Chapter 13 - Crossing a Line
*****
Aranea was living at my place. No, we were not intimate. She was simply a friend, offered to be my steward, and would offer to accompany me on the road if and when I chose to head off on another adventure. I guess I didn't really need a steward, but more importantly, it gave her a roof over her head, and I suggested she get to know any of her fellow mages in town.
I also had to warn her about my lifestyle. I didn't exactly show her the Dibellan room, but I let her know that when Haelga visited, she would hear lots of noise from within. I also admitted that I would enjoy physical relations with the women I was intimate with around the house. She surprised me by simply laughing, stating she was young once, and if she did walk in on me with a woman, she would simply head to her own room.
My first visitor after Aranea moved in was actually Ingun. We saw each other often, nearly every day, but we very rarely spent a night together. After returning from the Shrine of Azura, I spent the first night with Haelga at the Bunkhouse, where we made love but spent most of the night just talking, then the next night I stayed with Karliah at the Hall.
Heading down to Elgrim's shop, Ingun was behind the counter as always, busy working away, though as soon as she noticed it was me who walked in, she ran around the counter and leapt into my arms. Thankfully I was strong enough to hold her, even with her legs wrapped around me. "I've missed you!" she whispered before I was kissed in such a way, it was bound to get a bodily reaction.
"That's why I'm here. How would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight?"
Her face lit up in absolute delight. "Of course. When would you like me there?"
"I'll be home all day, so whenever you finish. I'm thinking dinner first, then perhaps dessert and a little wine or brandy on the porch."
"Then sex?" she asked hopefully.
I couldn't help chuckle. "Yes, then sex."
She kissed me again before lowering herself to the ground, letting me know she would be at my front door at dusk. I headed to the market, as although I had plenty of food at the house, I thought some fresh fish would be a nice change. The Riften fishery just outside the city walls always had the latest catch, and for the price of a couple of septims, I had a couple of nice salmon steaks for Ingun and I. I was no chef, but I sprinkled a few herbs onto the fish in preparation, while I would do the same with the potatoes and vegetables. I had quite the wine collection growing, some I'd purchased legally, others gained through more nefarious means. I still didn't rob from anyone within Riften, but that didn't mean I wouldn't stoop to robbing transports between others cities and Riften, particularly if I heard there was something worth stealing.
Ingun appeared as the sun was slowly starting to set, the sky a beautiful mix of orange and purple. Inviting her inside, we sat at the dining table as I poured her some wine, and I served dinner rather quickly. She was rather complimentary of the meal I cooked. I wasn't any sort of grand chef, but I was slowly learning what worked and what didn't.
"And what's for dessert?" she asked in such a tone, I think she was suggesting something other than the small cakes I'd bought. I mentioned I did have those, and a tasty brandy that should go with them. She surprised me stating she would like to have some of those and we could sit on the porch.
The sun had set by the time we took a seat on the porch. Torches had been lit across the city, providing light, though we sat mostly in darkness. Ingun lasted all of five minutes before she was sitting on my lap, leaning back against me, head resting against my shoulder. "It's a lovely evening," she said softly.
"It certainly is. Though I have to admit my first impression of Riften wasn't great."
"There's a reason why it is like you see. Around seventy years ago, there was a jarl in charge of the city and surrounding area who proved little more than a tyrant. The people eventually cried enough and fought back, but after lighting his castle on fire, it spread and eventually consumed the entire city. What you see is the portion of Riften that's been rebuilt. It used to be a grand old city on the shores of Lake Honrich. Now it's... what you see. So, little wonder you didn't think a lot. But Riften's experienced a lot of hard times over the centuries."
"Has your family always been in Riften?"
"Well, I was born here, as was mother. Before that, I'm not sure. I've never really asked, to be honest. What about you?"
"All I know is that I'm a Nord. Being an orphan..."
"Sorry."
"No, no. Trust me, it's not a wound of any sort. It's just I don't know my heritage at all."
"So what do you think of Riften now?"
Putting my lips to her ear, I whispered, "Let's just say I have a few reasons to stay," before I kissed her cheek.
She stood up, and I thought was going to grab my hand to lead me inside. Instead, she sat down on her knees on my lap, and we had a little make out session while sitting on the porch. One or two of the guards may have noticed if walking at the right angle, but I'd discovered the porch did provide an element of privacy. I hadn't had sex on the porch, though. Or, at least, I hadn't yet.
Ingun and I didn't have sex on the porch. After quite a long make-out session, during which I may have partially disrobed Ingun, we headed inside for some fun. Before doing that, though, she asked about my special room that I'd designed for Haelga. Slightly surprised that she was interested, I figured there was no harm in showing her.
I'll admit I found her reaction to some of the things I had in their quite amusing, particularly the manacles and chains attached to the ceiling and roof, and then she had a nosy in the drawers, pulling out a rather long phallic like object. "She likes this?"
"In her arse," I stated bluntly.
