Old Habits Die Hard Part Five, New habits? Or just old ones recycled? Options

[Acadian]

A lovely day at the beach.

'Again the walnut of grief closed off my throat, again I swallowed it down.'
Very nicely put.

Julian is acting pleasantly girly here at the beach. Not quite so young and giggly as the 60 year old Mrs Acadian, but nevertheless a refreshing break to see Julian rather relaxed. Horse craziness is quite becoming on her.

'I took a deep breath. “Let me think about it, Clesa.”
Hmm. Something tells me that will be an easy decision for Julian!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Feb 24 2011, 03:58 PM

[Olen]

A good horsey section. Certainly it's an education readng these parts, I had no idea the lifespan of horses varied so much. On a similar note, especially as she's travelling what sort of distance is a harse good for (as a one off or day after day)? I know very little about them except that one end bites and the other kicks.

Anyway he seems quite a character, I'm not sure Cyrodiil is ready...

[Captain Hammer]

Wow. I must say, I never had the problem of the Imperial Legion rider doing that. Then again, I just checked, and it's one of the bugs fixed in the Unofficial Oblivion Patch, which I do not play without, so I guess I wouldn't have had the opportunity for it to occur.

It's an impressive set of chapters, but especially well done in the way you handle the guard's bad identification of the real criminal on the Gold Road.

As for Blanco's starring chapter, I can't say much. I'm not a horse person, and rarely use them in-game. I've got a few places where they might be useful, but since I use Supreme Magicka, I end up leaving my steeds off in the wilderness or in the stables somewhere, since I'm a Levitation addict. But your writing makes it work even for a non-horse guy like me, and I appreciate that.

C’mon, take the deal! We can have sooo much fun together!

Think he'll say that after seeing a couple of Oblivion gates?

Granted, a guaranteed annual marathon of breeding would be something for any stallion, horse or human...

*The Captain quickly uses Levitation and makes a bee-line for Bruma.*

[mALX]

Thoroughbreds are trained like that for racing, engage the bit and they're off - drop the rein and they stop. (and the floating feeling when they hit their racing stride). Somehow I knew Julian would end up with the horse, lol. Will she take a prized stud into battle? Uh Oh !!! GAAAAAH !!!!! Great chapters !!!!

[haute ecole rider]

@SubRosa: I’ll be glad to help you teach Teresa how to ride when the time comes! And yes, he is a blackguard! I know of three stallions who have very pronounced mischievous streaks like this.

@TK: MFT’s are really cool horses. I’ve owned Morgans, who are very similar. The Morgan breed is actually the basis of many American horse breeds, including the MFT, Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walkers, Standardbreds, Quarter Horses (yes, Quarter Horses) and later generations of mustangs.

@Acadian: Yes, she is horse-crazy, and it’s catching up to her! And you’re right, not much thought is required for this decision!

@Olen: Lifespan is determined not only by genetics, but also by how the horse is used during his lifetime. Thoroughbreds start training as yearlings, they are saddled and ridden as two-year-olds. They are not fully mature until they’re five, so that kind of strenuous racing breaks their bodies down very quickly. I’ve met Thoroughbreds who have never raced, who didn’t start training until they were older, and they held up much better through the years. Seventeen for a race horse is considered old, while twenty is more common for a Thoroughbred who was never trained for racing (those are pretty rare birds, but do exist). By comparison, the stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna do not start saddle work until they’re seven, and don’t begin the dramatic above-the-ground airs they’re famous for until they’re in their early teens. They keep working into their thirties. As for using horses, they are creatures of endurance. They can gallop for ten miles before becoming tired. They can trot for much longer distances (but the trot is more uncomfortable to sit for the rider). At a brisk walking speed, they can cover up to 40 miles before becoming tired. And ready or not, Cyrodiil is stuck with Blanco!

@Captain Hammer: Console player here, so I never will have the benefit of the UOP. Yes, stallions have it made - just ask any of them!

@mALX: Thoroughbreds are also trained to pick up the left lead every time. They have a difficult time cantering on the opposite lead. As for taking Blanco into battle, I think it’s more a problem of keeping him out of fights!

The next three segments lead directly from one into the next without a break. I’m trying not to leave you with any unbearable cliffhangers, though.

