[h3]The Dirge of Dusk, The Ballad of Dawn[/h3] [hr] [right][i][b]13th Sun’s Height.[/b] I fear that the Reach is too dangerous. That we’ve simply taken an exercise in readying the parameters for our tombs, who knows what will happen to us here? We must find good food, clean water - for dysentry will annihilate us all faster than any Dwemer ambush will. Why does it continue to feel as though the world is turning upside down? It’s perhaps time to step up and evaluate the situation for what it is at last, we are now beginning the march to where Daro’Vasora claims it all began. If what she says is true, I will need to work harder, be better, be stronger. We will need potions, I must be diligent in my work. It is past time to replenish my supplies. I must send out a group. I can’t carry on acting skittish with the group, it is time to step up. Has enough time gone by for them to see past my sins? I continue to think about my father, my mother. Of Daggerfall. I wonder when it will be that I see them both again. Is my father still at sea? Who is taking care of my mother in his absence. Is she lonely? Does she worry for me? I must write her a letter as soon as I am able. I have much more to fear - and yet so much more to be joyous for, the hope that I prayed for...[/i][/right] [hr] The weeks of trekking had not been easy on any of them, between lack of sleep and lack of food, little time for true rest, tensions and tempers flaring from time to time… It had felt like a long journey to reach here. In some ways, Raelynn wondered if she had felt it the most. The eyes of the party on her, the whispers and conversations of her companions that her mind tricked her into believing were about her and her alone. This of course, was not the truth in the slightest, but training with Jaraleet on top of everything else had left her feeling more exhausted than she should have let herself be. She had ceased their training for some time now, and it was clear that Jaraleet was slightly chagrined by this. But the Breton had taken ill, she had become prone to headaches, and there had been several occasions of vomiting in private. Much of her withdrawal had been attributed by the others to the changing climate, her training, Fjolte and Gregor’s activities... It had not been easy for her, or any of the travellers, but now there was some kind of home camp being set up. Maybe now they would all get suitable rest before moving on again. “You alright there blondie?” Came the voice of the rambunctious Nord, the newest arrival to their group, Fjolte. He swiftly took a seat in a lazy slouch on the log beside Raelynn. The apple that he was working on was a little overripe, but he wasn’t about to pass up on it. He’d already scarfed off his stew, everyone else needed the seconds more than he did. He too, had noticed Raelynn’s retreat from the group now that they had stopped. “Yes, I’m quite alright, actually…” she said truthfully, smiling at him, even if her forehead had the obvious crease of worry sitting there. “How are you fairing? I see you’ve been spending a lot of time with the others on this trip.” He laughed roguishly, running a hand through his disheveled hair which had seemed to have had a healthy spurt of growth, despite only just having had it trimmed. His beard too, had reached past the point of being neat stubble. “You know me, I like to keep spirits up and make friends… [i]And sing crude ditties obnoxiously loud of course.[/i] Make my presence known, you know?” He paused, looking at Raelynn, at her eyes. [i]What was she thinking?[/i] He observed the way she occupied silence just by being, sitting still with her journal held open over her knees. One hand was on her lap and the other on her stomach - the fabric of her cloak being rubbed between her thumb and forefinger. “How are you and Just Gregor?” He asked, straight into the meat of it. That gave her reason to look at him again, and all she did was smile and give a small nod. She rarely gave anything away - her countenance often inscrutable. “We’re in a good place, if that’s what you want to know.” Her fingers pinched tighter at the fabric, and she lowered her head bashfully. “Yeeaaaahhhh…..” Fjolte replied before taking another bite of the apple. “Glad to hear it then.” He wanted to probe into their relationship more, but decided against it, seeing that she was quite content there. “I might have been making friends, but you’ve been keeping to yourself. Just you and Scales, and when I’m not the one bothering Gregor, it’s just you and him. You avoiding us all or what?” The Nord displayed as much of a smile as he could, unlike the Breton, his expression was easily read - and it was laced with concern. He’d seen the Argonian and Mage come and go, each time Raelynn looking more worse for wear. Bruised, hunched, sometimes bleeding. Always muddied and exhausted, only to be fine to try again the next day, and the