The Rescue (Hloriella/Lucrezia)

Lucrezia had a big day planned. She went through very careful planning for weeks to make sure everything went exactly as she wanted. Her friend, Hloriella, was restless, bored and desperately needed a distraction. Lu had planned two things for the Dunmer: to teach her how to swim and to teach her Lu's trade.

She decided the latter would be easier so she started with that first. Lu told Hlor to meet her by the ship early the next morning, after a night of drinking and joking around in the tavern. The bosmer was unfortunately a little hungover and moody. She sat by the ship, waiting for her friend. It didn't take long for Hlor to arrive and without a word, Lu set off on their mission. She lead Hlor into the woods, opposite of the way to Vulkwasten. The two mer would walk for what seemed like hours. Unless the dunmer complained a lot, Lu would be very quiet. If Hlor chose to be mouthy, she would only get a few dirty looks and a "Shh!" from her friend.

Finally, they would approach a small farm. There were a few wildlife there: chickens, guar, goats and a few larger animals in a barn out back. The entire field was fenced in. It was a small farm, but it looked like someone definitely lived there.

"There is something inside that house that doesn't belong. You need to slip inside, find it, and bring it back to me without any sign that you were there. And you have maybe half an hour before the owners get back from town."

Hloriella was indeed very mouthy the whole way, only stopping once it seemed Lu had enough shushing the dunmer. Stopping near the edge of the farm, she exhaled slowly. "Ugh, it smells like...everything here." She ran her fingers through her hair before giving her neck a good crack. Wiggling her fingers, she was ready for some thrill seeking. When she finally did speak something other then complaints, it was a eager, low tone.

"Wait, you want me to break in to steal something that doesn't belong to them? That...is that even stealing at that point? whatever, yeah sure. Sooounds easy enough. What the f--- am I looking for exactly? These people don't look like they have much of anything, other then a f--- ton of animals." She frowned, her crimson eyes darting back to her friend. Resting one hand on the moss covered ground, she seemed to be conflicted. "I can't eat any of those animals, right?"

Of course the dunmer was mouthy. Why should Lucrezia expect anything but? Lu tried to stay in decent enough spirits. She hummed to herself until that got annoying and then the sound of Hlor's voice made the bosmer roll her eyes every ten seconds, which then caused a severe headache. Her head was pounding! Why did she drink so much the night before? She was not drinking like that again for quite a while. At least six to twelve hours, she finally decided.

Lu smiled as Hlor looked over the farm.

""We'll if it doesn't belong to them, then they can't accuse you of stealing it, can they? It's something of mine. Very expensive. Once you see it, you'll know right away that it doesn't belong. But it's small so it could be anywhere." Lu rolled her eyes again while pressing her fingers up to her temples to rub in a gentle slow circular motion. She was feeling another headache coming. "Hlor, if you eat the animals then wouldn't that be a big f--- sign that someone was here?"

She simply pointed to the house in a stern way. "Go! Leave the damn animals alone!"

Pouting, the dunmer gave her a simple nod before moving to the farmhouse. Keeping low to the ground in a crouch, she tried to think about her movements, each step, each small breath. A rogue root hooked around her foot, taking her down. Face planting in the dirt, she quickly rolled back onto her feet, a master of missteps. Growling in low frustration, Hloriella didn't bother to swip the dirt off as she scampered to the gate. With all the grace of a semi drunk cat, she ducked under the old stone and bone fence. Several pieces of the fence came with her.

"Son of a...gods damn this place!" Hissing lowly, she swiped at the debris. It seemed like ages to her, but she finally made her way to the door. The whole place reeked of dust and animals dander. "Ew...ewww...gross...focus..." Dark fingers pushed the weathered door open just enough for her to slither inside. The house was a mess. Overgrowth threatened to reclaim most of the room, and a thin carpet of dust blanketed most of the room. Several locations however, were left clearly disturbed from the otherwise frozen picture before her. The room did seem used, not kept up by the least, but clearly someone had been living there.

Breathing out her mouth, the dunmer crept to first the most obvious of hiding places, an old trunk. Throwing it open, a layer of dust smacked her in the face. "Oh F---! No...nothing useful here..." Slowly, she placed the box back to it's resting state, it looked undisturbed enough. Another growl of frustration seeped from her throat as she glanced around again.

"Ugh...where would she hide it...where.." Tapping her chin, she muttered so lowly to herself she almost didn't notice the pitter patter of small hooves against the wood. She didn't notice them, in fact, at least not until a sudden noise erupted from behind her.

"BAAAAAH."

