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Disturbing the Dust

     Somewhere in the wilds of Solstheim outside Raven Rock, the still air of a sealed and concealed cavern nook is, for the first time in many years, disturbed by its sole resident. Ravenna Rosewood untangles herself from the nest of quilts and pillows she had submerged herself in when first entering her torpor however many years prior. She wakes up wretched, mind hazy and throat dry for the sanguine essence that is the basis of her continued sanity, and her delicate hands fumble on the table by her bed for the enchanted carafe left out in anticipation of this bloodthirst. Once the carafe is emptied, the rest is just a morning routine, simple and sluggish as any mortal's, filled with stretching and bones popping, bathing and skincare. It isn't morning though, and Ravenna knows it isn't because she never wakes up with the sun. She only rises with the moons, and indeed, once dressed in ashlander robes and hidden deep within a hood, she opens the concealed doorway to her hideout where Masser and Secunda are adrift in the sky to greet her. Raven Rock has retreated indoors to the comfort of its homes and inn for the evening, and, hoping to catch a ship back to Skyrim, Ravenna moves briskly through the town to the docks. She catches them at the very last second, but there is a ship returning to Skyrim, and with her charming face and a handful of Septims, Ravenna secures her passage with them in just the nick of time. The familiar bite of Windhelm's frigid air hits Ravenna for the first time in what must be decades as she leaves the ship, around midnight. Few are out and about at this late hour, save for two drunken men whom she hears harassing a woman outside the tavern.

"-eat our food, pollute our city with your stink, and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks!" one of the drunk men yells, and it's too early for Ravenna to go sticking her nose into everything but she decides immediately that she's going to anyway.

     So much about the world can change while I hibernate, but never the people, it seems, she thinks to herself as she moves towards the noise, following her keen hearing. And what are the Stormcloaks? What about them makes people defend them like this? She wonders darkly as she overhears the male instigators calling the woman a grey-skin, a racial slur referring to a dunmer - and what's this talk about a war? As the two drunks begin to threaten the Dunmer though, she abandons her curiosity and confusion. She's not one for brawling, and magic will kill them, which isn’t worth it in a city full of guards to come to their aid, so Ravenna gets a bit creative to deescalate things. She screams, high and shrill, as loud as she can and darts out from the alley towards the trio, purposely bumping into the two drunkards, and trying to shove past them. "Werewolf! Get out of the way, werewolf!" she cries in a shaky, panicky voice, "Run!" And they do run, both too drunk to actually glance into the dark alley that she came from and purely absorbing Ravenna’s artificial panic in their drunken stupor, shoving her back towards where they think the creature is to try and get away. The Dunmer woman however is holding back her snickering at Ravenna's little performance, which she drops almost as soon as the two boors are gone.

"Are you alright?" The small vampiress asks, smiling conspiratorially back to the Dunmer woman.

"Better now they're gone. That was awfully clever of you, well done," the woman congratulates. Ravenna performs a flamboyant curtsey in response, swishing an imaginary skirt. "Why thank you my good lady. May I ask whose aid I've come to this evening?" The blood-drinker asks as she rights herself.

"Suvaris, my lady. And your name?"

"Ravenna. It's lovely to meet you, but I am afraid I have elsewhere to be at the moment. Please, be safe," Ravenna politely excuses herself before hurrying out of Windhelm and into the cold, unaware of the unwanted attention she has already drawn to herself as two Vigil of Stendarr watch her leave from the inn.

Thorns

     The Eastmarch snowfall is harsh, but soon enough it gives way to the verdant hot spring that takes up the southern half of the hold. Steam from the springs rolls across the road, obscuring Ravenna from her enemies, and her enemies from her. It's a mostly peaceful walk though, for a while.

Until it isn't.

     Ravenna realizes too late that the time has gotten away from her when she feels the sun's gaze upon her. Mara's love eases her pain, but even her Divine lady can only do so much for her, and she will still need to find shelter indoors and away from the light. Fortune favors her enough that the skies are still fairly overcast, and a light drizzle is beginning to fall, giving her time to choose. Past the mill and across the bridge are two buildings; a fortress, probably too occupied to risk entering and somewhat off-putting in the magical sense, even from a distance, and, a bit trickier to reach on the cliff face on the opposite side of the river, is a building Ravenna recognizes as once having been a prison. It's questionable placement had made it almost certain to be flooded out or washed away at some point, and sure enough, it seems ruined and vacant now. The rain isn't heavy, so Ravenna feels reasonably confident the water won't rise too much while she waits out the day. As soon as she makes it inside though, her heightened senses alert her to all the things that shouldn't be there. The smells of fresh food and armor oil, and the ozone scent associated with lightning and magicka; the sounds of a wooden chair scraping against the stone floor further down, all indicators that something is not right inside the prison. And as Ravenna presses further inside to look, she sees what it is - Thalmor.

