, [censored] happens, I-" His voice cut off as emotion overpowered his throat for just a moment, he had to take a deep breath before continuing. "Savard was a great man. We both know that. Everyone out there knows that. Reokacing him will be impossible... but for now, we just have to do whatever we can to retain order. This meeting will be the first step towards that. You'll be there; right?"

His voice was barely a frail whisper as he finished talking, a whisper that very, very few people had heard from the soldier. His eyes were watery and his voice was weak, it was having a huge effect on him right now; anybody could figure that out.

Iris looked up at Haki, more in surprise at the softness he displayed than his words or actions. She didn't know the massive man to be capable of such a low decibel of speech. She could tell he was even more hurt by this death than she was; he'd likely been under Savard for far longer. But his sudden expression had also kicked her into realization that in order to keep hope alive, she could never falter her facade. She just had, in front of one of the toughest men in the stronghold, and it ended up reducing him into a similar state.

Women seemed to have that kind of power over men, and it was an aspect of her six that she despised. She made a tight smile, forcing the worry from her face as one hand came up and patted Haki's cheek reassuringly. "Of course I will; all those emotional men in the room, someone's gonna have to keep the testosterone in check." She gave a half-heartened laugh, using Haki's shoulder to stand. And then she stood still, looking over the kneeling commander.

"Commander Haki, you requested my presence?" Jalin asked sternly, ramrod straight in his ebony armor and arms straight at his sides like a proper soldier. Not a piece of his body was out of line or lax, and it only served to illuminate the all-business-bad-ass air of the Ansei.

"He's an officer?" Iris inquired.

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:52 am

OOC: Oh hai. Major computer troubles, one of the memory sticks has gone faulty within a few weeks of me buying it and it took me ages to figure it out

so now, after testing for days, am running on 2GB instead of 4GB.

IC: "He is now." Haki replied, getting to his feet also, his voice the polar opposite of before, now strong and commanding - per usual then. He began to head back to the stairs, stopping to give one last reassuring smile to Iris.

"Come, the pair of you." He took two steps down the stairway, talking as he did, "It might be a bit disheartening for the others if they get to the hall and find it empty, let's await the others."

The hall was down the stairs and through a door on the right, Haki headed through and looked at the now empty table. It was completely absent of cutlery or dishes, good, thought Haki, taking a seat at the far end. No distractions.

Even right now, other soldiers in the castle were being told about the situation, and were hurrying towards the keep.

» Fri May 27, 2011 10:18 am

Iris wasn't surprised Jalin was an officer, she was more surprised he was now an officer. She'd expected him to always be one, considering the way he'd fought in battle and the authority he seemed to exhale. She frowned as she followed Haki and Jalin. As much as she had to admit they needed his sort of strength, ability, and mindset in this war, she still did not like him, or the idea of being under him. Something about the Ansei as she looked at the back of his head while they came into the hall.

She just couldn't shake the impression that he was arrogant, stubborn, egotistical, and cold. Qualities she did not approve of in the slightest. The blood on his armor from the recent kills of the Hurak Assassins helped little in ending this view. When they sat down, Iris sat on one side of Haki, while Jalin sat on the other.

Jalin wasn't thinking much about Iris at all; other than acknowledging her presence and respecting her abilities. He'd seen her in battle when the Shaman was captured, at least a little, and at the camp. But it was all devil magic, and she seemed unwilling to kill; qualities that would only hamper her in this war. But so long as she helped stop the Hurak, he didn't care.

» Fri May 27, 2011 3:54 am

Lorenna was completely numb. She felt as if she were floating outside of her body- because physically, there was nothing. Nothing at all. Complete emptiness. But emotionally...

Emotionally she was attacking her self with sharp knives. The young human- Arybeth, she seemed to recall- was dead. And it was Lorenna's fault. She was a murderer. Her murky blue eyes, usually bright with ferocity and intelligence, now dulled as her will to fight, to be strong, completely left her body.

She in no way saw this as the Shaman's fault. Though she was bitter at the turn of events- the stupid humans just had to get involved, when all she wanted was to talk to the Shaman and then let the wretched thing go again- but killing people was the Hurak way. It was just what Hurak did.

