56 Little talks

Mirajane had proven a competent student. She had already learned a couple of the weaker armor alteration spells without even using a spell tome in a single day. 'It seems like the dragonborn being some kind of MC really holds true. I suppose they would have to be a prodigy since they go from a nobody to defeater of Alduin and savior of the world in such a short period of time.'

Rictus had enjoyed his time teaching her more than he thought. It helped that her 'companions' were not there during that time. She proved studious and hardworking while having an intelligence about her which allowed her to easily pick up on things. It really made him wonder why she bothered keeping the other two around her so often. Might as well ask.

"So, Mirajane, what made you decide to travel with those two?"

She looked up from where she was reading about some of the higher-level alteration magics.

"Hmm. Well, firstly they are very strong. Solomon is by far the best conjurer I have ever heard of, despite some of his more arrogant tendencies. Falla can Shout. Just that alone is enough for me to want her help. She grew up around the greybeards and has a lot of knowledge about how it works as well. It may not be very pertinent right now for me, but once I learn more of the language, we think we can start designing new Shouts. I lack the knowledge while she lacks the power. I do get annoyed with them quite frequently, but I need all the help I can get."

She seemed to stare off into the distance for a moment while muttering under her breath.

"I have been alone long enough. Besides, Ysgramor needed his Companions, but no one said he liked them."

The answers made sense to him. Having two extremely strong people protecting your back would be very much needed when trying to save the world. Dragons were not an easy opponent, and the support could be the difference between victory and defeat. Also, the roads do get a bit lonely after a while. 'Can't blame her for that.'

After a bit of silence, she looked back over at him.

"I have a question for you as well. What made you do all of this? You could have been welcomed anywhere and done anything, at least based on how your people speak of you. Instead, you created the Restored. What was your motivation?"

Rictus stopped reading a report to really consider the question.

"Hmm. I honestly had not planned on any of this happening. It started because I was going to the slums to try and bribe some of the poorer people there to provide me some information about what was going on around the town. I was new here and wanted some information. Such a practice was common for the intrigues of High Rock."

He paused after mentioning High Rock. Sometimes, little memories of his backstory would pop into his mind unbidden. It felt so natural though that most times he never even noticed. This thought was not one of those. He thought of his 'family' for the first time in a long while. He felt a sad smile cross his face at the memory of them. Seems there was some attachment there even if 'HE' had not really met them before. He made a quick note to follow up on them, especially since he had an uncle here in Skyrim he hadn't interacted with yet.

"When I was there though, I found a gang had been mutilating the people living there and selling the parts to a necromancer. I put a stop to it, and I started healing the injured since I had a new spell I wanted to try. After that, things just sort of escalated. When I realized what was going on, I worked to improve the situation of the people who decided to follow me. I have continued working to improve the Restored ever since."

A bit of a cheeky smile appeared on his face.

"Besides, even Ysgramor needed his Companions."

Mirajane gave a little chuckle at that. She had known the overall story of how the Restored had started but wanted to hear from the man who made it happen. A part of her kind of related to him. She had been thrust into a position where people were relying on her. She could have simply left and not worried about it. Instead, she had taken up the mantle of Dragonborn. Rictus had similarly found people relying on him and had worked for their betterment. Mirajane admitted it was not the same, but situation was still similar. Maybe that was part of the reason she felt comfortable around this man she had just met.

She closed the tome she had been reading as she stood up.

"Sadly, I think it is time for me to take my leave. We really must get going if we are to make it up to Solitude in time. It will be close as it is."

Rictus perked up at hearing this. It was the first time he had been told their next destination.

"What will you be doing up there if I may be so bold as to ask? I do have a base set up there after all."

She seemed to consider telling him for a second or two. Eventually, she did not see the harm in letting him know part of the reasoning.

"I am going to a party at the Thalmor Embassy. Falla and Solomon have tried to persuade me otherwise and go to Riften, but I feel like this is something I should do."

A smooth smile appeared on his face at hearing this. He was pretty sure what she was doing there.

"Ah you seem to think, or at least someone led you to believe, the Thalmor may have had a hand in the dragons returning huh? And your companions disagree, while thinking there is someone important to find in Riften instead."

A shocked looked filled her face at hearing exactly what their plan was about. Could someone have told him what was going on? 'Solomon would barely even look at him, much less tell something important like that. Falla may, but I haven't seen them interacting before. Could he know about Delphine?' She was not sure what to think.

"Don't worry. I am not a fan of the Thalmor. I also made more of a guess about what you were doing since I have also received an invitation to that very party. I figured if you were taking the time to go there, it would have to be dragon related. I also know you have met with Delphine, who is basically all that is left of the Blades. It was an educated guess, but still a guess."

His explanation seemed to put her a bit at ease actually.

"That explains most of it, but how did you know about Riften?"

"Well, I told you I have a base in Solitude. They may have 'overheard' some of the Thalmor guards talking about a potential trip to Riften. Seeing as how Riften is on the side of Ulfric, the only reason I could see them risking such a trip would be if they received information about a member of the Blades being there."

She nodded as she thought on his answer then looked back at him.

"What do you think I should do then?"

He was a bit taken back from the question. He had only interacted with her for a day, but she was already asking for his advice. 'What kind of convenient trope is that?' Regardless of his internal ramblings, he gave her an answer.

"You should do what you think is best. It is your journey after all. I do think there is merit to going to Riften, and I suspect you would find information at the embassy confirming it. If you wanted, you could always send Solomon and Falla to Riften to start the search while you go to the party. I doubt they would be able to get in anyways, nor do I think they have the skills required for such…delicate…work. Ultimately, it is up to you though."

