Psykolabe

Hello Katt! Great to meet'cha! Hope you have fun with the rest of TESA! have a And apparentley, kitties are a real popular subject on this site... Anyway! Welcome to the TESA!

haha, lucky I checked today. You are free to ask another Arthmoor, if you so wish.

Hey, I'm just here to tell you that I'm going to be gone for a few days here and there, while I'm traveling, and I'll really only have time to post and work on stuff when I get back home, because breaks are few and far between. Cheers! I'll try to do as much work as possible for now!

He wants you to help end his life?

Welcome Cypresean! Nice to meet you hero, and it's always good to have some new allies here in TESA! Heres a

Blood?I know she does the tests on the people, but I don't remember anything about a sixth element. I know the purpose of her testing was to test the pain thresholds of different races, in part. So, I hope I'm right.

Wow, this mod sound really cool shade! I shall come back in a little while after I test this baby out!

Wow! Awesome, I'll be downloading this as soon as it's out! Awesome stuff you have here DaMage!

Welcome to TESA! We're always happy to help, and I'm looking foward to your future mods! Happy modding! and here's another welcomeing image!

Hola, Firespark! Welcome to TESA! The place is a big bundle o' fun... Oh and

Wow,quite the collection you have there Who! Do you have a genre preference?

Wow, nice find Dark! thanks for sharing

Rios awoke, for what he assumed to be 20 or so minutes after he collapsed, as the moon had moved very little in terms of celestial positioning. What woke him was a light noise and some wet bed sheets around his arm. The noise, he quickly understood, was the rain hitting the glass. However, the wet bed sheets required a little more investigation, as well as the lighting of a rather rusty oil lamp that was precariously perched on the edge of his nightstand. The bed sheets appeared to be stained from a cut down the forearm of Rios’ right arm, and as the cut was none too deep, the cut worried Rios very little. The more pressing matter was getting the blood out of the bedding that was so kindly provided to him by Arlow. Still very much asleep, he stumbled over to the pack that lay sideways on the floor which was littered with a mixture of tools that fell loose from the pack, and dirt. He rummaged through the pack until he found a small bag, made of stitched leather. He undid the metal clasp that held it together, and reached inside, pulling out a small vial. He reached his pinky down the vial, and scratched a fingernail full of gel off of the surface of the contents of the vial. He rubbed this on the cut, and the red and other colours inside, turned a dark purple, as the wound gave off a strange heat. Rios grabbed the bandages out of the sack, and wrapped his arm to the best of his ability in his current state. Deciding that he would probably be unable to sleep, he exited his room. He brought himself to go and sit downstairs. “I wonder where the others are?†Rios wondered. “I didn’t think they’d be asleep by this time.†After he descended the stairs, he spotted Shareel sitting alone at the bar, head cocked to the right, gazing lazily at the wall. Deciding she would be as good a person as any, he approached her. “Uhm… E-excuse me?†Rios blurted out. Shareel’s head snapped straight up again, and she turned on him with an unusually soft expression. The term soft, for Shareel, still refers to a pretty intense glare, but it is not as blank a face as she usually had. Seeing that Rios noticed this, she once again cleared her face. “Yes? Was there something you needed, Nord?†She responded a bit harsher then she had initially intended. “Y-yes. Are the others still here?†“No, they left just a short while after you did. They went off to go find some money as to pay for some horses I believe.†“Really? Well thank you, then.†Rios, who was still tired, dragged himself over to the chairs that stood in front of what used to be the fire, but what was now reduced to a few smoldering cinders. The whole room smelled strangely of cooked meat, and this scent had reminded Rios that he had not eaten in a good long while. “Shareel? Might you happen to know where the kitchen is?†Rios asked of her. She shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine.†Rios expressed his thanks, and got up to look for the kitchen, and some food. As he walked down the lower hallway, Shareel called after him, “If you are in there, might you not grab me an apple?†Rios put up his hand in a gesture of affirmation, and said “Sure.†It did not take Rios’ nose very long to find the source of the smell. It was a room, not too much bigger then his bedroom, with all the amenities one would expect in any kitchen. An oven, a stove, a cutting area, and a baking area, along with a well-stocked pantry. Much to his surprise, he found Lily half bent over the stove, with what seemed to be a block of charcoal in the pan. He walked silently up next to her, and said, “I’m sorry about before…†As the words slipped out, he wished he could’ve grabbed them back. Dang fool he was, coming in here and talking to her. He should’ve stayed in his room. Dang fool! As he said this, she jumped backwards, and placed her left hand over her heart. “Rios! You almost scared be half-to-death! Again!