It was not, however, what she did. She would kill to survive, sure. But she would never kill someone innocent.

And she had just caused a death.

Immediately, she knew she had to go- had to leave, had to get away from all this, somewhere she could be an animal, be the mean creature, hiding from Hurak by spell and by blade for over two years as she had before. Thoughts of Burd had fled from her mind entirely: he had abandoned her upon her waking, unseen and unheard, and at any rate- he would have no interest in a murderer.

Thus, the altmer moved to Karst, hoping to do one last act as the healer she so desperately wanted to be in this resistance, but no longer felt good enough to do. She rested a hand on Karst's shoulder, butterfly-light, and though there was no glow of magic to signify the passage of the spell, magic swept through the khajiit like an icy flood, sealing the cracks in her ribs and knitting torn muscle back together- all this in the space of a few seconds. But before Lore removed her hand, she felt obligated to say just one more thing. In her whisper-thin voice, no devoid of all emotion, Lore whispered, "I'm sorry I killed your friend."

Then she rose and strode briskly away, her hood up as per usual, her dark skirts swirling about her legs. She was heading for the gate of Mountainholm, and from there, she would slip away from that place forever- or for however long they had left- to live out her days as a lonely refugee once more.

» Fri May 27, 2011 10:03 am

ooc: Yaaay! ^_^

ic: Fedura touched the side of her head and it came away wet and red. "I.. my name's Fedura. A Hurak Shaman.. he.. he beat me over the head with a broadsword." she informed the Khajiit beside her, rubbing at the blood in her hair in the back now. "I.. I need to lay down and I need some water." the murderess managed to added weakly. The whole world was a bit blurry around her and she had to fight to stay upright.

Tilting her head over a bit to look at her healer, Fedura blinked in the darkness and groaned. "Uuunnhh.. What.. what's your name? If you don't tell me, I'm gonna call you 'Kitty.'"
_______
Karst sniffled into Arybeth's hair and looked at the woman's face, her eyes staring lifelessly forward. Taking care not to poke her eyes with her claws, she shut the Imperial's eyelids. Karst was too numb to feel the touch on the shoulder of her robe, but felt the cool rush of healing magicka and looked up at Lorenna.

"I'm sorry I killed your friend." she said sadly, then turned and walked off. Karst felt the woman's sadness compounded on her own and a choked sob came out of her. She held Arybeth a moment longer before looking over at the direction Lore was heading, and saw her going towards the gates. She's.. not gonna leave, is she? She'll die out there. Alone.

Seeing this was what the Altmer was planning, Karst managed to gather herself up enough to lay Arybeth down gently, ignoring the large amount of blood on her snowy fur from cradling the bleeding corpse, and ran raggedly to Lore's side, grabbing her arm firmly. "Wait!" she tied to shout as she came up to her, but it came out as a gravelly, choked cry. As her hand closed around Lore's arm, she looked up an inch at the golden woman. "You didn't kill her. Don't.. don't blame yourself. I don't want you to leave. Please.. We.. we all make mistakes. I've killed people on accident before. Innocent people. I know how it feels, but.. it's not your fault." Karst had to fight to speak, but managed, hoping the Altmer would listen to her. There was an equal pleading in her eyes that the elf would see if she looked at them. "Please don't go."

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:55 am

OOC: Hmm, this commander meeting things going to be tough, I NEED more people, I can't RP about a dozen different guys on the go, give me a few days to think of something. Oh yeah, and heads up, I might not be active over the next 3-4 days, returning my faulty memory tommorow which renders my computer pretty much unusable until they replace it. I hope you don't mind if I just quickly bring someone else back into the story FC

:

Marallyn frowned. The smile was not in his face, only on his lips. It failed to touch the rest of his features, made the smile look out of place, and marred his comeliness. When he asked the question Marallyn nearly jumped out of her skin, getting up quickly and moving to the fire. "I'd almost forgot!" Grabbing tongs from the fireside she lifted the pan off the fire grille and brought it to her table, setting it down where it sizzled.

"Dammit." The meat had been blackened and crisped, though not truly burnt. Holding up one still sizzling piece she frowned, then sarcastically smiled. "Well, hope you like your meat crunchy." She proclaimed, tilting back her head and holding the strip over her mouth, before dropping it in and chewing, lowering her head as she did so.

