[IC] The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

[Jakeozzy]

"Run, dumbass!" the figure behind Aria yelled, tossing his own bomb near the smoke bomb before grabbing Aria's arm and running for it. When the bomb exploded it sent the smoke the opposite direction, further engulfing those unfortunate enough to get caught in it. It was cruel, but the Thalmor and the Vampire would writhe in stink hell for the next half hour or so. Actually, that was hilarious to Aria, the cruelty didn't even register!

"So, I just saved your ass. You owe me," the foreigner said in a flawless Imperial accent. He let go of Aria and sighed, removing the scarf around his head and the straw hat he wore. "It's been a long time, ain't it?"

Aria didn't even slightly respond to the guy, admiring the stink bombers work as the Vampire and Thalmor continued to try and kill each other, but both failed due to the 'interference'.

"Uh, Aria?" the young man said, prodding her shoulder from behind.

Aria tilted her head slightly and looked around nonchalantly, "Can hear this annoying buzzing noise behind me..." she muttered, voiding Haru's very existence.

"Hey, moron!" Haru spoke up confidently. If she was ignoring him, he could say anything he wante-!

SLAM!
"Ow! Bitch!"

Suddenly Aria had swung her fist around at him, effectively breaking his nose. Still, she looked completely unfazed by her own display of violence. "Think I swatted that fly... Now, where was I? Back to Whiterun!" she said, rushing to her feet and taking the longer route around the cloud of deadly smells. Her reasoning for all this? They were in the presence of a Thalmor soldier, even if he was incapacitated he wasn't deaf. Aria wanted nothing to do with the Resistance, not in plain sight!

[CronicCrystalis]

"...No, that ain't gonna work either..." Cronic sighed to himself as he sat with his oversized bow on his lap in the odd jobs building, going through idea after idea as to how to get the bow to work... And failing miserably each time.

"...Gah. How am I supposed to make this thing anything other than an oversized parchment weight?" Cronic said, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Having not seen hide or hair of Yuki or Serena for a good hour, assuming they're either asleep or otherwise pre-occupied, he figured he'd use the alone time to try and work out what it is the bow is meant to fire... If it's even capable of doing that.

---------

Upstairs in the guest room, Serena was still asleep, but was also tossing and turning regularly. Most would assume she was having a nightmare, but there was a second factor why she was seemingly restless, but not immediately apparent at a glance.

[Jakeozzy]

"Hey Cronic, you'd have laughed so hard - I just watched a Thalmor in fancy golden armour choking to death in a cloud of somethin' nasty near Riverwood!" Aria snickered as she entered the shop, followed closely by a man with a face wrap. Or, he was following, until the door got slammed on him, leaving the foreigner exhausted and dazed outside. Not to mention his nose got pancaked! 

'How could that idiot not be tired out yet?!' Haru thought, guards and townsfolk stepping around him as he caught his breath.

----------

Quiet as a mouse, Yuki had left the safety of the Odd Jobs shop, and soon found herself strolling around Whiterun. There was so much to discover about the cultures here, the way it all worked, what all the titles meant. There was that, and there was flowers. Yes, flowers! There were no Akaviri plants in sight, and the young priestess needed to find out what kind of ingredients she needed for alchemy works. She was a healer before all else.

The rest of her day would be spent running around picking what she knew would help, like Arcadia had told her.

[CronicCrystalis]

"...I don't know what it is he got caught into, but I don't think it would've been pleasant if you'd got caught in it too... Not to mention we'd probably have to burn what you're wearing now as a result." Cronic naturally winced at the person who had the door slammed in his face, before turning to look at Aria in order to ask a question.

"... Friend of yours?" Cronic asked, pointing towards the door as he set the bow to one side. Aria wouldn't just slam the door in someone's face for no apparent reason, especially if they were a paying customer. Getting back to his feet, quickly stretched his arms and legs just in case he needed to dole out some hurt.

