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    MabFaerie

    Faerie Queen
    "I shouldn't." She shook her head, hesitant about keeping Hales cloak, especially on such a cold night.
    "Besides, I'm sure the tent will be plenty warm. After all, there's no way in Skryim that Alice would allow Lilumae to be cold while sleeping. I'd wager it might even be a fire risk in there." Winter teased, but a gust of cold wind forced a shiver from her frame, making her slip the cloak back onto her shoulders almost immediately.
    "I'll give it back when we get to camp, I won't need it then." She promised, accepting Hales offered arm and taking the short walk back to camp with him.

    A few feet from the entrance to the camp, Winter stopped, looking at Hale for a moment, seeming as if she were about to say something.
    With a sharp intake of breath, she shrugged her shoulders free of the cloak and then exhaled on a sigh.

    "This belongs to you." She held the cloak out to him and after a short second or so pause, she pushed it into his hands, firmly grasping them around the cloak, determined to make sure he took it back.

    "I need to get back to the tent. Lilumae will be restless without me." Winter explained, though her feet stayed firmly rooted to the spot where she stood, as if they had their own agenda.
    "Will you be keeping watch in the woods tonight? Is that why you were there in the first place? Or did your thoughts get the best of you... like they did to me?" She asked, searching Hales face, gauging him for a response.

    "And... Will I find you there again sometime?" She asked, before slowly taking a step back, just one, towards the camp.
    It was hard to say for sure, but there was something about that question and the way she phrased it that made it seem like both an inquiry and an offer rolled into one.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Simus listened to Einarr's story while he was slowely drinking himself into passing out. He was good and drunk at this point but he was still focused enough to pay attention. He'd heard this story a dozen times before from a dozen young men and women who had too much taken from them. Simus had lived a long time and he had seen plenty of terrible things but vampires were the worst. He'd faced them before, during his days in the Legion and in the years afterward when he did retrieval work for the Knights of the Nine. He saw it as the worst affliction one could contract and most of the time, the only way out was death.

    "I..." He started, trying to choose the right words. "I'm not really sure what to say Einarr. This isn't the first time I heard a story like that and I find that anything I try to say to make the teller feel better they've heard it before. I just want you to know you're not the only one. There are others who suffer just as badly as you. You're talking to one right now."

    He took another drink, ready to tell his own story and try to relate to the man he'd so far ignored.

    "It was about a year ago. I stood with my wife and children and watched our home burn. It took 'em thirty years but the Thalmor finally figured out I was worshipping Talos and Amy was a Blade in hiding. It was in the dead of night when they stormed the house. We would have burned with it if not for Alice tipping us off of a raid several days after we were called to the embassy for questioning. They didn't bother to check if anyone was inside, just barred the doors and torched the place. That gave us time to get out.

    We ran and hid for two weeks, putting as much distance between us and the Imperial City as we could while we made for Cheydinnhal. We had frineds there, friends who could help us disappear. We went north to Bruma to meet a contac to get us to Skyrim but he sold us out. The Thalmor had bought him off hours before we paid him. Amy and I didn't want to die at the hands of our own kinsmen and our children were ready to follow so we fought our way out with the help of some of my old Great War buddies. The Tlamor were waiting for us all along outside the gates. Chased us deep into the Jerrall mountains. Then things got bad."

    He took another drink, ready to face the worst of the story.

    "They caught up with us in the mountains. We had superior weapons and good cover but they were trained solders and we were two old parents and four children with no combat experience. Stephen was too cautious with his spells, Titus was too wild with his axe, Alice couldn't do much when they got under her bow and Cilla was too young to really help. Amy died giving them time to escape and they all had to watch her die. Alice still has nightmares about it. I nearly got killed myself trying to save her and them and Alice..."

    He had to pause and take a deep breath to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes.

    "Her brothers tried to drag her away but she slipped their grip. She charged in and after a few clumsy strikes one of their soldiers...stabbed her through the left shoulder. Right where the shoulder and arm meet. Those screams of pain and mercy, straight from my little faerie's lips, they still haunt me. They laughed Einarr. It was a terrible sound. I'm not gonna tell you what they did to her next but I had to watch it happen while being held down by two soldiers. I'm not sure how I broke free or where my rage came from but I was posessed. In a flash of blood and fire they were all dead. I picked her back up and begged her to run. Her brothers had carried off her little sister already and she had to catch up to them. She hobbled a few feet beofre passing out from her wounds and...exposure. I passed out soon after and woke up with no one but Amy's frozen corpse. We were married for thirty years and I had to bury her alone.

    Alice and I found each other as you know. Came north, joined the Stormcloaks, started our search. Even if we find Cilla it's not gonna change what happened to Alice that day. It's not gonna change how I failed."

    He let the tears silently fall down his face, nursing his fifth glass to try and dull the pain. Looking at Einarr with the same tierd and lost expression he had given him.
     

    Derath_farseer

    Active Member
    Einarr sat there and looked at simus with a blank look on his face. He wasn't surprised that he too had a story like his. Most people in their line of work had some thing taken away from them. Although he still felt a pang of sadness for the man in front of him. As his story finished Einarr didn't say a word, he didn't attempt to comfort him, he simply grabbed the bottle and poured him self another drink. He sat in silence for a few more drinks. As the bottle started to empty he stood up slowly to prevent him from falling.
    "Simus." He said and looked over to him. "These things happen and you're a better man for it, Stronger, wiser, And so on. These losses are bound to happen but after each one we come out of it a little bit better at the end, And perhaps one day we can stop such loss from happening ever again." He says the last part wishfully as he steps out of the tent and wander the camp. Only to find Lil and winters tent. He stops by it and glances inside to spot alice and Lil. He turns around and sits by the entrance looking out in front of him towards the edges of the camp. He wouldn't be sleeping much to night any ways, so he might as well keep watch over the ones who had already lost so much, and had so much talent.
     

    Hale Loneshadow

    Well-Known Member
    "Will you be keeping watch in the woods tonight? Is that why you were there in the first place? Or did your thoughts get the best of you... like they did to me? And... Will I find you there again sometime?"


