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Jacelyn Michel: Tales of a Freelance Larcenist
Topic Started: Jun 26 2016, 12:47 PM (4,071 Views)
Andra Hawksdaughter
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Jarl
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Yeah, I haven't gotten around to categorizing the unassigned ones yet. :D I will, one of these days...
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Great update, Grits! Armor's great too, and you need to explain to Jace that barding can be harder work than running a shop....
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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Andra Hawksdaughter
Jul 22 2016, 03:12 PM
Yeah, I haven't gotten around to categorizing the unassigned ones yet. :D I will, one of these days...
I don't bother, I actually keep it in the alphabetical order style, which for some reason is easier for me to keep tract of.
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Areial
Jul 23 2016, 09:02 AM
Andra Hawksdaughter
Jul 22 2016, 03:12 PM
Yeah, I haven't gotten around to categorizing the unassigned ones yet. :D I will, one of these days...
I don't bother, I actually keep it in the alphabetical order style, which for some reason is easier for me to keep tract of.
Ditto - I have zero use for all the categories....
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Grits
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Thane
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Andra, thanks! Now she has to figure out how to keep him clean. :P

Sere, she’s going to get her eyes opened if she ever learns that people are good at things because they practice. Thank you!

I have to keep a lid on my armor mod impulses, at least while I’m still on my fragile old laptop. Even Jace’s first hairstyle (she looked so pretty!) was too much for it.
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Grits
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Thane
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Jace: page 13

Jacelyn knelt in the Dragonsreach fountain, chin-deep in dark water. She ducked her head under until her cheeks couldn’t feel the tears. Another minute and you’ll be numb, she told herself. Then a couple of potions and it’s just an ugly memory.

Some nights went better than others. This had been one of the bad ones. Jacelyn knew how far she could push the guards, or at least how far she thought she could push them. She should have quit the last time they caught her or just gone for her goods at the prison after the shift change when they would have forgotten her. But she had wanted one more score before sunrise.

The Bannered Mare was still quiet when she slipped in the side door. Vorstag and Vigilance were asleep upstairs on their rented bed. The room smelled of ale breath and farts. Jacelyn shook her head. Tavern meals did not agree with the war dog’s digestion, but that didn’t stop Vigilance from shameless begging or Vorstag from endlessly giving in. Notably absent from the chamber’s fume was the reek of fermented grain and stinky cheese. At least I don’t have to smell those rotten old boots any more.

Jacelyn had a better chance of moving the moons than shifting that giant dog and she didn’t want to wake Vorstag, but there was a sliver of space between the Nord and the wall. She shoved her loot bag under the bed, grabbed the kicked-off furs from the floor, and crept carefully into it. Vorstag had been good about ‘staying asleep’ in the morning when Jacelyn wanted to rest and waking up ready when she wanted to celebrate, but every time that she returned was an uncertainty. After all their adventures, she still hardly knew this man.

When Vorstag started to snore again, Jace relaxed. He had a job for them in Falkreath Hold. It would be more than a day’s ride if they got a late start, but Jace was determined to trade her stolen goods for gold before they left. Her bag was full and she had paid dearly to keep it.

Sleep had always come easily to Jacelyn. When her mind was troubled she just lied to herself or ignored it. This morning was no different. Between Vorstag’s bulk and the solid wall she felt safe. The rest didn’t have to matter.

As her eyes closed, a smile touched her face. I’m glad he likes his new armor.
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Andra Hawksdaughter
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Ah Jace, you deserve so much better girl!! Or a better teacher. :)

Ugh, dog farts. LOL I know where of she speaks....

Wonderful update Grits!
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Heh. She seems to be having a few issues just lately.... She better start actually THINKING....

Oh, lordy - dog farts.... Yeah.... fortunately, Libby doesn't, but then she's young yet. And she does NOT get people food. Period. Then again, the last dog (the one that took out a hunk of husband's arm) didn't get people food either.... but the smell was.... well.... I'm sure you know!

Great update, I just love Jace!
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Areial
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LoL.. awesome... at least it's not wedged between the two...snoring on one side...doggie farts on the other.
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Rick
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Oh you're keeping us in suspense with Jace's bad night and the guards! Was she hurt....sounds like it....how'd she given the slip.....got a bounty? Did they just rough her up as a lesson?

Sneak her into the barrack block and steal EVERYTHING. They wouldn't dare lay a finger on the Contessa....a look and her bearing is enough to avoid physical unpleasantness...at least until now, but real guards in such a setting would undoubtably mete out some local rough justice with strap and stick to any urchin in their care.....only serious cases would reach the magistrate. Who would that be here......Captain Chaos (Caius) or Proventus? I am pretty sure Balgruuf would not demean himself with judging petty crime.

