brothersofthedominion rp 3 – Page 2

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

‘Bite me, cat’ Icarus lip synched as he returned the Khajiits glare with a smug grin.

… A grin that was wiped away rather quickly when he heard those dreaded words from their instructor: “ You two, however, should press on.”

One growl and very vocal <”Are you fucking kidding me?!”> later, Icarus stormed his way through the godawful stench of decay and the stagnant dusty air. There was silence between the two as they made their way through the catacombs. The Altmer tried his best to make it clear that he wasn’t concerned about the Khajiits presence, but his constant clutching at the amulet around his neck gave it away that he was damn well not comfortable around his furry friend.
“Listen up, khajiit,” Icarus scowled, barely turning his head to the one he was speaking to, “I don’t give a skeevers arse what you do or what you take at this point, as long as I get out of this dump alive.” It was then that the mer turned his head fully towards the Khajiit, “But so help me Magnus, try and snatch any from me again, I will not hold back from my previous threat.” His fierce eyes were glued to the khajiit rather than the flame rune just a couple steps ahead of him, “I will have you fried to a crisp before you can even say ‘by the e-”
The mer was thrown into the air by a sudden explosion from under him. He landed onto the cold stone ground with a thud. Cold, miserable, and now covered in soot, the justiciar let out a loud groan:

<”Fffffffffuuuuuuck.”>

J’hasi’s ears flicked back, tail swishing sharply behind him as he took mild satisfaction that the whelp was more or less silenced for the moment by the odd symbol on the floor. Good to know exactly what it did, as he had already made up his mind to avoid it. His tail flicked up behind him, a vindictive smile on his face.

“That assumes I give a damn about your ‘Eight’. It certainly seems they don’t give a damn about you.” he said, keeping his voice down. The Khajiit could smell more bodies, dry decay and damp rot. It was disgusting, half-wishing his nose would go numb if it didn’t mean prior warning to possible…

A fur-raising groan behind him and he turned, sheathing a blade into the shifting undead’s chest, watching it bite aimlessly at the air before its soulfire eyes dimmed and it went limp. He could hear more of them moving, sending chills up and down his spine. J’hasi peered around the corner, spotting two more, and the sound of another above heading towards the sound of the mer’s mishap. The Khajiit sighed, steeling himself before walking forward to take care of them.

It was after the draugr lay dead (and another hallway, filled with even more draugr and a bumbling idiot tripping off a suspicious-looking stone of the floor he specifically avoided) that the two of them found a hallway with triangular stones set into alcoves, and a suspiciously-clear path to a well-lit lever on the far end before a barred door. J’hasi frowned, brows furrowed, tail flicking behind him. It had to be a trap. Anyone with eyes could see that.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Icarus felt himself grow cold as the low moans of mummified barbaric Nords closing in on him. “ALDARIL!” The Altmer squeaked his brothers name, as if it were nearly routine for this kind of situation. “A~AL?!”
…
Shit, that’s right.
Why’d he go solo on this damned mission?!

Clamping his eyes shut, the mer let out a high pitched shriek, focusing every ounce of energy into his hands.

A loud crackling snap boomed through the ruins, the shockwave knocking down the dragur closest to him, one of them disintegrating right before his eyes…

Sweet mother of Magnus, just what exactly had this amulet done to his magicka?!

Now seeing a chance to catch up to both the furry meat shield and the instructor, Icarus lunges at the draugr in front of him, swiping his dagger across the beasts throat.

The blast of shock magic had left the Khajiit’s fur on end, tail puffed at the sight of the undead rendered into little more than ash in an instant. While he certainly didn’t like the idea of the whelp, much less one in the Thalmor having such abilities, it did prove useful in cutting down the draugr, the last slammed into the ground with a crunch, J’hasi slamming his boot into its chest to make sure it stayed down. He panted a little, ears pricking as he looked around the room. Tolfdir’s shield was still flickering across his robes, seeming to have protected him well enough, and the whelp was alive…unfortunately.

The hissing of burnt corpses made him shiver a little before he pushed back the memories trying to unhelpfully push themselves to the forefront of his mind, straightening up and examining the blades in his hands. They’d done a relatively decent job, and with his bow useless… His ears flicked back, turning around and intending to give the mer a piece of his mind before Tolfdir spoke, seeming unruffled and curiosity back in full force.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in Nordic ruins before. Why, just look at all these coffins!” The Khajiit’s surprise at the elder’s sudden change of focus quickly switched back to the previous irritation at the mer, muzzle wrinkled and brows furrowed in a hard glare, tail swishing low behind him as the professor continued.

