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

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: The workout has only begun! Cue the Rocky soundtrack, because Teresa is getting strong now. Teresa being chased by the city guard just seemed so likely to me that I had to put it in. It also gave me a subtle way of showing the stature of the FG in people's minds. That unlike the Blackwood Company, they really are not just a gang of hired thugs.


Captain Hammer: Now that is a great story! and not at all surprising.

Pappy is a fun character to write. In many ways because he is so larger than life. Or at least he has the appearance of being so from someone else's point of view.


ghastley: I know I have done a lot in the last few chapters to show off Bravil. So this will be my last post that really digs into things like its layout.

Good call on the nit. I did a lot of editing and reediting and rereediting on that paragraph. That was a leftover from an earlier version.


Thomas Kaira: Teresa is living the good life at the moment, but even she has unwanted commitments that she cannot avoid, as we will discover later in the this chapter.


Acadian: A morning elf, a MELF? You actually commented on the reason for the chapel of Kynareth: the port of the city. As well as being a goddess of wild animals, kynareth is also the weather goddess, and as such the patron of sailors. Being that fishing is a major industry in and around Bravil, it was only natural that she be represented here, as well as at the Waterfront of the IC.


Grits: I try to make sure I show Teresa's warts as well as her good side. I am glad that a balance of both is coming across.


Jacki Dice: you too? I never was a very good runner. I always hated P.E.


Olen: Or in Teresa's case I guess that would be necrowomancy. There will be several points later in the chapter where we see that a week has gone by since the last chapter. We just have not gotten there yet. This will indeed be a day in Teresa's life. My goal with this chapter was to show how being the fighters guild has changed her life, for better and worse.

You have not heard about breathing through the nose rather than mouth? It was drilled in my head in school. There are a whole slew of reasons for it, not the least of which being that the nose is made for breathing through and it filters out things like dust. But while you get less volume of air in through the nose, you actually get a better oxygen transfer ratio by doing it. It takes a while to get used to if you were a mouth-breather though.


Next: Teresa has returned to the guild hall from her morning run. Next, more exercise, and breakfast.


Chapter 29.2 - A Day In The Life

Dripping with sweat, she walked the rest of the way back through the streets to the guild. Her heart was returning to normal by the time she came to the back of the three-story building. There in the practice field she found the other members of her guild lined up before Pappy and doing stretching exercises. All were dressed in simple loose clothing like she wore.

Among them was their newest member, a Redguard she had only seen briefly the day before. His black hair was cropped closely to his skull, and the fuzzy shadow of a beard clung to his unshaven jaw. Like Pappy, he went bare-chested, revealing a chest that rippled with lean muscles. The dark green ink of a tattoo covered his left shoulder, in the form of a flame atronach's head. It faced his back, with fiery hair fanning out behind her, as if she watched any who might sneak up behind him.

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Teresa joined the others in the morning routine of push-ups, sit-ups, and a host of other calisthenics. Rounding it all off were several laps around the inner wall of the yard. By the time they finished, her body felt drained, yet at the same time she was strangely exhilarated. As if while taxing her muscles, the exercises had somehow imparted her with more mental energy.

She followed the others inside, where they tramped upstairs to their rooms to change into their armor. Teresa paused to cast her Bloom spell after taking off her sweaty legion tunic and baggy pants. Once more she was thankful for meeting Nerussa, as the perspiration vanished from her body and her hair became dry and clean. Even her teeth gleamed as she stared at her naked body in the mirror on her simple dresser.

She was losing her softness, she thought as she studied her wiry frame. Even now she could see that her arms and legs were leaner and more solid that before. Would Nerussa still like her this way? Would other women? She had to admit she liked how her body was becoming toned and strong, but did not want to stop being feminine in the bargain.

She sighed, and went to the work of putting on her leather armor. Is this how the women in the legion felt? she wondered. Valfreya had certainly seemed rock solid under her armor, but Teresa had no trouble identifying her as a woman once she had seen her face.

When she was finished, Teresa found the rest of her guild mates in the dining hall enjoying a simple meal of fresh bread and tea. Pappy wore a legionary breastplate adorned with a laurel of gold set into the chest, and a legion helm sat on the table next to his breakfast. His arms and legs were sheathed in small, interlocking scales of orcish steel however. His Dwemer sword rode his hip, and a round orcish shield was propped against the wall behind him.

Next to him at the round table sat Tavian, the young porter wearing simple wool and flax clothing. Then there was Ancondil, clad in his gleaming bronze Dwemer armor. The golden handle of his elven war hammer rose from the edge of the table beside him, and he smiled at Teresa as she entered. Beside him was the new Redguard, now wearing a simple dark tunic and trousers, contrasting sharply to the armor of the other adults.

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As ever, what really caught Teresa's eye was Tadrose. The dark elf stood to the left of Pappy and munched on a piece of bread. She was clad from head to toe in golden-hued elven steel. Brilliant rings of mail sheathed her body, and was in turn covered with slender bands of solid metal that wrapped around her torso like leaves. Tiny plates of armor shaped like feathers descended from her hips and ankles, and her legs between were encased by solid plates decorated with scrollwork of gentle vines. A helmet decorated with more feathered scrollwork hung from her waist belt, dangling by its chin strap. Propped against the wall behind her was the double-edged blade of a longsword, the golden sila wood of its hilt again decorated with twisting vines of elvish fashion.

Screenshot

For once the wood elf was glad for being tired from her double workout. At least she had an excuse for not being able to say a word as the dark elf smiled and handed her a cup of milk. "I know you prefer this to tea," the vice-commander said quietly, so that only Teresa could hear, "so I had Tavian get some along with the bread this morning."

Teresa smiled faintly and sat next to the blue-skinned woman. By Dibella! she marveled, who had taken the grimy blacksmith she had met a week before and replaced her with this golden raven of the battlefield?

When Tadrose smiled back at Teresa, her entire face seemed to glow with a soft light that made the forester's heart begin to race once more, albeit for an entirely different reason than when she had been running…

"So is it true you got here by stowing away on a ship from Sentinel?" a wide-eyed Tavian asked the Redguard.

