The next couple of days passed all too quickly.
Bishop and Aeyrin didn't have that much to do in Solitude before the ball, but that was surprisingly refreshing. With Casavir and all that poisoning unpleasantness sealed behind the Castle Dour walls for the most part, the city almost seemed… welcoming. And they could actually spend their time there having 'fun', just as Bishop had promised. They spent their time splurging their loot earnings on good meals and spiced wine at the Skeever, although Bishop still hoarded his drakes earned from selling the necklace. He would come back to the jewelry shop again. He just hoped that the fucking tin-head didn't manage to convince that jeweler that Bishop actually wanted to rob him. The man didn't seem convinced of that back then, but Bishop still needed to be wary. And to be wary of having someone watch him hover around the store, apparently.
Aside from that, they mostly wandered around the markets in Solitude or even went outside the city walls for a long hunt with Karnwyr, instead of spending more on meat provisions. Although Aeyrin managed to scare some of the prey with her inability to be subtle, it was still enjoyable. And Karnwyr was very excited about the respite from the enclosed stone walls of the city.
Eventually, one evening, Aeyrin even convinced Bishop to come with her to see a performance at the Bards College, much to her satisfaction. She had been curious about the bards there for a while now and when she heard some people around the city talk about an upcoming public show at the College courtyard, she couldn't resist. Bishop wasn't very pleased about that idea, but she was so excited, it was impossible to say no to her. And in the end, it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable evening. As little thrilled as he was about any bardic performance, except for listening to Aeyrin's beautiful voice, the music was… tolerable. Much better than the same old boring Nordic songs. And the wine and refreshments were definitely good.
Soon enough, the day came when they were supposed to meet with Azshan for that 'fitting' thing. They still didn't really know what it meant. Well… it was obvious that it had to do with making the clothes for the ball fit, but it was a bit baffling as to why. It was one thing to be taking measurements for an armor – that really needed to be precise for combat movement – but for clothes? They've always just… bought clothes. There were always some around that fit, although Aeyrin did have trouble in that area sometimes, but still, wasn't it possible to just grab one of the pieces that would fit them? They did that last year for the ball as well. What was this about?
When they walked out of the inn and headed towards the market streets after their breakfast, Azshan was already waiting there for them. He wasn't alone either. There was a woman waiting there with him, clearly a noble. It was plain to see from the bright red dress adorned with laces and black pearl jewelry all over her. And from the way she stood with her nose upturned and a judgmental look on her face. It was almost comical how much she looked like a mocking portrayal of a noble.
Her expression didn't waver in the slightest when she noticed Aeyrin and Bishop approach, but Azshan's face lit up with a familiar grin at least.
"There you are!" he smiled widely and took a step towards them to greet them. "We've been waiting for a while now."
They weren't exactly late – Azshan said 'after breakfast', but that was a very relative time. Aeyrin and Bishop weren't very used to waking up too early, especially when they were spending their times at inns. The warm beds had to be made good use of after all.
"Sorry, you didn't specify…" Aeyrin shrugged her shoulders at him, but it only earned her a cheerful tussle of her hair.
"It's fine. There's no rush," Azshan nodded while she tried to quickly brush her hair with her fingers to get rid of the tangles that Azshan had just put in it. "In any case, I'd like you to meet lady Gisli," he gestured towards the Nord woman in the red dress. Her face still bore the same expression and it only seemed accentuated by her very straight blonde hair lining her cheeks and excessively dark makeup. It made her look even harsher for some reason. She was a stark contrast to Azshan's cheerful smile. "She will be accompanying me… or us… to the ball."
Aeyrin was a bit taken aback by that. That woman didn't exactly look like pleasant company, as much as Azshan had assured them that the ball would be 'fun', she didn't seem like someone who would add to it. And she appeared surprisingly old for being his 'date'. At least twenty years older than him, if not more. But none of that probably mattered. She was a noble and Azshan was representing the Order. This was probably all about appearances yet again.
"Charmed," the woman nodded at them sharply with the most deadpan expression imaginable. The insincerity was practically oozing from her tone.
"Y-yes," Aeyrin stammered nervously in response while Bishop only raised his brow at the woman. That attitude was kind of throwing her off and making her uncomfortable already. She really hated dealing with these 'types' of nobles. It took her a while to realize that she hadn't actually said anything at least polite in return, but the moment had passed. And besides, this Gisli hardly seemed concerned about it.
"So what are we doing again?" Bishop interrupted the awkward moment and folded his arms across his chest expectantly.
"A fitting. I thought I'd mentioned that," Azshan smiled.
"Yeah, but why?" Bishop insisted. He still didn't understand why they couldn't just buy some clothes like the last time.
"So that the clothes would fit after they're made?" Azshan raised his brow at him in confusion while the noblewoman by his side looked practically horrified at that question.
"You're going through all that trouble?" Aeyrin asked. It seemed like a lot to have custom-made clothes that would only be worn one night. At least that was what Azshan would likely assume, since wearing something twice seemed to be a travesty or something. "We just got some clothes from a shop on the day of the ball the last time."
