eleri | blank stares and empty threats

[VEX .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#a7cacc; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px;]THE THINGS WE DO JUST TO KEEP OURSELVES ALIVE

an icy wind tore through the blonde's clothing, and anyone who stood near her would have heard her mutter a string of curses. she fought to wrap the cloak draped over her shoulders tighter to protect herself from the elements. it was well worn, the fur to thin, borrowed from an acquaintance vex knew from her youth and would be returned in due time. but since she was standing around waiting for her partner, and freezing her ass off didn't sound all too appealing to the imperial, she supposed it was better than nothing. hauling the warmer clothes she had back at the ragged flagon would have been a pain, and wouldn't be such a problem if her partner wasn't so late.

vex had been born and raised in the icy walls of windhelm, and she wasn't surprised to find that not much had changed. she recognized some of the older guards, although they certainly didn't realize that vex was the small imperial girl who used to run with the dark elves in the gray quarter so many years ago. the stores were still the same, even some of the merchant's wares vex could have sworn were the same as they were eight years ago. her fingers hovered over a particularly nice necklace before deciding she better not cause a commotion. this job depended on subtlety, and although she'd pulled off her half without a hinch, the fact that eleri was making her wait so long, in the freezing cold was making her wonder if the young wood elf had run into some trouble. shivering as she was, the cold was not improving vex's impatient mood any. although she had to admit, devising ways in which the elf had got caught was helping slightly, even if it meant their failure.

"where the hell is she?" vex murmured, ignoring the glance of a woman rushing home before it got too dark. vex knew she was where she was supposed to be. despite only returning to the city not that often, she still knew the place like the back of her hand, and could only assume eleri had some troubles. and since the guards weren't all rushing off in a particular direction, vex figured she was lost, or something equally as ridiculous.

she rubbed her hands together, fighting to get warm. of anything, vex missed the frigid weather the least. riften at least seemed to change with the seasons, rather than being permanently stuck in the middle of a freezing winter. already vex wanted to get out of the snow, to ride south until she could see the grass and sky, but she had to wait. and eleri was taking her sweet damn time.

puzzled as to why it was taking so long for the elf so long to get to their rendezvous point, vex reached into her bag to touch the goblets she'd cleared from one of the richer merchant's houses. they were ice to her touch, but even so, the feel of gold against her fingers made her smirk. swiping them had been easy, knowing the merchant spent the early evenings at candlehearth hall, stumbled home at sundown and spent the night snoring. breaking in through the front door had been simple, and taking the goblets was even simpler, if that were possible. the idiot had even had them on display, just waiting for vex to snatch them.

giving up on standing, vex sat down on one of the stone steps, taking care not to let the metal clink together as she moved. the stone was cold, but after travelling all day she was a bit weary, and getting off her feet, if only for five minutes was sure to help. "bloody girl." she murmured, wrapping the cloak around herself, settling in to wait as long as eleri took.

ELERI/ALLIE | 639 | ugh, this is rubbish, but they will get better! c:

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[eleri tredegar .]

El detested Windhelm. The blasted city was far too cold for her liking. Skyrim in general was cold, yes, but Windhelm seemed to be worse. More worse than all the other cold cities combined. The bosmer was particularly partial to the seasonal changes, like the ones seen in Riften, or other places further south in Skyrim. A perpetual winter didn't suit her in the slightest. Yet, she was there, trying to complete a job for the guild.

Usually, Eleri worked alone, preferring it to working with a partner. Partners were always late, and never seemed to follow her lead. Nor, she found, did she do particularly well taking orders. However, this time, she did not work alone, and was sent on this particular tun with Vex. She could only assume it was because she had completely failed her last. Either way, she didn't like it. She liked Vex well enough, despite the arguments they got into from time to time. However, she did not like working with other people on these things. This was especially true in moments like these; moments when she was late. She could just feel the cold stares she was going to receive when she finally showed up.

