AlbaGuBrath
"Scotland Forever"
As Saorat saw Riften appear in the distance, she felt a surge of anxiety and distaste for the familiar city. True, she had good memories of it, but poor ones as well and suspected there were many inside with worse memories of her. Could they have forgotten? How long had it been? She stopped and numbered the years on her paws. Two in Elsewyr, three in the army, one on the run, not counting time spent travelling. By the stars, had it really been six years? She thought about the young cub running through the streets and felt a stab of nostalgia. It seemed so very far away now...
When she came near, she slowed her steps and considered her approach. Her hope had been that, if ever she returned to Riften, she could enter through the gates like any other respectable citizen rather than skulking about in the shadows. But given the dangerous situation of being a fugitive and going in to find another, perhaps it would be better if as few people saw her come or leave as possible. The guards had been known to have ties with the Guild during her time in the city, why shouldn’t they have ties with the Thalmor now? She veered off the road and made for the south entrance and the shortcut into the city the Guild regularly used. Once there, she quickly changed into civilian clothing and secreted her armor and bow somewhere safe. As a traveling “trader”, she shouldn’t walk about the city fully armed, though she still carried a knife and her claws. After a quick check to be sure nobody was watching, she slipped into the city and casually began walking the streets.
Riften looked very much like she remembered, though there was an air of distrust and fear unusual even for the crime-filled city. As she wandered from place to place wondering how to find a stranger she’d never met and might not even exist, she found her steps meandering toward The Bee and Barb. She looked at the sign and considered briefly. Yes, that would be a good place to start. Most citizens of the town passed through at some time or other. She was about to go in when the door opened and a couple elves walked out. Saorat dove for cover and watched them suspiciously.
Thalmor… she thought, glaring angrily at them as they passed. How she would like to wipe that smug look off their faces and chase them all the way across the borders until they would never be seen again…
Patience… The time will come when they will pay. For now, you have a job to do.
She waited a few minutes just in case there were others inside before walking inside. The tavern was especially full today, even more so than she remembered. Not that she had ever really been welcome inside. She scanned the faces of the inhabitants to see if any of them looked unusual. There were several strangers, in fact, but that alone wasn’t enough to say she found the man. But of these strangers most were women, and one of them was a Khajiit and a couple others Argonian. A thrill of joy fluttered in her heart to see another of her kind and the familiar scaly faces, and she wished to speak with them; to hear the purr and rasp of their speech, to laugh at their sharp humor, to see the expressiveness of their eyes (something the races of men and elves seemed to lack). Just to feel at home and fondly remember old friends. But, she couldn’t. She had a job to do and needed to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible.
Like that always worked.
With an effort, she turned her attention away from the beastfolk and settled it on an unusual man sitting alone in the back. He wore a cloak, but part of his face could still be seen when he looked around the room. She fished out a scrap of paper from her pouch and examined it carefully. The sketch she’d been given was very rough, based on a patchwork of memory and a supposed glimpse of the man, but it did bear a resemblance. At least, a closer one to anybody else she’d seen. It was a possibility, if nothing else. She slipped around to the bar and ordered a meal - not entirely as cover, for hunger was a regular visitor to their camp - before casually sitting down near the hooded man. While the crowd understandably made her nervous, she was grateful for the cover it provided and that it made sitting near complete strangers more normal than it would be otherwise.
She replaced the paper and touched the symbol they used when trying to recruit new followers, to let them know it was safe to speak freely. It was an Amulet of Talos flanked by a pair of bear claws; not obvious enough to cause much suspicion, but hopefully recognizable to friends. Under her current guise, she could even claim it as a trinket to be sold if people seemed suspicious. Still, though, it was wise to test the waters before doing anything that could draw unwanted attention.
She took a few bites of her meal before glancing sideways at the man and judging that he had noticed her presence, though she didn’t look straight at him. Coughing quietly to clear her throat, she spoke in a slightly exaggerated rasp she used when disguised as a traveler. It wasn’t as distinct as a cat truly from Elsewyr, but it was enough to hide the flavor of Skyrim and suggest a foreigner.
“I noticed you have more foreigners in your streets than you once did, and not traveling merchants, from the look of them. Who are they, and what are they doing here?”
She knew the answer, of course, but wanted to know how what he would say. His response could give clues about whether or not he would be willing to risk everything under the flag of a fallen king.
(@Beta✯ There you go! Sorry that took so long. So, at the moment, it's just casual conversation to get an idea of where his or others' sympathies might lie. From that point, may start deciding about whether or not its safe to say anything about it. It's been years, so she has no idea what anyone present thinks of the situation or what they'd be willing to do.
