Xinimator

“I can't believe you just did that.†Grond chuckled and turned his head upwards to look at Nina, who was resting her arms against the back of his chair and giving him a look of astonishment, “Just did what, dearie?†he asked, feigning ignorance. Nina rolled her eyes at him and said, “That. Back there, with the Legion.†“Oh, that,†the Nord said and shrugged, “What about it? We didn't have any need for the key. And the gold was nice, wasn't it?†“Aye, I will admit the gold was sorely needed,†Nina muttered as she made her way to the chair next to Grond and sat down, “I'm just concerned about the fact that you didn't even take a split-second to think before sealing the deal. Did you forget a little something about the Imperial Legion, hon?†“Is this paranoia talking or just plain distrust?†Red asked, cupping her warm mug of ale in her hands, “Granted, not many of us would trust the Legion as far as we could throw them, but what else would you have done with it? We don't know where the key goes.†“Pfft, I'm not concerned about the Legion using the key,†Nina replied with distaste, “It's the knife-ears who own the Legion are what concerns me. To be honest, I'd rather trust the Stormcloaks with that key. Even if they are a bunch of apes that don't know one end of a sword from another...†she muttered as she took a sip of her own drink, chuckling lightly. “Even though you were within their ranks yourself?†Haunt said quietly behind her, a small smirk on his face. That brought an unexpected reaction from Nina, who reared her head towards the Breton with a dangerous look in her eyes, “Oh? And I could label you for a necromancer, Haunt. If you don't want a knife stuck in your gut, I suggest you think carefully next time you throw an accusation like that around.†Haunt only shrugged quietly before wandering away from the trio, leaving Nina to fume in her seat, “Bastard....why'd you guys even brought him along, anyways?†she whispered harshly to the other two. “We needed the help, Nina. In case you didn't notice...†Red replied sharply, “We would have been draugr meat if Haunt hadn't solved that puzzle as fast as he did.†“I just don't trust him, is all,†the Nord said with a small sigh, “He may not have lied to us directly yet, but he's still hiding a lot of things about him. For one, I don't believe he's a Breton. And two, I'm pretty sure his name is not 'Haunt'. What kind of parent would name a kid that?†“Hm, you know...same could be said for you,†Grond said, forcing Nina to stare at him, “No offense, lass, but you seem a bit more than just a 'mercenary'. You didn't think Red and I wouldn't pick up on that, did you?†Nina was silent for several moments before saying quietly, “There's no reason for you to know any more than that. Currently, I am a sort of mercenary. But I'll admit you're right, Grond: I used to be someone else a long time ago.†“A Stormcloak?†Red guessed, a hint of curiosity in her tone. “I never said that, now did I?†Nina muttered before waving them off with a free hand, “Come on, now...is this really the conversation we want to be having now? We just escaped from a group of murderous draugr, nearly escaped having a huge spider drop on our heads thanks to our mysterious stranger....Can't we just relax for a couple of minutes?†“Mm, alright...†Grond said before grinning, “But on one condition.†“I'm not wearing a dress,†Nina answered quickly, “You can shove me into Oblivion for all I care, but I'm not wearing one. Period.†“Why? What's wrong with dresses?†Red asked, laughing. “I'm just not the kind of person that wears dresses all for the sake of pleasing some guy. Not to mention I can't run in the damn thing even if I wanted to. Oh, did I mention how ugly they are?†the Nord said with a shake of her head, “I'll go to a dinner party with what I got right now. And I don't care if I have bloodstains all over my shirt. If it scares the living Nine Divines out of them, all the better.†Grond was laughing so hard that his voice could be heard almost across the whole mill and rivaled even the waterfalls gushing nearby. It was a miracle, at least in Nina's opinion, that he hadn't spilled his drink yet from how much his was laughing, “Haha, I like you, little one,†Grond finally said after he managed to stop laughing for a couple of seconds, “But no, I wasn't suggesting you'd wear a dress, though now you got me curious...†“Don't you even dare, Grond,†Nina warned, but was grinning herself, glancing at the redhead Imperial laughing next to her, “And don't you start plotting with her either! Or else I'll just have to do something nasty to you too...†“Oh please, do tell us, Nina,†the Nord said with a smirk, “I would love to hear this grand plan of yours for gaining revenge on me.†“And what makes you think I'm going to tell you, hm?†she said with a raised eyebrow, “I didn't survive this long being a dumb as a common soldier, you know what I mean?†Grond nodded, “Hmph, fair enough. 'Course, I could just get ye drunk enough to spill something.†“Good luck with that. No, really,†Nina said sarcastically with a wide smile, “Just do me a favor, aye? Could you probably run by either one of us before you make another deal with someone? To, you know...lessen any consequences that might happen in the future?†“Don't bother, Nina, I tried that. Whenever he hears the word 'gold', he's just like a little puppy greyhound on a bowl full of treats. There is just no way you're going to stop him,†Red said, narrowly dodging a pillow being thrown by the said Nord they were talking about. “Well, worth a try...†Nina shrugged with a smile until, out of the corner of her eye, she saw an Argonian moving towards the group, “You want a drink, Akash?†she asked him, turning her head towards the lizard, though quietly predicting what could actually be on his mind.

