Second Tale: Tea and Rocks
"They are no more evil than good, the flaw in typical opinion is the aplication of mortal morality in the first place."
-Unknown-
The rolling waves of cloud parted around them like fingers of a stream, likely never seen from such a vantage by mortal eyes until now. The table along with its two ocupents rested on an invisible pedastle suspended thousands of feet above the calm waters of the Abecean Sea. If the height bothered her she showed no sign of it that Haskill had noticed.
His young mistress had been questioning her uncle on various subjects for nearly an hour now with the vigor known only in youth. For his current visit the Daedric Prince had assumed the form of a Redgaurd with an unremarkable face and simple robes. After Hermaeus Mora had paid his first visit in the form of a mass of tentacles and nearly frightened poor Nessa half to death the Princes had made it a point to only visit in bodies of the mortal races.
"We are without beginning or end," Molag Bal responded over his cup of tea. Haskil had already noticed the trend of "human" behaviors and motions the lords of Oblivion showed during their visits with the young mistress. They were purely for her comfort he knew, as none of them needed to eat nor drink.
When Nessa only continued to stare expectantly at her uncle he finally added.
"So no, we do not have birthdays..." This brought a gasp from Nessa.
"But when do you get presents?" Molag Bal's annoyed groan was drowned out by the clink of Haskil setting a plate on the table before her. He could only imagine the wrath those unfortunate enough to be thralls of Molag Bal would suffer following his latest "chat" with the girl. She tended to bring that out in her more grave uncles and aunts.
"We have infinite power and do not know death, what could any mortal possibly pass off as a gift to our kind?" Unlimited power or not, Haskil could see the Lord's composure wearing thin in the face of Nessa's cheery disposition.
"I gave aunt Az (Haskil had never heard her call any of her uncles or aunts by their whole name) a shiny rock Mr. Urzkar found in the sand! She said it was pretty..."
"She is an idiot," Molag Bal responded dryly. Again Nessa gasped in shock.
"Uncle Mol! That's not nice!" Something close to a grin was his only answer. After a few moments of Nessa pouting and Molag Bal fumming Haskil cleared his throat walked back to the table side.
"Perhaps it is nearing time for the young Mistress to return to the manor?" Haskil noted helpfully, earning an almost imperceptable nod from Molag bal. "I believe your traveling friend will arrive soon with more stories."
"The Mr. M'aiq the kitty cat?" Her eyes went glassy at the mention of her favorite house guest. "You know," She whispered to Molag Bal dramatically across the table. "Sometimes I think he's making up all of those stories in his head!"
"Yes well, this has been..." He didn't bother to finish. Nessa jumped out of her seat and trapped him in a hug as she did with each uncle and aunt every time they left, regardless of any harsh words said.
"Here you go uncle Mol," She said, reaching into her pocket and fishing around. "I found another rock, this one is for you!" He reluctantly offered his hand and Nessa dropped a small white object on it. If Haskill wasn't mistaken this "rock" was actually a fang... a vampire's fang to be precise. The irony was palpable.
"My thanks," He even went so far as to chuckle, which was a first. Even if it sounded a bit on the sarcastic side. Her ability to bring forth such rare moments from the likes of Molag Bal had not gone unnoticed. Whatever else her connection to the Daedric Lords meant it was clear that even they could not fully understand the little mortal girl.
"We thank you for a wonderful meal Lord Molag Bal," Haskill bowed as Nessa joined him.
"Begon little construct,"
Haskill sighed tiredly, his creator's siblings never did care much for him. Nothing to be done for it he knew.
"See you later uncle Mol!" Nessa chirped at his side.
"Do not remind me,"
And then they were gone.
Molag Bal stared at the conjured table for a moment longer before standing.
"I am going to set a thousand souls on fire," He muttered to himself. That should go some way toward making him feel better.
"M'aiq has never been to another world, but sometimes he dreams of them. Worlds with heart stealing dragons, worlds with green witches, even a world where funny little party hats are worth more gold than an entire castle... M'aiq should maybe stop drinking before bed..."
-M'aiq the Liar, on the subject of other worlds.-
Writer's note: Another short tale, one of the few I have already finished that simply had no distinct story arc. I will most likely post the remainder of those before starting on Nessa's actual tale. They do however serve to paint a picture of what her life among the rarely seen wonders of the worlds is like. This tale is dedicated to Baby Fawn, in thanks for the kind words.