    Hale smiled, more truly than he had in many months. Looking down on the woman's beautiful, yet stoic face, the Ranger reached forward and brushed a lock of black hair that hung across her left eye, back across her enchanting face. With one fluid motion, the Ranger flung the cloak across his taut back, and clasped the edges of the garment together. Throwing his green-grey hood so that it partially obscured his rugged features, he replied in a soft tone, "I will remain vigilant throughout the night, I would never let any harm befall any of you."

    Turning and walking a few steps back towards his forested camp, Hale suddenly stopped and turned to once again face Winter. "And...you may find me on the borders of any wilderness we may yet travel upon. I would...very much appreciate your company again, Winter. You seem to fill a hole inside me that has not been filled for...a very long time, and I thank you for simply being you, Winter. Never be anyone else."

    He felt a twinge in his chest even not being near her, but Hale knew she needed to get back to Lilumae. "I am ever here for you, Winter. I appreciate your company. Now...I bid you goodnight, fair lady."

    Glad that the dark and his cloak obscured the growing red on his cheeks, Loneshadow took off back into the night, and scrambled up a sturdy oak with widened branches. Finding a spot that would suit him, the Ranger put his back against the trunk, and spread his legs across a particularly thick branch, perfect for a ranger. Thinking about what had transpired that night, and feelings that he had forgotten were inside of him, Hale dozed off into a light sleep, both happy and curious.
     

    death raider

    Thalmor Ambassador
    Drey groaned angrily, clawing at the cage which was around her. She was almost completely nakes, sitting in a rusty steel cage, Vampires surrounding her cage sI'm a racist asshole who doesn't understand boundaries, respect, or basic human decency and I need helping and laughing, making sly remarks about her. If she was free from the cage she would have killed them all and burned their bodies in a fire and watch their bodies crackle and burn in flames, till they were nothing but ash; the way they should be. Drey tried to cry out in protest, but she was too weak, her hunger pains tugging at her like they were trying to weaken her body.

    She hated the abuse the Vampires were giving her, but what could she do? She was hungry and tired, she was rendered useless, her weapons out of reach. There was only one way she was going to escape, but it was a long shot, but what did she have to lose? Her life was a mess, her family dead, she had no friends, no refuge. She had nothing, nothing at all. All she had was a few weapons and the dark curse which lingered over her, like a constant watchful eye.

    The Vampires finished their bullying and walked away, sitting in a small circle around a small fire, feasting upon various pieces of flesh from humans and animals. They feasted in such a grotesceous way, but who was she to say anything about having bad eating habits? Drey waited till the Vampires drunk themselves to sleep, one of two staying up as guards. Drey scanned the area, pearing through the steel bars, looking inside the other cages which surrounded her own, many contaned mortals of various ages and races. It was a truly distasteful sight, looking at the skinny, fleshless looking bodies.

    Drey thought for a minute or so, deciding whether or not to save the poor hopeless souls, or just leave them to their fate? If she did she would be doing a good deed, but why would she want to help such weak weedy beings, not worth a second chance at life? She thought long and hard and came to a decision that she would help them only because they could be useful in her escape and she might get a bit pecish later on, and there wouuld be a little snack just waiting for a set of teeth to sink into their feeble necks...

    She waited till dark, then she began to ready herself, concentrating her body, to become a creature of the night when she needed to. Her weak body moved across the cage to the front door of the cage and she peared through, two Vampires lying on the floor ontop of eachother, how stupid they looked. Drey began to ready herself, it was going to be a fun experience and she would prevail even if it meant her own life.
     

    ChiefScalyNipples

    Dictator of my bedroom
    An hour before the morning sunrise, Jeroo-Shei opened his eyes, but could not move his body whatsoever, it was sleep paralysis, the first stage of Astral Projection. His conscious was awake but his body was not. Jeroo struggled vigorously to get even a single movement through one of his undead muscles. He also felt as if he was rising up as this was happening. It was then he realized what was actually happening, Astral Projection. An ancient practice Men, Mer & Beast races have participated in since the Merethic Era. A practice in which one meditates deeply and thoroughly to achieve temporary separation between the Physical Body and the Spirit, with your conciousness in your Spirit, or "Astral Body".

    Jeroo-Shei had experienced this countless times before, sometimes intentionally and sometimes accidentally. Jeroo-Shei knew by instinct how to return his consciousness and his spirit to his physical body. He tried his hardest to concentrate on returning to his sleeping body, but yet no matter how thorough his concentration was, he still remained in spirit. "Something's wrong" Jeroo mumbled to himself as his astral body began to stand/levitate upright and was able to move freely. Within a second after he said that, his spiritual form was suddenly magnetically pulled at light speed through the sky of Nirn and through the stars of the galaxy. Then his gravitational pull stopped, and he found himself floating amongst the sky in a very familiar, and horrible place.

    This realm looked exactly like Nirn, but the apocalypse of it. Visual replicas of Tamrielic cities and buildings burned down and destroyed. The grass and all the flora, completely gone. Lastly, the worst trait of this realm was Daedroths and other various forms of daedra running around and torturing the mortal souls of all races, whilst the vampires in this realm were not tortured. The sky was orange and red, colored as such from the fires all over the surface with a swirling whirlpool-like portal in the center of the sky. Jeroo-Shei had finally remembered this place, Coldharbour, the Oblivion Plane of Molag Bal. It was then Jeroo-Shei knew he was in deep trouble but was brave enough to face this Daedra.

    A gargantuan gust of white wind appeared before Jeroo-Shei's spirit/astral body. It rearranged and manifested as the spiritual face of Molag Bal's most common physical form, the wicked, demonic, canine-like face with horns and webbed ears. "THIS LOOKS LOVELY DOESN'T IT? BELOW US, YOU MAY AS WELL APPROVE OF IT BECAUSE IT'LL BE WHAT YOU SEE FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY! I GROW EVER SO NEAR TO TAKING YOUR SOUL! AND YOU WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE THE OTHER, LOYAL VAMPIRES IN THIS WORLD OF MINE, YOU WILL BE TREATED LIKE THE MORTALS BEING PUNISHED FOR THEIR STUPIDITY, AND YOUR SOUL WILL BE TORN APART REPEATEDLY BY ME AND MY SERVANTS!" Molag Bal's colossal head said to Jeroo-Shei. The booming, echoing voice sounded 10 times more demonic and nefarious than it did on Nirn.