“This bears closer inspection. I’d like to stay a while and examine this. You two, however, should press on. See if you can find whatever this vision of yours mentioned. But if it is truly dangerous, be careful.” J’hasi looked at Tolfdir, mouth opening to protest, only for the elder to wave them on, already starting to look over the sarcophagi set into the walls.

“Go on ahead. I’ll be sure to catch up with you before long.”

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Icarus nose crinkled when the stench of decay rolled through the barred doors. The smell was overbearing enough to literally throw the Altmer back. Luckily the Altmer caught himself , pushing his hand against the wall.

…. Wait, why did the wall have a leathery texture to it? He gives the wall a quick squeeze.
… Okay, why in Oblivion was it squishy?

A low creaking moan behind him rose every hair on his body. Icarus slowly turned his head and his brown eyes widened in the horror when he realized he had landed his hand on the breast of a now waking female draugr.

If the Khajiit and his instructor hadn’t woken every draugr in the ruins, the high pitched shriek of the mighty Thalmor justiciar did.

In his sheer panic,Icarus blindly casted a plethora of firebolts. “OH GODS, KILL IT, GET IT AWAY FROM ME.”

J’hasi was focused on firing on the draugr before they could get too close and render his bow ineffective, but due to a certain someone, it was rendered moot. Fire roared just past his ear, catching his sleeve on fire as well as striking his bow, sending it skittering across the floor when he let go of it in surprise of the sheer heat with a loud ‘n’chow!’. The draugr crowded him, no longer being hindered with a fresh application of arrows, leaving him to strike with arm and claw in a panicked frenzy, trying to put himself out between blows. One was launched backwards by a strong kick, only to slide to a halt and clamber back up, relentless.

It was when he felt cold, clammy hands touch the back of his neck that the Khajiit panicked, a rush of flames bursting along his limbs and tail, flaring wildly with a long stream of panicked curses in Dunmeris and Jel alike. He swung outwards, striking several draugr before ducking down and darting out of the fray, sliding to a stop next to his bow, grasping it and readying another arrow to nock…

A quick glance down after the lack of resistance and he saw the singed and snapped string with a rise of horror, flames starting to die down and leaving him feeling cold. The draugr were starting to either go for Tolfdir and the shrieking whelp or slowly disentangling themselves from each other and turning around to go back for him. One lunged at him, getting a backhanded swing with the useless stick of a bow in return, the wood cracking against its skull before J’hasi darted aside, spotting two crossed swords on the floor from the few draugr he’d managed to drop before that…useless Thalmor bastard destroyed his bow.

The Khajiit dove down, rolling and picking up the blades before slashing at the undead trying to overwhelm Tolfdir. The weights were very different from the katanas the Blades used, but they were sharp enough to kill, and that was all he needed.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Icarus was too busy dragging his nails into his face and plugging his nose between his palms to listen to what the khajiit was saying. Gods, that smell was unbearable. Their instructor however, seemed absolutely unphased by anything other than what awaited in the passageway.

“This is absolutely fascinating…” Tolfdir mused as he passed through the entrance.
“Oh gods no, you’re not getting me in that-” Icarus gagged, ”… In that stench!” His stomach churned a little when the khajiit proceeded to follow Tolfdir, “Ohhhh no. No, there is no chance in Oblivion you are leaving me here alone!” He frowned when he realized the other two were ignoring him, “As a member of the Thalmor, I demand that you stop where you are!”Still no response, maybe the two chatting amongst eachother, but no acknowledgement towards the superior mer.

Fine, not his grave anyways if they ended up getting themselves killed.“Don’t come crying to me if you get killed! I’m not resurrecting you!” Icarus called out one last time. The Altmer crossed his arms, waving his hand over his nose to blow away the foul smell emitting from the passageway. The infinite numbers of hair on his body rose after hearing a low moaning noise rumbling in the distance… Or was it close by? Godsdammit all, it was way too uncomfortably close for his tastes anyways. He looked nervously at the unopened graves surrounding him; Gods, that sound could’ve came from any of those. He finally gave a shout to the now very distant explorers as he, with what tiny amount of courage he had, made a dash past the entrance.“H-Hey! Wait for me!”

