An illustrated Skyrim story beyond the fall of the Dark Brotherhood~
After a surreal event, Cicero is inexplicably thrown back into a clear state of mind and his memories from his life prior to his madness return. We begin to learn who he really is...
The main hall of the Sanctuary was filled with the spicy aroma of seasoned meat stew that Initiate Sage had spent all day tending to. He leaned over the pot and poked at some of the large meaty bits with a wooden spoon.
"Shouldn't be too much longer," he wiped his brow with his sleeve and glanced over at Ruby who was standing nearby with her arms behind her back observing attentively. She loved to watch him cook each day and her level of interest was surprising to him. It seemed that she was attached to Cicero at the hip all the time until dinner was being prepared. Sage decided to take that as a sign of affection.
"Would you like to taste it?" he asked grinning at her. Ruby beamed a wide genuine smile in return. Sage knew she was unable to understand him yet he still felt it was important to try. Like a child, she could perhaps learn over time by listening. His hopes of her ever replying were a bit less since she had yet to utter a single noise since her arrival weeks before.
Sage dipped the wooden spoon into the bubbling stew and held it out to her. Oddly, instead of taking it, Ruby leaned forward and popped her tongue out to lick the edge. Sage's expression shifted as he awkwardly held the utensil.
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His eyes shot over to the dining table where Jade was sitting and looking through some books that he had left there. Thankfully, she hadn't noticed.
"What's all this nonsense?" Jade called over, flipping some pages, "I can't read any of it."
Sage quickly composed himself and went back to stirring, "It's ancient mer language."
"I never figured you to be interested in that stuff," she replied and shoved the stack of books away.
"Well, if you haven't noticed, I am a Bosmer..."
"Well, I'm a Nord and you don't see me sifting through old books about... Nord stuff."
"It's for Ruby," Sage put the lid back on the pot.
"She can read?"
"Probably not... but I'm trying to learn her language- or the language of her people, to see if I can communicate with her better," he explained.
Jade chuckled, "Why? So you can flirt in and get rejected in another language?"
Sage opened his mouth to reply but paused as he saw Nazir coming down the steps across the room.
"Listener, I've been meaning to speak with you," Nazir said as he approached the table.
"Of course, Speaker. You speak, I listen," Jade smirked, pleased with her joke.
"How clever," he sighed and took a seat across from her, "We need to talk about your Cicero."
"My Cicero?" she cocked her brow, "Yuck, I don't own him. And if I do, I want my money back."
