Early Morning Trespassing

Aila let out a long, contented sigh. This was just heavenly. Laying here, motionless, engulfed in Kathryn's warmth. Silk sheets be damned, Kathryn was far comfier. She wanted to lay there forever, forget about her mission and just exist pleasantly in her arms. This couldn't be more perfect.

But apparently Kathryn thought differently. "Are you okay?" she asked her quietly.

"Better than okay. Perfect, really." she looked up and was mesmerized by Kathryn's gleaming eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Kathryn just shrugged noncommittally. "No reason in particular. It's just that that you usually conk right out after an orgasm like that."

Well, that was true. It was rare that she would be awake for more than a couple minutes at most after the two had their fun. It was the perfect thing to put her to sleep. But not this time, apparently. It wasn't that she couldn't sleep, she just wasn't tired. Which was utterly strange given all that had happened that day, but it was the truth.

She shook her head and buried her head back into Kathryn's chest. "Well, I'm fine." She breathed deeply, enjoying Kathryn's scent. It made her smile. "Zu'u ko drem."

Kathryn was silent for a moment, but Aila could feel her eyes on her. She didn't think much of it though. Kathryn always liked watching her, just like she like watching Kathryn.

"And then there's that," she said eventually.

Aila looked back up at her. "And then there's what?"

"You remember just before we fought that dragon we had a bit of a kerfuffle over the word dragon?"

"Oh yeah. What was that all about? Did you suddenly lose your literacy or something?" Aila teased.

Kathryn rolled her eyes at her. "No, of course not. Look, the first thing you said was 'dovah', right?"

Yeah. Dragon. She nodded.

"The thing is, you seemed to think you were saying 'dragon.' But you weren't. You were saying 'dovah.'"

Aila's brow furrowed as Kathryn spoked. When she was done, she reached up and put her hand to her forehead.

"Uh… what are you doing?" Kathryn asked confusedly.

"Checking for a fever," Aila responded in a serious tone, though it was mostly in jest. But really, she had no idea what Kathryn was trying to say. She thought she was saying dragon, but she was actually saying dragon? What in Oblivion does that mean?

Kathryn pulled her head away from her head in a sort of amused annoyance. "I already told you I don't get sick." Then she trained her eyes back on Aila. "You don't know you're doing it, do you?"

"Doing what?" Aila asked. At the moment, she wasn't sure to be more concerned for Kathryn's mental state or her own.

"Speaking these strange tongues," Kathryn's replied and upon seeing Aila's expression continued. "Like just now. You said something like, zuko drem."

Well now it just seemed like she was making fun of her, and not in a teasing sort of way. She almost felt hurt, but she told herself Kathryn wouldn't do that. Plus, she certainly sounded serious. Aila definitely wasn't going to let this go now though. "Zu'u ko drem," she corrected.

"Yes!" Kathryn exclaimed suddenly, making Aila jump slightly. "That! What does that mean?"

"What does it mean?" Aila said, becoming frustrated. "You know what it means! It's not exactly the most complex of sentences."

"But I've never heard those words in my life, and it's the first time you've ever spoken them."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that," Aila commented dryly.

"You really have no idea you're doing it," Kathryn remarked with incredulity.

Aila didn't really know what to say to that, so she just looked at her with exasperation and confusion written all over her face.

A moment or two of silence later, Kathryn spoke up again. "Hmm… Let's try this, spell the word 'dragon' for me."

Aila raised a brow, as if to say 'are you serious?' What in Oblivion would that accomplish?

"Humour me."

Aila sighed, but obliged nonetheless. "D, r, a, g, o, n. There, happy?"

Kathryn nodded. "Now spell 'dovah.'"

"I just did!" she nearly shouted.

"Humour me," was all Kathryn said, a bit more firmly this time.

