{A Collab between [@MiddleEarthRoze] and [@MacabreFox] } The arrival of Roze, with the absence of Sagax, prompted a curious raise of the brow from Sevine. She had expected to see him with Roze, but understood that he had chosen to stay at the warehouse instead. Shrugging it off, Sevine greeted her friend with a warm smile as did Leif. “Hello Roze, what a pleasant sight to see you joining us. I’ll go and ready the spare bed upstairs.” He excused himself from the company of the women, and headed upstairs to go prepare the spare room he had. Despite being in the Grey Quarter, his home was rather cozy, and better kept than the other homes in the quarter. In truth, Leif's home, though inherited through his parent's deaths, it was one of the older houses in the district. With that, he left Sevine, and Roze to their own privacy as he disappeared up the flight of stairs to the floor above. A quiet creak of the floorboards signified Leif doing just as he said he would do. “So Sagax stayed behind huh? That’s a shame for him. Leif, has an extra room for him too. I did promise to kick his ass, Leif that is, if he doesn’t have enough bacon.” Sevine chuckled to herself, and patted the seat Leif once occupied. She was happy to see Roze, she hadn't forgotten Cat-Kicker's unfriendly confrontation to when the young Breton woman first arrived at the company. "Well that's good to hear - I'm not a morning person the best of times; taking away my bacon on top of that would truly make me a terror." Roze chuckled as she sat beside Sevine with a relieved sigh. The cushions were comfortable, especially in front of the warm hearth. ----------- Morning came much quicker than a sleepy Sevine would’ve liked to acknowledge as she lay deeply snuggled underneath the warm, wool blankets. She reckoned that by the glow of the morning light, dawn was just breaking. Her body’s sleeping schedule echoed that of the rising sun, and when it rose, no matter if she were indoors, or outdoors, she always awoke near daybreak. Able to sleep in Leif’s guest bed, she found the mattress far more comforting than the beds at Candlehearth would’ve provided, as the mattress consisted of two layers sewn together. The first layer, being the bottom layer, held straw, and the second layer, the top layer, held a mixture of tundra cotton, and feather down. Her eyes flickered open as she took in her surroundings, recalling where she had fallen asleep. Sevine had taken her pack with her on the walk over to Leif’s, and she began to dress herself in her armor. She was fully unaware of the what Ashav had in mind for the mercenaries today, whether they were leaving the city, or if the company would stick around longer to collect more recruits. The death toll from the redoubt was significant as their forces had depleted from the attack, forcing the company to recover its losses with fresh blood. Pulling on one boot at a time, Sevine slipped her tunic over her head, followed by her chainmail, and her leather armor. Tying on her leather pauldrons, and fitting her gorget around her neck, Sevine made damned sure she was prepared for the day. She slipped her belt around her waist, and made certain she had her axe at her hip, as well as her dagger. Then, strapping her wooden targe to her back, Sevine secured her bow and quiver over the targe, and headed downstairs. Halfway down the flight of wooden stairs, the sweet smell of hickory bacon floated up to greet her. She grinned, knowing that Leif had risen perhaps only an hour earlier than her, and had begun to prepare a sumptuous breakfast for her, and Roze. She appreciated his attempts to make up for his atrocious behaviour last night, trying to woo all those women in front of her, yet she found it to be amusing as each woman turned him down. Still even then, Solveig's words echoed in her ears as Leif had uttered words of [i]pollinating[/i] her flower. “Good morning, Leif.” Sevine said as she entered the kitchen, she set her pack down by the door, and took a seat at the table. Leif stood near an oven, with an iron pan in his hand, the sizzling of the bacon filled the room. He looked up in surprise, as if he hadn't expected his companion to wake so early, nonetheless, he offered her a friendly smile in return. “Well good morning to you, Sevine. I hope you slept well.” “Aye, that I did. Thank you. That was probably the best sleep I’ve had in a long while.” “Good, I’m glad to hear. Say, why are you wearing your armor? Are you expecting a battle?” Sevine shrugged haplessly, “You could say that. I’m not sure what Ashav has planned for us, we could leave, or we could be here for another day or so. I’d like to be ready in case anything happens. Besides, if we're not doing anything today, I can always take it off later. You know how I feel about such things, Leif." “That is a wise idea, my friend. If I recall correctly, I do remember a much younger you, falling asleep in your armor every night we were in battle." “Well, you don't say me lying dead in a ditch without my head, now do you? Has Roze woken?” “That I can’t say.” At a glance, one could