vvardenfellcat

When J’hasi finally got back to college grounds he was exhausted, sore, and in need of a somewhat-soft place to lay down for the next…forever. He put his hand on the door to the Hall of Attainment, then hissed a low curse under his breath when he remembered something. He told Tolfdir he’d inform the Arch-Mage about what they found in Saarthal. The Khajiit sighed, knowing it couldn’t wait until tomorrow, reluctantly making his way to the Hall of the Elements, trying a different door than the one he found led to the Arcaneum, hoping it would bring him to where he needed to go.

At the top of the stairs he peeked around the corner, finding a massive room as well as a beautiful garden lit by floating magical lights. He could smell a fresh, newly-familiar scent as well, glad he didn’t have to go traipsing all over the grounds to find the Arch-Mage. J’hasi found the Dunmer in a chair near the garden, clearing his throat nervously.

“Um…s’cuse me. You’re Savos Aren, right?” The mer looked up, finger paused on the line they’d been reading.

“Yes, I am.” A brow arched.

“You are relatively new here, are you not? I have noticed you, but we have not spoken.”

“No, sir.” Savos chuckled.

“‘Sir’? How quaint.” The Khajiit swallowed, unsure if that was how he was supposed to address him. Whatever. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could faceplant into his bedroll.

“I need to speak to you about Saarthal.” The Arch-Mage sighed, fingers pressing into his brow.

“Please don’t tell me that another one of the apprentices has been incinerated. I have enough to deal with right now.” J’hasi shivered a little, was that so common here?

“We’ve found something in Saarthal, and Tolfdir thinks it’s important.” The Dunmer sighed, closing his book.

“Very well, I trust that you wouldn’t be here were it not significant. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” Savos looked at him a little more closely.

“Tolfdir normally looks after your little group, yes? Since he’s apparently occupied, and I will need to see this discovery for myself, I think perhaps you should begin researching the subject. Speak with Urag in the Arcaneum. See if he’s aware of anything that matches your discovery.” The Arch-Mage got up from his seat, heading towards a rack of staves on the wall, pulling one down.

“And…good work. The next time you find yourself exploring Nordic ruins, perhaps this will be helpful.” he said, offering it to the Khajiit. J’hasi took it, surprised.

“Th…thank you, sir.” Savos smiled, then returned to his seat, cracking his book open again to his previous spot. J’hasi fidgeted a moment. He had to ask. He had to know if what he’d seen was real, not some exhaustion-fueled hallucination or something.

“Have you ever met with the Psijic Order?” Savos raised a brow.

“Personally? No, not I. One of their number used to advise the Arch-Mage when I was but an Apprentice here. But that was a great many years ago, before all the members of the order were called back to the Isle of Artaeum, and it disappeared entirely.” J’hasi’s ears flicked back. That didn’t soothe his worries all that much. He’d have to look into the Psijic Order, see what they could want with him, or with whatever that thing was in Saarthal.

“Thank you, sir.”

—

When he got downstairs, the Khajiit nearly bumped right into Faralda, putting his hands up, eyes shut and brows furrowed in mild irritation and tried patience, no doubt from…everything today. He let out his breath in a huff, the Altmer raising a brow at him before speaking.

“There you are. I’ve been trying to find you.”

He just. Wanted. To go. To sleep. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, pinching the bridge of his muzzle near his furrowed brow.

“Sorry. Long day.” The Altmer frowned.

“I just wanted to let you know that Ancano’s been asking about you. I think he’s looking for you.” Cold shot through J’hasi’s core, eyes snapping open with alarm.

“Wh…why would Ancano be looking for me?” She glanced into the Hall of the Elements before looking back at him.

“I’m not sure. Just… Well, mind what you tell him, all right?” He swallowed.

“Is there a problem?” Faralda waved a hand a little as if to dismiss the anxiety brewing in the Khajiit’s gut, to little effect.

“No, no. Well, I don’t think so. Between the two of us, there are rumors about him. That this ‘advisor’ position he has is a sham, an excuse. That what he’s really doing is spying for the Thalmor, trying to feed them information. Whether it’s true, I can’t say. But it never hurts to be a little suspicious, does it?” On the contrary, it had saved his ass more times than he could count. J’hasi offered her a nod and a slight smile.

“Thanks for the warning.” The Altmer smiled back.

“You’re welcome.” He took his leave then, flinching at the cold before crossing the courtyard, mind set on one thing: sleep.

When J’hasi finally flopped onto his bed with a huff he lay there for a few moments in silence, his body aching all over, exhausted, his mind whirring through his concerns. The orb, the Psijic, the Thalmor whelp and his superior… He couldn’t figure out what to handle first, what was more of a concern. It just reeked like a disaster waiting to happen. Nothing ever coincidental happened without being related in the past, why would it be any different now?

At some point in his worrying his thoughts devolved into a spiraling mess of anxieties, moving, jumbling around too much to make sense…

Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.