[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #171818; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #171818 solid; border-bottom: 10px #171818 solid;] I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to Fly {WORDS } 1103 {TAGGED } Riften plot crowd! {WEARING} Fur armor It was hard to believe they had finally done it. Shifting lightly in her saddle to ease the slight cramp in her thigh from the long travel, Elmira transferred her reins to her left hand and gave her faithful mare a hearty pat on the shoulder. It seemed like she had been on the roads for ages now on her quest to find the Blades. It was almost funny that now she had found them, the road didn’t seem so endless. Now they actually had a purpose too. Not only that, but she had three other people – Bretons of all species – that had decided to join her in her quest. Or at least two, Elmira didn’t deny that she had perhaps used an…’under the table’ way of ensuring that Viess had joined their cause. She couldn’t feel guilty about that though, even if she tried. After all, she had allowed them to be part of a bigger cause, one that would be a worthwhile tale to tell their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. If no dragonborn rose to combat the dragon forces that had shown themselves recently, the only thing that stood between their civilizations and destruction was those that had the guts to stand in the way. If they lived through it, it would be a worthy tale to have told around many hearths and campfires for centuries to come. How could anyone turn their noses at such a chance? With Riften now within their sights though, Elmira turned her thoughts on another topic. Wiping her hand on her thigh, she raised her fingers to her lips and sent off a low whistle to call her wandering wolf to her. With crowds as a possibility – as they had planned to stop in Riften for a few supplies and a meal actually cooked by someone else – Elmira had no doubt that some would be hostile to any wolf they found roaming around, even if a n ice wolf in this region was something unique. Most didn’t care, just became aggressive at the first sign of a problem arising. And though they didn’t care, she’d had the wolf since he was a pup, if they harmed or killed him, she wouldn’t be happy about it. Finally Elmira gently pulled back on the reins until her mare had stopped her stride. Twisting around slightly, Elmira glanced from her female companion – also on horseback – to their male companion that had fallen back a little bit. Shifting in her saddle once more, Elmira shrugged a shoulder. “Guess I’ll walk a bit.” she mentioned softly. In reality, she shouldn’t feel bad that he had fallen just a bit behind, since she had encouraged him to ride a horse, but still. She was sure he could always use something to talk about. Kicking her foot out of her stirrup, Elmira loosely held her saddle horn and swung off to land with her right leg on the ground. Amazing how stiff you could become even when used to traveling atop a horse for so long. At that moment, her wolf bounded up to the group, causing Elmira to stoop to pat his silvery back. With a quick duck under Esper’s neck, Elmira stretched her leg muscles and waited another few seconds for their companion to catch up. With a hand under her chin, Elmira sent him a little smile, “I did say you should bring a horse.”, she said lightly, a near – teasing quality in her voice. Her second comment was cut off from her thoughts, though, when she was startled by a noise that split the air. Freezing in place, Elmira’s eyes jumped to the sky even as she pressed closer to her nervous mare, who had thrown her head up and was now prancing around. Thoughts went back to the last encounter she’d had with a dragon. And though she had killed it – with the great help of a dead giant and his mammoths – Elmira could still feel the fear that she had felt back then when she had realized just what it was. Blue eyes skittered around the skies to try and see if she could see anything. Thoughts of teasing Cole for his disregard for her advice were forgotten when she finally saw it assaulting something near the edge of Riften. “Oh Talos.”, she muttered out. “That’s a dragon!” The whinny of her mare was one of terror. Elmira attempted to calm her dappled mare while she felt the tug on her arm with her nervous mare dancing on the end. They were Blades now…weren’t they! Or they had found them! They couldn’t run from a dragon now. “We have to help!” Without a second thought, Elmira flipped her reins back around the neck of her mare, grabbed a fistful of mane and swung quickly onto the back of her mare. Once there, she quickly thrust her feet into the stirrups. As soon as she had settled herself into the saddle, Elmira twisted her reins to get her mare to turn to the side and thrust her hand down toward her grounded companion. She didn’t care if he had a problem with horses or not. He’d never get there in time on foot, and they would need all the help they could get. Quickly taking her foot out from the stirrup he would need, she urged him once more. “Climb on, we’ll make faster time!” Despite the difficulty, Elmira kept a firm hand on her mare to keep her in check, even as Esper’s eyes rolled back to show the whites in terror, tearing up the snow and ground around them with her hooves. And in the distance was the roar of the dragon that had suddenly shown itself and the shouts of the townspeople. {NOTES} Feel free to post in whatever order! The dragon is near Riften, though not inside