Aila grunted angrily. She didn't understand the point of this at all, but fine. Anything for her love. "Dah, ot... vey..." She started off strongly, with every confidence in the world, but with every letter her voice grew weaker and begin to falter until she ended with a shaky, "... hah." And then she realized something. That wasn't how you spell dragon. That wasn't even how you pronounce the letters.

So why the hell was I?

"Now do you see?" Kathryn asked her. "You say these things that have no meaning, at least not one that I understand, but act as if you spoke just as you always do. You don't even realize you say them, not even when it's called to your attention."

So she's been randomly speaking in a foreign language that she never learned? "How… how long have I been doing this?"

"Not often," Kathryn said. Oh, that was relieving. "Just now would only be the third time, though it's the first time you said more than a single word. It might be getting worse. Whatever it is."

"When was the first?" Aila asked.

"Back in Morthal, when we were fighting that vampire, Laelette. You said something, forcefully, so much so that the ground around us actually shook slightly, kind of like when you Shout, but to a lesser extent, though you didn't seem to notice. You said something like mulan."

"Mulhaan," Aila corrected automatically. "I was telling you to mulhaan. Did the ground really shake?"

"Yes, but I think your thoughts would be better placed with the fact the you just did it again. What does mulhaan mean?"

"What?" Aila asked, becoming confused again. Was she really asking what it meant to be still?

Kathryn sighed frustratedly. "Spell it."

Aila's brow wrinkled, but she did so anyway. "Mah, un, li, hes… aan… ni. Huh?" That definitely wasn't right. Not even close. Did she suddenly become illiterate? Or was she really speaking another language without realizing? How was that possible?

"I have a hunch as to what language it is, though." Kathryn said, surprising her.

"You do? What is it?" Aila asked curiously.

"Well, it's not hard to guess if you just sit down and think about it for a moment."

So Aila thought about it. Apparently she was randomly slipping into a foreign tongue without even noticing. What's more, she evidently can't even differentiate between it and her native tongue when it's spoken back to her. Just another thing to add to the growing list of thing to complicate life. First her temper (which, admittedly, she hadn't been worrying about as she probably should) and now this.

Wait a moment… Her temper was the result her so-called dragon soul, wasn't it? At least, that was the impression she got from her little talk with Karsten. The more souls she absorbed the shorter her fuse. Could her slip into tongues be related to that? She never did it before she started devouring souls, not that she knew of at least. If that was the case it was quite obvious what language she was speaking.

"Dragon," she whispered. "I'm speaking dragon."

Kathryn nodded. "So I think."

"Well, that's just great, then. Maybe the next dragon I face and I can have a nice, long chat over tea and crumpets just before we try to murder each other."

Kathryn laughed, no doubt at the imagery Aila put in her head. "Well, at least you're taking this in stride."

"Can't really do much else. Why couldn't I magickally learn a language that's actually useful?" She sighed. "Well, whatever. Just make sure to tell me if I start spouting nonsense in the middle of a conversation, okay?" she said, resting her head back onto Kathryn's chest.

Kathryn chuckled and nodded. "Will do."

Aila closed her eyes and breathed deeply, deciding to make an effort to try and sleep. It proved to be futile, however, for no matter how quietly or how stilly she waited, or how pleasantly Kathryn caressed her, sleep would not come. She just wasn't the least bit tired. Eventually, she gave up on trying.

"I'm bored," she announced suddenly. "How in Oblivion do you do this every night? Just laying here, motionless? I'm bored out of my skull, and you're more restless than I am."

"Well," Kathryn began. "You'd be surprised how amusing watching someone sleep can be."

Aila looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly. Was she trying to say she talked in her sleep or something? Gods, she hoped not, she had enough on her plate to deal with already.

Kathryn didn't give her a chance to ask, though. "But you're right," she continued, "there's not much reason to lay here doing nothing when neither of us are tired and there are better things we could be doing." She looked down at Aila with a wicked glint in her eye. "What say we go explore the palace and see what sort of mischief we can get ourselves into?"

