Teresa of the Faint Smile, Adventures of a Stringy Bosmer Options

[haute ecole rider]

Actually, he needs to try my Special Equine Brew.

190 proof. Flavored with fresh bones. Instant liver cirrhosis. . .

[Acadian]

Given the backdrop that Teresa has made huge progress in reconnecting with her forest and ability to defend herself, this was a welcome episode filled with some wonderful world building. And a mystery. Why indeed are trolls roaming this area that is normally outside their range?

Cutting her arrows free – another thrifty wood elf.

Trolls as corrupted apes! What an intriguing idea and certainly there is some resemblance. In fact I like the way you wove the story with aspects of lore, ranging from the great apes to Corprus and Valenwood to Morrowind. Neat how your trolls’ appearance varies greatly depending on the region.

"Well, between you and me, I think that story's just a load of imp chips," Pappy said. "I think orcs were always the way they are now. I've seen what Daedric power does to things in Morrowind. It corrupts them, like the Ashwalkers, or Dagoth Ur. There's not a damn thing warped or twisted about an orc."
Yay! Imp chips! Pappy’s my hero – I so like his attitude regarding orcs. I have great respect for their simple and beautiful nobility. I was delighted to, in the very next paragraph, see that Teresa agrees!

Pappy may know his hard liquor, but I’ll trust Teresa’s palette when it comes to wine. Yay Tamicka’s!

Loved the detail you put into Terresa cleaning herself up a bit after digging for arrows.

[Grits]

Teresa noted that it left a single feather behind it, laying on the chest of the dead troll.

I knew right away that this would be added to the velvet bag somehow, in fact I have been wondering what would make it in there next. I especially love this because I don’t remember Teresa discussing it with anyone, it is just something that has grown through her spiritual journey. Unless I have forgotten something.


"What worries me most right now though is that it shouldn't be here," Pappy continued. "This has never been troll country. They're all to the west, in the West Weald. This is bear and wolf country."

"So how did it get here?" Teresa asked. "Is something driving them out of the Weald?"

I wonder, too!


"So how do we stop them?" Teresa finished with her second arrow, and was pleased to see that its shaft remained straight and true. She wiped its head clean and set it aside. Then she regarded her fingers, now dripping with blood.

I admit I was expecting Teresa to use her Bloom spell here. I guess with trolls about, it makes more sense to conserve magicka. Since the thought of more trolls did not make her shiver with terror, I’m convinced that she’s really back on her feet. Which is good news, since she just signed up to stop the trolls!!


"We don't stop them," Pappy grumbled with a sour face.

Hmm, somehow I don’t think Teresa is just going to let it go. Those trolls are still threatening the bears and wolves, after all.


Even though I see the natural/magical/unnatural creatures differently, the way Pappy explains it works very well for me in the TF. I loved the natural history lesson as much as the easy kid/old man way Teresa and Pappy have with one another.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Pappy has pretty well done it all or at least seen it all. He makes an excellent mentor for youngin's like Teresa. Except of course when it comes to teaching them to drink and swear!


ghastley: I remember those old days of D&D! Peppermint Schnapps? That sounds just a bit too girly for a manly man like Pappy. I suspect that he might try his hand at flin next.


Acadian: I am sure I am not the only one who got the idea of trolls corrupted apes, given their very simian appearance. I just decided to roll with that, and that conversation allowed to be bring out all those other things you noted.

On orcs, I think the idea of them being corrupted elves works in a setting where they are supposed to be dyed in the wool evil. But not in one where they are just a race of big strong guys (like in Earthdawn or Shadowrun, or ES). Stories of them being corrupted work just fine, since I am sure the prettier races would all dis the orcs, just like the Beautiful People always do to those less endowed. But I think if they really were corrupted, they would not be the same as everyone else, as they are presented.


Grits: You hit the nail right on the head with the feather. You are right, Teresa has never discussed it with anyone else. She doesn't really talk about her spirituality with other people. Perhaps that will change in the future though?

I hate to say it, but I was so focused on Teresa picking her flowers, that I forgot all about her Bloom spell! Thank goodness you mentioned it. I went back and worked it in. I also have thank you for an idea you just gave me that will solve the plot issues I have been having with chapter 41!


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa learned a bit more about trolls, including that fact that the ones menacing Bravil are normally only found in the West Weald. In our next episode, the subject turns to a certain Dunmer armorer of Teresa's acquaintance.


Chapter 39.5 – Picking Flowers

Teresa and Pappy inspected the line of trees where they had seen the troll. There was no sign of more, so Teresa went back to picking more lavender. When she was sure she had enough for another month of potions - and hair gel - she led her guild commander back down toward the river.

"We'll find more bolete down by the water," she said. "It likes the damp soil."

Rather than go back the same route they had come from, Teresa instead took them west, farther away from Bravil and civilization. She paused when she came upon a patch of bright blue flax, and stopped to pick their seeds.

"So what are you going to do about Tadrose?" Pappy said. As when she had harvested the lavender, he stood beside her, eyes scanning the trees around for danger.

"Tadrose?" Teresa wondered aloud. What on Nirn could the old man be talking about?

"Yes Tadrose," Pappy winked. "Blue skin, black hair, eyes like fire. I'm sure you've noticed her."

Teresa rolled her eyes at the older man's joke. "I didn't realize I came out here with Vincent," she said.