    Jeroo-Shei responded with much fire in his voice, "You pulled me here, did you not?! Here's my soul that you want so badly, levitating before your face! Take my soul or release me, Molag, but do not waste my time with talk!"

    At this point, Molag Bal grew extremely angry at Jeroo-Shei's remark, then replied with, "*growls angrily*. YOU ARE MORE STUPID THAN I THOUGHT, JEROO-SHEI! IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT DAMNED FOOL 200 YEARS AGO WHO SHUT THE VEILS BETWEEN OBLIVION AND NIRN I WOULD HAVE YOUR SOUL ALREADY! BUT NO, WITH THE AMULET OF KINGS DESTROYED, I CANNOT TAKE YOUR SOUL THROUGH MERELY ASTRAL PROJECTION. YOUR SOUL IS STILL CONNECTED TO YOUR BODY AND THE CONNECTION CANNOT BE BROKEN UNTIL YOUR PHYSICAL BODY EXPIRES. HOWEVER, YOUR SPIRIT ALREADY HAS MY MARK..." It is then that Jeroo-Shei looked over to his hip and saw a green, glowing mark in the daedric alphabet, then quickly turned his head back to Molag Bal. "...AND WHEN MY CHOSEN SEED, THE ONE YOU CALL 'SERA', USES MY MACE TO SPLIT YOUR SKULL APART UNTIL YOUR BRAIN SLIPS OUT AND FALLS TO THE GROUND, YOUR SOUL WILL IMMEDIATELY BE MINE!"

    Immediately after the Daedric Prince said the word "mine", he conjured a gigantic hand in his spirit form and clobbered Jeroo-Shei with the open palm of his hand, like you squash an insect with your boot. This sent Jeroo's soul flying back to his sleeping physical body.
     

    MabFaerie

    Faerie Queen
    Back at camp, Winter found Lilumae soundly asleep beside Alice, quiet for a change.
    Content not to disturb the girls, Winter moved towards the bed beside them and raised her eyebrows in a bemused expression. Resting atop the blankets of the comfortable looking cot was a small pile of clothes, matching pajamas from the looks of it.

    "Yeah.... no." Winter tossed the pajamas aside and slid her armor off until she wore only the basic necessities, afterwards crawling into the bed and beneath the sheets.
    She wanted to be nice to Alice, if only for the kindness she'd shown Lilumae, but cutsey matching pajamas weren't going to happen. Not now, not ever. She was a grown woman, not ten.

    When morning arrived, Lilumae was the first to awake, joined only by the guards who were on duty at the moment, as far as she could tell. Cracks of morning light had barely begun to flood the still-black sky before Lilumae was out and about, dressed and ready for action.

    It would never be said that energy was wasted on the youth when Lilumae was around. She spent most of her time fumbling around in her pack, tinkering with alchemical properties as best she could in the given situation. Clearly the middle of a Stormcloak camp would not be anywhere near as extravagant as say, a potion shop, but it did have a few choice plants and flowers up for gathering, and it seemed it would serve its purpose well enough.

    Returning to the tent she had spent the night in and finding Winter and Alice still asleep, Lilumae slipped a small blue flower she had alchemically treated to stay preserved for a while into a cup of water beside the opposite beds each. Myosotis, better known as Forget-Me-Nots. Perhaps Winter wouldn't even notice, but Alice probably would.

    Smiling, Lilumae fled off again, faster than the tired eye could follow.
    When she stopped next, she was in the medical tent, where those who had been injured in battle rested.
    On sight of her, the nurse in charge tried to usher her out, assuming the small girl to be an important someones tag-along daughter (since no average soldier would be allowed to have his child along at camp) and thus only trouble.
    "You need to be on your way out, young mistress. You've no business here."
    Before she could be sent off, Lilumae offered a few of the potions she had crafted just a moment prior.
    "Wait. Just hear me out! This will help them, I promise." The nurse looked skeptical upon hearing the young girls words. The nurse popped the cork of one bottle and sniffed, as if trying to identify the potions ingredients.
    "I don't have time for your games, child. If this-"
    "If you ask the others, they will vouch for me." Lilumae interjected, an earnest and thoughtful expression playing on her childlike face.
    "It will help those who are injured. It's not perfect, it won't make everything all better, but it will ease the pain and make the healing process faster." The woman did not appear to be convinced, but Lilumae insisted, pulling out two or three more potions of nearly identical color from her pack.
    "I made quite a few. Take them, please."
    "This isn't a trade caravan, little girl. You won't get any coin out of me for this junk!"
    "It's not junk! And I did not ask for coin! I just want to help..." Lilumae looked hurt now, she hated being second-guessed because she was young. This woman was obviously doubting her work because she was a "child". It was not fair, she hadn't even been given a chance! Despite her best attempt to keep a straight face, Lilumae sniffed audibly, blinked a few stray tears away from her eyes.
    "Enough of that! Don't you go crying about it and wasting my time! You take your bottled knock-offs and get out of here! No little brat like you would know a thing about potion-brewing and I won't be had by a wannabe con-artist. Go bother someone who has the time to waste. Some of us have REAL JOBS to do, we don't all get to laze about pretending to be alchemists!" The cruel words of the woman were enough to send the small girl right over the edge of composure. Reaching up, she wiped away the tears now spilling from her cheeks.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Simus was asleep at the table in the mess tent, the whisky bottle he and Einarr had shared now drained dry. He had his head down between his folded arms on the table and his silver hair covered his face. Footsteps on the wooden floor startled him awake and caused his bottle to roll off the table. He tried to catch it but was still too drunk. He waited to hear the sound of glass hitting the floor but it never came. He looked over and a gloved hand had caught the bottle mid fall. The hand belonged to Friga.

    "I never thought I'd have to clean up after you." She said, worried about her commander.

    "I figured you owe me one." Simus said groggily. They had both cleaned up after many drunken soldiers who fell asleep here but hardly ever Friga and never Simus himself.

    "Are you all right sir?" She asked, sitting down next to him. "It's not like you to pass out from drink. It's not a good way to solve your problems. Certainly not this hard stuff."

    "No Friga, I'm not all right." He said. "I was nearly killed by vampires today, made an ass of myself three separate times in front of two lovely girls, butchered twenty Thalmor, very nearly killed my eighteen year old daughter and now face the very real possibility that my twelve year old daughter is a vampire and I'm going to have to kill her. I've had much better days."

