A Vile Attraction

Minerva walked into the gates of the town of her birth. It had been several weeks since her last visit and things had already changed. There was rebuilding going on, much to her relief. The battle had left the city in a terrible state of disrepair, so it was good that they had finally started to re-build.

The Companions had gone on ahead, straight to Jorrvaskar, but Minerva was dragging Arya around and pointing out the different shops in the bazar and the more specialized stores from which to buy supplies needed for adventuring. "And over there is Belathor's place. Careful if you shop there, he is just a male version of Camilla. He even offered to buy my mother! Needless to say, he had a red handprint for the next week... pig..."

"The Bannered Mare is where you'll stay while in the city, it is one of the best inns in the hold, might even be the best in Skyrim. Watch out for Mikkal, though. He is on a mission to bed every woman in the country, and he doesn't understand the word no." she walked along further, pointing out things as she went. "Here's the temple, the one I was telling you about. This is where I was born." She pointed ahead of them, "Up there is Dragonsreach, the Jarl's palace. That's where we'll be going to tell Farengar off later."

She pulled her over to the right toward a building which looked sort of like an upside down ship. "And here is Jorrvaskar, the home of the Companions. This is one of the most respected places in the entire country. Everyone respects the Companions and most especially Kodlak, their Harbinger." she took a breath and licked her lips, all of the talking having dried her mouth out. "Well, are you ready? I'm sure he'll let you in. Kodlak is good at detecting talent, even if all he does is look at you...'

Arya took silent mental notes as Minerva led her around the city. Though she heeded her warning about the shopkeeper, she also warned herself not to get on his bad side. If things did work out with the Companions, she had a feeling she'd be spending a lot of time in Whiterun, which meant he would be the one giving her prices on her findings. And a happy shopkeeper usually meant more gold.

When Minerva led her to the strange-shaped that she named as Jorrvaskar, Arya suddenly felt her stomach tighten. Suddenly, the prospect of being examined for eligibility of anything lef her nervous. Who was she? She was someone who, within a few hours, had come close to being killed several times, most of the time only being rescued by the person who stood next to her at that moment. She fought with almost no regards to her own safety. Was it necessary? Did she have no other option? Or did she fight as such because of pure ignorance to any other, more superior way? She thought of what she would think if she saw herself walk into the building just now. She hadn't had a chance to examine her condition, but she was sure that she was covered in the dirt of the road, along with whatever else had accumulated in the multiple times she had fallen to the ground. Her eyes were probably distant, surrounded by dark circles, her thin face framed by tangled hair. She looked like a child overwhelmed by the world.

She shoved the thoughts out of her brain violently, as if they were vermin. Being unsure of herself definately would not help her cause.

And, after all those thoughts flitted through her mind in what was probably only a second, she simply answered, "Ready.". Though at that moment, she felt everything but. She debated taking the time to clean herself up, but she knew that if she took any more time to make her descision, she would back out because of her self-depreciation. So, she stepped forward with Minerva.

And they opened the doors into Jorrvaskar.

Minerva gave Arya a re-assuring nod as they entered and as she guided her through the mead-hall adn down to the living quarters. She always like this place, even if she didn't want to join. Walking down the corridor, she received several nods of respect and 'Hail, Mistress Minerva'. She knew that they held a small amount of respect for her, mainly because of her healing abilities, but also because she could handle herself on the battlefield and that paired with her healing is what made her a valuable ally.

She gave Arya a small side-hug as the reached the door at the end of the hall and before knocking bushed her off a bit. She knew Kodlak didn't put much stock in appearances in regards to clothing, but it never hurt. *knock knock* She paused and listened and upon hearing the gruff, yet caring voice of the Harbinger bid them entry, opened the door...

"Messere..." she said, doing a small curtsey, "I bring to you a possible Companion. She is from Cyrodiil, been riding non-stop through Falkreath and now to Whiterun. We were attacked by two groups of bandits an-"

"I see it, Minerva..." he rose and Minerva watched as he circled Arya, nodding every few paces. "I can see the reason you brought her here."

"Then you will allow her a chance? Aela saw her as well. We stumbled acros-"

"Them when they were slaying the Giant? Yes, Aela told me that you would be coming with a possible recruit. Though she didn't tell me many specifics..."


((Up to you now Take the reigns and work the magic!))