*************************************
Chapter 23.11: An Old Betrayal

The overgrown path wound between tumbled boulders on its way up the steep slope. I stepped out of the cool shadow cast by Anvil’s city walls behind me and paused to check the sky. Early evening. Sun will be gone soon. Still I knew the way and was confident in my ability to find my path home. My mind drifted back to the conversation in the smithy.

“Clesa offered to sell you one of her horses?” Morvayn chuckled. “And yet you hesitate? You who always wanted one for your own?”

“It’s not just any horse, Morvayn,” I examined the cuirass critically. It shimmered like ruby rain in the light from the forge. “Good work, Enilroth,” I nodded at the apprentice. He beamed at me and handed me the surcoat, mended and cleaned. The Kvatch Wolf looked up at me from the neatly folded fabric, slightly faded but still lethal of gaze.

“Which one did she offer you?” Morvayn brought my mind back to the conversation at hand.

I tucked the armor into my pack. “The stallion Blanco.” I looked up to see Morvayn and Enilroth both gaping at me.

“The High Rock stallion?” Morvayn whispered. “How much is she asking for him?”

“Forty-five septims,” I answered.

“Forty-five?” this time it was Enilroth’s turn to croak. “But she told me she paid ninety for him! Why so cheap?”

Cheap? I wondered. Forty-five septims is cheap? “There is a condition to the sale,” I shrugged. “She wants me to bring him back every spring so she can breed him to her mares.”

After a few moments, Morvayn snickered. “Oh, ho that Clesa! So that’s how she is going to get out of paying for his keep ten months out of the year!”

I glanced at the amused Dunmer. “What?”

“What use is a stallion when he’s not breeding?” Morvayn asked me. “Since mares tend to come in season only during the warm weather, and since one wants early spring foals, he’ll get bred in the spring, get all his ladies in foal, then he gets to loaf around the rest of the year.”

“Not a bad life for a male, when you think about it,” Enilroth returned my glare with an innocent gaze.

“So I should refuse the offer?” I remarked casually. For some odd reason, my heart sank as I said it.

“No!” both Morvayn and Enilroth shook their heads vehemently and in perfect unison. “A High Rock bred stallion is a valuable animal,” Morvayn continued. “And this one is trained by one of the top trainers in Tamriel. Mira Renoir’s renowned for the horses she breeds and trains.”

“I’ll think about it,” I gathered my weapons. “I’m afraid he’s too much horse for me.”

“Ah, not at all, not at all Julian,” Enilroth assured me. “I saw you with him earlier this afternoon. He took real good care of you. You’ll not go wrong with that horse. He’ll last you a long time, he will.”

I returned to myself with a sigh. A glance around showed that I was now halfway up the steep slope. That’s it. I’ll spend my pension and buy him. But I’ll have to warn Clesa that the Oblivion Crisis takes precedence, and if it was still ongoing come spring -

When I surveyed my surroundings for wildlife, my gaze fell on the tumbled stone blocks of Fort Strand, off to my left. Instantly all thoughts of white horses fled my mind as more powerful memories staggered my stride.

“Come on, Julian!” The handsome young man caught my left hand and drew me up the slope after him. “There’s no one there, I already checked it out.”

Still reluctant, I looked up at the ruined keep of Fort Strand. “I don’t know, Jared,” I still hung back. “Those places don’t stay empty for long.” I still remembered when the Anvil guard and the Legion cleared the fort of bandits just a few months ago.

“It’s the only place around here where we can have privacy, Julian,” Jared stopped to face me. “Unless you want to go to your mother’s house?”

I flinched at his words. A year later, it still hurt to think of Mother and Cieran. I had not been back to the house since that dreadful night. “That’s cruel, Jared,” I whispered, turning my face away from him. “You know what happened there.”

“I’m sorry, Julian,” his strong arms were around me. I let him press my head onto his shoulder for a moment before I broke away. “That was thoughtless of me.” He cupped my face gently in his hands, callused from years of hard labor on the galleons that sailed between Hammerfell and Anvil. “You do know I love you with all my heart, don’t you?”