    "And you really think drowning your sorrows is going to solve all that?" She asked.

    "Nope." He responded. "But it'll make me feel better."

    "Right now maybe." She said. "But you're going to pay for it tomorrow. There's nothing you can do about any of this now sir. It'll all have to wait because you of all people need rest."

    "Maybe you're right." He agreed. "I'm just scared Friga. You have no idea how scared I am."

    "I had to watch as the Imperials dragged my father away when I was a little girl and then find out two years later that he was dead." She said. "I know what fear is."

    Simus only nodded, then started dozing again.

    "C'mon sir." Friga said. "Let's get you to bed."

    She helped him back to the Command Tent and put him down his room beside the one the girls were sleeping in. Simus fell asleep without much argument and slept through the night.

    When morning came he felt like the fifty-four year old he was and did not want to wake but knew he had too. After using his chamber pot to relieve himself at both ends he rinsed his mouth out with a special healing potion brewed specifically to clean it (OOC: Think the effects of mouthwash and a toothbrush in one potion). It usually only took one swig to clean things but thanks to the residual vomit he used two. He went next door to check on the girls and saw that Winter and Alice were still asleep but Lilumae was gone. There was a Forget-Me-Not flower in a cup of water at each of their beds. Simus figured Lilumae must have gotten up early and put them there as a gift for the two older girls. The sweet gesture warmed Simus' heart and he knew that Alice at least would greatly appreciate it.

    He walked outside to see the first fingers of dawn reaching across the sky. He figured it was six or six-thirty. He walked over tho the medical tent to access the abundant supply of hangover potions when he heard a scene that made his heart stop.

    "This isn't a trade caravan, little girl. You won't get any coin out of me for this junk!" Simus recognized that voice as Cheery Greta, the day nurse for the camp.

    "It's not junk! And I did not ask for coin! I just want to help..."
    That was clearly the voice of Lilumae. She was deeply hurty by Greta's words and Simus could hear her start to cry.

    "Enough of that! Don't you go crying about it and wasting my time! You take your bottled knock-offs and get out of here! No little brat like you would know a thing about potion-brewing and I won't be had by a wannabe con-artist. Go bother someone who has the time to waste. Some of us have REAL JOBS to do, we don't all get to laze about pretending to be alchemists!"

    Lilumae was audably sniffling and wimpering now and Simus imagined her face spilling over with tears. It sounded just like Cilla whenever she cried or Alice when she was younger. He ripped open the tent flap and stormed in.

    "Good morning Greta." Simus said, giving her a commander's look. "What's going on here?"

    "Sir!" Greta said, saluting Simus. "This child was just wasting my time with some hocus pocus healing potions and now she thinks crying about it is going to bring out the grandmother in me." She added an extra bit of snide on the last thre words. "Hah! Obviously she doesn't realize that I've got critically wounded men to attend to and I've got no time to entertain little girls and their silly concoctions!"

    "Is that so?" Simus asked, uncorking one of the bubblegum pink potions and sniffing it. "Hm...blue mountain flower...blisterwort...ooh! mint sprigs! Then there's a bit of rose and tundra cotton to make that pretty pink color. Everything seemes fine to me."

    "N-nonsense!" Greta spurted out, dumbfounded that her commander was able to identify every ingrediant she had plus a few others she had missed. "She's a child sir! There's no way she could make a good potion out of mushrooms and flowers!"

    "That's what Alice did at Lilumae's age." Sims said. "Lilumae's potions are perfectly good. Add them to our stocks or I will do it for you. You will also give this girl no more trouble about these or any other potions she offers you or you'll be scrubbing latrines with the grunts for the next week. Is that clear?"

    "Yes sir." Greta muttered, taking the potions from Lilumae and adding them to a shelf full of others.

    Simus then led Lilumae, who was still crying, outside the tent and pulled her into a big hug.

    "Shhhhh." He said soothingly, stroking Lilumae's ample pink hair as her tears rolled down his green cotton shirt. He held her close and comforted her as best he could. "Shhhh. It's okay sweetheart, it's over. You did nothing wrong. There's a reason we call her Cheery Greta. I't okay Lilu. It's oookay. You did a good thing trying to help and it's her fault for not recognizing that, not yours."

    Simus continued to hold Lilumae protectively as she cried.
     

    Hale Loneshadow

    Well-Known Member
    When the Ranger awoke, it was just before dawn. The sky still dark, but the rays of the Eastern Sun were peeking over the edge of the world. Climbing up to the top of the tall oak he had been sleeping on, Hale Loneshadow was once again reminded why he loved nature so.

    Planting his feet firmly on a pair of what most would see as dangerously thin branches, Hale allowed himself to be entranced by the pure beauty, and the raw power, that was the sun. As it rose so that its rays shone over the seemingly endless groves of trees that was this forest, the spectacle only increased in its sheer brilliance. The yellow-orange light shone across the tops of the trees, illuminating the half-morning with a slight tint of green. The fact that he was a Ranger, and a long-lived Druid at that, one so in touch with nature that they could literally invoke the magical powers of the Nature-gods themselves, Loneshadow saw this as only he, and a select few others could. It wasn't anything against anyone who was not like him; it was simply that they did not have the innate ability to be as in touch with it as he and his surviving kin could.

    Looking out at the scene unfolding, memories of decades past came flooding back to him.

    He and his kin had not always been in Skyrim, Tamriel, or even Nirn for that matter. Nirn, as a whole, was just a magical land in an even greater realm of lands such as it, all of which were similar, yet different, in many ways. These realms were forgotten to all but those who dwelled on them. That is, except those who were of Hale's kin. Not quite fully human, they hailed from a far, faraway land that no one in Nirn would know the name of, possibly save a few.

    They were the heralds of the goodly races, the staunch (if oft-unrecognized) defenders of realms. Hale had fought in many wars, gone on many quests, even helped a righteous king of his own bloodline ascend to a throne. Yet...we are so few now, so weak, compared to what we used to be, thought the Ranger. His people were a dying breed, in more ways than one. Because of this, many were sailing back through the misty seas to their homeland, a sojourn that would undoubtedly save their lives, but doom their unending quest of stopping the evil in the lands.