†she told him breathlessly. She punched him lightly in the shoulder. “I-I’m sorry…†Rios said to his feet. The silence permeated the room, and the pressure it laid upon the two was thick enough to slice. A ‘Crack!’ Of thunder broke the silence, causing Lily to jump yet again and knock the pan from the stove. Rios made to catch it, but upon touching the handle, he burned his hand, causing him to drop the pan. The thing that looked like a piece of charcoal had shot across the room and broken in two upon the tan wall of the kitchen, leaving a small black mark. Seeing what had transpired in that short time, Lily put her hands over her mouth in shock. Rios jumped backwards and grabbed his hand in pain for the second time today. “A-are you alright?†Rios managed to blurt out “I’m fine! But your hand-“ “Is fine. I will b-be okay. I’m sorry about your…†Rios’ sentence faded off as he gestured towards where the black rock now lay, split in two. “Ah, don’t be daft.†She smiled at him, “It wasn’t going all that well anyway.†Rios smiled a very awkward smile back at Lily, which only made him look even more like a confused schoolboy. Lily giggled at his funny smile. “W-what? Did I-I do something?†Rios asked, worried. His face turned a brighter shade of red, and he immediately stared down at the floor again. “No!†she giggled. She grabbed a wash towel off of the counter, and made to pick up the pan. Rios immediately grabbed a wash cloth and insisted, “A-ah, l-let m-m-me.†Their heads hit, and they both fell backwards into the walls behind them. After the few moments it took to recover, both Lily and Rios let out a laugh. Agreeably, Lily’s was a bit louder than Rios’ shy, nervous laugh, but it was laughing none-the-less. After the laughter died, another silence filled the room, but this time, it was Rios who broke the silence. “I take it you were unable to sleep also?†Rios asked “Yes, I realized that I was far too excited to return to sleep.†“A-ah, I apologize, please-“ Lily cut off Rios mid apology, “It’s fine.†And after a beat, “Just don’t go running off without telling me again, okay?†She smiled, and blushed. “I-I mean, us. Not us! No! But me, and Grond, and Red! T-that is the us I’m referring to!†She laughed nervously as her gaze shifted to the cabinet next to where Rios had fallen. “Alright.†Rios said. “Shall we get u-up off the floor?†Lily giggled again, and nodded in consent. Rios popped up quite energetically, and in doing so, accidentally revealed his bandaged forearm to Lily. After he helped her up, she asked him about it. “What happened?! Were you hurt?†“It is nothing.†He explained. “Nothing?†Lily thought, “A cut like that is certainly not ‘nothing’.†“Rios, really-“ “I am fine. It is nothing.†He replied rather sternly. After a few moments pause, he turned to her again, “I’m sorry…†Damn, this is the situation Rios had been trying to avoid… Good going. She made no affirmative motion, so Rios continued to talk. “I just remembered, Shareel wanted an apple. Might I get her one?†Wordlessly, Lily nodded, and went over to the pantry. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Rios, “Would you like one?†she asked quietly. He nodded, “Please.†Lily returned back to the main room of the kitchen with 3 apples in hand. 2 red, and one green. She handed both red apples to Rios, and walked out of the room, heading back to the sitting area. After standing there for a few moments more, berating himself, Rios followed her, apples in hand. They wordlessly sat next to Shareel, and handed her an apple. She nodded her head to Rios and Lily in a small gesture of gratitude, and bit into it. For the next few minutes, all that could be heard was the crunching of apples from all three of the people sitting at the bar, and the rain pounding hard upon the wooden walls of the tavern. Once again, The boom of thunder broke the silence. Lily jolted upright, and gripping her apple so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Rios jumped in his chair too, but as he was much taller, and as his hands were under the bar counter, him straightening up caused his arms to hit against the counter’s sturdy underbelly. Shareel was relatively unaffected, only her wings quivered. Shareel stated, “I think it is time I retired to my quarters. Good night.†Both Rios and Lily nodded to her as she removed her self from the barstool, and walked gracefully up the stairs. After Shareel had reached her room, She closed the door, placed the apple on the nightstand, and cradled her head in her hands. She was never a fan of nights like this, after all it brought back so many unpleasant memories. At the bar, Rios and Lily still sat in relative silence. Rios attempted to make conversation, “Lily I-“ She cut him off, “I think I shall also retire to my room, goodnight.†And with that, she walked up the stairs too. As the sat down upon her bed, she places the apple core in the waste bucket under the nightstand. Sherubbed her eyes, “What a day…†she told herself, “What a day.†Most of what she was thinking of right now centered around Rios, her new awkward, stuttering friend. Rios, who had remained at the bar, had thought of the same nature relating to Lily. As Rios placed his apple core upon the counter, he cradled his head in his hands, listening to the rain beat down upon the roof of the now home he had found.

