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> Teresa of the Faint Smile, Adventures of a Stringy Bosmer
SubRosa
post Mar 19 2010, 10:56 PM
Post #1


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From: Between The Worlds



Hi all, welcome to Teresa 2.0. Some of you may recognize the stringy wood elf this fan fic is about from another forum. I am going to start reposting her adventures here. However, I have taken this opportunity
for a fresh start to go back over the story and do some work on it. Starting with an entirely new scene, which you see below.

I have decided to give up the idea of breaking things up into separate Acts like I did with Not A Hero and Moving Through Darkness. It was probably a little confusing. Instead I am just going to go with a single title and let it go on as long as it needs to, hence the new name.

You will also find that the first half of what used to be called Not A Hero has been heavily edited. Hopefully an improvement! The rest of the story will also receive a facelift, although generally not as great. There will probably be a few more entirely new chapters turning up between some of the old ones as well. So this is not the same story you might have seen on the other forum.


For people new to the TF, you might find it easier to catch up with the cliff notes version in the spoiler tags below:




* * *

Chapter 1 –Warning

12th Second Seed, 3E433

The harsh croaking of a raven prompted Teresa to raise her green eyes from the only slightly bruised apple that she was eating. The alley behind the Tiber Septim Hotel was narrow, a thin gouge cut between massive stone buildings that loomed high to either side and cast its depths into dim shadow. Sacks filled with trash dotted the length of the lane, clustered in small islands near the back doors of every business and home.

The pale wood elf stood at one such mound of garbage, filled with slops and other castoffs. Rich people threw away the best food, she knew, making the back streets here in the Talos Plaza district a practical gold mine for street urchins like herself.

Screenshot

Her scavenged lunch fell from suddenly nerveless fingers however, as she gazed down the alley and saw the figure of a man running in the shadows. He was clad in plain linens, the clothing of an ordinary plebeian. But there was nothing ordinary about the way he held a drawn sword in his hand, nor the blood that stained it.

Before the elf could bolt and run herself, the interloper was upon her. Now she could see he was an Imperial by his olive skin and dark hair. He reached out to her with his free hand, and as Teresa backed away she realized that it was not only his sword that was washed in blood, but the front of his tunic as well.

"You must warn them!" the Imperial croaked through the blood that flowed from his mouth. As she stared with wide eyes, Teresa was certain she could see tiny bubbles of air bursting up from the red flow. She had seen that before, from deep knife wounds to the chest. He was a dead man, she thought, he just did not know it yet.

His hand clutched at the shabby tunic of worn sack cloth that Teresa wore, grabbing a handful of the rough material. Teresa nearly jumped as his fingers pressed against one of her breasts. The sword fell from his other hand with a clatter of steel on stone, and the Imperial dropped to his knees, collapsing into her.

Teresa stared with wide eyes at the dying man, whose head was now buried in the valley between her small breasts. Her heart raced like a wild horse, and she felt her skin grow cold as Skyrim. Try as she might to flee, her feet seemed rooted to the spot however. All she could do was gape in growing horror as the man clutched at her willowy frame and spat blood over her already bedraggled clothing.

The sound of footsteps caused her to lift her eyes and gaze back down the way the Imperial had come. There stood a handful of figures wearing dark red robes, nearly black in the dim light. Hoods of the same material covered their heads, shrouding their faces in darkness. She saw blades in their hands as well. Not mortal steel, but rather monstrous, wavy knives, like the jagged teeth of some fearsome Daedra.

"They're going to kill the-" with that the Imperial's voice gave out, and she heard a rattling noise issue from his throat. It was like a dry breeze through an abandoned tenement. Then he fell limp at her feet, open eyes staring blankly back up at her from the pavement.

"Hey, what's going on back there!" came an iron growl from the other end of the alley. The clash of armored boots rang out between the high buildings, reverberating in the Bosmer's ears. Wrenching her gaze from the dead man, Teresa turned to see an Imperial Watchman charging down the alley toward her, dark eyes glittering like polished ebony within the 'T'-shaped slit in his full-faced helmet.