see Roze was more comfortable than a fox in its den - curled up under the warm blankets, nothing bar a mess of curls and a small sliver of face being visible from underneath the covers. However, it was enough for that small sliver to be caught by the sharp dawning sun to awaken the young Breton, and with a few tosses and turns, Roze eventually sat upright in the bed, yawning. Hearing Sevine and Leif talking downstairs, she came to the - unfortunate - conclusion that it was in fact, time to get her arse out of bed. Groaning quietly as the morning chill hit her upon uncovering her blankets, Roze put on her laced trousers sluggishly, then attempting to put her boots on. After a few missed attempts, she simply grabbed them, deciding that going downstairs and waking up properly would be the best bet to getting dressed. [i]"Gods above - there doesn't seem to be a difference in me between being sleepy and drunk."[/i] She grumbled silently in her head as she staggered down the stairs. [i]"Other than drunk me being much happier, that is."[/i] "Leif, which nobleman did you brutally murder in order to get a bed like that? Or did you just sell your soul to a Daedra?" Roze announced herself with a tired joke uttered through yet another yawn, stretching before slumping into a chair beside Sevine. There was no doubt she looked somewhat childish - she looked young at the best of times, but with her messy hair, bedraggled clothes, and - still - attempting to put on her boots, one would assume she'd never even hurt a fly. Now, Roze couldn't really account for any flies, but she knew quite a few souls in the afterlife cursed her name to this day. "Oh - and good morning, I suppose." She added in afterthought, sighing contently as she inhaled the sweet, sweet smell of bacon; and finally pulling on her boots over her trousers. [i]Ah, the pig. Truly the most glorious animal; spending it's life eating and rolling around in it's own shit, and giving forth the greatest of meats. It was so ironic it could almost be a work of Sheogorath.[/i] Hearing gentle footsteps descend the stairs, Sevine turned in the seat of her chair to see a barefooted Roze, with her boots tucked under one arm. A friendly smile blossomed across her face as she spotted her companion, who appeared rather sleepy still, much like herself. Perhaps it was just the way her tired eyes peered out from under her mess of black curls, and the wrinkled clothes that Sevine presumed she fell asleep in. “Good morning, Roze.” Leif, and Sevine said in unison, “Ah the bed? My mother insisted that my father give us all proper beds, bless her heart, the cold here affected her joints in the later years of her life. It’s a simple, dual-layer mattress, if you’re asking for technicalities.” He came away from the oven, bearing two plates, and set them down before each woman at the table. Each plate bore a pile of bacon, along with scrambled eggs, and a freshly baked roll of bread, along with two pieces of fruit, blackberries, and an apple. “Can I get you something to drink? Milk, water, mead, wine, juice?” Leif offered as he returned to the oven to finish preparing his plate. “Ah, I would go for wine, but it’s too early in the day for me.” She chuckled, “Water will be fine, Leif. Thank you.” He wandered away from the oven, and fetched a water pitcher off a wooden shelf next to him, and grabbed three, metal tin cups, and set them gingerly on the table. If anyone knew of his loquacious behavior, they would note how his lack of licentious, unrestrained of flirtatious comments, had seemingly disappeared. That behavior, while apart of his personality, was not always present, and he could prove to be a most courteous man. On a day like today, with the hearth of the house chasing away the frigid morning temperatures, Leif dressed smartly, with his sandy-brown hair pulled back at the temples in two braids, as he sported a sky-blue tunic, with evergreen coloured embroidery, and a pair of black, leather trousers, and boots to match. Looking at her friend beside her, Sevine nodded with her head, as if to indicate they should start their meals. She dug her fork into the plateful of eggs with a rapturous hunger, her appetite was bigger than her stomach. Finishing the last bite of her eggs, Sevine groaned aloud ecstatically as she dove into her bacon-pile with a wolfish attitude. When Leif finally joined the two women at his breakfast table, he looked at Sevine in shock, and then to Roze with a smile. “I hope this breakfast suits your tastes, Roze.” Through a mouthful of food, Sevine attempted to thank him, but all that came out was a mix of pleased grunts, as she tried to force words from her mouthful of bacon. As Leif retrieved some drinks, Roze regarded him somewhat curiously. His demeanour was much different from last night - no cheesy flirtatious attiude; perhaps because they were now under his roof? Whatever the reason, it was refreshing. As was the food, on that matter - not only was there bacon, but there was eggs and bacon on the side, and the aroma was something akin of Heaven. Chuckling quietly at