My pulse sang in my throat as I nodded. “Yes, I know.” Ah Dibella, how I wanted him! But fear of the unknown held me back. “But I’m still not certain -“

“Don’t you trust me?” Jared asked, hurt filling his dark eyes.

I took a deep breath and fought to still the moths in my stomach. “Yes, I do, Jared. I - I trust you.”

We explored the ruin’s first level, then Jared led me to a high-ceilinged room with stairs leading up to a stone platform at one side. I was surprised to see a mattress spread out on the floor, heaped high with blankets. Jared used the torch he carried to light two tall braziers and a third wide and shallow one. As the flickering light grew and filled this corner of the room, I saw a flagon of wine, two pewter goblets, and a plate of grapes and strawberries on a napkin near the mattress.

I stared at Jared as my seventeen-year old mind clicked through the implications. “You set this up ahead of time?”

“Yes,” he smiled at me. “I wanted to make this special for you.” This time when he took me in his arms, he pulled me against him. The heat from his body suffused through mine as he kissed me for the first time. “There’s no one like you, Julian,” he whispered into my mouth. “No one else for me.” I melted against him as his hands began roaming up and down my back, shivers trailing after his palms. “I promise it will be memorable.”

Jared kept his promise. It was memorable. He fed me grapes and strawberries doused in wine. We drank from the same goblet, looking into each other’s eyes. He never stopped touching me, making my body ache for more. By the time he took my virginity, I was more than ready to lose it. In the warm afterglow, my energy depleted, my curiosity satiated, my body sore yet somehow fulfilled, I fell asleep in his arms.

I woke some time later to cold darkness. Disoriented, I lay on the mattress, trying to identify the familiar contours of my sleeping alcove above Morvayn’s smithy. Only a dull glow from the wide brazier appeared in my vision. I blinked and struggled to a sitting position. The ache between my legs, my nudity beneath the quilts brought memories back. Jared! Where is he?

“Jared?” I called into the silence. When I heard only a faint echo of my voice bouncing around the large room, I groped around. My fingers closed on the haft of the torch, cold and inert. After identifying the handle by feel, I crawled to the brazier and shoved the business end of the brand into the embers. The dying flames reignited the pitch on the torch, and I held it up to look around. Within the small globe of light from the brand, I saw no other living creature.

Puzzled by Jared’s absence, I found my clothes. Where is Jared? Why did he leave me alone? Is he all right? Did he explore more of the fort? What time is it? It must be late - Athesi must be so worried about me! I drew on my undergarments, ignoring the blood clotting on my thighs, the small spot on the mattress. As I picked up my skirt, I began to shiver from the chill seeping across my skin. Quickly I finished dressing, slipping my feet into my shoes. I picked up the torch from the brazier and found my way to the stairs leading down from the platform. The oaken door at the side of the room was still locked. He didn’t leave through this door.

It was still light when I made my way out of the fort keep into the evening air. I doused the torch in the patch of sand beside the door and made my way out of the ruins. Overcome by a sudden urge to bathe in the sea, I started down the slope toward the road that ran around the city walls.

An hour later I reached the harbor. I walked past the shuttered storefronts and warehouses, the ships rocking at their moorings. Jared’s ship, Hallin’s Heart, still remained at its dock, dark and quiet except for the creaking of its timbers.

Golden light and laughter spilled out the open door of the Blue Anchor. I thought again of Jared’s disappearance, and turned toward the inn. Perhaps his captain knows where Jared is. I straightened my skirts and smoothed my hair back from my face. I’ll just stop in and speak to him, then head for the point and go for a swim.

I stepped into the smoky interior of the tavern, my eyes scanning the faces of the sailors and wenches that filled the common room. Captain Rizhad looked up from the fate stones scattered over the wooden table in front of him with a scowl. His black eyes met mine with a start, then his gaze flickered toward the fireplace at the opposite side of the room.

I glanced in that direction and recognized the brown-haired Imperial girl who had always made fun of my name, my height, and my eyes. Her head was thrown back onto the shoulder of a Redguard sailor, his muscular arms around her waist, his lips pressed onto her neck. The green gem of an amulet glittered at the base of her throat with her giggling. Astia’s eyes lowered from the ceiling and locked with mine.

