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

[Acadian]

Old business regarding summoning: I believe you and I think in terms of glacial story pacing. I have no doubt that somewhere within the next, oh, hundred episodes or so - when you're ready - Morcant will teach Teresa about summoning creatures of the forest.

I agree with Rider, that the power and grace of the lancer's entrance in the last two chapters was even stronger than in 1.0. Well done!

I found the precise pacing, building and moment of actual discovery that Teresa's rescuer was of her own sex to be absolutely perfect:

He wore the same dark-tinted plate armor that all Imperial Legionaries did, and his head was encased by a full helmet crowned with a red horsehair crest. That is when Teresa noticed the way his armor gently curved outward at his wide hips, inward at his midsection, and then out again at his chest to form a familiar hourglass. The face that stared back at her through the Y-shaped slit in his helm was somewhat softer than she was used to seeing on a soldier as well.

"You're a girl!" Teresa gasped with wide eyes.

Nice touches throughout, such as a bit of detail on the Legion gelding, explaining why the Legion is short of soldiers, and the policy of stripping/confiscating bandit armor/weaponry.

Why do I have visions of Recruit Teresa reporting to Centurian Vols for training as a new member of the Legion? I know that is not going to happen of course, but it is a fun thought.

I applaud Teresa's efforts to improve her endurance, or ability to run distances. I'm afraid that between keeping Buffy's endurance permanently at a puny base of 30 and riding Superian almost everywhere, that she is quick, but only for a short sprint.

[Winter Wolf]

Great touch to see Teresa thinking on her feet with the lake. I guess those days at the Waterfront have come in useful, after all. One of the great things in Oblivion is that you can lead enemies into the water. I always love watching wolves paddle on the surface while I stand on the bottom of the lake. It is amazing what you can see....or what you think you can see.

"You're a girl!" Teresa gasped with wide eyes.
Oh no, Teresa has been saved by a lovely lass. That, my friends, is very, very dangerous....

[Destri Melarg]

"Listen, what's your name…Teresa? give me a hand with this fetcher," the legionary motioned the willowy Bosmer down beside her. "I have to confiscate his weapons and armor so other outlaws don't come along and take them. We've been seeing more and more of this Daedric dreck showing up on bandits since Bruma. They were supposed to have collected it all after the battle, but a lot of it seems to have walked off on its own."

Ah, a perfectly logical explanation for why the bandits of Cyrodiil are better equipped than the Legion.

I agree with Acadian, it would be interesting to see Teresa undergo the metamorphoses into Imperial Legionary. Given the respect that she has gained for the Legion of late, I cannot dismiss the possibility. However, I don’t see her dragging around Legion armor when her talents are ideally suited to be a forester.

[SubRosa]

Verlox: Teresa has certainly had many surprises since meeting the Emperor!


haute ecole rider: I did add a few extra details this time, such as the source of the bandit's armor, Raven making an appearance, etc...


D.Foxy: Well, as I understand it, no steel dagger is going to penetrate steel plate, unless you get it into a joint between pieces. ES of course has better than steel materials to think about too. I am sure Dwarven steel is better than the regular stuff, Elven better than Dwarven, etc... So I can certainly see something of higher quality penetrating something of lower, especially if several magnitudes are involved (say Ebony against ordinary steel).

But that is not what Teresa would be getting a dagger for. It would be for parrying, just as in the TF 1.0. Which is why I was looking at left hand daggers. She has magic to attack with. Or at least she will. She is never going to be a classic melee fighter. She has too many other skill sets that she needs to work in.

Bolo balls and the steel spear are a neat ideas, but far too exotic for the TF. I am opting out of even a swordbreaker for the same reason. I want the TF to be very down to Nirn in feel.

However, your rondel will appear in the hands of someone else in the next few chapters... I also made it the standard dagger in the Imperial Legion, and for most knights too.


Acadian: She will definitely begin summoning things within 100 segments. Probably within 10 chapters (although that may be the same thing, with as big as my new chapters tend to be).

Recruit Teresa? Let's see how would that go: Puffing herself up and putting her hands on her hips, Teresa attempted her best impression of a Legion soldier. "We're here to serve, citizen."

Legionary Teresa 1

Legionary Teresa 2

You have me imaging Teresa and Buffy in the Legion together. It would be like Laurel & Hardy! They would wind up shopping for shoes when they are supposed to be patrolling the Market District ("but I was patrolling inside of the shoe store!")


