A Cure (Lucrezia, Alijham, & Elsynia)

It was late morning and approaching early afternoon when Elsy ascended the ladder to the clinic. She peeked around the corner to the side of the clinic with the table and chairs. Her eyes seemed vaguely tired though a soft smile played across her face as her gaze fell to the two mer already sitting at the table. She remained quiet and leaned her shoulder against the tree wall, as not to disturb Ali and Lu, should they be talking. Her hands folded together and rested in front of her.

Lucrezia was sitting in a chair, opposite Alijham, legs crossed and leaned back, she looked comfortable, like she had been visiting for a while. "I really appreciate you helping me with this, especially lending me some of your gear. I promise to try and bring it back in one piece." she told him with a smile. She glanced over and waved at Elsy. "Hello Three Thane Elsynia. I was hoping you'd come by while I was visiting. It's good to see you. Ali and I were just talking."

Alijham smelled Elsynia as soon as she came up, and his smile deepened in his conversation. "It's not a problem at all. I don't need it anymore, keep it in one piece or let some beast shred it," he chuckled. He leaned back in his chair and lounged with his hands folded behind his head. "Hey, beautiful," he looked to Elsynia.

Her smile deepened and took a few steps closer to the table where two sat. She leaned against the wall in front of them and wiggled her fingers in a small wave to Lu. "Hey there, Lu. Please, no need to be so formal. 'Elsy' is just fine." She gave a little nod. "It's good to see you too. It's been far too long."

She grinned at Ali, blushing lightly, "Hey there, stranger."

Her gaze floated between the two. "How are you both?" She directed her gaze to Lu. "I suppose Ali's mentioned some things?" Her smile became a bit more timid.

She laughed at Ali's comment and shook her head. "Well in that case, I may make a few changes to make sure it fits me nice and snug." She returned the smile to Elsynia. "Elsy then. It has been too long. I do hope to see you around more often since I've been visiting here more." she looked from Ali to her, a little confused and then she looked nervous.

"Uhh, Ali and his father are helping me...Well, let me explain. Ali helped me get rid of my werewolf form but my soul still belongs to Hircine. So, I went to see Ali's dad and he told me of a Beast of Hircine to hunt. He said if I kill it, then my soul belongs to me again." she looked between them again. "I swear I'm not crazy."

Alijham chuckled. "I can altar it for you if it needs 'em," he held out his hand to Elsynia. "It still makes me laugh that you two never really.. well, were close. I was always so close to both of you, y'know," he shrugged.

"Why would we think you're crazy? That's what Elsy is doing, too. Well.. the entire cure in general."

"Visiting more often? Wonderful." She smiled then looked over to Ali. She took a few steps closer to them and took a seat, placing her hand in his. "Aye, Ali. Perhaps we could change that."

She let out a soft laugh and nodded, confirming what Ali had said. "I don't think your crazy at all, Lu. I was actually hoping you and I might work together. I think it may give us both a better chance if we were to team up."

She let out a relieved sigh, "Oh good. I just wanted to clear that up, you know. And Ali, that would be great. Though. I doubt it would need much altering. We are just about the same size."

She looked curiously at the two of them and smiled at their affection toward each other. Then her face seemed to light up. "You and me work together to defeat this monstrous beast? Yeah! I was getting really nervous there. I've never hunted anything bigger than a bear, really. A unicorn...they sound so gentle and pretty before but now all I keep thinking of is some muscled up horse with a sharp horn that's aching to impale me right in the chest. A little bit more scary than the children's tales that I remember."

"That is indeed what they are," he wet his lips. "Ruthless beasts. But aye, the armor should fit fine. I have more material to where I could fashion one for Elsy, too." He gave her hand a soft squeeze."You two working together would wonderful. You're both fantastic hunters and trackers."

She grinned to Lu. "It will be nice to have a friend for such a daunting task." Elsy nodded, "Aye, from the scar Ali's father showed me, that certainly sounds like what they are. We'll have to be faster than it - something I don't anticipate to be very easy."

She gently squeezed Ali's hand back as her gaze floated over to him, "No thank you, I couldn't ask you to go through the trouble. I think my current armor should do alright. I've been through quite a lot with it." She gave him a small nod, "It's been awhile, I may be fairly out of practice. Though perhaps I'll fall back into the rhythm of things again." Her gaze flicked between the two. "The last time I've done anything of this magnitude, I was still working for the Dominion."

"Indeed. I'm no expert, not like he is, but I know that the beast can deal serious damage."

"Trouble? Are you serious? You're about to try and save your soul from a daedric prince by kiling a fecking unicorn. It's the very, very least I'll do. I'm sure you'll be wonderful and get your freedom back swiftly, although I don't think you've ever done something of this magnitude." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Be careful."

Lu nodded in agreement. "Ali's dad said I was supposed to go alone but Hircine should be pretty impressed with our teamwork to take the beast down. I know I'd much rather have someone there watching my back. He may be quick, but we can try to flank him. I'm pretty good with a bow, thanks to the lessons from my talented husband. But I'm deadly with my blades and I'll coat them and my arrows with this poison." she dug through her pockets and pulled out a clear bottle filled with a bright green liquid. "It may not kill the unicorn but hopefully it will slow it down. You are free to use it as well, Elsy."

She stood up and stretched then looked over the armor that Ali was lending her, it was much more durable than her own. "I've been hunting and staying active with work but...ever since Ali helped cure me, I've been weaker and not as fast as I use to be. I hope I don't slow us down." she frowned.

Elsy looked to Ali with a little smile, "Alright, fair enough." She gave him a nod, "Aye, this is all rather... well... mad, almost." Her smile deepened to his kiss on her hand. "I will be careful, I promise." She wove her fingers together with his.

She nodded to Lu, "Ali's father suggested you and I go together. I talked to him shortly after you, it seemed." She grinned, "Perfect, actually. My talent lies with the bow, and I'm decent with blades. Perhaps we'll round each other out." Her eyes flicked to the vial of poison and she dipped her head once in a nod, "Thank you, I do appreciate it."

She looked over to Ali and shot him a soft smile before returning her attention to Lu. "Oh, certainly not. Your skills will be of the utmost importance for this. You'll be worlds more help than any sort of hindrance."

"I'll get to altering the gear while you two talk, I'm pretty sure I can eyeball your measurements." He scuttled over to grab the hide, strappy garments and lay them on his desk back at his seat. He began to snip and sew.

"If what Xarineau suggests doesn't work, than I don't know what will. I'm sure you two will compliment one another immensely. I can make some more potent poisons, if you like. I have some that are quit deadly."

She also smiled, "It looks like we were meant to team up against this beast, then." she giggled, her initial nerves starting to fade away the more she thought about their plan and the fact that there would be someone else with her. That calmed her greatly. "Thank you Alijham. I'm no master potion maker like you and we could use all the help we can get. I can use the telestone that you let me borrow to get us there and back. It will use up some of my magika but hopefully I won't need a lot while we're out there. I'm going to be relying mostly on my daggers and bow. I have a few potions on me, for healing and an antidote for my poison in case one of us accidentally gets it in our system. But anything else you can provide will be very helpful. Just remember we're going to be packing light."

She watched the two of them for a moment, admiring how much they cared for one another. It made her think of her own love, Milo. She had seen him just that morning and told him of her 'mission'. He was worried for her, but knew that she had to do this for herself. "If Milo comes by, will you tell him that Elsy is going with me? You know, so he doesn't worry so much. I know he will anyway but he may feel better knowing that someone else has my back out there." she called out to Ali while he got their armor ready. Then she smiled over to Elsy. "I can't thank you enough for this. I know it didn't look like it but I was getting really scared. Now I feel like we actually have a chance at this."

Alijham nodded. He jerked his head to the shelf of potions behind him as he worked. "Take whatever you like from there, everything is labeled. The "X"'s on each label represents the potency, five being the most effective. The telestone can probably take you further than it does me. Because my magica pool is so low, I can only travel halfway to places like that and wait or take potions for it to regenerate. I can provide anything else you need, I'm sure. You've got to be prepared."

"Of course I'll tell him," he smiled softly to her, pausing sewing. "Maybe I'll send him a letter of reassurance or something. I'm worried sick myself and you are plenty prepared," he chuckled. "I'm confident you'll succeed, but y'know. I just love you both so much."

She smiled to Lu. "Please. You have absolutely no idea how much you're helping me. Anything to better the chances of this happening..." She looked down at her hands and folded them in her lap. "If we manage this, it will be an incredible weight off my shoulders."

Her gaze lifted and flicked about the shelves with the poisons, before resting again on Ali and Lu. "If it's any help I may be able to switch off using the telestone with you, Lu, so your magika isn't entirely drained."

She looked to Ali and smiled sweetly and somewhat worriedly. "Please don't worry so much. I know it's difficult not to, but I don't want you to worry yourself sick."

"I-I'm alright," he rubbed the back of his neck with a little smile. "I can't help it." He brought the armor over and spread it out to the both of them. "This one's yours, Lu," he pointed to a darker set. "And this one's yours, Els. Can you go try 'em on whenever you're ready? I do believe I got the measurements right."

"Same here Elsy. I've been incredibly stressed about this for some time. We will accomplish this. We just have to. We'll just keep trying until we do." She then nodded and sighed with relief. "If you can do that, yes, please do. I'd like to have some magicka available in case either of us need healing on the spot. I'm not as great a healer as Donvyn or Calomel, but they've been teaching me and it might come in handy out there. Though I hope we don't need it but it's better to be safe than sorry."

She looked at the darker set of armor, running her hand over it before picking it up. "I'll try it now. The sooner we get everything ready, the sooner we can get out there and rid ourselves of this curse." she headed to a private, closed off area to change. After a few minutes, she returned wearing the armor. It fit her snug, but not too tight. "Wow Ali, you did get the measurements pretty spot on." she stretched and ran in place, testing the fit of the armor out in case they needed to alter it more. "Pretty perfect. Thank you." She smiled at him and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry about us, we'll be just fine. I'll make sure to bring back your woman in one piece."

"Aye," he grinned bashfully. "After looking at you for some three or four years, I think I have a good idea of four size. And I've made you clothing before. You better be fine, else I'll.. uh.. be upset," he laughed. "Please do. And bring yourself back in one piece, too."

