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

[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.

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"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!

[Grits]

She had to wait until the men had taken their turn, but it was well worth having the deep tub all to herself.

Darn it! I’m sure you didn’t have to wait, Teresa! The more we learn about Tadrose, the more mysterious and fascinating she becomes.


"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.

Teresa is so sweet! I love how she has befriended Aia, and how Aia shows her worth over lunch.

Now I have a hankering for a cedar bath and some gingery Argonian noodles.

[ghastley]

Vanilla, chamomile, apricots? You've written a much better ingredient store into your Bravil than I've ever found there. I wonder if they sell the lemons for Weebam-Na's rat and wild rice recipe?

It makes sense that the men would bathe first. They probably need it more urgently.

[Olen]

I was more thinking the blokes would bathe first because they wouldn't be much fussed who was in there...

Good part, Teresa is certainly fascinated by Tadrose, is the opposite true? Ten years is quite a while so I suspect there's more there than just not being interested at the skirt sniffers (which is a great metaphor).

far from the soft hourglass that women were supposed to possess

And Teresa begins to turn a new leaf in her confidence. She's becoming happy with who she is, rather than aspiring to be someone else. Soon she'll be fine with stringy (or perahps wiry). It all fits with the prograssion since she headed south and had space to think apart from pressures to be who people think she is, I suspect her return will be quite eventful.

The dark elf had remembered that she liked milk this morning as well.

That should sort the aching muscles.

What was it about Bravil the dark elf liked so much that she did not want to leave

Tadrose really stepped out of the page in this part, before she was as developed as the rest of the Bravil guild but you very quickly fleshed her out (pun vaguly intended) into a full character with hints of background. I suspect the reason to the above, however, isn't about what Bravil is but rather what it isn't, and that's Morrowind.

Nit: the heat stones beneath the double-bottomed bronze floor, which made the water steam with heat - repetition of heat was a little jarring.

[Thomas Kaira]

A wonderfully relaxing episode after the intense, sweat-building training.

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.

Going Far-eastern, then are we? I would've thought the Argonians would be more into things like Cacao or Papaya (and of course, bugs; they are lizards, after all). But of course, this is your story, and your meal! Nothing wrong with some nice rice noodles with a mild kick.

Speaking of which, Have you seen these guys in action? It's mighty impressive.

Not a nit, but an observation:

"That was a long time ago," she finally replied, her features darkening like the ashlands her homeland was known for.

The ashlands are exclusive to Vvardenfell. Morrowind is actually quite varied when it comes to terrain, you have the dry steppes and rocky mountain ranges of Molagreahd peninsula, to the snow-capped peaks of the Skyrim border, and finally descending into a hot, stuffy jungle environment as you travel southward to Black Marsh.

Still, since Vvardenfell makes up half of the province anyways, there's really no point in changing that quote.

[Acadian]

Another lovely segment in the 'day in the life'!

You presented a lot of information, but it all flowed with perfect pacing from one event to the next. That tub makes joining the FG well worth it!

I quite like the unique speech patterns you have given Aia. Her manner of speech just fits her so well.

And more mystery about the Dunmeri lass from Morrowind.

[SubRosa]

hen ecole rider: I forgot that about hens! Thank you, I worked that into chapter 31. It does make sense to me that Cyrodiilians would do that, and selectively control the breeding.

You also inspired me to have Pappy set up a soju still in the FG alchemy lab! I already mention in Chapter 31 what they get rice by the sack from Leyawiin, so it is perfect.


Grits: She had to wait. Teresa can live without seeing a room full of sweaty, naked men! It is nice to portray Teresa's good side with Aia, after seeing as much of her temper as we have.


ghastley: Mmmmm, rat and wild rice... I wonder if TK has a recipe for that!

I am sure the men do need it more, but I think Olen hit the head on the real reason the men go first. They would just go in there anyway.


Olen: Is Tadrose fascinated by Teresa? Now that is the million septim question. Sooner or later, we will find out (more likely later though ) There will be plenty of hints along the way however.

Good eye on the heating, it has been de-heated, without cooling off the bath.