    But why?! Why would they abandon our people, at the very pinnacle of when we need all of us to stand together the most?, pondered Hale, fervently.

    He knew the answer, but was still in denial himself. They had simply lost all hope.

    But I never will, nor would have my father, vowed Loneshadow, as he scampered back down the oak. The sun had risen so that the tendrils of the dawn light had crawled out over the treeline, and the Ranger's trained ears could already hear commotion down in the camp. Running effortlessly through the downhill, mossy ground that led into the Stormcloak encampment, Hale passed by Friga, Simus' second as it seemed.

    "Lo there, have you seen Simus?", the Ranger asked.



    Shaking her head ever so slightly, Hale couldn't help but sense that the mention of Simus, or rather something that had happened to his friend, had her worried somewhat. "The commander went down that way, towards the medical tent. I wouldn't bother with him at the moment, though. He awoke...slightly under the weather. There's a fire going down this way, some of us have some meat roasting and some bread and water, both hot and cold, if you'd like to break your fast."

    Glancing down the way where Friga had told him Simus had gone, Hale decided to heed her advice, for the moment at least. Thinking that his newfound friend could handle whatever was going on, the Ranger gave in to his hunger cravings. He had not eaten a full meal in the last few days, and he could do with some sustenance.

    Walking with Friga down towards the cooking fire, Hale let the sweet smells of pork, bread, pine needles, and wine assault his nostrils. Grabbing a metal plate and helping himself to a few slices of bacon'd pork, a piece of bread and butter, and a glass each of wine and water, the Ranger sat down next to a young Stormcloak archer. He recognized him as one of those who had been aiming an arrow at him and his companions the day before!

    The lad looked more than a bit worried, as if thinking that the mysterious Ranger would gut him right there, Hale instead offered a smile. "What is your name, son?"

    "B-B-Bjorn, sir," replied the youth.

    "Please, save that 'sir' stuff for your commander. It's just Hale, lad." replied Hale, still with a warm smile.

    This seemed to put the kid at ease, for he noticeably loosened up.

    "Mind if I give you a bit of advice to better your bow abilities? I won't even charge you!" Loneshadow joked.

    "Of course! Anything you can offer would be appreciated."

    "Well, your form is good, but try only using a half-draw when your not actually planning on firing your arrow right away. You'll put less strain on the bow and the string, and most importantly, your forearms. Also, remember to keep a steady breathing rhythm when your firing. Only hold your breath if you're planning on doing some long-range shooting. Remember; exhale for close and medium range shots, and inhale for long range."

    "Th-thank you, Mr. Hale! Might be you just saved my life and ye don't even know it!" stammered the young archer, visibly grateful.

    "Anytime, lad! Now, let's dig in before our food grows cold, and our wine too warm, aye?"

    With that, Hale broke his fast with his new friend, his troubled mind now slightly at rest for the moment. He patiently sat there and ate, waiting for one of his companions to let him know what the day would bring.

    It was nice not having to worry about that, for a change.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Alice slept peacefully throught the night. She was worried about where Cilla was and what had happened to her and her visions of her little sister being a vampire and feeding on innocents didn't help either. She prayed to all the gods that they were falshoods. Even so, the warm little redhead in her arms kept her calm enough to not disturb anyone and she had slept relatively peacefully. She had unknowingly talked in her sleep though as she sometimes does and this may have disturbed her two new girl friends.

    She awoke at the break of dawn, about the time Simus and Lilumae were at the medical tent. She lingered in bed, curling up under the warm covers and grateful for her warm, all encompassing pj's. One big benefit of them being one piece and having feet is that they were completey sealed when zipped up. This prevented any possibility of a shirt bunching up in the night and causing a draf to flow up her back.

    Slowely, over about fifteen minutes, she woke up enough to get out from under the covers and sit up in bed, swinging her legs out so her feet were on the clean wooden floor and she was facing Winter. There Alice sat, rubbing her eyes and waking up enough to go to the room across from her to wash and brush her bedraggled hair. Maybe put on some foundation and a bit of black eyeshadow so she didn't look like a pale ghost. She also wanted a bit of lipstick but she ran out two days ago. Maybe Winter had some and was willing to share?

    As she was thinking this over, Winter began to stir.
     

    MabFaerie

    Faerie Queen
    Lilumae blinked a few times, trying to get ahold of herself as Simus escorted her away.
    It was always the same. Cruelty and dismissal spread like wildfire across her existence. Countless memories of moments just the same as this one. When would the world ever learn? Must no good deed go unpunished?

    Still, Simus was here, reassuring her that she'd done a good thing, that she'd done the right thing. Offering aid to those who needed it most. Tired, weary men with many more nights ahead of them to fight for, and only one life left to lose when the dawn came for them, if the dawn came for them.

    Young as she was, Lilumae understood too well the concept of life and death and the delicate balance in between them. She wanted desperately to heal people, to make them better, to bring peace to a war-filled world, to let the tired men and woman of Skyrim find rest.
    But she was not a priestess. She was not a blessed messenger of any gods. She could not offer them promises of a greater being who would show them mercy, grant them eternal happiness or bless their travels with a holy light. She was just a little red-headed girl with crooked glasses and a fistful of fire salts trying to help save the world. But couldn't that be enough?

    "Don't tell Winter. It will only cause a scene." Lilumae said, at last, when she had finally calmed down enough to speak. "I don't want that woman to get hurt... Winter... she... well, I don't think she would let her off with a warning." Lilumae knew better than anyone that if Winter found out what that nurse had said, she'd probably fly off the handle. If she didn't hurt the woman, she'd most likely scare her half to death.

    Meanwhile, Winter felt her ears ringing. Odd.
    Stirring slightly and groaning a bit at the noise, Winter finally managed to succumb to the siren-song of waking.
    Sitting up, she blinked a few times, noticing Alice was staring right at her.
    "The last girl who stared at me like that while I was sleeping at least had the courtesy to be naked in my bed beforehand." Winter said with a smirk, trying to purposely make Alice feel uncomfortable. It was unclear whether Winter was lying or not, after all, she had a rather convincing poker face.
    "And you, Alice, are definitely not naked. What a shame too, nudity would be a step up from what you have on now, I'd say." Winters grin grew wider, showing off her teeth a bit this time. It seemed she was deriving great amusement from this scenario.
    "Anyway, thanks for the feel-good jammies, by the way. They made an excellent pillow addition." Winter gestured to the pajamas that had somehow been rolled up into a ball and stuffed at the head of the bed in the middle of the night. Winter stood and stretched as she said this, not really minding that she herself was pretty scantily clothed as it were.