"You there! Put down your weapons and surrender." The legionary had his arming sword out now, and before the wood elf knew it, he was standing before her. He took a moment to first glance down at the dead man at Teresa's feet, and then the blood that washed her tunic.

"I didn't-" Teresa gasped, feeling her blood turn to ice with the understanding of how things must look to the watchman. Then the steel gauntlet of his left hand was reaching out for her, and the words slipped from her throat.

"You'll hang for this street meat!" the legionary growled.

With that Teresa finally felt her body come back under her control. Twisting away from watchman's grasp, she sprang for the other end of the alley. Her eyes saw that the red-robed figures were gone now. Then her view swam as her foot caught upon the corpse of the Imperial. She felt herself falling, and her head slammed against something hard as she came to a stop.

Her vision narrowed, as if she were within a tunnel. She was vaguely aware of the thin, blue slit of the sky above her, flanked by the grey stone of buildings to either side. She thought she saw a dark bird spread its wings in that sliver of light. But then the shape dissolved, and turned into the steel helmet of the legionary, looming closer and closer. Finally, darkness consumed her.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 30 2020, 01:31 AM


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Posts in this topic
SubRosa   Teresa of the Faint Smile   Mar 19 2010, 10:56 PM
Lady Syl   Chapter 2c review I can understand how writing th...   Apr 16 2011, 11:36 PM
Olen   Hmmm a very orcy part. This made me chuckle. A...   Apr 17 2011, 05:09 PM
Grits   What a contrast between the dashing Ancondil, the ...   Apr 17 2011, 06:51 PM
Lady Syl   Chapter 3a I like how you went into great detail ...   Apr 17 2011, 10:42 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: Like Teresa's faint smile, ...   Apr 20 2011, 04:30 PM
Lady Syl   Chapter 4a review Teresa’s crab dinner make...   Apr 20 2011, 04:36 PM
mALX   This chapter had me in hysterics, and what a sweet...   Apr 20 2011, 04:59 PM
haute ecole rider   Now why does that pretty young bride remind me of ...   Apr 20 2011, 10:01 PM
Acadian   She was everything a young woman was supposed to l...   Apr 21 2011, 03:22 AM
Grits   How lovely to catch a glimpse of Decimus, and Quin...   Apr 21 2011, 03:49 AM
ghastley   What is it about Bosmer women that makes them want...   Apr 21 2011, 03:49 PM
Olen   I liked this part. It's a change of pace from...   Apr 21 2011, 06:00 PM
King Coin   10e - 10j :O That battle was quite an undertaki...   Apr 23 2011, 01:31 AM
SubRosa   Lady Syl: Yes indeed, like h.e.r., you recognized ...   Apr 23 2011, 05:35 PM
haute ecole rider   A good ol' fashioned tavern brawl. Between orc...   Apr 23 2011, 09:37 PM
ghastley   Sonny Liston / Cassius Clay (he wasn't Ali yet...   Apr 24 2011, 01:28 AM
mALX   BWAAAHAAA! Teresa providing a buffer between ...   Apr 24 2011, 01:32 AM
Acadian   How fun to slip in an episode that is a heart poun...   Apr 24 2011, 01:53 AM
SubRosa   Wasn't it Ali and - and - and - I forget. I ...   Apr 24 2011, 01:53 AM
mALX   Thank you for playing, but please try again. How...   Apr 24 2011, 01:56 AM
haute ecole rider   Aha! George Foreman!   Apr 24 2011, 02:04 AM
SubRosa   Aha! George Foreman! That is him! B...   Apr 24 2011, 02:11 AM