Thomas Kaira: Wow, that guy really knows how to pound his dough! I always figured the Agronian cooking as being a mix of Cajun and Thai. Really spicy, with seafood and lots of noodles. I do not know why the latter, I just easily picture Argonians slurping up noodles.

I went with the ashlands because it seems like it is something unique to Morrowind when compared to other provinces. Not just because of the whole volcanic origin, but the Dagoth Ur origin as well.


Acadian: I wish I had that tub too! Not to mention the mysterious dark elf that goes with it! Aia is always great fun to write, even if making her backwards speech creates extra work for me (I write it out normal in the first draft, then go back and start reversing words and phrases in the following edits).


Next: After a long soak in the tub and lunch with Aia, Teresa is off to learn a new spell, and have dinner.


Chapter 29.5 - A Day In The Life


"Forgive me for saying so Teresa, but I believe your mind may be elsewhere."

Teresa blinked, and looked up at the slender Altmer before her. Clad in a plain blue mage's robe, his angular features were capped by a widow's peak of brown hair. His almond eyes stared back at the wood elf, and she wondered if it was impatience she saw within them, or perhaps a hint of humor?

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"I'm sorry Henantier." The forester bit her lip. "I just cannot wrap my brain around this shock symbol."

"Well, that does happen sometimes," the Altmer magician shrugged. "Some people are naturally aspected to certain forms of magic, and just as unsuited to others. Magic is as much about intuition and personal affinity as it is about study and practice."

"Maybe we should just try a fire spell instead," Teresa offered, picturing the burning eyes of Tadrose Helas in her mind. "I already know a Flare spell, so that should be easier."

"Yes indeed," the high elf agreed. "I had hoped that by learning a shock spell it would nicely complement that. But that does not appear to be in your stars. On the other hand, when we are finished you will be able to cook your meals with your fingers!"

That brought a faint smile to Teresa's lips, and Henantier took away the instruction pamphlet for the lightning spell and brought her one based on flame. The high elf stepped beside her, laying a soft hand on her back and using the other to point out the similarities between her Flare and this new spell, which he called Burning Hand.

Under his patient direction, she felt the spell quickly forming in her mind. Quick for her at least, she thought. She imagined that a wizard like Henantier would have been able to learn such a simple magic in a few minutes. Yet it was only after an hour had passed that she had finally mastered the spell. She was never going to be a mage, she thought, not a real one like he was at least. Still, she was thankful that she could at least use some magic, unlike poor Ancondil.

After demonstrating her newfound ability for Ardaline, and spending some time in small talk with the other elf, Teresa made her way back to her own guild hall. The sun was well into the west by then, a red-gold crown gracing the mountains along the border of Elsweyr.

Teresa paused a moment to stare up at those forested peaks, and found herself wishing she could be there within the trees. The view must be lovely, she thought wistfully, with the Nibenay Valley spread out below. The wood elf sighed, and reached out to lay her fingers upon a cottonwood tree in the street, surrounded by an ankle-high barrier of stones to keep wagons and carts from blundering into it. The living wood against her skin was as soothing as the warm bath in the guild hall, and Teresa closed her eyes to relish the feeling of the firm bark under her fingers.

Tomorrow she would get out to the forest west of the city, the wood elf resolved, no matter what else Pappy might want her to do. The Colovian had already joked about her frolicking in the woods, but it was her afternoon sojourns into the wilderness around Bravil that were the best parts of her days, more peaceful even than her early morning runs.

Silently bidding the cottonwood goodbye, the wood elf scouted a path through the city streets to the looming edifice of the Fighters Guild. There she spent some time sitting with Ancondil and reading The Last King Of The Ayleids. The velvet-clad Orisimer practiced his lute while Teresa read Herminia's book about the final days of the Arimer, until it was finally time for Pappy's latest masterpiece.

The two of them made their way to the dining room and sat together at the round table within. Teresa was oddly pleased when Tadrose entered next and sat beside her. The dark elf was clad in a simple brown bodice and white chemise that left her shoulders bare. A tan-colored skirt of the elvish style - which was to say it fell to only her knees - showed off her legs, which were sheathed in stockings that matched the blue shade of her skin. Once again it was the blazing infernos of her eyes that caught Teresa however, and the wood elf wondered what it was about the other woman that made her heart quicken so?