"Aww don't give me that kid," Pappy said. "I've seen the way you look at her, when you think no one else is watching. And I've seen the way she looks at you. When are you going to take your shot?"

"Take my shot?" Teresa felt her skin growing hot. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do," Pappy insisted. "If I know anything, it's women. No one else has noticed. Except maybe Ancondil. I don't think the others have figured out that you're sapphic. It never occurs to most people."

"And it does to you?" Teresa turned and looked back up at the Colovian.

"Like I told you before kid, I was born at night, but not last night." The guild commander's eyes moved from the greenery around them to meet Teresa's. "I can tell when a woman doesn't like beef. You won't touch it with a ten foot fork."

"So what is it to you?" Teresa asked. She wondered if a lecture on Imperial morality was coming? Unlike elves, humans could be so touchy about people's sexuality.

"It isn't anything to me." The Colovian shrugged. "I'm just asking. You're both in my chapter, so why shouldn't I? I can tell you one thing. As long as I have been in Bravil, I've never seen Tadrose show the slightest bit of interest in anyone. Believe me, there's been plenty of men who'd eat a mile of her crap just to lick where it came from too. But she wouldn't have anything to do with them. Then you came along, and now she can't take her eyes off you."

"You're imaging things," Teresa shook her head.

"Am I?" Pappy's gaze turned back to the woods around them. "We never got a milk delivery, until you said you liked it. Now we get it every morning. Tadrose never made a point to always sit beside someone at every meal, until you. She never once set foot inside that theater, until you asked her to go. You think she ever made anyone a suit of armor like that miran-talurn rig for free? Think again sweetheart. She's got it bad for you."

Teresa shook her head again, and turned her attention back to the flax. If only what Pappy said was true, she thought to herself. But in her heart, she knew it was not. Tadrose did not care for her, not like that at least. Not even Nerussa did. She just was not the kind of person other people fell in love with, and never would be.

"If I were you kid, I wouldn't wait forever," Pappy went on, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was trying to ignore him. "Even you elves aren't getting any younger."

Teresa said nothing. Instead she rose to her feet, packed her flax seed away, and strode down the hillside. The sound of crunching leaves and creaking leather told her that the Colovian was following, and Teresa purposely lent speed to her feet to make his passage more difficult.

Tadrose interested in her? Teresa snorted. The Count was more likely to fall in love with her than Tadrose!

The rushing of water soon came to Teresa's ears, and its slight dampness filled her nostrils. She slowed down, and began studying the ground around her carefully for any signs of mushrooms. Her efforts were not rewarded with toadstools, but instead something that almost brought a faint smile to her lips.

It was a footprint in the moist soil. She squatted down beside it, and stretched her hand out over the depression. Her fist was dwarfed by the wide paw print, which bore the tiny holes before each digit that were characteristic of claws.

Teresa glanced back up as Pappy came to a stop behind her. "This is no more than an hour old," she said.

"A griz eh?" The Colovian said. "Better than the last critter we came across."

"Hey bear!" Teresa called out as she rose to her feet. Once again she resumed her walk toward the river, calling out the same thing every few moments. Confident that they would not surprise the bear whose print she had found, she stepped down to the shore of the Larsius.

Casting her gaze to and fro, she found the grizzly hundreds of feet away, near the river's edge. She was laying on her stomach along a fallen timber, legs trailing down either side of the tree trunk. Her fur was soaking wet, and her chest gently rose and fell as she sunned herself.

Screenshot

"Well there's our culprit," Pappy said in low voice. "Let's just leave it be, and head upstream."

But Teresa's feet refused to move in that direction. Instead they propelled her toward the bear. The grizzly lifted her head and stared as the wood elf approached. Then her massive body exploded into motion. In seconds she leapt off the tree trunk and trotted down the riverbank toward Teresa.

The wood elf smiled faintly as the grizzly approached, and slowed to a walk as the majestic animal closed the distance. She knelt as the bear stepped up to her, and wrapped her arms around the thick neck of the furred colossus. A welcome rumble issued form the throat of the grizzly, and the next thing Teresa knew, a wet tongue was slopping across her features.

"Barenziah!" Teresa gasped when it was finally safe for her to open her mouth. "I missed you so much!"

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Sep 26 2011, 08:35 PM

[D.Foxy]

One thing I've always wondered about having friends (human or otherwise) who are MUCH bigger than you - they have to be really careful at all times, for 'what's sport to the giant is death to the dwarf'.

But other than that...I think having a bear as a pal is cool! Now, if only she can talk like Pappy, and tell Teresa that love is in the air, everywhere you look around...

[haute ecole rider]

Add another Huzzah! for Pappy! Yes, of course he would notice the sapphic indications in both Teresa and Tadrose! After all, he's got an eye for the women, and with the experience he's got, he must be able to tell if a woman's interested in him or not!

One nit:

Your both in my chapter, so why shouldn't I?

Now granted this is part of Pappy's dialogue, but as your and you're are pretty much pronounced the same way so as to be indistinguishable, I would replace that with you're, since that is what Pappy intended.

And Barenziah is back! So which is worse? Wet bear fur? Or wet bear tongue? Or fishy bear breath? Hmmm, not a mystery I care to solve myself, if you know what I mean. Are you sure that was only a faint smile on Teresa's face on Barenziah's approach?

[Acadian]

I got more than a faint smile from this episode! What a wonderful job with the backdrop of a trek through the forest for Pappy’s accurate observations and Teresa’s inaccurate perceptions of them.