"How uncouth," Gisli scoffed at her. "Azshan, dear, are you sure you want to have them along?"
"We don't have to go at all," Aeyrin noted quickly. She still wasn't very thrilled about the ball, especially now when it was obvious that this woman would be there too.
"I am sure, lady Gisli," Azshan nodded with determination before he turned back to Aeyrin. "It's all about making an impression. And about showing off the right tailors that I've made arrangements with. The Radiant Raiment doesn't sell eveningwear off the racks and they made a donation to the Order so that they could have their work shown off by me and my guests at the ball."
"They're paying you to wear their clothes?" Bishop raised his brow at him. That sounded like a really stupid idea.
"Not me. It's a donation. I'm just doing them a favor in return," Azshan explained. That didn't really sound much different. "Just bear with it, it's just a fitting. It won't take long."
"Sure," Aeyrin let out a subtle resigned sigh. She hoped so at least. She really didn't like all this fussing about appearances, especially with more strangers hovering around her and very likely commenting again on her scars or figure. She was really not looking forward to that. It was best to get this over with. "Where is this shop?"
"It's just there, around the corner," Azshan smiled warmly. "Come."
…
"Sir Azshan! It is such a pleasure to have you here," an Altmer woman greeted them with a bright smile the second they stepped inside the store.
Walking inside the shop was like entering into another world altogether. It was full of neatly displayed clothes, on mannequins on various sizes and in display cabinets. It was all made from quality silks at the first sight, lined with glittering gold or silver embroidery. If these were supposed to be 'casual' clothes, not evening gowns, it certainly begged the question of who would actually wear these? It was even fancier than Aeyrin's new clothes from the Temple of Dibella. There were jewels and accessories displayed everywhere and it made the whole place glitter as the rays of the morning sun seeped in through the windows.
The Altmer herself was dressed in a black elegant gown and adorned with jewelry. She looked almost ready for the ball herself, but it seemed like this was just how she ordinarily dressed herself on an everyday basis.
Aeyrin instantly felt out of place there. It was just like last year all over again. She was dreading the process to come already.
"A pleasure as always, lady Endarie," Azshan took a hold of the elf's hand and bent down to place a kiss on top of it. It was almost unnatural how the woman giggled at the gesture. As if it was a sound that usually didn't really come out of her lips.
Azshan stepped away from the woman a mere second later and he gestured towards the rest of his party still standing by the door. "You already know lady Gisli, of course. And lady Aeyrin with her companion will be accompanying us as well."
"Of course, we are more than happy to have you all present our creations at the event," Endarie nodded with satisfaction. Her eyes lingered on Bishop for a while though, especially on his clothes, and her happy expression twisted as if she was contemplating Azshan's sanity for a brief second. It was quite expected, given the whole atmosphere of the place. Bishop didn't really ever bother wearing anything more than simple tunics and leather trousers. She didn't comment on it though.
"I will notify my sister, and we can begin," she said after a while. "Follow me."
The Altmer gestured for them to follow and led them through the shop into an adjacent room. They passed a set of stairs there and continued into the next chamber where they stopped. The room wasn't very big, but there were a few large lavish high-back chairs in it with a small table in front of them. One of the walls was entirely lined with mirrors while the others were full of mannequins with half-finished dresses on them. There was also a big cabinet practically overflowing with various bolts of cloth – it was so packed that the doors didn't even close and several bolts were sticking out of it.
"Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable," Endarie gestured towards the chairs. "My sister will be doing your fitting. I will go get her soon."
After that, the elf continued forth towards another door, but she stopped when she noticed that only Azshan was following her.
"Sir? In here, please," she called out to Bishop who was just standing in the room with Aeyrin and Gisli and waiting for what would happen.
"What? Why?" he raised his brow. Weren't they here for that fitting?
Azshan let out a hearty chuckle while the Altmer looked almost shocked at that question. "Sir, it would be highly inappropriate for you to intrude on the ladies' fitting. Please follow me," she gestured towards the door again.
Bishop gave Aeyrin a brief surprised look. Maybe it was just the women who needed the fitting. Aeyrin looked a little disgruntled at the development and she threw a concerned look towards Gisli. She likely didn't relish being left alone with that woman, but they should just probably go along with whatever the Altmer wanted. It would only get more uncomfortable and prolonged if they protested. Bishop shrugged at her with a sympathetic smile and headed towards the next door as well. Hopefully there would be some drinks behind it or something.
Much to his dismay, they emerged in a practically identical room. The only difference seemed to be the mannequins, which were all male-shaped and had men's clothes on them. Well… Bishop would probably not call these clothes for men. They were clothes for stuck up rich fops.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen," Endarie gestured towards the chairs in the room again. "I will be with you momentarily."
"Thank you, my lady," Azshan gave her a bright smile and bowed a bit in front of her. What a fucking ridiculous display. The woman's cheeks flushed and she giggled at him again. Why was it so unnatural coming from her? She looked so haughty before as she looked at everyone with the measured eye, yet she was apparently gobbling up this whole courteous paladin act.