J’hasi grumbled when he heard the loud bootsteps of the Thalmor whelp catching up, glancing back with a scowl. Had Tolfdir not been with, he would’ve given the mer a piece of his mind, or at least told him to go back with the others if he was so against going this way. Just as he was about to speak however, the elder pulled a lever, making him jump a little when the barred door in front of them retreated upwards with a clang.

The smell of undeath was stronger here, damper, and when the Khajiit passed through the doorway his stomach sank at the sight of more sarcophagi. He swallowed, fingers flexing over the grip of his bow as he gave a wary glance over the room. Tolfdir, however, seemed more interested in satisfying his curiosity rather than the danger present. It wasn’t long before the room started to crawl.

Sarcophagi popped open, the stone lids of their tombs falling forward to the ground with a chorus of crunches, draugr climbing out like they’d just had a refreshing, eras-long nap. J’hasi reached back for an arrow, nocking it and drawing his bow, taking aim at the nearest undead stumbling towards him.

He hated this gods-damned field trip.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

“Oh, please” Icarus snorted. “As if the Psijic Order had any-” The Altmer’s words were cut off by a loud slam and the gust of dust that blown into his face when he turned around. Immediately regretting that decision, Icarus gagged, spitting out the particles of dust, dirt, and only gods know what. His eyes clutched as his tear ducts did their best to cleanse the poor mers eyes. “Okay, if that was supposed to be some kind of joke, cat, it wasn’t funn-” Icarus immediately stopped when he opened his eyes, finding him face to face with grey, decrepit skin, and a pair of light glowing blue orbs.

There was a scream, followed by a blast of flames, “OH GODS, WHAT IS THAT?!”

The scream scared the Khajiit more than the sudden rush of undeath filling his nose, the draugr that popped out directly in front of him taking a swing with an ancient-looking sword. J’hasi popped his dagger from its sheathe, whipping it across the undead’s throat in a flash before ducking the singing edge of its blade. A quick sidestep and he sheathed his own, snapping out a quick left, striking the draugr under the jaw with the butt of his palm, hissing in pain from his burns before slipping closer and slamming his opposite elbow into the other side of the jaw, breaking its neck. He kicked it in the chest, the sword dropped with a clatter as the undead slammed into the far wall and slid to the ground, eyes sputtering out in ‘death’.

He glanced over to see Tolfdir cloaked in some sort of shield spell, the undead tangling with him ablaze and rapidly staggering to the ground. J’hasi pulled his bow out, backing up to fire two quick shots into its chest, bringing it down before firing a few into the one after Icarus, bringing it to its knees before kicking it over, finishing it off and leaving it to burn. J’hasi let out a slow breath, his fur slowly smoothing out from the sudden ambush.

“Draugr. These places are full of them.” he muttered, tail swishing behind him as he looked up, seeing that the center sarcophagus had a passageway through the back, presumably leading deeper into the barrows. The scent that wafted through made his stomach clench with apprehension.

“And from that smell, there’s a lot more where they came from…”

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

“Oh bite me, you thieving little animal.” Icarus grumbled under his breath when he realized the amulet was missing from his neck. He was even more agitated by it when the wall began to illuminate a orange glow connecting to the Khajiit.

“Do you see that?!” Tolfdir gasped, astounded by the scene, “Some kind of resonance… You and the wall! It must be connected to the amulet!”

That did it. Whatever it was, that amulet had power behind it, and he would have it, dammit! Giving it no thought, Icarus yanked the amulet from the Khajiits neck, placing it back over his own. Tolfdir was taken aback by the mers aggressiveness.

“Now listen here, you mangy little animal.” The justiciar snarled, “If you ever try and steal from me again…” Icarus preferred to give an example rather than words this time as he showered his hand with lightning. What he did not expect, however, was the spell to be powerful enough to break the wall where the amulet was placed, and with it, the iron bars lifted, allowing the old instructor into the small area.

Icarus was baffled, staring with blank amazement at his hands, Did he really do that?! A rather ecstatic looking grin overcame the Thalmor agents face, what’s Ancano gotta say to that?!

Tolfdir, on the other hand, said nothing to either of the students. His interest was completely engulfed in the now open area that Icarus had created. “Well, this is highly unusual… And very interesting…”

The Khajiit grabbed the hilt of his dagger when he felt the sharp tug at his neck and the rising prickle of shock magic in his fur, jumping a little at the sharp CRACK of lightning and rock. His brows rose in surprise, swallowing a little at the look on Icarus’ face as he looked surprised and very pleased with the effect of his spell.