Hloriella froze in first horror, then confusion. A dirty brown goat stared with lopsided ears with a locked gaze that seemed to peer into her soul. "Uh...f---ing goat. Off with you! I'm supposed to not eat you...go. Shoo!" She placed her hand on the creatures snout and pushed it to turn around. It licked her finger, dead glossy goat eyes still locking with hers.

"Ugh...just...away!" She turned around, determined to ignore the beast. She headed to a stack of shelves, pottery and baskets lay carefully arranged. Someone's old pantry perhaps. As her red eyes searched the pockets between the nicknacks, she was suddenly headbutted to the floor. The goat had headbutted her.

There she was,moments from knocking the goat into the ground with her fist when a glimmer of light caught her eye from across the room. Something shiny, something very shiny. She turned to look at the goat, a stupid look on his face as he neigh at her once again. "No time to waste on you, horned terror." With that, she head to the far side of the room.

Standing on her toes, she could just make out the sight of something gem encrusted. A large glass jug stood between her and the prize. She glared back at the goat. "You, stay right there." She pointed at the goat. "Stay." Giving her fingers a little wiggle, her neck a fir crack, she prepared for the delicate task of not breaking the jug. Fully concentrated on her movements, she slowly moved her hands to grip the side of the glass, biting into her lip in tension.

"Baaaaaaah!"

Her eyebrow twitched, the jug jostled, but her hands planted it back firmly on the shelf. She turned to give the goat a horrid look, but was shocked to see a second goat, this time standing atop a table next to her, it's nose inches from her face. Down the dunmer went, but held firmly in her hands was the jug, not a thing broke. "I swear..." Cursing heavily under her breath, she scurried to her feet and grabbed the gem encrusted box. It had to be what she was looking for, it was just to not covered in filth not to be. Grabbing it, she placed the jug back and turned to leave. "Ha! Not a thing broken...heh..." The dunmer looked very smug as she darted back out the door and back to where Lu waited, completely oblivious to the fact that both horned goat terrors had followed her...

Lucrezia tried not to burst out laughing when Hloriella tried sneaking up to the house. The poor dunmer did about ten things wrong before even making it to the door! She was loud, too eager, not observant enough, and apparently didn't have full control over her feet at all times....she was going to need a lot of work.

The bosmer stood under a tree, arms crossed while she waited. She expected to hear crashes inside. Perhaps some bottles breaking or even a small fire. Lu thought she had seen everything and could not be surprised. The bosmer didn't know just how wrong she was.

Hloriella, finally, returned after what seemed to be ages. She was carrying the jewelry box Lu had hidden but she wasn't alone! For a moment, Lu was happy for and proud of her friend. Until she heard a gods-awful noise.

"Baaaaaaaaah!"

"What the f-" Lu turned her head and saw the horned beast behind her friend. She glared at Hlor. "I said you're not to eat any of the animals! Almalexia's spanky knickers, Hlor! Go put them back in the- HEY!" The second goat...the one she hadn't even realized was there, and Lu figured must have knew some kind of shadow magic to be able to sneak up on her, had went behind Lu and grabbed her coinpurse! Lu spun around and pulled back, "Let go you little goat bastard!"

"Baaaaaaaah!"

Hloriella growled, looking back in a startled, angry huff. "Wha-?! Oh fetcher! Hey!" She spun around and waggled her finger at Lu. "You see any dead goats? No? I didn't eat anything! Fetching things followed me!" The goat nearest her crept closer before grabbing a hold of her pant leg, giving it a firm tug.

The dunmer nearly lost it. "Get off of me you flea bitten stew! I said GET OFF!" She shook her leg, promptly loosing balance and crashing into the ground. The goat looked triumphet, a piece of fabric in his teeth, a glint in his two soulless goat eyes.

"BaaaaAAh!" The goat stomped it's hooves, moving it's snout to Hloriella's head, it's tongue probing and licking her short hair. She sighed, trying to push it away. "You stupid beast! I should cook you, gnaw on your shank!" Try as she might, the goat didn't seem phased by her yelling.

She held the box up to Lu, giving a completely unamused scowl at the second goat as it grappled with her friend. "So I got your damn box! How long do we have until they return? Maybe they can take their goats back..." She kept trying to push the goat back, but it just stood there with a stupid look on it's face, nose twitching. "If only we had ash yams. Easy to lure guars away with them, sure it would work on goats too." Standing up, she went to whipe off her leg. The goat was not pleased at being ignored. For a second time, the goat head butted the dunmer, knocking her down.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" She held up her hands, sneering when she suddenly started...laughing. The goat had begun to lick her wrapped foot, clearly finding the fabric to his taste. "No, NO Th-aaat is not food!" She tried to contain her laughter before grabbing the goat by the ears. It looked at her with those dead goat eyes, it's tongue flopping out slowly before rolling over to lick it's own snout. "Ugh...you remind me of my brother." She gave the goat a little scratch on the head, it seemed pleased.

