Haraden Inn, Stros M'kai, several days ago...
It had been a long, exhausting day for everyone in the party that had raided the mountain to put an end to the goblin threat. It remained to be seen what would come of it, but they had done their part of the bargain, and proved that there might have been some validity to this 'hero' label. Despite the fatigued celebration over mugs of ale and wine, there was a sombre tone to the celebrations. There had been losses, and nothing was as straight forward as it would seem. And then, of course, there was the fate of the barrels of gas. Zaveed wondered if it was the last he had heard of it.
He sat at the large, rectangular table near the end, his boots crossed, resting on the surface with a mug in one hand and a Septim flipping between fingers on the other. He listened to the stories the others spun, and he joined his laughter with theirs, although his mind was elsewhere. Somewhere around his third mug, he excused himself from the table. "I beg your forgiveness, friends. I am simply going to get some air." He slapped Zainat on the shoulder as he rose. "Keep my mug filled, will you?" he said, heading towards the door and out into the darkening skies.
The air was clean and crisp, with the salt of the seas giving the familiar, comfortable sent as the warm night had begun to set. The sun had only recently descended into the horizon, and the sky was turning from vibrant orange to sombre reds and purple. Up in the sky, the twin moons hung, their features as clear now as they were from Zaveed's Youth. The sky is different here. he thought, studying the pock-marked surface of the celestial body. The stars were coming out, painting the sky with countless millions of brilliant white lights while the reds of the cluster of stars became more vibrant. There were few things as universally captivating as the sky at night. He even found the auroras breath taking once, before they meant near-certain death. They seemed more like a foul omen now than anything.
Zaveed found a seat on the patio and removed his boots, loosening off he buckles that kept them binded to his feet and unfastened the armour around his torso, carrying both with him out into the sands towards a sentinel palm tree swaying gently in the breeze. Bare chested and calm, Zaveed sat, digging his feet into the sand and looking out into the dark waters that lapped against Stros M'kai. The scene was serene, but his features were heavy. He knew he should be elated, so... what was troubling him?
Reigenleif had just finished her second bowl of whatever fish based food it was the Inn was serving that night. She was ravenous after the amount of energy she'd expended battleing the Goblins, not to mention after not eating a proper, cooked meal in several weeks. This was one of the luxurys she indulged in every time she came to a town - proper food. Normally, her food consisted of dried things that lasted a long time, or occasionally some creature she'd caught and brazed to a charred state - the extent of her cooking ability. Now that she'd had her fill though, it was time to indulge in the other luxury of a town. Seeing several bottles of mead behind the bar, she dropped a few coins for the bartender and pointed to them. Quite fortuitous that they'd had some imported, but these were the blessings of being in a port city. Anywhere else and she'd have to deal with whatever the local standard was.
As she took the bottle of sweet alcohol, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Zaveed was leaving, before he'd finished his drink even. From the stories she'd heard, that wasn't very like him. She thought about staying were she was for a moment, maybe talking to Thyra, but then she noticed the heat from the fire nearby. This country was too hot without a fire, and she figured that it'd be cooler outside with Zaveed. That, and he had to make sure he wasn't slipping away before she could study him. He'd returned her key, which'd made her a very happy Nord, but there was always more to be learned from magical anomalies like him. She took the unopened bottle in one hand and wandered out into the fading light of the sunset.
It took a moment to locate the Khajiit, but the light was still easily enough to spot him, leaning against a tree facing towards the sea. She walked over casually, opening up her bottle on the way. When she reached him, she looked down at his shirtless form and said "What are you doing out here? The stories said you'd drink the taverns dry, and uh, that Tavern still has drink." With that she took a sip of her mead, screwing up her face as she realised it was still warm. "Ugh, just like everything else in this country" She muttered, raising her free hand and bringing a cold wind about it as she prepared her drink-cooling spell.
The privateer offered her a smile as she cooled the drink, a rather handy and practical trick of a mage, he thought. He gestured to space next to him, the soft sand against the tree. "The night is still young yet, I just like to give my quarry the illusion they have a chance. One should not crush the hopes of the establishment's owners too soon, no?" he chuckled humourlessly. He inhaled deeply through his nose, turning back towards the sea. "I suppose I needed some time to reflect, to remember who Zaveed is, to step away from being Zaveed the Hero. Being a leader is never something I intended, it's just something that... happened. Never in my life did I expect anyone to look up to me the way the people at that table do, or those who helped me kill an Emperor. I can grin, put on my dance, and march into the Gates of Oblivion and people will follow because they see the fearless, bold man that saved their souls. They don't see the tired, wary sea raider that never in an era wanted to be someone people depended on." he looked back at Regeinleif. "You know, I was so numb to losing people after my ship went down along with everyone I had ever known in my life. I wandered from place to place in Skyrim, scrapping by with no direction or goal. I was... terrified. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do. In some stupid, backwards way, those auroras may have saved me and gave me a purpose again. At first... it was just about revenge, killing the man who wanted me dead first. The people who would become my fellow Heroes of Tamriel were just strangers who I saved from certain death and told them that I was going to march into Cyrodiil and plant my axe in the Emperor's skull." he smiled at the memory.
"The hardest part about learning about what it means to let people into your life again is dealing with their deaths and uncertain fates. Of the dozen or so of us, only four of us showed up at Imperial City a few weeks ago for the celebration in our honour. Some... we lost doing our quest. Others, I don't know what happened to them. All I know is I'm in a position where people are lining up behind me once more to take on impossible odds and come home with more glory and praise than we'd know what to do with. I suppose what's troubling me is that after what happened to Vurwe and that Redguard fellow that was with Polux, Jasalin, and Talshal, I just look at that table and see a lot of empty seats. Gorzath was sent with the others to deal with a necromancer, and I don't know if I'll see them again, either. This road we all walk down..." he ran his fingers through the sand, letting it flow through his fingers as pale blue eyes watched. "Well, I don't know how many people are going to be lost along the way because they trusted me to lead them. None of you would be in this situation if I weren't so stubborn, I felt that because I did the impossible once, I'm supposed to do it again. What in Oblivion is wrong with me?" he said, shaking his head exasperated as he leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree. It was a few long moments before he spoke again. "I don't know why I just said all that to you."
Reigenleif didn't know what to say to this sudden outpouring. People didn't never bothered telling her anything like this, in the few occasions when people were there to tell her things at all. She'd decided to sit halfway through his talking, having felt awkward standing and looking down at him while he shared such feelings. At his final comment she could at least say something, even if it was in jest. "Maybe I have a trustworthy face?" She said with a smile. The temperature was finally starting to feel comfortable for the Nord woman, more so as she took a swig of the ice-cold mead. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm following you because you're a magical anomaly. The chance to study one of the heroes of Tamriel was too much to pass up." She realised then she'd called him a hero again. He probably didn't want to hear that word right now. "By which I mean, um, someone who was immune to the aurora's. Like I said earlier I wasn't and well, I find it fascinating that some people were. And so, you're fascinating. From an academic standpoint of course." What was she saying? She hadn't even had a single bottle yet and she was already making a fool of herself. She looked at her bottle of mead. "This isn't going to be enough I think."
That got a laugh out of Zaveed, a light comfortable chuckle. "Maybe you do. Although, to be fair, I consider anyone not actively trying to kill me fairly trust-worthy, so there's that." he crooked his head, amused. "I've been called many things, my dear, and 'magical anomaly' was never among them. I'm hoping this study of yours doesn't involve cutting me open, because I assure you, I still need all my organs." he grinned at her. "And only fascinating in an academic standpoint? Are you sure it's not my roguish good looks, my pockets full of coin and gems, that I'm an independent man with my own ship? You wound me. And I assure you, if you were to write about me, the story of my life would be much more fetching than the boring circumstance that I wasn't enthralled, because I rightfully have no answer for that. Maybe my grandmother had a wild affair with Sanguine and blessed my family with superior alcoholic tolerance, or maybe my father sacrificed puppies to Boethia, who's to say?" Zaveed said cheekily, regarding Reigenleif's bottle with no small amount of want. He reached into one of the pouches in the armour beside him and produced a small cut emerald and handed it to Reigenleif. "Next rounds are on me. I'm sure this will go well towards drying up the tavern." Zaveed promised. He looked into Reigenleif's eyes. "So, that crystal orb that you so fancied. What do you plan on doing with it? If you plan on using it as a paper weight, I assure you spheres are terrible objects for that."
Normally she'd be unhappy with someone suggesting such a mundane use for a precious artifact, but she couldn't seem to get angry at Zaveed for that, instead laughing at the absurdity. "Oh I definitely have plans for this." She said, taking the fist sized object from one of the pouches on her belt. She wasn't letting it out of her sight now, not after she'd gone through so much to get it. "But I'm sure I'd send you to sleep if I started reciting the technical things I'll be doing to it... Some of which may or may not be experimental and likely to not work in the slightest." At the prospect of paying for the evenings drinks with an emerald, her eye's had widened slightly. Not at the sight of the gem, she'd seen her fair share of precious stones after delving into ruins across Tamriel, but at the idea of using one for such a mundane thing. "Do you often use gemstones to pay for your tab? I'm starting to see why the Innkeepers let you drink them dry...." She said with slight amazement, taking the small green stone from him. She looked at it for a moment, next to the Dwemer contraption and its far larger crystal it looked fairly insignificant, at least in Reigenleifs eyes. Then quite suddenly she said "Cut you up? And ruin that fine fur coat of yours? Never. Besides, I'm sure you've got plenty of women following you around for those reasons. I'm adding some variety to the list." She added with a cheerful laugh and a smile. "So you're a ship captain then? I used to live by the sea when I was just a girl. Its still comforting to hear it, though its not quite the same without the grinding of icebergs. Those were simpler days. Despite that, my few experiences sailing have been rather dull."