It was reaching dusk as Rios approached Anvil, he was rather frazzled, partly because of the long day, and partly because he had been riding for the better half of the night. His hair was blown back into a permanently wind-swept position, and his face was flushed. Unlike the other eccentricities in his appearance, his blushing was mostly to do with his thoughts on the nice girl he had met at the Tavern, Lily. Still, it was now time to get to business, and he had reached his destination, the port-side city of Anvil. Rios had never been to Anvil, or any city for that matter, and it amazed him. The architecture, and all the people bustling to and fro going about daily business, it was so wonderful and new. He was about 6 inches from the anvil stone-way when he dismounted. He landed alright, and slid the board into the sheath on his back. Or so he thought, He walked about 6 feet before Nazriel fell from the crevice between Rios’ back and his pack, and hit the stones with a loud ‘Thump!’ and a sharp cry from Naz. “Sorry Naz, I thought the sheath was there.†“You better be sorry…†Rios kneeled down, and swung the rather heavy pack off of his shoulders, which had new marks made by the pack’s straps. Rifling through the twisted and warped metal that littered his bag, Rios finally came across the sheath. The sheath was made from woven leather, and silver cloth, which gave it the look of water running down the pieces of it. Strapping it onto his back, and strapping Naz into that, then putting the pack on top of both of them, Rios moved from the spot he had occupied for the last few minutes, and began his journey into the city. Rios wandered around the city for about half of an hour, then decided it would be a wise decision to find the convention, and get on his way back to the tavern. He asked a rather shady-looking Kahjit, named M’Aiq, for directions, but the man answered in riddles, and with very odd sentence structure. Poor, confused bloke is what Rios thought of him. He asked many people after this man, and though it seemed this would be a large event, no one knew of its whereabouts. Rios decided to ask a guard, for surely they would know the goings on in the city. He approached the guard nearest to him, who was a rather tall, and broad shouldered imperial fellow, with a scar running from the area under his right eye to his chin on the opposite side. He addressed himself, and asked the guard, “Might you know where the machinist convention would be located?†“I do.†Answered the guard. He paused for a second, in which he ran his veiny hand along his scar. “ You’ll find the entrance next to ‘The Nakai-lein’, which is the big galleon docked near the harbor.†“Ah, thank you good sir.†Rios turned away, as he meant to walk to the harbor, but he found himself without any knowledge of where to go to get there. “Sir, where might the dock be?†“What? Are ye daft? ‘Tis just down the main street, then take the left as you reach the bookstore.†The guard, despite his surprised and angry tone, had a look of utter amusement upon his face. The wide grin made the scar go crooked, and it now resembled a crescent moon. This was a look Rios could do without seeing again. Now sure of his heading, Rios headed where he was directed. In a few short minutes, in which he mused himself of all the silly ways a guard could’ve gotten a crescent-scar, he reached the docks. And he hadn’t searched long before he saw the grandest ship he ever had seen. "That," He told himself, “Must be the Nakai-Lein†After he walked over to this magnificent ship, and ogled it for a little while, he let his eyes search for the door. All the found was a small trap door in the middle of the dock. At first, he though little of it, and kept looking. However, upon further pondering, and inquiry, Rios wondered why there would be a trap door that goes right into the ocean. He decided he should give it a try, and it popped open with minimal effort. What faced him was a small drop, and a tunnel leading out under the sea. Without a second thought, Rios jumped down the door, pack and all. After walking a short distance, Rios found himself surrounded by sea water, but some sort of magicka was holding it back, and creating a watery pathway. The temperature grew noticeably colder, due to the surrounding water. After many yards more, Rios reached a grand building, which was made of a golden-brown material. Upon further inspection, he found the material to be not entirely solid. That is to say, it made a ‘squelch’-ing sound when touched. Rios passed by the 2 men on either side of the entryway, and was suddenly assaulted by a great noise. In a few seconds, the noise settled into a dull roar, as a small wood-elf female popped up before him. “Hello, sir!†the woman said, “And who might you be?†She was a great deal shorter than Rios, so he could not see her initially. “R-Rios. Rios Asukah. I’m from-“ “Oh dear, I know where you’re from! I have your information right here!†She cut him off with her high voice. “Oh, very well then. Shall I go explore then?†“Feel free! Just don’t destroy the place.†She gave him a stern look, the giggled again, and proceeded to bounce away. “What an eccentric woman…†Rios immediately spotted the stall for spare parts, as it was rather near the front. He leisurely walked over to it, taking time to admire the inventions of some very skilled machinists. Reaching the stall, Rios asked for what he needed, paid and stuffed his pack with the new tools and parts. After this, Rios wandered through the great halls of the convention admiring all he saw for a good many hours. Eventually he decided he would return to the tavern, as they might be worried and such. He packed the new devices he bought into his bulging pack. So, exiting back the golden-brown building, he once again came upon the hall of water. The surrounding walls were now much darker, and much colder, then they were earlier. Still, Rios wanted to try something. He stuck his hand towards the walls of water, meaning to see if he could reach through. His hand met, and passed through the wall of water with no effort. Retracting his hand from the frigid water, he decided to do it. He secured his pack, and tied everything tighter to him. Unbuckling Naz from his sheath, Rios drew the board out and held it at his side. He had also placed his goggles over his eyes by this point, and was ready to go. “Rios. What are you doing?