Howdy to you people.
We're going strong once more and I decided to let you know I have made a tumblr (EagleEarthwriter) for sharing all my inspiration pictures and covers for this piece of fiction, if there's anyone who likes to see better (and future fics as well) - been planning on editing perhaps a new one whenever I've got time on my hands. Anyway, I am excited to continue as there will be some moments coming up I consider a few of my favorites to write!
Allons-Y Alonso! :)
I sat on the edge of a bed. The quiet room closed in heavy with a few muffled voices creeping from the inn side. I barely blinked. A crack on a wooden plank creaked every time I put my foot down, not the most pleasant of sounds but also not the worst either. Be it one way or the other, my bouncing leg kept creaking it for no reason at all while my eyes spaced out into nothing.
We tried to jump away to avoid the ruble and I went down with an oomph. My arm got stuck under my body weight and I rolled to the side. Only one objective had room in my mind, to keep moving. The first lesson, always keep moving. Dirt got into my mouth and face, we scrambled up.
The armor was still on me, I hadn't yet taken an action to remove not a single piece. The other shoulder pad hung dislocated, there were multiple scratches and scrapes along the torso along some dirt. Whether the contraption had been taken beyond repair was out of my knowledge and the bigger part of me didn't care right now. The surface had taken a beating and so had my shoulder, my mind, however, turned out to be completely another subject. I sniffed out loud.
The long ride back had been quiet and near depressing. Tired horses, tired people spreading apathy above all. I hadn't said anything, there were no words I could say or feelings to feel and the others weren't much better. During this time after everything, the overwhelming mess started to untangle. One by one.
Sahloknir screamed. Delphine cut a part of his wing in half and in response, a beam of frost froze the entire area. Almost the entire area. Gairs Shout blocked Sahloknir's intent, two powers colliding in the air. Using the Thu'um so many times shook him but the ravaging beast did not wait. I scrambled further when the downed dragon failed to crush the man under his spike and he raised a sword after losing the other.
At last, lifting my right arm to search for the buckles, I started first along my side. Opening them one after the other with clumsy fingers, I reached for the last strap with some trouble only one-handed. Barely, I managed to get everything open and wiggled myself out from the armor pieces, clashing the thing to a corner. My face turned into a grimace as a numbing ache spread all over along my shoulder after a wincing sharp pain. Besides having scrapes from the flying rocks, I had miraculously avoided bleeding wounds all together but it didn't mean my condition felt like sunshine and rainbows. Scraped knees, hurting joints, dirty clothes.
The door opened right at the moment I had sat down in my clothing only. Gair walked in, his steps heavy and brought a distinct smell of horses with him. As I turned myself to look at him I could see the radiating sliver of exhaustion. If the Nord ever retained any physical damage, those would be all gone but at the moment even Sahloknirs power wasn't enough to banish the shade manifesting around his eyes. A heavy shadow, clinging on his trail but regardless the man stood straight. We glanced at each other before saying a word.
"Are you alright?" He asked, perhaps more hushed than intended. I sighed and parted my lips before being able to conjure up any words. Giving my shoulder an experimenting roll, my head determined it stiff before resorting to shaking it off.
"Nothing's broken, I think I'll live. It's fine." I answered with a down trailing sound. Gair moved towards me and closed his eyes for a second.
"Seems that was a stupid question of me." His face deadpanned. "Now I've heard that answer somewhere before, just let me see it.." He approached. Before I could react accordingly, the Nord sat down beside me with a thump and I tried to make an evasive move, leaning away from the guy.
"Gair seriously, It's fine this time! Really it is. I took a small landing, it's not that bad." Somehow all my struggles were in vain as he remained persistent, sticking his attention towards the spot. I raised my brows at the Nord who did the same right back at me.
"If it's not that bad" he weighed. "Then there's no harm if I'm seeing it."
"You don't trust me," I argued with a higher pitch than usual.
"No, I actually don't. Thank you for mentioning."
With a deep groan, I came to agree so perhaps this wouldn't have to be spoken of again. It took some time to get the troubling arm out of the sleeve to expose the skin around my shoulder blade. The ache got worse with movement and I tried not to wince while putting the limb back down. I also tried to see the spot with my side-eye but wasn't able to, so I kept staring at the floor while Gair pulled down the collar of my shirt from the back. His hands added some pressure to the sore spot, me knowing something was up when his dramatic exhale hit my ears.
"Well?" I asked and leaned on my knees. "How does it look? I can't see you know." The man was silent for a while before answering with a calmer tone.