next day, and the next day... Now, both of her hands sat in her lap against the pages, and her smile faded - a look of shame came to her. “It’s hard to be around everyone,” she admitted frankly, sapphirine eyes scanning the camp. Hovering for a second on each individual. “I don’t like them to look at me, not after everything. I fear what they think of me, what they see…[i]Who[/i] they see, so I stay in shadow until I am needed...” He listened carefully, and could hear a note of pain in her admission - she had always been such a closed book to most in the time he’d known her, and yet here she was, admitting her feelings. “Friends always need each other Raelynn. You need them and they need you, I’m willing to bet when they see you, they just see how hard you are on yourself.” Compelled by the emotional turn in the conversation, he put his arm around Raelynn’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him much to her surprise. Then, much to his, she let him. “You’ve barely said a word to Sora. You should. You should go and see her.” “Thank you friend,” she replied in kind, resting her head on his shoulder to look up at him with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here, I’m very grateful for what you’re doing.” If she was to be honest with herself, it was nice to have the comforting touch of her old companion. Despite what they may once have been and had, there was nothing but a platonic affection and mutual respect now and she needed it. “I’m proud of who you turned into,” she said with a quiet laugh, “you don’t go running into danger anymore. Not on purpose, anyway.” Fjolte beamed down at her, “and then there’s you, who seems to be the one running into it headfirst. How the tides have turned eh?” “Indeed…” she replied with something of sigh before she removed herself from him, almost hesitantly. She caught herself glancing at the soft apple in Fjolte’s hand - she shuddered at the thought of it. “Fjolte,” she began, pulling out of their embrace, “don’t eat those apples anymore - they’re bad. I’m afraid, actually,” she quickly paused and turned to a blank page in her journal with a huffed sigh. “I’m afraid that we need to find better supplies - and quickly. Real food. Fruits, not just meats. Clean water… A source for washing, a source for drinking. I need herbs to make medicine. If someone takes ill...” The words rattled from her at an increasing pace as her worries took over. Finally Fjolte took her hands and pulled her back to the present moment. “I’ll go scouting - look for whatever we need. Believe it or not I’ve spent plenty’ time out in the wilds to know how to find an apple or a carrot. If it’ll put your mind at ease, I’ll go on a provision run. Besides, might come over well with the women if I rock up with a cart full of proper grub eh?” There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye and he winked in Raelynn’s direction. “It’s no joke,” she chastised seriously, “you should take at least someone with you. Zaveed is good at provisioning, as is Mazrah. It’s dangerous out here. I’ll make a list of the items you must return with, if you can find them then I’ll feel much more at ease.” The Nord just listened, and once she was done he gingerly lifted the bottom of the cloak to observe her feet, giving a nod, raised eyebrows, and a long sigh in quick succession. Raelynn, on the other hand, looked entirely confused by it and felt the need to even give him a sharp kick for it until he spoke. “Aye, there we have it - some good old bossy boots. If I’d known you’d put them on today I’d have kept a distance.” In response, the Breton narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips until she broke down and started chuckling. “It seems I did…” she admitted, flushed and awkward. “Sorry Fjolte… I just don’t think I’m going to find much reason to smile if sickness spreads through the camp because we slack on simple hygiene and keep eating rotten apples…” She raised her hand to knock the cursed fruit from his palm to the ground. “Don’t you bloody well dare…” she warned him, with a glaring heat in her eyes as she observed the Nord follow it with his own, clearly and absolutely thinking about it. “Eh, if it’s all the same blondie, I like you in the bossy boots. Gettin’ involved, giving orders. Never thought I’d see the day you gave so much of a shit. You suit this, you’re from Daggerfall mind, this is what you were born for - bossing others around.” He let go of her hands and scratched the back of his neck with a smile. “So you bring me that list, and I’ll see who I can rope into going for an adventure with me.” “And then I’ll do as you said, talk to Daro’Vasora that is.” She sighed, remaining in her position for a while as she once again looked over the camp. What would she even say to Sora? Had things blown over between them? They had always said they trusted each other… But the gathering had been