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"Everyone here?" Pappy entered the room from the door to the kitchen, buttoning up the white shirt he wore over his dark pants. Tavian scampered into the room behind him, moving to a cupboard and producing an armload of plates and utensils.

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"We seem to be missing our newest member," Ancondil observed, rising to take some of the porter's cargo and lay it across the table.

"CHANCE!" Pappy's voice rang through Teresa's ears like a Minotaur's bellow, and she was certain that the wineglasses nearly cracked.

"If you keep doing that in the hall you are going to bring down the roof," Tadrose said dryly.

"Hey, it works," Pappy winked as the young Redguard strutted into the room, still in the same dark attire that he had worn that morning.

"I'm not late am I?" Chance asked as he took a seat. "I met some of the chambermaids from the castle, and I sort of lost track of time…"

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Teresa rolled her eyes, and found Tadrose doing the same beside her. Pappy just laughed as he walked back into the kitchen, only to return a few moments later with a platter laden with boiled crab, fried salmon, and breaded shrimp. Along with the seafood was a large bowl of rice that was doused with a dark brown sauce and mixed with sliced carrots, green onions, celery, and bean sprouts. Teresa felt her stomach leap with anticipation as the Colovian laid the steaming meal down before her, and had to resist the urge to reach out and snatch a leg of the giant crab.

Tadrose stood and retrieved a bottle of Tamika's wine and another of Surilie Brothers brandy from a rack along one wall of the dining room. She poured glasses for everyone at the table while Pappy loaded their plates. Finally, when everyone was served, the commander and vice-commander sat. Without further ceremony they both dug into their meals, and Teresa followed suit with the rest.

"This is marvelous!" Ancondil exclaimed after swallowing a bite. "What kind of crab is this?"

"Mudcrab," Tadrose answered, and Teresa fought to restrain a faint smile as the finely-clad Orismer blanched. Then he shrugged his shoulders and took another piece in his mouth. Teresa noted how he took his time to chew, savoring the taste of the meat, before finally swallowing. Exactly as Nerussa did when she ate.

"Well, they certainly taste better than they look!" the orc finally declared.

"We used to eat them all the time on the Waterfront," Teresa offered after taking a bite herself. "They were never as good as this though."

"It's all in the spices kid," the Colovian explained, with a real smile lighting his features. "I'm glad to see you like it. I use some Argonian seasonings that really bring out the flavor."

"How on Nirn did you learn to cook so well?" Ancondil asked the guild commander. "I never would have imagined a man from the army being a master chef."

"The Imperial Legion is what taught me," Pappy laughed, taking a sip of the brandy before continuing. "I spent almost my entire fourteen years in the service stuck in godsforsaken holes. You either learn to like biscuits that are hard as iron and filled with weevils, or you start making your own food. Me, I could never get used to weevils…"

"Weevils!" Teresa made a face, picturing the tiny vermin in her mind. "People eat that?"

"You'll eat anything when you're hungry enough kid," Pappy explained. "We used to eat it at night, so you didn't have to look at them. You'd dip your hardtack into hot tea, and the scrape them off the top of the cup. Some men got to like it though, the weevils were a lot softer than the biscuits after all."

"So is someone else coming?" Chance asked, looking at the empty chair beside him, and the plate loaded with food in front of it.

The rest of the table fell silent, and Teresa looked down at her own plate as Tadrose cleared her throat.

"That is a guild tradition," the vice-commander explained. "It is how we remember our brothers and sisters who are no longer with us."

"Oh," the Redguard said, now lowering his own gaze to his plate. "I'm sorry, I had no idea…"

"Don't feel bad kid," Pappy said quietly from across the table. "We all made that mistake the first time we sat here."

"I have been writing something about that, in a certain regard," Ancondil said, dispelling the awkward silence that had begun to develop. "I have been working on it ever since Tadrose told me about the Battle of Bruma. I think it might be ready for hearing, at least the part I have finished."

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Pappy bade him to continue with a nod and wave of his hand, and all eyes fell upon the elegant Orisimer, as he cleared his throat, then began to speak.

