He'd meant to suggest with the kiss, to tease a smile or a frown out of her so he could have the pleasure of watching either expression move over her face. But when she'd leaned into him, locked around him, he simply… sank. He felt her raspy moan all the way down to his balls when he had closed his hand over her breast, and even over the torturous layers of cloth, her hard nipple brushed his palm. He could feel her body vibrating under his, and knew she was just as needy as himself. He'd never experienced this depth of raw need in his life. Never needed something so badly that he felt like he'd go insane without it. It was getting harder and harder to tone down his urge to… claim. He'd felt like he waited so damn long for her, needed her so fucking badly. He figured she would have pulled him in more when he stopped to breathe

And yet..

Instead, she pressed a hand to his shoulder in an effort to push him away. He had lifted his head to tease, to distract a little to allow his continuation of his physical exploration on the damn table, the same table where she had looked so damn sexy pinning that monologuing woman who had scuffled off to upper tavern to deal with the commotion. And yet, he had to pause as his body ached to lose himself and plunge deep till she cried his name to fully read her face, feel more than the blood humming in his veins. With the way she gently trembled, it was something that had his blood cooling substantially. And the look in her eyes.. Fear.. or maybe apprehension?

Why?

His stomach had dropped as a sickening feeling racked him and one world echoed in his mind.

Thorn.

He had all but pushed himself on her mere hours after that bastard touched her with the same sickening kind of possessive pull he felt. What was he, daft? Sick sonofa bitch was dead and soon to be rotting and yet, he still held some pull.

'You're like me.' Thorn has said all those years ago. And now, with her trembling beneath him, he, for the first time in years, felt the stab of fear that he may have been slightly right.

No.

No!

He bit off an oath, rested his forehead on his laced fingers while his blood raged for more than one reason as the carriage moved uphill.

He came from violence, he thought. He knew how to control it, channel it. He recognized the difference between passions and punishments. He knew sex could be mean, just as he knew what had just happened between himself and Serlina was a world away from what he'd known and seen during the first years of his life.

And the way she had soothed his fears when he voiced the thought had made him feel sick. The doubt and fear were worse than poison. His finger tightened as he listened to the driver who was answering Serlina's question about the city, helping him drown out his fouling thoughts.

"Solitude's been the capital of" blah blah blah. He rolled his eyes. "Ah, lets see, what else... the Bards College is here, and the main office of the East Empire Company." He watched her brows raise at the mention of the college. "If you need it, you can get a room for a fair price at the Winking Skeever, just inside the main gate. This past week's been busy, city's in a tizzy about a party or something that's happening."

"Party?" Her voice sounded tight. Her mind must have been whirling a mile a minute as well. As she looked up to the driver, she frowned as she looked back down to the Karnwyr. She had been scratching Karnwyr's head which rested in her lap. Can't blame him, he thought looking at the wolf who sat, tail wagging, eyes closed as her fingers lightly scratched idly. She was soft in many places; he recalled and grew hard thinking about it. He nearly growled. His blood was still warm from the kiss, and his mind too full of her. He wanted to steep in it, in her, until they were both drenched. He bit the inside of his cheek, nearly drew blood when the driver spoke up again..

"Yeah. You two going together?" The driver asked and her shoulder slumped a little.

"Oh, um.. No." She said gently and the driver nodded silently. He started on singing about Ragnar the Red while her head turned back around to look to him. Eyes calm but cold, more green's then hazel met his. Just like when they had finished their kiss. He was beginning to loathe that cautious colour of hers.

"What you thinking about over there, ranger?" She asked, her hands rubbing at Karnwyr's ears now. Her eyes narrowed a little, head tilted, bounced when the hit a bump. "Or perhaps brood would be a more apt word."

"Couldn't help but wonder how you were doing actually. You looked so muddled that I couldn't help but be irritated at the many ideas that could have put you in that position. So I as you say, brooded, while I thought about it."

Her brow lifted. "Oh, really?" There was so much packed into her tone that it had him smirking.

"Yes. Makes me want to help you take your mind off things. If only for a while." He admitted and saw the surprise reach her eyes.

"Well.." She drawled for a minute and her eyes lit up. "We could play a game!"

"What kind of game?" He leaned back and crossed his arms.

