elmira / ready for the fight

[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

as much as he hated to admit it, travelling on his own made cyrus awfully lonely. sure, he stopped into towns every now and then when he could, shared a few meads with the locals and exchanged gossip, but his line of work didn't allow him to settle in one place for long. a mercenary who stayed in one place was never going to get to work, and although the villages of skyrim were beautiful, cyrus knew his wanderlust would get the best of him if he were ever to settle down. no, his heart lay with travelling the province, and that was what he'd do until he died, or grew to be too old to manage the tough terrain.

after all, there was so much to see in skyrim. it seemed every time he revisited an area, more caves popped up, or a ruin appeared out of nowhere. as he trekked north from whiterun, he knew he'd probably run into a dozen places he'd never even seen before. it was the constant change that cyrus craved and knew he couldn't live without if he did decide to make one town his home.

what he could live without was the cold. as he was heading towards solitude in search of a job, it didn't take long for his feet to begin crunching on the freshly falling snow. all he could be thankful for was that it wasn't currently snowing. still, it was bloody cold, even with his furs wrapped around him. the site of some stones to his left made him turn towards it instinctively, his curiosity getting the best of him. solitude could wait if there was even a small possibility of finding something of value within the ruins now coming into sight.

but movement stopped the slight redguard in his tracks. he ducked behind a tree, the only cover he could find, to watch whoever it was go about their business. from this distance, he couldn't make details, but he had to treat them as dangerous. for all he knew, they could be a bandit on watch outside the ruins, waiting to run in and warn the rest of their gang of an approaching traveler. cyrus would have to be very cautious. of course, the smarter thing would be to turn around and get back to the road, but cyrus had never been known for his brains.

he crept closer, swerving around the side to follow the line of trees. he wasn't much of a sneaker, but the person he was gradually approaching seemed to be preoccupied with something. finally he was close enough so that if they happened to look his way, they'd spot him for sure. he was about to leave when he found his eyes drawn back to the person.

they looked up for a second and cyrus felt himself grin. he would know that face anywhere. he hadn't seen the huntress in quite some time, but he had to admit, cyrus was glad to see her. not afraid of being seen any more, he stepped out from behind the tree and made his approach, not taking care to stop his feet from crunching in the snow. "spotted any draugr?" he called to announce his presence, hoping the huntress would recognize his voice and not stick a sword in him. "didn't realize the blades hung out around here?" his nord friend had made no secret of her desire to join the secret faction, and the redguard took every opportunity to tease her about it.

elmira/taiya | 589 | i'm figuring the ruin would be volunruud? btw, sorry for sucking. D:

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:150px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [/style] [style=width:130px; height: 130px; background: url(http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv205/Cowgirlatheart_101/Elmira4-1.jpg); border-radius: 75px; opacity: 0.7;] [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:300px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [style=width:260px; height:15px; font-family: times; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing:-3px; background-color:#4f332f; line-height:15px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #333333;]I'll spread my wings

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And I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky.

TAGGED: Cyrus WORDS: 1058

It seemed almost odd, coming here again.

With a glance over her shoulder, the blonde reined her mare to the right and continued on. It had been quite a time since she had last been here. Home, or…well, getting close to it anyway. She had to admit that the closer she got to where their farm had been, the more memories kept coming back to her. She couldn’t be over two days ride to their past house now, perhaps three if she ran into difficulty. Did she really want to go there though? She’d heard that someone had taken over the farm and was now making it into a thriving business, so did she really? Despite wanting to talk herself out of it, Elmira knew that she needed to finish what she had set out to do, which did have to deal with the anniversary of her parents death. In four days, it would be two years since they had been killed.

She had started out from Ivarstead to come here, and though the journey might be considered long to some, for Elmira, it was simply another trip. She’d been traveling since she was old enough to do so, generally without staying at one location for over two days, and never longer than a week. Horseback was ninety percent of her life, so as for that, she was generally used to it, to the point where not spending her entire day on the back of a horse would just be strange.

While her mare’s hooves made gentle crunches on the fresh blanket of snow, Elmira’s eyes were naturally drawn to the landscape to check and make sure that there was normalcy around her, her bow resting easily in her hands, along with the reins. In her lifetime, she had been in plenty of situations where her life had only been saved because she was keeping a careful lookout. Various scars on her stomach and back spoke of that, from the time a saber cat had attacked her from above as she was riding underneath a rock overhang. It had only been that last second shift to the side that had saved her from having a broken neck and being killed instantly. Instead, she had tangled with that cat for a time before she had managed to kill it. Situations like that forced you to keep a lookout.

Honestly the cold didn’t bother her. As a true Skyrim born Nord, she had dealt with the harsh elements her entire life, and even welcomed them. Because of that past experience and heritage, she found that with the drop in temperature, she felt nothing but a slight discomfort from her normal temperature, and now wore gloves instead of letting them be open to the air. Not only because it was a discomfort, but because she relied on her bow, and there would be no real aiming with numb hands, and so keeping her hands protected was important.

Before she could go to her old farm and visit the graves of her parents however, she had another purpose in coming this way. In Ivarstead a man, a wanderer on his way to High Hrothgar had asked her to search inside the Volunruud ruins for a ceremonial sword that he had heard resided within. Elmira had taken the job for a fee, and so on her way to Dawnstar, she would be checking out the ruins to see if she could find this sword that the man had been looking for. He had offered a hefty reward for it, which she would be more than happy to take for an adventure.

