Elisif never liked welcoming her friends surrounded by guards and soldiers.
But it was always the reality of it now. As the war progressed, so did the need for security everywhere. She still remembered when she greeted Idgrod the first time at the Palace. Torygg was by her side, eager to introduce the two of them. Somehow he knew they would like each other. He knew them both well, it appeared. And there were no guards to make anyone uncomfortable. They always made themselves scarce for these meetings.
Now it was quite different. There were two men standing by Elisif's throne as Idgrod approached with four of her own behind her back, watching everyone tentatively.
But there was still one thing that remained the same. Before the formal niceties, the two women shared a small smile between themselves – their own greeting that didn't need anything else. No pomp, no ceremony, just a smile of two friends seeing each other again.
"Your Majesty," Idgrod gave her a curtsy right after that. "It's a pleasure to be here again."
"It's a pleasure to have you, Jarl Ravencrone," Elisif promptly replied. "How fares your Hold?"
"Tense, Your Majesty," the older woman scowled. "The forces are attempting to retake Fort Snowhawk, but they have had no luck yet. And the fort is… uncomfortably close to Morthal."
"The reinforcements from Cyrodiil have arrived, Jarl Ravencrone," Elisif gave her friend a sympathetic nod. She knew the situation was dire. Fort Snowhawk was a great loss. She couldn't claim to be a military mastermind, but she needed to understand these tactics at least a little. And she understood all too well – Ulfric had taken the two most strategic positions he could. And now nobody would be able to tell where he was going to attack. Fort Sungard was at the border of the Reach and Falkreath Hold, leaving his men plenty of opportunity to target both these cities if he chose to. And Fort Snowhawk was not only a big threat to Morthal. It was a big threat to Solitude as well. The only good thing was that the fort was taken through an elaborate covert operation and not a military march. Something that couldn't be done with a city of Morthal's and definitely not Solitude's size. Ulfric had a clever tactic. But he could not march his men through Morthal and attack Solitude. But it was still a dire situation. Morthal needed to be protected at all costs, otherwise it would leave a clear path for the Stormcloaks to take the capital. And there weren't enough men to protect the cities and forts they needed to protect now, let alone to strengthen the forces in one Hold.
But there was no other choice. That's why Elisif and the General pleaded for more reinforcements. It was lucky that the High Chancellor approved their request. Now they could, with some luck, retake Fort Snowhawk and secure Hjaalmarch once more. She only hoped that Ulfric's people would not resort to worse tactics in the meantime. His actions already closed the trade route with Morthal – Idgrod had to travel through Whiterun to get here. And if they wanted, they could try to gain a foothold in other strategic spots and actually surround Morthal, cutting it off from all supplies and necessities. Morthal did not produce much on its own. The swamps were not exactly fertile ground.
"They will march in a week and attempt to take back the fort by force," Elisif reassured her friend, but she knew that until this actually happened, there would be no peace of mind for her. For either of them.
"I appreciate your assistance, Your Majesty," Idgrod nodded. "And send my thanks to the General as well, please." She didn't sound too sincere. Elisif knew she was thankful for the reinforcements, but there was clearly something else on her mind, plaguing her endlessly regarding these issues.
"It is our duty to protect our Holds," Elisif answered with the monotone mandatory reassurance she was so used to. But she soon changed her tune to a warmer one. "Would you join me for dinner, Jarl Ravencrone?"
"With pleasure," the Jarl smiled. She was waiting for this, clearly. A moment for them to speak candidly. Alone.
They continued to Elisif's quarters promptly while she gestured to one of the servants standing nearby. They would start working on the food. In the meantime, she could just spend some time with Idgrod in the privacy of her chambers. And with some good wine.
They passed the men stationed in front of Elisif's bedroom and once Idgrod stepped in, Elisif promptly followed and closed the doors behind them. She gestured towards the lavish armchairs and a small table in front of the fireplace. There was already a bottle of wine and two goblets ready in anticipation of Idgrod's arrival. When the food was ready, they would move towards the dining table in the room which could seat four people. But for now this would be more comfortable.
"I was surprised to hear you'd be coming to visit, Idgrod," Elisif spoke as she uncorked the wine and began to pour for the both of them. "First I thought you came for the festival, but Falk tells me it's something else. Is this about Snowhawk or…?" She didn't bring up the visions outright. She was still hoping that perhaps those weren't that important.
"It's… about a lot of things, my friend," Idgrod let out a weary sigh. "And… yes, perhaps I timed my visit so that I could see the festival as well," she chuckled a bit.
"Good, I'd love to have you there with me," Elisif smiled. It was always more fun to attend these events with friends. She had Falk and Bolgeir, but Sybille obviously couldn't come and she wanted someone there she could talk to when those two started to discuss horses. They could both do that for hours. She liked horses, but not to that extent. Nobody but these two, and perhaps stable masters, did.
"I'm looking forward to it," Idgrod nodded. "I am afraid this is the last pleasant thing we'll talk of though. At least for now. Things seem more and more dire each day."
"I can't believe they lost the fort," Elisif sighed. "It must be so nerve-wracking for you. It's so close to the city."
"I am more worried about our General rather than the Stormcloaks. With his recent brash decisions, not only has he driven more people to the rebels, but I fear for what more builds up in that head of his," Idgrod scowled promptly.
It was true, Tullius's decision to recruit forcefully was… a bad move. At least Elisif thought as much. Maybe it was a sound tactic for him, but the way the war was progressing, it didn't seem like it was. And it was certainly not good for the people of Skyrim.
"What are you worried he'll do?" Elisif frowned too.
"Sacrifice us? Abandon us? Morthal may be already lost in his eyes," the older woman sighed.
"Idgrod! I won't let that happen!" Elisif gasped. She knew all too well that some just saw her as a puppet leader, but she was more than that. She had eased Tullius's brashness in the past. And she had a very good relationship with the High Chancellor. It was because of her that they got the reinforcements they needed. She would certainly not let her friend lose her Hold. Or even die. Not if she could help it.
"I appreciate that sentiment," Idgrod smiled weakly, but there was still so much worry in her eyes.
"Falk said… you had a vision?" Elisif finally broached the subject.
"I did. Not a very promising one, I fear," she sighed. She seemed reluctant to speak, which was unlike her, but after a while she finally said it. "I saw Solitude, encased in the darkest night which seemed… eternal. Unceasing. Seeping. All the lights were out. The only thing bringing them were… flames. All over the city, houses burning."