Endarie left the room the way they came in only a few seconds later, leaving Bishop alone with Azshan there.
The minute they were alone, Azshan turned to Bishop and snickered at him in amusement. He was likely still amused that Bishop was going to stay in the previous room.
"What? Stop fucking laughing. I don't know how this shit is done," Bishop shrugged at him. He still didn't really get why this had to be done separately.
"You've never had anything fitted before?" he asked a little incredulously. "What about your armor? I know plate is measured differently, but wouldn't you need leather to fit?"
"I took my old armor from a dead bandit and adjusted it to fit," Bishop shrugged. "Aeyrin commissioned my new one, it was a surprise gift, but I doubt that she measured me in my sleep or something. She wouldn't need to anyway, she probably already knows what would fit me," he smirked. If anyone would have his proportions memorized, it was her. "I can work leather, it's not a big deal if it doesn't fit. I can adjust it myself. And I doubt that even leather armor fitting is like… this." He gestured towards the lavish room.
"Of course it's not like this, I just assumed that you have to get proper measurements for it too. You know, without clothes," Azshan smirked.
"Why would you do that without clothes? You wear armor on your clothes. That would be stupid," Bishop scoffed, earning a pondering nod from Azshan. It took a while for him to register what Azshan had actually said. "Wait, we have to undress for this?"
"Yes. You don't wear clothes on other clothes," Azshan smirked again. He had a point, though that didn't change the fact that this whole thing was gonna be weird and uncomfortable.
"All this shit because of something you're gonna parade in for one night?" he growled in annoyance.
"If you're complaining this much about something as trivial as clothes fitting, I really wouldn't want to be around when you have to do something actually annoying," Azshan laughed before he gestured towards the lavish chairs and moved to sit down on one of them.
"This is annoying," Bishop grumbled as he joined him to sit on the other one.
"You get new clothes for free and they'll bring some food and drink in a while too. I'd say you can suffer through something so horrible," Azshan winked.
Well… he wouldn't say no to some food and drinks.
…
Aeyrin sat stiffly in the soft chair, waiting for what would happen next.
Gisli hadn't said a word to her the entire time, making the whole situation even more uncomfortable. The only interruption to the deafening silence was when Endarie returned with a tray carrying a bottle of spiced wine, two goblets, and a small plate of some sweet treats. They looked delicious and they smelled of lavender, but Aeyrin was too anxious to take one. Gisli didn't look like she even noticed the plate. She only grabbed one of the goblets and began sipping wine idly.
Endarie returned one more time to bring the very same tray to the other room where Bishop and Azshan were, but then she left again. It was strange that they didn't get straight to the fitting. They were just left sitting there. Maybe the Altmer expected them to idle away with some conversation, but that didn't seem to be happening.
The minutes passed in an uncomfortable silence. Aeyrin grabbed the second goblet rigidly and began drinking. Maybe that would make this thing more tolerable. She pondered on how to even begin talking to that woman, but she kept coming up empty. She could have asked her how she knew Azshan, but the answer to that was obvious. Azshan likely knew all the nobles around Solitude – it was kind of his job. He even knew the Altmer proprietor.
She really wanted to try the treat. This was ridiculous! They were there to be eaten, right? And they looked so delicious.
She threw a cautious look Gisli's way, but the woman wasn't paying any attention to her whatsoever. Well… she likely didn't care at all about what Aeyrin was doing. She was going to have that treat. Why wouldn't she?
She reached out towards the plate, but before she could grab one, Gisli suddenly threw her a sharp look.
"Oh no, dear, don't do that," she scowled.
Seriously? Why?
"Why not?" Aeyrin asked in confusion. Maybe they weren't any good. Gisli probably had them before.
"You can't stuff yourself before a fitting. You wouldn't want to be bloated, would you? You should always go to a fitting on an empty stomach," Gisli scoffed at her.
She wasn't going to 'stuff herself'! She just wanted to try one. And 'bloated'? From one measly treat? She wasn't even there on an empty stomach at all, they had a pretty big breakfast. And she certainly wouldn't starve herself before the ball either to fit into some dress, so what was the big deal?
Aeyrin jerked her hand back dejectedly. She didn't even know how to begin arguing with that and she didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable. For a second, she had the urge to eat the whole plate just to spite that ridiculous statement, but instead, she just let out a disappointed sigh and took another deep swig of her wine. At least there was the wine.
"Sir Azshan went out of his way to invite you to the ball, the least you could do is to learn how to conduct yourself," Gisli scoffed disdainfully.
'Out of his way'? He practically begged her to come! She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to go to that ball. And now she was supposed to act grateful for it? Besides, she really doubted that Azshan would chastise her for eating.
Aeyrin decided not to mention her reluctance to attend the event. It would likely only make Gisli even more unpleasant. She should probably try to change the subject. Or silence was another option, but that was already unbearable before.
