Disclaimer: I don't own Morrowind, though I do play it quite a bit.
#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#
It's well past two in the morning when I finally leave the shrine. I'd only meant to stay for the midnight service, but then I got talking to Kaye, the shrine sergeant, and the next thing I know it's only three hours 'til my dawn wakeup. I cut through the council hall and back outside. The fortress of Ebonheart's a big maze. It's been, what, six days since we arrived, but I still get lost trying to find the privy.
Getting back to the Hawkmoth garrison turned out to be simple enough—I just followed the sounds of shattering crockery. Tristessa and Tajitt must be at it again. It was sheer bad luck that the two had ended up on the same boat to Vvardenfell. It was the cruelest luck of all that it'd been my boat. Tristessa, who came from Daggerfall, had been a magician back in the capital. Or, at least, that's what she claimed she'd pretended to be. Really, she's a thief who likes to use magical trinkets to make it look like she's got magic same as most Bretons. Sounds crafty to me. Problem was, a client wanted her to do something-which-she-won't-tell-me-what and she said she'd do it even though she didn't have an amulet or a scroll that could do help her. So, she asked her friend to find something for her that could do whatever-it-is-that-she-won't-tell-me. The friend hired a thief to steal a ring that fit the bill. Thief failed to deliver the ring. Tristessa's client sold her out to the Imperial guard, and she ended up in jail with the rest of us. Like we found out on the boat over, Tajitt was the thief and he hadn't delivered 'cause he'd gotten caught. Periodically, Tristessa brings this up, which usually leads to flying dishes.
I ducked as I entered the storage room we'd been assigned as a temporary bunkroom. The Hawkmoth barracks were full. All the forts on Vvardenfell were full up, except for the Deathshead unit up in some place called Gnisis. We were headed north to join it as soon as we got our marching orders. Until then, we sleep—all five of us—in a closet. Lucky I'd ducked, 'cause a steel helm came flying out the door and banged into the wall 'cross the hall from me.
"…weren't such a bloody awful thief, I wouldn't be stuck on this gods-forsaken, half-baked rock!" Tristessa was in fine form tonight—her blue eyes were glinting dangerously and she actually had a dagger out in her tiny hand. Bretons aren't the biggest brand of man out there, and normally I'd not thought twice about the teeny bit of steel she was wielding, but I'd known the woman a month now and knew she could be as deadly as pissed off bear.
"Now, now, Miss Triss," I said soothingly as I could manage as I wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her off her feet. My other hand took the knife away. "We both know—hell, I think the whole fort knows—that Tajitt don't have the sense Zenithar gave to little green apples." There are benefits to being a big orc male—it means I can manhandle small mannish females before they gut stupid cats. That's what Tajitt is—a cat…er, Khajiit. Downside to being an orc is everyone thinks I'm stupid. Now, I'll be an honest fellow and say I don't got much use for book-learning and sometimes I do let my temper get the better of me, but I'm also smart enough to know that if I've mortally offended a woman with as fiery a temper as Tristessa's got, then I keep my head down.
Tajitt, though, now he was looking offended at what I'd said. "We too got more sense than apples!" he snarled. All the fur on his face was sticking out angry-like.
"That's an insult to apples!" Tristessa screeched back, rage making her almost levitate right out of my grip. I dropped the dagger and kicked it out the door so I could get my other arm around her.
I just stood there, hanging on for all I was worth, while they squabbled for a good three or four more minutes. Part because they wouldn't be able to hear me over their shrieking and part because, whatever you can say about those two, they can be damn creative with their insults. Tristessa had just called the cat man "the bastard son of a cow and a moony-eyed, sugar-eating man-whore" when I decided to speak up. Such close proximity to her was making my ears ring, even though I'm a bit deaf in the left one. Been hit once too many times on that side. "Would the both of you shut it?" I bellowed. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I'd raised my voice this month. I try not to yell—it scares the smaller folk needlessly. "We got wakeup in a handful of hours, and I want some sleep. 'sides, you're probably keeping Maiko and Ariris up." I looked to the Redguard man and the dark elf woman stretched out on their pallets in the corner. Maiko was very clearly snoozing away, flat on his back with his hands crossed over his chest. If I'd stumbled in here not knowing that's how he always slept, I might think he was dead…except for the snoring. He snores worse than a house full of orcs all with chest colds. He can sleep through anything—has to, if he doesn't want to wake himself up. Couldn't tell if their bickering had woke Ariris—her back was to us. She probably wouldn't have said anything even if we had woken her. She's what they call 'taciturn', I think. Won't say two words when she can get by with one. Usually doesn't talk at all.
"No, I'm not," Tristessa argued, but she said it softly, so I put her down. I needed to yawn anyway. My pallet, tucked back behind a crate, was suddenly looking very comfy. The small woman must have seen me looking at my bed, 'cause she said, "But I'll shut up and let you get some sleep."
I patted her shoulder gratefully.
Took exactly one step in the direction of my bed and sleep when Maiko suddenly sat bolt upright and let out a scream that made all the little hairs on my back stand up and salute. Once he stopped screaming, the dark-skinned man just sat there, staring at nothing in particular, breathing deep and rapid. "You ok?" I asked.
He still couldn't get his breath, but he nodded. Ariris, awake I guess (though whether she'd been awake the whole time or if Maiko had brought her around with his yelling, I don't know), rolled over and put a hand on the Redguard's shoulder. She whispered something to him. Maiko nodded again. The dark elf looked up at me. "He is fine. Go to bed."
Maiko still didn't look fine, but do I look dumb enough to argue with her? No. Didn't think so. I went to sleep.