Winter Wolf: I always love luring enemies into the water. It is especially handy if you have water-walking.


Destri Melarg: I figure there were probably 20,000+ dremora corpses outside of Bruma, each wearing armor and carrying a sword or mace. Imagine trying to gather up every single suit before other "scavengers" got to them? I am sure a lot of both daedric and legion gear walked off that field.


Next: Teresa has learned her saviour was indeed a girl, and receives a proposition.


Chapter 23.6 – The Rider

When the last of the deserter's armor was stripped off, Valfreya packed it away into a pair of sacks and hung them across her horse's shoulders. Then she hoisted the deserter's corpse over her saddle and began tying it down as well. "I'm taking this piece of dung back to Castle Virtue," she explained as she pulled her helmet down over her features. "We'll find out who he was and where he came from. They probably have him listed as missing."

"Can your horse carry him?" Teresa thought aloud, looking at the large man and sacks full of heavy armor.

"My saddle has a Feather enchantment." The legionary began leading her horse through the meadow and back toward the road. "All of ours do. It's only a mild one, but it still takes a hundred pounds off. Besides, our mounts are bred to be strong."

"So what kind is he?" Teresa found herself asking as she watched the powerful muscles of the horse bunch and roll beneath its cream-colored hide.

Screenshot

"Justinian here? He's a Morganus." The Nord smiled through the slit in her helmet. "The knights like their high-stepping Friesians, but give me one of these Morgani any day. They are strong, tough, nimble, and good tempered."

The legionary turned to give the white gelding a pat on his broad neck, and he leaned over his head and tried to lick her face through the slit in her helmet. "Yes, I love you too," she laughed, barely dodging the horse's tongue before it slathered across one of her eyes. "Most of the Morgani are brown, bay, or black. But there are a few lighter ones like Justinian here."

Teresa tried to restrain a faint smile. The Nord obviously took good care of her horse, considering the affection he showed for her. That was all she needed to know that the legionary was a decent person.

"There are two more bandits up the road." Teresa gestured the way she had come from as they stepped onto the worn stones of the thoroughfare. "I don't think they were deserters though."

"I'd better get their gear too," Valfreya sighed.

Teresa stepped in front of the cavalrywoman to lead the way down the gently curving road, until finally they came upon the body of the hedge wizard. There was no sign of the Khajiit however, except for a wide pool of blood and one of Teresa's mithril-headed arrows on the pavestones.

"The other one must have gotten away." Teresa bit her lip as she stared at the bloody stones at her feet. "He must have had an antidote."

"Well, there's no catching him now," the legionary said. "It'll be dark soon, and this is his home ground. He can easily lose us in the forest, or set an ambush."

Teresa nodded, thinking of how she had escaped the conjurers at Belda in much the same manner. Picking up the arrow at her feet, she found its shaft was bent, doubtlessly by the bandit as he pulled it out of his body. Snapping the wooden shaft below the head, she wiped the mithril point clean on the grass and pocketed it. Mithril was much too expensive to leave laying around the wilderness, she thought. She could have a new arrow made with it in Bravil.

The glint of metal caught her eye, and she stepped to the landward side of the road. There before her was the bandit's axe, its face carved with delicate, interconnecting knots. Lifting it up, she handed the weapon to the legionary. "Looks like he dropped this."

"You put down two bandits?" the legionary marveled as she took the axe, "on the run?"

"Well, I stopped to shoot." Teresa offered as she reclaimed her arrow from the hedge wizard's corpse and inspected it for warping. "This one's a mage, so I don't think she had any real weapons. Her clothes might have a Shield enchantment on them though. Or it could have been a spell."

"You ever think of joining the legion?" the Nord asked as she rifled through the dead woman's pockets. "The Fifth is recruiting again. We could use good foresters. We lost a lot them at Kvatch and Bruma."

"Me?" Teresa coughed as her eyes flew wide. "I'm just a regular person is all."

"Regular people don't shoot a bandit dead and send another one scurrying off for his life. If you were an ordinary citizen I would be picking up your body right now, not his." Valfreya emphasized her words by jerking her thumb at the deserter's corpse.

Teresa tried to imagine herself in a legionary's armor, standing at attention beside Volsinius, marching in lock step, addressing people as 'sir' or 'citizen'. The very thought made her want to laugh, it was so ridiculous!

"I don't think so," Teresa muttered. First Baurus wanted her to be a spy, now the Legion wanted her to be a soldier! "You people have too many rules; always being told what to do all the time, how to look, what to wear, where to go, when to eat... I could never take it. I like doing what I want to, when I want to. Besides, I have things I need to do."

