A Suitable Arrangement

It waits, resting atop the wooden table, centered, in the middle of the intersection on the second floor of the mansion.

The vase is made of smooth silver and polished to a mirror finish. It is about ten inches tall, cylindrical, and fluted like a wineglass. It contains some water and the stems of a variety of plants that burst forth from the vessel in a rainbow of colors. Blossoms of Columbine, Dragonthorn, and Mountain Flowers show vividly, surrounded by springs of Bugloss, Water Hyacinth, and smatterings of Lady's Smock.

Tied around the narrow fluting of the vase is a red silk ribbon knotted into a bow. Attached to the ribbon is a small wedge of folded parchment.

Clear letters penned in black ink spell out, "To: Lucrezia"

and below that, "From: Your Friend"

Lucrezia visits the mansion, searching for Milo, the last time they spoke was after the announcement from the Thalmors and she was worried about him. She slowly walked around, looking for anyone but it was late and possibly everyone was in bed already.

A gorgeous flower arrangement caught her eye and she tip toed to it, careful not to bother anyone that may be nearby. She smelled the different flowers, each one letting out a scent even more heavenly than the last. Out of curiosity she looked at the card attached to it.

She was shocked to see it was addressed to her. She must have read it 10 times to make sure she was reading it correctly. It only said "From Your Friend", but she knew that had to be Milo. She hadn't even begin to get as close to anymore else here as she had with him. She couldn't stop blushing or smiling, No one had ever done anything like this for her before. She look around the room for him, but he was no where to be found. She silently crept up the stairs to see if she could find him there.

In a small side room of the upper floor, Lucrezia would find Milo. He was asleep seated in a wooden chair and bent over a little writing desk, his arms serving as a pillow. Beneath him on the desk is the letter he had been writing until late into the night. It was so late that the candle in its holder at the corner of the desk had burnt down and gone out, leaving the room in shadow but for the moonlight streaming through a high small window.

Lucrezia peeked into each room on the main floor and then on the second floor. She finally came across a small, dim lighted room at the end. She saw a small figure hunched over a writing desk and she decided to check it out. She recognized Milo immediately. He looked so peaceful yet uncomfortable at the same time. So she tried to wake him by gently shaking him but he did not stir.

She then started massaging his back a little, his muscles were so tense, he must be so stressed. She rubbed his whole back, massaging any tense muscle she came across.

Milo's first sign of waking was a long groan of relief brought on by the soothing of his aching back. Being awkwardly hunched over for a few hours hadn't made any improvement, of course. A few moments later he blinked his eyes open and seemed briefly startled as he sat up to peer into the shadows and see who was standing there.

Almost immediately he recognized the woman and calmed. "Lucrezia," he said her name with a smile and a little bit of a drawl, a sign that his waking was not yet complete. "Did you get the flowers?"

He began to stand, stiffly, from the chair.

She stepped back to let him rise from his chair and then faced him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly.
"Mmhmm" she said as she kissed him, then pulled away to look at his face. "They're beautiful, probably the most beautiful I've ever seen. At first first i thought they were for the wedding. Thank you for them, no one's ever given me such a gift before."

She ran her hand through his soft hair and moved it out of his face. "You look like you haven't slept in days, love."

Milo brightened considerably with the kiss and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands at the small of her back to hold her close.

"I had a rough night is all. And you're welcome for the bouquet. Even in shadow your smile is more radiant than any flower." Her concern made him a little self-conscious about his appearance as she fixed the mussed strands of hair. "Would you know what time it is? I should get cleaned up in the morning."

She blushed at his words, "You always seem to know exactly the right things to say."

She tensed up a little when he brought his arms around her and rested his hands on her lower back, his skin touching hers was giving her a fluttery feeling in her stomach. Something she hadn't experienced in a long time, too long. She didn't know how to react now, starting to lose her confidence.

"Um...I'm not sure of the time. I know it's very late, everyone here is still sleeping. I just wanted to check on you, saw the flowers, then wanted to thank you for them. I hope I didn't disturb you. You looked uncomfortable so I thought I'd wake you up. And now I'm rambling, sorry." She was talking entirely too much, she seemed to do that a lot when she was around him.

"I can leave if you want, so you can get more rest or get cleaned up. But I think you look great." She smiled at him and rubbed her hand in his hair once more and rested it on his cheek.

Milo picked up on her nervousness and smiled reassuringly. "It's alright, you didn't disturb me." Briefly he moved his hand to hold her own against his cheek, making obvious his approval of her affectionate gesture. Then he reluctantly withdrew a step back to give her space.