[Jakeozzy]

"Now that the Thalmor aren't in sight, ...yeah, sure. Let's call him a friend!" Aria said, and span around to look at Haru as he recovered.

He was restraining himself at this point! "Then why did you slam the door on me~!?" Haru complained. The Thalmor was probably laying dead, somewhere outside Riverwood with the worst smell lingering on his corpse. And not because rigamortis had set in!

Aria stood behind Cronic as her employee seemed ready to punch at her command. She and Haru never got along as friends, but they could dominate a battlefield as comrades, and were constantly pushing each other to try and remain stronger than the other. Rivals, but not quite 'hostile'.

"You never write me," Aria said smugly.
"That would draw suspicion!" Haru shot back.
"Not if you were smart about it," Aria snorted, "But then again you and smart aren't on the best of terms."
Haru twitched at Aria prodding him whilst already frustrated. He took a deep breath, and stood up straight.

"All I wanted was to talk about a job, alright? Can we be serious for a minute?"

Aria rolled her eyes toward Cronic and shrugged, "I have this guy to be serious for me. I find it too difficult!" she grinned.

[CronicCrystalis]

Cronic just simply folded his arms, and opted to stand between Haru and Aria.

"Start talking, but if you try and drag us into a war, your ass is getting kicked over the walls of Whiterun." Cronic said calmly, though you could feel the hostility in his voice as he spoke.

"I don't care if you know Aria from previous encounters or not. If not for your job offer, I'd have kicked your ass by now." Cronic said, cracking his knuckles to put emphasis on his point.

"So choose your next words VERY carefully."

[Jakeozzy]

"Carefully...? Let me come inside then! I have good news, something I know Aria will be interested in," Haru said, his tone dark yet excited.

Aria stepped back into the shop and walked around her desk to sit down. "Lets hear it, Sano. But like my partner is demonstrating with his clenched fists, you try and pull us into the resistance and they'll be scraping you off the cobbles~"

Haru sighed and stood in the door, hoping Cronic wouldn't just hit him anyway or something. Skyrim was full of brutes! Though this man seemed to be the educated type, who wouldn't flail angrily without a good reason.

Yuki ran down the street behind Haru, passing the shop with a bunch of assorted flowers. She looked a bit out-of-place in her Miko robes, with Thalmor boots far too big! Still, she was loving whatever she was doing.

[CronicCrystalis]

"Start talking then, and remember that we'll be the judges of what happens next. And keep your voice down, alright? Someone's tuckered out from running from Giants, and is sleeping upstairs." Cronic said, his gaze shifting to the stairs behind him midway through the sentence.

"Given that there's been a string of Vampire attacks lately across Skyrim, if we don't like what you say, you might find yourself tied to a tree as a free meal. So like I said, choose your next words carefully."

"If I werent part of Aria's buisness, I'd have thrown him out by now. The guy just screams trouble."

[Jakeozzy]

"I'll cut the history behind it for your partner here. Aria, the Justiciar is here. Here in Skyrim, investigating the Stormcloak Rebellion, and I know where to strike," Haru said in a hushed tone once he'd entered the shop. He placed his hands on the desk, that dark grin still plastered across his face.

Aria raised a brow, calm as always on the surface. Beneath that surface, her memories started playing over in her mind. Every single casualty, every time that bastard just vanished into thin air afterwards, mocking the child-soldier over her dead comrades' bodies. Most of them were as young as she was... And he didn't care. They defied the Thalmor, it didn't matter who they were - they were rebels and simply had to die. What got Aria is how much he enjoyed himself during the countless confrontations. It was in both Haru & Aria's best interests to wipe that murderer from existence. Would Oblivion even take a soul so tainted?

