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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
ghastley   I suspect the armor's weight making sure Kurda...   Nov 11 2011, 04:02 PM
McBadgere   OOooh, where's she off to now?... :D ... Most...   Nov 11 2011, 07:42 PM
Olen   More aftermath, and Teresa has made friends with a...   Nov 12 2011, 01:05 AM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: How about Wet, Wounded, and Wor...   Nov 14 2011, 07:56 PM
haute ecole rider   You tell 'im, girrl! This right here is ...   Nov 14 2011, 09:11 PM
Olen   I like Morandil, I suspect he will proove an effic...   Nov 14 2011, 09:47 PM
liliandra nadiar   And this right here is proof positive that Moran...   Nov 14 2011, 11:19 PM
Acadian   The end of another great chapter. Your clever and...   Nov 15 2011, 02:03 AM
D.Foxy   Here is my hope, Rosa - since that Merandil is sha...   Nov 15 2011, 03:41 AM
Grits   "Besides," the Altmer paused a moment fo...   Nov 15 2011, 05:50 AM
McBadgere   Wow... Just...Wow... *Robert goes off shaking hi...   Nov 15 2011, 08:41 PM
ghastley   Nit: You have killed a nest {of} smugglers, ... a...   Nov 15 2011, 09:26 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: You are right. That is half of ...   Nov 17 2011, 05:39 PM
haute ecole rider   What a fantastic discussion of one of the most tra...   Nov 17 2011, 08:11 PM
Olen   A talkie section and very well done. As much as I...   Nov 17 2011, 09:31 PM
Acadian   A rousing and bittersweet story of romance and ven...   Nov 18 2011, 01:02 AM
McBadgere   If I bow down any more you'll all start thinki...   Nov 18 2011, 05:40 AM
McBadgere   I have to ask... Does this class as Oblivion...   Nov 19 2011, 04:35 AM
liliandra nadiar   Ah, is it time for the T&T torture session? :P...   Nov 19 2011, 04:59 AM
King Coin   Sorry I’ve been absent. New game and all. :) Ahah...   Nov 19 2011, 06:04 AM
Grits   Future Aela fic, I like the sound of that!...   Nov 19 2011, 07:02 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: I have only done the Arena all ...   Nov 20 2011, 08:10 PM
liliandra nadiar   Can't have that. She has a reputation to mai...   Nov 20 2011, 09:00 PM
Grits   Tadrose stood by the front door, looking back at T...   Nov 21 2011, 12:08 AM
Acadian   I had to double check my calendar when I saw the M...   Nov 21 2011, 01:23 AM
haute ecole rider   This was my standout from this chapter. I really e...   Nov 21 2011, 05:04 AM
Olen   I suspect Pappy may have had words with Tadrose to...   Nov 21 2011, 11:20 PM
McBadgere   Me? Do an unoriginal joke? Surely not... :O ... ...   Nov 22 2011, 05:34 AM
SubRosa   liliandra nadiar: If Teresa is not careful, she mi...   Nov 24 2011, 06:22 PM
Acadian   A lovely episode! So good to see Gaius Prentu...   Nov 24 2011, 11:25 PM
haute ecole rider   SubRosa, I agree with your comment about Joseph Ca...   Nov 25 2011, 12:25 AM
Grits   "Is that why you believe in Mara now?" t...   Nov 25 2011, 01:21 AM
King Coin   41.2 I love Teresa’s armor! Very nice. ...   Nov 25 2011, 03:19 AM
McBadgere   DAMMIT!!!... :D ... As a hot-blooded ...   Nov 25 2011, 10:07 AM
liliandra nadiar   Darn Guards. Never pay attention when you want the...   Nov 25 2011, 05:22 PM
Olen   An almost kiss - I'm surprised. But now that ...   Nov 25 2011, 11:56 PM
McBadgere   I noticed it but assumed I'd missed...Y'kn...   Nov 26 2011, 08:11 PM
SubRosa   Acadian: It seems that soldiers like Gaius Prentus...   Nov 28 2011, 05:48 PM
haute ecole rider   Oh, I actually read this before Foxy came along?...   Nov 28 2011, 06:51 PM
Olen   A good bit of dialogue there, it flowed much like ...   Nov 28 2011, 07:45 PM
Acadian   A very natural walk. :) I really enjoyed the ag...   Nov 29 2011, 01:30 AM
liliandra nadiar   Good slow bit of development. Our favorite two elv...   Nov 29 2011, 03:22 AM
King Coin   The once green leaves of its maples, oaks, birch...   Nov 29 2011, 10:01 PM
Grits   What a lovely walk through autumn countryside. Nic...   Nov 29 2011, 10:26 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: I think it is only the unintent...   Dec 1 2011, 06:08 PM
Olen   There's a few more details there. You'd m...   Dec 1 2011, 09:42 PM
liliandra nadiar   While I would like to agree with Olen, I doubt the...   Dec 1 2011, 11:20 PM
Acadian   Thanks for the wonderful lunch! Just the thin...   Dec 2 2011, 01:16 AM
haute ecole rider   I'm with Acadian - never mind that Tadrose has...   Dec 2 2011, 03:42 PM
