[center][i]A collaboration with [@MacabreFox][/i][/center]


Rozalia met Sevine's smiling face with one of her own - embracing the larger woman fondly. It felt like they hadn't talked properly for a good long while, and regardless of the juicy gossip she wanted to pull out from Sevine, it would be nice to have a chat. There weren't many women in the group, after all.

"Never mind myself and Sagax - I don't want to get you into a bad, worried temper just yet! Because... I've been hearing things about you." She began, waggling her eyebrows up and down in a conspiratorial type of manner. "You and a certain Khajiit; acting in a somewhat intimate way. But surely, you wouldn't embark on such a wild, romantic journey without telling your dear little - [i]wicked[/i] - Breton friend?" Now, her tone was teasing,indeed showing a friendly glint of wickedness in her eye. There was some excitement, in the hopes that this information was true - in the eyes of Roze, Sevine deserved happiness. She was a good woman, an even better friend, and some love in her life would hopefully do some some good.

     A rosy hue bloomed in the apples of her cheeks at the words of her friend. So, word had spread already like wildfire through the company, either witnessed themselves during the faire, or wagging tongues from Dawnstar's citizens. "Ah! So you've learned already?" She put a hand to the back of her head and gave a nervous chuckle, "I won't deny anything that you've heard! Yes, Do'Karth and I have entered into a courtship. I feel silly saying it, but come walk with me now." Sevine prompted, snagging Roze by the elbow of her arm and leading her away from the circle by the crook of her own elbow.

"Roze, I never thought I would find myself in love, or much more poignant, even the idea of having any attraction for anyone else. Though, now let me beg the question from you... I have heard from loose tongues that Leif is in a foul mood for whatever he may witnessed or heard from last night. Tell me this, have you heard with your own two ears of what he may have done, or said?" She asked, her brows sinking low to match the concerned frown on her lips.

Ah, so the rumours were true! Roze felt like jumping up and down on the spot in her excitement - unlike some (or, many, as the case may be) in Skyrim, she bore no ill will towards the beast kind, and thought relationships with them were wonderful; a step forward in wider acceptance of the races. Even better for Sevine for her to have found a good one in Do'Karth. Roze still had not forgotten his kindness to her when they first came to Dawnstar.

"Oh, it's not silly - but you should be as silly as you want! Love makes us feel that kind of giddiness, after all." Roze laughed - although her smile dimmed slightly as the pair walked. Sagax and herself had spent half the day and most of the night drinking in the inn - it had been a pleasant experience, but even in her somewhat bleary stupor, Roze had found it hard to ignore Leif. 

"Ah... well. I believe it's safe to say he hasn't taken the news of your courtship very well." She began hesitantly; according to some gossip overheard last night by an unpleasant looking pair in the inn, some drunkard had been wanting to start a fight outside - over some sort of lost love. By the looks of Leif when he had staggered in with Jorwen, and the rumours that Roze herself had already heard, it didn't take much to connect the dots. "Sevine - from what I know of Leif, he's a passionate man. Passionate in his love, and his losses. He may be very emotional now, but in time, I'm sure he'll understand that you and he were never meant for one another. Not in the sense he currently lusts for, anyway." At least, that was what Roze hoped for. It would be a shame for such a friendship to be lost over a broken heart; one which could mend itself, if the individual chose to overcome their feelings. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry over it. Enjoy yourself, and your new love. Leif is all grown-up, and should be able to handle his emotions himself. And should he accost yourself or Do'Karth, I'll give him a stern talking to myself." This last sentence had an air of comedy about it; there was nothing particularly stern about the young rogue.

     Upon first hearing Roze speak truth of Leif's actions and words, all blood drained away from her face, extinguishing the once present blush on her cheeks. Yet, as she spoke, Roze provided insight on how to effectively handle her current situation, one she found that she knew the answer too, even as her friend advised her to do so. A chuckle escaped from her lips in light of Roze's jest, lifting her spirits again. "Whatever may come, will be, and there is nothing I can do in the meantime to change that course. I can only pray that Leif will not act so ignobly if that time ever comes. Now speaking of love..." Therein her eyes, a mischievous glint appeared.

"What of that fellow from the College? Sebastian, is that his name? You seemed particularly overjoyed to see him." For once, it felt good to simply shoot the breeze without having to worry about the immediate future. 

Roze couldn't help but laugh in the change of subject; for any other friend, she'd be concerned they were simply taking the attention away from a problem that needed said attention - but for Sevine, that was doubtful. As said by both women, the issue with Leif was one that they couldn't - or indeed, shouldn't - have to get involved with. It was his feelings, and his own ego to overcome.

"Ah... Sebastian Vorell. I was very pleased to see him, especially as I thought of the possibility of his death. We met many years ago - when I was still living in Riften, at the age of 14. From there, we established a fond connection." Roze confessed and then paused, meeting Sevine's mischievous gaze. "I wouldn't say we're in love. If I were to love him, it would be as a friend. We just... get physical now and again, if nothing else has caught our fancy." She paused once more, frowning slightly. "I think perhaps I'm not explaining it well enough. You see, we've always had wild adventures together. Most come down to mischief brought on by alcohol, and one of us egging the other along. All fun and games, but not for a prolonged sense of time. If we stayed together for very long, I'm afraid we'd end up jailed... or worse. We'd be terrible lifetime partners for one another - unlike yourself and Do'Karth." She finished with a chuckle. It was a shame, really - Roze did truly enjoy Sebastian's company, as he enjoyed hers. But every time they spent more than a fortnight together, trouble would follow them.