"Aye," the newcomer nodded, taking a swallow of tea. "I snuck on board at night. They found me the next day at sea. But it was just my luck that one of their crew hadn't shown up when we sailed. So they let me take his place in the topmasts."

"What if the sailor had been there?" Ancondil asked.

"They'd have thrown me overboard," the dark-skinned man said. "At least that's what the captain told me."

"Sounds like it was your lucky day kid," Pappy said dryly. "If the Marie Elena's an honest merchantman, then I'm an Altmer."

"I figured that out by the time we rounded Valenwood," the young man related. "I think they had a hold full of loot, and they were going to fence it in the Imperial City. By the time we got here I had the distinct impression that they were only going to keep me around for that long too, then-" The Redguard drew a line across his throat with his finger. "That's why I jumped ship and swam to shore while we were anchored in the bay overnight."

"You are lucky you did not drown." Tadrose offered.

"Lady luck has always been good to me," the Redguard smiled at the dark elf, which prompted her to roll her eyes in return.

"Is that why they call you Chance?" Tavian asked.

"No," the lean young man said, then looked up at Teresa with a wink. "My mother took one on my father."

The table broke out with a chorus of guffaws, and even Teresa could not prevent a faint smile from sneaking past her lips. She broke off a handful of bread from the loaf at the center of the table and dipped it into a bowl of olive oil beside it. The bread was still warm as she took a bite, and tasted wonderful as she slowly chewed, savoring the creamy oil that softened it.

"The real question is who is this lovely daughter of the forest? I don't believe we've been introduced." The Redguard smiled across the table at Teresa, and she wondered if Pappy was giving him lessons on how to make women melt. She was certain that smile would have turned most women's legs into butter. For once she was thankful for not being like most women.

Teresa made a show of looking behind her. "Yes, I'd like to meet her too! Where is this nymph?"

That brought another chorus of laughter from the table. Even from Tadrose, who leaned across Teresa to dip a handful of bread into the olive oil. Teresa closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the other woman's scent, a mixture of the mineral oil that protected her armor with a slight hint of primrose beneath it.

"Our Teresa is the soul of humility," she heard Ancondil say to the others, and she opened her eyes again as he addressed her directly. "So how did your contract to bodyguard the most patrician Alessia Ottus go yesterday?"

"I'm trying to forget." Teresa frowned at the memory the Nibenean woman. "It's no wonder people make death threats against her. I wanted to strangle the harpy myself!"

"She refused to even have me as a bodyguard the last time," Tadrose declared icily, "since we Dunmer are 'wicked and profane'. Gaius had to shepherd the pompous twit around the city."

"Dealing with people like her is just part of the job," Pappy observed. "Just remember, their money is as good as anyone else's. Better actually, because I charged the Lady Ottus twice the regular rate!"

That brought another round of laughter from the others, and Teresa used the time to savor more of the breakfast. It felt so strange, not simply eating a meal with so many other people, but actually sharing it with them as well. She was used to squeezing into a place between the throngs at the food stands in the capital, but no one ever talked to her there, or paid any mind to her. She had just been one face in a crowd of strangers.

Yet it was so different here in the guild, the wood elf found herself thinking. For once she was surrounded by people who were actually a part of her life. Granted, she did not know the others very well yet, but somehow thanks to the time they spent living and training together it made her feel like she did, at least on some level.

"I want you to head over to the Benevolence of Mara and learn a healing spell after we finish up this morning." Her reverie was broken when Pappy rose to his feet and looked at Chance. "Tavian will show you the way. In fact, I want you to learn one too," the middle-aged Imperial now looked to the young porter. "If you are going to be a fighter one day, you will need it."

"A healing spell?" the dark-skinned man groused. "A Redguard warrior does not practice eastern magic!"

"He will if he wants to be in the Fighters Guild." The Colovian's voice was hard as iron. "Either come back here tonight knowing how to heal yourself, or pack your bags."

"But you never made anyone learn spells before Pappy," the young porter said, "Why do we have to now?"

"Because I am not going to plant the lot of you in shallow graves," the guild commander growled. "Only three of us came back from Bruma because we weren't prepared. That's not going to happen again. Now I want everyone out back in five for close order drill. Chance, we'll get you kitted out with armor this afternoon, for now just come as you are."

"And as for you my little legionary," the Colovian leveled a piercing gaze upon the forester as he settled his centurion's helmet around his head, "if it would not trouble you too much, how about putting your own clothes on for the morning workout for a change?"

"You said I should wear something loose and comfortable when I ran." Teresa bit her lip. "I don't have anything of my own."

"So buy something!" the Colovian grumbled. "It's not like you are poor."

"But I like the tunic!" Teresa found herself pouting. "Besides you never wear it anyhow."

"Well how can I wear it if you have it?" the Colovian shook his head and stomped out of the room after the other men. His voice carried clearly from the hallway however. "How do they always find me? Every screwball in Tamriel, it never fails…"

"Do not worry about him, you can keep the tunic. It does look better on you anyway." Tadrose had lingered behind. Now she lifted her longsword in her hands and rested the flat of the sheathed blade against her shoulder, so that the hilt rose up beside her head. "Do not mind Chance either, he tried it with me too yesterday. That one probably makes a play for every woman he meets, just like our commander. You have to get used to that when you work with men."

"So are you already seeing someone then?" Teresa asked, hoping she did not sound like she was doing the same.

"No, and I do not plan to," the dark elf said after a long moment. She headed for the door, pausing a moment to look back before stepping through. "Now let's get outside for drill."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 17 2011, 04:46 AM

[Jacki Dice]

Would Nerussa still like her this way? Would other women? She had to admit she liked how her body was becoming toned and strong, but did not want to stop being feminine in the bargain.

Aww. I liked this part especially. I know I worry like that over physical changes. Though I'm sure anyone worth Teresa's time would be able to see through whatever physicality to the golden heart underneath ♥

As ever, what really caught Teresa's eye was Tadrose.

The gold really does look good on her. It makes her glow

[haute ecole rider]

Really enjoyed the camaraderie that typifies the Bravil FG. Especially the trading of stories and jokes around the table.

