Romantic Resolutions

"So, let me get this straight." Michael starts, taking his feet off of the table and looking over to everyone present. "We were attacked by some ships under the banner of a man called Miraak in Solstheim?" he asks the group of people in charge of Winterhold. The College of Winterhold, the Silentium Magia, the Winterhold Navy, the Gem Crafters Guild, even he and his friends had been called in despite their lack of any real positions.

"Aye, it sounds like you know of him?" Kunkka inquires.

Michael glances to his friends who'd played the Elderscrolls game. Megumin and Saya have immediate reactions, while Saeko and Tiffania take a while to recognise it. Charlotte and Maria were clueless as they'd decided to spend as much time as possible together, no video games allowed... "Yeah, I know a little about him. I'm sure Savos does too?"

"Hmm? No? I don't think I have?" the Arch-Mage ponders unsurely.

"Well, let me put it like this. The guy wasn't around in any recent eras. Before the Empire, even."

"How would that be possible? Not even an elf would live so long? Unless he's one of you, Eredar?" a representative of the Nord Tradition Preservation Society questions.

"I'd watch your tone, boy, some might take offence to it." Irarus cautions, less threatening and more warning. He himself had suffered Ennura's annoyance...

Savos raises his head in realisation, "Might it be a Dragonrpriest of old?"

Michael nods, "Miraak, the First Dragonborn."

"Again, how would that even be possible? He'd be a Nord, right?"

Michael shrugs, "He was trapped in Hermaeus Mora's realm til now. I'm not sure how he escaped given my Spire, but regardless he has to be dealt with. Him trying to attack likely means he's already prepared for war."

"The High King offered to fund our military endeavours should it come to that. I think he sees the value in our upcoming Navy." Ennura remarks.

Saeko scoffs but keeps her opinions to herself. She knew that Surtr wouldn't act so selflessly towards Winterhold without a goal in mind. He was still sore after her rejection and saw Michael as the reason for it, which he was come to think of it. She was glad Michael had swayed her enough to prevent her from falling to Surtr's wants.

Though... She glances at Charlotte. She wasn't exactly getting anywhere on that front.

"Well, if he wants to give you gold then take as much as you can. It's the King's word so who are we to argue?" Michael snickers, "Since he's paying us to build an army to fight Miraak, we need to make sure our soldiers are properly comfortable. Didn't the bathhouse need to be renovated?"

"Indeed it does Michael, the roads too, can't have a soldier stubbing his toe on march." Irarus notes.

"We need to support their families and wives too, building them new housing would help in that effort." Ennura joins in, smirking.

"And the reserve guard, they are just as important as everyone else."

"Doesn't everyone in Winterhold count as reserve guard?" one clueless man asks.

"Yep."

The room bursts into laughter and the meeting soon rounds up, leaving Ennura with an accountant to begin calculating the costs of their 'War Effort'.

Outside, Saeko catches Michael and asks to speak with him in private, dragging him to a secluded area near some greenhouses that had vegetables growing in them. "You needed something?"

"No, It's me who should be asking that. How long has it been since I declared my intentions?" she asks, letting irritation into her tone.

"Er, a while... What? I thought you had to hash it out with Tiff before anything else?" he says.

"Hmmhmm... And, has Tiffania not mentioned me at all to you?" she asks, knowing full well that she has.

"I mean, yeah. You were supposed to come to me though, right? I was just giving you time." he says, realising how big a douche he was sounding. "Alright, hearing myself now I get where you're coming from. So, how'd you wanna do this?"

Saeko shakes her head, "First I want to know what's up with you and Charlotte. You've been circling each other like angry dogs ever since she came back. I'm not great in this area but I know sexual tension when I see it."

"Sexual tension...? Saeko, she killed me in case you forgot?"

"And kissed you too from what I heard, strange thing to do while under a Daedric Lord's control?" she argues uncaringly. His death had been a contentious topic often brought up whenever he did something stupid, so much that it had little weight anymore.

His kiss with Charlotte however? Considering everything that happened, it made it seems that more was going on behind the scenes.

"She did that to put off balance and stab me..." he tiredly argues. "What's the problem anyway? Even if something was there, unlikely as it is, you're the one calling this a harem in the first place!"

Sakeo sniffs and turns away, knowing that he was right in that regard. "I just want to know what I'm dealing with. You've known her far longer than me, but no one's been willing to discuss your histories."

"You want our history? Fine. We met when she tried to kill me at her Uncle orders, I convinced her not to, we began adventuring together, bing-bang-bosh, we got to Skyrim, she got enslaved, killed me, and now she's back."

"You know that's not what I mean..."

"Yeah well, that's the best you're gonna get. Do you still want to do this or not?"

She folds her arms, "Yes, but you've gotta go through the proper, modern process."

"What, you want a date or something?"

She nods, "I want a full date, food, activities, the works. You've given Tiffania enough and I want to know what it feels like."

"You never had a date in your old world?"

"You know I haven't... Those Anime of me, you knew I was a virgin before ever meeting me..." she says with a small glare.

"Alright, alright, enough with the guilt trip, you'll get your date... Meet me in front of the Spire tomorrow at 2pm." he says before quickly retreating.

With him out of sight, Saeko performs a small fist pump before leaving, excited despite their rather contentious discussion.