Spinky Bones

“‘Something missing’?” Theodora repeats.

“Yes, there is something missing.” Off to the side of Elenwen’s latest party at the Thalmor Embassy, Ondolemar leans over her with a leering grin. “Would you be able to pinpoint it?”

Theodora holds Ondolemar’s gaze while gently swirling her wineglass. Something missing from Ondolemar’s uniform, huh? The thing is, Theodora had been watching Ondolemar already from a distance before they found their way to each other. She’d long committed to memory every aspect of his uniform, for the nights she felt most lonely and touch-deprived. What was missing?

Humming, Theodora lightly holds a fold of gold-lined black fabric between her thumb and forefinger. She strokes the material while revelling in the body heat that comes through from beneath it. Her gaze flicks up. Ondolemar watches her closely. Hungrily.

“I don’t see anything, Commander,” Theodora tells him. “As far as my knowledge and memory serves, you are impeccably dressed.”

Ondolemar leans closer. The leather of his robes creaks, and he smirks. His voice lowers and deepens. “Perhaps you should inspect me closer, Theodora.”

Warmth rolls through Theodora. The tail end of it arrives in her face. Her flush has nothing to do with nerves or primness, which Ondolemar knows. He knows exactly what he’s doing to her. He always has.

Theodora swallows away excess saliva. She glances around, sets her wineglass down, and then tugs gently at the front of Ondolemar’s uniform in a silent bid: follow.

There’s a storage room nearby. As casually as she can, Theodora closes them inside. She begins working at the various clasps and buttons, and then catches a flash of golden skin beneath. But—it’s too low for her expectations. Ondolemar basically told her he wore nothing underneath, and yet. . .

He’s barefoot?

This revelation stuns Theodora, nearly pushing her to laughter because why isn’t he wearing boots, but in a flash Theodora is spun around with her front pressed against the door. She goes still, her skin gaining in sensitivity as Ondolemar’s solid and warm body holds her there. Theodora swallows again as his hand comes to rest on her stomach.

“Now,” he breathes in her ear. “Shall we discuss your punishment for lifting the robes of a member of the Thalmor?”

AHJKSHKKBVCHAKVCHACVVKSJDCVKSUCVCHSAVSHSAHKKAK

*SCREAMING*

THIS IS AMAZING

Omg the way my eyes lit up when I saw the beginning and that is was Theomar!!! And how I was losing it when I got to the end XD His bare feet because he don't wear boots in my game anymore (because he tortures me) and then the 👀 You captured their vibe to a T! This is them!!!

It's like you read my mind, I was thinking about them at the Embassy today <3

Most period illustrations of Landsknechts are black-and-white woodcuts…

…though in 1905 a book called „Geschichte des Kostüms“ - History of Costume - assembled a bunch of black-and-whites and added colour.

If they look excessively gaudy, they’re not, because these next prints were coloured in-period by an artist called Erhard Schön, and it’s fair to assume he was representing what he saw.