Hey! First Elder Scrolls fanfic. Before you read the story, I see and write Sheogorath as he appears in Skyrim, with one minor tweak. Instead of the blind eyes, he has the black and yellow cat eyes from his Oblivion self.

Rin Maverin knew what she was experiencing was a dream. It was too obvious. The edges of her vision were blurred, burnt, creased, and faded, like a piece of old paper.

That didn't mean she would prevent the dream from occurring. She realized that, once more, it was about a certain crazy Daedra. It was in a setting all-too-familiar. She watched herself converse with him.

"Oh, lassie. Do you know who you're dealin' with?" Sheogorath's accent was thick and gravelly, his brows furrowed.

The mortal, an Imperial woman named Rin, stood silent. The strange man's yellow, cat-like eyed had her transfixed.

"I... uh... what?" She hadn't noticed his immediate reaction when she opened her mouth. He huffed, dramatically smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"I said: do you even know who you're dealin' with, lass?"

Rin frowned. An insane, old man with a bizarre fashion sense and unique eyes? She didn't say those words, however. "I'm afraid I don't, sir."

"Wrong!" His voice was a loud, cracked interruption. He closed his mouth, and a thoughtful look graced his face for a moment. "Actually... you do. Sort of." He waved his hands around, trying to emphasize his point.

The Imperial knew this man could sense the confusion emanating from her as he stepped in her direction.

"I'm a part of you, mortal. A part a everyone, actually. I'm a piece of your fragile little psyche. You know me. You just don't know it." He fell silent after he reached out and tapped her forehead.

After a few moments of quiet, he bounced away from her personal space. His face was lit up with a jovial grin. "Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness, at your service!" He goofily bowed and brushed his lips across both her knuckles and cheeks, Repeatedly.

Rin cleared her throat and Sheogorath darted up, releasing her hands.

"Oh, but please, have a seat! What would you like? Mammoth steak? Ooh, wait! A sweetroll?" He paused, eyes widening. "How about... cheese?" At that, about seventeen wheels of goat cheese spawned on the long table in front of them, and he flashed her a cheesy (pun intended) grin.

"Seriously, lass. Take a seat! And I don't mean grab one and run- heh, some kid tried that once. I skipped rope with his entrails!" The last sentence rolled off his tongue, accent strong. He giggled, pointing to a seat across from him.

Rin quickly sat down in the chair Sheogorath had (quite unintentionally) chosen for her. His cat eyes narrowed when she mumbled nervously.

"What was that, mortal?" He leaned over the table, hands folded.

She automatically stood up, much to the Daedra's surprise and slight dismay (he wished for her to relax). "So, uh."

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow, and Rin's eyes darted away.

"Does this mean you'll leave?"

Ah.

He grinned, lounging back in his throne. "Now, that's the real question, isn't it? Because how much time off could a demented Daedra really need?"

Sheogorath knew the Imperial was tense and spoke calmly. "Lass, I won't hurt you." He fought the urge to add a snide remark.

Rin seemed to sit a bit more comfortably, yet for Sheogorath, that wasn't enough. He spoke, above a mere whisper.

"Is it your first time? Dealing with a Daedra?"

She shook her head. "I've dealt with many."

Now that interested him, and he moved forward once more. "Then why, mortal, are you so scared of me?" He was genuinely curious.

She didn't answer, and he continued. "You need not worry around me. But, back to the subject at hand!" Sheogorath clasped his hands together. He flew out of his chair and skipped around the table, making his way toward her. "Should I stay or should I go? What a question!" The insane Daedra stopped beside her, and whispered. "No, I think I'll stay." His voice deepened, lowering an octave.

Rin gulped at the intense expression on his face. His eyes were practically glowing with mischief. He was too close for comfort. They were almost nose-to-nose. Rin sunk back into her chair.

"Hey! What did I say about me not being a threat to you? Did you already forget?" She had to give him credit, he did look offended. "I'll let you go. On one condition." He paused, waiting for a reply. He wasn't disappointed.

A sigh. "Alright, what'd the catch?"

He rubbed his hands together, quite like a mad scientist who just brainstormed the most diabolical plan ever. "Oh, I love when mortals know they're bein" manipulated! Everything becomes much more... interesting." His voice dropped again, making the Imperial shiver. "You have to trust me when I say that I won't hurt you." With that, he grabbed her shoulders. She was visibly shaking.

His lips brushed her ear. "Looks like you'll be here for quite some time, so I suggest you wake up."