Aila smiled widely at the suggestion. "Now that sounds like fun."

So the two untangled themselves from each other and proceeded to dress themselves in their leathers. Once they were properly armed and armoured, Aila slowly and carefully opened the door to their room and peered out for anyone. Seeing no one, she opened it fully and led Kathryn out into the hall.

"Do you think you can tell which way the vampire is?" Aila asked silently.

Kathryn sniffed the air a few times, turning her head around as she did so. "The scent's stronger down that way," she pointed down one end of the hall. Then she turned back to Aila. "Why? You're not planning anything stupid, are you?"

Aila rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. It's rather late into the night, so more than likely she's awake. I'm pretty sure my scent was overwhelming her, so there's a chance she didn't realize you're a werewolf. If that's the case, I want to keep it that way. I was going to suggest splitting up to cover more ground. You go that way," she pointed the way opposite Kathryn mentioned. "so you won't chance running into her by yourself and have her figure it out."

"And if you run into her? What will you do then? What if she attacks you?"

"Well, she seemed to hold herself together well enough at dinner, don't you think?"

"In public, yes, but who's to say she won't try anything all alone?"

"Kat, I'm not saying she won't, but I can take care of myself. Fire from my mouth, remember? I'll be fine."

Kathryn looked like she wanted to argue more, but instead she just sighed and nodded her head. "Alright. Just be careful."

"Of course. Let's meet back up outside by morning. Good luck."

There the two parted ways, Aila going in one direction, Kathryn in the other. She couldn't blame Kathryn for worrying over her, but it really was unwarranted. She was in no more danger than she was wandering the palace unsolicited this late at night. If worse came to worst, she would most likely just get thrown in jail, a place she could easily escape from. She did have the power to become incorporeal, after all.

Whoa, Aila realized with a start. I can literally walk through walls. I should really start using my Shouts for things other than just fighting. She started to ponder the possibilities as she walked the halls, searching for anything interesting. With feim she could enter any building unchallenged, with su she could quickly and nimbly pick even the most guarded of pockets unnoticed, and with laas she would know exactly where everybody was at all times and never have to worry about getting caught.

She couldn't really think of a stealthy or subtle use for yol or fo. Starting and ending bonfires would be a cinch, but she already had Kathryn for that, what with her magick and everything.

Actually, now would be a perfect time to use a Shout.

Aila took a deep breath. "Laas."

As a multitude of brightly coloured lights flickered into existence, it occurred to Aila that it didn't make much sense for them to be called Shouts if you could whisper them.

Most all of the lights were still and unmoving, undoubtedly asleep at this late hour, and they were all bright blue, indicating human. All but two.

Looking behind her, Aila could see a shimmering golden form shifting slowly through the darkness, and in front of her and up a flight of stairs was the dark red figure of the vampire Court Mage. She was shuffling about frantically in what Aila presumed was her room. She seemed agitated, but why? Was it Aila? Did her scent really affect her that much? Of course, it was possible she was always like that, but she could just go and check…

Now, she was fully aware that she told Kathryn she wasn't planning on doing anything stupid, and she wasn't. Planning on it, that is. So it could be said when Aila headed up the stairs and toward the red light, that whether she followed a plan or her own impulses, it led her to make equally stupid decisions.

As she approached the vampire's room, she saw the figure in the far side of the room hunched over something, probably a table, fiddling with something. As quietly as she could, she tiptoed her way to the door, pressing her ear against it. She heard what sounded like stone pressing against stone and muffled muttering, but could only make out a few word here and there.

"... can't possibly know… could ruin everything… more careful…" The mutterings stopped for a moment as she lifted something up to her face and sniffed. "Not enough bone marrow…"

Aila pondered what to do next. The sanest thing would be to simply leave, but… Well, that was also the least fun.

So she took a deep breath and Shouted as quietly as she could. "Feim."