"I have never been one for the mystic and arcane things, I always expect my long-dead civilizations to stay that way, especially when they come back with a vengeance." Zaveed said, eying the curious dwemer crystal. "And perhaps you'll have to try me sometime, I'm quite fond of things that make the world somewhat more... interesting. Although, I am curious as to why it was so important to you to risk your life like that. I certainly understand passion, but to die for an old bauble that you may or may not be sure of its purpose? Perhaps you're crazier than I am. I like that." he said with a grin as Reigenleif took the emerald from him, and she seemed rather surprised that he'd use that for something so mundane a purpose. He explained, "It was not I who decided that shiny rocks had value, and I could never fathom those who would spent weeks of savings that could be used for food or tools to buy what's ultimately a worthless, translucent pebble." he said, looking at the Nord woman beside him as she looked at the small, green gem. "But to answer your question; all the time. I come across them often enough in my... line of work, so the novelty wore of somewhat quickly. I discovered that they're rather useful for bribes, and you'd be surprised what people are willing to part with for a shiny stone that, once more, has little real practical value. I give a bartender the stone, I don't worry about anything for the rest of the evening, and even have a bed at the end of the night. It's so much simpler than fumbling with a pile of coin, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes, you can even press your bartender for information. Ports are the networking hubs of the world, you'd be amazed at what gets around these sea-side taverns."
He had to laugh at her assurance that she wouldn't carve him up like some sort of mad mage that butchered bodies in pursuit of knowledge. But the infliction of her voice hinted at, what? Affection? Zaveed could never be sure. He was still learning what it was like to interact with women without exchanging coin for services. It only reminded him how utterly skewed and twisted his upbringing was. "I'm never in any place for long enough for women to follow me. Probably for the best, it would rather complicate my job. A problem with being a so-called hero is everyone is in love with the whole romanticism of the story of me instead of paying heed to whom I really am. I suspect many of those people would be in for a shock. But variety... I can learn to do with that." he smiled. "Yes, it was one of the boons I received for murdering the last Emperor, well... I wasn't the blade man, but there's things to be said for teamwork. I requested a pardon for my corsair activity and asked for a letter of marque and a ship so I could make up for the lost time the Thalmor took away from me. They're the reason I am who I am today, you see. I always sailed the warmer seas, and I would rather avoid the Northern shores again... it turns out that Skyrim's seas are a bit treacherous for my liking. It's how my first ship went down and I was the sole survivor of my old crew. That was five months before those auroras started up and made you do things that are rather uncharacteristic of yourself. But, when things settle down and we stop having extinct bastards trying to strangle us with hubris, I propose you join me for a while aboard my ship. I promise there's rarely a dull voyage with me." he pointed lazily to the gem in the Nord's hand. "Things like that come and go, like waves lapping the shore."
"Are you really sure you want to know what I'll do with this?" Reigenleif asked. "Because I assure you, a few more of these-" She said pointing to the mead "And I wont be able to tell you anyway. As for why I'd risk my life for what looks to most like a petty bauble... Well, you'll need to make me forget what I'm doing with it before you know about that." As if to prove a point she took another swig, finishing off the bottle of mead. With that she stood, putting the Dwemer object back safely inside its pouch. She looked down at the Khajiit and said "What'll you have then?"
"I am partial to Alto wine, if you would." He responded.
She nodded her acknowledgement and wondered back to the Inn to get more drinks for them. On the way she thought about his offer... inviting her to travel with him on his ship for a time. Her immediate thought was to deny it, after all, ships were boring. Right? Somehow she couldn't quite dismiss it out of hand though. Even with the prospect of finishing this latest stage of her research so near at hand. She found herself handing the bartender the small green stone and requesting the drinks, and before she knew it she was walking out of the Inn again, cooling the drinks as she went. What would she tell him? Did it even matter? So much could happen between now and the defeat of the Dwemer. Then she was handing the cooled wine to Zaveed and sitting back down next to him. "I don't know... Ever since I've started my research I've let nothing stop me... Tell me, do the elves usually carry any artifacts on their ships?" An amusing thought occured to her then. "Although I suppose if you're raiding Thalmor ships I'd finally get to fulfil my childhood dreams of joining the Stormcloaks to fight them. Figuratively speaking of course... Your ship isn't Stormcloak owned. And they're a much different order now. But you know what I mean." Blabbering. Again.
"I find inebriation is exactly the state of mind people need to be in to take on the mental burdens of the world." Zaveed said with a grin, accepting the chilled bottle gratefully. "You know, now that you've started your wine cooling service, I'm not going to let you get away from it. "As for what the elves carry aboard their ships, most is mundane but useful things, their rations are highly prized, and a lot of their cargo fetches a high price on Imperial markets due to the quality of it all. As for artifacts, it's difficult to say to the uncultured eye, although most of it was altmer fare that was usually the captain's own personal stash, unless the ship had particularly luxurious cargo... something of a rarity in times of turmoil, I'm afraid. But I have never come across dwemer inventory, the altmer never had to deal with them in the Isles." He drank deeply, feeling the bittersweet burn in his throat. Thirst parched for the time being, Zaveed turned back to Reigenleif. "You wanted to be a Stormcloak?" he grinned mischievously. "But you're far too accepting of the likes of me to subscribe to Jarl Ulfric's vanity. Although, the Sons of Skyrim are much more agreeable. I suppose you got your wish after all." a wink crossed his fine features. "But you're more than welcome to pretend you took up the blue and are after the bastards, if it pleases you. I've grown rather fond of culling off the arrogant bastards to the point where the Stormcloak-style, mouth-frothing rage against the Thalmor makes perfect sense to me."
Reigenleif laughed at that. Tamriel had changed so much since those early days. "I was a much younger, much sillier girl back then. It was all about heroes and villains, glorious battles and saving the day. I didn't know about all the terrible things Ulfric stood for, and I wouldn't have understood even if I did. You've got to be careful hanging around my wine cooling business though." She grinned, changing the subject back to one of a light-hearted nature. "Do you know-" She started slightly playfully "How I can tell when I've had too much to drink? Well, I lose control of the magic, you see you've got to be very precise to properly cool alcohol with magic, anyway I lose control of the magic, and over-freeze the bottle. Then, the liquid inside expands and the bottle, well the bottle can do anything from cracking-" She stiffled laughter as she remembered the aftermath of some of the more extreme incidents of this. "To exploding! Like an icy, alcoholic fireball!" She gestured as if to show the effect, grinning the whole time, the mead remaining in her bottle sloshing as she did so. She didn't really know what to say to his request to travel with him. Neither did she want to agree to anything so major while so close to losing coherent thought.
Zaveed chuckled. "You mistake me, I certainly am not questioning your younger self's judgement. After all, I was 3 when I was forced to become a corsair. It does sound very young, but be mindful that khajiit tend to grow and mature fairly quickly. At least the Stormcloaks give you a uniform; I was lucky if I had slacks that fit." he said, grinning at Reigenleif's detailed explanation for what would happen if she became too inebriated. Her enthusiasm was infectious, her drunken mirth made Zaveed wish his alcohol tolerance was not so high. He drank deeply in an attempt to rectify this. "You'll need to demonstrate that for me. I've seen what you can do to a goblin, but let me tell you, bottles are the real threat. Sometimes you need to make an example of them, no?" he said with a wink.
"Oh yes." Reigenleif replied. "The bottles are a terrible enemy. Standing between us and the mead. There is only one thing worse. One people I mean. Species. That's it. The Falmer." She still wasn't as drunk as she normally would be to tell this, but something about the Khajiit made her want to tell him. A trustworthy face perhaps. She didn't care right now though. "The Falmer killed my mother... and my father. Almost me too. Its because of them that I'm a mage too. So I guess they aren't all bad... But ever since that day I've been trying to figure out why. Why they did it. Why they are how they are. Why the Dwemer did what they did to them. I think I got a bit out of hand though... I've started asking why about all the old dead races. That's why I wanted this." She held up the Dwemer Sphere. "I think it can answer one of my questions. Who knows. Maybe it can save the world too." She put it down in the sand then. "But one thing at a time. I've got lots more bottles to show who's boss yet."
The conversation took a decidedly darker turn, alcohol tended to lay people's feelings and emotions bare. Within the span of perhaps a half an hour, both Zaveed and Reigenleif had opened up to one another in ways he suspected they had seldom done with other people. It felt good to have her confidence, someone who didn't look up to him as a captain or a leader or hero, but a peer, or even friend. It was one of those things Zaveed never quite realized was a void in his life until he finally had experienced it. Turns out, being raised with a group of sea raiders, murderers, thieves, and rapists tended to irreparably skew one's world view. Zaveed knew all too well how unpleasant the falmer were from his time in New Atmora, indeed is was a wonder none of the party died. Most of them spent days recovering from the poisons that the falmer filled their weapons with. But to lose both your parents? Even Zaveed couldn't have claimed to know what that was like, he eventually met his again as an adult, as painfully uncomfortable of an event that was.