"Bruised. You do have a purple spot right here." He circled a rather large area of what I could feel. "It's definitely not small but will heal on its own. The armor took most of the hit. Does it cause you a lot of pain?" I met his gaze while wiggling part of myself back to the shirt and flashed a smile.
"I function. Like I said it's fine and like you said, it will heal." There was a moment I wondered if I should have continued my phrase and I glanced at the door, just to avert the look away from the man. "Will you?"
Gairs face turned into a darker version of his usual expression but it lasted only a while. He replaced words with a nod and mustered up a type of happiness. A fake one. Suddenly a frown rose upon his brow and he stopped mid inhale, going to speak but didn't. I guided my questioning look at his direction.
"Forgive me earlier. For when I got angry with you." Gair jolted, now in a lighter conversation and a tired chuckle escaped me. To say the truth I had already forgotten the whole deal - Gair losing his temper wasn't in my list of newest things and definitely not something I had time to dwell on.
"Hmh, you don't have to worry about that. I couldn't hear, not even a quarter of what you said. Doesn't count on my books." I watched as the Nord stood up from his seat and the mattress plunged up when his weight lifted.
"You were supposed to keep away from the fight so you won't die." Now a hint of harsh talking sprung behind his words and I alerted myself when he faced me. I stared. This was not the type of conversation I had imagined the topic going.
"Or get injured" He continued. "Or get burned to death!" He finished. Now we stared at each other and as an answer, I took up on my feet. Oh, look who's lecturing.
"I didn't plan for it if that's what you're implying." I stated stern but averted. "I didn't, I tried to- gosh never mind, was it stupid? Maybe. I get why you're pissed with me. But hey. I didn't die, I'm here." Gair huffed and paced some steps.
"No thanks to you that is." The man scoffed. The next minute filled with tension between us but as a matter of fact, this wasn't a time for arguing. I chose to not say anything, only glared at the creaky floor plank.
Soon enough Gair let his chest go free and stepped towards me from the other side. He relaxed so I relaxed and wondered if he had something to say.
"Look.." He placed his hand on the side of my healthy arm as if to mark his next words. "I don't want to fight, but you have to do something"
"Just promise me, you'll never do that again, I am serious. Not like that."
There was something hidden behind all this, the tired shade behind Gairs eyes and I could tell this was his way of sincerely asking. My shoulders slumped down and I swallowed to wave of disappointment in myself. My intentions had been good but failed miserably without the ways to execute the result I had wanted. Suddenly my voice production struggled and nodding off into the distance I proceeded to wrap my fingers around Gairs wrist.
"I promise," I said more quiet than usual.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I do. I will."
"Good.."
He let go of me, breaking the eye contact and reverted to his self. I saw Gair grimace before he stomped to the door. "By the way" He proclaimed. "Delphine wants to talk to us. Now."
And there goes the mood. What a better way to ruin your day even more than by obligatory Delphine pep talk with a sore ass and short nerves. I let my disappointment freely express itself on my face.
"Perfect. Of course, she wants to talk to us and what I mean, only to you if we're precise." I squinted and Gair held the door and pulled it open with a remarking twitch.
"Are you going to leave me to handle her alone?" He tried to bring some humor into the room beside the lack of enthusiasm otherwise. I huffed and went after the man when he pushed the way open.
"Not a chance." I stepped past him and we left for downstairs through the inn.
As much implied, Delphine herself expected us in her lair under the building. When we arrived she stood around the table, fists closed and intensely staring whatever parchments she had in front of her and the map. In fact, I thought the fury in her eyes would burn a hole on the whole thing if she'd keep going a bit longer like that. Looked like facing Alduin hadn't diminished her spirit at all, only fueled it more and I wasn't sure what to expect now.
The woman's cheek had a small cut but she had wiped away the blood and dirt, barely caring about anything else. She would be more than fine.
Gair walked over and stopped on the side not saying a word. Delphine raised her eyes to him and then me, before finally leaning back from her ongoing task. She had changed back to her clothes but this time they weren't the ones for a barmaid. They were finer, tougher material, something for a warrior or a traveler with a sense of dignity. There's something she did not lack.
"So.." Gair started. "Have you gotten enough proof?" The man's words might have had a small snark in them but if Delphine noticed, she didn't acknowledge it. Somehow we had to have this discussion besides everyone being roughed up enough for today, thrown around. I placed myself near a shelf and stood by, switching looks between the Nord and her as in a way of anxiously waiting for what's to come this time. If there had been a clock on the wall it would have ticked in that special way, if you know what I mean.
