"You know," Arven started, "Skyrim sort of… smells."
"…What?" Serana asked, turning to look at him with a curious glance.
"It smells. There's this smell that I thought was just a Whiterun thing, but it's still there and it's just… what is it?" Arven continued.
Serana just laughed at him. "You're going to have to be more specific than that," she said, shaking her head as she failed to hide the grin now crossing her features.
"I'm serious," Arven said. "It smells like wet dog, almost. I thought there was a mutt following us."
"So that is the reason why you keep glancing behind us?" Serana asked, struggling to contain herself.
"Well, yeah," Arven responded as if such a thing was obvious.
In response Serana just laughed again. She couldn't help it, and it felt good to laugh again. Really, really good. After the two had left Whiterun there was a small level of awkwardness between them, both from adjusting to Arven's new life, and due to the things they discussed earlier. But that didn't last long, and after a while they'd started the same sort of banter that came so naturally to them.
The night passed quickly and before they knew it, just before the sun rose they arrived at the inn Arven had identified the night before, spending the day hiding in a room with the blinds closed. Neither of them were overly tired, so they didn't need to sleep. Instead they talked about whatever came to mind, with Serana answering any further questions Arven had, along with her coaching him on certain things that a vampire 'must be able to do'.
Such as illusion magic. Something Arven was rather terrible at. So, the coaching session didn't last too long.
Once night had fallen again the pair set off towards Winterhold with the terrain and climate getting progressively colder as they went. The past 24 hours were almost therapeutic to Serana, given how distraught she'd been a few days before. It was almost starting to seem like a bad dream, but it was firmly cemented in reality each time she saw Arven's eyes.
"Skyrim itself doesn't smell," Serana said. "Well, it does. But what you're smelling is just a mixture of everything. Animals, plants, everything around you is blurring into one, and you don't know how to single things out yet."
Arven frowned slightly, sniffing to get another whiff of the scent. "This is going to drive me crazy," he mumbled to himself.
"Give it a few more days and you won't even notice it anymore," Serana said.
"And everything is so loud!" Arven continued.
Serana had to supress another laugh. "Are you a child?" She asked, a smirk on her lips.
"No, I'm serious. I can hear so much, it's ridiculous. My boots on gravel sound like I'm crushing branches with every step. During the day I had to suffer that bard's off-tune music and some drunkard hitting on every woman in that place for hours," Arven lamented.
"Yeah, that was pretty bad," Serana said. "At least it didn't work. Now that would've been torturous for you."
Arven shuddered. "I really, really didn't need that mental image," he said.
Serana flashed him a sweet smile. She took a few steps closer to him, brushing her shoulder against his to gently shove him in a childish, playful manner. She felt foolish when she did it, but she simply couldn't resist. She couldn't shake the want, the need to be close to him. If she had it her way, she'd be walking with her hand in his, similar to back in the Soul Cairn. Back when she first started to accept how she really felt about him.
But of course, she had to give him some space. She wanted to support Arven, not smother him. And that want trumped all the others, regardless of how pressing or burning they may be.
Looking at him, Serana could tell what he was doing. Even though Arven was joking about it, she could see that behind that exterior he still felt the same way about being a vampire. The sensations he was experiencing could be communicated in a way like this, poking fun at them, using humour to deflect the real issue.
But she could tell that underneath that act, Arven still hated what he had become.
"You know, considering how much people give for this, I would've thought there'd be more benefits," Arven said in an almost teasing manner. Serana wanted to tell him that he didn't have to keep up the act, but maybe it was a good thing? She was no expert, but perhaps cracking jokes was just a way for him to process it all.
"Being stronger than everyone else in Skyrim isn't enough for you?" Serana asked.
"Nah," Arven said. "Boring."
Serana scoffed, a smile coming back to her lips. "You're certainly no Nord, that's for sure."
"Now if I could fly, maybe? That'd be worth it," Arven said.
"You can, you know," Serana replied. "Just turn into a cloud of bats."
Arven looked at her, shuddering. "Bats? Bats are gross, are you kidding?"
"No they're not!" Serana argued with surprising vigor. "They're cute."
Arven stared at her, slightly shocked with just how strongly she expressed that opinion. His look made her shrink back slightly, as if embarrassed.
"What?" She asked, turning away.
"Really? Bats? That's the hill you'll die on?" Arven asked while smirking to himself.
Serana pouted, folding her arms over her chest. She looked absolutely adorable as she did so.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with bats, I'll have you know," she said while purposely trying to contain her enthusiasm.
"Okay, if you're going to try and get me on board with all this, you'll need a better argument than 'bats'."
Serana continued pouting, not making eye contact as she looked ahead. But even as she did, she was trying to think of ways to win the argument. Arven merely waited, looking at her out the corner of his eyes, not bothering to hide the cocky grin he had as they walked together under the moonlight.
"Well," Serana started, speaking up after a few moments of silence. "Besides the strength there are quite a few benefits to being a vampire." As she spoke she ran a hand through her hair as it had gotten caught in her hood, shaking it out so it could flow behind her again. Even such a simple thing caught Arven's attention effortlessly.
"You say that, but you haven't mentioned any," Arven said as he turned away.
"For starters, you'd be freezing right now as a regular person," she retorted. And she was right. It was lightly snowing, and the clothes Arven had on weren't exactly made for winter. As they got closer and closer to Winterhold, the weather was getting colder and colder.
A few hours ago Arven had almost slipped on an icy portion of road, which resulted in Serana's laughter echoing throughout the forest.
"Hmm," Arven grunted. "Sure, but that doesn't even make up for not being able to go outside in the Sun. I'd take embracing sunlight over a blizzard any day."
"Please, the Sun is overrated," Serana said while rolling her eyes. "It's just so bright. And hot. Besides, what do people do during the day? They work. All the fun stuff happens at night."
"Ah yes, the lady living in a castle, speaking of the plight of the working man," Arven commented.
Serana turned to him, scowling playfully as she shoved him to the side. "You're a jerk," she said.
"And yet you're stuck with me," Arven replied.
"Anyway," Serana said to change the subject. She was trying to think of something good. Either that, or something she could use to mess with Arven. Recently he'd been coming out on top with most of their conversations. She didn't know why, but it hit her rather suddenly.
She hadn't been teasing him anywhere near as much. Given how their relationship was… complicated, at best, she didn't want to put any pressure on him. But she really, really missed the way his cheeks would go flushed like a teenage boy at the slightest of innuendos.
