[h3]The Great Mead Escapade![/h3] 
Starring:[i]Roze[/i] and [i]Sagax[/i], with special guest appearance by [i]Farid[/i]

[hr]

Standing so that Sagax's good arm was draped over her shoulders and she was supporting him, Roze managed to shuffle the poisoned man over to the nearby apothacary. She only hoped they had what she needed. Once inside - that was a fun struggle, getting the door open while attempting to keep Sagax from face-planting the wooden floor - she plonked him on a seat, hastily muttered "Don't die", and made her way to the counter.
 
The shopkeeper was an eldery woman, who eyed Sagax warily as Roze approached.
 
"Don't mind him, he'll live." She began swiftly, deciding that the shopkeep may not appreciate if he, y'know, died inside her shop. That was a mess nobody - particularly Roze - wanted. "He was poisoned about a day and a half ago, something the Falmer used. You have something to help with that, I hope?"  Thankfully, the wary look left the woman's face, and was replaced with one of understanding.

"Day and a half? The boy's lucky he's still alive." She said abruptly, before turning to check the packed shelves behind her. Roze couldn't help but notie a myriad of odd ingredients dotted about beside the colourful bottles of potions and poisons; flowers, shells, scales, what appeared to be a heart, and a... a toe? 

[i]"Oh, that's nasty. I hope people don't eat that."[/i] She thought to herself with a grimace, looking away from the offending image and back to the shopkeep. She'd placed a red bottle on the counter, alongside a small bowl of poultice. Roze couldn't even begin to identify what was in the paste, but she had a feeling she didn't want to know. Either way, she was extremely glad she'd picked a few pockets before arriving here; this stuff wouldn't be cheap.

"Apply that to the wound, have him drink the potion - after a night's sleep, he should be on the mend." The old woman sighed, shaking her head slightly. "And perhaps don't go spelunking into Falmer caves in the future. Dangerous beasts, you know." Alongside the things for Sagax, Roze purchased two health potions - hoping perhaps one could speed up his recovery.

"Okay, down that, and try not to throw it up. I'm not paying to have her floor cleaned, or to buy you another one." Handing the potion bottle to Sagax, Roze sat beside him, unravelling the bandages she had put on earlier - and the wound certainly didn't look fantastic. Not infected, but slightly green. Wait, was that infection, or just the poison? "Oh, hell if I know. This might hurt a little." Hoping he didn't pass out of something in the process, Roze began applying the poultice as best she could to his arm, thinking that whatever it was, the strange paste would do the job.

Contrary to Roze's warning, the poultice barely more than stung slightly. It was very well put together, or at least Sagax guessed as much, as he knew very little of alchemy. Just what he picked up from Varulae, and that admittedly wasn't much. Eyeing the vial in his hand cautiously, he took a breath and downed its contents. The foul taste of the liquid more than made up for the painlessness of the poultice. He coughed and sputtered, but he was able to keep most of the antipoison down, though little droplets trickled down on to the floor. There was suddenly a strange burning sensation that began in his throat and continued through the rest of his body. It was very, very strange, and made Sagax wonder just what was in the vial. Whatever it was, it seemed to be doing its job well enough, as his vision began to steady, albeit very slowly, and his shaking decreased in intensity.

Blinking a few times, he looked over to Roze to see if he could actually make anything out. The crazy-haired blur in front of him was steadily replaced by a crazy-haired Breton, with a very worried look on her face. That was three times she pulled Sagax out of the fire, literally the first time, and that was after he got her blown up to boot. Hopefully he'd be able to pay Roze back some day.

When Roze was finished applying the poultice and rebandaging his arm, Sagax tried his luck at standing. To his relief, he didn't immediately face plant on the floor; that would certainly be embarrassing. He turned to the alchemist and bowed as well as his weakened frame would allow. "Thank you very much, ma'am." Good, it didn't physically pain him to speak now, that's always nice. "And of course, thank you too, Roze! I doubt anyone else would have cared enough to check in on me." Then Sagax's look turned sour. Roze was enjoying the festival, in her own little way of course, but then she all of a sudden had to worry herself about him. He certainly spoiled the good mood. He waited to speak to Roze after exiting the shop; he didn't need a lecture from the alchemist about bed rest and nonsense like that.

