Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20140217201750/@comment-3293219-20140304224559

The love of the dead
The sun was at its peak, shining down on County Cheydinhal with all of its fury, as if the divines had sent the towns people their blessings. The bright sun glistened on the lake, turning its surface into a field of diamonds, song birds could be heard in the sky as they resurfaced during the midday heat wave. It was at this time of day that the headstones of Nish and Eilonwyn received one of few visitors. A nord woman scrubbed vigorously at the stone surface, cleaning the dried blood off of it, with a cloth and a bucket of water.

Manja had a frown, that had been brought on by the anger at the state of the graves, which caused her to scrub harder. What could have done this? Most likely animals or monsters, choosing the hallowed ground as their 'arena.' She hoped that the owner of the blood died, horribly. Only then, would it be worth defacing her brother's grave.

The nord sighed as she dunked her sponge into her bucket.

Don't be so bitter... She thought to herself, you don't want to be that person again, do you?

"Do you need any help?"

Manja scowled, feeling like she had been caught in the act. She turned around to see a familiar dunmer girl, standing under the same tree that she was stood under, when they met, a week ago.

"N-Nepht right?"

Nepht nodded in response, clutching her sword and shield.

"Y-yeah, could you fill up the bucket? Its not empty but I'd rather have it full."

Nepht nodded, with a smile.

"Sure!" The dunmer ran over to the bucket and picked it up, stumbling as it was much heavier than she anticipated. She carried it down to the lakeside and dunked it in the lake, submerging it in water before withdrawing it and running back to her friend. The bucket was so full, that it was overflowing and a lot of it poured out and splashed on her feet and legs.

Nepht placed the bucket at her feet, by Manja's side. She didn't notice Manja's annoyance as she scraped the blood off of the grave stones.

"Thanks..." She mumbled as she dunked her sponge in and went back to scrubbing. The dark elf girl walked around and saw what Manja was doing, trying to clear the graves of the hefty blood stain.

"What happened?" She blurted, though she instantly regretted it.

The nord sighed, heavily, as she took more water, from the bucket.

"Animals must have fought here; one died and managed to stitch up my afternoon as its final act of assholish behaviour."

Nepht shifted balance, from one foot to the other and folded her arms.

"Wouldn't there be a body?"

Manja didn't answer immediately; she pulled sponge down the grave's surface, managing to remove the stubborn bits.

"Not if wolves dragged it off..." The nord looked up at the sky, with a smirk. "Somebody has not been doing their job properly!" She yelled at the sky, mock annoyance in her tone. Then she looked at the amount of blood and remembered Agatha's methods of dealing with her enemies...

Or maybe she has...

Nepht ignored the outburst, assuming that it was aimed at the divines.

"So..." Manja sighed as she wrapped up, "what brings you here today?"

Nepht stood, silent, for a few moments, collecting herself.

"I... wa-am travelling..." She mumbled, awkwardly. Manja took a minute to figure her out.

"Living the dream, eh?"

Nepht smiled and giggled, softly, to herself.

"From today onwards, I'll be 'Nepht, the great mudcrab vanquisher!"

It was Manja's turn to giggle, she to found the thought of Nepht being a 'vanquisher' amusing.

"So... where were you planning on going?" The nord asked, grateful for the distraction.

"Riften!" Nepht exclaimed, she had been desperate to talk about it for a while.

"Riften? Heh... odd place for a 'budding adventurer' but it's your adventure."

"What's so odd about Riften?" The dunmer asked as she took a seat, next to Manja.

"Nothing... it's just that I grew up there, so I know how... 'colourful' it is- was." Manja had almost forgotten about the industrialisation. The city had practically been rebuilt and there was little of the original town left.

She wondered if any of the old town remained at all...

That bridge that she and Nish slept under using it to protect themselves from the drafts.

The market...

The Bee and Barb...

How much of her life had been removed by this plague of steel? Built on top of like a ruined temple from the first Era…

"You're from Riften? Wow!" It felt strangely exotic. Manja couldn't help but laugh at Nepht's amazement.

"Where did you think I was from?"

Nepht shrugged, Manja's accent was strange, she sounded like she was from Whiterun. The dunmer knew a trader from Whiterun, who visited, on occasion, when she was a kid.

"Did you think that I was from Bruma?"

Again, Nepht shrugged, she didn't know what to think right now.

Manja then put on her 'Imperial accent.'

"Or did you think that I was a debutant, from The Imperial City?"

Nepht, finally, gave in and burst out laughing. Manja's Imperial accent was spot on; it actually reminded her of the woman who runs the town's book store. There was a slight pause, in the wake of the laughter as Nepht wanted to ask her something.

"Manja?"

"Yeah?"

"Was your brother from Riften to?"

Manja glanced back at the grave.

"Yeah... We grew up together." Manja's tone shifted as the memories came back to her.

