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

[Linara]

I had a feeling Vols was changing a bit, finally letting down his guard. And who couldn't feel bad for poor Brekke? "That kid might be the next Gray Fox if I don't turn her from a life of crime." Sure Vols, sure. I will agree in that this is also one of my favorite chapters, along with the battle at Bruma. It is good to see Teresa impacting peoples lives like this, and to see the bonds between her, Vols and Simplicia growing ever stronger. I look forward to the next chapter.
Nell

Thanks Acadian and SubRosa for explaining about Saya, this will make things easier to get when we read her chapter. I must add, she looks a little like Teresa, although most characters do have a similar facial structure.

[Acadian]

You brought more than a faint smile to my face as well. Magnificently done!

The next thing Teresa knew his steel-clad hand was clasped around a tiny arm, and the blur of motion had transformed into a little girl wearing dirty clothing and clutching an apple in one hand.

How beautifully worded is this!?!

Ahah. I see little Brekke chose the fish over the sausage. My goodness. That really could be little Teresa a decade ago!

What a wonderful friendship has developed between Vols and Teresa. Both of them have grown so much!

I've said this before. Teresa is at her best when used as a vessel to show the beauty inside others.

[D.Foxy]

Am I the only one who notices that when Brekke is offered sausage, she chooses fish instead???

*winks at SubRosa*

Too bad the foodseller didn't have any fish-scented pink doughnuts for sale...

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: This is one of my all time favorite chapters in the TF as well, precisely because of the growth we see under Vols helmet. It is very rewarding to read about a character who is far from perfect, but steps up to the plate to become a better person. It gives hope to us all that we can do the same ourselves.


treydog: You know, I had not really thought of that last chapter as being an example of the changes created by the crisis. But your doggie snout is on the money again. It was what I am going for though. Showing how people change from events, rather than how nations do.

And quite accurate with your assessment of Teresa's ability to inspire others. It was not something I planned on when I started writing her, but I have seen it as well. She does have a way of bringing out the better side of people. Well, most people at least. In fact, someone will be commenting on that in the upcoming chapter.


Destri Melarg: Thank you Dest. I am glad all of that shows through with Vols, because it is all exactly what I wanted. It is a little difficult being that the chapter was not from his pov, and of course he never would admit to any of it, even to himself.


Linara: You gave me a good laugh with the "Sure Vols, sure." He's not fooling anyone is he?


Acadian: It is amazing how much both Teresa and Vols have changed since the beginning of the story. Simplicia as well. I think what is heartwarming is that through all the bad things that has happened to them all, each has found a way to (eventually) create something positive from it all.


D.Foxy: Don't you mean doughnut holes?


Next: After having an uplifting encounter with Vols last chapter, Teresa finally makes her way to the village of Weye.


* * *

Chapter 19.1 – Dibella's Dance

4th - 5th Last Seed, 3E433

The sun was hovering over the western horizon as Teresa's hansom pulled to a stop in the middle of Weye. The bay horse drawing the two-wheeled carriage snorted loudly and shook his head after they came to a halt. Teresa wondered if it was a protest, as if he had an aversion to fishing villages? Shaking her head at the horse's proclivities, she clambered down to the cobblestones of the single paved road that cut through the settlement and vanished over a hill to the west.

"Shall I wait for the lady?" The driver's distinctly Bretonish voice drifted from where he sat in the back of the two-wheeled carriage, high above the small cab.

Teresa bit her lip as she stared at the stone and wattle edifice of the Wawnet Inn before her. Would this only take a few moments? Or would she be here the entire night? The young Bosmer felt her heart quicken its pace, and butterflies fluttered about in a lively dance within her stomach. Would Nerussa remember her? Would the high elf like her? Would she feel the same way that Teresa did?

Finally, Teresa shook her head once more. "No, go on," she murmured, "I'll probably be here the night." I hope, she added silently.

By Dibella, how do people do this? Teresa wondered as she turned back to the inn and stepped inside. She found herself on a small landing in the middle of a stair that ran up to her left and turned at the corner of the building. That went up to the rooms on the second floor, she remembered. To her right the stair descended to the common room, from which the sound of loud voices and music came to her ears. Pausing to lick her suddenly dry lips and run a hand to smooth down any errant locks of hair, she turned that way and did her best to gracefully move down the steps.

A dozen men and women sat around the wooden tables scattered throughout the room, while several more played darts against the back wall. An old man with a graying beard played a lively jig on a violin, while a handful of the younger men and women danced in a clear space in the center of the great chamber. Most of the patrons were clad in simple homespun, and bore the rough hands and weathered faces of peasants. However, Teresa also saw a few members of the Imperial Legion drinking at one table, their armor dusty from travel and eyes worn and bloodshot. They and most of the others looked up from their mugs as she entered, and Teresa imagined that it must have been the soft burgundy linen she wore that caused their eyes to linger.

"Teresa! is that you?" Nerussa's voice rang out to the left of the red-haired Bosmer. Turning, Teresa saw the statuesque Altmer woman standing behind a small bar. She wore a gown of black and gold velvet that was highlighted with lace, and once again her blond hair was cunningly tied behind her head by thin sticks that dangled sparkling golden jewels.

It was the Altmer woman's eyes that caught Teresa however, as they always did. The Bosmer felt a smile cross her lips as she fell into those deep amber pools. Not the usual faint smile that she reserved for most, but a wide grin that sparkled with ivory-white teeth. Teresa felt the breath catch in her throat as she lost herself in the other woman's stare, and for a moment she forgot about everything else in the world.

Screenshot

"Nerussa," she finally said as awareness returned to her. Stepping up to the bar, the forester laid her hands on its smooth wooden surface and leaned forward. "Hello."

Screenshot

Dibella, I am such an idiot! Teresa found herself silently cursing. She had spent all day thinking about this moment and that was all she could say? Hello? Nerussa must think her a bumbling fool.