"Okay, I've got a good one. We're really good at holding our breath," Serana commented.
"I… sure, okay. I'll give you that one. But I'm not really planning on going diving anytime soon," Arven said.
Serana looked him in the eye, her eyes taking on a different look as she seemed far more... sultry, in that moment. She hadn't had much of a reason to appear that way as of late, but it was something she could turn on within a second. "Not what I had in mind, Arven," she then said, biting down on her lower lip as she wanted for the implication to sink in.
Arven paused, thinking, before his eyes went wide and he turned his attention to the road in front of him. A second later and he was walking much, much faster, pulling his hood over his face as he refused to respond to that.
A stupid, immense grin grew across Serana's face. She tried not to laugh, but that didn't last for more than a second.
"You're horrible," Arven called out behind him.
"Wait, what's wrong?" Serana called out, jogging to catch up. But that only made Arven walk even faster.
"You know exactly what you did," he said, still not looking back to her. Not because he was angry. No, his mind had just gone to places that he hadn't thought of in quite some time. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy thinking about such things. But he was not ready for that right now.
"Seriously, what's the issue?" Serana asked. "I just meant that you don't get exhausted as easily when you're fighting, since we don't need as much air!"
"Oh come on, like I'd believe that," Arven said as he finally turned to face her. Even though he was still a vampire, a small flush had come to his cheeks. That gave Serana an immense level of satisfaction.
"What do you mean?" She asked, trying her best to act oblivious despite the giddiness she felt.
"Fighting? You know full well that's the last thing on your mind when you're biting your lips like that."
Serana thought for a moment, then feigned shock in a clearly over exaggerated manner. "Arven, really? You look at my lips – for whatever reason – and your mind goes there? You're helpless."
"Don't you pin this back on me," he said. "There's no way in hell you had innocent intentions."
"I did! I swear it," Serana said, placing a hand on her chest.
Arven just narrowed his eyes, staring her down. Serana, somehow, didn't break her character. And with a long, deep sigh, Arven shook his head.
"Fine, fine," he said. "Sorry."
"It's alright," Serana replied with a smile. "I won't judge you too harshly."
Arven groaned, turning back to the road to continue walking.
"So," he started. "More endurance, huh?"
Serana nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. It's pretty useful."
"Honestly that never crossed my mind. I guess it makes a certain sort of sense, if you don't get winded. I can see how that'd be useful."
"Oh, you have no idea," Serana said as she stepped closer to him. With her arms behind her back, she looked up at him, pursing her lips. "Everyone talks about strength, but endurance is underrated. You know, I can just keep going. All. Night. Long."
Arven's eyes widened. His cheeks flushed.
Then he screamed.
For the next hour or so, the conversation dwindled. Not from lack of trying on Serana's part, but Arven had picked up the pace and was deliberately not engaging her in any proper conversation. Serana almost felt bad, but she noticed that despite the man putting on an act of being embarrassed, there was a hint of a smile creeping up on the sides of his mouth.
Plus, she was happy to distract him from any other thoughts he might be having.
Despite the silence it didn't feel awkward. If anything it felt comfortable. The two found a significant level of comfort from just being near the other, whether they consciously knew and accepted that fact or not. The journey itself was, surprisingly, uneventful.
Arven kept expecting to see someone. Or something. Normally, they would've run into at least a patrol by now. Although, being the middle of the night, that certainly explained the lack of activity on even the busier roads.
All was quiet until suddenly the sound of rain falling reached their ears. It started with only a few drops at first, but before long it had developed into a proper downpour. A second later and a flash of lightning filled the sky, along with thunder following only a few seconds later as it rattled the floor beneath them.
"Good thing we don't get cold," Arven remarked.
"See? Told you. Totally worth it," Serana said with a smirk.
Arven turned his head, an unimpressed look on his face as he gave her a judging look.
In response she just gave him another smile, before raising her hand above her head. With ice flowing from her fingertips she froze the water coming down above her head, creating a make-shift umbrella out of the frozen water. But, it only covered her.
Arven looked at it, letting out a sigh. He tried to do something similar, raising a hand above his head to form a ward. But of course, with rain not being magical it had absolutely no effect.
"Of course not," Arven muttered to himself. So, pulling on his hood to secure it in place he just continued walking.
"You know Arven, you could probably do this as well with a small amount of training. It comes easy to us," Serana said.
"Maybe, but you're forgetting just how awful I am at magic," Arven said.
"Failing that," Serana started as she gave him an inviting look. "There's still room under here." Motioning to the makeshift umbrella, there definitely was enough room for the both of them. But Arven knew that she could easily make it cover the entire road if she wanted.
"It's only a bit of rain, right? And like you said. We don't get cold," Arven replied. "So I'm alright."
Serana frowned. That frown then turned into an endearing pout as she turned away from him, enunciating a huff of disappointment at the same time.
Arven rolled his eyes at the display. It was hard to believe Serana was centuries old at times like this. But, he didn't hate it when she acted like this. He actually found it incredibly charming, something which he'd never let her know.
I suppose there's no harm in it, is there?
"Ah, damn," Arven said. His voice was different. Forced. "My clothes are getting soaked." It turned out that the imperial was a horrible actor, and every word he was saying was stiff and awkward. But it still got Serana's attention.
"How unfortunate," she said. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."
Arven groaned.
You're really going to make me ask, aren't you?
"Hey, Serana," he started. "Any chance I could stand under that thing with you?"
Within a fraction of a moment the demeanour on Serana's face changed. She walked, no, skipped over to him until they were standing shoulder to shoulder. Immediately Arven no longer had rain falling on his head.
With Serana's control of magic she barely even had to focus on maintaining the shield, leaving her with both hands free.
"Better?" She asked.
"Yeah," Arven said. It was actually nice being dry, even though he wasn't cold. The leather he wore wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world when it started to get soaked, as he was quickly finding out.
"Good," Serana said with a beaming smile. "Then, no reason for this anymore right?" Reaching up she pulled Arven's hood back, leaving his face bare. Arven looked at her, confused for a moment before he remembered the disappointment she'd shown whenever he had his helmet on.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" He asked.
"You should know the answer to that by now," she responded.
The two continued walking side by side until the ruins of Winterhold started to come into view. As soon as they did Serana stopped Arven, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you want to try it, or should I cover you this time?" She asked.