@Ellieroan @Lorkhan I mentioned your characters briefly, but didn't really do anything with them. She may have stared a little bit or bumped into someone, but I didn't specify.)
When she came near, she slowed her steps and considered her approach. Her hope had been that, if ever she returned to Riften, she could enter through the gates like any other respectable citizen rather than skulking about in the shadows. But given the dangerous situation of being a fugitive and going in to find another, perhaps it would be better if as few people saw her come or leave as possible. The guards had been known to have ties with the Guild during her time in the city, why shouldn’t they have ties with the Thalmor now? She veered off the road and made for the south entrance and the shortcut into the city the Guild regularly used. Once there, she quickly changed into civilian clothing and secreted her armor and bow somewhere safe. As a traveling “trader”, she shouldn’t walk about the city fully armed, though she still carried a knife and her claws. After a quick check to be sure nobody was watching, she slipped into the city and casually began walking the streets.
Riften looked very much like she remembered, though there was an air of distrust and fear unusual even for the crime-filled city. As she wandered from place to place wondering how to find a stranger she’d never met and might not even exist, she found her steps meandering toward The Bee and Barb. She looked at the sign and considered briefly. Yes, that would be a good place to start. Most citizens of the town passed through at some time or other. She was about to go in when the door opened and a couple elves walked out. Saorat dove for cover and watched them suspiciously.
Thalmor… she thought, glaring angrily at them as they passed. How she would like to wipe that smug look off their faces and chase them all the way across the borders until they would never be seen again…
Patience… The time will come when they will pay. For now, you have a job to do.
She waited a few minutes just in case there were others inside before walking inside. The tavern was especially full today, even more so than she remembered. Not that she had ever really been welcome inside. She scanned the faces of the inhabitants to see if any of them looked unusual. There were several strangers, in fact, but that alone wasn’t enough to say she found the man. But of these strangers most were women, and one of them was a Khajiit and a couple others Argonian. A thrill of joy fluttered in her heart to see another of her kind and the familiar scaly faces, and she wished to speak with them; to hear the purr and rasp of their speech, to laugh at their sharp humor, to see the expressiveness of their eyes (something the races of men and elves seemed to lack). Just to feel at home and fondly remember old friends. But, she couldn’t. She had a job to do and needed to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible.
Like that always worked.
With an effort, she turned her attention away from the beastfolk and settled it on an unusual man sitting alone in the back. He wore a cloak, but part of his face could still be seen when he looked around the room. She fished out a scrap of paper from her pouch and examined it carefully. The sketch she’d been given was very rough, based on a patchwork of memory and a supposed glimpse of the man, but it did bear a resemblance. At least, a closer one to anybody else she’d seen. It was a possibility, if nothing else. She slipped around to the bar and ordered a meal - not entirely as cover, for hunger was a regular visitor to their camp - before casually sitting down near the hooded man. While the crowd understandably made her nervous, she was grateful for the cover it provided and that it made sitting near complete strangers more normal than it would be otherwise.
She replaced the paper and touched the symbol they used when trying to recruit new followers, to let them know it was safe to speak freely. It was an Amulet of Talos flanked by a pair of bear claws; not obvious enough to cause much suspicion, but hopefully recognizable to friends. Under her current guise, she could even claim it as a trinket to be sold if people seemed suspicious. Still, though, it was wise to test the waters before doing anything that could draw unwanted attention.
She took a few bites of her meal before glancing sideways at the man and judging that he had noticed her presence, though she didn’t look straight at him. Coughing quietly to clear her throat, she spoke in a slightly exaggerated rasp she used when disguised as a traveler. It wasn’t as distinct as a cat truly from Elsewyr, but it was enough to hide the flavor of Skyrim and suggest a foreigner.
“I noticed you have more foreigners in your streets than you once did, and not traveling merchants, from the look of them. Who are they, and what are they doing here?”
She knew the answer, of course, but wanted to know how what he would say. His response could give clues about whether or not he would be willing to risk everything under the flag of a fallen king.
(@Beta✯ There you go! Sorry that took so long. So, at the moment, it's just casual conversation to get an idea of where his or others' sympathies might lie. From that point, may start deciding about whether or not its safe to say anything about it. It's been years, so she has no idea what anyone present thinks of the situation or what they'd be willing to do.
@Ellieroan @Lorkhan I mentioned your characters briefly, but didn't really do anything with them. She may have stared a little bit or bumped into someone, but I didn't specify.)
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