haute ecole rider   Ah, not a fan of boxing myself. There was more tha...   Apr 24 2011, 02:25 AM
SubRosa   Ah, not a fan of boxing myself. There was more th...   Apr 24 2011, 02:57 AM
mALX   George Foreman was really getting "grilled...   Apr 24 2011, 02:28 AM
Grits   Rumble in the Jungle, I’m late to the party with t...   Apr 24 2011, 12:06 PM
Olen   I too seem to be late to the Party. Good part tho...   Apr 24 2011, 06:02 PM
Thomas Kaira   Don't think there's much I can add onto th...   Apr 24 2011, 08:44 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: Who can resist a good fist-figh...   Apr 26 2011, 05:03 PM
Rihanae   I absoloutly love this chapter! It is very be...   Apr 26 2011, 05:16 PM
haute ecole rider   This rings oh so true - in RL as well as in the be...   Apr 26 2011, 10:02 PM
Olen   Agreed on the anger managment from an orc, though ...   Apr 26 2011, 10:06 PM
King Coin   11a - 12.2 I enjoyed Teresa's return to the ...   Apr 26 2011, 11:53 PM
Acadian   A wonderful episode. Teresa is always at her best...   Apr 27 2011, 01:36 AM
Grits   I love how Teresa learned healing from Bear, not f...   Apr 27 2011, 02:04 PM
King Coin   12.2 You really characterized Umbacano as an evil...   Apr 28 2011, 08:10 PM
SubRosa   Rihanae: Who would know more about anger than an o...   Apr 29 2011, 04:32 PM
Ceidwad   Some nice details here. I see you have collborated...   Apr 29 2011, 05:30 PM
haute ecole rider   Let's get the nits out of the way: Ciedwad alr...   Apr 29 2011, 05:46 PM
ghastley   I liked the little scene of Teresa finding her inn...   Apr 29 2011, 06:08 PM
Acadian   I simply smiled all the way through this, as the t...   Apr 30 2011, 12:33 AM
Grits   What fun to see the arena through Teresa’s eyes, c...   Apr 30 2011, 01:06 PM
mALX   Powerful statement! I love that analogy ...   May 1 2011, 12:21 AM
Lady Syl   Chapter 4c review The Altmer did give her a nice ...   May 1 2011, 11:52 PM
SubRosa   Ceidwad: Thank your catching my apostrophes. It mu...   May 2 2011, 04:44 PM
haute ecole rider   I stand my my earlier comment about Teresa's a...   May 2 2011, 05:42 PM
mALX   WHEW! I found I was holding my breath on that...   May 2 2011, 05:43 PM
Olen   Oooh the tournament itself, and it's well writ...   May 2 2011, 10:35 PM
ghastley   It's a good thing Tadrose didn't do that b...   May 2 2011, 11:17 PM
Acadian   What a beautiful and emotional roller coaster...   May 3 2011, 01:04 AM
Grits   A Buffy sighting! How fun!! :) Vinc...   May 3 2011, 03:40 PM
King Coin   13.1 Ha ha! She went to see Vols. She is out ...   May 4 2011, 06:55 AM
D.Foxy   Catching up on all I've missed. Suggestion, R...   May 4 2011, 05:44 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: Julian of Anvil is not a bad na...   May 5 2011, 04:47 PM
Captain Hammer   Finally caught up with this one as well. It's...   May 5 2011, 06:32 PM
haute ecole rider   I really enjoyed reading about Parwen's qualif...   May 5 2011, 08:03 PM
Olen   I suspect soon Teresa will be jealous of no one be...   May 6 2011, 12:34 AM
Acadian   What a wonderful short bow Parwen is using! T...   May 6 2011, 12:45 AM
mALX   I think I may have to agree with Olen here, it see...   May 6 2011, 04:39 AM
ghastley   You've thoroughly distracted me with this disc...   May 6 2011, 03:53 PM
Grits   It looks like this tournament might lead to a shop...   May 6 2011, 04:17 PM
Lady Syl   Chapter 5a— First off, I am so glad you add more ...   May 6 2011, 04:18 PM