She had been so busy in her thoughts, that Elmira had failed to notice anyone’s presence within the area. Right before the voice spoke out, her wolf growled in his station next to her horse. It didn’t take actual thought to realize that he was threatened by something, and Elmira had her bow up and was reaching back for an arrow when she heard a voice. Though she didn’t recognize it instantly, she did realize that it was different from the voices of the many Nords that scattered across Skyrim. As soon as she saw who it was though, she stopped her hands movement toward her quiver of arrows, she she relaxed. Only Cyrus. “Quiet Storm.”, she chided her wolf softly, instantly stopping his growling.

It took just a moment to return her gaze back to the dark skinned mercenary she had bumped into quite a few times, her hand lifting in a gesture of welcome while she reined her mare to meet his advance. She shook her head at his question that he had practically shouted at her, remaining silent for a moment until she was closer and wouldn’t have to shout. “Not yet, but I haven’t taken any steps inside either.”, she commented lightly. “Good to see you too, Cyrus.” When they got closer, Elmira pulled up her mare and started to dismount while she caught what he said after that. Of course he’d instantly tease her for her desire to join the Blades. It seemed that he wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to do so, now did he. With a shake of her head, Elmira gave her mare a pat on the neck and turned to her deeply tanned friend of sorts.

“Always a tease, aren’t you? One of these days I’ll find them, have an entire army of Blades and they’ll track you down to teach you a lesson.” Though she wasn’t one with an extreme sense of humor, she couldn’t resist giving it right back when he started in on her dream. She wanted to help Skyrim one way or another, and with the threat of dragons, what better way to do that was there? Many had tried to talk her out of finding the Blades, reasoning that they weren’t even living anymore. Though Cyrus seemed to always get some amusement out of teasing her, when it came right down to it, he was one of the few actually supportive of her decision, so she didn’t honestly mean what she said before. How odd…her trying to make a joke. “If you don’t think the Blades are around here, where do you think they are, hmm Cyrus?” She even said it with a hand on her hip, this was some serious business right here. (SRS BSNS)

NOTES: XD I didn't think it was an awful post at all

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

there was something about elmira that always made cyrus happy to see her. he knew she could look after herself, yet he was relieved to find she hadn't taken on one sabre cat too many, or stumbled into a giant camp by accident. he enjoyed her company, more than he probably should. she was a little too serious by far, but elmira was entertainment at its finest when he happened to stumble across one of her camps.

having her almost pull an arrow on him only made the redguard grin. he also raised his hand in greeting as the nord did so. "that's too bad. i've heard some of these nord ruins contain more treasure than it's possible to carry." he raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was why the girl was here. cyrus was no dungeoneer himself, gold given to him by people who hired him was more than enough to keep him satisfied, but he had to admit what the old nordic ruins contained held some fascination for him.

"well, when you do, i'll be waiting." arrogance came naturally to cyrus, and although he hoped elmira wasn't wasting her time by scouring skyrim for the blades, some small part of him knew it was a long shot for the blonde to stumble across the near-forgotten band of people. "well, they're not here, from what i've heard." he said, assuming elmira's curiosity would take the bait. cyrus hadn't actually heard a thing about where the blades were currently located, but it was an opportunity he couldn't resist.

"shall we?" he gestured to the ground, asking whether or not she wanted to sit down. there was a stump a few feet away, and he left that for elmira, clearing a bit of snow for himself, and sitting on the cold ground underneath. luckily, the furs he wore over his armor would be enough to shield him from getting a frozen ass. his eyes were trained on the wolf that had growled at his appearance, a little cautious. he had done enough travelling to know that the danger wolves posed was underestimated by many, and elmira's little pet was no exception to the rule. "only a nord would be stubborn enough to train a wolf." slowly, he turned his dark brown eyes back to elmira, although he now grinned at her.

he wrapped his arms around his knees, trying to get comfortable on the ground, which was harder than it sounded. but after a few moments of shifting himself, cyrus' attention quickly returned to the fair haired woman before him. "it's been some time since we crossed paths." he mused aloud. "what else have you been doing? apart from searching for the blades, of course."

elmira/taiya | 454 | i'm super sorry about the length of this~ /fails

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:150px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [/style] [style=width:130px; height: 130px; background: url(http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv205/Cowgirlatheart_101/Elmira4-1.jpg); border-radius: 75px; opacity: 0.7;] [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:300px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [style=width:260px; height:15px; font-family: times; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing:-3px; background-color:#4f332f; line-height:15px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #333333;]I'll spread my wings

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And I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky.

TAGGED: Cyrus WORDS: 563

Elmira nodded her head when he mentioned that there was more gold than one could carry inside these ruins. There was too, he was correct about that. “I planned on going inside.”, she commented shortly, dismounting from her mare while she said it. Though Cyrus had never seemed with be the ruins and dungeons type, she wondered if he would have any desire to go inside the ruins with her and find what she was looking for. Her customer would pay well, and it never hurt to have a bit more protection as she wandered through the ruins, complete with draugr. Elmira considered Cyrus a friend, and so she found it easier to talk to him than she did to most. Besides, if he had wanted to try to stick a sword in her gut to take her possessions, he would have tried long before this. “A man from Ivarstead offered a payment to go into Volunruud and find what he called a ceremonial sword that’s supposedly deeper in the ruins.”, she explained to him.