J’hasi didn’t loosen his grip on his dagger even as Tolfdir walked past them both, his fur still puffed a little before he bared his fangs at the mer. He’d do more than just bite him if he tried that again. He gave the Thalmor a wary gaze for a few moments before turning to follow the elder, his grip easing to just resting on his belt, fingers loosely encircling the handle of Elvish steel.

“Why in the world would this be sealed off? What is this place?” Tolfdir muttered, the Khajiit keeping quiet as he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer, or if the elder was just thinking out loud to himself. The air in the tunnel behind the broken wall felt…stale, almost to the point that he felt like he was choking on it, gagging on dust and dry decay. He could feel an uncomfortable twist of unease in his gut when they came to a small room, stone sarcophagi set into the other three walls.

“I’m not sure what to expect here. Please be on your guard.”

“…maybe we should-” J’hasi started to say before a strange feeling washed over him, looking over at Tolfdir and finding him completely still, dust particles frozen in midair around him. His eyes widened, looking behind them and finding that damn whelp behind them, similarly still. The Khajiit snapped his eyes forward when there was a soft, crumbling sound, starting in surprise at the robed mer in front of him.

“Hold, mage, and listen well…” Slitted eyes narrowed a little, a hand gripping his dagger, about to speak before he was cut off.

“Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you.” J’hasi’s ears pricked.

“Wait, dangers? Who-?” The mage continued, ignoring his interruption.

“This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching.” And with that, the mage started to dissolve from sight.

“Wait, hold on!” he yelped, stumbling forward when the strange feeling lifted, and he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself, eyes wide and fur puffed.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no…

“I… I swear I felt something very strange just then.” The Khajiit’s head snapped up in surprise, looking at the elder. Tolfdir looked a little concerned.

“Are you alright, my boy? What just happened?” J’hasi swallowed, looking back at the spot where the strange mer had stood.

“Some sort of…ghost or apparition appeared. It spoke to me, said something about danger ahead, and mentioned the Psijic Order.”

“The Psijic Order? Are you quite sure about that? That’s very odd. And danger ahead? Why that doesn’t make any sense at all. The Psijics have no connection to these ruins. And no one’s seen any of their order in a long time.”

“So why would they contact me?”

“I have no idea, but it’s fascinating. Assuming it’s true, of course.” A slight scowl flitted onto the Khajiit’s face. Tolfdir continued, eyes focused in a way that signaled his mind was elsewhere than here.

“The Isle of Artaeum disappeared over a hundred years ago, and no one has seen them since. And yet now, suddenly, they have chosen to contact you? Why, it’s intriguing! If nothing else, I’d take it as a compliment. The

Psijics have only ever dealt with those they feel worthy.”

‘Or whatever poor bastard happens to stumble into something dangerous.’ J’hasi thought miserably, but sent a little smirk over his shoulder at the Thalmor behind him regardless.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Icarus had managed to sneak pass Tolfdir and had found the Khajiit within a couple of corners. He would make a stance to grab what tiny goods the cat had found, but of course he had already picked them up. The Altmer frowned, maybe next time. Perhaps he could confiscate them if he played his Thalmor cards right.

Icarus had finally followed the Khajiit into a larger, if not by much, room. Icarus pouted his lips when the black cat snatched the ring on the ground, but the amulet on the wall definitely grabbed his attention. He pushed his arm towards the khajiit to keep it at bay, “Official Thalmor business, cat. I’ve got this one.” Yanking the amulet from its hold. Icarus only got to admire the adorned talisman for a short while before his train of thought was shattered by the sound of iron smashing upon rock, He jumped back to see that the two had been caged in by a trapped door.

Icarus scrambled to tuck the necklace into his lapels when he heard someone come their way.

J’hasi had wrinkled his nose, eyes narrowed on the whelp when he caught his scent moments before he spouted some line about ‘Thalmor business’. It was starting to sound like a knee-jerk statement for ‘I’m going to do something without regard to anyone else’. When the bars slid down from the top of the doorways and clanged on the stone floor, trapping them inside, he turned to give the mer a scowl, ears flicking back in irritation.

“Okay, new rule. You? Don’t. Touch. Anything.” he snapped, tail swishing sharply behind him. When Tolfdir came up, obviously alerted by the commotion, the Khajiit folded his arms, looking at the ground with a grimace. Even if it was Icarus’ fault that he was trapped in here, it didn’t lessen the sting of humiliation any. Tolfdir looked at the two apprentices behind bars before frowning.