    "Where's Lilu?" Winter called out as she started off to ready herself for the days events. Heating up a few pots of water to bathe in was first on her list. If only she knew fire magic like Lilumae. She was willing to bet that kid never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a hot tub to wash in. Lucky.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Simus held Lilume and stroked her hair, simply listening to her words and worries. She was so full of doubt, so hurt that the world was rejecting her because she was a child. Things would get better for her, Simus knew that from his own experience and from raising Alice but Lilumae couldn't see that right now. She needed a strong, gentle hand to guide her. Something to balance out Alice's tender mercies and Winter's cold but ever present protectiveness. Right now, it seemed that Simus was the best man for the job so he would help take care of Lilumae if she would have him.

    "Don't worry." He said as he streightened her glasses and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "It'll be our secret."

    He took her small hands into his and beemed down at her. She was such a sweet girl and so very intelligent. Not so different from his girls really. "I know you don't believe me now but I promise you things are going to get better for you sweetheart. Your body is going to catch up with your mind and spirit and then people are going to see just how wrong they were about you. You might even be their boss someday. Alice went through exactly the same thing you're going through right now and she turned out all right, don't you think? How'd you sleep by the way? I heard you and her snuggled up together last night and Winter joined you guys later."

    Meanwhile, back in the Command Tent, Alice was in on Winter's little joke and preparing for a little fun herself. She sat there in her jammies, completely unashamed that Winter was having with her because of them. Alice did find it interesting that Winter mentioned having sex with another woman in the past, considering Alice had never had sex herself and didn't really understand why two women would want to lay with each other. Natesse had tried to explain it to her once but it was a bit over her head.

    "Well Winter," She said, matching Winter's grin with her own. "Nudity may suit me better tha my pj's in certain situations but I don't think snuggling up with a little girl so she goes to sleep is one of them. Speaking of wich, you're pretty stripped down yourself."

    She frowned a bit when she saw the pajamas she provided Winter rolled up in a ball and used as a pillow.

    "Well, at least they provided you some comfort." She said, slightly hurt that her gift had been rejected but happy that Winter had used them in some fashion. "Why not? They're nice and warm and really comfy. Lilu certainly enjoyed the pair I got her into, she looked so cute, and of course I enjoy mine whenever I can. At least try them on. See if they fit."

    Alice waited a moment and beemed at Winter. "C'mon. You know you want to." She teased. Then she saw the Forget-Me-Not Lilumae had left them.

    "Oh my gods, that's so sweet. Lilu must have gotten up early and picked these for us. She must be around the camp somewhere. Don't worry: she's safe so long as she doesn't go outside the walls by herself. I was about to run myself a bath and soak fit a bit. Let myself wake up. Would you like one Winter?"
     

    Hale Loneshadow

    Well-Known Member
    Once their meal was finished, Hale, Bjorn, and five of the other soldiers that he had begun talking with over breakfast walked to a grouping of targets.

    "Here now, my father always taught me to lead by example, what good are my words if you men cannoe' see them in use??" beamed Hale, in much better spirits after downing a few cups of wine and making some new friends.

    "Here, here! Show us how it's done then, forest man!" shouted Bjorn.

    "Ye, show us one of your fancy Ranger-shots then, Hale!" another of the soldiers, a dark-haired and broad-shouldered Nord man named Ragjak jovially exclaimed.

    "Alright, alright, if you fellows so insist! This here's a shot that I would deem to call my specialty, one of my own invention. I actually pulled it off just the other day! All one must do is approximate the wind speed and course, distance from the target, and....oh, yeah, have a bit of Ranger blood in your veins, aye!" Hale jokingly explained, happily buzzed off both the wine and good mood of everyone. He knew the upcoming days of his and his companions quest would bring dark, troubled times, and the Ranger wanted to enjoy every bit of joviality that he could before they headed back out.

    With that in mind, the Ranger hopped back about another twenty paces to put some more distance between him and the already faraway target. Tuning into his innate powers, Hale felt the world around him slow to half a snail's crawl. He had done this so many times, Hale barely had to think about it. Closing his eyes, Hale aimed his bow and arrow, seemingly into the sky. Opening his one eye, just to give a dramatic wink at the closely watching soldiers, the Ranger released the arrow from his greatbow.

    The black and green-fletched arrow flew into the sky, up and slightly to the right of the target.

    "Bah, but ye just shot the durned thing straight inno' the damned sk--" one of the men gruffly began complaining, before the Ranger's arrow all of a sudden blasted straight back towards the target, its electrical magic crackling as it flew. It slammed straight into the middle target, dead center on the bullseye.

    "By the BLOODY DIVINES!" the soldiers yelled in utter surprise.

    "And that, my friends, is the capability of a true Ranger. Not just wild, forest men now, are we?" Hale said, flashing a wicked grin at the soldiers.

    "By the Nine, you must teach me how to do such a thing!" exclaimed Bjorn.

    "Maybe one day, Bjorn. For now, you practice those basics I told you. That goes for all of you! It takes decades of experience to pull of anything fancy like that, so don't go trying anything foolish on the battlefield! Stick to the basics, and hone your skills. You'll stay alive, and that's what you need right now with the Thalmor and vampires at our heels!" explained Hale, quite serious now.

    "We will! And thank you for the advice and...inspiring demonstration!" the men said.

    "Anytime, friends. Now, I must go collect your commander. Time has come we must be off on our own adventure. If I do not see you all before we depart, I bid you farewell and most of all, good fortunes!"

    With that, the Ranger turned on his heels, green-grey cloak whooshing across his back, hoofing it back towards where Friga had told him Simus had gone.

    Seeing Simus consoling a pouting Lilumae, Hale stepped back a few paces, giving them some space to finish what seemed to be a private conversation before approaching Simus.
     