"Do you attend the ball every year?" she asked idly before she took another swig from the goblet.
"Of course. Everyone who is anyone does," Gisli snorted. "I attended last year as well. I do hope that you are not intent on repeating your pitiable performance on the dancefloor again, my dear."
Aeyrin almost choked on her wine at that. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment at that statement. Gods, she had almost blocked that memory out by now. She was just stumbling there while Casavir tried to dance with her, embarrassing them both in front of everyone.
She really wasn't planning on repeating that. Ever. Bishop wouldn't make her dance, fortunately. Unless they got both too drunk to care.
She had no idea how to even respond to that. It was clear that the woman was unhappy with Aeyrin's presence here and any further conversation would likely only lead to more quips or insults. Gods, why couldn't she have stayed with Bishop and Azshan? It would have been much more bearable with them there.
Silence ensued again and Aeyrin still couldn't get rid of the bright blush decorating her cheeks.
She was almost looking forward to the fitting now.
At least then this uncomfortable silence would be over.
…
When Endarie returned with a tray carrying wine and some treats, she flashed another bright smile at Azshan. She placed the tray on the table in front of them and almost bowed to the paladin. She didn't even seem to register Bishop there.
Not that he cared. It was ridiculous how she was fawning over Azshan though. He never understood how the paladins got these reactions from women. They were just a bunch of glorified nobles.
Bishop expected the fitting to begin, but instead, Endarie walked away once more, much to his surprise, leaving him alone with Azshan once more.
The second she was gone, Azshan eagerly reached out for one of the goblets of wine.
Wasn't he supposed to be sober or some shit?
Bishop raised his brow at him with an amused smirk. If only the tin-head could see his underling now. Azshan took a swig that emptied almost the entire goblet at once.
"What?" Azshan chuckled at Bishop's expression when he placed the goblet down again. "I'm from Chorrol too. Wine doesn't count, remember?"
"Right," Bishop snorted. "I bet the rigid tin-head loves that excuse."
"You mean Cas?" Azshan snickered. "He doesn't need to know. Overzealousness never really helped anyone."
"Isn't that the whole point of that Order of yours? I thought you people live for that shit. Then you can all act like fucking saints around everyone," Bishop scoffed disdainfully at that.
"Well you 'act' like it. That's the point, isn't it?" Azshan winked at him conspiratorially. "You just gotta know when to act like it."
Bishop scowled at that answer. He wasn't sure whether it was refreshing from a paladin to admit that he actually didn't follow all those ridiculous rules, or whether it was even more disturbing that he would openly admit that he was not taking any of it seriously. Well… no, what Casavir was doing was much worse. At least Azshan was just doing shit like drinking, instead of poisoning people while acting like some paragon of holiness. Still, why would anyone choose a life like this, choose to make those stupid vows, if they didn't want to follow them anyway? If he wanted to fight evil, or whatever, he could just do it himself.
"Why even join? If you don't wanna play by those stupid rules, what do you even get out of it?" Bishop shook his head. He just had to hide doing normal things from everyone. That must have gotten tedious fast.
Azshan gave him a surprised expression, as if the answer to that question was obvious, before he gestured towards the room they were in, towards the expensive clothes and lavish settings.
"Really? This? This is worth it? I assume you can fight. You can get money that way. At least you wouldn't have to do this whole dance for the masses," Bishop shook his head again. True, he and Aeyrin weren't exactly rich, especially not rich enough to afford shit like this, but they've only been doing this for a while properly. Azshan had been with the Order for years. If he had spent all that time raiding old dungeons, he might have found enough stuff to live very comfortably by now.
"But the dance is the whole point," Azshan smiled a bit wistfully before he downed the rest of his wine. He promptly reached for the bottle to pour himself more. "You know, most of the paladins in the Order are noblemen. Like our dear Cas. They were born into this, they already knew how to act, how to play these games, how to navigate the intrigue. I think that a lot of them join because it gives the lives they know some… higher purpose. It makes it into something noble and… pure. It's as good of a reason as any, I guess. Maybe they feel like they need to help out the church to feel better about having all that wealth served to them because they were born right. Because they didn't earn it. Well… not me. It's the other way around. You do good, so that you can have this."
"Didn't all of them? I thought you all started out in the temples," Bishop raised his brow at him. He didn't really know how all this exactly worked. He knew from Aeyrin that people at the temple did their vigils and then either stayed as priests or joined the paladins. Or left like Aeyrin did.
"In a way. Everyone has to be educated as an initiate and a cleric first, sure. Some do it later, some sooner," Azshan nodded. "But that's not what I meant. They all do this because it's the life they knew and because they want it to mean something more. Why does it need to mean something more though? I didn't do this to make myself feel better. I did this, so I could have this." He gestured around the room again. "I was born in Castle Chorrol," he continued, but when Bishop gave him a deadpan look, he chuckled and raised his hands in mock-surrender. "I was born to two servants. They could barely scrape by while all the nobles lived like counts. We could go hungry for days and no one batted an eye."