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved Aetherius and Nirn, that which we are, we are,--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield"

"That was beautiful," Teresa laid a gentle hand upon the shoulder of the orc beside her, feeling her eyes begin to water. She could see the poem had a similar affect upon Tadrose to her other side. The men all remained stoic of course, but Pappy did lift his brandy snifter to Ancondil.

"Here is to our warrior-poet," he declared. "I never once regretted bringing you on board son."

Teresa raised her glass with the others and savored the fruity taste of the wine as it danced across her tongue. She saw that Ancondil was blushing, and the orc said nothing as he drank his brandy beside her.


Note: Ancondil's poem is Ulysses, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, modified to be appropriate to the Elder Scrolls.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 22 2011, 05:42 PM

[haute ecole rider]

Luuurved the description of the food! And yes, soju is perfect for Bravil! The anju alone is enough to make Julian stop at one of those street bars!

I enjoyed the magic lesson at the beginning, and the poetry reading at the end. Overall just a great segment of a chapter.

The view must be lovely, she thought wistfully, with the Nibenay Valley spread out below.

Try heading up into the Valus Mountains and spending a couple of days up there. I could lose a week up there just gazing at the scenery!

[Thomas Kaira]

Rat and wild rice? Can't say I've tried that... but there is dirty rice (a Cajun classic rice dish that uses chicken gizzards and holy trinity). Speaking of strange foods, you said Thai? I know they love their bugs! There you go, Rosa, Thai and Cajun! Toss 'em together for an Argonian delicacy! Am I good or what?

By the way... Argonian seasonings?

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 23 2011, 03:06 AM

[Olen]

Hmmm the food sounded good. It seems Pappy is quite the chef, though for some reason I'd always imagined Tamika's wine being red... must just be wishful thinking on my part.

Teresa was oddly pleased when Tadrose entered next and sat beside her.

Nothing odd about it . I suspect Tadrose might be interested, though how much she knows it is another matter. Quite the enigma there.

[Acadian]

What a fabulous day in the life this continues to be!

'you will be able to cook your meals with your fingers!"'
Oh yes, Teresa! And lighting torches and heating bath water. I believe Delphine teaches a 'cooking with destruction' class.

'The living wood against her skin was as soothing as the warm bath in the guild hall,'
One of several passages in her walk back to the FG reminding us (and Teresa) that she is indeed a wood elf. Loving trees and warm baths makes perfect sense!

The empty chair at the table remains a lovely and still currently practiced tradition when warriors gather.

I'm glad I held off on dinner. This was magnificent. I know Teresa was pleased that it suited her diet. Superb choice of wine of course.

I struggle to write dialogue as the participants grow beyond two, so I greatly admire how well that you clearly and naturally presented lovely dinner conversation among a whole table full of hungry fighters.

[Captain Hammer]

Excellent pair of chapters for the "Day in the Life" bit. You bring out both the Fighters' Guild Bravil Chapter culture and Teresa as she sees herself fitting in with the strengthening Bravil Chapter.

Pappy just laughed as he walked back into the kitchen, only to return a few moments later with a platter laden with boiled crab, fried salmon, and breaded shrimp. Along with the seafood was a large bowl of rice that was doused with a dark brown sauce and mixed with sliced carrots, green onions, celery, and bean sprouts.

And now I'm hungry. Curse you, for seemingly summoning a Hunger straight out of the forums to attack me.

[Jacki Dice]

The sun was well into the west by then, a red-gold crown gracing the mountains along the border of Elsweyr.

That's a beautiful description ♥

I enjoyed the "Day in the Life" chapters. It doesn't focus a ton on the fighting and cave-running aspects, but more of the everyday life, which is likely how the Fighters Guild would really run.

[Grits]

I enjoyed the screenshots, Tadrose is especially lovely.

I love how everyone’s dialog at dinner is specific to their personality. Even if you removed the proper names, we could tell who was saying what by how they say it. A Day in the Life is turning into my favorite chapter.

[mALX]

The awkwardness of trying to get to know someone you are interested in - and the first thing you show curiousity about is an obviously painful subject - you portrayed this ... very real situation perfectly.

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."