IC: Despite the meat being burnt and black, Crito actually enjoyed the meal quite a bit. Although he had reservations earlier, upon eating the first bit he had realised that he was positively ravenous, and so finished food before Marallyn could. He felt much better after getting some food down him, burnt or not. After the meal, he placed himself on the couch rather lazily and looked around the room. A few more seconds of silence passed, but he didn't mind, he was glad that Marallyn had found him, sleeping here with a friend in the next room was better than any inn could have given him.

"Thanks a lot." He said suddenly, standing as well. "For everything, a place to stay, the food. But I'm going to be off shortly, I fancy a drink, and I can't leech off you forever now can I?" Once again that trademark smile. "You don't mind if I visit occasionally though do you? And if I see you around, I'll probably wave madly and ask for some money- but you don't have a choice in that!"

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:07 pm

Lore stopped when the khajiit's clawed hand wrapped around her arm, and she gazed at her- the pain hidden deep down in the depths of her dark blue eyes. "Please don't go..." she pleaded.

Please don't go... It was like a summons to her heart, coaxing her back towards a more favourable life, a better way of living. A more sociable way of living. Looking at Karst, she could see someone who had also experienced loss, who also seemed constantly deprived of what she craved most. Perhaps they could be friends- perhaps the only friend she'd ever had, apart from the brief and confusing time with Burd.

Please don't go... the summons rang once more, Karst's voice now no longer outside of Lore, but within her. Is it a voice of reason, or a voice of fantasy? The detatched part of her wondered, but such thoughts were quelled by the stillness that lay now within Lore.

Please don't go...

She had to go.

Lorenna looked sadly at Karst, and said in her whispery voice, "It doesn't matter if others have done it. I did it, and I'm a healer. For me, it is unforgivable. A betrayal of all I wanted. And I have nothing to stay for in this temporary place." She paused, from emotion or simple thought, it was unclear. Finally, she continued, "They will not let me help but to heal, since I have no voice. And now, I feel like healing has been taken from me. I survived on my own out there for two years, alone. I can do it again." She was a little bitter in her saying now. She had so many ideas- so many useful things to say. She would have been a leader, a fierce warrior, a maverick. But nobody could hear her, or expected her to have anything to say. Being alone had driven her insane- but being with people was even worse.

Please don't go...

She shook her head, and gently tried to remove her arm from Karst's grip. "Thank you for coming after me," she whispered. It means more than you can know... "But goodbye."

Lore turned away, hoping Karst would now release her.

Please don't go...

Please don't go.

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:27 am

Karst'd ears were as far back as they could go already, but they'd have flattened more if they could. Lorenna had saved Iris's life and Iris was practically family in the feline's eyes, so she felt she owed her something. That and the fact that Lore seemed to be cast aside by most much like she was gave Karst a feeling of comradery towards her. In any case, she wasn't going to give up. When Lore tried to pry her fingers from her arm, she only tightened her grip. It wasn't much and she was careful to avoid clawing her, but it was enough to get the point across. Or at least she hoped so. With this, Karst also shook her head.

"No. It's not unforgivable. I've.." Karst gulped and sighed, trying to get her voice back all the way, "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of in my life and.. murder is one of them. Odeen and Iris and Zant all know what I've done and they still love me, they.. they've looked past that and seen who I am, not what I've done."

The Khajiit took a breath of frosty air and set her other hand on Lorenna's shoulder. "If that's forgivable, then so is this. It was an accident. I know.." her voice seized up a moment as she was still silently crying over watching Arybeth die in front of her as she lay powerless on the ground, a sob cutting her off, but she squared her shoulders and went on. "I know how it feels to feel like a failure, like nobody cares. I know how you feel and I'm not giving up on you, Lorenna. Please.. just.. come back to my place and I'll make you some tea or get you a drink. I'd hate to think of you out there.. in danger and alone. It'd break my heart. I.. I can't let you."

