Private What Lurks in the Dark

[Brigantes]

Skoldjr was woken by the chink of light hitting him squarely in his right eyeball; burning its way through the protective eyelid that tried to shield the slumbering eyeball within with futile attempts. His head was filled with light and his eyes opened in a sluggish manner and...he felt naked...

He trailed his hand downwards with a weary pace...

Yes, he was naked...

His hand travelled a bit further and found the beginning of the cotton sheet which he had either kicked down or had been pulled down in his sleep and pulled it up to his waist; rolling back over and then noticing a warmth in the sheets beside him.

There was a body there. A body with soft curves and warm, tanned flesh.

Oh yes, now he remembered...kind of...not really...

The body stirred and Skoldjr could barely focus on the sinuous movement, his hangover and late night starting to kick in and abuse his skull; taking it in turns to beat on his brain like they were bullies ganging up on him and seeking their revenge.
His soft groan caused the sneaking woman to turn around and smile at him, caressing his cheek with a warm, slim hand.
Too much heat...too warm....uncomfortable...
But then he asked probably the worst thing he could of asked:
"Did we 'sleep' together last night?"

Her sweet features contorted with fury and indignity as the weary, slightly confused Skoldjr had yet to catch up with what he had said to offend her. He saw her seethe and throw profanties at him as she shot up, out of the large bed and tried snatching the cover up with her to cover her decency. Skoldjr let her, his brain to numbed to actually tell his hands to snatch hold of the cover before it was whipped off his defenseless body.

She threw a pillow at his face (where it impacted with a dull thud) in her rage and stomped off to the corner to grap hold of a pair of boots and start to tug them with savage pulls...before;

"Those are my boots..."
She stopped in deadly stillness, one foot covered in a large, oversized boot for her own foot as she hated to realize and admit her mistake to this handsome drunkard who hadn't even remembered her, never mind her name...
Pulling the boot off, she threw that one at him, which hit him in the chest, and then its twin, with whom he had enough sense to block with the pillow that was an earlier, less painful projectile.

The Imperial left the room with heavy, loud stomps and he could hear her cursing his name down the stairs and even out of the tavern where a rock was suddenly hurled through the window and slammed into the wall at the far side of the room.

Skoldjr simply waited for the buzzing to stop, (ducking the rock as it flew overhead), before stumbling out of bed, pulling on a pair of pants and ambling downstairs to get some food in his belly and nurse his aching head.

He had a feeling that he had made a little too merry last night...

 

[Snoball]

"Alright, first thing's first, I'll teach you how to block."
"Okay!" Ero nodded with a jubilant expression written on every corner of his face, yet he just blankly stood there.
"Ero, you have to put up your arms up."
"Okay!" Instead of blocking his face with his arms, Ero stretched them as high up in the air as he could.
"No Ero, that's not what I meant." His brother fixed his stance for him. "Now you're ready to defend yourself! Just tell me when to start."
"Okay!"
"And you're not just agreeing with everything I say to speed this up, right?"
"........... Okay!..." Isis grinned over the momentary pause and incessant responses his brother was giving him. With the shot ready to be taken, Isis got into position and threw a faint right hook at his brother, the impact immediately waking Nero.

Almost as if he felt it himself, the force Nero dreamt instinctively caused him to react in real life. He fell off the bed, hitting his head against the nearby nightstand.
"Damn it. Blasted dream." He stood back up with a lingering throbbing in his head, and a slight bump on his forehead. Regardless of the annoyance the headache presented itself as, the determined Dunmer had a job to do, and would willingly take ten more blows to the head if it meant seeing the job through. He placed his coat on once more, fastened his greaves, and took his hat on the way out of his rented room.

Nero could hear the other voices just outside the doorway, which managed to bother him. It wasn't the people, but the plan. He intended to meet the group at the bandit site, thus leaving the inn a good hour or two before anyone had left. Of course, Nero's sweet dreams said otherwise. Walking out, he found most of the prospects from yesterday still occupying the inn. With their quest for the bounty nearing, he felt he might as well spend the last few minutes doing what he initially came here to accomplish, enjoying himself.

Nero asked the innkeeper for a loaf of bread and a small jug of milk (Yes, he is a milk-drinker, but a damn proud one at that. It helped serve as the substitute for the blood he deprives himself of) and felt like striking up a conversation with some of his allies for the evening, before the group advanced. Carrying his morning meal with him, he first walked up to the female altmer and cross-breed who had been talking, all while keeping Mr. Thalmor over at another table in the corner of his eye.
"Now I know what you're thinking, not quite the feast fit for an adventurer per se, but we all need to nourish ourselves somehow. However either of you do so, I'd best be prepared. Did you know that there are even monsters out there who live to see our kind burn? The bastards!" He took another swig of the jug, wiping the milk mustache left behind with his clenched forehand while still feeling the after effects of the head thump.