The figure froze for a short moment, and Aila was sure she had heard, but then she went back to whatever she was doing. "... stop being so paranoid."

Almost immediately Aila could feel her body trying to return to reality. Whispering her Shout must not have put much power behind it. Willing it to last as long as it possibly could, Aila quickly stepped through the door, the weirdness of it only slightly freaking her out, and into the room. Just as her foot crossed through the door, her body returned. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't completely passed through it in time.

The vampire hadn't noticed her yet. The 'table' she was leaning over was an alchemy table, and she was busy grinding away ingredients into a powder to mix into some sort of potion she was making. And she was still muttering to herself.

"There's no way that scrawny little thing killed a dragon all by herself. The guard must have weakened it first, then she came in and stole all the glory."

Well, now Aila was offended. Without a sound, she made her way over to a nearby chair and seated herself in it as she waited to be noticed.

"She smells absolutely delectable, though. Maybe if I get her away from her companion, I could… no, people would notice. Besides, she did save Solitude, or at least help. No reason to kill her."

How considerate of her. Aila watched as she took the potion she was working on and lifted it to her nose. She took a breath and Aila saw her face scrunch up. "Divines, I can smell her now. It's so potent. I must have a taste before she leave. But how?"

Aila was tired of waiting. "Well, you could always ask."

The vampire whirled around, her face contorted into a snarl and her blood red eyes glowing brightly. "You! How did you get in here?"

Aila nodded toward the entrance. "I walked through the door."

The vampire glaced at said door before growling back at Aila. "Impossible, I reinforced that door myself! There's no way you could open it, especially without my knowing."

Aila smiled wickedly. "Not quite what I meant."

But the mage didn't take to kindly to her teasing. "None of your games! Just because you were lucky enough for stay at the Palace does not allow to go where you please! I would have you arrested for trespassing!"

Aila snorted. "Says the woman who was just plotting to steal my blood."

If it was possible, the pale woman seemed to pale further. "How long have you been sitting there?" She asked lowly.

The grin never left Aila's face. Oh, this was fun. She wasn't use to extortion, that was usually Kathryn's area. Aila didn't have the look for it. "Long enough."

The vampire took a deep breath, either to calm herself or to take in another scent of Aila. She wasn't sure. "I assume you want something? Or are you just here to complicate things for me?"

Aila smiled wryly. "Now what makes you think I want anything? Perhaps I just wanted to stop by and chat." She couldn't help but snicker as the vampire's scowl deepened. "Well, I suppose there is something I want, but I'd doubt you'd be of any help. Ever heard the name Gulum-Ei?"

"No," Sybille replied instantly.

"Didn't think so. Really, I was just curious. What exactly is a vampire doing here in the Blue Palace of all places? Does the Jarl know, I wonder? Or is she your thrall, perhaps? Now that would be interesting."

Sybille's face scrunched up in disgust. "Please. Don't liken me to those lesser vampires who need thralls to do their most basic needs for them. What does it matter to you, anyway? I've been in this position for years, and aim to say for many more. Or is the little Dragonborn trying to play hero again, and liberate the city from the evil vampire?" She gave her a mock smile.

Aila snorted. "I couldn't care less about what you do with this city. You can have the Empire at your beck and call for all I care, just as long as you stay out of my way. Like I said before, I'm only here because I was curious."

The vampire raised a brow. "So you deem it wise to break into a vampire's quarters all by yourself?"

Aila couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Please. You're hardly the first vampire I've had to deal with, and I doubt you'll be the last. But by all means, go ahead and try whatever it is you're thinking of." Aila paused and stared right into the vampire's crimson eyes, her gaze hardening. "See where it gets you."

There was a pregnant pause where neither would move an inch. Aila, for her part, was… not tense, exactly, but fully prepared to spring into action at a moment's notice. She watched the vampire's still figure carefully for any sign that would signal an attack.

