Private (18+) A Criminal Command

"A same reason as you. As we all are." Ardin grabbed his dagger subtly from his boot. "I see you have known Ria. Friends? Well let's get this straight, we, like you, are here because of the bandit problem in Elsweyr. We need any help we can get. I see you're hurt. Come, sit, eat, share with us. I hope we can be more civil. I would hate for the blood shed to happen now of all places. We just cooked some venison too, if you're hungry." The argonian sat down and talked to Ria.

Ardin but his dagger in his back incase any other surprises showed up. He looked at Ria, while red and orange of the fire danced upon his face. Her story had the same points as his, the pain, the happiness, all of it. It was a sad story. When the time comes for my story, I'll leave out the attacks. They don't need to know now, and I don't need to relive it again. For now, I'm just going to have a happier story. Well, I will say some of my friends died in the sword, just to add some truth in there.Ardin was staring at Ria longer than he thought because she returned the gaze while still talking to her friend. He gave a smirk, than turned to the rest of the group. "Well, I guess it's my turn. I grew up in Falkreath with my brother Hendrikk. Our parents both served in the great war and fell in love there. Can you imagine, love on a battlefield?" He laughed at the thought. "Our father taught us how to fight, how to use armor, block, swords, and so on. Our mother taught us how to read, write, cook, manners, clothes washing, archery, and restoration. Just as far to wear we can use healing spells, not much beyond that. When my brother and I came of age we joined a traveling group of bounty hunters. We traveled everywhere. Caught some of the toughest bounties. Unfortunately, people die. I lost some of my friends. After our time there, we returned home to our parents. I joined the Legion and loved it. Of course, it wears on you, so I left and became a bounty hunter! Hence why I'm here."

Veramir looked at Talia skeptically before shrugging his shoulders and continued eating. "Ataxia, huh? Well I think I have a couple of potions in my bag that may help if it gets worse. In fact, I have all sorts of ingredients: Lavender, Wisp Wrappings, Void Salts, Moon Sugar." Veramir said that word with a slight smirk. After finishing his deer, he sat back and let his meal digest. He listened as Ria relayed her life story and couldn't help but feel a shred of pity for her. To have your loved ones murdered right in front of you...I can relate...

As he was thinking this, he heard a rustling in the bushes and quickly turned his head. As he was looking for the source, he heard Ria call out, "Erm... Hello? Are you okay?" He was shocked when he saw a person come out, an Argonian, who slowly sauntered over to the fire. As she was moving closer, she noticed him and she grew a look of disdain on her face.
"...and what is he doing here?" she practically. Veramir's eye twitched a little at that comment, but kept his face somewhat neutral, albeit slightly offended. Ria noticed this and tried to calm the tensions.

"Veramir's helping us too. He's fine; he's not Thalmor." Veramir almost laughed out loud at that comment. If only she knew... The Argonian seemed to consider this and responded. "Apologies, elf, for my prejudice. Just do not expect me to trust you much for a while." Veramir sighed. "Likewise, lizard. Tell me, what do you call yourself?"

"As fun as this is, I'm going to sleep. I'm not the heaviest sleeper, so I need to get in as much as possible. If something big happens, just wake me up. Talia, If you need a break from your post, just poke me and I'll take over. I am full, tired, weary, and exhausted. Goodnight everybody!" Then he walked past Ria and whispered; "Goodnight Ria, You know where to find me if you need to." he turned to the rest of the group. "Fill me in the morning!" Ardin fixed his spot, stuck is sword in the ground, and put his dagger in his boots. The steel part of his armor also came off, for more comfort. They have along journey ahead of them. With even more twists and turns.

Ria smiled at Ardin as he lay down and closed his eyes. I'll tell the group tonight what's going on between us. They all seemed to notice Ardin whispering that, they must have some idea what's happening. We can't keep it secret much longer, not when the group is so tightly packed together.
Veramir was talking to Shadows; not disrespectfully, but not exactly kindly, either. She decided that she would wait until their conversation was over, then tell them about her and Ardin.

The conversation died down after Veramir and Shadows had stopped talking, and the four of them sat silently. Ardin's heavy breathing could be heard easily. She decided this was the moment.
"Erm, Talia? Shadows? Veramir?" They all looked at her, Talia still shaking. "I've got something to tell you. About... Ardin... and me." Talia seemed to grin, and Veramir rolled his eyes. But she had to tell them, so she payed no mind to him. "When we went into the woods to hunt, we... we got to know each other a little better. And... we kissed. I've spoken to him and we both want it to go further. I'm just letting you know now before you find out some other way. It won't get in the way of our job and we won't make you all feel awkward by kissing or whatever in front of you all. Like I said. Just... letting you know." She stood up, flushing slightly. "I'm going to bed. .....See you in the morning." She turned away, and walked over to where Ardin lay. She was determined that she would not do this everyday, but tonight, after that, she felt she had to. She pulled up his arm slowly, slid her bedroll in underneath it and got in. She lowered his arm again, and lay there with her eyes closed, Ardin wrapped around her, waiting for sleep to come to her.