"And you wanted to be one of those people who wouldn't raise a finger to help you out of that shit?" Bishop smirked.
"Who wouldn't?" Azshan chuckled. "You can talk about lofty morals all you like, but everyone who had ever known poverty like that, would want to live like a count in a heartbeat. Living like this doesn't mean that I treat people the same way that my family was treated. The Order does help people. But I don't need to justify my lifestyle to myself by claiming to do good. I earned this. I won't treat poor people like dirt, I help when I can, because I can, but I won't feel bad about being able to live like this. It's not out of guilt."
Bishop nodded at him. It all sounded surprisingly… honest. And he made a good point. Bishop mostly hated nobles and shits like that because of how they looked down on everyone. Azshan didn't though. Why shouldn't he enjoy his spoils?
"So, when I was five, my parents had another kid. My brother. But that was one too many. There was one more mouth to feed but no more money, of course," Azshan continued. "One time, my father broke something valuable at the Castle and they made him give up his pay for two months for that. We all almost starved that time. The child didn't make it. He wasn't even a year old. My parents couldn't stand the thought of that happening again, so they sent me away, into the temple."
Bishop only listened to him curiously without interrupting. He didn't expect a story like this. The poverty was kind of familiar. He wondered why Azshan's parents never resorted to thievery – they lived at the Castle after all. But maybe they weren't any good at it. It might have only gotten them killed.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about their decision," Azshan smiled a little weakly. "They did a good thing. I was taken care of, healthy and educated, and they were still at the Castle, in the same city. I never lost my family. We still saw each other often and they even offered to take me back when my mother got a pay raise, shockingly enough," he chuckled. "But I didn't see the need to come back. I liked the temple better than the filth in the Castle basements. But there was one thing I missed." He paused. It almost seemed like he was doing it for some dramatic effect. "Watching the nobles. I always envied them all that opulence. But most of all, I loved watching them interact. It was like an elaborate game. All the gossip and the pretense and the backstabbing. It was really something to see. I watched them so much in secret. It all looked so exciting. I wanted to try. But how could I? You don't just become a noble on a whim. But… you can always become a paladin for that. And you get all that excitement without the family name. The rules… they can be annoying, but… yeah. It's worth it," he smiled proudly at that.
It was an interesting thing to learn about him – Bishop always just assumed that all the paladins were repressed idiots waving their stupid knighthoods like a shield against their human desires. He would have never imagined that any of them would actually admit to liking all that noble lifestyle shit. He still couldn't wrap his head around anyone enjoying this though. It just seemed so annoying to try and live among the nobles – it was just more rules, more repression. He couldn't see any excitement in that.
"Seriously? For that? You know what's more exciting? Drinking and fucking. And you don't get stabbed in the back for doing that," Bishop chuckled, before he thought about that statement for a bit. "Well… not usually."
Azshan laughed heartily at that before he gave Bishop a conspiratorial wink. "Sure, I'll take your word for it." Bishop wasn't sure if that wink meant what he thought it meant. Azshan was certainly not that concerned about the drinking. And he did say that he just had to know when to follow the rules. Maybe he wasn't bothering with them at all. "This is different though. It's… adrenaline," Azshan's smile turned more wistful again. "It's like… what you do, you know?"
"Adventuring?" Bishop raised his brow at him. Well, that was definitely another type of excitement. He couldn't imagine dealing with nobles having the same result, but in a way, it may have been similarly dangerous at times.
"Sure… adventuring. That too," Azshan smirked, before his expression suddenly turned more challenging. "Or… you know, what you did before that."
Bishop gave him a startled look. What the fuck did that mean? Azshan looked like he knew some kind of an exciting secret. It made Bishop instantly uncomfortable. What did he know? The last thing that Bishop needed was another paladin hounding him for some shit from his past.
"'What I did before that'?" Bishop scowled. "What did I do before that?" Now it was Bishop who threw him a challenging look in turn.
"Well… you know," Azshan looked a bit uncertain now and he purposefully lowered his voice for the next part. "Crime?"
It was almost ridiculous how unspecific that was. He probably didn't know a thing, but it was still not certain. Casavir liked to run his mouth all too often.
"'Crime'? What crime?" Bishop scoffed. If he really had some stupid accusations to spew, he better spill it now. This was the last thing that Bishop wanted to deal with now. Besides, he had nothing to worry about here. He was pardoned in Solitude. It would have been worse if Azshan knew about the bounties…
Wait. What if he did know about the bounties? He could have been the one sending them!
But before Bishop even managed to panic about that realization, Azshan's almost desperate whine eased his mind. "I don't know! Nobody will tell me," he complained. "And believe me, I've tried. Casavir kept calling you a 'criminal' but he never told us why he called you that."
Bishop gave him a somewhat incredulous look. Why would he even care? Was he just collecting some stupid rumors or something?
"I was curious," Azshan chuckled a little defensively. "Who wouldn't be?"