"Hey, Roze, the festival's far from over, ya? Well, I'm feeling better already, so why don't we get back to it? No need to mope like children kept inside on a rainy day!" Roze probably wasn't going buy it, but there's no harm in trying, right?

Roze gave Sagax a dubious look - she'd heard the wonders of alchemy, but she doubted he was back to 100% just yet. Still, the poultice and the potion seemed to have improved him immensely; the fact he was walking without aid was prove enough of that.

"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt." She said hesitantly, but shoved one of the health potions into his hand with a stern look - or, at least, as stern as she could manage. "Drink that, and don't do anything stupid. I'm keeping my eye on you Sagax." And that she would - one bout of fatigue and she'd be carting him off to the inn for a rest. And perhaps a drink - he sure owed her one, at this rate.

"I'll be perfectly fine, don't worry, Roze." After downing the healing potion, Sagax wore the most assuring smile he could come up with. "Now come on, I'm sure we can find something to do somewhere...'

Roze's eyes trailed the crowds before them as Sagax spoke, an almost wicked looking smile growing on her face as she spotted a familiar figure.

"Oh, I can think of something very fun to do." With a light nudge on the elbow, Roze pointed towards Farid, who was milling about the crowds, no doubt looking for somewhere to drink. "How about we teach him a lesson... the rogue way?"

Glancing around, Sagax almost felt at home in Dawnstar. So many people bustling, talking, and of course, haggling. It was just like the Imperial City, if, you know, it were about fifty degrees colder normally. Turning his eyes to where Roze pointed, Sagax got a feeling he knew exactly what his Breton friend had in mind for "fun". 

"Roze..." he began with a sigh. "Come on, we can't be screwing with other people in the company, even if they have a more punchable face than a drunk bard." Did she even hear him? Probably not. [i]Roze is the kind of woman to do what she wants, when she wants to I suppose.[/i] he thought. [i]No surprise there.[/i] 

"Just tell me what you're thinking so I can at least plan for the fallout." Ashav would understand if he just explained why Roze cracked him upside the head with her bow or whatever it was she was going to do, right? He couldn't like Farid that much.

[i]"Ooh, I'm such a bad influence."[/i] Roze thought to herself with an impish snicker. "Okay, okay, I'm not going to seriously injure the guy, alright? First off, I'm going to distract him with my womanly wiles." Waggling her eyebrows suggestively, she looked back to Farid; he'd just purchased a bottle of special mead, on one of the stalls outside. It appeared to be a rare sort of Black Briar mead, sold only at certain events. Roze was pretty sure it was just a slightly fruitier version of the original, but everyone went mad for it when it was available. Typical Maven.

"You're going to steal that mead - and maybe even his coin purse if you're feeling lucky. Then, I'll smack him once you're away. If anyone complains, I'll just tell them the big mean man was forcing himself on me." This last sentence was said with a mockingly innocent voice, blue eyes wide and batting to add to the charade.

"Well..." looking between Roze and Farid, Sagax decided that no real harm could come from some slight shenanigans. "...alright, why not." Throwing his cloak back on and lifting the hood over his head, Sagax played along with Roze's charade. He kept his head comically low and spoke in a low, broody grumble, like the many thieves depicted in storybooks. "I'll go and...make myself scarce. This'll be the heist of an era, truly!" Finding a decently populated nearby stall, Sagax stood amongst the crowd gathering around a man selling something called "Whaledogs". Some kind of battered whale-meat on a stick. What odd things these Nords eat...they're all the rage in other parts of Skyrim though, or so the man said.

Letting out a peal of laughter at Sagax's impression, and then made her way into the crowd herself - it didn't take long for Farid's eyes to find her. Roze doubted whether the man actually felt anything beyond lust for her, but she was used to such things. The familiar smile and look in his eyes had been on the faces of many men - and even women - in her past, some of them not even marks. The consideration that she was just a pretty young thing, with not a care in the world or brain in her head. Now, Farid had seen her fight, and had talked to her in the past, so it was unlikely he would think that... but she still figured he would underestimate her quite a bit.