"So...now what the f--- do we do?"

Lu couldn't help but laugh as Hlor got headbutted by the other goat. "Looks like you made a new friend!" The bosmer was really cracking up, face turning red. Her grip on the coinpurse loosened and the other mischievous goat tugged harder on the other end of it, causing the strap connected to her belt to snap. "Hey!" The snap finally got Lu's attention again and she reached for the purse but the goat had already took off, heading deep into the woods. "You little thieving bastard!"

Lucrezia caught the jewelry box and hurled it at the little horned bandit. It shattered to pieces far away from the farm animal. The bosmer either had terrible aim or only wanted to scare it. "GET BACK HERE!" Without bothering to help Hlor with her own soul-less goat, she took off after the one that was fated to terrorize her.

She wasn't sure if Hlor followed her or not, but Lu was still talking to her as if she had. "Yeah yeah, you brought back the box but you were also caught and followed by a team of furry bandits, you fell before even getting to the door and you looked very suspicious the whole time! So, one point for getting the box but you still have a lot to learn."

Lu finally stopped. She didn't hear the goat running anymore. She couldn't see him either. They were very deep in the woods now, getting close to swamp territories. She tried to pick up his scent instead. Though she was still having trouble with that so it was no help. She was about to give up until she heard it.

"Baaaaaaah!"

"Over there!" The bosmer pointed to the right of her and started moving in that direction. It only took a few more steps to see that the poor goat had fallen down a steep hill and into a swamp. He looked injured, limping. The looked up at Lu and made another goat plea for help, his ears flattened. The bosmer sighed and made her way carefully down the hill, trying not to slip and fall in like the poor animal had done. She finally reached him and first snatched the coinpurse up and out of the water. "Are you stuck? Well serves you right for taking off with my stuff. Now, be still." With Lu concentrating on the goat's possible injury, she didn't notice they had caught the attention of another animal in the area. A crocodile.

Hloriella rolled back onto her feet. She was not amused at all, dusting off the dirt as she glared at Lu, then the goat. It simply licked it's nose once again, looking clueless as ever as it chewed the cloth it stole. "Foolish beast! Be gone!" She turned to walk to Lu, covering her mouth and snickering horridly as she watched the goat run off with her coin purse. "Ha! Looks like the goat out theifed the theif!" Then Lu took off. "Hey wait, come back! Don't you leave me with this...hey!" She charged after her friend.

Her hair messed up from goat spit, a torn pant leg, dirt coating all parts of her side, hloriella looked a mess. "Yeah, well, I got the damn box, ok? And no one saw anything, so that must count for something." Her horned terror, of course, followed behind. She stopped once she saw Lu climb down the hole.

"Well look at that! Dinner and a show...can I eat it now? I mean...look at it! It's practically begging-" She snickered again as she crossed her arms, looking down at the trapped animal. Then, that noise again erupted beside her, the noise of the goat.

"BaaAAAaah!" The brown goat behind Hloriella croaked it's loud, soul shattering cry meer inches from the mer. It caused her to shake, startled. "Holy F---! Where did you? Are you following me? Look, goat, do you want to be eaten?" She grabbed it's horns and tried to turn it away. The goat just looked at her with it's intense glare. Hloriella looked right back.

The sound of a slashing tail caught her ear. Turning back to look into the pit, she spotted the cause of the disruption. A large, fat, crocodile. "Oh shit!" Ever the one to not think before leaping, Hloriella jumped onto the razor toothed creature's back, or at least attempted to. The goat, wisely, stood back, watching as Hlor missed her mark by at least a foot. Now covered in mud, she looked up over at the beast closing in on her friend. She was about to charge the creature's belly when an odd thing happened. Horns met the beast first. It was the goat that had followed her and ate her pant leg. The attack seemed to do nothing, but the croc turned it's body to assess the new meal. The goat charged again, attacking relentlessly.

"What the f---...." Hlor looked stunned.

"Hloriella, shut up!" The bosmer yelled back at the dunmer on the hill. The goat was starting to panic, it's leg was caught on something! Lu was trying to dig into the dark clouded water to find what was trapping the goat. She could feel that it was some kind of vine. She tugged at it and pulled as hard at she could. This only made the goat struggle more, causing the vine to get tighter around his leg and trapping him more. "No, please be still! You'll break your leg and I suck at mending bones! Then I'll feel like complete shit because you'll have a bum leg and I'll feel guilty enough to take you in and I have enough damn animals with the herd that Mal brought in!" Lu ranted, still trying to free the poor animal. She knew he couldn't understand her but the talking seemed to calm him down enough to be still for her. Or maybe he did understand her? He tried to chew her hair.