Tadrose's answer at the end really caught my attention. I respect the sentiment myself.

I did catch one nit:

"No, and I do not plan to," the dark elf said after a long moment. She headed for the door, pausing a moment to look back before stepping through. "Now let's get outside for drill.

The closing quote probably went AWOL when you cut and pasted your post.

[Thomas Kaira]

A nice, crusty Ciabatta loaf with pure Extra Virgin olive oil... be still my beating heart. Now if only I had some balsamic vinegar and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, I'd be all set.

"Lady luck has always been good to me," the Redguard smiled at the dark elf, which prompted her to roll her eyes in return.

Don't forget to give her a thank-you kiss on your way to the chapel.

"No," the lean young man said, then looked up at Teresa with a wink. "My mother took one on my father."

A great meal-time piece! It gives us a nice window into several characters and opens the doors for a few new ones to boot. I have a feeling Tadrose and Teresa are going to become very good friends, too (no, not in that way, you naughty people! )

[Captain Hammer]

"Besides you never wear it anyhow."

"Well how can I wear it if you have it?"

Ladies and Gentlemen, if you ever want a demonstration of how to respond to circular reasoning with actual logic, here is a great example. Whether Teresa will recognize this error in her own use of classical logic will remain to be seen.

Great chapter with Teresa and the rest of the Bravil Fighters' Guild at breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day, particularly if that day will include things like body-guard duties for a stuck-up countess (that bint Alessia Caro!), escaping certain death, or dealing with the various lechers that make up the modern, non-politically correct work environment.

[Acadian]

A very nice continuation in a 'day in the life'.

The bloom spell that Nerussa taught Teresa - what school of magic would you imagine that comes from. Alteration perhaps?

Nice to recall Valfreya!

'and Teresa used to time to savor more of the breakfast. It felt so strange, not simply eating a meal with so many other people, but actually sharing it with them as well'
To watch Teresa begin to see, discover and even be a part of camaraderie in action is a joy to see.

I continue to very much enjoy how you are showing Pappy. His little rant as he walked away was priceless!

And Tadrose is fascinating. You keep adding more mystery to her!

[Grits]

I’m sure I will not surprise you with my enthusiastic approval of the new, smokin’ hot Redguard. May he never find his shirt.

Teresa made a show of looking behind her. "Yes, I'd like to meet her too! Where is this nymph?"
Banter over breakfast, very enjoyable. These are clearly people who live and work together. The tunic exchange could come many households. The early runner gets the comfy tunic.

I noticed a long moment before Tadrose answered Teresa’s I’m-not-hitting-on-you question.

[mALX]

You and your hamsters. Don't tell Richard Gere, he might get jealous...

ROFL !!! That had me rolling !!!

Director: "That's funny, we have had several of those singing hamsters disappearing off the set"

Richard Gere walks by. "My kind of town...etc." (sung in a "Topo Gigio" voice)


One hamster speaking to the other as they pass the mortuary... "Hey Joe, wanna stop in for a stiff one?"



I absolutely love what you have done with Tadrose !!! She is gorgeous !!! And that armor really sets her off beautifully !!

But I like the tunic!" Teresa found herself pouting. "Besides you never wear it anyhow."

And Teresa learns her first feminine wile ... how cute is that !!!!

[SubRosa]

Jacki Dice: Teresa will just have to hope that a certain someone else likes women who are not girly-girls.

I have always liked the elven armor, except for the bird boots, it is my favorite armor in the game.


haute ecole rider: Thank you for rounding up my AWOL parenthesis. It was not in the original either!

Teresa however, does not respect Tadrose's sentiment. Or at least Teresa's heart does not...


Thomas Kaira: Here I wanted the breakfast to look simple! Trust you to turn it into a gourmet meal! You have been watching too many of those cooking shows!

Teresa hopes that she and Tadrose become good friends in that way!


Captain Hammer: Poor Pappy, sometimes it is not easy being around Teresa!

That was not the Alessia Caro she was body-guarding though, but Alessia Ottus (the one who wrote all the city guidebooks) Still, quite a pig-headed beyotch though.


Acadian: I think the Bloom spell might be Restoration, as it is basically restoring the body to its clean state. But I can see a case for alteration as well.

Teresa is indeed learning to enjoy the closeness of a being part of a group, after having been a loner for so long. Pappy's rant was tons of fun to write! I am glad Tadrose Helas is coming across as mysterious. She is supposed to!


Grits: Since I am terrible at making male faces in Oblivion, I have found that using pics of IRL guys tends to work better for most new males I make. That is Charles Ingram. He is a military man turned actor/stuntman. He has a minor role as on eof the Navy SEALs in Tears of the Sun. He also hosted a Shark Week episode, which is where I got that picture from.

Gee, I noticed that long pause of Tadrose's too...


mALX: Remind me not to eat while reading your posts! Ewww.

The new Tadrose really is much nicer to look at than the one in the game. And Teresa is learning to act like a chick after all. Next thing you know, she will be wearing high heels and makeup! (well in the chapter I am currently working on at least).


Next: After a nice breakfast, Teresa goes to do her morning workouts, and gets herself a new toy.


Chapter 29.3 - A Day In The Life

Drill they did, practicing small unit tactics. Pappy had them forming lines, semi-circles, and circles. They changed directions at his command, went from a marching column to a fighting line, then back again. Over and over, they practiced the same movements together.

Pappy and Tadrose were flawless at it all, Teresa observed, always being in exactly the right place at any given moment. Yet even after a week she and Ancondil had problems from time to time. Chance, being completely new, spent more time stumbling into the rest of them than anything else. Teresa had to stifle to urge to laugh more than once. The memory of her own fumbling on her first day of the training stilled her tongue however.

Even so, she at least had it easy, Teresa mused. She was not expected to stand in line with the others, who were all melee fighters. Being an archer and a scout, she was always in front, behind, or beside the lines they formed. Yet she still had to be able to move between the others as they created their formations. Not always the easiest thing, especially when they were clad head-to-toe in armor.

