As promised long ago, a new chapter. Enjoy~
Jade and Heather stared at one another for a while, Jade's mouth agape as she looked at her. Farkas cleared his throat and broke the silence before it could linger for too long "Who are you?"
He crossed his arms and looked directly at Heather, who hummed as she spoke "Heather Evelyn, you can call me Eve for short."
Jade was still in shock. Another person, who she knew was from her world, was here, in Skyrim. The thought perplexed her, but the main question that was on her mind was how. She looked at Farkas who seemed to process this information slowly, still digesting the situation they all found themselves in himself before Jade shook her head and spoke "Can we… Um. Evelyn, Heather, whoever you want to be called… Can we all talk somewhere private?"
Farkas mumbled "There really isn't a place…"
Jade looked at him and raised an eyebrow as she spoke "Really? There isn't now?"
Farkas frowned and then groaned softly "We really… we shouldn't, Alea and Skor would get upset."
Jade waved a dismissive hand towards him and shook her head "Listen, we are all a part of this. I know her from…"
She stopped herself as she looked up at the nord, eyes pleading with him before she spoke in a soft voice "Please, Farkas."
He blew out a sigh, and looked over at Heather, perplexed as well as troubled all at once, as he waived for the girls to follow.
Heather followed, cautiously. She was confused now, Jade spoke to Farkas as if he knew of their predicament, but how could he? He was a fictional character, not a real person.
Farkas led them to the secret door of the under forge where they all made their way in, allowing the magic stone wall to shut behind them. Jade allowed herself to go into full freak out mode then as she looked at the others "What the fuck is happening."
Heather remained silent and Farkas just shifted uneasily as he looked at the dirt floor beneath him. Heather sighed and looked over at Jade who paced uneasily before asking "Can I ask why this oaf is here?"
Jades attention finally turned back to them, a frown on her face as she addressed the question "That's… Hard to explain, and he isn't an oaf."
Heather scoffed softly "Okay. Well, continue with the hard to explain part."
"Continue how?"
Heather pinched the bridge of her nose and grumbled softly before replying "As in, fucking explain how he knows what's going on and why he is here? Something that would…. I don't know, make me understand his presence here."
Jade folded her arms and sighed "He was… brought into the real world somehow, just like we were brought here I suppose."
Heather looked over at Farkas, who leaned against the wall and was listening, yet clearly not making much sense of the conversation between the two. He would probably ask Jade for more information about it later. Maybe. He seemed uneasy about the situation, not well versed in it, yet knew he was a part of whatever strange thing was happening.
She finally turned her attention back to Jade with a groan as placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips in thought before replying "You mean he ends up in our reality? As in you, or you two can get back?"
Farkas spoke "I wouldn't call it getting back for me."
She brushed the comment away as Jade spoke "For the time being, yeah. That's… the best I can explain it. I have no clue how, though. I really don't."
Fucking Jason. Heather knew right away he used her as a lab rat. His ex of all people, part of her wondered if he knew the system would do this. Heather nodded "Well, bad news is neither do I. I barely remember the last few minutes before I got here myself. We have a lot to figure out. As for us being here… I think we focus on the tasks at hand here. Any jobs, quests, tasks… Me and Jade need to carry them out as normally as we can, it would help us… blend in while we are here."
Farkas and Jade both remained silent as she spoke, nodding in agreement as they exchanged nervous glances with one another before Heather continued. "Jade, as far as you are concerned, my name is Evelyn here, only info I need right now is if you live in the same place you used to."
"Yes."
Heather nodded. "Great. Farkas, I have no idea what role you are going to play in this but once we return to…. Our reality, the one that isn't yours, we can discuss this. And, please, don't feel bad if you have no idea what's going on when I do talk to you two there. I honestly doubt Jade will understand either, but right now…. It seems for some reason we are all in this together."