    ChiefScalyNipples

    Dictator of my bedroom
    Jeroo-Shei's physical body awoke with his soul back inside it. He got up out of the bed roll he was in, torso, arms, and tail shaking from 50% anxiety and 50% anger. Of course caused by the Daedric Prince he had a "nice little chat" with about 2 hours earlier. To add insult to injury, Molag even implanted a ghostly, whispering and echoing voice in Jeroo's head that repeated the word "doom..." over and over every approximate 1.5 seconds. Jeroo-Shei attempted to simply ignore it and attempted to shake it off, even though he truly could not, and get the two, new Katars he had been waiting for.

    The reptilian vampire bent down and pulled apart the two cloth flaps in front of him and exited the tent. The sunlight burned the scaly skin on his snout even worse than usual for some reason, weakening him a bit more, but it wasn't enough to set him on fire or anything ridiculously fatal. So Jeroo-Shei pulled his hood down further over his face. The only good thing about entering the blazing sunlight is that the voice in Jeroo-Shei's head faded away for an unknown reason. A lot of unusual things were occurring, maybe this all was a sign of Jeroo's demise actually being genuine, not to say Jeroo-Shei didn't believe it, but he did not take it as serious as he should. On the other hand, it could've been his paranoia exaggerating the world around him to scare him. Nevertheless, he quickly walked through the shortly-cut grass field of the camp to approach the quartermaster in the distance. Whom he assumed was the guy in the Blacksmith's Apron hammering an object on an anvil.

    Jeroo-Shei finally made it to this hard working man, and asked, "Do you have any Katars for sale? Or 'push-daggers' as they're most commonly referred to?" the quartermaster frowned in frustration and grumbled in response, "Yes I have some in stock but they're not for you, fanged lizard. This is strictly Stormcloak equipment, and I doubt you're fighting for Ulfric. So scurry off, freeloader! I'm not giving you plops even if you are best friends with General Simus!" This caused Jeroo-Shei to squint his eyes angrily and make a sound that was some sort of growl mixed with a hiss. "Freeloader? Who said anything about me wanting those Katars for free?! Idiot!" Jeroo-Shei snapped back at the Quartermaster, "I was going to offer you a deal that could help your soldiers, this here long katar, sheathed at my hip." The Quartermaster then realized the error of his ways and raised his eyebrows in interest.

    Jeroo-Shei picked up on the man's intrigued facial expression, and continued with, "...this particular rare Ebony Katar has a blade long enough to be a one-handed sword. It's meant to be driven into the enemy like a spear, like all Katars. However, due to the length of the blade on this one, you can also use it as an effective substitute for a shield, since you hold it by a handle like you do with a shield. This weapon will allow you to block attacks more easily without the chore of having to move your sword arm in an awkward position to block an attack and end up getting your arm chopped off. So put simply, it's both a sword and a shield." Jeroo-Shei could tell that he definitely convinced the man, and proceeded on to perform his tricky little closing line on the deal. "...buuuutttt... since you said you only deal with Stormcloaks... I guess I'll have to take my leave..." Jeroo-Shei then turned his back to the Quartermaster and pretended to walk away.

    When Jeroo took a few steps away from him, the Quartermaster said somewhat loudly to get Jeroo's attention from the short distance, "Wait! I've changed my mind! Come back, I'll take the deal!" as soon as the sound hit Jeroo's non-existant ears, he turned back around, facing the man, and slyly replied with, "Oh...?" then proceeded to walk back in order to trade in his long katar for the two, beautiful, ebony short Katars. "Sorry about the way I acted, Argonian. Its just, many times in the past, General Simus has made me give away equipment to random travellers for free, to fend off bears and trolls and such as they roam, and I really dissapprove of it. If they need weapons go find them somewhere else, because the Stormcloaks need my steel. And by Talos I'll work my heart out for the sons and daughters of skyrim, NOT for some random stranger." said the Quartermaster as Jeroo-Shei returned to his stand. "....but you are serving the army well by giving me that Katar you own, I can smith and replicate more of them, and help the army greatly! So once again, I apologize, and here are your push-daggers." concluded the Quartermaster as he placed the the two dagger-length Ebony Katars upon his stand.

    Jeroo-Shei unsheathed his long-katar and handed it to the man, then said, "No need for apologies, Blacksmith, you may have been uncooperative at first but in the end you came to your senses as I expected." Jeroo-Shei then picked up his two new weapons after trading his old one away, gripped the push-dagger's handles tightly and grinned.

    (OOC: Jeroo-Shei has become possessed by the ghost of Billy Mays in this post)
     

    Gunnbjorn

    Formerly known as Arillious
    Arillious got up slowly, moaning in pain in the process - he was hung over, bad.

    Trudging out of death he did not look happy, with a sour face and the usual morning crankiness, the hang over made it that much worse.

    With reluctance, he managed to make his way to an empty table, a little down from where the Ranger and six others were enjoying breakfast. The Ranger also seemed to be going on about something, the very sound of his voice made the man's ears hurt - he wasn't sure if it was because of the hangover, or just from sheer annoyance.

    He took a seat, looked around a little bit, his usual expression was now a tired, strained look.

    He let his head fall with a large thud. The blow hurt, in fact, he was wondering if he was bleeding. Although he remained in his position out of laziness.
     

    MabFaerie

    Faerie Queen
    Winter cast a glance at Alice, an expression of general discontent resting on her lips. It wasn't that she was angry at Alice for any reason, or even really gave a damn about her one way or another, Winter just wasn't a morning person and Alices whining, as Winter interpreted it, about the pajamas was doing the girls reputation no favours.
    "I don't care if they're a perfect fit or 12 inches too short, I'm not trying them on. Not while I have a say in it, anyway." For all intents and purposes, it seemed Winter wasn't much of a happy morning person, or a happy person period, regardless of the time of day.

    At mention of the flowers, Winter turned her head to study the pretty blue plants Lilumae had left behind. Cute. Pointless, but cute.
    "Hmm. She could use those for her work. Save them, if you're not going to just toss them out. I'm sure she could stick them in one potion or another."
    In response to Alices inquiry about washing up, Winter shrugged and began to gather up her belongings, scooping them under one arm, "I can take care of that myself, thanks." Without so much as a goodbye, Winter started off, leaving only silence and the lingering scent of flowers in her wake.