After what felt like an hour, the vampire let out a breath that was, Aila noticed, rather shaky. "I-I don't have a particular reason for being here. I wandered in here one day and the Jarl saw my skill with magick and offered me a position as Court Mage. I've been here ever since. This position is rather… lucrative for me."

Aila didn't fail to notice the slight stutter in her voice. Was she nervous? Interesting. "That's it? How dull. I was hoping you'd have some sort of master plan to enslave the city or something, like the last vampire I killed."

"I-I thought you said you didn't care what I did here?"

"I don't," Aila reassured. "But if I stopped you, then I probably would've gotten some sort of reward. But, since that obviously isn't happening," Aila stood from the chair and stretched out her arms above her head. "I'll be going now," she said as her dropped her arms back to her side. She made her way over to the door and opened it up, pausing only to give the vampire one last crooked grin. "Nice to meet you, Sybille."

She didn't bother waiting for a reply as she made her exit. Closing the door behind her, and taking a moment to make sure the Court Mage wouldn't follow, she briskly made her way further down the hall and away from the room.

As Aila wandered the halls of the castle, she pondered what to do next. Finding Gulum-EI was her main priority, but unfortunately, information gathering wasn't exactly her strong suit. She could always start by asking the local innkeepers, she supposed. There couldn't be too many Argonians in the city.

The rest of the night passed by rather uneventfully. She found several somewhat interesting rooms with valuable looking decorations and ornaments, but nothing worth hauling back to Riften. Hopefully Kathryn would have better luck. As she passed by a window and saw the sun beginning to peak over the horizon, Aila decided it was time to meet up with her. She abandoned the winding halls and headed for the entrance.

Kathryn was already outside waiting, her hands out in front of her glowing brightly with some kind of magick. She seemed slightly frustrated with whatever she was doing. Upon closer inspection, Aila could see was looked like static jumping back and forth between her hands. "What are you doing?" Aila questioned as she neared.

"Practicing," She answered simply. Suddenly her hands flashed and the static quickly intensified into a miniature lightning storm. This clearly wasn't supposed to happen though, for Kathryn quickly pulled her hands away and the storm disappeared. "Dammit," she muttered and turned to Aila, her hands shaking slightly. "Frost is easy. You flow the magicka out into a somewhat pointy shape, solidify it, then throw. Fire is a little harder. It's pretty easy to combust the magicka in your hands, but you have to keep it under control else it could get, well, messy. Shock, though," she looked down at her hands, which had by then steadied. "Shock is hard. It's all about precision and control. If you don't focus on your target and only your target, the bolts could very easily branch out and hit anything and everything, including yourself, and maybe even miss your target entirely." She looked back up at Aila. "At least, that's how it is for me. Some people have trouble materializing their magicka into something solid, while at the same time can easily fork their bolts and hit three targets simultaneously." She shrugged. "Everyone had their own preference."

That made sense, Aila supposed. "What do you think my preference would be?" She couldn't help but ask.

Kathryn looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm not really sure, truthfully. You're fairly calculated, and you don't tend to act without a specific intent in mind, even if it's trivial. That's usually a Shock user trait. However you're also extremely impulsive and typically ignore the possible consequences despite being fully aware of them. You tend to follow your heart rather than your head, even when your heart telling you to do something really, really stupid. Those are typically traits of a pyromancer." She cocked her head to the side. "Plus, your part dragon or something, so… probably fire. I guess."

Aila snorted. "Right. I should've figured." She took a glance at their surroundings and made sure no one was watching them, out of instinct more than anything else. "Well, we should start looking for Gulum-Ei. I already asked the Court Mage, but she didn't know anything, unsurprisingly. Let's head to the nearest inn and ask around." She started walking as Kathryn stood there looking at her with widening eyes.

Eventually Aila heard a sigh and she glanced back to see Kathryn rubbing her temples and muttering something that sounded like, "Definitely fire," and started following after her.