"This is excellent." Delphine's eyes lit up with the breathy voice she had conjured out from nowhere. "This.." She added. "This is remarkable. The furthest we've come since forever!" Gair intervened before anything else was said.
"Hold on a second!" the Nord stepped front examining the woman's newfound excitement. "You owe me answers lady. What by the Nine is so excellent? And who exactly are we? Start talking."
She nearly grinned.
"Yes, yes of course. I will tell you everything, absolutely. You are the Dragonborn and as such you have the right to know. We are the Blades." Now it was all beginning.
"The Blades?" Gair repeated and furrowed his brows almost like searching something from his mind. "You're part of the old order of.. whatever it was? The same one wiped out by the Thalmor?"
"The very same one. Although now, it has been only me for years. If there are any other members left they are in hiding. I assume you have questions so ask them, all of them. Anything." The man looked down for a while.
"You said you were looking for me. For a Dragonborn, which everyone seems to be looking for nowadays, bless me and myself. Why?" Delphine circled the table, marching to a bookshelf. She combed through the pile and pulled out a dark leather tome which back was nearly worn through. When the woman slammed the book down in front of Gair I also took an interest and placed myself next to him to see. What else than a book of The Dragonborn with a dragon symbol on top of it. The woman stared straight to both of us.
"The story of my order is a long one but I will shortly tell you everything you need to know." She paused. "A very long time ago, the Blades started out as dragon slayers. We served the Dragonborn, the greatest dragon slayer of all. You are the only one who can kill a dragon permanently, to absorb a soul is to having it lost forever. Our order placed as the protectors of the Dragonborn emperor but for the past two hundred years since the death of-"
"Uriel Septim the Seventh?" Gair suddenly gave away and my gaze jumped on him faster than a bullet, only because of the sheer surprising speed his brains had suddenly caught on. Say what?! Since when has Gair become a slot machine of knowledge? I mean, I don't know maybe people just know their emperors but I can't even get him to touch a book, let alone read one. He's a blunt Nord warrior who likes to drink mead and maybe punch someone in the face for a side activity, come on.
"..That's correct." Even our hostess seemed to process for a second too long but regained her posture soon. "Since his death, there has been no purpose for us. We have been dismantled, cast in the shadows but now. Now is a different story. The dragons have returned and so has the one of dragon blood. We have a purpose, a direction and they need to be stopped, this needs to be stopped for good." Her fist hit the wood.
"Huh." The Nord muttered. "It seems our goals align. More like they have to, but tell me, what do you really know about them? The black one resurrects his comrades, the dragons are back and then what? How have you planned to go on about this?"
"I hardly have any real answers at all but I know who might have." Once again she spread the map open in front of us and her the grin on her face twisted.
"The Thalmor."
There was a moment I almost choked on my spit. At this time even Gair looked like he had a hard time digesting what he had heard and boy I was glad. Nope, just no. Not this time.
"Delphine.."
"Let me explain! You have to hear me out on this, I know what it sounds like but the Thalmor are our best lead, the very final one." Her voice was demanding as ever.
"I know you know they have been and still are one of the greatest threats for Tamriel in existence. Who gains from all this? Look at what happened in Helgen, they had Ulfric. They had Ulfric, the civil war was practically over until the dragon attacked! The Thalmor will do everything to keep the conflict going, that's exactly what they want, chaos to keep the Empire weak and distracted. I know it's them."
"You don't have to preach politics to me!" Gair grunted, now dismissing the condescending tone the woman had offered at him. "I was at Helgen myself, along Ulfric and his band of babbling fools."
"Then you know better than me. Who else was there? You remember, were the agents of Thalmor present?" There was an uncomfortable silence, during which the intensity of the discussion had risen remarkably. I glared at the woman on the other side of the table, the way she started to tick me off. I saw her leaning towards the Nord, nodding as in being so sure she was correct. My fingers twitched as I felt a pressure leaning against my guts.
"..Yes. There were. Elenwen herself." He cleared his throat. "But that's not why the attack happened, this is a dangerous talk for someone who has fought them once and lost. I am not moving against the Thalmor because you have a hunch." The mention of Elenwens name triggered something in Delphine that I couldn't determine. Her eyes had a gleam of excitement that didn't deliver itself into her body language. I had almost rejoiced at the thought Gair had expressed but my internal smile fell flat when I saw no signs of slowing down or even remote dampening. This wasn't right. Delphine continued her pursuit.
