:D – vvardenfellcat

School is not for Horsing Around- TAKE 2 Icarus/Jhasi

Icarus shuffled his way down to the Hall of Elements. He curled his lips inward as he felt most of the attending students glaring at him– probably due to the incidents from last night, Ancano included– Fuck, that godsdamned mer was there already. Somewhat thankfully, he had seemed rather occupied by the… They were calling it The Eye now, weren’t they? Didn’t matter, it kept Ancano off his arse, thats all he needed.

The justiciar recomposed himself as he gave the students a smug scoff. He looked around– he didn’t see the cat around thankfully, maybe today would be a good day.

He crooked his brow his brow when it wasn’t Faralda approaching the class, but another mer he had seen around the college as of late. He wasn’t sure what to make of him, his first guess by his appearance was a Bosmer, but that mer was far too tall for a Wood Elf, and blue-eyed Altmer were too rare of a sight to see around Skyrim, plus the lack of an Altmeri accent.

“Greetings class. Faralda has-has c-come down with the- uh- the uh– th-th-the flu. I’d ad-ad-advise t-to stay clear if-if you uh– you see her and lets all re–uh-remember th-that I am not a ch-ch-charity healer if you uh– get sick, I have bills t-t-to pay too.” The mer centered himself between all of the students, “Th-th-this is the uh– the uh– destr–uh-… destruction class, yes? Is thi- Is this everyone?”

Icarus rolled his eyes. It’d be sunset before this instructor finishes the godsdamned role call.

After last night’s shift, the resulting lack of sleep, the splitting headache from the morning after, and the stress of knowing he’d been spotted in his ‘wolf form by the Thalmor whelp wasn’t really dulled all that much by his hastily-drunk mead, and in fact, only seemed to worsen things, especially light… Light was…not comfortable at all… It wasn’t helping his churning stomach, either… The Khajiit just wanted to sleep and get something in his stomach to calm it down, but he had class this morning, and he was cutting it awful close already. He wasn’t looking forward towards a reprimand from Faralda on top of it all. It was bad enough that he had to deal with the whelp in class.

J’hasi managed to slip into the classroom in the nick of time, but unfortunately seeing who was in the room made the morning ten times worse than it already was. The two Thalmor he never wanted to see again and…by the Hist that was…

Oh no…

The Khajiit could just feel his insides cringing at the sight of that mer he’d met at the inn, the one that had patched him up. Granted he’d probably saved his life, but…Hist, couldn’t’ve he been just a little bit gentler about it? And the tail end of his introduction made his stomach feel even worse…he was going to be teaching them in the class he most often got hurt in… Maybe…maybe he could still sneak out…?

Unfortunately Ancano’s eyes had caught sight of him, and the Khajiit’s muzzle wrinkled in the barest hint of a scowl. He wasn’t going to let that bastard think he was leaving because of him. He wasn’t afraid of that snooty, crooked-nose pompous fuck. J’hasi quietly made his way towards the other students, slipping in next to Brelyna, getting a brief, mildly-surprised glance from her before she returned her attention to the new mer up front.

Plot: Post-Under Saarthal

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.

boarchasers:

‘Smart.’

Almost too smart. The sort of smartness which came from personal experience, of being the disappointed thief once too often. Trond narrowed his eyes over his drink, but in the end he shook his head and took another mouthful of mead. There were more important things to worry about on a festival day.

He swallowed and gave a small, satisfied sigh, before waving the tankard towards the horse. A creature that size usually earned extreme caution from the guard, but in the crowds, with the music and the colours and the smell of spices and sugar, Trond was prepared to overlook that, too.

‘Yours?’ he asked. ‘Doesn’t look like one of Skulvar’s.’

J’hasi smiled, giving her neck a good scratch.

“Yeah, she is. Name’s Ghost. She found me somewhere along the coast in Winterhold and hasn’t left me alone since.” As if to retort she blew a gust of hot air in his face. The Khajiit beamed, stroking her nose.

“She’s real friendly, you can pet her if you want. Just mind that she doesn’t try to make a snack out of your hair. Though that might not be a problem since yours is so short. Or it might, maybe she likes a challenge.”

In The Icy Cold

sneaktheif:

“Yeah,” Peyt sighed, “I’ll never understand why you hire a Companion only to change your mind like that. Only happened to me a few times, but I mean I could be home hunting or something.” She sat on the nearby stool with a huff, pulling a tomato out of her pack and taking a bite. She twisted her tail around one of the legs and swung her feet slightly. Braena sat next to her, keeping her eyes on the stranger, her ears still moving to listen.

“At least I saw snow,” Peyt said cheerfully, “I think I might go roll in it before I start back home.” She took another bite of the tomato and slid her feet back and forth on the rungs. Despite getting her tongue stuck, she was still filled with curiosity. She figured she could indulge that for a little bit before she rode back to Whiterun.