Bishop only rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner at that. He almost got worked up over this ridiculous shit.
"I wouldn't put much stake into what Casavir says," he grumbled disdainfully.
"No, I know," Azshan sighed. "It's just… it must have come from somewhere. And I was curious," he repeated with another disappointed sigh.
"Why do you even care?" Bishop scoffed. Why would Azshan even be curious about someone like him?
"I don't know," Azshan shrugged noncommittally. "Aeyrin's obviously serious about you and she's a good friend. I wanted to make sure that she's alright."
Bishop couldn't help but scoff at that again. "Maybe you should have been making sure of that while she was lying delirious in your Castle. And maybe you should have been watching your little paladin friends instead of me."
"Point taken," Azshan sighed dejectedly. "I just thought that I might hear something actually true instead of all the rumors," he gave Bishop a wry smile.
"What for? I thought you liked the rumors," Bishop smirked in turn. "You'd just spread it around more anyway and it will become less and less true with each telling." It was not as if Bishop would tell him anything about his past anyway. There was no point in it, besides sating his curiosity, and he definitely wouldn't tell shit like that to just anyone. Let alone a paladin.
"What makes you think I would tell anyone?" Azshan scowled. He almost sounded hurt by that assumption.
"Seriously? You just basically said that you enjoy fucking people over in those noble schemes. What else would I think?" Bishop snorted.
"I don't 'fuck people over'," Azshan gaped at him. Now he really looked kinda offended by that. "I don't hurt anyone," he shook his head determinedly as if he was reassuring himself of that fact as well, before he added with a much quieter voice: "No one that doesn't deserve it, at least."
"Right. Just criminals?" Bishop scowled at him. He still couldn't fathom why Azshan would try to pry this information out of him out of anything else than some scheme to drag it out when it was convenient. Not that Bishop would ever give him that chance.
"No! That's not what I…" Azshan shook his head vehemently. "You know what, never mind," he sighed after a second. "I was just curious about you. It's not every day that Cas calls someone a criminal and then doesn't do anything about it. But… then again, he kind of did try to do something. But it doesn't matter. You don't want to talk about your past, I can respect that. Let's just drop this."
"Fine by me," Bishop nodded. He did get the curiosity. After all, no one in their right mind would be like Aeyrin, refusing to hear rumors about the 'vicious criminal' at her side just because she wanted to hear the truth from him first. It definitely wasn't the first time when Casavir's insults got people overly invested and curious about Bishop's past.
There was a moment of silence in the room before Bishop reached for his goblet of wine. He barely even noticed the sweets on the table before. They looked like something that Aeyrin would like.
"Try one. They're good," Azshan broke the silence with his cheerful tone back in his voice when he noticed the direction of Bishop's gaze. As if to demonstrate, he took one of the treats and popped it into his mouth.
Bishop took another one and studied it for a while. It reminded him of the food at the ball last year. They must have tasted almost everything there after they stole most of it to drag it back to the Skeever. He still couldn't believe that nobody ate it there in the ballroom. There must have been a reason for it, right?
"So, last year, at the ball," he turned to Azshan while he still held the treat in his hand. "The place was full of shit like this but no one even touched it. It wasn't even poisoned," he smirked. "So why doesn't anyone eat at these things?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Azshan chuckled. "Because they would burst out of their tailored clothes."
Bishop smirked at first, before he couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. The image alone was amusing, but then he wondered if those clothes would really end up being that tight.
Fuck, he was not looking forward to any of that.
…
Aeyrin sipped on her wine once more nervously.
She had probably never been this uncomfortable in her life. They had been sitting in that room for at least half an hour by now. Or it felt like it. Gisli had barely said a word to her the entire time. The only things she said were strangely chastising insults. First, she asked Aeyrin whether her hair always looked like 'that'. Aeyrin had no idea what she meant by it, but she decided not to pry. She knew that it couldn't have been anything good. The second thing that Gisli had said during the whole time, was a comment about how she hoped that Aeyrin would manage to get through the ball without any dramatic scenes this time.
That was the scope of their conversation. And it was probably for the best. Aeyrin just tried to concentrate on the wine and wait until the fitting started. Why were they being left alone here anyway? What was the point of this?
By the time she finished her second glass, she felt a little warmer. Although she wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or from still being embarrassed by Gisli's comments. She never even answered them. What was anyone supposed to say to that?
She just wanted this to be over already.
Fortunately, it only took a few more minutes of excruciating silence before the door to the room opened and another Altmer woman walked in. She looked very similar to Endarie, although she was dressed in a blue dress and her whole visage appeared much harsher for some reason. She even looked like she was scowling mildly.
"Good day, ladies," the Altmer nodded. Her stern expression didn't change even a little bit. "My name Taarie and I will be taking care of the fitting today. I hope that you're enjoying your day at our shop," she bowed slightly.
Hardly.
Were they supposed to enjoy this?
"Of course we are, lady Taarie," Gisli nodded at her with a surprisingly pleasant smile. Yeah, right. "It is nice to see you again."