 

[Aethalia]

Aliah maintained a carefully neutral expression as she listened to the exchange between the exotic Redguard and the mysterious Altmer. It seemed yet another wished to join the raid.Interesting. Then the half-breed a red steel armoured vampire approached and bid her good morning. " Good morning, my friend.I trust you slept well?" She then turned to another vampire, this one the Dunmer vampire that had just come from the upstairs. Then she realized the man was drinking milk. Milk!? Aliah frowned at the Dunmer, thinking surely there was something wrong with this vampire. As if reading her mind, the man said "Now I know what you're thinking, not quite the feast fit for an adventurer per se, but we all need to nourish ourselves somehow. However either of you do so, I'd best be prepared. Did you know that there are even monsters out there who live to see our kind burn? The bastards!"
Aliah smiled at his mention of the vampire 'hunters'. "Ah yes...I know of the people you speak. I quite enjoy turning the 'hunters' into the hunted" then she decided that it was time to leave. The sun was disappearing into dark grey/black banks of clouds, which hinted more rain was to come.

Catching the Redguard mans' eye, she smiled. "Those of you accompanying me to the bandit camp, prepare to leave I plan to be back here by tomorrow night at the latest" she stared at the Redguard, inviting him along, if he was interested.

 

[Drahkma]

Averain was about to answer the Altmer woman's query when a Dunmer, the same that Averain had noted downstairs last night, approached, with a jug of milk. 'Odd...I wonder why he simply doesn't slip out and feed?' That brought a wave of guilt over the half-breed vampire, remembering the girl from last night.However, he didn't let his discomfort show, simply smiling and nodding at his fellow vampire.

Another thing he noticed about the Dunmer vampire as the man spoke, was that while he spoke in a friendly manner, talking about those that wished the children of the night harm, he was very careful to keep Averain, the Altmer woman, and the Thalmor vampire in his line of sight. 'Very interesting. Almost as if he's concerned one of will attack him' that was all very interesting, so interesting, in fact, that he nearly missed the woman announcing that they would be leaving presently.

Excusing himself politely from the two vampires he moved to a row of wall pegs, one of which held his travel worn cloak. Flinging the tattered thing onto his shoulders, the knight stepped out the door,noticing an Orc warrior breaking his fast a short distance away, at the blacksmith's place. He looked like he might be expecting battle, and Averain couldn't help but wonder if their expedition was about to get a little larger. He was caught up in his thoughts, and nearly trampled the mysterious Khajiit woman that was just outside. "Oh! I beg your pardon, my lady, I did not see you there. Entirely my fault" the vampire knight said, putting a hand on the womans' shoulder to steady her.

 

[TheShadedOne]

Shadari enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her face, closing her eyes as she stood, leaning against one of the inn's posts. Then that pleasant, warm sensation went away, as great big storm clouds covered her lovely rays of sunshine. The Khajiit assassin glared at the clouds, willing them to simply melt away, but of course, it didn't work. Letting out an irritated sigh, the woman stood straighter and wrapped her arms around herself as a cold breeze bit through her dark grey fur.

It's always so blasted cold in Skyrim. If it wasn't for the gold the jarls are throwing around right now, I'd be halfway to Elsweyr before the winter sets in.' But she'd made a nice profit working in Skrim, and while those that could pay did so, the Khajiit was content. Mostly. "It's always so cold here...might as well buy myself a nice fur coat" she murmured sarcastically to herself. Then she was nearly blown clear off the inns' porch by an armoured man, who didn't seem to be looking where he was going.

She turned to give the fool a piece of her mind, ears back, and tail twitching with irritation. "Oh! I beg your pardon, my lady, I did not see you there. Entirely my fault" The man exclaimed, excusing himself. Shadari recognized him from the inn last night, and also realized that his hand was touching her. She hated when men touched her. She took a quick step back, placing her hands on her hips, looking haughty and annoyed, although in reality, she simply took that pose to have her hands closer to her weapon. Then she cautiously sniffed the air again. 'Damn. Another vampire'

Having no wish to get in a fight with one of the undead, she let her weapon hand slide off her hip. "Next time, keep your eyes open" she growled, turning again to face the outside, and shivering. Whether from the cold air, or the proximity of a blood drinker, she didn't know. A scent of food drew her to look over at a lone Orc, sitting on the stairs to the blacksmith's place. What was the smiths' name? Lad? Lon? Lod! Yes, that was it. He'd done some work for her repairing her falchion when it had been damaged in a fight with some Dwemer automatons. She wondered if they were heading out soon. She certainly hoped so, because if she stood around much longer, her ears might freeze off.