"Fair enough," Valfreya said as she loaded the rest of the bandit gear onto her horse. "You might try the Fighters Guild then, they need people as well. The way I hear it they lost a lot at Bruma too. It's a lot less rigid than the Legion, and no matter how good a fighter you are, they'll make you better. Pappy Vitellus runs the outfit down in Bravil. If you don't like rules, you'll like him, he never met one didn't break."

"Who's he?" Teresa's brow furrowed. The Fighters Guild? she thought. The idea of joining it had never crossed her mind. Could they really teach her something? Castle Magia and this recent battle had made it plain to her just how much she needed to learn if she was going to survive doing what she was.

"He's ex-legion, a primus pilus," Valfreya said as she slung the last of the bandit's gear on her horse's back. "He got run out by the damn parchment-pushers. Flattened a camp prefect with a right hook in High Rock is what I hear, and a legate in Black Marsh. Or maybe it was the other way round." The Nord winked through the slit of her helm, and Teresa had to stifle a faint smile. "One of the best damn combat leaders that ever lived though. When I was just a girl I saw the Emperor award him the Grass Crown."

A primus pilus, Teresa thought. If she remembered correctly, that was the highest ranking centurion in a Legion. The highest any plebian could go. She certainly knew what the Grass Crown was, especially after seeing Volsinius receive his from the hand of the High Chancellor himself. This Vitellus must be a real hero, Teresa thought. She wondered what Vols might say about him?

"I've got a long way to go Teresa," Valfreya said, pointing her horse toward the setting sun. "You think about what I said, and take care."

"You too!" Teresa said with a wave, watching the Nord lead her horse into the gathering darkness. It was so hard to believe that her life had just been saved by the Imperial Legion, twice now in fact. Yet just three months ago she could not have imagined a worse enemy. Life was so strange, the wood elf thought.

"Valfreya!" Teresa cried, sprinting down the road after the legionary.

"Here, take these," the forester said, drawing several healing potions from her belt and handing them to the Nord. "They might save your life someday."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 24 2010, 09:45 PM

[mALX]

"Justinian here? He's a Morganus..."

"Justin Morgan had a horse !!!"


And the pond behind... A FISHING HOLE !!!!! Horses and fishing, can it get any better than that? ARGH !!!!


*

[ureniashtram]

And the pond behind... A FISHING HOLE !!!!! Horses and fishing, can it get any better than that? ARGH !!!!

So this chapter is all about fish and horses?

Fish and Horses?

Why do I get the idea that theres a hidden meaning behind that? Just me? Right then.

Ah, its good to hear (so to speak) Pappy's name again. I'm hoping that he'll have some appearances and roles later on. (crosses fingers)

[haute ecole rider]

Justinian Morganus, huh? Good to see!

One item: Horses don't lick (like dogs do) except to make sure they got the last of the sugar out of your hand. But they don't go for faces like dogs do. However, they do show affection by lipping, which does the same thing for another horse like face-licking (or is that butt-licking) between dogs. I would modify that scene to have Justinian lipping at Valfreya's helm. Somehow I can't see her tolerating nipping with the teeth, though.

And a typo:

Picking up the arrow at her feet, she found it's shaft was bent, doubtlessly by the bandit as he pulled it out of his body.

Somehow an apostrophe thought it belonged in your possessive its.

Now how long is it going to take for Teresa to make her way to Bravil and meet Pappy? (my other favorite 'sausage' in the TF! YEAH!)

[Acadian]

What a rich aftermath/cleanup! Simply delightful throughout.

Enchanting Legion saddles with feather is a wonderful idea! We've been toying with enchanting something to protect the horse from cold weather.

The Nord obviously took good care of her horse, considering the affection he showed for her. That was all she needed to know that the legionary was a decent person.

What a wonderful and true observation!

Teresa a Legion soldier? Sing with me: Little free elven spirit. . . dancing through the meadows under the watchful eye of her Raven, gathering stardust and nightshade in the moonlight . . . dropping her clothes upon finding a waterfall . . . Oh, Teresa, I think you're right; perhaps the legion is not suited to you.

Realizing that Pappy returned safely to Bravil, after the Battle of Bruma, brought more than a faint smile to my face! I hope his 2IC made it home as well.