“Ah!” she exclaimed, holding her hand out to me. “Miss Know-it-all! Do you know how I got this?” Her hand touched the amulet at her throat. “He gave this to me because I am the most beautiful woman in the harbor!” Her hand touched the sailor’s close-cropped hair. He lifted his head from her and looked at me.

My heart stopped as Jared and I locked gazes across the room. What is he doing with her? With Astia of all women? Does he know she is engaged to another man? He held my eyes for an eternity before he smiled slowly. I backed a step at the contempt I could see in his black eyes. Contempt for Astia? Or for me? How could he leave me and go to her? The raucous noise faded away into woolen silence. Then a hand grasped my arm and drew me away from Jared and Astia, out of the tavern.

I stumbled into the night air and began gasping for air, sobs tearing my chest into raw pieces. The hand that had pulled me out of the Blue Anchor steadied me. “Julian?” the familiar voice barely broke through the silent ringing in my ears. “Are you all right?”

I blinked back the tears, not wanting Felen Relas to see them. I turned away from him, but he caught both my shoulders and turned me to face him. “Julian, look at me,” his voice commanded me to obey. “Tell me what happened.”

I could only shake my head, the tears flowing freely now. Though I remained speechless, Relas understood. His ruby eyes lifted to the stars above us. “That fetcher!” he muttered under his breath. “I ought to slip some snakeroot into his ale! That’ll fix him!” Gently he wiped the tears from my cheeks, then enfolded me in his arms. “Did he hurt you, Julian? Tell me the truth.”

“Only my heart,” I sobbed into his shoulder. But why does it hurt so much?

“Ach, that’s the worst,” he muttered into my hair, hugging me tighter. After a few moments, he released me. “Let’s get you home. Varel and Athesi are besides themselves with worry.”

“Don’t tell them,” I pleaded. Relas’s eyes darkened in a scowl. “Please don’t tell them!”

[SubRosa]

Not a bad life for a male, when you think about it,
As long as you are one of those lucky few who does not get his balls chopped off...

Jared's love nest is an abandoned fort? Well I suppose I have to give him an A for the effort he went to in order to get it all set up. I would have just went for a room at the Count's Arms instead though...

Only for him to two-time her! Typical. Poor Julian. No wonder she had never had a boyfriend since.

[Olen]

Agreed with the A for effort, the hotel room is far simpler.

It explains why she's quite so single though, and why there's only been Jared even after being surrounded (and probably rather popular) in the Legion.

I suspect an element is her anger at herself though. He was a sailor, and by the sounds of it said he loved her awfully quickly, which was all very dramatic for her younger self, but perhaps should have set off some alarm bells.

It's another bit of background filled in which explains her current self though.

[Grits]

Jared, that dirty dog. Waking up in the dark like that, no wonder she has perhaps been reluctant to trust. What if the coals had gone out before she woke up?! I hope something awful befell him.

And that Astia. Grrr! I can’t help but think she goaded him a little.

The raucous noise faded away into woolen silence.
Made me feel like I was right there with Julian. *Grits storms off to geld Jared*

[Acadian]

Methinks Morvayn is too harsh on Clesa. I think her motivation is much sweeter than Morvayn describes. After all, given Julian's profession and history with her last horse, who would trust that the valuable stallion will survive one, much less several years in the care of she who closes gates to Oblvion. I suspect that Julian will indeed honor her word, but against fairly formidable odds. Perhaps Clesa is wise indeed, but I don't think she is siimply trying to save a septim.

Julian's recollection of her time with Jared is bittersweet and painful. You did a wonderful job helping us to feel the terrible wrong inflicted upon her heart.

[Zalphon]

Methinks Morvayn is too harsh on Clesa. I think her motivation is much sweeter than Morvayn describes. After all, given Julian's profession and history with her last horse, who would trust that the valuable stallion will survive one, much less several years in the care of she who closes gates to Oblvion. I suspect that Julian will indeed honor her word, but against fairly formidable odds. Perhaps Clesa is wise indeed, but I don't think she is siimply trying to save a septim.

Julian's recollection of her time with Jared is bittersweet and painful. You did a wonderful job helping us to feel the terrible wrong inflicted upon her heart.

I don't know, Acadian. Morvayn is fairly knowledgable.