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:54 pm

Lore turned and looked Karst in the eyes as the feline spoke, as if searching for some lie or trick. When she found none, she sighed. "I guess I'd better, since I seem to only have three options: lose my arm, drag you with me, or go with you..." though it was, in part, a joke, her whispery voice never expressed humour well, and her heart was too heavy for it to permeate her expression. It was a token joke, an aspect of her personality that had not been completely quelled by sadness, but nonetheless her heart was not in it.

She remembered again Karst's plea to stop her leaving, even as Karst more forcibly insisted on her staying now. She wondered what she had done to deserve such loyalty, when so far she had only killed Karst's friend, and when they knew very little about one another. Lore, for her part, suspected that this was just an aspect of Karst's personality: to care for the outcast. Gods only know it's an aspect of mine... Lorenna thought tiredly.

"Lead on..." she whispered.

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:17 pm

ooc: I've got so many RPs to post in. ><

Ah, well. *cracks knuckles and gets to work*

ic: Karst had almost expected to be forcibly shaken off or yelled at for digging her heels in stubbornly, but was pleasantly surprised that Lore gave in. There was a lot of conviction in the woman behind that tiny voice, Karst knew this by watching her and listening to her, and she feared that might've been enough to keep her from listening. It was a good thing she had the keen hearing of a Khajiit, because sometimes the Altmer's voice would've been lost to the wind and snow before it met her ears.

The Khajiit smiled at the young elf, shivering as the wind blew up her robe and over her mostly-naked chest beneath. Her fingers were entirely numb by this point. Putting a hand that shook from stress and cold on Lorenna's shoulder, Karst sighed silently in relief. "You s-saved my life and Iris's, and you fought beside all of us. That p-practically makes you f-family in my eyes. A si-sister in arms. I couldn't just le-let you go off on your own." Karst stuttered solemnly, her teeth almost pvssyring. As they walked back to the inn, she laughed shakily and added, "I-I'm gonna freeze my f-freakin' tail off if I don't get war-warm soon.."

Once they got inside, Karst snatched a large teapot from the counter, filled it with water from a small pump inside and grabbed a little metal ball meant for holding tea leaves. It took some effort to keep her hands steady enough to avoid spillage, even with the pot's lid on. Upon entering the room, Karst found that Odeen was gone but his pack was still there. Karst shut the door after Lore and tossed off her snow-dampened, ice cold robe, svcking in air at the frigidness that assaulted her upper body, reaching back to itch at the old scarring that had been irritated by the cold before yanking a blanket from the bed and wrapping herself up in it. Kneeling by Odeen's pack, she began going through it, looking for the mint that he kept in there.

"Make yourself at h-home." Karst said to Lorenna, and despite the shivering masking her voice's tone, anyone could hear the despair in her elven voice, "I'll st-start a fire one I find some t-tea.."

» Fri May 27, 2011 8:58 am

OOC: Hmm, this commander meeting things going to be tough, I NEED more people, I can't RP about a dozen different guys on the go, give me a few days to think of something. Oh yeah, and heads up, I might not be active over the next 3-4 days, returning my faulty memory tommorow which renders my computer pretty much unusable until they replace it. I hope you don't mind if I just quickly bring someone else back into the story FC

:

IC: Despite the meat being burnt and black, Crito actually enjoyed the meal quite a bit. Although he had reservations earlier, upon eating the first bit he had realised that he was positively ravenous, and so finished food before Marallyn could. He felt much better after getting some food down him, burnt or not. After the meal, he placed himself on the couch rather lazily and looked around the room. A few more seconds of silence passed, but he didn't mind, he was glad that Marallyn had found him, sleeping here with a friend in the next room was better than any inn could have given him.

"Thanks a lot." He said suddenly, standing as well. "For everything, a place to stay, the food. But I'm going to be off shortly, I fancy a drink, and I can't leech off you forever now can I?" Once again that trademark smile. "You don't mind if I visit occasionally though do you? And if I see you around, I'll probably wave madly and ask for some money- but you don't have a choice in that!"

OOC: Would you like me to fill my role of El General, and take a few of this dozen off your hands?