He felt his arm shift and a bit warmer. He opened his eyes to find Ria nestled up beside him. He put her arm around her, and shifted back to sleep. He didn't want to do this all the time, but after remembering the attack, he needs someone by him. Thoughts of home comforted him more, and helped him forget the rest of it. He can remember the smell and taste of his mothers sweet bread, his father's seasoned and spiced venison, his brother, Avia, and their travels. He stopped thinking about it because it distracts him. He stopped thinking about it for a while for his sake, and his battle prowess. Thinking of home leads to thinking about the traveling sword, which leads to the attack, which finally leads to nightmares and a bad night's rest. So he just sat, looked at Ria, and finally fell asleep.

The quite sound of the camp and the whistling wind woke Ardin up. He looked around and saw everybody sleeping, not even a toss. He thought nothing of it then went back to sleep. A twig snapped, then two. You could hear something heavy drop on the ground, then a second time. He woke up, both eyes open, and saw Avia facing him with her throat cut, then he saw his brother get cut down. His breathing became faster, his body wouldn't move. As if in some sort of paralysis. he looked up and saw Wolff above him, with a sword to his chest. "I told you that you would never win, or save anybody else. Just ask your friends and family." The sword went through Ardin's chest and the bed into the ground below him...

He woke up breathing heavy and sweating. It was just a dream. More like a nightmare. The sky was still dark, and everybody was safe. "Gods, it was just a dream. Why does it always feel so real? When will it end?" he felt his chest and breathed out in relief. The scar was real enough though. A constant remainder of what could have happened and what did happen. At last, he was back to reality.

Ardin's shaking and moaning awoke Ria late at night. She didn't know what was happening at first, but then she realised that Ardin must be having a nightmare. She raised herself up on her elbows, and watched, scared to touch him, as his hand was reaching slowly towards his swords, even though he was still asleep.
"Ardin!" She whispered, trying not to alert Talia, who was still sat against her tree on night watch, Veramir, who was asleep by the fire, Shadows, who had fallen asleep leaning against a tree, and Sand, who was laid nearby. "Ardin! Wake up!" She swallowed, reached out and pushed his shoulder slightly. He suddenly snapped back into reality.
"Gods, it was just a dream. Why does it always feel so real? When will it end?"
"Yes, Ardin, it was just a dream. Whatever it was, it can't hurt you." The way he clutched at his chest and said 'always' made it sound as though he constantly had these nightmares, but she didn't push further. She simply smiled kindly and hugged him, pressing herself against him, attempting to comfort him. Ardin sighed slightly, and Ria continued, "Come on. Get back to sleep. We're going to need every second of it."
Ardin nodded, and laid down again. Before he could close his eyes again, though, Ria lay beside him again, closer this time. She rolled over and curled up, and pulled Ardin's arm back over her. Her hair was right in Ardin's face, but he didn't seem to care. On the contrary; he began to chuckle quietly. That was the last thing she knew before drifting back to sleep.

"Yes, Ardin it was just a dream. Whatever it was, it cant hurt you."Ardin nodded and took a drink of water "Come on. get back to sleep. We're going to need every second of it"He hugged Ria , moved closer to her, and smiled back. It must of have been bad, because his sword had moved, and there was finger marks in the ground. "I'll try, hopefully I won't have it again. Thanks Ria." he then brushed her hair out of his face with a chuckle. His breathing was now slow, calm, controlled. The others were asleep, ad Talia was on night watch, so he decided to leave the sword the way it was to where it looked like it just fell down. Hoped he didn't make too much noise as too wake the others up. The less they know the better, at least for now.He laid his head back down and grabbed Ria's hand, and thought about her and the task ahead of them until he fell back asleep.