The group only glanced at each other briefly before Nina spoke first, her tone flat and business-like, “Manan can wait on the shipments. It's not likely that he'll be needing those fairly soon,†she said. “Aye, maybe,†Grond said, scratching his chin in thought, “....what'll be in it for us?†The Breton chuckled, knowing full well Grond's motives, “Gold, for sure,†Berach said with a nod, “Knowing these men, they'll have plenty of it. It's yours if you'll help us. We're, eh....comparatively outnumbered. It would be good to have a few extra hands with us.†“'Comparatively'?†Nina said with an eyebrow raised, “Let me guess....three to one?†“.....more like four. Not in numbers, but they can handle themselves fairly well in battle,†Berach said with a shrug. “In other words, they're not your usual bandits,†the Nord said and shook her head, “You know, you can be a lot easier on the slower folk behind me by dropping the fancy speech. Even my vocabulary's a little rusty.†“And my military vocabulary is far from par at best, ma'am,†the Breton said with a smile, “perhaps we can settle to a compromise, then?†“I know better than to barter with you folks,†Nina said with a roll of her eyes, “Gods only know how I tend to screw situations up by only talking.†“Yes, that is quite obvious,†Glynis said and approached the group with a friendly smile, “All we are asking for is a little help, with a small reward for your efforts. So....will you help us?†Everyone only took a moment to think about it before shrugging and nodding. Nina, however, did not smile back; her face instead grew dark at the sudden approach of the high elf, “....depends,†she finally said after a moment of silence, “I wish to talk to you in private first, Akash, if you do not mind?†Nina said suddenly to the Argonian, not taking her eyes off of Glynis. Akash only blinked a little in surprise before nodding and walking off to a distance, the Nord following behind him quickly. Glynis watched them walk off before sighing quietly, a hint of pity in her voice, “Only I know too well what you're going to say....†Akash knew what Nina was going to say as well and, as soon as they were a reasonable distance away from the group, he said definitively, “Glynis is our friend. Yes, she is an Altmer, but that does not change anything.†“Maybe not for you,†Nina said in a dangerous tone, “but for me, it changes plenty of things. Have you forgotten who the Thalmor tend to be made up of?†“Altmer, yes I know,†Akash said impatiently, “but she is not one of them. She's our friend and we trust her with our lives.†“But I don't,†she growled, “I've yet to see proof that she is not with the Aldmeri Dominion.†“Ah, I see...†Akash said with an annoyed tone, “You want to see proof for something that cannot be proven except through actions. You haven't even met her for two seconds before flying off the handle, Nina.†“'Flying off the handle?'†Nina said and glared at him, “Sorry if I'm just a little paranoid, Akash, but I kinda care if people get hurt on my watch. Especially when the Aldmeri Dominion's involved.†Akash only crossed his arms and stared at Nina before shaking his head, “It's alright, Nina. We get this kind of reaction a lot. If you don't want to come with us, then we won't force you.†And with that, Akash walked back to rejoin the newly expanded group, leaving Nina to stand in the snow thinking about what to do. “What's wrong with Nina?†Grond asked as soon as Akash was within earshot. “It does not look like she will be joining us,†the Argonian replied. But as he said that, Nina suddenly appeared beside Grond and said, “Never said that, now did I? Just...don't make any sudden moves,†she warned Glynis. Though she was not reassured as the high elf nodded her head, she gave her a wary look before asking Berach, “So....which way are we heading? And who are these people who've captured your friend? Come on, don't hold out on the details. They save lives, you know.â€