"Loren's in Skyrim... Where'd you get that information, Sano? Before I agree to anything I need details - I have four people to be responsible for right now. Even if three of us are grown up, this shop's our home for the time being. You know how the Thalmor deal with association. You get caught, all your people feel it. I get caught, they burn the shop to the ground and never stop hunting down anyone who escapes. On top of that, Whiterun may fall under investigation, the city will become like a ghost town, like Markarth." Aria explained to her old brother in arms.

Haru shook his hands dismissively at her, "Don't worry, it's a scouts report, not some shady informant. Five Thalmor rode into Skyrim two days ago, I've been looking for you ever since. The mage along with the scouts suggested the five carried some intense magicka aura with them. Either they brought something here, or we're looking at some elite bastards..."

Aria nodded slowly. The icy feeling she had in Loren's presence was enough to make even her feel sick.
"I won't deny it, I want to act on whatever's going on... But..." she looked over at Cronic, and shifted her eyes upstairs. Yuki ran past the window with her bunch of alchemical ingredients, smiling warmly at Aria for a moment before the view was replaced with the stray cat jumping into it. "I wouldn't risk these guys for anything. Can't go chasing Thalmor with you."

Haru sighed and shrugged, "I figured that might be the case with the whole.. bought your own property, have employees n' all that. Want me to keep you appraised of everything I can?"

Aria looked to Cronic then, "What do you think, Mr. Crystalis? Thalmor are relentless, and any connections to my friend here could trace back to us, and I really don't wanna be the cause of another Imperial city getting crushed under their heel."

[CronicCrystalis]

Pulling up a chair, Cronic sat in contemplation for some time after everyone had finished speaking.

"...I don't think that's much of a choice here. All four of us have had negative run-ins with the Thalmor at some point in time. Two of which they were willing to commit genocide to get their hands on. Even if Sano wasn't here, if they figured out who we are, and our past transgressions... There's not a doubt in my mind that they'd be swift to act on that. Not to mention Clan Gray Mane has cast their lot with the Stormcloaks. They'd be able to kill two birds with one stone." Cronic said, sighing as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"I know for a fact Serena would like nothing more than to spill Thalmor blood, but Yuki? She's not cut out to fight a war. She's too innocent. For now anyway. As for me, I'd sooner prefer to not jeopardize my chances of crossing a border without having to crack some skulls. But my gut tells me someone's gonna have to take the fight to them sooner or later."

[Jakeozzy]

"Well then! I'll be doing my thing and causing havoc in their ranks where possible. I'll leave you two alone for now. Unless the whole nation wants to rise up against them, there's not a lot of point dragging you into it, it'll cause more suspicion than anything else. Just.. know there are pieces moving against the Dominion's, Aria, Cronic." Haru said calmly, shrugging as he looked back at the door. Apparently he wasn't a zealot who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals - if he went around conscripting people into the resistance movement it'd be dangerous for all involved...

"Eager as we both are... I'll get back into that game when the time is right. For now, we have people to make happy and ridiculous jobs to take." Aria smiled, "Don't worry, you can still find allies in every city. We had Altmer of our own in the resistance, didn't we?"

Haru grinned, "We still have a few today. Ones that are more mindful of themselves than the glorious bigger picture the Dominion are painting for their people. It'll be good to see you two on the field once the ball really gets rolling."

[CronicCrystalis]

"I need to go fill up on cooking material. We ARE feeding twice as many mouths now. Be a lot easier to think about what we should be doing on a full stomach." Cronic said as he got up to his feet, stretching his arms as he stepped past Haru, picking up a pair of baskets on his way out. Cronic didn't quite trust the resistance fighter yet, and wasn't exactly keen on being pulled into a guerilla war just yet if he could help it. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his head, he headed towards the market with baskets in hand.

With twice as many heads now living under the roof, he wanted to make sure he could feed them all. Hell, he felt like cooking a feast to celebrate their arrival anyway, so surplus ingredients wouldn't go amiss. With that thought in mind, the Imperial began purchasing the relevant ingredients from the myriad stalls.