"It is so good to see you again," Nerussa smiled, leaning forward herself. If the shapely high elf did think less of her, it certainly did not show. She took Teresa's hands in her own and held them gently. Teresa's heart picked up its pace. Her fingers were soft and warm, just as she had imagined they would be.

"I never had the chance to say goodbye when you were last here. Or to thank you for helping Aelwin. I am so glad you came by again," Nerussa continued, still looking deeply into Teresa's eyes.

"Um, how is Aelwin?" Teresa asked, hoping to steer the subject away from her abrupt departure during her previous visit. She prayed that the fisherman was not sitting in the room behind her. The last thing she needed was to look like an even greater idiot.

"Oh he is wonderful," Nerussa beamed, her hands still warmly holding Teresa's. "When he delivered those slaughterfish scales to the alchemist in Skingrad he fell in love with the city. He says there is not a drop of water anywhere in sight, and that is just how he likes it! He came back to pack up his things and was off again the next day to retire there."

"But what am I thinking?" the Altmer said, finally disengaging herself from Teresa and stepping back to look around behind the counter, "would you like some wine?"

"Oh, speaking of wine…" Teresa smiled again, or was she still smiling from when she had first set eyes upon Nerussa? She was not sure. She slid the bag from her shoulder and gently laid it on the bar. Untying the cord that held it closed, she reached inside with only the slightest quiver in her hands and drew forth both of the bottles of wine that she had recovered from Castle Magia.

"I brought some for you," Teresa declared, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.

"Oh my goodness, Shadowbanish Wine!" Nerussa cried, clapping her hands together with a sparkle in her eyes. "You found some, and you remembered me!"

"Of course I remembered you," Teresa said automatically, "I've been thinking about you since we met."

"Oh you say the sweetest things Teresa." Nerussa's smile deepened, and her eyes practically glowed while her cheeks took on a warm, rosy hue. She walked around the bar and put her arms around Teresa, enfolding her in a gentle embrace.

Teresa sighed in contentment as the smooth velvet of Nerussa's gown surrounded her. She smelled lavender on the Altmer woman's hair and the scent of pomegranates underneath it. Most of all she was keenly aware of the softness of the high elf's body as it pressed against her own. She closed her eyes and drank in the moment, savoring every breath of Nerussa's scent, every inch of her body that she felt.

When Nerussa drew away, it was far too soon for Teresa. By Dibella, how did the Altmer have such an effect upon her? she wondered. Women like Methredhel and Adanrel did not make her feel like this. Well, maybe they did, she grudgingly admitted, but only a little. Yet she could forget how attractive they were, they were more like sisters after all. Once she set eyes upon Nerussa however, there was no driving the high elf from her thoughts.

"Why don't you help me take these upstairs and put them away?" Nerussa suggested, picking up the bottles and handing one to Teresa. Before the forester could respond the high elf took her by the hand and led her up the stairs, past the front door, and to the second floor above.

Teresa could not take her eyes off Nerussa's body as it swayed gently back and forth with every step above her. Her hips were hypnotic, transfixing Teresa's stare upon them. Her mouth felt dry once more as she clung to Nerussa's hand. Were they going to her bedroom?

The Altmer woman sauntered down the short hallway above the common room and stopped at the last door with Teresa still in tow. There she let go of the wood elf's hand in order to draw forth a ring of keys from one of the folds in her gown. Shaking loose one of shining brass, she unlocked the door and led Teresa within.

The room was large, easily three times the size of the guest room that Teresa recalled spending the night in during her previous visit. A soft carpet was stretched out over the hardwood floor, and the walls were decorated with warm-colored hangings that Teresa imagined might be silk. Several watercolor paintings of the great forest hung between the tapestries. They seemed so vibrant and alive with color that she could swear she was looking through windows rather than at portraits.

The furniture was of polished teak and mahogany and carved with flowing vines and blooming flowers. The bed was large enough for two, and draped in a blue velvet blanket over glistening silk sheets and matching pillows. Near it was a full-length mirror and a wardrobe. Beside that was a shoulder-high partition of delicate brass covered in floral-patterned silk. Made in three hinged pieces, Teresa could see that it could fold up to be easily put away, or when set out as it was now it would afford one a place to change clothing behind without another person in the chamber seeing.

Across the room was a vanity with a large mirror rising from its surface, and laid out with all manner of combs, brushes, bottles, and jars. Teresa imagined those must be all sorts of perfumes, lotions, and makeup. Next to it was a writing desk, and several comfortable-looking chairs and couches were scattered throughout the room.

Nerussa stepped to a short rack of wine bottles against one wall. Teresa marveled at the grace in which she walked. Every part of her body seemed to sway in gentle concord with the rest, as if she was dancing. Nerussa bent and carefully slid her bottle into an empty spot, then turned and reached out her hand to take the second from Teresa.

"You certainly live well." Teresa breathed as she looked around the room. Compared to Umbacano she was a pauper, Teresa knew. Yet where Umbacano Manor had a cold, oppressive feel to it, Nerussa's private chamber was warm and inviting. Like rose petals spread across the surface of a hot bath, it beckoned one with the promise of its soft delights.

"You like it?" Nerussa smiled as she put away the last wine bottle, pausing to let her fingers linger over the label before sliding it home within the rack. "I learned a long time ago to appreciate the pleasures in life. It is the little things, like the feeling of silk upon your skin, or the taste of a fine vintage, that make life a joy to live."

"I never really thought about it," Teresa admitted with honesty. Life had always been simply a struggle to get from one day to the next for her. Things like pleasures or happiness had never entered into her imagination, at least not until now.

"You must have lived a hard life," Nerussa said what Teresa was thinking. "I can see it in your eyes. You look so sad most of the time. But when you smile, it is like the summer sun bursting from the clouds."

Teresa felt her cheeks blossom with warmth as she stared down at her new burgundy shoes. Did she really seem so glum? the forester wondered. Worse, did Nerussa feel nothing but pity for her?