"An interesting one that, if done right, will enlighten us all."

"Alright. I'll.. play." His voice lowered as it drawled out the last word.

"Okay. To start, what's your favourite animal and what are three characteristics about them you like best?" She asked and she smiled when he blinked at the question.

"You're asking me what my favourite animal is?" Her lips tilted upward in a smile.

"There's a reason for it. I promise." She leaned back, rested one of her elbows on the carriage's rim as it bounced on the stone road. They would be arriving soon, he could tell. The air was faint with the scent of the sea. "Don't worry," she held her hands out and open. "-I will have to do the same."

"What's the reason for it?" His arms crossed over his chest.

"There's a few, but mostly for good fun. Get to know eachother a bit." She shrugged.

"The way you talk about it makes it sound more like a test of some sort." He grumbled.

"Sort of. But I will partake in it too." She laughed a bit when Karnwyr had pressed his nose towards her stomach, making her lift her hand again to continue scratching. She had stopped her busy fingers when they had spoken.

"Alright. So, I go first?" He saw her nod, noticed the way her shoulders had relaxed. "My favourite animal is a wolf. And that was way before I found him." He pointed to Karnwyr.

"Alright. Now name three characteristics why you like them."

"I like wolves because they are strong, travel in packs and have roles in those packs that help keep chaos from ensuing." He listed them each off, one by one.

"Hmm.. You do seem to like a buddy system yourself." She teased and got a laugh out of him.

"Mhm." Up until recently, he liked being alone with just his wolf… But that had seemed to change recently.

She shook her head, getting her braided tail over her shoulder so that it fell down her back. "For me, I like.." She bit the corner of her bottom lip again, drawing his eyes. "Horkers." She said with a slow smile and it had him shaking his head in shock.

"Those beached bloated leather bastards?" He asked, and her head bobbed up and down, her smile staying in place. "Alright… why?" He asked, wanting to know why such an odd animal.

"Well one, they're naturally gentle but are quietly fierce and strong and.. I don't know." She shrugged, "They're just cute to look at, the way they flop around on land." Her smile was large and genuine.

"Alright. Second thing is.. name your favourite article of clothing and three reasons why."

"Hm.." He thought about it. "Probably my belt." He saw her brows wing up again, where is this going?

"Three reasons why."

"It's supportive, reliable and always good to have in a pinch. Or durable. I'll go with durable.." Plus, he thought to himself, he liked the feeling when it was taken off. Both relieving and freeing. But that was besides the point.

"Interesting." She sighed quietly. "I'm going to have to say my nightwear." She hummed happily at the thought. "Simply because they are warm, homey and comfortable."

"What are nightwear?" He asked, his intrigue ringing in clear.

"Clothes you wear to bed. I'm guessing from that look that you.. don't wear them here?" She asked, her confusion apparent.

"No. We usually wear the same clothes that we wore to bed or, naked." He wiggled his eyebrows a little when her moth dropped a little.

"Sweet Gods." She ran a hand over the top of her hair.

"What's next?" He asked and saw her eyes go to him again.

"Last thing we need is your favourite body of water. And your three reasons why. For me it would be any river. Because it connects to other bodies of water, second is that even though it's surface could be clear and still, from afar you can't tell how deep it is. And third it's speed always changes the farther along you are in it. Slow to fast, yet remains steady." She nodded.

"Waterfalls for me. I enjoy when they can go from rough and rushing or quiet and smooth, they can be heard from a distance and are capable of pulling you under if your reckless enough to get to close." He noticed the way she tilted her head to the side a little, like the motion shifted her thoughts around while she thought it over.

The carriage slowed as they neared a stable and farm. Hopping down, they stretched their bodies from their ride. He watched as Serlina looked around, taking in her new surroundings. "Solitude's this way." He pointed up the street. He watched her start up the stone road, waving a hand to the driver as they passed.

"Alright, want to know what all my questions lead us too?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Go ahead, he thought, tell me how messed up I am.

"Alright. So, the first question, your favourite animal, is how you see yourself." She smiled up at him. "And your answers were.."

"Strong, travel in packs and have roles in packs." He supplied. He shrugged. Could have been worse. Interesting.

