This is a bit of a test chapter, I'm just seeing if I should continue this or not. I won't say much, but I'll see the reception first and test the waters in this.
Good Night
"Asher, what are you eating?"
The Imperial glances over his shoulder, crouched over a bush of red berries. He picks a few more with a snatch of his hand and holds it out to the approaching female.
"Snowberries. They're ripe, especially in this season." he states bluntly. Serana looks at them for a moment and then back to the blue eyed man. "How do you even know they're the right ones? I would think they're filthy too."
Asher shrugs, taking the berries in his hand for himself. "I know from experience and I doubt they're as dirty as you think they are. Besides, it's quite nice not eating goat or soup all the time." He leaves the bush and begins to saunter lazily down the cobbled road.
"Give me one, I want to know what they taste like." Serana piques, walking up beside him. The Dragonborn holds out the berries again to her, watching the now human vampire chew on it.
"They're awfully – frozen."
"They're not called snowberries no reason." Asher puts the rest into his mouth, fixing the straps of his rucksack on his back. "We should be hitting another town soon."
"A town? Called?"
Asher shrugs, rubbing his nose from the cold. The Northern regions of Skyrim weren't his favorite places, but he'd grown to love it like a Nord loves his pride. "I don't know. I'd hardly become as acquainted to Skyrim's towns."
"I just hope they have warm beds, really warm beds." Serana mumbles as she pulls her hood over her head. He smirks and gently nudges her. "I can certainly help with that."
"Ugh, pig." Serana rolls her eyes and continues to walk forward.
Asher arches his brow and let a feint hurt look overcome his features, "It was a joke, come on. Lighten up – being asleep for as long as you were, you need to get a better sense of humor."
"I'm pretty sure my sense of humor is fine. Updated even."
The swordsman shrugs his shoulders and follows after. His mind wanders back to the third member of their small group, Magnus. "Letting Mag wander off was probably a bad idea. What if he –"
"He's fine Asher, he's a big boy." Serana smiles.
"I know, but other wolves, bandits, he's still young."
Then they heard the barking of a dog behind them, snow kicking up under its padded paws. "See? I told you he'd be fine. He even brought back a rabbit." It wasn't long till the Dragonborn was at the young dog's side, checking him over for wounds or any of the sort.
Asher was dearly attached to Magnus, he was a pup born from a Northern wolf father and a common house dog of Skyrim. The Imperial had stumbled upon him before bandits were just about to make him their dinner.
After some time in healing and nursing the pup, he took him along for his adventures. "It's best if we travel fast now that we're together, this blizzard is not going to let up soon."
The trio trudged through the snow covered road, heading for the nearest town. They had been lucky, torches ahead were shining brightly through the snow's howl. Asher jumped back, seeing the head of a horse just pass him.
It was a carriage. "Excuse me!" The carriage stopped and the man driving it help onto his cloak, looking jaded and annoyed. "Yes? What is it? I'm in a hurry."
"The town ahead, what is it?"
"Dawnstar, traveler. As frozen as an ice wraith's teeth. It's best if you get indoors now."
The carriage didn't hesitate to lurch forward, disappearing off into the snowstorm. "Asher …"
"I know, here – " The dragonborn unhooked his cloak and slipped it around Serana. She wasn't entirely used to being so frigid as a human, it's only been a few weeks since her transformation.
Closer. Closer. Closer. The torches were brighter until they were full visible. The patrols were surprisingly still out, but one could guess that their shifts were short. Solitude found it hard to keep happy Imperial soldiers in such frigid temperatures.
It was even harder to deploy them to The Pale, a region so far from the capital city. An Imperial soldier greets them, "Legate!"
"Evening, soldier! Sorry, I'd love to talk – but I'm a bit chilled."
Asher keeps his arm around Serana whilst he leads her to the inn after seeing the sign flapping noisily in the wind. After shuffling up the wooden steps, he yanks the wooden door open and ushers Magnus and his female companion inside.
The door behind him closed after a slight struggle, letting the snow that gathered at his feet to melt quickly. Warmth kisses his exposed cheeks from the fire that burned brightly inside, surrounded by travelers and locals.
"What brings you to this snow laden town?" the innkeeper heartily greets.
"Warm beds, I hope." Serana says, rubbing her shoulders.
"A warm bed is all we have I'm afraid."
Asher steps forward after letting the snow melt in his hair. "That's fine, any beds will do." The innkeeper nods and beckons them to follow. "How are we both going to sleep on the bed?"
