Chapter 13

Sunrise

Talyah groans lightly as the morning sunlight beams into her upstairs bedroom. The warm rays of the sun dance on her face. She squints opening one eye holding up her hand over her eyes to shade her eyes from the sunlight. She looks over to the space in her bed letting out a sigh of disappointment when she realizes Falcen is not there. Laying her face in her hands and flopping back down onto her pillow she stares up at the ceiling. “What was I thinking? Of course, he didn’t stay. We just met last night,” she says lamenting her decision from the prior night. Pulling her covers over her head trying to hide from the world she hears footsteps coming up the stairs. Her bedroom door flies open and Qwyn stands in the doorway looking at Talyah hiding under the covers.

“You hussy,” Qwyn says playfully with a smirk on her face.

Talyah groans from under the covers, “Leave me alone.”

Qwyn grins walking into the room, “You floozy,” she teases.

Talyah grabs the pillow next to her putting it over her blanket-covered face, “Please go.”

Qwyn laughs, “Trollop,” she says, covering her mouth to muffle a chuckle, stepping closer to Talyah’s bed.

Talyah groans then she hucks the pillow at Qwyn, “Go away.”

Qwyn steps closer to Talyah’s bed, “Strumpet,” she says with a grin.

The blanket falls as Talyah sits up, “Get…out,” she demands pointing to the door.

Qwyn laughs and jumps on Talyah, pinning her down, “You absolute tart,” smiling she tickles Talyah. Pushing Qwyn off her Talyah retreats under the covers. Qwyn pouts, “What’s wrong sis?” she asks pulling the covers away from Talyah’s face.

Talyah quickly pulls the covers back up over her head, “I don’t want to talk about it,” she whines.

“Oh no, don’t tell me, the sex was bad. I can’t believe he was shite in the sack. Oh, sis, I am so sorry, you deserve better. Wow, who would have guessed? I guess it’s true what they say, you never know what you’ll get until you take a bite. You shouldn’t beat yourself up about his shortcomings,” Qwyn says trying to comfort Talyah.

Talyah quickly sits up, looking at Qwyn with a puzzled look on her face, “What? No! It was good. He was fine. More than fine.”

“Well, that’s good. Fine is better than nothing I suppose.” Qwyn pauses a moment, “Wait, were you shite in bed?” she asks in disbelief. “Oh, sweetie. It’s okay. We all have bad days, you were probably just out of practice,” she jests.

“What?” Talyah’s cheeks grow hot and flushed as she swiftly retreats once again under the blanket, “That isn’t the problem!”

“It isn’t?” Qwyn asks with a smirk on her face.

“No! Well, I didn’t think so until you mentioned it so now I just don’t know. Thanks, for that.” Talyah says. “Gods, just kill me now.”

Qwyn chuckles lightly, “Well, okay, let’s just assume you weren’t shite in bed last night,” she smirks, “So, if that’s not the reason for you hiding like this then, why are you hiding under the covers?” she pets Talyahs’ blanket-covered head.

Talyah peeks out from the covers and brushes Qwyns hand from her head, “You’re going to laugh,” Talyah sits up looking at Qwyn.

“Only if it’s funny,” Qwyn quips with a mischievous smile on her face. Noticing Talyahs’ pouty face she shakes her head rolling her eyes, “Okay, okay. I promise I won’t laugh. You know you can tell me anything, love.” Assuring Talyah with a pat on her hand and a kind look.

Talyah sighs, “I was just,” she pauses, looking up at Qwyn trying to find the right words knowing full well Qwyn was more than likely going to laugh at her.

Before Talyah could finish her thought Qwyn interrupted, “You were just hoping to spend more time with him? Maybe even get to know him better because you didn’t think this would be a one-night stand?” she says finishing Talyah’s thought for her.

Talyah looks at Qwyn with a bit of surprise, “Yes. How did you know?”