She stood and nodded to Ali, collecting the pieces of armor. "Aye," she said to Lu. "You're right. This is going to happen." She nodded again. "But of course, I'd be happy to. And if you could, I do believe you know more about healing than I. I'm rather decent with shadow magic. My years as a scout helped with that. I can see to it that we remain undetected for as long as possible, but I'm absolutely hopeless with healing. Excuse me a moment."

She dissappeared behind a hide room divider with the armor. She emerged after Lu, wearing her own set, and smiled. "That looks perfect on you, Lu." She looked down at her own armor, fitting just as well. "I'm thoroughly impressed, Ali." She looked up to grin at him. "Thank you. I do hope you don't mind though, there's a few pieces of my own armor I can't live without." She walked over to a leather pack that sat on the floor and pulled out her hood and bracers, replacing those parts of the armor with her own. "Perfect," she smiled as she finished lacing up her bracers.

She grinned over at the two and leaned against the table. "She'll bring me back in one piece and I'll bring her back in once piece."

"Shadow magic will be very helpful for this. Ali's dad said it's best to keep a good distance but I'm not against me going in for an up close kill if I have to. I'll just have to be quicker than him." she sighed, the reality of it finally hitting her. This was going to be a very dangerous task. She hoped they could pull it off.

She smiled when Elsy returned in the armor Ali put together for her and then finished the look off with her own pieces. "Perfect. We look ready for battle now." she smiled, looking pleased at their gear. "I guess we're about ready then. Did you want to go now or wait till morning, after a good nights sleep? If either of us actually get some sleep."

"Of course, wear what you need," he nodded with a soft smile. "You both look absolutely wonderful. I guess I'm pretty good at eyeballing measurements. Grab all the potions you can fit, use your magic, and you'll do fantastic. I'm confident you will. I love you both too much to let you do something like this, and if I didn't think you'd succeed, I wouldn't let you do it," he chuckled. "I think getting some sleep and eating some good meals would be better than going straight away."

She added. "And being quicker than it will be a feat in and of itself."

Elsy gave a quick nod. "I do agree with Ali. It would do us some good to rest here and make certain we're prepared as possible before we leave. Perhaps you and I, Lu, can head down to the beach for a quick practice session. It would be good to learn each other's style of fighting so there are no surprises when we face the beast."

She offered Ali a warm smile and pulled down her hood, standing up straight again. She took the few steps over to him and rested a hand on his shoulder before leaning in to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Ali. Truly."

She gave Ali a hug after Elsy kissed his cheek. "Don't worry Ali, we'll be looking after each other. It's sweet of you to be so worried though. Just try to think about how free we're both going to feel after. It's going to be an amazing feeling to not be burdened by this anymore."

"It's been a long day, I could use some rest first. I want to be fresh and alert during this. That's a good idea, Elsy. That way we'll be able to work together better and spot if the other is in trouble or something. Maybe we can even point out something that needs work or changing. I'm ready when you are."

"Fantastic, then." He returned Elsy's kiss and Lu's hug lovingly. "Perhaps I could ask Father to watch you fight down at the beach, if that's okay? He's downstairs in the brewery reading. Maybe he could give you some tips of on to.. well, fight a unicorn I guess. I could whip up some potions to make sure you get a good sleep, too, and keep your nerves relaxed."

She nodded to Lu, saying quietly, "It's like I'll finally be free."

"Aye, I'm ready now, Lu. And that would be most helpful Ali, if it's not too much trouble for your father." She smiled, "Aye, potions would be wonderful." She laced her fingers in with his and gave his hand a little, brief squeeze.

She walked back over to the leather pack on the floor and pulled her sheath and daggers out of it, attaching it around her waist. She slung the pack over her shoulder then picked up her bow and quiver from it's spot where it leaned against the wall. "Shall we?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. All the potions are on the shelf behind me, taking anything you want." He gave her hand a squeeze back and smiled softly. "I'll be up here mixing up new potions, don't hesitate to come up if you need anything. I'll send Father with you whenever you're ready."

Lu also nodded, "That would be good, thanks Ali." She gathering her things: her pack and her bow. She secured her daggers back on her sides. She even pulled her hair up and out of her face, to make sure nothing got in the way of her training. "This should be a good way to break in the armor."

She would give Ali's shoulder a pat and then smile. "We'll back back after practice." she'd then follow Elsy to the beach.

"Oh, it's plenty broken in," he laughed. "I've used that leather on my armor for years. It's good stuff."

He nodded. "See you then. I love you, Els, and the both of you be careful; Father can get a little overzealous sometimes."

She nodded to Ali, "Send him along any time." Her gaze lingered on Ali momentarily, a sweet smile on her face. "I love you too, Ali."

She turned to descend the ladder and make her way with Lu to the beach.

They would snake their way through Vulkwasten, down the path out of town that lead to a set of cliffs over looking the beach. Elsy would walk up to the edge and peer over. "Perhaps a first test? Navigate the cliffs down." She let out a small chuckle.

Alijham waved, watching them leave with a gentle smile. He climbed down after they had to talk to Xarineau.

Lu followed close behind Elsy, having never been out this far from the town before. She stopped and peered over the cliffs and let out a long whistle. "A new challenge awaits us!" she jokes. She kicked a stone and watched it tumble down to the ground below. "It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights and that Milo has took me rock climbing a few times." Lucrezia decided to go first, feeling a little confident. She stepped down onto a steady looking boulder with some grass starting to grow around it. Then she pressed her foot on each possible step around them, putting pressure on each one to see which was more steady and then she'd take that step. She'd wait for Elsy with each step and the other bosmer was free to take her own way down the cliff, follow Lu or even take over lead.

She nodded, then watched was Lu start making her way down. "Er, I may be able to make this a bit easier for the both of us," she offered. "It'll take a bit out of me, but it'll save us some energy and prevent us from making any... dangerous mistakes."

She raised a hand and flicked her wrist, then suddenly disappeared in a cloud of shadow, only to rematerialize a few feet just above Lucrezia on the boulder. She leaned over the boulder and stretched her hand out for Lu to take.

Lu stopped on the boulder to give her attention to Elsy, making sure she stayed close to the dirt and stone wall behind her. She looked impressed when Elsy disappeared and then reappeared beside her. "Nice trick." she said with a smile and she took her hand, waiting and wondering what this shadow magic was going to be like.

"Thank you. It's really the only spell I have any mastery of. I can do other shadow spells but not nearly as well." She gripped Lu's hand firmly. "Hold tight. You may feel a bit dizzy when we land." She focused her eyes on the beach, attempting to block out everything else. When she was ready, she raised her free hand and flicked her wrist. The two of them disappeared in the same cloud of shadow and rematerialized. She wasn't able to bring them all the way down to the sand, but they appeared on a set of rocks a few feet above the beach, enough to jump down without any fear of injury.

She sat down on the rock they'd reappeared on and leaned her back against the cliff. "Apologies, I couldn't quite make it all the way. If you'll give me a moment, I'm not very well practiced with teleporting anything more than myself." The teleport had drained her.

Luecrezia closed her eyes and made sure she had a firm grip on Elsy's hand as they 'took off' down the cliff. When they landed on the rock close to the sand, she finally opened her eyes and started to sway a little , feeling dizzy. "Woah.." she leaned against the cliff as well, to regain her composure and to stop the world from spinning. "No worries, at least you got us this far. Wow, I can see how that would drain you. Thanks for helping me down here."

She gave them a few minutes to rest there on the rock before slowly getting back to her feet and dropping down onto the sand.

She smiled and nodded. "But of course."

Once she'd gotten a chance to catch her breath, she pushed herself up and followed Lu down the rock and onto the sand. Her eyes flitted about the beach as she dropped her pack down next to her. She refocused her gaze to Lu, "What do you think we should practice first?"

Lu set down her bag and looked around. It was really pretty out there on the beach. It was calming. Her attention was then brought back to Elsy. "Oh! Uh...well, it's been a while since I've had a training partner. Since S'ren-ja to be specific. We could work on our weaknesses. Maybe you can give me some tips with the bow." Lu got out her bow after setting down her blades. She dug through her bag and pulled out a smaller bag of some fruit she was carrying around. She set up some apples on top of some posts nearby. She then stood back, several feet away from the targets and held up her bow. Her form was good; left leg forward with them slightly apart, knees bent a little and back straight, though her overall form may be too stiff. She seemed to keep a very tight grip on both the bow and string. She kept both eyes open while she aimed and let the arrow go. It hit the first apple, but on it's left side.

She watched as Lu shot the arrow and nodded. "That was good!" She placed a gentle hand on Lu's arm that was holding the bow. "Try to relax a bit. The best part of a ranged weapon is that more often than not you take the first shot when facing an opponent. You have all the time in the world to set up the shot and prepare yourself."

She took a step back. "It would also do you some good to determine your dominant eye. The easiest way to do this is to make a ring with your thumb and index finger around your target from a distance and close an eye. Whichever eye is open while the object is in the circle is your dominant eye. That's the one you'll want to keep open while you aim. If you keep both eyes open, you'll be slightly off your mark." She paused her instruction to allow Lu the time to do so.

Lu listened to Elsy's instructions and nodded. It was the same advice she remembered Milo giving her back in S'ren-ja but she kept falling back into her old habit. She held up the bow again but this time, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to help herself relax. She relaxed the grip on her bow and the string. Oddly enough, the bow felt more comfortable in her hands, less forced and awkward.

She nodded, showing her understanding and did as Elsy said. She held out her thumb and closed each eye, a few seconds apart to determine her dominate eye. The right one, interesting. She took another breath and readied another arrow. She stayed in the more relaxed form and closed her left eye. She studied the target and aimed, then...let the arrow go.

It hit the same apple right in the middle! Lu nearly dropped her bow to jump with excitement. "Yes! That was perfect, thank you!" she had a very bright and excited smile.

She grinned, applauding. "Perfect shot! You have the capacity to become an incredible archer as long as you keep up the practice."

She walked over to the apple and freed the two arrows from it, then returned to Lu and handed them to her. She tossed the apple up in the air and caught it. "Care to try to hit a moving target?" She held the apple up in suggestion.

She smiled, looked rather pleased with herself. "Practice makes perfect, right?" She watched Elsy take the arrows out and Lu took them from her, wiping off the bits of apple from them.

"Sure. I doubt this unicorn is going to just stand in place for us." She got back into her stance and readied her bow again. Lucrezia was a good hunter, using her bow most of the time but she hardly ever got a kill in one shot. She'd wait for Elsy to toss up the apple again and aim just above the apple, then letting the arrow go.