"I am sorry dear, I did not mean to embarrass you." the Altmer woman laid her hands on Teresa's shoulders and let her fingers slowly trace their way down her arms. "You are like a wildflower, delicate and beautiful to behold, yet also strong enough to endure the harshest wind and rain. I admire you so much."

"You do?" Teresa wondered, raising her head to look into Nerussa's eyes. She saw no pity there, nor subterfuge.

"Indeed," Nerussa took Teresa's hands in her own and gently squeezed, "Aelwin told me how brave you were when you killed those slaughterfish for him. I wish I had the kind of courage that people like you do. I am afraid to even think of what you faced to get that wine."

"Oh, it was not that bad, only a few skeletons and a ghost," Teresa did smile then, albeit only faintly. Not that bad at all, she thought to herself, aside from nearly being killed...

"Only one of those things would send me running and screaming to the nearest castle!" Nerussa exclaimed, her eyes brilliant with light, "you are so very courageous!"

Teresa turned her head down again as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks once more. She never liked it when people complimented her. It made her worry that they wanted something from her in return. Why else would someone say something kind? she thought. For some reason it only felt worse when it was about fighting. All she ever did was survive, it was people like Martin Septim and his father who deserved praise, for they had not.

"But what am I thinking?" the sound of Nerussa's voice made her look back up. The Altmer finally let go of her hands, and with a smile she ambled to the delicately carved writing desk. Using another key from her ring, she opened one of its lower drawers and drew forth a small chest. Unlocking that with yet another key, she counted out gold coins and put them in a small pouch.

"The least I can do is pay you for the wine. Ten septims a bottle, as we agreed." Locking up the chest when she was finished, Nerussa returned with the pouch and passed it to Teresa. "I just hope you were not harmed doing it."

"Oh I'm fine, nothing a few healing potions couldn't fix up," Teresa said, once more not thinking of her words until after they had spilled from her lips. She was not sure if she should feel grateful for the look of concern that suddenly crested upon Nerussa's finely-shaped features, or curse herself for being so doltish to admit the danger.

"I'm only joking," Teresa added quickly, and Nerussa seemed to relax, "I really am fine."

"Look at me, acting like an ivory tower princess," Nerussa rolled her eyes, "I am sure you do this monster-slaying all the time. I could tell when I first set eyes on you that you were a seasoned fighter."

Teresa tried to think of how to tell her that she was not, when suddenly the Altmer looked up.

"Oh goodness, I have to get back down to the common room!" she exclaimed with an infectious grin that prompted a wide smile from Teresa as well. "Those fishermen will drink all of my ale without paying for a drop! I'll go broke, and there will be no more wine for either of us!"

"You will stay the night, won't you Teresa?" Nerussa asked as she led the wood elf into the hallway and locked her bedroom door behind her. "We have never really been able to spend time together."

Teresa's breath caught at Nerussa's final words, and she wondered if the statuesque woman meant them the way that she hoped.

"I would like that very much," Teresa admitted with more than just a faint smile.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 7 2011, 04:02 AM

[Acadian]

This was lovely! You wonderfully captured her awkward feelings as Teresa hoped and wondered about the dance she was getting into. I could feel the pitter patter of Teresa's heart.

Like rose petals spread across the surface of a hot bath, it beckoned one with the promise of its soft delights.

Very nice, and wonderfully expressive!

"Oh, it was not that bad, only a few skeletons and a ghost," Teresa did smile then, albeit only faintly. Not that bad at all, she thought to herself, aside from nearly being killed...

A perfectly timed injection of understated humor driven entirely by the situation. Hmm. . . Teresa is going to have to start rating her smiles. You know, like this was a 2. A hug from Simplicia merits an 8. I see she is hoping for a 9 or better tonight.

"Only one of those things would send me running and screaming to the nearest castle!" Nerussa exclaimed, her eyes brilliant with light, "you are so very courageous!"

"Look at me, acting like an ivory tower princess," Nerussa rolled her eyes, "I am sure you do this monster-slaying all the time. I could tell when I first set eyes on you that you were a seasoned fighter."

These two quotes show much of Nerussa. From a woman with less finesse, it would simply be the same buttering up one would use to attract almost any man. From Nerussa however, it is carefully calculated to have a predetermined effect upon the young wood elf quivering before her. Guess what, Nerussa? It's working.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Oct 12 2010, 06:56 PM

[haute ecole rider]

Acadian already said it all.

So I'll just say this: it was quite enjoyable to read this again. Whether one is straight or lesbian/gay, the emotions you described in the chapter are always the same. Wonderful job the first time around, and just as enjoyable the second time around!

[Linara]

That was a beautiful chapter. I've always loved the tiny villages and hamlets that you come across in Cyrodiil, I would rather live there than anywhere else. I agree with h.e.r. and Acadian, Nerussa has been written very nicely. And Teresa sounds like some high schoolers I know, when they try to talk to their crush! A very good read, indeed.
Nell

[treydog]

Teresa’s butterflies and doubts are universal. Even from the perspective of my great age (cough, cough) I can still remember those feelings which you describe so well.

And speaking of descriptions, the scene in the Wawnet Inn was so vivid that I could picture it even without the screenshots (which were an added treat).

The entire conversation with Nerussa was a brilliant bit of writing. Teresa’s running commentary had the ring of truth to it, as well. “Why did I say that? Why can’t I be clever and charming and relaxed?”

Nit:

“…lavender on the Altmer woman's hair and the scent pomegranates underneath it.”

Apparently Teresa was so caught up in the moment that she lost her “of.” Prepositions, propositions- eh, what’s the difference?

[D.Foxy]

The difference is you preposition yourself to deliver your proposition.

[Destri Melarg]

Like hautee said, everything has already been pointed out. It seems to me that Nerussa is at least as interested in Teresa as Teresa is interested in her. There were a lot of men in the common room. Most are in no condition to operate a horse (especially if they have been naughty in Nerussa’s absence)! I wonder what the sleeping arrangements will be.

