Lendri glared up at him. "Ralof. I told you to wait. Listen, when you're traveling with me, do me a favor and don't do that 'victory or Sovngarde' stuff, alright?"
"Sure, sure. Let's see what's inside."
"What if hadn't hit that mage in time? You could've been killed!"
Ralof listened indulgently, like he was fielding the complaints of a child. "That risk is the glory of battle," he explained patiently. "Besides, we both came out of that in fine shape."
"What's the point in glory if you're dead? And what if next time you run in to some battle like a drunken mammoth, you end up getting killed? You have to wait, and plan."
"Heh, a drunken mammoth. That'd be funny. From a distance, anyway." Ralof went into the castle, and Lendri followed, fuming.
"I'm serious, you know."
Ralof turned around, smiling mischievously. "You spend a lot of time worrying about me, little elf."
Lendri sighed. It was clear the argument was a lost cause for now. "Oh, sod off."
They dispatched a few stray Thalmor on their way through the castle, with a lack of stealth Lendri found somewhat depressing. The real challenge was finding the papers. They were all written in Somerset-Ayleid, and Lendri only knew Valenwood-Ayleid. Ralof knew neither. The languages were similar enough that it wasn't impossible to find the right reports, but different enough that it would likely take the rest of the afternoon. Lendri started on the first drawer of papers, feet propped on the desk, while Ralof explored the castle, and, after and hour or so, returned to prowl around the room.
"You know, you could just take those home and look at them later," he commented at length.
Lendri didn't look up. "What, and end up carrying around a bunch of extra papers that might end up being some guardsman writing about what he had for lunch? No, it's best to find what we're looking for right here."
"It's going to get dark in a couple of hours."
"Clearly. What's your point?"
"There's a cave nearby that's supposed to be full of vampires. It wouldn't be smart to travel at night."
"So we'll stay the night in here."
"Lendri." Ralof stood across from him, for once not smiling. "They're going to smell all the blood from the battle and flock here like moths on a candle."
"But aren't they smart enough to know that the blood means everyone's dead?"
"They're animals," said Ralof, matter of factly. "They might dress like people and talk like em' too, but on the inside, they're animals. So we should get going. We can come back tomorrow."
"I think I've almost found the right one, though. And it's not like avoiding vampires is all that difficult. We had them back in Valenwood too. You just have to be careful and stay one step ahead of them. Or two, you know, if you're a nervous type."
Ralof sat on the edge of the desk and said nothing for a long time. Lendri had almost forgotten he was there by the time he spoke. "Wonder what it's like being a vampire. Musty be pretty awful. I wonder if you, you know, still know who you are."
Lendri added a few papers to the pile they were bringing along. "You know, some tribes back at home used to eat their fallen enemies. You'd never guess it to talk to them, though. Seemed like normal enough people to me."
"Have you..."
"Not really. My tribe wasn't very religious. It's not as common as the rest of the world seems to think." He added another sheaf of papers to the bunch on the table, then shrugged, bundled the remaining papers together, and put them in his pack. "Well, I think that's all of them. Let's get going before your vampires show up."
Re: Part 1 coninued
Lendri glared up at him. "Ralof. I told you to wait. Listen, when you're traveling with me, do me a favor and don't do that 'victory or Sovngarde' stuff, alright?"
"Sure, sure. Let's see what's inside."
"What if hadn't hit that mage in time? You could've been killed!"
Ralof listened indulgently, like he was fielding the complaints of a child. "That risk is the glory of battle," he explained patiently. "Besides, we both came out of that in fine shape."
"What's the point in glory if you're dead? And what if next time you run in to some battle like a drunken mammoth, you end up getting killed? You have to wait, and plan."
"Heh, a drunken mammoth. That'd be funny. From a distance, anyway." Ralof went into the castle, and Lendri followed, fuming.
"I'm serious, you know."
Ralof turned around, smiling mischievously. "You spend a lot of time worrying about me, little elf."
Lendri sighed. It was clear the argument was a lost cause for now. "Oh, sod off."
They dispatched a few stray Thalmor on their way through the castle, with a lack of stealth Lendri found somewhat depressing. The real challenge was finding the papers. They were all written in Somerset-Ayleid, and Lendri only knew Valenwood-Ayleid. Ralof knew neither. The languages were similar enough that it wasn't impossible to find the right reports, but different enough that it would likely take the rest of the afternoon. Lendri started on the first drawer of papers, feet propped on the desk, while Ralof explored the castle, and, after and hour or so, returned to prowl around the room.
"You know, you could just take those home and look at them later," he commented at length.
Lendri didn't look up. "What, and end up carrying around a bunch of extra papers that might end up being some guardsman writing about what he had for lunch? No, it's best to find what we're looking for right here."
"It's going to get dark in a couple of hours."
"Clearly. What's your point?"
"There's a cave nearby that's supposed to be full of vampires. It wouldn't be smart to travel at night."
"So we'll stay the night in here."
"Lendri." Ralof stood across from him, for once not smiling. "They're going to smell all the blood from the battle and flock here like moths on a candle."
"But aren't they smart enough to know that the blood means everyone's dead?"
"They're animals," said Ralof, matter of factly. "They might dress like people and talk like em' too, but on the inside, they're animals. So we should get going. We can come back tomorrow."
"I think I've almost found the right one, though. And it's not like avoiding vampires is all that difficult. We had them back in Valenwood too. You just have to be careful and stay one step ahead of them. Or two, you know, if you're a nervous type."
Ralof sat on the edge of the desk and said nothing for a long time. Lendri had almost forgotten he was there by the time he spoke. "Wonder what it's like being a vampire. Musty be pretty awful. I wonder if you, you know, still know who you are."
Lendri added a few papers to the pile they were bringing along. "You know, some tribes back at home used to eat their fallen enemies. You'd never guess it to talk to them, though. Seemed like normal enough people to me."
"Have you..."
"Not really. My tribe wasn't very religious. It's not as common as the rest of the world seems to think." He added another sheaf of papers to the bunch on the table, then shrugged, bundled the remaining papers together, and put them in his pack. "Well, I think that's all of them. Let's get going before your vampires show up."