"I find that sometimes the most pressing questions never have a satisfactory answer." Zaveed answered softly, staring off at the emerging starlight. This place really was beautiful at night, with the warm salted ocean air, crisp sand, and broad leaved palm trees lining the coast like lonely sentinels. His eyes caught the dwemer sphere, the one that Reigenleif wanted so badly. He regarded it for a moment before looking towards the Nord's eyes which were filled with the unfocused pain of someone who had been drinking and thinking of the past. "Once you find your answers, what then? The past can never be changed, and trust me, I have tried repeatedly. One must accept what has happened and move forward, since it is the only way that isn't locked to us." he drank from his own bottle deeply, starting to feel the warm, disassociated warmness and detached feeling he got when it was starting to take hold. When he took the bottles from his lips, setting it down between his outstretched legs, hands resting around the neck. His head leaned back against the trunk of the tree as he stared forward.
"I lost my parents, after a fashion, as well. I was taken from them as I mentioned, and until two years ago, I never thought or knew to look back. My sister, Marassa, spent years trying to locate me, to bring me home. When she finally did, I suspect it made things rather worse. Their innocent, skittish youngest son came back a grown man full of confidence and swagger, the hard eyes of a killer and the body to support it. How does one relate to people who he does not know? They had long ago accepted I was dead and moved on, and here I was, complicating things. I had become the thing that had taken me from them to begin with, a man who's shed more blood and bedded more women than I care to remember. More than that, I became someone who saved the world in many people's eyes. I might as well have been three separate people, the one they wanted to see buried under the weight and presence of the other two. Who is Zaveed to strangers, I have often wondered. A khajiit not of the sands but of the sea, one of greed and ambition instead of hedonism and disassociation. My point is, I don't belong to home anymore. Finding the answers of whom my parents were caused more emptiness and pain than had I never found out." he waved a lazy, dismissive hand. "So, what about that sphere is so important? You certainly risked a lot to obtain it." he asked.
"Oh, don't worry about me going off on some big revenge spree or anything... There are always more things to learn, and if I'm the lucky archeologist that explores all the ruins and finds out all there is to know... I'll just have to go into a different branch of research. One day, I'll have some of the answers I seek, true, but if there is one thing I've learned in my time exploring Tamriel, its that there is always more to see, more to learn." She'd never really considered the possibility that she'd find a definitive answer to her question. Especially now, she was a woman of the scholarly pursuit, and Zaveed's outlook and goals as more tangible things had taken her slightly by surprise.
Her eyes followed his back to the sphere again then. Apparently he was intent on knowing what it did, the specifics of it. "Well..." She started, uncertain about it herself. "It is, to my knowledge, a one of a kind artifact. Even that on its own makes it worth a great deal, but its what it does that's more important to me. It opens a door, so, I guess you could just call it a key, but that would be a bit of a disservice. The magical aspect of it powers the mechanical aspect, which interacts with the mechanism on the door, telling it to unlock and deactivate all the nasty traps waiting for the unsubtle. Well, at least I really hope it deactivates the traps. Some of those Dwemer traps can be really nasty, even so long after they were made. So I guess you could say I want it to stop myself from getting stabbed, boiled, burnt, electrocuted, crushed and whatever other horrible fates the Dwemer dreamed up for trespassers." She thought for a moment, trying to make sure she hadn't missed any of the common trap varieties, when a thought occurred to her.
"You know... If I follow you and your merry band, I may not get to test this out until.... well, until we've stopped the Dwemer probably. It's such an unwieldy thing to lug around though." She turned the sphere over in her hands, examining its detail with unfocused eyes. She was hardly in a state to figure anything out about it, and was really just admiring the way it caught the starlight.
"There is always something new to experience." Zaveed agreed, looking back at the Nord. "I have seen many places and many people, and no time have I set shore have things ever been the same. I am not an old man, but I have lived many lifetimes worth of experience.Too bad I am none the wiser for it." he said with a chuckle. "I can see why your improperly shaped key would be very useful to someone such as yourself, even without the value associated with it. Curious how you believe it should work in most, if not all, ruins, but it is the only one of its kind." he paused, considering. "Perhaps that is a mystery worth solving, no? Why would the dwemer not make many of the same artifact if it is universally designed and has such a benign function? Surely, most people would prefer not having a spike lodged up their posteriors because they could not disable them."
He offered Regeinleif a reassuring smile, which coming from him only promised danger ahead. "Oh, never put too much thought into what the roads will bring. After all, when my companions and I were on our way to kill us an errand Emperor, we found ourselves in one of the largest dwemer ruins and came out to share the tale, despite all the falmer and automation that were rather driven to kill us. It was a rather unexpected detour from the seemingly simple path of marching to Imperial City from Skyrim. Besides," he shifted to face her better, and to let his back catch the breeze. "We are pitted against the dwemer, are we not? I would suspect your talents and experience will be rather priceless in the days to come, even if we do not know what will fill them." he finished the bottle and placed into the sand, burying it several inches. "So, tell me, do you have family waiting for you back home? A lover? Somebody who might ponder why you are gallivanting across the sands in search of ancient treasure, perhaps?"
Reigenleif was quite surprised to hear that question. She'd never really thought about the idea that anyone might be looking forward to her return to Winterhold since her family had died. She'd never once considered settling down anywhere, much less with someone. She'd never put any meaning on the few passionate nights she'd experienced in her travels, never considered that maybe one of those men might've wanted her to stay for the sake of her company. Her surprise was evident in her voice as she answered. "I uh, no, no there's no-one waiting for me... At least none that I know about." A nervous laugh escaped her as she paused. "Since my family died the only people I really know well are the college mages. At the college we're all usually too busy discovering the secrets of the world for romance." She added with a smile, amused at the absurdity of it all.
She looked intently at the Dwemer artifact again then. "Well, its not the only way to open Dwemer doors... It just makes it easier and safer. I guess... you could call it a Dwemer Skeleton key? There was just this one door in the local ruins here that refused to open the normal way, or the crude way, or any other way I tried and I tried everything. I was about to test this when the Goblins decided it was pretty so... I don't actually know if it works or not. I'm just happy that strutting Breton idiot wont have a chance to ruin it for the gem. Its not as if gems are hard to come by, even big ones like this! Why did he decide my gem was the best one? Idiot." People mistreating artifacts was one of the few things that really got to Reigenleif, and Jareth had been up with the worst offenders in that regard. "Sorry." She said, realising how irate she'd become before quickly switching the subject.
"Anyone waiting for you?" She asked regretting speaking the words the moment they passed her lips. He'd just told her he'd never had any relationships that didn't involve money or fame, and her cheeks went cheery red as she realised she'd once again made a fool of herself.
Reigenleif's blush wasn't lost on Zaveed, who offered her a toothy grin in response. Colour was a flattering thing for the Nord's complexion, he decided. "Romance wasn't particularly a word this one had understood until somewhat recently. When you're raised by cut throats, thieves, and rapists, you kind of develop a rather... coloured perspective of the world that is rather, how should we put this delicately? Decidedly improper. I took part in the former, the latter... never. I was always of the opinion that people weren't something you took to satisfy your base desires, something that made my eventual reuniting with my parents much less awkward when I finally managed to find my way home again. My mother was raped and impregnated the night I was taken from them, something I didn't know until the child from that union tracked me down two years ago outside of Whiterun, you see. But, I wouldn't consider my parents family or my two brothers. Meeting them was much like any other strangers, it was just nice to know where I came from, and to offer them closure. I did not bothering returning after the one time, I saw no purpose. I did not wish to remind them I had rather become the monster that had visited misfortune upon the family. Long story short, I have never raped, but I've had my share of women, usually after a negotiated fare. I may be a killer, but I'm not an utter bastard." Zaveed said, sitting up against the tree more.
"But if you really must know, I have recently gotten over a long-distance romance of sorts that had lasted but a few weeks with a khajiit assassin who was rather agreeable about the whole idea of helping me kill a certain Emperor Felix Mede. It was the first time in my life that I had emotional stirrings of courtship, that there was more to relationships than casual sex and bribery. As I mentioned, I have had a rather curious upbringing that few people would consider healthy." the khajiit said with a laugh and a grin, his blue eyes catching the moonlight. "She went after the Praetorians when we arrived at Helgen, killed a dragon, and she decided if they weren't going to play fair, then she was going to make sure they wouldn't be able to wake up in the mornings thereafter. It was the last I've seen of her. It was funny, the attraction between the two of us was almost immediate, although I was convinced for the first few days that she was looking to take advantage of me and steel from me. Turns out, she was a lot like me that she sees a man she finds attractive, she just goes for it. Another one of my failings is when the table is turned on me, it's been my experience that there's something else the woman is interested in. I think I've worked my way past that, having spent enough time around well-adjusted people the past couple years. I do have my redeeming qualities."
He leaned over close to Reigenleif, inches from her face. "You're rather alluring when you're flustered by things no normal person could possibly be concerned with. My point was, I am not normal." he closed the distance and kissed her gently on lips, the fur on his face brushing gently against her smooth skin, he leaned back with a wink. "See, I'm not too far gone to realize that your interest in me goes further than the fact I'm a magic enigma."