awkward, emotional, and ugly. She groaned and eventually rose from her seat and gave Fjolte one last look. “I’ll be seeing you.” With that, she made her way off to the place where the Khajiit was working. Fjolte gave her one last smile while watching the sway of her hips. He also admired the shape of her bottom as she made her departure, and with a content sigh he whispered under his breath “some things stay the same…” With a slight tilt of his head, and a squinting of his eyes he observed further, “maybe get a little bigger...” [hr] “Daro’Vasora…” Raelynn stepped near silently towards her, hands at her front and concealed past her elbow in black velvet gloves. Her grey cloak was exquisitely lined with fox fur around the shoulders, the length to her knees. The Breton’s hair was wound in a tight braided knot, separated into two distinct strands that hung to her chest on either side of her head in her trademark gentle waves. “Thank you for your words,” she remarked sincerely with a smile. “Raelynn.” Daro’Vasora replied, turning to face her friend with a warm, albeit tired, smile. She stepped forward to place her hand gently upon Raelynn’s arm. “It’s always been remarkable to me how you manage to look resplendent even so far from running water and a tailor.” she remarked with a light chuckle before her expression grew somewhat more somber. “Which words in particular? My practice at inspiring speeches, or from an earlier time?” she asked, reflecting how they hadn’t had much of a chance to speak in private since the trial. That made her laugh, “you just seem to have a way with them when we find ourselves on a new part of this journey. To put everyone at ease, I suppose. As for me? Well… Thank you for that but I assure you it’s just a lot of time, magic, and potions…” The way that her expression changed did not go unnoticed by the Breton, and she sidestepped the Khajiit to take a seat on a nearby rock. “Are you well? Have you been drinking enough?” There was very little that could stop her natural healers instinct at a time like this, and she looked Daro’Vasora up and down with a keen eye, looking for any sign of injury or illness. “If you are tired, I am going to have to prescribe you immediate rest,” she said playfully, even if there was an undertone of seriousness within it. “Drinking?” Daro’Vasora replied with a wry smile. “No, not enough. Plenty of water, though.” She folded herself cross-legged on the ground next to Raelynn, leaning back on outstretched arms. “I’m always tired, sleep eludes me these days. Blame it on poor life choices, but I’m a very light sleeper when I don’t have a roof over my head and the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’ll admit, it’s getting heavy.” Daro’Vasora replied, finding a twig on the ground and slipping it between her teeth. “I suppose it’s safe to say I’m doing about as well as I can, but I’ve been worried about you since, well, y’know.” she looked over to her friend, a frown crossing her features. “I was worried you weren’t going to talk to me again.” It was of concern to Raelynn that she was not sleeping, but it was of little surprise. Sleep had been an elusive thing to her as well. “Then you’ll take staggered rest… Lie down when tired, take it when you can. You’re no good to anyone exhausted… I can make you a potion or a tonic to assist you with it, now that we’re camped I can gather whatever ingredients that I can.” She rounded off her words by giving the Khajiit something of a stern look - to reiterate that she had simply no choice in the matter, it soon softened, however… “I feared that everyone wouldn’t wish to speak to me. I’ve been… Reflecting and… I’m sorry if I’ve been distant. I needed space… I didn’t want to get in anyone's way…” Daro’Vasora reached over and took Raelynn’s hand, meeting her gaze with reverence. “There is nothing to be sorry for; I never went anywhere, Raelynn. I meant it when I promised I would help you with Gregor, and I will never, ever give up on you.” she promised, a sigh escaping her lips. “I won’t pretend this hasn’t been hard, or confusing, or painful.” she said softly, her gaze finding the earth below. “I can’t imagine how it must be for you. We love who we love, and sometimes that means enduring hardships that anyone who isn’t you cannot possibly understand. When I spoke to you before all of that, you asked me to trust you that he had changed, and I listened because I trust you. Thank you for believing in me, putting yourself before all of us. That took incredible courage.” Raelynn squeezed her hand in return, letting her thumb run over the back of her hand gently, comfortingly. “Logically, I know all of this to be true. I’m just…” The Breton paused while she waited for the words to come to her. [i]The right words[/i]. “I’m not frightened of what the future holds, I just know I need him in it. More than ever. I’m thankful that you listened to