New and Old Faces

It is done then, the recruiting of Sorine Jurard for the Dawnguard cause. Sure, she took quite a bit of convincing... or rather it took me some tracking to have the means to convince her. Having finished the quest Azura set me to, I finally got myself out near Markarth, where Isran told me she would be. It was quite a beautiful place, really. I would certainly loathe to leave it if I had been living there for so long, but Sorine's reasons are different.

I have to dig up some Dwemer gyros out of thin air?

It frustrated me at first. The distance from Markarth to Winterhold wasn't short, and to be rebuffed simply on the matter of Dwemer gyros was ridiculous. But a mission is a mission, and I have to placate Sorine with one or else she would stay put. Thankfully, Sorine was muttering earlier about Mudcrabs stealing her satchel. Combing the riverside nearby yielded her satchel and its hoard of gyros. Satisfied with what I brought, she finally agreed to get moving. I likewise set my course back to Fort Dawnguard, but not before selling the gyros Sorine wouldn't take. A few extra gold wouldn't hurt.

Either the Mudcrabs were really clever or Sorine wasn't looking hard enough.

Kousei and his recruit, Gunmar, had already reached Fort Dawnguard before Sorine and me. I was elated to see my good friend, of course, and I thought I detected a hint of a smile in his usually impassive face when we met again. His recent letters were very exciting. Ever since he told me that Meridia had dubbed him as her Champion, I wanted so much to have a glimpse of the Dawnbreaker. But the moment we were complete, Isran shone this bright light on us. To detect if we were Vampires, he explained. I know Kousei is far more used to the sun than I am, but even he quickly retreated to the shadows after passing the test. The afterimages persisted in eyes for some time.

After all that light, to be in the shadows is a welcome respite.

And no sooner was this done when Isran beckoned Kousei and me to follow him. We glanced at each other, but we obeyed this without further ado. We got up to the second floor, where Isran was waiting in a torture room with a familiar figure...

Oh, look who's here.

A jolt of alarm hit me the moment I saw Serana. I did not expect to see her so soon, and her presence wasn't something that gave me comfort, to be honest. I stole a discreet glance at Kousei, but his expression showed only the same surprise that I was feeling. I had to stop my mind from jumping to conclusions and let Serana explain herself. I am glad I did, because what Serana divulged was clearly going to occupy us for some time.

She warned us of her father, Lord Harkon, and how he became obsessed over a prophecy that would enable vampires to get rid of what may be their greatest liability: their fear of the sun. Serana and her mother refused to go along with Harkon, and it basically resulted in what we found in Dimhollow Crypt. The Elder Scroll she was carrying would help us understand this curious prophecy so we can thwart her father's plans. But then again, only Moth Priests can read it. Kousei looked at me pointedly the moment Moth Priests were mentioned, but I simply shrugged. Just because I hailed from Cyrodiil does not mean I am one, or have met one. I hate to disappoint him, but my old home wasn't even near the White Gold Tower. But back to the story, Isran suddenly spoke up, saying there was a Moth Priest currently visiting Skyrim. Talk about lucky, but I know we shouldn't rely too much on luck where Isran's temper was concerned.

'Seductive,' indeed.

Serana in Fort Dawnguard was aggravating Isran, and he made that point clear to her. Now, I am not too fond of Serana, but Isran addressing her by "it" was a little too much even for me. Kousei didn't like it either, and he went further to speak up against Isran's blatant disrespect of Serana. This resulted in a colorful argument between the two men. Neither of them wanted to back down. I guess they might have ended it in a true Redguard fashion (which was to say, not too pretty) if I had not stepped in and used the Voice of the Emperor to stop them from exchanging blows. Some aspects of their personalities are too similar to be in harmony.

You sound as obsessed as Harkon, Isran.

Thankfully, Isran allowed Serana to stay in the Fort, provided that she does not spread her condition to anyone. On top of it, he warned her that her friends will have to pay the price should she renege on this agreement. Isran may have meant Kousei and me, but he was glaring at his fellow Redguard as he spoke. It was clear in his eyes that he wanted to use his warhammer to knock Kousei into Oblivion given the opportunity. I heaved a little sigh. I should watch out for those two whenever they're in the same room.

It was a relief when Isran took leave of us. Serana then offered to accompany Kousei for this new task of finding the Moth Priest. If she did this out of gratitude for his support earlier, I don't know. It certainly irked me, though. Serana must have noticed my change of attitude, because she quickly attempted to remedy the situation. She didn't mean to sound like she was excluding me, she said. It was just that she was not too comfortable with having other companions aside from Kousei and me. I sent Lydia and my canine follower back home immediately. No way am I allowing her to travel with Kousei alone. Not even if the Divines mandate it.

I am not even sure why I am feeling so antagonistic to Serana. I know she will not even think of harming Kousei, so why should I act like I should protect him? I don't know why I keep looking back at that time when Serana whispered to me that Kousei was quite handsome, the first time she saw his face without the helmet in Solitude. And now, I keep going over the image of Kousei standing up for Serana against Isran. Gods, what is wrong with me? Hopefully time will help clear my thoughts.

- Kiya