[Jakeozzy]

"Sir Crystalis?" The tiny Akaviri's voice came from behind him, "Are you buying food for tonight? I'm very interested in trying Tamrielic foods!" Yuki beamed a smile up at the man. She had a heavy bag in her arms, full of ingredients for alchemy works. The aromas rising up from the bag were a strange mixture of pleasurable and disgusting all in one.

Aria stood in the door after Haru had walked out of the shop, discussing something with him before finally the two embraced, laughing. After they parted, Haru tipped his straw hat a little, and made his way toward the gates of Whiterun. Aria returned inside meanwhile. She'd seen a friend after many years, and it took her mind off the state of everything. Unfortunately it wouldn't be long before Dragons, Vampires, Cultists and the Dominion threw work the Odd Jobs' way again... Well, someone had to generate work for them!

[CronicCrystalis]

"It won't be first class food, but I plan to cook a feast to welcome yours and Serena's safe, if somewhat over the top arrival. I'm used to living on the road, making do with whatever foodstuffs I have to hand at the time. Sometimes a loaf of bread, some herbs for seasoning, and a leg of meat at moderate times, other times I have to hunt for something edible." Cronic said as he paid for a sizable amount of meat before moving onto fruit and vegetables.

"But if this is the kind of stuff I can get through honest work while settled in to a city, I might just claim land of my own later on, settle down and work there. Only so much you can get out of a nomadic lifestyle, afterall." Cronic said to Yuki as he began choosing a selection of fruits and vegetables, and paying for it.

"It'll probably take me a few hours to get everything ready, but I'm sure the aroma will wake Serena up alright."

[Jakeozzy]

"I look forward to it, Mr Crystalis!" the little Akaviri smiled, "Do you think Miss Arcadia will let me use her alchemy equipment? I am very keen to discover what properties these ingredients might hold. Do you think she could teach me some mixtures, too? This is all very exciting to me!" she cheered before dashing off again through the streets of Whiterun.

And apparently she was a priestess, or something... It didn't show at all by this point!

----------

Aria returned to her desk, leaning back in her chair and throwing her feet up on the desk like always. It was quiet for once... And not that eerie kind, either. She considered trying to take a nap, but sleeping often resulted in the past resurfacing, and lingering at the front of her mind.

'Might be an idea to find something to help that problem... Khajiit traders have things for that, right? Could just go and drink at the Bannered Mare for a while, wouldn't hurt anyone...'

[CronicCrystalis]

"Can't help but admire her enthusiasm." Cronic said to himself, hauling the purchased meats, fruits and vegetables back to the odd jobs building.

"Now I just have to decide what to do with all of this, and whether or not it'll be to the newcomers' liking." The imperial said to himself as he stepped in the door, giving Aria a passing nod as he set down the ingredients and began to think.

"Could always whip up a stew. It's not like I'm shorthanded on that front. But perhaps I should make it a "Help yourself" job, where you can pull as much or as little as you want onto your plate. Hell, I've been itching to exercise my cooking skills." Cronic said to himself, taking out a knife and set about chopping up portions of meat, fruit and vegetables, and beginning to form what would be their dinner.

[Jakeozzy]

Sure enough, Aria grabbed a cloak to lift the cold edge off her as the sun started to drift closer to the horizon, hiding behind the larger mountains occasionally. Unlike her, she decided to head down to the Khajiit caravan set up just outside Whiterun. The guards hailed the redhead as she passed, giving her no trouble. It was the least they could do, being that the Odd Jobs team had offed a dragon in Whiterun hold's protection. The Khajiit were allowed closer to the fortifications than one might think. They were close enough to be protected, should bandits or worse show up... And close enough to be watched. They were regarded as crafty, scheming people, but trade was this caravan's game. That didn't mean all of their goods were legal, though!