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by Kelly Clarkson

Tagged : Rift group | Words : 1127 | Notes : This version of Cole is my favorite. It's not even a close competition.

Cole could not believe how desperate he could possibly be to find conversation if he was attempting to hold a mumbled exchange with a wolf that hadn’t once looked at him since leaving Riverwood. The Brton wasn’t sure if he should be proud that the wolf seemed to think him an annoyance or if he should think himself the least interesting conversationalist in Tamriel if even a silent animal with no ability to judge the merit of Cole’s worlds wouldn’t listen to him. Regardless, he continued his quiet ramblings, watching the two women up ahead, riding atop their living death traps. ”See if we need to ride anything that has the ability to make its own decisions that weighs four times as much as I do,” Cole was telling the utterly disinterested wolf. ”Or…eight times as much as you weigh. But then, you probably would eat the whole horse and weigh that much if Elmira wasn’t looking, wouldn’t you? The same way you would eat me if she wasn’t watching. I know what you’re waiting for. You want them to get so far ahead that they’re out of sight and you can start chewing on my legs.” Cole stumbled a bit over a rock and ceased his speaking long enough to look sour about the near-incident – damn the Rift, it was such a messy-looking place. ”Well, sorry. You can chew on the thieves in Riften when we get there, but you won’t be touching me.” At the soundness of his own argument, Cole gave the wolf a smug look. Still, the animal didn’t seem to care, only concerned about Elmira and Veissalyn up ahead. Cole squinted and rubbed at his eyes, tired of the trip. He was glad Riften wasn’t too far away now. The women looked so…comfortable…on those dangerous beasts that they were riding on. He was never going to admit, though, that he was anything other than comfortable walking along on his own two feet; his point about not riding anything that had its own brain was proven if the women thought he was just fine.

Apparently, the two were planning on giving him a heart attack, because as soon as Cole’s eyes returned to the ground for him to make sure he didn’t do any more stumbling, a whistle rang out that nearly had him slipping again. Mumbling near-words under his breath, he recovered to see that Elmira was apparently calling her uninteresting friend up to where she was. Cole eyed the creature as it left its wanderings to go to her and flicked a wrist at it. ”Fine, go. You weren’t interesting to speak with anyway.”

Elmira was apparently planning to grace him with a newfound ability not to travel everywhere on horseback, and from the short distance he’d fallen behind he eyed her and her greeting to the wolf, thinking that if he hadn’t been so tired from walking that he would have probably have some sort of sarcastic comment for her. Instead, he straightened his back and tried to seem as if he was having the most pleasant stroll ever known to the land of Skyrim. He tried to seal the deal with a proud, dramatic grin once he reached the blond Nord, though he was pretty sure that if she was attentive, she would notice that he looked as if he would love to lie down in the middle of the trail down to Riften. ”Ride…” He gestured at the horse. ”…that, when I can experience Skyrim under my own power? Never! You insult me.” Of course, she didn’t really insult him because she was absolutely right, but Cole would never let her know that fact. He continued on with his attempting to seem full of energy. His swaying probably wasn’t helping with the faca-

Any clever thoughts Cole was having completely ceased when a call ran through the air. Typically, a call wouldn’t have every one of his muscles tensing up, but this particular one made him feel as if every daedraspawn in Skyrim was bearing down on him from above. The sound was so unlike anything that he’d ever heard, though, that Cole didn’t feel inclined to reach to his belt for the crossbow that waited for him there. He didn’t even know where to look for the sound – it seemed to surround them, boxing them in. Cole only raised a stiff eyebrow and glanced at his two companions, and only once Elmira voiced his fear of what the sound could be coming from did his mind clear. There was a dragon…up ahead of them.