After an hour of their stumbling and Pappy's cursing, they came to the part of training the wood elf enjoyed most, weapons practice. While the others went inside to work with wooden practice weapons, she remained outside to shoot. She had never spent so much time with her bow in her life. On the Waterfront she and Methredhel had only worked with their bows when they felt like it, using the wall of a broken down shack near the lakeshore as a target.

But Pappy insisted that she spend at least an hour every morning with her bow. She remembered how her shoulders had ached from the effort during the first few days, and how she had to drink Restore Fatigue potions to relieve the strain afterward. But the previous day she had discovered that she no longer needed the draughts, so she imagined that she must be building strength in her muscles as well as improving her aim.

Spending half the time firing directly at the mortal-shaped targets down range, the wood elf used the other half of her hour practicing zone-shooting. She had never even heard of the tactic when Pappy had shown it to her on her first official day in the guild. Yet now that a week had gone by she was starting to finally get the hang of it.

Rather than directly aiming and adjusting the height of her shot to compensate for the distance, Teresa fired in a high arc, so that her arrows came nearly straight down upon her targets. Rather than the usual butts that stood up vertically, these were circular rings laid out flat on the ground, stretching out in a single line going down the length of the field.

"You should be able to put an arrow in a circle no larger than one you can sweep out with your arms, at any distance, without seeing the target," Pappy explained. "All you need are direction and distance, which we can tell you from the line. Every Imperial Legion archer can do this. It allows them shoot from behind the ranks without hitting any of us. It also means most of your hits will be head and neck shots, because of the high angle."

When the chapel bell tolled once more, Teresa stopped by the well for a drink of water and headed inside to the dojo. Such a strange word, she thought to herself. Tadrose had told her it was Akaviri. A leftover from the days when the guild was started by the Tsaesci syffim of the Akaviri Potentate. There in the great open hall she found that the others had changed out of their armor and into simple loose clothing once more. Pappy himself went bare-chested, as he often did, and drew her aside while Tadrose worked with the others in unarmed combat.

"Alright kid," the older man said as he handed her a wooden dagger, "time to play with the big boys."

As they had done every day since she had joined, the two of them practiced together at parrying with the knife. Or that is she practiced, and he delighted in whacking her with his wooden sword whenever she was too slow. In the beginning they had moved in slow motion, so that she could learn the moves. Now that she knew them however, they worked much more quickly, and Pappy put real force behind his blows. That was one reason she always wore her leather armor when they worked out together. The other being as Pappy himself had told her, she needed to become used to taking a hit while wearing it.

"Remember, don't try to meet force with force when you parry," the Colovian reminded her as they went through the exercises he had taught her. "Move your body and deflect my blade aside, then step in and use your right hand to hit with a spell."

Teresa did just that, stepping inside the guard of his sword and standing nearly chest to chest with the larger man. The dagger in her left hand was still engaged with his sword, catching it between her blade and guard to keep it away from her. At the same time her right hand pressed against his flesh. If it had been for real she would have used her Flare spell to fry him.

"Good," Pappy smiled. "Even if I had a shield the heat of your spell would still get through and burn my arm." The older man stepped back then, raising his hands in front of him, palms outward. That signal was the first thing Teresa had learned, meaning to stop the workout, and she relaxed and lowered her practice knife.

"You learn quick Teresa," the older man said appraisingly, then motioned her to follow him as he walked to a table along one of the walls. "You still have a long way to go, but you pick it up really well. Once you master the single knife, I'll start teaching you to use a second one in your right hand. Then you can attack with that while you defend with the other. There are even some parries you can use with both hands."

Teresa nodded, drawing forth a cloth that was tucked in her belt and running it across her sweating brow. Being cornered had always terrified her, especially after her battle with the goblins in the prison sewer. She knew that it had only been blind luck that she had not been killed. If she was going to survive, she had to learn to fight hand-to-hand.

The Colovian reached down to the table and lifted a sheathed dagger whose wire-wrapped grip ended in a cylindrical pommel. A crossbar of silvery metal gently curved outward in a crescent, protecting the handle. Drawing the weapon from its sheath, Pappy revealed a foot-long blade of gleaming mithril that tapered to a point, so highly polished that Teresa could see her reflection in the metal. Effortlessly flipping the dagger around in his hand, the Imperial offered it to Teresa hilt-first.

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"I want you start carrying this," he said as the wood elf took the weapon in her hand.

"This is mithril!" Teresa breathed, staring at the bright metal with wide eyes. It felt heavy, but she found that the weight of the blade was countered by that of the pommel, giving it a perfect balance. "It must cost a fortune!"

"Believe me, you'll need it. Because it's mithril, it can hurt things like ghosts and will-o'-the-wisps." the older man said. "Don't worry about the cost. I'll take a portion from your contracts until you have it paid off. The same with the second one, when you're ready for it. We do it for all our members. That's how our new boy Chance will be getting his armor and sword. He showed up with nothing but the shirt on his back."

Teresa nodded as the Colovian took the sheath and a pair of belts and wrapped them around her body. Rather than looping the belts around her waist, he ran them over her shoulders, like a pair of suspenders. Then he attached the actual sheath upside down, to her right breast. Only a strap of leather across the grip prevented the dagger from falling out of its scabbard.

"This will give you a quick draw, and leave your hips free for your quiver at your right and bowcase on your left, not to mention your poison and potions." The Colovian stood back and took her in. "Now you're looking like a real fighter kid. That reminds me, has Tadrose taken your measurements yet?"

"Yes," Teresa breathed, looking down at herself. She was covered in armor and weapons. Just a few months ago she never would have imagined herself this way. Yet somehow it did not feel strange at all. Rather, she felt quite natural, like a real fighter, just as Pappy had said. "She's even fitted my armor already."

"I thought you looked a little different," the older man observed. "It feels a lot better, wearing armor that's tailored just to you doesn't it?"

"Yes," Teresa admitted. She had thought the leather from her leftover Vilverin spoils had fit her well enough. Until Tadrose had worked on it. Afterward she could not believe how much easier moving in it had become. "Tadrose is wonderful!"

"Yeah, she could have her own chapter if she wanted one," Pappy said quietly, leading the wood elf to where the others - including the porter Tavian - worked out with bare hands. "She won't leave Bravil though."

