A Breton Amongst Dremora
A moment later, she heard something scratching at the door. She tried to make herself into the world's smallest ball of Breton, then realized that if it had been an angry Xivilai, he would have broken down the door and not just scratched at it. Xeevik asked, "Youse all rights, Dianne?"
"You didn't hear all the yelling?" Dianne asked her.
"Oh! That's why youse is hiding? Yeah, Xaurax gets mad and yells but he aint's gonna hurt youse."
"It's not him I'm afraid of," Dianne whispered back. "It's that other one. Malichai, I think."
There was shifting and footsteps as Xeevik moved away from the door. A moment later, Xaurax and Malichai could be overheard, still arguing, but at a lesser volume. "All I'm saying is that she didn't inintend to interrupt, Mal. I told her to come find me when she was done. She's going to be helping with meal prep."
"Yeah, fine, whatever," Mal growled. "You could have fucking locked the door." There were more footsteps and scuffling about as they moved through the area.
Xaurax sounded amused as he said, "Yeah, well, you didn't give me tie to, remember?" That brought a snorted sound of amusement from Malichai. "Yeah, okay, can't argue with that one. So where'd she go? Can't exactly say I'm sorry for scaring your little friend if she isn't around."
"More like intimidate her some more," xaurax said.
"Hey, since when did you get all soft on the mortals anyway? They summon us, use us, hunt us for tens of thousands of years, and now Prince Daeinde has a pet one he'treating like an equal? What the fuck?" Dianne heard a thump as one of them--probably Mal--leaned back against the door to her hiding place. Dianne held her breath. Xaurax was calming his stupid-ass friend down, but she didn't want to see him, nor have him find her.
"Look. I ain't gonna presume to know his mind. He's a prince. But I guess he's got his reasons. And she's not that bad. She can fight, for one." He fillled Mal in on the Perthan attack that had taken place, and on the story of how the mage had been found dead and she'd been sent with Ranyu to solve the mystery. He followed it with "And, she went with the class to Black Marsh. Held her own pretty well there, actually."
Silence. Then, "Yeah, okay. So she sounds at least marginally less annoying than the rest. I still don't like being surprised or sneaked up or whatever you want to see it as."
"That's not unreasonable, old friend," Xaurax said. "But throwing a 10 kilo piece of armor at her is out of the question. You can't kill or harm her, man. Prince Dainde will have you flayed and the hide will decorate his study."
"Sounds more like something Lord Dagon would do," Mal grumbled, but with a note of respect for both Princes. Dianne got the feeling that while he was hotheaded and impulsive that he wasn't dumb. So there was that. She vowed to keep out of his way as much as she possibly could. "Okay. I get it. No squishing the mortal girl. I don't get it, but okay."
At least until I piss him off again, Dianne thought.
"All right, man. You heading out again? Want something for the road?"
"Yeah, thanks." Xauerax gave Mal what sounded like an entire kitchen's worth of food. They talked a little longer, then Mal was on his way. Dianne breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone, then got up to ppen the door. She peered out cautiously, and saw Xaurax leaning against the counter, drinking a blood ale and looking both annoyed and amused.
"There you are. Thought you would have been halfway to Mundus after he roared at you lioke that. Want a blood ale?" He held one out to her. Xaurax wasn't the sort to coddle, and Dianne understood that. She took the blood ale and drank some down gratefully. She set the bottle on the counter and said, "Your friend is an arsehole."
Xaurax roared with laughter. "Shit yeah, he really is."
"Then why do you like him? Why are you friends?"
Because he's *my* arsehole." Seeing her confused look, Xaurax said, "He has his good points, too. You ever hear the saying 'Good isn't nice'?" Dianne shook her head, and he continued. "'Nice' is a social construct. It greases the wheels and helps people function in polite society. Mal thinks most of that stuff is bullshit, even in Xivilai society, and acts accordingly. So yeah, he's an arsehole, but if you win his respect and loyalty, you can always count on him."
Dianne thought on this. "Doesn't sound like what I know about Xivilai?"
"Fair point. We don't have this overarching code of honor and responsibility that we all follow just because someone said so, the way Dremora do.Dremora enjoy hierarchy, rules and structure. Xivilai... don't. We have personal codes of honor, what feels right to us." He shrugged. "Of course, that doen't really explain why he wnt off like that. He... isn't fond of mortals. Been summoned too much, always for something stupid, annoying, or boring. Sometimes all three. Spent a few milennia enslaved in a mine. That really didn't make him happy."
"Yeah, I guess not. She drank more blood ale. "Doesn't he know we aren't all like that?"
"Sometimes, it's just safer to assume the worst." He nodded to her. "You've had your hard times in life. Hard to trust, right? There you go." He smiled and tossed his empty bottle in the bin to be refilled later. "Feeling better?"
She wasn't, not really, but expected she'd get over. She said as much, and added, "Let's get to work. It might help me keep my mind off it."
