This one took a bit of time to write. I’m not sure why, but parts of it were technically challenging and I had a lot of trouble with crashing-to-desktop just before a crucial screenshot got taken.
Anyway. I”m not sure if I shared this installment previously, but if I did, this one’s had some content added.
Hey Syl – I have my computer back (it decided to die on me so had to have it fixed) so I finally got a chance to read the story.
I had no idea Jala is Ahtar’s wife – didn’t know if that’s just your story or if it’s canon, but no matter, it’s brilliant! And viewing her through Cyrelian’s eyes gave me a whole fresh outlook on her.
Excellent chapter!
Well, I was trying to figure out Ahtar’s motivations, and then I looked at the two of them in the Creation Kit.. and saw that their relationship tags are kind of odd. Live in the same house, tagged as lovers.. and don’t interact. Although in my game they do have dinner together at the Skeever on occasion thanks to random chance and AI package changes, lol.
So I figured a bed-death marriage would be a reasonable explanation, poor things. Ahtar’s got some back story that’ll kind of explain how the hell he got into that and why he would marry a woman anyway.
I had the choice of making Jala extraordinarily accomodating or turn her into a jealous shrew…. and shrew seemed to be the cheap way out.
I agree. Your take on Jala makes her a much more intriguing – and likable – person.
This chapter was great – I loved your/Cyr’s workaround with the book, and how you managed to get Jala on board the boat with the ledger and the tomatoes. Clever bit of misdirection, as well as some well placed persuasion and chat from both Cyr and Jala. “The way to hide something is not to hide it,” indeed.
“Jala is tall, and strides like a racing-horse. She has silver-gilt hair, and a strikingly Altmeri bone structure for a Nord. That elegance of carriage, coupled with that raucous fishwife’s tongue… I imagined her confronting our Sapiarch of Indoctrination in debate. Jala would prevail on sheer charismatic presence alone. Never mind that operatic voice and cleverness of wit.”
This is an absolutely spectacular description of Jala, and a delight to read. You absolutely nailed every aspect of her in this chapter.
I also really love what you did with Jala and Ahtar’s relationship – while they may not have a sexual bond, they definitely have an extremely close platonic and romantic one, and care for each other deeply. The scene with Jala and Cyr in the boat was wonderful – really touching moments, complex ones, simple ones. Again, some stellar Cyrelian moments too, as he makes observations of it all.
Side note: I also really want some tomato bread now. Damnit, Syllis. 🙂
It’s just tomato-marjoram focaccia.
They used to sell it at the bakery here. Damn, now I want some too, and that bakery closed.
Jala is awesome– and Jala is in Anvil. I’ll just have to see if I ever get that thread woven back in.
I did love the pictures I got in the boat. Pretty sure that was Snapdragon Prime/Snapdragon ENB.
Yep, you’ve got me on the line. I really love the way you leave out information. It’s so casual and stark at the same time – as a narrator Cyr is so scrupulous about detail, but also incredibly withholding. It works super well for me. It’s been working well for me the whole time, but it feels like it’s really starting to gel here. Great chapter!
That’s Cyrelian, the most reliable unreliable narrator you will ever meet.