Cole just glared at it. By the Eight, or the Nine, or whoever, they would actually have a dragon show up the moment they all agreed to do what they could to help Delphine with her Blade issues – issues that, obviously, dealt with dragons. Under normal circumstances, Cole could be sure he would have gone in the complete other direction from the dragon. Or…he could think that would be his reaction. He’d never actually been in such a situation. But as Elmira exclaimed that they had to do something to help whoever the dragon was currently ripping to pieces, Cole decided he agreed with her.

That decision didn’t make his legs start moving to carry him towards the dragon, but at least he felt better to know that his mind would let him make a heroic choice, even if his body was going to pay the price for it.

Numbly, he continued to watch the scene unfold ahead, not even noticing Elmira hopping atop her horse again until the hand stretched before him and he realized that she was telling him to get on the horse. ”No,” came Cole’s thoughtless response, as he looked at her hand, her face, the horse underneath her, and the dragon up ahead in rapid succession. Damn…no…he didn’t need to hold them up and he also didn’t want the two of them going on ahead for the dragon without him to…do…something to help them… But…it was a horse. Cole didn’t ride horses. They…could kill him just as easily as the dragon could. He felt the stress boiling and sweat make it to his brow as he went through the sights again, his eyes eventually ending on the horse before he swallowed hard and took Elmira’s hand, hoping her strength was enough to get him up, because he sure didn’t know anything about riding…riding….

Actually, it was best he not think that he was riding on a horse. The dragon. He would focus on the dragon, since it was clearly a less fearsome foe as it blew fire across a swath of grass in the distance. Cole gripped Elmira’s hand as if it was his last claim to life.

to be posted tomorrow because my elbow decided now would be a great time to lock up
if someone else wants to reply first go ahead i'll just catch up k

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #171818; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #171818 solid; border-bottom: 10px #171818 solid;] I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to Fly {WORDS } 816 {TAGGED } Cole{WEARING} Fur armor Having dismounted her mare, Elmira fell into place beside Cole and told him that he should have ridden a horse in as subtle a way as she thought she could. Not only would it be a benefit to his feet - which she was sure weren't used to quite this much traveling - but it would have allowed them to make better time if he had in fact obtained a horse to ride on. While she realized just getting a horse wasn't as easy as it sounded, she was sure they could have managed to get him one - but he had refused adamantly. Continuing to stroke the silvery back of her wolf, Elmira eyed the change that went on in her companion, as he now seemed as if he was ready to chase the wind and do so with happiness. With a quirked eyebrow, Elmira studied him intently, taking in the fatigue in his eyes and the way he held his body. Stiff. He was stiff, and what could she say on that subject? Elmira would be stiff if she decided to walk miles on end as well. "I haven't insulted you yet.", she pointed out dryly. "But I will soon if you don't get yourself some sort of creature to ride around on to get places faster." Always attempting humor that normally fell flat, Elmira gave her wolf one final pat. "An ice troll might suit you better though." Their conversation, however, was cut short when the sound ripped through the air. Elmira had heard that same sound before, and carried the bones to prove it. While terror gripped her, she kept a steady body and clear mind. This was why she was attempting to find the Blades - they would know better how to deal with the dragons that were popping up in Skyrim. Until then, however, she had to do her part as if she were a member of the faction, which meant doing something not many would want to or were prepared to. It might mean laying down her life in service to those that couldn't fight, but if that was the case, Elmira would do so with honor. Managing to mount her nervous mare, Elmira's hand came down toward Cole while she urged him to take it and mount behind her. (I...laughed, I can't lie) When he refused, her gaze hardened and all of the niceness left her features. "Don't argue with me. Get on the damn horse, Cole!" Finally feeling his hand clasp hers, Elmira grunted while she put her entire body into dragging him up behind her - hoping that he had enough sense to at least boost himself to give her a bit of a hand. With her muscles tensing and using the momentum of Esper as she swung her hindquarters around, Elmira hauled Cole up and deposited him behind her. "Hold on," she shouted back in passing, giving him only a moment to do so before she tapped her heels against the belly of the mare that only needed the slightest amount of encouragement to leap forward quickly. Elmira bent forward over the neck of her mare while she surged ahead, eying their foe ahead as they raced forward. This one was going to be much more of a challenge than the last she faced, which had been weakened considerably by giants and mammoths. She hoped that the guards in Riften would be able to assist them in this, or else they really might not live through it. The closer they got, the more anxiety she felt, until she reined her mare in - her hooves skidding in the dirt with the quick stop - and watched as it flew through the sky near them. "You want off or do you want to stay on Esper with me?", she asked quickly to give him the choice, noticing out of the corner of her eye that guards were pouring out of the Riften gate to assist them. {NOTES} I enjoy writing horse parts of posts way too much.