Ria awoke the next day, just in time to see Talia get up from her position by her tree, stretching. The sun had clearly just risen; the sky had that orange-yellow tinge of sunrise. Ardin's arm was still around her and he was still holding her hand. She pried herself free, careful not to wake him, and walked over to Talia.
"Morning, Talia. You okay?" Talia was still shaking, and Ria wasn't entirely convinced it was Ataxia. She looked around. Everyone else was still asleep, so she came out with it. "It's not Ataxia, is it? I've seen Ataxia, it's just shaking. You're getting paranoid, I can see it in your eyes." Talia was indeed looking over Ria suspiciously. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. So what is it?" She suddenly remembered Veramir's remark last night regarding moon sugar, and it hit her. "Skooma. Of course. Talia, it's not a problem; you don't need to keep it a secret. No-one here will judge you. I won't say anything. If you want them to know, you tell them, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." She gripped Talia's shoulder. She was shaking more than she had been last night. "If you want, I'll help you get some. It'll be in good supply once we get to Elsweyr, though, so you only really have to wait until we get there." She smiled at Talia, then cleared the fire pit of ashes. The last bits of firewood were put in their place, lit, and her pan was placed on top. Ria opened her pack, and found some bacon. She took five pieces, and threw them into the pan, ready for everyone's breakfast.

Ardin awoke to find Ria up and about, talking to Talia about something. All he could hear was shakes, not a secret, and Elsweyr. He didn't think much of it, but put it in the back of his head. "I smell bacon! What a great start to a morning! Hey Talia, how are you doing? Any trouble with your post last night?" Everybody else was still sleeping. He didn't mind, he likes the silence in the morning. He put his sheath and sword on his hip and his dagger in his boot. The only thing he had to put on was his armor, but in his mind, it was too early for that.

The sky was orange-yellow, the trees were quietly moving, it seemed even the animals were still asleep. "Did I miss anything important?" he asked as he was stretching. The spot he slept in was a bit of a mess, so he decided to pack up and clean the spot as best he could. Didn't want to insult mother nature's hospitality.

Before Talia could reply, Ardin woke up, stretching and equipping himself for another day on the road.
"Hey, Ardin." She walked over to him and kissed him quickly. "You slept right through me getting up! No, nothing to worry about." She smelt the bacon too. It was a glorious smell, especially after the basic venison steak of last night. They were good and large strips, too; decent enough to fill a person up at least until lunch. She grabbed a fork and took her piece; it wasn't quite cooked, but that was just how Ria liked it. She took a bite out of it, letting the grease run down her face. It tasted fantastic. Better than any meal she'd had since she left the College, in any case.

Sand could clearly smell the bacon. His nose was twitching, and he woke up suddenly. Ria suddenly realised she hadn't made anything for him. Suddenly guilty, she tore half her bacon from her mouth and threw it to Sand. He was so large that he caught it and swallowed it within seconds. She didn't regret it; she was only small, and that piece of bacon would have filled her until the evening meal.
"Hey, so Ardin, Talia, what do you think we should do when we get to Elsweyr? I got told to go to some inn in the north, and someone would be waiting for me. But do you have any plans for after that?"

Ria kissed Ardin as he walked over to where she was. "I got told to go to some inn in the north, and someone would be waiting for me. But do you have any plans for after that?" Ardin pondered for a bit. "I assumed I would just follow until the deed is done. The council thinks I'm not involved, I like the group, and wanted to stick around. If that's okay with you" Ardin really didn't have any other plans after this. Bounties can be taken by other bounty hunters, Skyrim is fine without him, and so are his friends. He missed this life, the traveling, the people, and he found Ria. Of course he wasn't just going to leave. "I'm not even suppose to be here, but I chose to come along! I will see this through, wherever it leads to." Ardin wrapped his arms around Ria's waist and kissed her. After, he took two slices of bacon and enjoyed his breakfast.

Hides-in-Shadows awoke suddenly, gasping for the air that she already had with her eyes wide open. Sleeping had never really been an enjoyable or relaxing experience for her, but doing so out in the middle of nowhere caused...recollections. For this reason, she had decided to sleep a little further away from the fire than the others. Having said that, she also didn't know them well, and any of them could be up to something. As the final nail in the coffin, she wasn't a sociable individual, to say the least.

Calming herself, she decided to observe the other three (who were already awake) for a short time before they noticed her. Her attention was first drawn to the one Ria was calling 'Ardin'.

'Hmpf, Ria has found herself an admirer! I can't blame him, she is beautiful, but does he know what he is letting himself in for? I hope his reasons for being here revolve around more than just her.'

Then her attention turned to the other woman, whose name had either slipped Hides-in-Shadows' mind or hadn't been mentioned. She was remaining almost cautiously distant from the pair, prompting the thoughts 'She looks...off, even by human standards. The Altmer was mentioning something about Ataxia...but her sharp, sudden movement...I'd almost say she had withdrawl symptoms.'