“What in the world was that racket? Is everything all right?” J’hasi sighed, averting his eyes.

“Genius here got us trapped.” he muttered.

“How in the world did that happen?” The Khajiit’s tail twitched, not looking at the Thalmor standing next to him.

“…pulled an amulet off the wall.” The elder looked contemplative for a moment.

“Really? Perhaps the amulet is important somehow. Is there some way you can use it?” J’hasi frowned as his ears pricked a little. He barely brushed past the Altmer caged with him, stepping closer to the torchlight to examine the amulet that had been stuffed in said mer’s lapels after hanging on the wall moments prior.

“I don’t suppose putting it back would help us any, would it?” he mumbled before slipping it on. His fur rose a little at the prickle that ran through it, ears and eyes snapping to attention when the wall started…humming.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

The rocky looking structure was enough to make the Thalmor agent a bit uneasy as he made an anxious beeline to the end of the rotten-looking stairway. The air was stagnant enough to make Icarus gag a couple times on dust and the gross humidity that took over the excavation site. The Dunmer lass and the Nord beast seemed to be just as unsettled by the place as he was, though he took an interest in the lighter-colored Khajiit’s mentioning of artifacts.

After all, this was an ancient and abandoned city. There was bound to be goods here and there.

Especially if there were wards present as Tolfdir had mentioned earlier.

Icarus managed to spot a few trinkets here and there, mostly smaller soul gems and other insignificant gems that most likely belonged to some of the burial urns. But hey, they were dead, not like they needed them anyways.

Besides, these were filthy human dogs. These artifacts were better off in the hands of a superiorly bred mer, such as himself. Icarus blew the dust off a soul gem, only to be hacking up the dust that had flown into his face, stinging his eyes and irritating his nose.

Rubbing his eyes and snorting his nose, Icarus caught a glimpse of Toldir talking to the other Khajiit. Though if he was sending the Khajiit somewhere, surely there had to be some sort of goods there, yes? The young justiciar gave a small smirk before deciding to tail the darker khajiit.

Time for some investigation, yes?

Finding Gane proved to be a simple task; among the dust and chill of the ruin their warm scent stood out easily. They seemed calm for the most part, giving him instruction to ‘look around in the chambers just north of here’ before asking him to be careful.

The way they talked to him, the Khajiit was getting the impression that people assumed he’d blow the whole place up if left unchecked. It made him feel like a hatchling. He offered the man a brief smile before walking off, the grin quickly shifting into a slight grimace once he was out of torchlight.

J’hasi poked around in the room ahead, sniffing now and then and finding only dust and stale air meeting his nose. He found a pair of rings and a soul gem after poking his nose into a bowl and finding nothing but cobwebs and a bunch of dust. He sneezed when he left the first room, unaware that a bit of cobweb was still clinging to his whiskers. He walked on the left side of a pillar, finding the glint of another ring laying on the floor. His ears cocked, curious if these were even what he was supposed to be picking up. But then again, he hadn’t found anything else of note aside from an impressive collection of…dust.

…maybe he’d find something more interesting in this room yet.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

The walk was absolute hell for the drenched Thalmor. He kept mostly to himself, his main focus trying to keep whatever heat Ancano hadn’t taken from him. It felt like hours before the group of students found themselves at a standstill. below them were the remains of the legendary Saarthal.
“I’ve seen better.” Icarus grumbled to himself, whether the statement was true or not was another story. As the group walked down the ramps leading to the excavation site, the mer just had to ask. “What’s so important about this run d- ah…. Place?”

Tolfdir shook his head, knowing what the haughty mer was about to say. “We’re particularly interested in the prevalence of magical seals placed on the tombs here.” The old man answered in a fascinated tone, “It’s rather unlike anything we’ve encountered.”

Sounded like nothing important, but it was at least an acceptable answer for the Altmer. “In that case, what are we waiting for? I’m freezing out here."

Tolfdir was a bit amused over Icarus’ situation. “Alright, alright.” The elder chuckled before turning his attention to the rest of the class, “Everyone, please stay close to me while we’re inside. it should be safe, but it’s always better to be cautious.”