Elisif felt cold sweat envelop her. She knew the vision would be bad, but she didn't expect this. What did that mean? Eternal night? Was that just a feeling or an actual thing that could happen? And the flames… would the rebels actually make it this far? To sack Solitude itself?
"You think this relates to the war?" Elisif asked frightfully.
"Not entirely, perhaps. The night… I felt… magic. Powerful magic. It's hard to explain," Idgrod shook her head. "But I cannot say where the flames came from. Given current events though… I fear the worst."
Elisif understood entirely. She feared the worst now too. Funny, she never even began to imagine that the situation could ever deteriorate to this extent.
She could tell the General. But he never seemed to take Idgrod very seriously. Or maybe that would only lead him to decide to reinforce Solitude itself and really sacrifice Morthal to the rebels.
That was the issue with her friend's visions.
Nobody ever knew how to prevent them.
"I… I don't know what to do with that information," Elisif looked at her desperately.
"Me neither, my friend," Idgrod let out a long resigned sigh. "I wish I knew. I truly do."
…
Spending time in Solitude became nerve-wracking for Bishop and Aeyrin so suddenly.
One report from the Penitus Oculatus agent and they constantly had to look over their shoulders. And any Argonian on the streets became their main suspect. It was exhausting.
But they soldiered on. What else was there to do? They couldn't leave the city, not right away. The agent was right. The assassin might have seen them. He may be waiting for them to leave. They needed to stay at least a little longer so that he would leave and give up on hunting them, if that was what he was doing. The uncertainty was the worst part.
Regardless, they were determined to continue with their plans. No matter how much Bishop disliked it. Aeyrin wanted to go see Azshan and find out what they could do together in Solitude. Why he was so insistent on spending time together.
They headed over to Castle Dour shortly after lunch again. Aeyrin wasn't exactly eager either to pretend like everything was fine in front of Azshan, but her desire to see if something could be going on was much more powerful.
They were stopped by the entrance to the Castle. Of course nobody would let them in, but hopefully just dropping Azshan's name would do the trick.
"Hello, we're… visiting Sir Azshan of the Order of the Imperial Dragon," Aeyrin nodded at one of the guards.
"He told us they might be coming," the second guard confirmed it to the addressed one. It looked like they wouldn't need to go through some stupid process to get inside. The first guard nodded briefly too before he ushered them to follow.
They hadn't been there for a while, but now they were led into a different part of the Castle than they used to spend any time in either in Casavir's chambers, meeting with Tullius or in the areas where Bishop used to sneak around to visit Aeyrin during her being incapacitated here. He still remembered the routes, the maps, though he knew those would be much more watched after his stunts. They were entirely exposed after all.
The guard led them to another part of the large building complex, and after knocking, inside one of the towers. There was a large lavish office there with a big part of it taken over by a huge desk made out of polished wood and a fancy armchair behind it. The usual decorations were present – red Imperial banners, ceremonial weapons, even a shiny set of ornate armor on a mannequin.
Azshan was sitting behind the large desk, reading a book. It didn't look like he was actually working. Most people Aeyrin and Bishop had been led to see in an office looked so busy, but not Azshan. His smile brightened when he saw them though and he waved the guard away promptly.
"Hey, Aeyrin, Bishop," he nodded at them in an eager greeting. "I'm glad you came to see me."
"Does every paladin have a fucking office?" Bishop raised his brow at Azshan. There were like ten of them or more here, right? Did they all get a place like this? How was there any room left for the soldiers in the Castle? There were scores of them. And Azshan was just a rank and file shiny prick, right?
"Nah, just me. Or Casavir, I guess, but it's mine now," Azshan smirked. "Not officially, but everyone comes to me with the issues for the Order now. Nobody trusts Casavir anyway and people trust me," he shrugged which made Aeyrin scowl a bit, despite herself. They shouldn't. "I didn't get his quarters though. That sucks. They're really nice."
"Sorry, are you working?" Aeyrin asked, but she knew full well that he wasn't. It just seemed like the thing to ask since they had been led into this place.
"I'll make time for you," he grinned.
Right. As if he hadn't been just lazing about before.
"Well, you said we should do something while I'm here," she continued, but that was where she stopped. She was instantly curious about what he would suggest – what he would try to drag her into.
"Right. How about we spend some time together tomorrow? All of us," he beamed instantly. Tomorrow. That's what she thought. Another public event. The burning of that king or whatever. He was definitely planning something there.
"Alright," she nodded promptly.
"You know, I've been cooped up in the city for ages. We should go out into the wilderness. There are some nice places around here I'm pretty sure you haven't been to. We could go in the evening. The sunsets over the sea are great," Azshan suggested.
What? He wanted to go outside the city? Why? Was it a dragon again? Some strange scheme like that? Or was it some sort of ambush? Both Aeyrin and Bishop were instantly confused.
Seeing their conflicted faces, Azshan immediately came up with another suggestion.
"Or I hear they have some shipment of some special mead in Dragon Bridge. We could go there and check it out. Spend time somewhere less busy than the Skeever," he pondered.
What was he doing? Why was he suggesting only things away from Solitude? This was actually more fishy than him instantly suggesting that festival. He was not one to leave the cultural center so willingly.
"Actually, I heard there's some big festival tomorrow at the Bards College," Aeyrin promptly reacted. This was strange. He didn't have a specific suggestion, but he clearly didn't want to include them in something. He wanted to keep them away. And what other thing could it be, other than the big festival the whole city knew about? Right? "I was hoping to see it."
"Ah. The Burning of Olaf thing?" Azshan scowled. "That's overrated. You know how these things are, crowds, gossip and all that stuff."
He loved that stuff!
"I thought you like the gossip," Bishop smirked at him. He was being so fucking suspicious. Though it wouldn't be so apparent if they didn't know what they knew.
"Yeah, but Aeyrin doesn't," Azshan sighed. "And after last time, I thought she deserved some reprieve."
"I've had my reprieve," Aeyrin shook her head. "And this is different, right? It's a festival in the streets and everyone's going, not just the nobles. And there's gonna be bard performances. I really wanna go."
"Honey, really, it's not what it cracks up to be at all," Azshan shook his head adamantly.
"How do you know? I thought it was cancelled after Ulfric killed Torygg," Bishop gave him a challenging look. "You weren't here before that."
"No, but there are plenty of similar festivals being held all the time," Azshan seemed adamant. "They get boring fast. They're really nothing special."
"Well, I wanna see one," Aeyrin nodded. "It's alright, I get it, it's not for you. We can do something together the next day. But we'll go, right?" She nudged Bishop. She now knew she had to. And provoking Azshan with letting him know was also kind of tempting. He was clearly trying to keep them away. "We can take Jordis with us too."