’When she was sure she had enough for another month of potions – and hair gel - she led her guild commander back down toward the river.’

"Like I told you before kid, I was born at night, but not last night."

I loved seeing Barenziah again. Getting hugged by her is no doubt as wonderful (and potentially dangerous) as getting hugged by Mazoga!

I’m so glad that Teresa has gotten her fear of the forest mojo mostly under control. Now to return her focus to her fear of the dark elven lass. Here’s hoping that the perceptive Pappy or Ancondil has or will have a similar chat with the guild’s deputy commander.

[ghastley]

Let me see.

Teresa has no problem with hugging a grizzly bear, but she does have problems doing the same with Tadrose.

Pappy distills his own rotgut that will "put hairs on your chest" (his own words).

How much of his rotgut should he feed to Tadrose, so that Teresa can't distinguish her from a bear?

[Grits]

I’m guessing that Pappy evaluates his chances of getting laid every time he interacts with a female, so the T&T attraction would stand out like a flashing light to him. I’m delighted that he picked up on it, as well as guessing that Ancondil is close enough to Teresa to possibly know. Also nice to get confirmation that there have been no awkward blushing moments between Teresa and Val, at least none that were witnessed.


"So what is it to you?" Teresa asked. She wondered if a lecture on Imperial morality was coming? Unlike elves, humans could be so touchy about people's sexuality.

"It isn't anything to me." The Colovian shrugged.

This is a relief, and not because of their gender. As much as I was hoping that Pappy wasn’t blind to the situation, I was worried that he would frown on a relationship between two of his resident guild members, or between his vice-commander and her subordinate.


"Barenziah!" Teresa gasped when it was finally safe for her to open her mouth. "I missed you so much!"

Slimed by a bear! How wonderful to see Bearenziah. Her riverside bear nap was the highlight of the whole return to the forest for me. Maybe soon Teresa will realize that she can trust Pappy’s judgment in all matters, or perhaps Pappy will encourage Tadrose to plant one on Teresa, bear-style.

[SubRosa]

D.Foxy: Thank goodness that Teresa can heal herself! I always think of Doug Seus and Bart the Bear when I picture Teresa and Bearenziah.


haute ecole rider: I think fishy bear breath is probably the worse. I am sure Teresa can fix that with some bergamot though. Only a faint smile though. We will not be seeing more than that for a while.


Acadian: Teresa cannot forget that hair gel! A girl has her priorities after all. I never thought of comparing Bearenziah to Sir Mazoga. Perfect!


ghastley: Somehow I think Teresa could tell though...


Grits: I put a lot of thought into whether there would be no fraternizing rules in the FG. After all Pappy lost his job as Guild Champion after being accused of showing favoritism to female members who slept with him. I don't see the FG as really being a very formal organization, with a lot of strict rules outside of the no felons and the guild's percentage of contracts. Not just internal regulations, but also in how the guild interacts with the rest of society. I figure each chapter varies wildly according to its leadership. For example, we know that Pappy works well with Kud-Ei, so the Bravil FG also has a good relationship with the MG. But I imagine there is absolutely no cooperation between Burz and Falcar in Cheydhinhal. So while Teresa gets a discount in spell instruction, Keld of the Isles over in Cheydinhal get does not.

What I eventually came up with is that there is no official policy on fraternization, but OTOH, it can lead to the same accusations that Pappy suffered from. So it is certainly frowned upon. If Tadrose ever became a guild commander, it would eventually become an issue. I can see Teresa simply quitting the guild at that point.

It also caused me to sit down and think about exactly what Tadrose does compared to Pappy. As XO, her main job is to see to the day-to-day running of the guild hall. She pays the bills, hires and oversees the domestic staff, that sort of thing. While Pappy is the one who negotiates the contracts, and assigns them to members. We have never really seen what Tadrose's responsibilities are. Perhaps I can illuminate them in chapter 41 though.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Pappy dropped a ton of bricks on Teresa concerning how much Tadrose is attracted to her. Teresa also had a happy reunion with her bear friend Barenziah. Next - in our final segment of this chapter - we return to Bravil, and Tadrose


Chapter 39.6 – Picking Flowers

"Gaius told me that his heart nearly stopped when you ran up to the bear." Tadrose twisted her fork around a glob of udon noodles. "You really shouldn't do that to him you know. He's not as young as you or I."

Teresa smiled faintly as she looked at the Dunmer. The pair sat at a food stand just off Riverwalk. People of all races were crowded around, eating the same udon. An Argonian worked behind the counter cooking more of the noodles and the thin broth they served it in. Another chopped scallions and sprinkled them atop the bowls of hot udon that she served to the customers. A third lizardine collected the used bowls and forks, hastily washed them, and gave them back to the second to use again. It looked frantic and chaotic, but the Argonians never missed a customer, noodle, or bowl.

"I know," Teresa said. "I just could not help it. I haven't seen Barenziah since the tournament. I was just so relieved that she was alright, I had to give her a hug."

"You are the only person I know who would even think of hugging a bear." Tadrose smiled and shook her head. "You're mad, you know that don't you?"

"I'm just myself," Teresa shrugged.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way Teresa," Tadrose smiled again. "So did you really spend the entire day with the bear? Gaius said that was your plan when he came back to the guild hall, dejected."