 

[Drahkma]

Averain sighed as the woman angrily told him to watch where he was going. He supposed he deserved it, because, after all, he had been busy keeping an eye on the Orc, and not paying attention to where he'd placed his armoured boots. 'I suppose it's a good thing I didn't step on her tail' he thought with dry humor. He'd heal quickly, but Averain had no desire to walk around with half his face shredded off. "Again, my lady, I apologize for my clumsiness. As I said, it was entirely my fault" leaving her to accept his apology or ignore him as she wished, the knight took in the early Falkreath morning.

A stiff breeze whipped his cloak around, the cold air doing little to him, but probably effecting both the Orc and his irritated companion. Deciding he should make himself familiar with another of his bandit-hunting companions, he bowed to the woman. "My lady, I am Averain Silverblade. I assume that you are part of this bandit hunting expedition as well?" Straightening, the man watched the dark clouds approaching. They made him uneasy, for some reason. Usually, the vampire would have appreciated the cloud cover, but this day it seemed an ill omen. 'You fool, you're getting as superstitious as a child' despite his mental taunt, the knight couldn't shake his strange feeling.

 

[Baneloth]

Donath sighed, stretched and stood, as the Altmer woman announced that they would leave soon. He'd finished his breakfast, and although his drinking buddy from the night before had just arrived on the scene, the Nord warrior desired some fresh air to clear his head before they went to chop up some ugly bandits.
He saw both the knight-like man and the woman cat standing outside, talking. A cold wind had sprung up, driving the dark grey, almost black clouds to cover the sun.

" Well that's a bad sign if I ever saw one" the man grumbled to himself. Then he saw the orc sitting alone on the steps to Lod the blacksmith's place. Judging by his arms and armour, the orc was a warrior of some type. Deciding that it might be good to have another sword watching his back, Donath approached, making sure to seem unthreatening. He would hate to have to chop the orc in half before he even got a word out. "Ho, there, friend!" He called as he moved steadily closer. "Might ye be looking to make some easy coin?" By that time, the Nord had covered the distance from the inn to the blacksmiths. He waited patiently, as the cld wind ruffled the wolf fur that insulated his steel armour.

 

[Blackwhite1223]

Torin wrapped his cloak around him as a stiff wind sprang up, blocking out the golden rays of the sun with huge black clouds. The ranger sighed. It looked like it might be another cold, rainy day. Of course, it was never really warm in Skyrim, but still, being soaked to his skin didn't appeal to the man, and he was worried about the robed woman beside him. Then he saw Falkreath. "My lady, we've arrived. You should be safe for now" he told the woman, checking his surroundings like he usually did while in cities.

The Nord noticed a kinsman, with a steel battle ax on his back, with steel armour, and a bald head. He also noticed a Khajiit woman, an orc, and what looked like a mix between an Altmer and Breton. Maybe they had something to do with the ominous disappearances occurring in Skyrim. Deciding to introduce himself, and perhaps offer his services, the ranger approached the steel armoured half-breed. "Torin Greenbow, at your service, my lord. Are you by any chance investigating the disappearances of villagers near here?"

 

[kyleekay]

Elyzona looked up, noticing the young Imperial boy, Julius, stealing glances at her every now and again. She smirked to herself and let out a sigh; she certainly hoped he wouldn't prove to be a nuisance. As she finished her breakfast, she heard the words "Those of you accompanying me to the bandit camp, prepare to leave I plan to be back here by tomorrow night at the latest". Ely nodded in the woman's direction, preparing herself to leave.

As Elyzona stepped outside the Inn, she noticed the wind was cool. 'I wonder what type of weather awaits us at this camp. Though I suppose I'd endure most anything, considering how high this bounty is...' she thought to herself. As she looked around while waiting for the strange Altmer woman to arrive outside, she noticed a small skirmish taking place between a female Khajiit and a male, who appeared to be some sort of Breton and Elf mix. She heard the man say "My lady, I am Averain Silverblade. I assume that you are part of this bandit hunting expedition as well?" Ely planned on walking over to introduce herself to these people who would so obviously be her comrades, but decided to wait for the Khajiit to answer him.

 

[TheShadedOne]

Shadari extended a cautious, furred hand to the vampire knight. "I'm Shadari. And it looks like we're in the hunt together" she wasn't certain she trusted the vampire. After all, they weren't exactly known for their trustworthiness. However, she might need his help in this adventure. Unlikely, but the assassin wasn't willing to place her gold on what the odds were.