    Meanwhile, Lilumae was beaming up at Simus as he spoke, feeling better with every passing second.
    "I slept well, the clothes Alice lent me were soft and comfy, but I think it was a waste of time for her to have left them out for Winter." After looking left and right, as if to be sure no one would overhear her, Lilumae leaned in close and whispered, "Winter doesn't like things that are fun." Leaning back, Lilumae stifled a small giggle before she saw Hale approaching.
    "Oh, don't let me keep you, Simus. I need to get ready, since Winter says we're leaving today. See you later!"
    Darting past Hale, Lilumae waved and kept moving, "Hi Hale, Bye Hale!"
     

    Hale Loneshadow

    Well-Known Member
    As he approached the two, the Ranger's extra-sensitive hearing picked up the final words that Lilumae was saying, "Winter doesn't like things that are fun." Frowning slightly, it seemed that the pair were talking about Winter, though how they had gotten to that subject, Loneshadow couldn't tell. A second later, the small girl mentioned that she had to get ready to head out. Hale couldn't help but smile as the spry, adorable Lilumae practically flew past him with a friendly "Hi Hale, Bye Hale!"

    Still smiling, the Ranger returned her wave with one of his own, calling out after her, "Good morning, Lilumae! Take care where you run so you shan't poke your eye on one of the weapons 'round the camp!"

    Turning back to Simus, Hale nodded in greeting and walked up to his new friend. "Good morning, Simus. Your second said you were a bit, ah, under the weather." Raising an eyebrow in a mischievous manner, the Ranger continued, "Partook in a bit of the spirits last night, aye? Ha ha, no matter. I was just wondering when we were planning on heading out?"
     

    ChiefScalyNipples

    Dictator of my bedroom
    After getting his new, sharp, Ebony Katars, Jeroo-Shei glanced in the distance of the camp's field. The cryptic Shadowscale saw Lilumae run out of one of the camp's larger tents, if not the largest, from afar. Seeing Lilumae dash through the field reminded Jeroo that he needed to break the bad news to Winter, even though he knew it would obviously be difficult. He figured Winter would be in that tent, since usually wherever Lilumae was, Winter was.

    Knowing the tent was a good 50-some yards away from him, Jeroo-Shei decided to take the faster route to the tent, Teleportation. But, being wreakened by the sun, Jeroo-Shei could only teleport so far... He turned his whole body to the northwest, facing the large structure head on. He closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, then, poof! He vanished, leaving behind a residue of small black clouds where his body was that dispersed quickly. He then reappeared in the shade left by the tent's arch-like entrance, that was as far as he could reach in the sunlight. The sponteanous generation of black and grey mist in front of the tent's entrance was clearly visible by those inside. Alice seemed to be a bit in shock at this sudden manifestation, but within a matter of seconds the mist dissappeared completely and Jeroo-Shei materialized right where it was.

    He walked into the tent slowly as the shadows faded from his figure. "Tidings, Simus", Jeroo-Shei greeted Simus intently as he entered. After Simus greeted him back, Jeroo-Shei took two slow steps forward, directed all of his attention at Winter, and sighed deeply. "Winter, I know we got off to a bad start...but....I have some bad news to deliver to you....."
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Alice smiled slightly at Winter's irritation and about her outright refusal to try on the pajamas. She obviously wasn't a morning person and Alice understood that. She wasn't really one herself, she had just had a bit of time to wake up and had slept really well.

    "All right, all right," She said. "No need to get a bee in your bonnet over the issue. You're completely free to not wear comfy, adorable pj's with cute feet that zip up to keep you nice and warm."

    She looked over to the flowers.

    "Also, I'd never dream of tossing out a Forget-Me-Not. Not after the little angel who picked them took the time to pick and preserve them for us. I'm going to keep mine. Why don't you do the same for now? It would mean a lot to her. You can always give it back to her later but throwing it away wouldn't be very nice."

    Alice wasn't angry with Winter, not at all. She was just trying to point out how Lilumae would feel. Winter seemed to be a person who struggled with empathy.

    "As for the bath, are you sure you don't want me to run you one? I use flames and frost magic to create hot water in an empty tub. I can have one ready for you in a few minutes. I also make my own bars of soap if you want one."

    Meanwhile, outside the medical tent, Simus had calmed Lilumae down and restored her happy little face.

    "Oh, don't let me keep you, Simus. I need to get ready, since Winter says we're leaving today. See you later!" She said cheerfully before she ran off. The gesture warmed Simus' heart out. The little angel reminded him quite a bit of his own girls.

    "Have fun sweetheart!" He called after her. "Don't go too far! Keep in mind this is a war camp, just watch where you run!"

    Hale passed her along the way, recieving a flash of a greeting as she ran by, and walked over to Simus with a mischievious smile on his face.

    "Good morning, Simus. Your second said you were a bit, ah, under the weather." Raising an eyebrow in a mischievous manner, the Ranger continued, "Partook in a bit of the spirits last night, aye? Ha ha, no matter. I was just wondering when we were planning on heading out?"

    "That I did Hale, that I did." Simus said with a smile of his own. He would have an ale with his breakfast and that would satisfy his body's cravings enout to make him feel better. "Honestly, last night was rough for me. Cilla was on my mind, you never take a day off from being a father. I'm okay though. Let's go see what the girls are up to."

    They walked over to the Command Tent, one of the largest tents of the camp along with the medical tent and mess tent When Jeroo Shei greeted them both at the enterance. He had two brand new dagger length katars that Simus recognized as his own creations from a few weeks ago. Nice to see his work was appreciated. The three headed inside and Simus led them to the room where the girls had stayed. Winter was sitting on her cot with one of Alice's footy sleepers rolled up next to her. Bit of a funny sight that. Alice was there too, sitting on her cot and still in her pajamas. She was a bit old for one piece footy pajamas Simus thought, but she loved them and she did look awfully cute in them. She greeted him with a smile and he was about to greet both girls when Jeroo spoke up first.

    "Winter, I know we got off to a bad start...but....I have some bad news to deliver to you....." He started. This piqued Simus' interest and Alice had a concerned look on her face. She had dreamt of an argonian talking with a disembodied voice last night about a rather unpleasent subject but she had dismissed it as one of her random meaningless visions. Then she saw Jeroo, who looked exactly like the argonian she had dreamt of. This could be bad.
     

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