"And I am naturally gentle, quietly fierce, and look adorable when I walk funny." She shrugged. He snorted a laugh. She walked a certain way that wasn't what he would call funny. She had a natural sway to her hips that could make his mouth water. But sure. "Funny is a word for it." He teased and chuckled when she playfully shoved him.

"And the clothes?" He asked, chuckling.

"Your favourite article of clothing reveals how other people perceive you."

"Supportive, reliable and good to have in a pinch or durable" he recalled and snorted a laugh.. "Alright." He liked that thought. "Better than easy to remove I would say." Her laugh was warm and pleasant.

"Whereas mine was warm, homey and comfortable." She grew silent, her lips tuning down a little in a small frown. "At least yours sounded practical." She scratched the inside of her palm.

"And the water?" He asked as she reached into her pack for something.

"Favourite body of water.. Is how you view sex." She said softly, her lips tilting back up in a secretive smile as she pulled and uncorked her waterskin and took a few swallows.

"Are you usually so preoccupied with sex, or is it just around me? He asked casually and laughed when she spit a little water out of her mouth, coughing a few times.. He chuckled when her mouth gapped at him and tried to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I wasn't going that route-" She managed between coughs.

"I think in a way you were gearing towards it."

"Oh really?" She asked again. He tsked.

"Ladyship, you pack a lot of punch into an 'oh, really.'"

"It's a gift." She sounded irked, but her lips were fighting a frown.

"I don't doubt it. You're really good at the tone."

"Have to get it out of my system so that I can be neutral for the 'party' Delphine has got planned for me." She sighed and used the thumb to scratch her brow.

"Before the wild debauchery begins in the wrong place, wrong time?" He asked and watched her shrug.

"I'm so used to wild debauchery it doesn't have a particular impact on my life." It was his turn to look shocked.

"Oh, really?" He mimicked her tone so perfectly, she looked towards him, laughing.. "I doubt that. I know your type, princess. You walk around being beautiful, smart, sexy and unapproachable so us men just suffer and dream." It was, obviously, the wrong thing to say as the humor on her face died instantly—like dousing a fire.

"You don't know anything about me, or my type." Her voice had dropped, cooling significantly as they neared the gates.

"I didn't say that to hurt your feelings. I'm sorry." He admitted gently. She shrugged.

"I don't know you well enough for you to hurt my feelings. I know you just well enough to have you annoy me."

And arouse you. But he kept that little jab to himself, knowing it wouldn't help her mood.

"Then I'm sorry for that." He admitted and felt like an idiot. In his mind he wanted to say other things. Like: I was joking. I like hearing you laugh. I like seeing it. But her face had him refraining.

"Unapproachable." He heard her mutter it before she jerked her head towards him, her eyes filled with simmering temper. "Did you think I was so damned unapproachable when you grabbed me and kissed me?" She demanded.

"I'd say the act speaks for itself." He said carefully as they entered Solitude.

They walked in and was met with a crowd hollering over the looking's of an execution. He caught her gasp, the way her back straightened at the body on the stage.

"Ladyship, it's best not to linger while you glare at Imperials like that." He, minding his hands, land a gentle one on her arm and ushered her away.

"Not the first time I have seen one of those before. In fact, it was something I witnessed when I first got here." She muttered looking at the Winking Skeever's sign. "Let's get this over with." She said, her voice sounding heavy and pained for a brief moment.

Walking into the tavern was like walking into fucking chaos. Men and women swathed in clothes that looked both foreign and expensive. Commotion was everywhere, drinks being poured, food being eaten or thrown, the owner shouting above the chaos.

"Want to come back in a little while? This place might die down in a while." He snagged a corked beer from a table close by and shrugged at Serlina's shocked expression. "They won't miss it in this mess."

"Sound like a plan. I can't even squeeze through all this to see if I could find a wood elf in all this mess."

"Why don't we just - " He stopped mid-sentence when a voice caught his ear.

"Bishop!"

They turned to their left slightly to see a six-foot blonde, arms out flung, burst through the crowd. She wore a set of green farmers clothes that he knew hid miles of legs, a quill-thin body offset by high, firm breasts that almost poured out of the laces that kept her top together. A flute jangled from the clanging a strap on her hip and nearly mowed Serlina down as she threw her arms around him to fix her murderous mouth to his. Or at least try. The best Serlina could do was grab his beer before it upended. He immediately felt enraged as he managed to pull her off majority of his body and very nearly shook the shit out of her.