"Sure, why not?" Bishop shrugged. Normally he would put up a fight a little, but not when Azshan was acting like this. And also, he kinda liked the sound of this particular festival. It was definitely better than some fucking ball. And taking Jordis with them would definitely be fun. She looked like she would make any party more interesting.
"W-well… if you really wanna go…" Azshan muttered in between gritted teeth. He was clearly frustrated about not getting his way. "I'll tag along."
"Oh. Really?" Aeyrin wanted to sound excited but it just made her more nervous. So now he would be coming. Why? To keep an eye on them? Perhaps something was going to go down there that they shouldn't see. Maybe he would try to get them to leave early.
Now she was even more determined than before.
She would find out what was up with this festival.
"Good. I'm sure it will be fun," she forced a smile. It was kind of ironic that she was promising the same thing he had been promising her about the ball last year. "You know where the mansion is?" She was sure he knew. He had her watched after all. Though it may be a good thing now. Maybe his loyal guards would actually look out for the assassin. That was another thing to consider during the festival. The Argonian could blend into the crowd more easily there.
"Yeah. I know. I'll come pick you up before sundown," Azshan nodded. He wasn't really able to hide his disappointment with how things went though. Or was he nervous?
It was definitely going to be an interesting night.
Aeyrin tried to smile at him again, though she wasn't sure if she was successful. She was certainly looking forward to leaving again. Seeing him was still painful. And the only reason she would go through it all night was to uncover his schemes. So she quickly spoke again before he could delay it.
"We won't keep you from your work then. See you tomorrow."
…
After a calm evening at the mansion, the day of the festival had come.
They could already see the crowds pouring in to the area near their house – to the courtyard of the Bards College. Not only that, they also saw the trays of food and crates of drinks being carried there. It was looking like a promising event.
Bishop and Aeyrin weren't really looking out of the window to see all that. They were more anxious to look at the people heading in that direction. To see if any Argonians were among them. So far though, there weren't any. It was no guarantee of anything, but it was a little comforting.
All that while Jordis was 'getting ready'. They weren't sure what that involved. People weren't dressed up for the event. Not too much anyway. Bishop and Aeyrin could just come in their regular clothes, there was certainly no need to rummage through the armoire to locate the fancy clothes that they had left in there last time after that ball.
But Jordis seemed adamant to make herself 'presentable', as she put it. They didn't know what that meant. It was not as if she looked like some vagabond. She looked very presentable. She would have to, being a housecarl for nobles before, right? And she didn't really abandon those habits.
Aeyrin peeked out of the window again when she spotted a tall Redguard man in a colorful tunic marching from the courtyard of Castle Dour. That was probably Azshan. He was going to be here soon.
"Jordis! We'll be going soon!" Aeyrin called out to her loudly. They left the door to the master bedroom open so she could definitely hear them, even all the way down in her room. "Azshan's coming, I think," Aeyrin continued in a regular volume, addressing Bishop this time.
"So what's your plan here anyway?" Bishop asked uncertainly. "He wants to keep you away from that place, but I doubt you were gonna just… stay there and see what happens," he scoffed.
"I was thinking of trying to find some people… just to watch them. You know, those friends of Azshan's?" Those were the people who might be plotting something. "Alone, without him, subtly. You and Jordis could distract Azshan in the meantime."
"Alright, first of all, 'subtly'? You?" Bishop smirked. "Maybe you better leave me to that. And you can distract Azshan more reliably anyway. He'll be watching you."
"He'll be watching you," Aeyrin shook her head. "He knows you're the one who can actually slip beneath notice. He might be more careful about you."
That was a fair point, Azshan knew all too well what Bishop was capable of ever since the days of him sneaking through the Castle. But it still didn't make it any better of an idea for Aeyrin to try and be subtle. But if it was just eavesdropping on some people, that wasn't so difficult in a big crowd. There was still another issue though.
"Well, fine, but second of all, you don't know these people. Sure, the tin-head told you about them, but you wouldn't recognize any of them," he shook his head with a scoff.
"I know some," Aeyrin huffed. "I know that Bryline lady. Or whatever. I saw that one. And there's an Altmer wizard who's not Thalmor. There's not gonna be tons of them. And there's Gisli."
"And many more," he snorted.
"Well, maybe I could find Casavir's friend somehow? Rose," Aeyrin shrugged. Rose would tell her who the people were.
"Among all those people without even a description? Sure. Also, you approaching her when she's 'undercover'? That's a shitty thing to do. Her 'friends' will have questions. And another thing, why in the Void would she trust you? Does she even know you're helping the tin-head? Because you haven't even been here for months, so why would he tell her?"
"Stop poking holes into my plans," Aeyrin scowled at him, but there was a playfully pouting tone in her voice.
"You can't call this a 'plan'," Bishop laughed.
"Well there's no better one. So… I'm just gonna try to split from Azshan and eavesdrop on the people I do recognize," she shrugged.
"Fine. Not like I have a better idea," he nodded. And this was harmless. She would just stay in the crowd. "Just be careful about any green Argonians."
"Don't worry. I probably won't be able to stop thinking about that," she sighed.
"Hey! You said we're going!" A voice from downstairs rang through the halls. That was fair, they rushed her a while ago. And Azshan was probably almost here.
The two of them made their way to the kitchen area promptly, leaving their bedroom with their packs and everything they wouldn't need locked behind them. Just in case.
When they came down, Jordis was already waiting there. Though neither of them even noticed whether she was excited or impatient or anything else. There was no time to consider her expression when both their gazes were instantly drawn to a spot a bit lower.
It was questionable whether this would be considered a 'presentable' look for a noble's housecarl, but it was clearly the right kind of presentable for Jordis. She wore a long pale-blue dress, which was quite simple and with no adornments. Except for the fact that her cleavage was cut almost all the way to her navel. And Jordis was already quite well endowed in that area, but this was only bringing much more attention to that. That was clearly the intention though.
It seemed like a long time before they both stopped staring at her breasts. Only when she let out a pleased snort, they tore their eyes away.
"I take it I look good," she chuckled.
"Forget me, there's your distraction," Bishop mumbled under his breath. He had a point. Though Azshan was trained not to let these things distract him. At least not too obviously. Aeyrin doubted that he would just spend his night staring at Jordis's cleavage.
"You do look good Jordis," Aeyrin nodded with a brief embarrassed chuckle following. She could honestly say, she had never before stared at a woman's cleavage for so long. Well… maybe during some skin rash examinations at the temple, but that didn't really count. Though this was clearly done so that anyone would stare. It was kind of impressive how daring Jordis was.
