Hound Master

Keeper of death hounds, caretaker of gargoyles. Volkihar vampire who once was a Nord. Tread lightly. The hounds in her care are no one's best friend.

[house-gardinier]

Ever encountered any vampires in a non-violent situation?

“I’ve encountered both non-violent and extremely murderous. Those that I know are rather pleasant company, However.” 

[serpentwined]

A cool vampire doodle for @kennelkeeper because her mod got me some cool stuff c:.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

The breton was surprised, but she had no reason to argue. The cold air was biting at her skin and urging her to return inside. “Oh…okay. Yes.” Adelein climbed down the ladder into the tower and waited for Merta to do so as well. “I’ll be seeing you then. Do take care then, and I suppose we are friends now, no?” It felt odd to say that, but she didn’t mind her company, despite the lack of common interest. Her eyes felt heavier then usual, and her mind unfocused suddenly. She reallydid need sleep.

“We’re friends.” Merta confirmed. It was wrong of her to have another friend, but now she did not live in the castle. She was hunted, but Harkon could not take her friends.

Could he?

“I’ll come back,” were her parting words, before she slipped out of the tower to let Adelein sleep. Loss wasn’t so bad. And she didn’t know this one well. It would be alright if they died.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

She couldn’t lie, that was her oath after all. Adelein just suddenly felt weighed down by inexplicable thoughts. “That is true.” Adelein let out a sigh.”You can stay and I fall asleep at my desk…as I usually do. Apologies, I do have work for tomorrow that requires my solitude, however.”

At her sigh, Merta’s irritation wavered and fell. Mortals were weak, delicate things, and this one did look tired. It made sense, then, that she would need to go to bed instead of working. Merta wouldn’t make her sleep at her desk.

“Go to bed.” She told her new friend, decisively. “Sleep in a bed. I’ll come back.”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

Adelein flipped the protective cover over the viewing glass, making a slight sound akin to amusement. She was quite disappointed actually, but Merta wasn’t to blame. The ache in Adelein’s chest grew suddenly, before she quickly repressed the emotions. “To each their own, I suppose.” Adelein gazed at the sky with her own eyes momentarily before turning to Merta. “I should be getting sleep soon, if you don’t mind. I have an ample amount of work to do tomorrow and I shouldn’t be disturbed. Do keep that paper with you, yes?”

Merta recognized a dismissal when she heard it. Her annoyance at fake and dead gods translated into sudden mulishness. She did not want to go, just because she did not like rocks. “You don’t need sleep. You said you were going to work now.”

Her frown turned ugly, her brows knit. “You said I could stay.”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“A rock the size of Tamriel, perhaps?” Adelein moved out of the way to allow Merta to use the telescope on her own. “You can look through the aurora as well, to the east. It might seem simple and uninteresting but it’s not a backdrop. It is actual space, with the spheres of Oblivion floating through it. These ‘rocks’ have history that surpasses our own.”

Merta considered what Adelein was saying, at least briefly. She couldn’t easily discern the point of it, and without that, the words might as well have been gibberish. She tried to move the telescope, instead, and found it difficult to aim when she did not know what she was looking for, and was unused to seeing such large objects in such a limited field of vision.

Her frustration caused her to dismiss it, standing up straight. “It’s just a rock.” The Khajiit thought the moons were gods. More fake gods. It made her angry, but there wasn’t anything to be mad at. “Old rocks are still rocks.”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

Adelein was hasteful, crawling up the ladder of the third floor and opening the hatch. Cold air flooded in as she made her way onto the roof, leaving it open for Merta to follow. “At times I do, but the lack of knowing is most fascinating.” She was already adjusting the scope of the massive bronze structure. Focusing it towards the face of Secunda. “Look, you can view the surface of the smaller moon.”

Merta ignored the cold, curious more about this giant spyglass. It was pretty, she supposed. But it didn’t sound overly useful. Still, she mimicked Adelein and looked through, to see the face of a moon.

“...It is a rock.”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

She couldn’t help but laugh, a half-hearted response to Merta’s questions. “It’s the void of Oblivion, a landscape of stars, and not to mention the worn surfaces of Masser and Secunda. There almost literally anything to look for.” Adelein brushed past her and began to ascend the stairs. “Here, follow.”

Merta did follow, but it sounded ridiculous to her. There couldn’t be anything. Only blackness and stars and moons. “You don’t know what you’re looking for, then?”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

Adelein was surprised, but was very cautious of giving Merta too much information on her. However, she admittedly missed catering to curiosity, the tower was so quiet these days. “Its a tube with a series of lenses that allows you to see further ahead then usual. Sailors often use a handheld version to spot landmasses, but mine is quite large and used to see into the night sky.”

A spyglass, then. That was what she meant. But what would she use it in a tower for? Maybe she was being hunted, too. Maybe she needed to watch for things in the sky.

“...What do you look for?”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“Oh, well…no I suppose it isn’t necessary.” Adelein took the vials and cups to wash them in the basin. “I’ve grown accustom to the… talkative sort. You can stay for a bit more if you don’t mind me working. It doesn’t seem like you do, at least. You are more then welcome browse the library or use the telescope–as long as you are careful with it.” The breton paused for a moment. “Oh but the downstairs workroom is off-limits. There are a lot of dangerous mechanisms and fragile instruments there.”