"Really?" Teresa asked, looking at Tadrose. Just that moment Ancondil charged at her, and the dark elf somehow stepped to one side and flipped him onto his back. It had all happened so quickly that the wood elf had no idea how she had done it. "What is that she's doing?"

"That is Digordorn," the Colovian said. "It means 'opened-hand'. The Bretons developed it a few thousand years ago to fight bigger, heavier enemies, like the orcs in the Wrothgarians. I have that on your training plan, after you learn the dagger."

"I have a training plan?" Teresa asked. The older man had never said anything about one before.

"Damn right you do," the former centurion replied. "Tadrose and I create one for every one of you meatheads, to hone your strengths, and make up for your weaknesses. Did you think I was just pulling all of this out of my rear?"

"Well I-" Teresa began with a faint smile, making a show of looking down at his backside.

"Don't answer that!" the Colovian laughed, holding up his hands. Then his face turned serious once more. "Speaking of your plan, your Flare is a good spell, but it lacks real punch. I want you to head over to the Mages Guild and learn a more powerful touch spell. Fire's good, especially against trolls. So is shock, it hurts most anything, including Daedra. Stay away from frost though, undead are resistant to it."

"But I won't be able to cast something like that more than a few times before I am out of magicka." Teresa said. "I can keep doing the Flare a lot longer."

"Yeah, but if you are fighting a professional, they will be able to recover from it just as fast," the Colovian explained. "Remember, you don't want to get into a drawn out battle up close. You need to hit like an ogre and get out of there. No matter how much you practice, you are not going to last in a slugfest. That is what mules like me are for."

"You're right," Teresa breathed. He was always right, she thought, at least when it came to fighting. "Until now I always ran away from that kind of thing."

"Good!" Pappy smiled, "that's exactly what I want you to keep doing too! This hand-to-hand is only to keep you alive when things go sour. Remember Pappy's Rule Number Ten?"

Teresa furrowed her brow, trying to remember which one that was. For a man who freely admitted to breaking rules, and in fact took great pride in doing so, he certainly had plenty of his own!

"Umm, never fight a battle you can't win?"

"Exactly," the Colovian said. "You retreat, and trade space for the time you need to regroup and get stronger, so that you can win. Battles are won up here," he tapped his finger against his forehead, "not with your biceps."

"Well, running is one thing I've always been good at, now more than ever that you have me doing it every day," Teresa breathed. "I don't want to be a hero."

"That's what I like about women fighters." Pappy smiled as he poured a cup of water from a pitcher and took a gulp. "You don't let pride shut your brain off. That's the hardest thing to get through the heads of those young bucks." The older man nodded, looking at Chance. "They think they are going to win every fight, and would rather die than face the shame of retreating. Or at least they think they would."

"I have been meaning to ask you something," Teresa said after a few moments. She turned to look at the bare chest of the man beside her. "Your legion armor has that golden laurel on it. Is that because of you won the Grass Crown?"

"Yeah," the older man replied. "The actual crown they give us in the ceremony is only for formal occasions. It's much too delicate to wear in the field. So they issue each of us a new breastplate with a laurel set into it, as well as a shield enchantment."

"I saw one like it at Bruma," Teresa said. "But the man in it wasn't part of the rest of the army. He was with a group of people by the really big Oblivion Gate."

"Wait a minute, you were at Bruma?" The Colovian turned to face her. "You never said that before."

"Well, I wasn't exactly there." Teresa bit her lip, remembering how she had to tell Julian the same thing. "I saw it all in a vision. There was a man in armor just like yours - legion plate on the chest with the golden laurel - but those orcish scales on the arms and legs. He almost got brained by a really big dremora with a war hammer."

"Well I'll be damned," Pappy exclaimed with a grin. "That was me alright! I still don't know what made me turn around to see that monster. Luck, the gods, or just plain old intuition. But you saw it in a vision? Are you a Witch as well as an archer?"

"I don't know." Teresa looked down at her feet. "Sometimes my spirit guide shows me things, things that matter to me."

Teresa heard a slap, and looked up to see the older man with his palm against his forehead. "Of course, you're a Bosmer," he said. "I was in Elsweyr for a while, in the Tenmar Forest. We had some wood elf mercenaries from Valenwood serving with us as archers. They had a weird way of knowing things, and said it was their spirit guides that told them. The Khajiit hated them. Which was just fine with us because we were hunting Renrijra Krin rebels."

With that Tadrose called a stop and the others walked over to join Pappy and Teresa. Ancondil instantly noticed Teresa's new dagger and congratulated her upon it, asking her to show it off for all to see. The wood elf felt awkward with all the attention on her, and found herself wishing she had been born under the Shadow like Methredhel, so that she could disappear.

"All right you meatheads," Pappy finally broke them up, "I've got paying customers coming soon, and I don't want the lot of you ruffians scaring them away. Go get cleaned up and learn your spells. Just be back for dinner, I'm making something special in honor of our new member."

"He cooks?" Chance asked as they filed out of the training room.

"Indeed," Ancondil said. "Last week he made the best roast boar I have ever had the privilege of eating."

Teresa frowned at the memory. She had not been able to eat a bite because it was meat, and just had leftover bread instead. She could tell that Pappy had been exasperated, even though the Colovian had not said anything directly. She wondered what he was planning this time, and hoped it would at least include something without dead animals.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 19 2011, 02:18 AM

[mALX]

This chapter is so filled with stuff to quote - first, the overall impression of Pappy's supervision of his fighters is outstanding! He almost acts like the "Pappy" his name implies, calling the fighter's "kid" reinforces that impression. Having worked for a boss just like this before I can say that your depiction of Pappy is the ultimate in the type of boss any women and all young boys all should have as their first work experience - tough, but you can tell he cares that you not get out there and not come back after a mission...kind of like Owyn at the Arena is. AWESOME Character Write !!!

This paragraph was really impressive in simplicity while imparting fighting tips the reader can use with ease to get the edge in a melee situation:

Teresa did just that, stepping inside the guard of his sword and standing nearly chest to chest with the larger man. The dagger in her left hand was still engaged with his sword, catching it between her blade and guard to keep it away from her. At the same time her right hand pressed against his flesh. If it had been for real she would have used her Flare spell to fry him.