"I knew you'd come back." Her voice was low, and nearly a sob, over the taverns noise.. "You don't know what it means to me. You can't know."

The hell-

"Ah," he said, his mind still trying to place her name, feeling a sense of foreboding to his right as Serlina's gaze flicked from him to her, each time, slower than the last.

"Most of these people, they don't know me. They haven't been in me." Her voice purred, making him scowl in disgust.

For. Gods. Sake.

"Enough. Why don't you just..." He tried untangling himself, but her arms tightened around his neck like a snake. The grip and way she was trying to twist her hips towards him had his jaw clenching as the name clicked into place. "Aia Arria, I want you to stop and- damnit woman, you're cutting off my oxygen. Let go!" He struggled as she started running her hands over him, slowly.

"I've missed you. And tonight means so much, now so much more." Dramatic tears glimmered in her smoky eyes; her lips quivered with emotion. "I know I can get through tonight, the stress, the demands, now that you're here. Oh, Bishop, Bishop, stay close to me. Stay close." He looked to Karnwyr who was looking around the tavern, tail wagging as the commotion of the bar seemed to either overwhelm him or leave him wondering where to go first.

"Aia Arria, I have no idea what in Oblivion you are talking about. Now would you just let-" He sent a look to his right and met a cool blank face, one that had his stomach tightening in apprehension as his gaze settled on Serlina's eyes.. A burning green, while her expression stayed calm. A woman, he thought, that stood by and watched something like this, with a neutral face, was never a good sign. He sent her panicked expression as he pulled her away. "Ladyship, this is Aia Arria." Desperate now, he gripped Arria's wrists to unlock them from his neck. "Ladyship.."

"It's wonderful to meet you." Cheerful, enthusiastic, Serlina offered a hand when Aia Arria turned to the other feminine voice and stumbled back as if stabbed, then whirled on Bishop.

"You- You'd bring another woman here and what? Throw her in my face? Bastard!" She ran, shoving her way through the fascinated crowd that had begun looking on. Even Serlina was looking from him to the swinging door, back to him. The expression she wore was no doubt the same one he did.

The fuck was that all about?

This day was just getting better and better and his mood was turning foul.

"Okay, this was fun. Let's go." He grabbed Serlina's hand and pulled her to the door. Surprisingly enough, she moved with him and didn't pull away. He managed a good gulp of fresh air when they got out of the tavern. Good grief, he rubbed where Aia Arria's arms had been locked around his neck.

"She seemed… nice." He watched as she spoke the word, like she was testing it out in her mouth and couldn't tell if she liked either the sound or taste of it. He scoffed and dropped his hand.

"Nice is a word for it. You watched a woman throw herself at me and you call her nice? She could have been running to stab me. You didn't protect me." He mocked as if he was wounded as he rubbed his throat and winced slightly at his jest. If she didn't appreciate the humor she Shout him across the hold. Or-

"Your right. I failed you. I'm so ashamed." Her tone was.. Slightly amused. Still cold, but the playful smirk in it was unmistakable.

He narrowed his eyes as he pulled her along the sidewalk. "And, what, you think that was funny?" He asked, not having a clue on how to deal with her nonchalant behaviour. And to top it all off, she shrugged.

"I'm a bitch, too. Cold-hearted. More shame." She mocked in return, and a small laugh left her lips which she tried to cover with her hand.

Women.

They were fucking confusing sometimes. "Gods, Bishop! What were you thinking?" She asked, a few laughs coming out again as she spoke.

"When a random woman throws herself into the arms of an unprepared man, he stops thinking." He ran a hand down his face and noticed that she still held the ale he had snagged in the tavern in her other hand, and was being held out to him. Taking it with grateful hum, he swallowed it's contents, burning away the women's scent with the scent of the ale. He dragged a hand through his hair when he finished the drink as he studied her face. "Let's walk town for a bit," he suggested. "I don't want to chance running into her again." He caught her tight nod. "You weren't the least bit embarrassed by that?" He asked and watched her shrug as her own gaze followed the wolf who trotted alongside them on the stone roads.

