Clouds gather

The next morning came slowly for Kari. She had spent the night in a strange circle of events and a whole cocktail of emotions. She had sat at the desk in her room with her bare back showing towards the mirror, transcribing the various runes into a small notebook she had... Acquired from the library a few days before. She noted that it was not just Daedric that had manifested itself over her body, but also scraps of Dwemerish and Ancient Nordic. What it said, Kari couldn't make head nor tail about, a few symbols repeated themselves, giving the impression that the runes were actual words, not just random letters. There had been a knock on the door during the night, the rasping voice of Silver drifting through to ask if she was alright and that he had tonight's meal for her. Kari barely looked up from her notebook and spoke to the closed door that she was fine and demanded, albeit as polite as she could, that Silver left her alone for a while. He could leave the meal though. The Argonian chuckled before his footsteps could be heard patting away down the corridor. When the sounds had gone, Kari leant out of her room, barely opening the door and not throwing anything to cover her bare upper body, snatched the tray of the food and ate merrily by herself. There was also the issue, she had noticed, that the runes were causing her a lot of pain in her back and a lot of the time she was very aware that she could feel something beating in her chest that wasn't her heart. At least, she hoped not.

It had been a long time since Kari had seen herself in the mirror and she was nearly brought to tears by how much like her mother she now looked. Her face was sculpted with the traditional Dunmer features, though her forehead was not so prominent as others of her race. If her skin and eyes were a different colour, she likely could've passed for a Breton. Her eyes remained a dark crimson surrounded by the pitch black that gave her race such fiery looks, though her blacks of her eyes had developed small white spots. Her hair was almost the same colour as her eyes, albeit slightly lighter and with the occasional black streak. It came down to her middle back, having not been cut for a very long time and was presently tied up in a ponytail. Finally, she bore a small amount of tribal paint that had been tattooed on her face from an early age, which were light spirals that cascaded down from the corners of her eyes and stood out brilliantly against her ash coloured skin.

"I wonder what she would be saying now." She found herself saying beneath her breath. Kari looked at her naked back in the mirror and sighed, throwing on a cloak over herself. She felt lonely for the first time since she was put in prison. The elf looked at the empty tray that was on her desk. An idea blossomed in her mind.

Silver had walked through this house many times. And every time he found himself stopping by the tapestry that stood outside the guest room nearest the washroom at the top of the stairs. It was an old one, master had once told him, depicting a seen in which the Sload of Thras were beaten back by the resplendently armoured armies of the Altmer. Silver had been born a thief and knew a forgery when he saw one. He was sure Huntrek knew as well, but it didn't stop it from looking very good. There were small enchantments on the silk that made the images on the tapestry move and fight. It always made for an interesting watch. Silver was standing with a small lantern in his hand when he felt a small rush of air brush past his tail. He raised an eyebrow, making sure to look onwards at the tapestry. He knew who it was, especially since Purple wouldn't be so careless.

"Can I help Miss Tanthia?" Silver turned and looked at the elven girl who had perched herself on a nearby table. She smiled sweetly at him, the light from the lantern not showing that much of her. She looked paler than usual, her eyes glinting in the lantern-light. Her voice was light and floated on the air, much more innocent than in the past few days.

"I was wondering if I could have some more food Silver. I've found myself to be rather hungry in my fevered state". Silver had heard this tone before from his little sister, Hist protect her soul, and knew where this was going.

"Of course. Follow me please Miss Tanthia". He returned the smile to her and lead her to the kitchen, taking the shortest route he knew. It wasn't lit by crystals like the rest of the house, but instead by the roaring fire in the middle of it that was currently heating a kettle full of Purple's mudcrab broth. Silver went and sat down by the table, resting the lantern on a hook on the way in. Purple was busy over the stove, not noticing that the two had entered until Silver spoke up.

"Please take a seat Miss Tanthia and welcome to our humble abode. Care for anything else to go with your stew?". The Argonian smiled pleasantly at the elf, gesturing for her to take a seat at the head of the small square table. Purple came over and set up another place for Kari, before hurrying back to cook up her stew. She wasn't in her usual fine dress that she wore during the day, but instead a few loose fitting rags that kept her cool while in the heat of the kitchen. Silver was also wearing similar attire, exposing his red chest scales that seemed to dance in the firelight. He reached over and took a few thimble sized glasses from a nearby shelf as well as a small decanter containing a blue liquid.

"Mind if I open up the Reserve Purple? I think we can let some go for his special occasion". The male Argonian waved his one hand, carrying the decanter, at Purple. The green scaled Argonian looked over at them both and pondered for a moment.

"Alright". The female spoke calmly, a grin spreading over her features, "I'd like to see how Miss Tanthia handles her alcohol". Before Kari could protest, one of the small glasses was passed over to her, the liquid inside seemed to change colour when she took a hold of the glass. She looked up at the two servants, who were waiting to see what happened when the elf tried to drink their home brewed liqueur. Kari raised her glass, her innocent voice gone,

"To friends and those no longer here". This was the last thing Kari remembered saying before everything blacked out.

She slowly opened her eyes to reveal she was looking at the ceiling of her own room. Her head thumped heavily in her skull, one side arguing with the other about what in Oblivion was going on. One side vaguely recalled alcohol and the other recalled a drunken bet. Kari very slowly turned her head to either side of her, seeing that she was indeed in her bed, recognising her desk and the painted walls. She groggily sat up, her head screaming at her at being so stupid. She was confused about why her clothing was scattered around the room and why she hadn't crawled under the covers as she usually did. She grabbed some undergarments and stumbled to her attached washroom to scrub off the grime she felt all over herself. Somewhere downstairs, the two Argonians were busy creating breakfast for themselves and for the Dunmer. Purple had not yet spoken to Silver, she usually didn't when he had done something so stupid and especially not when he was begging her not to tell the master about it.