Really cool trick!

Third, I can never say enough how endearing it is to be on the outside watching as Teresa matures into womanhood from the skittish child that left that jail cell that day - AWESOME Character Development As Always !!!!! You absolutely ROCK when it comes to making endearing and beloved, memorable characters !!! AWESOME WRITE !!!!!

[haute ecole rider]

Teresa furrowed her brow, trying to remember which one that was. For a man who freely admitted to breaking rules, and in fact took great pride in doing so, he certainly had plenty of his own!

This made me laugh! I've met guys (and a few women) like that too, so it has the ring of truth to it as well.

I really enjoyed this entire segment, as Teresa learns a few more things from Pappy, and he learns something new about Teresa (her experience at Bruma). His prior experience with Bosmeri archers in the past adds a new dimension to him as well. I really like what you've done with the Bravil chapter.

[ghastley]

For a man who freely admitted to breaking rules, and in fact took great pride in doing so, he certainly had plenty of his own!

Looks like Teresa's getting close to understanding that if you break them, you have to be able to replace them, just like anything else. She's definitely learning a lot quickly, so it won't be long before she can decide when a rule is broken, and needs a new one.

[Olen]

Oooh two parts... and both good. Meeting the other fighters is fun, and you have real personalities for them all. I sense quite a bit of thought went into putting the right people together to get the group dynamic right, from what I've read it's excellent and I look forward to more.

Teresa learning weaponry is fun to read, she's got a new weapon too. She definately seems to be getting stonger and more confident in her abilities. I liked Pappy's attempt to beef her up with meat... I predict eggs, lots of eggs for the meal (assuming she eats those).

Including magic in fighting is good too, it would change things. Especially shock, depending on how it works you could do mean things when the blades touched...

[ghastley]

... I liked Pappy's attempt to beef her up with meat... I predict eggs...

Beans are an excellent source of vegetable protein, and since she's an archer standing at the back, the side-effects may not be a problem.

[Acadian]

Old business: Oh, on the bloom spell, I think you are right. I imagine restoration would be the best choice.

This was a very fun and illustrative episode in 'a day in the life'. The personalities of Teresa's guild mates come out nicely. More mystery regarding Tadrose in that there seems to be something holding her in Bravil. Ancondil always shines, as does the interaction between Pappy and Teresa. You packed a lot of tactics in here, but did so in a highly entertaining way.

I loved the references sprinkled in here to Bruma, spirit guides and our friend Methie. I too wonder if Pappy will have noticed Teresa's lack of boar consumption and will consider that as he prepares his next Bravilain culinary presentation.

Nit?
'It's much too delicate to wear in the field. So they issue each of us a new breastplate with a laurel set into it, as well a Shield enchantment."
It seems as if another 'as' is needed here: ',as well as a Shield enchantment.'

[D.Foxy]

Rosa, this latest chapter gets the DFoxy seal of approval for both technique, training philosophy, and realism!

I wish I had more time - but believe me, I read and appreciate all that's going on around here!

[Captain Hammer]

Great chapter. I really appreciated the way you handle the mechanics of the Fighters' Guild arming its members and dealing with the expense. First thing I always did in my games was head to Chorrol, join the Fighters' Guild, and grab some steel weaponry. The fact that it doesn't cost me anything was a bit off for an organization that claims to operate as a sanctioned mercenary outfit.

One question. Why does Teresa not eat terrestrial vertebrates (deer, boar, etc.) but is fine with consuming fish or crab? I ask because with 50 pages or so, I'm having a tough time pin-pointing the part where that's explained, and even things I've read a week ago will lose their details in my memory (things I've written, though, I can recall with ease). I know that she doesn't keep the Green Pact like most Bosmer in Valenwood will do, but is there a particular reason that I missed or have forgotten?

[Thomas Kaira]

Kudos to Hammer for getting the 1000th post!

A very fun, energetic read. It speaks volumes about how Pappy runs his guild, he keeps a tight ship, that's for sure!

That's how our new boy Chance will be getting his armor and sword. He showed up with nothing but the shirt on his back.

Yikes! Does that mean... you know, since he didn't have a shirt on his back....

[SubRosa]

mALX: Pappy is always fun to write. These chapters now show the long-term effects of Bruma, and his commitment to prevent that from ever happening again.



haute ecole cat: Pappy's rules are one of those things inspired by the tv show. I still remember his line: "I like rules, I like to break them."


ghastley: As a street urchin, Teresa has never been much for rules. So Pappy's rule-breaking is one of the things she likes about him. She is still trying to figure out the whole concept of making up her own rules to live by. But thanks to rogues like Pappy, she is getting there.

Teresa likes beans! In fact, they are one of Bravil's main crops, which we will see more of in chapters 31 & 33, where we get a closer view of life on Bravil's farms. Teresa also likes fish as well, so lots of (non-male created) protein in her diet.


Olen: I did work quite a bit on the new Bravil FG. I was mainly looking for a cast of unusual characters, to reinforce the idea that Pappy always gets the oddballs. Even Tadrose, who seems to conventional and dependable, has more than her share of skeletons in the closet that make her that way.

No eggs for Teresa. Those are babies!


Acadian: Thank you for wrangling up my wandering 'as'. Sometimes it takes someone who rides, shoots straight, and speaks the truth to rustle up those words that break off from the herd.

You have pretty much picked up on all the salient points in the last episode. Pappy will not have to guess about The Teresa Dinner Doctrine, as this next episode will reveal.


D.Foxy: Thank you fox. As ever, your Blades topic in the old forum was lots of help in portraying Teresa's use of the parrying dagger.


Captain Hammer: The Mages Guild is the same way. You join up, and can immediately start taking alchemy equipment off the shelves, food from the tables (to make into potions, which you can in turn sell), even silver daggers in some of the halls. All without having to ever do anything in return for the guild. Both of the guilds in the TF are much different. They are about making money, even though they go about it in very different ways.

