After Last Night

Alijham woke before daylight, as he always did. He kissed Elsynia's head, gathering his things from his satchel at the Kragenmoor inn's bedside. He pulled out his telestone and readied himself for the sting of it. It always took half the damn life out of him, as it's power was based on the magica pool of the user. Alijham, quite obviously, had the magica of a guar.

When he arrived back in Vulkwasten, all was very still and very quiet. The jungle birds peeped sleepy songs in their trees. He climbed up the ladder to the clinic, his chest burning with anxiety. He pulled the items from his satchel and tip-toed over to the hammocks. To his surprise, the person he was looking for was already awake, with bloodshot eyes and unkempt hair. Reliza was puffing on his hookah woozily.

"Where did you go?" The dunmer asked.

"I.. got you something," Alijham replied. "Elsynia and I did."

Reliza snorted. "You had to be out all night to get it? Must be important, let me see."

Alijham held out the three crumpled papers slowly. Reliza looked puzzled at first, expecting something more than just paper. He picked the one off the top and unfolded it. The dark elf's mouth turned to a sort of scoop, half-held open, jaw drawn back. His fingers trembled.

On the first piece of paper was a crude drawing of four dunmer: three girls and one boy. They were all children. The smallest was a girl with white hair and white eyes, the next, a girl with red hair and red eyes. The last two were a girl and a boy with both red hair and white eyes. All of the children shared the same onyx skin. On the bottom was a very neat Tribunal crest, obviously drawn by someone with a steadier hand.

Reliza had started to cry, trying not to mangle the paper, but holding it very tightly. He dropped the hookah. "Ali.. Ali, where.. where did you g-get this?" He choked.

"Right where you told me I would. It was behind a stone in one of the walls."

"You went to Stonefalls? Why? Why did you do that, did you break into Pa's farm? Why did you do that!?"

"I think you need to be more in touch with your past, rather than just pushing it away and pretending it didn't happen."

"Did you break into Pa's farm?" He asked again.

Alijham tapped the second piece of paper.

Reliza pulled it out. It was a writ of purchase. Knowing he was a very poor reader, Alijham read the most important part for him. "Sold by Ermaine Sedrasi to Nihil Draven on the 26th of Evening Star, 3E 582."

"Nihil Draven.. that's my Ma's brother, my uncle. He looked desperately at the piece of paper, as if he was reading it. That's just a couple months ago."

"I guess he didn't lose the farm then, did he? He hung on for a few more years, and sold it to your uncle. Wanted to keep it in the family."

"Ali," Reliza looked back up. "Why did you do this?"

"I told you why. I want you to accept and be more in touch with your past, rather than pushing it away."

Reliza smacked his lips. His eyelids said anger and confusion, but his eyes said 'thank you'. He pulled out the third piece of paper. There was a big, fat "WANTED" at the head of it. In the center was a very skilled drawing of a young, beautiful dunmer, one with charcoal skin, opal eyes, and berry hair. He didn't look the same as he did now, but still very much recogizable. "Reliza Sedrasi," it continued, "for the murder of Nuvian Dres and Mynil Hlaalu. Alive, with a reward of five-hundred thousand gold."

Reliza could read just enough of it to understand what it was. He sprung up and flattened himself against the back wall, his voice morphing into a mousy yelp. "Five-hundred.. five.. that's..! Ali p-please--"

Alijham reached out and wrapped his arms warmly around the skinny dark elf. "I'm not going to turn you in, Reliza. You're already far out of that place, and I already knew."

"You knew?" Reliza's voice quieted even further, draping his arms over Alijham's shoulders.

"You told me one night when you were up here piss drunk. You also told me way more about your relationship with my father than I ever needed to know." He took Reliza's chin in his thumb and index finger, pulling it to look at him. "You told me what Dres does to traitors, too. No amount of money would ever drive me to let them do something like that to you. That mer.. Nuvian.. he ruined you. I would have stabbed him, too. Believe me, I would have, and way sooner than you did."

Reliza blinked back more tears. He pulled Alijham's fingers away from his chin and buried his face in the wood elf's neck, shaking his head.

"You're tough, kid. Real tough."

"No I'm not."

Alijham grabbed his shoulders and gave the flimsy elf a good shake. "You learned how to live on the street when you were just a child, Reliza. Don't try to tell me you're not tough."

"Y-You did, too! You were younger than me!"

"But I chose to leave. You didn't, you had to."

Reliza looked down. He sighed. Alijham let go of him, giving his cheek a soft pat. "You deserve to be at peace with this," the wood elf said. "You need to be."

"Thanks," Reliza replied quietly. "No one's really gone that far for me before."

"That's because they can't see who you really are, under all that.. you know. All those walls you put up."

Reliza knew he was right, but he just looked away. "I'm going back to sleep," he whispered. "Thanks," he said again.

Alijham let out a soft breath. "Aye. Hide that poster good."