Arven cocked his head out of confusion before he understood. The night before in the inn, Serana had spent some time trying to teach Arven basic illusion magic. Purely for the purpose of hiding his eye colour, so he could walk out in public without people figuring out what he was. Unfortunately, despite his new condition which made all his existing magic more potent, learning new magic was still a struggle for him.
"Maybe you should," Arven said. "I don't think I trust myself to do it yet."
Serana shrugged, then started walking off ahead of him. "Let's go then, I'm actually curious get a good look at the college."
"What, not going to torture me like you did last time you put an illusion on me?" Arven remarked.
"Oh I can if you want me to," Serana said. "And please, that was light teasing. Torture would be much, much more drawn out."
Arven chose to ignore that. The walk through the town itself was uneventful; Winterhold was hardly a bustling town. The only real point of interest was the college itself. As always, there was someone standing out the front of the walkway that lead to the college.
As the two approached, a Dunmer held out her hand. Despite the late, or very early hour, the college always seemed to have someone standing out the front to keep intruders from walking on in.
"Halt," the woman called out, her palm held up to motion Arven and Serana to stop. "What business do you have at the College?"
"Brelyna?" Arven asked. "What're you doing out here?"
The Dunmer's eyes narrowed for a second before widening, realisation dawning on her face. "Oh! Arven, this is a surprise. And, uh… it's a punishment of sorts, I suppose."
"That's worrying," Arven commented. "What did you do this time?"
"Nothing! I was just conducting some more harmless experiments and-"
"What did you do?" Arven pressed.
Brelyna sighed, her shoulders dropping. "I turned J'Zargo into a toad."
Arven blinked. It'd been how long now, and she was still making these types of errors?
"I'm sorry, you did what?" Serana asked off to his side, failing to hide a smirk.
"It was an accident! And, who're you exactly?" Brelyna asked.
"This is Serana, my," Arven started before he cut off. He didn't know how to finish that.
"Travelling companion," Serana finished for him with a friendly smile.
"Anyway," Arven steered the conversation back, trying to ignore the feeling of disappointment at being just a travelling companion. "You did what, exactly?"
"Nothing! At least, nothing permanent," The other woman replied. "I was trying to help him improve one of his spells."
"And you turned him into a frog," Arven said.
"Toad," Brelyna said. "But yes."
While Arven looked at the mage with a stunned expression, Serana had a hand to her mouth, failing to stop a snort of laughter from escaping.
"But more importantly," the mage said, "what brings you here?"
"Oh, right. I'm just here to pick up something I left a while back," Arven said.
"Your scroll, you mean?" Brelyna asked.
Arven frowned slightly. "How do you know-"
"It's a college full of mages, we were all going to figure it out eventually," Brelyna explained. "But don't worry, Urag hasn't let a single soul touch it. Despite half the staff wanting to conduct experiments on it."
Arven let out a soft sigh of relief. "That's… good, then."
"But don't let me keep you. Go get your scroll, and don't tell J'Zargo you know what happened! He'll kill me," the woman pleaded.
"Don't worry, I won't," Arven said as he passed her, walking towards the college on the bridge. As soon as they were both out of earshot Serana leaned up close to Arven, no longer trying to hide the amusement on her face.
"I don't know if I'm impressed or shocked," Serana said. "I don't think I could turn someone into a toad even if I wanted to."
"Please don't start trying," Arven said.
"Don't worry, I won't do that to you," Serana said. "Although I'm fairly sure I read a story sometime. Something about a princess kissing a frog to turn them back into a human?"
Arven had a puzzled look on his face. "What kind of weird story is that?" He asked.
"You never read it?"
"I didn't read much as a kid, so no. But even if I did I can't imagine ever reading a story where the premise involved kissing a toad," he said.
"It was actually sort of cute. One of those 'true love' stories."
"First bats, now toads, huh?"
Serana frowned at being teased. She went to shove him, but decided against it as they were walking on a rather narrow bridge.
"Jerk," she said.
Arven let out a small scoff of satisfaction. Whenever Serana ran out of smart comments to make and resorted to calling him a jerk, idiot or some other word, he always felt like he won somehow.
"So, what business did you use to have with the College?" Serana asked as they continued crossing the bridge.
"Doesn't really seem like my sort of place, does it?" Arven commented.
"Not quite. You aren't exactly the studious type," Serana replied.
Arven let out a small scoff of laughter. "I can't argue that. They needed help a while back. Something to do with an artefact protected by draugr. Basically a lot of dungeon delving." As he remembered it all, a small shiver went down his spine.
Serana noticed, looking at him with a hint of concern. "Dragons?" She asked.
"Sort of. There was an undead dragon, and a Dragon Priest."
"A… priest?"
"Oh, right," Arven started. He'd forgotten that Dragon Priests were still a myth to most, if not simply being unheard of. "When the dragons were alive, they had a cult following. The leaders of these cults worshipped the dragons, and got granted power in return for their service."
"They were able to shout, like you can?" Serana asked.
"No, thankfully. Just powerful magic. But they were undead, and well," Arven started before motioning to the wrapped up blade on Serana's waist. "I used to be pretty good at dealing with dead things."
"You still are," Serana said softly. "You just don't have to blind me while you fight them anymore," she remarked with a grin.
"I'm not so sure," Arven responded. "I still haven't learnt how to deal with you, after all."
"Oh, that's easy. I'd be more than happy to show you exactly how to deal with me, if you'd like," Serana said, locking eyes with Arven until he had to pull away with flushed cheeks.
"You've gotten worse recently. With the teasing," Arven remarked as he made sure not to continue eye contact.
"Is it teasing?" Serana asked. "It's a serious offer, Arven."
"I was about to say you're going to be the death of me, but I suppose you already were, weren't you?" Arven quipped.
Serana couldn't respond to that, her eyes widening. Arven couldn't tell if she looked shocked, angry, or upset.
"Ah, sorry," he said. "Too soon?"
After a moment, Serana was able to respond. "No, I just… I wasn't expecting that."
"Neither was I, honestly. It just sort of came to me."
"I never really picked you for the type to joke about things like that," Serana said seriously before her voice took on a more joking manner. "You're always so grouchy, after all."
Arven smirked. "I guess, recently I've just thought that there's no point dwelling on it too much, right? I mean, I'm not just going to be magically okay with everything overnight, but… if I can at least try to laugh about it, why not?"
