Author's Notes:

No affiliation with TES series, Bethesda Softworks, etc… Hetalia, OC, intellectual property of Kliban Katz. Italics represent a current thought.

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Chapter Summary:

Hetalia learns a few things about hospitality. At length, she finds a job at the Bloated Float on the Waterfront. She also learns that the kindness of others is alive and well in the Imperial City.


Fie, what an ordeal! The Nine 'tended to put me through a ringer for this. I jingled the gold coins in my pocket. It was a pleasant sound, but not the sound of horseshoes on the stone road… I needed to make more money in a more socially acceptable way for a lady. What to do…

I wandered the Imperial City for a few hours, checking in at the various shops, looking for work. The market district turned me away, shop after shop. Apparently, they were all doing quite badly since Thoronir came about and couldn't afford to hire a hand. Pity…

The Talos Plaza District, which had caught my attention on my arrival, was hiring help in the inns, but the proprietor of the King and Queen said I was too "crude" for the task. Maybe it was the way shoved past a Khajiit on my way to the front desk. "We treat everyone here like a King," he said. By the Nine, no Khajiit should ever be King. Not even in Elseweyr.

I was at a loss. It was getting late in the day now and I had spent most of it looking for work. My gold was even dwindling. I guess fifty septims doesn't get one far in the big city. Food and drink is so expensive… I felt most at home where I was now, on the city's waterfront. These people lived comfortably in their private shacks or bedrolls, dressed in comfortable, lived in clothes. A pity I couldn't stay here. Look! They were even near the docks! How lovely!

The ships swayed to-and-fro on the water, which was now reflecting the brilliant moons. The sea was quiet, aside from the raucous noise coming from inside a cargo ship on the front. Wait, was this a tavern? Another big city wonder! A tavern on water called The Bloated Float! Certainly such a tavern would be busy, being such a novel idea, and would be desperately looking for a waitress. I paraded in, so sure of myself, and just as I had suspected, the bar tender was running himself ragged. There was a large table assembled in the centre of the room in which fifteen to twenty armor-clad soldiers were crowded around, drinking from tankards and laughing heartily.

"Sir," I approached the proprietor as he made his way back to the bar to refill tankards. "It seems as though you are in need of help, and lucky enough it seems that I am in need of a job."

"Er, what? Oh, my, yes, how fortunate. It never gets this busy! Here, take this tray over to them. Can't keep the Imperial watch waiting, you know!"

That was it. How simple this had all become. I could wait tables! It was in my blood just as deep as my affinity for magic.

The Imperial watchmen were a loud bunch, lewd and nasty, too. No matter. There's far worse in Bravil. All the more reason why we have a militia. Turned out a handful of them were scheduled to do a sting in the Waterfront's residential area, something about the Gray Fox and the Garden of Dereloth, and they had brought some of their off-duty friends for a bit of a party before they headed out. By the Nine, it was beyond me how they were ever going to be effective with the brains fermented in beer.

The night dragged on. The men destined for duty got up and left shortly before midnight, staggering all about, and smelling of hops. The rest of them slowly became quiet, perhaps slipping in and out of sleep. At this point the Orc bouncer would tell them they needed to move along or rent a bed… but these were men of the Imperial guard, men who one does not simply cut off or send home.

Others filtered in and out through the night with little to say. Ormil turned to me as he polished the bar, the traffic finally coming to a near halt. "Say, we did pretty well tonight. I haven't seen swell like that in a long time. I'm lucky you came by."

"And I'm lucky that you were ill prepared." I laughed to myself, and Ormil reflected my good humor.

The ship's door creaked slightly as someone sauntered in and sat down at the bar. "I'd like a beer." His voice was low and gruff.

As Ormil bent beneath the counter to get a clean tankard he said, "You're welcome to go home now, if you'd like. I can handle it from here. You should go get some rest. You can come back in the morning for your share of tonight's profits."

"Oh, no. I need this job, Ormil. I'll stay 'til morning." I could see from the corner of my eye that the patron's head darted upward towards me. "I have to save up money quickly, so that I can get out of the city. I have to go a long way west."