But she couldn't help it. Really, she couldn't. The door to the house she was in had opened before she got out. Therefore, she was trapped inside the house she had been invading. No one had seen her, but she knew better than to risk being caught. Eleri thought herself better than that. She took a moment to watch the movements about the house, trying to find an appropriate time to leave her shadowed hiding space. The girl thought about the house for a moment as well. There was a window upstairs, one she could have sworn was open. Maybe she could get out that way. She just had to get up the stairs.

At last she was out of the line of sight, the family having moved into the kitchen. She crept from her position with silent movements. She was lucky to have boots that muffled her sound. Reaching the stairs, she smirked. Swiftly, she moved up the stairs, careful not to hit them full on with her feet. The balls of them were much better for sneaking around. Upon arriving at the top, she moved from the field of vision granted at the bottom. Her eyes scanned the upstairs, trying to find a logical exit, trying to remember where that damn window was.

Her teeth grazed her lips as she spotted it, preventing her from making any sudden sounds. She returned to the slow movements she had used earlier to arrive at her way out. Making sure there were no passing guards, as such actions were sure to be suspicious, she crawled out. Her hands along the edge, she let her fingers slid off. Having refused to panic during the fall, she landed on her feet.

She could never understand why people kept windows open in Windhelm, yet she wasn't going to complain about it.

Elle brushed herself off, pulling a warm cloak from her bag, her fingers brushing against the stolen goods. Cloaks, she personally found, were not practical for sneaking around houses. Too much movement. The girl wrapped it around her, mediocre protection from the bitter wind and freezing snow that the city had to offer.

Her pace quickened as she wandered the town. It was hard, she was finding, to locate the place the pair had agreed to meet at. The elf held her bag close to her side, careful to not allow the items to clink or make any other noises. "Where is she?" the girl mumbled to herself, passing by some people frantic to get home before too long. Her eyes jumped as she searched the market, trying to find the other girl.

At last she found her partner. Approaching her, she bit the inside of her cheek. Something told her Vex wasn't going to be too pleased with her. Keeping people waiting, after all, wasn't good. Especially in this weather. Either way, she reached her, taking a seat as well. Why the girl was sitting baffled her. It was far too cold for that. "Sorry I'm late. There was a small hold up."

tagged; vex/indie
words; 713
notes; this was rubbish. sorry!

[VEX .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#a7cacc; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px;]THE THINGS WE DO JUST TO KEEP OURSELVES ALIVE

vex told herself she was about to give up waiting. eleri was making her wait in the cold simple because she couldn't get a job done in time. it was outright frustrating for the imperial woman, more so because the weather was so dreadful. but she remained sitting there, despite how tempting it was to climb back on her horse be on her way back south. she was obligated to wait, and although eleri drove her crazy more often than not, vex knew she could never abandon a fellow thief. not only would it look bad to the rest of the guild, vex's pride wouldn't let her leave eleri behind, even if her patience was nearing its limit.

finally she saw someone approaching her, and judging by their silhouette, vex assumed that it was eleri, finally crawling out of whatever situation she'd got herself into. after the initial look over she gave the approaching elf, making sure she wasn't harmed or injured, vex turned away, waiting for the younger woman to get closer before releasing any snark. now that she had seen the bosmer was unharmed, it seemed perfectly reasonable for vex to be a little annoyed. "how nice of you to show up," she muttered as the elf sat down, her breath turning to fog as it met the cold air.

despite her rather bitter greeting however, vex had to admit she counted eleri among one of her better friends. sure, the two of them had their disagreements, mostly because they butted heads more often than not, but for the most part, vex valued her friendship. eleri was one of the guilds best assets, and as a fellow thief, vex respected her abilities. the guild needed more thieves like her.

"a small hold up?" vex asked incredulously, giving elle a sideways glance at the darker haired woman who now sat beside her. "you're lucky i don't have frostbite on my ass." she muttered, but a smirk made its way onto her face. "you got what you were after, though, right?" without waiting for an answer, vex got to her feet. it was clear eleri had been successful. if she hadn't, the elf would probably still be trying to steal whatever it was she had been sent to get. or at least, that was what vex would do. failure wasn't an option when it came to the guild. gods knew things were going badly enough for the guild as it was.