"Splendid," the Altmer cracked the tiniest of smiles. "It is very nice to see you again, lady Gisli. I hope that you will be satisfied with our work. And it is nice to finally make your acquaintance, lady Dragonborn," she turned towards Aeyrin.
"Yes," Aeyrin nodded before she bit her lower lip nervously. It probably wasn't a very polite response again, but the niceties from these women were throwing her off, especially with those stern expressions.
Taarie raised her brow at Aeyrin, but she didn't comment on it, fortunately. Instead, she made her way towards the cupboards in the room. "Please get yourselves ready and we can begin."
Aeyrin wasn't sure how she was supposed to get ready for this, but Gisli promptly rose from her chair so she just followed suit. Much to her surprise, however, the next thing that Gisli did was reach around to her back and she undid the fastenings of her red dress with one swift motion.
They were supposed to undress? Really? Aeyrin understood that the measurements should be precise, but Gisli's dress was already so tight. And so were Aeyrin's clothes for that matter. It wouldn't be that much of a difference to do this over the clothes. Was this really necessary? She was uncomfortable enough already.
Gisli's dress slid from her body almost on its own, revealing her form. She was practically fully dressed underneath – she had stockings going all the way up to her upper thighs, garters connecting them to her undergarments and a very familiar breast-prison covering her torso. That corset looked very tight, Aeyrin was sure that breathing must have been quite difficult in it. Gisli slipped out of her high-heeled shoes, but she didn't move to remove anything more. Aeyrin couldn't help but think that the corset would make her figure even more imprecise for measurements, but maybe she was going to wear it under the new dress too.
It still made Aeyrin all too uncomfortable. She was barely wearing anything under her clothes. This was going to be torture. She wasn't nearly drunk enough not to mind this.
She sat back down on the chair heavily and started to remove her boots. She knew that she was taking a longer time than usual, and it was only accentuated by the sudden telling cough coming from the Altmer woman. Aeyrin looked her way only briefly. She and Gisli were already standing in the middle of the room somewhat impatiently, watching her as if to urge her to hurry up. The Altmer woman was holding a long string in her hands and twisting it between her fingers pointedly.
With a barely audible groan, Aeyrin hurried up and yanked her boots off. She stood up again and turned around as she removed her trousers and then very reluctantly her shirt. Without a second passing, she quickly hugged her arms around her torso to cover her bare breasts. She wasn't even sure why she did that – it was pointless. She surely wouldn't be measured with her arms over her chest. But it made her feel a little better.
Before she even turned around and walked towards the center of the room, she could hear a palpably judgmental scoff, likely from Gisli. What? Was everyone supposed to wear those suffocating things to avoid offending the nobles' sensibilities?
With her face bright red, Aeyrin marched towards the center of the room and stood next to Gisli. Gods, it was even worse when she could see herself standing there in the mirror with Gisli's sour face next to her.
"Do you wish to borrow a corset for the fitting so that we can get proper proportions for your dress?" Taarie let out an exasperated sigh. Aeyrin suddenly felt like she was back at the temple during her studies and forgot to prepare for the day.
"D-do I have to? Wear that… under the dress I mean," she asked meekly. She really didn't want that thing again. She hated it. It made her feel like she could neither breathe nor move in it.
Much to her surprise, however, instead of admonishing lectures, Taarie suddenly smiled. It even seemed genuine. "No. You do not. I will prepare a fitting dress for that." She even looked excited. Maybe she was tired of doing the same cuts over and over again to hide the excessive undergarments for all the noblewomen. That was a relief, although it earned another scoff from Gisli, predictably enough.
"Now, arms down," Taarie's stern expression returned and she stretched the string between her fingers. Now from up close, Aeyrin noticed the small marks and numbers written on it.
With a resigned sigh, Aeyrin dropped her arms and stood stiffly in the room while the Altmer approached with her measuring string.
Hopefully this would be over fast.
Taarie looked over her form for a while before doing anything else. Aeyrin felt like every inch of her body was scrutinized uncomfortably until, inevitably, Taarie's eyes rested on the scars of her thigh. She knew that this was coming.
"Hm, the slit will have to be on the right side," Taarie only nodded resolutely. Aeyrin didn't know what slit she meant, but the Altmer didn't comment on her 'blemishes' anymore. She merely walked towards the cupboard to grab a notepad from there and wrote something down.
Aeyrin was still uncomfortable about being scrutinized, but at least the Altmer didn't find it necessary to talk about Aeyrin's skin or figure like the last dress saleswoman. That was refreshing. Gisli, on the other hand, did not spare her the frowning looks. Aeyrin could see it in the mirror – the woman studied her scars with a deep, almost disgusted, scowl.
Gods, she hated nobles like Gisli so much.
Fortunately, Taarie returned promptly, along with her notepad, and finally nudged Aeyrin to raise her hands and wrapped the string around her hips. It was going to be over soon.