The next moment she was off her horse and rubbing at her legs to warm them some more, since they usually got somewhat chilled riding in a saddle, the leather holding no heat for her. His arrogant reply caused her to glance up at him, before shaking her head slightly, not replying. No doubt anything she said would simply be countered with another arrogant comment, so she would save herself right now. Instead, he said that the Blades weren’t around here. Quickly her head came up, giving him a calculating look. They weren’t around here? Did he know this for truth or was he just messing with her? She really couldn’t tell sometimes with people, him especially. Furrowing her brow slightly, Elmira glanced up at him. “What have you heard?”

Though she hesitated when he suggested they sit, ultimately she decided that it would be no problem to rest a few moments and dropped onto the makeshift seat that he had gestured toward her for, her mare’s reins in her hands, her wolf dropping down beside her, still eying at the Redguard that was sitting on the ground by his master. Stroking his fur, Elmira found herself smiling at the words of Cyrus. “Only a Nord would have the desire to train a wolf. Most deny their prowess.”, she commented in reply. One look at his large grin caused her own to widen. He was quite the guy, Cyrus was. “You should try having one.”, she said, amused by the reactions she’d had from so many people regarding her wolf.

What was she doing? Elmira shifted her weight and mused about what she was doing. “I bumped into a dragon the other day.”, she mentioned, thinking about the event only about a week before, where she had come across a dragon all too unhappy at being disturbed. “Killed it too.”, she boasted lightly. Elmira could still remember the fear and adrenalin that had helped her fight that battle. How they had lived, she still wasn’t quite sure, but it was good practice for if she ever did manage to find the blades.

NOTES: Really! XD Don't stress about length. As long as there's something to reply to, I'm happy :3

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

"sounds fascinating." cyrus said, his tone more sarcastic than he meant it to sound. "really, i mean it." ceremonial sword.. it sounded a little too fake for his liking, but that didn't mean he was going to say so outloud. teasing elmira was one thing. crushing her hopes completely was another. "how much is he paying you to risk your life, hm?" cyrus asked, shaking his head as he chuckled. he didn't understand why someone would fetch such ludicrous items for someone else, or why you'd hire someone on good faith. if this ceremonial sword was so great, why should elmira not just keep it for herself and sell it on to make gold? that was what cyrus would do if he had any interest in it, but he was a mercenary, and a solo one at that. on the job, his primary concern was himself, and ensuring he did the work right to earn his gold. everything else was irrelevant.

"oh, nothing much. just rumors." the lie rolled off cyrus' tongue easily, unable to keep himself from doing so. was it cruel? he wasn't sure, but it was certainly entertaining. "you should frequent inns more often. those drunkards know more than you might think." he winked at her casually, before letting out a deep laugh. now that was true. he had lost count of the number of times some drunk had given him some piece of valuable advice. sure, there was the odd piece of garbage, but usually an inn's patrons gave cyrus some indication of work in the area as well as updates on events around the province. and as he spent most of his time on the road, it was his way of keeping track of everything.

cyrus rolled his dark eyes as elmira replied to his comment. "no, it's definitely stubbornness. you nords are more stubborn than mules." he didn't say it with the intention to offend, more as a statement of fact. every nord he had met was bullheaded when it came to everything, which was both incredibly admirable, and very frustrating. they were definitely a proud and determined people, that was for sure. "and have it chew my arm off while i slept? i don't think so."

his eyes widened at elmira's mention of a dragon. obviously, she'd survived the encounter, but it wasn't until she mentioned she had actually killed it that cyrus couldn't contain his surprise. he'd heard the dragons had been brought to life again, crawled out of some hole they'd hid in since they'd last roamed the skies, and elmira of all people, had actually fought one and lived to tell the tale. incredible. "on your own? that's.. impressive. i must admit." cyrus offered her a genuine grin, pleased she hadn't been injured badly, or even killed. regardless of whether she had been on her own, or part of a hunting party, cyrus was amazed. very impressive. "i heard merchants would kill to own dragon bone.." he mused lightly, raising a brow at elmira. "and i'm sure the blades would love to hear about it. once you find them, of course."

elmira/taiya | 521 | (:

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:150px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [/style] [style=width:130px; height: 130px; background: url(http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv205/Cowgirlatheart_101/Elmira4-1.jpg); border-radius: 75px; opacity: 0.7;] [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background: #999999; width:300px; height:490px; padding:0px;] [style=width:260px; height:15px; font-family: times; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing:-3px; background-color:#4f332f; line-height:15px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #333333;]I'll spread my wings

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And I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky.

TAGGED: Cyrus WORDS: 689

Elmira didn’t quite respond when he said that it was fascinating stuff. Though she could sense the sarcasm in his voice, she didn’t want to respond to it, knowing full well that he would want exactly that. Instead, she busied herself with getting herself settled on the tree stump that was provided. To be perfectly honest, to her, it was exciting. He got his kicks doing…whatever it was that he did. She realized that it wasn’t anything ethical, but Elmira figured that they all needed to eat, and it was no different with Cyrus. And so she didn’t question or ask about what it was that he did to do so, instead, allowing him to do whatever so long as it wasn’t affecting her. She however, got her kicks out of the harsh elements of Skyrim, including hunting and searching for treasure in dungeons and ruins. To each their own.