"Farid, how are you enjoying the festival? Has anything caught your fancy?" She asked in a bright voice; part of it not even faked, with the excitement of what she and Sagax were doing. There was such a thrill to roguish ways.

"Not yet, but maybe you could persuade me otherwise." Was Farid's response, and she responded with a coy laugh, making sure to push his shoulder ever so slightly, fingers brushing against his bare arm. Gods above, could these men really not think up more original lines than that? Roze just hoped Sagax was quick; she had dealt with more repulsive marks in the past, certainly, but her dislike towards Farid was a bit more personal than some stranger.

Hmmm...three different kinds of spices, marinated in...wait, hold on, he was forgetting something. Sagax was sure he was supposed to be doing something, but...? Oh, the mead, of course! He caught the tail-end of Roze and Farid's back-and-forth as he turned to them. [i]Maybe you could persuade me otherwise? Come on, man...[/i] Sagax could tell Roze already wanted to get as far as she could away from Farid, so he hastened his step slightly before she slammed the guy's head into a stall counter.

While Farid was busy ogling his Breton friend, Sagax swooped on over swiftly, making not a noise; he held his scabbard steady with his hand, no way would he repeat the mistake he made back in the Falmer cave. The crowds made good cover for everything else. 

Now standing near Farid, but not close enough to draw his attention, Sagax eyed the bottle of Black-Briar mead the Redguard left on the counter next to him as he spoke with Roze. He had easier marks and he had harder marks, this one was child's-play all the same though. He waited until the person manning the stall turned to take care of another customer, and swiped the bluish-purple bottle in front of him, immediately turning the other way and walking off at a nonchalant pace, hiding the mead under his cloak. [i]Thanks Frald, you're the best![/i]

[i]"Nice work, runner boy."[/i] Roze thought to herself, an approving look directed over Farid's shoulder towards the back of Sagax. Unfortunately, Farid assumed said approving look was directed to him, and his wandering hands suddenly found themselves quite firmly positioned on her rump.

[i]"Oh boy, now I have a real excuse to hit him."[/i]

And so she did, pushing Farid back quite firmly, taking her bow from back, and thwacking it quite satisfyingly over Farid's forehead. It likely hadn't caused any real damage, beyond a graze, a headache, and a severly bruised ego.

"What the fuck was that for?!" He demanded, wincing as he put his hand to his head.

"My arse is off limits to everyone until I say so. Nice speaking with ya, Farid. Enjoy the headache!" At that, she marched primly away, ignoring Farid as he muttered "Fuckin' tease" under his breath, and finding Sagax once more in the crowds. Now, a bright smile donned her face, and she began laughing as he revealed the stolen bottle from beneath his cloak.

"Perfectly done, Sagax! Oh man... I hope the stall has ran out of stock by the time he realises." She managed to sputter the words through her laughter, the thought of it alone making it hard to get the words out. Oh boy, he was going to be so [b]pissed[/b]!

"I aim to impress, naturally!" Wow, she really had it in for Farid, that was a lot of laughter for something so routine. Just the fact that she caused the man an inconvenience sent her into hysterics. Or maybe Sagax missed something, he was pretty far off after all. "Oh, here, this is yours." he said as he handed over the bottle of mead. "This isn't to pay you back for anything, of course. I'm just using you as an alibi, ya?" Sagax laughed with a sarcastic grin. "No way he'd think you stole it, because you're a perfect angel...or is that no longer the case? I can tell I missed something after I left; come on, spill it." Crossing his arms, he stared at Roze with one eyebrow raised, waiting for a very fun tale indeed.

Roze mocked an offended look as she took the mead. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about! I could [i]never[/i] do something bad." Trying a swig of the mead, a somewhat more foxy smile replaced the innocent one upon her face. "Farid simply accosted me in a rather rude manner. There's only a few people I'd let touch my rump, you know." Said with a suggestive wink, she took another swig of the mead before handing the bottle back to Sagax. 

"It was a group effort; only fair we share the profits. However, we could find the inn and buy some more drinks - the more the merrier, right?"