"All night too." Teresa paused to take a bite of the hot, soft noodles. The broth was delicate, but tasty, and she took a moment to savor it before swallowing. "I take it that means Pappy had to go to the ball then?"

"Aye," Tadrose nodded around a mouthful of the noodles. "He hates them. Our guild commander is more at home drinking moonshine and playing cards then dancing and making small talk with aristocrats. But he has to go to keep up contacts. Many of our contracts come from patricians and equites who meet him at the balls."

"So why don't you ever go?" Teresa asked before taking a sip of milk. "It sounds like he'd be happy for you to take his place."

"Balls are not for me." Tadrose looked away for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Teresa. "Besides, I have work in the forge to do."

"Is that what you do because of Bruma?" Teresa found the words spilling from her mouth before she could dam them up, and instantly regretted it.

The Dunmer stared back at Teresa for long moments. The wood elf felt her heart lurch in her chest. Had she just ruined her chances with the armorer? Would she be offended, or hurt?

"Maybe it is," Tadrose finally said in a soft voice. "Working on metal gets my mind off… the other things in life. It gives me a sense of peace I never thought I'd find again after Morrowind. That is what the forest is to you, is it not?"

Teresa nodded, and slurped up another forkful of noodles. She had not failed to note that Tadrose had mentioned Morrowind again. The armorer rarely ever spoke of her life there, and always changed the subject immediately afterward. What had happened to her there? What had made her leave, and move to Bravil of all places? The most she had ever said was that she had made a mistake once. What did that mean? What kind of mistake made someone leave an entire province?

"The forest is the home I never knew I had," Teresa finally said when her mouth was empty. "I never set foot in it before last Spring. But now it's where I feel most alive."

"I thought so," Tadrose said. "I was worried that you might not go when Gaius asked you."

Teresa's eyebrows beetled together. "How did you know he was going to do that?" the forester asked.

"It was my idea," Tadrose admitted. "That is why I hid your ingredients. But Gaius insisted he be the one to bring it up, and go with you."

"You hid my-" Teresa gaped at the armorer. "But that…"

"Yes, I know, it was devious," the vice-commander said. "But I didn't know any other way to get you back out in the forest. As the saying goes: 'If the mountain won't go to the Tribunal, then the Tribunal must go to the mountain.' I am glad you went, I can see the difference in you."

"You can?" Teresa blinked, not sure what to think after the Dunmer's admission. Could Pappy have been right after all? Could Tadrose's meddling be because she truly did care? Or was she just a meddler by nature? How well did she really know the dark elf?

"It is like you are an entirely different person," Tadrose insisted. "Whatever it was you needed, it looks like you found it out there."

"I suppose so," Teresa stared down at her empty bowl. "I had a lot of time to think, with just me and Barenziah."

"And?" Tadrose's hand drifted extremely close to Teresa's, nearly enough to touch.

"If these ones are going to sit, more noodles they will order." A husky voice came to Teresa's ears. Both she and Tadrose looked up at the same time to find one of the Argonians standing over them. "Otherwise these ones must make room for others."

A glance around showed more people standing in line to eat. Feeling sheepish, Teresa rose to her feet and allowed the Argonian to clear away her bowl. With Tadrose in tow, she walked to a low, wooden railing. Beyond it the ground sloped down sharply to the interior harbor, where the masts of a tall galleon rose beside one of the docks. Teresa sat down and slipped her legs between the molded shafts of the barricade, and rested her arms upon the coping.

"What was it like for you, after Bruma?" Teresa turned to Tadrose. The Dunmer sat gently upon the thick railing and looked down at Teresa.

"To be honest, I was never very close with anyone in the guild then." The armorer's eyes took on a faraway look as she spoke. "But it was still hard. Everything felt unreal for me, like I had been kicked in the head by a horse and was in a fog."

"It didn't really sink in until we came back, and the hall was so empty. It was always filled with life, the way it is now. I kept expecting to see Corentin reading a new book in the sitting room, or Hirtuleius carving up a side of venison in the kitchen. I kept waiting to hear Paol arguing over a card game, or Morning-Star bragging about Storm-Tail's grades."

"Even now, whenever I step in your room I expect to see Seridwe at the dressing table, doing up her hair. She was always so incredibly vain about that. Sometimes it seemed like there was nothing more important in her life. That's why Gaius had the best hairdresser in Bruma style it for her, before we buried her."

"It must be hard to stay here, with all those memories." Now Teresa found her fingers drifting over Tadrose's.

"It was, at first." Tadrose turned her hand over, and gently wrapped her fingers around those of Teresa. "But you cannot run forever. Eventually you have to face your Daedra."

"So how did you face yours?" Teresa bit her lip as she stared into the dark elf's eyes.

"It was not any one sudden moment of epiphany, if that is what you are thinking," Tadrose replied. "I just came to accept what happened, and understand that what we did was the right thing. Their deaths were not pointless. They made a real difference. Someday it might be my turn, and I will do the same. Because some things are worth sacrificing for, worth dying for."

Teresa nodded, and looked back down the slope of the riverbank to the ship below. Its decks were swarming with stevedores carrying off its cargo. The larger - and Teresa imagined heavier - crates were loaded together on a net and hauled up the steep riverbank by a crane and winch at street level. The smaller bags and sacks were simply carried up the stairs over the shoulders of burly Orisimer, Imperials, and a few men of other races.

"What has it been like, for you?" Tadrose broke the silence.