I'm thinking...based on everything I have seen of this....but mostly movies tbh...the local law enforcer and magistrate...legally....would be a hat worn by Proventus....

But petty pilfering that needed a clip round the ear....especially for stree kids wouldn't get that far....Caius would casually order a guard to punish the offender with a good birching and chuck 'em back in the street.
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Grits
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Thane
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Andra, I hope she gets that message soon! Jace still thinks she’s worthless and barely surviving. It’s hard for her to change that view. Thank you!

Sere, I’d like to smack this girl on the back of the head to wake her up. She’s capable of so much more than this! Thank you!

Areial, thanks! Good grief, if she was stuck in the middle she’d have no way to turn. Plus I guess it’s a good thing they weren’t both snoring and both farting. Yikes!

Rick, it was a case of “I’ll make it worth your while” gone way too far. Her Speech-related arrest dialog options come with an additional dice roll for consequences. Jace is a young Breton without family or standing in clannish Skyrim, but the game treats her the same way that it treats the Contessa. Thus the old-school cup of dice for Jace. A successful Persuasion attempt doesn’t always mean she skips away without giving up anything. She got a bad roll that night.

That night had some far-reaching consequences. She handles things differently over the next few days still shaken by her miscalculation with that guard.


Edit: sigh, spelling
Edited by Grits, Jul 24 2016, 09:26 AM.
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Brambleberry
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Been a bit behind, but as always the "miss-Adventures" of jace keep me in suspense, laughing and crying all at the same time! Such very good reads! Now where's the next chapter :book:
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monkeyemoness
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Very, very bad miscalculation on her part.

Blame it on sleep deprivation and angry mom mode, but I have to wonder if this experience will probably get her to change her mind about a few things. Of course, that's the sort of thing that you don't say as it tends to do the opposite of helping. *shrugs*
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Rick
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Oh...I see. Like 'consent to rape....or go to jail'. That does seem kinda realistic as a scenario for the environment.

Dunno what to say. Its awful. I just so want to cuddle her up tight. Can she risk telling Vorstag. He will want to drag that guard behind the barracks and rip his nuts off, but that will make them fugitives.

If that happened to Adella.....her wrath would be terrible. She would lure him somewhere quiet on a promise. She would cook his offending parts on him as he screamed through his gag, then he'd be made to eat It....finally, over a month....sent his own family in boxes by courier....piece by piece. No one screws with the Contessa.

How do I know thats what she'd do? I just put it to her.....she hates the idea of being forced to do anything especially sex, but she likes the idea of punishing that errant guard......a lot! Don't be surprised if that crops up in her bio with very little provacation. As a guy, I can tell you the imagery she just raised made me feel positively nauseous.
Edited by Rick, Jul 24 2016, 12:23 PM.
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Grits
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Thane
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Bram, I’m glad you’re enjoying it! Jace’s updates will slow down a lot once her story here catches up with her game. I’ve missed her while I’ve been playing the Dragonguard round, but don’t tell Jonna! :P

monkeyemo, I hope you get some good sleep soon! After two rough nights I become a monster. You’re right, even though Jace’s mama warned her about such things, it took a very bad experience for the advice to sink in. I wish they would all just listen to mom!

Rick, Jace will definitely not tell Vorstag, for the reason you mentioned. Plus she blames herself more than anything, so there’s a big dose of guilt with the shame. I’m with Adella on the nut roast, though! Thank you for the sweet cuddle offer. Jace has never needed one more than now!
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Grits
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Thane
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Jace: page 14

Jacelyn, Vorstag, Vigilance, and the horses arrived in Riverwood just before the shops closed. Wolves on their side of the river and a frostbite spider spitting venom at them from the other side had slowed them down considerably. Vorstag and Vigilance had dispatched the wolves before Jace could get her bow situated, but then it had taken some time to shoot the spider. Vorstag had lost patience and charged bellowing into the river, causing Jace to dance around with worry over shooting him while dodging wads of flying spider venom. As far as she could tell the dog must have been swept over the waterfall, because he showed up soaked and sheepish just after she had relieved the dead spider of its nearly empty venom sacs.

Then it had taken more time to round up the horses. All within sight of the Riverwood bridge.

Vigilance tagged along with Jace as usual while Vorstag rented the room and settled the horses. Inside the Riverwood Trader the smell of wet dog overwhelmed the odor of whatever Camilla was cooking. Jace thought that given Camilla’s fluff-headed tendencies, wet dog was probably an improvement.