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by Kelly Clarkson

Tagged : Elmira | Words : 846 | Notes : Not a thing!

Cole well knew that the quip would come from Elmira and scrunched up his face in preparation for looking unpleasant about it. Actually, he likely looked unpleasant because he felt as if a wagon had run over him as they had traveled on the road, a likely result of having nothing to do to occupy himself now that he didn't have to be wary of Elmira's wolf or try to hold conversation with it. And Elmira clearly had to remind him that he'd walked the whole way to Riften on foot, most likely just to make his aches and pains even more evident to him. She couldn't exactly say that he hadn't tried to secure transportation. Cole had absolutely no issues in riding in a horse-drawn carriage, because riding in a wooden seat that wouldn't randomly run away off a rock ledge without him having a chance to jump off did not sound like a bad idea. Apparently, his idea hadn't been good enough for Elmira or this quiet friend of hers, so clearly, Elmira was to blame for Cole's walking so far. He could give her trouble right back. "A troll? I'd need to ride you, then." Smug pride crossed his face at his clearly brilliant insult for a split second before he started to realize what he'd just said, and his eyes immediately shot back to the Nord. He choked over his words. "Not that I'd...ride...you...or think you look like- I mean, I would- ahhhh." Cole immediately became interested in a tree in the distance. Given Elmira's propensity towards odd reactions, he hoped she wouldn't catch onto the double meaning behind anything he'd just said. He doubted she wouldn't.

Somehow, Cole had bigger problems to deal with than his awkward addition to their conversation. He figured that dragons always had that sort of effect on circumstances. Actually, Cole didn't even feel quite as concerned about the dragon in the distance - it wasn't within range to eat him, anyway - as he was having to join Elmira on her horse as a means to move over to it and kill it. His gaze kept on moving between the now upset-looking Nord and the always upset-looking dragon in the distance as she demanded he join her on the horse. Against every single instinct in his body, he took her hand and made some token effort while she pulled on him to join her on the horse, only barely managing to hop up and try to...try to...do whatever one did to get on a horse behind another person. Their combined adrenaline seemed to will him into place, though, but once there Cole suddenly realized how awkward it would be for a few minutes, with her...butt...right...where his lower regions shouldn't have been. He tried not to look down at the small distance between them, instead going in another awkward direction - where in Oblivion did he put his hands to hold on? "I...where-"

Before he could even say anything, Elmira had urged the horse forward and produced a loud grunt of distress from Cole, who immediately slid forward into her and just...let his hands go where they would, because he had to hold on somewhere. Fortunately, when he calmed and didn't feel like he was going to fall over backwards, he found that his hands had at least only...managed to wrap around her stomach instead of other areas. But those same lower regions were not in such an innocent area. Doing everything he could to ignore their proximity and the feel of her stomach and give her anything close to a noticeable bodily reaction that would inform her that he had noticed the intimacy, desperately leaning his head back to avoid it resting on her back, as well, Cole resigned himself to the most uncomfortable couple of minutes of his life and just...tried...not to think about Nord women or his bodily processes or anything but how to fight a dragon, which honestly terrified him even if he knew he had to go in and make an attempt- actually, he shouldn't have thought about going into anything, either. The shifting movement of the horse...was...not helping...

