By: The Orange Mask
The Bannered Mare was quiet this time of day, probably due to the fact that most people had things to do in the afternoon. However, mages often differ from other people in many ways, and schedule was one thing that definitely differed. Most mages work from the early morning until the afternoon, often skipping lunch (and, in my case, breakfast), then break from work for a few hours. Their evening work often carries them well into the night. So, it was quite understandable that the inn was quiet. Claudia, however, looked deathly tired.
“Are you all right, Claudia? You look tired.” I said, worried about her well being. Gods, I was starting to worry about my own mental health at this point. I don’t normally care for people.
“Yes, I’m fine…” Claudia said, trailing off. She seemed distracted, but a few moments later re-focused and forced a smile.
“As long as you’re sure, then. We haven’t eaten in more than a few hours, though. Maybe you’re just hungry.
“Let’s eat, then!” Claudia said, once again perking up. I don’t know how she was able to force herself to be that cheerful all the time, but it certainly was infectious. I found myself sporting a grin as I bit into my food.
After a few minutes, I had finished eating, as had Claudia. For an inn, the taste wasn’t half bad; it was definitely better than anything I’d had at the college. I sat there for a few minutes, content to stare into the fire, then at Claudia, and then back into the fire. They both shared one characteristic; they were intensely mesmerizing. I had to tear my gaze away from either. After this had gone on for a while, I decided to try to unravel Claudia’s mysterious persona.
“So how did you end up in Whiterun?” I was startled to hear Claudia ask me this. It was almost as if she had read my thoughts.
“Well, I arrived here from Windhelm yesterday. I was studying with Jarl Ulfric’s court wizard Wuunferth.”
“Oh! Did you learn anything from him?” I could tell Claudia was only interested in the end results of magic: spells, enchantments, etc.
“Actually-“ I almost blurted out about the new enchantment once again. Fortunately, I caught myself. “Not really. I was mostly his errand boy, running around and getting supplies for him.”
“Aww…” Claudia said, obviously disappointed I didn’t have anything interesting to show her.
“Now, don’t worry; I’m sure I can still show you something,” I said, thinking of something at least slightly interesting to show her. I wracked my brain for a few seconds.
“Ah! How about this,” I said, concentrating on a point on the wall behind the counter. I made sure the innkeeper wasn’t looking, then started to take various meats off of the shelves with telekinesis. I held them in place with one hand for a moment, then started to spin them around Claudia and me. Claudia seemed rather excited by this. I started to smile as she looked around. I had all the food land gently back on the shelves after about a minute of this. Claudia smiled at me after I had finished. I saw Claudia’s plate was still full, however. I just ignored it, however.
“That was amazing!” She exclaimed. I was glad she enjoyed my little trick, but I was magically exhausted afterwards. I just smiled back, though, and began to formulate my questions for her.
“So, how did you end up as a wanderer, Claudia?” I asked, trying to piece together a question before she asked something else. Her curiosity for magic seemed insatiable, almost as much as mine.
“Well, like I told you, I’m a wanderer. I go around, performing the odd job or two to get the money I need to get by.”
“Really? You look like you keep yourself in good shape. I could’ve sworn you’d be some sort of sellsword or assassin.” Damn, why did I have to bring up her body? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“No, I’m just your ordinary wandering girl, getting what she needs however she can.” She smiled as she said this, and she had that look in her eyes again. I shifted a bit in my chair, feeling uncomfortable.
“Er, well, if you’re really interested in magic, why haven’t you tried to learn some?” I said, trying to change the topic before I was too uncomfortable.
“I never thought about it. Could you teach me some?” Claudia said, inching off her chair toward me. I started to feel very uncomfortable at this point. She had obviously caught me looking at her body, and started to get up from her seat very slowly. I wanted her, but the way that she took charge of the situation was… unnerving.
“Well, um, maybe I could later. Is there anything specific you want to learn?” I was starting to get nervous. I couldn’t concentrate.
“Well,” Claudia said, posing sultrily, “Maybe you could teach me a bit about the destruction school? I’ve always liked fire. It’s mesmerizing, and dangerous.”
“I guess I could teach you some fire spells, sure.” Gods, I couldn’t focus at all. “Un, Claudia, could you-“
“Could I what?”
“Could you…” I couldn’t formulate my thoughts.
“Hm?”
“Could you-“ I stopped trying to think. I laid some money on the counter and stood up. Claudia began to walk upstairs, swaying her hips a bit more than necessary. Needless to say, I closely followed.
To be continued…
