Author's Note: It's a bit of a short chapter this week, and it's a day late, I know. I apologize for that. Anyways, I hope people remember this new character from his previous, albeit brief, encounter with Nhiilaa earlier in the story.
"Let's just get one thing straight, Peleius," Nhiilaa said as they stood outside of the Arcane University. They'd been standing on the front steps for quite a while now, and the sun was starting to set. The familiar pain she'd experienced during the last excursion was dull, but there none the less. "I'm not really supposed to be here." James shrugged.
"Neither'm I. It's not like I'm a mage or anything," he said. "But I do know some people here who might be able to help us." She sighed.
"As do I," mumbled the girl, and opened the door. The two stepped inside of the lobby, for what seemed to be too soon since her last visit here. "So, where did you say that your friend would be?"
"I don't think that I did, actually," her companion whispered to her, apparently in fear that a dozing Raminous Polus would overhear them. "But he should be around here somewhere. He said that he didn't get out of the Arch-Mage's tower much anymore. What's that?" He asked, pointing at the main source of light: the arcane circle on the floor that was pulsating with a purple glow.
"What? The teleportation pad? That leads to the Council's lobby I think... It'd be practically suicide to try and go up there, you ninny. At least three of the members of the Council of Mages will be up there. At least. Raminus may be down here, but I can almost guarantee you that Irlav Jarol and Caranya are up there, not to mention the Arch-Mage himself. There is absolutely no way you'd get me to go up there--"
That was about when James stepped onto the teleportation pad and disappeared in a flash of the same light. Nhiilaa swore under her breath and followed shortly after him.
"What did I just tell you?!" she hissed at him, stepping off of the pad. She grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and spun him around, catching him off guard and nearly sending him toppling over.
"Watch it! Magical transportation and I do not agree, apparently. Why aren't you all woozy too?" he asked quietly as he attempted to regain his equilibrium.
"Used to it. Now, since you've dragged me up here into your hair-brain scheme as well, find your friend quickly, or I'll be very angry with you, Peleius." Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light to see that the room was devoid of all human life, except for the two of them. Of course, she thought and rolled her eyes. "Doesn't look like your friend's here. Why am I not surprised?"
"He'll be here, trust me. If I know him, and I believe that I do," said the Imperial, who sat down at the round table near the center of the room. "I suppose we'll have to just wait for him. It's not like we can do much else. We've come too far to turn around and go back to Bruma."
"You really think that we can just sit up here without the Council noticing us? You've obviously never been to the Arcane University, James," she scoffed. James' eyes narrowed at her.
"Oh? And you have? Forgive my disbelief, but I find it hard to believe that someone who's dedicated their life to fighting to be the first in line to sign up for the Mages Guild." She was about to rebuke his accusations when a glimmer caught the attention of her peripheral vision: Someone was entering the room. The person materialized fully...
It was most certainly not who she had been expecting.
"You!" she and the apprentice who had questioned her so much on her last visit gasped simultaneously.
"You are not allowed to be here," the man snapped. "I have half a mind to go to the Arch-Mage straight away, seeing as how you impersonated a powerful guild mage who's been dead for nearly--"
"Seven years," a voice from behind Nhiilaa and James interrupted. "That's quite enough, Isaan." Isaan looked abashed as he attempted to defend himself. He stopped short, and his face fell. A smile spread on Nhiilaa's lips as she turned around to face the newcomer.
"Dear lord," she started. "They made you the Arch-Mage? What in the blazes was the Council thinking?" There, behind her, stood Hannibal Traven, whose hands were crossed over his chest and who wore a very stern look on his face. A moment of silence passed, neither James nor Isaan willing to dare break it. Suddenly, both Hannibal Traven and Nhiilaa burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh, my dear, it is good to see you again," the Arch-Mage laughed as he stepped forward to grasp Nhiilaa in a tight hug.
"Sir?" Isaan gasped. "You know this... this girl?" The old man nodded.
"Know her? I taught her! A stubborn little thing if there ever was one," said the Breton. He smiled. "But with great potential. Peleius, if you would, please get our guests something to eat, and to drink as well. I should very much like to hear about why my pupil has decided to visit after all these years." Now it was Nhiilaa's turn to whirl back around to face Isaan.
"Peleius?" asked the girl, directing the question at James. In response, he merely shrugged and sighed.
"Nhiilaa, this is my twin brother Isaan. Isaan, this is my friend Nhiilaa," he said, shaking his head. Nhiilaa approached the both of them, and could see why Isaan had looked so familiar: They were identical, save for the way they wore their hair and manner of dress. James, on the one hand, kept his brown locks shorter, but they looked as if they hadn't seen a brush in days. Isaan, on the other, wore his in a tight ponytail at the nape of the neck, and wore the traditional green apprentice's robes. Both had the same green eyes and pale skin, though there was more merriment in James' than Isaan's.
