The Abandoned Pier (Lucien)

 Prompt: Abandoned Pier

I’m not entirely sure what brought me here, to this little abandoned pier at the edge of Sadrith Mora. Issy had ended up on this really quite tiny island due to having to track down Valan and found him arguing with Neloth in the lower chambers of Tel Naga. What they were arguing about I don’t know as I didn’t stay to listen though it seemed to be completely irrelevant to why Issy was there. As far as I know Issy has to ask Valan some questions regarding the state of The Blades on Vvardenfell considering he is at least temporarily spymaster for the region. I would ask who died and gave him the job but it seems nobody died, the former spymaster for some reason was recalled, and Valan seemingly randomly got the position. Questions about The Blades however have no relation to why two master wizards would be arguing and since I had no reason to be there in the first place, and simply came along because I had nothing else to do I’d decided to wander off. There isn’t much one can do other than tag along when you’re dead. It’s either get into mischief with the living or sit around the void. An interesting thing about this place, people don’t give me strange looks like they do in Cyrodiil, I guess they’re used to giving the dead a certain amount of respect. Quietly I’d wandered down the steps of the tower, through the market, past the building where the council meets, all the way to the other side of the island where I sit at the edge of the pier watching the waves.

I’d always been drawn to water, so I guess it makes some sense that I’d end up here in a secluded quiet place with only my thoughts and the sound of the waves crashing. There seem to be bits of wrecked ships in the distance and amidst the noise of the waves and the gulls I can hear what sound like sailors murmuring from the depths. Strangely it isn’t creepy, the voices that can be barely heard every now and then. “I can see you found my hiding place.” a familiar voice says to me from behind me and a moment later I find myself sitting next to Valans father, or his spirit, really. “I would come here when Valan was little when I needed a break from all the noise.” I can imagine life with a toddler is quite noisy, wanting a bit of quiet is entirely understandable. He doesn’t ask why I’m here, or how I found this place but just sits quietly next to me as we look out on the sea. Every now and then he fiddles with his robes in a similar way to what I do but otherwise the two of us just sit still. I don’t frequently run into him given the limitations of ancestral spirits but Ben Velothi seems to be a very interesting person from what I’ve gotten to known of him in our limited interactions, Valan greatly resembles him in personality and I can see more and more of him in Valan with each bit of information I get. Physically there is a resemblance as well, though I still think Valan resembles his mother just a bit more in terms of certain facial features. I wonder if he knew I was here and specifically decided to seek me out or if we are both here by coincidence in need of a bit of calm amidst all the chaos.

“There’s something calming about the water.” I manage to get out after a few minutes of silence, to which he murmurs something unintelligible to my ears in agreement and we go back to sitting in silence. Part of me considers asking what it is he’s doing here though I end up not asking as I already know the answer. The ancestral spirits have the job of watching over and protecting the living, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Now that I think of it, he was probably watching the entire time Valan and Neloth were arguing. They may still be arguing, in fact, they’re more than likely still arguing. Maybe that’s why he ended up here, he needed a break and a bit of peace and quiet. What better place for peace and quiet than an abandoned pier? All that’s there are pieces of driftwood, the crashing of the waves and gulls wheeling overhead, and the quiet ever whispering voices of the dead.