Reigenleif listened to the Khajiit's telling of his past, sipping at her mead and trying to make it last. She didn't really know what to think about his tale, it was filled with the sorts of things of a very personal nature that she simply could never know while looking at ancient ruins and studying lost cultures.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, he was kissing her. Not only that, but she was kissing him back. Normally when alcohol filled men tried this they found themselves half frozen, but Zaveed was no normal man. When he sat back again and winked at her she went redder even than before, now totally flustered. "I uh, well, um..." She started, totally lost for words. "I'm speechless..." She drained the last of her drink, placing the empty bottle with the others. "I think we need some more to drink..." She said, not taking her eyes of Zaveed or making any attempt to get up to get a resupply.
"Then do not speak and enjoy the company. I apologize for being forward, my dear, I've just never been one to skirt around things I take interest in." he smiled, raising the woman's chin with a finger. "Do try to relax. You're amongst friends. Now, I do believe it's my turn to fetch refreshment. Try not to vanish on me; I'd never much enjoyed drinking on my lonesome." He rose, perhaps a bit unsteadily from the drink, offered a wide-armed theatrical bow and headed to the in, crossing the sand barefoot and shirtless as he went to fetch more drink. A few minutes later, he returned, a bottle of alto wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. He handed Regeinleif the bottle as he sat down beside her. "I trust you've found your words again. I suppose I found your capacity for action and your drive rather admirable. Normally, Nords do not hold my interest, but something about you makes it hard to turn my eyes. Maybe it's because we both share at least one bad habit." he said with a chuckle as the Nord handed back the chilled bottle. Zaveed pulled the cork free with a claw and poured the two glasses, handing one back. "I haven't had the opportunity to share a quiet moment with someone who sat with me as an equal for quite some time... I thank you for that."
Reigenleif remained speechless while Zaveed stood and left. She remained were she was, absently looking out to sea. What was he doing? One of the Heroes of Tamriel, no, a remarkable khajiit, had taken an interest in her. Her, just a young Nord mage from Winterhold. It all seemed like a dream, one that she wasn't yet sure if she liked. It was all so strange, and happening so quickly. No way could she decide something like this so quickly. She still had so much to do! Despite it all though, she couldn't find it in her to turn Zaveed away. She was still sitting in the same place when Zaveed returned, this time with Alto wine. Thyra must've drunk all the mead by now.
She listened to Zaveeds words casting her drink-cooling spell as she did so. The bottle didn't crack or explode in her hand, so she was still not completely drunk. She kept listening as she drunk the red liquid, probably faster than it was meant to be drunk. "I still don't really know what to say... I was alone so much that I think I'd forgotten why anyone even enjoys the company of others... Its a lot to adapt too. I don't waste time getting to the things I want either... Once I know what it is I want. Barely a few days ago I still thought the Dwemer were dead and that I'd be alone all my life, now look where we are. My whole world has been shaken up in a storm, I'm just hoping the snow settles soon so I can see again." A glance and smile towards Zaveed escaped her then as she refilled her glass. "I don't know what to do."
"If you told me a couple years back that I would have a choice in what to do with my life, I would have laughed at the silly tale you were spinning. It never occurred to me that one day I'd be able to decide my own fate. I was always with people, but in a way, I was kind of alone. I never learned what it meant to have a friend, or Alkosh forbid, a lover. Being shipwrecked in Skyrim gave me some rather interesting time for introspection. The people I gathered to kill the Emperor I saw as a crew, little more... somehow they became friends. It just took me a while to realize that. Maybe it's after I was run through by one of the mentally infirm of the party and they struggled to save my life. I find near death experiences quite enlightening." Zaveed said, chuckling. He placed a hand on the Nord's knee beside him. "The reason I say that is it's rather silly to dedicate your life to one path when so many more present themselves. Go where the current takes you, go with your intuition for once. There's much more to life than rummaging around a dark ruin, life's a gift that one shouldn't squander. Would you not have regrets had events not shaken your expectations?" he smiled, looking Reigenleif in the eyes. "As for what to do, why not just follow what your heart tells you for a while? It seems your head has gotten away from you and you've forgotten how to enjoy yourself. Be selfish for once. Live." Zaveed teased.
Reigenleif listened to Zaveeds words as she looked out across the sea, the moonlight from both Masser and Secunda causing the waves to shimmer brilliantly with colour. It was an unlikely source for words of such wisdom, but she'd found in her explorations that often the unlikeliest sources held the best of wisdom. She smiled at his telling her to be selfish, it seemed so ironic now after the mages of the college always told her her studies were selfish.
The distant sound of laughter reached her ears from the tavern behind her then, and she was reminded of how long she'd been alone. Here was an extraordinary man who actually seemed interested in her for more than her body and she was busy fussing over being surety and the apparent end of the world. She suddenly laughed at the absurdity of it all, smiling and leaning her head on Zaveeds shoulder as she put an arm around him, still looking out at the sea. "Alright then... I'll be selfish." She said, her voice full of mirth.
The khajiit wrapped an arm over her shoulder, enjoying the intimate touch of the Nord woman, he returned her smile as his gaze joined hers, watching the waves lap the beach, whitecaps catching the moonlight. He was so used to either being seen as an untouchable authority figure, or a man to be feared, or a celebrity of sorts that the vulnerability was something he craved. Here was someone who accepted him for who he was as a man, not the avatar of his reputation. Reigenleif was certainly a captivating woman, someone who was consumed by her own obsessions that she too had created an isolation about herself in pursuit of her own gains. The two of them had spent so many years moving forward and disregarding anything resembling a normal life, they'd forgotten how to just stop an enjoy a moment. Zaveed had seen such wild lands, such unimaginable sights and done incredible things all the while, but at that moment, he wouldn't have traded any of it for this moment. He could almost forget that he was caught up in such insane circumstances and danger, that he soon wouldn't be marching into a war that he had no idea if there was a way to win. But for now, there was this.
Several comfortable minutes of silence passed before he spoke once more. "Do you ever wonder how else life could have been?" he asked. "If you could tear out the pages of your life and write new ones with different experiences? I wouldn't have been some dashing cutthroat had I not been stolen from my family when I was a child, I was raised into who I am by men like me. I didn't realize there was another life, another way, until the last two years. There's a chance that had my family homestead been overlooked that night, I would have been tending a moonsugar cane field in the hot Elsweyr sun, never to have hefted a weapon in my life, perhaps never to have known a woman's comfort. Or perhaps I would have married and had three awful children that would have drove me crazy enough to take up piracy just for some peace and quiet. Senchal is a port city that's crawling with criminals, after all." he chuckled. "Have I ever told you about my sister? No woman has ever been so disinterested in the events of the world while finding herself in the middle of it all. She spent years trying to find me, even when the Auroras filled the sky. Being hunted by battle mages bothered her so little that when we spoke of our experience with the Emperor's madness that she might as well have been talking about the weather while honing the edge on a sword that's nearly as tall as she is." he paused, working his jaw in thought. "She's really all I have in this world, and it's starting to seem I may never see her again."
Reigenleif laughed at the idea of someone who could so casually ignore the terrible events of the Aurora crisis, especially this deep into the bottle it all seemed quite crazy. She thought for a moment about how her life could've been different then. It was something she'd done often in the early years of being at the college of Winterhold - wishing with all her being that the attack on her home had never happened. It was strange to think back to that now, but it was definitely the one event she would change if she could. Despite all magic had given her, she would give it all up to be that idealistic young girl learning how to swing an axe with her parents again. "If I could change my history... I'd probably be a simple farm girl in Winterhold my whole life." Thinking about that only made her sad again though, and she picked up another bottle. As she focused her magicka into it, the glass cracked quite suddenly, making her jump in surprise. "Oh... That means no more for me..." She said, grinning from ear to ear. "I never had any siblings you know... Its a hard life in the far north, I don't think my parents believed they could provide for another child." She turned her head and pointedly looked at Zaveed then before continuing "Maybe we should seek out this sister of yours? At least find out if she's still alive? The terrible events don't really seem to be going away after all." She'd taken on a more serious expression now. It certainly seemed that fate had decided Tamriel would have to weather a storm of misfortune before any more peace would be afforded its people.
"With any luck, she stayed home and continued on with her life in the Dominion. However, knowing her, she's probably on the road again looking for Sevari or myself." Zaveed replied, returning the bottle to his lips. "She's very persistent. But I will not go in search of her, especially since those people inside have decided that our common cause is bigger than any of us. What message would it send if I stopped my pursuit of the dwemer for my own selfish reasons? It would be no different than if I decided my own life was more valuable than the rest of Tamriel during the Siege of Storms." he shook his head, smiling with a melancholic expression. "Peace. There's something I shall never know. We do not live in a land that permits such things. If the dwemer did not return, the Dominion would have invaded the Empire again in time. Even if we somehow stop the dwemer, the Dominion is still going to be taking advantage of all of this... I don't even know if the Emperor is still alive. But let's not worry about such depressing things now, shall we? Here we are in good company on a rather lovely beach with more than a share of good drink. Who could want more?" Zaveed grinned.
Reigenleif had put her head back on Zaveeds shoulder as he spoke of the terrible state Tamriel was in. It wasn't very pleasant to think about, what with almost every group of elves in the world trying to kill anyone whos ears weren't pointed. Reigenleif hadn't realised how sheltered she'd been from everyones wars while she galavanted about the country side exploring ancient ruins, and it began to drive the point home to hear Zaveed speak of it. She didn't want to think about that now though, she was supposed to be enjoying herself! She turned and looked at him again and said "You're right. Tomorrow we'll worry about elves and wars. Right now we can just enjoy the moment..." There was a hint of admonishment in her voice, and she added mentally before someone, or something, takes it away...