"I'm surprised you don't mind," Jordis smirked in return.
What? Why would she mind how someone dressed? She would probably mind if she was supposed to dress herself like that in public, but then again, maybe not. She always thought she would mind when she imagined it, but her last ballgown was also a bit daring, though definitely less so. And she did recently promenade herself a bit in lingerie among drunkards at a brothel. But so did Bishop.
Aeyrin was a little peeved by that comment. She wasn't sure what led Jordis to think that. But before she could react, a loud knock on the door interrupted their interaction.
She walked over to the door promptly. It was probably best not to get into this now. Maybe she would ask Jordis what she meant later. If she willed herself to. But there was no time for such things now.
Aeyrin opened the door to welcome Azshan. He greeted her with a bright grin. His outfit was, as always, looking very expensive. He had a green tunic that matches his bright eyes perfectly with golden embroidery all over it. He always looked like a prime target for a mugging.
"Hey. Everyone ready?" He smiled. "I just saw them bring in the spiced wine. Perfect timing," he chuckled.
Aeyrin briefly looked over her shoulder, but Bishop and Jordis were already standing behind her, ready to go. To Azshan's credit, she did not see him look even once anywhere else than into Jordis's eyes.
"You must be the housecarl. Jordis, was it?" He nodded at her. "A pleasure to meet you." He reached out for her hand in a courtly manner and Jordis promptly offered it in a practiced gesture. She was likely very used to this stuff. Azshan did not bring her hand towards his lips though, as would be expected. Instead, he leaned down to ghost a kiss above the back of her hand.
At that stunt, Bishop's barely subdued snicker rang through the room. So fucking obvious. Azshan was clearly trying so hard not to stare at Jordis's tits, but he chose this tactic to take a proper look instead. Well, supposedly, paladins would have to have tricks for how to ogle people without seeming like they did.
"What?" Azshan gave Bishop a confused look when he straightened back up, but Aeyrin interrupted quickly.
"We should head out. Everyone's gonna go after the spiced wine." She suspected she knew why Bishop laughed. She did think that Azshan was leaning forward oddly eagerly. But she would spare him the embarrassment of Bishop spelling it out for him. Because he definitely would.
"Right. Let's," Azshan promptly nodded and he outstretched his arm a little, as if he was offering it for Aeyrin to hook her own around it. It caught her off guard and she wasn't sure why. He did this sometimes before, but now the gesture seemed strange. Surely because she could no longer perceive him as her close friend like she used to. It may have also been the fact that Bishop was right there and it was just… odd to do this. But when he stayed in that same position for a while, she hesitantly did what was insinuated and hooked her arm through his.
It felt different. She hated this feeling. She hated him for ruining everything. For ruining how much she used to care about him.
Bishop couldn't help but scowl at the gesture a bit, but he didn't say anything. He suspected what Azshan was doing. Well, he had theories. He thought that Azshan may have wanted to hold Aeyrin like this to keep her close and away from whatever it was he was hiding. Or he was overcompensating for staring at Jordis like that. Either way, even when Bishop was well past suspecting Azshan from still harboring feelings for Aeyrin, it did bug him a little. He suspected that it always might.
Azshan led Aeyrin out of the house and Jordis and Bishop followed. Bishop did turn around once they were all out to lock the door behind them. And when he turned back to catch up, he was surprised to see Jordis waiting for him. Aeyrin and Azshan were already down on the street.
"Holy shit," Jordis hissed under her breath, whispering. "That guy is a paladin?"
"Yeah, he's not very subtle," Bishop chuckled.
"What? I mean, did you see him? He looks like some fucking depiction of a male version of Dibella or something. It should be illegal to keep guys like him under those vows."
What? Azshan wasn't that handsome, was he? Pfft, Bishop didn't think so. But if Jordis liked him, all the better. At least she would distract him voluntarily. When he would finally let go of Aeyrin… he better do that soon. And he really wasn't that good looking.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think this shiny prick takes his vows that seriously," Bishop shrugged.
"Hmm? Really?" Jordis looked over the half-wall near the front door, watching Azshan walk with Aeyrin on his arm. "Yeah. I can see that," she scoffed.
What? What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Why did she say it like that when she was looking at the two of them down there?
"Come on, let's catch up. I want a drink," she nudged Bishop.
Yeah. Now he really wanted one too.
…
The second they walked onto the Bards College courtyard and Azshan let go of Aeyrin, whether to go get the drinks or whatever, Bishop instantly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to himself. He couldn't help it. Jordis's comment made him feel much more like he used to back when he met Azshan for the first time. Much more jealous than he was used to being by now.
It was kind of funny. He got more comfortable with Azshan and Raven, both of whom Aeyrin had some history with, no matter how meager. He knew it was not because he trusted Aeyrin more – he always trusted her with this shit. There was no reason not to. Maybe he trusted the guys more.
But that was kinda stupid, wasn't it? Maybe not with Raven, but Azshan had proved time and time again that he was not to be trusted. With anything. Bishop would have trusted him not to hurt Aeyrin before too, but he had done that exactly. Maybe it was not about Aeyrin back when he poisoned her, but who was to say what he wouldn't do to try to achieve his schemes? Who was to say he would not try to charm her and drag her away somewhere privately just so she wouldn't go around snooping?
This was an uncomfortable realization. Bishop really thought he was past this, but now it seemed a bit irrational not to acknowledge that Azshan would try anything, just to have whatever he wanted to happen here actually come to pass.
Aeyrin, on the other hand, didn't seem to be considering the same thing. He could see that she was already fully absorbed in scanning the crowd, her eyes on her mission. She barely even reacted when Bishop squeezed her into his embrace.
"I'm gonna go get us some drinks," she said after a while. She would get an opportunity to look around more. Alone.
"Let's all go. It's a long line," Azshan quickly interjected. He clearly didn't want her out of sight. "No sense in anyone standing there alone."
"I don't mind," Aeyrin shook her head.
"What's the point in it though? We can just as well stand about in a line for drinks, just like we are doing here," Azshan shrugged, and before she could protest, he took her hand and ushered her along, pulling her from Bishop's hold.
Bishop couldn't help but scowl again. Fuck, this was going to be uncomfortable with him always touching her to keep her in check. But at the very least, Bishop made himself feel a little better by keeping his arm around her waist and following along. He only noticed that Jordis was behind them too when they reached the end of the line for drinks.