"No doubt she was there to stop the execution. Even if it didn't, they'll know about it. The Thalmor doesn't take chances nor surprises, Even if they are not involved, they'll know who is. Even if they wouldn't control-"
"Control what? the dragons?" My voice left my throat before I was ready but when leaving it left hard. My eyes finally nailed the woman like there was no tomorrow, this was getting out of control. She was getting out of control and I wasn't going to stand for it, not in a million years. I pointed at her before speaking.
"You" pause. "You think someone is controlling the dragons? You're a maniac. Thalmor this and Thalmor that, everything is always about The Thalmor, is there anything else in your vocabulary?"
The woman turned to face me faster than you can say my name. In the back of my mind, I knew I had been nasty but something broke down at the moment, I was tired, hurt, everything here looked like crap and now she's trying to pull the strings. Delphine's jaw tightened.
"Didn't I already tell you to keep your mouth shut about things you don't know half of what I do? They are capable of..-" An unemotional laugh escaped my lips and I shook my head in disbelief.
"Let's not play this game. Who's even saying there is someone behind the dragons? Why they can't be behind themselves? Come on Delphine. We just faced the most powerful one of them, and here you are suggesting that a bunch of High-Elves are somehow controlling them because of your personal vendetta? Controlling that monstrosity?" My hands did some furious gesturing. "Were you even there? Or are you just, are you blind?"
"At least I am not stupid enough to try and kill myself by running in the middle of a fight. Unless you don't recall, I pulled you out of the way before he nearly fried you!"
I felt my nails digging into my palms before a surge of new kind of strength.
"Excuse me, I was trying to stop you from being heard by the god damn Alduin!"
"Why does this keep happening?!" Gair burst out and interrupted, snapping towards me with a not so settled look. "I am not in the mood right now!" I had barely time to open my mouth before someone cut me off again.
"I have a plan." Delphine weighed through her frustration. "Or at least half a plan but I can't execute it myself, I am a high profile target. You have to think about it, the elves have the archives! They have been all over Skyrim for a long time and they have information. Our chance is to get a hold of that information and there's only one place where all that is held."
"Now, what's this plan again, out with it."
"The embassy. That's where their records are kept, all of them. We need to get in there."
"This is crazy! You're not seriously thinking to go through with this." I spoke to the man while pacing back and forth without caring much for the environment. At this point, the Nord had started to look like his brains were about to burst out of his ears while me and Delphine included ourselves into the invisible tug of war. She's always planning, she will always keep planning everything that won't work!
Gair dragged his hands across his face alongside a momentary waiting silence, fragile as a class. He took a step back, muttering something under his breath.
"I don't have the interest" He slammed a hand on the side of the bookshelf. A deep line formed on his forehead. "Or the energy, or the need to go into details - No, not a word while I'm speaking, I've had enough for today. I will think about it and meanwhile, you'll lay off. The Thalmor embassy is not a general store you just drop by dammit."
Delphine stopped leaning on the table.
"Just don't think too long." She scoffed and I shifted my weight from one leg to another, a deepening scowl climbing on my face. For once in a while we exchanged looks and Gairs eyes screamed all kinds of versions of if you dare to say a thing. A sudden smell of roast chicken floated down from the bar side even behind all the closed doors.
"You know what, you don't seem to need me" turning on my heels I gestured towards the staircase but not before sneering at Delphine's smug face. "So, I'm going. Have fun." Sulking somewhere where ever else than the immediate location of the blades member sounded like a fantastic option before the ascending meltdown. I didn't get why I had to be losing all the time now, Gair didn't listen to me and for what? He would be walking straight into where she wanted him to go.
On the other hand, why should he listen, because I know things? But he doesn't know that! Shaking the struggle out of my head and stomping out from the creaky door became the next best thing in my books.
The whole day my mind had been consumed by Delphine. It stressed me out that I knew where she's truly coming from, only during the course of the endless running it became more clear to me how little I knew instead. The thought didn't make sense anywhere else at the moment other than my head. Now, if reading someone's thoughts were a thing, I'd pay to read hers because they were a mystery - the only thing that wasn't would be the fact none of her plans were going to end well. She had seen the World-Eater which even affected Gair but no, not her.
No, her need for an act of revenge burned brighter no matter the dragon problem and she was going to drag us with her into a deep hole of plotting. All the excuses about the Thalmor knowledge were just that, excuses. I clenched my teeth together while storming through the busy tavern setting, nearly bumping into a guard before leaving outside.