"I'd hate to send you away when you just got here. We could talk a bit in the kitchen downstairs; perhaps find something to snack on? I could use the company." He imagined she might feel more at ease somewhere with more light and not quite so secluded.

"That sounds good to me. " She held her hand there in his for longer than needed. It felt so nice.

Then she laughs and shakes her head, "I hope I'm not sending you mixed signals. To be honest, the type of thanking I was coming up here to do would be more appropriate in a dim-lighted secluded room." She tells him with a nervous laugh. "But once I got here and the opportunity is staring me in the face, it sort of....I can't think of the right word for it...scared, maybe. Yeah, I'll go with that. It scared me a bit."

She starts fidgeting, something she does when she's fighting two different emotions, trying to overcome one of them.

Then she pulls him into a tight hug and gently kisses his neck. "You're very patient with me and the silly things I do and say."

He couldn't help but grin at her explanation. The hug and kiss caught him a little off-guard, but he welcomed her in his arms, this time setting his hands up on her shoulders where they might not cause mischief. Drawing her up to meet his gaze, he responded more softly. "I think you're worth a little patience. I was actually worried that you would think I was silly. I'm not... well-practiced in romance, so please tell me if I do something poorly," he added with a touch of humor.

More hurriedly he added, "Let's... let's go before we do that other type of thanking you mentioned."

She laughed at his last sentence, relieved that the awkwardness and nervousness was starting to fade. She was also relieved that he understood how important it was for her to not rush anything, she wanted to take the time to enjoy this...whatever this is.

"Yes, I agree." She laughed again "And I don't think you're doing anything silly at all. If fact, everything you've done is perfect. At least, it is to me. I wouldn't know whether what you're doing is wrong or not, I'm afraid I'm about as inexperienced as you are at this. Possibly even more so. So maybe we'll just figure this out together then?" She smiled at him while she followed him out into the hallway.

"Are you going to cook for me? I've heard great things about your cooking, I'm pretty curious about it. I don't cook. Well, I heat up the fish that I catch but it doesn't taste very good so I suppose that doesn't count." She rambled on, feeling at ease with him again.

"Of course, I would love to make something for you. I'll have to see what ingredients we have to work with, though." Milo led the way down the hallway and stairs, then through a couple of turns to the kitchen. Except for the two of them, the place seemed deserted. At least until a guard from the front end of the building leaned around a column to look their way. He noted the pair of Bosmer, then withdrew again, apparently satisfied that there was no threat or vandalism going on.

Milo continued on now that it seemed clear they wouldn't be bothered. He lit an extra torch sconce to brighten the room and then began opening the cabinets. "Let's see here..." he mumbled as he looked into the lower shelves of the pantry. And then more clearly, "How about sweet rolls?"

She sits up on a table, letting her legs swing, and watches Milo look through the cabinets.

"Sweet rolls sound good. They use to give them to us at the orphanage, but usually they were hard as rocks. Kinna would use them to throw at windows of the shopkeepers that use to chase us off with brooms." Lucrezia realizes she's rambling again so she just continues with, "Thanks."

She notices the guard looking at them and rolls her eyes. "Is it weird staying here with so many guards around? Do they bother you? I would feel strange being here with them always lurking around, peeking in the doorways. What if you're getting busy and they peek in at you? I would probably lose it on them." She laughs thinking about it.

Milo brings a couple of large bowls to the table along with jars of ingredients. "We have divided up a common room with rope and blankets to make some small rooms for the merchants. Though you're right, it isn't much privacy. If some pair is feeling amorous, they usually find someplace else to take care of it. Usually. If not, you hear everything. The mansion isn't meant for our long-term living, after all. It's a business center. Now that you bring it up, though, I should look around for a more permanent place to sleep."

He begins skillfully mixing ingredients with a beater in one bowl. "I've never been bothered around guards before. They had to be in my parents' village all the time because we lived so close to the Khajiit and raids happened frequently. And then when I lived at Elden Root for a while, of course there were all kinds of guards, agents, and royal bodyguards about the place. I guess I don't really ignore them, I just remember where they are and forget the rest."

The mixture gets poured into a shaped metal piece that fits into a cookpot, which Milo then hangs over the fire to cook. "So you grew up in a Nord orphanage?"

"A few Nord orphanages, yes. So I understand the complain about privacy. I don't think I ever had a moment alone until I was well into my teens. It's sad how use you get to having someone always watching you."

She watched him stir the ingredients and look so serious and passionate about it, it was really cute to her.

"Where did you learn to cook? Or is that a natural Bosmer thing that I don't know about?"