“Oh, sis, you’re not the only one who has fallen victim to a one-night stand by someone with who you thought you had a connection.” Qwyn squeezes Talyah’s hand.

Talyah lowers her eyes a look of disenchantment on her face, “Well, this is a rather new feeling, I must admit.”

“Well, this is the first time you have shown any interest in a man that wasn’t part of our seduction course in our Praecipua Virium training. Until now we have only ever had to seduce marks, and it’s not like they went over having actual feelings,” Qwyn pats Talyahs’ hand standing up from the bed.

Talyah looks up at Qwyn, “I feel like a fool. What was I expecting after just one night?”

“Oh, I can answer that,” Qwyn looks down at Talyah, “Knowing you, you were expecting to wake up with him watching you sleep while holding a tray of fresh fruit and some hot breakfast with a sappy smile on his face.”

“What?” Talyah looks up at Qwyn shaking her head dismissively, her cheeks turning pink, “I didn’t expect anything like that.”

“Uh-huh, sure you didn’t,” Qwyn smiles, “I have known you for a long time, sis. You are a hopeless romantic at heart. No amount of training will rip that from you. It is just who you are. The thought of a one-night stand has never even been a thought to you, like, ever,” she chuckles.

“I-I…” Talyah stutters, flustered by Qwyns words.

Qwyn smiles, “It’s okay, deary. I think it’s adorable, and you shouldn’t be embarrassed by it at all.” She makes her way to Talyahs’ door, stopping she looks at Talyah, “I nearly forgot why I came in here.” She leans against the door sill looking at Talyah, “You do know a one-night stand is nothing to be ashamed of, right?”

Talyah looks at Qwyn, nodding before looking down at her lap, “I guess. I just thought,” she pauses briefly, “I don’t know what I thought.”

“You were thinking he wasn’t just trying to get into your pants. And now you are upset and maybe just a wee bit angry because he turned out to be a regular eejit of a man just like the vast majority of the rest of them,” Qwyn steps back into the room.

“Yeah, maybe something like that. I don’t know why I thought he would be different,” Talyah looks up at Qwyn, disappointment etched on her face.

“Oh for the love of the gods, I can not take your sad face anymore,” Qwyn walks over to Talyah and kneels down looking her in the face before wrapping her arms around Talyah. Pulling back Qwyn looks at Talyah with a guilty smile, “So, the good news is, you didn’t have a one-night stand,” slipping a note into Talyahs’ hand, she quickly kisses Talyahs’ nose before making a mad dash for the door, exiting the room. Sticking her head back in the room, “The bad news is I kind of, sort of, maybe, ate the breakfast he made for you,” She smiles and rushes down the hall, “Love you,” she giggles as she hurries to her room.

Talyahs’ head tilts slightly as she watches Qwyn hurry out of the room. She glances down and opens the note Qwyn slipped into her hands she arches an eyebrow as she begins to read the letter, her cheeks turn a rosy pink a small smile draws on her face as she lightly bites her bottom lip. Folding the letter she throws the blankets off and hops excitedly out of bed running down the hall to Qwyns’ room. Pounding her fist on the door, “Get dressed, you evil woman. We are going out!”

“I am dressed. And, what do you mean we are going out? I just got home.” Qwyn swings the door open looking at Talyah, “Where exactly are you taking me?” she asks trying to hold back a laugh.

“He invited me to the arena for this afternoon, and after what you did I have decided that you are going to escort me,” Talyah grins.

“Oh, is that so?” Qwyn pauses a moment a devilish smile forming on her face, “Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the arena had a dress code.”

Talyah looks at Qwyn her brow wrinkles somewhat, “I am certain they do,” she looks Qwyn up and down, “I am sure what you’re wearing is just fine.”

“If that’s what yer gonna wear, I feel kind of overdressed,” Qwyn laughs cupping Talyahs’ bare breast playfully with her hand.

Looking down to swat Qwyns’ hand away, realizing she has forgotten to get dressed, Talyahs’ face grows hot and flushes with blood. She quickly covers her body awkwardly and hurries back to her room.