Arya forced the tension in her shoulders to release as Kodlak circled her. She rested her hands at her sides, trying to hear what the old man was muttering to himself under his breath. She resisted the urge to speak, instead letting him examine her in peace. He passed her several times, then finally stopped to meet her eyes. She found that though they were old and wise, his eyes held passion, yet also a gentleness that immediately drew her in. He smiled, the wrinkles in his worn face deepening.

"What is your name, young one?" he asked.

"Arya." she answered, smiling back at him slightly.

"And where do you hail from?"

"The Imperial City."

"You should know that our work is neutral. We do not reject jobs because of political preferences." he said in a warning voice.

Arya smiled slightly.

"I have no allegiences to anyone but myself at the moment."

"Good. You're not as close minded as most." he said, studying her for a moment more. "You have my approval for joining our ranks, Arya."

She started. So soon? He had barely known her for a few minutes, let alone see her fight.

"But...you haven't seen me in combat yet." she said, clearly confused.

He chuckled lightly. She had apparently said something amusing.

"I have no need to. Skill can be taught. Inner strength, however, is something that cannot be given or learned. And that's something I can see you have plenty of." he settled down in a chair, leaning back as if he were tired. "The others, however, do not share my views as strongly. They will want to see you in combat before they will begin to respect you. Vilkas should be willing to spar you in the training yard. Your friend here can direct you to him." he said, smiling at Minerva.

"Thank you, Harbinger." Arya said, bowing her head.

"Of course. Now go show them what you're made of." he said, winking.

Arya turned and exited the room, Minerva close behind.

"Does he really always choose recruits just by looking at them?" she asked when they were down the hall a bit.

Minerva giggled along with Kodlak when Arya expressed her confusion on being admitted by only looks and gave another small curtsey as she left behind Arya, beaming all the while. She knew that she had seen something within her, and now Kodlak saw it, just the thought that she had something in common with that great warrior and leader made her proud as a rooster.

She laughed again as Arya asked her the question that she had know was coming. "Yes, just about. I told you that was what was going to happen, or at least I hinted strongly toward it. Very rarely does he make anyone fight or prove themselves in order to enter, and those he does are those who are over-confident in their abilities or are just plain cocky. Then it is a rather glorious display of him utterly humiliating them by putting them in their places, namely, below his boot."

"Come on then, the arena is this way..." Minerva led her back up the stairs and out the back doors of the large and boisterous mead hall onto the training ground. "Out here is obviously the training and sparring grounds. It is where you'll be spending a lot of time, and where you'll most likely see see me if I am at Jorrvaskar since I am one of the more - how do I put this - 'understanding' healers in the area."

"Vilkas, you shaggy mass of Nord, come over here!" she looked over to the large man in steel armor and laughed when she saw his face. She knew that he knew she was kidding, but this was Vilkas she was dealing with. He was always grouchy so why not have a little fun with him? "Kodlak wants you to put your new shield-sister through the paces."

"So then, you finally decided to join us." It was more of a statement rather than a question. "I wondered when you'd get over your semi-pacifist nature and start cracking skulls..."

Minerva simply laughed at him, "No, I haven't joined, and you seem to like my 'pacifist nature' enough when it is mending your bones and sealing your skin." She enjoyed verbal fights with Vilkas, they were fun because he was rather intelligent, supposedly having Ysgrammor's smarts and all. "Anyway, back to business. You're testing Arya, a lass all the way from Cyrodiil..."

Arya furrowed her brow and tried to subdue her surprise. She simply hadn't expected the initiation for a group of fighters to simply contain conversation. She glanced briefly at the mead hall as the passed through it, and noted that a few of it's occupants stopped to watch her with a critical eye. Newcomers here were as apparent as a sheep in a pack of wolves, apparently.

She smiled politely as Minerva conversed with a Nord she called Vilkas. She examined his thick steel armour for a moment, and wondered what in Oblivion it would take to get through all that metal.

As Vilkas' gaze shifted to Arya, any hint good humour in his manner that had been brought on by Minerva vanished into utter indifference. He sniffed and turned away from her, starting down the steps to a small courtyard.

"This way." he said curtly.

