Betty
Taelwyn lets out a breath of relief as he catches a glimpse of a town on the horizon. His limbs ache from walking, and the bear's pelt hangs heavy on his pack. He had been sent out to kill a bear that had been attacking people on the roads, and he decided to take its pelt as a trophy. It would probably make a nice pair of boots. 
Despite how he enjoys his job, the one thing he hated was the travel. He'd walk for days depending on how far the next job was, just to walk all the way back. Small towns in the midst of the wilderness were always a welcome respite, which is why he was very glad to see a few buildings surrounding a mill on the horizon.
He picks up the pace to get to town before the sun sets. From where he is around the Throat of the World, he assumes the town is Ivarstead. Though he hasn't had it for long, he's gotten pretty decent at using a map, and that's the nearest town on the map at least.
Taelwyn finally makes it into the hamlet with a brief jog. He looks around, noting it seems smaller than most he's seen. Still, any civilization is exciting in the woodlands.
John
Rustling in the treetops, something is moving nearby, something that doesn't want to be seen, despite seeing you. The only thing you can make out in the tree tops is a faint blue glow
Betty
He squints at the blue glow and walks back towards the tree line. It doesn't seem to him like an animal, and he is experienced with hunting animals. He guesses someone is in the trees and calls out, "You're not hidden, you know."
John
"Who said I was attempting to be hidden." The voice responds, with a stuck-up tone, "I'm merely staying out of direct sight-lines."
Betty
"Seems like you're doing a bad job, then. The glow attracts eyes more than just someone in the trees would," He rests his hands at his hips, his gaze remaining up at the blue glow.
John
"Perhaps, or maybe you just looked instead of the other adventurer's I come across." He says, hopping down from the tree, his armor is strange, a dark-tinted elven armor, he wears a crown, reminiscent of that of an ancient culture, it is set with a faintly glowing blue gem
Betty
Taelwyn looks him over with a brief shrug, "Maybe. When someone's hiding, though, they're usually hiding from hunters, and hunters are always on the watch for something out of the ordinary. Can be a sign of whether or not prey is in the area."
John
"Spoken like a follower of the Prince of the Hunt." The man says, "Who is the hunger and who is the prey, I wonder." He says rhetorically, "Although you don't appear like you'd be much of a challenge."
Betty
"I haven't a clue what you're talking about," He lies, badly. His hand twitches at his side at the mention of the Prince of the Hunt. He shakes it off, "You can believe that if you'd like, I have no need to prove myself."
John
"I wonder how the Father of Manbeasts feels about lying." He says with a snobby tone, "Ah, confidence, always good to hear a fellow Mer being self-assured. It doesn't do to be a coward, we leave that to the Alessians."
Betty
He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, "I wouldn't know." He made note that he said 'fellow mer'. He was talking to another elf, although he couldn't place what kind from just the armor or the voice. He cocks his head, "I don't know these Alessians you speak of."
John
"Do they not teach history anymore?" He asks, almost genuinely intrigued by the Altmer's lack of education, "No wonder those vile extremest are ruling over the Ald- *Alt*Mer now." He chuckles, "Although I shouldn't be too surprised."
Betty
"I'm not from the Isles, if that's what you're implying. I've been in Skyrim all my life," He huffs, "You talk as if you're old enough to know the Aldmer."
John
"My people value education. *Ageabala*. Power in wisdom." He says, a word from an odd language, a dead language, or at least a language thought dead, "The Aldmer were fools, thought they were gods, and were cast out for it. Much like all the Mer, cursed in some way or another. The Aldmer and Chimer thought themselves *Ehlnada*, and were punished rightly."
Betty
His brow furrows, "I've had an education, of sorts. Just not with books." The word from an odd language surprises him, he hasn't heard anything like it. He says, "From your seeming disdain for them, I'm guessing you're not an Altmer or Dunmer, then."
John
"I hold no disdain for them." He says, "I am simply being realistic." He says, "And your assumption is correct. I am neither Altmer nor Dunmer." 

It's clear he's not dunmer, his ears stick out and they're not at all gray, they're a bit darker in tone from the Altmer as well, he's not Green so he isn't an Orc, and he's too tall to be a Bosmer, it's not clear *What* He is

"You should always seek knowledge, it is what makes us strong. To make mistakes and learn from them. That is one of the *Malatuis*, truths, that many seem to not understand."