And what a sweet ending, as our generous forester gives some of her potions to Valfreya.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Nov 24 2010, 02:22 AM

[Linara]

Pappy! And also, Morganus...That one made me laugh. A good, albeit somewhat predictable chapter, but its good to see Teresa making peace with the Legion. And also, I agree with her, Teresa does not look good in armour. Just saying.

[mALX]

Pappy! And also, Morganus...That one made me laugh. A good, albeit somewhat predictable chapter, but its good to see Teresa making peace with the Legion. And also, I agree with her, Teresa does not look good in armour. Just saying.

She can swing the armor without that helmet. The helmet was downright spooky.

[Linara]

She can swing the armor without that helmet. The helmet was downright spooky.

Yeah, the helmet sort of...well its not a great fit.

[mALX]

She can swing the armor without that helmet. The helmet was downright spooky.

Yeah, the helmet sort of...well its not a great fit.

Teresa should never cover up that red hair, or ever hide her face behind metal; she is striking in appearance. With that roman mane fringe sticking straight up over the pale of her face ... Ed Grimsley-ish.

[Destri Melarg]

The legion enchanting saddles with feather spells, like most things that you add to the mechanics of gameplay, seems so obvious that one is left to wonder why it didn’t just exist in the first place.

Now that I have remembered this chapter I knew that Teresa was going to be gently nudged toward Bravil. Giving us those earlier chapters with Pappy at the Battle of Bruma makes it feel as if we are about to be reunited with old friends. I for one can’t wait to reacquaint myself with a certain orc.

[SubRosa]

mALX: As usual I was grappling with the horror of coming up with a name. After rejecting everything that came to mind, I remembered Justin Morgan. I am glad someone got the little homage.


ureniashtram: Pappy will indeed be turning up soon, chapter 26 is named after him in fact.


haute ecole rider: I got the idea for Justinian licking after seeing this forum page, where a number of people describe their horses doing it. So I am going to keep it.

Just a few more chapters for Teresa to get to Bravil. She has to make a stop at the Faregyl on the way, and then we will take a look in on her the people dearest to her back in the Imperial City.


Acadian: Perhaps Superian could use a saddle blanket enchanted with Resist Frost?

I loved your little wood elf song/poem! Did you adapt that from something else? Or come up with it all on your own? It is quite perfect for either of our elves I think. Except Buffy's would need a mention of a horse.


Linara: Morganus was actually Haute's idea to give it a more setting-appropriate feel. Quite right on her part I think. I simply followed her lead by changing Justin to Justinian.

Teresa has certainly come quite a way in her feelings for the Imperial Legion. One of the purposes of that chapter was to illustrate just that.


Destri Melarg: The feather saddles strike me as something common all across Tamriel. All good saddles would have it. The same with wagons, backpacks, chests, etc... Just another example of how in a real world, magic would be used for mundane purposes rather than just killing people. Feather strikes me as one of the most useful consumer spells there is, just behind cure disease and healing. Because I like round numbers, I decided to make the Novice level Feather 100 lbs, and then have it increase by another 100 every magnitude of skill. So a really good one would take 400-500 lbs off!

Another voice for the FG? I am glad I added that chapter on the Battle of Bruma, and spent so much time on them there. I was hoping that by the time the story moved to Bravil, it would create a change in how we view Pappy et al. I am glad it worked!


Next: After surviving an encounter with bandits and meeting a female legionary, Teresa now plunges south into the depths of The Nibenay Valley, enroute to Bravil.


Chapter 24.1 – The Faregyl Inn

19th Last Seed, 3E433

Teresa's journey south passed without danger. Staying away from the road, she plunged through the forest heading south. Or at least in the direction she thought was south. It was difficult to tell under the green canopy of trees. As always, she never once worried about becoming lost. She knew she would get to where she needed to be sooner or later, and in the meantime the forest had plenty of alchemical treasures to reward her roving eyes.

It was only three days after the ambush when she smelled the sweet smoke of burning wood. Three days with no other signs of civilization. Just her, the trees, and the animals. As much as she had enjoyed the peace and stillness of the forest, she found herself looking forward to the taste of warm food and a soft bed, not to mention a hot bath! The Bloom spell that Nerussa had taught her cleaned her just as well as a real bath did. Yet it did not have the same feeling as laying back in a steaming tub of hot water and letting it ease away the stiffness of her limbs, or reveling in the smooth scent of vanilla soaking into her skin.

With that thought in mind Teresa followed her nose, and soon enough she found a wide, paved road heading in what she was imagined was north to south. It must be the Green Road, she thought. It was the only one her map showed running from Bravil to the Imperial City. Then again, she thought, she had never been south of Lake Rumare either. So there was no telling for certain.