The festival looked all ready to begin. It wasn't quite as lavish as any of the balls at the Palace, but it looked much more inviting. There were little colorful triangle flags hung above the courtyard and plenty of flowers on any column, window sill or half-wall in sight. And then, at the far end of the courtyard where one could look at the sea below, there was a large straw and burlap figure impaled on a spike. An effigy. It had a golden crown on its head, but it was probably not made from real gold. That would have been expensive. And next to the effigy there was a group of bards, playing instruments along with one of them singing softly. The music wasn't so loud that it would drown out the sounds of the crowd though.
Aeyrin hasn't spotted anyone she knew yet. Well, she did spot one of the innkeepers from the Skeever and also a few people she remembered from the ball, but she had no idea who they were. None of that was anything to be concerned over.
When she scanned the crowd, her heart stopped for a moment when she spotted an Argonian. But then she soon realized that this one was definitely not the assassin. He was more blue and teal than green. And she was pretty sure she had seen him before, even though she wasn't usually the one interacting with him. She quickly nudged Bishop's flank to bring his attention to the man, but he merely gave her a reassuring smile.
"That's Gulum."
Yeah, she suspected as much. Good.
"Are you looking for someone?" Azshan interrupted her search promptly with a wary tone in his voice. It was a fair question with the way she kept scanning the people.
"I just wanted to see if there's someone I know here," she shrugged.
"You know us," he smirked. "I thought we were here to spend time together."
"Sure… I'm just curious about the visitors," Aeyrin answered uncertainly. There was this strange tension in the air. Azshan was acting like he had her on a leash and she wasn't sure if he knew that she was being nosy or of he was overly cautious about something.
"So, you said there's festivals like these all the time," Bishop interjected. This conversation could lead nowhere good. He needed to divert it.
"Yeah… there are. Not this big, but I suspect if they canceled any of them and then reinstated them again, they'd be big too," Azshan nodded. "The Bards College does this a lot. A play, an open festival like this, or a party inside the building. Sometimes they hold concerts back by the Skeever, you know… by the chopping block. There's always something."
"These things can be fun," Jordis joined in on the conversation. "And the bards are not too snooty about it. Everyone can come. I wasn't able to when I worked for the last guy – even if he was willing to go to something that 'commoners' were at, he would definitely not take his 'help'. But now I've been to like ten of these things," she beamed.
"Sure, but they get old quick," Azshan grumbled. "I mean there's food, drinks and music. Always the same," he shrugged.
"I thought you liked these events. Or do you fancy fops not attend this shit?" Bishop smirked. "Because 'food, drinks and music' sounds like literally the same fucking thing as any other event. Even those balls." The point was probably to spend these events with other people, right? And to indulge in the food and drinks. The only difference between the ball and this was that it was for everyone.
"I guess," Azshan shrugged again. "I prefer the balls." It was unclear whether he was saying that to deter them from staying too long here or if he was serious. Everyone else seemed to be having fun.
Aeyrin scanned the crowd again in the meantime. She still didn't spot any one of Azshan's friends that she would recognize. But then she saw someone else. When her eyes went to the performing bards, she noticed a familiar face standing nearby, with two armed men around her.
"Jarl Idgrod," Aeyrin beamed when she saw her. Perfect. It was a good opportunity to disappear into the crowd. "I'll go say hi. Grab me a drink, I'll be right back," she smiled at Bishop promptly.
"You know the Jarl of Hjaalmarch?" Azshan scowled. He was definitely going to stop Aeyrin somehow, but Bishop promptly took the opportunity to distract him.
"Yeah, it's a fun story," he nudged Azshan to grab his attention. "The first time we were in Morthal together, there was this dragon that decided to attack town. And then there were vampires and a ghost child… hmm, wait, I'll start over."
Jordis seemed instantly interested in the story, but Azshan just nervously looked to where the Jarl was. Aeyrin was already making her way towards her. Bishop simply needed to keep talking to keep Azshan distracted. He knew Aeyrin was not gonna come back anytime soon. But he needed to make Azshan think she would. That they were both none the wiser to his schemes.
The Morthal stories were good for that. Safe. There was nothing in them they needed to keep secret. And it was a long tale. It was perfect to keep Azshan occupied and unable to ditch Bishop. That would be rude in the middle of a story after all, right?
In the meantime, Aeyrin made her way towards the Jarl. Her armed men promptly gave Aeyrin a menacing stare, but when Idgrod smiled at her, they relaxed a bit.
"Dragonborn," the old woman inclined her head. "I did not know you would be here."
"We're visiting the city, just for a while. The festival is more of a coincidence," Aeyrin grinned.
"Ah, good. I had a meeting with Her Majesty and I decided to prolong my stay to enjoy the festivities. The High Queen and her court will join me later, after they deal with some business," the woman explained.
"Her entire court is coming to this event?" Aeyrin asked curiously. That meant, Brylan, right? And the new mage. And that one other guy Aeyrin didn't know. Perfect.
"Well… some. I'm not exactly certain. Lord Firebeard and Sir Bearclaw will certainly be here," Idgrod nodded. "But I'm uncertain about the others. Lady Stentor will not be attending…"
"I heard! A vampire. That's awful," Aeyrin shook her head promptly. That was how she was supposed to react, wasn't it? She was certain that these accusations about the court wizard were just all made up by those assholes.
"Hmm… I wouldn't believe everything you hear," Idgrod sighed. "I understand that I had a vampire in my city right under my nose for a long time as well, but vampires living among humans often tend to… try to hide their identity at all costs. Lady Stentor is an alchemical expert on the properties of blood, she despises too much sunlight for her fair skin and she is a skilled wizard. It's too… on the nose, you understand?"
"You mean that a real vampire would hide these things?" Aeyrin cocked her head to the side. It was actually a good point.
"Precisely. I do hope that this matter will be resolved soon."
"How do they even find out? Do they… cast the paladin spells on her or…?" Aeyrin asked. That would be one certain way to identify anyone with even a whiff of Daedric influence on them. She would know, after she got hit by that spell herself.
"No, that's barbaric," Idgrod quickly shook her head. "Lady Stentor is a very respected citizen and member of the queen's court. Nobody can attack her for baseless accusations. But she agreed to be imprisoned to prove that she was no vampire. She will be deprived of blood and tempted with it every once in a while. If she is a vampire, her disease will deteriorate and she won't be able to resist."
Aeyrin nodded thoughtfully. An interesting tactic, but she knew what vampires were capable of. Alva in Morthal had managed to easily charm Bishop into doing her bidding. Why wouldn't this wizardess be able to do the same to the guards and have them bring her blood so that she kept her disease in check? But then again, she probably got some of those cuffs against magic. Locking up a powerful mage without them was surely pointless. Still, it seemed more barbaric that she would be imprisoned, rather than hit with a harmless spell. But Nords were always paranoid about magic – maybe it was as simple as that. Nobody wanted to risk the magic going wrong and hurting the respected lady.