me, listened to [i]us[/i]. If it had gone badly… If you’d elected to exile or-” she stopped, closing her eyes tightly trying to push back the thought of someone executing Gregor from her mind, even if she had pictured it so vividly since. The image she’d created herself had been haunting her. “I don’t know what I’d have done.” Carefully she moved from the rock and down to the ground, to sit beside Sora in as dainty and ladylike a manner as she could, taking her other hand in hers, sitting close enough to the Khajiit to hear her tired breaths. “So thank you Sora, for your trust.” With one last smile, Raelynn placed her chin on her friends shoulder and whispered again, “thank you.” “I’m sure if our positions were reversed, you’d have done the same for me.” The Khajiit smiled tiredly, recalling Megana saying something similar to her a few weeks ago. She had told her she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to do what the Nord had, but this at least felt right. A frown creased her features. “I… am still not sure how I feel about all of it, to be honest. I try to act like I know what the fuck I’m doing, but inside I look at Gregor and I have a hard time reconciling exactly what he is with what I’m seeing, the calm and polite man he is now compared to the monster that had caused so much pain. A big part of me is torn up inside, but I’m relieved it’s all done and over with. There’s still so far to go, and I just want to make sure we’re all in this together.” she glanced around at the people milling about, her eyes settling on Latro speaking with Zaveed, of all people. What in the world was that about? “You're right, and who knows how long this will take, what else awaits us. I just want to get home safely, me and…” she stopped and pulled back from the embrace. “Whatever your feelings and thoughts are about him, they're valid. I will never tell you that you're wrong. I can try, but ultimately, only he can show you who he really is.” She sighed and squeezed Sora's hands tighter, just looking at the Khajiit with an expression somewhere between regret and encouragement. She had a way of hiding her pain in her eyes, far beyond the ocean blue. “I don’t know if I’m happy, but I don't think I'm sad, either. So… I think I know what you mean.” She followed Sora's eyes, and found her watching in the distance Zaveed and Latro. She knew that would be worrisome for her, and so she squeezed again, this time releasing an amount of magicka that would provide a gentle warmth from palm to wrist. “We have each other, I'll always help you with anything that I can.” “Thank you.” Daro’Vasora replied, closing her eye briefly, thankful that Raelynn wasn’t becoming defensive over the discussion and her opinions. She felt too tired and threadbare to fight, and for weeks now she’d felt the fire in her heart burn down to embers. She wasn’t a soldier, or a hero. She was just some silly girl who got caught up in the world turning upside down and doing her damnedest to try to keep her footing. She couldn’t even bring herself to hate Zaveed, having seen him in their company for so long. He’d always seemed rather affable and generally harmless that it was hard to think it wasn’t just an act, something that he was putting on until the next time he decided to let his claws out. Her arm throbbed and she winced at the memories. The flood of warmth from Raelynn’s hands helped ground her, and her eyes opened again, staring at the soft glow of the pale hands that looked and felt rougher since the last time they’d been this close and intimate. “I have to admit something.” she said after a few moments of contemplation. “I think this plan of mine is a one-way trip.” “What do you mean?” Raelynn asked quietly, their voices now only murmurs against the buzz of the rest of the camp. She was concerned and it was etched across her brow which now furrowed harshly, and yet the healer did not relinquish her grip on Sora’s hands, in fact she pulled them closer into her lap. “Would you like to go somewhere more private?” she asked, the features of her face softening with concern and worry and somewhere in between that a show of love and respect for her friend. “Talk to me, we can work this out, so don’t say that,” Raelynn continued - the weight of the realisation heavy on her heart all of a sudden. Instinct took over from somewhere, and she moved closer still to Sora, releasing her hands so that she could embrace her friend instead. “Don’t say that.” The Khajiit leaned into the embrace, placing her hand on top of the arm around her, holding herself close to Raelynn for as long as she dared. “Yes, let’s do that.” she said at last, slowly unwrapping the two of them. “Come on, let’s go pitch a tent. This isn’t something I’ve wanted to bring up near anyone else.” Daro’Vasora replied, getting to her feet easily and helping Raelynn to hers. The pair gathered a bundle of fabric and cloth