The Elder Scrolls: Tales of the Nerevarine

"If by honey ale, you mean mead, yes. We did just get a shipment in from Solstheim."

"I think I'm good."

"Alright. I'll just bring you a water then," the tall mare said with a nod. "I'll go give your order to the chef and bring out your drinks." With that she walked away, heading towards a back door.

After waitress walked away, Aldarilar turned to Chrystyna. "So, what 'kind of childhood' did you have? If that's okay if I'll ask such personal thing."

"Long story short? The kind of childhood where I was basically shut off from the rest of the world with the exception of the parts my parents deemed safe enough for their darling fragile flower of a daughter while simultaneously grooming her to become a great success by trying to give her every edge academically but forgetting that the greatest teacher is experience *Hushed tone*of which I had none until the day I became responsible for the murders of several mages.*Unhushed*"

"...That kind of childhood."

"Well...your parents had right idea...except last part. Wanna know how I live? I was leaving in orphanage near Bruma in Cyrodiil. Harsh weather, severe...nanny, I guess she can be call'd like that. It was good day if we got meal good enough, on bad days, we get eat once a day and you were lucky if it tasted not like mud. Work as soon as you strong enough. Not always physically, sometimes you are sent to Bruma or on main road and beg for coin or run errands. Forget about studying, we didn't get any education, I was lucky that I've run errands for librarian in local mage's guild. He taught me how to read and write. So when I was confident enough in my skills, *sigh* though I really didn't had any skill to survive, except punching someone in the face, I was more than eager to run away and seek any rumors of my family. So yeah, you had pretty good childhood. You shouldn't be angry with your parents for shielding you from outside world."

"I'm not mad at my parents, I love them. I don't resent them for what they did, but what they did didn't do me many favors. My life was easy. Too easy. I never worked a day in my life up till that point. I can count the number of ponies that I could have called friends on my hooves, which isn't hard considering I had one friend. My tutor was my best and only friend. Ignoring the fact he was old enough to be my grandfather my parents were paying him to teach me things. I'm sure he enjoyed it as much as I did, but that doesn't change the fact he was an employee to my parents."

"To borrow one of his metaphors, 'A blade can be made from the greatest steel in all of Tamriel, but it won't cut a baked potato if it isn't subjected to the abuse of a grindstone first.'"

"Pardon me for my next question...but if you were inexperienced mage, how did you get that summoning scroll? It's not like they lie around in guild..not in Bruma for sure. Did someone gave you it or you've just found it?"

"I found it in the basement. It was past midnight and I should have been asleep. Instead I was looking for spell tomes and books on magical theory. I found it at the bottom of a box filled with dozens of useless documents. I didn't recognize the spell, so I thought it would be a learning experience... and in hindsight it was."

"We all make mistakes...we either learn from them or condemned to repeat them."
"And learn to live with them..." He added.

"Okay, change of topic, enough about sad things. Did you ever had some fun?"

"I set the curtains on fire once," she said a little bitterly, "that was kinda fun until I got scolded."

"You should've set on fire something more fireproof....I guess. This one time I've switched salt and pepper on kitchen. Luckily for me, nanny was making some meal for herself, not for us. She liked to add 'more extra pepper' to her..and sometimes, ours meal. So she had extra salty meal that day. Everyone laughed..well, except from her..and me few minutes later, she was furious!..I couldn't sit on my rump for few days."

"I wonder if 'miss Justice' ever had fun..." Imitates her manner of speech. "I had fun once...it was awful. Justice is my only joy, child!"

"I bet she wouldn't enjoy hearing that. Ari on the other hand has more fun than almost anyone I've ever met. The exception being a mad man that was living in an alley. He was quite overjoyed to be receiving messages from daedric princes."

"Oh, I'm afraid she wouldn't just spank me for that, she will put me in a corner too." He chuckles.
"Really? Any other exciting people you've meet?"

"During my relatively short time on the streets I was really trying to avoid knowing anyone. I'd just see things."

"I bet you've seen some stuff...that you weren't ready to see."

The waitress returned, setting a glass of water in front of the altmer, and a mug of ale for the Breton.

"Thank you." Aldarilar nodded to waitress.

"Thank you."

She waits until the nord is gone before she continues, "Murder was a pretty good way to start off that list."

"I'd say you had fast start on trip 'How this world works'." He sighs. "You're free now, ever though about returning to your parents...or to another mage guild?"

"I've thought about it a lot, but I'd rather not go home just to get arrested again. As for another guild... I haven't exactly had time for one."

"Why would you be arrested again, if you were cleared from all charges by Emperor? Or High Rock have different views on this?"

"I don't know if High Rock even knew I was arrested. I could always try messaging my parents, but that will take some time."

"I say, do it. They more likely worried about you. Do they even know...you know..that you've got arrested and put in jail?"

"I imagine not. The last time I saw them I was running away."

"Then again, do it." He takes sip from glass of water. "What write to them about it's up to you, but tell them that you're alive, at least."

"I... I will."

"Have you been on the run for long?"

The waitress returned with a try balanced on her back. She carefully laid out the food for the two ponies. "There you go. You two enjoy your meal, I'll be back later with the check."

"Thank you."

Once again she waited until the waitress was out of earshot, "Not since I was arrested. Before that though... Maybe six months?"

She took a bite of one of the ribs. They were just as good as when she had them with Suleen.