Authors Note: Sorry this may be a bit jumpy in terms of what happens when. I figured there will (eventually) be a thousand versions of fanfic describing the "adventures" one has in Cold Harbor. After all I'm working on one myself. With this particular character, my interest lies much more in what happens when she and Hiriko Ni Camire get back to Tamriel. This chapter is much shorter than I intended, partly because of changes in chapter 1, and partly because I"m just hitting a block. So I fhope posting this shortish bit will push me to answer "what happens next".

Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the wondrous creations of Bethesda Softworks or Zenimax Online, however I certainly lay claim to misspellings, mistakes, tweaks, spells and characters of my own invention.

~~Sisterly Greetings~~

Tenesi Faryon's eyes opened to mere slits as the door to her room at the Inn opened slowly and not quite silently. Her right hand was already under her pillow, so it was no great effort to wrap her hand around the hilt of one of her daggers. The prickle of heat and magicka told her it was Malwind; the blade she'd enchanted the fire glyph that Hikiro Camiere had made for her. For an altmer, he was reasonably skilled with enchanting.

He was quite skilled in other ways too. But she'd come back to considering that later.

Lying in bed, measuring the not-quite-silent footsteps that were slowly advancing on her bed, she ran through a list of possibilities in her head. A wisp of the subtle scent of fire petal and lilac narrowed it down to one: her youngest sister Hekellah Faryon.

Without actually opening them any further, Tenesi rolled her eyes. The foolish S'wit had no business wearing perfume while trying to surprise someone. Especially not one that distinctive. Great uncle Beladas had told her that more than once. Looked like it was time for a reminder.

Subtly she shifted Malwind under her pillow. The way the weight changed told her that Peirce, her other blade, was still lying across it. Good. Concentrating on the feel of the room, Tenesi let the awareness of the currents of magicka slowly reveal themselves to her. She could feel the gathering energies that Hekellah was attempting to subtly call. Subtly being a very generous exaggeration.

Biding her time breathing slowly, Tenesi waited.

At the moment when Hekellah was almost ready to call down her spell, Tenesi grabbed Pierce and rolled out of the bed, landing crouched at her shocked sister's feet. Behind her a miniature storm of lightning rained down on the bed she had just vacated.

Lunging up and forward, she slashed at her sister. Malwind sliced open a section of the younger dunmer's tunic and singed the cloth, and then Pierce caught the pouch at Hekellah's hip and flung it across the room to land in a finger basin. Another strike by Malwind singed off an inch of hair, another strike with Pierce slid through the shoulder of the tunic, opening a small slice on the girl's upper arm, and pinning her against the wall.

Wide-eyed, Hekellah let out a squeak much more suited to a Breton peasant than a dunmer noble.

"You wear too much perfume." Tenesi spoke conversationally, and then pulled her blade out of the wall where it had stuck over her sister's shoulder. "I've told you that before."

Hekellah swallowed her reaction. With some effort she kept her expression completely calm. After a moment she looked down at her tunic, and then glanced at the left side of her hair, which was now slightly uneven. "Really?" She said in an quietly aggrieved tone. "Was all that really necessary?"

Nice recovery, sister. Thought Tenesi to herself, though she would never have said it aloud.

Beyond them the door slammed open and a silver-haired altmer glanced around the room. His right hand crackled with summoned energies, and behind him peeked a pale clanfear-shaped daedra with crystaline hide. "Tenesi?" His voice was tightly controlled, and the urgency was obvious to Tenesi only because she knew him very well.

Tenesi turned to face him, and gave him the slight upward tilt of her mouth that said all was well, it not outright amusing. Her manner was formal but her eyes danced with affection and suppressed amusement.

He was already pristinely dressed in semi-formal robes. This told her that if he hadn't already done so, he probably had plans to visit the mages guide. She made a mental note to talk to him after his visit. However for now, introductions were in order.

"Hikiro Ni Cameire, may I present my younger sister Hekellah Faryon of House Telvanni, who has apparently just arrived in Davon's Watch." With the smallest of movements of her eyebrows, she indicated Roo, the summoned family spirit that still waited behind him.

He gave her a barely perceptible frown at the reference to Roo, and then focused on the startled sister.

"It is my great pleasure to have the opportunity to meet one of Lady Tenesi's family." His expression softened into courtly grace and taking the dunmer's hand he bowed over it. "Most delightful to meet you, sister-in-law."

Tenesi had a moment to appreciate the way Hekellah's expression softened. If there was anyone that Hikiro Ni could not charm pretty much instantly, she hadn't met them yet. Then she processed what he'd said. Sister-in-law.

Tenesi had not actually gotten around to informing her family of her having undergone the ritual of Mara. Much less that she'd done it with an altmer. She'd been waiting for the right time. Like say, several decades hence. After all, there was no sense rushing anything. She had mentioned that to Hikiro Ni. More than once.

Belatedly, it occured to her that He had not actually agreed.