A Kajiit In Your Pub
Cuddy inspected the halls of the newly established Mage's Guildhall in Princeton, Vvardenfell in Morrowind. Emperor Uriel Septim VII had decided it was time for a stronger Imperial presence in the Dunmeri province, and had been founding a few new towns in the Telvanni district on the Eastern side of the island of Vvardenfell. Princeton was to be essentially a gift to Martin Septim.
Emperors of means apparently give cities as gifts.
Deciding everything was in order, she went over to join her next in command near, an Argonian called Brenda, near the entrance to the hall. She in turn inclined her head to Cuddy, though it looked slightly ridiculous for the taller lizard-woman to stand next to the Altmer.
After spending some time silently watching some Nordic men move in furniture, Cuddy moved on to see what other mages had been moved under her command. She had a list, but it only listed their schools of magic, not their names. Although, she knew that she'd gotten House and Wilson from a guildhall in the next town over because House had been assigned to move and he'd raised a huge stink about not being able to take Wilson with him. Archmage Trebonius eventually got involved and assigned Wilson to leave, and House followed him against orders to stay. No one really objected after that.
A loud blast directed her attention to the Diagnostics of Unusual Magics And Maladies department that had been the prize of House's previous location. Obviously, House was bringing his work with him, if Cuddy was to believe the rumours. She'd met the unruly Kajiit (was there such thing as a ruly one?) back when they were apprentices in Balmora, but they'd since parted ways. Now she was to be in charge of him, and she'd heard a lot about his exploits since then.
Peering through an open doorway, she saw a small group of people trying to put out a fire. House looked almost the same as she'd remembered, his dusty gray-brown fur, broken by darker stripes and patches and the occasional white fleck, was as ruffled as it had been years ago, and his eyes were still a rare clear blue. He was laughing his head off, showing his sharp teeth and pointing at the motley crew that had been apprenticed to him.
"House!" she shouted. He looked up, and grabbed a staff off the table.
"Yeah?" he shouted back over the confusion. He turned to face her, and his face broke into an evil grin. Cuddy was sure that bad things were about to happen, things that would put the fire to shame.
"What is going on here?" she asked, watching a tall, stocky Redgaurd, a smaller Bosmeri woman, and a young blond Breton try to put it out, by telekinetically dumping a barrel of water on the fire. It landed on the Bosmer.
"Chase says he was born under the sign of the Atronach, and I decided to test that theory," House said, indicating the blast radius around a suspiciously apprentice-shaped void.
"Yeah? So blew up one of your new apprentices?" Cuddy exclaimed.
"Uh, I'm fine, actually..." the Breton interjected quickly, as the Redguard moved the barrel off the Bosmer, who in turn exclaimed at House, "Can't we put it out the normal way?"
"No," House shot back, "Where's the fun educational value in that?" Cuddy sighed. House hadn't changed a bit. She put out the fire with a quick spell, and rounded on House.
"House, please don't destroy our new building before it's even finished!" she paused. If House was anything like she remembered, this was futile. Instead, she switched her attention to the the three apprentices brushing ash off themselves. She didn't know their names, and she would need to have some allies in managing House.
"This is a pointless exercise," she muttered, and moved over to the three young apprentices. "What are your names?"
The Redgaurd was the first to respond, having taken the least damage. "My name is Eric Foreman, Conjuror," he said in a deep voice, extending a hand. Cuddy shook it, and moved on to the Breton. "I'm Robert Chase, Illusor," he had an odd lilt to his voice, characteristic of the Bretons who lived deep in High Rock. The Bosmeri woman was last, "Allison Cameron, Mystic," she greeted.
"I'm Lisa Cuddy, Enchanter. I suppose House continued on with his Destruction? Though I hear you got into Restoration and now do just about everything from Alchemy to Alteration," she drawled sarcastically.
"I am officially titled in Alteration, yes," House noted, "These three intend on becoming the specialties they mentioned, and they think I'm good to teach them. So they're stuck with me for the next three years!" He cackled some more, and Cuddy decided that while she'd like to catch up with House in theory, he hadn't changed enough that it would be as pleasant an experience in real life.
She turned to leave, and found her way blocked by an Imperial man trying to enter from the other direction.
"Oh, sorry," he inclined his head in greeting, "I'm James Wilson, Restorer. You must be Master Wizard Cuddy, the Enchantress? I was looking for House." His embarrased grin faded when he saw the wall.
"House, it hasn't even been ten minutes," he commented incredulously.
"I'm setting a new record and decorating my room at the same time. It just isn't Diagnostics if there aren't a few good burn marks on the walls."
Cuddy decided that now would be an excellent time for one of Brenda's headache potions.