†Both Neos and Naz questioned. No reply. “Rios, Answer us. What are you planning to do?†No reply. And suddenly, Rios breathed deeply, threw Naz a good distance, and jumped to him. He quickly drew his bow, and strung it with an arrow whose head looked similar to a tornado. He fired the arrow right at the water wall. The effects were greater than Rios had expected, in a short time, the arrow drew water to it, creating a moving whirlpool, and as it passed above the surface, a typhoon. Rios immediately turned up into the wake of this great watery mass, and sped through the ocean. The sheer awe of what Rios saw almost made him lose focus, the celestial bodies all reflected and moving through the water like ribbons. The lights creating a stream of all the colours that walked through Tamriel. And Rios was now riding through the center of the typhoon he had created, speeding towards the top. Rios was feeling himself quite the show-man right now, so he again strung his bow, and this time with an arrow with the tip, a shape of a flame. The next moment after he fired it, the magicka inside of it released, causing a flame to shoot out of the top of the typhoon and create a mist. As he Reached the zenith of the water spout, he grabbed both of his arrows, and shoved them back in his pack, No sense in wasting materials. Feeling satisfied with his show for the day, Rios headed back in the general direction of the Tavern. After he regained his bearings, which he lost due to the rather exciting experience he just had, he sat himself on the board and repaired his mangled inventions. _____________________________________ At the Tavern, Lily was growing impatient. She decided to go for a walk to clear her head, and thought she might tell someone of this. The only person around was Arlow, as Shareel had retired to her room, and the others had gone off on an adventure. If Grond had only let her go... “Arlow, if anyone asks for me, I am out for a walk.†Lily stated plainly. “Alright.†Responded Arlow, not paying much attention. As Lily reached the door, Arlow seemed to realize what she had said. “B-but, this late madam? Would it be safe?†“I can take care of myself, Arlow.†She replied sternly. She then turned and walked out the door. A few steps beyond the door, and the torch light no longer reached her. “Aye†Arlow told himself, “She can handle herself.†__________________________________________ Rios knew he was rather close to the Tavern, so he cleaned himself up marginally, and re-organized everything back into his bag. As he was placing his last arrows back into the quiver-pouch, Naz awoke from his state. “Rios, I think I see some people down on the road, just ahead a little ways.†“Huh?†Rios halted Naz to a stopped position, and peered into the darkness. And sure enough, there were about 4 or 5 figures in the darkness, but from this distance, they were still indefinable. Rios edged closer, and went a little higher too, he now had a nice clearing space above the treetops. It turns out that there were two more figures that Rios did not see, and that is because they were sprawled on the ground, and pretty badly burnt. From his perspective, it looked like these men attacked a lady, of whom they had now surrounded. Upon looking at her closer, he identified her as Lily. Well dang, this just got better… Now he realized that Lily, whom he perceived to be innocent, had blasted those two men. With a little planning, he knew what he needed to do. He strung his bow thrice, launching an arrow that would make the noise of a Daedra, one that would cause a small fire, and one that created a pressure wave. The last to arrows worked perfectly, but the first one landed too close to the bandits, and it made a sound of metal scraping metal, which is a sound almost as horrid as a Daedra’s cry. These 2 sounds combined to create a symphony of screams, which still served it’s purpose in shocking the attackers. Unfortunately, the metal was something Rios never got the time to fix. Back in Sky Rim, this was less important, because the mountains seemed to echo the Daedra cry clearer anyway, but on an open plain, which is not a place he was expecting to fight, it mattered much more. Either way, he swooped down as fast as he could, and hoisted the stunned Lily over his leather clad shoulder. She began to kick and squirm violently, but he then took off towards the dim light of the tavern, which was only half a mile away. After he bolted away from the ground Lily was so familiar to, she clenched onto her new assailant. Suddenly, this foreign man turned her over and held her in his arms, so that she was able to see his face, which was beet red. She recognized him easily, the nervous boy from the tavern, Rios. “Dear Lord! You had me scared half to death!†She yelled into his face. He drew his head back, “I-I’m S-s-s-sorry…†Rios was stuttering terribly, and he was more nervous than he usually felt. “Darn right you are!†She continued yelling. A silence fell between them. “A-are y-y-you alright?†Rios asked. “Am I alright?†She asked indignantly, “You leave without telling me, I get attacked by bandits, and I think I’m about to be killed by a blasted Daedra! How do you think I feel!?†Another strange silence fell between them, but this time, it was not words that broke the silence, but the door to the tavern bursting open, to reveal Shareel. Her face still stoic, but looking tired, Shareel asked “Are you alright?†Lily jumped out of Rios’ arms, turned to her, and glared. Then, without speaking she stomped inside. Shareel now turned to a very tired Rios, who now had a bleeding forearm, “Was it something I said?†Rios shook his head, “No. She’s just in a bad sorts. I apologize for cutting this conversation short, but I would rather like to sleep.†Shareel bowed her head, and Rios trudged up to his room, Naz and all. As he climbed the almost-familiar stairs, he caught a slight glimpse of Lily slamming her door. He lazily found his room, tossed his things on the floor, and fell into the bed. Darkness enveloped him as he drifted into a deep slumber.