What a perfectly immersive sentence - I loved this line !!!


*****

Tadrose is beautiful ... Pappy has man-boobs! GAAAAH !!!

the young Redguard strutted into the room, still in the same dark attire that he had worn that morning.

"I'm not late am I?" Chance asked as he took a seat. "I met some of the chambermaids from the castle, and I sort of lost track of time…"

SPEW !!! Uh, ... BWAAAHAAA !!!!

Tadrose stood and retrieved a bottle of Tamika's wine and another of Surilie Brothers brandy from a rack along one wall of the dining room. She poured glasses for everyone at the table while Pappy loaded their plates. Finally, when everyone was served, the commander and vice-commander sat.

This was the way every female in my family was raised. You make sure everyone is served satisfactorily before you sit down. We had quite a large family, and we rarily saw my mother sitting at the table.

"We used to eat them all the time on the Waterfront," Teresa offered after taking a bite herself. "They were never as good as this though."

"It's all in the spices kid,"

Not sure why this reminded me of Martha Stewart in prison ...



OK, Sage Rosa ... you have recycled that screenie of Ancondil, the less-pig Orc !!! All these screenies recycling ... and NO screenies of Teresa !!! Not fair, even though you did give us two of Tadrose. I don't think you posted the one of her at the Rumare thinking about the Emperor on this site, have you ? It is one of my all time faves ... (hint, hint).

I don't remember these two chapters from the original, but I am definately adding them to my list of favorites - AWESOME WRITE !!! (As it always is !!)

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Eventually Teresa will get to the Valus Mountains. After all, some say that the Last King of the Ayleids escaped to some hidden valley there...


Thomas Kaira: That looks perfect for Argonian seasonings! Cajuns put their god, his son, and his holy ghost in their rice though? Those Christians are so wacky!


Olen: I never really thought about whether Tamika's or Surile was red or white. I suppose they might make both. My understanding is that the color comes out based on whether the peels are left on the grapes or removed at the start of the wine-making process.

Tadrose might indeed be interested. We shall see, eventually.


Acadian: Delphine's cooking class! *imagines Enemies Explode used on a a bowl of spaghetti* Now that scares me!

I am glad the foresty-parts showed through. I wanted to keep that reminder alive that Teresa is indeed a forest creature, not a city one.


Captain Hammer: Those are not really chapters, just segments. The last five posts and this coming one are a single chapter. It would be too big to put in one post, so I break it up into pieces when I post.

Yes indeed though, Teresa is finding herself feeling at home in the Bravil FG. That was one of the most important things I wanted to show in this chapter.


Jacki Dice: We will be seeing more of those mountains in the future, when Teresa climbs one.


Grits: The dinner talk was hard to write, and I am still not fully satisfied with it. As you and Acadian both noted it is difficult to write dialogue with three or more people present.


mALX: I also noted that I have not put a pic of Teresa in a while. So that will be fixed in this post.

Those aren't man-boobs, those are muscle! Tell her Naughty Haute!

Keep in mind that Pappy served people along with Tadrose. So I guess that goes with his boobs?


Next: In our previous episode Teresa sat down to dinner with the rest of her guild. Next we finish the meal, and meet another fighter.


Chapter 29.6 - A Day In The Life

Screenshot

"Speaking of bringing on board," Tadrose said, turning to look at both Teresa and Ancondil. "We have some good news for the both of you." After a nod from Pappy, the Dunmer continued. "Thanks to a packet ship that came through from the Imperial City this morning, both of your background checks came though early. You are now full members of the Fighters Guild. Congratulations!"

Teresa could not suppress a real smile as the dark elf clapped her on the back. The wood elf wondered if it was just her imagination, or if the Dunmer's hand really did linger for longer than necessary against her flesh. She let her own hand fall casually, and made sure to accidently brush her fingers against the other woman's linen-clad thigh. Exactly as Nerussa would have done.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pappy likewise congratulating Ancondil. Yet her mind was still on the memory of Tadrose's touch, and the feeling of the dark elf's skirt beneath her fingers. Another toast followed, and Teresa buried herself in the soft, but potent flavor of the wine as she imagined what it might feel like to hold the vice-commander's hand.