Then, noticing the fantastic smell in the air, Hides-in-Shadows decided that socialising may not be the worst idea in the world, and so got up and stumbled towards the warming fire - an essential tool for her nearly cold-blooded body. "Tidings." she started, as she slowly sat down, nearly placing her aching body on top of her tail. "I trust you both slept well?"

"Hey, Shadows. Yeah, I did, how about you? You seemed to be rolling around a bit earlier."
Ria returned the kiss to Ardin and then sat down with Shadows.
"So, how've you been the past year? I mean, this is usually the time you'd be visiting the College, right?"

Majir-Dar walked back to Deslin, "It appears the Bosmer aren't as welcome as they used to be", Majir-Dar frowned the air seemed to be getting chilled. "Lets head back to the inn," With that Majir started the walk back to the inn. "I should also see about getting you job, now that I think about it,"

"We both slept quite well. I didn't have the pleasure of introducing myself. I'm Ardin wolf's-bane. Bounty hunter, at your service. That's why I'm here. Well, one of the reasons I'm here anyways." Ria blushed as she was talking to Shadows. "I see you two know each other. How did you guys meet? I trust you slept well? I never do nowadays. If you're hungry, grab some food. We need energy for the road ahead of us." Ardin looked around and counted everyone there. "I hope everyone slept well. Eat up if you're hungry, pack up if you're ready to move. We should probably get moving soon. Time is of the essence. After all, we do need to get to elwseyr as fast as possible and stop those damned bandits. Oh and it can get extremely hot there, so pack extra water with you. We can take the left over deer and save it for the trip. Always plan ahead!"

Ardin then got up, stuffed his face with what's left of his breakfast and began to pack up. He took his sword, sheathed it, then put his dagger in his boots. He began humming a familiar tune.

"I could have slept better, Ria, but I am fine."

Ardin began to introduce himself. Hides-in-Shadows wasn't surprised to hear the title 'Bounty Hunter' attributed to him, but she hoped that he was of the kind who would be willing to refuse contracts based on the nature of the target rather than just based on pay. 'He certainly gives the vibe of being able to handle himself.'

"Ardin, I met Ria at the college. I was a student there many years ago, and I visit yearly."

"So, how've you been the past year? I mean, this is usually the time you'd be visiting the College, right?"
"Yes Ria. By the hist, is my visit that well heard of? Anyway, I was there just a few days ago, but a request by the council takes priority, does it not?"

Ardin certainly seemed keen to move, asking for bags to be packed. "My stuff is minimal. All I need to do is warm up and then I can go." She heard Ardin's comment about water. "Just a note: should we run out, I can always do without water. I don't...what is it called when you - ah! - sweat, so I use much less water than all of you. I don't want to see any of you drop dead when it can be avoided." She paused, and turned back to Ria. "Ria, may I eat some of that?"

"Of course! I had quite a lot last night, take it," Ria said, passing the bacon to Shadows. "And yes, Ardin, I think I probably should."
She packed everything she had taken out of her bag, then tied it up and waited for everyone else to be ready.

Veramir stretched out on his bed roll and slowly opened his eyes. It was another beautiful day. He was going to reach for his nightstand to grab his pouch of gold, when he remembered. "That's right...I'm stuck with these people to save Elsweyr...Great..." Getting up, he dusted himself off and proceeded to tie up his bed roll. As he was doing this, he noticed the Argonian that had joined them the night before chatting away with Ria. Meanwhile, Talia was off in the corner doing something. He then walked over to the campfire and watched as Ardin was cooking some of the deer for breakfast. Sitting off to one side of the fire, he silently stared at the Argonian in front of him. Ria and her seem to know each other quite well. I wonder if it was chance that she was following us, or if Ria asked her to follow us..

Deslin approached after Majir evacuated the crowd with a spell, a dead Bosmer lay at the centre. Majir-Dar approached Deslin, "It appears the Bosmer aren't as welcome as they used to be", Marij-Dar said. "Lets head back to the inn," they started to walk back. "I should also see about getting you job, now that I think about it." Deslin was disgusted, "Racial hate? Of all things racial hate." When they arrived at the inn, Deslin spoke up again. "So what's this job gonna be like?"

"So what's this job gonna be like?"

"It'll be easy as long as you know how to fight. I've already gotten rid of most of the filth so it should be easy going," Majir-Dar looked around at his familiar surroundings, it looked the same from before, not surprising. Majir-Dar walked up to the barkeep, "My friend there wants a job, all he asks in return is a room. He'll be as good as me and you'll get twice the protection," The barkeep merely said, "Sure but your room is a one of a kind, the best we have. We can give him free food but not a new room. We can however make his room free," Majir just shrugged and walked back to Deslin, "Not the best of deals but not the worst."