"I'm sorry..." Nepht whispered; for her question and for Manja's loss. The nord said nothing, feeling a sudden flood of sadness as she was taken back to that day, carrying her brother's broken body down a seemingly infinite flight of stairs as everyone's gaze was fixed on her.

Nepht had to say something… But what? Family was important to her and losing her grandfather was incredibly hard for her and her family. Nepht swallowed as she didn't know what to say, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how she felt.

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

"You don't have to..."

"You helped me, last time we met, it's the least I can do..."

Manja glanced up at her friend, with a smile. It was strange but she hadn't felt this way in a long time. The recruits were always afraid of her and C'laro...

C'laro was there but... he just wasn't very supportive.

"I... just miss him." Manja whispered, throwing her pride to the wind and hanging her head.

Nepht nodded in response, she missed a lot of people.

"That's normal..." She assured her, placing her hand on the nord's shoulder.

"I know, I'm just...

I just can't forget him." Manja sighed.

The dunmer nodded in response, tightening her grip on her shoulder, ever so slightly.

"You aren't supposed to..."

Manja knew that, Nepht was right but this didn't help her as she still felt so...

Lost?

Alone?

Manja gave up, seeing it as futile. There was a large hole in her life, one that could not be filled by anyone but Nish or someone else that she loved as much and there was no one else.

"You know what?"

Nepht shook her head, awaiting Manja's response to her prompt.

"I've just realised that you're going on an adventure, for the first time!"

"Y-Yeah... I said that..." Nepht muttered, "So?"

"So...." Manja tugged the string around her neck, revealing a feathered amulet, made of bone with black, crow's fathers stuck to its base.

"Tada!"

Nepht tilted her head, getting a better look at the amulet. It was a small pendant, made of bones with a red jewel at the center and black feathers around it.

"Here!" Manja insisted, taking it off and forcing it into the girl's hands.

Nepht took it, reluctantly; she didn't know what it could possibly be. The craftsmanship was unlike anything she had seen before.

"Wh-what is it?" Nepht stammered, her grip hadn't loosened. Manja just smiled, she didn't truly know, herself.

"It was my brothers." She explained, as Nepht put it on. "The witch, who gave it to him, told him that it would save his life."

Nepht tied the string and let the pendant fall onto her chest.

"Did it?" The dunmer asked, not really thinking before she spoke as it was a pretty stupid question and if it was taken the wrong way, disrespectful.

"I..." Manja stopped, she wasn't sure...

Was him surviving that impalement a coincidence? Did it grant him safe passage through Xeran's lair and keep him alive until the very end?

"I..." Manja stopped, she wasn't sure."It didn't in the end but I don't think that he wanted to live at that point."

Nepht glanced away, swallowing the words 'I'm sorry.'

"It's... still very pretty..." Nepht mumbled aloud, though she didn't, truly, think this. The crow feathers made it look ghastly, the bone mold managed to haunt her as well... in fact, just holding it gave her the feeling that she was being watched by unknown forces.

Manja burst out laughing at Nepht's odd concept of beauty.

"Well, it's always brought me..."

Luck?

Nah...

"Just... keep it as something to remember me by."

"How could I forget you? You're the most interesting person, I've ever met!" Nepht gasped.

Manja just smiled, that was likely to change, when she goes out on her adventure.

"Thank you... I... I don't know what to say." Nepht muttered exasperated by the woman's kindness.

"You don't have to say anything. Just promise me, that you'll have fun."

Nepht nodded in response with a smile, she planned to have the time of her life.

"Of course!" She cried as she felt the mountain breeze hit her face.

"It'll be so much fun! I'm going see so much, I'm sure!"

Manja stood up as the faint sound of song birds died down as they noticed the change in temperature.

"And..." The nord began as her dunmer friend stood up, "remember: I'm going to be here for a while, so if you ever need me, stand at this spot at mid day."

Nepht nodded, to acknowledge her offer, though she didn't have the desire to take it up now. It was always an option.

“Thank you, I'll remember that." Nepht nodded, with a smile, as she stepped away, straightening her back and getting ready to move on.

"Goodbye Manja! I hope that... Well, I just hope that you feel better soon."

"Don't worry about me kiddo." The woman beamed, putting her cloak on and pulling her hood up. "Now, go out there and kick some mudcrab arse!"

And with those, elegant, parting words, Nepht was off. She hoped to see Skyrim for the first time, by nightfall. In a few hours, she'd be sleeping on, or under foreign soil, the thought of such a trivial thing chilled her to the bone with excitement.

After a few minute of walking, she looked back to see Manja, stood patiently, waving her off like she was her second mum. Nepht smiled and nodded again, in return for the wave but Manja couldn't see it as she was so far away at this point.

Adventure, glory!

Daniel...

Here I come!