It had been a long, exhausting day for everyone in the party that had raided the mountain to put an end to the goblin threat. It remained to be seen what would come of it, but they had done their part of the bargain, and proved that there might have been some validity to this 'hero' label. Despite the fatigued celebration over mugs of ale and wine, there was a sombre tone to the celebrations. There had been losses, and nothing was as straight forward as it would seem. And then, of course, there was the fate of the barrels of gas. Zaveed wondered if it was the last he had heard of it.
He sat at the large, rectangular table near the end, his boots crossed, resting on the surface with a mug in one hand and a Septim flipping between fingers on the other. He listened to the stories the others spun, and he joined his laughter with theirs, although his mind was elsewhere. Somewhere around his third mug, he excused himself from the table. "I beg your forgiveness, friends. I am simply going to get some air." He slapped Zainat on the shoulder as he rose. "Keep my mug filled, will you?" he said, heading towards the door and out into the darkening skies.
The air was clean and crisp, with the salt of the seas giving the familiar, comfortable sent as the warm night had begun to set. The sun had only recently descended into the horizon, and the sky was turning from vibrant orange to sombre reds and purple. Up in the sky, the twin moons hung, their features as clear now as they were from Zaveed's Youth. The sky is different here. he thought, studying the pock-marked surface of the celestial body. The stars were coming out, painting the sky with countless millions of brilliant white lights while the reds of the cluster of stars became more vibrant. There were few things as universally captivating as the sky at night. He even found the auroras breath taking once, before they meant near-certain death. They seemed more like a foul omen now than anything.
Zaveed found a seat on the patio and removed his boots, loosening off he buckles that kept them binded to his feet and unfastened the armour around his torso, carrying both with him out into the sands towards a sentinel palm tree swaying gently in the breeze. Bare chested and calm, Zaveed sat, digging his feet into the sand and looking out into the dark waters that lapped against Stros M'kai. The scene was serene, but his features were heavy. He knew he should be elated, so... what was troubling him?
Reigenleif had just finished her second bowl of whatever fish based food it was the Inn was serving that night. She was ravenous after the amount of energy she'd expended battleing the Goblins, not to mention after not eating a proper, cooked meal in several weeks. This was one of the luxurys she indulged in every time she came to a town - proper food. Normally, her food consisted of dried things that lasted a long time, or occasionally some creature she'd caught and brazed to a charred state - the extent of her cooking ability. Now that she'd had her fill though, it was time to indulge in the other luxury of a town. Seeing several bottles of mead behind the bar, she dropped a few coins for the bartender and pointed to them. Quite fortuitous that they'd had some imported, but these were the blessings of being in a port city. Anywhere else and she'd have to deal with whatever the local standard was.
As she took the bottle of sweet alcohol, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Zaveed was leaving, before he'd finished his drink even. From the stories she'd heard, that wasn't very like him. She thought about staying were she was for a moment, maybe talking to Thyra, but then she noticed the heat from the fire nearby. This country was too hot without a fire, and she figured that it'd be cooler outside with Zaveed. That, and he had to make sure he wasn't slipping away before she could study him. He'd returned her key, which'd made her a very happy Nord, but there was always more to be learned from magical anomalies like him. She took the unopened bottle in one hand and wandered out into the fading light of the sunset.
It took a moment to locate the Khajiit, but the light was still easily enough to spot him, leaning against a tree facing towards the sea. She walked over casually, opening up her bottle on the way. When she reached him, she looked down at his shirtless form and said "What are you doing out here? The stories said you'd drink the taverns dry, and uh, that Tavern still has drink." With that she took a sip of her mead, screwing up her face as she realised it was still warm. "Ugh, just like everything else in this country" She muttered, raising her free hand and bringing a cold wind about it as she prepared her drink-cooling spell.
The privateer offered her a smile as she cooled the drink, a rather handy and practical trick of a mage, he thought. He gestured to space next to him, the soft sand against the tree. "The night is still young yet, I just like to give my quarry the illusion they have a chance. One should not crush the hopes of the establishment's owners too soon, no?" he chuckled humourlessly. He inhaled deeply through his nose, turning back towards the sea. "I suppose I needed some time to reflect, to remember who Zaveed is, to step away from being Zaveed the Hero. Being a leader is never something I intended, it's just something that... happened. Never in my life did I expect anyone to look up to me the way the people at that table do, or those who helped me kill an Emperor. I can grin, put on my dance, and march into the Gates of Oblivion and people will follow because they see the fearless, bold man that saved their souls. They don't see the tired, wary sea raider that never in an era wanted to be someone people depended on." he looked back at Regeinleif. "You know, I was so numb to losing people after my ship went down along with everyone I had ever known in my life. I wandered from place to place in Skyrim, scrapping by with no direction or goal. I was... terrified. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do. In some stupid, backwards way, those auroras may have saved me and gave me a purpose again. At first... it was just about revenge, killing the man who wanted me dead first. The people who would become my fellow Heroes of Tamriel were just strangers who I saved from certain death and told them that I was going to march into Cyrodiil and plant my axe in the Emperor's skull." he smiled at the memory.
"The hardest part about learning about what it means to let people into your life again is dealing with their deaths and uncertain fates. Of the dozen or so of us, only four of us showed up at Imperial City a few weeks ago for the celebration in our honour. Some... we lost doing our quest. Others, I don't know what happened to them. All I know is I'm in a position where people are lining up behind me once more to take on impossible odds and come home with more glory and praise than we'd know what to do with. I suppose what's troubling me is that after what happened to Vurwe and that Redguard fellow that was with Polux, Jasalin, and Talshal, I just look at that table and see a lot of empty seats. Gorzath was sent with the others to deal with a necromancer, and I don't know if I'll see them again, either. This road we all walk down..." he ran his fingers through the sand, letting it flow through his fingers as pale blue eyes watched. "Well, I don't know how many people are going to be lost along the way because they trusted me to lead them. None of you would be in this situation if I weren't so stubborn, I felt that because I did the impossible once, I'm supposed to do it again. What in Oblivion is wrong with me?" he said, shaking his head exasperated as he leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree. It was a few long moments before he spoke again. "I don't know why I just said all that to you."
Reigenleif didn't know what to say to this sudden outpouring. People didn't never bothered telling her anything like this, in the few occasions when people were there to tell her things at all. She'd decided to sit halfway through his talking, having felt awkward standing and looking down at him while he shared such feelings. At his final comment she could at least say something, even if it was in jest. "Maybe I have a trustworthy face?" She said with a smile. The temperature was finally starting to feel comfortable for the Nord woman, more so as she took a swig of the ice-cold mead. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm following you because you're a magical anomaly. The chance to study one of the heroes of Tamriel was too much to pass up." She realised then she'd called him a hero again. He probably didn't want to hear that word right now. "By which I mean, um, someone who was immune to the aurora's. Like I said earlier I wasn't and well, I find it fascinating that some people were. And so, you're fascinating. From an academic standpoint of course." What was she saying? She hadn't even had a single bottle yet and she was already making a fool of herself. She looked at her bottle of mead. "This isn't going to be enough I think."
That got a laugh out of Zaveed, a light comfortable chuckle. "Maybe you do. Although, to be fair, I consider anyone not actively trying to kill me fairly trust-worthy, so there's that." he crooked his head, amused. "I've been called many things, my dear, and 'magical anomaly' was never among them. I'm hoping this study of yours doesn't involve cutting me open, because I assure you, I still need all my organs." he grinned at her. "And only fascinating in an academic standpoint? Are you sure it's not my roguish good looks, my pockets full of coin and gems, that I'm an independent man with my own ship? You wound me. And I assure you, if you were to write about me, the story of my life would be much more fetching than the boring circumstance that I wasn't enthralled, because I rightfully have no answer for that. Maybe my grandmother had a wild affair with Sanguine and blessed my family with superior alcoholic tolerance, or maybe my father sacrificed puppies to Boethia, who's to say?" Zaveed said cheekily, regarding Reigenleif's bottle with no small amount of want. He reached into one of the pouches in the armour beside him and produced a small cut emerald and handed it to Reigenleif. "Next rounds are on me. I'm sure this will go well towards drying up the tavern." Zaveed promised. He looked into Reigenleif's eyes. "So, that crystal orb that you so fancied. What do you plan on doing with it? If you plan on using it as a paper weight, I assure you spheres are terrible objects for that."
Normally she'd be unhappy with someone suggesting such a mundane use for a precious artifact, but she couldn't seem to get angry at Zaveed for that, instead laughing at the absurdity. "Oh I definitely have plans for this." She said, taking the fist sized object from one of the pouches on her belt. She wasn't letting it out of her sight now, not after she'd gone through so much to get it. "But I'm sure I'd send you to sleep if I started reciting the technical things I'll be doing to it... Some of which may or may not be experimental and likely to not work in the slightest." At the prospect of paying for the evenings drinks with an emerald, her eye's had widened slightly. Not at the sight of the gem, she'd seen her fair share of precious stones after delving into ruins across Tamriel, but at the idea of using one for such a mundane thing. "Do you often use gemstones to pay for your tab? I'm starting to see why the Innkeepers let you drink them dry...." She said with slight amazement, taking the small green stone from him. She looked at it for a moment, next to the Dwemer contraption and its far larger crystal it looked fairly insignificant, at least in Reigenleifs eyes. Then quite suddenly she said "Cut you up? And ruin that fine fur coat of yours? Never. Besides, I'm sure you've got plenty of women following you around for those reasons. I'm adding some variety to the list." She added with a cheerful laugh and a smile. "So you're a ship captain then? I used to live by the sea when I was just a girl. Its still comforting to hear it, though its not quite the same without the grinding of icebergs. Those were simpler days. Despite that, my few experiences sailing have been rather dull."