Aria arrived at the camped caravan, checked for guards, and turned back to face the old-looking Khajiit sitting at the campfire. He seemed rather relaxed. Aria took a moment to compose herself before asking, "Think I could have some? ...I just need a little pick-me-up. Nothing crazy," she tried to explain. The old Khajiit gestured for her to sit, and pulled out a pipe made especially for ingesting the skooma. Without a word, he demonstrated how to use it. While the crystals were still hot and ready to smoke, he passed the pipe over to Aria, letting her try it for herself. Of course, it wasn't the first time she'd done this. After literal bloodbaths a few years back, Lucian sometimes got out his pipe, moon sugar and skooma, too. They'd all share it, and for a moment, death and carnage seemed to evaporate from their minds..

Stopping herself from coughing after a few drags, Aria handed the pipe back, smiling faintly. "Want any money for..?" she began to ask. The old Khajiit chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"N'garro could see you are very stressed young lady... No matter, relax for now," he answered warmly.

Slowly but surely, Aria began to calm. She was still on Nirn, but her mind drifted elsewhere... Somewhere beautiful.

[CronicCrystalis]

Though she was sound asleep, Serena was tossing and turning restlessly, images of a wolf appearing within her mind. At first glance, you'd probably think she was having a nightmare, but she was snapped back to reality when she smelled something... Something delicious. Rubbing her eyes as she awoke, she slowly went downstairs.

"You put the herbs on the venison and eat 'em both up~" Cronic sang to himself, as he cooked various meats over a cookfire while he worked on various vegetables. Serena's mouth began to water slightly at the sight, having not eaten since she left Solitude with Yuki.

"Figured this'd get you up. It's not ready yet though." Cronic said, turning to look at Serena with one eye, before returning to the vegetables he was presently chopping up.

[Jakeozzy]

The Akaviri girl soon strolled in, shivering a little as the sun began to descend. She was happy to walk into the toasty shop, filled with a wonderful smell... It was unlike anything she caught a whiff of back home, on Akavir. Foreign or not, she looked pleasantly surprised as she walked closer.

----------

Aria on the other hand was toasty in another manner of speaking. Not that the fire wasn't warm. Skooma wasn't how she remembered, really. Then again, there weren't any rowdy teenagers - she was sitting with the Khajiit trader, gazing up at the sky. A few stars had begun to appear, along with a noticeable drop in the temperature giving the breeze a slight sting of cold. This was a nice setting. Typical Skyrim evening, sat by a campfire with some company. Though, Cronic was probably wondering where Aria was at this point.

"N'garro should rest..." the Khajiit chimed in before Aria could speak. "Goodnight to you, red maned one," he said, smiling tiredly before getting up and heading for his tent. Two more Khajiit walked over to the fire, apparently their turn to watch the caravan now. By this time, Aria was already walking back up to the city. She didn't seem to stumble or lose her way, but instead... she was just nice and mellow.

At the gates, the guards allowed her entry, and Aria headed up the street to the Odd Jobs home.

[CronicCrystalis]

Once Aria stepped into the room, a mouthwatering sight greeted her; An array of assorted meats and vegetables, all arranged into a feast for the eyes, and the rest of the senses. Piles of freshly sliced meats and fish of various kinds stacked up high, cooked with herbs and other seasonings for additional flavour, with different combinations used as required, carrots arranged to look like a sort of square wall with a "Roof" of cabbage leaves, a literal mountain of potatoes... The list goes on. What was certain however, was that Cronic had cooked enough food to completely fill the bellies of the four of them, and then some.

Cronic and Serena were sat diagonally opposite from one another, the former waving to Aria as she entered the building, as he picked an ample selection of what was available on the table, and taking the time to savour his handiwork. He had spent the last few hours whipping up this feast, afterall, and he would be severely dissapointed if it didn't work out as intended.

Serena, on the other hand, was initially skeptical as she loaded her plate, but once she'd taken that first bite, she threw her caution (And her manners) to the wind. To her, something like a homecooked meal was considered a luxury, but now that she was actually having one, she feels like she could never go back to tavern food.