[SubRosa]

Acadian: I have always liked that line about the rose petals in the bath too. I am glad you liked it.


haute ecole rider: Yep, as Willow once said "Love makes you do the wacky." The same is true for lust.


Linara: Teresa is a high schooler! Well, almost. More like a freshman. But yes, she is quite young, and quite under the influence of her hormones.


treydog: Prepositions, propositions... preparations?


D.Foxy: A long time ago you said you were worried that the Teresa 2.0 lacked the same feeling of vulnerability and wonder. I think this chapter will put those fears to rest.


Destri Melarg: Teresa is wondering what the sleeping arrangements will be as well!


Next: In our last segment Teresa finally made it to the Wawnet Inn and met Nerussa. Next, wooage ensues. This will be a long post, but I do not want to break up the momentum in the scene.

* * *

Chapter 19.2 – Dibella's Dance

Nerussa led the way back down to the common room, where she took up a chair behind the bar and invited Teresa to sit with her and share a bottle of Tamika's. The sweet wine was a pure delight on the wood elf's tongue, and she realized that it was the same that Jauffre had served her when she had been at Weynon. Had that only been three months ago? she thought. Somehow she felt years older than she had been at that time.

After just a few moments Nerussa filled a pitcher with ale and was off serving her patrons. Then she returned to sit with Teresa once more to talk, throwing the copper remans she was paid into a simple wooden box beneath the counter. From time to time the high elf would rise to serve more drinks. On occasion she would accidentally brush against Teresa when she did so, something which the Bosmer found very pleasant.

"You seem kind of out of place here," Teresa observed as Nerussa returned from one of her mug-filling expeditions. She gestured at the velvet gown the high elf wore for emphasis "I mean, you're so elegant and you have such nice things, but in this little village…"

"Oh, well I am not originally from here, and I was not always an innkeeper," Nerussa explained with a smile as she sat down beside the wood elf. "In a way you might say I am retired too, like Aelwin."

"You sure work a lot for someone who is retired!" Teresa exclaimed.

"It is just a different kind of work is all, but I really only do this because I want to," Nerussa said with a smile as faint as any of Teresa's. "When I was younger I always wanted to travel and meet people. I am not a brave warrior like you though, and to be honest, I am rather lazy. All that walking and riding around sounds exhausting. Then I realized, people from all over Tamriel come through this little village on their way to and from the Imperial City. So I bought this inn and let them come to me..."

Teresa nodded, it was never something she would have thought of, but she could see the Altmer's reasoning.

"So how do you afford everything?" she asked, "I mean, to buy this place, and your clothes, and all the rest?"

The wood elf instantly regretted her words. What if Nerussa was a member of the Thieves Guild? she suddenly wondered. She could easily be a fence, or a smuggler. With all the people passing by going to and from the Imperial City she would have the perfect location. Or maybe she earned her money in something less savory?

"I'll tell you a secret," Nerussa said, leaning closer to Teresa and lowering her voice, "well, it is not that much of a secret, most of the locals know. I do not make any money from the inn. Well, I make enough to keep it going, but not enough for anything else. I earned my fortune when I was younger, and that is what I live off of."

"What did you do?" Teresa asked.

"I was a courtesan," Nerussa smiled.

Teresa nearly spat her wine all over her dress. As it was she had to cover her mouth with one hand and fought to keep from spilling her glass with the other. First Simplicia, then Adanrel, and now Nerussa! her mind reeled. Was there anyone she knew who was not a prostitute?

"And I used to think that I was full of surprises..." Teresa muttered as she wiped the wine from her chin.

"So why did you give it up?" the forester asked once she felt composed. Now she was starting to understand why Nerussa was so good at being... attractive. "It certainly seems to have done well by you."

"Oh it did, financially at least," Nerussa agreed, "in other ways too. I was no street corner or even brothel girl. I was the escort of councilors, patricians, and equites, the elite of society. If you had to ask how much my services cost, you could not afford them."

"It sounds very glamorous," Teresa admitted, admiring the way the velvet of her gown glistened in the dancing firelight, and the delicate patterns of flowers that its lace traced out across the hourglass of her figure. She remembered how soft it had felt under her skin when Nerussa had embraced her. What might it be like to wear velvet and lace? she thought, to have gold and jewels, and dine in palaces?

"It was glamorous, at first," Nerussa said. Her eyes took on a faraway look, and Teresa wondered what she might be seeing in her mind's eye. "I was taught how to walk, to sit, to stand, all over again, even how to breathe, so that everything I did was with grace and elegance. I learned to be witty and seductive, to sing and dance, and I memorized poetry and classic literature."

"You see being a courtesan is not simply about sex," Nerussa explained, her eyes now fixing upon Teresa once more, "it is about being a living work of art. We had to be able to accompany and entertain all manner of men and women at all times and in all places. To be honest, we spent more time talking to people, singing, dancing, reciting poetry, and just making them smile and forget all of their cares, than actually rolling in the sheets with them."

"That sounds wonderful!" Teresa said, her eyes sparkling as she imagined Nerussa surrounded by finely dressed nobles in some great manor, doing all of the things she had described.

"It was, at times," Nerussa's tone lowered now, and her eyes lost their sparkle, "but as time goes by the shine fades. You see how it tarnishes you, and the harder it becomes to put on a happy face for the crowd when you feel like crying. You find that your entire life is nothing but an illusion created for other people's enjoyment, and you wonder if there is any part of you that is not a lie."

"Is that why you left?" Teresa asked, trying to imagine what that must be like. The way Nerussa spoke, it sounded like she was more a doll than a person.

"No, not exactly," Nerussa turned he head, and seemed to be weighing her words before speaking again, "I was arrogant, I thought I was the greatest courtesan in Cyrodiil, and my hubris cost me everything. You see, I made the worst mistake any courtesan can make. I fell in love."