Asher looks over his shoulder, "You're getting the floor of course."
"What? Are you being serious?" Serana scowls at her friend. He snickers and lets a wolfish grin slip upon his face, "I'm merely joking Serana."
The trio settles into their room for the next couple of days, paying the innkeeper and shutting the door. Swiftly, Asher sheds his armor and lets it fall onto the floor with a loud clank. His sword and shield lay under the bed with the rest of his belongings.
Serana slips her cloak and Asher's off and lets them sit on the chair's back. Then she watches Asher place logs into the fireplace and light a gentle kindle under them. His damp muslin shirt hugged his body, showing a slightly smaller man.
In his armor, he looked much bigger, but beneath it, he was much leaner. Now that they were out of the snowstorm, anyone could see his features. Asher donned a side haircut, short cropped dark hair. He was a human with sun kissed skin with phthalo blue eyes.
Yet he was warm. For someone who's killed so many, he his heat was a gentle embrace. Serana found a friend in him, someone who could make jokes while he was cleaving down a draugr or being swept down a raging river.
"Are you done staring, Serana?" Asher jokes, glancing to her from the corner of his eye.
"No, you're growing a stubble." she states, walking over to tilt his head up to her. The vampire-born moves his head to the side, seeing the scar on his face illuminate against the fireplace.
"How do I look? Good?"
"Like a vagrant."
Asher arches his brow and frowns, that wasn't what he was hoping to look like. "I like it." Serana smiles. The Dragonborn can't help but smile as well, all of those sleepless nights paid off.
Magnus had already made himself comfortable in front of the fire, soaking it in like a sponge.
"So, my lady, your bed awaits." He gestures to the bed, feeling her cold fingers slip away from his cheeks.
"Are you sure?"
"What kind of man would I be if I made you sleep on the floor? What are you? My prisoner." Asher chuckles.
Serana smiles and turns to walk towards her bed, "In some ways."
"You wound me."
"It's merely a joke, Asher."
The Dragonborn smiles and watches her slip from her clothing as she crawls under the warm covers. His eyes trail over her skin, feeling his heart skip from all of the nights he's seen her like this. There was a silent agreement that this was normal.
It had become habitual to both of them, not that he minded. He was a patient young man, Asher simply hoped he would earn her heart one day. He slips his damp shirt off and lays it in front of the fire to dry. His friends would laugh if they heard how soft he sounded.
But the world was cold and hard enough for him, Asher didn't want to add anymore to that.
His back presses against the wooden walls and he lets the heat hug his torso. Magnus fell fast asleep at his feet, facing the fire with his paws folded in front of him.
An hour passes by. Then another hour passes by. Asher feels a hand touch his shoulder, the fire had now died out. Light slips in through the cracks of the wall. The heat in the room was quickly fleeting, he could tell that now.
He looks up to see Serana, covering her body with the blanket. It didn't take him long to understand what she meant, without words, he stands up carefully. Magnus seemed undisturbed as the greyish furred dog continued to sleep.
Asher groggily follows the woman to the bed, his eyes heavy and his chest burning. He was aware enough to know how close he would be to her. This was normal, they were just friends.
Serana's back faces him as he slips under the covers. He eyes the smooth skin as he keeps his hands to himself, the moon illuminated it like porcelain. It was mesmerizing. The female could feel his eyes on her, his warm breath close enough just to slightly touch her.
"Who was our target again?" she mumbles.
"A little late to be discussing business, isn't it Sera?" Asher grumbles.
"I'm just curious."
A soft sigh escapes the Dragonborn. "Bran Hjalmer. He murdered and raped a woman from Rorikstead."
Serana stays quiet, it made her furious that a man like that was still roaming Skyrim. She adjusts herself ever so slightly and goes quiet. Asher watches her closely, he could see the tension that developed upon her form.
He reaches out, but suddenly stops to watch Serana. "May I?" The black haired woman nods. His forearm comes to rest on top of her waist. Her hands come around it and pull them closer, thus pulling her closer to him.
Her back now greeted his face, but so did the fresh scent of lavender. "Since when did you smell so good?"
"That's an odd question to ask, Asher."
"I'm curious."
"It's simply how I smell."
"Mmm."
Without warning, he leans over and gently kisses the skin of her back. It sent a jolt through her spine, her hands tightening around his forearm. "Goodnight." he mumbles, smiling like a groggy wolf.
