"Uhuh... I think yesterday might have gone a lot worse if we didn't have two fortunately good archers backing us up." Aria shrugged a shoulder at Cronic before setting her gaze on the flames, watching them dance to the bard's music. But where might they find another unique person as themselves? They were like helpful civilians, but they could pull off what entire bands of mercenaries would have difficulty in. Their skills spread across fighting prowess, different fields of magic, things like minor repairs to structures, everyday know-how and more. They weren't just the Odd Jobs duo because they kicked ass... It was because they did odd jobs! Any new addition couldn't just be some meathead with a huge sword, or some kind of devious battlemage.

"You think maybe we might find someone here? Travellers pass through every day. Most of 'em just don't settle down."

"Only reason I'm even here to begin with was I was short on coin, and the Odd Jobs was a way to remedy that. No way I could've foreseen the events of yesterday though. Speaking of travelling, I can think of one person who might be able to fill out the ranks a bit... Problem is, she's a wanderer like me. As such, I haven't a clue where she could be." Cronic said, as he recalled a certain brown-haired swordswoman he'd met in the past.

"She's a Breton, knows tailoring skills, she's skilled in Conjuration and wielding a two-handed sword, and she learned a few tricks about archery from yours truly as a "Thank you" for helping me out when I was under attacks by Bandits. I don't know where she is now though, but someone like her leaves a lasting impression. Brown hair, blue eyes, wears black attire made specifically for travelling. Has a fur collar lining the top of her coat... And despite saying she left a lasting impression, I've completely forgotten her name." Cronic said, facepalming hard as he said that last part.

"Either way, it's someone who could be a valuable member of the odd jobs team if given the chance." Cronic said, before whispering something into Aria's ear.

"That and she's at odds with the Thalmor too."

"Hah!" Aria blurted out after hearing Cronic's whisper. This land was so full of people who outright hated the Thalmor, even if they hadn't been personally affected by their interventions. It was good to know. The less allies and influence the Thalmor had, the easier it would be to find reasons to throw them out of some of Skyrim's holds. Ulfric's supporters didn't allow them entry at all, while Empire-supporting holds were still quite wary of the underhanded Altmer, but acceptive nonetheless.

"She'd definitely fit in then, if we could find this wanderer. Couldn't she be anywhere in Tamriel right now, though?" Aria questioned, shrugging a shoulder.

(Also, this if you're still up for it: http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/61860/posts/ooc )

"Could be anywhere, as far as I know. I first met her near the border between Cyrodiil and Skyrim when the bandit attack occurred. She had a real fire in her eyes, but that's not all I saw; I saw sorrow in those eyes too. Something bad must've happened in her past. Something that scarred her to this day. Kinda like you, now that I think about it." Cronic said, taking a swig of some Mead, having a second bottle on the floor beside him.

"The second bottle's for the cart driver. I promised him a drink, afterall." Cronic said, before resuming his train of thought about the nomadic warrior conjurer.

"Though given the Thalmor have an embassy here, I wager that will be reason enough for her to return to Skyrim. I remember her saying she won't stop until the Thalmor are wiped out... Or until she is." Cronic said to Aria, sounding a little concerned at that last part.

"One woman army is good, but someone needs to show her the world beyond her warpath. Otherwise she won't have any reason to keep going should the Thalmor cease to be."

"I still never told you about what happened with me and the Dominion, did I? ...If it's anything like what your girl's gone through, she and I will both be trying to find our balance between the sword and a semi-peaceful life." Aria spoke quietly, with a tone almost akin to worry in her voice. She was trying to live for more than revenge, but sometimes it was the only thing that crossed her mind. The Thalmor were evil, and it was no secret that they hated mankind. They had no allies, only tools. Small minds, indoctrinated into believing they were serving the greater good of the 'eight' divines and all merkind.

"We should ask around; see what we can find. Maybe you lovebirds'll get to meet again!" Aria cheerfully chanted, her mood changing suddenly for the better.

"...I'm just going to ignore that last part." Cronic said, as he took the bottle of mead meant for the Carriage driver and exited the bar. On his way to where the guy parked his cart, he asked people if they'd seen anyone matching the description of the female warrior. As he reached the gate leading out of Whiterun, he was thinking to himself.