"before we leave, i have to return this." vex removed the cloak she had been given earlier, revealing her dark armor underneath. "you don't mind if we stop by the inn, do you?" regardless of eleri's answer would be, vex had already turned on her heel, weaving through the streets back to the center of the city. she was in a hurry, wanting to get out of the cold and then away from it as quickly as possible. soon, they were standing before the large inn, candlehearth hall, the yellow light spilling out through the windows onto the icy ground. "after you." vex said to her companion, before heaving open the heavy door.

"take a seat, if you want. i won't be long." vex told elle over her shoulder, already cutting her way through the crowd of people to get to the innkeeper. unsurprisingly, the inn was full, probably because it was far warmer in here than the blustery outdoors. a bard was singing some old song about a long dead hero, and rowdy drunkards were littered across the room. the noise was a welcome change from the quiet outside, and despite being busy, it didn't take long for her to get the man's attention. "avon will pick this up in the morning." she informed him, slipping him a few septims at the same time as she handed over the ratty cloak. "and i'll have two meads, please." she added, passing him a few more coins. once she had the bottles in hand, vex turned around, trying to spot her companion in the crowd.

it didn't take long to spot her, and vex pushed her way through people to come stand beside her. "here." she handed her the bottle, taking a swig from her own. "thought it might warm us up a bit before we leave for riften."

ELERI/ALLIE | 713 | i hope this is okay. (:

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[eleri tredegar .]

She rolled her eyes at the bitter greeting. Typical Vex. Of course, Elle understood the frustration behind it. She too would have been frustrated if the imperial had left her out to freeze. She pulled her cloak closer to her body, starting to feel the cold against her ass.

"Really now. There's no need to get snippy. It's not my fault you chose a meeting spot that was out in the cold!" If it were up to her, the meeting spot would have been in the local inn. At least there, they were protected from the wind. And a good glass of mead was almost always appropriate in such situations. Really it was a surprise that was all the protest Eleri made. In general, she was known for being loud and quick to anger. However, she somehow managed to stay her tongue. "Yes small." The elf ignored the glance Vex gave her, knowing it would only chill her further. "Apparently,there's this thing called supper that people like to come home for." With her words, she chuckled a bit.

"You should be glad I didn't leave you waiting any later than I did." Personally, she was just glad she didn't get caught, or injured in anyway. That was never fun. A small smile crept upon her face. In response to the next question, Eleri nodded curtly. Of course she got what she was after. There was no other option, aside from death perhaps. She needed the money, and so did the guild. Her hand went instinctively to her bag, patting it gently. "Would I be here if I didn't?" Of course not. She wasn't that daft. Aside from that, she was far too stubborn to give up on something like that.

Return? Why not just keep. Was that not the way that thieves operated? Mentally, she shrugged. She supposed it didn't matter all that much. "Of course I don't mind." Anything to get out of the damn cold. Vex had gotten a slight start on her. Quickly she rose, readjusting her clothing, before stepping as swiftly as possible in attempts to catch up with the girl. Along the way, her nimble fingers grabbed a purse from the body of a stranger. Though not the best pick pocket, she had some decency in the field. Still, she preferred the type of jobs that required infiltration. That was her strong suit.

El arrived after Vex, who had graciously held the door open for her. A soft word of thanks escaped her lips as she entered the building. The elf relished the warmth that came from it. The physical warmth from the fire was grand, and the high spirits were more than enough to warm a cold heart. Or at least, she thought so. It was much more hospitable than the rest of the town, that was for sure. The girl parted from her companion, searching for an empty table as close to a blazing fire as possible. However, with all the people, it didn't seem possible. Instead she stood as close as she could, leaned up against the hearth.

She untied her cloak, and shoved it into her bag, careful not to rattle her stolen goods, or damage them in anyway. El didn't need the warm article now that she was indoors. The girl watched the crowd, keeping watch for Vex. Her eyes grazing over the girl, the elf nodded, opening her companion would find her easier that way.

