Sedsha: Teasing

Sedric stood in the Main Hall of Lakeview manor, working with a strange ancient Dwemer contraption, occasionally muttering some things to make note of under his breath. He picked up a pair of pliers and reached in, removing an intricate spring to study, but as he brought it close to his face, it fell from his grip and rolled under his work table.

Sighing sharply, Sedric crawls under the table to reach for it, the tiny metal spring being difficult to see even for a Vampire Lord. When he finally finds it, the front door slams open,

“Hey Sedric!” Vaesha called, causing Sedric to bump his head hard on the underside of the table, the spring falling from his grasp once again.

“Son of a-!” he hisses in pain and annoyance.

Vaesha smirks at the comical scene of Sedric on his knees, holding his head, her chuckle earning her a growl from him.

“Did the little princess bump his head?” she asked in a tease.

Sedric turned and glared at her before rising, a hand rubbing the spot where he hit his head,
“I meant to do that,” he said with sass, crossing his arms.

Vaesha rolls her eyes and laughs at him before staring at him in silence.

“Anyway…” she said after clearing her throat “Nikolai told me of an old ruin teeming with ancient artifacts, want to go exploring for a bit?” she asked.

Sedric turned away from her, gazing down at his notes,

“Can’t, I have to work with this odd contraption,” he answered.

“Looks to me you were sitting on the floor pouting just a moment ago,” Vaesha stated.

Sedric grit his teeth,

“That is because a damned spring fell onto the floor and being a pain to retrieve!” he snapped.

Vaesha brushed off his hiss and grabbed his forearm,

“Come on princess, an hour or two away from your project won’t kill you,” she said as she pulled him into the entry way “unless you plan on bumping your head…” she snickered as she draped his cloak over his shoulders.

Sedric bit back a retort, sighing instead as he pulled on his hood as he followed after Vaesha outdoors.

******

They walked down a dirt path along a small river that cut through the thick pine forests of Falkreath Hold on its way to the Lake. Vaesha walked with her arms crossed over her chest as she blabbered on about one of her adventures in the Shivering Isles, Sedric wishing for the remainder of the trip to be wrapped in complete silence instead.

“Whoa!” Vaesha exclaimed, followed by a loud thumping sound.

Sedric paused in mid-step and gazed over his shoulder to see Vaesha face first to the dirt, her boot caught in an exposed tree root’s grip. He let out a low snicker before turning to face her fully.

“Awww did the wittle puppy twip?” he asked in a teasing tone.

Vaesha raised her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes before placing her hands firmly onto the ground to push herself back onto her feet, dusting off her clothes once she was balanced.

“I meant to do that,” she commented as she straightened her tunic.

Sedric scoffed before chuckling once more, turning away to continue their little journey to the old ruin Nikolai told Vaesha about. Unbeknownst to him, Vaesha had summoned a root in front of him, causing him to also trip. But instead of landing flat on his face as she had, he tumbled into the river.

Vaesha holds back a chuckling, snorting instead as she makes her way over to the bank; holding out a hand for the Vampire Lord. Sedric glares at her and reaches for her, but as she is about to hoist him up, he summons a vast amount of strength to pull her into the river.

She returns to the surface spluttering, her auburn hair stuck to her face. She scowls at him as holds her forearms as if she were cold. They stared at each other for a few moments in silence before they both broke out into a duet of roaring laughter, occasionally splashing each other like children before finally deciding that they spent enough time in the water.

******

“Do I even want to know what happened?” Nikolai asked as he walked into the Main Hall of Lakeview Manor, seeing Sedric and Vaesha sitting by the fire wrapped in thick blankets with steaming cups in their hands while their clothes hung out to dry.

Sedric and Vaesha looked to each other before shrugging,

“I’ll take that as a no then…” Nikolai said as he reached down to pick up a golden spring from beside his boot, placing it on Sedric’s work table before making his way over to them.