F.

Welcome to TESA Lilith. Hope to see you around!

TT_____TT school starts tomorrow. Although, I have no books yet, and my classes are easy enough. But still, blecgh. School. Means less time on TESA.

I like the new drawers too! The Dark colour really brings out the bright golden/yellow colour of the wood, and the wood stays a consistiend colour with the (Newley resized) handle's tip colour! Well done! Also, school starts tomorrow for me. TT________________TT I get where you are coming from...

Ulliceta gra-Kogg is the name of the magister. And I think the answer is A.

Lily and Rios were getting along pretty well, considering that Rios’s sentences were only half coherent, and even the full sentence was nonsense. So you can imagine the trouble Lily was having communicating. After the first few minutes together, Rios became more understandable, but his face was still red enough to blend in with his hair. And he would have just looked like a shaggy mass of red and orange, if it were not for his green eyes. These were what Lily was using to communicate with him, for the most part, for words are only one means of expressing ourselves, and though their conversation aloud was indeed stimulating, she much enjoyed what his eyes were saying too. A great story behind them, a story Lily couldn’t wait to hear. As more and more of the tavern’s guests were called over to join the conversation, the more ill-at-ease Rios began to feel. Stammering worse than a madman, Rios quickly excused himself from the table. Since Rios and Lily were in the midst of a conversation, this somewhat puzzled her, but Grond, seeing the somewhat confused look on her face, came up behind her and patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry kiddo, he’s just a little off today. Crashed through our roof just this mornin’!†Grond said with a little laugh. “He’ll be back shortly, believe me.†Lily looked lightly up at Grond, and gave him a half-smile. “Alright.†But, in fact, as the conversation went along, Rios did not reappear at the table. To be honest, no one had seen head nor tail of him after he excused himself from the conversation. ________________________ After Rios excused himself, he went to find Arlow. This proved to be somewhat more of a difficult task then Rios would have initially guessed. Rios searched for him for about 15 minutes before he gave up. “Perhaps he is preparing your room?†chirped the voice of Neos. “Ah, yes. That, or attending to some other business of some importance.†Rios was concentrating on talking with Neos, so he did not notice Arlow passing him. By his luck, Arlow thought that he should hail Rios and tell him where his room was. “Rios. Rios!†Arlow repeated his name a few times before Rios snapped out of his stupor. “A-ah yes, Arlow. W-what is it?†Rios managed to spit out. “That is the second time today†Arlow thought, “that he has been in such a state. How strange a man…†“S’About your room sir. ‘S upstairs, 3 back on the left.†“Thank you, Arlow.†Said Rios curtly, and then he was off. Arlow remained in his spot for a moment, pondering again this enigmatic Nord, but he remembered that he did have other business to attend to, and with that, he was off. Not wishing to rejoin the conversation just yet, Rios tip-toed out the back door, and headed out to the stable house, where his pack still remained. As he entered, he noticed the sun’s reddish-orange glow slipping through the patchwork repair that had been made to the roof. He immediately spied his pack, the reddish brown, now turned a black or dirt colour, from a mixture of water, and the diminished light. As he searched through the pack, he noticed many tools were missing, and as he straightened up to look for them, the sun’s rays hit off of one of the many devices strewn about the stable. He went around the stables gathering his