"Don't be asking Talos for help, Leola," said Aventus in a soft voice, and the blonde looked over at him nervously.
"Why?" she asked softly.
"Ask Mara."
Leola blinked in surprise, looking curiously at him. "W-why Mara?" she asked.
"I think you know perfectly well why, Leola," he replied in a soft voice, smiling at her. "I see the way you look at her."
Leola felt her cheeks heat up and she hung her head, nodding slightly.
"I asked Ulfric – I asked my father what love felt like," she said softly. "He thought I meant you…but I didn't…"
"That's good," Aventus said with a laugh. "I'm with someone."
Leola snapped her head up, looking at him in surprise. "You're with someone?" she asked. "Who? Why haven't I met her?"
Aventus laughed again, pulling himself into a standing position and outstretching a hand to help her up. She gently took it, suddenly unsure about how often she and Aventus touched. If he had a girlfriend, should she be letting him hug her and help her up and comfort her as much as he did?
"Her name is Minette," he replied. "She lives in Solitude. She owns the Winking Skeever, so she's always busy and doesn't really have time to come out here and visit."
Leola was surprised. Aventus was romantically involved with an innkeeper? She only knew Elda, the innkeeper here in Windhelm, but she was old and weathered and nothing like she imagined somebody Aventus would date.
"What's she like?" she asked softly, nodding towards the stairs. He began towards them and she followed, eager to hear about his girlfriend.
"She's…perfect," he said with a grin. "She took over the Skeever when her father died – her brother didn't want it, and she had listened to her father so much over the years that she basically knew it all, so now it's hers."
"What does she look like?" Leola asked next as they headed out the door of the house.
"Well, she's part Nord and part Imperial," Aventus said. "Her brother's mostly Imperial and so was her father, but she looks more Nord. She's blonde, blue eyes…"
"So she looks like me?" Leola asked with a giggle.
Aventus laughed, reaching over and poking Leola's side, causing a slight squeak of ticklishness to escape her lips. "You're way, way smaller than her," he said. "You've got this tiny waist, she's got a bit more meat on her bones. Still beautiful, though." There was a moment of silence, a dreaminess in his eyes, and then he added, "Also her hair is perfectly straight, not all waves like yours."
Leola smiled as she tried to picture Aventus's girlfriend in her mind. She certainly sounded pretty. "We should visit her some time," she said softly. "I'd really love to meet her."
Aventus grinned at her. "Really?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied. It excited her to see him so happy. Aventus was usually very serious with the occasional glimpse of humour, so seeing a bright grin on his face like she did right now was thrilling. Obviously this Minette girl meant a great deal to him.
"That would be great," he said. "We'll take Erith when you two make up."
Leola bit her lip, nodding slightly. "If we do, yes…"
"You will," Aventus replied. "She looks at you the same way you look at her…take her an amulet of Mara or a gift or something like that when you go to talk to her."
"An amulet of Mara?" Leola asked, surprised.
"Yes," Aventus said. "It's how you show someone how you feel…I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture."
Leola smiled a bit, nodding as they neared Candlehearth Hall. "I like that idea," she said softly. "Do you know where to get one?"
"Check with the local merchants," he said. "The only other thing I can think of is to head down to Riften for one, but that would be incredibly inconvenient. The sooner you two make up, the better."
Leola's gaze shifted towards the inn and a surprised gasp left her lips. Standing just by the door was Sam Guevenne, the Breton drunkard who had taunted her before.
"Who's that?" Aventus asked, seeing that Leola's gaze was aimed towards the stranger.
"I…um…" Leola was hesitant for a moment. The Breton looked over at her and gave a smile, and she bit her lip. "Just excuse me a moment, Aventus," she said softly.
"Alright," said the assassin slowly, slowing to a stop as Leola continued forward, heading to where the drunk stood.
"Leola, good to see you again," the man slurred with a grin.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly, and a dramatic frown came to the stranger's lips.
"What do you mean? Maybe…I just wanna, you know, be your friend," he answered with a laugh.
"Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it," she spat. "Why are you here?"
"I'm just worried. You're stressing so much about trying to deal with your mother's affairs," he replied. He began fumbling around in one of the large pockets of his robe before pulling out a small glass bottle, holding it out to her. "Look, this is for you. When you're ready to relax a bit, you'll want it."
Leola quirked an eyebrow, hesitantly taking it from him. "What is it?" she asked, looking closely at the bottle. "Is this skooma?"
"Oh, no no no, absolutely not," he replied dramatically, shaking his hands. "It's better. Not necessarily stronger. But better. Now, whenever you're ready to release yourself of this burden and spread some merriment, just don't forget that it's there."
Leola bit her lip, furrowing her brow as she considered his gift. She closed her eyes, hanging her head slightly before shaking it.
"I don't think I can accept this," she said softly, but as her blue eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head to look at him, she saw that he was gone. She frowned, quickly looking around before looking towards Aventus, who stood several feet away, minding his own business. "Where did he go?" she asked.
"I didn't see," Aventus said as he looked up, looking around much as she just had. "I looked away."
"Of course," Leola muttered, shaking her head.
"Who was he?" Aventus asked, eyeing the bottle in Leola's hand.
"That was Sam, the man I met the other day," she replied. "He's a drunk. That's all I know. He also knows about the Daedric artifacts."
"How?" exclaimed Aventus, frowning.
"I don't know!" Leola replied. "He came to me a few days back and he specifically mentioned that my mother's soul is in Oblivion…and just now he was telling me that he wants me to relax and stop stressing about it…he said to just, you know, drink this when I decide it's time."
Aventus shook his head. "No, Leola. Don't drink something when you don't know what it is. That's never good."
"I know," said Leola, shoving the bottle into her small bag. "I wasn't planning on drinking it."
"Good," he replied. "Now, let's get this whole situation with you and Erith sorted out. I don't want the two of you fighting."
"I don't want to fight either," Leola said softly. "But where do we find an amulet of Mara?"
Aventus paused for a moment before beginning to fumble around in one of his pockets. A moment later, he pulled out a beautiful golden amulet with a turquoise stone set in the middle. "Take mine," he said.
"You have an amulet of Mara?" asked Leola, surprised. "Why? You have a girlfriend."
"I carry it around in case I ever need to resolve an argument with her," he replied, holding out the amulet. "You need it more than I do right now. I can always get another one."
Leola smiled warmly towards him as she outstretched her hands, gently taking the amulet.
"Thank you, Aventus," she said in a soft voice.
Aventus grinned back at her. "Now, go and get your friend back."