erased from the doomed bloodline

It is in the evening when Elelil Heart-Eater returns to the College, abruptly dropping by the Arcanaeum with her heavy cloak covered in both snow and… scorch marks? The half-Bosmer swiftly brushes past the many precariously balanced bookstacks, her short stature seeming even smaller against the backdrop of tall shelves. Not that he would ever say it aloud, but Phinis is somewhat thankful at her arrival, what with her mere presence shooing a hovering Arniel away. Her overall reputation both inside and out of the College aside, the unusual wooden mask she always covers her face with outside of the premises does nothing to help with how others view her. But in cases like this, Phinis personally thinks it's quite helpful. The relief he feels at finally having some peace to read immediately leaves him when she drops four small but recognizable objects—a necklace, a ring, and two daggers—onto the table before him, the loud clunking drawing a sharp glare her way from the ever gruff Urag. Elelil ignores him, falling heavily into the seat across from Phinis. "I got your letter on my way back. I looked into it," she says, her voice muffled by the mask. She leans back in her seat and pulls the hood of her cloak down. "Unfortunately, I found them." "…It seems you have. A shame." Closing his book, he reaches forward to pick Yisra's necklace up, the intricately engraved silver pendant in his palm now warped and discolored. "So, all four of them have…?" "Died, yes." She sighs before shaking her head. She tugs the wooden mask off, letting it clatter onto the table as she rubs her deathly pale, gaunt face in exhaustion. "I told them not to do their field research alone, but of course none of them listened. What a waste." "I hate to say it, but those apprentices may have been too afraid of you to have even heard you." He offers. "Of course they were." Elelil scoffs, her yellow-orange eyes flashing dangerously. She crosses her arms and grits her teeth, her sharp canines reflecting the light of the nearby candelabra. "If even the Archmage's word, along with my decade of being here with no incidents whatsoever, isn't enough to assuage students' fears, nothing will." "What's done is done, I suppose." Phinis reasons, carefully laying the necklace back onto the table's wooden surface. "In any case, thank you for looking into it. I'll let the Archmage and Mirabelle know what happened to them tomorrow morning." "Of course," Elelil nods her head. She runs a hand under her hair to free it from the confines of her cloak, the ends of some of her frizzy brown locks clearly singed. "It was no issue at all since it was on the way back. Speaking of," Elelil turns in her chair, finally acknowledging the orc librarian standing behind the counter. "Urag, I lost the book." Urag bristles lightly, his fists clenching on the counter. "I… see. I'm assuming there's a reason." "You are usually more meticulous about that." Phinis agrees, unconsciously fiddling with Ilas-Tei's ring. "If anything, you tend to overprepare." "You know me, I care just as much as Urag does when it comes to growing the Arcanaeum's collection. I wouldn't lose something like that without a good reason." She sighs, letting her head loll over the backrest of her chair. "It burned to ashes, along with the rest of my pack. I had to get a new bag." Urag raises a brow. "How? Did you run through a fire on the way here?" "In a sense. I was passing through Helgen." Elelil breathes heavily through her nose as she rubs her forehead in irritation, leveling Urag with a grimace. "The surprise executions the Legion decided to hold there were one thing. The dragon was an entire other one."

In addition to my writing just noooot happening last week, I was also too busy in general to participate last Wednesday 😭 But I'm here now!

I wanted to mix things up with the College story by implementing one of the unused quests as a way to introduce Elelil somewhat early in the fic. Not that the fic is gonna see the light of day anytime soon, I have two other fics that need to come out first, but unfortunately, I can only really write whatever and whenever the mood strikes.

Just like last time, if anyone reading this is like me and has been wanting an excuse to post your own WIP, feel free to use this post to consider yourself tagged! Just be sure to tag me in your own post cuz I wanna see your stuff!