Remembering the last time she had been upon one of the roads, Teresa slowly inched forward through the brush up to its edge. There she carefully scanned the wood to either side of the thoroughfare for signs of anything being out place. At the same time she listened for any noise that might indicate another person nearby.

Glancing up, she noticed that she was crouched only a foot from a sign that towered high over her head. It had been concealed by the brush from the forest side, but stood plain as day to anyone on the road itself. Its thick wooden planks pointed out the directions to the Imperial City, Bravil, and Leyawiin.

Screenshot

Teresa looked at it with a faint smile. She had guessed her directions correctly. Even after spending a lifetime in the city, she was getting good at this forester trade. It all just seemed to come naturally. All she had to do was listen to her intuition, use common sense, and follow the ravens.

Satisfied that she was indeed alone, she stepped forth with wary eyes and scampered across the hard pavestones of the road. A moment later she was back within the dense greenery of the forest and a feeling of relief washed over her. She knew that she was being overly-paranoid. There were not really bandits hiding behind every tree after all. The only trouble was knowing which ones…

Teresa saw that a wide, dirt path led away from the main road in the same direction that the smell of smoke was coming from. Staying in the woods near the path, she set off along the same route. She soon found the land sloping down under her feet, and picked her steps with care to avoid tripping over the ivy that crept along the ground between the tall cottonwoods.

The sound of wood clacking together came to her ears. It was almost rhythmical, as if some strange forest musician were playing a tune on a pair of sticks. Then she heard faint voices, and smelled horses, or their leavings to be more precise.

Moments later the forest opened into a large clearing, and she found herself staring downhill at a large daub and wattle building. Its wide, peaked roof was made of thatch, and a thin trail of blue smoke wafted from its chimney. She could see that the dirt road led directly to it, and split off to also go to a corral larger than the building itself. It was there that she saw a dozen wagons and twice that many horses, all waiting quietly within the wooden beams that hemmed them in.

Screenshot

The author of the strange wooden music also became clear to the wood elf. It was two men fighting with wooden swords outside of the corral. Or at least they were pretending to fight, she thought. One of them was a Breton with closely-cropped brown hair, and he was counting out numbers as they slowly moved their practice swords from one position to the next. The other was an olive-skinned Nibenean, and he was silent as he smoothly followed the other man's lead.

Teresa stepped forward to get a closer view. It seemed like a dance, something she might see in a theater, not practicing for combat. Every move was done with grace, and flowed cleanly into the next so that no motion was wasted. She marveled at how they could keep their balance in each move. It was as if their feet and hands were linked, so that the movement of the former enabled the motion of the latter.

The eyes of the Breton flashed on Teresa. He whispered something to the other man, and suddenly they exploded into furious action. Their wooden blades flew back and forth against one another so quickly that the wood elf could scarcely follow them. It was a constant stream of attack, parry, riposte, and counter again as each man strove against the next.

Finally the Breton stepped closer to the Imperial, inside the range of their wooden swords. One of his feet slipped behind the other man's ankle, and after a shove the Imperial was laying flat on his back in the dirt.

"Hah!" the man on the ground laughed as the Breton extended his hand to help him up. "You couldn't beat me fair, so you cheated!"

"When it's for real, your enemy won't fight fair either," the brown-haired man said in that soft, somewhat lilting tone that all Bretons seemed to have. Teresa loved that sound, it was almost musical how they spoke. It reminded her of Claudette from The Gilded Carafe, or most of the residents of Weye.

Then the Breton turned back to Teresa and looked her directly in the eye.

"Now let's take a bow for our audience," he said, gracefully bending at the waist with his arms held wide apart, as if he were an actor on stage. The other man followed suit, albeit with less beauty.

"That was amazing!" Teresa proclaimed with a faint smile as she stepped closer to where the men stood. "I cannot believe how you two can do that with those swords!"

"Oh, it just takes practice," the Nibenean muttered, "lots of practice."

"Welcome to The Faregyl Inn stranger," the Breton said with a smile. "I am Alix Lencolia, swordmaster and all-around handy man. My friend here is the esteemed Sir Lucius Salvius, Knight of the Order of Saint Martin, and one of the finest swordsmen in Cyrodiil."

"Oh, my," Teresa looked upon both men with widening eyes. A swordmaster, and a knight! She thought, and they were both talking to her as if she was an equal. "I'm Teresa, um, archer, potion-maker, and explorer."