IC: Marallyn simply watched him eat, daintily taking some pieces of her own and chewing on them, and then watching as the satisfied man sat on the couch. Some things never change. Marallyn thought as she looked at him, grinning to herself. When he stood and thanked her, she decided to put in her two septims. "It was no problem at all hun. You can't leech off me forever though, as I wasn't aware I had invited a starving animal into my house; I thought you were just a bum on the street. I barely ate half that." She waved one hand at the tray that once held sliced ham, and was now spotless of meat. Even the meat crumbs, gone. He gave that smile, though, and she couldn't help but smile back. Damn his charm. Damn him.

"You don't have to be a stranger. You can continue using the couch, I rarely ever do." She told him, folding her arms over her chest. "As for the money... I'm not paying for your drinks so you can act like an ass to me again, Crito." Her voice went from playful to chiding sharply. "I learned the first time. No drinks for you when I'm around." She flicked her red hair over her shoulder, the curls bouncing.

"And to be clear, I don't like what you had done then; but I don't hate you for it. You just have to work harder to gain the favor you once had, that's all." She smirked at this, before giving him a bye-bye wave.

» Fri May 27, 2011 5:58 am

ooc: I've got so many RPs to post in. ><

Ah, well. *cracks knuckles and gets to work*

ic: Karst had almost expected to be forcibly shaken off or yelled at for digging her heels in stubbornly, but was pleasantly surprised that Lore gave in. There was a lot of conviction in the woman behind that tiny voice, Karst knew this by watching her and listening to her, and she feared that might've been enough to keep her from listening. It was a good thing she had the keen hearing of a Khajiit, because sometimes the Altmer's voice would've been lost to the wind and snow before it met her ears.

The Khajiit smiled at the young elf, shivering as the wind blew up her robe and over her mostly-naked chest beneath. Her fingers were entirely numb by this point. Putting a hand that shook from stress and cold on Lorenna's shoulder, Karst sighed silently in relief. "You s-saved my life and Iris's, and you fought beside all of us. That p-practically makes you f-family in my eyes. A si-sister in arms. I couldn't just le-let you go off on your own." Karst stuttered solemnly, her teeth almost pvssyring. As they walked back to the inn, she laughed shakily and added, "I-I'm gonna freeze my f-freakin' tail off if I don't get war-warm soon.."

Once they got inside, Karst snatched a large teapot from the counter, filled it with water from a small pump inside and grabbed a little metal ball meant for holding tea leaves. It took some effort to keep her hands steady enough to avoid spillage, even with the pot's lid on. Upon entering the room, Karst found that Odeen was gone but his pack was still there. Karst shut the door after Lore and tossed off her snow-dampened, ice cold robe, svcking in air at the frigidness that assaulted her upper body, reaching back to itch at the old scarring that had been irritated by the cold before yanking a blanket from the bed and wrapping herself up in it. Kneeling by Odeen's pack, she began going through it, looking for the mint that he kept in there.

"Make yourself at h-home." Karst said to Lorenna, and despite the shivering masking her voice's tone, anyone could hear the despair in her elven voice, "I'll st-start a fire one I find some t-tea.."

Lore followed Karst home, but the Khajiit was clearly suffering from the cold. Frowning, Lore watched her rush around, barely able to handle the simple tasks she set for herself. Her eyes lingered on some rather rough scarring the Khajiit seemed to have suffered from, before the khajiit bundled up. That must really act up sometimes... she thought. "Karst... wait a second..." Lore dug into her bag and pulled out one of the many pouches that contained herbs. She handed them to Karst. "Two pinches should do," she told Karst- this was her own special mix of tea, used for medicinal purposes. It tasted nice, and relaxed the body. After handing Karst the pouch, she also rested a hand on the khajiit's arm. "This will feel strange for a moment," she warned quietly, closing her eyes as she visualised the cells she was manipulating. Once more, there was no tell-take glow of magic- Lore had made herself the most efficient mage she possibly could, no energy lost on light or sound. She sped up Karst's shivering for one moment, which would send a wave of warmth through Karst and would hopefully cease the shivering from then on. It would be a very odd sensation though- your body suddenly shaking violently while simultaneously warming up, all against her will. Lore held her steady for the duration, then released her with a smile.

"That should help for now," she explained with a smile. Looking around the room, she could see that- bare as the room was- there was enough stuff there for more than one person. "Who's staying with you?" the altmer asked curiously.