Arya followed without a word, cracking her neck in preperation for the spar. It was a nasty habit, really, one her mother had tried to break her of ever since she had picked it up. She couldn't help it, though. Every time she forced herself to ignore the urge, it always resurfaced in the form of her hands becoming fidgety, which made her feel nervous. So, eventually, she chose getting nasty looks from her mother over the latter.

The large Nord drew his greatsword and adjusted his shoulders several times before settling into a fighting stance. Arya drew her own blade, bouncing on her toes to ready herself. She looked about to see that a small group of the Companions were gathering around the sparring area, making side comments to one another. They looked as if they were about to watch a weak animal get torn apart by another, stronger one. She realized they were probably used to seeing the new initiatives get their ass handed to them in the first spar. This only strengthened her resolve to not make a fool of herself.

Which almost happened in the next instant.

Vilkas, apparently noticing her wandering eyes, charged her with a mighty swing of his blade. Arya barely had time to scramble out of the way before the blade passed her, almost grazing her heels.

"You'd do well to keep your attention on the enemy, whelp." Vilkas grumbled, turning back to face her.

Arya felt her face harden. So this is how he wanted to fight. No sympathy. She could do that. She gripped her sword with both hands and began a slow advance on her opponent. The two circled each other for a moment, making a few feign attacks, but always retreating before engagement. She watched how he moved, her eyes trained on his chest in order to watch all his limbs in her peripheral vision. His hands remained steady as a rock, and his feet were just as sure. But they were slow. Just as most who fought with such a large weapon were. Arya took note of this and made her steps lighter, readying herself to dodge at any moment. Normally all this was done by instinct, but sparring was different. You had time to think, figure out your enemy. This was how she had always trained. One-on-one with her father. This was when she was strongest.

Arya took the first move and stepped in, performing a simple diagonal strike for his left shoulder. He moved into it, moving his blade under hers and using the weight advantage to fling her sword upwards, leaving her torso exposed. If she were slower, he might have scored a hit. But she danced back before he even had a chance to strike at her weakness. He chased after her, trying to overwhelm her with heavy hits, but she was always faster, always gone before his blade reached her. They continued in the manner for several more minutes, constantly in motion, Arya fleeting and quick, Vilkas strong and powerful. Vilkas scored a few touches on her, though they were mere grazes that only made her move faster. After several minutes of these exchanges, Vilkas grunted and lowered his weapon.

"You'll do. Better than most fools who come through here, anyway." he said.

She scanned the crowd for reactions, most of which were indifference, a few were mild surprise. As everyone dispersed, Arya thanked her trainer, who responded with another grunt and strode back into Jorrvaskar. She sheathed her weapon and approached Minerva.

"Did I do alright?" she asked tiredly, flexing her stiff fingers.

((Sorry for the novel I just wrote up there^ XD))

Minerva watched the session with interest, the elegant dance that was Arya's style eliciting murmurs of surprise and approval from several members as the fight progressed. She was going to fit right in, maybe even make it into the circle one day. Something that was especially likely if what she saw in Vilkas' gaze wasn't being misread...

"Oh, you did brilliantly! And like he said, you were much better than a lot of the people who apply. The last applicant fainted on the spot... even I had to laugh at them, and you've seen how nice I am when I'm not killing someone..." her laugh was like a bubbling melody, soft and musical as she made her joke.

She paused a moment. "He likes you. I know it doesn't seem like it, but he does, that much I'm sure of. It's just his personality, and he is like that to everyone, even his brother sometimes. If I'm right though, you'll see his softer side soon. He never had any real sisters, so when there is a decent shield-sister in the hall, he sort of adopts them and gets all big-brotherly on them. And THAT is both a blessing and a curse. I was talking to Ria - another new member - and she said that lately he has been scaring away all her suitors. She practically begged me to do something about him, like I was the man's wife or something!"

Minerva placed her hands on Arya's shoulders, the healing and fortifying magic leeching through to strengthen her weary bones. "So, you've got a new home now. I knew you would get in, and once they see you when you've had a chance to rest... lookout! Everyone is going to want to go on, 'assignment with Arya'!"

Then sun's dying rays caressed her cheek as she talked with Arya, the pride that she felt for her friend still evident within her eyes. "I know you probably want to rest, but I need to start heading to Dragonsreach. It wouldn't do for me to wake the whole palace with my soon to be screams of frustration. Oh! And before I forget, you have a bed here now and it will always be ready for you. When you go downstairs, it is the first door on the left for now. I expect that once you rise in rank you'll get your own room, but for now it is more of a military billeting style, still comfy though..."