"The same," Teresa breathed. She looked back up at Tadrose. "I keep thinking I am going to see Marius whenever I step through the North Gate. I never really thought about it when he was alive, but he was my friend, and I miss him."

Teresa swallowed hard, and looked away as she felt her throat tighten up, choking off her words. Tadrose's fingers were warm however, and squeezed her own gently. That was enough to dispel the knot in her throat, and Teresa looked back to the Dunmer.

"I've seen a lot of people die this year Tadrose," she found herself saying. "Maybe not a lot to other people, but a lot to me. The Emperor, Marius, Attius, Gelephor, and people whose names I'll never even know. I heard Emperor Martin's last words, just before he died, just as I did his father's. I can still see their faces, when I close my eyes."

"They've made me realize something." Teresa's eyes grew bleary with barely restrained tears. "I'm not alone in this world. I can't just go on like the lives of other people are not affected by me, or me by theirs. I'm a part of something greater than just myself, something more important. I have a responsibility to the people around me, to do better than I have, to do more. I have to make up for my mistakes, so that those faces won't stare at me unkindly. The Emperor told me that it is our choices in life that define us. I never really understood that until now."

Tadrose sighed, and sat down beside the Bosmer. Teresa felt one of the dark elf's arms wrap around her, and draw her close. She let her head fall onto Tadrose's shoulder, and closed her eyes as the Dunmer's other hand caressed her face. Teresa held on tight to the other woman, and let her tears slip free.

"You are a good person Teresa," the Dunmer whispered into her ear. "In time, those faces won't seem like they're accusing. They'll just be old friends stopping by to say hello."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Sep 30 2011, 12:54 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Finally the first step onto the dance floor! I loved this little scene with the Argonian noodles and the heart to heart between Tadrose and Teresa. They're still dancing around the real issue, but they're getting closer, and I'm beginning to feel that something is inevitable.

"Balls are not for me." Tadrose looked away for a moment,

Coming from Tadrose, this statement made me do a double take. Of course, when I write about balls, I usually mean something totally different. Like stones. So this is totally appropriate coming from Tadrose on more than one level!

And it's a good time for Teresa to sum up all the death she's seen, all the friends and acquaintances she's lost in the short time since Emperor Uriel's death.

[Grits]

Oh, now I need to slurp some slippery noodles! I love the Argonian noodle stand with its view of the harbor.

"Balls are not for me."

Come on, Teresa, she just spelled it out for you! OK, not really, but that made me snort.

What a wonderful, tender conversation. It looks like they are developing a strong, respectful relationship without either of them having their hopes for more confirmed by the other. I think that will help them weather whatever might come next. I am so pleased to see Teresa reach her own understanding about her connection to other people. A beautiful end to the chapter!

[Acadian]

A lovely episode made even better by the slippery backdrop of Argonian noodles!

"You really shouldn't do that to him you know. He's not as young as you or I."
Readers know that Tadrose is not so much older than Teresa, but Teresa did not know that I think – until now. Elven age is so hard to estimate and Tadrose just whisked many decades away from her possible age (from Teresa’s perspective) – beautifully and lightly done, SubRosa!

’Teresa's eyebrows beetled together.’
You have used this wonderful description before in TF and I like it very much for the clear meaning it conveys in a picturesque manner.

Ahah! So Tadrose did hide Teresa’s ingredients! I’m so proud of myself for suspecting that Pappy and/or Tadrose had a hand in the great forest caper!

"In time, those faces won't seem like they're accusing. They'll just be old friends stopping by to say hello."
This is lovely, and a perfect way to end the episode.


Nit?
"Yes, I know, it was a devious," the vice-commander said.
Was the ‘a’ unintentional? It seems to not belong.

[Jacki Dice]

-sniff, sniff-

The last part was so touching ♥

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: I really liked that scene because it was the first shared intimacy between the two. Unfortunately, it will be a little while before Teresa has the opportunity for more of the like.


Grits: You two love your balls! That realization of her responsibilities to the rest of the world was one of the very few things that ever happened to me in the game which made it over to the TF. It was also one of the things that prompted me to start writing the TF a few years ago. It is so nice to finally get to that point, after only 39 chapters.


Acadian: I see another noodle appreciator. I think I know the secret to writing a segment people will like. Just put food in it! Indeed, now Teresa does have a good idea about Tadrose's age. Much younger than it could have been! I am so glad that so many people guessed that Pappy and Tadrose were behind Teresa's ingredient shortage. It was not in my first draft, but when I was doing the 3rd draft or so I decided to make it so, and try to leave some very subtle clues in the way Teresa was surprised at how low the stock had become.


Jacki Dice: Believe me, Teresa would like some more touching then that! But it is a good start.


Chapter 40.1 – The Hunter

4th - 6th Sun's Dusk, 3E433

Teresa sat in the foyer of the guild hall and thumbed through A History of the Fighters Guild. She glanced at the pages only absent-mindedly however. History had never interested her much, except when it was about the Arimer of course. She sighed and stood up. Stepping to one of the several bookcases that lined the walls, she slid the leather-bound tome between the other books. Humming to herself, she let her fingers run along the spines of the other volumes there.

If only Tadrose was back, she thought, or Pappy. Or anyone else for that matter. Then she would not be left with the job of minding the hall. Yet she knew that Tadrose would be busy all morning teaching the farmers of Springtree quick and dirty tricks for fighting trolls. Ancondil, Chance, Vincent, and Valerius were busy doing the same in other villages along the Green Road. Storm-Tail was already on another contract outside the city as well. With Pappy away visiting his parents in the Imperial City, that left her the only guild member left. Not counting Tavian of course.

