Ko'va pressed her forehead against the table. Her table now.
"Don't worry, Archmage," Tolfdir soothed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "We will find a solution to our problems."
Tolfdir pulled away and stood up.
"Now then. I think I'll see myself out. You are supposed to be resting after all."
Ko'va hummed in agreement and listened as Tolfdir left the Archmage's – her quarters.
Her ears perked when she heard Tolfdir greet Muz-Lari on the stairs.
Ko'va raised her head to greet her closest friend.
"Dreamer," Ko'va said, forcing herself to not whine. Although her voice was still lackluster compared to usual energy.
"What's wrong," Muz-Lari replied as she sat next to the tawny khajiit. "What's with all these books and scrolls?"
"They're the college ledgers."
Orange eyes scanned the documents.
"There's…. a lot of red ink here." Muz-Lari raised her head to look at Ko'va. "I know I'm not the best with money, but that seems like a bad sign."
Ko'va groaned and put her head back on the table. "It is! The college isn't entirely broke, but it's pretty damn close. We basically have enough to cover our day-to-day needs, but-" She stopped to sigh.
"It's no wonder we're so dependent on Enthir."
Ko'va lifted her head off the table and supported it with a hand as she remade eye contact with Muz-Lari.
"We don't even have enough money to repair the damn bridge! That's how this started. I was feeling better and Tolfdir asked me if I had any thoughts on what I should as my first task as Archmage. I said I wanted to fix the bridge."
"That's a good idea," Muz-Lari hummed.
"I know it is! Shit, Lucien nearly slipped off the gods-damned thing this morning. This morning. Yet we can't fix it 'cause no one here knows how to do stonework and we can't afford it."
"Yes, you can."
An earth-colored hand slipped below the table, when it reappeared a large bag of gold was in it. Muz-Lari set the bag in front of Ko'va.
"Dreamer, I can't take this."
"Yes, you can," Muz-Lari replied. "You helped me earn most of it. Besides its not for you, not really. It's for the college. And Lucien. Think of poor Lucien slipping again."
Ko'va weakly chuckled at those last words. She glanced down at the gold and then back to her friend. She could feel her throat tightening and her eyes getting misty from the gratitude and awe that was in her chest.
Muz-Lari made an imploring sound in her throat.
"Alright," Ko'va conceded. "For Lucien."
She then reached out and squeezed Muz-Lari's hand.
"Thanks, Dreamer. I don't know what I would do without you."
Muz-Lari smiled and returned the squeeze.
written for whumptober day 5: i've got red in my ledger