"Well, if you're sure then. I'm happy to have you. I'll be right back." Ormil set the tankard down on the bar in front of the Orc and left the room. I turned my attention to the Orc. I'd seen him before. He took a sip and eyed me.

"I thought I had heard that before. What's with the rush to get out of town, ma'am? The Imperial City not exciting enough for you?" He chuckled.

"I need to go to Chorrol. And then back home to Bravil. It's quite a jaunt, especially unaccompanied and on foot. I'm trying to save for a horse…" Finally, I could place him. "Oh, thank you for umm… helping Owyn come to his senses." He was the pale-faced Orc from the bloodworks. I smiled.

The Orc cleared his throat and said, "You can't be too mad at him, really. Poor guy spends more time in the bloodworks than we do. You're the first woman he's seen in a while that looks like a woman. Doesn't often see any frailty, no offense."

"I was ill prepared for the arena. Nothing more to say. A dreadful place."

"But a home, nonetheless. It's helped a lot of people who have come through, feeling like they were stuck. But me, I'm still stuck."

"You want to leave the Arena? Why not get up and go?"

"Where I want to go… you can't just get up and leave to get there."

I leaned on the bar and frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help."

"Heh, my problems are not yours. No sense burdening you with them. But say, what if I help make you load a little lighter?" He held out his coin purse to me, fat with septims.

"Sir?" He nudged it toward me.

"I'm sure Snak can find some kind of horse to sell you. Tell her the Gray Prince sent you and I'm sure she'll find something." He smiled.

"The Gray Prince?" He placed the hefty purse in my hands. "Blessings of Mara to you, Sir."

He chuckled to himself and placed down the empty tankard. "Now I can sleep. Thank you for your company. Hopefully you'll visit the arena again, just not the pit." He laughed. "Goodnight."

The door closed behind him and I was alone. I sat on a barstool and gawked at the wallet, bursting at its seams. I heard a noise and tucked the bag of coins away, and turned to smile at Ormil, who was walking back into the room. Then it hit me: the Prince hadn't paid.

- - -

Morning came and its light shone through the tiny porthole-like windows of the boat. I opened my eyes, still feeling heavy, wanting sleep.

"I felt bad to wake you." Ormil sat, eating breakfast in the centre of the room. I had slept face down on the bar all night. I massaged my cheek, which felt sore, and my jaw felt stiff. I stretched and yawned. "Come now, have some venison and eggs." My stomach gurgled. Any kind of food sounded good now. I took a seat next to Ormil and began to eat. "Made quiet a profit last night. I think it was the luck of the lady, you know?" Oh, the Lucky Old Lady… how I longed to go home… "I was thinking it over last night," he talked between mouthfuls. "You work hard and I'd like to take you on as a permanent employee." I felt the coin purse's heavy weight against my skin. After payment, I would have enough for a horse and food and lodging all the way to Chorrol. I couldn't stay here.

"Ormil…" I paused. "I really would like to stay here, but I can't. You know I need to go west."

"For what? For what? This city can offer you everything and more than you would find anywhere in Cyrodiil!" He was suddenly excited and worried.

"I… cannot say. I need to leave today is all. I'm so sorry."

He sighed heavily. I felt so bad to disappoint him. "I suppose what is, is. I only hope it is worth it for you. People come from all over Tamriel to see the Imperial City."

"I know. I'm glad I had the chance." Ormil handed me a sack full of coins. My wage, I supposed.

"Be careful on your journey. I hear there's trouble out west, near Kvatch."

"I see. Take care, Ormil. Thanks again."

Outside the sun was bright on my face and I felt suddenly rejuvenated, excited by finally moving along. At the stables, he was right; Snak Gra-Bura did have a horse, one that she had resisted from eating. It was probably because it was an old and gamey-looking mare.

"Because the Prince sent you, I'll outfit her with some nice steel armor-- a little peace of mind for your journey. Off you go now!" The woman had relieved me of nearly half of my total gold. No wonder she was so pleased.

The horse was as advertised. An old thing, but still looked strong, and even a bit intimidating with all of that armor. All of this trouble I had gone through when the Nine could have just willed it up. After saddling up, I started off to Chorrol.