[Captain Hammer]

And so we meet Jared.

Now, as a man, I find the idea of going after one's, ah, family equipment to be a bit excessive.

One wonders, on the other hand, what could be done by eventually letting slip that there's not much to go around down there? Malicious rumors fly faster than the winds, they say.

Alternatively, hiring one of the afflicted "Ladies of Negotiable Affections" to visit Jared before such a "Seamstress" visits the Chapel of Dibella for a Cure Disease might just be the appropriate justice for him. The @$$-hole deserves it, and does a fine job of making 50% of the world look bad.

I am all for gathering up the guys and giving ol' Jared a piece of mind to let him understand why we don't appreciate his actions speaking ill of our good names. Preferably behind the Flowing Bowl. With my heavy gauntlets still on. Maybe call the dentist.

[mALX]

So wait...because one boy at 17 years old was just using her ... and I don't minimize how painful something like that is to a 17 year old girl - but as an adult she would have realized there were bad and good men, and that she had just made a bad choice.

Now if she chose to turn to women from that incident, that would be understandable, but she couldn't have stayed totally sexless for 60 years over one incidence like that! Where's that girl that pulled the thong out of her hair? Julian, we gotta talk !!!

Morvayn can't be right, no one throws away half the cost of their highly prized imported stud just to save on the cost of a few oats, especially not when that stud would be endangered by Daedra where it was going. I can't wait to find out the real reason she is giving the horse away like that - it has got to be really interesting !!

Great Write !!!

[Thomas Kaira]

Ugh... what a typical man. Hopefully that will dispell any more rumor-mongering about Julian's love life. All it takes is one two timing idiot to shatter a woman's heart, and she'll allow another near it again. Given Jared, the Legion, and finally the Oblivion Crisis, I'd think Julian's very well sealed off that part of her soul with Adamantium walls.

Let's hope Julian doesn't find that guy now. I don't think the results would be very pretty.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 25 2011, 08:02 PM

[haute ecole rider]

@Sage Rosa: Jared wanted privacy in his wooing, and the Count’s Arms would have set Julian off. Even at seventeen, she knew all too well how nasty rumors get started.

@Olen: I’m sure there were a lot of men (and maybe not a few women, but I’ll let Sage Rose be the judge of that) in the Legion who were interested in Julian, but no, she wasn’t interested in them. Not that way anyway. And yes, she was angry at how easily she was so humiliated, especially in front of her arch-nemesis, Astia.

@Grits: I suppose something awful has befallen Jared in the twenty-nine years since that night. After all, he was a sailor, and sailors like him don’t hold up well over the years. As for gelding him, that is what the snakeroot is for (causes impotence in men). Kudos to Felen!

@Acadian: Morvayn actually has a great deal of respect for Clesa as a fellow merchant. He always struck me as the kind of guy that would see the humor in any situation. He’s the wisecracking corporal in the foxhole that tells jokes and one-liners while HE shells are dropping all around. As for her motivation to sell Blanco to Julian, it’s not something that becomes clear for some time, but we will see . . .

@Zalphon: see above. Morvayn is knowledgeable, true, but he also considers Clesa a good friend and equal in the haggling business.

@Cap’n H: I agree, Jared does a fine job of making 50% of the human race look bad. Fortunately, there’s more good ones like dear Matius et al to more than offset the likes of that bahsterd. Thanks for your vote of support!

@mALX: my dear kitty, Jared hadn’t seen seventeen in at least a decade at that time. As for Julian’s sex life since then, you seem to be making the common mistake of substituting love for lust. Julian is one of those people who doesn’t feel the need to have sex at the drop of a hat. Yes, kitty kitty, there are such people capable of living a long time without sex. They just find something else to do . . .

@TK: I prefer to think of Jared as not a typical man, but rather a typical bahsterd. The two are not necessarily synonymous. And yes, you’re rather right, she’s sealed that part of herself off pretty well. As for who will batter those walls down . . .

Now that the mystery of Jared is revealed, we move on to another facet of Julian’s past, one likely more traumatic.