While he had rolled his eyes at the Thalmor’s comment on the site, J’hasi wasn’t exactly one hundred percent thrilled about hopping into another barrow either (as it seemed, neither did Onmund). But he kept his mouth shut, steeling himself for the possibility of undead. Just the thought of them sent a shiver through his fur. Watching Icarus shiver had been entertaining for all of a few minutes before it slipped into the realm of pathetic, and now his apprehension was starting to make an unwanted comeback.

Slipping into the quiet, musty interior was a relief from the blowing cold, the Khajiit puffing warm air over his knuckles to thaw them as Tolfdir started to talk about the ruins. It was an interesting tidbit of history, but not anything new, really. He did try to listen quietly, but also trying to ignore the shivering mer next to him, the impatient swish of J’zargo’s tail in front of him, Brelyna and Onmund’s shifting…

When the eldest of the group stopped to ask if there were any questions, J’hasi’s ears pricked, curious.

“So…what are we looking for, exactly?” The elder smiled, excitement palpable.

“Anything! Anything at all that might be of interest. That’s why I adore this location…we have no idea what we’re going to find.” The man’s gaze shifted subtly to each of them in kind, lingering on himself and Icarus a tad longer than the rest.

“And if, along the way, my message about the dangers of magic should happen to sink in for a few students…that would be a happy coincidence.” The Khajiit swallowed, ears pulling back a little in discomfort. He didn’t need reminding. As it was his hands were burning uncomfortably under their wrappings. When it seemed no one else had any questions about the ruins themselves, J’hasi swallowed.

“Um…what would you like us to do?” he asked tentatively.

“Ah, yes. Hmm. Well, why don’t you see if you can assist Arniel Gane? He’s one of our scholars, here working on cataloging our finds. I expect he’d appreciate some help in locating any additional magical artifacts here in the ruins. Any enchanted items will do; the usefulness of the enchantment is irrelevant. If you find anything, the class can look it over.”

…okay, finding things he was good at. So long as it didn’t require magic. J’hasi nodded, seeming pleased with his given task as he slipped further ahead into the ruins, ears pricked in mild curiosity as to what the others would be doing, but in all honesty, glad to get some space to himself for a little while.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Ancano lifted his eyes from his report entry, as he saw more students gather in the courtyard. As the time got closer to departure, the more antsy he got. The soldier was already out hunting heretics, and he woke the other one earlier to get ready for the excursion.

“Godsdammit, where is that little-…” Ancano rolled his eyes as he made a beeline towards the Hall of Attainment. The elder mer boomed through the doors, striding towards the room belonging to his two employees, “Icarus, you had better be-”
…

That bastard was still sleeping like an infant.
Infuriated, the superior agent found one of the buckets that they kept melted snow in, for water supply. The fuming Thalmor loomed over his sleeping victim before dousing him in the cold water. “I TOLD YOU TO BE UP AN HOUR AGO, YOU WITLESS BUFFOON!” Ancano bellowed at his already yelping lacky, who scrambled to get dressed. Before Ancano could release any more pent up anger, Icarus was already out the door.

Godsdammit, Aldaril was supposed to wake him up!

Icarus was shaking, his hair slightly damp, and still trying to get one of his other boots on. The sunlight seared into his eyes, making his already godsawful headache even worse. He hopped his way to the rest of the crew, where he managed to find himself standing next to his new… ‘friend.’

“Morning, cat.” he grumbled, trying to balance himself as he wrapped his footwraps over his bare foot, boot between his teeth.

The Khajiit smirked, tail curling at the tip in amusement at the soggy state of the Thalmor justicar.

“‘Mornin’, whelp.” he muttered cheerfully at the unexpected pick-me-up. He had heard the faint yelping and yelling even from way out here, and knowing how Icarus had woken up put him in a very good mood. His ears quirked as J’zargo started enthusing about what they would find to Onmund, who seemed a little…less-than-happy about their destination. Brelyna showed up right on the heels of Tolfdir, who gave the damp Altmer a watchful, if mildly surprised glance at his dripping hair. J’hasi’s tail flicked behind him as he rocked on his heels, in good spirits and nerves slightly abated as the elder of the group addressed them.

“Good morning, everyone. Today we’re going to be taking a look at Saarthal in hopes of finding some examples of magic in history. Now if we all stick together, we’ll be able to get there without too much trouble and in good time. Everyone ready to go?” The darker Khajiit smiled at the man, giving a short nod in response, eager to leave. Who knows, maybe the wet mer next to him would catch a cold along the way to top it all off. It certainly made him feel warmer.