King Coin   14.1 How different Teresa's attitude to the c...   May 7 2011, 05:05 AM
RainbowVeins   I've been following the TF and several other t...   May 7 2011, 08:43 AM
Thomas Kaira   Lots of neat bow talk, and I do like me a good arc...   May 7 2011, 08:36 PM
King Coin   15.1 Teresa must not remember very well what it w...   May 8 2011, 04:58 AM
SubRosa   Captain Hammer: It's Captain Hammer Time! ...   May 8 2011, 06:40 PM
Captain Hammer   "There goes Vincent of the Quick Step!...   May 8 2011, 09:31 PM
haute ecole rider   Ah ha, a little furosemide in the tea maybe? Lovel...   May 8 2011, 09:04 PM
Olen   Haha. Clever stuff and a good revenge. Was there...   May 8 2011, 09:25 PM
Acadian   A delightful episode back at the guild! Gee, ...   May 9 2011, 01:09 AM
D.Foxy   Excellent and superbly researched dissertation on ...   May 9 2011, 02:49 AM
haute ecole rider   Yes, Da Fox is right. I came across a video of how...   May 9 2011, 04:05 AM
mALX   mALX: If Tadrose is smoothing the path for Teres...   May 9 2011, 04:51 AM
King Coin   I like stories like that too. Tom Clancy did that...   May 9 2011, 06:07 AM
Grits   If Pappy went trawling for women, he might have hi...   May 10 2011, 02:26 AM
Thomas Kaira   Teresa turned from Pappy to see Vincent scuttle fr...   May 10 2011, 08:16 AM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: I had a natural laxative picked...   May 11 2011, 04:42 PM
haute ecole rider   I see there seems to be some confusion about just ...   May 11 2011, 05:31 PM
Olen   A break between the storms and a chance to catch u...   May 11 2011, 08:42 PM
Ceidwad   Two excellent episodes; entertaining and revealing...   May 12 2011, 12:16 AM
Acadian   Teresa really shines here! From her anger ove...   May 12 2011, 12:23 AM
King Coin   17.1 Teresa is eating a crab? I thought she didn...   May 13 2011, 05:26 AM
Thomas Kaira   Speak like Yoda, Aia does. Interested to know why ...   May 13 2011, 07:18 AM
Grits   Teresa felt her ears burn hot at the comment, and ...   May 13 2011, 03:45 PM
King Coin   20.1 I knew after how good things were that somet...   May 14 2011, 06:00 AM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: I went back and edited Vincent...   May 14 2011, 06:27 PM
haute ecole rider   Yaaay, Marius! There has to be at least one gu...   May 14 2011, 07:19 PM
mALX   After Teresa's prank she'll need to be car...   May 14 2011, 07:26 PM
mALX   Chapter 34.15 : Love this description !...   May 14 2011, 07:46 PM
Ceidwad   Aia's dialect is interesting - reminds me of T...   May 14 2011, 10:56 PM
Acadian   Lots of smiles to be had here! Having the F...   May 15 2011, 12:47 AM
ghastley   The thieves' guild are right: the beggars know...   May 15 2011, 02:41 PM
Grits   Chance and Ancondil, I sure like to see those two ...   May 15 2011, 10:27 PM
Thomas Kaira   Stickin' it to the Man, Teresa is. Most proud ...   May 16 2011, 09:00 AM
Olen   Took me a couple of days to catch up this time... ...   May 16 2011, 11:19 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: And now we know why Marius has ...   May 17 2011, 04:56 PM
haute ecole rider   The really wonderful thing about this Bravil tourn...   May 17 2011, 06:15 PM
mALX   I found Lady Scaurus intriguing on her jaunt to se...   May 17 2011, 09:23 PM
Captain Hammer   I am growing amazingly fond of Aia. These past thr...   May 17 2011, 10:54 PM
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