Rin's eyes shot open and she practically leaped out of bed. Her eyes were wide, her forehead glistening with sweat. She frantically rubbed her face, her arms, looking around the room. She was still in Honeyside. She wiped some sweat off of her face, eyes darting around the room.

A flash of light blue appeared at her side. "Are you alright, Listener?" The smooth baritone voice of Lucien Lachance lulled her senses, and her breathing slowed.

"Bad dream." She whispered, and he wrapped an ethereal arm around her. "What was it about, if I may ask?" He was doing a good job at keeping her calm, and she sighed.

"I..." She began, and turned her head away, stepping out of the specter's embrace. "Nothing." She'd rather not tell him that the Daedric Prince of Madness was constantly invading her dreams.

Lucien knew she was hiding something, but chose to leave her to it. "If you need anything, my Listener, I will be there." He crossed his arms just as he returned to his personal slice of the Void.

Rin turned around, staring at the spot the specter had just been, and huffed. Just huffed. Not much more, not much less. She didn't know what to do.

What do you do when a mad god won't leave you alone?

Well, she thought. He's only been in my dreams. He probably doesn't even know what's going on.

She snatched an apple from the table a few feet away from her and kicked the door open to her porch. Riften was a beautiful city at night. One might even say dangerously beautiful.

The Imperial plopped down in the nearest chair, taking a bite from the red fruit. She breathed in the fresh, clean air. Rin was quite tired, but she already knew sleep would not return.

She listened to the night. The rustling of leaves, the breeze of air, the chirping and chatter of animals. It helped clear her mind, and she closed her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping, lass?"

Rin groaned, keeping her eyes closed. She wanted to hiss at him, to tell him to leave her alone. But she didn't. She did not wish to cope with a pissed-off Daedra tonight, and settled for slowly raising her head, eyes partially open. "Shouldn't you be ruling your realm or something?"

"Nah." Sheogorath's lips were curled up in an amused smirk when she finally opened her eyes. "So, Rin." The "r" rolled off his tongue. "Rin. What a strange name for an Imperial. Rin." He giggled. "Rinny Rin Rin."

She snapped at him. "If you're just here to bother me, can you do it another time? I'm tired."

"Then go back to sleep." He was up to something. It was obvious.

"No." Her voice dripped with annoyance of the highest degree before taking another bite from the apple.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaase?" He jutted his bottom lip out, eyelashes fluttering, like a child asking for another sweet roll from their mother. She turned away from him. He continued. "Why? Oh, is something botherin' you? Too much cheese? Bad dreams?"

He scooted his chair closer to her, making scraping noises at it grinded against the worn wood. "Oh, please tell me. I'm just a demented Daedra!" He placed his elbows onto the table, holding his head up with his hands. His cane was laid across his lap. Childish anticipation was prominent on his features, staring at the Imperial with those damn cat eyes.

She glared at him. "Go away."

"But Riiiinn!" He drew out her name, an impish grin on his face. "Tell Sheogorath what's botherin' you and he'll leave!"

Bothered by the random referral to himself in third-person, she muttered. "I had a bad dream."

He leaned in closer. "About?" She was always so distracted by his eyes that she never noticed the rest of him. The Madgod seemed to choose to present himself as an older, silver-haired gentleman with fine clothes. One half of his top (which was divided with a pink cravat) was a deep, beautiful purple, while the other was a strong shade of red, and he wore purple trousers, with two belts around his waist. He could easily pass as a mortal in public if it were not for his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he could not hide his true self within them (besides the obvious reasons).

"Lass." He clicked his tongue. "What was the dream about?" He appeared to be growing impatient. He was fidgeting around in his chair and tapping the floor with his feet.

"Well..." She took a breath, and he rose his eyebrows, as if permitting her to continue. "It was in Pelagius' mind."

"And?" He was waiting with baited breath. The Daedra already knew the contents of her dream, but it was much more interesting to hear the Imperial speak of it.

"It was when I asked you to leave. You said no." She rubbed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable around Sheogorath. "You said you'd let me leave if I stopped being so tense around you, and then you told me to wake up."

That was the simplistic version, as so much else happened.

The Madgod seemed satisfied with her answer, and abruptly stood up. "Well, Rin. I believe it is time for me to take my leave, as requested."

That was it. He just disappeared in the blink of an eye. No special portals, no flashy lights, no dramatic goodbyes. He just left.

Rin didn't sleep for the rest of the night.