Murphy's Law

Chapter 32

"Honey, I'm home!" Benny sang out as he stepped into Apocrypha, then pulled a face. "Ugh. Hasn't anyone ever told you that reading in such poor light will ruin your eyes? And you've got way too many of them to be worrying about that." No answer. He shrugged; typical Mora. Probably absorbed in one of his books again. He started walking. Hermaeus Mora would turn up eventually, there was no way he wouldn't sense Benny's presence.

He frowned when he found himself right back where he started. Well, no matter, it was easy to get lost and turned around in this place. He just kept walking, taking a different path this time. An hour later, and he found himself at the start again. "Wow. Didn't think you were the sort for practical jokes."

"I thought it was funny," purred a slow, soothing voice. "What brings you to my realm?"

Benny clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back on his heels, before pushing off the ground to float several feet above it. "My new buddy Emmet seems to have a parasite. Not sure I'm okay with this."

"And why should this concern me, I wonder?"

"Because said parasite is your pet Dragonborn. What are you up to, Mora?"

"You really think I would give my secrets away so easily? You didn't even say 'please'."

"Please?" Benny tacked on, and batted his lashes for good measure. Mora chuckled.

"You know well enough I am immune to human charms, She-"

"Not unless you want your precious books to serve as collateral," Benny hissed, his grin becoming forced.

"Duly noted. Benny," he sneered in response. "How you cling to your past. I wonder, how tenuous is your hold on your sanity today, Benny?"

"Hey- I'm not here about me-"

"Still have that obsessive affinity for airships, Benny?"

"I'm warning you-" He reflexively brandished the Wabbajack, but to his credit, Mora didn't even flinch.

"Spent your whole life trying to find the Dwemers' plans for one, didn't you? Shame you never checked Solstheim, there's one that's been just lying there for centuries. The snow and ice finally thawed enough to uncover it again."

"I- ...There is?" He shook his head. "No! I know what you're trying to do-"

"You should go check it out before those awful little rieklings get their grubby hands on it and destroy it the rest of the way."

"Unacceptable!" Benny gasped. "Where is it?!"

"Moesring Pass," Mora answered, no longer interested in their conversation. "Better hurry, Princeling."

~* *~

It was a peaceful day, and shaping up to be quite a boring one, at that. Not that every other day since the Dragonborn and his team had left wasn't, to be quite honest. He still had Jenny and Watevra and the Knight to talk to, at least (and he and Lenny attempted to, but ever since their encounter in the hall, their interactions had been nothing short of awkward. Ken was avoiding him altogether now). Lloyd seemed to have warmed up to him somewhat as well, spending a little more time around him and occasionally asking questions.

He'd picked up on some interesting details about his companions in the past week. Jenny was a master alchemist, it turned out, who had discovered a method of making a very potent concentrated healing potion. Back when they actually had an army, she would just give a supply of it to the healers out in the field, but these days, she made sure everyone currently on duty had a canister with them.

Watevra had no memory of her life before she was found by the Knight, back during the start of the rebellion. They'd been fast friends ever since, tenaciously guarding each other's secrets- Sirius had marked her as possibly being the one person in the rebellion that knew his identity. He wondered what secrets she might have, she seemed to be such an open book. Although she had used an entirely wrong word, one day. Alfred had calmly and quietly corrected her, a manner that spoke of having to do it many times in the past. She, however, had seemed annoyed and embarrassed as she huffed out "ugh, I thought I was over that!"

Penn was a scary, scary lady when she wanted to be. She was easily as old as Sirius himself, possibly even older, and had a lifetime of sabotage and espionage under her belt. Little wonder she was Bruce's right-hand lady, and so high up in the ranks of the rebellion overall. He wondered how much of the Thalmor's failures were thanks to her. She was no slouch with a blade, either. He'd caught her carving up a wood dummy with one of Iron-Tail's dragonbone daggers, and decided she was not someone he ever wanted to come across in a dark alley.

The Knight had a frankly ridiculous sense of humor that never seemed to run short, and a penchant for sass that so far only Benny seemed to rival (he didn't know the Mad God well enough to say for certain just yet). Sirius didn't know exactly how he did it, but the Knight always seemed to know just what to say to soothe Sirius' frazzled nerves, or defuse a tense situation. And they could talk politics all day, he found. It was... interesting, to have someone to debate with. The Knight would always say something that challenged his views, made him think. He hoped he did the same to the Knight, it wouldn't be very fair otherwise. But the man obviously had a keen intellect, smart enough to be such a thorn in Sirius' side for so long.

He was jolted from his musings by the sight of Alfred sprinting through the base like a pack of death hounds were on his heels. Jenny perked up as well, sharing a worried glance with him. It wasn't like the housecarl to be in such a state of panic. They hurried after him, eager to find out what was going on.

"The Imperial Army is in the city, along with the Thalmor. They know we're here," he panted out once he found Penn and the Knight. Penn wasted no time in grabbing all the sensitive intel she could find.

'Get everyone out of here,' the Knight instructed. 'Essentials only, we have no time for personal effects.'

"Yes, sir." Jenny left quite abruptly as well, helping him to spread the word. A crash echoed through the caverns- the Legion had found the main entrance. Sirius stared as the Knight pulled his own dragonbone dagger from its sheath on his belt, handing it over.

"What?"

'I have no doubts the Legion will not harm you, but I would be wary of any Thalmor that find you first.'

"Wait, you're-" He struggled to decide which question to get out first. "You're trusting me with a weapon? You're letting me go??"

'I have faith in you.' And just like that, he and Penn were gone, leaving a very bewildered Ambassador in their wake. It was barely a minute later that the General discovered him.

"Sir," the General sighed in something that sounded like- relief?? How odd. "You're looking well."

"I haven't been harmed, if that's what you're asking," Sirius snorted in response, tucking the dagger away. "It's about time you showed up. These people have been watching me like vultures."