Xaurax nodded. "I can respect that. We're having dire boar steaks for dinner tonight. I need your help with the veggie prep." They got to work.
"You didn't hear all the yelling?" Dianne asked her.
"Oh! That's why youse is hiding? Yeah, Xaurax gets mad and yells but he aint's gonna hurt youse."
"It's not him I'm afraid of," Dianne whispered back. "It's that other one. Malichai, I think."
There was shifting and footsteps as Xeevik moved away from the door. A moment later, Xaurax and Malichai could be overheard, still arguing, but at a lesser volume. "All I'm saying is that she didn't inintend to interrupt, Mal. I told her to come find me when she was done. She's going to be helping with meal prep."
"Yeah, fine, whatever," Mal growled. "You could have fucking locked the door." There were more footsteps and scuffling about as they moved through the area.
Xaurax sounded amused as he said, "Yeah, well, you didn't give me tie to, remember?" That brought a snorted sound of amusement from Malichai. "Yeah, okay, can't argue with that one. So where'd she go? Can't exactly say I'm sorry for scaring your little friend if she isn't around."
"More like intimidate her some more," xaurax said.
"Hey, since when did you get all soft on the mortals anyway? They summon us, use us, hunt us for tens of thousands of years, and now Prince Daeinde has a pet one he'treating like an equal? What the fuck?" Dianne heard a thump as one of them--probably Mal--leaned back against the door to her hiding place. Dianne held her breath. Xaurax was calming his stupid-ass friend down, but she didn't want to see him, nor have him find her.
"Look. I ain't gonna presume to know his mind. He's a prince. But I guess he's got his reasons. And she's not that bad. She can fight, for one." He fillled Mal in on the Perthan attack that had taken place, and on the story of how the mage had been found dead and she'd been sent with Ranyu to solve the mystery. He followed it with "And, she went with the class to Black Marsh. Held her own pretty well there, actually."
Silence. Then, "Yeah, okay. So she sounds at least marginally less annoying than the rest. I still don't like being surprised or sneaked up or whatever you want to see it as."
"That's not unreasonable, old friend," Xaurax said. "But throwing a 10 kilo piece of armor at her is out of the question. You can't kill or harm her, man. Prince Dainde will have you flayed and the hide will decorate his study."
"Sounds more like something Lord Dagon would do," Mal grumbled, but with a note of respect for both Princes. Dianne got the feeling that while he was hotheaded and impulsive that he wasn't dumb. So there was that. She vowed to keep out of his way as much as she possibly could. "Okay. I get it. No squishing the mortal girl. I don't get it, but okay."
At least until I piss him off again, Dianne thought.
"All right, man. You heading out again? Want something for the road?"
"Yeah, thanks." Xauerax gave Mal what sounded like an entire kitchen's worth of food. They talked a little longer, then Mal was on his way. Dianne breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone, then got up to ppen the door. She peered out cautiously, and saw Xaurax leaning against the counter, drinking a blood ale and looking both annoyed and amused.
"There you are. Thought you would have been halfway to Mundus after he roared at you lioke that. Want a blood ale?" He held one out to her. Xaurax wasn't the sort to coddle, and Dianne understood that. She took the blood ale and drank some down gratefully. She set the bottle on the counter and said, "Your friend is an arsehole."
Xaurax roared with laughter. "Shit yeah, he really is."
"Then why do you like him? Why are you friends?"
Because he's *my* arsehole." Seeing her confused look, Xaurax said, "He has his good points, too. You ever hear the saying 'Good isn't nice'?" Dianne shook her head, and he continued. "'Nice' is a social construct. It greases the wheels and helps people function in polite society. Mal thinks most of that stuff is bullshit, even in Xivilai society, and acts accordingly. So yeah, he's an arsehole, but if you win his respect and loyalty, you can always count on him."
Dianne thought on this. "Doesn't sound like what I know about Xivilai?"
"Fair point. We don't have this overarching code of honor and responsibility that we all follow just because someone said so, the way Dremora do.Dremora enjoy hierarchy, rules and structure. Xivilai... don't. We have personal codes of honor, what feels right to us." He shrugged. "Of course, that doen't really explain why he wnt off like that. He... isn't fond of mortals. Been summoned too much, always for something stupid, annoying, or boring. Sometimes all three. Spent a few milennia enslaved in a mine. That really didn't make him happy."
"Yeah, I guess not. She drank more blood ale. "Doesn't he know we aren't all like that?"
"Sometimes, it's just safer to assume the worst." He nodded to her. "You've had your hard times in life. Hard to trust, right? There you go." He smiled and tossed his empty bottle in the bin to be refilled later. "Feeling better?"
She wasn't, not really, but expected she'd get over. She said as much, and added, "Let's get to work. It might help me keep my mind off it."
Xaurax nodded. "I can respect that. We're having dire boar steaks for dinner tonight. I need your help with the veggie prep." They got to work.