     From his chair at the bottom of the stairs the Thalmor soldier glares at Ravenna.

"Uh, I didn't realize this was a Thalmor outpost -" Ravenna begins anxiously, hoping to lie her way out of whatever predicament she's just gotten herself into but the soldier is already on his feet and drawing his blade and she knows she can't bullshit her way out this time.

"It isn't and you know it," he growls as he throws fire at her from further down on the staircase. Ravenna jumps out of the way in time but the soldier takes to opportunity to come closer to her and tries to cut her down with his short sword. Ravenna forcibly overtakes his will with her vampiric hypnosis before he succeeds, and he finds himself sheathing his sword.

"What are you really doing here?" She demands.

"We came to interrogate a prisoner," he responds unwillingly through gritted teeth.

"What kind of prisoner? Why here? Why not at your Embassy?" The vampiress scowls.

"We believe he has connections with the Blades, it is within our rights to arrest and interrogate however and whomever we see fit!" The elf screeches, torn between trying desperately to withhold information and arguing in defense of the Thalmor's justness in their actions - of which there is likely none, Ravenna knows.

"You're going to provoke a war with the Empire if you take one of the Emperor's personal guard prisoner. Is that really what the Thalmor wants? Don't answer that," she decides she's heard enough and ignores the confused and discombobulated response of the soldier as his body automatically obeys her next command that he kneel for her to reach his throat. He'll only kill her as soon as he is free again anyway, and Ravenna will not see the end of her extended life here. So she drains him, trading his life to continue her own. And it is worth it, she decides as soon as she sees what he's been hiding further down. The lower floor of the prison reeks of copper and iron - and below that smell, terror sweat.

Flesh Wound

     A lone man, gorgeous and red-eyed, glares coldly at her through the bars of one cell as she approaches it in long strides. His cell is locked, but she finds the key on a table in the hall and opens the door. The man's gaze as she approaches is so intense that she falters even though she can literally smell his well-concealed fear. He takes advantage of her hesitation and spits at her, decorating the left side of her face with a glob of spit that is more blood than saliva and making her cringe. This is not an acceptable context, Ravenna believes, for her to be getting spit on, and she pulls a red handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe it away in disgust.

"Eugh - not one for first impressions, are you?" she grumbles irately to him.

"When I get out of here, I'll kill you all myself," he growls out at her, and Ravenna feels certain that he means every syllable, but she isn't his enemy and she tells him so.

"There is just me, and I'm not here to hurt you-"

"Then what are you here for? To use your witchcraft to force answers out of me? I've already told your men I know nothing," he interrupts her.

"Could we just skip ahead to the part where I let you out?” She asks, showing the key in her hand and ignoring his hostility. It is only then that it seems to dawn on the prisoner that she isn't one of his perpetrators.

"Wh- yes - why?" He asks, trying not to make it obvious that he's going through all five stages of grief right now, "Who are you, if you're not with the Thalmor?"

"Just someone, does it matter?" Ravenna replies with a shrug as she unlocks one of his wrists.

"Tell me your name at least," he asks quieter as he calms down and she moves to his other side and unlocks his other wrist.