"I have never been one for the mystic and arcane things, I always expect my long-dead civilizations to stay that way, especially when they come back with a vengeance." Zaveed said, eying the curious dwemer crystal. "And perhaps you'll have to try me sometime, I'm quite fond of things that make the world somewhat more... interesting. Although, I am curious as to why it was so important to you to risk your life like that. I certainly understand passion, but to die for an old bauble that you may or may not be sure of its purpose? Perhaps you're crazier than I am. I like that." he said with a grin as Reigenleif took the emerald from him, and she seemed rather surprised that he'd use that for something so mundane a purpose. He explained, "It was not I who decided that shiny rocks had value, and I could never fathom those who would spent weeks of savings that could be used for food or tools to buy what's ultimately a worthless, translucent pebble." he said, looking at the Nord woman beside him as she looked at the small, green gem. "But to answer your question; all the time. I come across them often enough in my... line of work, so the novelty wore of somewhat quickly. I discovered that they're rather useful for bribes, and you'd be surprised what people are willing to part with for a shiny stone that, once more, has little real practical value. I give a bartender the stone, I don't worry about anything for the rest of the evening, and even have a bed at the end of the night. It's so much simpler than fumbling with a pile of coin, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes, you can even press your bartender for information. Ports are the networking hubs of the world, you'd be amazed at what gets around these sea-side taverns."
He had to laugh at her assurance that she wouldn't carve him up like some sort of mad mage that butchered bodies in pursuit of knowledge. But the infliction of her voice hinted at, what? Affection? Zaveed could never be sure. He was still learning what it was like to interact with women without exchanging coin for services. It only reminded him how utterly skewed and twisted his upbringing was. "I'm never in any place for long enough for women to follow me. Probably for the best, it would rather complicate my job. A problem with being a so-called hero is everyone is in love with the whole romanticism of the story of me instead of paying heed to whom I really am. I suspect many of those people would be in for a shock. But variety... I can learn to do with that." he smiled. "Yes, it was one of the boons I received for murdering the last Emperor, well... I wasn't the blade man, but there's things to be said for teamwork. I requested a pardon for my corsair activity and asked for a letter of marque and a ship so I could make up for the lost time the Thalmor took away from me. They're the reason I am who I am today, you see. I always sailed the warmer seas, and I would rather avoid the Northern shores again... it turns out that Skyrim's seas are a bit treacherous for my liking. It's how my first ship went down and I was the sole survivor of my old crew. That was five months before those auroras started up and made you do things that are rather uncharacteristic of yourself. But, when things settle down and we stop having extinct bastards trying to strangle us with hubris, I propose you join me for a while aboard my ship. I promise there's rarely a dull voyage with me." he pointed lazily to the gem in the Nord's hand. "Things like that come and go, like waves lapping the shore."
"Are you really sure you want to know what I'll do with this?" Reigenleif asked. "Because I assure you, a few more of these-" She said pointing to the mead "And I wont be able to tell you anyway. As for why I'd risk my life for what looks to most like a petty bauble... Well, you'll need to make me forget what I'm doing with it before you know about that." As if to prove a point she took another swig, finishing off the bottle of mead. With that she stood, putting the Dwemer object back safely inside its pouch. She looked down at the Khajiit and said "What'll you have then?"
"I am partial to Alto wine, if you would." He responded.
She nodded her acknowledgement and wondered back to the Inn to get more drinks for them. On the way she thought about his offer... inviting her to travel with him on his ship for a time. Her immediate thought was to deny it, after all, ships were boring. Right? Somehow she couldn't quite dismiss it out of hand though. Even with the prospect of finishing this latest stage of her research so near at hand. She found herself handing the bartender the small green stone and requesting the drinks, and before she knew it she was walking out of the Inn again, cooling the drinks as she went. What would she tell him? Did it even matter? So much could happen between now and the defeat of the Dwemer. Then she was handing the cooled wine to Zaveed and sitting back down next to him. "I don't know... Ever since I've started my research I've let nothing stop me... Tell me, do the elves usually carry any artifacts on their ships?" An amusing thought occured to her then. "Although I suppose if you're raiding Thalmor ships I'd finally get to fulfil my childhood dreams of joining the Stormcloaks to fight them. Figuratively speaking of course... Your ship isn't Stormcloak owned. And they're a much different order now. But you know what I mean." Blabbering. Again.
"I find inebriation is exactly the state of mind people need to be in to take on the mental burdens of the world." Zaveed said with a grin, accepting the chilled bottle gratefully. "You know, now that you've started your wine cooling service, I'm not going to let you get away from it. "As for what the elves carry aboard their ships, most is mundane but useful things, their rations are highly prized, and a lot of their cargo fetches a high price on Imperial markets due to the quality of it all. As for artifacts, it's difficult to say to the uncultured eye, although most of it was altmer fare that was usually the captain's own personal stash, unless the ship had particularly luxurious cargo... something of a rarity in times of turmoil, I'm afraid. But I have never come across dwemer inventory, the altmer never had to deal with them in the Isles." He drank deeply, feeling the bittersweet burn in his throat. Thirst parched for the time being, Zaveed turned back to Reigenleif. "You wanted to be a Stormcloak?" he grinned mischievously. "But you're far too accepting of the likes of me to subscribe to Jarl Ulfric's vanity. Although, the Sons of Skyrim are much more agreeable. I suppose you got your wish after all." a wink crossed his fine features. "But you're more than welcome to pretend you took up the blue and are after the bastards, if it pleases you. I've grown rather fond of culling off the arrogant bastards to the point where the Stormcloak-style, mouth-frothing rage against the Thalmor makes perfect sense to me."
Reigenleif laughed at that. Tamriel had changed so much since those early days. "I was a much younger, much sillier girl back then. It was all about heroes and villains, glorious battles and saving the day. I didn't know about all the terrible things Ulfric stood for, and I wouldn't have understood even if I did. You've got to be careful hanging around my wine cooling business though." She grinned, changing the subject back to one of a light-hearted nature. "Do you know-" She started slightly playfully "How I can tell when I've had too much to drink? Well, I lose control of the magic, you see you've got to be very precise to properly cool alcohol with magic, anyway I lose control of the magic, and over-freeze the bottle. Then, the liquid inside expands and the bottle, well the bottle can do anything from cracking-" She stiffled laughter as she remembered the aftermath of some of the more extreme incidents of this. "To exploding! Like an icy, alcoholic fireball!" She gestured as if to show the effect, grinning the whole time, the mead remaining in her bottle sloshing as she did so. She didn't really know what to say to his request to travel with him. Neither did she want to agree to anything so major while so close to losing coherent thought.
Zaveed chuckled. "You mistake me, I certainly am not questioning your younger self's judgement. After all, I was 3 when I was forced to become a corsair. It does sound very young, but be mindful that khajiit tend to grow and mature fairly quickly. At least the Stormcloaks give you a uniform; I was lucky if I had slacks that fit." he said, grinning at Reigenleif's detailed explanation for what would happen if she became too inebriated. Her enthusiasm was infectious, her drunken mirth made Zaveed wish his alcohol tolerance was not so high. He drank deeply in an attempt to rectify this. "You'll need to demonstrate that for me. I've seen what you can do to a goblin, but let me tell you, bottles are the real threat. Sometimes you need to make an example of them, no?" he said with a wink.
"Oh yes." Reigenleif replied. "The bottles are a terrible enemy. Standing between us and the mead. There is only one thing worse. One people I mean. Species. That's it. The Falmer." She still wasn't as drunk as she normally would be to tell this, but something about the Khajiit made her want to tell him. A trustworthy face perhaps. She didn't care right now though. "The Falmer killed my mother... and my father. Almost me too. Its because of them that I'm a mage too. So I guess they aren't all bad... But ever since that day I've been trying to figure out why. Why they did it. Why they are how they are. Why the Dwemer did what they did to them. I think I got a bit out of hand though... I've started asking why about all the old dead races. That's why I wanted this." She held up the Dwemer Sphere. "I think it can answer one of my questions. Who knows. Maybe it can save the world too." She put it down in the sand then. "But one thing at a time. I've got lots more bottles to show who's boss yet."
The conversation took a decidedly darker turn, alcohol tended to lay people's feelings and emotions bare. Within the span of perhaps a half an hour, both Zaveed and Reigenleif had opened up to one another in ways he suspected they had seldom done with other people. It felt good to have her confidence, someone who didn't look up to him as a captain or a leader or hero, but a peer, or even friend. It was one of those things Zaveed never quite realized was a void in his life until he finally had experienced it. Turns out, being raised with a group of sea raiders, murderers, thieves, and rapists tended to irreparably skew one's world view. Zaveed knew all too well how unpleasant the falmer were from his time in New Atmora, indeed is was a wonder none of the party died. Most of them spent days recovering from the poisons that the falmer filled their weapons with. But to lose both your parents? Even Zaveed couldn't have claimed to know what that was like, he eventually met his again as an adult, as painfully uncomfortable of an event that was.
