"Oh my dear...Never let another person's hurtful comments get to you. Especially a woman. They're the most dishonest with their opinions on someone they consider a rival and oh yes, that Nirya is quite intimidated by you. Why else would she feel the need to embarrass you? I'm certain you've done her no great harm, so that simply leaves jealousy. It could be your proficincy with magic, or your looks, or your personality. Trust me love, breasts aren't what counts in this world. Let me be the first to tell you that a sharp wit and a amicable personality will get you a lot further than two milk sacks hanging from your chest."
"That's what my dad always says. And Carlotta, my stepmom. In fact, that's really what Mirabelle said as well when I talked to her about this. I guess I had doubts since dad and Carlotta are my parents and Mirabelle's essentially my nan at the College. I mean, she looks after all the students but I'm one of the newest and youngest and I've had time to work out a lot of...issues...with her while I was there so she's had to take special care of me. Her and Tolfdir. I guess you could say they're like my therapists. They are my therapists. And they've helped. I really am in a better place now than I was two years ago."
"I can tell you are sweetheart. It shows just in the way you sit and I am so very happy for you. "Besides, I've seen Nirya in person. Her face is sharper than a nirnroot leaf and her eyes are way too close together. Not only that, her attitude is worse than a troll's and Dreven said he wouldn't let his cock get within 10 feet of her gross cunny. She'd probably got witbane down there...did you know she's given it up to Phinies Ghestor, the conjuration instructor? She needed some fire salts for a potion, and well..."
Alice couldn't believe what she had just heard but desperately wanted to hear it again. She turned around on her stool and looked up at Natesse in amazement. "...no."
"Oh yes Alice..." Natesse said with a sly smile. Alice couldn't help but release a devilish giggle. "By Talos, no! You've got to be kidding me!"
"I swear it's true." She said.
"Oh gods you're not kidding." Alice said, that grin plastered on her face. "Oh this is too good to be true. Honestly I can't decide if that's juicy or disgusting. That breaks about eleven school rules, at least two of which are never having an opposite-sex couple alone together and College staff never having relationships with students. I could nail her to the wall by her...No. No, that would be far too cruel. I won't expose her like that, no matter how petty she decides to be to me. I won't get down to her level, I'm a better person than that."
"You're absolutely right Alice. You ARE a better person than that and I'm glad you realize that. It sounds like you have plenty of friends at the College who love you, which is not at all surprising."
"I do, and I love it there, I really do. I really think I've found my calling as a mage Tess. I'm a soldier. I've been one for two years and in two armies and I'm proud to serve the Empire and the Legion, especially now that the war's over and that so many of my former Stormcloaks, my brothers and sisters, serve with me, but at heart, I'm a mage."
Natesse got done scrubbing behind Alice's ears, with a little tickling, and then they just sat. Just being with each other. When Natesse asked Alice what was on her mind she motioned to stand up and led Natesse out of the washroom, back into the bedroom. Alice dried off, put her bra and panties back on and changed into the brown t shirt Natesse gave her. It was Dreven's and too big for Alice so it fit more like a dress. The hem went down to her knees and the sleeves to her elbows but it worked for what it needed to do. Alice climbed into Natesse's bed after she pulled the covers back for her and covered herself up up to her waist, sitting with her legs folded and her lower back against the pillows. Natesse got into bed with Alice and sat down next to her, ready to listen to whatever her little angel had to say.
"So, this is gonna be really complicated but I'll start from the beginnig. A few months after dad and I got to Skyrim and joined the Stormcloaks we went to go looking for my little sister Cilla. We never found her after we were all separted in the Jerrall Mountains back in Cyrodiil but we knew she was somewhere in Skyrim. She had to be since my twin brother Titus was in Whiterun and had joined the Companions. We eventually found out that Cilla had been captured by a vampire coven and was being used as...livestock. We found this out from my oldest brother Stephen who had...become one of them. He...he did everything he could to protect Cilla and eventually sacrificed himself to destroy the coven and save her life. She was so weak Tess. Eight years old and just skin and bones. She's recovered wonderfully since and now she's actually quite chubby, but to see her then...dad still has nightmare about it. And Stephen...how he had to bury him..."
She was getting distracted in old memories. She wiped her eyes and redirected her mind to the point of the story.
"But that's not the important part. The important part is that the adventuring group we were with also rescued an imperial soldier along the way. A boy named Arillious, about my age. We were enemies but we fought together to stop a common evil and along the way he and I sort of...fell for each other. We knew it was wrong, that it couldn't last. I was a Stormcloak, fighting for a cause I well and truly believe in and he was a Legionnaire, fighting for what he believe in. We were enemies and we believed in our duty but we felt something for each other. We loved each other. For weeks we were together and on the eve of our final assault on the coven I gave him my maidenhood. I can't put into words how that felt, to be wanted by a boy like that and to know that I was safe but I know you understand. Well, when the battle was won we had to go our separate ways. Continue the war. We didn't see each other again until after the war, after Ulfric's victory and another adventure brought us together. Tess, when dad and I saw him again in Ivarstead I was so happy it was like he was back from the dead. But nothing had changed. We were still enemies. In fact it was worse than that. I was the law now and he was a criminal, an enemy of the state. Dad and I were powerful and popular enough after the war to protect him, try to get him home to Cyrodiil, but another crisis brought us together. I thought that would make things like our first time. All love and passion but things had gotten complicated. Ari was so broken after the fall of Solitude and the death of General Tullius, he just wasn't the same person anymore. He was always passionate and fierce in battle but now he fought with rage. Hatred. It was like he had lost interest in living. I tried to talk to him about it. Dad tried to talk to him, but we just couldn't reach him. He started directing his anger towards me. When we left Ivarstead after stopping a large drauger invasion, we didn't leave on good terms. Then a few months later, when Ulfric started committing atrocities...real atrocities...our rebellion started. And Ari came back. We hugged, I cried, we fought together. It was like old times for a while. By the time we got to Windhelm and Dad had to...take care of Ulfric I thought 'this is it. We've won. We can be together now.' But I was wrong. After Ulfric's death and Elisif's appointment as High Queen and Skyrim rejoined the Empire Ari left. He decided he was done with Skyrim and everyone in it. Including me. We went back to Cyrodiil six months ago and I haven't heard from him since. Now I'm with someone else, a boy named Julius. He was a legionnaire-turned-mercenary during Ulfric's reign, we met on an adventure and we fell for each other. He had Ari's strength and courage but he was so much gentler. Calmer, more thoughtful, more than a little unsure of himself. He was green and it was really cute. I helped him get some confidence and then when I joined the Legion he joined with me. He's really done well for himself and I'm so proud of him. My own war record got me a captain's position and a company to take care of and Jules is one of my officers. I love my guys Tess. They'd do anything for me, and I them. Jules leads them well and I take care of them. All one hundred and two of them. About thirty are women too, and they keep right up with the men. Many are former Stormcloaks who served under me so it's a lot like old times. But that's the problem. It all reminds me of Ari and what we had together. I love Jules, I really do. I'm happy with him, I'm comfortable with him and he's very...satisfying...If you know what I mean. When I'm with him I want for nothing. But I still think of Ari. They're both soldiers that stole my heart on the battlefield and I already lost one of them. What if I lose Jules like I lost Ari? What if, one day, he just decides to walk away? How do I move on from that?"