Serana sighs, telling herself this was their normal habits. Love was hard in this world, either of them could die and she wanted to spare herself the heartbreak. Yet, she leans her back closer, allowing Asher to press the side of his face against her back.
She could feel his smile against her, he turns his head to kiss her again. It made her closer her eyes and bite her lips, it was torturous especially now that she was a human. Her body was more – sensitive.
Asher doesn't stop, his breathing ghosts over her skin, lips following after, then repeat. His trail of kisses reaches the back of her neck and has her shuddering next to him. "Asher."
"Stop?"
"No." she croaks, pulling his hand around her waist to kiss it. Tender, slow, and gentle. That was how they were to each other, all the time. His fondness for her was strong, so was hers.
"Just friends, huh?" he mumbles, pressing a kiss against the back of her neck.
The heavy breathing pauses, "Just friends."
Asher smiles and slips his other arm under her, pulling her close to him. His fingers gently brush her abdomen, making her skin light up like the deserts of Elsweyr. It was intoxicating, her lavender scent clouds his senses as he continued.
It was unfortunate, now both of them were hot and bothered. Serana grips his forearms, feeling her back press against the bed sheets. The Imperial uses his elbow to support himself and hover over the woman. "What?" she asks softly.
"Nothing, I just wanted to remark how beautiful you are."
Serana rolls her eyes, Asher was a flirt at the very least. "You've told me."
He smiles and feels her fingers cup his face, "I know, but I like to remind you."
"Well thank you." Serana softly croaks. He leans over and presses his forehead against hers. "How long have we been friends?" Amusement dances in his blue orbs, she could tell this in a hearbeat.
"For a long time."
"Right." Her arms come around his shoulder, locking him in a lazy embrace. "Too long." he mumbles.
"I know, I'm sorry." She leans over and kisses his nose. The Dragonborn breaks their gaze and lets his lips touch her neck, settling himself against her. He was heavy, but he was still supporting his weight. She tugged at his pants, they were damp like his shirt.
Quickly, they come off and fall gently onto the floor. Waking Magnus up would be a terrible ordeal. Asher was just glad he still had something under his pants, at least to cover him in case this would end up differently than he imagined.
Serana closes her eyes, letting Asher slowly run his lips down to her collarbone. Her arms became weak as they came down to grip the sheets, a reaction to when he kissed her breast. She could tell him to stop anytime, but both of them knew that neither would do so.
His lips came around the nub of her nipple, gently running his tongue over it and softly suckling it. Her breathing became labored, his name to her escaped like whispers. His hands ghost her sides, raking his fingers to create gentle vertical patterns.
Asher's left hand cups her left breast, running his thumb over the hard nub. He felt her legs come around his waist, pressing their bodies closer. She arches her back as she feels it, the shivers were becoming more frequent as she struggles to not mewl his name.
He moves, this was a game for him now. He knew how much she was doing in all her power not to moan and wake Magnus. The fact that the dog was this hard asleep is a testimony of how tired he was. At least they were keeping each other warm.
Her amber eyes close again, feeling his lips touch her stomach. Tender and soft kisses to her abdomen along with whispers she knew too well. He confessed against her skin as if he was confessing to one of his gods, except it wasn't of his sins, but of his love for her.
He came to her waist, he was surprised she let him get this far. By now, both of them were winded. The blankets covered the top half of her body while it uncovered her bottom half. But none of this stops him, he goes lower, lower, lower, and lower still.
Asher kisses each side of her inner thigh, running his tongue upon the outside of her entrance. By now, Serana knew how generous of a man Asher was. He was generous both in money, time, and pleasure.
He leans in, running his tongue slowly along her walls. She felt like her jaw was going to break from clenching them. He puts his hands around her thighs, holding her down as she arches into his mouth.
Asher runs his warm and soft tongue up and down her inner walls, slightly plunging it deeper into her. "I can't." she whimpers, indicating she would scream. He smiles and puts his lips around her clitoris, sucking gently before pulling away.
He wipes his jaw and felt her lean up and run her hands down his chest. "Do friendships typically do this stuff?" he smirks, watching her roll her eyes.
"Ours does." She slips her hands into his and tugs him down to sleep next to him. Asher settles down next to the feverish woman, feeling herself press tightly against him.
He wraps his arms around her, hoping his bulge wouldn't bother her. He presses a kiss upon the back of her neck and closes his eyes. "Warm?"
"Very." she sighs. Another time, maybe.
"Goodnight." Asher mumbles.
"Goodnight."