((Don't be sorry! It was fun to read, and IMO the longer, the better!))

"Oh, thank you." Arya said, a smile appearing on her face. "I was afraid I'd do something stupid. But I'm much more comfortable wtih sparring. Not that that will help me much out here, but I operate better when I have time to think, I guess."

She sighed in relief as Minerva gave her sluggish muscles more energy. She wondered to herself how long Minerva could keep someone up and running on nothing more than magic.

"Considering the fact that you saved my life at least five times today, I don't think I could decline going with you even if I wanted to." she said, "But I wouldn't want to miss this anyway. After, though, I need to test out that bed you mentioned. For a long time."

As they walked around Jorrvaskar toward the castle steps, Arya became aware of someone yelling. She frowned and, as they got closer, saw that the voice belonged to a man in tan robes, whose hands were outstretched towards the sky. She couldn't figure out what he was hollering into the sky about until she noted the statue of Talos behind him. She couldn't help giggling slightly as they passed him.

"Is he always so....enthusiastic? Or has he been hitting the skooma?" she asked, turning her face away from the priest of Talos.

Minerva's face morphed into her best glare as she replied. "How dare you, an outsider, even insinuate that the great Prophet of Talos has been partaking in the forbidden poison that is skooma!" She held the look for as long as she could before breaking into a wicked grin, "Especially since his behavior is probably caused by Moon Sugar!" She laughed as they walked. She could already tell that her new friendship with the foreign girl was going to be a great one.

The ramblings of the Prophet ceased as the pair ascended the large staircase and was replaced by the bored whistling of the guards around the palace. They knew that nothing was going to happen now that the war was over. Besides, a lone attacker would still have to get past the Jarl's Housecarl, something that would not happen in a million years, and even if they did, Vignar Grey-Mane could handle himself...

"Come on, right through here." Her pack rattled a bit as she fished out the book she had found in the last bandit camp they had passed through on the way to Whiterun, she had gotten into the habit of picking up books wherever she went, but it wasn't until later that she remembered that Farengar had wanted this particular book... 'The Aedra and the Daedra'.

A loud thump was heard as she slammed the book on the desk in front of him. "Hello, Farengar... Look what I found in my travels."

"Oh, good! You found it! 'The Aedra and the Daedra', you know, you are not cut from the same cloth of the people that the Jarl usually sends me." he said, reaching for the book.

**SMACK** Minerva's hand left a large red print where it landed on the mage's face. "How dare you! The Jarl? The Jarl hasn't sent me anywhere! I come here, trying to spend time with you - Divines only know why - for two years, and you STILL don't get it?!? You are such a moron!" She quickly grabbed the book off the desk, not only to keep it from Farengar, but also to keep her hands busy. This was still an officer of the Jarl's court she was dealing with. 'Unnecessary' violence would get her nowhere but the palace dungeon.

Farengar was speechless, and he had actually squealed when she struck him. He grasped his face and opened his mouth several times in surprise before finally getting the words to come out. "Wha- what on earth are you talking about? And I am no moron, I-" **SMACK**

"If you really don't know, you are dumber than you look!!" She hadn't been able to hold back, but she had to from now on if she didn't want him to call the guards. There was still the chance of that anyway. "I liked you, you nit! Why in the world did you think I tried to spend as much time as I could up here? Did you think I went around dusting and organizing ancient tomes for the fun of it?!? Did you think that every time you dissected some mushroom or giant's toe that I 'oohed and awed' because I was interested?!? Well, did you?!?"

Farengar's eyes were wide now; he hadn't had a clue that this was how she felt about him, "Honestly... yes..." He flinched as he answered, expecting another slap from the angry Breton female.

Her scream of rage and frustration rang through the room. "You are such an idiot! You stupid... stupid... MAN! The only thing I hadn't done was hit you upside the head with my amulet of Mara, which by the way, I've worn the past five months when I was inside your lab - just in case you didn't notice!"She felt like she was going to claw her eyes out, but at least she had Arya with her, though she hated that she had to see her behave like this.