It seemed like forever until they arrived, and Cole had every intention of getting off of this thing as soon as he could, so he didn't even waste time answering Elmira's question when the horse finally stopped. Still, he clung to her, knowing either his body would go nuts if he moved too much or he'd fall off. "No more riding...no...", he said, nervously, before all of a sudden, seeing the dragon so close and realizing where he was, he didn't actually know what he wanted to do. "Where...did you fight the last one?" He hoped and prayed to whatever Divine was listening that she would say that she had survived the last encounter on foot, or he...well...he didn't actually know what he was going to do. Die in any number of ways, probably.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #171818; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #171818 solid; border-bottom: 10px #171818 solid;] I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to Fly {WORDS } 808 {TAGGED } Cole{WEARING} Fur armor While Elmira's expression was originally full of sarcastic self righteousness, it quickly fell in favor of being flat and void of most expression at his comment about riding her. While she was innocent of sexual pairing that took place between her own species, Elmira had observed and heard plenty from other sources to understand what else that could be referring to. From the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing. Huffing lightly under her breath, Elmira quirked an eyebrow, courageously fighting the heat that was creeping up her neck and she was sure trying to enter her cheeks by making it seem like she was just annoyed instead of embarrassed. "Mmm.", was what she said to agree - adding to the awkward while attempting to do just the opposite. Of all things to say. Under her breath she muttered something about men. "You might have better results with a troll.", she finally added. Probably still not the best thing to say in that situation. Their awkwardness was quickly forgotten in favor of a being that could easily crisp them with either ice or flames and then munch on their cooked flesh to satisfy its hunger. Swinging easily onto her mare who had turned to tearing up the ground with its thrashing hooves, she stuck her hand down and started demanding that Cole get on behind her. He'd never survive on the ground where they were - so if he wanted to do that, he needed to find some cover and stay there while she ran around avoiding the attacks on Esper. The look on his face told her he wouldn't be enjoying doing just that, but thankfully he finally did take her hand and she pulled him up and onto the hindquarters of her mare, settling him roughly directly behind her. While he started to talk, Elmira was thinking neither of the awkward position they were in, nor about where he was going to put his hands. He could put his hands any damned place they helped to keep him seated on the mare while she surged forward in a show of power. It seemed like no time at all before she pulled her mare up, keeping a strong arm and hand on the reins while she flipped her mare and showed the whites in her eyes, keeping the shying mare under control. Behind her she could hear the howl of her wolf as he sprinted toward them - outdistancing them in a moment. "Storm!", she shouted to pull him up short - sure he would die if he attacked a dragon. Feeling Cole clinging to her and begging for no more riding, Elmira twisted slightly. "Cole! Pull yourself together right now.", she snapped out. She felt like her heart had entered her throat as well, but right now there was nothing to do but what they needed to. "I was on Esper.", she answered his question, trying to pull her bow from her back while he was clinging to her - a battle she was losing. Noticing a grove of trees opposite the dragon, Elmira pointed. "You can either stay astride with me, or I'll try and get you to that grove and you take your chances on the ground." While Elmira didn't want Cole to die, she also didn't have time to baby him along. Not with the dragon. Cursing sharply, Elmira noticed that the dragon had centered it's attention on them. "Hold on.", she snapped while reining her mare to the side and kicking her urgently with her heels. Esper needed no second urging, and took off like a shot angled away from the predator that was swooping down toward them. Bending over her neck again, she angled her down a ditch and jerked back to lean back against Cole when her mare started to slide down the embankment on her haunches. Cole was going to love this. {NOTES} I think every Elmira post to Cole I eventually think to myself "Poor Cole."

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by Kelly Clarkson