Grits   "I think I understand." Tadrose stepped ...   Dec 2 2011, 05:25 PM
King Coin   Fighter’s guild is definitely different from the i...   Dec 2 2011, 09:20 PM
ghastley   Teresa being the one to over-think things, she...   Dec 2 2011, 09:22 PM
liliandra nadiar   I'm not saying that Tadrose is straight, just ...   Dec 2 2011, 09:26 PM
McBadgere   Weird...The song I'm listening to says to reac...   Dec 3 2011, 05:45 AM
SubRosa   Olen: Teresa is indeed just as much a mystery to T...   Dec 5 2011, 04:23 PM
liliandra nadiar   Ha! Love that saying. :D Funny, I don't...   Dec 5 2011, 05:43 PM
Doommeister   Dangitall I've caught up again. You enjoy ha...   Dec 5 2011, 05:49 PM
Olen   Hands on legs, each discussing their history with ...   Dec 5 2011, 09:19 PM
King Coin   Teresa wondered if that was supposed to be a joke...   Dec 5 2011, 11:02 PM
Acadian   So, we have moved from an Almost Kiss to an Almost...   Dec 6 2011, 01:31 AM
Grits   I like the Nibenean farmer. It was a nice touch th...   Dec 6 2011, 03:13 AM
McBadgere   Well that made my dinner interesting... :D ... *A...   Dec 6 2011, 02:06 PM
SubRosa   liliandra nadiar: When I was little my parents use...   Dec 8 2011, 05:54 PM
haute ecole rider   And so begins another twist on a familiar quest...   Dec 8 2011, 06:08 PM
liliandra nadiar   Nice, tieing the Layawin recommendation and aspect...   Dec 8 2011, 06:48 PM
Acadian   And the two Almost Girlfriends embark on the inte...   Dec 9 2011, 01:47 AM
ghastley   We have an enemy of unknown power, (but at least a...   Dec 9 2011, 05:17 PM
liliandra nadiar   Urgency could pretty easily be covered by the Emma...   Dec 9 2011, 05:47 PM
Olen   An enjoyable part, even if there was another inter...   Dec 9 2011, 11:37 PM
liliandra nadiar   Sapphic for lesbians and stratonic for gay? That s...   Dec 10 2011, 12:02 AM
SubRosa   -[i]I am not sure what to call gay men in ES. Sin...   Dec 10 2011, 01:17 AM
Grits   "It's wrecked on the shore!" The...   Dec 10 2011, 03:40 AM
McBadgere   Kalthar!!...Never liked him...Trouble I te...   Dec 10 2011, 04:43 AM
King Coin   The Forlorn Watchman! Less of a local legend a...   Dec 10 2011, 05:44 PM
Destri Melarg   Hey, 'Rosa! I'm back and I'm read...   Dec 10 2011, 10:14 PM
Tábrasa   I've just started reading this and have alot t...   Dec 12 2011, 12:23 PM
SubRosa   haute ecole rider: I never really thought of a gho...   Dec 12 2011, 07:10 PM
Acadian   Be very careful not to slip in the ecto-goop. :D...   Dec 13 2011, 02:43 AM
Grits   Teresa poisoned another arrow, and crept up to the...   Dec 13 2011, 03:23 AM
liliandra nadiar   Well, T&T are certainly moving through the mut...   Dec 13 2011, 03:29 AM
McBadgere   :lol: :D ... Well, I haven't always been th...   Dec 13 2011, 07:32 AM
Olen   Excellent mixture of fight scene and interaction t...   Dec 13 2011, 04:31 PM
King Coin   Aravi doesn’t rely on potions as much as Teresa do...   Dec 14 2011, 06:46 AM
SubRosa   Acadian: It was a lot of fun to write T&T in a...   Dec 15 2011, 06:33 PM
liliandra nadiar   Ohh... NICE! Great job with the fight. Poor T...   Dec 15 2011, 07:01 PM
ghastley   Ooh you've tangled a lot of stories together h...   Dec 15 2011, 08:09 PM
Grits   Oh neat, Tadrose can recharge their weapons! I...   Dec 16 2011, 01:15 AM
Acadian   An edge-of-the-seat tense fight indeed, loaded wit...   Dec 16 2011, 01:51 AM
SubRosa   I keep forgetting to mention this. I have been wat...   Dec 16 2011, 04:23 AM
King Coin   The crabs are probably feeding on more than just d...   Dec 16 2011, 05:42 AM
McBadgere   Mmm...Claudia Black...Oh hell I had such a thing f...   Dec 16 2011, 05:44 AM
Olen   Quite the battle, and against a tough enemy. I li...   Dec 16 2011, 05:07 PM
Captain Hammer   Kalthar. Man I hate that guy. Okay, you've of...   Dec 18 2011, 10:32 AM
SubRosa   liliandra nadiar: I am glad the amulet makes so ma...   Dec 19 2011, 06:25 PM
liliandra nadiar   Hmm.. Yay crossover element, but boo on her timing...   Dec 19 2011, 08:16 PM
McBadgere   :panic: ...AAaaaaaHHHHhhhh!!!... Damn...   Dec 19 2011, 08:44 PM
Acadian   So there was Teresa beginning to loudly sing the s...   Dec 20 2011, 01:00 AM
Grits   Oh my gosh, Buffy! What a pleasant surprise. I...   Dec 20 2011, 01:36 AM
mALX   Teresa and Tadrose finally make a connection and g...   Dec 20 2011, 02:45 AM
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