Teresa has not formally laid down her Dinner Doctrine, although she will in chapter 31. She became a vegetarian way back in the misty dawn of chapter 3, when she first ventured into the depths of the Great Forest. She found the deer and other animals too beautiful to kill, let alone eat. She has slowly been refining her ideas since then, although not consciously, as she has spent more time around animals in the forest. But suffice to say, she will not eat land or air animals. Rather only seafood is on her menu. This is something that will have real effects in the future btw.

I am not using the Green Pact in the TF, as there is no way I could portray it as existing in a realistic world. If the Bosmer had been presented as a nomadic horse culture keeping vast herds of goats, cattle, and other animals on a wide open steppe it might work. Although even nomadic horse societies still ate some fruits and vegetables that they either gathered, bartered, or raided to get. But a forest people would never make it as pure hunters/pastoralists. In Hunter/Gatherer societies hunting only accounts for 20% of the food at best. Hunting alone simply cannot maintain a large population, especially not one that lives in cities, as the Bosmer must, since they have them on the maps. That is why predators are always in the far minority to prey animals in the wild. Most of the Bosmer would die of starvation in short order if they tried to follow it, and the small remnant would be easy picking for their neighbors, not to mention the orcs and intelligent apes that live in Valenwood's borders.

Instead the Bosmer of the TF follow a philosophy of conservation that is based upon a reverence of nature.


Thomas Kaira: Pappy has certainly changed how he runs that guild since Bruma. Before I am sure it was as loosey-goosey as the other FG Chapters. We will see more of that when Teresa visits the IC guild in a few chapters.


Next: After a morning spent in exercises and training, it is time for a bath!


Chapter 29.4 - A Day In The Life

A long soak in the guild's massive cedar tub followed, and eased the stiffness of the morning's workout from the wood elf's body. She had to wait until the men had taken their turn, but it was well worth having the deep tub all to herself.

Unlike the portable metal baths that most inns possessed, where one sat with legs stretched out and the water only came up to the waist, this was a massive construction built into a room whose sole purpose was to house it. The wide, barrel-shaped basin was so deep that the water came right to her neck, and she had to climb steps alongside it to get in. It also had seats built into its walls, so she sat as if in a chair. Perhaps best of all however were the heat stones beneath the double-bottomed bronze floor, which made the water steam with warmth.

Tadrose had told her that it was based on Akaviri design, something the original Blades of Emperor Reman I had brought with them to Cyrodiil. They must certainly love water in Akavir, she thought as she closed her eyes and floated away in the hot liquid.

The sound of the door brought the wood elf back to reality, and she opened her eyes to see Tadrose stripping off the thick tunic she wore beneath her armor. Teresa tried not to stare at the dark elf's naked body as she sponged herself clean with soap and rinsed herself off with water from a bucket, the dross falling into a grate in the floor beside the tub. Only then did Tadrose climb the steps to the top of bath and ease herself within alongside Teresa.

"Greetings Tadrose," the wood elf smiled faintly. She could not help but to notice the bands of hard muscle that encased the other woman's frame, and the white lines of old scars. The dark elf's body was far from the soft hourglass that women were supposed to possess. Yet Teresa could not get the sight of it from her mind. She was glad when she could only see the other woman's face after she had submerged herself in the tub beside her.

"Well met Teresa." The other woman closed her eyes for a moment, and Teresa imagined that she must be reveling in the heat of the water surrounding her body. "How do you feel after your first week in the guild, and your first contract?"

"I am so glad I joined," Teresa breathed honestly. Part of her wanted to say that she actually had two contracts now, but the first with Henantier was not something she could talk about. "It is worth it just for this tub!"

The dark elf chuckled then, and took a moment to duck her head below the water. Emerging a moment later, she pulled her wet hair from her face and laid her head back against the rim of the tub. "In Morrowind I had a bath made from a giant crabshell," she said, "but I have to admit I prefer this one. The smell of the cedar is almost as soothing as the hot water."

"You used to live in Morrowind?" Teresa asked. After what Pappy had said earlier in the morning, she had started to think the Dunmer had lived in Bravil all of her life.

The other woman did not say anything for long moments. "That was a long time ago," she finally replied, her features darkening like the ashlands her homeland was known for.

"Oh," Teresa breathed. She wondered why the other woman left, but was not about to ask, given the sudden shift in her mood. Instead she tried to change the topic to something closer. "So how long have you been in Bravil? Everyone in the Imperial City says this place is awful, but I think it's beautiful."

"It has been almost a decade now," Tadrose sighed, her eyes fixed upon something far away in her mind. "The years certainly go by. Faster than you expect them to."

"Have you been in the guild all that time?" Teresa wondered aloud, not sure if she should just leave the other woman to her thoughts. "Or were you a fighter before you came?"

"I joined soon after coming here," the other woman said, turning her eyes to meet Teresa's. "Actually, we have something in common, because I joined so that I could learn to fight as well. I mean really fight. Not the nice, neat, sword lessons that spoiled children receive, where no one ever cheats, and no one gets hurt."

"Did Pappy teach you then?" Teresa asked, wondering about the Dunmer's last remark. What kind of children received swordsmanship lessons? she wondered. Rich ones, her mind instantly answered, noble ones.

"No, I was here before him," the other woman replied. "He was still in the Imperial Legion back then. Gaius only came to Bravil a few years ago, after he wore out his welcome in the Imperial City chapter."

"He has a habit of doing that, from what I'm told," Teresa said. "I heard he was run out of the legion too."

"Yes," the other woman breathed. "He is a good leader. The best one I have ever been under, to be honest. He knows more about fighting and motivating people than anyone in the guild. But his prick always seems to get in the way of his brain. A problem many men seem to have. He has gotten better though, since Bruma."

Teresa stifled a giggle. She had not known that many men, but the latter part certainly described many of them!

A loud rumble came from her stomach, reminding her of how long it had been since she had eaten. She felt her cheeks flush with more warmth than was provided by the water and looked sheepishly at Tadrose.

"You had better go eat lunch," the other woman replied, a smile as faint of one of Teresa's own playing across her dark features.