things, much to his discontent, muttering exclamations somewhat unfit for the ears of children. Rios was careful to examine all that he picked up, as to make sure it was in working order, and as to not take anything that did not belong to him. Seeing that many of his tools were in a state of disrepair, he rammed his fist into the wood. This is never a good idea. The horses gave a little whinny, and Rios jumped back, cradling this hand for a few moments. After is seemed that he had gathered most of his tools, broken and not, he took up his pack and exited the dimly lighted stable house. The light that assaulted him as he exited was so intense, Rios had to squint his eyes for a few seconds as to not cause extreme discomfort. As he raised his hand over his head to block the sun, his shoulder joint crackled like paper, which, at first, made him ask what made that sound. But Rios was quick in remembering that he had stored the information about the convention of machinists in Anvil in the secret pocket on his shoulder. Rios had stitched such pockets in all of his clothes as to protect himself from bandits. Deciding that however much he would like to stay and join in the festivities, he needed new tools. And the machinists convention would be the perfect place to get them, along with a few new ideas. Rios managed to sneak back into the tavern, once again unnoticed, and make his way up to his room. He eyed it over quickly, and seeing the stationary, quill, and inkwell on the desk, he quickly scrawled out a note. It read; “To whoever reads this, I’m in Anvil at the moment, gathering new tools and other various items. I shall return before tomorrow comes. In all probability. Rios†He nailed the note to the door, strung his pack about him, and opened the window. He threw Naz, who fell for a short distance, then stopped. Rios took a few steps backwards, then jumped as well as he could out of the window. “Naz. Let’s not have a repeat of last time, okay?†“Fine. But I get to steer on the way back.†“Why do I talk to you..." "Because you love me!" "Oh yeah, because you're the only stone I have!" "Hey! I still have feelings." ____________________ As the minutes passed, some of the patrons began to notice that Rios had left, though none of them mentioned it. Shareel left to ask Arlow if he knew where Rios was, and much to her benefit, she did not have to run the gauntlet in the process. “All I know is I told ‘im where ‘is room is, an’ he left to it. Though, he was in a rather odd state when he left.†Shareel bowed her head slightly, and returned to the table to share her news. “He has had a rather long day“ Shareel thought to herself, “perhaps he is taking a nap?†She returned to the table, and shared what she had discovered about his whereabouts, Grond gave a haughty laugh. “Now’s no time to be nappin’! S’almost time to eat again! I dare say the lad wont wanna miss that! What say all the young folk go give him what-for?†Grond laughed his great laugh again, and placed that grin on his face. Elm, Quinn, Lily and Shareel all departed to fufill this plan. Elm, because she enjoyed scaring someone as much as the next person, Quinn because he is a young male, and that is what they tend to do (Bother people, that is). Lily just thought it would be fun, and Shareel because, well, she secretly wanted to see him react, and thought it would be a humorous endeavor. As they approached the room Arlow has directed them to, they all spotted the note on the door. Quinn turned to Elm to see her reaction, which was her slapping the palm of her hand on her forehead. Lily’s face had an upset look shoot across it, which she quickly tried to suppress. This only caused her face to turn red, and then give her a look of embarrassment. Shareel’s face kept it’s natural position, and she turned back down the hallway to tell the others.