She nodded, "Aye, of course."

She smiled. "Alright." She walked back over to the posts and got ready to toss the apple. "On my mark- ready... and... go!" She tossed the apple up and took a step back so that she was well out of the way. She turned her head to watch Lu's form, and her eyes followed the arrow as it sailed through the air, waiting to see if she would hit the target.

Lu followed the apple, trying to stay right ahead of it and then shot her arrow towards it. It did indeed hit the apple, scrapping off a bit of the top. The arrow did not stick into the apple, Lu would have to fetch it later.

"Rats." she said, looking a little disappointed.

"No, that was a good shot. You almost had it. Perhaps, try taking a breath in as you pull the arrow back and hold the breath. Then breathe out as you release the bowstring. It may steady your hand a bit more."

She took another apple off the next post and took up her place again, ready to toss the apple. "Shall we try again?" She smiled encouragingly.

Lu listened intently and nodded. "Take a breath, hold it, then release the breath and arrow at the same time." she repeated, trying to memorize it. "Got it. Ok, Let's try again."

She got out another arrow and held her bow ready. She took a breath, pulled back the string, held her breath and waited.

"Right, on my mark - one... two... three!" She tossed the apple up and took a step back and out of the way. Her eyes flicked to Lu, watching her form again, and would trace the arrow's path. She waited to see if it would hit the target.

She let the arrow go at the same time she let out the breath she was holding. The arrow flew into the air, heading for the apple and stuck into the fruit, just a bit above the middle, causing the apple to head back towards the ground with the arrow.

Lu smiled again and looked to Elsy. "You're a good teacher." she's walk to get the apple and arrow, showing it to her like a prize then pulled the arrow out. "Would you like to practice something now?"

"Perfect." She smiled appreciatively, "And you're a quick learner." She nodded, detaching her bow and quiver. "That'd be wonderful. I'm not the best with blades." She placed them near her pack she had earlier laid in the sand then looked back to Lu. "How do you suggest we practice?"

She sat down her bow and picked up her blades. She pointed to one of the other apples on the post. She tossed her dagger in the air, caught the hilt and suddenly tossed it towards the apple. The dagger cuts the apple in half and sticks into the ground. "How are you at throwing blades? The trick is to not hold it too tight. Just kind of let it rest in your hand and flick your wrist, don't throw." She walked to get her blade and then stepped back to watch Elsy.

Her eyes widen as she watches the blade pierce the apple. "Terrible. I'm terrible with throwing blades." She nodded to her instructions, "Alright, I'll try."

She drew in a breath and unsheathed a dagger, spinning it in her fingers, eyes focusing in on a new apple apple. She stood up straight and pointed the end towards the new apple, as though trying to line up a shot. She let out the breath slowly, then tried to do as Lu had said, taking care to flick her wrist as she threw it. The dagger left her hand and spun end over end towards the apple. It shaved off the slightest bit to the left side of it then stuck into the cliff-side behind it. "Gah, not quite."

Lucrezia watched Elsy's technique with a tilt of her head. When the dagger flew through the air, she watched it closely and gave he a reassuring smile when it shaved of part of the apple. "Not bad! You're better than Milo was when I was teaching him. He nearly cut off his hand." she joked.

She walked forward, pulling the blade from the cliff side and walked back to hand it to Elsy after examining it for a moment. "Those are good daggers, well crafted and balanced, not too heavy...perfect for someone that's learning. If you're going to throw by the handle, you'll want your blade balanced or blade heavy. I prefer balanced."

If Elsy let her, Lu would take her open hand and then place the dagger on her palm. "Grip the handle of the dagger as you would the handle of a hammer. Place the handle across your open palm near your knuckles, wrap your four fingers underneath and around the handle, and place your thumb over the top." she instructed and showed her how she held her own blade. "For a close range target, you'll want to bend your wrist back toward your forearm so the dagger will turn over in the air more quickly since there's so little distance between you and your target." She demonstrated for her without letting the blade leave her hand.

"For a medium range, like now, between you and the apple..." she pointed to the target, "You'll want to slightly bend your wrist back toward your forearm. This will increase the speed of the dagger." She demonstrated this technique for her as well, letting her wrist bend slightly back toward her forearm.

"Now long range...which is probably going to be the case in this trip...You will want to keep your wrist unbent. This will keep the dagger from turning over too much in the air, which is necessary because there is plenty of distance between you and your target." She also demonstrated this for her, keeping her wrist unbent.

"See? Each distance...different technique. I hope that helps, I'm not much of a teacher." She would take a step back to let Elsy practice.

She let out a little chuckle to her joke then nodded, "Thank you. They're a gift from Do'Ma."

She let Lu place situate the dagger properly in her hand, then tried to do as instructed, wrapping her fingers appropriately. She nodded and watched as she flicked her wrist, the mimicked the motion. She watched carefully then tried again to mimic her motion for medium range, bending her wrist back slightly. Then finally she attempted to mimic the long range motion, keeping her wrist stiff and moving only her forearm.

She smiled, "Hm, I didn't realize there were different techniques for different ranges." She turned to the apple and focused her gaze to it. She pointed the end towards the apple, lining up the shot. Then she gripped the dagger properly and bent her wrist back slightly. With a flick, the dagger left her hand. It sailed through the air and lopped off the left side of the apple - not entirely in half, but far more than her original throw. She smiled, holding her hands up, palms pointed up, "Improving." She let her hands drop and walked over to retrieve her dagger. "Thank you, your instructions made my throw better."

Lu watched Elsy mimic the way she instructed her to throw the dagger at each range and was very impressed with how quickly she picked up on each technique. She watched her aim at the apple and seemed to hold her breath as Elsy tossed it at the apple, hoping she would hit her mark. She nearly jumped for joy when the apple was sliced nearly in half!

"Terrific throw! A few more practice throws and I bet you'll get a perfect hit." she said proudly. She then nodded, "Blade throwing is more of an art than most people think. You can also throw your dagger by holding it from the blade but it will be more accurate if your dagger is hilt heavy." She explained and then turned when she thought she heard a noise, seeing if Ali's dad had joined them yet.

He had indeed joined them, and had been standing there watching the whole time. He folded his arms over his chest and spectated silently.

She smiled, "Thank you. And aye, it would certainly seem so." She looked down at her dagger and considered it's weight. "Hm... I think I might lose a finger if I tried that." She chuckled softly.

Her eyes flicked back to Xarineau and she smiled gently, bowing her head in a little hello.

Xarineau clasped his hands together and dipped his head in greeting.

She giggled and nodded. She held up her hand to show Elsy a long scar going from the tip of her finger to halfway down her palm, "That way is dangerous if you're not careful."

She also looked to the newcomer. "Hello again."

Her eyes widened as she looked at Lu's scar. "Y'ffre, you're not joking."

She looked back to Xarineau with a polite smile. "Thank you for lending us your help, yet again."

Xarineau pulled his robes aside to show a scar himself, puckered and rippling down the side of his ribcage. "Is this a competition?" He joked with a small smirk. "Help you with what? Saving your souls? Nonsense."

Lu did not look impressed. "Not a competition, no. We were giving each other tips on how to better our skills. Perhaps you have some as well, sir."

"I know very well what you're doing. I was joking, my dear Lucrezia. This scar is from my own experience with a unicorn.." he tossed a clump of braids over his shoulder. "And although I appreciate the respect, I am by no means a "sir". Just call me Xarineau. Perhaps.." he wet his lips and looked over the water. "What kind of tips? Weapons, magic, moral..?"

She tried to conceal a smile to Xarineau's joke, though her face became a bit more serious to Lu's words. She nodded in agreement with Lu.

Her eyes flicked to Lu at Xarineau's question then back to the male. "Whatever you think would better our chances against the beast. And of course, if you have anything specific in mind Lu." She bowed her head a little to Lu, as though asking her to chime in.

"The only sound advice I can give you, is not to use magic. You can't kill a dragon with fire," he suggested.

"Well the only magic I know are healing spells. And one lightening shock spell, but that's it. So not using magic on the beast won't be too hard for me. We were just going to try and flank it, using our bows, the arrows dipped in some poison and if it gets close, then we have our blades. We'll probably coat them with poison as well. It sounds like a pretty good plan to me. What do you think?"

"Poisoned arrows are good. Perhaps a poison the depletes magica or speed, I would not even use the notions of blades, though, if I were you. Try to stay as far from the beast as you can. If it sees you, shoot shoot shoot and run. Do not fight it head on. I tried that, and as you saw, I had a brush with death. They always charge for the belly or ribs, so don't worry over your head, guard your torso. Flanking is the only option. Confuse it if it sees you, have a plan of how to split up and where to hide. It doesn't have the sense of smell like many of Hircine's beasts, thank the gods. If you're out of sight you're safe."

She nodded, listening to the two. "Perhaps it would be wise to devise some sort of escape plan, should things stop going our way." She thought a moment, narrowing her eyes and looking to the ground. Her gaze flicked to Lu. "Lu, you have the telestone, or, you will have the telestone, aye? It should allow you to teleport a few feet in distance without using a large amount of your magicka? Please correct me if I'm wrong. But I do think, if for whatever reason we both need to get out of there as quickly as possible, it would benefit is to run in opposite directions. Then we can teleport into a hiding place- a nearby bush, a tree, anything. You can use the telestone and I have my shadow magic. If we do it at similar times it should be enough to confuse the beast and get it to leave us be..."

She continued to think aloud, "Better yet... That may even work as a form of attack. Teleportation, that is. If we both attack long-range then quickly teleport to another place around the beast and attack again... it should confuse it, no? Just a thought... Hopefully one that wouldn't get us killed."

Lu was brainstorming as well but stopped to listen to Elsy's plan, "Yes, I do have the telestone." she reached into her pocket and pulled it out to show her. "I keep it on me, always. I've made sure not to use any magicka for a few days so I'll have enough to send me there and back. Now I'm really glad I haven't used any since I'll be taking you there and back too. And I imagine we'll be traveling a ways to hunt down this unicorn so my magicka should build up pretty well during that time. But yes, you're right, it should only use a little for short distances. I like the idea of teleporting to a hiding place to confuse it. I think we should consider using the teleportation as an attack as a last resort or if we seem to have greatly weakened it." she was silent for a few moments, thinking of all the possibilities. "I like it. I think this could work."