"What happened?" Teresa leaned forward with wide eyes. It all sounded like something from a bard's tale, or one of those silly books by Casta Scribonia.

"Oh, it is the oldest story," Nerussa looked back at Teresa, her eyes dark and distant, "his wife found out. Most women know when their husbands are with a courtesan. Sometimes they are even present as well. Most of them could hardly care. The wealthy marry for power, wealth, and status, not love. It is not unusual for one or both spouses to have lovers on the side, so long as it is discreet."

"She was not like that though," Nerussa went on, "she was even more conceited than I was, if that is even possible, and far crueler. She may not have wanted any part of her husband's bed, but she would not allow any other woman in it either. So she destroyed me."

Teresa knew better than to ask who it was. Even born in the gutter, she knew that a courtesan could not reveal who her clients were. She reached out and laid her hand on one of Nerussa's knees and tried to smile. She had always imagined bad things only happened to poor people like herself and Simplicia. It never occurred to her that people living in luxury might be just as desperate and hopeless as she was on the street.

"In the end I came here," Nerussa explained, taking Teresa's hand in her own and gripping it firmly as she looked back into the wood elf's eyes. "Here I can just be myself, and I can be with whomever I choose to, whenever I choose to. I can finally live my life on my own terms."

"I am so sorry," Teresa said truthfully.

"You are a dear Teresa," Nerussa smiled, not the seductive look she had become so accustomed to seeing on the Altmer woman's features, but rather a simple, warm expression of kindness. "I don't usually tell people that last part, not that it is much of a secret mind you. But you are easy to talk to. You seem like such a lovely person inside. You bring out the best in others, like someone else I once knew, a long, long time ago."

Teresa felt her cheeks grow warm again, and then it was her turn to look away.

"You are you know, I could tell when I talked you into helping Aelwin," Nerussa said, sliding her chair closer. Teresa was keenly aware of the Altmer's finger as it gently touched her hair and traced a line down the edge of her cheek. Her hand was like a torch, leaving a trail of fire behind it as it awakened a deeper blaze within Teresa's flesh.

"At first I thought you were just a mercenary archer. But only a kind person would have helped Aelwin for nothing in return." Nerussa finished, taking her hand away from Teresa's face as lightly as she had placed it there to begin with.

"Well, he did give me this," Teresa mumbled, twisting the turquoise ring that she wore on one of the fingers of her left hand. Engraved with the likeness of dolphins leaping over waves, the light glittered from its surface as if it were made of water. "It is enchanted after all."

"But you did not know Aelwin would give you that, did you?" Nerussa pointed out, "I had no idea he even had that ring, or could pay you anything. Face it Teresa, you are a good person."

"Now I'm embarrassing you again, am I not?" Nerussa said, standing up and reaching for a pitcher and filling it from a keg of ale. "You must learn to take a compliment Teresa, because if you keep acting the way you have been, you will be receiving them for a long time!"

Then she went gliding into the common room with the ale and began filling mugs again. When she returned she paused beside Teresa and once more let her fingers fall into the wood elf's scarlet tresses.

"I have been meaning to mention since you first came in, I like how you changed your hair," she observed, "and quite an entrancing scent you have on it too, and the rest of you as well. Is that vanilla?"

"Yes, it's vanilla," she noticed! Teresa thought with a silent prayer of thanks to Dibella, even as her cheeks reddened from Nerussa's attention.

"That is a lovely outfit you are wearing as well," Nerussa went on, "Argonian by its softness. The burgundy goes so well with your hair too. You look so different from when you are in your armor, I almost did not recognize you when you walked in!"

Teresa wanted to close her eyes and just slip away into the feeling of Nerussa's fingers gently stroking her hair. She wished that time would stop, and she could spend the rest of eternity in that moment. It took an extreme effort of will, but she looked up at the Altmer woman and smiled.

"I noticed you use lavender, and is that pomegranate too?" she said.

"You are very perceptive!" Nerussa said, "most people notice the lavender, but not the pomegranate. I use it as a cream, it is very good for your skin."

"I know all about plants, that is what I do really," Teresa could not help but to smile as Nerussa's fingers continued to gently trace their way through her hair. By Dibella that felt so wonderful, she thought. "I gather alchemical ingredients and use them to brew potions."

"Oh, you are a mage?" Nerussa looked surprised and drew her hand away, much to Teresa's regret. "I thought you were a fighter? With all that armor you had on the last time, and the bow..."

"No, I'm not a mage," Teresa explained, "I just know how to make some potions is all. I'm still learning, to be honest. I'm not really a fighter either. I just carry the bow and the armor to protect myself."

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry," Nerussa apologized as she sat next her. "When I talked to you about the wine and Aelwin's slaughterfish, I thought you were, well, a mercenary. I thought you fought in battles all the time. I never would have asked you to do either if I knew..."

"That's okay, I can take care of myself," Teresa replied. A moment later she wondered at that. She never would have said such a thing three months ago, let alone believed it.

"Promise me you will not go looking for more of the Shadowbanish," Nerussa said, once more taking Teresa's hands in her own. "Wine is just wine, but I could not live with myself if something were to happen to you."

"Don't worry," Teresa said, "I can handle it. I've always been good at watching out for myself."

"Oh you have been pulling my leg I see," Nerussa leapt to her feet, fixing her hands on her hips and casting a stern eye down upon the wood elf, "pretending to be a simple potion-mixer when you really are a warrior after all."

"I'm not," Teresa tried to explain. "I'm just an ordinary person. I'm no hero."

"You know what you remind me of Teresa?" the Altmer woman declared. "I have been trying to put my finger on it all this time, and now I see. You are just like the old soldiers I knew when I was in the business. They never talked about their battles, or their honors. The only time you could ever get them to say anything about the service was when they told anecdotes about the places they were stationed or their old friends there."

"Now the young ones, all they would ever do is boast about how brave they were," she went on, "they would never stop telling you about what great warriors they were. They were so full of manure. You could tell who the veterans were pretty quickly, because they were like you. They were quiet. They did not have to brag, because their actions said everything for them."