"Hang on," she stops him as the lock clicks and the shackles suspending him are suddenly open. He isn't prepared for the force of his own weight - coudn't be, really, with how awkwardly he had been situated, but a very small arm grips his waist before he hits the ground. Ravenna makes a show of acting like holding him off the ground is a huge struggle, but her improved strength as a vampire makes it quite easy. After she helps him right himself she finally answers his question. "My name is Ravenna Rosewood. And you are?" "Kaidan. My name is Kaidan." "It's good to meet you," she says, holding out her hand as if for him to shake, but as he carefully accepts the invitation Ravenna instead turns and guides him over to the stool in the opposite corner of his cell. "I'm not going to force you to do anything, but I strongly recommend you let me tend those injuries before you go anywhere," she says matter-of-factly. "A healer, are you? That's a special gift," he praises as he compliantly takes a seat so she may work on him. "Just one of my many talents," she responds as she checks to see that none of his injuries have become infected, "Why were they keeping you here?" Kaidan scoffs at her. "They invited me to high tea, what do you think?" He glances back to meet her eyes as she begins the process of knitting his flesh back together and she arches one brow at him. "I dunno," he answers properly this time, "Some Justicars ambushed me outside of Falkreath." "Any idea why?" Ravenna asks as she digs her thumbs into the knots on his shoulders - she's sealed all his wounds by now. Kaidan hisses in discomfort (mostly), but doesn't stop her as he answers. "I don't know, they just kept asking me something about the Blades, and the sword I had." "What happened to the sword?" She inquires further as she finally takes her hands away from him and moves around to speak to him face-to-face. "One of the Thalmor got his hands on it. And I know I've got no right to ask, but I could use your help in getting it back," He tells her cautiously. Her brow furrows. "Is it that important?" She asks him. "This isn't me being sentimental," he insists, "They kept asking about it. If it's important to them, they shouldn't have it." "Very well,” Ravenna replies, “Where is he?”

Touch Grass

"Where is he?" She asks

"Deeper in the prison. And with luck, he's cornered like a rat."

"Just wait here," she assures. He doesn't and trails behind her anyway, but she doesn't go far. She almost turns a corner directly into the bastard but they can both hear him moving around and stop just shy. Bright lightning fills her palms briefly, and flashes as she directs it at the floor at the top of the stairs. The magic catches the Justicar's attention and Ravenna hurriedly shoos Kaidan back so they won't be in the way when the rune goes off - and it's quite the spectacle when it does. Sparks and lightning fly everywhere and the whole room feels charged afterwards. Ravenna walks over and picks up the sword off of the Thalmor's corpse, passing it to Kaidan.

"Believe that's yours," she says.

"I can't thank you enough. I know you didn't have to help me," he returns gratefully.

"What's the story with that sword?" Ravenna asks as they start looking around the room. Kaidan answers as he finds and re-equips his armor.

"The question on everyone's mind, even mine-" he pauses while pulling his tunic on, "-the sword belonged to my mother. I never knew her, but it's my only real clue to finding out who she was."

"Terribly sorry to hear that you didn't know you mother. That must have been difficult," Ravenna says sympathetically as she picks through ruined books in the adjacent room.

"It is what it is. Listen, Ravenna," Kaidan begins, "I owe you my life, and I'm not a man who is comfortable being in debt. So if you need, I'd be glad to travel alongside you and keep you safe until that debt is repaid."

Ravenna chuckles at that. "Just be happy and don’t get into any more trouble with the Thalmor. Do that, and you can consider your debt repaid."

Kaidan frowns. "If you ever change your mind, find me at the Dead Man's Drink in Falkreath," he says before turning to leave. Ravenna pretends to be preoccupied with one of the salvaged tomes as she watches him go.

    She doesn't intend to follow him out at first, but suddenly remembering all the interesting things she'd heard in Windhelm motivates her to catch up with the swordsman, even following him back out of the building and ignoring the pain of being out under the sun.

"Wait one moment! Please!" She calls out to Kaidan's retreating form as he makes his way over the bridge. He stops, turning around and waiting on Ravenna to catch up to him.

"Change your mind already?" He asks when she finally reaches him, breathing heavily from jogging to catch up.

"No, but I'm actually only just recently back in Skyrim - could you catch me up on current events before you leave?" She requests. Kaidan agrees, and they spend several minutes propping themselves against the stone walls of the bridge while he updates her on the civil war going on in Skyrim. He talks her through the Great War between the Empire and the Thalmor, the White-Gold Concordat that sowed the seeds, and the less-than-exemplary choices the Empire and Ulfric are both making  in response to everything. It all puts a frown on Ravenna's face.

"I've returned to Skyrim at a very tumultuous time," she grumbles.

"More's the pity," Kaidan shrugs, "The empire is struggling to establish the alliances they'll need to keep the Thalmor away, and Ulfric's rebellion is tangling all the small people up in the mess. It's bad for everyone." Ravenna nods, and for a few moments they just relax there while she lets the information settle with her, before finally she bids Kaidan goodbye again.

"Well, I'll not keep you any longer, we both have places we need to get to after all," She excuses herself. Kaidan nods. "Remember. Dead Man's Drink, if you ever need me."