"Not really. If she'd been remotely sincere, I'd have felt sorry for her. But she's as fake as her hair colour. And probably just as odd." She shrugged. Her hair was fake? He frowned.

He considered as they walked around Solitude, watching her eyes widen slightly now and again as they passed buildings. "Why do you say that? About her being fake?"

"It was all about the commotion, and her in the center of it. She may feel something for you, but she feels a lot more for herself. And she saw me, before she jumped you. She knew you'd brought me with you, seen it, so she put on a show." She rolled her eyes. "Reminds me of my time in the Council.." She murmured and looked away, lost in thought a moment.

"Deliberately embarrassed herself? Why would anyone do that?" The words left him before he could stop them. She tilted her head, side to side, weighing the thought.

"She wasn't embarrassed, more like… excited." She angled her head, looking into his baffled eyes. "Men really don't see things like that, do they? It's so interesting." She said sounding a little awed. "Think of it this way, ranger, she was the star of her own romantic tragedy, and she fed on every moment. I bet she gets more song requests tonight because of it." When he walked in silence for the next few moments, she winced. "And all that really hammered your ego, I see."

"Scratched it, superficially. I'm weighing that against knowing I didn't somehow give her the wrong signal and actually deserve that entertaining little show." He shrugged. "I'll take the scratch."

"You're better off. So, any other we-had-a-thing you want me to meet?" She asked with a small amount of heat and he casted her a sideways glance.

"Absolutely not." He mock shuddered. "But I do want to say that, for the most part, the women I've been with have been sane."

"That speaks well of you." Her eyes lingered over an alchemy shop. "I'll be honest when I say that if hadn't caught the way her eyes went big at the sight of you, I would say that 'I'm not going to be with a man who appears to be involved with someone else' since it t tends to give the wrong idea and I don't need that extra trouble."

Thank the gods for that. Simply because he hadn't looked at another woman since the first time he saw her. Even Aia Arria, who had been in his arms had held no appeal to him. Not because they had already had their night together, one, he recalled, that had stopped not long after it begun, but because she simply, wasn't Serlina. His eyes looked over Serlina and almost smiled when she stopped and looked around again.

Keep forgetting that she is still a foreigner in these parts."

"Wow!" A young voice called, drawing them out of their moment. They turned around until they landed on a small dark-haired boy. "You look like you can handle a sword!" The boy says, pointing to her swords. She looks down at them, eyes lit with good natured intrigue as she laid a hand over the hilt, the motion casual.

"You've got no idea, kid. She can do it one and two handed." He watched as their eyes widened with a murmured 'whoa.' The kid ran off into the street, shouting something about playing 'hide and seek' as they moved on. Not long after, a girl had run up to them, her hand held out to Serlina. She looked down at her and looked at, what looked to be a slip of paper that was carefully tucked under her thumb. Serlina wrapped her bigger hand around hers, took the paper, making the girl smile and giggle, then race off towards the other children down the hill.

"Blue Palace is down there." He pointed down the hill as she unwrapped the paper, following his direction.

"I see what you mean now." She nodded then her gaze drifted down to the note. And her expression turned to one of confusion. "This.. can't be right." Her voice was a broken whisper, her fingers trembled. Leaning over, he looked over the note.

'Be you ever so quick

With vision keen

By your eyes we are never seen

Unless per chance

It should come to pass

You see our reflection in a looking glass'

"Is that-" He frowned.

"A riddle." She finished for him with a tight nod. "But one I haven't heard in.. At least a decade." She said, lowering the paper.

"Do you know the answer?" He asked and received a droll stare.

"Do you?" She asked as she walked to where the girl had scampered off to.

"Never had the patience for riddles." He admitted with a one shoulder shrug.

"You do lose at the games quite often." She let out a small giggle when he poked her around her ribs. "My friends used to use it when passing secret messages to eachother as kids." Her voice grew quiet as her fingers traced the lettering.

"You would have friends who also like word games." She backhanded his chest gently as she reread the message. He rubbed his chest as she smiled.

"More so between me and-" The paper slipped from her fingers as her eyes grew frantic until they landed on something near the food market. Following her gaze, his gaze landed on a group of bards, a few villagers mingling in the market. A hand lifted her her mouth, the other to her chest, where her heart resided. "Kasa-Jeen!?" She called, her voice ringing out across the space. Slowly, an Argonian woman turned to the sound, her tail twitching side to side, then pause going deathly still amidst the bards.. And was off like a shot.