"I didn't think about that," Xarineau said. "I think it's a fantastic idea if things take a turn. I do hope they never do, though," he leaned against the rockwall and went back to his silence.

She listened to what the two had to say then nodded, "Alright then, we've got what seems to be a fairly well-thought out escape plan and a last resort sort of attack. How do you suggest we begin the fight, or what would be our starting strategy?" She looked to the two of them. "As Xarineau mentioned, we'd want to remain undetected as long as possible. Though as soon as we attack, it's obviously going to know where we are."

"Not if your first strike is a lethal one," he arched a brow.

"Of course we'd like the first shot to be lethal but we need a back up plan in case it's not. I think it's best to take our time with our first shot, make sure it has a good amount of poison to slow it down in case it doesn't kill it right away. It will know our locations then so we'll need to teleport to a hiding spot and try again. I can probably use the telestone a few times before I'll need to save my magicka for the trip back. If it's not dead by then, I'll use the telestone once more for a surprise close up attack and back to a hiding spot, hopefully before it sees me."

She looked to Elsy then to Xarineau.

"Sounds like a sound plan," he dipped his head, glazing over what she'd said in his mind.

She nodded once, "Perfect." She smiled, "Suddenly I'm very glad we worked on ranged attacks."

"You should be. I still think any attacks close to the beast are a bad move, but if you trust in yourself over how fast that thing can really turn around.. suit yourself."

Lu looked over to Xarineau and smirked, "Aww does this mean you actually care what happens to us? That's sweet." she joked and then looked more serious. "Well, we're going to save close combat for last. I hope we don't have to use it but if we do, then it's safe to at least have a plan for it. I'm more experienced in close combat with blades so it will more likely be me that does this. I'm pretty fast and very observant. Hopefully that's enough to keep me alive." She started picking up her things, putting them back in her bag. "Anything else we should know or practice on?"

"Perhaps by then the unicorn will be slow enough for you to use the telestone to teleport successfully onto its back? Or something close to it. Maybe this wouldn't be possible at all, but if you could stay on it's back it wouldn't be able to... well... impale you. And if you could attack quickly enough it wouldn't get the chance to use magic or anything of the sort before its dead. You'd certainly want some magicka left though, so if it starts to go wrong you can teleport away," she offered her thoughts aloud again.

She shook her head. "Nothing I can think of..."

He scoffed, but couldn't help a smell smile. "Alijham loves you. I can't see him bawling."

He tapped his lip. "That sounds fine to me. I don't think there's anything else I know about the beast."

"So since Ali loves us, then you care? Wow...no that actually is nice of you. Thanks for all of your help." she gave him a small smile before turning to Elsy to listen to more of her plan.

"That does sound better than giving it a target to aim at. I'll try that Elsy. Maybe if it doesn't move too fast then I can actually get that to work in our favor." She tried to think more about it, how she could accomplish this without getting hurt or draining her magicka but then thought it was better not to stress over it. "I think now we need to rest up. Tomorrow is going to be a very long stressful day." If the other two didn't object, she'd lead the way back towards town by either climbing up the cliff or letting Elsy use her shadow magic again. Lu was still convinced to save up her magicka, like she was hoarding it...scared to use even a little bit before their big day.

Xarineau couldn't tell if she was being serious or sarcastic, so he just dipped his head.

"Aye. It'll pay well to rest, and rest a lot. Eat good food, and bring some with you. Good luck."

"Alright. Aye, I'd say so. I pray things go well."

She nodded in agreement with Xarineau then motioned to the two to follow her. "There's a little path back this way that will be easier than climbing up. It's a longer way around, but won't take as much energy. Or magicka." She started to make her way east up the beach and turned off, climbing up a dirt path that lead from the beach, up an incline to a hill, and eventually through a part of the forest before wrapping back around to Vulkwasten.

Xarineau followed her, a few feet behind.

Lu was grateful for the long path back. She didn't mind the walk, it gave her a lot of time to plan and just overall mentally prepare herself for the task ahead. She was nervous and scared, she hadn't been involved in something like this for some time. She was quiet the whole way back and she gratefully took Ali's earlier offer for her to stay in his clinic. She claimed one of the hammocks, put her things underneath it and laid down to rest. It didn't take her long to fall asleep. The day had worn her out.

Xarineau went back up to the brewery, right under the clinic. He picked up his book and opened where be left off. He found he couldn't read, though; he couldn't stop thinking about Alijham. He nestled himself into his own hammock, twirling his beaded braids around his fingertips, thinking.

Elsy led them back, feeling tired herself, though her nerves were getting to her and her thoughts would make it difficult to sleep. She decided to sit in the tavern as the others made their way upstairs, and write some of her thoughts down on loose papers. A part of her was busy fretting over the next day, another trying to keep writing coherent thoughts and push down the idea that she may not be returning in good health, or at all, and the last part of her kept looking up now and again, hoping to catch sight of Ali so she may say goodnight and possibly even bother him for a potion to calm her nerves.

What she didn't know was that Ali was creeping up behind her, a silly smirk on his face. He reached out to poke two fingers into her sides.

She let out a yelp and nearly jumped out of her seat. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts and writing she didn't even hear him. She let out a breath and shook her head at him, a smile growing on her face. "You're the worst."

"And yoooou're.." he tapped her nose with his index finger "..the cutest! How'd it go? Do you have a plan?"

She couldn't help her grin. "Stop that." She motioned for him to sit beside her. "Aye, I'd say we do. We'll be using your telestone

She couldn't help her grin. "Stop that." She motioned for him to sit beside her. "Aye, I'd say we do. We'll be trying for a precise long-ranged attack. If that doesn't kill it right away, Lu will be using your telestone to teleport a few feet and I'll be using my shadow magic to do the same. With any luck it will confuse the beast and we'll be able to end it."

"Sounds fantastic," he grinned back. "I assume Father gave some good advice. You'll do just fine."

She nodded, "He did. And thank you, I hope so. My nerves are sort of getting the better of me."

"Don't hope," he took her hands. "know.[\i]" he smiled, blinking lovingly at her.

She gave his hands a gentle squeeze and offered him an appreciative smile. "Thank you, truly. This would be entirely unthinkable without your help or Xarineau's help."

He beamed back. "Of course. You need it, and you want it, so you'll have it."

She grinned. "You're entirely too sweet." She looked down at their hands. "I should try to get to sleep. I suppose I need the rest." She looked back up to him. "I'd hate to trouble you but could I bother you for something to help me sleep?"

"Aye, some sleep would do you very good. A lot of it." He slipped a finger under her chin and smiled. "Of course, you can always bother me for anything. I actually think I keep some in my pack, if I hadn't used it.." He slung satchel from his shoulder and pulled out a bottle. He handed it to her. "Nope, had some left."

She nodded then smiled sweetly to him. "Thank you." She took the bottle, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. She then uncorked it and peered in at the contents. The liquid swirled around as she gave the bottle a little swishing motion. She let out a little breath then drank some of the contents. It wasn't the best tasting thing in the world. Once she had finished her gulp she handed it back to him.

"I think we should both get some sleep."

He tucked it back into his satchel and gave her a kiss back. "I agree. I'll be a little while, though, I still have papers to rustle with."

She nodded. "Alright. If it's alright I'm going to try to go and rest. You don't mind if I take a hammock in the clinic, do you?" She took his hands.

"Of course you can," he gave her hands a squeeze and kissed them. "Lu is in one, too, so be mindful of that. I'll be sleeping at home tonight."

She nodded. "Alright. Give the little ones a hug for me." She kissed him then stood. "Have a good night, Ali." She placed another kiss on his forehead before turning to head up to the clinic.

Lu would sleep through the whole night, possibly even snoring a little, but hopefully not loud enough to disturb Elsy. She would finally wake just before the sun was up, tip-toeing around the clinic to go over the things in her bag and double checking all of her supplies. She would be sitting at Ali's desk, chewing on some homemade spicy jerky from a small brown bag.

Elsy would sleep in the nearby hammock, the potion making her fall asleep quickly and heavily. She wouldn't even hear Lu's snoring. She would wake a bit after Lu due to the potion's strength, and would quietly hop down from the hammock.

Elsy smiled to Lu as she walked around the clinic to see her. "Good morning." She began to twist her hair into a braid, still a little drowsy. Her eyes flicked to her own pack, scanning to see what else she still needed to collect and throw into it.

Alijham gave her a kiss back and rode home on his horse. He spent the entire night up writing poems and replying to mail, Wyndhenir and Ylir fast asleep behind him.

Lu smiled, "Good morning!" She held out the bag of beef jerky. "Hungry?" There was also come fruit and berries on the desk that she was snacking on, apparently her breakfast for the morning. "I was just making sure I have everything I need."

She dipped her head in a grateful nod and smiled appreciatively, "Thank you, I was actually just about to go looking for something." She took a few bits of jerky and gnawed on them. "I suppose I should begin to do the same. Ali gave me something to help me sleep last night, I think it worked a bit too well."

She finished off her jerky and crouched over her pack, looking through it and repacking a few items. She then walked over to one of the shelves and took a roll of gauze and a small vial of disinfectant. She returned to her pack and tucked them away. "Is there anything else we need...?" she asked aloud, partly to herself and partly to Lu.

Wyndhenir scuttled in and held out a small bag of potions. "Morning. Pa sent me to give you these, he's having a very busy morning. He said to tell you good luck, and that he loves both of you very, very much."

"Nice try," Alijham chuckled, opening the latch to the clinic and climbing inside. "But nothing can keep me from saying goodbye myself. You both give me a big hug, then you can go."

She grinned at the sight of Wyndhenir then chuckled as she looked over to see Ali making his way up, in spite of Wyndhenir's words. She knelt in front of the little one and accepted the bag. "Thank you." She held her arms out to him for a hug. "I'm glad you're here to see us out."

Lu smiled at the young bosmer and pat his head, "Thank you Wyndy." She shook her head at Elsy. "I don't think I need anything else right now. It looks like we have all we need. Make sure you eat enough breakfast before we leave."

She would stand there with Wyndy while Ali and Elsy said their goodbye's and good luck's. She gave them as much time as they needed, talking to Wyndy and assuring him that they would be OK and return soon. She would then give Ali a friendly hug. "We'll be fine, don't worry about us."