Teresa stared at her lap, having no idea what to say, let alone do. She was saved when once again a table of fishermen called Nerussa over for more ale. Was the Altmer woman right? Was she really a veteran? She had been in more than a few fights since meeting the Emperor. In the last three months had fought assassins, goblins, undead, magicians, imps, and even Daedra.

But she hardly felt like some veteran soldier. She only felt like... herself. She was just glad to still be alive after it all. What was a veteran supposed to feel like?

Teresa was glad that when Nerussa returned it was with a smile on her face. This time the high elf did not touch her hair however. She hoped that the innkeeper did not think that she was somehow trying to deceive her. She could see just how much Nerussa valued honesty in people.

"Nerussa I..." Teresa stammered, trying to think of what to say, but the other woman waved her explanations away.

"I am sorry Teresa," Nerussa said, "I'll never know what it is like to do what you do. But I do understand if you do not want to talk about it."

The two of them sat in silence for long moments. Teresa looked away, and wondered if she had botched everything with Nerussa. The high elf was such a complicated woman, Teresa thought, so much older than herself, and so much more, well, experienced in the world. What could someone like her ever see in a simple girl from the streets like herself anyway?

Yet when she looked up into Nerussa's eyes, they seemed so earnest in the way they glowed back at her. Was that nothing but her courtesan training though? Teresa wondered. Was everything just a disguise with her?

"So there is no Lord Nerussa then?" Teresa finally asked. It had been something she had been wondering since she first set eyes upon the innkeeper. It had seemed hard to imagine Nerussa without someone before, but given her story, she wondered if the Altmer woman would ever want to be anyone else again?

"Thank Dibella no!" Nerussa snorted, "love is for poets Teresa."

Teresa's heart sank like a lump of iron in Lake Rumare. It was exactly what she wanted to hear, but the way Nerussa had said it sounded so jaded, so cynical, that she wondered if the Altmer woman would ever feel anything for anyone again, such as herself...

"Don't you get lonely?" Teresa practically squeaked as she looked down, afraid of what the answer would be.

"Not at all," Nerussa said, taking Teresa's hands in her own once again and squeezing them gently. "As I said, I can be with whomever I want, whenever I want, with no entanglements. Every day brings someone new, and sometimes they are a real treasure. If I want them, I have them."

Nerussa lifted one hand and cupped it under Teresa's chin, raising her features to meet her own. The Altmer's eyes fairly blazed, and Teresa felt her heart leap as heat spread through her body. No one had ever looked at her that way before. It made her feel nearly giddy.

"Do you ever get lonely, when you are out harvesting plants?" Nerussa's eyes continued to burn with fire.

"Sometimes," Teresa admitted, lowering her eyes for a moment. Why did she feel so bloody awkward? and worse, how was it that Nerussa's stare was able to strip her so completely bare? "I've never been with…"

Her words trailed off as she realized what she was about to say. I've never been with anyone, she thought. It was hardly the thing she wanted to say to a woman so worldly as Nerussa. By Dibella, how clumsy could she be?

She saw Nerussa lean closer to her, and then she felt the Altmer woman's soft lips upon her forehead. The wood elf breathed in the scent of lavender and pomegranates and sighed in contentment.

"Nature's first green is gold," Teresa heard Nerussa whisper softly as she stood up. Then the Altmer's hands were slapping down on the bar and her voice rang out across the common room.

"Last call!" she cried. "Drink up now, because I am too tired to put up with the lot of you ruffians anymore!"

A chorus of half-hearted yells and rude gestures erupted from the fisherfolk in the common room. The legionaries had long since retired to their rooms upstairs. Nerussa simply grinned and gestured back at them. Teresa was amazed at how she could go from being the epitome of elegance and refinement at one moment, to being as rough and crude as any street rat the next.

Teresa rose herself as the last of the other patrons shuffled out the door. More than one of them cast a leering glance in her direction, and she caught a few mutters about "Nerussa's latest..." Somehow she did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed. They could mutter all they wanted, Teresa thought, just as long as it was true...

"So, about that room..." Teresa looked to the innkeeper. Her heart raced as fast it had while staring down her arrows at the ghost in Castle Magia, and she wondered how Nerussa could seem so cool and composed. Did the Altmer really feel anything for her at all?

"Oh no!" Nerussa slapped her palm into her forehead with a look of horror. "The rooms are all booked up! Those legionaries got here before you and took them all!"

"Oh," Teresa whispered. Her heart sank like a stone. It all really had been just game on Nerussa's part after all, she thought.

"There is nothing for it then," Nerussa's voice sparkled with mischief. She stepped closer to Teresa and put her hands on the wood elf's hips, "you will just have to spend the night with me!"

"Why you! I'll get you for that!" Teresa sputtered, feeling her heart leap higher than Mount Taygetus.

She raised her eyes to meet the fiery gaze of Nerussa. Lifting her arms around the high elf, she laid one hand behind the Altmer woman's head and pulled the taller woman's face down to her own. Nerussa did not resist, and tilted her head slightly to one side as Teresa drew her closer. The scent of lavender enfolded Teresa as their lips met, and the rest of the world just slipped away...



Note: "Nature's first green is gold," is a quote from the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 16 2010, 07:59 PM

[haute ecole rider]

It just hit me why Nerussa's tale is soooo familiar!

It has the flavor of Memoirs of a Geisha. I read that book quite a few years ago and was fascinated by it.

One nit:

Yet when she looked up into Nerussa eyes, they seemed so earnest in the way they glowed back at her.

I think you lost the possessive 's there.

I truly enjoyed this the second time around. Yes, it's a mite long, but you really can't break it up into shorter segments, so it's just fine the way it is. Like others have said, when it's this well written, you don't really notice how long it actually is.

[Linara]

Cheers! After nineteen chapters it's finally happened! Poor Teresa, second-guessing herself at every step. A very natural chapter. I agree with Nerussa, Teresa is very humble when it comes to her skills. Very nice.