Teresa nodded and rose from the tub. She briefly found herself wondering if the other woman liked what she saw, at least as much as Teresa had when their positions had been reversed. Yet if the dark elf did, she gave no sign of it as Teresa dried herself and dashed her body with vanilla and rubbed a gel of lavender, chamomile, and apricots into her hair. The latter was a new creation of hers, based on the combined advice of both Ardaline and Nerussa, and would both hold her hair in place when it dried, and keep it smelling divine.

"Do not forget dinner," the Dunmer reminded Teresa after she reached for the door. "I reminded Gaius that you do not eat meat, so do not worry about it being awkward this time."

"Thank you Tadrose," Teresa smiled faintly, looking back to the vice-commander. The dark elf had remembered that she liked milk this morning as well. Did the Dunmer do these little things for everyone else in the guild?

* * *

Rather than putting her armor back on, Teresa changed into a sleeveless dress of dark green linen layered over a brown chemise, in the same fashion she had learned from Ardaline. Normally she would head out into the woods surrounding the city at this time, or visit Silverbridge. She still had much to learn about her new surroundings, and every day that she explored she found something new.

But today she was only going to see the inside of the Mages Guild, she frowned as she strode through the streets. It was not such a bad thing however, at least she might be able to talk Ardaline into having lunch with her again after all.

That is when she noticed Aia standing alone in one of the graveyards next to the Benevolence of Mara. The shoeless beggar had her back to the street, and seemed to be staring down at the battered and chipped headstones.

Screenshot

"Good afternoon Aia!" Teresa called out. The old woman nearly jumped, and Teresa bit her lip in self-reproach. People always said she had a habit of sneaking up on them with her quiet footsteps, so she had wanted to announce herself. Sometimes she just could not do anything right...

"Oh Teresa dearie!" the old woman breathed in a high, thin voice. She laid a hand over her heart as the wood elf walked over to her. "Quite a start you gave me. Lost in thought I suppose I was."

Teresa glanced down at the markers lying scattered around their feet. Worn by wind and rain, and many playing host to creeping moss, she could not make out any of the names carved into their stone faces. For a moment she thought to ask if they were anyone that Aia knew, but after remembering Tadrose's reaction to her question about Morrowind, she changed her mind.

"I'm sorry," Teresa said, looking back up into the Imperial woman's dark eyes, "how about I buy you lunch to make up for it?"

"You don't have to be doing that dearie," Aia said. "Out with your friends, a young thing like yourself ought to be."

"Absolutely," Teresa agreed with a faint smile. Taking the old woman's arm in her own, she led her away from the graveyard and out onto Chapel Way. "Now where should we go? Nilawen has wonderful Redguard wraps. Or maybe some Argonian noodles? I found a man down on the docks who makes them for the sailors and stevedores."

"Too good to me, you are Teresa," the Imperial woman said in a voice that may have cracked with more than age. Yet she allowed the wood elf to lead her through the streets. In the end it was the noodle vendor they settled upon, and the pair sat on the docks beside the Argonian's stand slurping up cold somen noodles spiced with ginger.

"So do you know Tadrose Helas?" Teresa found herself asking when they were done.

"That dark elf she is, from the Fighters Guild?" the old woman nodded. They began to climb the long flights of wooden steps that rose from the river up to the rest of the city on the bank above. "Aye, a bit of her I know, why?"

"I was just curious about her is all," Teresa explained, biting her lip. "She told me she is not from Bravil, but she came here ten years ago."

"About right that is," Aia said, pausing on one of the landings between flights of steps to think. "Such a pretty young thing she was, just like you. Come to think of it, she was a stranger to a smile then too."

"I smile!" Teresa's eyes opened with surprise, and she could not contain the ghost of one as the old woman grinned at her through her own broken teeth. "See!"

"Sure girlie, and the Countess of Bravil I am too." The old woman made her way back up the stairs. Teresa laid a gentle hand at her back, just in case the creaking legs of the beggar had trouble with the rise.

"So back to Tadrose," Teresa asked. "What does she do?"

"Spends all of her time in that guild house she does." The old woman leaned into Teresa as she made her way up the riverbank. "Workin' on armor and teachin' folks to fight. Has lunch by the Lucky Lady most days though. Sits and watches the kids play she does. Goes to the big chapel o' Mara every Sundas. Sometimes other days too. Hardly ever see the dun-folk there."

Teresa nodded. The first part certainly sounded like the Tadrose she knew. It also explained where she disappeared to every day at noon. She never imagined the other woman for a chapelgoer though. "So does she have any children of her own?" the Bosmer asked, "or family here in Bravil?"

"Not a one," the old woman replied as they reached the top of the steps and stood in the main street running along the middle branch of the Larsius. "Not even a man, and more than few sniffed her skirt since she first got here, did they."

Teresa thanked the old woman for sharing lunch, and her observations, and made her way to the Mages Guild. Quite the mystery you are Tadrose, she thought along the way. What was it about Bravil the dark elf liked so much that she did not want to leave, Teresa wondered, when there seemed to be nothing here for her? Why did she spend nearly all of her time alone, throwing herself into her work? What had happened in Morrowind, that made her leave?

Then she was standing on the front steps of the Mages Guild, and the fiery-eyed Dunmer slipped from her mind. She found herself hoping that Henantier was around to teach her that spell, because she doubted she could stand another cup of Delphine's tea!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 21 2011, 01:05 AM

[haute ecole rider]

On the subject of eggs - hens don't need a rooster around to lay eggs - they do it all on their own. Of course, without that rooster, the eggs are sterile - just yolk and white, no embryo. That's why the factory farm eggs we find in the grocery store never have a chick growing in them. Now the ones we buy from the farms along the back roads are a different matter . . . So if these are the kinds of eggs one sees in Nirn, then Teresa is wise to avoid them. But if they come from a Nirn style factory farm, nope, no babies there!

I absolutely loved this chapter the first time around, and enjoyed it even more the second time around.

That bath was divine! Ahh! Since moving to the new house, I find myself missing the old cast iron tub in the old house. Now that could keep a bath hot until I was pruned up! The acrylic tubs here aren't much good for that.

And what a lovely conversation with Aia. A great way to learn more about what could be one of the most mysterious ladies in the TF!

Oh, and the only thing Bravil is missing is a streetside soju bar! Yum!