Flashing him a sharp-toothed smile, she leaned against the inn once again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the young Breton woman observing. Either she was eavesdropping, or planning on introducing herself. The Khajiit didn't get much off of her scent either, except that she wasn't one of the undead. 'Finally' she thought to herself. 'Someone that isn't a walking corpse' .

 

[kyleekay]

Elyzona saw that the Khajiit finally responded to the strange man, and decided it was high time she introduced herself. She made a note to be wary of the man, who seemed to be a bit touchy-feely. Whether the physical encounter with the Khajiit was accidental or not, she really didn't care. No man's hands belonged on her, except for Sor's. As she approached the small group of only two people, she extended her hand to the Khajiit first, only offering a glance to the man. "I couldn't help but overhear your discussion of the bandit raid, of which I'm also a part. My name is Elyzona, and I look forward to fighting at your side. You as well, sir. May I ask for your names?"

 

[Seanu Reaves]

Ghubaric watched some of the bandit hunters introducing themselves. The redguard smirked, and decided to adjust his Hammerfell garb, making sure his turban was on straight. He approached silently leaned against a close wall, listening to the unfolding conversation. Ghubaric was many things, and image obsessed seemed to fit at times. He wanted his entrance into the conversation to be just right.

 

[Drahkma]

Averain smiled at the Khajiit. He would like to have an ally, especially since the Dunmer vampire gave him a rather strange feeling. He didn't think he'd exactly won her over to his side, but he preferred to know a few of his companions on the bandit hunting expedition. Moments later, a small young Breton woman approached, introducing herself as Elyzona. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear girl. I look forward to working with you" he stated, inclining his head slightly. He wondered whether their Altmer leader would be exiting the inn soon.

 

[TheShadedOne]

Shadari accepted the young woman's extended hand with her own. "I am Shadari, and as long as you don't get yourself killed, I'm sure it will be a pleasure working with you" the assassin realized she was being rather blunt, but she realized that the woman might die, or be killed by one of the greedier members of their party.
Shadari had given up on emotional connections when she fought in the war.

Her title of the 'Shadow' had been earned because no one except her employers ever knew who she was, because she had no friends, no remaining family, and no...romantic attachments. She feared emotion, shied away from happiness, and took her own pleasures in what gold could get her. Noticing the turbaned Redguard that was clearly listening in on their conversation, Shadari let her hand drop towards her weapon, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

 

[ManoloXamps the Faggot]

Tokos was almost ready to leave, so he went outside. There, he saw even more new faces! This time, he saw a heavy-armored Orc, what seemed to be a Nord ranger, and next to him, an Imperial.
At this point, things are getting strange for Tokos. The only thought that crossed his mind in the moment was...
"Damn. I wonder how we're gonna divide the money."

 

[Madrar]

Salthar left the inn, ready to find an kill bandits. Of course, he didn't care about the gold, but he did want to find out what made these particular bandits worth more gold than any other camp of the scum the vampire had come across. Outside, the clouds were beginning to obscure the sun, which, in Salthars' opinion was a good thing, because only his robes, gloves, and boots were enchanted to resist the suns' harmful rays. On the other hand, the clouds did seem a little...ominous.

Bringing his attention back to the group outside, he saw three newcomers. An orc, another Nord who was attired as a ranger, and an imperial in what looked like healers robes, though the vampire wasn't sure. Salthar took a position that wasn't so far away he couldn't overhear what was going on, and far away enough that no one would really bother to come over and speak with him.

 

[kyleekay]

Shadari accepted the young woman's extended hand with her own. "I am Shadari, and as long as you don't get yourself killed, I'm sure it will be a pleasure working with you" the assassin realized she was being rather blunt, but she realized that the woman might die, or be killed by one of the greedier members of their party.
Shadari had given up on emotional connections when she fought in the war.

Her title of the 'Shadow' had been earned because no one except her employers ever knew who she was, because she had no friends, no remaining family, and no...romantic attachments. She feared emotion, shied away from happiness, and took her own pleasures in what gold could get her. Noticing the turbaned Redguard that was clearly listening in on their conversation, Shadari let her hand drop towards her weapon, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

Averain smiled at the Khajiit. He would like to have an ally, especially since the Dunmer vampire gave him a rather strange feeling. He didn't think he'd exactly won her over to his side, but he preferred to know a few of his companions on the bandit hunting expedition. Moments later, a small young Breton woman approached, introducing herself as Elyzona. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear girl. I look forward to working with you" he stated, inclining his head slightly. He wondered whether their Altmer leader would be exiting the inn soon.

