ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 18, 2013 11:51:15 GMT -5
"I've never been out of High Rock before. Nevermind into another country. Would you like to get us passage, Aran? I'd much appreciate it, as you've already crossed this place."
"Of course my Lady. It shall only take a moment." Aran bowed briefly and rode up ahead to the guards on the bridge, grinning beneath his helmet. There wasn't very much involved in leaving from one province to another, even with Hammerfell's recent independence. He had learned it was difficult for the nobles to see much difference, since most held animosity to the Aldermi, and many felt they should be fighting as Hammerfell was.
He reached the guards quickly, nodding to them politely. He couldn't stare needles at them for his own amusement with his helmet off, so Aran chose to keep things simple. "Two traveling to Norvos to complete a business deal."
One of the guards made an annoyed noise, walking off to the nearby tent. From Aran's understanding, he'd just be reporting two travelers marked down with tally marks. The other guard seemed equally annoyed by someone traveling in the rain, and had probably came to stand guard at the bridge just because they'd been spotted on the road. No doubt once they were out of sight, he'd be heading back to the tent himself anyway.
"Weren't you here with some other group a few days back?"
Aran raised an eyebrow under his helmet. He hadn't recognized either of the guards, but one of them had probably been on lookout duty or some such task when he had crossed with an'Kin Malintus. "Aye. I came with another merchant, and am escorting this lady to Norvos to complete the deal made between them." He didn't see much point in revealing more then that, gesturing over his shoulder to the approaching Chloe.
"Huh. You usually escort nobles in the rain?"
Aran shook his head, quickly forming an excuse. "No, but there was a recent attack in Wayrest. I take it word hasn't reached you yet? Mages and archers, nasty business. Set a whole block on fire, at least, from what I heard. The lady didn't want to stick around, fretting about it. You know how women are." He left out the important details, and chuckled internally at his personal joke on his master.
The guard grinned, chuckling a bit and scuffing the butt of his pike on the ground. "Aye that I do. Sounds like you have a fun trip ahead of you. Thank you for the news friend, the rest of the lads will want to hear about this, I'm sure."
Chloe reached them soon after, and Aran nodded to the guard as he saluted to Chloe, obviously taking her for nobility of some sort. Moving Strider to her side, they began their ride across the bridge. On the other side, he could see the absence of any Hammerfellian guards, which made him grin again. Even with the time they'd been on their own, they still hadn't quite mastered all the intricacies on being an independent nation. Thunder cracked overhead, and Aran looked to the skies.
"The rain is still light, though it may grow heavy. The trees may provide cover from most of the rain, if you wish to keep riding, though we can no doubt take shelter here if you wish my lady. If not, I am sure we can find some shelter further down the road, if things get to rough. The choice is yours of course."
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Sept 18, 2013 14:56:35 GMT -5
Avril trotted gently into the small Imperial encampment, the rain seemed to have no affect on the beast. Chloe sat astride the animal with as little indifference to the rain as the horse beneath her was showing. She found the slight mist that was falling from the sky quite refreshing on her skin, even with the chill in the air today. The Breton Legionaries on guard seemed quite forlorn at the weather, especially at being out in it. There was an Orc leaning on a Warhammer inside a tent, staring daggers at Chloe as she passed. At the sight of him her muscles tensed, her spine straightened. The Orc made no response to her obvious fear of him, just stood and stared. No doubt he got this response a lot from many of the civilians of High Rock, the Legion was probably far more homely than his native homeland now.
The guards at the bridge parted ways for Aran and he seemed to have handled the situation well. She admired the salute from the guard, giving him a wide smile and a polite nod in acknowledgement of his politeness. She and Aran moved onto the long bridge that crossed the river, thunder clapped in the distance. Her companion sprung up the question going through her mind, requiring her to make a response.
"The rain is still light, though it may grow heavy. The trees may provide cover from most of the rain, if you wish to keep riding, though we can no doubt take shelter here if you wish my lady. If not, I am sure we can find some shelter further down the road, if things get to rough. The choice is yours of course."