Milo gave a little smirk as he began mixing the frosting in the second bowl, and sat down across from her at the table. "No such luck. My mother taught me the basics, and I like cooking. A little aptitude and enthusiasm goes a long way. Fortunately I got to work with more than meat and bugs outside of the Green Pact. I can brew a little wine and beer, but I have a weakness for sweets; that's how I came to learn about the importance of moon sugar."

With the bowl thoroughly mixed, he dipped in a spoon and held it out across the table to offer her a taste. "What about you? Any amazing hidden talents that I should know about?"

She tasted the mix from the spoon. "Mmm, that's delicious. You are good at this." She smirked at him.

She thought about his question, "What hidden talents of hers should he know about?" She wasn't sure if he would care to know that she was good at stealing, lockpicking and making poisons. She was pretty sure that would not be a turn on. She thought about it some more, wondering what on earth was she good at that wasn't illegal? Then she decided to just be honest. He already knew she was far from a good girl.

"I can drink just about anyone under the table. And if you need a place broken into or something stolen, I'm your girl. And lets see, I have been experimenting with different poisons. For my arrows, you know." She said, carefully watching his face as she talked. Then she remembered a particular skill that might not sound so terrible, "Oh! I'm getting very good at stitching myself up, I get cut up so much from fishing and fighting, it's pretty much a must have skill for me now."

She sat there in silence, looking around the kitchen. Waiting for his response. Starting to wonder if maybe she should have just lied and said she made dresses or jewelry, like other girls do. But she wasn't like other girls and hopefully he knew that and liked that about her.

Milo didn't seem put off at all. He just listened with an expression of interest while the food cooked nearby.

"Very practical. I used to do very well for myself through the Right of Theft." He smiled. "Maybe we should team up sometime, just for practice." The thought then struck him that she didn't know much about Bosmer traditions.

"Here, I'll explain. Among wood elves and some khajiit, theft is a respected ability and a common way of life. There is a Bosmer tradition called the 'Right of Theft' that says a particularly skillful or brazen theft must be rewarded in the form of a ransom paid by the victim to get their property back."

"I'm just good at reading people. I can tell how long a person will look in the direction of a strange noise, for example. That's how I got by until... I became a merchant." The strange pause between his words seemed to mean that he was going to say something else.

"You? A thief?" She couldn't imagine it a first, "But you seem so noble and honest." Once she let the idea sink in, it started to excite her a little.

She listened to his explainion of the Right of Theft and was very surprised at how good he made it sound. If she hadnt trusted him so much and knew how honest he was, she would have though he was just humoring her. She decided to later look it up in one of the books she recently came in possession of about Bosmer history and traditions. She made a mental note to look up the Green Pact that he mention earlier also.

"So it's sort of in our blood then, like a natural talent? That should be rewarded? I wish I had known that back when I was getting daily beatings for taking biscuits without asking. It didn't stop me from stealing, either, only made me sneakier at it."

She ran her hands through her hair and then remembered something else. "I think I've found a new spot for me to set up camp for a while. It's mucher nicer, surrounded by trees, a lot more secluded. I think I'll enjoy the privacy."

She started twirling her hair in her fingers, trying not to seem nervous. Why was she always so nervous around him?

"You can come by to see it, if you like. Maybe after we eat, if you want to. I mean, if you aren't busy."

She suddenly started feeling her face getting warmer. Was she blushing in front of him. Oh Gods, she hoped not.

Milo stepped away from the table for a moment on the excuse to check the cookpot over the fire. "Well, there aren't many outside of the Bosmer who respect the Right of Theft. I guess it is something like a natural talent, though. Stealing and archery, that's our legacy," he chuckled. "I like to think I really am noble and honest; I haven't picked a single pocket in Woodhearth. But some people just have more than they need."

He replaced the lid after looking and turned the pot to keep it heating evenly. Then he returned to the table with a smile, and noticed her cheeks coloring. It was difficult for him not to stare. "You make a tempting offer; I'd love to see it. But I still have that important business tomorrow. Maybe... would your new spot have a place I can get washed up?"

"That's interesting, I'm not bad with a bow either. I don't hit my mark every time but I get close enough. I keep practicing." She watched him check on the dish, admiring how cute he looked while cooking. "If you haven't picked a pokect here then you're more noble than most." She said with a little laugh. "Well I think you are. You've even inspired me to do a little better. I've been looking for more honest work lately. It's a work in progress, but I hope to come across something soon."

She brightened at the possibility of him accepting her invitation. "Sure, there's a creek not far from it where I can get my water, clean up and wash my clothes. I also keep water by the fire too. There's not a lot there, some pillows and blankets and a rope tied to two trees to hang my clothes up to dry, but it's cozy."