“Enough.”, she mentioned when he asked about the money she was being paid. It wasn’t that she was just keeping it from him on purpose, she simply didn’t see the connection of why he needed to know and actually telling him. “How much do they pay you to do what you do?”, she challenged. Sarcasm had a way of completely slipping over her head, as well as some teasing.

Quickly that conversation turned into one where the Blades had been mentioned. Elmira had been searching for so long, sometimes it seemed like she was never going to find a way into that organization…if it even existed anymore. Rumors? “What sort of rumors?”, she asked quickly. Cyrus was doing it again…taking her in circles, and she wished he would come out and tell her what he had heard. “Are you sure you’ve even been hearing anything lately?” Elmira crossed her arms over her chest when she fired that question at him, an eyebrow tilted up as she asked it. Drunkens indeed. “I’ll keep it mind.” Elmira didn’t like Inns, nor did she like bars. Actually, she just didn’t like cities or towns in general. Cities meant more people, and Elmira didn’t usually like that, instead referring to remain out where the only company she had was her horse and her wolf.

Along the way, somehow she had managed to make a few friends. Or acquaintances, perhaps friends was a loose term for it. Cyrus was one of them, and so she cut him some more slack than the average person. From the rate of sarcastic comments he gave her, it was a good thing that he got the slack. “We’d take that as a compliment.”, she pointed out in terms of the stubborn comment he had given to her. Thankfully, she had something to match him with, if not surpass him. Elmira gave him a confident nod when he asked if she had killed it herself, before hesitating slightly. “A Kahjiit happened to be going by and helped me.”, she mentioned, avoiding telling that a giant had weakened the dragon considerably as well. Pressing fingers to her chin, Elmira nodded. “I harvested a few of the bones, more for proof than anything.” So that people would actually realize that she was telling the truth about the dragon.

“So one of the two legends exist. Do you still think I’m crazy for thinking the other might exist as well?”

NOTES: Wow...this was a bad post x.x I's sorry

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

cyrus wore an expression of mock shock when elmira told him that was enough. perhaps asking how much gold she was receiving for her dungeon clearing services was too much. "as you wish, el." he said, wrapping his arms around his knees, only to have his question handed right back to him. instead of telling her to be quiet, however, cyrus just grinned. "depends on how rich the thane, or jarl, or self-important ass is. or how much they don't want you to fight for the other guy. it varies." with a shrug, cyrus let it hang in the air. his job was perhaps not the most righteous to exist, but it was work, easy work, and it did pay well. sometimes it was hard to put aside his own thoughts on the matter, and gold certainly helped on that front.

"nothing solid. just that the blades are about again." cyrus shrugged, like it was no big deal. but inside, he felt like laughing. elmira had taken the bait, as he knew he would, and he had a funny feeling she wouldn't stop pestering him until he'd told her every minor detail. she was more entertaining that way, even if she happened to get a bit mad. he acted offended when she questioned him, putting a hand to his chest, his expression one of hurt innocence. "ouch. and i didn't even question your tale about the dragon." he was glad, however, that he had questioned his believability. perhaps she wasn't as naive as cyrus had thought. and that was definitely a good thing. "just don't go drinking with strangers, alright? you buy them the drinks. doing so tends to loosen tongues." he raised an eyebrow, hoping she'd take his advice for what it was. elmira deserved better than being fondled by strange men. sometimes he forgot just how young she was.

he shook his head almost disbelievingly at elmira's statement that being called stubborn was a compliment. "and what about stupid? in my experience, sometimes the two go hand in hand." he looked at her carefully for a moment, before deciding to explain himself further, in case she thought he was calling her stupid. which he wouldn't for any reason. "not that you're stupid, but men i've fought with.. you wouldn't believe the messes their stubbornness got them into." he grew serious for a moment, only for elmira's dragon tale to put a smile back on his face. even with assistance, taking down a dragon was no mean feat. "lucky the cat came along." his eyes widened as elmira mentioned she had taken some dragon bone as proof of her kill. "do you mind if i ask you to show me?"

waiting for elmira to respond, cyrus let out a low chuckle. "elmira," he started, turning his dark eyes on her, a grin still on his face. "i never thought you were crazy." he shook his head slowly. surely she knew he supported her search for the blades, in spite of all the teasing he tossed her way. he ran his eyes over her for a moment, only to land on that of her wolf. suddenly, cyrus got to their feet, even though it felt like he'd just sat down.