"You never said you had so many friends in high places," Pappy said, looking at Teresa. "It turns out that not only the grandmaster of the Blades has high praise for you, but the legate of the Fifth Legion as well. Even the prefect of the Fifth's training camp sent a glowing letter of recommendation about you."

"The Grandmaster of the Blades?" Chance asked with a raised brow, clearly incredulous. "You mean you know Baurus himself?"

"Well, I only met him a few times really." Teresa squirmed in her chair. "We were both there when the Emperor died. Uriel that is, not his son."

"You were there when the Emperor died?" now it was Ancondil's turn to stare with amazement.

"She was," Pappy said plainly. "I didn't believe it when she first told me either, but I have it all in writing from the grandmaster. She killed the Emperor's assassin in hand-to-hand combat, and carried the Amulet of Kings - through the wilderness alone mind you - to Grandmaster Jauffre at Weynon Priory."

Chance whistled, while the others simply looked in with a mixture of amazement and admiration. None of which made Teresa feel much better. She just wished they would talk about something else, and stop staring at her.

"So what was he like?" Tavian asked eagerly, "the Emperor I mean?"

"Like no one else," Teresa breathed, seeing the old man's face in her memory. It was only with a supreme effort of will that she was able to keep her voice from cracking when she spoke. "It was like his eyes could see into your soul. When he talked to you, there was no one else in the world. He made you feel like you were better than you really were, like there was nothing you couldn't do."

"Yeah," Pappy agreed wistfully, "that was him. He gave me my Grass Crown. He made you feel like you were ten feet tall and could take on the world. They say it's the dragonblood the Emperors have. It makes them different from other mortals."

That left the table in silence for long moments, until Ancondil finally broke the spell. "So how do you know the legate then?" He turned to Teresa. "If I might ask?"

"I send all the inquiries to the cornicularius of the Fifth," Pappy explained as Teresa shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently he remembered her name from some other reports that came across his desk a little while ago, something to do with her pal Volsinius being awarded the Grass Crown… So he passed the background check along to him and the legate."

"It seems you are more famous than you give yourself credit for Teresa," Tadrose smiled beside her. "Apparently you helped the centurion at the end of the Crisis as well as assisting the Blades at the beginning of it."

"Volsinius says that during the battle for the Imperial City, a daedroth was about to pop his head off like a cork. But you stepped up and made a point-blank shot into its mouth." Pappy said around a mouthful of fish. "Put your arrow right through the back of its head and killed it like that!" the Imperial snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"Well, I just did what I had to…" Teresa wanted to sink in her chair, and imagined she must be redder than a lobster. "Vols is the real hero, he saved us all."

"Well, according to the centurion, you are the one who saved him," Tadrose said, still smiling. "Not just that time, but also by making a healing of potion on the spot after the battle was over. He said he would have bled to death if it had not been for you."

"Yeah," Pappy continued, appearing to delight in her discomfort, "your friend Vols said - and I quote - 'Vitellus, you'd be a damn bigger fool than when I knew you on the Waterfront if you don't take that girl. She's a pain in the neck, but worth any ten legionaries in the Fifth.' As soon as he said pain the neck, I knew it was definitely our Teresa he was talking about!"

That brought a chorus of laughter from the table, and a welcoming hand from Tadrose on Teresa's shoulder. The latter almost made up for the embarrassment that she felt. The wood elf practically thanked Raven when Ancondil came to her rescue.

"So you know this Centurion Volsinius then?" the orc asked the guild commander.

"Yeah, we served together when I first mustered in," Pappy explained, turning his gaze to Ancondil. "I was just a hastatus posterior back then, and he was a legionary in my century. Meaner than a Daedric prince, and twice as big, that was him." the Imperial turned his gaze back to Teresa. "I don't know how you got on his good side kid. When I knew that ogre he never had anything good to say about anyone."

"It's a long story," Teresa breathed, her tongue feeling the blank spot between her molars. In her mind's eye she pictured him lying bandaged in the tower, telling her about how he had murdered the man who maimed Simplicia. "Back from before I was even born, really."

