-Greenshade-

A flash of movement in the treetops as a Argonian dashes across them, at last reaching one with thick green leaves which hide her from view just as a trio of Thalmor burst from the greenery. The leader looks around. "Thief comes out! You cannot run forever." A smirk crosses his face. "We know who you are now, Tasvee. Wanted by more then just the Aldmeri Dominion. Turning yourself in to face justice would be in your best interest."

Tasvee's sea-green eyes stare down from her hiding spot, her dark thief's garb and iridescent green scales hiding her perfectly in the deep brush of the tree. Long moments pass before the Thalmor give up and turn to return to the brush and she breathes a sigh of relief. Too soon, as it turns out as her scales, so perfect for hiding in the forest, change to dusky bronze. A golden glow envelopes the scales on her chest face and hands, shinning through the dark garb, and with a squeak of dismay she turns to look, yes her tail is shinning gold as well. "No, no no!" she hisses as the Thalmor start to turn back...but a noise deeper in the forest catches their ears and they turn again and retreat. After a time she leaps from the trees and hisses in their direction before setting off in the opposite direction, hissing angrily under her breath. "Caught again. Almost arrested. AGAIN."

Sometime later Tasvee comes out of the forest into a clearing and as she stops on the edge her claws move to her snout as she stares at the scene of utter carnage that greets her. Blood splattered across the grass, Bosmer...or what remains of them scattered all around. And in the middle of it all, a stout and strong-looking Argonian in blue and bronze armor, scales of soft orange with darker green forehead scales. Black eyes are surrounded by strong ridges and many horns are kneeling on the blood-soaked grass, blood covering his claws and snout. With a small shudder, she starts to step back into the forest but something pauses her. Those black eyes of his and the utterly lost look within them and so she slowly walks toward him, kneeling on the grass to look up at those eyes, the confusion on his face. "Did you do this?" she softly hisses.

Moments pass before he snaps out of the fugue state and focuses on her. Another passes before he speaks, his voice deep for an Argonian. "I...," he trails off as he looks around helplessly. "Maybe? I did not...mean to. I...maybe I ate something I should not have."

Utterly perplexing answer but she is a perplexity in herself. A thief whose scales change making sure she's unable to stay hidden and she senses something similar in this Argonian. Perhaps he too is... With that thought, she rises. "I am Tasvee."

He rises as well, unsteadies on his feet for a moment. "I am Walks-With-Bravery," he says and then lowers his head. As if he is utterly unworthy of his name.

A pang crosses through Tasvee's spine. She has always been a loner. Unusual for an Argonian. Always on the move, always stealing things that made her spine flutter. Sometimes for herself, sometimes for the promise of gold. And yet this lost Argonian...she felt the need to watch out for him. Before she can say anything, however, her head snaps to the forest, and an angry hiss emanates from her snout. The damn Thalmor. And then her eyes widen as she snaps back to Walks-With-Bravery. "They hunt me for being a thief. But you...," she trails off. Not needing to say it. They would see him as a murderer. A far worse crime than any she was guilty of. They would not try to see that perhaps there was something very wrong with him. That perhaps all this was not his fault. "We need to get out of here," she hisses. Even though she knows it is too late. They are too near. And just when it seems hopeless a glowing blue orb appears.

Walks-With-Bravery's head moves from the forest to the glowing orb. "Glowing," he says, and then his eyes move to her and her glowing scales as if seeing them for the first time. A curious look, but the orb shines so brightly as it transforms into a portal and his eyes return to it in surprise.

Tasvee grabs his claws and pulls him into the portal. "Better this than the Thalmor," she hisses as the portal swallows them both then snaps shut.

-Summerset-

Tasvee's claws drop from Walks-With-Bravery's as she takes in her surroundings. The ocean at their backs, rocks and corals all around, and soft sand at her feet. To her left yet another Argonian dressed in green and red Saxhleel tribal armor that seems almost too bright against his ash-grey scales, a fancy headdress with golden feathers on top of his head. His golden eyes flick to hers for a moment before refocusing forward and her eyes follow his, to the unusual man sitting on a rock cross-legged. A Breton with silver hair, strange icy-like tattoos on his chest and face, and clad in nothing but a loincloth is watching them a bemused look upon his face. "What is this, dry scale? Who are you?" she asks.