"It is an honor, milady Teresa," the Nibenean said solemnly. Before she knew it, he took her hand and bowed to gently kiss her fingers. "I am your humble servant."

Teresa felt her cheeks turn warm as her heart skipped a beat. By the Nine, did he just kiss her hand! She marveled. He was a knight after all, and she was a… whatever she was. She knew she should say something witty, or at least something gracious. Yet when she opened her mouth, nothing came forth.

Valerius had been a knight too, the wood elf thought to herself, and he had done quite a bit more than kiss her hand! Yet that seemed different somehow. Perhaps because Nerussa had been there? Or maybe it was just that talking had not been important in Nerussa's bedroom…

"Oh go on now Lucius!" the Breton laughed, rescuing Teresa from her moment of awkwardness. "Only a knight for a week and you are already at it with the ladies. Why don't you come inside with us Teresa, and try some of S'jirra's potato bread? I think we could use a little break."

"Hey, I have to practice sometime, and Abhuki just does not make for a maiden most fair, if you know what I mean." Teresa heard the Imperial's voice ring out behind her as Alix led her through the back door of the inn.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 7 2011, 04:09 AM

[mALX]

One of the things I love about Teresa - she is a complex paradox of emotions inside - there is nothing coy whatsoever about her, she is 100% genuine.

I personally was licked by a little Thoroughbred filly by the name of "Kankakee Miss." She had a salt lick in her stall, it was not for my salty personality she was licking me. I've seen mares lick their foals quite a bit as well, so it is either grooming or affection.

They do lip as well, usually in more of a play-type gesture - if you are wearing a hat and a horse is lipping you, your hat will be removed next, count on it. - same thing if you have a comb or brush sticking out of your back pocket - and don't expect to retrieve the item easily, it is on once they get hold of it.

[haute ecole rider]

Again a familiar segment, with some improvements. I really enjoyed meeting Alix yet again in this story, as well as Sir Salvius.

As for the licking, it is not something I've observed as being natural for horses to do - rather, it is an acquired behavior and seems to happen mostly where the owner/handler offers the horse treats on a regular basis, then finds the licking for more treats so charming the horse starts doing it as a behavior to elicit treats or other signs of favor from the handler. Makes me wonder who's training whom.

Some horses will do it on their own, but I've seen it mostly in those horses that expect treats every time they interact with people. It's simple Pavlovian reflex. Many horsemasters (not horsemen) discourage treats and licking because it is such a thin line between licking (or lipping) and biting, which is not acceptable with people, as it so easily can become dangerous. I have heard stories of stallions biting fingers off their handlers because they were encouraged/permitted in the licking/lipping behavior. I've never been consistent with treats, and I only provide treats after a good ride, not every time I interact with the horse, so they don't lick me. They also don't crowd around me in the pasture (another inherently dangerous situation) because I don't encourage it. I learned this from friends who have kept stallions for many years, and also learned this from a stallion who was more mouthy than usual. He learned very quickly from me that that kind of behavior was not tolerated, though we enjoyed each other's company quite well (I was his vet student for two weeks, and spent quite a bit of time grooming him and hitting all his itchy spots). He respected me enough to quit with the lipping/nipping business within a day. But he still pulled that crap on other vet students who didn't know better or were easily intimidated by him.

From the forum you sent me to, I figure that most of the horses mentioned here are accustomed to treats every time they interact with people, hence the Pavlovian reflex. And these folks doing the postings think it's cute, where I see dangerous situations everywhere, because it is such a fine line between being mouthy (i.e. licking or lipping) and nipping/biting. And if you've ever been bit by a horse, you know it's not pleasant!

I just figure Valfreya would know better than to allow her horse to lick at her face, as it can lead to a dangerous situation with him. I have a hard time seeing an experienced horsewoman/horsemaster (as I would assume Valfreya to be) allowing such a dangerous situation to develop with her horse, especially since they are out in the wilderness on their own.

My own horses had their own ways of showing affection, and one of their favorites was rubbing their heads on me, and another was sticking their noses in my face and blowing on me (but not nipping or licking). Blowing on each other's noses is really a way for horses to greet each other. As for mares licking their foals, every mammalian mother does that with their babies - dogs, cats, horses, cattle, etc. Has to do with drying them off after birth. I would call it grooming for that reason.