They both gave uneasy nods, letting a soft silence linger between them. None of this made sense, everything between them was awkward and unnatural now. All of them trying to process the pure chaos of the situation they seemed to have found themselves in.
Farkas blew out an uneasy sigh and finally broke the silence "I say we all… get some rest. Revisit this situation in the other realm. I happen to agree that it shouldn't occur here if it can be avoided."
They nodded, and awkwardly, made their way out of the under forge in silence, the looming thought of what could possibly be occurring hanging over them individually. Eventually, their thoughts were broken.
"Well" Vilkas spoke, marching across the courtyard. The man had clearly been out and about during the day, his armor was covered in blood and dirt, and would most likely need a deep cleaning and a few repairs. He folded his arms over his chest and sighed "Farkas, brother, you seem to be quiet the recruiter. Another person looking to join the companions I assume?"
Heather spoke then "If it means getting work, then yes. I am looking to join."
Vilkas nodded and let his eyes meet hers, his silver orbs slicing into her as he sighed "Well, Farkas. You need to take her to Kodlak, you know the drill. As for you Jade. When can I expect to duel you?"
Jade seemed momentarily embarrassed and caught off guard by the question. She shifted for a moment before finally speaking with confidence she didn't even know she had "Tomorrow, whenever you are ready I will be also."
He smiled and nodded "Very well. I will see you at some point tomorrow."
Farkas looked at Jade, an eyebrow raised as she shrugged and the three walked back inside the mead hall. The hall was still quiet. Jade quickly excused herself to go to bed, which didn't surprise Heather or Farkas.
Jade found herself alone in the twin's room, a breath she never realized she had been holding escaping her lips as she sat on the edge of the bed and began to remove her armor. She fumbled with straps and cursed herself under her breath, cursed the very situation that she found herself in.
Heathers calm and collected demeanor irritated her as much as it did when she met her. Jason insisted she was just a friend, but he always had a thing for her, which lead to their inevitable break up. Heather never let Jason cheat and kept loose contact with Jade, wanting to be friends, but Jade had a bitter streak to her. She couldn't help it.
Farkas eventually entered the room, and sighed as he noticed Jade was not even halfway done removing her armor. He shut the door as Jade looked up at him "Is she…"
"Evelyn is settled for the night in the whelps' quarters. Kodlak will speak with her in the morning. As of now…" He sat down next to Jade and began helping her with the buckles and sighed softly "Lets get this gear off you, then I probably should find you another health potion."
Jade smiled and offered him a soft thanks as he helped her with the multiple straps and buckles to her armor, left in her dirty underclothes. Her nose scrunched as she caught a whiff of herself causing Farkas to chuckle. "You will get used to the… grossness. Just wait until your first quest."
Jade sighed and let her scathing sarcasm slip through as she grumbled "Yay…"
Farkas put her gear away, and dug around in an end table, pulling out another red bottle and tossing it her direction "Drink it, you will need it, I have a few more because I have a feeling you are going to embarrass yourself tomorrow."
Jade rubbed her head and looked at him, as he dug through clothes, trying to find something that might fit her, grumbling as he failed… He was going to have to ask Alea, most likely.
"I panicked. I didn't know what to do."
"Its okay. I have faith in you, at least somewhat." He tossed her an oversized shirt of his. She caught it and looked at him as he stopped and rubbed the back of his neck "Uhh… I am going to…. I don't have anything that will fit you and figured you would want something clean."
Jade nodded, and Farkas stood there for a little too long, an awkward silence filling the air as she cleared her throat "Mind stepping out?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Farkas hurried out the door, and once the door shut, Jade stripped herself of the rancid clothes she wore and pulled on the plain white tunic. She slipped into the bed, and waited in the silence until she hear Farkas reenter the room. She heard him sigh, knowing he was quick to assume he was asleep, before he slid into the other bed.
Jade laid there, about five thousand thoughts running through her mind, but finally, she found her eyes slowly getting heavy, before she drifted to sleep.