"...Of course it's not gonna be that easy to find her. From the looks of it, she's not been here yet. If she has been at all. I doubt we'll get a stroke of luck where she comes to US, but given the events of yesterday, anything's possible." Cronic thought to himself, pushing open the gate and walking through, recalling the most unbelievable of the things he'd run into yesterday; Dragons. Honest to god, living, fire breathing dragons.

"If that's not enough to warrant a major shift in our fortunes, I don't know what is."

After watching Cronic leave the inn, Aria was left with some mead, and rowdy patrons. Damnable weekends made places like this so loud and active. She'd have to plan another trip to Dragon Falls at some stage, just to get a feel for the peaceful life again. Heck, she was restless even on those little vacation spaces, but it was easier to have fun either by herself or with Cronic. They had worked together for quite some time now, so... Perhaps he could come along next time!

"Yeah. I wonder how he'll react when he realises I own a mansion. ...A legit mansion, too!"

---

When Cronic left the Bannered Mare, he was immediately tailed by the stray cat for some reason. It followed him with a curious gaze, as if it could understand him in some way. This stray had strange tendencies. Sometimes he'd act more like a dog than a cat, showing signs of intellect not commonly found in any other cat at all... One could swear it gave a smile and a nod as Cronic's train of thought ended on their way down to the stables. It would definitely be easier to assume the curious little stray was just here to scavenge what he could.

The carriage driver from the day earlier noticed Cronic approaching from under the stone arch and waved his hand dismisfully for a joke. "No, no, I can't be drinking on the job! Ah, oh well. ...Too bad nobody wants to go anywhere today. Guess that means I'll be relaxing out here for some time..." said the Nord. A distant roar pierced through the air, spurring everyone's attention to the sky for a moment. Wherever the Dragon was, it was too far away to become an active threat.

"Given how yesterday played out, It's safe to say a little time off won't go amiss." Cronic said, before looking upward to the sky, as if trying to spot the dragon.

"...Rocky roads are ahead, that's for sure. Blasted dragons. They just had to pick now of all times to return to Tamriel." Cronic said, as he turned to walk back to Whiterun.

"You take care now, you hear? A guy like you doesn't deserve an early grave." Cronic said to the driver as he went back up the path, trying to ponder possible locations where the wandering swordswoman could be... If she were even still alive.

""Nonononono... Don't think those thoughts. If there's doubts in my mind, I won't be able to commit to a search."

"I still can't believe how easily they all went down. The Akaviri people were supposed to be like the Blades, but they barely put up a fight!" An armoured Altmer soldier chuckled as the five figures approached Castle Northwatch. The blizzard was thick, but the fur in the four Thalmor's armour or robes kept them cozy enough. The same couldn't be said for their prisoner - an oddly-dressed child without any footwear, and a chained collar around her neck acting as a Magicka surpressor.

"Women and children don't really bother. They break down and wait for someone to slaughter them. Of course it was easy... Keep in mind there was no armour involved, and we killed the warriors before they could react. Disorganised rabble always perish easily." The robed Thalmor heading the formation replied clearly. The two didn't really sound concerned with what they had done. They spoke about this in front of the poor child, too... "Don't slow down, thing, or I'll cut something off and feed it to the wolves!" the same robed Thalmor snapped as he kicked the Akaviri girl into the snow.

Yuki was shivering uncontrollably... Her summer robes were too light to protect against the harsh and unforgiving winter of Skyrim. Her feet felt frozen after they made her walk without sandals, just because she was silent when questioned. Her neck was scratched and reddened by the tight collar, keeping her attached to her captors as if they were walking a dog. No tears, not even a trembling lip. Yuki couldn't go on like this, even if the warm castle wasn't far now. What awaited her? Torture? Interrogation? Both? Fighting to get to her feet, she pulled herself out of the snow and continued to walk before the Thalmor decided to drag her through the frozen landscape instead.

(Just doing this little intro before we continue in Whiterun. Gives us a lead anyway, when someone finds the bodies!)

