"So," A voice said in complete darkness, "I hear your last writ is coming in today." A cigarette cherry faded into the otherwise black scene.
"Yeah, Blind Thrall Nezchut said that the seventh day is here, one week. I've been waiting too long." Another voice huffed in the darkness. The cherry lit up as someone dragged the cigarette and it grew bright for a second then died back down.
"Why go by what Nezchut says. You can count a week on your own." The first voice mumbled.
"Because, I already told you, you're not allowed to know the date or time when waiting for your last assignment. I've been stuck in this damned loft for a week. I almost went insane yesterday. I've been counting the bricks in the wall." The voice sounded irritated. The cherry lit up again.
"Well, now you can see the outside world. Don't be too surprise though, absolutely NOTHING has changed in the past week." The other voice said as the clicking of a lock faded in.
A door swings open and light fills the scene. A Bosmer in normal clothing and a Dunmer, both male, are in a small room of brick. The Dunmer is shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He is also with one with the rolled cigarette. He is suited up in a black robe, a scar down his brow curving around his left eye.
"Sweet Vivec, the sun's brighter than I remember. You sure it hasn't gotten any closer in the past week?" the Dunmer said, slowly un-shielding his eyes and blinking a few times.
"Pretty damn." The Bosmer replied as they exited the room. "And welcome back to Caldera." He said smiling, his long wild hair looming around his face.
The two walked out of the room into a corridor with four other doors in it, including the one they just exited. One was on the opposite end of the hall. They stopped in the middle of the hallway and the Dunmer looked out of one of the four glass windows.
"Ah, the green grass." He said, his eyes taking in the outside world that had exiled him for a week.
"Yes, the grass is still green. When did Nezchut come by any way?" The Bosmer itched his head as he asked.
"Few hours ago. Brought me some bread too."
"I see. Well, who's all held up in the other two chambers?" He asked, exasperating the word 'chambers'.
"Knower Brathal and Master Hein." The Dunmer said as they started back up walking again.
"Brathal? Why is he in incubation?"
"I don't know, I guess he has a somewhat important writ coming up."
"That's Guar shit." The Bosmer said, his eyes narrowing. "He joined two years ago and he's already got an important writ. I've been here almost five years, and I've gotten nothing like that."
"Oh, Aleda, no worries. I've put in more than a few good words for you. You'll have a god assignment soon either way, I'll be Grandmaster soon." The Dunmer said, putting out his now depleted cigarette on the ground by stepping on it.
"True, true. It better be a good one too, I've been waiting to test out the new dagger I got." Aleda said pushing open the door at the end of the corridor.
It led to the front of a store or type of tavern. It was fairly light in the main room and there were a few locals sitting at the few tables set up around the room, eating a quick lunch or drinking some ale with a few friends. The sun was high in the sky and thick clouds were rolling in from the east. There were various daggers and arrows and throwing stars lined around the front counter, a dull fire was charring in a stone fireplace just behind it. A Breton man with a bald head managed the store. As the two approached him, his eyes perked up.
"Ah, Exalted Master Tsar, your week has gone by already?" He asked, pulling out two plates of cooked and buttered crab meat from beneath the shelf he was behind, offering it to the two.
"Bah, Glea, come now, you now you can call me Sliph." The Dunmer, now revealed as Sliph Tsar, smiled as he and Aleda took the two plates and nodded to him. "And thank you very much."
"Indeed." Aleda chimed in as they took a seat at one of the tables.
They sat down and began to both pick at the food.
"So, are you to head directly to Grandmaster today?" Aleda questioned between shovels of crab.
"No, I have five days, in those five days I am to bathe in the waters of Vivec's Palace to cleanse myself and rekindle my soul. Then, if there is time after, I am to visit the cavern of Phellos in the Molag Mar region, and pay a worthy tribute to The Mother." Sliph said gulfing down his food as well. "Living off of bread and water for a week sure dose make crab meat taste like the finest hound meat."
"Hah, I knew you looked skinnier. So, what did you think about the whole time?"
"Life. The one infecting and the one being infected. Giving, getting. Simple things. I just mostly tried to prepare my mind for what may lie ahead." He replied, finishing off his meal. Aleda followed.
The two took the plates and forks back up to the counter and Aleda threw Glea fifteen Drakes.
"Many thanks and good luck to you for your journey ahead." Glea replied with a grin, pocketing the coins.
"You too, and thank you, I'll be sure to have you come to the celebration to cook." Sliph smiled back as they headed out of the door into town.
They popped out at the northern end of town, right next to the Mage's Guild. The building they had just come out of had a wooden sign placed next to the door. It said 'The Den' and was illustrated with a small silver dagger piercing though the 'D'.
"Now then, where to? We can take the Guide Guild to Vivec directly, then get the bathing part done right now." Aleda thought as they loomed slowly towards the building just to their left, which was the Mage's Guild.
"No, no. Not just yet. I remember Thrall Nezchut said that he had a problem getting here on foot from Ald'rhun because of some rouge Redoran thugs just north of here." Sliph said, quickly turning away from the building and heading across the street to the gates that lead northwest from the town.
"Wait!" Aleda said rushing after him. "So what?"
"Well, you know that those Redoran are going to start trouble. You know how they think they should've gotten the mines and not the Empire. They've been iffy about it since."
"Aaaaaand?" Aleda cocked his head and itched it again.
"And…we need something to occupy us for at least a few moments…" Sliph got that certain shimmer in his eyes.
Aleda sighed and then laughed. "You're insane. Let me at least get on some better-"
"Nope, we have to go, now!" Sliph snickered as he took off in a full sprint out of the gate between the two stone towers that lead out of town.