"come," he asked elmira lightly, gesturing with his head towards the ruin. "we've got some exploring to do."

elmira/taiya | 536 | hope this is okay. (:

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 366x; height: 190px; padding: 10px; background-color: #dcdcdc; border: #1c161e 30px solid;] I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly As soon as he actually started to tell her what he normally got paid, Elmira felt slightly bad for skirting her way around her own payment. She couldn’t expect him to tell her without telling him. She didn’t judge him for what he did, nor did she usually question it. Everyone had to make a living, right? Right. And so she shifted in her seat and glanced down at her wolf once more. “He offered me eight hundred septims to deliver it back to Iverstead.”, she said softly. Elmira didn’t know what it was actually worth, but she figured that eight hundred septims was worth it. She didn’t honestly need the money just for living, but it was always nice to have some on hand if need be. Instead of just carrying it all on her person, Elmira had her money stored at Whiterun. It was more for the adventure that jobs brought than the actual money anyway. Perhaps she put too much trust in Cyrus, but she doubted that he would kill her over wanting a job like this anyway. But of course, he just had to frustrate her with this talk of Blades. Elmira took her desire to join the Blades just a bit too seriously, and so his teasing went completely over her head, instead thinking that he was being serious with knowledge. With Cyrus, you never knew. That, and he could know about a faction that might not even exist. He did, after all, meet all kinds and travel extensively with his job. This was the classic example why Elmira should never quite trust that what he said was accurate. But she desperately wanted to believe him. So she sat back to digest what he had mentioned about them being about again. “If you figure out anything concrete, please try to contact me.”, she asked while she thought deeply. What he said next just made her furrow her eyebrows again. “You didn’t question me because you didn’t know about it until now.”, she said softly, unsure of herself for a moment. Still, she did understand what he meant about not drinking with strangers, though she wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not. “I won’t.”, she agreed. “I’ll rely on you to do the drinking with strangers and tell me what you hear. That a good enough idea?” She did find the humor about Nords humorous though. “Some might think stupid a compliment as well.”, Elmira agreed. Honestly, she hadn’t thought he was calling her stupid. After all, Elmira had a confidence that if he wanted to call her stupid, he wouldn’t have any problems telling it to her face. “I believe it.” And she did. She’d seen men do some crazy things just because they didn’t want to admit that there was an easier way to do things. Quickly she stood when he asked if she would mind showing him. “Not at all.” Perhaps she should mind, but Elmira had a sense of ego to her as everyone did, and wanted to show off her feat of killing a dragon. Digging around in her saddlebags quickly produced a long bone and a few scales, cleaned off in a river until they shone. Elmira returned to him quickly, extending her hands to show him. “Of course, the khajiit and I cleaned out some more bones, but neither of us had a way to transport many of them.” So right now, they rested back in the camp of a fallen Giant, waiting for her or the khajiit to get them if they wanted them. In turn, she glanced down when he mentioned that he hadn’t thought she was crazy, a slight blush covering her features. She wasn’t used to this talking thing, or being around others, men especially. Because of that, she felt unsure again. And was extremely happy when he said that they should go check out the ruins. “If you help me get the sword, I’d be willing to split the money with you.”, she mentioned, still not quite looking at him. Instead she kept her gaze on her wolf, who was giving her a wondering look. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky Words; 743Outfit; Leather armor Tagged Cyrus Notes; Poor Elmira and her lack of social skills ELLE LIKE COOL of ESM

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

cyrus couldn't help it. his eyes widened at hearing how much elmira was being paid to fetch this sword. "must be some sword.." cyrus breathed, clearing his throat and recollecting himself to hide his surprise. whether or not the sword was valuable or not, cyrus knew that such setting such a steep reward meant the ruin was more dangerous that he had previously assumed. thank the divines he had already decided that he was going to help her out with retrieving it, even if he hadn't voiced his intentions allowed just yet.

"of course." cyrus nodded as elmira requested he tell her if he did happen to find out anything about the blades. there was little to no chance of that happening, but he was sincere in it all the same. there was no way he'd not mention something like that to elmira, though watching her get flustered as he circled around the topic was highly amusing. "sounds like a plan. considering i know a fair few of those drunkards, anyway." cyrus didn't frequent inns all that often, but the redguard made it his mission to befriend people all over the province. he enjoyed speaking to others, hearing what they had to say, and it was perhaps the only way he'd get proper news. they were good people, mostly, but even so, a pretty nord like elmira shouldn't be talking to such people. or at least, cyrus thought so.

he leaned forward on his knees to see elmira's lootings off the dragon. to say his jaw dropped was an understatement. as soon as he lay his eyes on them, cyrus couldn't tear them away. though he did, eventually, just in case elmira thought he might snatch them and run off with them. "incredible.." he murmured, completely awestruck by the sight. they were just so.. beautiful. "that makes sense. i've heard dragons are quite big." he raised an eyebrow at elmira as he dryly stated the obvious. no doubt it'd go over her head, but he couldn't help himself. he was too amazed to rein in his habit to poke fun at her expense.

a wry smile formed on cyrus' lips when he as elmira offered to split the coin. he wasn't sure if she meant evenly, so he turned around to wait for her, his eyes watching her carefully. only to take note that elmira wasn't meeting his eyes. that only made his grin widen. "i'll take two hundred. i don't need much to live on. the rest of it is all yours." hunting and gathering his own food had been the way cyrus had lived for the past three years. only rarely did he ever fork out to rent a room in an inn, and even then, he tried to get it as cheaply as possible. with two hundred coins, he'd probably be able to repair his equipment a little in the next town he stopped in. after all, no one hired a mercenary with a blunt sword.