Elyzona learned that the female Khajiit was named Shadari, and the man was named Averain. Shadari seemed to be a bit overzealous; possibly laying it on thick, just as Elyzona was. Covering up some unknown pain. Ely wondered idly what line of work this assertive woman was in, and what could cause her to put up such a facade. Averain was polite enough, though Elyzona was wary of the words "dear girl" and of the way he inclined his head. Was he interested in her, or simply doubftul of her abilities?

Elyzona did her best to hide the questions in her head, not allowing them to play across her face. She was bad at that, usually; Sor always loved how she wore her emotions as if they were makeup. "Pleased to meet you both" she said to both of them before turning to address Shadari. "I assure you I won't be getting myself killed anytime soon. I may be small, but I pack a punch. I have the honor of the deceased to uphold." Elyzona finished her sentence with a slight grimace. Had she said too much? Even after all this time, it still pained her to mention Sor, and she didn't want to be overly obvious about what should be hidden pain. She worked to steel her resolve quickly, hoping the pair hadn't noticed much.

Elyzona had heard murmurs about herself and the Imperial boy before venturing outside on this crisp morning. They appeared to be too young, weak, naive to the rest of the group. She couldn't speak for Julius, but she knew she was none of those things. All she wanted was to start walking in the cool air towards the camp, and kill her targets. Prove herself, and prove that Sor was a mighty and able teacher.

It'd been a while since she had drawn blood.

 

[AS88]

Arok continued to munch on his bread and sip his ale as more and more mismatched would-be adventurers exited the inn. Good job I didn't try for a room, I imagine Valga made a fortune last night...

He adjusted his boots and put on his gloves as he finished the bread with a large swallow and the last gulp of his ale. Right, who do we have here, assorted Elves, Khajiit, a couple of Nords, and two children by the looks of things. Brilliant.

The Orc stood, and one or two of the group turned to see him at his full size; comfortably over six feet. The Nords in particular appeared to have shared glances with Arok, and seemed likely to be the most instantly agreeable, based on their looks. As he left his warm pocket next to the wooden support, he felt the wind whistle through his armor, then die down again. The thoughts of the previous night and his feelings of being watched surfaced for a brief second, then fell away as quickly as the wind had done.

 

[Aethalia]

Aliah left the tavern, not bothering to pull up her hood, as the sun was completely obscured by the clouds. It looked to her as if most of the company had met outside, with the young breton,the two Khajiit and one of the vampires talking among each other. 'looks as if they're all getting along fine, for now' she thought to herself, spotting a pair of new comers ,a ranger and healer, that had yet to introduce themselves. Besides them, it left only the smaller Nord, the handsome Nord that was still inside, and the Dunmer vampire that hadn't yet integrated completely into the group.

Shrugging, she decided they'd have to make the introductions on the move, because if they wanted to get any amount of travelling done, they would have to set out well before whatever storm that was coming broke over them. Approaching the Nord ranger and Imperial healer, she stated "If you intend to join this venture, I'm afraid you'll have to make your introductions on the move"

 

[Snoball]

Finishing up with what had remained of his ration of bread, Nero waited until he had fully eaten before the Altmer led the group on outside. He just had to wait for most of the people to exit so he could break his muffled laughter. Once gone, he couldn't help but chuckle at the "hunter and the hunted" comment. "Heh, I hope they're as good as fighters as they are comedians. If so, I might have my work cut out for me." Cocky as he was narrow-minded, even though the dark elf already knew this lot of prey would be different from others he's set his sights on, his arrogant attitude towards undead failed to see it as such.

With the last bite, he wiped his hands together to dismiss the lingering crumbs and stepped outside to the partially obscured sunlight. It wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be. His hat managed to block any light that was lucky enough to successfully peek out of the vast, rolling clouds. The group appeared to have stumbled across three more travelers in the form of an Orc warrior, Nordic ranger, and Imperial healer by the looks of it. A few group members had looked to have hit it off, which was pretty surprising. "Why are they so friendly to each other? Big prize or not, I'd assume they'd be at each others throats wanting to claim the gold for themselves." With the party already out on the move, Nero chose to pattern himself after the Redguard and Thalmor vampire, sticking as close to the group as possible without being at its core until they had finally stopped. It wasn't a few seconds in before the party would be eyed by commuting townspeople, obviously puzzled over the sight of all the different races functioning moderately. "Well this is a bit weird. All we need is an Argonian and I'm calling us Tamriel's Finest."