The group settled themselves down on the barstools back inside the tavern, each with a drink in their hand, whose glasses were sweating almost as much as themselves. “Nothing makes a nice cold drink taste better then hard work, and a hot day, huh?†Grond mused aloud. He turned to Rios, obviously expecting him to make some sort of affirmative remark. Rios quickly gulped his drink, nodded and smiled wryly. All of the people sitting at the bar kindly thanked Arlow for the refreshments. Not a few seconds after this moment, the Tavern’s front door swung open, staining the floor with sunlight, and allowing a cool breeze to roll into the room. In the doorway stood a boy, looking rather worse for the ware. Red and Elm sprung up at his arrival and went to greet him at the doorway. “Who’s that Grond?†Rios asked. "Ah, I suspect that’d be Elm’s friend, Quinn. The bloke that has been missin’ for a greater portion of today, he’s going to go through quite the gauntlet now that he’s back.†“What d-do you mean?†Grond laughed haughtily “Well, women can be quite sensitive, and this seemed to effect that Elm girl rather hard. She’s bound to hold a grudge! As you know, most women do!†Grond smiled that big, friendly smile of his. “Yes, yes indeed.†Rios said. But in reality, he did not know. In fact, I had no idea of how women acted in reaction to things, but Rios wasn’t really keen on explaining such things to new acquaintances. This was less to do with the fact that Rios thought he would be bothered about it, no, he certainly would have been fine with that, but more of his fear of his ineptitude in that category leading into conversations about his past, and why he had no interaction with women. “Those days are the past†Rios told himself, “And the past is where they shall stay.†Rios continued thinking to himself as Grond got up from the barstool, and walked over to greet the ‘unfortunate boy’. “How foolish of that boy, to go wondering off without telling anyone.†“Rios, you were much like that once. As I recall, that is how we came to meet. Keep that in perspective the next time you insult someone for being ‘foolish.†“I recall Neos, forgetting is not easy with you around.†Upstairs, Shareel awoke from her slumber to a roar of conversation in the downstairs area, this was greatly attributed to by the booming voice of Grond, and another that she did not recognize. Perhaps it was that Quinn fellow? Ah, no, the voice sounded much too Nord-like for him, and much too deep for the frame of the man she had seen that morning. Perhaps it was that large Nord she had seen him departing with, whose name had slipped her mind… Regardless, she decided it was time to join in on the greetings. She had very little clothes to put on, as she had not dressed down much before she slept. Indeed this place seemed kind enough, but there is darkness even in the brightest of places, a fact she had learned from many years of experience. As Shareel walked down the stairs, she passed Elm, who was going up them, and was in quite a state. She had barley walked a few feet more when she passed Grond, and a young man she took to be Quinn. They paid her no mind, and she continued to proceed to the sitting area. Before she had a chance to say anything, or for that matter, do anything, she was greeted by the deep voice she had heard earlier. “Hello! And who might ya’ be lass?†Asked the large nord. “My name is Shareel. And what is yours?†“Garulf! ‘Tis a pleasure.†Shareel gave a sharp nod, turned, and walked over to the bar. Eyes following her, Garulf spotted a young man sitting at the bar, who, up till this point, had kept rather quiet, and seemed to be staring intensely at his cup. Garulf walked over to him and clapped him on the back. “An’ who might you be?†The clap had knocked the wind out of Rios, so he was rather out of breath when he answered “Rios, sir. If I remember correctly, your name is Garulf? And you are a Dragon Hunter?†“Yes indeed!†Garulf stated, as he turned to Red “I see you told them about my profession.†“I thought it would make them feel like the boy was in safer hands.†She snappily retorted. “Aye†He responded, “And no safer hands then my own!†Garulf walked behind the bar, to where Red was now standing. With as much subtlety as he could manage, he silently asked her “An’ what, exactly, are their stories?†“Not a clue, as they just arrived today. And we haven’t exactly been as keen to ask them of it, as we were rather occupied worrying about you and that boy!†She lightly punched him in the arm. “Although, I suppose you did see that hole in the barn roof?†Garulf nodded. “That was the doing of the young nord fellow, Rios.†She gestured vaguely to the young Nord. Garulf looked taken aback “Really? He must’ve fallen from quite a height, any idea on how he got up there?†“None, though, he did have a board with him.†“Well, it’ll do to ask them these questions later, when we can all hear the answers. As for now, I’ll go unpack the horses.†And with that, Garulf galumphed off to the stables. At that same time, Quinn exited from the hallway, and proceeded up the stairs, shortly followed by Grond. Red turned to Shareel and Rios, “That boy sure has quite the trial ahead of him, that girl might just blow her top at him!†Red laughed. Trying to make a joke, Rios said “Yeah, women do like to hold grudges…â€. The moment after he said this, he regretted it. Red swung around with an empty look on her face, and even Shareel’s posture stiffened a little. “Lay off ‘im Red, he’s just a boy. He’s not sa’ good with women.†Grond had joined them, and saved Rios in the process. Without speaking, Red turned around, and continued to go about her business. She only regained her usual composure when she began speaking to Arlow. Grond leaned over to Rios, and whispered, “Best not to say things like that around women next time, hm?†Rios gulped, and nodded. “W-well, what are we to do now?†Rios asked “I suspect that they were looking for information, lad, as told by the short length of their venture.†Grond answered with the air of an experienced adventurer. Red exchanged friendly goodbyes with Arlow, and turned to join in the conversation. “You are spot on Grond, Garulf told me he asked for some information about a pendant.†Red explained, “It seems that they aim to go after it.†Sometime during Red's and Grond's exchange of words, Rios slipped off to find Arlow, and ask him if he might be permitted to stay. "Yes, of course, Rios." was Arlow's reply. But Rios barley payed attention, as Neos was talking to him. "You are going to stay? Where is that restless spirit that you are oh-so famous for? "Quiet Neos, we're not talking now." Rios said aloud. At this occurance, Arlow permitted himself to ask Rios if he was okay, at which, Rios laughed weakly, and nodded. "Perhaps some sleep would do you good?" "I suppose it would, thank you Arlow."