"So, lady Gisli, I've been wondering," Taarie started to talk while she continued to observe the string closely to see the numbers. "Your lord brother hasn't requested a fitting yet. Is he going to be attending the ball this year?" There was a strange mocking undertone in her voice.
"Yes, he will be attending, as he does every year," Gisli answered curtly and her scowl in the mirrors seemed to deepen even further. "I have no idea what arrangements he made for his outfit."
"Hmm, indeed?" Taarie smirked. "I just assumed… after everything."
"Do not worry. He would not miss the event," Gisli responded morosely.
Aeyrin had no idea whom they were talking about, but she hardly cared about another noble attending the ball. There would be plenty of them already.
After the brief exchange, there was silence again and things felt all too uncomfortable once more.
This time it felt like there was also a strange tension in the air.
All of this couldn't end fast enough.
…
Bishop quickly draped his shirt over his head to dress himself again.
The fitting was finally done. To say that it was uncomfortable to stand half-naked in a room next to Azshan while that woman hovered around too close to comfort, was an understatement. Luckily, it didn't take very long, but he couldn't imagine anything more boring and pointless to waste his time on.
Endarie had spent the entire fitting fawning over Azshan and giggling at anything he said, which made things even more annoying. Not that Bishop wanted any attention from her, but he still hated how weird some people got around paladins.
Bishop didn't interact with the woman much, but he did roll his eyes with an audible exasperated sigh several times when she got too close for comfort. To his credit, Azshan never tried to tell him that he was being inappropriate or some other shit like that. In fact he mostly laughed at Bishop's reactions. It looked like he was actually enjoying this, all this pointless noble shit with someone who was annoyed by it.
He was pretty laid back for a paladin. It was somewhat refreshing. Maybe that stupid ball wouldn't be so annoying with someone less rigid with them there. Last year, Casavir kept throwing Bishop suspicious looks all evening, as if he needed to watch over Aeyrin constantly in Bishop's presence. Hopefully this wouldn't be the case this year. Azshan was even kinda… fun, sometimes. When he wasn't trying to pry too much. And now that it was clear that he had no intentions towards Aeyrin, harmful or more-than-friendly ones, he was much easier to stomach being around.
Still, it was a good thing that this was over. Endarie had already left them alone in the room again, leaving them space to dress.
Bishop was already done and he eagerly stepped towards the door once more, but suddenly, Azshan's voice stopped him.
"Hey," Azshan called out with a surprisingly uncertain tone in his voice. "Look, about before, the… 'criminal' stuff. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just…"
"Curious. Right," Bishop snorted. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to this. Everyone was curious when they found out there was something shady about his past. And he kind of expected anyone that had any contact with Casavir to look down on Bishop with contempt automatically. Azshan was at least not as preachy about shit when it came down to it. It was better that he was curious than instantly defensive and judgmental.
"Right," Azshan sighed with a wry smile. "I just didn't want you to think I'm trying to… do something about it. And after everything that happened last time with the banishment and all…"
"Look, I really don't give a fuck," Bishop shook his head. "You thought I poisoned her, fine, I get it. And it's not like even if you wanted to 'do something', you'd have anything to do." Whatever else might have been going on, Bishop could at least be confident that he was cleared of all those fucking charges and bounties in Solitude. Casavir may have still been doing stupid shit to make his life miserable, like stalking him around the fucking shops, but he couldn't do shit to him. And neither could Azshan even if he wanted to. There was no point in dwelling on any of this.
And Bishop would manage to get into that jewelry store eventually. He just had to plan it out a little more.
"Right. That's good," Azshan nodded thoughtfully. "So… bygones?"
"Sure, whatever," Bishop snorted. Hopefully this would put an end to the prying at least. "Now can we finally get out of this place?"
After Azshan gave him a bright grin and a nod, Bishop headed towards the door again at last.
He entered the previous room, only to see Aeyrin and that Gisli woman sitting in the chairs silently. Gisli looked very unimpressed with him barging in, while Aeyrin just sat there stiffly with her face somewhat covered by the wine goblet perpetually pressed to her lips. Her whole face was completely crimson.
She looked really uncomfortable.
"Excuse me," Gisli scowled at Bishop right away. "Did nobody teach you to knock?"
"Don't worry, not like you have anything I wanna see," Bishop scoffed at her before he began pointedly ignoring her and headed towards Aeyrin. The only thing echoing through the room was Gisli's indignant gasp and Azshan's very muffled snicker as he instantly slapped his hand over his mouth to hide his amusement.
Aeyrin only reluctantly put the goblet down again and rose from her chair. At least they were finally done with this.
"That was annoying," Bishop grumbled when he approached Aeyrin and snuck his arm around her waist. "Come on, princess, let's get out of here."
She eagerly pressed herself to his flank and nodded. She briefly threw a questioning look at Azshan, hopefully they really were done, but fortunately he only gave her a smile and a nod.
"I'll let you know the plans for the ball soon," he confirmed. That was all they needed to hear before they finally headed towards the exit.
They haven't been there that long, but it felt like too long already anyway.