The storm was definately coming this way. "I see no reason to delay our journey any longer with no reason but a little water. I'll trust in your judgement that you could find us shelter further down the road, should the storm pass over us before we arrive at Mornmoth." she gave him another of her little assuring smiles, before turning to face the Hammerfell border. No guards approached them, not until they passed the Hammerfell encampment and she managed a glance inside did she even see any life. Several Redguards looked sullen as they sat in a tent, each with hoods strung over their heads and cuddled tightly in blankets. They didn't do well with the coming cold then.
Chloe and Aran continued onwards, into the forests covering the foothills of the Dragontail Mountains. The thunder clapped louder as they went and the rain hit the floor harder, coating everything in a coat that reflected the sunlight. That too begun to fade, as the coming storm darkened the sky above with its smothering embrace.
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ShockHelix
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Deity of Death
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 21, 2013 18:10:20 GMT -5
"I see no reason to delay our journey any longer with no reason but a little water. I'll trust in your judgement that you could find us shelter further down the road, should the storm pass over us before we arrive at Mornmoth."
"Of course my lady." He nodded with an inclination of his head, looking at the sky thoughtfully. Since they had left Wayrest, he had only referred to her with titles, and he was wondering if she had already grown accustomed to it. She had told him before to just call her Chloe, but now Aran thought she might have forgotten, or decided against it. Either way, it was a good sign that she was growing more accustomed to him as a servant. If she could be influenced so quickly, perhaps he could convince her slowly the proper way of dealing with servants.
Lightning struck in the distance, and thunder soon followed. Silently, Aran wondered what would happen if they reached Norvos and the an'Kin thought he had been ignoring their teachings. He thought most likely they would strip him of his position, perhaps even kill him, and grant Chloe a new servant. To his surprise, he found he was bothered more by someone else protecting his master then by the threat of death. It surprised him how quickly he felt he needed to take responsibility for Chloe's safety. Then again, it probably was only because of the recent threat of death.
As the light rain pinged on his armor, he looked back to his master, wondering about when she had killed before. Perhaps there was more to this seemingly frail woman with wanderlust after all. "If I may my Lady. . . you mentioned you had killed before. Is there perhaps something I need be aware of? Enemies of your father. . grudges. . . anyone whom might seek you harm. A servant must do their best to protect their Master, and knowledge is one of the easiest ways to ensure this."
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Sept 24, 2013 11:30:56 GMT -5
"Enemies?" Chloe responded with a slight grunt of an amused laughter. Her face seemed to deflate as she thought on the subject as a serious point. A gentle hum left her lips as she made a point of showing she was thinking, but that would be hardly audible over the noise of the rain hitting the leaves as they entered into the forests, passed the river's clearing.
"Personally I have no enemies, I rarely socialised enough to receive any. My father has a number of business rivals, but as I have mentioned before I believe them just to be friendly rivalries that help boost the prices and sales of materials. Such as the Ironmere Trading Company, that operates out of Daggerfall but they have a holding throughout much of northern High Rock's mining operations. Even into Skyrim." She stopped again, thinking on that momentarily. "Perhaps their is more to their rivalries than I know, or others that I have been kept hidden from. But I doubt it. Father told me the guards we hired were to police against common Bandits and. . ."
She had paused, again, this time to move into a different line of conversation. "Orcs. Which links into your other question. I have killed before, yes. On several occasions, but my first was an Orc. My first, and one of few, taste, of actual combat really. An Orc Shaman and his band of Orcs attempted to raid the caravan myself and my father were traveling on, the Guards were few and quickly became bogged down. I. . . Reacted. Distracted a few Orcs by setting their arms on fire, allowing the Guards to turn the tide. Shaman attempted to tackle me with his Shock Magic and I fought back, cast a ward and released an Icy Spear spell. Succeeded clearly, I'm still here." She gave him a slight smile, it wasn't a good memory. She took pride in how it represented her Magical prowess from an early age, but the pain of the lightning and her first kill lingered in it. "Left me exhausted for days."