"It will be fine Teresa," she could still hear Tadrose's voice in her memory. "I'll be back by the afternoon. Just keep an eye on things until then." Keep an eye on things, Teresa thought. That meant that she was in charge of the guild! She had only been in Bravil for two and a half months, and she was in charge! What was she going to do if someone actually wanted to hire them?

If only she knew how to fight with spears, clubs, or other heavy things. Then she could have gone on the training expeditions, and someone else could have stayed behind. Unfortunately, teaching farmers archery was not an option. She knew as well as anyone that she was not going to train someone to shoot a bow in one morning. Archery took years to master. She had been using a bow for a decade, and was still learning.

Teresa's heart sank at the sound of the door opening. Here it comes, she thought, her first test as acting guild commander. Looking up, she tried to force a faint smile to her lips. She failed miserably. Instead she simply stared at the Orisimer who loomed in the doorway. Her hair was a sandy brown in shade, that looked brighter and redder than it really was to next to her green skin. It was tied back in one of the elaborate braids favored by the Bretons, that framed her face with its plaits, and trailed down to a short ponytail behind her head. Her eyes bore the yellow irises of all her race, and her lips were a deep shade of purple. Teresa wondered if the latter was her natural shade, or makeup? Either way, it looked striking.

She was clad from neck down in armor of orcish design - a variety of overlapping scales in some places, and small, rectangular plates sewn together in others. The pauldrons over her shoulders were large, jutting out almost like wings, and a pair of snarling beast-heads rose above each of her breasts. She held a goggled helmet in one hand, and a large duffel bag in the other. A large, round shield was slung across her back. Tucked into her waist belt was a bronze-colored hand-axe that was obviously of Dwemer design. Possessing a long, crescent-shaped blade, its handle ended in the twin antennae design so common to dwarven manufacture. Two smaller axes with small, arch-shaped heads of ordinary steel were tucked into her belt as well, and Teresa wondered if they might be for throwing?

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"Welcome to the Fighters Guild," the wood elf said. She wondered what the orc would want with them? She looked more than able to deal with any problem that requiring fighting. "I am Teresa. What can the guild do for you?"

"You can give me something to do," the green mountain of steel and muscle rumbled. She set her bag down at her feet. "I hear your guild is hiring people, who've got the stones for it."

Do you have those too? Teresa wondered. She decided it would be best not to ask.

"We are always on the lookout for good people," Teresa said. "I can't hire you though. You'll have to wait until Tadrose gets back. She's our vice-commander. It should be some time this afternoon."

The orc frowned, and Teresa was struck by her eyes. It was difficult, given the Orisimer coloring, but now she recognized the look in them. It was that same empty stare that she had seen in the mirror for weeks after Marius' death.

"I can tell you what it's like to work for the guild though," Teresa went on. She did not want to simply brush the other woman off. Not after whatever horrors she had been through. With her own experience so fresh in her memory, she could not turn aside someone so clearly in pain. Or rather so numbed that they could not feel pain - or anything else - any longer.

"Very well," the orc sighed. "Give me all the ugly details."

"Well, for starters we cannot take you if you've been found guilty of a capital offense," Teresa said. "If you have been, just walk out the door. Because they will find out. Every member has to go through a background check."

"I'm not a criminal!" the Orisimer spat.

"I'm not saying you are," Teresa replied. "But the guild has to check regardless. Our charter with the Empire requires it. That reminds me, there's something else we can do while you're here…" Teresa stepped to the main corridor that led deeper into the building and waved for the orc to follow. "We may as well get this over with now."

Teresa led the much larger woman down the hallway, and turned a corner. Either side of the corridor before them was lined with wanted posters. They were arranged by race and sex, and in moments the two mer were standing in front of the section reserved for female orcs. The forester was not sure what she was going to do if she saw the other woman's face among the broadsheets. However, she did fix the symbol for her Burning Hand firmly in mind, just in case.

"Well, I don't see you here." Teresa breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to the Orisimer. "I didn't get your name?"

"You don't already know?" The much taller woman rumbled. For a moment Teresa wondered if it was conceit she heard in the orc's voice. But the surprise in her eyes looked genuine.

"Should I?" Teresa felt one of her eyebrows rise. Just who was this giant of a woman?

"Morghak gra-Durug." The orc seemed to deflate, as if speaking her name was something she dreaded.

Teresa just stared. The name did sound familiar, but try as she might, the forester could not place it.

"From the Arena," the other woman said. Clearly, she was expecting Teresa to understand. Yet the wood elf merely shrugged.

"So you're a gladiator." The forester motioned the orc to follow her back to the foyer. "Then I'm sure you can handle the fighting. Tadrose will still have to test you anyway though."

"You really don't know me then?" The sound in the gladiator's voice was almost hopeful. As if she looked forward to the idea of anonymity.

Teresa stopped in the hallway and turned back to look at the armored orc. "I'm sorry, I don't follow the Arena. I've only been there once, and that was ten years ago."

"Then maybe I came to the right place after all," the other woman said. Again, she sounded relieved. As if a total stranger was the best friend she might ever have.

"Say, would you like a drink?" Teresa asked. "Our commander makes his own homebrew. His latest creation is vodka. He says it's just like from the Wrothgarians."