"but let's go, now." cyrus insisted, striding towards the ruin purposefully. he hadn't been inside one of these old nordic ruins for what must have been years, and he was anxious to get it over and done with. not that he was scared, but because he was used to fighting out in the open. there was no telling what lurked around the corners underground, and he had no clue if there would even be enough room to swing his sword. luckily, the bow strapped on his back should be enough to kill any enemies lurking withing. "those draugr won't wait any longer." even though his tone was light hearted, cyrus felt a shiver run up his spine. he wasn't a fan of the dead come to life. it was unnatural, but there was nothing for it but to press forward. "you are coming, aren't you? i'm not going to do all the work." another joke. cyrus was fast approaching the ruin, standing at the top of the steps waiting for his companion to catch up.

elmira/taiya | 674 | YAY DUNGEONEERING

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 366x; height: 190px; padding: 10px; background-color: #dcdcdc; border: #1c161e 30px solid;] I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly Despite his shock at the amount she was being paid for this, or had been promised, Elmira didn’t feel any suspicion that he would attempt to take it away from her. Cyrus had never been like that, at least toward her. Even though he was somewhat of a vagabond, she felt confident that he would leave her items unmolested. “Yeah. I’m not sure what it’s to be used for, but rich Nord’s pay a lot for something that involves their heritage.” Even she would admit that they could sometimes make unwise decisions as far as the money area went, but that was the way life went sometimes. Despite her prowess in the hunting area, Elmira didn’t like any part of the idea to put herself in a situation around a bunch of drunken men in some Inn. She wasn’t comfortable with large crowds, men especially, so she would have no real problem allowing Cyrus to take care of that area. She would just remain as far away from others as she could and hunt for the Blades in her own way. Unfortunately, her own way wasn’t proving too fruitful right at the moment. She might be forced to do just as he said, though she would be perfectly fine in allowing him to do that for her and hearing the outcome from his lips. He did seem like the type that would like to drink some mead and get into a few brawls. Not that it was a bad thing, Skyrim had never been a gentle place anyway. Moments later she rested the bone and scales in his hands and stepped back while he looked them over. Despite not being one to brag, Elmira could still feel her chest puff out slightly while he exclaimed over them. Once the thankfulness for just being alive had worn off, she had been extremely proud that she had managed to live through the attack of a dragon. After all, they were much, much more powerful than even she had imagined. The stories about the dragons were real in that area…they were extremely powerful. His sarcasm about them being large was lost on her, and she simply furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion. Had he expected them to be small? Because she didn’t know what to say, she just didn’t say anything and shifted her weight, hoping that he would go onto another subject. And thankfully he did, mentioning that they should explore the ruins, and agreeing to part of the coin after she offered. “Alright, that’s fine.” Eagerly she nodded, taking the bones and quickly returning them to her horse while he started toward the ruins. He seemed impatient right at the moment, and so she stepped back from her horse, sheathed her sword on her hips, and jogged back toward him, her wolf at her heels. Shyly she smiled, thinking rightly so for once that he was actually just joking with her. Some jokes didn’t escape her after all. “They’ve been waiting hundreds of years. A few more moments won’t kill them any more dead than they are right now.” With that she was passing him, descending the steps and down toward the ground level. At the door, she hesitated toward Cyrus and opened the door slightly. “I’m ready if you are.” Stringing the bow over her shoulder, Elmira got out her sword and stepped inside the ruins, ready to take on some Draugr. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky Words; 606Outfit; Leather armor Tagged Cyrus Notes; She really should just have a hole somewhere and never have to interact with people. ELLE LIKE COOL of ESM

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

sensing elmira's confusion about his comment and seeing her eyebrows furrow together rather cutely, cyrus just chuckled inwardly. he really ought to take her to an inn some time and force her to interact with the regulars, just to see how she dealt with them. sometimes it seemed to him that elmira had no sense of humor at all. not in a bad way, of course, but she seemed to take everything so seriously. it was such a stark contrast to cyrus that he couldn't help but tease her about it and wind her up. he never meant any harm by it, but he was aware that sometimes he tread the fine line between funny and cruel. the fact that the nord probably wouldn't hesitate to point an arrow in his direction when she got mad was more than enough to keep his tongue in check. for the most part, anyway.

cyrus watched as elmira passed him, entering the ruin. he chuckled to himself, unsheathing his own sword. his shield had been left behind, sold to the last blacksmith he'd come across for some gold. with any luck, however, he'd be able to pick one up inside. whether it belonged to a draugr, or a long dead adventurer wasn't an issue. following elmira's lead, he stepped into the ruin, the stale air hitting his nostrils immediately. damp and stuffy, the ruin looked like any other cyrus'd had the misfortunte to venture inside. confined spaces weren't cyrus' favorite places, but having elmira with him made him put on a show of bravery. he strode into the center of the room, after taking care to look for traps, or other such things. "it smells so old.." he mused, looking around at the room within. he had always wondered just how old these ruins were, but the only way of telling was by the ruins undead inhabitants. and cyrus was thankful that there had been no sign of them yet.

his confidence growing, cyrus stepped past the nord, to get a better look at their surroundings. it was just a room, rubble and dirt everywhere. after looking around, he turned his eyes back to elmira. "well, miss adventurer. you're the leader." he informed her, a smile on his face, though it wasn't patronizing. more.. expectant. he wanted to see what elmira was going to do next. "where do we go first?' nodding his head towards the doors on the other side of the room, cyrus waited for elmira to answer.

elmira/taiya | 400-something | WELP, THIS IS SHORT. >< I CAN ADD MORE IF YOU WISHHHH