El took the mead from Vex, taking a sip from it the moment the bottle made contact with her hand. "Thank you." she said in response, after downing the first swig. "I'll pay you back when we get home" It was odd to her, calling sewers her home. However, she accepted it. And really, she was just grateful that she had a home at that point.

tagged; vex/indie
words; 643
notes; i am not doing well at posts today.

[VEX .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#a7cacc; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px;]THE THINGS WE DO JUST TO KEEP OURSELVES ALIVE

"i didn't know it was going to be this cold," vex retorted, rolling her eyes in clear impatience. "nor did i realize you'd take so long." the reason vex had chosen that spot to meet was because the market was fairly busy before the sun set. but now it was dark, and empty, and vex knew she had caught more attention by simply hanging around waiting for the young elf. ideally, they would have been on their horses and on their way back to riften by now.

"you should be glad too." vex scoffed, a smirk spreading across her face. "i was about to go haul your ass out of whatever trouble you had gotten yourself into." underneath her snark, however, was relief that eleri had not been hurt. and that comfort only grew at learning the girl had managed to pull through, even if she was delayed. "good." she breathed, although her attention was now elsewhere. eleri's response had only confirmed what vex had already assumed.

the warmth was so great where eleri had decided to stand, that vex could already feel the cold from outside leaving her bones. leaving the inn would be hard when it came to it, but for now, the two women could just enjoy the comfort while they could. "there's no need to." vex said to eleri's statement that she would pay her back on their return to riften. vex was hoping that when they returned, they'd be able to sell the loot they had collected for more than enough gold to cover the cost of the mead. "call it thanks for not leaving me to freeze outside all night." giving eleri what could almost be a grateful smile, vex took another swig of the mead. being out of the weather had certainly helped her mood.

letting silence drift over them, vex looked around the inn, struggling to relate it to the place her mother worked throughout her youth. it had changed hands, sold to another nord just after vex had left the city, and now it was virtually unrecognizable. the center of warmth in a town that was well known for being freezing cold. it had never been this full when vex was younger, but she liked to see it this way. it made it seem less like a part of her past. but of course, there were still similarities. the hearth was in the same place, the stairs still looked far too steep, and she recognized one of the older serving ladies as being one who worked with her mother. the lady must have been almost sixty.

"my mother used to work here, you know." vex said absent mindedly, turning her eyes back to eleri. "back when it was as dingy as the rest of this place." she laughed to herself, shaking her head. it wasn't often that vex shared personal information about herself, but the inn had been such a big part of her childhood, it was hard not to reminisce. with the mead in her system, and the warmth from the fire, vex was feeling almost cheerful. "it's changed quite a lot."

ELERI/ALLIE | 517 | blahhh, this is short. :c

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[eleri tredegar .]

"We're in Windhelm! It's always this cold!" Or so it seemed. At the very least, was always as cold as it was whenever she found herself in Windhelm, and therefore the elven girl figured that the city must have always been covered at least in a fine layer of frost "As for the timing, I apologize. I had not meant to take so long." Really, a good thief was quicker than she had been, on such missions. With the type of jobs they were running, it was all about getting in and getting out before anyone noticed. It was different than the manipulative style that Eleri favored.

At the idea of her being in trouble, the girl scoffed. "Me, trouble? You're delusional." If there was something that El was loathe to admit it was that she could possibly get in trouble. She considered herself better than that. In reality, her getting into trouble occurred more frequently than she cared for. But her pride would always get in the way of her admitting it, something that was bound to get her into trouble one day. "I merely decided to spend a bit more time browsing a fine selection of goods." Perhaps it was just another one of her bold faced lies, but her ego would not let her admit the truth.

The warmth of the fire and the mead in her belly was calming, and removed the insufferable chill from her body. Taking another drink, a smile crept onto her face, knowing that repaying Vex for her beverage would not be necessary. As much as she enjoyed doing the right thing, and repaying kindness, Eleri was much more a fan of being able to keep her money. "You're welcome then." she replied, something of a joking tone in her voice.