The Breton smiles, a flash of madness in his grey-black eyes. "I am...," he starts then thinks for a moment before continuing. "Either Stratos Firn, or The Nearly Naked Breton." His smile turns into a frown. "The latter, I think. I would be THE naked Breton, but the fools kept arresting me for that. As if my glory was far too much for their small minds to behold."

Tasvee stares at him before barking out a laugh. This was who saved them? A man clearly touched by Sheogorath. Her spine starts to itch. She knew Daedric Princes, or at least one. A shake of her head as she snaps out of memories and refocuses on the man. "I am..."

Stratos Firn holds up her hand and interrupts her, "Are you? Saxhleel, Tameric names, yes yes I know! But...ARE...You...?"

Tasvee falls silent as she looks down at her accursed glowing scales. Born in Murkmire...and very far from home. She had been for some time, and there could be no returning to her tribe, even if she wanted to. All because of what she decided to be. She had left the river of the Hist long ago because her claws WANTED all the shiny things. Wanted to see how much she could take, wanted to see if she was crafty enough not to get caught. The Hist did not steal. And all of her choices, lead her to her current misfortune. And so her answer to Stratos is silence. She is not Tasvee. She cannot be.

The silent Argonian solemnly shakes his head no at the Breton's words. His golden eyes darken as if thoughts of his name, the name that is no longer his, disturbs his spine.

Walks-With-Bravery lowers his head as he stares at the dried blood upon his claws and a single tear falls. Memories of what he has done are like a fog-enshrouded night, but he knows it was not brave. He was not his name, not anything even close to his name.

"You are the Cursed Ones," Stratos declares. "I know you, and I know what your names are now. The butterflies told me." He gestures at each in turn. "You stole what should not have been stolen." Next, he points at Walks-With-Bravery. "Ate what should have never been eaten and," lastly his eyes fall on the silent Argonian. "And, licked what was forbidden."

"How do you know this?" Tasvee hisses, crossing her arms. "How CAN you know this?"

"The butterflies!" Stratos says as if it was utterly obvious. "They tell me so very many things." With that out of the way, he snaps his fingers. "Steals-Hermaeus's-Books, Eats-Sheogorath's-Cheese, and Licks-Dagon-Horns. Thus, you are all named!" he folds his arms across his chest and smirks at them.

The newly named Steals-Hermaeus's-Books stares at this madman before she stills and glances at the other Argonian's. "That...is a mouthful," she says. "Even if they fit our rivers. We'll go by Books, Licks, and Cheese to keep it simple. But...it does fit." Her thoughts return to the not-so-distant past. The enticement of gold, to steal a book, of all things. The Altmer had promised SO much gold. She had fallen for it and had gone into the portal he opened willingly. She had thought she'd find herself in a dusty library, or a mage's guild, or maybe, maybe a necromancers lair. Instead, she found herself in someplace very...very...strange. And yet the book had BEEN there. Shimmering, calling for her to steal it. And she foolishly had, crossing the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora in doing so, who had cursed her for it. Her thoughts returning to the present she looks at Cheese and Licks with new eyes. They too must have crossed the Prince's. Doing something so utterly foolish, and being cursed for it. A similar look crosses both their faces. Yes, they see it as well. Kindred souls, in a cursed river.

Stratos smiles. "You understand now," he says and with a hop, he's up landing onto the sand. With a quick motion of his hand, a portal opens. "Show the world your glory. What I must do. But I must also follow the butterflies. And you will follow me." With these words, he steps into the portal.

Following a madman into the unknown. One who knew their secrets, one who renamed them, and yet he was a mystery. Books holds up her claws, the golden scales. They would change again. Whenever she tried to find a way to steal things, or hide, they would change into something that made that impossible. She had been on the run from Thamor, and worse since she was cursed. "I cannot hide," she hisses to Cheese and Licks. "I have nothing better to do. Do you?"

Cheese moves to stand by her. "I...should not eat cheese. Any cheese. Bad things happen," he admits as a forlorn look crosses his face. "But I love it. When I see it now, it is all I can see. And then bad things happen. I do not know what to do, so I will do this."

Licks moves to the two quietly as his eyes move to theirs. A movement of his claws near his throat. Not silent because he wants to be, but because he must. His words, cursed. And so he must be ever silent.

And with that, the three are in agreement as they step through the portal. Following the madness that is Stratos Firn, or as he prefers, The Nearly Naked Breton into the unknown.