Blindness
by Deunan and Hawkings.
Self sufficient
~~~*~~~
Four days later.
For the next day Xochi was allowed to sleep in the guard tower where word was sent to the Legion about finding the kidnapped white woman and that one specifically left the second the letter arrived.
He would be there within that day but Xochi wanted to live a life of a regular for a while and so she did so.
"Apples!" One off duty guard said from the upstairs. "Pears, I miss having pears." Another said leaning back in an old chair.
"Is that the last?" Xochi asked. "Enough for lunch and dinner, that's all." The captain said.
"Now back to work!" He called around and the guards began to change shifts.
"I'll be back in an hour."
"Be careful Xochi." The captain said as she left.
Her good clothes she wore four nights ago were torn but repaired now and her arm was healing up fine.
Yet what she wouldn't do to meet that man again, he saved her and seemed so annoyed that he'd kill himself if she didn't leave, which made her laugh now.
Before going to the markets she entered an abandoned house that the count refuses to acknowledge when she asks him about it.
So now she heads there, goes upstairs and enjoys solitude in a now fixed up room.
It wasn't perfect, far from it in fact, but she had gathered and placed trinkets around it, she gathered a clean bed, rug and nightstand since the last one was broken, but she was able to salvage the dresser and some paintings and drawings that were ready to fall off the walls.
Although Xochi thought she was the only one who knew about this room and liked it that way, she was wrong.
Another knew about it and had enjoyed watching the trinkets gather more and more from the passing days.
This woman was a Khajiit, a cat woman who enjoyed exploring the ever expanding collection of toys, gadgets, lockets, and others around the room.
Every day something new would come and the woman would either play with it if it was a toy, figure out how it works if it was a gadget or wish to wear it if it was clothing, either ways she loved it, like a mini adventure, she visited it everyday.
Now the Khajiit came up from the basement quietly since she heard someone in the second floor.
With a natural sneaking talent as well as honed talents the Khajiit slowly snuck up the stairs until she was barely peaking over the second floor.
Looking around she saw Xochi, who was placing yet another valuable in place, this time it was a dress, a long beautiful dress, unmarked, no loose ends, the Khajiit woman stared it wonder as Xochi only pretended to see herself in, but knowing she would leave soon she dismissed it and hung it in the closet.
The Khajiit, wearing entire black, went unoticed and preferred it.
Because without a doubt, the Khajiit woman was envious of the womans beauty, but remained hidden since as much as she wanted her beauty she didn't want to disturb it in the slightest, she wanted it calm and relaxed until she had a chance to close examine the woman.
As she watched the woman she could only stare in amazement at the physical properties she had, how her skin shone in the sun, or how her hair always seemed to frame her face perfectly, as if carefully planned. Her ears were long, pointed and jeweled right down to the end.
The clothes she wore were not particularly this Khajiit's choice, but looked perfectly good on the woman she beheld.
Her jewelry was plentiful, there was bracelets, there were anklets and charms, earrings and one in particular that had a jeweled chain that connected to her nose ring, which to most people would be odd looking, but the woman pulled it off very well, and her necklaces seemed to accent every part of her collar bones.
Now the Khajiit knew the woman didn't live here but she also knew, somehow, that she'd have the chance to observe her again.
Slowly the woman made her way back down the stairs.
"Xochi! Xochiquetzal? Nero has arrived!" The woman above was startled, she ran down the stairs just as the Khajiit woman dodged behind barrels, she ran out and left the other woman in shock.
"Xochi?" The Khajiit woman stood up. "Xochiquetzal? Perfect." She knew she couldn't stand there in the barrel forever, so she carefully climbed out and exited the building.
She spotted the woman, Xochi, running away from the abandoned house towards a guard, a legion guard who she opened her arms to and jumped on him as he swung her around, so very pleased to see her.
The Khajiit came to a comclusion that this guard must be her fiancée and smiled at the reunion.
She walked along, watching Xochi kiss the guards face over and over again, yet not once kissing his lips, which was confusing to her but she shrugged it off.
Listening closely, she heard them talk.
"Xochi, I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you alone again, I promise!" He hugged her tightly.
"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault." She hugged him as tightly as she could.
"Well sir, it seems you'll be leaving again, right?" One of the Cheydinhal guards said.
"No, it's too late, we won't make it back in time. We'll stay here, in the morning we'll leave." He said releasing her.
"You can stay in the barracks." He offered.
"No, I have a place!" Xochi said. "I'll stay with her tonight, no one will ever come near you again, ever." He held onto Xochi's shoulder.
"Come, I'll show you!" Xochi pulled Nero, towards the Khajiit woman who simply turned a corner and acted natural.
She watched as Xochi and Nero slipped into the abandoned house again and she followed closely behind them, acting natural of course, because we all know natural folk love to sneak into abandoned homes.
She listened to the two as Xochi showed him the room she designed.
"Wow Xochi, hard at work huh?" The Khajiit woman once again peaked up the stairs.
Xochi smiled back handing Nero a chain charm bracelet. "Yes, hard indeed, I haven't finished it, I want to, but I don't have enough time." Xochi showed him around, where she kept all her clothes, foods, drinks, and of course the trinkets.
"A jeweled amulet? That's expencive Xochi." He examined the necklace.
"The mages said it was enchanted, that whoever wore it would receive a personality boost." She said.
"That's very expensive Xochi, where did you get this stuff at?"
"Scavenged it, from this house, from around, I didn't steal any of it if that's what you are worried about."
"This is amazing Xochi, I've been trying to afford jewelry for Chanda for months, all I can buy now is some cheap copper necklaces worth ten gold, this is worth at least a thousand!"
"Then take it to her, and this as well as these." She pulled out rings, bracelets, earrings and one blue velvet outfit.
"I couldn't, you worked hard for this." He offered it back.
"But I don't want it if I can't use it, take it."
"Why can't you wear it?"
"From what I can tell, if I dress too nice people will want to watch me more, I dress commonly people care less and I thought that's what you would want." Xochi pick and chose from the drawers.
"Xochi, don't worry about what I want, if you want to wear this around, I don't care." He said offering it once again back.
"Chanda needs it more then me Nero, so tomorrow morning we'll take it back to her alright?"
Nero grinned. "Alright then, we need a place to sleep." He looked around.
"You can take the bed, I prefer the couch." Xochi sat on the couch.
"Something wrong with the bed?" Nero said eyeing the bed suspiciously.
"No, it's just how I was brought up, giant bed, very sinkable, made of feathers and so is this couch so naturally I prefer it."
Nero laughed. "Alright then, it's late, we need rest. I'll wake you in the morning to leave." He shook his head smiling and sat on the bed removing his boots, gauntlets and armor, all left was a long baggy shirt and leather pants.
"Good night Xochi." He laid down wearily of the bed, shocked to discover it was more comfortable then he would have thought it to be.
"Good night Nero, I wish you good dreams." She smiled as well and laid on the couch pulling a sheet over herself.
The Khajiit thought it was semi romantic had the legion man not been married...
She snickered to herself before exiting the house on the road to Bruma.