Aeyrin was still convinced that the woman was no vampire, even though she never knew her. She only knew that her own blood was sent to the woman when she was poisoned. It was thanks to her that anyone even knew that it was poisoning and not some obscure disease.
"I hope she'll be freed soon," Aeyrin nodded at Idgrod. "And… I heard about the fort. I'm sorry to hear that the Stormcloaks managed to gain ground in Hjaalmarch."
"Yes. It is a dire situation," the Jarl sighed somberly. "The fort is too close to the city. And on a trade route with Solitude. It is… difficult. But there's hope that the reinforcements will help. Still, I am not getting too comfortable with a little hope."
Aeyrin gave her a concerned look. She had no idea the fort that was taken in Hjaalmarch was that close or that important. That suddenly made going to Morthal much more scary. And Idgrod's expression just made it worse.
"Beware the darkness, Dragonborn," the seer suddenly gave her an intent look.
"The 'darkness'. You mentioned it before," Aeyrin scowled. The last time they stayed in Morthal for a longer time, Idgrod mentioned some looming darkness that might be more pressing than the dragons. But as always, her visions didn't tell anyone anything specific. "Do you know anything more about it? Is it related to the shadows you saw cling to Bishop?" That was another thing Idgrod mentioned when the Brotherhood was looking for Bishop. Now the Brotherhood may have been set to kill him. Maybe the darkness was related to their rise, to them gaining strength or such.
"No, the shadows were different," Idgrod shook her head. "Determined, but… human. This is… bigger. Worse. Unnatural and magic."
Huh. Interesting. Aeyrin had no idea what this could mean. What darkness?
"I don't know more, I'm sorry. Maybe just… one thing. An advice. For the sake of you and all of us. We all need you to live after all," Idgrod narrowed her eyes. "When the darkness swallows us, stay away from Solitude."
What? That was… ominous. What was going to happen to Solitude when the 'darkness swallowed them'? Aeyrin wanted to ask, but she suspected that Idgrod did not know the answer. She would tell her outright otherwise.
"Thank you for telling me," Aeyrin's brows furled into a frown. She just hoped that she would be able to tell when this 'darkness' came about. Surely it was metaphorical.
"I will let you know if I find out more about this, or the dragons," Idgrod nodded. "And I hope I can count on the same if you come across any hints beyond my foresight."
"Of course, Jarl Ravencrone," Aeyrin gave her a small smile. Aeyrin briefly looked back over to Bishop, Azshan and Jordis. She needed to disappear into the crowds when Azshan wasn't looking. And fortunately right now he wasn't. Bless Bishop, he wasn't much for talking continuously like this, but it looked like he was just blabbering excitedly about something, always keeping Azshan's attention to himself.
"Enjoy the festival. It was nice to see you again. And I hope things will turn out well with the reinforcements," she promptly nodded at Idgrod to end the conversation.
"Likewise, Dragonborn. Stay safe out there," the woman smiled in return. "And my regards to your companion."
Aeyrin nodded once more before she turned on her heel. She had to disappear before Azshan could notice. Until now, he knew where she was, but once he lost her, it would be much harder to find her in the crowd again.
She slipped towards the main building where most people were situated. They were making room for the performers. There weren't only the bards by the effigy – there was a jester, a juggler and a man who seemed to be just… shoving a sword down his throat. For some reason. A lot of people watched him in awe.
She still didn't see any of the suspects. And she was kind of disappointed now that she had to split from Bishop to find them. She actually missed his lewd remarks about the man swallowing the sword. She was sure he would have made some. There was no way in Oblivion that he wouldn't.
Aeyrin weaved through the crowd for a while. It was alright that she seemed like she was looking for someone. She was alone after all – she could have been looking for her friends.
But she was getting more and more discouraged by the minute. There may have been some of Azshan's associates she didn't recognize, but that was not something she would figure out alone.
She just needed to search some more. They were sure to be here.
Azshan must have been planning something.
…
Bishop had no idea what else to talk about.
He had spent some time telling Azshan and Jordis about the Morthal adventures, but those stories came to a close eventually. And now they had their drinks, though he had two in his hands, seemingly for Aeyrin, and Azshan was already looking around the crowds nervously.
"So it's really so easy to get charmed by a vampire like that?" Jordis questioned Bishop with some amount of fascination.
"Yeah. Apparently it doesn't work on Aeyrin though," Bishop shrugged.
"What?" Azshan tore himself momentarily from scanning the crowd. "Why?"
"I don't know. She was captured by some vampires near Falkreath and they tried that on her. Didn't work," Bishop shrugged. "I think it's the dragon soul. You wouldn't think the vamps could charm a dragon, right?"
"It's not like she's a real dragon," Jordis shook her head with a dubious look on her face.
"Soul is a more powerful thing than it might seem," Azshan, on the other hand, nodded thoughtfully. "I've seen her against a dragon once and it was enough – the stuff she goes through is insane. All that because of the influences on her soul. I don't find it hard to believe at all that it influences other types of magic. Especially Daedric. Her soul is partially Aedric after all."
Bishop was pretty impressed by how much thought Azshan had on this subject. Then again, sometimes it was easy to forget that he had the same background and education as Aeyrin. Even more so. Paladins were meant to be more versed in the lore of the Daedra than the priests, right? Even if they weren't outright Stendarrites. And Azshan's Order's patron was Akatosh, if Bishop recalled correctly. It made sense he would know about both Daedra and dragons.
He could have been an actually valuable friend and advisor on this shit if he wasn't a fucking duplicitous asshole.
"What? Vampires aren't Daedra," Jordis scowled. "And Aeyrin isn't an Aedra."
"No, it's not that they are, but their power comes from different places. The power of the dragons comes from Akatosh," Azshan explained. "And vampirism comes from Molag Bal. They are two opposing sides of a coin. They always clash in unexpected ways."
That statement made Bishop uncomfortable, though he knew it was true. Especially with how Aeyrin's lycanthropy affected her Shouts. It was the blood, sure, but there had to be some… weird effect of it on her dragon blood. It's not like the werewolf one could just replace the original blood, right? They had to mix. Otherwise she wouldn't be human anymore. And it made sense that she just lost control and not her entire Dragonborn self. Not the absorptions, the learning capacities.
Eh, it was all too complicated for Bishop, but he knew at least some of it. Some of it just made sense.