"Good luck," Wyndhenir said, sitting down at Ali's desk.

Alijham returned the hug to Lu. "I have the utmost faith in you." He then turned to Elsy, taking her into his arms and sucking in a big breath. "Be careful. I love you."

She nodded to Lu, "Aye, will do."

Elsy then returned Ali's embrace with a tight hug. "I will be careful. I love you too." She gave him a soft smile and kissed him.

Then she turned to gather her things, tucking away the little bag of potions into her own pack. She slung her pack around her shoulder after attaching her quiver and bow to her back. Looking down at herself, she made sure once more she hadn't forgotten anything, then her gaze flitted to Lu. "I'm ready when you are."

He returned the kiss, rocking on his heel. He was obviously nervous.

Lu took another last check of her bag and made sure her armor fit nice and snug. She took out the telestone, holding it in one hand and then reached to take Elsy's hand. She gave Ali a little smile. "We'll be back before you know it." she glanced to Elsy. "I'm ready" she would then close her eyes and think of the last time she was in Glenumbra. She was close by a swamp but never went near it. She passed it going through a field of tall grass, near a forest. She pictured that place and that was their destination. She would use up nearly half her magicka to get them both there. When she'd open her eyes, she'd be in that field. Feeling a little drained, she'd take a moment to recover from the trip. Then she'd point to the trees nearby. "The swamp is that way. If it's in there, the tracks should be easy to spot and follow...hopefully."

Alijahm watched them poof away with a small sigh, sitting down beside of Wyndhenir. He pulled him into his lap and got to work on more poetry, his son reading over it.

She took Lu's hand, her eyes lingering on Ali. She gave him a smile, trying her best to hide the anxiety in it. Elsy squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly they were in Glenumbra. She blinked a few times, her vision whirling momentarily before she managed to get her bearings. She looked to Lu, "Are you alright after that?" Her attention turned to where Lu pointed and she nodded, "Alright." She looked back to Lu, "We can wait here until you're ready. Take your time."

She looked a little pale, just proof enough to show that she didn't use the telestone often for long distances. "I just need a few minutes." she held up her hand for a moment and then took a few breathes to get the color to come back in her cheeks.

She looked back to where she had pointed and stood up straighter. "I'm ready." She would give Elsy a few minutes and then head into the forest. She found a few tracks that looked like horse tracks but larger. She decided to follow them since they seemed fresh and pointed them out to Elsy.

She nodded, "Of course." She made sure she was ready herself and that all of her belongings had made it through the teleport alright.

She looked back to the forest. "Alright, let's go." She would follow Lu into the forest, watching the forest floor carefully, also catching the tracks. She spoke quietly. "Let's stick to the brush and foliage and keep low. Just in case. I don't want it to catch us off guard." She bowed her head to indicate she would follow Lu's lead.

OOC

((I'm SO SO SO sorry! lol I'm having a tooth pulled Wed, so I may be out for a few days again *rages out* Ok, enough rambling. Thank you both for being so patient :) ))

Lu also checked her bag and weapons. Good, everything was there. There had been a few times when she ad left something behind the first few times she used the telestone and it reminded her as to why some of her friends, like John Wolf, didn't like 'portal hopping'. "Good, looks like everything is in order." she said in a low voice. She couldn't hear or see any sign of the beast nearby but she didn't want to give it a chance to hear or see them either. She crouched as low as she could, against the woods where she could more easily blend into the shadows and forest. She walked at a slower pace in some places, to avoid making any noise or to take her time to duck under or climb over something.

The would walk a good distance into the forest. It would start to get more humid and the air would seem thicker. The ground under them would become more squishy to walk on, meaning they were getting closer to swamps. Suddenluy Lu stopped. She heard something. It sounded like a large animal breathing heavily a few feet from them. It sounded like it come from the other side of the brush where Elsy was. Lu looked around and spotted a tree above Elsy with a very sturdy looking branch that she could easily get to is she needed to get away quickly. She waved to Elsy, pointed at the brush behind her, then pointed up at the branch on the tree above her. She hoped she understood.

No problem! ^-^))

She followed closely behind Lu, also sticking low to the ground. She noted they were considerable closer to a swamp by the squishing of the dirt beneath her feet. Her eyes flicked about and she listened quietly, on edge. Suddenly, she too heard the breathing. Elsy watched Lu's motions and nodded, looking up at the branch. She figured she could teleport up there in a pinch, if needed.

She continued very quietly and very slowly towards the breathing sound, slipping into the brush where she would be relatively well concealed. She peaked out from the brush, her breathing shallow as not to make any detectable noises. She would watch whatever may be on the other side of the brush and wait for Lu before making any sort of movements.

What was on the other side was barely able to be seen, black as it was, craning its majestic neck up to pick from a branch heavy with fat berries. It brayed on soft purrs, cuffed hooves nipping the mud. The unicorn was a peaceful beast. It stood six feet high, muscles rippling through its fur.

Lu stood as still as possible. She even held her breath while Elsy moved to look on the other side. Once she saw Elsy peeking over and the beast did not move, Lu followed along, taking a few steps forward to take a look herself. She almost gasped at the magnificent creature. It was really was different than she had imagined, like an extremely muscled up giant horse!

She quickly went back around the brush. They were entirely too close to the beast to attack now. She glanced around the swampy area. There were a few trees, some tall grass and wild overgrown bushes to hide behind but once the unicorn spotted them, they needed a better and higher spot to get away from the raging beast. She spotted a few trees around them, almost in a circle that had branches high enough to be out of the unicorn's reach. Though, some of the branches didn't look too sturdy so they would have to not linger on them too long. She whispered the plan to Elsy: to find a spot on the ground first to get good aim, take a shot, then teleport to a high branch, hoping that will be a long enough distraction to ready another arrow and shoot, then repeat the process until the beast is dead. She hoped it would be just that easy.

The unicorn trotted slowly in their direction, a delicate ruffle of its lips. Its eyelashes flurried around its depthy amber eyes. It craned up to pick from another branch.

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the creature. This would certainly be a difficult fight. She softly let go of a breath, trying to calm her nerves and yet not alert the beast. She froze as it trotted slightly closer to them.

She nodded to Lu as she whispered, Elsy's movements carefully quiet. It sounded like a good plan. She began to retreat back further into the brush, in the opposite direction of the beast, as soundlessly as possible. Lu was right, if they planned on attacking first and ground level they were far too close to the beast to do so. They needed to be as far away as range would allow.

She would stay low in the brush and position herself further away from the beast, about as far as she could accurately shoot her arrow. She kept her weapons sheathed and remained quiet, waiting for Lu to get into position herself.

The creature seemed to already know they were there, but he was not bothered by them in the least. He seemed curious, actually, flaring big black nostrils and rapping his mane. He whinnied and trotted closer.

Lu also moved away from the beast slowly and went in the opposite direction that Elsy went. She wasn't sure yet if the beast had seen or heard them but she still wasn't giving it a chance to charge at them or run away. She had her hands on her bow, in case it decided to move.

She headed to some trees that were a bit close together and hid behind them, traveling to a tall thick bush that was in a deeper area of the swamp. Her boots were now covered in the mess but thankfully, Ali's armor held up to water and swamp pretty well. She took out a few arrows, and her bottle of poison, then coated the tips of the arrows with the liquid. She then made sure the telestone was still secured on the bracelet she had made for it, so that it would be easy to put in the palm of her hand when she needed to use it. She gave herself a moment to to breathe and then readied an arrow. She got nearly inside the bush she was hiding behind so she could aim. She tried to get a good shot of the beast's neck. Then...she let the arrow go to it's intended target.

The beast stepped aside casually, as if he didn't know the arrow was intended for him. His lips vibrated in a small whine, throwing his head up and strolling towards them closer.

Lu's eyes got wide and she held onto the telestone, thinking of the high branch of the tree far across from her. She concentrated only on that branch and in a moment, the unicorn would fine itself charging at just the empty bush.

She re-appeared on the branch of a tree several feet away, behind the beast. She nearly lost her balance but managed to sit on the branch and ready another arrow while Elsy took a shot.

Elsy quickly poisoned her own arrow and took a quick aim. A breath in and she pulled the bowstring back. She waited a few moments until Lu had fired, holding her breath. The beast was certainly gorgeous, and she wished they didn't have to kill it. She saw the flick of Lu's arrow releasing, then slowly let out her breath, releasing the bowstring at the same time. She uttered a quiet prayer on her breath out, watching her arrow sail towards the beast momentarily.

Elsy held her palm up, glancing up in the trees briefly, ready to cast the teleportation spell if her arrow hit. She returned her attention to the beast but did not yet teleport to the branch. She waited to see if the arrow hit.

The unicorn took a few more steps, tail flickering. Elsynia's arrow caught in the hair dangling from the end. He purred, not noticing it.

The unicorn was a magnificent creature and it was a real shame to have to try and kill it. Lu just kept reminding herself that it was a beast of Hircine and that it would try to kill her, if given the chance. Still, it was hard to watch the arrows flying towards it.

She seemed to hold her breath as Elsy took a shot and cursed under her breath when it missed. She knew they both were better shots than this and the beast was huge! She rethought her plan. Maybe it could hear the arrows better than most animals and that gave it more time to move. Lu took a chance and teleported closer. She found herself just about 5 feet away from the beast, on a branch in a tree near the animal. The branch was lower than she liked but she hoped to get out ow the way before the beast would notice her. She was only a foot above the unicorn. She hoped that it wasn't flexible or strong enough to lift its upper body on the tree to reach her, or worse, strong enough to knock down the branch she was on. She decided not to worry about that for now. She aimed another arrow, closing her left eye while she targeted the beast and steadied herself against the tree. She took a shot and then waited to see if she finally got a hit this time.

The arrow hit the back of the unicorn, but it did not pierce its hide. It simply bounced off. The beast didn't even seem to notice, purring and jerking his head, mane flittering.

She sat on the branch, completely confused. How could the arrow not penetrate the skin? Ali's dad didn't mention anything like that!

She looked for Elsy, to see if she possibly had another plan. She would wait to see if the other bosmer would try her luck again at shooting an arrow at the beast.

The beast was oblivious and Elsy was slowly becoming frustrated as the arrows missed and bounced off its hide. This was the only thing between her and salvation. She looked to Lu hesitantly, wondering if she had any plans.