“Lucan, I was thinking we should have a grand sale,” Camilla was saying. “Lower the prices by half, maybe get some jugglers. We could attract lots of new customers.”

Jace was in favor of a grand sale, but Lucan did not sound impressed. “A sale?” he said. “To attract new customers? Camilla, everyone in Riverwood already shops here. There are no more customers.”

Jacelyn cleared her throat, gaining their attention.

“It means so much to us to have the claw back,” Camilla said to Jace. “Thank you.”

“Thaaank you, blah blah blah claw,” Lucan gushed at the same time.

“You’re welcome,” said Jace, glancing at the golden ornament. This time she didn’t really feel like stealing it back from them. I guess they can keep it for a while longer.

Lucan rarely had stock that caught Jacelyn’s eye, but today he had an amulet whose ruby held the same protective enchantment as the ruby Jace was already wearing around her neck, only twice as strong as hers. Jace didn’t bother acting disinterested to get a better deal. She swapped her small pile of goods for the necklace and strolled smiling to the Sleeping Giant. Vorstag would never be able to tell the difference between the two amulets, but Jace didn’t hesitate over which one to give him. She walked straight to Vorstag and slipped the new, powerful amulet into his hand.

“A charm to protect you in battle,” she said.

Vorstag put it on right away. He handed her his old Amulet of Stendarr. “You can sell this if you want.” He tapped the ruby on his chest. “From now on I’m only wearing this one.”

Jace felt her cheeks flush and ducked her head to hide them. There’s no part of me he hasn’t kissed, she thought. How can I be shy about this?

Vorstag had ordered a meal big enough to choke a horker and enough ale and wine to float the table. Jace took a small portion of leeks and potatoes and moved the bites around on her plate. Embry joined them and kept her goblet full. That’s what town drunks are for, she reasoned. So no one has to drink alone. She wondered what Embry had been like before he earned his present status, and what circumstances had altered him.

When Lucan and Camilla entered the tavern, Vorstag caught Jace’s eye. She gave her head a tiny shake ‘no’ at him. If she went out tonight and got arrested for thieving, the guards would drag her all the way back to Whiterun for justice. She didn’t even know which guard there to fear. His closed helm had masked his features and altered his voice enough that she doubted she would recognize it if he spoke normally. Surely he never used that hard tone or coarse words with the regular citizens. She didn’t want to risk hearing it ever again.

Now that she had let those thoughts in, her body started to remember his abuse. Jace ordered another bottle of wine and another round of ale for Vorstag, Embry, and the others who had joined them. She forced a laugh at Faendal’s prattle, keeping her face turned away from Vorstag. At the same time she wanted the comfort and safety he offered, she couldn’t bear the thought of being touched. Not while the echo of her own stifled screams burned her throat. Even closing her eyes brought the darkness back. For now friendship and firelight was her best remedy.

And strong drink. That had always done the trick before and didn’t fail her now. It wasn’t long before Jace felt pleasantly numb. Vorstag was still at the table drinking with Embry when Jace got up without a word and stumbled to bed. She fell asleep still wearing her clothes.

Jace greeting the morning reluctantly and with the expected sore head, dry mouth, and urgent need to pee. It wasn’t until she had struggled out of bed and stepped on the dog that she realized she’d been tangled up with the wrong Nord. Embry lay on his side in the narrow bed, fully clothed and lightly snoring. Jace put a hand to her face, feeling it to see if she was really awake. Was I in his bed, or is he in mine?

Vorstag was already up, drinking his breakfast mead in the tavern. Jace rushed through the most basic of hygiene routines and joined him. For the first time since she’d thrown her scorched and bloodied Helgen rags into the fire, she wore the same clothes she had on since yesterday.

“Morning,” said Jace. She took the offered tankard.

Vorstag raised his in a silent toast. He didn’t speak even as they rode out into the morning.
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Whoa. Jace needs to talk some sense into herself.... Serious.... Great chapter, Grits!
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Brambleberry
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Great read Grits. Jace is either learning self control or simply biding her time for less detectable thefts. ;)

Probably should've had some real meat to soak up some of the wine, eh? :D

:book:
Edited by Brambleberry, Jul 25 2016, 07:29 PM.
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Andra Hawksdaughter
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Eek, definitely the wrong Nord! Jace is so sweet, and she doesn't even know it. :) Very good update!! Love that she let the claw stay, for now, lol.

Her fear of the guard got to me though.
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Areial
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Oh ouch... seem's Vorstag might be a bit peeved about where Jace slept.. though it was nice of her not to lift the Claw...with good reason of course.
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