"And speaking of… where in the Void is she?" Azshan scowled as his eyes returned to the masses. "She's not with the Jarl anymore."
"So? She met someone else," Bishop shrugged. "She'll find us."
"Maybe she can't find us," Azshan insisted. "I should go look for her, make sure she's alright."
"Azshan, she's a big girl. She can handle a crowded party," Bishop scowled at him. He was kind of tempted to go find Aeyrin too, but he was supposed to keep Azshan away. He wasn't really sure how to do that though when he got like this.
"Last time I checked, she wasn't really a fan of those," Azshan promptly scoffed.
"Of those you take her too. Where she's there to be paraded around and gawked at. Who doesn't like a party with free food and drinks and no overwhelming numbers of gossiping fops?" Bishop smirked.
"Still, I came here to spend time with her," the Redguard was determined. Before Bishop could protest more, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd as well.
"Fuck," Bishop mumbled.
"What? Are you worried he's gonna find her and drag her somewhere they can 'spend time together'?" Jordis raised her brow at him.
What? No. Well… maybe a little – he didn't want Aeyrin traumatized further by Azshan taking his schemes way too far – but that wasn't the point. He was supposed to be the distraction. Of course, Jordis had no idea about any of this. She didn't know Azshan was suspect of anything, she had no idea Aeyrin was intent on snooping around and she had no idea Bishop was hoping to keep Azshan away from her.
"Not exactly," Bishop shrugged. "When she's not coming back, she's got a reason."
"Yeah, waiting for him to come find her," Jordis snorted. "Come on. You don't see it?"
No. Jordis had no idea what was going on and she interpreted things differently. It made sense. Azshan seemed like he was just waiting for opportunities to touch Aeyrin, but in reality, Bishop knew he was touching her only to hold her close and without her leaving his side, for whatever scheme he had going on. It was possible Azshan would pathetically attempt to try even a desperate tactic to keep her where he wanted her, sure, which worried Bishop a bit, but whatever happened, he knew that neither Azshan nor Aeyrin actually wanted each other now.
"You're imagining things," Bishop shook his head. "Come on, let's get something to eat." That was one thing he still wanted to do. The sweet smells lingered in the air all around. And since Azshan was gone and he had no idea how to drag him back subtly, he just had to wait.
Besides, Aeyrin was just eavesdropping. Not doing anything actually telling or dangerous. They would just both come back and then she'd try again.
No big deal.
…
Aeyrin was getting very frustrated with her lack of progress.
She had overheard some people talk. There was supposed to be a big celebration when they would burn the effigy. The headmaster of the Bards College had some brave adventurer from Riften recover an ancient epic which he was going to have the whole crowd recite or sing or whatever while the old king burned.
And apparently, Elisif had some special announcement planned tonight.
That was all Aeyrin found out. She was curious about the announcement, but other than that, she had no idea if any of this was important. It didn't sound like it. The bards were their own little society, weren't they? They didn't interfere with this nobility business. They lived for art, not for schemes and power.
When she contemplated giving up and going back to her friends, she suddenly spotted a new crowd arriving.
Elisif was hard to miss. She had a bright yellow gown on her with silver accents and jewels beset by topaz gems. Anything she wore, she looked so regal and beautiful. And in her tow were two guards, her housecarl and steward. Not only them though. Aeyrin recognized the woman with them.
Brenning.
Or whatever.
Aeyrin knew who it was – it was that one she caught Casavir with, but that Azshan was really dallying with. The one who first blackmailed Casavir into obedience.
Aeyrin promptly weaved through the crowd to be a little closer, but she was very careful to still somewhat disappear among the people. She didn't want the Byling woman to see her.
Soon, the entire group moved across the courtyard, with the guards in the front menacingly to ensure the rabble made way for the High Queen. But they stopped near the entrance to the College itself. From what Aeyrin understood, the party was only outside. But nobody was guarding the building.
Why would they? It's just a building. Not a palace or a treasury.
Aeyrin moved a bit closer again when she spotted Elisif and Brinning talking. She needed to catch at least something through the murmurs and laughs of the crowd.
"… no need for that…" Elisif shook her head. Aeyrin couldn't see Briggin from her current position, but she could hear someone answering Elisif.
"… make sure… how they are… always with that… artists are scatterbrains…"
The people were so loud. Why were they so loud?
"… that's… you want…" There was a measure of disinterest in Elisif's voice. And soon the clanking of armor rang in Aeyrin's ears as the guards began to move again towards the effigy. She was more interested in her target though.
Fortunately Billing had a very prominent dark violet robe on her. Aeyrin could spot it somewhat easily in the crowd of colorful people. But much to her surprise, the woman actually headed right towards the main building and she entered it.
What? What was she going to do inside?
Aeyrin had to follow.
But she had to be careful. There would be no crowd there to hide in. And she was not good at this subtle stuff.
Maybe she should go get Bishop?
Then again, she might miss her opportunity. And Azshan would still be with Bishop.
No, this was her best chance. She needed to go now.
She counted to ten in her mind before she followed. She really hoped nobody would be inside and she would be able to follow the woman easily. She had never been to the College itself so it might be a problem, but she really hoped she would get lucky.
Dammit, she should have taken the muffling ring from Bishop before, even if she had to wear it on her thumb because it was too big. It was pretty funny. Bishop could only fit that one on his little finger. They had a similar problem with the waterbreathing ring, though that one was even bigger. These universal ones were never ideal. Luckily the enchantments still worked even if the rings dangled on Aeyrin's fingers weirdly. She just had to be careful about not losing them.
Stop thinking about rings, idiot. Go!
She took a determined breath and weaved through the people once more. She couldn't be too conspicuous going inside the building so she didn't look around or try to hide as she did. She needed to look like she was supposed to go there. Just like Bregging.
Once she opened the door and slipped inside, she closed it behind her as silently as she could.
It was good that she had no heels or heavy armor on, but she still knew she might be overheard. The building was entirely empty. Well… not really. She heard some footsteps here and there – above her, below her, in various places. That was good. That would mask her own.
And she heard voices. She didn't hear any words, but she heard someone whispering. That was suspicious on its own. It was surely Brilling.
The voices stopped, but they came from above her. She needed to get closer. Maybe they would start talking again.
When she got closer to the stairs, they started to speak again. And this time, she caught the words when she really concentrated on her hearing. Maybe thanks to her werewolf senses.
"You sure this is the right pile?" A woman asked.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, let's just burn the wrong one and she'll stop asking," a man hissed.