"Hey, you won the Grass Crown too right?" Chance filled the silence that had developed after the Bosmer's words, looking at Pappy "So you're a hero too."

"That was a long time ago kid," Pappy said, waving his hand, "ancient history."

"Except when he wants to get into a woman's skirt," Tadrose observed, "then it suddenly becomes much more current…"

That brought another chorus of laughs, including one from Pappy himself. "Well, a good fighter does whatever he has to in order to reach his objective," the Colovian smiled.

"C'mon, I'm serious," Chance continued with a faraway look in his eyes, "you're a real hero, like Julian of Anvil and Emperor Martin. I wish I could be like that. But I never was very good at being noble, or true, or any of the other knightly virtues."

"Knightly virtues…" Pappy snorted. "You've been listening to too many bards son. Just name a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum."

"Oh come now, what about the Emperor?" Ancondil sputtered. "He was a veritable saint!"

"What he means is that our society creates a false image of heroes," Tadrose explained before Pappy could reply, "overemphasizing their good qualities to the point of pure fiction, and hiding their negative sides. The people you hear about in bard's tales do not exist, they never could, because real people are not so perfect."

"Real heroes are ugly," Pappy continued after her. "They're fat, missing teeth, or losing their hair. They cheat on their wives, get in fights with their friends, drink too much, or drown themselves in skooma. They screw up and act like idiots."

"But when the dreck starts, they stand in the line and deliver," Pappy went on. "That's all a hero is, someone you can count on to stand by you, no matter what the cost. If you kids want to see a hero, then look around you. The people sitting at this table are the real heroes, every damn one of you."

"You may not think so," Teresa could not help but to notice how the former centurion's eyes leveled upon her as he spoke those words, "but I know so. Between the legion and the guild I've been in this business for over twenty years. I know the blowhards from the genuine article. That's why you are all sitting here and no one else. You kids all have what it takes, and then some."

"Pappy's been at the Surilie Brothers brandy again!"

Along with everyone else, Teresa turned her head to the door. There stood a young Breton. His wavy brown hair hung down to his shoulders, and his eyes glittered with mirth. He wore a simple green tunic with brown sleeves. A wide belt wrapped around his waist, holding up a pair of brown hunter's pants beneath. An ornately-hilted arming sword hung from one of his hips, and a kite-shaped shield was slung over his shoulder by its strap. He dropped a sack by his feet with a loud clatter of metal, and Teresa imagined it might contain the pieces of a suit of plate armor given the bulges from within.

Screenshot

"Vincent!" Tadrose was the first to exclaim. "We were not expecting you back for another week!"

"Yeah, well instead of taking the old shoe-leather all the way back, I hopped the ferry at Pell's Gate to the Waterfront," the young man said in that soft, almost musical tone that all Bretons seemed to possess. He unslung his shield and sword and laid them against one wall. "Then I hitched a ride on a ship for High Rock as soon I got there, didn't even have time for lunch at The Bloated Float. We just put in here for the night a few minutes ago."

"Well sit down kid and take a load off," Pappy said with a grin. "Say hello to your new guild mates. That shifty pirate over by you is named Chance, 'cause his mother took one." The Colovian winked before gesturing at Ancondil and Teresa. "This big green fella here is Ancondil, our resident poet and musician. Finally that stringy wood elf next to Tadrose is none other than Teresa, a secret agent and preeminent Daedra-slayer from the Imperial City."

"This grinning meathead here is Vincent Galien," Pappy finally said, raising his brandy to the young Breton, "the prodigal son of the Bravil guild himself, returned from three weeks of drunken stupor in the fine city of Skingrad."

"Hey, I am so glad to meet you all!" the Breton clasped a welcoming hand on Chance's shoulder before sitting down beside the Redguard and making himself a plate. "This means I'm not the fetching new guy anymore!"

"Now there is knightly virtue at its finest!" Ancondil chuckled before taking a sip of brandy.

"Hey, I heard this great joke in Skingrad!" the Breton's eyes lit up as he poured himself a glass of the same liquor. "Two ogres are eating a jester. One looks to the other and says 'does this taste funny to you?'"



Note: Pappy statement "Just name a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum." is a real life quote from Gregory "Pappy" Boyington