"By Trinimac's bloody sack, I'm from Orsinium!" the other woman almost smiled. "Lead on Teresa, and I'll tell you if its real vodka or not."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 3 2011, 04:28 PM

[haute ecole rider]

Aha! A kindred spirit! In social graces, I mean. It seems that Morghak is seeking anonymity. I wonder why? And finally maybe Ancondil might get lucky? That is, if Morghak isn't sapphic? She certainly does have the same trouble with smiles that Teresa has.

I know what it's like to be "in charge" of the business while the boss is away. Had that happen too often for a while. For the most part it wasn't bad - such things are seldom as bad as we think they will be.

I love how you are populating Tamriel so thoroughly with such vivid characters. Not just fleshing out the NPC's, but also introducing us to new ones, like Chance and Pappy and Vincent and now Morghak.

[Grits]

I’m glad the nearby villagers are getting some training in troll fighting. It would be great if the trolls would go after the skooma smugglers.

"Morghak gra-Durug." The orc seemed to deflate, as if speaking her name was something she dreaded.

Teresa just stared. The name did sound familiar, but try as she might, the forester could not place it.

She who was reputedly more than friends with Agronak, I believe. And she challenged the new Grand Champion. I’m really glad it wasn’t Chance or Vincent in charge when Morghak showed up. I doubt that she would want a spirited debate about her recent Arena adventure, however it turned out.

Teresa is doing a great job as acting commander. “Good morning, and welcome to the Fighters Guild. Would you like a shot of vodka?” Jerric needs to get to Bravil before Pappy hides his stash.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Morghak.

[Acadian]

As you so astutely pointed out in your noodle comments, one way to my heart is to feed me. Another is to populate your story with an orc. If anything can capture my heart almost as fast as a wood elven lass, it is a fine Orsimer woman like Mazoga. Morghak sounds like some trouble, but my sniffer tells me she is likely worth it. If she has anywhere near the stones that Ancondil has, she’ll be a great addition to the guild. Speaking of stones. . .

"I hear your guild is hiring people, who've got the stones for it."
Do you have those too? Teresa wondered. She decided it would be best not to ask.’
Love this exchange for its humor and wisdom!

’It was difficult, given the Orisimer coloring, but now she recognized the look in them. It was that same empty stare that she had seen in the mirror for weeks after Marius' death.’
A masterfully crafted passage in so many ways! A reminder of Teresa’s recent trollage, and ever so evocative and clear in meaning.

I’m with Grits that training villagers/farmers in the rudiments of trollage is a brilliant task for the FG. I also like how you so rightly point out that teaching them to shoot bows would be a poor idea for exactly the reasons that Teresa details.

[Olen]

Well I'm caught up. Sorry it took so long but definatly my loss, as ever your world is immensely deep and well crafted. It also has a sense of change, both with things like the arena chapion having changed from the game and with repect to recovering from the Oblivion crisis. Teresa and Tadrose discussing it showed how it is a memory now and not nearly as fresh or full in their minds as the trolls.

Teresa's recovery, or the initial part of it at least, was very well put together. From her knowing what she needed to do but being unable to go out into the forest to being pushed and overcoming a troll was good, but then I doubt it was accidental that Barenziah was where she was, or that Taresa met the bear who symbolises healing when she did. It was a good touch, and the depth carried on to Tadrose having hidden the ingredients and Pappy showing a rather deeper side in realising what (with his plotting with Tadrose must have been obvious one way at least) was going on and playing cupid a bit.

Which all led very neatly to the two of them at the noodle stand which was an excellent scene and I suspect the begining of a new phase of the story. Where will that thread go from here, will it repeat soon or will they be awkward? And what will be happening in the background. I sense things are going to change. Morghak might well be part of that change, certainly she's already a fascinating character. Arena chapion but haunted, presumably by the people she's killed, or maybe just one?

For the most recent part you caught the feelings of being left in charge without really knowing what to do well on Teresa's behalf. She's done the job perfectly with 'Hello. Are you a criminal? Have some vodka while you wait.' And met an interesting new character. I'm fascinated to see how she fits in, particularly what will Ancondil make of her.

Do you have those too? Teresa wondered. -- or just a clever alchemist...

It was difficult, given the Orisimer coloring, but now she recognized the look in them... -- as has been said this line was masterful and in some ways marks the end of the worst of her survivor's guilt I suspect.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: I never thought about it, but I suppose Morghak might indeed be a sister of the faint smile. It is nice how that trait has become such a Teresa trademark. I had fun with her panic over being left in charge. As you said, it is usually not such a big deal after all. Morghak is not sapphic, but she is not in the market for a new man to replace her old one yet. Nor would Ancondil be any interest to her, or likewise, to be certain!


Grits: That is indeed the same Morghak you are thinking of. It will be a while before we see more of her again though, and learn the result of her fight with the new Champion.

I doubt Teresa would feel the same sympathy for Jerric that she does for Morghak. So he'd probably just get water!


Acadian: I am glad the stones line worked. It is one of those things that was unplanned, and just rolled out of my keyboard. I looked up some orc words from LOTOR to use in the TF, and its helped me start to shape orc culture, as it is in Orsinium. So far it is taking shape nicely.