She looked ahead, focusing for a few seconds on the forest road ahead. It was a straight cut, clearly built to facilitate trade between Monmouth and High Rock. "The rest of my kills have been similar self defence circumstances, a couples of Orcs, some other bandits. Those Assassins. Maybe just under a dozen? Perhaps over, it's hard to tell if my spells kill or injure sometimes."
She looked to her servant, giving him some thought. He was exceptionally well trained, so she had been told. Well equipped, too. But had he been in true combat? "What about you, Aran. You have never had a master before, I believe. How much combat experience do you have outside of your training?" If anything this talk would keep them occupied and help her ignore the rain some more.
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ShockHelix
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Deity of Death
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 24, 2013 20:48:04 GMT -5
"Unlike many, a servants training extends beyond simple combat training. Part of our training involved visiting each province and nation in Tamriel, and as such we are expected to defend the an'Kin with us from attacks and bandits, as well as any other dangerous circumstances they find themselves in."
There was more to it then that, but the men he had killed were all dark spaces in his mind, haunting his dreams and darkening his life. He usually found it off how much a kill bothered him, but thinking back to his first... There were definitely many things he did not ever wish to share, even with his master.
"Counting this morning, I have participated in two naval battles, one field battle, led the defense of a city, and killed a total of 52 men." He thanked Talos that he had not been forced to add a woman to that list yet. There were some things he wasn't sure he ever wanted to do, and that was one of them.
He wasn't sure if he should include the defense of Chaseguard, considering it was before his training, while he was still little more then a child, but the an'Kin had taught him to never leave out experience when asked directly. He could only hope that Chloe didn't press the subject. With a crash of lightning overhead, And an increase in the rain, Aran found a way out. "If it please you, I shall ride ahead and find us from shelter from the storm before things get any worse."
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Sept 26, 2013 16:40:42 GMT -5
Led the defence of a city? Chloe couldn't help but think some of Aran's natural bardic talent was flooding through in those words, but she wouldn't call him out on his probable exaggeration of events. It was comforting that he had some experience with travel, though. He would know the main routes through the provinces surely then, unless he traveled to most by boat which is quite possible.
She was going to press the subject, ask him about what his first kill had been purely out of curiosity but the flash of lightning reflecting off the wet trees distracted her. Before she could gather her thoughts again Aran had piped up himself offering to ride ahead and check for shelter. Chloe couldn't say she'd noticed the rain increasing but as she looked around her she saw that it was quite heavy now, it would only get worse and it would begin to affect their ride.
"Yes, of course. Go ahead, I'll keep the trot up and hopefully you won't fall prey to a Dragon on the way, eh? But what with all that armour at least you wouldn't be eaten." She smiled at her little joke, giving Aran a nod as he rode off ahead.
She watched his horse ride into the distance, suddenly she felt the cold of the rain now that she was alone. A clap of thunder startled her, she hadn't seen the flash of lightning on the trees this time and for a second she assumed a Giant had jumped from the trees beside her, but she corrected herself. Giants hadn't ever been found this side of the Bjoulaes River, even then only scarce historic sources of Giants in the area around Wayrest were found in her bestiary. Silly childish thoughts, scared of thunder indeed!
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 27, 2013 11:23:42 GMT -5
Aran pushed his heels into his horses side with Chloe's approval, thankful that the interruption had worked. The men he'd killed and the battles he'd participated in we're not things he was particularly proud of, and he'd prefer to forget them. He sighed when he was out of earshot, watching the trees for a game trail or overhang. Hopefully he would not need to go to far from the beaten path to find some temporary shelter.
The faces of the men he killed flashed across his memory, and he pushed them away with sorrow. He hated to admit it, but he was truly bothered by his history and the path fate had taken him down. He would never be anything but a servant, but the path that had led him here was stained with blood and sorrow. He knew with the training required of him there was no way around it, but Aran secretly wished there had been another way. At the very least, the hard decisions would no longer be his responsibility, even among other servants.
From the time he was little, he had resented that others looked to him for answers, and Aran was glad the burden would finally be lifted. Why others thought he knew anything better then them, Aran would never know. Now, the answers would all come from Chloe, and for that he would be thankful. If someone need die from his hand, at least it would be in defense of his master, or by her command. It was not quite the same, but he compared himself to a sword, and a sword could not feel guilty for the blood it shed when a hand guided its swing.