"Hey stop that!" She swatted at the goat. For a while, Lu ignored Hloriella's yells. "Look, don't worry, I won't let the rabid Dunmer eat you. She's just a bit testy beca- WHAT IN OBLIVION ARE YOU DOING!?!" Lu finally turned around to see a flying dunmer belly flop into the soppy ground! "Get out of there you raging lunatic!" The bosmer stood, having finally freed the goat from the vines that imprisoned him. The two just sort of stared at the commotion for a moment, in shock.

Finally, Lu snapped out of it and took off running towards the crocodile. It was a huge beast but that soul-less goat didn't seem to notice. She watched in awe as Hlor's new furry friend tried to fight the massive beast. It was Lu's intention to jump on the croc's back and stab one of it's eyes, only...she never got that far! She stopped about a foot away when the crocodile swung it's body to snap at her, aiming for her arm. The large predator was surprisingly quick! The bosmer didn't have much time to react and fell into the muddy water. The crocodile swung it's body again, this time aiming to hit her with it's tail. But before Lu could either react or get hit, the once trapped thieving goat had followed her to the dangerous foe and head-butted the bosmer out of the way!

"What the-" Lu was stunned. She had be head-butted out of danger! She watched the two goats now battle off against the dangerous swamp beast, head-butting it's side together!

Hloriella had seen a great many things in her life, but the visage before her was by far the craziest. Both goats were bashing their heads into the rough hide of the croc with full force, not a shred of fear or self preservation holding them back. She shook her head, they couldn't last long against a croc, even with two of them! Looking to Lu, she rose to her feet, trying to work something out in her head.

Her gut kept telling her to turn, to give in to the beast she was and rend the flesh from the animal. Logic, thankfully, screamed a little louder. Should she turn, she would surely end up killing the goats as well. Something else would have to be done. She grasped at her hips, no daggers. Having taken them off long before this outing, she was armed with nothing save for some poison and her fists. She looked up at Lu and gave her friend a desperate, puzzled look. She couldn't let the goats die this way, she could see it in Lu's eyes too. That sympathy.

The croc turned and contorted it's long body to snap at the two horned terrors, it's massive tail sloshing in the thick mud. In a growl, she charged forehead again, this time actually landing on the creature's neck. "Lu! Dammit help me hold this F--- down! Grab it, grab it!" Both her hands slammed into the croc's head, just behind it's yellow eyes, the croc desperately trying to fling the small dunmer from it's back. A spell was coaxed from Hloriella's lips, a simple calm creature spell, hopefully she thought, this would be enough to dissuade the hungry reptile. If the spell didn't work, the croc would attempt to roll over.

Lu hopped back up on her feet just as Hloriella charged at the great beast, jumping on it's neck! The crocodile swung it's body around wildly, trying to knock the dunmer off it's back. It's ferociously swinging body hit the two horned terrors a few times but they merely got up, shook it off and went back to charging at the massive beast! It was unbelievable! Lu couldn't understand what drove the short furred creatures to attack the much larger, more dangerous foe. It was a suicide mission!

"On it!" Lu yelled back at her friend. She spotted a pointy stick nearby, the one she thought to stab the croc with earlier, before the goat saved her life. The bosmer ran towards it, sliding a little in the swampy water. She retrieved the stick, the new weapon of choice! She only hoped it was sharp enough to do some real damage. She hauled ass over to the crocodile, running as fast as she could towards it! She leaped into the air and barely landed on the beast's tail, smacking her chin on the thick rough hide of it's back.

SMACK!

"Owww mother fu- AHHHHHH!"

The crocodile didn't wait long to try and knock off the new tiny attacker, he was now surrounded by them! The wild beast was starting to tire out, though. His swings were coming at less than full force and not as often. Lu had to hold on right away when she jumped on the beast! She dropped her rock but still had the pointy stick! "Hlor! Stab it in the eye!" she yelled out to the dunmer, waving the pointy stick at her for a few seconds before having to hold on the the crocodile again. When she had the best opportunity, Lu would toss the stick in Hlor's direction.

Not waiting to see if she caught it or not, Lu would put her head down right after, searching the swampy water for the rock. She could see it! The water here was shallow enough for her to see the exact spot where she had dropped it. When the crocodile slowed it's swinging attacks to rest a moment, Lu quickly reached down, grabbing the rock and starting to beat on the croc's back with it, hard! This would start to really piss it off, causing more forceful swings and snapping at the goats. He may possibly charge at one of them, out of anger! Lu hoped Hlor caught that stick.