that encapsulated the pegs and poles and carried it to a small clearing that would have done a decent enough job of keeping someone from sleeping on too many hard rocks. The two knelt across from each other, working on the knots. “I’ve been thinking on this for the past few weeks, what that lexicon is, how I think it works.” Daro’Vasora began, the chords coming loose in her fingers. Having sharp claws were quite handy at picking at tight knots. She let out a long sigh, her hand stopping and sinking down into the bundle. “There’s no easy way to really say this, but I cannot think of a way to put the lexicon into the the planebridge coordinate without it immediately cutting off Exodus from Nirn. Whoever does it will effectively be cutting themselves off in a realm that’s collapsing with no way home.” she paused, looking up to Raelynn, her eyes heavy with bags from a lack of sleep and general exhaustion. “And even if there was, there’s no telling how much time dilates between our worlds. Whoever goes into Exodus will think it’s maybe hours or days; it could be months, weeks, or years in real time. Remember what Rourken said to us, how it had only been about 600 years since her people vanished?” the Khajiit asked quietly. The Breton took in a deep breath, her nostrils flared and her hands slowed on the ropes until she eventually brought one up to her chin to think on what Sora had just told her. Raelynn was surely intelligent, she knew that. She was well read, she had studied the Dwemer informally with all the resources that she’d had at her disposal - and still, this was hard to wrap her mind around. Her eyes narrowed and she sucked in a long breath through her teeth. She had no idea what to say or offer the Khajiit. “This lexicon? You are certain this is what will happen? I’m afraid my knowledge of the Deep Elves is limited to what I’ve read in books, I certainly have no knowledge of their devices. But I wouldn’t mind taking a look at this lexicon myself,” she offered, placing a hand on top of Sora’s comfortingly. “What you’ve admitted has frightened me Daro’Vasora… I can only imagine that feeling is amplified for you... This isn’t a worry that is going to be mended by a ‘we’ll do this together’ is it?” This revelation was painful to process, and she knew that actual work and study was required to solve this mystery. “I’m not certain about anything, a lot of this is speculation or piecing together what I’ve heard or have seen for myself.” Daro’Vasora admitted. “Honestly, all this technology is new to me. I’ve never seen anything like this; I didn’t even think something like this could exist. But Raelynn?” she said, squeezing her hand back in turn with a slight smile. “‘We’ll do this together’ is exactly what I need right now. If I can’t think of a solution to the problem, maybe somebody else can. If you want to study the lexicon, I’ll fetch it from my bag. I just know that we have a lot of trouble between here and Red Mountain to worry about that stuff right at the moment.” “Doing it together… That’s all good but… Answers, [i]facts[/i], a plan. This is what we need to get through this. I don’t believe there’s anything I can do right now, let us just have this night.” There had been little Raelynn could have done in the past few weeks to have stopped many of the things that had happened. Namely, Gregor’s change. She had tried to bargain for time but it had been useless. She felt the impossible weight of that failure on her heart whenever something brought that memory to the surface. “I feel like study and logistics is all I will be able to help you with on those matter. I don’t… Daro’Vasora, if what you say is true, I cannot follow you in there.” Raelynn said it with such an absolute conviction, that it was as if she was holding something back. “I’d be disappointed if anyone did. No sense in bringing friends along for a one-woman job, you know?” Daro’Vasora sighed, staring back at the pillar of light, that haunting ethereal green glow. “I’m not going to pretend I’m not scared or that it’s something I particularly want to do, but I’ve accepted that this is on me. I’ll set it right.” “You must stop blaming yourself. You have to stop.” Raelynn’s head tilted to the side as she met the Khajiit’s gaze - the usual severity lined her ocean blue orbs as they narrowed. It was almost as though she was scolding Sora. “We have many good men and women out there with incredible skills, it’s time we put to paper a plan on how to utilise them, no? This is not a one-woman job. You might stand at the front, but you have the strength, faith, and unyielding loyalty of those good men and women behind you.” She held a pause before glancing to the side with a dry and sardonic chuckle, “there I go giving the ‘we’re all in this together’ speech after all.” “Not bad for your first attempt, you might have a talent for it after all.” The Khajiit smiled. “I just ask