Qwyn bursts into laughter patting Talyah on the butt as she runs back to her room, “No need hide that cute little body of yours, it’s not like you have anything I ain’t seen before,” she smirks as she watches Talyah hurry down the hall awkwardly. She shakes her head and heads downstairs to wait on Talyah.

Thirty minutes pass, Qwyn glares blankly at the stairs, riffling her fingers across the table where she sits waiting for Talyah to descend so they can head to the arena, “What are ye doing up there, sis. How hard is it to throw on some pants and a shirt?”

Talyah holds up some clothes in front of her in a mirror. Modeling in the mirror with the clothing in front of her, taking a long pause seeing in the mirror she tosses the clothing over her shoulder, annoyed she can’t find anything she likes or wants to wear. “Just keep your panties on! I need to find the perfect outfit,” she screams downstairs at Qwyn.

Qwyn rolls her eyes, “Firstly, you know damn well I am not wearing any. Secondly, if you don’t hurry up we will miss the damn fights.”

Talyah chuckles, “Of course, you’re not,” she grabs some clothes from her closet, “So what, who cares about the fights? Besides, I don’t like the damn arena anyway,” Talyah picks up a dress holding it up to look at in the mirror, “Not since the Thalmore turned them into a warped, bloody, and sadistic form of entertainment for the bored nobles and anyone else who finds amusement in that sort of thing.”

Qwyn lays her head on the table, looking to the stairs, “I enjoy going to the arena. I don’t see anything wrong with watching people fight and if I can win some coin in the process all the better. Besides, I hear there is a new fighter for the Black Diamond making a real name for himself, and it seems to be annoying the bloody hell out of the high-up mucky-mucks. So, watching him fight should be fun.”

Talyah picks up another dress, pausing for a moment to evaluate how it looks, “I never understood the new Diamond classifications for the Arena. But from the way you sound I think you are thinking about how the arena used to be, a place where warriors tested one another’s steel against each other in combat. Where superior skill and tactics were encouraged and rewarded. Ever since the Thalmore changed the arena after the Emperor gave them the judicial oversight in the city, they have turned it into a way of doling out their perverted form of justice on criminals and basically anyone who looks at them the wrong way,” holding up a formal green dress in the mirror, “Too fancy,” she tosses the dress on the bed.

Qwyn leans back in her chair, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling, “If you feel this way then why are we even going?”

Talyah bounds down the stairs happily having finally found something she is pleased to wear, “We are going to meet up with Falcen. He said he had some business there and asked in his letter for me to meet up with him at the arena.”

Qwyn is slightly taken aback by the sight of Talyah as she descends the stairs, never having seen her in a dress. The skimpy straps of the pale mint green linen dress caress her soft supple shoulders, accenting Talyah’s tan skin tone as well as highlighting her caramel yellow eyes, the top portion of the dress hugging her body in all the right spots, showing her curves off perfectly, the skirt flowing off her hips freely, stopping above her knees, “Wow, sis. You look,” Qwyn pauses and smiles, “You look amazing. This poor bloke has no chance in the world against you now.”

Talyah smiles, “Glad you approve. Now, let’s get going, shall we?”

“I still don’t know why I am going, you are acting as if this is the first guy you’ve ever…” Qwyn pauses a moment, glancing back at Talyah, holding the door partially ajar, “Wait, he wasn’t your first, was he?” studying Talyahs’ reaction.

Talyah prances past Qwyn with a smile and a slight blush on her cheeks. Pushing past Qwyn and stepping out of their apartment ignoring Qwyns’ question, “Well, you are the one who decided to play into my insecurities. It is only fitting you be there just in case things go south and I need a quick exit.”

Rolling her eyes Qwyn locks the door and entwines her arm with Talyahs’, “Right, well, since you won’t answer the question I am just going to take your avoidance as a yes. So, with this new information, I suppose I can be your savior if things don’t go well.”

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