ESRP Chapter One

We could befriend a local and try to get a bed for the night. Or we could force our way into a house.

A knock at the door.

"Who could that be?"

"Gods if I know, boy."

Soline: "Well if the two of you aren't going to get it, I will."

Soline answers the door. "Oh, hi Gnaeus, come in, come in..." She fusses over her hair and her clothes a bit. Gnaeus enters her home, slowly. He looks around, noting her father and her brother in the room. She was the entrepreneur of the family, her father didn't do much, and her brother worked at a lumber mill. He bowed, slightly, it was his non-verbal way of saying "hello."

"Hello Gnaeus, what can we do for you?" Her father asked, as he always did, knowing he could not reply.

Gnaeus looked tired, he looked at Soline, and she understood. "You can spend the night here Gnaeus, it's no trouble to us."

Gnaeus smiled softly, and bowed in thanks. Soline showed him to their spare bedroom, it had belonged to their uncle. He had gone off to Whiterun for business. So he said, anyway. Gnaeus was very thankful.

*Gnaeus could write beautifully, his penmanship was unique and looked wonderful. The Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim had said, "He writes in such a way as I have never seen, even amon the Summerset nobility." He dismisses this, saying she was trying to flatter him. He was right, she was.*

I sigh as I walk around the town, apparantly called Helgen, bored. Knowing I'm going to sleep outside tonight.

=decides since the inn is not usable to go to a small area out of people's way and set up a small tent he has with him=

A- I'd rather not break into someone's house, thank you. But as for finding a Local to shack up with, we might be able-

=The Knight passed by the Wizard and Assassin. He recognized them both, and put in his own comment as he walked by, not bothering to stop for pleasantries.=

?- You wont.

A- ...Well then.

Well unless you feel like sleeping out in the cold and wet. i'd suggest you discard those morals of yours.

i stretch and yawn a little. Not that i had plans on sleeping tonight anyway

=He chuckles=

A- It would be only you who would be cold and wet, Assassin. My flame cloak keeps both at bay for me.

i give the wizard a sideways look

i wasn't aware you could continue using that spell even while you're asleep. Those eight hours could be rather taxing on your magicka

=starts setting up his tent=

always good to have a back up

Gnaeus' inability to speak more often than not left him at the mercy of others. Gnaeus has alway been aware of this his whole life. This limited his ability to communicate with others and without a way of communicating his thoughts verbally, he turned to writing. He is quite good at writing, one of his many duties in the Hall of the Divines included work as a scribe. Writing down sermons or old tomes that needed to be preserved. When the Temple found a priest willing to do the work they gave him other things to do. Most of his growth, to the height he is now, was while he was living at the Temple. By the time Sven Ironhand had come to the Temple Gnaeus had reached his full height.

Gnaeus brought the chest of Iron from the wagon, which was very heavy indeed, and set it next to the bed he would be sleeping in. Lifting the box and carrying it took effort, but it was a medium load. The chest he carried now was not the heaviest, nor was it the lightest. If pressed, he would say it medium. Soline gave Gnaeus a look of worry, Gnaeus smiled at her as she stood in the doorway. Gnaeus, pulled back the blanket that covered the bed, as habit, and sat on the bed. Soline walked over to Gnaeus and sat next to him. She leaned on him, putting her cheek on his shoulder. "Oh Gnaeus...."

This was not an uncommon occurrence, over the years Gnaeus worked at Embershard mine and for Sven Ironhand, Gnaeus had come to travel through Helgen often. Staying at the inn often became a necessity due to Skyrims weather patterns, especially during the winter. Traveling to and fro the Ironhands' estate is how they met. She was the barkeep at the inn, he was a revisiting patron. Their friendship kindled and sparked, and before long was ablaze.

A- Hmm. Yes, you are correct. But even so, I will not simply break into another's home.

=He thought for a moment=

I have a few Hides in my backpack. We could always construct a tent. That's basically what I did on the way to Riverwood.

You can have a tent all you want. i'm having a nice dry house.

i leave him to begin scouting out the houses around the village

=walks out from his area grabs a log that had fallen now and carries it to the tent not minding anyone=

=The Knight approached the Wizard again=

?- You know Destruction magics, right?

A- Why do you care?

?- I think we can help eachother out. C'mon, I'll show you what I mean.