"I find that sometimes the most pressing questions never have a satisfactory answer." Zaveed answered softly, staring off at the emerging starlight. This place really was beautiful at night, with the warm salted ocean air, crisp sand, and broad leaved palm trees lining the coast like lonely sentinels. His eyes caught the dwemer sphere, the one that Reigenleif wanted so badly. He regarded it for a moment before looking towards the Nord's eyes which were filled with the unfocused pain of someone who had been drinking and thinking of the past. "Once you find your answers, what then? The past can never be changed, and trust me, I have tried repeatedly. One must accept what has happened and move forward, since it is the only way that isn't locked to us." he drank from his own bottle deeply, starting to feel the warm, disassociated warmness and detached feeling he got when it was starting to take hold. When he took the bottles from his lips, setting it down between his outstretched legs, hands resting around the neck. His head leaned back against the trunk of the tree as he stared forward.
"I lost my parents, after a fashion, as well. I was taken from them as I mentioned, and until two years ago, I never thought or knew to look back. My sister, Marassa, spent years trying to locate me, to bring me home. When she finally did, I suspect it made things rather worse. Their innocent, skittish youngest son came back a grown man full of confidence and swagger, the hard eyes of a killer and the body to support it. How does one relate to people who he does not know? They had long ago accepted I was dead and moved on, and here I was, complicating things. I had become the thing that had taken me from them to begin with, a man who's shed more blood and bedded more women than I care to remember. More than that, I became someone who saved the world in many people's eyes. I might as well have been three separate people, the one they wanted to see buried under the weight and presence of the other two. Who is Zaveed to strangers, I have often wondered. A khajiit not of the sands but of the sea, one of greed and ambition instead of hedonism and disassociation. My point is, I don't belong to home anymore. Finding the answers of whom my parents were caused more emptiness and pain than had I never found out." he waved a lazy, dismissive hand. "So, what about that sphere is so important? You certainly risked a lot to obtain it." he asked.
"Oh, don't worry about me going off on some big revenge spree or anything... There are always more things to learn, and if I'm the lucky archeologist that explores all the ruins and finds out all there is to know... I'll just have to go into a different branch of research. One day, I'll have some of the answers I seek, true, but if there is one thing I've learned in my time exploring Tamriel, its that there is always more to see, more to learn." She'd never really considered the possibility that she'd find a definitive answer to her question. Especially now, she was a woman of the scholarly pursuit, and Zaveed's outlook and goals as more tangible things had taken her slightly by surprise.
Her eyes followed his back to the sphere again then. Apparently he was intent on knowing what it did, the specifics of it. "Well..." She started, uncertain about it herself. "It is, to my knowledge, a one of a kind artifact. Even that on its own makes it worth a great deal, but its what it does that's more important to me. It opens a door, so, I guess you could just call it a key, but that would be a bit of a disservice. The magical aspect of it powers the mechanical aspect, which interacts with the mechanism on the door, telling it to unlock and deactivate all the nasty traps waiting for the unsubtle. Well, at least I really hope it deactivates the traps. Some of those Dwemer traps can be really nasty, even so long after they were made. So I guess you could say I want it to stop myself from getting stabbed, boiled, burnt, electrocuted, crushed and whatever other horrible fates the Dwemer dreamed up for trespassers." She thought for a moment, trying to make sure she hadn't missed any of the common trap varieties, when a thought occurred to her.
"You know... If I follow you and your merry band, I may not get to test this out until.... well, until we've stopped the Dwemer probably. It's such an unwieldy thing to lug around though." She turned the sphere over in her hands, examining its detail with unfocused eyes. She was hardly in a state to figure anything out about it, and was really just admiring the way it caught the starlight.
"There is always something new to experience." Zaveed agreed, looking back at the Nord. "I have seen many places and many people, and no time have I set shore have things ever been the same. I am not an old man, but I have lived many lifetimes worth of experience.Too bad I am none the wiser for it." he said with a chuckle. "I can see why your improperly shaped key would be very useful to someone such as yourself, even without the value associated with it. Curious how you believe it should work in most, if not all, ruins, but it is the only one of its kind." he paused, considering. "Perhaps that is a mystery worth solving, no? Why would the dwemer not make many of the same artifact if it is universally designed and has such a benign function? Surely, most people would prefer not having a spike lodged up their posteriors because they could not disable them."
He offered Regeinleif a reassuring smile, which coming from him only promised danger ahead. "Oh, never put too much thought into what the roads will bring. After all, when my companions and I were on our way to kill us an errand Emperor, we found ourselves in one of the largest dwemer ruins and came out to share the tale, despite all the falmer and automation that were rather driven to kill us. It was a rather unexpected detour from the seemingly simple path of marching to Imperial City from Skyrim. Besides," he shifted to face her better, and to let his back catch the breeze. "We are pitted against the dwemer, are we not? I would suspect your talents and experience will be rather priceless in the days to come, even if we do not know what will fill them." he finished the bottle and placed into the sand, burying it several inches. "So, tell me, do you have family waiting for you back home? A lover? Somebody who might ponder why you are gallivanting across the sands in search of ancient treasure, perhaps?"
Reigenleif was quite surprised to hear that question. She'd never really thought about the idea that anyone might be looking forward to her return to Winterhold since her family had died. She'd never once considered settling down anywhere, much less with someone. She'd never put any meaning on the few passionate nights she'd experienced in her travels, never considered that maybe one of those men might've wanted her to stay for the sake of her company. Her surprise was evident in her voice as she answered. "I uh, no, no there's no-one waiting for me... At least none that I know about." A nervous laugh escaped her as she paused. "Since my family died the only people I really know well are the college mages. At the college we're all usually too busy discovering the secrets of the world for romance." She added with a smile, amused at the absurdity of it all.
She looked intently at the Dwemer artifact again then. "Well, its not the only way to open Dwemer doors... It just makes it easier and safer. I guess... you could call it a Dwemer Skeleton key? There was just this one door in the local ruins here that refused to open the normal way, or the crude way, or any other way I tried and I tried everything. I was about to test this when the Goblins decided it was pretty so... I don't actually know if it works or not. I'm just happy that strutting Breton idiot wont have a chance to ruin it for the gem. Its not as if gems are hard to come by, even big ones like this! Why did he decide my gem was the best one? Idiot." People mistreating artifacts was one of the few things that really got to Reigenleif, and Jareth had been up with the worst offenders in that regard. "Sorry." She said, realising how irate she'd become before quickly switching the subject.
"Anyone waiting for you?" She asked regretting speaking the words the moment they passed her lips. He'd just told her he'd never had any relationships that didn't involve money or fame, and her cheeks went cheery red as she realised she'd once again made a fool of herself.
Reigenleif's blush wasn't lost on Zaveed, who offered her a toothy grin in response. Colour was a flattering thing for the Nord's complexion, he decided. "Romance wasn't particularly a word this one had understood until somewhat recently. When you're raised by cut throats, thieves, and rapists, you kind of develop a rather... coloured perspective of the world that is rather, how should we put this delicately? Decidedly improper. I took part in the former, the latter... never. I was always of the opinion that people weren't something you took to satisfy your base desires, something that made my eventual reuniting with my parents much less awkward when I finally managed to find my way home again. My mother was raped and impregnated the night I was taken from them, something I didn't know until the child from that union tracked me down two years ago outside of Whiterun, you see. But, I wouldn't consider my parents family or my two brothers. Meeting them was much like any other strangers, it was just nice to know where I came from, and to offer them closure. I did not bothering returning after the one time, I saw no purpose. I did not wish to remind them I had rather become the monster that had visited misfortune upon the family. Long story short, I have never raped, but I've had my share of women, usually after a negotiated fare. I may be a killer, but I'm not an utter bastard." Zaveed said, sitting up against the tree more.
"But if you really must know, I have recently gotten over a long-distance romance of sorts that had lasted but a few weeks with a khajiit assassin who was rather agreeable about the whole idea of helping me kill a certain Emperor Felix Mede. It was the first time in my life that I had emotional stirrings of courtship, that there was more to relationships than casual sex and bribery. As I mentioned, I have had a rather curious upbringing that few people would consider healthy." the khajiit said with a laugh and a grin, his blue eyes catching the moonlight. "She went after the Praetorians when we arrived at Helgen, killed a dragon, and she decided if they weren't going to play fair, then she was going to make sure they wouldn't be able to wake up in the mornings thereafter. It was the last I've seen of her. It was funny, the attraction between the two of us was almost immediate, although I was convinced for the first few days that she was looking to take advantage of me and steel from me. Turns out, she was a lot like me that she sees a man she finds attractive, she just goes for it. Another one of my failings is when the table is turned on me, it's been my experience that there's something else the woman is interested in. I think I've worked my way past that, having spent enough time around well-adjusted people the past couple years. I do have my redeeming qualities."
He leaned over close to Reigenleif, inches from her face. "You're rather alluring when you're flustered by things no normal person could possibly be concerned with. My point was, I am not normal." he closed the distance and kissed her gently on lips, the fur on his face brushing gently against her smooth skin, he leaned back with a wink. "See, I'm not too far gone to realize that your interest in me goes further than the fact I'm a magic enigma."
