Prompt: Warmth
Focus: Derkeethus

Derkeethus tossed his rucksack onto the bedroll, grunting as he crumpled into a heap in front of the warm campfire. Letting the heat soak into his tired bones, he glanced at the horizon, sighing silently as he saw a large spout of steam in the distance. He had tried as hard as he could to avoid realizing the awful truth, but one day, just one single day into their adventuring, and he couldn't deny it any longer:

He absolutely despised the cold.

It was ironic then, in a vague, cosmic sort of way, that he lived in Skyrim, land of ice and snow. Sure, he had mostly spent his time around hot springs, steam, and only-mildly-chilly weather, but even Darkwater Crossing got flurries every few days or so. It hadn't bothered him before, when it was gone as quick as it came. Even back in the cave near the waterfall, when he had been held captive by the tribe of Falmer, the temperature had at least been bearable.

But now it was today - tonight, rather - and he had broken a lot of barriers today. He had waded through the hot springs instead of soaking in them, and he had also tripped and fallen into a snowbank for the first time, and his nice new set of armor hadn't been enough to keep him from shivering. He had even gotten to slay an honest-to-Talos troll, and had thus started on the path towards becoming a real adventurer, according to his companion.

Had he any common sense to spare (and he was quite sure that he had a great deal of it), he would have up and headed back to the mine; as important as the medicine for the town was, he still had a working idea of self-preservation. And yet, the entire day was like some kind of waking dream, and he felt more alive than he had ever felt before. He felt like he couldn't stop and leave now - he had to finish what he'd agreed to help accomplish. And for some strange reason... he was having fun.

It was for that reason that he now gazed in quiet wonder at the woman before him, stirring up some kind of meal in the cooking pot as she sang a tune to herself under her breath. He recognized it from their encounter with a wandering bard while on the road - she'd asked him to sing that song about the Dragonborn. She'd been humming it to herself all day.

"It's considered rude to stare, 'Keeth," She remarked suddenly, her tone playful. "Or do you like what you see?"

Startled, he opened his mouth, ready to respond, but nothing left but an embarrassed stutter, and she laughed quietly at his reaction. He settled for looking into the fire and pouting, and she stifled herself before she could do anything else.

"Oh, come on, I'm just teasing you," She said, her eyes turning once again towards the soup. "What are you thinking about?"

He folded his arms. "And how did you know I was thinking about something?"

"Well, you just told me so," She said with a smile. "But you've also been sitting there for almost an hour and you haven't said a word."

He looked up again, this time focusing on one of the silver bangles that hung from her horns. The waning sun bounced off of it. It was kind of pretty. "...How do you do it?"

"Do what?" She asked casually, as if trekking through the countryside and fighting off dangerous beasts was something everyone could do. She was certainly modest, he'd give her that.

"Well... it," He said lamely, gesturing behind her. "We've miles out in the middle of nowhere and we killed a troll without major injuries. And just a few days ago... I mean, you killed an entire group of Falmer and rescued me! It's not just something you do every day."

She chuckled again, and immediately coughed into her fist. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. Well, no, I guess I sort of am..."

Before he could respond, she walked around the fire, handing him a small wooden bowl before seating herself next to him. Small chunks of some kind of meat he'd never seen before floated around in it. He attempted to fish one out, but was distracted as she started to speak again, her tone now wistful.

"It's just... well, that's adventuring for you. You see new places and meet new people. You find strange things and fight stranger things. It's just a matter of concentration," She sipped at the soup, and he saw one yellow eye glance thoughtfully at the broth.

"Concentration?"

"After a little while, you just get good at it," She continued, moving her meal to the side before looking skyward, and he followed her gaze. It was a cloudless night, and a few stars were finally beginning to become visible. "Everything feels easier, more natural. It's hard to explain. You just start to act on your instincts instead of endlessly worrying about the big things. I can't really figure out any other way to put it."

"I think I can kind of understand what you mean," Derkeethus nodded, taking a deep gulp of his food. Whatever it was, it was delicious, and it warmed him to his very core. "Maybe if I spend more time adventuring with you, it'll make more sense."

"Well, it does get lonely out there sometimes," She said, her voice quiet, and she reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "And I'd like to have someone to talk to. Do you want to be my traveling partner?"

His common sense told him to shake his head no, to politely decline the young lady and not take any more life-threatening risks for a while (or ever again). His common sense told him to get the medicine and come home and go back to being a miner. His common sense told him that he'd likely end up dead with his head on a pike in the middle of some bandit's hideout if he accepted.

You know what, he decided with a smile, forget my common sense. "To Oblivion and back, as they say."

She responded only by returning his smile.

And for some reason, it made him feel even warmer.