The Dragonborn Comes

[C H E Y E N N E]

(Beginning.)

[Natoya]

She had narrowly escaped being beheaded, and she had also narrowly escaped becoming a human barbecue, courtesy of one angry black dragon.

And to top it off, she was tired, sore, singed, and she had no idea where the hell she was. One moment she was minding her own business elsewhere, the next she was in the middle of nowhere and getting arrested by Imperial Soldiers, accused of being a Stormcloak. Speaking of... Damn this Stormcloak armor was heavy. But it was better then the rags she'd been wearing earlier.

Well, if they wanted to execute her for no reason, perhaps she would become a Stormcloak.

"Head towards Riverwood," Ralof was saying to her as they headed down the dirt path. "My sister lives there, and she can help you."

"Okay." She wasn't in the mood for talking much.

"Maybe you could join the Stormcloaks. We could use someone like you."

"I'll think about it," she said, though she was planning on it, as soon as she could. "Where do I sign up, if I choose to?"

"Windheilm. Talk to Ulfric," Ralof told her.

"Got it. "

They were silent for the rest of the trip, and soon enough, Lorella found herself in Riverwood. She continued to follow Ralof, and he led her right to his sister. After some brief discussion with her, she handed Lorella some items.

"The Jarl of Whiterun needs to know about the dragon sighting," she said. "And if you need anything else, feel free to ask."

With that, Lorella was on her own, free to explore the town or head to Whiterun. After debating for a moment, she chose to explore. It would be helpful to know where the shops were, in case she needed to stock up.

[C H E Y E N N E]

Locusta Pulchra was, in no uncertain terms, exhausted beyond belief. It wasn't a new concept in her work, for travelling across the whole of Skyrim for a living, collecting and selling ingredients for various (and likely illegal) potions, could be very tiresome indeed, and this statement only proved itself to be more and more true as the years - and this damnable conflict between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks - slid by.

It had been somewhat of a relief, therefore, to hear news of the infamous Ulfric Stormcloak's capture, for surely, Locusta had remembered thinking, this meant the war would be brutally ended, and life would return to as it had been: delightful repression.
Still, there was one advantage to this war, and that was that her business was stronger than ever, though this often meant even more travelling.

It was, needless to say, getting tiresome.

Dismounting the horse she had purchased hastily at the stables near Whiterun, Locusta cast sharp dark eyes at her immediate surroundings.
Riverwood was a small town, hardly worthy of being on the radar for anything other than a quick pit-stop, but it was near Whiterun, Locusta's preferred basis of operation (neutral city though it was), so she often found herself stopping here for one reason or another, even if it was just to talk to Lucan and Camilla Valerius. After all, while there certainly wasn't a shortage of Imperials in Skyrim, even outside of Solitude, it was nice to talk to people of her own race as opposed to having to deal with the hostility and racism of many of the nords - especially now.

The black hood she wore marking her in the eyes of the town's residents, Locusta moved past them without comment, making her way to the Riverwood Trader. Even so, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was off.

Even if she didn't know what it was.

[Natoya]

Lorella spied the stranger in the dark hood heading towards a building that read Riverwood Trader on a sign outside. Smiling to herself, she also headed that way, thankful it hadn't been too hard to locate a shop. The spare gold she had found earlier would get her something to eat and a couple health potions, something she figured she would need.

She entered the shop behind the stranger, staying towards the door to wait her turn.

[C H E Y E N N E]

Locusta's interest was piqued as soon as the stranger appeared, but she kept her pace even and her eyes focused forward.

"Ah, Locusta Pulchra! It's been while since you've set foot in this establishment," the disgruntled voice of Lucan Valerius said. The man himself was leaning on the counter, but his face was stormy, and, sitting by the fire, Camilla Valerius sighed. Locusta's mouth turned up in a wry smile.

"And what's this? A new face in Riverwood?" Camilla asked, glancing behind the Alchemist.

[Natoya]

At Camilla's words, Lorella glanced up, a bit startled. "Um, hello," she said, giving them a waggle of her fingers in greeting. "I'm Lorella."

"Good to meet you Lorella," Camilla told her, smiling. "Where do you hail from? I'm guessing Skyrim, since you look like a Nord."

"Right, I'm a Skyrim native," Lorella grinned back at her.