Unluckily for the Thalmor who just kicked the poor girl into the snow, a steel arrow came flying out of nowhere, striking the Thalmor in the side of the neck, which in turn would result in him choking to death on his own blood. In the shadows, the sound of a greatsword being drawn was heard, before it's owner charged the Altmer and swiftly decapitated one of the soldiers before they could react. Turning to face the rest of the group was a brown-haired female with an almost... Feral, look in her eye, her gaze fixed upon the Thalmor, having demonstrated her intent to kill, a bow slung over her shoulder. The most intimidating thing about her though, was that she had swung the greatsword and decapitated their companion using only one hand, as though the weapon itself weighed nothing, Conjuring a storm atronach with her free hand, the swordswoman readied herself to dispatch the remaining Altmer.

"Damned Stormcloaks! Had to hire a mercenary to do their dirty work!" the other armoured Altmer said as he drew a second sword, going straight for Serena's neck with a fast X-slash. To kill her would be to cut off the connection to the atronach...

Yuki saw an opportunity to make a break for it, back up the hill, the way she came. The girl was only trudging through the snow for a few seconds until a hand grabbed her by the fringe and pulled her closer. Her eyes widened as she heard a dagger being unsheathed, and she visibly broke when the Elven steel was pressed into her neck. It was a far more icy feeling than any blizzard, and it was the first thing that had really driven the poor little priestess to terror in ages.

The hooded Thalmor began to channel a stream of flames at the atronach with his free hand in the hopes of keeping his comrade from being flanked, shocked and smashed to hell. Even if it did happen, he had the girl. Now he just had to pray this woman wasn't relentless enough to kill him, and lose the girl in the process...

Serena had read the move the minute the Thalmor had drawn the second blade, ducking down quickly, and spinning in place, Serena evaded the attack, but the gushing of Altmer blood from a wound on his chest meant that the soldier was not so fortunate. As she ducked to evade the slash, she took a firm grip of her greatsword with both hands, and cut deep enough to draw blood, even through the armour the Altmer was wearing.

The remaining Thalmor would likely realise the mistake he'd made. The Atronach wasn't there to provide strength the caster didn't have; The Atronach was merely a diversion. As the only other Altmer left, and a Thalmor to boot, Serena promptly shoved her sword into the ground tip first, before readying the bow on her shoulder and preparing to let fly an arrow, her aim fixed upon the Thalmor.

"...I don't know what kind of an idiot you are. I'm not here to make money. I'm here... For some revenge. And you hiding behind that girl only proves that the Thalmor are cowards; Preying on the weak and helpless, burning down whole villages, and taking hostages." Serena said, and the way in which she'd coldly said it, coupled with the fact that she was in fact more than able to kill the Thalmor's companions without batting an eyelid meant that she was not making an idle threat. She would kill him the first chance she got. The only major problem with this situation was the girl. Serena knew that if she made any sudden movements, even if it was firing an arrow into the Thalmor's skull, it would still be enough time to slit her throat. Serena's morality was saying to save the girl, while another part of her was just going to write it off as collateral damage.

"Tasukete!!" The girl cried in her native tongue at Serena, her bright blue eyes fixed on the arrowhead. No doubt she could take out the Thalmor in a quick, clean shot at this range. But as soon as she released the arrow, Yuki would be killed. Was this saviour really going to get her killed for revenge? ...Yes, she could understand the language in Tamriel - but for now she was a strange, foreign child. Until she could trust anyone on the continent, she'd be that Akaviri Miko.

"Shut up!" The Thalmor growled, not taking his eyes off Serena for even a second. If he lost concentration, he was a dead man. He wasn't even blinking, totally oblivious to the fact that his captive was now crying in fear for her life. It was so cold, her tears didn't even make it all the way down her cheeks. "...Hah. You can't do it, can you? You can't have her blood on your hands, can you?!" The Thalmor cackled.

As much as the Thalmor could gloat about it, he was right. Serena couldn't go for a killing blow. Killing grown men and women was one thing, but killing a child was another.

"I don't know what the girl said, but the tone implies a cry for help regardless. I never had a problem with killing Thalmor, my enemy. But murder of an innocent child is another thing outright. Only one thing I can do... Serena only had one choice at this point; Quickly adjusting her aim and letting the arrow fly past the two of them, hoping the first would distract the two long enough for Serena to follow up with a second arrow into the arm that was holding the knife to the girl's throat. Should that work, she'd promptly close the gap while the Thalmor was reeling and slam a fist into his face to knock him to the ground.