[Acadian]

Simply beautiful, SubRosa! You really do justice to Teresa's myriad of confused hopes, fears and passions here.

WooHoo! Tamika's!

Teresa observed as Nerussa returned from one of her mug-filling expeditions.

I loved how you phrased this!

Teresa nearly spat her wine all over her dress.

See, Teresa, I suspect Raven suggested you wear a burgandy outfit.

"You see being a courtesan is not simply about sex," Nerussa explained, her eyes now fixing upon Teresa once more, "it is about being a living work of art.

Beautiful!

You bring out the best in others, …

Teresa, you certainly do.

[treydog]

Once more, you show your brilliant skill with conversations and with giving your characters stories that sing. The fact that there are so many other things going on during this conversation is a testament to your ability. It is all real and seamless and wonderfully rich, as we find ourselves in the dim tavern, watching all the intricate patterns of all the dances that are taking place simultaneously. Nerussa keeping up with her customers; Teresa hoping (more than trying) to be interesting; and again Nerussa responding to the beauty that Teresa has always had, whether she was aware of it or not. And it is all completely immersive.

it is about being a living work of art.

The way Nerussa spoke, it sounded like she was more a doll than a person.

Your description of the objectification that is at the heart of Nerussa’s former profession is excellent- and I am glad that Teresa recognizes the pitfall, even if she never had any intention of following that path.

Nit?:

"I just know how to make some potions is all. I'm still learning to be honest.”

Without a comma, that second sentence scans as if she is still learning not to be dishonest. “I am still learning, to be honest.” Alternatively, reversing the order would serve the same function- "To be honest, I am still learning."

[Destri Melarg]

I wonder how the Reman Dynasty would feel knowing they were relegated to gracing the Empire's lowest unit of currency. Kind of like Lincoln I would imagine, if he could see his face on the penny (though from what I remember about him, he would probably laugh louder than anyone).

I love Nerussa’s reasoning for choosing to buy the Wawnet Inn. Impartial self-assessment followed by the most expedient of solutions. Now we find out that she is a former courtesan . . . sounds like someone perfectly suited for the business of hospitality! Her story is at once powerful, tragic, and strangely familiar. Hautee is right, it does have the flavor of Memoirs of a Geisha.

“You must learn to take a compliment Teresa, because if you keep acting the way you have been, you will be receiving them for a long time!”

Hallelujah!! Can I get an Amen??!!

[haute ecole rider]

AMEN!!

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Memoirs of a Geisha was one of my inspirations for Nerussa, as was rl Veronica Franco (the film Dangerous Beauty is about her). I never read Memoirs, but it was one of the first movies I bought on blu-ray when I got my hd tv and blu-ray player. That and Alexander Revisited in fact. Which shows a lot about my tastes!


Linara: You are right, it took her 19 chapters to finally score! I guess Teresa really is a late bloomer!


Acadian: I still remember my first time, and did my best to channel all that awkwardness and uncertainly into Teresa.


treydog: But Teresa is still learning to be honest!

Throwing in other things going on while I do conversations and other long scenes is something I have to really work on. I try to do it to show that while the characters may be focused on one another, there is still a whole world going by around them. Hopefully that makes the characters themselves more real.


Destri Melarg: I was originally going to use some term for the Akaviri Potentates for the copper coin. I never did come up with anything I liked, so just decided to one-up them, and make it a reman.

How about an awomen?


Next: Teresa has (finally) lost her virginity. Next, the afterglow.


* * *

Chapter 19.3 – Dibella's Dance

Nerussa woke with the sun in her eyes. That meant one thing, she had overslept. She knew that she should have been up and making breakfast for the legionaries at least an hour ago. Well, they were probably not only awake, but long gone on their mission by now, she realized. She would just have to listen to them grouse about it the next time they stopped for the night.

Teresa's arms were still around her, and thanks to decades of practice Nerussa was able to gently disengage herself without waking the wood elf. Sitting up in bed alongside the other woman, she let the silk sheet fall from her bare chest and stretched her arms above her with a silent yawn.

Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Nerussa slid from the wide bed and gracefully walked to the full-sized mirror beside her wardrobe. She looked at her naked body in the mirror. She was not the woman she was forty years ago, she thought glumly. Others might not notice it, but her eye certainly could note the tiny effects of time and gravity. But she still had a few more good centuries left before her elven body began to really show age, perhaps even longer if she continued taking good care of herself.

Closing her eyes, she focused her mind upon the symbol of her Bloom spell, an unfolding rose whose petals beaded with moisture. A moment later she raised a hand over her head and closed her fist, imagining the flower clutched within her fingers. Drawing forth the magicka within her and channeling it through the rose, she opened her fist and let the glowing white energy fall around her body.

Suddenly she felt refreshed and clean all over, as if she had just emerged from a warm bath. Her ivory teeth sparkled in the mirror as she smiled, her breath felt fresh, and her hair took on that glossy sheen that only comes after washing.

Stepping to the dressing table, she drew forth a jar of dark cream and began applying it to her skin. The smell of pomegranates filled her nostrils as she worked the lotion into her flesh, and she did not stop until every inch of her skin had been covered with the balm. Then she turned to her hair while her body dried, dipping a comb into a solution of lavender and water and running it through her golden tresses.

Turning to the bed, she saw that Teresa was still fast asleep. The wood elf lay on her side, one hand under her head and the other stretched out across the empty bed. Her red hair was spilled across her pillow, the sunlight turning it a brilliant crimson as it trailed across the silk and velvet.

She looked so peaceful and content, Nerussa thought as a feeling of warmth spread through her breast. The pale elf had seemed so very sad the first time they had met, as if she had forgotten how to smile. Then even when she did the joy never reached her eyes. What pains have you endured, that their ghosts still haunt you so? Nerussa wondered as she stared down at Teresa.