Sure enough, a small game trail crossed the road, and Aran turned down the path, ducking under the branches. For a few minutes it wound around bushes while rain pooled in the leaves above and made small waterfalls to the ground. Eventually the ground curved and Aran found a large overhang. It looked as though it had once been used by some bears, but the lack of fresh carcasses assured him they had not been there in sometime. He quickly dismounted and gathered some wood, gathering himself and letting fire stream from his friends to light the damp wood. It took a few more minutes to properly kindle the flame, but once it was lit he remounted Strider and headed back to the main path.
It was a short ride back to where Chloe was still trotting along the road, and he reigned up and turned Strider around when he reached her. "There is a spot in the forest nearby where we shall be sheltered from the storm. If you would follow me my lady, we shall be there shortly."
Riding in the lead for once, he took Chloe back towards the rocky outcropping, reaching it as the rain began to come down even harder. Lightning crashed more frequently overhead, and Aran wondered how strong the storm would become. If the weather grew cold enough, hail from the mountains might begin to fall. Back underneath the clearing, Aran dismounted and tied Strider to a branch safe from the rain, before quickly moving over towards Chloe and offering her assistance in dismounting her horse. "If you wish my Lady, we can wait here until the storm passes. The fire should keep wildlife away and hopefully we can be on our way soon." If not, he would be able to cook them some food over the fire, maybe learn some more about his master. He'd have to be careful about what he said, and suddenly decided he'd rather do not to much talking. He could only hope the crash of thunder and flash of lightning would end soon.
It wouldn't.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Sept 29, 2013 16:55:03 GMT -5
Chloe was relieved to see Aran ride up along the road, even having Avril speed up a little until they reached him. She didn't know why, but she had quickly grown accustomed to the company of the man. Perhaps because she hadn't truly been left alone yet she was still afraid of the world and deep in the unknown forests of northern Hammerfell during a thunderstorm didn't sit well for her first time without company.
"There is a spot in the forest nearby where we shall be sheltered from the storm. If you would follow me my lady, we shall be there shortly."
She nodded quickly and rode her horse in behind Aran's, following him closely down the road until they turned down a game trail. The forests were quite thick here and she wondered what creatures dwelled in its depths. She expected Deer, Wolves, Bear but her mind wandered ever closer to the more monstrous circle of beasts, the Humanoids. Trolls, Goblins, Minotaur, perhaps even a band of Lizard Men. All of these things could live in this very forest and she wasn't going to go in without being at least mentally prepared.
The overhang she was brought to was well weather-worn, several of the trees around it had been toppled and many more had large scars running down them. A fire already waited her and she felt a measure of pride that Aran had taken the time to ready the area for her stay. She watched as Aran dismounted his horse and moved over to where he was tieing up Strider. She was preparing to dismount herself when Aran came over to offer his assistance, she accepting gladly with a thankful smile and allowed him to help her down. She quickly took cover under the overhang, the fire was warm and she crouched down next to it. "Thank you for the assistance, Aran. The fire, too, and the wonderful accomodation!" she smiled, her head leaning to indicate where they were taking cover.
"If you wish my Lady, we can wait here until the storm passes. The fire should keep wildlife away and hopefully we can be on our way soon."
She thought it over, looking outside to see the rain crashing against the ground. "I think we're going to have to stay here until it passes. Hopefully it won't get much worse than this."
Of course, it did.
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 30, 2013 19:26:03 GMT -5
Aran leaned against the wall of rock, watching the rain fall a few feet away with his arms crossed over his chest. The storm had been raging for well over an hour now, with seemingly no end in sight. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse, and he wished they had stayed in Wayrest after all. The road to Mournoth was paved, so at the least they would not have to worry about mud injuring their horses, if the storm ever let up. Lightning crashed down into the forest, and Aran could hear a tree falling in the distance. Another lightning bolt struck somewhere, and he frowned beneath his helmet.
