I am dreaming.
Out of a hazy twilight, the indistinct face of an Imperial woman comes into view. The woman is beautiful, and she bears a gentle smile.
The woman reaches toward to my face, her warm fingers gracing my skin with their presence. Those fingers flow around my face and push into my hair, leaving a trail of pleasant tingles in their wake.
With this woman, I feel safe. Safer than I have ever felt before. The sensation makes me realise just how unsafe I generally feel, constantly having to be the protector rather than the protected. The woman's presence is calming, soothing, like nothing could ever happen to me inside her arms.
Her face disappears, then, but I feel it still, nuzzling into the side of mine. Her warm exhalations there feel wonderful, each one teasing my ear.
The woman's body presses into mine, and I am folded into her caring embrace. Inside that embrace, I feel as though I could sleep forever.
Then, I realise that this is not a dream.
"Ithaca..." she breathes. "Ithaca, you're gonna need to wake up soon, honey. They're waiting for you."
My torpor is broken, and reality asserts itself unpleasantly with a deep, pulsing pain in my head.
We are together under these covers, the woman and I. How we got this way is a mystery to me. The candle in my private quarters has long since gone out, but a sliver of light still filters in through a crack in the door, allowing me to see my companion's face.
"What are you doing in here?" I say, my voice slight. "Who is waiting for me?"
"A group of mercenaries showed up this morning looking for you, but you were asleep."
Images of me stumbling off the Silt Strider and grunting all of the relevant information at Ganciele on my way to bed last night flash through my mind. Seems as though Sellus Gravius did come through for us.
"I'm so tired," I tell her.
"I know you are," the woman says softly, continuing to run her fingers through my hair. "But it is getting late, and I am told that you have things to do."
I sit bolt upright at the mention of the time. "How late is it?"
"Do not panic," she says. "It is only early evening. Albecius wanted me to wake you and tell you that he's taken care of everything during your rest."
"Excellent," I say, settling back down to enjoy just a few more minutes of comfort. "You still haven't answered my question," I point out.
She cocks an eyebrow.
"Why are you here with me?"
In the darkness, I can just make out that smile. "My job was to wake you, so I did."
"Was the crawling into bed part really necessary, though?" I ask, lacing my words with the humour in which they are intended.
"I could leave if you wish." Her words are gruff, but her smile betrays her.
"No." I wrap my arms around the woman's middle, more out of reflex than anything else - an automatic reaction to being in bed with someone so physically close. But, upon hearing the small, contented sigh that issues from her in reply to my action, that automatic reaction becomes something more. I genuinely like this woman, I realise, as quirky as she may be, and that is not something I am often able to say.
The closeness of our bodies and the comfort of our quarters makes my eyes grow heavy. But then, a thought enters my mind which breaks the serenity. "What is your name?"
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask," she says.
"And I was wondering how long it would take you to tell me."
"My name is Ellory," the woman says. She holds her hand out to me. "Pleasure to meet you."
Her words, coupled with the fact that we have already slept together and are now in bed, make me laugh. I swat her outstretched hand away.
"Where do you keep your matches?" she asks.
"By the dresser on your side," I say, reaching over her to retrieve them. Using one of the small, wooden sticks inside, I strike the side of the paper box, and a flame is born. Ellory then takes the match from me and lights an unburned candle by the door.
"I brought you something," she says, returning and hoisting her bag up from the floor. Now out of the covers, I am able to see that she wears only a shirt, as well an attractive set of linen underwear.
From the pack, the woman removes a dizzying array of sandwiches, all consisting of different ingredients. The sight of food reminds me how of hungry I am, and it requires a conscious effort to not salivate at the sight.
"I wasn't sure what you'd like," she explains, "but I am sure you will find something to your taste."
By my count, the woman has prepared six different kinds of sandwich. I train a sceptical eye upon her. "You seriously made all of these for me?"
She shrugs. "I was bored. Additionally, you should only select two - three at most. The other three I have promised to Fine-Mouth."
"Making friends, are we?" I say cheekily, reaching greedily toward the sandwich containing Cyrodiil beef. "Be careful, Ellory, you may get comfortable here. Then, you will be stuck in this place, just like me and everyone else."
She looks downward and tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I could think of worse fates."
I eat in silence while she watches me curiously, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Once I have taken my fill, the woman provides me with a canteen so that I may quench my thirst. I find myself almost overcome with affection at the girl's gestures. "Thank you so much for doing this, Ellory," I say, the woman's name rolling smoothly past my lips.
She beams at my acknowledgement of her efforts. "No problem at all."
"There is another thing for which I am also grateful," I say.
"Oh?"
"You saved a life the other night."
"Ah," she says, leaning back.
Having already eaten two, I move to demolish another. By no measure is this woman a good cook, but I appreciate the sustenance (and the thought) regardless.
"How did you manage that?" I ask, having been wondering since before departing for Moonmoth. "How did you know that something was wrong in the village?"
"I have my methods," she replies, her answer being far too cryptic for my liking. I place a beseeching hand on her smooth, bare knee. "Ellory..."
She sighs. "I am an alchemist by trade. I recently developed a mixture that enables the user to hear things even when they are great distances away. I merely kept an ear out for anything suspicious."
"Okay," I allow. "What exactly did you hear?"
"The only footsteps in a sleeping Seyda Neen," she answers. "And the unmistakable sound of a paralysis spell being cast."
Ever so slightly, my jaw slackens at her accuracy. "You are correct. The victim was indeed paralysed," I say. "Why did you not tell me of this concoction sooner? It could afford us a significant advantage over our enemy!"
She shakes her head. "It was only a prototype, Ithaca. Even with the right equipment and the required ingredients, it will take me much time to reproduce. I was only testing it the other night; it is not yet a product."
The woman places her arm on my shoulder. "I looked for you yesterday, you know, but I couldn't find you. If it were not for Albecius, I would have believed you dead. That guy did one hell of a lot of damage on his way out."
"He definitely did," I say. "Must have taken quite a fall from that second story. At the very least, I hope that the events of the other night will have at least given him pause. With any luck, he'll decide Seyda Neen isn't worth it anymore and leave us all alone."
"To terrorise another town?" the woman asks.
I rise from the bed and gather up the various pieces of my armour. "Hopefully not."
The woman gets up, too, pulling a pair of slim-fitting black pants over a set of luxurious hips. She saunters over to me.
Having wriggled into my blacks, I move to put on my cuirass. It is an invariably difficult task, which is why that, when the woman assists me in holding it in place and clipping it on, I am immensely grateful. Eventually, my body is fully encased in the golden armour.
The woman takes a step back and takes me in from head to toe. "Very nice."
"I am inclined to agree," I say, and she grins.
I move toward the door. The woman's voice, however, halts my approach.
"Ithaca," she says, moving around in front of me. "Albecius told me that those men are here because you are organising a hunt."
"You heard correctly," I respond.
"Excellent!" she announces, the corners of her mouth set apart wide. "When do we leave?"
It takes me a moment, but her words finally register.
"We?"
A/N: Sorry about the delay getting this chapter out; didn't have it in me yesterday. I was originally going to cut straight to the next scene, but I felt that we needed a scene with Ellory. She's been gone far too long for my liking :-)