"Fine. Just make sure. This is important. I need to go back." It was definitely Braying. She was going to go back! But they were doing something. Aeyrin just had no idea what. What piles?
But she needed to hide!
Before she could even as much as move though, a sound of the door opening echoed behind her and she turned around sharply.
Azshan.
Did he see her enter the building? He must have. He clearly got away from Bishop and hunted her down.
"What are you doing here?" He scowled at her, though granted, he looked more concerned than angry. Or he pretended to be concerned at least.
Three sets of rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from the upper floor, rushing towards the staircase. Aeyrin could see Azshan's face fall as he slowly closed the door behind him. He looked uncomfortable. Scared even. And so was she. What was going on?
It didn't take long before the three people from upstairs appeared. Brenning, an Altmer in opulent red wizard robes and a very pretty brown-haired woman in a dress playing in various colors and with decorative pearls and feathers in her hair – clearly a bardess.
They all instantly scowled at Aeyrin, then at Azshan.
"Again?" Brenning hissed at the paladin.
"Ah… I'm sorry, I tried, I just…" Azshan stammered nervously.
"Shut up! Screw up. We warned you." The woman continued in a nasty tone. What? What was she talking about? Warned him about what?
Aeyrin turned to Azshan with a shocked and confused look, but he just seemed equally uncertain and wary. And then his breath hitched in his throat.
Aeyrin didn't manage to react before something hit her in the back of her head. This happened to her before a few times. This is how she got knocked unconscious often. But now, it just spread a dull ache through her scalp.
"Ow," Aeyrin growled as she put her hand on the hurt spot and turned around. The bardess was standing there only in one of her heeled shoes with the other in her hand. Clearly the object that was supposed to knock Aeyrin out. But it didn't.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," the wizard rolled his eyes. His hand lit up with green light in a second and Aeyrin felt her whole body go limp. A familiar and unpleasant feeling enveloped her. It wasn't just the paralysis alone – every time this happened, the same feeling of dread and helplessness consumed her, just like in Calixto's secret chamber. She thought she was going to fall flat on the stone ground, but someone caught her in her fall. Azshan.
"This is a bad idea," she heard his familiar voice as another light enveloped her. This time bright white. A silencing spell. That only made it worse. Not able to move, not able to make a sound, it was exactly like back then. The panic became worse and she desperately hoped she wouldn't suffer the same – being constantly paralyzed and silenced for hours with nothing but doom looming over her. She felt like screaming and thrashing in Aszhan's embrace, but she could do none of it. All she could do was feel the unpleasant burning of panic spreading across her body.
"This is your fault," the Brigging woman hissed. "You had one job! What are we supposed to do now? We'll need to decide what to do without her interfering with tonight. We'll discuss what to do after."
"Did she even see you? Or hear you?" Azshan spoke again. Aeyrin couldn't see him at this angle, but she could feel his hands tightening under her shoulders with tense stress. It made it worse. She just wanted to shake that hand off, even if she would fall on the stone floor right after. She wanted him to stop touching her.
"How should we know?" The bardess scowled. "And it's not like she'll tell the truth if we ask. I'm not having her ruin tonight for me. Get her downstairs. You know where."
Aeyrin felt herself being lifted into Azshan's arms promptly and arranged properly so that he could move her. He wasn't protesting anymore, or questioning anyone. Aeyrin was actually surprised he had done any of this in the first place. What was this 'one job' he had? To keep her away? It was all he had been doing the whole evening.
But what was going to happen now? They were taking her to the basement of the College? Someone would surely find her there. What were they going to do to her? And how in the world did they think they could ever get away with this?
They… they wouldn't kill her, would they? Azshan wouldn't allow that, right? Despite everything, he wouldn't.
She desperately wanted to believe that as he carried her down the stairs. She tried to move, she tried to make a noise, but none came out. So she just stared at him. Scared and pleading. But Azshan wasn't looking back. In fact, he seemed to be trying to look at anything but her.
Maybe he couldn't bear the sight of her now.
Maybe he couldn't bear the sight knowing what would happen to her.
That only made her more nervous.
What would happen to her?
…
"You know, they have been gone a while," Bishop pondered when he chewed the last bits of his skewered tender beef. "Maybe we should go find them."
"It's been barely fifteen minutes since Aeyrin left. And even less since that guy did," Jordis chuckled at him. True. But when shit went down, it could go down fast, unfortunately.
"Yeah, still," he shrugged. He spotted her blue shirt a few times in the crowd before, but not anymore. It made him nervous.
"I can't read you at all. First you looked so sure that they wouldn't be sneaking off somewhere together and now you look like it's the only thing on your mind," Jordis narrowed her eyes in palpable curiosity.
What was he supposed to say? That Aeyrin might be in danger? How would he explain this? Maybe jealousy was the most normal explanation he could go with here. But he didn't exactly want to get into this. And then subsequently have to deal with this shit when Jordis talked to Aeyrin.
"It's really not that," he shook his head. "I just… wanna spend time with her too," he shrugged. Why wouldn't he? That was a reasonable explanation. He missed her, even if it was just fifteen minutes or so.
"Uh-huh. Sure," Jordis studied Bishop's face with palpable intrigue. Somehow she didn't seem convinced. What was up with her today? She was weirdly biting about stuff. She was biting on any other day, but somehow tonight, Bishop was more prone to be bothered by her words. Or her tone. And her constant insinuations that Aeyrin and Azshan had something going on.
Bishop only gave her an uneasy look. He wasn't sure how to react to that. He wasn't sure which attitude was safer to exude.
They just looked at each other for a time. Jordis seemed like she was trying to gouge some reaction or like she was still trying to read him. But after a moment, her eyes gazed over his shoulder, then back at him.
"Come on. Over there," she took a hold of his wrist and began to drag him where she had been looking. Did she spot Aeyrin? Or Azshan? He didn't see them anywhere, but maybe he just wasn't lucky enough to spot them among all those people.
Jordis didn't stop even when they reached the corner of the main building. There was an alcove between the mansion and the wall separating it from the sheer cliff. It was a dark corner that was best suited for an assassin to hide in. Bishop got instantly nervous about that. But there wasn't anyone there.
Regardless, Jordis led him forth until they were both standing there in the small empty alcove.
"What are we doing here?" Bishop scowled at her, but Jordis didn't answer.
Instead, she stepped closer to him. Still wordless, she took one more step before she was right in front of him and she made a very obvious point of pressing herself, especially her very exposed cleavage, to his body. His eyes dropping down was more of a natural reaction, but he quickly realized himself.
There was a teasing and knowing smirk on her face. As if she thought she had just figured him all out.
Fuck.