"But you know what? Now I'm GLAD that you didn't say anything, because I don't even want to imagine being bound to you for the rest of my life. Talk about misery! 'Honey, go fetch this book. Sweetie, you are cut from a different cloth than the people which the Jarl usually sends me.' Ugghh! I'd rather die! I'm just glad my friend encouraged me to quit pining after you, the miserable lost cause. I pity the woman that ends up with you, if one does at all." She growled in frustration once more. "I just can't believe how stupid you truly are! And then, AND THEN, you have the gall to actually insult other people?!? Who do you think you are?!?"


(((LOL Minerva got nasty! )))

An unassuming man strolled into the fray, oblivious to what he was getting himself into. "Did someone say, 'Daedra?' Is this the right place to look for books in Whiterun? I was told the court wizard would have something."

He appeared to be a legion soldier, or most would think if it hadn't been for the fact that he was standing in a hold under Stormcloak influence. Any of the late Tullius' men would have been hanged on the spot, but he, through some mean or another, had convinced them that his legion leathers were a product of inheritance. He could not bear to part with them as a warrior with his father's sword. Somewhat aware of the suspicion upon him, he had at least the decency to take off his helmet, holding it in the crook of his arm while his other hand was wrapped around a strange staff.

He seemed a little tired, the faint smudges of fatigue rounding his lethargic eyes. Nonetheless, he was wide awake, though it certainly was a bit of a strain on his psyche.

Minerva heard the voice behind her and without thinking whirled about, words spewing out as she did. "WHAT IN OBLIVION DO YOU WANT?!? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT WE ARE BUSY RIGHT NOW, YOU.. YOU... oh..." She gulped as she saw him, and was immediately mortified. His skin was dark and, strangely, his eyes blue. A rather lovely combination in her eyes. He was rather handsome as well, and he couldn't have been more than five years her senior. "Oh! I am SO sorry! I thought you were another of the servants or guards or... I'm sorry..." Her face was bright pink at this point, and she found herself as speechless as Farengar.

She merely held out the book to him, only snapping out of her trance-like state and regaining the ability to speak because Barbas chose that moment to bark loudly. "I-I have this. I found it the other day, 'The Aedra and the Daedra', a book on the different Divines and Princes. The Court-Wizard wanted it, but since HE is an ignorant fool, I'll give it to you, IF you promise not to give it to him..."

She paused a moment, feeling a bit woozy. 'Stupid crush! Why, oh, why did the Divines have to invent something so infuriating?!? I can't even think straight!' Her thought spun around in her head rapidly, flipping end over end. She couldn't remember her name for a moment, was it Martha? Melissa? Mindy? Minerva! It was Minerva! "Hi... I'm... I'm M-Minerva." she finally managed to get out.

Arya couldn't completely subdue her laughter at the Court Wizards' expression. Minerva was really unloading on him, though from his horribly confused expression, she could see this was what it would take for him to see.

A cushioned chair to Arya's right caught her eye. She looked at it longingly, her legs suddenly feeling even weaker with the thought of resting in it. She glanced at the pair, then deciding neither of them would mind at the moment, strode over to the chair and settled into it, sighing as her tired muscles nearly morphed into the chair. She rested her head back and allowed her eyes to close.

She brought her attention back to the room when a male voice that didn't belong to Farengar spoke. Her eyes flicked to her left to see that a rather flustered Minerva was trying to apologize for turning on the man in the heat of her argument. The admittedly rather striking man had apperently caught her attention, because the mage's face was bright pink. Arya smiled and returned her gaze to the court wizard, who was still standing with an expression of unconcealed shock on his face. He looked to her, seemingly for an explanation, but she simply raised her eyebrows at him and returned to her resting position, content to remain out of the conversation in favour of a bit of relaxation.

"Made a friend already?" asked what looked to be a Redguard woman, stalking into the room. She came to stand beside the man, crossing her arms. "Please tell me you found something useful."

As she spoke, her tone unamused, she surveyed her surroundings, looking all occupants of the room up and down unabashedly. She seemed to examine Minerva the most scrupulously, thoroughly observing the girl who had been so bashfully introducing herself to her companion.

The woman's posture radiated a disinclination to socializing, shoulders slouched, head leaned forward slightly, frame rigid. Her eyes were narrowed, though she didn't appear to be glaring at anyone in particular, and her entire demeanor seemed as if there were some thunderous cloud hanging over her, putting her in a perpetual bad mood. It might've been for a lack of sleep - she too, seemed to share the signs of weariness displayed by her friend.