Olen: Welcome back! Bearenziah being there was no accident indeed. Just like it was no accident that Teresa was on the road when she came across the same wounded bear so long ago. I had Teresa's own healing in mind when I wrote that initial meeting with Barenziah, and her spirit guide Bear. What really did surprise me however is that while I never set out for Teresa to have an animal companion - like Morcant has Tsume - that is pretty much what Barenziah has turned out to be. Now all Teresa needs to do is build a log cabin out in the woods, and she can be Grizzly Teresa.

Looks like another vote of approval for Teresa's acting-guild commander style!


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa met Morghak, who came to the guild looking for work. She did not remember that the orc is the same gladiator believed to be Agronak's lover, or that she had been scheduled to fight a match with the woman who had killed him. Next Teresa has a second visitor during her time watching the guild hall.


Chapter 40.2 – The Hunter

Teresa watched as Morghak vanished through the front door of the guild hall. Well, her first trial of watching over the guild had gone well enough. The Orisimer left in a much better mood than Teresa had her own first time in the guild hall. Even after the wood elf had explained to her the entire process of the background checks, the necessary testing that Tadrose would do, and the percentage that the guild took from every contract, Morghak still seemed interested. Interested enough to vow to return later in the day to meet the vice-commander.

Feeling slightly triumphant, the wood elf made her way to the kitchen and rewarded herself with a glass of cold milk from the frost box. Yet after only her first sip, the sound of the front door opening came to her elven ears. After laying down the glass on one of the counters, she made her way back to the foyer.

There she found a woman clad in threadbare flax. Her blond hair spoke of Nordic parentage, but her brown eyes suggested otherwise, as did her small stature. Her features were attractive, and only showed the first signs of middle-age in the lines under her eyes. As she offered her hand, Teresa noted that the fine hair along her arms was a sandy brown. The wood elf smiled faintly. She was not the only woman who got her hair color from a bottle!

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"Greetings," the woman spoke in the soft, songbird-like voice of the Bretons. "My name is Ursanne Loche, I was hoping you might be able to help me with my husband."

"Yes," the forester said as she gently wrapped her fingers around those of the Breton. "I know Aleron. He took me to the Imperial City once on his boat. I'm Teresa by the way."

Teresa motioned to a row of benches along one of the foyer walls. Ursanne sat at one, while Teresa sat at the next, across a low table holding a potted flax plant. The Breton clutched her hands together in her lap, and stared down at her feet before looking back up at the wood elf.

Teresa's faint smile died as she stared into the older woman's eyes. The Breton looked more worried than a thief in a guard tower. Clearly this was not about the swordsmanship lessons Pappy had been giving her husband, or his payment through the use of his boat.

"What is wrong?"

"Well, Aleron took his boat out yesterday and he still hasn't come back. I'm worried about him." Ursanne licked her lips, then drew back a lock of her hair with one finger, even though it was not in the way of her eyes. "I'm afraid something has happened to him."

"Are you sure he didn't go to the Imperial City?" Teresa asked. "Or maybe down to Leyawiin for something?"

"No, he didn't do that," the Breton shook her head. "He's been acting strange lately, ever since the tournament really. He's been nervous, keeping things from me, especially about our money. Yesterday he took that sword with him, and said that he was going to square everything."

"To square everything?" Teresa asked. "Are you two in debt? Do you know with who?"

"We are now," Ursanne frowned. "I'm sure it has to do with his gambling. All summer, he piddled away our money. I had to take a job at A Fair Deal to help make ends meet. But there is only so much I can work with our boy to take care of as well. After that he swore to me that he had stopped. But when he didn't come home last night, I went to the Temple of Zenithar. All of our savings are gone. Every last reman. He withdrew it all the last day of that tournament. He took out a loan too, using our dory as the collateral."

He put all of the money on someone in the finals, Teresa thought. On someone who lost. The wood elf prayed that she was not the one. Yet she doubted that was the case. Who would bet on her? There had been much better - and more well-known - archers such as Daenlin and Dame Buffy in the competition after all.

She had seen enough people ruined by gambling in the Imperial City to know the story. That made her remember when Aleron had taken her and Chance to the Imperial City. While they had gone to Jensine's shop, he had went to the Arena. The harbormaster had known him by sight, in spite of Aleron being a Bravilian. Clearly Aleron had been going there for some time, even before his trouble at the tournament.

"I know he's been taking sword lessons from your guild commander," Ursanne said. "He said it was just so he could protect himself, with times being so bad outside the city as they are now. But I'm afraid he had this in mind all the time. I'm afraid he's going to use that sword, and…"

"Don't worry," Teresa laid one hand upon Ursanne's. "We'll find him, and we'll stop him before he does something foolish." Like turn to banditry, Teresa thought.

"Oh thank you milady Teresa," Ursanne practically gushed. "I'm afraid I cannot pay you anything. I don't know how I will even pay the rent now."

"Don't worry about the money," Teresa insisted. The guild took one of every five drakes they earned. But if she did something for free, then what could they say about it? Somehow she imagined that Pappy - and those higher up than him - would still not like it. A mercenary that worked for free wasn't good for their business after all.

As if she really cared.

"Tavian!" she called out as loud as her vocal chords could muster. She knew that she could not wait until the others returned. By then Aleron might have gotten himself so deep into trouble that there was no getting out him out again. She only prayed he was not there already.

"You're going to have to watch the front door while I go look for Aleron," Teresa told the youthful porter after he appeared. "Just tell anyone who comes that we'll be back this afternoon."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 6 2011, 05:26 PM