people help get me there and through the door. Even if it was true, that it’s not my fault, it makes it easier to face the worst case scenario if I tell myself I should have died or been taken by the Falmer rather than stand by while Rhea activated the device. I didn’t want to die then, and for weeks afterwards, I told myself, ‘better them than me. Don’t apologize for surviving’.” she sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. “But after seeing everything that resulted from that choice, I have to hold myself accountable for doing nothing but looking out for myself and only myself. It was if that lexicon was a brick going through a Tamriel-shaped Window, and all of the pieces that fell free were the people who were lost because of it.” Raelynn watched as her friend retreated into herself once more, she would always do that thing with her arms. “That’s fair. It’s good that you don’t forget, let it push you forwards but don’t carry the burden of it all. Did you do it with bad intent? Did any of us? You had no idea, Rhea had no idea… You have done everything since then to put it right.” she affirmed. “We’ll put it right.” “I’m hoping so. I’d feel rather silly if I were wrong about this whole thing and all of this was for nothing.” Daro’Vasora smiled. “I kind of think intent in this situation is irrelevant. It’s like if a mage were practicing magic in the mountains, causes an avalanche, and then ends up flattening a village. They didn’t mean to cause the avalanche, but it wouldn’t have happened if they’d picked a better location to be showing off.” “And I would say to that, that it would not only be a mage capable of creating an avalanche. A mammoth could find his way up that mountain, step too loud and cause the very same avalanche… So then why did those villagers choose to settle under such a dangerous mountain?” She asked with a smug expression. She knew that both she and Sora could debate over the whys and why nots like this endlessly if they wanted to. She liked that quality in the woman. But, there was little time for philosophising on blame and responsibility when they were sat with the task of ending it once and for all. “How many mammoths do you see climbing mountains? I’d think you’d never been to Skyrim before.” Daro’Vasora teased with a giggle. She leaned into Raelynn, letting out a long breath. “I’m fine, truly, I am. It feels good to get all of this out, I just don’t want to scare people. The ironic thing is I’m finally realizing the kind of person I want to be, and I look back at who I was before we all met and I wonder what was wrong with me. I was a [i]lousy[/i] person. No wonder my parents sent me up to Zegol; it was probably the first time since I was born they could actually relax.” “Hmm, you don’t need to explain that to me. I was hardly Saint Raelynn of Daggerfall myself. I’m still not - and I’m far from it. I’m sure you weren’t lousy; just misguided.” “Oh, I was the worst.” Daro’Vasora exclaimed with her arms held wide. She began to count on her fingers. “I stole from my father’s merchant company just to see if I could get away from it. I shirked responsibilities because I knew my sister, the worry-wart she is, would do them for me so we wouldn’t get in trouble. I always acted brazenly and without much thought for authority and rules. I was a little asshole runt, got to the point my mother basically had me under house arrest in Castle Leyawiin doing chambermaid tasks because they couldn’t trust me on my own before I decided I was going to be a treasure hunter.” she reflected, shaking her head. A pair of fingers massaged her temple. “I think that’s why I’m never going to willingly have kids. If one of them turned out being like me, I’m pretty sure I’d pack them up in a box and ship them off somewhere so I didn’t have to put up with it.” The Khajiit decided, her arms wrapping about her waist. “My parents are better people than I could ever be, and I think I was going to try and use my sister’s trip to Imperial City to show her that I could change and try and make things up to her.” a frown returned to her face. “I just hope she didn’t get caught up in all of this, that’s what’s really getting to me. Not all of the Imperial City refugees, not the occupation of Gilane, none of that. It’s hoping my sister’s okay.” Raelynn picked up a water canteen from her side as Sora spoke of her sister, she hadn’t recalled mention of her before and if indeed she had mentioned her, the Breton suddenly felt bad for not having paid attention. She took a long drink from the canteen, holding it out for Sora to take when she was finished. “I’m an only child, a very small family. I think that if your sister has even a quarter of the strength and determination that you have - then she’ll be just fine. It does feel good to share this, doesn’t it?” She asked, wrapping an arm around Sora to embrace her. She wanted her to feel as