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[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 366x; height: 190px; padding: 10px; background-color: #dcdcdc; border: #1c161e 30px solid;] I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly Elmira wasn’t sure if she would ever understand people. This was exactly why she preferred the company of her wolf and horse over that of humans most of the time. She could at least understand them. Most of their actions were based off primal drives such as hunger or instincts. Easy to read, easier to deal with. When it came down to all the social properties, she got somewhat lost at times. Not that she didn’t know how to say thank you or when to help people out. That was what happened when you spent ninety perfect, if not more of your time talking to your horse. Still, Elmira did normally enjoy the time spent around Cyrus, even if she did get the feeling he was mocking at her expense – and sometimes knew for sure. He seemed mostly harmless in that area though, at least toward her. But no matter, they had ruins to explore. Elmira had been around these particular ruins plenty of times in her travels through Skyrim, but she had never stepped inside. But today would change that. Pushing open the door, she made her way inside, a hand on her dagger as she did so. The narrow stone stairway looked natural for an ancient Nordic ruin, so it didn’t concern her much. She’d been around enough ruins, caves, and dungeons to realize the danger of Draugr. They still marveled her, since Elmira couldn’t quite explain why they could come about like they did. It didn’t really matter why they survived in their present state however, all that really mattered was living through the attacks. She figured that with Cyrus and her wolf at her side, they would be fine. Though he seemed to be only able to make obvious statements today. First it had been with the dragon bones, stating that they were large. Now he was commenting that it was old here. “The ruins are old.” Though it came off as snippy, it was just Elimra trying to make sense of his speech, though she wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Getting down to the bottom led to a larger room. Elmira propped her hands up on her hips and glanced around her, expecting blue eyes studying the room. Though she had never been to these particular ruins, she had been in plenty more. While she determined which way to go, Elmira propped a hand up under her chin. Cyrus’ prodding just made her shake her head and once more look around. “Oh, well…” She felt jumpy with someone else with her. Usually her adventures were alone. “We’ll go through the left door.”, she commented, gesturing lightly before setting off with her wolf following closely at her heels. The door didn’t open right away, needing some encouragement. Standing for a moment, Elmira jiggled the latch, before it groaned and tried to open. Pulling it the rest of the way, the blonde waved some dust away from her face and squinted forward. Almost instantly after she’d stepped into the room she heard an odd growl. She knew that sound… Glancing to the left slightly, Elmira noticed the advancing figure almost instantly, it’s skeletal figure easy to pick out. “Cute.”, she muttered, before retreating a step and reaching back for her bow. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky Words; 647 Outfit; Leather armor Tagged Cyrus! Notes; ADVENTURE TIEM ELLE LIKE COOL of ESM

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

cyrus's mouth widened into a grin as elmira informed him the ruins were old. he didn't think he had been stating the obvious quite so much, only having commented on the smell of the place. "you don't say?" he breathed, shaking his head slowly. elmira had seemed to have snapped, so he held his tongue before he said anything else that she might have determined to be offensive. the last thing he needed was to anger his companion for the time being.

cyrus waited for elmira to make her decision, his dark eyes watching her decision making process. she was the real expert when it came to ruins. cyrus only had cause to enter them when escaping a particularly bad snowstorm, to hide from unfriendly parties or when his employer at the time demanded it. it seemed that clearing out ruins was part of elmira's lifestyle. which is why he left it up to her. no doubt she had more experience and could lead him safely through. basically all cyrus was was an extra sword to cut down foes as they came across them. with any luck, however, his sword would remain sheathed and the two of them would emerge unscathed.

a smile parted his lips as elmira shared her decision with him. he followed her as she moved, making sure to give the wolf plenty of room. cyrus merely watched elmira struggle with the door, amused, before he decided he better step forward and help. when he did, however, elmira managed to make it budge, and she entered the room. following suit, cyrus stepped in after her. he heard the growl, but elmira's reactions were faster than his own. almost clumsily, cyrus reached for the bow on his back, drawing back and arrow. without waiting to see if elmira was going to release her arrow, he released his own, the arrow finding its mark easily enough. but the draugr barely flinched, the arrow sticking out of its stomach. cursing cyrus drew another arrow from his quiver. he'd never been the best archer, but he was certain that should've been enough to at least make a man fall to his knees. but perhaps draugr were made of sterner stuff. even if they looked frail, whatever made them walk like the living no doubt made them stronger. releasing another arrow, cyrus was glad to see it brought the draugr to its knees, collapsing to the floor. he could only assume it was dead.

lowering his bow, cyrus strode forward slowly, though his confidence grew when he got closer. on the ground, the draugr wasn't nearly so fearsome. just a dead body, hundreds if not thousands of years old. kicking it roughly to ensure it was dead, cyrus leaned down to retrieve his arrows. pulling them out of the draugr's dead skin was tough, but they finally came loose. it was all he could do not to feel sick as his hands touched the leathery textured skin of the corpse. "well, that was terrifying." cyrus said as he got to his feet, and walked back to elmira. he was serious, though as his tone was as light as ever, it probably came across as sarcastic. "let's hope there isn't any more of them."