Serana looked at him, giving him a wide smile. She knew that it'd still be hurting him inside. But the fact that he was even able to think of doing something like this? The man she'd met back in Dimhollow would've never joked about this, or even about being Dragonborn.
Before Serana could reply the two finished crossing the bridge, walking out into a more open area. They stood in a circular area, a stone path running around the edge and through the centre, with a statue of a mage drawing the attention of anyone who entered the college. It was surprisingly quiet.
"No one must be awake yet," Arven said. "That's good."
"Not feeling social?" Serana asked.
"I don't think I ever am," Arven said. "But not really. Mages can be… interesting people at the best of times."
"They can't be any worse than your Dawnguard friends," Serana replied.
Arven let out a brief laugh. "I think that group is a different type of weird. But equal in their… intensity, yeah."
Taking advantage of the quiet the two walked forward, crossing the open courtyard until Arven held out both hands to push open the doors leading inside of the college.
"Will your librarian be awake?" Serana asked.
"If anyone is, he is," Arven said as he walked through, the doors slowly closing behind the pair. "I can never remember how to navigate this place. Too many stairs…"
Serana, looking around with obvious curiosity, walked over to a nearby wall. There, she pointed to a sign that gave rather simple, clear directions.
"You'd think the mages would at least teach you how to read, since you helped them out," Serana mentioned.
"I swear that wasn't there before," Arven said, staring at the sign. It even gave directions straight to the library. It was rather convenient, and he wished that it existed last time he was there.
"Whatever you say," Serana said as she lead the way, starting to climb the stairs. "Hey, how old is this place?"
"Not sure, but it was around in the second Era," Arven said.
"Hmm, I'm surprised you know that."
"It wasn't something I looked up intentionally. Someone informed me, I suppose," Arven said. "Oh, when we get to the library, don't touch anything."
"You know that just makes me want to touch things even more," Serana responded.
Arven rolled his eyes. "The librarian is very… strict."
"Please, I'm sure I can win over a librarian," Serana scoffed.
After climbing up several more flights of stairs, the pair emerged into the College library. Hundreds upon hundreds of books were stacked along the walls, all leading up to the ceiling. Desks littered the place, nooks and crannies present everywhere for people to study in peace, or together if they so desired.
Not only that, but the library was in impeccable condition. Any other library would have books about the place, dust on the shelves. But this library seemed as if it was brand new.
"Oh, wow. This is bigger than I expected. And so clean," Serana said.
"Like I said, strict librarian," Arven said as he went off in search of something, heading towards a desk in the centre of the room. Serana on the other hand wandered off, walking down isles of books, her hand tracing along the spines of any book which caught her attention. This was a place she could spend days, if not months in, just reading to her heart's content.
One book in particular caught her attention. She reached out, fingers grasping the spine, but before she could pull it free a voice interrupted her.
"And who might you be? Do you normally walk into places uninvited, ruffling through things that don't belong to you?" Said a voice off to Serana's side. She turned, and saw a rather stern orc standing in robes. He had several books in his arms, but he wasn't paying them any attention. He was staring her down.
"It's a library," Serana retorted. "The whole purpose is to-"
"It's my library," the orc cut in. "And my library is only for students of the college to use. You, unless the school has started taking in applicants in the dead of night, are no student."
"Wow, you are strict," Serana muttered. "I'm just browsing, surely it can't hurt to just have a look?"
"No," the orc replied.
Serana frowned. The desire to simply charm him, win him over effortlessly with magic floated through her heart. But she denied it almost instantly. She denied it so quickly that she shocked herself just a little bit.
"Just what is a vampire doing here, anyway? I'm not sure what knowledge you…" the orc slowly trailed off as he spoke. It seemed only then that he noticed the scrolls on Serana's back. She had covered them up with illusion magic, but it seemed that such magic wasn't strong enough to hide the scrolls, and her vampirism, from certain mages.
Before she could respond, Arven ducked his head around the corner, giving Serana a deadpanned look. "Serana, no touching," he said, seeing her fingers still on the spine of a book.
Serana pouted, folding her arms across her chest. Hearing another voice, the orc turned about, his posture relaxing slightly as he saw Arven.
"Oh, it's you," the orc said. "Hmm. Got tired of being a mortal? Dragonborn not enough for you?"
Arven cringed at the sheer bluntness of the orc, but he did a good job of trying to hide it. "You're as straight forward as ever, Urag. And no, this wasn't intentional," he said.
Urag narrowed his eyes at Arven, turning back to Serana to stare at her for a moment. Not so much glaring at her, more studying. Then, he simply grunted.
"Well, no concern of mine," the orc said. "Why have you come back? I wasn't aware of any trouble the college needed help with."
"No, no trouble. I'm not here to help, I just want to pick up something I left here," Arven said.
Urag looked slightly confused for a moment, but his expression grew more stern in an instant.
"No," the Orc said, before turning his back and walking off, restocking some of the shelves.
Arven was left standing there, slightly stunned. He blinked a few times, before shaking his head and following Urag. Serana was simply watching with a small level of amusement.
"I'm sorry, 'no'?" Arven asked.
"Yes. No," the orc said once again.
"I'm not asking, Urag. I've come to pick up my scroll," Arven retorted.
"And do what with it? Do you even know how important, how special those scrolls are? Scrolls which you carry around on your back as if they were no more important than a sword-sheath?" Urag said.
Serana leaned forward, whispering in Arven's ear just loud enough so that all three of them would hear. "Do you think he'd be angry if I told him I've used these as a shield?"
Urag didn't respond, but a small vein of anger throbbed on his forehead.
"I'm well aware," Arven said. "I'm back because I need to read them."
Urag let out a brief, loud laugh that echoed throughout the room. "Read them? You're no scholar, but you're not dumb enough to truly think you can read the Scrolls, surely."
"I'm not. I've got a moth priest to do that for me," Arven said.
Urag studied Arven for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Just what are you trying to do?"
"Nothing that you need to worry about. But I do need them, and I am going to take back my scroll," Arven said. "Only temporarily," he added, trying to soften the blow.
Urag let out a long, deep sigh. He continued to study Arven for a moment, thoughts no doubt mulling over in his head. "And after you're done, what will you do with the Scrolls?" He asked.
"Bring them back," Arven said. "All three."