Betty
He truly hasn't a clue what the man before him is. The only thing he can think of other than the main races of Tamriel are the falmer, and they're animalistic and pale. They certainly wouldn't be harping on him about education nor would they be wearing elven armor. He shrugs again, "I'm always learning, learning through action. If your shot is off, you correct it and move on. Something like that can't be learned from a book."
John
"The fundamentals of archery have been written many a time. Every culture does it differently, insights from one can make your archery all the better." He says, then chuckles, "Although I am partial to the crossbow, a bit slower but more devastating."
Betty
"Crossbows... Those are those things used by vampire hunters, as far as I can remember. I don't think I could even afford one of those," He scratches his head, "Maybe I'll have to pick up reading when I have enough coin for a teacher, honestly."
John
"Your family failed you." He says *Very* Flatly, "To not know how to read is to miss out on that which separates us from animals." He thinks a moment, "Perhaps I could speak to my leader. Outsiders are forbidden to know the location of our home, but perhaps it would be best to lift it in some cases. Our educators are excellent, better than anything you could find in Skyrim, I'm sure."
Betty
"My family failed me in more ways than you'd know. By Oblivion, I didn't see a city until right before my coming of age," He huffs. He listens then shakes his head, "I don't have the coin to pay an educator at the moment. I'd have to take a few jobs first."
John
"You'd be expected to pull your weight as pay." He says, then chuckles, "You might be put under my command in the *Alasilanda*. You might even be indispensible to us, since I'm sure you're more familiar with Skyrim than us."
Betty
"So you're not from Skyrim. What *Are* You? You're not an Altmer, Dunmer, or Orsimer, and you're too tall to be a Bosmer. Yet, you have elven ears, so you're no human. You're not pale enough to be a Falmer, and there are no Dwemer anymore," He rambles, narrowing his eyes at the man. He didn't like this idea of being put to work in a mysterious place he didn't know in exchange for education.
John
"So we really were forgotten." He says with a laugh, "I'm an Ayleid. We were primarily wiped by the Alessian Order, a group who foolishly decided to attempt exterminate all elves in the name of their "Saint" Alessia."
Betty
The words he spoke meant little to Taelwyn, but it solved the puzzle as to what he was. He thinks then says, "Well, it looks like they missed some."
John
"Indeed they did. My ancestors managed to hide deep within Rielle, and stayed there for quite some time. There's a few humans in there still, leftovers from the families they had, but it is still mostly Ayleids. I did hear that there are some within the jungles of Valenwood, but I haven't investigated that matter, it's too far away."
Betty
"That's all very interesting, I guess," He says. A majority of what he said is brand new information to him. He'd never heard of the Ayleids or a saint named Alessia. He says, "Maybe you'd find them if you did go to Valenwood."
John
"That's something for the Cyrod sect of the *Alasilanda* To discover. I am a part of the Skyrim sect."
Betty
"Yet you imply you don't know Skyrim well. Have your people not left much?"
John
"We've only recently started exploration of Skyrim. We were originally from Cyrod." He says, "The Falmer knew Skyrim much better than us, but to our knowledge they are fundamentally extinct."
Betty
"The Falmer are beasts to be hunted nowadays. Even I know how they were poisoned by the Dwemer until they degenerated into their current forms. They are prized game for their ears and intelligence, I've never managed to kill one on my own myself," He says.
John
"The Dwemer were involved, yes. But the story shouldn't focus only on the Deep Mer's creulty." He says, "There's more to that story than is let on by the obvious."
Betty
Taelwyn shrugs, "I know little of stories like that. I know more about how to skin a bear or evade a pack of wolves."
John
"Useful knowledge." He says, "It serves you well, I'm sure. People are not as easy to hunt, though. Why else would the Prince of the Hunt have combined beast and man."
Betty
He thinks about it for a moment before he says, "Maybe for fun? Who knows how much pleasure the daedra get from creating new monsters."
John
"It's because people are more intelligent than your average beast. Quicker thinking, able to strategise, utlize more to their advantage." He says, "The perfect predator."
Betty
"Well of course there's that, but each man-beast gives up some of that intelligence. So there might be something more to it. Even daedric princes have to have hobbies, I assume."
John
"True, but they're still more intelligent than the common beast." He chuckles at the hobby comment, "If anything was Hircine's hobby it would be Hunting. A job and a hobby."