elmira/taiya | 531 | HOPE THIS IS OKAYYYY <3

[Elmira Whitestone .]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 366x; height: 190px; padding: 10px; background-color: #dcdcdc; border: #1c161e 30px solid;] I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly With her bow out and arrow drawn, Elmira sighted down toward the lumbering pile of bones. Something made her hesitate though. Rolling her eyes to the side, she noticed that Cyrus had gotten his own weapon out. Good, he could help. At that moment her wolf decided it was time to growl menacingly toward the opposite end. Instead of releasing her arrow, Elmira twisted to the side. Instantly she saw the second draugr, weapon poised to attack coming extremely close. While her wolf leapt to aid her, Elmira quickly calculated the distance and place she wanted her arrow to enter, before releasing the tension on her bowstring. The ‘twack’ that the arrow made when it hit the target was satisfying, even if it didn’t stop the advancement of the draugr. With a snarl, her wolf was on it, pulling it down and to the side. Quickly she notched another arrow and pulled it back, steadying her aim and releasing quickly when she got a target that didn’t endanger her pet. The second arrow stopped it. Letting out a breath, Elmira hesitated to go near it, keeping her bow in her hand. Before she went to see her own ‘trophy’, she glanced to the side at where Cyrus had been last. So he was alive and breathing, with the draugr not doing the same. Not…of course, that draugr could breathe? She wasn’t quite sure what it was exactly that they did, but either way all that really mattered was the draugr not lumbering after them in an attempt to slaughter the living with their grotesque limbs. At his words, Elmira nodded. Finally something he said was actually making sense! “We can hope.”, she agreed, not really thinking they would squeak by without any more of them showing up. From her experiences in ruins, there were usually more than just one or two that were wandering around. The odd thing was that you could clear out ruins, and then come back a year later and there was more. How did they live like they did? Where did they get life? Prodding at the bones with the end of her bow, Elmira studied the make of their odd carcass. “We can handle any more though.”, she commented while watching her wolf stalk around his prey, snarling lightly in the back of his throat. “If you want to continue?”, she asked softly. It wasn’t that she doubted his ability to go on, but…she didn’t want to force him either. After all, he was right, she did enjoy stalking down old ruins just for the adventure. Instead of waiting for him to come up with an answer Elmira started on through the ruins to go deeper into the place. She was looking for a ceremonial sword. Even though she had a love for adventure, she had to admit that she didn’t always want to be crawling around some ancient ruins full of bloodthirsty bones. The next room held all sorts of things. Almost in awe, Elmira lowered her weapon and glanced at the items that littered the room, before making a move toward one of the chests in the room, another being on the opposite end. She figured that Cyrus would have that one covered. After all, whatever they found, she would share with him. He was helping after all. After she’d pried the top open, Elmira reached inside and clasped her hand around a gem. Well look at that, a reward for dealing with the draugr. I'll do what it takes, 'till I touch the sky Words; 686 Outfit; Leather armor Tagged Cyrus Notes; :3 ELLE LIKE COOL of ESM

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[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

A SOLDIER ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW THE WAY

it wasn't until cyrus turned around that he realized elmira had managed to bring another of the dead down. "well done," he congratulated her, moving over to look down at it. they were hideous, shriveled up corpses, and all the more terrifying because of it. "sneaky things.." cyrus grunted, nudging the dead thing with the toe of his boot.

he could tell from the tone of elmira's voice that she wasn't really hopeful that they wouldn't find more of the draugr in the ruin. cyrus rolled his eyes. "great.." he sighed, thought it was more for dramatic effect than anything. he was sure he could handle a few more draugr. as if to echo his thoughts, elmira said the very same. he had to say her confidence was refreshing. "you're right, we can." cyrus nodded, trying to bolster her confidence as much as his own. when the nord asked if he wanted to continue, almost.. hesitantly, Cyrus flashed her a grin, letting her know that he was fine. "sure. lead the way, el."

when she continued, it was like she had barely waited for his response. rather than letting it faze him, cyrus followed dutifully, bow still in his hand. even with danger being present around them, cyrus couldn't help but watch elmira as she entered the next room. as she relaxed, he did the same. only then did he let his eyes wander around the room.

it was another room, though this one was much more cluttered. cyrus guessed that it must have been some sort of storage room all those thousands of years ago. he watched elmira make a beeline for one of the chests, and cyrus took it upon his self to head towards the other one. he heard elmira lift the lid of her chest just as he reached his own. supposing his would open just as easily, cyrus tried to lift the lid, only to find it was locked. he cursed under his breath and turned back to elmira. "have you got a lockpick?" he asked of her, knowing he never bothered to carry them. there was no point. he was no thief, nor did he delve into dungeons often enough to make carrying them a profitable venture. "you might have to pick it, too. my skill is rusty." managing a sheepish smile, cyrus looked at her through the gloom.

slowly he moved back towards her, unable to help the fact that his eyes were scanning every nook and cranny the room held for a sign of danger. he wouldn't admit it, if asked, but cyrus was on edge. draugr were a little more frightening than he had dared to believe. he didn't fancy bumping into any more, though if elmira had the truth of it, there'd be more just waiting for him. "What'd you find, anyway?" he asked, both curious, and because he wanted to get his mind off the dead. when he was close enough to spy the gem, cyrus let out a low whistle. "very nice, whitestone. very nice." it was hard to tell exactly what it was in the gloom, but he knew enough about gems to know it would fetch a decent price at any market. "Anything else?"

elmira/taiya | 538 | cyrus is scareddddd. xD