A look of panic took Elm’s face, as she drained of colour. “A Nord? What did he look like? What was his name? Where were they going?†Asked Elm in a frenzy. During her battery of questions, which were being spat out so fast there was no time for answers, she unconsciously stepped rather close towards the still-stoic Shareel. “What colour was his ha-“ “I’d prefer that you stand a little further away from me.†Shareel sternly shot into the bombardment of questions. “Wha-? Y-yes, of c-course…†said Elm. She immediately stepped back, and proceeded to look at her feet, slightly embarrassed, and slightly afraid. Getting up off of the now damp furniture, Rios, who had finished cleaning Naz, decided to go help in the manhunt. As he exited the tavern, he got his first good look at the beautiful landscape that surrounded the tavern. Rolling hills, a deep green that made a lake of grass stretching far beyond the eye’s range, only interrupted by the boulders of gray sheetrock. No time for looking now, someone needs help! Right as Rios turned to find someone, he heard the Dunmer speaking to the shorter, blond woman. What were their names again? Shareel, and Elm I think… Rios approached the two, who were now silent. “E-elm, was it?†Rios stuttered, cursing himself for his social inability. “Yes? What do you need?†The blonde woman replied rather snappishly. “I heard your friend went missing, is there anything I can do?†“Unfortunately, no, as it would seem, he rode off on his horse some time ago.†“I apologize, might you have any idea of his general direction?†At this, Shareel interrupted; “As I was saying before, They headed south as far as I know.†If this was meant to be a negative comment directed at Elm, she certainly did not pick up on it. “Would you happen to know their destination?†asked a hopeful Elm. “I only saw them leave, I heard nothing of the words exchanged between them.†All lost in thought, they shared a strange moment of silence before they heard the booming voice of Grond from a short distance away. “Any luck with finding your friend, little lady?†The voice of the bulky Nord boomed.