Sevine as she all but inhaled her food, Roze ate a wee bit slower then her friend, still halfway through her bacon when Leif inquired about her meal. "Undoubtedly - you make the home life look appealing with food and beds this good." She replied with a grin, pushing a hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it somewhat. "So Sevine - when you're finished obliterating your breakfast, do you know what the plan is for today? Ashav wasn't all that clear on where we're headed to next." Brow furrowing ever so slightly - he had recrutied far more people, so they must be going somewhere as dangerous - or perhaps moreso - than the Forsworn Camp. A slap-silly grin grew on his face as he watched his friend eat, his eyes glancing at her ravenous behavior before looking up at Roze. “Why thank you. My mother taught me that a good host, always provide exceptional care to his guests, no matter who they are, or how poor you are. Not that I am, but I see no problem in fixing breakfast for you two ladies.” His eyes turned to look upon Roze, and offered her a playful, non-suggestive, wink. Sevine lifted her plate from the table, and licked it clean, her hunger had got the best of her. It always did when she woke in the mornings, her appetite was so strong, that if she didn’t eat right away, she would be left feeling weak, and light-headed until she ate. She turned her attention to Roze, as she addressed her, inquiring about their business with the company. In truth, she knew not of Ashav’s plans for the company, and it requited a simple shrug from her. “Hard to say. I haven’t spoken to him much since first signing on. Though, after this last battle at the redoubt, I’m surprised he’s rounded up so many new recruits. If anything-“ Her words were cut short as the sound of someone pounding on Leif’s front door filled the house. Leif, and Sevine exchanged curious glances as they heard a young man’s words shout. [i]”Arise! Behold glorious battle!”[/i] Leif’s chair slid back across the floor, and tipped over with a [i]bang[/i], as he leapt to his feet, and raced to the front door. He flung the door open with the ferocity of a wild-man being woken from his sleep, only to reveal no one, save for a pudgy young-man, perhaps in his early twenties, speeding away down the cobblestone path. Sevine glanced at Roze, with furrowed brows, as if she looked mad, or rather concerned. “Battle? Shit. You’ve got to be kidding me.” She grumbled as Leif rushed back into the kitchen to the women. “That’s what the lad said. Didn’t even have a chance to ask him what happened.” “Well, let’s get the fuck out of here, and get down to the warehouse. If anything, everyone will be there, and ready to go. Get your gear on Roze.” Sevine said as she gave her friend a half-hearted smile, as if to say, [i]well, here we go again![/i]. “Leif you too.” “Ain’t gotta tell me twice.” Leif muttered as he darted up the stairs, grabbing what gear he could. [i][b]"Goddammit!"[/b][/i] Well, there went Roze's good mood - shoveling the remainder of her bacon into her motuh - wasting bacon was worth an execution, no matter how dire the situation - and swiftly tied her hair up and out of the way. "Sevine, my armour is still at the blacksmiths. I'll meet you at the warehouse - don't even think of starting without me!" Roze told her friend with a grin on her face; still joking, even in this situation. Before either Leif or Sevine could say anything she was out of the house, sprinting down the snow-covered streets of the Grey Quarter to get to the blacksmiths. "Who in Oblivion is attacking Windhelm? The city is a damned fortress..." She thought to herself as she ran, arms and legs pumping in her hurry to get her things and back to the waterfront as soon as possible. Considering how early it was the morning, chances were that it was still closed - but locked doors had never been an issue for her. As Roze reached the dark marketplace, empty bar a single beggar, she calmed her breathing and knelt by the door of the blacksmiths, taking out a lockpick. As she worked on the lock, a small symbol was noticed by the right side of the door - a small engraving of a circle, within which was box and three lines - the Thieves Guild shadowmark for loot. Grinning as the lock clicked into place, she slipped inside, quiet as a shadow. "Well, as it's not protected - it could hardly hurt if I restocked my arrow supply..." In no time at all, Roze was fully armoured and re-stocked, heading towards the warehouse; she'd found her armour in no time at all, and as he had done such a good job - even reinforcing the leather in some places - she'd left behind some gold coins as payment, and not taken as much loot as she had been sorely tempted to do. Upon leaving, however, she'd given the lone beggar ten septims - beggars saw and heard everything, so it was always good to pay them off if you did something illegal in front of them. Rather than joining the group on the docks, Roze had taken her stance atop the walls along with what had been summoned of the city archers, and even a handful of the mercenaries