He popped the cork out of his first mead and took a long drink before setting it down, tail slowly curling around his stool.

“Well, if you wanted snow, you came to the right place. Winterhold is full of the stuff. Shame they can’t export it.” J’hasi sniffed, ears cocking. Did he really need a bath that b-?

Oh.

He watched the stranger munch on their tomato for a moment. Companion, huh? He didn’t expect the ‘honorable’ warrriors of Skyrim to have a werewolf in their ranks. Maybe it would be worth paying them a visit sometime… The darker Khajiit took another drink of his mead before offering his hand for a shake.

“M’name’s J’hasi. Seems a little rude to have not introduced myself before, but uh… I s’pose that waiting until you were free to talk would be more polite.”

☠ or/and ✿

☠ Battle Prowess

“…don’t tangle with them. Ever. Just…run away. Unless you have fire, and lots of it.”

—

✿ Appearance

“They’re unsettling. They’re undead, but they don’t look it until the fangs come out, and…gods, when they do look undead? No. I don’t want to talk about them anymore.”

thatimperialbastard:

IT GOT WORSE

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.

Under Saarthal – Icarus/J’hasi

J’hasi shivered as he pulled his scarf up over his mouth and nose. It was even colder than yesterday, and with the wind whipping up snow in the courtyard, he didn’t imagine it would warm up a little anytime soon. He was starting to regret giving his gloves to Dan’kuu as the bitter cold sank into his joints and started to ache. Having bundled up a bit more with some extra clothes under his College robes he was warm enough overall, but without gloves his fingers were starting to freeze. He pulled his sleeves down over his hands, only getting a little relief from the chill. He puffed out a breath as he took a step away from the door to the Hall of Attainment, heading for the main gate.

Today was the field trip with Tolfdir and the rest of his class, and while he was happy to leave the grounds, he was still feeling a little sick to his stomach from what happened last night and the unsettling notes he had apparently written for himself:

Ancano is sending Icarus on the Saarthal trip despite saying he needs responsibility before magical training. The Thalmor really need someone on that expedition. It could just be paranoid monitoring, or it could be something else.

It was the ‘Icarus playing the incompetent fool’ part that had him shaking his head a little. Now that he was sober, he was fairly certain that there wasn’t any ‘playing’ at all. That sort of incompetence couldn’t be faked. The other part of his entry… He was going to ignore it for now. The Khajiit had enough to worry about for the moment. He was feeling nervous already, leaving his spear behind, but the worst he’d probably run into on the trip was a few wolves, if that on the way there. If they were taking novice mages to Saarthal, they wouldn’t leave draugr about.

Still, he had his bow and quiver slung around his torso, his dagger fastened to the back of his belt. Old habits died hard. And there was no way he was going to traipse off into a barrow with a Thalmor agent unarmed.

ϟ

“Their scent…it reminds me of Sees. It’s not quite the same, Sees’ smudge sticks and incense were of different plants, but… They smell a little like our tree always used to…” The Khajiit’s eyes darted down, feeling homesickness rise in his chest, but he pressed it down quietly.

“I wonder if they’d have similar plants to what Sees always had, and would be willing to trade for some… The College just smells like cold and stone and melting candle wax. …sometimes burnt hair. It would be nice to have my quarters smell a little more comforting.”

First Round – Icarus/Aldaril/J’hasi

Today certainly had to be one of the more…taxing days he’d had in a while. First that lass on the road, then the mer in the library, then the entire fiasco in his first class, the Thalmor agents, and then having to get his hands patched up…

The Khajiit had told her that spells would most likely not work on him, he’d tried for years. After testing this out for herself (as well as a lengthy, one-sided discussion about the importance of Restoration), Colette had simply cleaned the burns, mixed up a simple ointment for them, and then wrapped them in bandages. The burns on his jaw were small enough that they’d likely be alright, but he still had his scarf up to protect them from the cold.

In short, all J’hasi wanted to do after class was to change out of his robes, take a tome of Sparks (he’d had it for a while, just…never thought to look it over just yet), and go to the inn for drinks. The tome was moreso to occupy himself and hopefully dissuade people from trying to rope him into conversation.

The Frozen Hearth certainly lived up to its name (thankfully not entirely), as it was a little chilly, a little drafty, but the nice warm fire at his back and being snuggled inside both his scarf and his layers of traveling clothes made it comfortable enough. The lack of people was nice as well, though probably not for the owners who had a business to keep afloat. The Khajiit knew he’d be providing them plenty of business during his stay, especially with having to handle two Thalmor under the College’s roof. The several bottles of mead on the table, at least one emptied and another quickly on its way was just the beginning of his contribution.