» Fri May 27, 2011 11:09 am

Looking up at Lore, Karst took the tea in her hands and smiled at her, then let her do her work, whatever it was. Her body seized up a moment, shivering violently against her will, but she felt warmer along with it, the Altmer holding her so she'd not fall over in the process. When done, Lorenna spoke to her.

"Who's staying with me?" she asked, then remembered she was in Odeen's room technically, "Oh.. I'm.. staying with my friend Odeen. You might've seen him -dark scales, sorrowful purple eyes, timid, wears a robe?" Karst informed Lore, then sniffed and wiped her nose and eyes. She was trying hard not to cry anymore.

"I owe him my life.." Karst continued, then giggled in a subdued manner, "..and my sanity. Cooped up in that city, not knowing how much time we had before the Hurak broke through and killed us, all alone and trying my damnedest to be at least a half-decent mother. I'd've lost it if he wasn't there, comforting me, caring for me and Ra'Veldas when I got sick and giving me direly needed companionship.." and then out of nowhere a moment later, "I.. I can't believe she's dead."

Why am I surprised, though? Doesn't this always happen? Start patching things up with someone you once called a rival and they die?

The Khajiit just shook her head at herself and put a couple pinches of the tea into the little metal ball, closing and latching it before putting it in the water and heating the pot in her hand with magicka. It smelled good, relaxing. Like something she'd once smelled in better days.

Do I even have better days? They all feel more or less the same.. Karst thought cynically, but was instantly forced to think of Jakarro and the year she'd spent in his manor. The man had taken her in off the streets of Elsweyr, giving her food and clothes and a place to sleep that was warm and clean, a place to bathe, even. And he'd asked for nothing in return until about a month later when he'd told her he fancied her and asked for a date. She hadn't even known what it'd meant and the nobleman had had to bite back laughing at her comical confusion to explain it to her. She'd dated before, but it'd never been called that. The thought made her smile a bit, and she tried not to think of how he'd died and spoil this bit of nostalgic happiness. It was a day she'd have forgotten if she could have. She had a lot of days like that.

As the tea brewed, Karst sat down on the bed, pulling the covers around herself. She knew she needed to get Arybeth buried, but right now, she thought she might go mad if she had to look at the gash across her throat another time. I need to at least tell the guards, don't I? What if they don't know what happened? And.. she deserves better than to be left in the snow.

"I need to tell the guards what happened and arrange a burial, but.. I don't think I can do it right now." Karst verbalized, sitting up. Her voice still carried that sound of looming despair, like someone who was seriously losing hope. "I just need a moment. Thanks for the warm and the tea, by the way. I.. I'm sorry I don't really have anything to give you in return."

» Fri May 27, 2011 4:32 pm

Lore watched Karst sadly. The woman was clearly still suffering from the death of Arybeth- something Lore couldn't really understand. Lore herself had become so accustomed to people dying around her- friends, family, total strangers- that she was completely dead inside to it. The only difference this time was that it had been her fault.

Karst spoke of her companion, and Lore nodded along, for she had indeed seen that Argonian, although it was nice to put a name to the face, when Karst finally broke down. Lore just sat there with her, not really having words to offer, but her demeanour and expression was sympathetic, and at times like these being alone and isolated could be very bad for your mental health.

At last, Lore said, "I'm happy to report what happened in a few moments, but..." she struggled for words for a moment. How could she explain to Karst what she had given her? "You've helped me a lot..." Lore said at last. "Somebody caring makes all the difference... and I'm sure it makes a difference to Arybeth too, wherever she is." At that, she fell silent again.

» Fri May 27, 2011 6:47 pm

*OOC* Now let's see if I can remember where I was... gotta find convenient sources of inspiration. */OOC*

The young Khajiit looked at her hand, and, seeing that it was red, put her own hand on top of her head. The force of her will produced a reaction with the magical energy she possessed, making a faint blue glow between her hand and Fedura's head. There was little to heal on the outside, but she ran her hand over the area to close any open cuts that might have remained. As she finished, she looked her hand over for any blood, but found nothing on a quick glance and looked back at the Dunmer lady.

"My name is Reissa," she said, quietly, lowering her hand. "You can just call me Rei, if you want. Anything else that really hurts, or are you ready to go now?"