A mental image came to Milo that caused him to blush furiously; he imagined Lucrezia hanging her dress to dry over a line and wearing nothing else.
He turned his head to avoid her gaze for a moment of embarrassment and pretended to clear his throat, giving a little tug on his shirt collar as he did so. He quickly tried to change the subject.

"You didn't mention your skill with massage. Is that a natural talent? Or something you picked up like patching cuts and scrapes?"

She saw his face turn bright red and he turned to cough or clear his through, she wasn't sure which. But she noticed he ws avoiding her gaze. Was it something she said? They sat in silence for a moment until he finally spoke again, teasingly asking her about her massage skills.

She gave him a small seductive smile, "I suppose it's a natural talent, no one taught it to me. But I've had no complaints either. Maybe we'll find out that I'm naturally good at a few more things."

After a few moments, the sweet smell of the sweetrolls filled the room and made her stomach growl.

Milo also caught the smell of the treats on the air and moved to go collect them from the cookpot. He looked back to her with a sly grin. "I certainly wouldn't mind more like that."

In short order, he removed the sweetrolls from their container, placed them on a dish and drizzled them with the frosting while they were still warm.

"There we are," he said, sitting down with the plate between them. "And they just might be better than what you find in an orphanage. Help yourself." He reached for one for himself, too.

While he sated his appetite, he tried to think of other things they could talk about. He really didn't want to be a boring host, or have too many uncomfortable silences.

Lucrezia couldn't wait to taste the sweetrolls. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until just then. She took a bite and was pleasantly surprised to how good they actually were. They put the ones she had before to shame.

"Oh thank the Gods. These are incredible!" she finally said after she got the first bite down. She finished it off in several more bites, each one as good as the first. She then took one more and almost finished it in one bite. That one hit the spot, she was starting to feel much more relaxed now. Maybe all her nervousness was from hunger, she thought. Then she looked up at Milo and felt a bit embarrassed.

"You must think I'm pig!" she laughed, "I didn't know I was so hungry until you started cooking. Those were one of the best things I've ever had."

She patted her tummy, feeling full and satisfied.

Milo was mostly through with one roll by the time she had finished two. He just chuckled, wiping white frosting from his chin with one finger. "No need to worry; I take it as a compliment." He smiled over the plate, pleased she was enjoying the food. "I wouldn't mind cooking for you more often."

Lucrezia laughed and then the embarrassment went away as suddenly as it had appeared. Everyday she seemed to feel more and more comfortable with him. It was nice to finally have someone that understood her and didn't judge her.

"I sure hope so. But then again, my cooking is going to be a huge disappointment to my taste buds now. I'm afraid you've already spoiled me."

She looks around the kitchen, seeing the sun start to come up from the window. She sighs, she's been up all night again, yet she's not even the slightest bit tired. Then she remembers that his meeting with the Thalmor is very soon. And she starts to get anxious.

"Will you come find me when your meeting is done? I'll be worried to death until I see you again." she looks down and frowns.

Milo frowns as the difficulty of his job comes back to him. Seeing Lucrezia's expression of anxiety, he softens his own expression and tries to reassure her.

"Of course, I'll come and see you right away. I would hate for you to be worried for long." He also noted the light of dawn starting to come through the windows, and wondered how much sleep he had actually gotten that night. It hardly mattered now.

"I'll need to be cleaning up and getting a change of clothes soon. I wish I had something better to wear than my leathers. I didn't really plan to be the merchant's representative, you see. Staying on the fringes was more to my comfort."

"They trust you and look up to you." She says simply. "So do I. But I'm afraid no one realizes how dangerous this can be. I've delt with all types of Thalmor. I hope the one's you're going to see are the type to not be so feared. I don't know what I'd do if something bad happened." She's quiet for a moment, then adds, "Just be careful."

She sits there staring at him for a moment. "And you really shouldn't worry about how you will look. I always think you look nice. You're not wearing rags. You look well enough to be taken seriously."

She finally yawns and sits up from the table. "I might should be going so you can get cleaned up and ready. I'll be around, just find me after."

Milo couldn't think of a good reason, or excuse, to get her to stay longer. So he reluctantly nodded.

"Thank you for the encouragement. Perhaps I could get a kiss for luck?" He stood and came around the table wearing a roguish grin.

"Of course, you never need to ask." She smiles at him and walks to him. She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him close to her. She starts with a soft gentle kiss then slowly deepens it, teasing his tounge with hers. She loves every minute that she's close to him like this and never wants it to end. For that moment, she forgets everything else in the wolrd.