****************************
Chapter 23.12 Eviction Notice

That was thirty years ago, Julian, I silently berated myself. Why does it still hurt so much? It’s just my virginity. Losing my family was far worse, still is. The stars above me twinkled heartlessly as I blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down my face. I found myself standing just outside the broken fence that encircled the abandoned farm. A waist-high boulder gave me a place to lean my hip against while I struggled to recover my self-control.

When my breathing steadied, I looked up at the cottage again. It looks almost the same as in my vision. But it’s been abandoned for thirty years! The scraggly plants enclosed by the fence belied the once productive garden that my mother had tended so painstakingly. Yet the thatched roof was freshly repaired, the door firmly closed against the night. Suddenly a faint noise reached my ears.

I straightened up off the rock. What is that? Laughter? Women? Now I saw the chinks of gold between the shutters in the windows next to the entrance. I reached for the remnants of the gate that still hung from its post. As I pulled it toward me, the door swung open and a man’s figure, briefly silhouetted against the lantern light within, stumbled out of the cottage. The panel closed behind him, but not before I realized he was completely nude.

“What -?” I could only get the one word out as he ran past me, his face averted. I stared after his departing figure, then turned back to the cottage. Just what is going on? Squatters? Prostitutes? I checked the katana at my hip, loosening it in its sheath. Momentarily I thanked Akatosh that I had thought to change into my repaired greaves for the hike up the hill, though I still wore the green shirt.

My boots scuffing the dirt softly, I made my way to the door of the cottage. Sounds of laughter, of good humor reached me through the weathered boards. What are they doing in my house? I could feel my jaw tightening and forced myself to take a deep breath, forced my fists to relax. I laid my left hand on the door handle and eased it open.

The interior was unrecognizable from my memories, with every square meter of wall covered in luxurious red woolen drapes, a plush carpet covering the worn stone floor, and a large bed occupying the center of the main room. The rich odor of wine caused me to inhale sharply. Three figures stood before the crackling fire in the hearth.

“Look at this amulet!” A tall Nord woman, her back to the door, held up something green and glittering in her hand. “What do you think it’s worth!”

The female Khajiit tilted her head to one side as she touched the gem. “Oh, about a hundred drakes, I’ll bet.”

The dark-haired Imperial woman spotted me standing in the shadows near the door. “Oh, girls, we’ve got company,” she smiled at me, shaking back loose tendrils from her heart-shaped face. The amulet clinked on the floor as the Nord spun around, her hand reaching for the blade at her side. The Khajiit pinned her ears back and hissed at me.

“What are you doing here?” I kept my voice calm.

“Welcome, Julian of Anvil, Hero of Kvatch!” the Imperial woman chose to ignore my question. “We’ve heard so much about you. You can handle yourself in a fight, eh?” She elbowed her companions aside and stepped toward me, stopping a few paces away when my right hand lowered to my hilt. Her bright eyes considered me a moment longer. “Hmmm, how would you like to make a little extra money?”

“Faustina -“ the Nord whispered warningly, her oval face moving from me to the Imperial woman.

“Listen, I’ve got a proposition for you,” Faustina ignored the taller woman. “I’m certain there are plenty of men who would jump at the chance for a night with the Hero of Kvatch, especially when she’s as exotic as you.”

What? My eyes narrowed at her, and I could feel my jaw tightening again. Me? Exotic? What, is she blind? Still I waited silently.

“See, we’re a gang,” Faustina continued. “We make money by luring men out into the middle of nowhere and robbing them blind. We target married men who are easily convinced that they will have their way with us.” She laughed, a brittle, tinkling laugh like shattering crystal. “Men are so gullible! But let me make something clear. We’re not prostitutes. We do everything on our own terms, and the men never, ever lay a hand on us.”

“Faustina, I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell -“ the Nord tried again to stop her comrade.

“Look at her, Signy!” Faustina did not take her eyes off of me. “Tell me a man can’t look at her and see how seductive she is in those leather greaves!” I resisted the impulse to look at my outfit. She addressed me again. “Listen, here’s how it would work. We spot a likely candidate in the Flowing Bowl, and you go in there and charm him. When he thinks he’s going to get lucky with you, then you tell him to meet you here in a few hours. When he gets here, you make him take off all his clothes. It’s pretty easy, by the way. That’s when we spring the trap and rob him!” She laughed once more. “The best part of the entire plan is that they’re so embarrassed, they never go to the guards!”