Half an hour past, he had brought forth some of the food, a simple meal of bread, cheese, and dried beef which he warmed over the fire for himself and his master. He'd slipped his helmet back on soon after the meal, with hopes the rain would stop soon. When it hadn't, he had needed to venture out into the rain for a few minutes, gathering wood to keep the fire going. It had taken him a bit to dry the wood enough with his flame spell before it could be used, but it had not been too difficult and now the fire was strong once more.
He had remained silent so far, seeing it as unfit to try an make conversation with his master. A peasant did not converse with his king, as a slave did not with his master. It wasn't that he had not enjoyed their conversations so far, even if they had taken turns towards topics he'd rather not speak of. It was simply that he did not see it as appropriate. He was still uncomfortable that she didn't see him as what he was, but for now there wasn't anything to be done about it.
With nothing better to do, Aran went over to his pack, pulled out a whetstone, and drew his sword. He sat down on one of the large logs they were using as seats and began sharpening his blade, the sound of scraping metal drowned out by the thunder and cloud cover. The flames danced in the reflection of his armor, and he grinned beneath his help, wondering if it looked like he was aflame. Carefully, he heated the edge of his blade before starting on it with the sharpening stone again.
Flicking his thumb against it periodically, he was eventually satisfied with the edge, and placed the whetstone back in the pack, before sheathing his blade and sitting back down. He stated into the flames, growing more restless by the second. Part of him wished that they would just brave the storm, but if the rain turned to hail, consequences would be worse then being drenched to the bone and maybe catching a cold. He glanced over to Chloe, wishing she'd order him to do something instead of him being forced to sit there looking for ways to occupy himself. He was meant to stay busy and follow orders. How she could ever expect him to be anything more then a servant he could not see.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Oct 1, 2013 11:09:48 GMT -5
The cold of the rock wall was uncomfortable so unlike Aran, Chloe was leaning forwards towards the fire. Her hands reached out towards the flames for the first few minutes of their stay, drying the arms of her robe. She could feel the weight of the water in the fabric, she felt the dampness of the clothes on her skin even without needing to touch it. She could hear the rain outside and like Aran, she hoped it would stop soon. Unlike Aran, she didn't think it was ruining her experience. Everything was something new, even sitting in a cold tent by a warm fire in the winter storms.
By the time Aran got up and silently brought some food to the fire, her clothes had dried quite well and she found herself hungry. "It's almost like you knew I'd want some food. . ." she mentioned in passing as he begun to heat the dried beef over the fire. She took a chunk of the bread and bit into it as he warmed the beef, it tasted quite soft. How long would that last, she wondered, until their bread turned hard and they were using it to soak the juices from the meat. She gave Aran a smile when he handed her some of the dried beef, it wasn't too warm to touch and it was nice to see his head again without the helmet. "Thank you, Aran." she said, without any response from him, before tucking straight in to the cheese, bread and beef that was handed to her. It wasn't long until he put is helmet back on and she felt like he was closing her out.
Soon enough he had left for firewood and by then Chloe was getting tired of the silence so she opted to strike up conversation next time the chance arose. She was about to, not long after he added more fuel to the fire, but he busied himself with sharpening his stone. She let out an inaudible sigh, allowing him to focus on his work without interfering with him. When he had finished and he seemed to be looking around for something to do, she went to speak.
She found nothing to talk about. For a second she remained stunned with nothing to say, before finally speaking. "I noticed that you keep calling me Lady Chloe. It's warming to me, but I still think I'd prefer you calling me Chloe if we're alone, like now. Just because you're a Servant doesn't mean you can't at least be friendly about it." she paused, thinking of something else to say, "Also, why do you rarely take off your helmet? It would be nice to see some facial expressions from you every now and then." she smiled wryly, nibbling on some of the dried beef she had kept aside from her little meal earlier.
Outside the rain hit the ground much harder, again thunder sounded as lightning struck. This time the lightning was close by and the thunder hit close, yet it echoed off the mountains in the distance. A dull roar, a roar-roar-roar that faded with time.