"Ladyship!" Karnwyr took off after her, barking in excitement as he followed.

This, Kasa- Jeen, seemed to react to the call and start towards her, her tail swinging as she tied her harp to her hip.

"Deek-beeko!" The Argonian called out, her arms wide and fell back a step when Serlina landed between them, collided really. With arms wrapped around eachother he watched as they spoke in and out of languages that had his head almost spinning. They touched each other's faces, Kasa-Jeen raked her fingers through Serlina's hair, seeming to admire it's texture.

"You seem to have changed much in the time we have spent apart." Serlina gushed. "Z'en, your colours are so sharp. So bold. So beautiful!" She looked over her clothes, her hands running over her sleeves. Her clothes were a worn out blue with a brown corset and boots. But that wasn't what was so striking. He had met Argonians, of all different looks, but this one was different. Her scales were a startling shade of red, pink when the light hit places like her neck and palms. Her lizard eyes were calm and a deep mix of blue with orange flecks. She stood a foot taller than Serlina, but her body spoke volumes of joy. Karnwyr was all but pawing at her tail as it swished back and forth. It stopped it's fast paced movements when Kasa-Jeen's eyes landed on him. They pulled away and he met her gaze coolly, even when a smile pulled at his lips at the sight of Serlina so.. full of untampered joy.

"Ruheeva" Kasa-Jeen said smoothly.

"Too you too." He nodded back and caught Serlina's pleased smile.

"What are you doing with this..Oje?" Kasa-Jeen's eyes moved up and down, looking him over. "Is he an…" She eyed him warily and looked back to Serlina. "Uxith-beeko?"

"No! No! Nothing like that!" Whatever the lizard had called him had made her cheeks pinken slightly.. Clearing her throat, she stepped between the two of them. "Kasa-Jeen, this is Bishop. A companion of mine and.. good friend." She gestured between the two of them, and a smile tugged his lips when her gaze lingered a little. Like a shared secret passed between them.

Friends. Yes. That seemed to enjoy kissing eachother now and then.

He nodded in greeting.

"It's interesting to meet you. Never knew Ladyship had friends like you." He admitted and was met with, what he thought looked like, a fang filled grin.

"Indeed. Not often we get one of our root kin out this far from our lands." Her voice matched many of the Argonians he had met. Same heavy rasp kind of sound. Yet, on some of her vowels her tone changed. Like she hit them harder than needed.

"You're very lukiul for not having any of your egg brothers here." Serlina mentioned, getting a teasing hair pull, making her laugh.

"Took some getting used too. Come!" She waved them towards a large building. "We must go inside and sit! See our college!" She turned tail and walked towards a large door.

"We going in there?" He asked and received a slightly heated glare that shifted into one of realization then softened to something he hadn't seen in her eyes before.

"I know you don't like bards, but give me.. I'll push for an hour, with her.. You can stay with me or wander. Hell, you can even try for a room for the both of us back at the tavern. But.." She walked a step to him, took his hand and squeezed tightly. "I haven't seen Kasa-Jeen since I was a young girl. And I have truly missed my friend. Please, for me, give me some time with her. That's all I ask."

"Aia Arria is a bard as well.." He said sharply, eyeing the building. Her fingers loosened a little then re-tightened.

"She wont touch you again." She said it so fiercely that it made his blood swim a bit. At least until her eyes cleared from their temporary intensity and lowered their clasped hands. "That is, unless you want her too."

He didn't.

"I don't. You can stay. I won't pull you away from this." He felt something in his chest ache at the multitude of emotions that flickered over her face.

"Really?" She asked, her voice wavering and her eyes becoming slightly glossy.

"You think I would stop you?" He asked, making her eyes shift down, her teeth digging into her bottom lip gently. "Better yet, you think I could?" He asked, making her let out a small chuckle as she let go of her lip.

"Well, it's not just me. I have to think of things that will benefit everyone."

"I will endeavor not to die of boredom while you catch up with a childhood friend. However," He held up a hand when she looked ready to start jumping for joy. "I will stay with you." He held up a finger. "Not because you need protection, but I am intrigued to listen in on this childhood you-" He stopped short when she lifted herself to her toes and laid her lips on his cheek. Warm and gentle. Soft and pure. Nothing sexual but it did stir him in another way.