What is natural for horses sometimes can be hard to differentiate from what comes with training or interactions with people. Feral horses don't lick each other so much, though when grooming they do use their lips and teeth quite a bit (called 'withering') to scratch each other's itchy spots. That is what equine BFF's do with each other. That's how I befriend horses - I find their itchy spots and really dig in. They love me forever for that! My friend's stallion (and my own gelding) enjoyed this habit of mine so much that they would 'present' me with their withers whenever I approached them.

And mALX is right, lipping is a play gesture - and once they grab something, it's game on!

My point is, all the experienced horsemasters I know don't allow their horses to get mouthy (licking, lipping or nipping) with them period. Around the face, absolutely not. And if Valfreya is more than just a legionary on horseback, she also would not allow Justinian to lick her face like that (not to mention that horses don't like sticking their tongues into such narrow slits, either). But there are other ways for Justinian to show his affection for her, like nudging her with his head (as Superian did with Buffy when she wanted water) or blowing into her neck (like mine loved to do).

[Acadian]

Old business: The little 'song' for Teresa was simply my own vision of one of our elves prancing through a meadow at night.

"I'm Teresa, um, archer, potion-maker, and explorer."

Poor Teresa. At least she didn't say 'um, stringy wood elf and former street urchin at large'. It was great fun being inside her head as she interacted with Alix and Lucius.

This entire episode was a lovely indulgence into description, with far too many delightful passages to quote. Teresa really brings us with her into the forest as she makes her way from the Imperial City to the Faregyl Inn. Staying off the roads makes perfect sense for her (regardless of what the Imperial Legion says about staying on the roads if you've got to travel.)

I'm so pleased you are not rushing Teresa along, but allowing plenty of time for her to pick the flowers and experience Cyrodiil.

"Abhuki just does not make for a maiden most fair, if you know what I mean."

What's wrong with kissing furry hands?

Next, I hope she will indeed enjoy some of everyone's favorite potato bread.

[Linara]

Ah..Faregyl Inn. I love that place, and how easy it was to get those potatoes back from the trolls/ogres/what have you.

The eyes of the Breton flashed on Teresa. He whispered something to the other man, and suddenly they exploded into furious action.

Sounds like someones about to be competed for...

[SubRosa]

Next: Teresa gets better acquainted with some of the residents of the Faregyl.

Chapter 24.2 – The Faregyl Inn

Within was a storeroom filled with barrels of ale, jugs of wine, sacks of flour, and all manner of jars and crates. Alix quickly navigated through the jumble of goods and led Teresa through another door that brought her into the large kitchen of the inn. Long tables stretched along two of the walls, and a great oven of bricks took up part of a third, flanked by an equally large wood-burning stove. Across the room from the stove were several large chests, which Teresa imagined might be frost-boxes.

Standing at one of the tables chopping carrots was a Khajiit with golden fur. She was dressed in simple tan work-clothes, and her hair was tied up into numerous brass triangles that were held together by brightly-colored ribbons.

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"We have a visitor S'jirra!" Alix proclaimed as Lucius moved past him and through another door. Through its swinging boards Teresa could see what must have been the inn's common room, as it was filled with people eating and drinking. "This is Teresa, and she is someone special I should say."

"Oh my!" The Khajiit turned and her jaw dropped open when she set her eyes upon Teresa. "You look just like her!"

"Ummm, good day." Teresa's eyes darted from the Khajiit to the Breton. Now that his friend was gone, even the swordmaster had begun to stare at her. She took a step back the way she had come. Just what had she walked into? and why were they looking at her like she was a ghost?

"Alix, for a moment this one could have sworn it was her!" S'jirra breathed, her eyes practically glowing as they stared at Teresa.

"Yes, I thought the same thing too," the Breton sighed as he stepped nearer to the Khajiit and put a comforting arm around her. The Khajiit pressed against him. Her head fell to his shoulder, and he dropped his stare to kiss her once on her scalp. If it were not for their strange looks at her, Teresa would have found it to be very sweet and romantic. But instead she felt her hackles rising at the bizarreness of it all.

"Please forgive us, we mean you no harm," Alix said in that soothing voice of the Bretons. "I know this must seem odd, but you look just like our daughter. We have not seen her in years. We do not even know where she is, or how she is."

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"Oh yes, this one is so sorry!" The Khajiit stepped away from the Breton, and with the cat-like quickness of her race she was standing in front of Teresa an instant later. "You must think we are all terribly strange. Please come sit with me while this one makes stew, and we can speak. Alix, get her something to drink, and fetch a stool for this poor girl."