“That’s a nice enough plan,” I replied smoothly, feeling the pilus emerge in my soft tone. “There’s only one problem.”

Faustina’s smile disappeared. Signy’s hand gripped the hilt of her long sword, but she froze at a look from me. The Khajiit’s tail lashed as she hissed again, crouching and bringing her hands up. Her talons glittered in the firelight, but I kept my gaze on the Nord. Of the three, Signy seemed to be the only one to have the air of a trained fighter.

“What is the problem?” Faustina asked coldly.

“This is my house.” Now I let the pilus out fully. “I hold the legal title to this place. And the three of you are trespassing.” In my mind I visualized the shock on touch spell that had proved so effective against dremora mages. “Under Imperial law, as well as the law of this county, trespassers forfeit any right to their lives.”

“Well, if that’s the way you want it,” Faustina reached for her own sword. Signy’s blade rang as it cleared its sheath. “It’s three to one, Julian!”

Before she could draw her weapon, I took a long step forward, laid my left hand on Faustina’s shoulder and sent a bolt of energy sizzling through her body. She reeled onto the bed as I turned toward Signy, my katana leaping from its sheath. Already the Nord had her weapon arcing at me. To my right, the Khajiit faded into thin air.

Cacat! She knows invisibility! I hated those spells that caused the caster to disappear. Quickly I cast my detect life spell while I ducked Signy’s swing. While her greater height and longer reach gave her an advantage over me, I had years of training and experience on my side. I danced back to keep the Khajiit’s pink glow on the far side of my blade and to stay out of Signy’s reach.

The Khajiit leaped toward me, and my blade twitched toward the center of that glow. I felt the impact of her body on my weapon as something sharp sliced down the right side of my neck into my shoulder. Ignoring the icy pain of the claws, I stepped into the Khajiit, thrusting the point of my blade deeper into her mass. The spell shimmered away like rain spilling off the roof as blood seeped around my katana where it entered her abdomen.

Signy took another step toward me, her sword flashing in the firelight toward my head. I dropped to one knee and flung the fireball Berene had taught me toward her legs. With a twist of my wrist, my katana tore itself out of the Khajiit’s body as she slumped bonelessly to the floor.

Faustina reappeared at my left, screaming wordlessly as she slashed her sword downward. I tucked my knees against my belly and rolled to the side, away from Signy and clear of the Imperial’s amateurish attack. Some part of me noted how slowly Faustina moved compared to the Nord. That shock spell slowed her down quite a bit. But I’m still going to have to kill her. Before Faustina could recover her balance, I slapped her with another shock spell. With a groan she collapsed to the floor, shaking violently. I didn’t take the time to look down at her, but instead called on Domina Incendia. Signy moved her gaze from the convulsing Imperial to the voluptuous ‘fire-lady.’ I took advantage of her distraction to leap over Faustina and slip to Signy’s left side, tossing my katana from my right to my left hand.

As my summons began firing flames at Signy, I sliced my katana across the backs of her legs. Engulfed in a conflagration, crippled by my attack, Signy went down to her hands and knees. But she still clutched her sword, and she wasn’t giving up yet. Signy managed to straighten up and stab her blade in my direction, but I was already behind her right shoulder.

My grip now reversed on the hilt of the katana, I brought its tip down into Signy’s shoulder, angling it toward her heart. I felt it skim along the edges of her top ribs before something else stopped its advance. But by then, my blade had done its job. The long sword clattered from Signy’s lifeless fingers onto the stone floor.

The last of the magical flames flickered out as I staggered back, shaking from the natural adrenaline. I thanked Domina Incendia with my eyes as she shimmered out of existence. Faustina’s convulsions finally stilled, and she lay arched on her back, her hands frozen into claws, her bulging eyes fixed on the ceiling, the breath gone from her lips. The female Khajiit remained slumped in a growing pool of blood.

I caught my breath. Blood flows in this house once again.

[SubRosa]

I was wondering if you were going to work the Sirens into this or not. For a while I thought not. But here I see I was wrong! A house people think is haunted would be the perfect place for their lair. No one would want to go there, and if people did see lights within, they would probably put it down to ghosts, and keep even further away!