"You want me to have three of them? Here? In one place? Do you understand how dangerous that is?"
Serana, who had turned around and was scanning the bookshelves behind Arven, whispered quietly enough so that only Arven could hear this time. "Is this guy ever happy? First he wants the scrolls, now he doesn't?"
"I understand, Urag. Could you suggest a safer place for them?" Arven retorted.
The orc paused, thinking a moment longer. "No, I cannot," he said. "Fine. Wait here, I'll get the Scroll," he said before turning away. A second later and he stopped, turning around. "No touching anything," he said pointedly to Serana before walking off properly this time.
"It's a library!" Serana said to Arven. "I'm not allowed to look at books in a library?"
"It's not 'a' library, it's 'his' library. Like I said. Strict," Arven said.
"Is everyone here this eccentric?"
"Yeah. In different ways."
"And here I thought vampires were a secluded bunch of weirdos," Serana said as she continued browsing. She ran her finger over the shelves, not the books, but skirting her finger ever so close in the same manner that a child would test their parents.
"We might have to stay the night here," Arven said. "The Sun will be up soon."
"It might not be too bad for you, given the cloud cover," Serana said. "But it's probably a smart idea. Do they have accommodation?"
"Yeah, this college used to have far more students. There's plenty of spare rooms, I've used them before," Arven responded.
Serana frowned ever so slightly, but didn't make any further comment.
When Urag came back a minute or so later he carried the Scroll in a way that implied it was incredibly delicate, that the slightest touch could break it. Not like it was a Scroll that could block the claws of a Vampire Lord.
"Here," Urag said bluntly, offering it to Arven.
"This one's yours, I'm running out of room," Serana said. She was a rather interesting sight. A slender woman carrying a Daedric sword on her hip and two Elder Scrolls on her back. Arven had to pause for a moment to realise the sheer absurdity of it before he took the scroll being offered to him. He placed it where his shield used to go, and the weight felt familiar. Comfortable.
"I'm surprised. I never would have thought you'd lose that armour of yours," Urag said as he looked over Arven, now equipped with the Scroll.
"I'm just as surprised, trust me. This is temporary, though," he replied.
"What happened to those gauntlets?" Urag asked, no doubt referring to the enchanted pair Arven got from the college.
"Shattered," Arven responded.
"Shattered? I – actually, nevermind. I don't want to know what trouble you're involved in. Don't tell Sergius though. He was proud of those gauntlets, although I suppose you wouldn't need the help anymore all things considered," Urag said.
Arven was momentarily confused, but Urag was right. Magic was much easier for him now, and Urag was able to see right through his illusion.
Tugging on the strap keeping the Elder Scroll to his back, Arven nodded his thanks to Urag. "We'll get out of your hair now," he said. "Thank you for keeping this safe."
"Don't break it," Urag said. Even though he knew the things were indestructible, it didn't stop him from being overprotective of it.
With a small smile on the corner of his lips, Arven and Serana turned to leave the library. They made it back down to the ground floor before they bumped into anyone else. Thankfully it wasn't someone disagreeable, but rather the Arch-Mage of the college.
"Arven, my boy! Now this is a surprise indeed," Tolfdir said with a raised hand. "What could possibly bring you back here?" The elderly man asked, although he no doubt had figured it out already.
"Just picking up some things," Arven said. "How've you been, Tolfdir?"
"Well I certainly can't complain. A fair bit more quiet than the last time I saw you, but I suppose that's a good thing!" Tolfdir responded. "And who might this be?" He asked, turning to Serana.
She bowed her head ever so slightly. "Serana. I'm a friend of Arven. It's a pleasure to meet you, Arch-Mage," she said.
"Please, Tolfdir is fine," he said. "You're not a student, so there's no need for formalities. And even if you were a member of the college, you seem far more likely to be in my position than that of any student."
Serana's eyes widened just a fraction, surprised at how keenly Tolfdir seemed to be able to gauge her talents. It was fitting of course, for an Arch-Mage. But Serana had met enough inept mages in her lifetime to be sceptical.
"And how about you, my boy? Still working on those wards?" Tolfdir asked.
Serana turned to Arven with a cocky, smug grin as soon as the topic was brought up.
With a small scoff of laughter, Arven responded. "I have been, actually. Gotten much better," Arven said. He held out a hand, palm facing up before he summoned a small ward that hovered a few inches above his hand. It was small, but enough to demonstrate his capabilities in the magic now.
Tolfdir's eyes widened. "My, now that is quite the improvement!" It was hard to tell if his shock was genuine or not. Arven's magical abilities were better primarily due to vampirism, and such a thing wouldn't be hidden from the Arch-Mage.
Perhaps he's merely expecting the abilities of a regular vampire? Arven thought to himself.
"I've been forcing him to practise," Serana said with smug satisfaction. "He was terrible at them a while ago," she said, emphasising the point.
"How lucky I am, to have such a kind teacher," Arven replied in a flat voice.
Tolfdir let out a small chuckle at the two of them. "So, are you staying for long?" He asked. "I could use a hand in teaching, as always."
Arven raised his hands, shaking them. "Ah, no. I don't think I'm the best instructor."
"I think you'd do better than you give yourself credit for. But I was mainly referring to the lady," Tolfdir said.
Arven felt rather stupid, which was only amplified by the look Serana gave him. He rolled his eyes, trying not to make eye contact as she stared at him with that insufferable grin, before she turned to address the question.
"I'm rather flattered, although I'll admit I have no experience in teaching," Serana said.
"Most people have more than they expect, primarily through experiences of a good teacher they themselves have had," Tolfdir retorted in a kind manner.
"Almost all self-taught, with a few exceptions," Serana said.
Tolfdir's eyes widened slightly. "My, now that is a surprise. Not many could claim your level of expertise at all, let alone without the help of others."
"What can I say? Having hundreds of years to practise certainly helps," Serana said. Arven was slightly shocked at how blunt she was about her lifespan, although there really wasn't a point in trying to hide such things from Tolfdir.
He was equally surprised at how carefree Tolfdir seemed to be. He'd brought a vampire into the college. An exceptionally powerful one at that, yet the Arch-Mage didn't seem to be the slightest bit worried. Was he that confident of his own skills over Serana? Or was he just trusting that as Arven's guest, she wouldn't cause any trouble?