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ShockHelix
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Deity of Death
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Post by ShockHelix on Oct 1, 2013 18:22:12 GMT -5
"Forgive me my la- Chloe." Aran said, pulling his helmet off after composing his features. A servant was not meant to have emotions, so he kept his face like stone. "I meant no disrespect, I am simply following my instructions." Aran smoothed his hair back, and set his helmet down on the log, before folding his hands back and looking at the fire.
"Please do not mistake me, it is not that I would not have you as a friend, only that such things are not seen as appropriate. Likely, upon arriving at Norvos, the an'Kin would-" he paused as lightning crashed again, leaving thunder to echo through the forest.
"Likely, the an'Kin would strip me of my duties and appoint you a new servant if they felt I was not performing the best as they see fit." He left out what would happen after that, and it wasn't something he was sure he wanted to think about himself. He'd worked hard to come this far, and he didn't want it all to be taken away from him. Death would come quickly, for when a tool was no longer useful, you simply discarded the tool and got a new one.
"It is often said that the House of Servants is a place of craftsmen, who turns the lost and downtrodden with no future into living tools. As tools, we are not supposed to have dreams, desires, emotions, or morals. If your sword hesitates when you need it to take a life, the consequences can be dire. A tool is meant to be wielded by the user. Daelmah d'Waenrae is a forge, and I am it's product. I... Do not remember how to be anything else."
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Oct 2, 2013 7:40:15 GMT -5
Chloe actually pitied Aran, now. It wasn't the first time she had seen it, but he was quite the broken man. From what she knew there was never a point in time where creating a living weapon from a man had done any good, even the Thalmor had personal ideologies and emotions. She felt terrible for Aran, but it was apparent in his words that he truly didn't think he was anything more than an objects. Something had to change here, the an'Kin shouldn't be allowed to do this to people let alone children. There is little difference, in Chloe's eyes, from what the an'Kin did and what Necromancer's do with black soul gems. In both ways, the target loses their life.
"You have to have dreams, or else you won't aim for your full potential. You can't deny that you have emotions, but there is merit in hiding them sometimes and controlling them I agree. I don't expect you to be a weapon, all I expect is that if I need you to do something for me then you give it your all. Morality is an issue, but i won't order you around to kill children or anyone really. I only want you to protect me, guide me, give me company. A sword can do the first but a sword can't guide me, or bring me companionship. For that I need a person."
She looked deeply at him now, taking in everything he had said, all his worries. "You're afraid of the an'Kin doing something to you if you do as I say? Show your emotions, show you are a living being? Well then there's an easy work around that, Aran. You give it a try, don't worry about your emotions getting in the way around me. See if you prefer it, see if it works better than you'd expect, see if the an'Kin are wrong. It could change your life for the better. As for the an'Kin?"
She leaned forward some more, her face moving over the fire as she positioned her legs to sit on them. "You, Aran," she begun, a grin forming on her face as she spoke, "will use your bardic talents to pretend you're acting exactly how you're expected to act. I will, too. The an'Kin won't have anything to suspect and as far as you're concerned I'm the perfect master. Which naturally, I am. You don't have to lie, you don't have to cheat. We just pretend there's nothing unusual. We get in, we do our business and then we leave. I haven't known you long, but I would rather keep you than have the an'Kin take you for... Reshaping or whatever they would do to you."
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Oct 2, 2013 9:55:35 GMT -5
"When a tool breaks, you cast it aside and find a new one. A broken sword will never be as strong as it once was if you try and repair it. They would kill me my l- Chloe. Probably to help in another servants training." He was surprised he had mentioned that at all, but her words had been comforting, if strange to him. He wasn't sure he wanted to actually have emotions or dreams in the first place. All of them linked back to a stranger time, before the House of Servants. He had hoped getting a master would make things simpler for him. Instead she was turning everything he knew on its head.
"If that is what you wish, I shall do my best to follow your orders." The phrase was second nature to him, and he realized after saying it that it sounded extremely non-committal. "I suppose," he added, "that while the an'Kin serve as temporary masters, now that I have one, I need only ensure I do not lie to you.