safe as possible, so that she could be vulnerable - if that would help to heal her for now. “Oh, and for what it’s worth, you’re still an asshole runt,” the blonde giggled before wiggling the fingers of the hand that was wrapped over Sora to tickle her. She leaned into the embrace with a pur and closed eyes. “And don’t you forget it.” she replied with a smile, enjoying the closeness she was sharing with Raelynn. It wasn’t the intimacy from the oasis, but she found she needed this escape more than she was willing to admit to herself. Daro’Vasora took the canteen, drinking gratefully as she felt the water ease her surprisingly dry throat. Oftentimes when travelling, she often forgot to pay attention to minor discomforts, so the sudden relief was stark and very welcoming. It was a blessing and a curse; she could push herself hard, but she also at times forgot to take care of herself. The Khajiit wondered what it would have been like being an only child, as much as she acted like it at times, or what her older brother would have been like had he survived infancy. “It feels very good to share all of this, it’s soothing. I think I just needed to hear someone tell me it’s going to be alright, that La’Shuni is going to be alright. I just wish I could stop thinking or imagining the worst at times and just take things as they come. I think I needed someone like you in my life… I never really had a girlfriend to share these thoughts with.” Daro’Vasora admitted with a contented sigh. “I can’t say that I have ever had friends until I wound up with you all. Acquaintances, yes… Real friends? Perhaps only ever really my mentor from the college. Something about consistent peril makes you grow genuinely fond of those who accompany you,” she mused, a thoughtful expression on her face. She gave the Khajiit a squeeze too, before adding with a soft laugh, “don’t tell anyone I’m your friend though, it will really start to tarnish my reputation as a stuck up bitch.” “I’m glad to have you as my friend too.” She finally admitted after several moments of silence. She bit her lip suddenly, sucking in a sharp breath nervously. Her eyes closed and she relaxed her grip on Sora. “We said no more secrets, yes?” The sudden change in disposition surprised Sora, and she reflexively straightened up to look Raelynn face to face. “Of course, I promised, you promised.” she said, raising a brow. “What’s on your mind?” she asked. The Breton nervously bit at her finger - but she did not seem overly anxious in a distressed way, “Well, this has to remain between us two, if that’s okay?” Raelynn relaxed her grip from Sora, and pulled her knees up to her chest, as if she were retreating into a shell. “You must promise that you tell nobody.” Daro’Vasora knelt in front of Raelynn, placing her hands over the Breton’s gently and looking in her eyes with a sincere gaze. “Raelynn, after everything we’ve been through, this thing with Gregor, the warehouse… all of it. Why would I have ever given you cause to not trust me?” she asked. “You can tell me anything in confidence and nothing will ever change that.” She listened studiously to her words, nodding along with her. “This may well be the most important secret I [i]ever[/i] ask you to keep. But I need [i]someone[/i] to know… To tell someone.” Her chin trembled and she took in a long, deep breath and closed her eyes, even her hands shook which only made her clench to Sora furthermore. “Daro’Vasora, before Gregor… Well, before he changed - you are aware that he and I…” Her brow furrowed as she lingered on the awkwardness of the topic at hand, before shaking her head - strands of hair falling loose around her face. “I’m with his child, Sora.” What ordinarily should have been a cause of celebration, a feeling of joy and excitement almost seemed like a cruel joke with everything that had happened. Gregor being a lich, unable to respond and feel like he would have before, the dangerous road they all followed, the uncertainty of the future. Some might have looked at this like the gods playing a cruel jest on Raelynn. Daro’Vasora crawled around Raelynn’s legs and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close to her body. “This just means that you both have something to live for, something to look forward to when this is all over.” she said quietly, running her fingers through Raelynn’s golden hair. Deciding to take some of the tension from the situation, she said after a moment’s thought, “You better name her after me.” she smiled, kissing Raelynn’s brow. “I know you must be afraid, and you don’t know what the future might hold for you, for this child, for Gregor. But you’re Raelynn [i]Hawkford[/i], there isn’t a damn thing in this world you aren’t capable of conquering and if Mara blessed you with a child, well, maybe you earned it.” she sighed, almost dreamily. “There’s something poetic about a healer giving life.” “Well that may