"Well, now that that's over, Isaan, the drinks?" Traven interrupted. James' twin bowed and stepped into the pulsating light, disappearing once again. "Now, Nhiilaa, let us sit and you can tell me why you're hear and what you've been up to." All three people sat down at the circular table. Nhiilaa stretched for a moment and then propped her head up on her hands.
"Let's see... James and I are... on a mission of sorts, for whom I can't quite say, but we came here looking for his 'friend', whom I now know was most likely his brother, because we need to find a Daedric shrine. We are in dire need of an artifact from one of the Daedra lords, but my memory is a bit... fuzzy on where each shrine is," stated the Nord succinctly.
"Anything specific?" the Breton asked.
"Nothing too dangerous," James interrupted quickly. "... Sir," he added, embarrassed. Traven leaned closer in, looking at James full in the face.
"My boy," he started. "There is no such thing as a Daedric prince that is 'nothing too dangerous.' They wouldn't be princes if they were not the most horrifying of the daedra. Do not be fooled by their seemingly demureness, if they have any at all. That will only lead to your slow, and painful death." Silence, followed by a bleak mood. Nhiilaa cleared her throat in order to try and restore the status quo. Isaan reappeared, placing drinks and plates carried in on the tendrils of telekinesis in front of everyone, including himself, and sat.
"I was thinking more along the lines of Vaernmina," the girl stated. Traven looked darkly at her.
"Nhiilaa... you know what a vile temptress that woman is." She nodded as she ate, and the Arch-Mage sighed. "I hope you know what you're getting into, girl. Very well, I'll help you. Tomorrow."
"Time is of the essence, sir," she implored. "We need to get this artifact as quickly as possible."
"I understand that, Nhiilaa. But I have other pressing matters that need to be taken care of, and I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait. Besides, all Daedra lords require a sacrifice of some sort. You might want to dig around in the Archives or find a Daedric scholar to tell you what Vaernmina would require of you," he said in a pained tone. The Breton stood, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I would appreciate it if you and James joined me for dinner tonight, and you are free to use the Mages Quarters as your own for the night." Nhiilaa sighed, but begrudgingly agreed to it. The Arch-Mage crossed the room to a second pad, and disappeared, leaving Nhiilaa alone with the twin brothers.
"So," she mused. "You have a twin... that you felt it was alright not to tell me about, and to lie to me and say that it was your 'friend' we were meeting." Nhiilaa took a sip of the wine placed before her.
"I was going to tell you, eventually," he said, lowering his head. "I didn't think that it was that important, really..." Isaan rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Considering that she initially lied to me as to who she really was, I don't think that she has the right to be angry about your trickery, James, though I am," the mage said. "Really. Where did you get a name like Hjotra. According to Caranya, she wasn't particularly well liked by people here." A brief flicker of anger illuminated Nhiilaa's eyes for a moment, but she choked it down with another sip. Her goblet made a slight metallic sound on the polished wood as she set it down, giving Isaan a cold stare.
"Hjotra is my mother. I'll have you know that Caranya is quite possibly the worst person to ask for correct information from, seeing as how she and her sister Carahil both have quite the bias against me. My mother was well-liked amongst the mages here, and second to only Irlav Jarol when it came to Alyeid studies. Kindly refrain from slandering her good name, if you will, otherwise I would be forced to become very cross," warned the Nord. The Imperial rolled his eyes.
"And despite your mother's... clout, I see you couldn't get yourself instated as a full mage. That's a wonder, considering how high the Arch-Mage seems to hold you and your mother in esteem," he said, taking a step back. Quickly, James stood between them before there could be a repetition of the incident at the guardhouse.
"If you two are finished with your pissing match, which I'm certain you are at this point otherwise you both will do things that you will regret, I believe that it is time for Nhiilaa to head to the Mystic Archives, and for Isaan to show me around the University," he said. "Otherwise, she and I will have to go wandering around the forest looking for Vaernmina's shrine on our own and quite possibly get mauled to death by bears, and Mother would not be at all pleased to hear that my dear brother would not, for my sake, assist us by leaving my companion to her work." Isaan glared at Nhiilaa, then at James, and then dragged his twin onto the teleportation pad, leaving Nhiilaa alone inside the Council Chambers with her thoughts.
She supposed that she should head back to the Mystic Archives and ask Tar-Meena for her expertise in this area, but somehow, it did not feel like the correct course of action in this particular situation. The girl looked over at the second teleportation pad, and before she could think otherwise, found herself stepping onto it.