“What are you working on?” Merta had gotten up to follow her, even if all she was doing was dishes. It was nice not to be left alone. Even if the mortal was acting as if she could say what she could and could not do.

“What is a telescope?” She had no frame of reference.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

There was a momentary silence, Adelein tapped the emptied tip of her pen against the table. “…I suppose it would be easier for you to travel now.” The breton was tempted to ask questions–the mildly dangerous sort of questions too. Adelein didn’t think Merta was particularly loquacious, but she wanted to know how she was able to pull forth stone guardians. How old was she? What sort of ailment caused her memory to be so sporadic? If the vampire stayed any longer the mage knew would inevitably inquire further. “Where were you off to anyways?”

Merta didn’t mind the quiet, or the questions. Hounds never talked.

“I wasn’t going anywhere.” She couldn’t stay in one place, they’d find her. But she had nowhere to go, and no goal in mind, either. “Do I need to go?”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“Oh, yes. My apologies.” It felt almost natural now, Adelein suspected that Merta’s memories were not reliable, but her alliance was. “…Crocodiles, estimated one-thousand septims each… reconvene for purchase and other information….Keep this on your person, do not allow others to see this.” She lifted the pen, with the sound of an empty bottle setting on the table. The vials were completely drained as the breton wrote in the extra details. “That should do. Is there anything else you need?”

Merta’s face softened as the blood returned vestiges of her lost humanity. The gauntness of her cheeks filled in, the bat-like angle of her nose smoothed over. When she next looked at Adelein, her eyes were dimmed, but far more alert.

She took the paper and read it over, before putting it away, tucked inside her leather chestpiece. “Thank you.” It was fine to thank mortals if they did you a service. And she really needed those crocodiles.

Business concluded, however, Merta didn’t move from the table. They were friends, after all. She was pretty sure. Adelein seemed friendly, anyway, and had fed her without trying to make her feed from her. That was good.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“We will reconvene in a month then, I’ll spend that time finding a suitable trader.” Adelein copied an illustration of her map to show Merta the tower’s location and the date of the next meeting. She folded the parchment and handed it to her. “Are those okay?” She motioned towards the blood vials.

Merta took the map, and looked at it. Would she remember? She pushed them back to Adelein, almost hesitantly. To cover for this, her next words were a command. “Write what we’re meeting for on them.”

Her gaze shifted to the vials, and her eyes widened. Blood! With a possessive, quick movement, she snatched them up and drained them quickly without an answer for Adelein.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“Of course, I am aware of that. It would be easier to transport them that way. Hmmm, but I’m sure that Black Marsh hunters have massive ones to spare for less. I could have them delivered by ship.” She calculated numbers in her head momentarily, writing down names and the averages of expenses on a piece of paper. Adelein compared the costs to other relative purchases. “I could acquire a well-evolved behemoth of Black Marsh for an estimated one-thousand septims each. Possible the size of two or three regular adults. I will see how many they are willing to part with.”

“Oh.” Merta didn’t know how much money she had. Did she have many thousands? It was hard enough to trace the paths when she was fed, but the conversation had suitably enthralled her to forget the blood vials cooling on the table.

“I want those. The big ones.” Merta confirmed. “As many as I can have.” Did she have money on her? She checked her clothing, but, no. “I don’t have anything to pay right now. But I’ll bring it. I will.”

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“I’ll ask around. One of my associates will be able to retrieve them from the southern areas of Tamriel.” Adelein pulled a piece of parchment from a stack and fumbled through a crate of writing utensils, wax, and stamps. “A month at most, and I’ll have your trader. They are commonly sold as exotic pets for lavish households and would undoubtedly be expensive on top of my flat rate. Oh, but what formidable guard-animals they would make… I am almost curious to know what you wish to do with them, sell them? How many would you need, anyways?”

“I don’t need them alive.” Merta informed her. She wasn’t looking for a pet. “They can be in pieces. I need all of their parts.”

How many did she need? How many was right, and how many was possible? If they were about this big, and she needed...then maybe...

“Can I have six?” That maybe wasn’t enough. “Or eight?” Possibly still not enough. But it would have to do. She didn’t know how much they cost.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

The gears turned within Adelein’s head for a moment, taking Merta on as an ally was a wise choice.She placed her fingers on her chin and cheek.. “Not in Skyrim, no… I have contacts, however. There is no doubt that I couldfind those for you.”

“Could you?” Merta found her sudden excitement at the prospect felt more like anxiety, but it didn’t dim her enthusiasm. “I need them. I can pay you.”

She had money, more than she was used to, scrounged up from the hapless victims of her many monsters. It was cached here and there, and it would take her ages to find it all with her memory, but she would. She would do it for crocodiles and the promise of an end they brought with them.

[kennelkeeper]

adelein-gardinier

“…unless they were able to use magic. In fact I once–” She cut herself short. Adelein felt her voice easily trailing off with the vampire in her company. It was so long since anyone was willing to have a discussion within her tower. However, Merta was much less loquacious then the…past guest.   “Crocodiles, now that is interesting.”

“I don’t want them to use magic.” Merta almost huffed, but she was trying to be friendly. This was a friend. They didn’t understand. She could try to explain why, all the effort she was putting into quantity, durability, but explanations were like putting together puzzle pieces with scraped and blunted edges. Nothing was coming together, and so she abandoned it.

“I need more crocodiles,” she explained, a more important topic. “Can you get me some?”