=He followed the Knight outside the walls of Helgen, around the road bend, and to an area up against the mountain=

A- Okay, what's so special about this?

?- Just watch.

=The Knight went over to a pile of snow, and began dusting it away. It revealed a few Hides stretched out over some wooden planks leaning up against the mountain. He pulled that aside, and behind it was a small cave. Only about three meters deep, and two meters tall, but it would do. Aije looked at the Knight=

A- How did you find this?

?- I found it a few months back. Travelers have to take what they can get.

A- So why do you need me?

?- Well, we're going to need a fire, arent we?

=He and the Wizard began to gather sticks and branches from the immediate area and pile them in the center of the cave. Luckily, the roof of the cave tilted up towards the entrance, so any smoke would blow right out the front and into the trees. A few minutes later, the pair were sitting on some rocks around the fire, not saying much, just enjoying the shelter from the rain and warm of the fire=

=I watched the group from another hiding spot. I wasn't going to steal from them again, it was just much safer to follow them around than to go alone.

I silently walk to the assassin.=

"I hear you need a place to stay?"

i don't bother to turn around. The voice was recognisable.

Not from you. i've already found my place.

i take a short step back and run towards the cottage. i quicly bounce up the wall and hook my fingers onto the window ledge at the top of the wall. i clamber up and sit there.

Why'd you come back?

=I wasn't surprised by her recognising my voice or her agility.=

"Because it's safer to follow a group of skilled fighters."

=I look at the cottage.=
"And you're sure you'd rather risk a battle axe to your gut while you sleep? Most Nords don't take kindly to finding elves in their beds."

You clearly are stupid if you think that i'd sleep in their bed. Most cottages have a crawlspace just between the roof beams and the actual roof.

"Still, Nords don't like finding people in their homes at night. I've been there. Then again, I was carrying most of his gold."

The sun slowly sets in the distance as i turn my gaze to it

Good luck finding me in the dark.

"You forget Khajiits have very good night vision. But why would I have to find you in the dark...? You think I'd force you to take my offer?"

Soline and Gnaeus sat there in silence, enjoying each others company. A knock came at the door, it was a short three raps three times in a row. Soline didn't move right away, she missed her friend and didn't want to be away from him. He was not like other Altmer, he didn't act superior to everyone around him. He wasn't some noble or some rich man, he was a simple miner. And she liked him for it. Her father opened the door.

"You're back!" He exclaimed. Soline shifted her gaze to Gnaeus' door.
"I am, for a time at least." The voice sounded familiar.
"Well, what have you found?" Her father sounded almost desperate. Gnaeus shifted and looked at the door. Soline looked up at him, and he down to her. He pointed toward the door, silently asking about the events corresponding beyond. She shrugged in response.
"Well, I already subtracted my fee from it, but here, I've listed everything I found."
"What was he talking about?" She wondered.
"I see, and? How much?" He sounded anxious.
"More than 500 gold septims, and.." He's cut short by her father.
"500 Septims!" He said it quietly, but with excitement.
"...And the gold ingots and valuable weaponry." He finished, almost chuckling at the end.
She could hear her father expressing his excitement.
Then the dog started barking.
"What is it Hanzel?"
The dog could smell something, or someone, that it didn't recognize.

=finishes his tent and inspects it which looks indistinguishable from the wall it's against and climbs inside pulling a rock to cover the entrance before lying down and relaxing=

Gnaeus stood up when he heard the dog barking. Soline could tell he was concerned. He knew the dog well, from his frequent stays at her home. Gnaeus left the room his room and entered the main hall of the home. The dog continued to bark. When Gnaeus approached Hanzel, the dog, he whined. This concerned Gnaeus, the dog had stopped barking, but only because Gnaeus soothed him, calmed him down. Hanzel was a good guard dog, Gnaeus knew this. Dust fell down from the beams above him, and Gnaeus looked up. He saw a woman, of indescribable race, walking on the beams above him. Soline, upon following him, followed his gaze up to the roof, where she saw the woman clad in black on the support beams of the house.

By this time, the father and the stranger, Soline, and Gnaeus were all staring at the woman on the support beam. After the initial shock wore off, Soline's father was the first to speak up.

"Ho there! Thief! You're trespassing!" he shouted. The stranger stepped back through the front door and ran to get the town guard, Soline went with him.