Then she thought of something herself. She hoped it would work. Her eyes flicked up to ensure she had a clear getaway path. Then, she focused on the beast, drawing a dagger. She gripped the handle and threw it as hard as she could possibly manage, in the direction of the beast. Her aim was off and the dagger would certainly miss. Her sole purpose behind the throw always to get the blade moving as fast as possible through the air. Then, she raised a hand, concentrating on the dagger, and flicked her wrist. It vanished, and suddenly again reappeared, this time hurdling straight for the unicorn's neck - a teleportation spell used a little differently. She uttered a small prayer and kept her hand raised, ready to teleport away if needed.

The dagger went smack into the side of the unicorn's neck. He didn't get, though, just wiggled his head. It didn't seem to be deep; just barely holding in his skin. He puzzledly rubbed against a tree.

Lu's jaw dropped. She was so impressed with Elsy's dagger throwing technique and then the show of magic with it...all to have it not take the beast down! What was going on here?! She was getting pissed. She looked around, trying to think. she had not expected this at all. They had not planned for this! Then it came to her.

"Screw it, it's all or nothing." she said to herself. She put up her bow and edged closer to the beast from her branch. She stood up and attempted to jump on the unicorn's back! If successful, she would hold tightly to the beast's hair in case it took off and reached for her dagger to stab the unicorn on the back.

She landed right on the unicorn's back. It turned his head and stared at her softly, ears flickering, big crystal-blue eyes blinking at her. It whinnied and rippled its back, but not enough to do anything.

The dagger stopped hard like it had hit a brick wall! What was going on here? The beast also made no sudden movement. It didn't run or jump or buck at all. It just kept doing what it was doing before, as if Lucrezia was not on it's back at all. She just sat there for a moment, stunned and at a complete loss at what to do. She wondered if Ali's father had ever even met a unicorn, much less battled one. It seemed to the bosmer that this apparent beast of Hircine was actually just a beautiful peaceful creature.

Now she felt like a jerk for trying to kill it. But....now what? She couldn't get a clear view of Elsy. So, she thought of one more idea. "Uh...Unicorn?" Yes, the insane bosmer was going to try to talk to the animal.

Suddenly, the beast let out a ferocious yelp and bucked its back legs into the air. It swung around, if she had fallen, and charged for her with the speed of a raging bull.

Her grip on the unicorn's hair had loosened while she was trying to communicate with the animal and she barely had time to react when it started freaking out.

"Great job, Lu!" she said to herself as she tried to hold on. It took only a few moments for the beast to throw her off. Lu went flying threw the air and connected with a tree. The telestone tied to her bracelet had gotten loose and went 'plop' into the shallow swamp near the tree. Lu frantically searched for it once she stopped feeling dizzy but had to stop and roll out of the way of the pointy horn that was aiming for her!

The unicorn grumbled with anger. It drew back and charged again.

Lu successfully rolled into a nearby bush and had to fight her way out of it. She stood there in front of it, watching the unicorn. It looked pissed! She tried to stay calm but her heart was racing, sweat was beginning to run down her face and she had trouble catching her breath. But yet, she stood still while the beast charged at her once more. She would wait until it was only a few feet away and she would dive back toward the tree in the swamp again to look for the telestone. She wasn't as quick as before so the unicorn had a good chance at grazing her with it's horn or even running into her with it's side. Her plan was to get the beast tangled up in the bush to by her some time to search for the telestone.

The unicorn snipped her side and rammed into the bush. It thrashed and kicked, snapping vegetation all around it.

The beast's horn managed to graze her through the armor Ali had given her, tearing both it and her flesh.She made a pained face for only a moment and then just kept going. The wound was long but not deep, she could heal it later. The torn armor was still able to cover it, helping to keep objects out of the wound until she could tend to it.

"Come on, where are you..." she searched through the swamp and kept looking over her shoulder until finally she found it! It was covered in a swampy mess but it should still work. She stood directly in front of the tree and whistled at the unicorn. Hoping to get it's attention. She would stand still if it decided to charge at her, planning to teleport up high in a nearby tree at the last moment. She hoped the beast would run head (or horn) first into the tree.

The unicorn looked over. It huffed and smacked its back hooves on the ground, charging one again.

She waited, again, until it was nearly a foot away and this time she teleported to a tree branch about 10 feet away. She was so tired and stressed out that she nearly fell right out of the tree but she managed to get a good grip and sit on the branch. She needed to rest. Those few quick moments near the beast had completely worn her out. She had really underestimated this unicorn. She would continue to just sit there unless the beast came near the tree sh was in.

She hoped Elsy would have better luck than she just had.

The unicorn looked around, but it only saw the ground. It murmured a small whinny and tromped to the body of water beside it, lying down.

Elsy's heart pounded, watching the close calls Lu had with the beast. She wondered if she should check on Lu and make sure she was alright, or if she should continue to engage the unicorn. It seemed Lu's wound wasn't serious, so she decided to keep the beast away from Lu while she rested.

She quietly removed her bow and flung it up into the tree so that it was resting on the branch above her, her getaway branch. She stayed low and snaked her way closer the the unicorn. Then, when she was ready, she unsheathed two daggers then flicked her wrist and cast a spell. She suddenly disappeared, only to reappear just above the unicorn, daggers turned downward toward's the beast's neck. She hoped to gain more force behind her daggers through her fall, and readied herself to hopefully land on its back. She would use the daggers almost as handles, gripping them and hopping they stick into the unicorn's hide and giving her some way to hang on longer.

The daggers punctured it, but only enough to draw blood and engrage it. It bucked up, back rippling.

She was nearly flung off as the beast bucked but managed to keep herself on by crouching close to the unicorn's body and keeping her legs and arms wound tightly around it.

She held on for dear life, an arm around the unicorn's neck. Her other tried to push one of the daggers further in. She needed it deeper into the beast's flesh if she hoped to use it to hold on a bit better.

It was almost past the tough hide of the beast. It bucked and yelped, thrashing.

Elsy was nearly thrown off with the thrashing. Her grip slipped and she slid backwards, towards the tail end of the beast. She caught the mane and held onto it as best she could. Beginning to become extremely frustrated with the creature and blinded slightly by rage, she cared not for the pain she might be causing it. She pulled herself back towards its neck using its mane as a grip, then wrapped her legs around the beast's neck. She ducked close to its body to keep herself from flying off, and reached up to twist the dagger and thrust it as hard as she could past the hide, praying it would pierce. The dagger was not in any vital location and would only act as a way to better hold onto the beast - or perhaps as a weak point.

The unicorn's body ripped, and it wailed out in pain. It started to shake its head from side to side vigorously, running through the nearest clump of brambles.

She lost her grip as she felt the dagger pierce the beast, the tossing and thrashing throwing her to the unicorn's back end. She reached out, trying to claw for any sort of grasp at the unicorn's mane, but her attempt was in vain. A jutting stretch of branch and vine caught around her ankle and she was pulled off the beast entirely, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

She uttered a few curses under her breath and quickly shot into an upright sitting position, trying to untangle herself from the foliage. One of her daggers laid someplace in the brush, the other was stuck into the unicorn. She couldn't cut herself free. Her hands trembled, and she worked to try to free herself before the unicorn could rear back and charge in her direction.

The unicorn stopped thrashing. It stopped moving all together for a moment, before slowly turning to her. It tilted its head down and gave her a nudge with its nose, whinnying.

Lucrezia had her bow out again when she saw Elsy in trouble. She was aiming for one of the unicorn's eyes, hoping to blind or hurt it long enough to free her friend and get to a safe distance away from the beast.

But then she lowered it. It was whining. Whining!

She was utterly confused and it showed on her face. She put up her bow and climbed down from the tree, stepping slowly and cautiously toward Elsy and the beast. She hand her hands resting on the hilts of her daggers, just in case.

She blinked, surprised by the unicorn's sudden change in demeanor. She freed her ankle from the brush, her movements slow and cautious, and her eyes not leaving the beast. She just stared at the unicorn. Elsy felt guilty but this was very much something that she needed to do. She hesitantly held a hand out to it, her other posed and ready to teleport away if needed.

She heard Lu approaching but was too afraid to remove her eyes from the beast.

The unicorn pressed its nose to Elsy's hand and rubbed its head back and fourth briefly, ears bouncing. It continued to nudge her, as if asking her to get up. It clomped its hooves in the dirt behind it.

She hesitantly stood, a hand still positioned to teleport away if needed. She watched the beast.

As soon as she stood, the beast ripped its head away from her hands, lowered its horn, and charged for her stomach with the speed and force of a raging bull.

She didn't know what else she expected. She rolled to the side and flicked a wrist to teleport away, though was a few seconds too slow. The horn clipped her side, tearing a sizable gash through the armor and into her flesh. She yelped as she apparated away, reappearing in a tree's lower branches a few feet away. She had originally planned to grab onto the branch and stabilize herself, but the pain shooting up her side left her unprepared and she tumbled out of the tree, hitting the swamp floor with a soft thud.

Lu was only about a foot away when Elsy stood and then the beast suddenly charged at her. She screamed in shock and worry as she saw the beast's horn tear into Elsy's side! She jumped back and out of the way as she rolled and then teleported to safety.

Lu got out one of her thinner blades hidden in her boot. It was sharp and hilt heavy, perfect for throwing. She held it back behind her head and tossed it, flicking her wrist as she did so. She was aiming for the beast's right eye and put her entire body into the force o the throw, hoping she would do enough damage to buy them some time.

She then ran as fast as she could to where Elsy fell. She would slide across the swamp and kneel down to help her up, careful to lift her from the side that was not hurt. She'd try to put Elsy's arm around her own neck and shoulder and get the telestone from her pocket to teleport them to big tree with a lot of bushed around it, to hide them for the beast. She would try to slowly and carefully set Elsy down on the ground, leaning against the tree so she could look at her wound.

"Are you in a lot of pain? Want to try a healing potion?"

She nodded a yes to both questions. She was breathing hard and wincing from the wound and the fall. "I'm such a sodding idiot," she muttered, clutching her side. "I don't know what else I expected from it after driving a dagger into its neck." She tried to sit up, but thought better of it as the pain shot up her torso, and submitted to leaning her back against the tree.

The dagger sunk itself into the unicorn's brow. It thrashed and bucket, looking around for them while wailing in pain.

"At least you weren't trying to talk to it like it would talk back." she said while searching for some bottles in her small pack on her hip.