Reigenleif listened to the Khajiit's telling of his past, sipping at her mead and trying to make it last. She didn't really know what to think about his tale, it was filled with the sorts of things of a very personal nature that she simply could never know while looking at ancient ruins and studying lost cultures.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, he was kissing her. Not only that, but she was kissing him back. Normally when alcohol filled men tried this they found themselves half frozen, but Zaveed was no normal man. When he sat back again and winked at her she went redder even than before, now totally flustered. "I uh, well, um..." She started, totally lost for words. "I'm speechless..." She drained the last of her drink, placing the empty bottle with the others. "I think we need some more to drink..." She said, not taking her eyes of Zaveed or making any attempt to get up to get a resupply.
"Then do not speak and enjoy the company. I apologize for being forward, my dear, I've just never been one to skirt around things I take interest in." he smiled, raising the woman's chin with a finger. "Do try to relax. You're amongst friends. Now, I do believe it's my turn to fetch refreshment. Try not to vanish on me; I'd never much enjoyed drinking on my lonesome." He rose, perhaps a bit unsteadily from the drink, offered a wide-armed theatrical bow and headed to the in, crossing the sand barefoot and shirtless as he went to fetch more drink. A few minutes later, he returned, a bottle of alto wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. He handed Regeinleif the bottle as he sat down beside her. "I trust you've found your words again. I suppose I found your capacity for action and your drive rather admirable. Normally, Nords do not hold my interest, but something about you makes it hard to turn my eyes. Maybe it's because we both share at least one bad habit." he said with a chuckle as the Nord handed back the chilled bottle. Zaveed pulled the cork free with a claw and poured the two glasses, handing one back. "I haven't had the opportunity to share a quiet moment with someone who sat with me as an equal for quite some time... I thank you for that."
Reigenleif remained speechless while Zaveed stood and left. She remained were she was, absently looking out to sea. What was he doing? One of the Heroes of Tamriel, no, a remarkable khajiit, had taken an interest in her. Her, just a young Nord mage from Winterhold. It all seemed like a dream, one that she wasn't yet sure if she liked. It was all so strange, and happening so quickly. No way could she decide something like this so quickly. She still had so much to do! Despite it all though, she couldn't find it in her to turn Zaveed away. She was still sitting in the same place when Zaveed returned, this time with Alto wine. Thyra must've drunk all the mead by now.
She listened to Zaveeds words casting her drink-cooling spell as she did so. The bottle didn't crack or explode in her hand, so she was still not completely drunk. She kept listening as she drunk the red liquid, probably faster than it was meant to be drunk. "I still don't really know what to say... I was alone so much that I think I'd forgotten why anyone even enjoys the company of others... Its a lot to adapt too. I don't waste time getting to the things I want either... Once I know what it is I want. Barely a few days ago I still thought the Dwemer were dead and that I'd be alone all my life, now look where we are. My whole world has been shaken up in a storm, I'm just hoping the snow settles soon so I can see again." A glance and smile towards Zaveed escaped her then as she refilled her glass. "I don't know what to do."
"If you told me a couple years back that I would have a choice in what to do with my life, I would have laughed at the silly tale you were spinning. It never occurred to me that one day I'd be able to decide my own fate. I was always with people, but in a way, I was kind of alone. I never learned what it meant to have a friend, or Alkosh forbid, a lover. Being shipwrecked in Skyrim gave me some rather interesting time for introspection. The people I gathered to kill the Emperor I saw as a crew, little more... somehow they became friends. It just took me a while to realize that. Maybe it's after I was run through by one of the mentally infirm of the party and they struggled to save my life. I find near death experiences quite enlightening." Zaveed said, chuckling. He placed a hand on the Nord's knee beside him. "The reason I say that is it's rather silly to dedicate your life to one path when so many more present themselves. Go where the current takes you, go with your intuition for once. There's much more to life than rummaging around a dark ruin, life's a gift that one shouldn't squander. Would you not have regrets had events not shaken your expectations?" he smiled, looking Reigenleif in the eyes. "As for what to do, why not just follow what your heart tells you for a while? It seems your head has gotten away from you and you've forgotten how to enjoy yourself. Be selfish for once. Live." Zaveed teased.
Reigenleif listened to Zaveeds words as she looked out across the sea, the moonlight from both Masser and Secunda causing the waves to shimmer brilliantly with colour. It was an unlikely source for words of such wisdom, but she'd found in her explorations that often the unlikeliest sources held the best of wisdom. She smiled at his telling her to be selfish, it seemed so ironic now after the mages of the college always told her her studies were selfish.
The distant sound of laughter reached her ears from the tavern behind her then, and she was reminded of how long she'd been alone. Here was an extraordinary man who actually seemed interested in her for more than her body and she was busy fussing over being surety and the apparent end of the world. She suddenly laughed at the absurdity of it all, smiling and leaning her head on Zaveeds shoulder as she put an arm around him, still looking out at the sea. "Alright then... I'll be selfish." She said, her voice full of mirth.
The khajiit wrapped an arm over her shoulder, enjoying the intimate touch of the Nord woman, he returned her smile as his gaze joined hers, watching the waves lap the beach, whitecaps catching the moonlight. He was so used to either being seen as an untouchable authority figure, or a man to be feared, or a celebrity of sorts that the vulnerability was something he craved. Here was someone who accepted him for who he was as a man, not the avatar of his reputation. Reigenleif was certainly a captivating woman, someone who was consumed by her own obsessions that she too had created an isolation about herself in pursuit of her own gains. The two of them had spent so many years moving forward and disregarding anything resembling a normal life, they'd forgotten how to just stop an enjoy a moment. Zaveed had seen such wild lands, such unimaginable sights and done incredible things all the while, but at that moment, he wouldn't have traded any of it for this moment. He could almost forget that he was caught up in such insane circumstances and danger, that he soon wouldn't be marching into a war that he had no idea if there was a way to win. But for now, there was this.
Several comfortable minutes of silence passed before he spoke once more. "Do you ever wonder how else life could have been?" he asked. "If you could tear out the pages of your life and write new ones with different experiences? I wouldn't have been some dashing cutthroat had I not been stolen from my family when I was a child, I was raised into who I am by men like me. I didn't realize there was another life, another way, until the last two years. There's a chance that had my family homestead been overlooked that night, I would have been tending a moonsugar cane field in the hot Elsweyr sun, never to have hefted a weapon in my life, perhaps never to have known a woman's comfort. Or perhaps I would have married and had three awful children that would have drove me crazy enough to take up piracy just for some peace and quiet. Senchal is a port city that's crawling with criminals, after all." he chuckled. "Have I ever told you about my sister? No woman has ever been so disinterested in the events of the world while finding herself in the middle of it all. She spent years trying to find me, even when the Auroras filled the sky. Being hunted by battle mages bothered her so little that when we spoke of our experience with the Emperor's madness that she might as well have been talking about the weather while honing the edge on a sword that's nearly as tall as she is." he paused, working his jaw in thought. "She's really all I have in this world, and it's starting to seem I may never see her again."
Reigenleif laughed at the idea of someone who could so casually ignore the terrible events of the Aurora crisis, especially this deep into the bottle it all seemed quite crazy. She thought for a moment about how her life could've been different then. It was something she'd done often in the early years of being at the college of Winterhold - wishing with all her being that the attack on her home had never happened. It was strange to think back to that now, but it was definitely the one event she would change if she could. Despite all magic had given her, she would give it all up to be that idealistic young girl learning how to swing an axe with her parents again. "If I could change my history... I'd probably be a simple farm girl in Winterhold my whole life." Thinking about that only made her sad again though, and she picked up another bottle. As she focused her magicka into it, the glass cracked quite suddenly, making her jump in surprise. "Oh... That means no more for me..." She said, grinning from ear to ear. "I never had any siblings you know... Its a hard life in the far north, I don't think my parents believed they could provide for another child." She turned her head and pointedly looked at Zaveed then before continuing "Maybe we should seek out this sister of yours? At least find out if she's still alive? The terrible events don't really seem to be going away after all." She'd taken on a more serious expression now. It certainly seemed that fate had decided Tamriel would have to weather a storm of misfortune before any more peace would be afforded its people.
"With any luck, she stayed home and continued on with her life in the Dominion. However, knowing her, she's probably on the road again looking for Sevari or myself." Zaveed replied, returning the bottle to his lips. "She's very persistent. But I will not go in search of her, especially since those people inside have decided that our common cause is bigger than any of us. What message would it send if I stopped my pursuit of the dwemer for my own selfish reasons? It would be no different than if I decided my own life was more valuable than the rest of Tamriel during the Siege of Storms." he shook his head, smiling with a melancholic expression. "Peace. There's something I shall never know. We do not live in a land that permits such things. If the dwemer did not return, the Dominion would have invaded the Empire again in time. Even if we somehow stop the dwemer, the Dominion is still going to be taking advantage of all of this... I don't even know if the Emperor is still alive. But let's not worry about such depressing things now, shall we? Here we are in good company on a rather lovely beach with more than a share of good drink. Who could want more?" Zaveed grinned.
Reigenleif had put her head back on Zaveeds shoulder as he spoke of the terrible state Tamriel was in. It wasn't very pleasant to think about, what with almost every group of elves in the world trying to kill anyone whos ears weren't pointed. Reigenleif hadn't realised how sheltered she'd been from everyones wars while she galavanted about the country side exploring ancient ruins, and it began to drive the point home to hear Zaveed speak of it. She didn't want to think about that now though, she was supposed to be enjoying herself! She turned and looked at him again and said "You're right. Tomorrow we'll worry about elves and wars. Right now we can just enjoy the moment..." There was a hint of admonishment in her voice, and she added mentally before someone, or something, takes it away...