She stared intently in his eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"I will need to think about this and talk with them about it. I do not know if I will do as you advise, but it is something to consider. I thank you for all your help though. Hopefully, we will be able to work together again in the future. Out of curiosity, if I was to go to the party alone, would you be willing to indirectly assist in any…delicate…work I might do?"

The smirk and nod were all the answer she needed before she made her way away to meet with her companions. She had still not fully decided on her course of action, but the advice was still appreciated. Her thoughts lingered for just a second on how different her journey would be if Rictus had joined her at the beginning instead of Solomon and Falla. A shake of her head banished those thoughts though. There was no time to worry about what ifs.

Rictus watched Mirajane walk away. He wondered if she would follow his advice or not. 'I personally think my advice was pretty good. It makes sense to go ahead and start exploring the maze that is the ratway in Riften. I would also be more than willing to inconvenience the Thalmor. They think they are slick with trying to send spies to infiltrate the Restored, but they are not as sneaky as they believe.'

An hour or so later, he was surprised when Falla found him at the overlook. He started wondering if he was becoming the predictable faction leader from games which was always found in the same spot. She wasted no time though in asking what she wanted to know.

"So, you know any of the other Skilled? I know Solomon is one despite him not ever saying anything about it, but I don't think he knows the game like us. I mean who doesn't at least acknowledge the old arrow to the knee joke?? Props for dropping that in such a serious moment tho. Had me cracking up."

Rictus took a good look at the girl. She was young. Probably around 19 or 20. She was cute, but nothing to write home about which indicates she either did not change her appearance or changed it very little. While she would be classified as an imperial, there were some traces of Spanish ethnicity based off her olive skin tone and dark hair. Her attitude and way she spoke to people made her stand out from the normal people here.

"Ha a good arrow to the knee reference is always welcomed. I was happy to see you laugh at it honestly. Means you are one of the original Skilled for sure."

She seemed a bit confused at this point.

"What do you mean original Skilled? Are than one type of Skilled?"

Rictus then began to explain some of what he knew about the other Skilled and how a fair number of them had already died and the Skill passed on to someone else. He shared some of his suspicions on who the other Skilled were as well.

The Speech Skill had been one he feared the most. All the others were strong and may be better in combat, but the speech had worried him more. The potential of it was just so broad and far reaching. If someone with the Skill was politically or maliciously inclined, they could easily sway people to their way of thinking or intimidate them into following orders.

While he was explaining a lot of the things he had learned, he wondered how much he was being influenced by her Skill compared to how much it was just him sharing with someone he could relate to. Morrigan was close, but something about her just did not sit right with him. Falla comparatively gave off an air of innocence and idealism which was more commonly found in more youthful individuals. She also seemed much more of a gamer which automatically made her better in his mind.

As they were talking, it was interesting to note she also did not remember a lot of the specifics from the games. She seemed to be a more serious player than he had, but she admitted to forgetting a lot of the little things which had happened in the game or that were not related to the main questline. Maybe something was blocking the more knowledgeable players from knowing too much? There was no way to know or prove it, but it did make a certain amount of sense.

He noticed how Falla seemed starved for conversation and interacting with someone who would talk about Earth and more mundane things of that world. Maybe it was her Skill coming into play, but he was more than happy to talk with her about their old world. It was relaxing really. Talking about it seemed almost therapeutic. It was also fun sharing and comparing their experiences. Falla almost aspirated from laughter when Rictus talked about doing the drunken quest for Sanguine. When he mentioned changing the appearance of the hagraven, she got a thoughtful look for a second which disappeared into shock after he mentioned how Moira was still alive and now one of the leaders of the Forsworn.

After a little while, Mirajane, Solomon, and Ken walked over as Rictus finished telling Falla about one of his first misunderstandings.

"…and that is why people are wary of the Breeze home now."

"Haha I was wondering why so many people avoided it. Makes sense if they thought the place was possessed from all those bright lights shining out of it at night."

They both looked up at the newcomers as Mirajane cleared her throat. The agitated look on Solomon's face was not missed either.

"I have decided to go to the party. Despite what Falla and Solomon claim, I think we should still investigate. The Thalmor may know something we do not. Falla, as I mentioned earlier, I want you and Solomon to head over to Riften early and start looking for the person you were telling me about. I do not want to risk something happening to him if he is as important as you claim."

She then looked at Rictus.

"I will be taking you up on your offer for assistance at the embassy. Hopefully, we can get this done quickly and quietly. Then we can get back to figuring out how to defeat Alduin."

Everyone nodded in agreement with her as the group broke apart to get their affairs in order. The dragonborn's party went with one of the Restored who would show them some supplies which Rictus was donating to them. He had also given Falla a spell tome on the mage light spell as well as some notes he had taken on it. It was an easy spell to learn and could be very useful in many situations.

Ken stayed with Rictus as they watched the others depart. Once they were gone, Rictus nodded to Ken who started speaking.

"Solomon agreed with what was asked of him much more easily than expected. I would have thought he would have been adamant he accompanies the dragonborn, especially since he is an Altmer. I almost missed it, but I am sure he had a look of relief when she first mentioned him not going to the embassy. The reasoning eludes me though. Maybe he is worried someone will recognize him? Something to consider at least."

Rictus nodded at what he was told. He had made sure that Ken or another one of the sneakier Restored would follow his guests and listen in to their conversations. The rest of what was said by them was basically rehashing what was shared between Rictus and Mirajane. Her and Solomon had apparently been having a private conversation which was why Falla had come to talk with him.

Now that he had a better reason to go to the party, he was kind of looking forward to it. He was not entirely sure what method of travel he would use, but he had an idea of one he thought someone with the soul of a dragon would appreciate.

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[AN]: Not much to say about this one. The next two or so chapters will be about the party and then maybe we will get into some more action, but that is not set in stone. I am looking forward to the questlines after the party though.