She handed Elsy two bottles. "This is for pain. This is the healing potion Ali gave us. You're probably going to feel dizzy right after so try to stay still for a few minutes." she said in a near-whisper, trying not to alert the beast. She peeked around the tree, seeing it trashing around. "I have rope with me. Maybe we can somehow catch it's legs in the rope, to bound them...to keep it from running." she was running out of ideas but the thought of keeping the wild beast in one spot for even a short while might help them kill the damn thing.

Without another word, she stood up and ran as fast as she could to the tree where she hid her back pack, trying to save as much magicka as she could for their trip back or...gods forbid...worse injuries that would need magic.

The unicorn calmed after a few moments and stood tall, searching the trees above it.

She shook her head, also keeping her voice low, "I would have done the same thing." She took the bottles and nodded. "Thank you, Lu." Elsy uncorked a bottle and downed it. "Be extremely careful. Don't trust it," she said once she had finished the bottle, as Lu explained her plan and ran for her pack.

She downed the second bottle and slowly sat up, watching Lu carefully. Elsy was on edge, and would likely jump in if she saw Lu in danger, in spite of her wound. She just wanted the beast to die.

The unicorn had spotted Lucrezia, and was silently watching her. It made no sound.

She reached into her bag that she hid in a bush. She noticed the beast watching her. She moved slow, trying not to alert it with any sudden movements. She located the rope and got it out. It was a thick strong rope. She made a lasso and made sure the knot was very tight, just like she was taught how to tie ropes while sailing when she was a young girl.

Now she needed to make a move. She would have preferred to try and hook the animal's back legs but she didn't see a way to get behind it now. It was staring right at her, waiting to charge, daring her to move. She needed to get it running, it was the only way to possibly hook it's legs with the rope. She picked up a few sticks and rocks that had gathered at the tree she was standing by. She had the telestone in her hand, just in case. She tossed a rock at the beast's head. Then another...and another...then a stick...and another rock...

"Hey! Come and get me you ugly, horned, pitiful excuse for a horse!" she tried taunting it, because, well...she liked to piss things off.

The unicorn winced with every small blow, but standing its ground, huffing and puffing.

She sighed. The dang animal wasn't going to fall for it this time. She decided to take another approach. She stepped closer to it, swinging the rope slowly and then a little faster. She started to circle the beast slowly. Then, she swung the other end of the rope toward it, like a whip. She hoped that it would pop the unicorn a bit painfully and cause it to either run out of the way or even towards her, so she could try to get it's legs in the lasso.

The unicorn simply twitched and huffed, staring up at her with omnipotent hatred.

"Come at me you stupid animal!" she screamed at the stubborn beast. She was getting highly frustrated.

She threw another rock, aiming between the beast's eyes. Then she pick up the rope, right below where she tied it an started to swing it around, above her head and then toss it towards the unicorn, aiming the lasso at it's horn. She didn't really have a plan if she was successful at getting the rope around it's horn.

The lasso flung around half of its head. It still stood there, staring at her, but it began to huff heavily and try to knock the rope off.

She pulled at the rope, trying to get it to tighten around the beast's head. It pulled against her while trying to knock the rope off and she then quickly went around the nearby tree to help pull the rope back by tying it around the tree.

The unicorn bucked, but the rope slipped around its neck.

Lu pulled more, using the rope tied around the tree to keep her steady and balanced. It took nearly all the strength she had. Now she just needed to tied the rope to keep the unicorn there but she was hesitant to move and risk losing her grip on the rope.

The unicorn tilted its chin down to try and nip at the rope, but it couldn't reach it. It began to dance around, running backwards to pull her down from her position.

The unicorn yanked and yanked, staring her down. A low rumble began in the back of its throat.

She pulled harder on the rope but kept being pulled back toward the tree it was tied around. She decided to try and tie the rope into a knot around the tree, hoping to trap i there until they came up with a new plan.

It huffed and just layed down, tired of pulling, and stared at her.

She stopped pulling on the rope once she felt like the knot was tight enough. She looked back at the unicorn and then to the spot where Elsy rested. She called out to her. "Any ideas?"

The unicorn looked between Elsynia and Lucrezia, thinking.

She moved from her resting place, working her way to where Lu had the unicorn tied. She tried to think past the pain in her side. "Well... I'm not sure. We need to blind it, I'd say." Her eyes flitted cautiously between the beast and Lu.

It almost looked as if it was listening, and it knew exactly what they were saying. It stayed its ground and observed.

Lu would help Elsy walk or just stand if she needed her too. Both bosmer seemed worn out from the battle with the beast. Lu's wound had opened up more from the struggling and running around, she was starting to bleed out a little more. She ignored it for now. They had the beast trapped...it was nearly over.

"Right...blind it." she reached for one of her daggers and pulled it out. She held it up, beside her head like she was about to strike. But she paused...hesitated. "This is going to sound crazy but I feel bad for it."

The unicorn layed down and stared up at them quizzically. Its tail whapped the dirt and brush.

Elsy placed an arm on Lu to help steady herself, nodding a thank you. Once she was able to stand on her own she looked over the beast. Her gaze flicked to Lu as she raised her blade, then Elsy furrowed a brow when Lu paused. "You know..." she sighed, "I do too... The damn thing nearly impaled me, but I still feel bad for it. It's as though it's hopelessly oblivious to what's we're trying to do."

She looked back to the beast. "But it needs to be done, doesn't it?"

Lu thought for a moment. "Does it?" She asked back. "Maybe...maybe we can somehow summon Hircine and show that we at least trapped it and..." the more she talked, the crazier it all sounded. "No...you're right. This thing has been trying to kill us all day too. And it's a Beast of Hircine, not some innocent little pony guar."

She took a deep breath and held it. She raised her dagger in the air again and took out her other one, holding it out in front of her in case the beast decided to move. the rope was tight around the tree and there wasn't much room for it to move. She ran forward and aimed for it's eyes. She closed her own eyes at the last second...

With a whinney, the unicorn reared back, but it was no use. The dagger plunged itself into one of its eyes. It thrashed and howled, screeching like an impaled dolphin.

"I wish there was another way... but I do think this is our only chance..."

She held her own breath as Lu's dagger met the beast, closing her eyes. She flinched to the sounds the unicorn made and dared to open her eyes. She felt awful, but it needed to be done. She reminded herself that in doing this, in blinding the beast, she was making this a safer fight for both Lu and herself. Her hand rested over her side and she looked to the beast.

It still thrashed, trying to rip away from the rope. It screeched and bounded around.

The horrible sounds it made...She had never heard anything like it. She wanted to stop. She didn't want to hurt it anymore but she had to. It was the whole reason they were out here. She just kept telling herself that it was Hircine's fault. Hircine was making her do this.

But that wasn't entirely true either. She had wanted the damned curse. She even begged Lucian for the horrible curse. So it was her fault. To fix her stupid mistake, she had to hurt this majestic animal.

Shaking and looking like she wanted to cry, she aimed her dagger at the other eye of the bound beast.

It cried out again, an ear-splitting, glass-shattering cry as it's second eye was blinded. Birds flew from the trees and crocodiles decided to go their seperate ways away from the unicorn. It jumped and thrashed so much it fell flat on to its back, squirming and mewling.

She cringed again to the noises it made, taking a cautionary step back at its thrashing. She said to Lu, "Thank you for doing that, that... well, certainly wasn't easy..." She looked over to Lu, brow furrowed, her stomach churning.

"S-should... we end it's suffering now? If it will let us," she asked quietly, her tone of voice almost reverent towards the beast in pain. Her question was partly to Lu and partly to the unicorn.

The unicorn paused is thrashing, as if it heard her, and quieted except for painful whines. It stared up at them with its now dead eyes.

((^ Oh god, that image. A sad, partly raging, partly distressed unicorn with black fur and dead eyes, dripping and all bloody... NIGHTMARES.))

(( xD that's the idea, heh

(( They're NEVER going to forget this...or forgive themselves! OMG the feels!))

Tears started for form and she held them back, refusing to cry during this mission...this awful horrible mission to save their damned souls from the wretched Hircine!

"Y-yes...we shouldn't let it suffer anymore." She looked at the beast...the poor blinded beast. She wasn't sure not how to kill it. The fur was so thick and she didn't want to make the death slow or more painful. She reached into her pockets and pulled out two full bottles of poison. "I wonder if this will do the trick. She handed them to Elsy to examine them and give her own suggestions.

(( FEELS FEELS FEELS

Its breathing calmed a little, head twitching from the pain, watching them like a hawk.

Lu held one of the bottles of poison after handing the second to Elsy.

"I'm not sure how to go about killing it. It's hide is tough...I think it was take a greatsword to get through it. It would take multiples times for us to kill it with our daggers. Should we find a way to get these poisons in it's blood to stop it's heart?"

((AHHH IM SORRY. I forgot.))

She took it, nodding solemnly. "I think that's the most painless way, aye. I doubt it would let us pour it into it's maw. One of us should hold its head while the other administers the poison. I don't want any more... accidents..."

((It's fine! I forgot who's turn it was and was bored and wanted to post! XD ))

Lu nodded and looked at the beast. Damn it all...it looked pitiful and they were about to kill it. The only thing Lu could do was keep telling herself that it was the best thing for it...putting it out of it's misery.

The misery you caused.

She shook her head, removing the thought from her mind. Lu decided to be the one to hold the animal since Elsy was more badly injured. She walked as slowly and quietly toward it as possibly and, trying to avoid it's deadly horn, she leaped on it's head and tried to use all of her body weight to hold it's head back and still.

The unicorn rippled and thrashed, but much weaker than before. It mewled quietly.

She approached the unicorn, trying hard not to think about what was happening - to instead think that her and Lu both needed this. It needed to be done. She slowly approached the beast, watching carefully and moving with some hesitation. Elsy uncorked the vial and waited until it seemed Lu had it well enough under control.

Then she poured the poison into its wounds. Her expression was stony and she tried not to look at what she was doing.

The unicorn hissed out oblongly, trembling, and started to open and clamp its jaw shut. Its teeth chattered, wheezing.

She took a step back, staring at the ground. She didn't want to see the beast. She didn't even want to hear the noises. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted salvation, though a part of her wondered if she should have done this; it wasn't fair for her to take this life for her own gain.

Elsy wasn't sure if it was the wound in her side, the smell of the poison, or the terrible sounds coming from the beast, but she felt sick. The color drained from her face and she swayed a little in weakness. She was losing any endurance and alertness she had left.