He stated into the fire, trying to grasp at something - anything - to stop his world from spinning. Out of habit, his face had not changed in the least, despite himself finding he was sorrowful. Had he abandoned everything he'd known, only to be thrust back into the fold? Surely other servants did not experience this kind of thing, and the majority of him wished that he could just stay as what he had been shaped to be.
Idly, he began wondering if she was testing him, and decided not to voice it. "If these are truly your orders, I will follow them but... You are certain this is not some test. And if not... And I am not being to bold..." It was unseemly for a servant to question his masters orders, but if she wanted him to change so drastically, could he even claim that title any more? "If I may ask. Why?"
He looked to her, and was grimly amused as he became aware of the storm beyond once more. His emotions matched it perfectly, a raging haze of emotion and confusion, that he felt was likely to tear him asunder at any moment. Strangely, he found that fitting.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Oct 5, 2013 17:33:57 GMT -5
Why? She shuffled backwards onto her legs so her boots didn't dig into her anymore than they needed to. She paused for a moment, why was she insisting in this? Several reasons sprung to mind. Guilt, in that she had chosen (not been forced to) use a man that was basically a slave. Company, it would be better to have someone who can talk to you that isn't merely a Trading Company Yes-man and emotions would be nice to experience out on the road. But she didn't say any of these, she chose the next one that came to her mind to tell him.
"I want you to do this because I wish for you to have a better life than what you were being forced down." her lips turned up to one side as she contemplated the man before her and her next words, "It's all well and good dieing in an honourable way, but I would prefer to end my life knowing I had dreams that were fulfilled. That I'd lived life to its fullest. I want you to enjoy more of your life than just enjoy serving me and. . . The only way I can think of that being possible is if you start opening up around me, start behaving more like a Man and less like a Warhammer." she shrugged gently, her next words came out with a smile, "Plus at the end of it all, during my twilight years I'd enjoy a servant with more humour and personality than an Ogre on Skooma."
She looked past him for a few moments, staring into the thunderous sky. Lightning struck again close by, reflecting brightly on the water covering the leaves. A quick thought came to mind, a worry that she hoped any creature wouldn't come looking to take their shelter away from them during the storm. Thunder sounded again in the distance, the same dim roaring against the mountains that had occured earlier. She paid no heed to it, the warning calls of a storm were of no use to someone already deep inside it. She just hoped the storm would end soon, so she could continue her journey and get out from this cover. Something about being with her back against the wall in a thunderstorm was putting her on edge.
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ShockHelix
Administrator
Deity of Death
No mercy for the weak. No pity for the dying. No tears for the slain.
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Post by ShockHelix on Oct 6, 2013 4:22:29 GMT -5
". . . I'd enjoy a servant with more humor and personality then an Ogre on Skooma."
"Why my lady. I must assume you've never had drinks with an Ogre then," he declared, but kept his face calm. He thought she needed a sense of humor did she? Aran nearly smiled at that, but managed not to. He would leave it up to her to decided whether or not he had made a joke. He watched her, hoping to catch the signs of confusion. As far as he was concerned, his humor was just fine.
He knew of course he wasn't supposed to have emotions, but his ability to mask them made his jokes all that much more enjoyable. Didn't people understand that he was just toying with them? No, they mustn't, or they'd laugh more often. It was odd how people couldn't interpret what a joke was without a smile and a change of pitch. It was no wonder so few of them understood Argonians.
The rain was still coming down in torrents, and the forest might as well have been engulfed in night. With the heavy cover of trees over head, he was unable to see if the clouds would end any time soon, but he was fairly certain the thunder he could hear was still extremely close. He tried forcing himself to open up, stuck as they were, though he thought it sounded strained.
"Well my lady.... Chloe. Is there anything you want to discuss? You aren't nearly making full use of my training, I have noticed, though we have a lifetime to sort that out. If you'd prefer, we could practice with the sword some more, or perhaps magic. I really don't have anything I'd prefer to be doing, to be honest. All my decisions were made for me, under the an'Kin. Part of being a tool, you understand."
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