Me? Exotic? What, is she blind?
Sounds like someone suffers from a bit of Teresaitis!

Quickly I cast my detect life spell
Here is something no NPC ever has the brains to do...

As ever, you give us a rousing cat fight (literally), as Julian takes on three to one odds. Good thing she has gotten so skilled at magic, and has a Domina to call up to help her. Oh wait, not that kind of domina, unfortunately. Still, she was lucky that her house was not set on fire!

[ghastley]

Interesting shuffle-round of the skills. It's usually Faustina casting a chameleon spell and disappearing, not Tsarrina, but this way makes a more credible fight of it all, and the balance between swords and magic on both sides worked well.

I'm just a little disappointed that Maelona and Gogan didn't get to turn up after all the danger's past, like they usually do.

[Acadian]

Don't ever break into Julian's house!

See how everything goes better with magic? It's nice to see Julian continuing to integrate magic into her fighting more and more impressively. Here, she showed her skill with detect life, conjuration, good old destruction, katana slashin' and even some tumbling. She did well choosing the right thing at the right time.

Those ladies did have the place pimped up pretty nicely though.

[mALX]

I don't minimize how painful something like that is to a 17 year old girl - but as an adult she would have realized there were bad and good men, and that she had just made a bad choice.

Now if she chose to turn to women from that incident, that would be understandable, but she couldn't have stayed totally sexless for (well over 30 years) over one incidence like that! Julian, we gotta talk !!!

***

Poor Julian. No wonder she had never had a boyfriend since.

***

@mALX: my dear kitty, Jared hadn’t seen seventeen in at least a decade at that time. As for Julian’s sex life since then, you seem to be making the common mistake of substituting love for lust. Julian is one of those people who doesn’t feel the need to have sex at the drop of a hat. Yes, kitty kitty, there are such people capable of living a long time without sex. They just find something else to do . .

You seem to have totally misread my comment. I didn't mention Jared in it at all, nor mistake love for lust or imply having sex at the drop of a hat. When my first husband died I personally went four years without even thinking about ever dating again, so I know better than anyone what love is and that people are capable of going long periods without sex.

Julian made a wrong choice as a teen girl, (the guy was a jerk) - but why did that affect her ability to go on to a healthy relationship (be it with a man or woman) for well over 30 years? All I'm saying, is that seems to be an extremely excessive reaction.

Why wouldn't she have dealt with it? It comes across like she was so traumatized that it remained fresh in her mind - which makes the reader question why would she not deal with the issue, put it behind her, go on to lead a normal happy life?

I was trying to understand how you meant us to take that for the purpose of your story. It brings up questions because IRL if someone reacted that strongly it could reflect on them very differently than what you may be trying to represent in your story - and I didn't know if that was what you were meaning to portray.

This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 27 2011, 03:19 AM

[Thomas Kaira]

Happy homecoming Julian! Wow, talk about a welcome home party...

So in the last chapter we see the worst that men have to offer, and now we see the worst of women. I do hope Julian saw a glimpse of Jared the Fetcher in Faustina. Fitting to give those loser robbers a slow and painful death, complete with the signature Kneecap a'la Julian! Ouch!

Looks like the Sirens have deceived their last man. Hopefully Julian won't have to deal with the Anvil Secret Service on the way out (oh, my... I totally didn't mean for that acronym to come out. ).

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 27 2011, 04:15 AM

[Grits]

This quest has never made sense to me in the game, but it works in your story beautifully.

She laughed, a brittle, tinkling laugh like shattering crystal.
I love what you did with Faustina. She’s instantly recognizable, but somehow she is even more herself.

I resisted the impulse to look at my outfit.
This is perfect. When another women is telling you how your butt looks in those pants, you almost have to look.

Signy’s last moments were impressive. A hamstrung, burning Nord still trying to get her blade in. That image is going to stay with me. Hopefully Faustina’s professional assessment that Julian is a hottie will help her accept the next compliment she receives. And the house is already redecorated, just a little bloody. It makes me wonder, what is Julian going to do with all of the red draperies? Uniforms for the Anvil Little League? Ball gown? Hmm.

I caught my breath. Blood flows in this house once again.
Dangit. And it was already a complicated homecoming.