well be it, I’m not afraid at all. In fact, I’m more sure than I ever have been. I have reason to fight and win this war, reason to fight for [i]myself[/i]. Oh Gods…” she sobbed, leaning into Daro’Vasora. “When I realised, when I felt… Sora, I don’t think I’ve been so happy in my whole life. All of the jewels and treasures of Nirn could not compare to this…” Using the back of her thumb, she wiped away the pooling tears of joy from the waterlines of her eyes. “I still have some time, before I need to tell him. If I were to tell him now, it would distract from his progress. Gregor doesn’t know, I’d like it to stay that way - it’s why I ask for your discretion… God’s, [i]please[/i], just let me have this. For a while.” In the height of her happiness, her voice cracked desperately. As if the very news of life, was keeping her alive too. Raelynn kissed Sora back on her cheek, embracing her tightly. Daro’Vasora’s fingers traced where Raelynn’s lips had touched, and the urge to lean in and kiss her properly came and passed with some restraint. Instead, she shyly smiled and said, “Well, I supposed you’re eating for two now. This will be our beautiful little secret, until you’re ready to share with the world. You’re going to be a wonderful mother, and… it really means the world you came to tell me first. My gut is fluttering right now, my heart is pounding!” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. “You know, this doesn’t surprise me a damn bit, the way you two went at each other.” the Khajiit remarked with a suggestive wink. “Excuse you,” Raelynn interjected with a laugh, “as if you are anyone to place comment on the rate of… well,” even with Sora, she was still coy about discussing her sexual exploits openly like that. The blush of her cheeks started to darken. “Our beautiful secret,” she repeated slowly with a smile and a redness on her cheeks. “My miracle,” she whispered. It filled her with a sense of euphoria to share it, and to see that Sora was happy too - and even more so, the things that she said about her - about being a good mother. She hadn’t really thought of it, strangely, whether or not she would be a good mother. Maybe she had just felt it instead. She’d felt it a lot in the days since discovering - a protective instinct that had awoken within her. Something that had always been there… “I’m going to get so big,” she remarked with a blank stare. Her fingers plucking at the material of the shirt beneath her cloak - she’d already begun to notice a slight change of shape - a growing softness around the most feminine of her curves. She chuckled once more. “Thank you Sora.” “What’s this, Raelynn being bashful? That’s hardly like you.” Daro’Vasora replied with a low, almost seductive purr. “Soon you’re going to lose all that flexibility with that big old belly of yours. It’ll almost be a shame.” she giggled. “Almost.” That warranted a slap. A playful one, but a slap nonetheless. “How dare you. I'll keep practicing my flexibility thank you, even with my big belly!” After that, the Breton yawned, her eyes droopy. Just as she had noticed with Fjolte, it had been nice to be held… By someone. “Hmmm,” she began, casting a shifty glance to the half-constructed tent, “think anyone would notice our absence if we just… If we just lay down for a bit? Rested our eyes together?” “After pitching a tent after a long hike? We’d have to be terribly out of our senses to not want to take a quick, several hour nap after the fact.” the Khajiit replied, nuzzling Raelynn affectionately. “I think they can figure things out on their own without being told what to do. I’ll keep you warm, that’s for damn sure.” she promised, a playful smirk on her countenance. With raised spirits and a playful mood in the air, the pair quickly put up the tent, a quick process born of ample practice the past few weeks, and found their way inside, a loose and unorganized pile of blankets, furs, and pillows tossed in haphazardly. Daro’Vasora collapsed into the soft heap, feeling the aches of her legs fading like water running down a rock. She sighed contentedly, kicking off her boots and patting the spot next to her, beaconing for Raelynn to join her. The Breton didn't need to be told twice, and at that Raelynn lay down onto her side, resting her head on her arm. “I'll be the judge of that,” she commented softly - her tired voice was as soft and thick as velvet as she made herself comfortable on the spread, moaning out with a long sigh as she stretched. “Let's get our rest, my friend…” she slurred, her eyes heavy lidded - the weight of her secret had been lifted and she was left with a feeling of content she thought had long been forgotten. Daro’Vasora pulled herself close behind Raelynn, wrapping a protective arm about her belly from behind, her muzzle resting on Raelynn’s neck. Soon, their breathing seemed to become one and the sands of sleep shrouded them together.