"Oh - er," he stumbled, confounded by the dual appearances of an angered sabre cat and a timid rabbit. He could never understand women, and the few times he had asked Rithle, she just shrugged and then punched him, leaving him even further perplexed by the inner machinations of their mind. It, he thought, was something that all the studies and books in the world could not explain to him. "It's okay, I was just caught a little off guard," he said in between her apologies.

There was a sharp bark, and he nearly jumped out of surprise. "Are dogs even allowed in here?" he asked absentmindedly as a book was handed to him. "Aedra and Daedra? This is could really help, er..." the young woman introduced herself, "Minerva. That's a nice name. I'm Nistac, and this is Rithle Joy-Killer," he introduced his sister. "Thanks again for the book." He gave the court wizard a sidelong glance, unable to make up his mind what was going through his head. "I'll uh... make sure to keep this from him."

He ignored his twin for the moment, choosing to flip through the book instead. It was all fascinating to him, and as a man starved of books in order to satiate his stomach, he went through some of the irrelevant parts as well, eyes skimming over a chapter on Arkay before he closed it shut, tucking it next to his helmet. He'd have to go over it back at their room at the Bannered Mare.

Minerva giggled, "They are when they are my dog... Illusion magic can be quite... persuasive when applied strategically, you know..." She noticed Farengar sneaking around and attempting to reach for the book under Nistac's arm. "NOW YOU STOP RIGHT THERE!" Her hand lashed out and slapped his away before shooting him another dirty glare and turning back to the rather attractive Redguard who was speaking to her.

She liked his name as well, and found that his sister's name was extremely fitting the way she stood there, looking as if all the joy had been siphoned from the world. "Thank you." she said with another little giggle. She was just about to say something else when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Farengar coming toward the book again. "Farengar Secret-Fire, you toddle off right now! If you don't stop, I'll..." She stopped and just pointed at the slimy court-wizard, "BARBAS!" She moved her finger toward the man in an obvious command.

"As you wish!" came a strangely familiar voice. Minerva looked toward the 'dog' and her eyes grew wide, his own staring back at hers.

"He spoke!" were her words as her knees gave out and she crashed towards the floor, the shock of the speaking dog proving too much for her and causing her world to become black...

Rithle considered for the smallest of moments letting her brother catch the girl, if only that he could feel masculine for once in his life - at least, while standing next to her. Certainly, by the way she'd been acting, the girl would appreciate it - one of those flighty romantic types, judged the Red-Nord by her constant giggling.

Nonetheless, Rithle quickly dropped to her knees and caught Minerva with an arm across her shoulders as she fell to the ground. Nistac had his hands full, anyway, and she highly doubted he was strong - or rested - enough to carry the girl anywhere deemed acceptable to drop off an unconscious young woman.

As she rose and shifted the girl in her arms into a bridal carry - rather awkward-looking to the passing bystander in that they were both women - she glanced sharply at the court wizard, and then the dog. Finally, she turned to look at her twin.

"Who spoke...?" she asked aloud, trailing off bemusedly.

"That was the..." he glanced over to the court wizard, but the befuddled expression told him otherwise. "Then it was the... Well, it can't be me. I didn't speak - and it wasn't the wizard... You wouldn't be asking if it was you so that leaves..." He looked over to the woman seated in the chair. "Was that you?" he asked, thoroughly confused as to how a man's voice could be coming from her.

It didn't make sense, but really, when he eliminated the impossible, all there was left must be the truth. Then again, there was the dog, but what was more likely? A woman with a man's voice or a talking dog?

Arya barely noticed the question. The voice had brought her back from her half-asleep daze and fixated her eyes on the cainine, who was clearly....amused. She had never used that word to describe a dog before, but that was unmistakably what he appeared to be. Though the dog had made her slightly uneasy before, what with it's strange eyes and unexplainable understanding of Minerva's commands, it now made her feel threatened. She rose and drew her sword, pointing it at the animal.

"I knew there was something strange about....you." She hesitated to address it directly. "Explain yourself!"