from her group. The breath seemed to leave her body as she saw the armoured boats approaching - coming forth from the ghostly mists like something out of a nightmare. "By the Gods... what the Hell is inside those monsters?" She muttered under her breath, readying her bow. Sevine watched her friend leave as she disappeared out the door, as Leif had just descended the stairs, wearing his suit of leather armor, which simply consisted of a leather armor breastplate, and a set of leather bracers, along with his steel helm planted firmly on his head. At his hips, hung two steel daggers, and across his back he bore a steel longsword. Unlike Sevine, with her chainmail armor, steel helm, leather pauldrons, leather gorget, Leif was left more exposed. Though, that was a personal preference, as he liked wearing less armor. If he ever got struck down in battle, it was better than having a limb mangled, better to have it cleaved right off. Besides, when he got carried away in the frays of conflict, he favoured the full maneuverability, as it granted him with wider swings of his longsword. “Roze went for her armor, let’s go and meet her down at the warehouse if we can.” Sevine said with a voice that elicited much command, to which Leif nodded knowingly. He wasn't going to balk at her words, time spent in the war had made the two of them familiar with the circumstances at hand. The two departed from Raven-Stone House, and headed for the city gate that led out to the docks. As the two raced through the streets of Windhelm, they could hear the din of noise from the conflict just on the other side of the walls, and she could hear the cries of men, attempting to intimidate the foes they faced. Finally, they approached the massive city gate to the docks. There, amongst all of the commotion, she could see guardsmen, and soldiers rushing about. Grabbing Leif by the elbow, Sevine forced his gaze upon her. She didn’t recognize any members from the company on the inside of the gate, and her to knowledge, they could be locked out on the other side of the docks. “I’m going up on the walls, see if I can get a better view. Come with me if you want.” Sevine said, her green eyes yielded no emotions, as she gazed fiercely into his sky-blue ones. A look that Leif knew all too well, in the midst of battle, Sevine became more like a Dwemer machine, and less like a human. “It’s like the old days again, eh? Me keeping you alive, and you keeping me alive.” He knew he couldn’t be of much use if there were archers on the wall, as he was lacking in that department. However, he could act as a medic if anyone was taken down. An arrow to the eye, or to the knee, his skills in restorative magick would allow him to heal those with mild to moderate injuries. Anything severe, sure he could try, yet it would prove to be exhaustive for him if held for long periods of time. “Aye.” She flashed him a daring smile before darting up the stone steps that led to the top of the wall. As the two emerged from under the stone stairwell, and into the morning sunshine, Sevine held a clear view of the bay, and to her dismay, she immediately spotted the armored ships that had filled the icy waters. Her mouth fell agape in astonishment, [i]dammit[/i]! Who were these people? Scores of archers now lined the walls at the top, overlooking the docks. Sevine tried to find a place where she could notch her bow, and string up an arrow, when her eyes discovered Roze along the ramparts. “Roze!” Sevine shouted, and hurried over to her fellow companion with Leif in tow. Standing alongside her friends in disbelief, she watched as giants disembark from the ships as they docked in the harbor, one of the ships destroyed one of the piers in their attempt to dock. [i]Giants? Where the hell did they manage to find giants to fight for them? Just who in Oblivion are these people?[/i] Sevine thought warily. The oddities of the unfolding battle confused her. Then again, war was never meant to be clear. From her position, she could also see the remains of a now sinking ship in the bay, impaled with ice bolts, the source of the sinking or so it appeared. “This can’t be good.” She grunted as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, and raised her bow up, notching the steel arrow upon the corded string, and waited patiently, with her right eye closed. Leif simply squatted down beside Sevine, his head level with her hip as he peered over the wall, only the top of his helm could be seen. He viewed the ongoing battle below and shook his head. Never before in his days of battle had he seen any encounters with those in the bay, not even on the Sea of Ghosts had he seen armored hulls on ships. The plated metal that protected the ships were new to him, and couldn't help but to wonder if the added weight was worth it. “Talos guide us all. How in Oblivion are we supposed to defeat those bastards? Who are they anyways?” Leif wondered aloud, more than asking anyone in particular. He drew out his daggers, one clenched tightly in each fist, and remained ready in case any of the attackers dared to breach the walls. Part of him felt relieved that he wasn't mixed up in the fray down in the docks. He even wondered how long the citadel could hold off the attack, maybe several days, but that would be a stretch. Sure, Windhelm was known as an impenetrable fortress, but as Sanja always told him, [i]"If there's a will, there's a way."