"Thank you Bishop." She dropped back down to her normal height as she turned her head to look at the direction in which Kasa-Jeen had left in. "It's not all that exciting though, believe it or not." She said over her shoulder as she walked to the door, letting his mind prepare itself for the time they would be spending here.

The thought of learning more about her should have put him off. Fucks sake, he was willing to deal with a building full of bards just to see her smile like she had again. It made his chest feel like he got walloped with a war hammer dead center.

What was happening here?

Serlina cast him a look over her shoulder, her smile making his chest hurt all over again.

"You coming, ranger?" She asked, her voice rising, happy and sweet as the smile graced her face.

Whatever it was, he was willing to see just where exactly it was heading.

"I'm coming." He called and followed her inside.

AN:

Hey guys! Super happy to have you guys still along the way for my story! Going strong into the new year and I will do my best to keep it up!

For those of you who would like a visual of our lovely lizard lady check out this link: wiki/Online:Kasa-Jeen

Deek-beeko - Friend of youth/ childhood friend

Ruheeva - Seemingly a greeting used for strangers.

Ojel- Literally, not of Argonian tongue or non-speaker of Jel, marking somebody not of the tribe, an outsider. Sometimes used as an insult.

Uxith-beeko- Nest-friend. More directly, a sexual partner.

Lukiul- Assimilated. Used to signify an Argonian who has adapted to a non-Argonian culture.

Small discussion here that I would like to touch base on, so would you kindly read if you have a moment?

Now, some of you have mentioned that the length of my chapters can get a little long and I hear what you are saying. But I just want to say a few things that way my mind is clear..

As I write my chapters, I personally (then again I'm biased since I write them) like when they are the length they are. I like when I can sit down and read, get lost in a story for a time and come out of it feeling like I read a real chapter. I can't help but remember when I first started reading fanfiction and loathed when the chapters weren't longer. Or that when one finished, it jumped from place to place and it left me wondering 'what happened between this event and this newer one?' Besides a sentence or two, the reader being you guys, or hell, even me, are all we are given to go on.

It felt like the pace was far to fast for me. Like, this story is about two characters who are different in a lot of ways and slowly are sliding down a slope of my creation (muhahaha).

I cant help but feel like I wouldn't do them justice if in 10 short chapters they go from 'I don't even know you' to 'jumping each others bones' or less than that. And yes, I use the script from the game and mod a bit here and there, but the context and feeling around them are what makes it different. You feel and understand how Serlina takes it, mentally and emotionally. If you find that repetitive, then I apologize..

Some of my Tumblr followers have said that how Serlina reacts to the 'script' is some of the best parts. It's, as I have been told, 'real'. Real thoughts and feelings.

IE:

"I really like your spin on how you portrayed the first absorption of a dragon soul, and how she was 'deemed' dragonborn. How a part of her she didn't even know about, hurt as it fully rose to the surface and then was gone, like it never happened. Someone tells you that you are someone or something out of a legend and she backs away from it, wanting to run. Not everyone wants power. Some are fearful of it and don't know how to deal with it. Or that fact that she is consonantly on the fence with how she feels about Bishop. She knows there's attraction, and yet, she is afraid of how it will effect not only herself, but her journey as a whole if she becomes more involved. It suits her character since she now seems to be getting more into the mindset of 'it's not just about me anymore.'. And that hit me pretty hard."

This.

(SHOUT OUT TO cdwgaga)

So, I just want to say that it's stuff like this that makes me both understand and kinda mourn when some of you want to skip or skim, but the lines inside the lines are what changes how it is taken or delivered…

LONGEST. AN. EVER.

Anyway, rant/explanation done.

Apologies for those who hate stuff like this.

For those who made it this far! You get a sneak peek. Gotta message me for it though!

That is, if you still are interested in the story even after my rant.. O.o

This month is gonna be hectic for me, so to ease the way, I've taken a try at breaking up my chapters… See if it suits you guys better, as well as me.

I always love hearing from you guys and enjoy talking to each of you who have questions about the story. You got cool imaginations!

Until next time guys!

Stay Romancing!

-IMME.