Barbas looked amusedly at the group of humans. He had taken a shine to the girl he had been accompanying, she was the one. Well, one of the many 'the ones'. He was surprised that she had fainted though, she could face bandits, force suicides through mind games, and fight trolls and other creatures, but was frightened out of her wits by a talking dog? But then again, he was no ordinary dog...

"Oh, but I have already." came his cryptic reply. "Why do you think I made sure that she found that book? I've been in need of someone such as her, and now I have found more who can be of assistance to the better half... of a Daedric Prince." He looked around the room, pausing when he came to Minerva, Nistac, and Rithle. "Yes, you all will be able to help me, Barbas, out of a certain pickle - funny word that... 'pickle'. You will read if you wish to know more... you all are an intelligent lot, I'm sure that at least one of you will figure it out. And will someone please wake her up? I rather like her..."

"The dog is one of the daedra?" he said, incredulous to this small revelation. It had appear to be nothing more than a common mongrel save for the intelligent spark in its eyes, but he had never imagined it to be something as infamous as a being of Oblivion. Fumbling, he flipped open the book again and scanned through quickly, eyes searching for any passage indicative for a dog. "Uh, well, there's no such thing as a daedra-dog, but... Barbas is the name of Clavicus Vile's companion and has been known to favor the appearance of a dog. And his name," he continued, looking straight at the hound, "is Barbas, too. This can't be just coincidence."

This was about as close as they got to a daedric prince after all this time. The other shrines wouldn't even grant let them come near the effigies or just chased them away, simple as that. He had looked forward to something more... impressive than a hound mundane by appearance.

"Why aren't you with your master?"

Despite clearly being the servant, Barbas actually held half of Clavicus Vile's power. It was disadvantageous for them to get separated, therein laid his curiosity as to how it happened.

In his ruminations, he neglected to aid Minerva, though this was in part of having his hands full between the book and the staff.

Ignore this xD

(O-okay...? :o)

She couldn't read, but she was sure this was what her brother often called a plot-twist regarding his pretty little books. Certainly, the last thing they'd been expecting was for the dog to speak, let alone serve a daedric prince. In another life-time, she might have considered it surreal, but the soul-trapping business didn't leave them much room all-around for skepticism.

The better of the two at taking information in stride, Rithle simply listened to what there was to be said. This was a good chance - no, the best chance they'd had. Ever. While Nistac was interrogating the mutt, the duty of waking the fainter fell to her. Clicking her tongue, the Red-Nord laid her on the floor, back supported so that she was in a half sitting position.

"Hey. Girl." Awkwardly, she patted Minerva's cheek to rouse her - when that appeared to fail, she gave her a rough shake. "Wake up."

((BARBAS))

The Daedric shapshifter sighed at the male's slowness to grasp it. Of course he was Clavicus Vile's companion! How many other talking dogs claiming to be daedra did one meet? He finally nodded - an awkward motion on a dog - and said, "So you are able to put one and one together... How wonderful for us! And Yes, I am Barbas, Companion to Clavicus Vile, as for why I am here... we had a.... falling out of sorts. Great Barnacle Brain that my master is! He must apologize, and you all must help me!"

((Minerva))

Shadows. Spectres. Voices without faces. All of these floated through her clouded mind as she dreamed.

_{'Hey. Girl. Wake up.'}

The earth began to shake, the waves came up on the shores of her consciousness, the echoes of more voices filled the sails of her mind.

_{'The dog is one of the Daedra?'
'I am Barbas... Companion to Clavicus Vile...'}

Groggy. Dizzy. Clouded. Her mind struggled to come up for air; to answer the calls of reality. She was falling, not down, but up. Falling up to the surface of the water. Up - or was it down - she went. Past a picture of old bearded men, past a boat of rabbits wearing trousers. Faster, faster, and faster she went. Soaring past other fantastical things: Illusions of a dancing Jarl, a person who killed by laughing, Barbas and a statue in a cave of vampires, and then, a bandit reaching, reaching out to pull her back, to pull her down!

**GASP!!** She bolted upright, breathing heavily. She began to rock back and forth a moment, her head between her knees. "It was... it was so... so horrible." her mutterings were just that... mutterings of the horrific things she had seen in her dreams, things so terrifyingly real, yet preposterous at the same time.

Slowly, ever-so-slowly, she sat up and glanced around the room, her eyes landing on Barbas. "You... I saw you... I know what you are... what has to be done... and I accept..."