Age of Aggression

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath tiptoed into the inn as Malak held the door for her. She moved as quietly and swiftly as possible, hoping to draw as little attention as possible. Luckily, it was so late that most of the patrons were either drinking or drunk. None of them payed enough attention to the surroundings to notice a petite elf clad in oversized armor in the background.

[Haylie]

Malak followed close behind, looking around at the half-passed out patrons, silently thanking the Divines. Hopefully this will make nicking some clothes easier, she thought. She began looking around for the staff to see if they were watching, and if she doesn't spot any, she begins looking at rooms, hopefully one that's taken, but empty. Maybe someone left some clothes in it...

[Legendary Hawk]

As she went from door to door, Rath gently tested the knobs to see which ones were locked and which weren't. She didn't rattle them hard enough to make a noise, nor to indicate what she was doing. And that was miraculous given her overall shakiness, and her still-frantic state of mind.


Eventually she managed to peek inside an open door, and she found a room filled with suitcases but not with occupants. "Malak, here..."

[Haylie]

Malak walked over as nonchalantly as she could under the circumstances (not very) and quickly slipped in the door, motioning Rath to do the same before shutting it.

"I already hate this hair," she muttered. "It keeps getting caught on everything. And it wasn't grey before."

[Legendary Hawk]

After stepping into the room, Rath sighed in relief over the fact that she had managed to get out of sight. Hearing Malak's comment about her hair, she turned around to see for herself. "At least it'll be harder to recognize us..." she offered, taking a moment to glance at her own hair. It was now composed of long, silky, golden fibers which flowed with the wind. And her face was so soft and so smooth... No trace remained of that coarse, somewhat grizzly appearance she used to have.


After a quiet groan, she began to go through drawers to find some new apparel. Ideally, she would find something unisex, so that she would not look strange to other people, while not feeling too girly at the same time.

[Haylie]

"I'll take comfort in that, I suppose..." Malak replied bitterly. "But let me know if you find anything that will let me tie it up, at least..."

As Rath looked for clothing, Malak began searching for Septims. "We're gonna need all the money we can get. The contract bounty was a nice windfall and the money for the armor should carry a bit longer, but I prefer to stay on the safe side. Like that one time in Solitude..."

She felt disinclined to continue.

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath paused to glance at Malak when she prepared to begin another anecdote. But when Malak failed to progress past the introduction, Rath felt her heart sink a bit. It was a sign things had truly changed. After taking a shallow breath, she went back to her search for some clothing. She did manage to come across a set of robes which looked like they would belong to someone from the magic college, but she suspected these would be strongly missed. And she didn't want to upset any more magicians...


However, there were still some suitcases to check. After opening up the smallest of the bunch, Rath happened upon several sets of women's undergarments. Would she... need these? She shuddered at the thought.

[Haylie]

Malak still remembered the "one time in Solitude" as if it were yesterday, just like almost everything else she remembered. She was, of course, still a he, and in his teenage years. There was a new lady in town he had taken a fancy to, and he wanted to impress her with something expensive. Being a street urchin in all but admittance, he swiped some coin from a passing housecarl's purse. He didn't think he needed that much, just a little pinch. He smiled and stepped up to the jewelery vendor... only to find he didn't have enough. Soon after, he was caught by the housecarl he stole from, and by the time he was finished with his punishment, the lady had long since left.

Maybe it's for the best, she thought. I'm glad she can't see me now... What would she think...?

She silently pocketed any gold she found, as well as any little bits of food she felt she could get away with. Malak honestly wasn't normally one to steal, but this was a unique situation, and that wasn't even counting the fact that they were officially on the run from the Brotherhood now. Running required money.

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath decided to set the undergarments aside, so that she could slip into them when she needed to. For now, she would keep looking for some outer clothing. Hopefully some thick, warm clothing to cover her up as much as possible. When she started in another suitcase, she found a handful of heavy coats made of various furs, which were sewn and patched together. "Hey Malak," she murmured, "Look at these..."

[Haylie]

Malak stood up from her work to look at the clothes Rath indicated and gave a brief appraising glance. "Those should do," she said. "I'm not picky on how well they fit, just well enough for us to get by until we can get something better."

She spotted the undergarments. "...We're not gonna need those, right...?"

Shaking her head, she resumed focus. "We'd better hurry. No telling when the tenant will come back, and I don't feel like dealing with another angry mage today."

[Legendary Hawk]

"I suppose not..." Rath answered. Whatever Malak thought, Rath pretty much decided on the same thing. She was still capable of independent thought, of course, but in this stage she trusted Malak's wisdom much more than her own.

Understanding the need to hurry, Rath resumed her search for something to cover her lower half. In the same suitcase, she managed to find some linen pants. They wouldn't be warm, but she could manage wearing them until they got more proper clothing. "I'm ready to dress. Will you..... turn around?"

[Haylie]

"Aye." Malak nodded and faced the corner, waiting for Rath to dress so she could, as well.

[Legendary Hawk]

With a soft sigh, Rath began to unbuckle the armor she had on. First she removed the top, and then the bottom. Following that, she removed the boots and gauntlets. Fortunately, she was so slender she could just slip out of them. She didn't have to look down and see her uncovered body, something she was too frightened to witness at this point.


Quickly reaching for the linens, Rath stepped into them with one foot. She had trouble finding the other pant leg, however, and when she instinctively looked down... *sniff* The sight of her new body brought tears to Rath's eyes, and she began to silently cry. She quickly pulled the linens up and tightened them around her waist. They didn't fit perfectly, but did that even matter as long as he didn't have to look at what lied beneath? Following that, she pulled the fur coat over her top. When she finished, she took a moment to wipe her eyes and say, "Alright, Malak..."

[Haylie]

Malak had been busy messing with her impractically long slate-colored hair, trying to find some way to tame it, or at least stop it catching on everything. She slowly turned around, as if making sure Rath wasn't trying to fool her. She found herself instinctively looking Rath up and down, and only managed to hide it with a long, unconvincing blink.

"Sorry," she said. "It's... been a troubling day. Do me the same favor and don't look, please." She picked up the other set of patchwork clothes.

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath silently nodded and sat on the bed, staring away from Malak. She remained quiet as she slowly regained her wits. Her cheeks and nose were a bit red, but she eventually managed to get her little outburst under control.