The Connivers of Bosmora, (a redo) Options

[redsrock]

The following will be a remake of the last one. The previous story was rushed and I just hated it. This one will be much better. Expect the first chapter to either come out tonight, or tomorrow.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER FIVE


Dorvel was in fact waiting in the lobby when Sirius arrived; he was sitting in a chair with his head buried in some book. But upon seeing Sirius appear from the shadows he immediately closed the book and stood up with jolly expression.


”Ready to go, Mr. Vero?”

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t really have a choice.”

“True, but believe me, Mr. Vero, there are many who are glad to see you back. Aside from me, the councilors and Helseth himself, there aren’t a lot of people who are supposed to know of your arriving. But of course, things tend slip out every now and then, if you know what I mean,” he said with a wink.

Sirius was confused at how open this Dunmer was. It was almost as if the two were old acquaintances or something. Apparently that was the case.

“You don’t really remember me, do you, Mr. Vero?” Dorvel asked as they walked down the paved streets and towards Godsreach.

“No offence, but no, I don’t. Should I?”

Dorvel chuckled and said, “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t expect you to. I was a young up-and-coming agent right before you left. I guess you don’t remember, but one day you sort of ‘trained’ me on certain things. You have me a couple of pointers here and there. Nothing too big, but I’ve remembered over the years.”

No, Sirius had no clue what Dorvel was talking about. He helped many young agents during his time at House Hlaalu, and remembered none of them. The only memories he did have usually weren’t very pleasant.

“Oh yeah, I remember now,” Sirius lied. “You were quite impressive, actually.”

Dorvel beamed with happiness, and Sirius had him just where he wanted him. His plan was to sugar-coat the Dunmer into worshipping the ground Sirius walked on. It was obvious Dorvel was quite attached to Sirius for some reason, and the Imperial would probably use this later on down the road.

“You know, Mr. Vero, you are a legend here,” Vero said softly as they entered Godsreach.

“Oh yeah, how so?”

“Well, I mean a legend within House Hlaalu that is. The other agents and I had formed our own opinions after you left. Most of us figured something happened between you and Helseth, but obviously it had to have been something major, because you two were very good friends. Anyway, you, Mr. Vero, are looked upon as a model of sorts at the academy.”

The academy was a training-compound that had been built some seven or eight years ago. It was built just a few miles southeast of Vivec, on its own little island. Agents-in-training went there to study House Hlaalu history, and other things to make them a better at their craft.

A Model, eh? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Sirius thought to himself happily. He liked being called a legend and a model, but he didn’t quite like being called ‘Mr. Vero’. It made him sound old, and even though he was nearing the age of forty, it wasn’t like he was an old man.

“Please, Dorvel, call me ‘Sirius’,” he said.

“Of course.”

Finally the two had arrived at Sirius new house, a two level mansion-like home with the usual beautifully crafted Mournhold architecture. Sirius had always adored these houses, and now he was finally the owner of one. Temporarily of course, but it was still of sort of ‘dream-come true’ all the same.

“Here is your house, Sirius. I’ll be here tomorrow morning at around eight o’clock tomorrow evening to escort you to the palace, where you will have your meeting with the King and the other councilors.”

“What are you my baby-sitter or something?” Sirius asked with a chuckle, though he meant every word.

“No, but the King wishes for you to be treated nicely. I am honored to be of service to you,” Dorvel said with a wide grin.

“Alright, fair enough I suppose. Do I have any boundaries, or can I go where I please?”

“You are not to leave the city of Mournhold, but beyond that you may do as you please. Oh, I almost forgot; your house has already been endowed with furniture and all the like. There is small room with food and drink downstairs as well. And if there’s nothing else you need, I will take my leave.”

Sirius liked the sound of food and drink, especially if alcohol was included. “Yes, I think I’ll be alright.”

Dorvel bowed his head and walked away.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


As soon as Dorvel left, Sirius immediately stepped inside his new home. It smelled a tad bit on the strange side; sort of like a clean smell, but a little more than that. Sirius didn’t care about that, though. He ran straight for the basement to take a look at the food and drinks.

What he found excited him immensely. There was of course many times of snack-food, including raw vegetables, seeds, a variety of fruits, and some bread; no meat because there wasn’t a storage place to keep such a food cold. But what thrilled Sirius the most was all the wine bottles kept in a nicely-crafted cabinet. There were bottles of Flin, Sujamma, Cyrodiilic Brandy, Greef, Mazte, Shein, and even a few bottles of the rare Vintage Brandy. And though Sirius was happy he wouldn’t have to go to the bar for every time he wanted a drink, he couldn’t help but wonder why the place was stockpiled with so much alcohol.

To him it was a bit suspicious, and ironic. Sirius was an alcoholic; mostly to wine, whether or not he would outright admit that. And because of his love for the sinned liquid, Sirius thought it was a little coincidental that this very house would be supplied with so much of it now that Sirius is the temporary owner. Perhaps there was a chance Helseth had the alcohol put there for a reason, or maybe Sirius had just gotten a lucky draw.

Either way Sirius didn’t really feel like pondering about it at the moment, and instead popped off a tab from a bottle of Flin and sat down at a nearby couch. What the couch was doing in a wine-cellar Sirius had no clue, but he didn’t care; he was too busy relaxing after a long and exasperating day.

Sirius woke up some three or four hours later, and when he did he took a walk around Godsreach to wake his feet back up. It was only eight o’clock in the evening and the night had only begun. Outside the streets in Godsreach were quite barren for the most part, save for the occasional wanderer and of course the Royal Guard patrols. After about five laps around the quarter Sirius decided it was time for some dinner. So rather than nibble on what food he had at his new home, he decided to walk to “The Winged Guar”, a fine restaurant/bar in Godsreach.