     Imagining what could be worse, a Roze and Sebastian duo or a Roze and Sagax duo made her stomach turn, the Divines help her if all three were to end up together! Perhaps she had hoped to hear more of a romantic tale, but it appeared that Roze's relationship with Sebastian was not as she had first believed. Then again, as Roze had expressed, perhaps it was for the better that they had not entered into a partnership.

"Sounds like another Sagax to me, though I hope he doesn't have enough courage to take a gander at riding chaurus' for fun." Here she let loose a relaxed chuckle. "Ah, now while we're on the topic of love, so to speak, I can't seem to recall mentioning this to anyone, but I have thoughts of other matters that occupy my mind... I have a sister, Liliana, that entered into a union with her husband. She recently revealed to me that I am to be an aunt. Being so far from her in her condition, I find that I am worried over her well-being. I mention this solely for the sake of my nerves, and I wondered, Roze, do you have any siblings?" Sevine asked. 

Ah, more good news for Sevine! Roze could see her friend being a fantastic Aunt; she had plenty of motherly qualities, certainly. Herself and Sagax had found that out the hard way after their little bombing run back in Windhelm.

"Ahah... well, I don't think there's anyone quite like Sagax. Chaurus-riding or otherwise." She chuckled; the thought of Sebastian doing so was an amusing one. He'd attempted to jump on a mammoth's back once when they had been particularly young and foolish. A few miles of running and broken bones later, it was decided that neither of them would attempt it again.

"As for your sister, pass along my congratulations when you come to write to her again! I hope she has an easy time with carrying and birthing the child; according to my Mother, I was quite the handful even before I stepped out of the womb." It was only natural for Sevine to worry; pregnancy could be a worrisome prospect even during calm times in Skyrim, but with everything else suddenly happening, it made the situation more dire. Roze only prayed nothing bad happened - Sevine needed more happiness in her life.

"I always begged my parents for siblings as a child; alas, it was not meant to be. The closest things I had to siblings were my friends in Riften. I think I had some distant cousins, but neither of my parents were on good terms with their own brothers or sisters. So, I never met them." She wasn't really lying here; although there were no children her own age in the guild, she was still friendly with the older thieves. However, Sevine didn't need to know of her membership there. Petty thievery was a far different thing to be judged for as opposed to being a member of such an influential group, after all. "How about you, Sevine? Ever thought of having your own little cubs one day?" Although unlikely she could have any with Do'Karth, there were more than a few orphans about Skyrim who would benefit from the love of such a strong, kind woman. 

    Sevine found to her surprise that in fact, Roze was an only child, perhaps for the better of society, yet she pitied the younger woman, for she wished that her friend had had the chance to know the pleasure of having siblings. At her inquiry for having children of her own, Sevine came to realize that she had not thought more on the matter. Her passion for protecting the innocent was strong, that much she knew. But producing children from her own loins? The haunting memory of her mother's last moments alive came rushing back to her, snippets of a time long forgotten.

[i]Sweat covered Gudrun's smooth brow, blonde hair clung to her temples as she screamed in agony, desperately trying to birth Liliana. The midwife, Haelga, knelt between the legs of her mother, her thinning grey brows pinched together in concern while eight year-old Sevine lingered by her mother's side. With one final heave, Gudrun relaxed onto the hide skins beneath her as the room filled with a sudden cry, a cry of a newborn babe.

"Take the child, little one. I must tend to your mother." Haelga said as she passed the mewling babe into her tiny arms. As instructed beforehand, Sevine began to wipe away the blood from the baby's skin with the fresh linen. Yet, as she looked up to show her mother, she witnessed a horror unlike any other. A large swath of blood soaked through the skins and began to pool beneath her, coming from her loins where she had moments before birthed her child.[/i]

     Unsure of how long she had been lost in thought with that grisly memory, she uttered a tense sigh. "Perhaps not from my own loins, no. Child bearing is a dangerous matter, and during the war, I came to know that there are many children left as orphans from the war that still need a good family. But I will, pass along your blessings in my next letter to her, I have mentioned you once to her when we first met. Perhaps one day, when this is all over, you could have the chance to meet her. And what of yourself, Roze? Any plans for children of your own?"

Roze's curious smile had faltered slightly as Sevine zoned out for a moment or so; a somewhat haunted look settling deep in her pine eyes. Roze had been about to shake her friend before she suddenly snapped out of it, continuing the conversation and echoing Roze's own thoughts. The moment of worry was lost with pride; there was something pleasant about being mentioned in another's letter to a loved one. Well... if the mention wasn't one of a negative nature in regards to some odd prank involving sheep dung and mead. That had been a fun one to explain to her parents as a 7 year old.

"I'd very much like to meet her - I'd love to hear stories about you as a wild youth." She said with a teasing grin; she couldn't imagine the child version of Sevine to be any less intimidating or motherly than the adult one - but surely there'd be a lot more mischief. "As for my own children... perhaps one day, when I've found the right man and settled down. The life I'm living now wouldn't be all too accommodating for a child, I think. Nor pregnancy." A sudden comical thought set off a peal of laughter from her. "Can you imagine it? Everyone launching into battle against Falmer or something, and there's me waddling behind - wide as I am tall and puffing along with my bow!" 

"Aye! That I could, what a sight to see that would be!" Sevine bent with laughter, slapped her knee with one hand while the other clenched her stomach as it tightened with a heart-felt chuckle. Indeed, the sight would be an amusing one, especially considering how in a condition like that, Roze would have the energy to tag along. Thank the Divines that neither of them were heavy with child. 

"Ah, Roze..." She straightened up, and wipe away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, then gave a low sigh. "I am glad that we are friends. Come, let us leave, I believe Ashav has another mission for us to be announced."