"Having the time to study is certainly an advantage which not all experience, sadly. But more importantly, I'd take it that you two would need a room to stay during the day?" Tolfdir asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"You're being rather… casual, about this," Arven said. He couldn't resist the urge to bring up the subject any longer. He knew the college wasn't judgemental. They even allowed for the study of necromancy. But he'd never heard of any sort of guild that would be so nonchalant about a vampire walking about, with the exception of the Dark Brotherhood.
In response Tolfdir shrugged, hands held behind his back.
"I see no reason to kick up a fuss. You seem the same person you were back when you dragged members of this college out from those ruins, somehow alive and in one piece," he said with a kind smile. "A simple change in… physiology, doesn't change the soul of the man within."
Arven opened his mouth to respond but he stopped himself. He found that he was getting ready to argue the point, but it seemed pointless. And kind of stupid. His instinct was to argue against his own good nature, and that made him stop and reflect for a moment.
As he stood there without speaking, Serana spoke in his stead. "If you have available accommodation, we'd be greatly appreciative," she said.
"Of course," Tolfdir responded. "There are several spare rooms in the accommodation for staff members, please help yourself to any rooms. You should find them far more comfortable than the student's dormitories."
With a gentle bow of his head, Tolfdir then turned off to the side. "Now if you'll please excuse me, being Arch-Mage doesn't leave one much time for idle chatter, as much as I may enjoy it."
"Sorry, don't let us keep you any longer. And thank you," Arven said before the elderly man took his leave.
"Well that's kind of him. The last time I was here they just kicked me to the student's rooms," Arven said.
"Must've made a good impression," Serana replied.
"Nah, I just think Tolfdir is far nicer than the previous Arch-Mage. Nothing against him, but he wasn't quite as friendly."
"Well is there anything else you wanted to do before we take a rest? The Sun is starting to rise."
"Yeah, I can feel it. Even inside, it's… strange," Arven said. "But yeah there is one other thing I wanted to check quickly. You can go find us some rooms though, if you want. I won't be too long."
So Serana did just that. Exiting the main building she stepped out into the courtyard, pulling her hood up as she did so. The Sun was just starting to break over the mountains, and the college was stirring to life. Staff had emerged from their quarters and were making their way to the main hall, or making idle chatter with each other.
A few students had also woken, although they seemed far more tired. One of them was performing a quick handover with Brelyna, who looked as if she was ready to fall asleep on her feet.
Serana made her way over to one of the dormitories where the staff were exiting from. She got a few idle glances, and a few greetings, but no one attempted to start a proper conversation. They all seemed used to visitors, which was strange considering how remote the location was.
Or perhaps it was just too early for them to care?
Walking around the dormitories she passed the rooms that were permanently occupied, climbing to another level where there were a handful of rooms that were all vacant, doors open. Each one wasn't especially big, but it was roomier than any inn. A large bed, bookshelves, a desk. Room to stretch out.
But most importantly, there was only one bed.
That gave Serana an idea, but it was an idea that was ruined by the ample other available rooms. So, she decided to remedy that. Walking around the spare dormitories that were thankfully empty of other people, Serana started closing all the doors one by one. Then, reversing a rather handy alteration spell, she locked them. She did this door by door until there was just the one free room left.
She was rather happy with herself after doing that. Almost like she'd thought of something rather ingenious.
Afterwards she simply waited in the room for Arven to return, picking up a book from a shelf and idly reading it on the bed. She kicked her boots off before sitting down, her Elder Scroll and Dawnbreaker resting near a chair in the corner. The book she'd chosen was one that went through alchemical concoctions. She was so out of date that it was interesting to see the new things that people had came up with over the past few centuries or so.
It was a good way to pass the time until Arven came back. When he did, it had been at least a couple of hours and the Sun had well and truly risen. When he arrived he had his hood up, pulled far over his head so Serana could barely see his face before he pulled it back.
He looked around the room, seeing how Serana had clearly gotten rather comfortable.
"Looks like you've settled in nicely," he said as he undid the strap over his chest, slowly lowering the Elder Scrolls to the ground near where Serana's was sitting.
"I have, thankfully there was at least one room left," Serana said.
"What?" Arven asked, raising a brow. "What do you mean, this place has twice as many rooms as it does staff members."
"Go check for yourself, every single one is locked except this one," Serana replied, trying her best to hide the smile creeping at the sides of her face.
So he did. Arven stepped out, then went around checking the doors. Every single one. Each one gave him the same result, a door that was firmly locked. He came back a couple of minutes later, looking horribly confused.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said.
"Maybe they're closed for cleaning?" Serana asked.
"Cleaning? Really?" Arven asked, looking at Serana as if trying to study her.
"Hey, I don't know. Just throwing out ideas. But it's fine, right?" Serana asked. She was still sitting on the bed, cross legged.
Arven looked to her, painfully noticing that there was only the one bed. It seemed a stupid thing to worry about, given how they'd shared rooms together before. But still, it wasn't something that he'd just do without giving it any thought.
"Are you okay with this? I can go sleep in the student dormitories," Arven offered.
Serana mentally cursed to herself. She didn't think about that.
"Isn't it bright outside now?" Serana asked.
"The student dorms are a minute walk away," Arven asked. But he did seem rather tired, letting out a soft sigh as he did so.
"You know I don't mind Arven. You can go there if you want, but it couldn't hurt to just sit down for a bit," Serana said, pulling her feet closer to herself to make more room on the bed.
Arven looked between the bed and the door for a moment, thinking to himself. After a small moment of deliberation he moved to the door, and Serana felt her heart sink ever so slightly. But he just closed the door, locking the latch before he walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it.
He relaxed, and Serana could see the fatigue sinking into his face over a matter of seconds as he seemed to drop a façade.
"You okay, Arven?" She asked, shuffling closer to him.
"I'm just tired," he responded. "And… well, hungry."
Serana moved until she was sitting right above him. She picked up his head before crossing her legs, placing his head into her lap before she started running her fingers through his hair to massage his scalp. Arven closed his eyes, tension quickly leaving his body.
"This entire time, the smell was just… there's so many people here. I could smell it coming from every single person moving around. It's so strong I feel like I could close my eyes and track someone down just from their scent alone," he said. Even as he tried to relax it was impossible to fully dull down his senses. Serana helped immensely, but there wasn't just a switch he could flick when he was hungry.
"It's been a couple of days since you've fed. Do you want some more?" Serana asked.
