The sun had begun to set when Ushra finally managed to find the only Inn in town. It was rather rustic looking on the outside, but when she opened the door she was flooded with a rush of warmth and light and the comforting smell of roasting meats. After several days on the road, the thought of a warm meal and a soft bed was enough to make even Ushra feel warm and fuzzy inside, a feeling the Orc most certainly did not feel often. She stepped into the warm and busy Inn and managed to find a small table to herself. The local Bard began to play a cheerful tune that she didn't recognize as she took her seat.
Once she sat down and looked around at the busy, warm, welcoming inn was when the guilt began to set in. She told herself not to listen to her conscience, she told herself that she didn't have any extra money to spare. But somehow while she argued with her conscience, she found herself already walking back towards the door. She sighed and opened it, stepping back outside into the cool evening air.
"Well come on then," She called out, standing on the last step towards the inn. When she was met with silence she tried again.
"You hiding in the bushes! Come on then if you're coming, get up here," She snarled the last bit, though she wasn't angry. Snarling was a common Orc problem while speaking the common language, which led to many misunderstandings.
"Well come on then," she said again, trying to sound as unangry as possible. This time she heard some rustling in the bushes nearby, and a rather dirty looking boy rolled out onto the path.
"…Me?" he asked timidly, peering at her uncertainly.
"Who else?" She scoffed, turning back towards the inn and stomping up the stairs. She could hear well enough to know the boy was following her up the steps and into the inn.
He sat down across from her, and stared at her with his big brown eyes. She noticed he had a knapsack with him that seemed almost full enough to burst. His face was dirty and there was a long red scratch on his left cheek. He also had a strange tattoo on the left side of his face that intrigued her.
"What's that on your face?" She growled at him, then cleared her throat and said in a less harsh tone, "The tattoo."
"Oh, its… from my studies," he said, reaching up absentmindedly to touch it.
"You are mage?" she asked him, trying not to sound too interested.
"No," he laughed, "I wish. I'm still learning."
"Hmm.." she mused thoughtfully, then signaled to a nearby barmaid. "An ale please! One for me and the girl!"
"Boy!"
"Ah, boy," she corrected, drawing some gold from her small coin purse. "Does boy have a name? It may interest you to know that I already have a name for you." At this the boy's eyebrows raised and Ushra laughed. "Yes, I call you Nashi. My Nashi, Following me since Ellynwill. Yes I knew; you think you are stealthy Nashi but you are not."
"If you knew then why didn't you say anything?"
"I wouldn't want to insult you by calling out your poor stealth skills. And it was more amusing to watch you duck behind trees when I turned about," she growled, smiling. Nashi looked down at the table, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"Nashi. I have saved you once and apparently sometime in the future you expect me to save you again. Isn't that so? I look after you now. You know what Nashi means? It means heavy burden."
"I don't…" he stuttered uncertainly but was cut off by Ushra.
"No, say no more. For right now I will look after you, Nashi Studier of Magics. Until you can find a new mentor."
"No, no, you're too kind… Sir. I don't need looking after, I just wanted to get to the next town, that's all. And now I'm here, so.."
"Little girl, do not test my patience. I have said I will find you a new mentor and I plan to do so. It is my duty after all, since I severed the neck of your last one."
The barmaid brought over two pints of ale and set them in front of the two, briefly halting their awkward conversation. They nodded in thanks to the bartender, then continued speaking once she had gone.
"Well," the boy began uncertainly, sheepishly glancing up at the Orc, "I do have one idea if you want to find me a new mentor."
"And what is that?" Ushra asked, the question coming out as a harsh grunt despite her attempts to sound non-threatening.
"I've heard rumor of a college for mages. The college of Winterhold. If you took me there, I could learn. Also, as a side note…. Mostly unimportant but… My name is Darron Olrick. Just… so you know."
"Listen, Nashi," Ushra began firmly, "If you are going to keep following me around all the way to Winterhold, I must insist that you allow me to pay for your bath. I cannot have you smelling like a Shi'zahh."
Darron wasn't sure what a 'shi'zahh' was, but decided it would be best not to ask. He was a bit suspicious of her kindness and generosity (clearly not a common Orc trait), but he was in no position to turn down her offers of help. He graciously accepted her offer to pay for his meal, bath, and lodgings for the night.
He instantly felt better once he sank down into the hot water in the tub. The hot water burned his cuts and scrapes, but felt wonderful on his aching feet. The bath gave him time to think, and suddenly the startling events of the past week came flooding back to his mind, causing him to cringe. Just one week ago everything had been different; he had had a nice enough place to stay and a mentor to teach him magic. And now he had nothing; he was homeless, outcast, and mentor-less. As the hot water soothed his aches and pains, he allowed his mind to replay the events that had led him to this inn with a strange Orc as a companion.