[/i]. He hoped that that wouldn't be applied in this situation at hand. Down below, Sevine watched the on-going fight between the men, and the giants. It was hard for her to watch, as the level of carnage wrought made her sick to her stomach. She could feel her mouth water, threatening to lose her very breakfast. Taking a deep slow breath, Sevine scouted the scene below, with her arrow notched, and picked out an unmistakable person. Jorwen Red-Bear. He led a section of men against the giants, and to her trained eye, though no expert in military strageties, it seemed as though those men were hesitant in greeting the giants, hiding behind their shields like frightened babes. Sevine let her breath relax, and her heart beat slow as she aimed for one of the giant's threatening Jorwen, and his men. Loosing the arrow, it sang a quiet whistle as it struck the giant in the throat, finding a gap between the uniquely designed armor. Whether it did any damage, that she could not say. Her encounters with giants were far and few between, perhaps they had thicker skin? The arrow impacted the invader's neck, where heavy metal gapped to reveal leather-like underarmor. It nestled in shallow. The giant flinched but still stood, the shot wasn't leathal but it distracted the enemy enough for its target, a fortunate guard, to escape an otherwise fatal blow. As the horror unfolded before her, Roze did not release any of her arrows - she was too busy taking it all in, and trying to find a decent strategy in her head while the guards of Windhelm panicked around her, firing at will towards these alien giants. Their armour was striking - unique; nothing like she'd ever seen before. It was almost similar to stahlrim - the ice crafted by the Skaal on Solstheim that her mother had told her about - but the workings were jagged and had an air of savagery about it. Not only that, but it covered all of these mysterious invader's bodies and faces - thus making their species unknown. "Can't be giants... they barely have enough smarts to create loincloths, let alone armour and boats like these..." She muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing as she watched - and then her face blanching as she watched one man be cleaved in two as easily as cutting bread, just in one swipe of the monster's blade. "If they're not giants, what are they then?" Sevine replied to Roze, though she mumbled the question more to herself. Finally notching an arrow in her bow, she inhaled as she drew the string - shoulder crying in protest from the pulling, but more than anything, the familiar tensing of muscles was pleasant - the healed and raw scar tissue was under pressure, but if anything, it gave her more focus than distracting her. The grip of the bow and the roughness of her string gave a sense of belonging in a place like this. "We can't let these things get into the city. Pick off any you see approaching the stairs." She announced loudly, attracting the attention of some of the guards. Many looked ready to piss themselves in fear - chances were that they would just panic and waste arrows. An order from a small Breton woman keeping her head would either anger them or embarass them enough to snap out of it, and then start aiming properly. That was the idea, anyhow. Finally letting her arrow go, she allowed herself a miniscule smile as it made it's mark in a gap of armour on one of the foes. It had raised both arms, heavy weapon in hand, to smash some poor fellow's skull in - leaving the unarmoured area of the armpit free to shoot at. It faltered in it's aim as her arrow struck true, and the man rolled away as the enemy roared in pain... then ripping out the arrow from it's body and flinging it away like a mere splinter. Roze's smile disappeared. [i]"Gods above... I hope they don't have any archers with them..."[/i] She thought to herself grimly while drawing another arrow. "By the Nine! I'll be damned!" Leif whistled as he watched the arrow strike the behemoth. The carnage below painted the cobblestone paths of the dockways crimson, and splattered with gore of brain matter, and other bodily mattered that lay mashed to bloodied pieces underfoot. "How the fuck are we suppose to kill these bastards?" Sevine swore loudly, she didn't want to loose another arrow, without knowing it would strike true, and so she sat ready, with an arrow notched on her bowstring, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike. She only had thirteen arrows left, she would have to punch some poor bloke in the face if she ran out, and confiscate his. "Damn it all. If there was some way to pour boiling tar, or oil on them, and set that on fire, that might help. But I can't tell if their armor is enchanted." She added quietly, gazing down the shaft of her arrow.