She looked away while Elsy poured the poison on the woulds. She tried to keep a good grip on the beats while the poison went through. She could feel it getting weaker but she didn't dare let go of it's head. She worried it may still try to impale one of them.

She stared back down at the ground, hoping that it would be over quickly.

The unicorn's head went limp, but it was still breathing shallowly. It manage to mewl quietly, body trembling.

Lu's grip on the beast started to loosen. She was tired and getting weaker by the second. She was worried for her friend too, who was going pale. This needed to end. Why wouldn't it just end?

She wondered what would happen once the beast finally took it's last breath. Would it disappear? Would they feel something, so kind of freedom within themselves? Would Hircine speak? Or show up? She hoped he wouldn't show up...he was terrifying.

The beasts shallow breathings and the horrible sound it was making was threatening to break Lu. Finally...she couldn't take it anymore. This needed to end now. Without another word, she pulled out her dagger and let go of the beast's head. She coated her blade in the last bottle of poison they had and then knelt near the beast's head. She took a deep breath and held it. Then, stabbed it again in the right eye, only this time she tried to push it as deep as it would go, hoping that it would be the fatal wound to finally end it's suffering and free the two bosmer from this near-deadly mission.

The unicorn howled in agony and went limp. It took its last wheezing gasp and fell dead. Then, it began to deteriorate into what almost appeared to be butterflies or small moths. The particles glew yellow and floated up into the air, leaving nothing left of it. Out of the particles formed a face first, covered by a mask of a buck's skull, and a body following. The hips-down of the man were a buck's legs themselves, rippling muscular arms drawing up to slowly salute the two women. Then, he disappeared.

She squeezed her eyes shut to the whimpering sounds it made, though she flinched as it started to howl. She looked up at the beast, wondering why it had suddenly grown louder, to see Lu driving her dagger into the unicorn's head. Her eyes widened as it decayed into a cloud of moths. She froze as the moths became particles, and she gulped when she saw the particles reveal what she assumed to be Hircine.

She trembled and fell to her knees, holding a hand over her wound. "I think I'm going to be sick..." she groaned quietly.

Lu watched it die, sad for the beast but also glad that it would no longer be suffering. She gave Elsy an apologetic look for just stabbing it without any warning. Then...it seemed to turn to a cloud of tiny winged bugs which then turned into the image of a half man and half animal...or at least that's what it looked like to Lucrezia.

"Wow." she said, just stunned. She was then snapped back to the sound of Elsy's voice. "Oh no!" she dropped her dagger and hurried over. She would look through her bag and pull out another bottle that Ali had given them. "Take some of this. It should help you feel better enough to make the trip back." she would give her a minute, in case she got sick. Then she'd hand her the bottle. It was up to her to try it or not. Lu would then dig in her pocket for the telestone.

She nodded and downed the bottle. "T-thank you..." She placed her head in her hands, trying to force the sickness to be gone, then looked back to Lu once she had collected herself again. She rose slowly, swaying a little. The events of the day and the things she saw had clearly shaken her up, and the wound in her side was not helping.

"Do you have enough magicka to get us back...?" she asked tiredly.

They both looked tire, pale...completely worn out. But Elsy's wound was bad and Lu had been trying to save up as much magika as possible to get them both back. She was pretty sure she'd done a good job but doing more running than teleporting during the fight. She hoped it was enough.

"Yes." she said, trying to sound confident. "Don't worry about that, We'll get you back." She would help Elsy to her feet and keep her steady if she needed, and would cup the telestone in her hand while thinking of Vulkwasten. She specifically thought of Ali's Clinic.

And in the next moment, they were gone. The had left that horrible swamp and ended up in Vulwasten...only Lu didn't have enough magika to get them to the clinic. The two bosmer appeared right outside of town. "Dammit!" Lu was getting frustrated. She was completely drained of magika now, meaning if Ali needed help healing, she was completely useless to him. The good news was that they had at least appeared on the road to Vulkwasten. Lu would keep her grip on Elsy, knowing she was probably getting weaker by the second and helped her up the steep hill to the tavern. When they got there, she'd call out for someone to help them...hoping Ali or his father or someone was around.

A tall, slim figure popped over to them. "Hiya," he cooed. "What do y--ooh. She's bleeeeeeding." Reliza pulled down his hood, thick plum lashes fluttering. "W-Where is she hurt?"

Lucrezia looked relieved when she saw someone at the clinic. Though, she was disappointed that it was a healer or guard. She'd only seen Reliza a few times in Bandaari and though she'd never spoke to him, she knew he was a companion there. She wondered if he could help somehow.

"Thank the gods, look, she was impaled on her side..." both bosmer looked like hell run over twice; muddy, scratched up, bruised and smelling like they'd had a party in a swamp, both bleeding from their sides, but Elsy's looked much worse. "but I don't have any magika to heal her. Have you seen Alijham?" she looked around the tavern.

"No, I haven't. I think he's taking goods to Donny. Lemme see her wound," he wet his lips, pressing his hands to the hem of her shirt. "I can do doe thing about it, I-I think."

She leaned heavily on Lu. Her loss of blood combined with their use of the telestone made her vision blur. She felt dizzy, like the ground was spinning beneath her. She heard a voice, one not entirely familiar, and saw about three of the same man standing before her. She couldn't focus enough to merge them into one, but what she could see of the face was unfamiliar.

She heard them talking, though it sounded as though they were voices at the end of a tunnel. She clutched Lu and let her talk for her, trusting she could handle the both of them. Elsy wanted to close her eyes, but every time she did all she could see was the awful scene of the unicorn, eyes gauged out, making terrible, haunting noises. She didn't even react when the man pressed his hands to her shirt.

Reliza lifted it softly and touched his fingertips to the wound, as well as her head. Lite spirals of glimmering, almost string-like substance came from them and into her. Her wound began to lace itself back together slowly.

She felt a strange sensation as the mer touched her wound. Her vision slowly began to right itself again, and she was able to see more clearly. He still wasn't familiar to her, but she had heard his voice before.

She could feel her bleeding slowing, but she was still suffering from loss of blood. Thankfully it seemed she wouldn't bleed out. She still felt very weak and on the verge of passing out, her body trembling. Elsy clung to Lu still.

Lu let Reliza help since there wasn't anything she could do to help Elsy. She watched the bit of restoration magic and was relieved when she saw the wound healing up. She would reach for a chair that was close by and carefully guide Elsy to lean on it or sit, whichever hurt less. Lu ran behind the bar, grabbing some rags , a cup and a pitcher of water. First, she would pour the Treethane a cup of water to drink and help hold it up for her while she took a sip.

"That's all shut," he said about the wound. "So, umn.. well, it looks like she's already bled a lot," he rubbed the back of his neck. "She needs water, yeah. I think. And probably some kind of healing potion."

"I...I gave her a healing potion right before we got here but we used the telestone so maybe that wiped her out more....I d-don't have anymore on me." She was still holding up the cup and decided to speak for Elsy, not letting her stress herself.

"Well, I'm sure cu--Ali had something up here that will do some good." He scuttled over and plucked a bottle, reading the label. "This should work." He handed it out to her.

Lu would put down the cup of water once Elsy had enough to give her a bit more strength ad color back to her face. She waited for Reliza to return with the potion and would help her drink that as well if she needed the help.

"Thank you. I'm afraid I don't know your name. I'm Lucrezia...Lu."

She nodded a thank you to the both of them, then leaned back in her seat once she had finished the potion. She let her head fall back and she closed her eyes, her arms around her stomach. Elsy was better but still sore and needed rest. She listened quietly to their conversation.

"Reliza," he stated his name quickly as he re-inspected his work. "I don't really know how this works, but o think she should be okay. Unless she bled a whole lot. And if she did, than I think she just rest." Reliza yet out a yip as ten or so of his mice jumped out of his sleeves and went to lay down all over Elsy. "I, uhh.. hope you don't mind them?" He smiled awkwardly.

Lu looked over Elsy. She looked tired but otherwise OK. "Some rest would do her good. Then when Ali gets back he can check on- AHHH!" Lu jumped back, startled at all the mice. "Y-you're that mice mer! I remember you now!" she shook her head and stepped closer again. She felt a little embarrassed for screaming but who expects ten mice to run out of a dunmer's clothing?

"Sorry...didn't expect that. Elsy, do you want to rest here a bit more or try to make it to the clinic?"

"I think the clinic would be good," Reliza snickered, amused by her reaction."She could get some sleep there, and when Ali returns.. y'know. They can catch up and he can fix her up more."

She would have been a little more alarmed if she was in better shape. She felt scampering along her limbs and peaked her eyes open. She squirmed a little, but then paid no mind to the mice as they settled. They were no threat to her, and she was so tired she just wanted to sleep.

"I... I'd prefer to make it to the clinic, so that I can sleep there. But I don't want to be too much trouble. You both have already done enough."

"It's okay. Want to help me carry her?" He arched a brow to Lu.

Normally Lu would have just swooped Elsy right off her feet...Ha! If only Ali could hear her say that...but Lu also had an injury and didn't want to risk dropping Vulkwasten's Treethane because she hurt herself even more. So she nodded.

"Thanks." The two mer would carry Elsy up to the higher levels of the building and find a way to get her up the ladders wouldn't harming her or stressing her out.

Reliza gestured to the hammocks and went to lay her down. "Do you think you'll just be okay getting some rest?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Lu sighed, "She should be...she has to be. My magika is completely drained. I can't heal her for possibly hours." She frowned, feeling useless. "She'll be fine. Ali knows this trip was dangerous. He won't be gone long."

"Alright. I guess I'll.. stick around and watch her for a little whisk, until she's asleep. "Geak and Nils will stay with her." All of the mice with the exception of two climbed back on to Reliza's shoulders.

She smiled appreciatively to the two. "Thank you." She closed her eyes, not paying attention to the mice much. "If either of you need anything, p-please stay as long as you need. Lu... y-you should probably rest too."

Suddenly Lu started to realize just how tired she was. The fight had taken a lot out of her and she needed to rest. She didn't even bother to change or even clean her wound. She just walked to the nearest hammock and carefully got on it to rest. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Reliza smiled timidly and and sat down in front of the hammocks. "I-I'll stick around for a little bit. I'll go when you're both plenty asleep and okay."