Arven paused for a moment before responding, hesitating to give the answer.
"Yeah, I think I need it," he said.
"Would you like my help again?"
Arven opened his eyes, looking up at her. "Is that okay? I want to try it myself, but if I get carried away…"
She gave him a gentle smile, still continuing to massage his scalp. "Of course it is, Arven."
Arven exhaled, turning his eyes from Serana's to the ceiling. Noticing something, he forced a smile to his lips.
"I think I'm coming around to what you said earlier. About the cold," he said.
"Oh? Finally ready to admit that I'm always right?" Serana smirked.
"Ah, no. Definitely not," Arven as he rolled his eyes. "But these dorms are normally freezing. You'd think a bunch of mages would know how to keep the cold out, but last time I was here I almost froze," he explained as he raised a hand, removing a leather glove to look at his pale skin. "Can't feel a thing right now though."
Serana didn't respond, she just kept on massaging his head, doting on him. At least, for a little while longer until she noticed that Arven almost seemed to be nodding off.
"Weren't you about to get up?" She asked.
"Shh, this is comfortable," Arven responded.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoy it at least."
Arven grumbled in response initially, before he softly spoke. "Thank you, Serana."
"Oh, I'm not doing this for free," Serana responded. "You're giving me a massage later. This sort of pampering comes at a price, you know."
Arven opened his eyes again, looking at Serana with a very unimpressed glance. Letting out a reluctant groan he sat up, moving his legs off the side of the bed to stand up. Serana couldn't help but let out a short snort of a laugh, although feeling the weight leave her lap almost made her wish she didn't say anything.
Moving over to his pack, Arven pulled out a vial of blood. It was roughly half full, and after Arven popped open the cork the scent of blood rushed through his veins. It felt like fire shooting through his nerves, but in a good way. It woke him up instantly. He hadn't felt anything like it before, and he could only compare it to stories he'd heard of skooma addicts.
Holding the glass in his hand he looked at his shaking hand, grabbing his wrist with his free hand to try and steady it. Behind him Serana had stood up, placing a hand on his shoulder, letting him know she was there to help if he needed it.
As he brought the glass to his lips and tasted the blood again for the first time, his eyes shot wide open. That taste instantly took priority over everything else in his life, and he needed more of it. His instinct was to down the whole bottle in one go. He was prepared for this though, and as soon as he felt that urge rising up he tried his best to pull his hand away before the urge got too strong.
He did, but in his attempt to do so he ended up tearing the bottle away from his mouth, almost dropping it as drops of blood ended up flicking from the lip of the glass and landing across the wall.
"Ah, shit," he softly said to himself.
"You okay, Arven?" Serana asked, looking at him with a concerned gaze.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine," he said.
Waiting for a moment to make sure he hadn't lost control Serana then went to instantly clean up every last drop of blood he'd spilt. She made sure there was nothing left over. Not a single drop that could fill the room with the scent of blood. Thankfully, none of it got on any linen or anything that'd be hard to clean.
"That was a bit of a waste," Arven said to himself as he brought the bottle to his lips again. He opened his mouth and slowly started to drink it. It poured down his throat, and he could feel the strength coming from it. It was almost as if the second it hit his stomach it dispersed throughout his entire body. It didn't leave him feeling warm, it was something new. But 'warm' was the closest thing he could think of.
It was easy to get lost in that sensation. As he was drinking Arven barely noticed that he'd drunk most of the remaining liquid, with only a mouthful or so remaining. Trying once more he wrestled the bottle away from his lips. His hand was shaky, and it was anything but a smooth motion, but considering how much was left he thankfully didn't spill anymore.
He held it out to Serana. "Take it. Now, please," he urged as he sat back down on the bed. She did so, immediately taking the bottle and placing the cork on it. A second later and she was sitting next to him, a hand on his shoulder as she gave him an encouraging squeeze.
"One day I'll learn to stop being surprised by you, Arven," she said.
He looked up to her, his pupils dilated, the sanguine colour seeming to surge and shift in his iris. He breathed out a barely audible 'what', his thoughts mostly focused on trying to control himself.
"Third time feeding and you're that composed?" She asked. "I've never seen someone get a hold of it that quickly."
"You call that composed?" Arven scoffed.
"Yeah," Serana said. "I do." She then reached out, placing her hand on his cheek to turn his face towards her. "Really, Arven. You're doing well."
Arven grunted in response. It wasn't something he knew how to respond to. After a moment of eye contact he looked back at the bottle, staring at the remaining red liquid. His hunger had died down considerably, but the blood was still appetising.
"Do you want it?" He asked. "You haven't drunk in a while, right?"
"Huh?" Serana seemed almost shocked at the offer. "No, no. I'm fine, but thank you."
"Seriously, you must be getting hungry by now. You did have a pretty full on fight," Arven prompted.
"…Yeah, but I know how to handle it. That blood is for you, remember?" She said.
"If it's mine, then I can give it to whoever I want," Arven rebuffed. "Please, finish it. I'll be thinking about it all night if I know there's just a small amount left.
Serana argued with herself internally for a moment, but she quickly caved. She was hungry. Very hungry. But that wasn't important right now, so she didn't want to bring it up. That didn't mean she wouldn't accept, though.
Within a few seconds she stood up, grabbed the bottle and downed the remaining contents. After she did, placing the empty glass down on the table, she seemed almost… unsatisfied. Disappointed.
"What's wrong? Do you need more?" Arven asked.
"No, it's not that," Serana said, wiping her lips with one of her thumbs.
"What's wrong?" Arven pushed.
Serana looked to him, giving him a quick smirk. "I think I was getting spoilt before. You taste much better," she said.
Arven let out a small groan. "You never miss a chance to tease me, do you?"
"Who says I'm just teasing?" Serana asked. "It's true."
"Like I'm going to believe that," Arven replied. He was looking at one of his hands, watching the shaking that came as his body fed off of the blood he'd ingested. The taste still lingered and he wanted more, but at least he could control it.
Serana sat back down right next to him, watching him. She needed something to distract him with, so he didn't sit there focusing on his vampirism for too long.
"Oh, I forgot," she started. "What did you have to do in the college?"
Arven looked to her, confused for a moment before his eyes opened wide as he remembered.
"Oh, right!" He said. Sitting up slightly further onto the mattress he turned to Serana quickly. "Lift your shirt up for me."