Hloriella just barely caught the stick, fumbling with it before clasping it triumphantly in her hands. SHe was hardly able to hold on to the beast under her. She tried to focus her thoughts. The crocodile was not pleased with the bosmer pelting it with that rock, it seemed ready to lunge for the goats. Hissing a horrid hiss, the toothed creature snapped it's jaws towards one of the goats, it's tail swinging into the other. "Right, come er' you failed snake!" With a heavy sneer, Hloriella plunged the sharp stick dead into the croc's amber eye. It sank in deep, a red slurry of blood dripped from the wound.

"BAAAAAAAAAAH" One of the goats slid nearly under as the beast contorted and lashed in pain. It's massive tail and tubular body flailing in the mud.

"Lu grab the damn-" Suddenly the croc, withing in blind pain rolled onto it's back, sent the dunmer rider hard into the mud. She tried to scamper to her feet, but her leg was caught under the scaled back of the rolling animal. "F---! Get off me you pile of leather!" She bite into the beast's hide in desperation like an animal, punching, clawing, and yelling at it, trying anything to free her leg. It just kept up it's rolling, oblivious to Hlor's verbal and physical assaults.

Then the goats came. One tried to buck into the hide leg of the beast, it's horns rutting against the thick scaled hide with a heavy smack. It caused the croc to slow, a second and third hit landed. Hloriella couldn't believe the tenacity of the herbivores! She just watched as they tried to beat the croc into submission.

The crocodile did not like the bashes to it's back that Lu was giving it with that rock! It was getting weaker and needed to kill or run. Then it did the one thing it knew to do!

ROLL!

The bosmer was thrown off the crocodile and into the swampy water AGAIN! She was drenched in disgusting swamp water and mud. She didn't have too much time to react and was almost rolled on by the heavy crocodile! She rolled out of the way and looked in the direction of Hlor's screams. While the goats continued their focused war-like mentality of defeating their giant foe, she hurried over to Hlor's aid. "And you wanted to eat the damn goats!" she pulled on Hlor, trying to untrap her leg but it was just too stuck. She tried to assault the crocodile as well but he acted like he could hardly feel it. Then, she decided get behind Hlor, putting her arms around her waist and her legs on her sides. "When he rolls again, push back! Now!" As soon as the beast rolled, Lu used every bit of strength she had to use her legs to push forward and and ten her arms to pull Hlor back. "Again!" She would continue this method a few more times, hoping it could free her friend from becoming flatter than she already was.

"Oh shut up! I didn't, now did I?" Hloriella complained as she felt Lu pull at her. Each time the crock rolled, she kicked like a madwoman to free herself. Finally, the combined efforts were enough to pry the dunmer from her pinned state, the force of Lu pulling causing the two to fly back into the muddy wall of the hill. She was so preoccupied with cursing and kicking that she didn't notice the croc suddenly slow down. It seemed to be giving up, or dying. Hloriella did not care which of those were more true as she panted, leaning back against the mud. The sound of horn hitting hide seemed to permeate the air, the goats were still on the assault.

Still panting, she looked over at the furry heros. "Holy f---...Lu...were we just saved by sodding goats?" She ran her hand across her face, slapping the ridiculous amounts of mud off and possibly onto Lu. The crocodile seemed to sink into the mud, hardly moving much, save for the rutting of the goats. Hlor grinned a little, then a chuckle, then a full blown laugh erupted from her. She must have sounded mad as she fell backwards in hysterics. "Saved by goats! Goats!" The insanity of her own statement was too much for her, or perhaps it was the thrill of not being dead. "Please...please...don't tell anyone about this! Gods, this is, too much!" Still laughing, she didn't notice one of the goats finally stepping away from the fallen beast. It pattered it's way over to the two woman and simply stared, eerily.

"Baaaaah!"

Oh fell back into the mud with her friend when they finally managed to get her free! She was covered in mud, swamp...She was a muddy swampy mess! She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing even more mud on herself. She watched the gladiator goats continue their rampage. She smirked when Hlor started laughing. The dunmers laughing fit must have been contagious because before Lu knew it, she too was laughing so hard it brought tears to her eyes.

"We were saved by goats!" The manic laughter continued.

Then the sound of steps sloshing in the mud crept closer and when she looked up, she was face to face with her horned and bearded hero. "Thanks you little bastard. I guess I owe you some dinner, huh? Well, Mal would probably want to keep you. Come on, let's take them to the ship and get us all fed and cleaned up."

The goat seemed pleased with this plan, giving her a push with his horns and a, "Baaaaaah"