Yet there was no trace of darkness in her features now, Nerussa observed. She could not stop herself from stepping to the bed and reaching down to run her fingers through the wood elf's hair, gently drawing the errant locks from her face. Teresa's nose wrinkled as she did so, and her body shifted under the silk sheets. Yet she did not waken, leaving Nerussa to simply bask in the warmth she radiated.

Nature's first green is gold, the high elf thought, and you are golden dear Teresa, at least for now. Even in spite of the darkness that followed her steps, the wood elf still retained the glow of innocence, at least where the heart was concerned. She wore it so plainly on her sleeve, Nerussa thought, there for all to see.

Had she ever been so young, so awkward and wonderfully naive? It had been so long ago that Nerussa could hardly remember. Yet when she gazed upon the archer's sleeping form those memories did come rushing back. It was a time when the world seemed wide and filled with wonder and possibility; a place where anything could happen, where she could be anyone or anything.

Nerussa sighed. By Dibella this girl was beautiful, she thought as she stared. Not physically, her body was too wiry and hard, her hands callused from the bow, her face too angular, and her skin far too pale. But the brilliance of her spirit shone through all of that, and Nerussa pitied those who could not see it.

Nerussa walked to her wardrobe and slipped into an outfit of green velvet. Moving back to her dressing table afterward, she sat and began pulling her hair up behind her head. That is when she saw Teresa looking back at her in the mirror and nearly jumped from her seat. She had not even heard the wood elf get out of bed, let alone step across the floor.

"Teresa!" the high elf exclaimed, letting her hair drop around her shoulders and twisting around in her antique chair. "You nearly scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry," Teresa bit her lower lip for a moment as she came up behind the chair and slid her arms around Nerussa. "I guess I am used to being quiet, long years of habit."

"I forgive you," Nerussa smiled as she looked up at the willowy elf. Goddess she was so adorable when she bit her lip like that, the Altmer thought, and she probably had no clue that she was even doing it.

Then Teresa leaned her head down closer and their lips met. Her kiss was soft as the morning dew. Nerussa closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling. She felt Teresa's hands sliding across her chest and her heart began to race. The forester's kiss turned more insistent, and Nerussa was intensely aware of how warm and firm her skin was against her own. She gave herself completely over to the feeling as Teresa pulled her from the chair and back into the bed...

* * *

The noon hour had come and gone before Teresa finally took her leave of the Wawnet Inn and Nerussa. She could not stop smiling as her feet took her across the great western bridge and back to the Imperial City. The sun had never seemed so bright and warm on her skin, the birds had never sung so clearly, and the water below had never shimmered so delightfully as it did at that moment. For the first time in her life, everything seemed right with the world.

Her eyes glazed as she thought about the night and morning she had spent with Nerussa. The Altmer had sung for her, danced with her, and whispered poetry in her ear. Then there were the other things she did with her in bed. Teresa had no idea that someone could touch her the way Nerussa had. She thanked Dibella for placing those wine bottles in Castle Magia, otherwise she might have never known such pleasures.

Goddess that woman was incredible! Teresa thought. She could understand why someone would pay to be with her. It would be worth every septim, and more.

She had seen Nerussa looking at her in the morning, when the Altmer had thought she was still asleep in bed. Nerussa had not known that she was watching her in the mirror. The high elf had just stood there looking down, and her face had such a glow to it that Teresa had barely been able to remain still. It was not that fiery gaze she saw during the passion of the night before, but rather something warm and comforting, as if somehow gazing upon Teresa had sparked some memory of happiness long-buried within her.

Nerussa does like me, Teresa thought, she likes me, and that is real.

But Nerussa did not love her, Teresa knew. The Altmer had made that very clear during the morning, even though she never said so directly. Her life was one without entanglements, and if love was not an entanglement, Teresa could not imagine what was!

Did she love Nerussa? What did love feel like anyway? Teresa wondered. Yet love or not, she knew that Nerussa would always be special. When she was younger she had heard that a girl's first was always magical. Yet when she grew older she found that Adanrel never acted like her first time was anything remarkable, and Methredhel never really talked much about the men she had been with at all.

Maybe she had just been lucky to find someone like Nerussa. Or to be found by her was more like it, Teresa chuckled inwardly. It was not as if she could pick and choose lovers like someone with Adanrel's looks or Methredhel's confidence could. The three of them were all about the same age, and yet the other two had been seeing men years earlier.

"Good afternoon ma'am," the voice of a soldier pulled her from her reverie, "I hope you had a pleasant journey." Teresa looked up to see the Talos Plaza gate in front of her, and a single legionary standing beside its open doors. Even under his helmet, she recognized him as the same man who had been there the previous day, when she had left the city for Weye.

"Hi!" she beamed in response, surprising even herself with her cheer, not to mention the wave she gave the soldier. Goodness! she thought to her herself, what had Nerussa done to her?

What had the Altmer woman not done? Teresa asked herself, and could not contain a laugh. The legionary gave her a confused stare, but still smiled and nodded as she walked by him and into the Imperial City.



Note: "Nature's first green is gold" is a quote from the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay", by Robert Frost.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 18 2011, 05:29 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Afterglow is right! They don't need to open the shutters just yet!

Good to see Teresa finally get lucky. Nineteen chapters, huh? That's not long for me, but that's just me!

I have not seen the movie Memoirs. I'm trying to remember the first DVDs I bought when I got my Mac G3 (could play movies in its Superdrive) - I think it was Toy Story and Silverado. Don't have Blu-ray, and am not inclined to go that route at the present time.

[treydog]

So many wonderful passages here that I cannot quote everything that sings- because the whole episode is a symphony.

Yet when she gazed upon the archer's sleeping form those memories did come rushing back. It was a time when the world seemed wide and filled with wonder and possibility; a place where anything could happen, where she could be anyone or anything.

I will content myself with highlighting that moment, because it speaks so clearly to the old doggie that I have become- and the young pup that I stil recall.