When Sirius walked into the place he immediately was astounded by the changes since he had left five years ago. Back then the diner was host to all kinds of people, both rich and poor, and both clean and dirty. You could always find someone playing a game of “shells”, or some beggar playing a random instrument for money. The place back then was usually grimy itself, and seemed to have been going downhill in terms of customer-satisfaction. But now it looked like a whole new restaurant altogether.

The ‘new’ restaurant was a clean as a whistle, and the atmosphere was different as well. No longer were there any beggars playing “shells”, or random people off the street playing instruments. The only ones present were lavishly dressed ladies and gentlemen who had a lot of money. And there was a professionally-looking band playing on a stage in the center of the dining-room. It was as if the entire place had been revamped during Sirius’s absence. He actually felt a little out of place, seeing as his attire wasn’t near as expensive or formal as everyone else’s.

Nonetheless, Sirius continued to walk through the diner and then sat down at a stool by the bar. Behind the bar table were cases of fine wine, and other expensive drinks. Working as the bartender was a nicely-dressed Dunmer who was seemingly doing a hundred different things at once.

“Excuse me, sir,” Sirius said softly to the Dark Elf.

The Dunmer turned around, and upon seeing Sirius and his casual appearance, sneered and replied half-heartedly, “Can I help you?” It seemed to Sirius that the Dunmer didn’t even want to serve him.

“Yeah, can I get an order of racer plumes and bottle of Cyrodiilic Brandy, please?”

The Dunmer sneered even more and said, “Sorry, sir, but we do not serve racer plumes,” with a sarcastic emphasis at the end.

“Then what do you serve?” Sirius asked with his own tone of sarcasm.

Just then a tall Altmer appeared from the side. She walked behind the bar and said to the Dunmer, “I’ll take care of this customer, Ravalli. Can you just tidy up the corner over there for me, please? Thank you.”

The Dunmer gave Sirius one last look of disgust and marched off. Sirius knew exactly who this Altmer was. Her name was Hession, the owner of the restaurant. Sirius was very good friends with her back in the day, and he often came to the place in order to discuss the daily hearsay and whatnot. Of course he didn’t expect Hession to remember him at all. Back then he was clean shaven and kept his black hair trim. Now Sirius had a nicely-kept goatee, and messy hair that went slightly passed his shoulders.

“My, my, how long it has been, Sirius.” Hession said with a wide smile.

Apparently Hession did recognize Sirius, and for that he was very pleased. It was nice to know that he had a friend to talk to in Mournhold. Dorvel was sort of a friend, thought that situation was a little different. Dorvel was more of a ‘fan’ per say.

“I has been long, Hession. I’m surprised you recognize after all these years. Anyway, it’s nice to see you again,” Sirius said with a smile. Mournhold was starting to feel like home again.

“Well, I have to admit, the beard and the hair threw me off at first, but once I heard you start talking to my waiter I knew it was you. But, weren’t you exiled long ago, Sirius? Why are you back in Mournhold?” Hession, mostly out of curiosity, though she was still glad to see Sirius.

“Official business with House Hlaalu, but that’s just between me and you,” he said slyly.

“Oh, of course, I won’t prod you anymore about it. So, what have you been doing the past five years? Gosh, I’ve missed you so much, Sirius. I miss the days you would come and chit-chat for hours.”

“Yes, I do too. As a matter of fact you’re one of the few people I’ve actually remembered over the years,” Sirius said with a hearty laugh. “But, about me, it’s a little complicated.”

“How so? Don’t worry, Sirius, you know I’ve got a few hours before I close down for the night.”

“I went straight for Caldera in Vvardenfell after being exiled. I wanted to get away from House Hlaalu and all of that crap. I tried to start a clothing business, but it really didn’t work out. Alcohol took over my life and here I am now. That’s pretty much it, I guess.”

As if right on cue, Hession poured a bottle of flin into a glass and placed it on the countertop in front of Sirius. She knew flin was his personal favorite, and she really didn’t mind to hand it to him for free. Unlike Sirius’s business, Hession’s had always flourished.

“It’s on the house, don’t worry about it. By the look at your clothing I can see why you didn’t make it in the world of business,” Hession joked. If any other person had said that, Sirius would have probably retaliated. Not Hession, though.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Sirius said right before taking a sip from his wine glass. “I don’t mean to come in dressed like this. I figured it was still the same. Obviously it’s not. When did you renovate the place and throw out all the nasty people?”

Hession began wiping off the counter and replied, “Ironically, shortly after you left. When you were around I didn’t really notice all the drunks and gamblers, because I had you to talk to. But after you left I started to get tired of all their irresponsible antics, and decided a change of scenery around here wouldn’t hurt.”

“I don’t mean to be nosy or anything, but may I ask where you got the money to pay for all of this? I know your business as always brought in a lot of gold, but come one…..it must have been one hell of a renovation.”

She looked at the ground for a few seconds and said, “I borrowed some money from House Hlaalu actually. I was tired of all the gambling, the shouting, and the messes. I just couldn’t take it any longer and I was willing to do anything for the money.”

“How much?” Sirius asked.

“Don’t you worry,” she said, playfully pointing a finger at him. “That’ll be my little secret. Now, I’m sure you’re hungry, so what can I fix you?”

And suddenly Sirius really wasn’t hungry anymore. Although he didn’t want to hurt Hession’s feelings, so he made her a promise. “I’m not really hungry right now for some reason, so I’ll make you a deal. How about I come tomorrow afternoon and have lunch with you? Then we can really sit down and talk, because I know you’ll be closing down in a few minutes.”

“Alright, that sounds nice. Let’s say noon?”

“I’ll be here.”