Elle looked at Vex, perhaps a bit shocked. Had she just opened up about something. The Bosmer thought to crack a joke at the situation, but as she was afraid that it would keep the Imperial from sharing anything more of her past, she kept her mouth shut. It was a rare thing, and Eleri was immensely interested in the secrets her partner kept. "I did not." she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. It was interesting, hearing the usually snarky girl speak of her past, especially in such a way that almost seemed nostalgic.

She found herself sharing in some of her partner's laughter, if only because she knew of no other way to respond. "I can imagine." Things were constantly changing. People came and went. Years passed by. Change was as inevitable as death and taxes, the only two things that were said to always be expected.

tagged; vex/indie
words; 451
notes; i am so sorry i left you waiting for so long! and that this is so short!

[VEX .]

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[atrb=border,0,true] ALLIE WITH ELERI 652 OUTFIT DAY OLD HATE - CITY AND COLOUR jasdhajf this is awful. sorry. D:

[atrb=border,0,true] a grunt escaped vex as her companion reminded her that it was always cold in windhelm. cold and miserable, vex felt like correcting her, but kept it to herself. there was a reason vex had hardly returned to the city since leaving. and it was simply because it was a horrible place to live. racist nords, bitter dark elves, and now the center of the stormcloak rebellion. it wouldn't take long for the city's tension to boil over and explode, and vex would gladly take a front row seat. windhelm was a hole.. brought out of her bitter thoughts by eleri's scoffing, vex's eyebrow rose. "no, you're delusional. you think you can just rush in and talk your way out of anything, don't you?" there was nothing to explain the change in vex, from near calm to angry, except the fact that eleri's manner reminded her very much of herself. proud and sure of herself.. vex knew she hadn't changed much since her days as a cocky young thief, but she liked to think she was wiser. eleri still had so much to learn. "one day, you are going to get yourself killed." there was no concern in vex's voice. she was simply stating a fact. she had seen it too often to feel worried for the younger thief. frankly, if she got herself into a position where she could be killed, eleri probably deserved it for her stupidity. she said nothing more of her mother, or her past, when eleri responded, instead choosing to drink in silence. with the way she drank, however, it didn't take long for her bottle to be empty. yet, vex didn't want to leave just yet. something about the warmth rooted her. it was much preferable to the cold outside, and the cold had only just left her limbs. crossing her arms over her chest, vex's eyes stared into the fire for what seemed like minutes before deciding it was time to go. as tempting as staying the night in a reasonably comfortable, though no doubt flea-ridden, bed was, they were expected back at the flagon as soon as possible. "let's go." placing her bottle on a nearby table, vex strode towards the door. she'd taken no more than two steps when someone moved to block her path. "now where would you two lovely ladies be going on a night like this, hm?" after wrenching herself from his grip, vex only stared up at him. the alcohol on his breath was so overpowering, the imperial was sure she could get drunk just by inhaling his foul breath. a well placed shove could floor him, but, for once, vex chose not to get too violent. after her previous words to eleri, she didn't want to appear a hypocrite. "move, or i'll gut you." by the laugh in her face, vex could tell her threat hadn't been taken seriously. to make matters worse, a couple of his friends stood up, their eyes leering at the two thieves. "you can have the blond, togg. i'll take the elf." one of them spoke, his grin showing gaps where every second tooth should have been. vex gritted her own teeth. if these idiots didn't seat their selves, and soon, they'd all be missing a few teeth before the night's end. instead of dignifying the man's words with a reply, vex turned to eleri. "what about it, el? do you fancy spending the night with the likes of him?" her expression made it clear she was jesting, entertaining the drunks momentarily before the two thieves made their escape. vex had no plans to take part in a brawl, but she was surprised that none of the other patrons seemed eager to intervene. chivalry was long dead, vex knew, but simple decency? no doubt the men would blame it on the mead on the morrow. by which point, vex would be far away.

THE THINGS WE DO JUST TO KEEP OURSELVES ALIVE