Rolling his eyes at the wink and rump remark, Sagax took back the mead. "Uh huh. Well, I suppose that was just a lesson learned then, huh? The man should keep his hands off of things that don't belong to him...not like we'd ever do such a thing, yes!" Hiding the bottle away in his cloak again just in case Farid came by, Sagax peered over the crowds to find the inn. Good thing it was situated on a hill, making it easy to spot. "A warm fire sounds good right about now. Yeah, let's head on back to the inn. Who knows, maybe that's where everyone else is? I'd imagine a lot of people would want a drink or five after the shit we trekked through."

[i]Ugh, thank the gods Roze suggested heading back to the inn...I could really use a chance to sit down[/i]. His greaves and chainmail hid his shaking legs well enough for now, but they'd be flat-out wobbling if he didn't take a rest soon. "Come on then, Miss Angel. Hopefully we can avoid any more....hands-on situations." Weaving through the festival-goers, Sagax ducked and dived his way back to the warmth of the inn. He knew Roze could catch up, so he went ahead before her; no need to hold her hand or anything. 

"I'll be surprised if there's any alcohol left in the town by the time we're finished." Agreeing with a chuckle, Roze did hope that some of their other fellows were in the inn, and also, having as much fun as Sagax and herself. After all, he was right; they had been through a lot of shit. Hells, they'd barely recuperated properly from Windhelm before leaving to Winterhold. The presence of the markets and festival just made everything seem lighter - laughter and impishness was just flowing free today. For herself, at least.

Following her comrade through the crowd, Roze smiled as the warmth of the packed building hit her. She'd barely noticed how cold it had been outside before now; glancing sideways at Sagax, she recalled the fever he'd been suffering from just minutes before.

"Take your cloak off Sagax - I don't want you overheating and dying on me." She tugged lightly on it, staying her grip on the fabric as she led him swiftly to an empty table before a bunch of Nords could snatch it up. "Now, are you going to buy Miss Angel a drink for all her sweetness today, Runner boy?" She asked once sat down, a charming smile adorning her face.

Letting himself be lead over to an empty table, Sagax set his cloak and the Black-Briar bottle on top. Mara's sake, that thing got warm fast. The fire is enough, thank you very much. "Well, I suppose I should get you something, hm?" He said with a half-roll of his eyes. "I'll be right back. Don't fly off with those wings of yours." 

Looking through the stock of the bartender, Sagax picked out a bottle recommended personally by the tavern owner, something called Flin. Some kind of Morrowind brew, with a bottle in a style similar to the Sujamma that Roze shared. Paying up and making his way back to their table, Sagax offered up the Flin to his Breton friend. "Here you go, Miss Angel. I'm not too good with brews, but hopefully this one agrees with you." 

At first glance, Roze assumed Sagax had bought more Sujamma - not that she would have complained, that stuff had tasted [i]amazing[i]. But no, the bottle was somewhat different, and when she pulled off the stopper, the scent was certainly different. Less sweet, more... oaky? She was hardly a connoisseur, but it had a scent she couldn't place her finger on. Likely something grown in Morrowind, if it was anything similar to the Dunmeri Sujamma she had found.

"Why thank you, kind sir. If only more people were as gentlemanly as yourself." She replied with a grin, before taking a swig of the unknown alcohol. [b]Holy Hell[/b], did it have a kick to it. Holding back a cough from the sudden harshness, Roze swallowed the liquid, and the taste hit her. Shit, it was like whiskey, only sweeter and spicier. Had Sagax just found another weakness of hers?

"Shor's nutsack, that's.... that's something else." She said with a somewhat throaty laugh, pushing the bottle over to Sagax. 

Laughing at Roze's rather volatile reaction, Sagax sat down and drank a bit more of the Black-Briar. She seemed to like it despite the apparent kick. "Well, I'm certainly glad I found something else for you to add to your must-buy list!" [i]Shor's nutsack? That's certainly a new one...where in the world did she learn those kinds of sayings[/i]?

The two continued their chatting and shenanigans, waving at people they knew and poking fun at those they didn't. More than once they imagined Farid's reaction to having his stuff yanked right out from under him, and of course "Miss Angel", "Runner Boy" and innuendos abound, to the point where several people stared curiously at the two. There was no clue to any deeper happenings, yet they continued on. Very strange, and the two knew it; it's why they kept at it for as long as they did. What's the point of life if you can't get a few confused stares out of bewildered drunkards?