With that the Khajiit was dragging Teresa across the room to a seat that the Breton almost magically produced, followed by a glass of wine. S'jirra herself brought over a loaf of bread which Teresa could see still steamed from the oven. The smell of potatoes filled her nostrils as the Khajiit cut her a piece and offered it to her.

"Here, try some of this one's famous potato bread," she said.

"So, you two have a daughter?" Teresa said, looking from the Breton to the Khajiit. She had no idea that the cat-folk could even have children with the other races.

Then she took a bite of the hot potato bread and for a moment she forgot everything else. The taste in her mouth was far too good to be simply bread. She had scarcely tasted anything so delicious outside of a few stolen sweetrolls, only this was not sweet and sugary. She was not sure exactly what it tasted like, but it was more than just potatoes. She thought there must be spices like rosemary and basil in it as well, but could not be sure. Teresa closed her eyes and savored the bread before swallowing, then chased the lovely flavor with a sip of wine.

"That was incredible!" she breathed afterward, looking at S'jirra, "how did you make that?"

"That is this one's secret," the Khajiit declared. Her ears perked up and tail floated high with pleasure. She looked as if she was almost preening, and something told Teresa that she had said just the right thing.

"People come from near and far for S'jirra's potato-bread," Alix declared with a smile. "Maxical used to love it too. She is our daughter, we adopted her when she was a little kit."

"Oh, so you adopted her," Teresa said. Now things were making more sense. The forester reached for more of the bread, but stopped herself when she realized that she had not asked first. For a moment she was afraid S'jirra would object, but instead the Khajiit beamed with what could only be pride as she pushed the entire loaf of bread in front of her. "I'm an orphan too, I never knew who my real parents were. Is she a wood elf too?"

"Oh no, she is a Khajiit," S'jirra explained as she went back to cutting vegetables and throwing them into a steaming pot over the stove. "But she's snow white, just like you. Except her hair, that's red as fire, same as yours."

"Oh, oh my," Teresa said as her hand reflexively drifted to her scarlet tresses. Somehow that tickled something in the back of her mind, yet she could not place what it was. "I did not know there were white Khajiit?"

"There aren't," Alix answered. "Maxical is one of a kind, that is for sure. The gods broke the mold after they made her."

"And a good thing too, the world could not survive two like that one!" S'jirra laughed as she stirred the pot of stew.

"Did she wear her hair in braids, with a headband?" Teresa thought out loud, wondering why that image had suddenly leaped into her mind.

Teresa heard a crash from behind her, as the clay cup from which Alix had been drinking shattered on the floor. The wood elf nearly jumped from her seat, but the wide-eyed stare that both he and S'jirra gave her made her pause.

"You've seen her!" S'jirra cried. Once again she moved with that blinding Khajiit speed, and just like that she was grasping Teresa by the arms, her eyes pleading for an answer.

"I…" Teresa stammered. She tried to remember where that image - no, that memory - had come from. Then she had it. "It was in the Market District of the Imperial City, at the end of Second Seed."

"Did she say anything? How did she look?" Now Alix was by her side as well, laying his hand upon her shoulder. Under any other circumstances Teresa would have jumped. But the emotion was so raw in their voices, and their eyes such a contrast of sparkling hope and empty dread, that she felt her heart tear itself open for them. Teresa wondered if this was how Simplicia felt when she went into the forts and Ayleid ruins?

"She looked well," Teresa said. It was true, but even if it had not been she would have said the same thing. She could see how much the Breton and Khajiit needed to hear that their daughter was safe and sound. She would not dream of saying otherwise. "She looked muscular. Not big, but she was solid, in good shape, like a fighter."

"It was early in the morning, so there was hardly anyone else on the street." Teresa went on, trying to recapture every moment from her fleeting encounter with the snow white Khajiit. "I saw her hair and I said it looked good on her. I remember she said we looked like twins. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I see what she meant. Then I walked by, and that was it. Now I wished I had stayed and tried to talk to her more. She seemed… kind, like a good person. Do you know what I mean?"

Then S'jirra was enfolding her in a warm embrace, and Teresa did not know what else to say. Even though she could hear the Khajiit was crying, Teresa had the feeling that her tears were not a bad thing at all.

[mALX]

You brought tears to my eyes the first time I read this, it is still just as good. You brought the Faregyl, Alix, and S'Jirra to life. Teresa is as dear and deep a character as anyone could create - Awesome Write Sage Rosa !!! Just Awesome!!!