The Thalmor's defiant, insane smile suddenly wore off as he took an arrow straight to the arm. He flinched, dropping the dagger before he could kill the girl. She was quick to run out of the way the moment his grip released, and for some reason, looted something from the other hooded Thalmor as fast as she could.

The Altmer bobbed away from Serena's punch and immediately went after the girl, ignoring the fact that he might be killed at any second now. He went to grab her to use her as a shield yet again, but... there was no physical entity anymore. He kept trying to grab hold of her collar after she became a transparent blue. It was plastered all over his face now - he knew he was doomed now. The Miko slowly turned to face him, revealing an amulet glowing brightly in her ethereal form. She shook her head apologetically, shutting her eyes as she didn't want to watch him die.

...Being in this form would prevent Yuki being splashed with the Thalmor's blood, also!

"Wretched coward. May you burn in oblivion!" Was all Serena said before swiftly cleaving the Thalmor in two. Swinging her greatsword to one side to shake most of the blood off, she then stowed it onto her back and retrieved her bow, dismissing the storm atronach as she slipped one arm through the middle of the bow and let it rest over her shoulder. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she then turned to look at Yuki.

"...I'm not sure you can understand me, given you said something I didn't know the meaning of, but... Sorry you had to see that." Serena said, sounding almost like she'd become a completely different person.

"...The Thalmor burned down my home when I was but a little girl, afterall. So whenever I see Thalmor, my blood just boils as the memory flashes through my mind." Serena said, seemingly unphased by Yuki being transparent.

"...Least I can do for you is get you somewhere safe and get that collar off your neck." Serena said, as she began searching the bodies of the Altmer, seeing if there was any information on the collar on their corpses.

Yuki simply nodded at the swordswoman's words, as if in agreement with everything - nodding especially faster when she mentioned getting some place warm. She pointed at the dead Thalmor agent at her feet when Serena began to check the bodies for the key, without looking down at the halved corpse herself. The enchanted slave collar restricted the use of magicka directly, but the amulet could also be considered a physical link, allowing her to use its power without any interference. Still, the thing had to come off. The metallic collar was frozen, heavy and too jagged to be humane. But then, Thalmor didn't necessarily care about treating humans like real people, did they?

"Thank you, Miss," Yuki gratefully told her saviour. The girl's Tamrielic accent was flawless to say she must be from elsewhere in the world.

Naturally, this sudden bout of speaking, that she could understand clearly, no less, caught Serena by suprise, staring with a surprised look on her face, before she snapped back to reality as she pulled one of the Thalmor's boots off, and began doing the same for the relatively intact robe on the first of the slain Altmer, albeit bloodied in places from the arrow to the neck.

"Probably won't fit you perfectly, but it's better than walking barefoot. What the hell were they thinking?" Serena said, setting the boots and robe aside, the last part being a rhetorical question as she searched the cleaved in two Thalmor for the key. After about a minute of searching, she found it. holding up the key so Yuki could see it.

"They did not tell me anything, miss. But the whole city was razed to the ground as I was taken away. I do not understand why..." Yuki sighed at the recollection of that moment. In a few minutes time, the odd-looking robes were covered over by a fur-trimmed Thalmor coat pulled in close so it formed a few more layers. It was far too big for the child, but it was warm - and that was all she needed right now... Finally, the girl tilted her head upwards so the collar could be unlocked, and hopefully be buried in the snow to never be placed on another innocents neck again.

"There were fifty when they came to burn our city; only four sailed back to this place. I tried to convince them to cease hostilities..." Yuki shrugged.

"The Thalmor do whatever they want to the people of Tamriel, regardless of whether or not it's justified. They burn down homes, tear apart families, and generally make life hell for anyone who isn't a Thalmor." Serena said, as she set about removing the collar, and with a turn of the key and a loud "Click", the collar came undone. Serena promptly took hold of the damn thing and threw it as far and as hard as she could.

"...The whole of Tamriel needs to put an end to them, and swiftly. The efforts of a single person are only a hindrance."