Serana just blinked at him, feeling a blush coming to her face. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Lift up your – no, not like that," Arven sighed as he realised what he'd said. "Show me your stab wound. I want to see how it's healed."
Serana looked at him, giving him the sort of glare that implied distrust. She did fully trust his intensions, but it was more fun to play around with him for a little bit. But she did do as he asked, taking off her overcoat and lifting her shirt up to just below her bust. She showed Arven the wound that was caused by Garan stabbing her with the dagger.
The make-shift 'stitching' Arven had done was holding, thankfully.
"How is it?" Arven asked.
"It's fine, but it hurts if I twist a certain way. It'll be better in a few days," Serana responded.
Arven shook his head slightly, before he held out a hand. He placed a palm over the wound, concentrating.
"What are you doing?" Serana asked, but she quickly realised. She felt a strange sensation coming from Arven's hand. She looked down and saw a dull golden glow. It was similar to the glow that came whenever he used restoration magic, but it seemed more… lifeless?
The sensation spread throughout her wound and she could feel the sliced muscle and tendons knitting themselves back together from the inside. It was a slow process, and Arven was concentrating intently, even to the point of a few beads of sweat forming on his brow. But after a minute or so he pulled his hand away and took in a deep breath.
"How's that?" Arven asked.
"Did you just… heal me?" Serana asked.
"Yeah. I went and found the restoration teacher here at the College. She's… quirky, to put it mildly. But she's an excellent restoration mage. I asked her about the possibilities of healing undead, and well," he said, trailing off as he gestured to Serana's now non-existent wound.
Serana twisted her body about, raising her arms high above her head and lowering them, trying to get the pain to return. But it didn't.
"Wow, I'm… I'm shocked. Did you go ask her for me?" She asked, running her fingers over the location where the wound was.
"Well, yeah?" Arven replied as if it was common sense. For the next minute or so he launched into a rant of sorts. He explained what the mage had told him. About how restoration wasn't simply for healing people, how it was a magic for controlling the balance of life and death. He said that most people only focused on the one kind of restoration magic, understandably. But if a mage knew how to twist it, he could reverse that energy. Make it harmful to living people, but beneficial to undead.
Serana was hardly listening, though. She was just looking at him, enjoying how full her heart felt in that moment. She felt cared for, and that was rare for a vampire. Cutting off Arven's rant mid-way she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.
Arven paused, breaking off whatever he was saying.
"Uh, Serana?"
"Thank you, Arven," she said, squeezing him tight.
"…You're very welcome," he said as he hugged her back.
She squeezed him tightly, holding on for as long as she felt she could, all while fighting the urge to simply push him down on the bed. But as she pulled away, giving him a gentle smile that she hadn't given to anyone else before, she didn't mind that she had to wait for him. Despite some urges she may have, Arven's actions and words were somehow managing to make her feel… complete. And after knowing such a wonderful, peaceful feeling, there was no way she could ever complain about the pace with which things were progressing.
Arven didn't know what to say to fill the silence, but it was a comfortable silence while it lasted.
"Do you need to sleep?" Serana asked, only just realising the look of tiredness that was resting on Arven's face. "It's been a couple of days now. "
"No, I don't think so. Lying down would be nice, but I don't feel like I need to sleep just yet," Arven said.
He heaved himself up onto the bed properly, lying down with his head on a pillow. He took off his other glove, tossing it over to a chair in the corner before kicking off his boots and letting them simply fall off the bed. While he was doing that Serana had picked up the book she was reading before, lying next to Arven, sitting up with her back against the headboard of the bed as she idly flicked through the pages.
"You sure you don't want me to go find another room? I can go check the students-" Arven offered, before being cut off.
"Nope. It's too bright outside now, you'll burn," Serana said without looking up from her book. She didn't mention that it was overcast today, and Arven would likely survive in the shade without any issues.
Letting out a grumble as a response Arven tried his best to relax, closing his eyes with his arms folded across his stomach.
"Alright, alright. You win," Arven sighed as he laid there, doing his best to relax. Despite his efforts though, he found it hard to clear his mind. There was a reason he'd been gone for quite a while before returning to their room. He had gone to learn the new form of restoration magic, but that came to him surprisingly quickly. Considering his skill in restoration, and how his body was running on the energy undeath, rather than life, he was able to pick up the new spell far quicker than most. Even though he was normally horridly slow at these things.
What he hadn't told Serana though, was that he had gone back to the library. He started combing through every book he could find on vampirism. Skimming through page after page, trying to find anything that hinted to a cure. He found plenty of things he already knew. How vampirism can be contracted, the disease that passed from person to person. How someone needed to cure themselves of the disease before vampirism set in.
He tried to find any mentions of Vampire Lords, but there was nothing. Nothing about the new form, and nothing about removing vampirism once it had fully set in.
He ended up asking Urag, the librarian if he had heard of anything but the librarian simply shook his head. There were rumours about curing the disease. Using conjuration magic, brokering deals with other Daedric Princes, or complex alchemical concoctions. But they were simply rumours. Nothing at all concrete.
The news only got worse when he told Urag about being a Vampire Lord. While curing vampirism regularly seemed like an incredibly difficult task on its own, according to the librarian that task would be nigh impossible as a Vampire Lord. Even with no knowledge of the form itself, Urag had said that any magic or curse that came directly from a Daedric Prince was something that no mortal could truly hope to defeat.
"If what you say is true, and you're carrying a curse handed down from Molag Bal himself, do you really think simple tricks and incantations will be enough to go against his will?"
Urag's words stuck in his head. It formed a pit in Arven's stomach, filling him with worry that threatened to permeate throughout his entire body.
But more than that, it made him determined. So what if he was cursed by a Daedric Prince?
Arven had killed dragons. He'd killed the world eater, the God of Time. If he had to, he'd go back into Oblivion itself to find Molag Bal and destroy vampirism at the source.
He would stop at nothing to cure himself of this disease. And then, finally, he'd be able to tell the woman next to him how he truly felt.
Hello again! I'm back with another chapter. I've also updated the original chapter slightly as well. Nothing too drastic, but I felt like the first chapter isn't the best representation of my writing any longer, a couple of years later. And I want people to have a good first impression if they ever stumble across this fic!
As always I hope you've enjoyed reading, and a huge thank you to everyone who's followed along so far, and has left a comment or even just kudos. I can't overstate how much it means.