Jarring anxiety bubbled inside me and that anxiety turned into a spiraling whirlwind in my head. Gravel crunched under my boots when I picked a random direction, heading somewhere I could possibly dissolve this whole case at once. Unfortunately, my pre-planned solitary state ended before it even began. The same inn door slammed shut behind me, along someone's steps running down the wooden ledge. I had a focus on striding forward with a fueled determination but couldn't help but curse as the person clearly followed me. For once I would have wanted to be left alone.
"Bria, stop!"
Just when I arrived at the horse pen I sensed Gair running me over in the next few seconds. With no other chance than to make a stand, I left myself at the fence banging my forehead on the pole with a deepest, frustrated sigh in my life.
"Can't you just turn around!" the phrase left my lips as a more or less incoherent mumbling. When the man finally reached me he didn't appear in my peripheral vision and instead stayed behind me where his eyes drilled into my back.
"You have crossed a line," Gair stated. His voice though wasn't scolding or mad rather than saying something obvious without specific aspects. I furrowed my brows at the surprising change of tone and it forced me to spin on my heels to face him. A second to steady my breath turned necessary.
"Since when you have cared about Delphine's feelings?" I ranted, leaning on the wood with my whole body as if I couldn't support myself properly as a promising pounding of a headache started to develop behind my eyes. Gair only chuckled at my statement and shook his head before inspecting me.
"Believe me, I don't. We're getting it all wrong, are we?" He changed his weight to the other side and returned to a less happy version. "This isn't about her feelings, it's about yours. What by the Nine, is making you so damn angry, huh?" When I didn't say anything, he kept going.
"What I do know by the fact, you have been annoying and snappy all day, just about from the second we met Delphine. If I didn't know better I'd say you hate her. Now, I don't exactly consider the woman my next of kin but you are going overboard" While talking, he ended a bit less loud than started and I couldn't look at him in the eyes, only pressed my lips tighter. "Unless, there is anything you have to say, hm? Anything resembling a reason at all?"
Placing my elbows up on the plank, I kept murdering the ground with my eyes. There were no words I could possibly put all my thoughts into as if I could be capable of thinking right now.
"I have a feeling about her. A bad feeling."
the next sentence caused a burst of short laughter from the Nord. The extent he believed my lagging answer would be next to nothing but right now it didn't matter. It's not like I am lying.
"A feeling?" He repeated. "You getting this worked up for a feeling?"
"Even you have to admit her plans are a terrible option!" I slashed outwards, only now with a tone broken down to something desperate and gruff. And sad above else. The ache inside my limp shoulder stung now more than before and without the cloak, a cold air crept inside my clothes. A mist rose along with my unsteady breathing.
"I don't..." I bit my tongue. "I don't understand, how can she say those things? We saw Alduin and she- she's just like that? I can't.." As my trembling voice trailed off, a certain crash struck me, my mind battled to keep everything from falling apart but it did a terrible job. A verge of tears approached and not all for sadness.
All the moments came back to me and suddenly Gair was there, forcing himself into my slipping view.
"Hey." He said. "Hey, you have to calm down." The made me meet his gaze by grabbing my arm so I couldn't shift myself away.
"The plans are not ideal, but they might be our only option in the lack of anything else but we'll think of them some other day. You need to relax, you're not yourself and I understand. It's his power, Alduin, he's a dragon no matter what."
"But.."
"Bria, what you saw back there, the fear you're feeling now is not all your own. It was his.. effect at work, just what happened in Helgen, sending the people running. Running or freezing and that's what got most of them killed. I am able to resist and Delphine has seen her share of death and atrocities but for someone who hasn't, it's different."
Sniffing through my nose, I closed my mouth to think hard and well for any upcoming clearance. So I wasn't becoming crazy after all? This wasn't any kind of final nerve breakdown? The anger towards Delphine would be always valid but perhaps that something had fueled me somewhat unintentionally. I had fueled myself. The Nord raised his brow at me with a tad warmer indication and made do with a mouth corner slipping upwards, almost saying told you so.
Perhaps, if there really wasn't anything else to do, I could give a chance to whatever would happen next, whether that included the blades or not. My body released a surge of tension I had held and with a sweet long puff, I found other things to think about. Slowly but surely. The awareness of the beat-up state I happened to be rose into the surface after so much traveling and adrenaline that it had worn out my energy reserves completely. The day had been long.
"I could do with a bath," I said and pressed a hand on my forehead. "And food, gods I am starving!" Shivers shook me before I tried to cross arms to protect myself from the cold. As an answer, Gair nodded towards the inn we had come from with a more satisfied grin creeping up his features.
"Let's get away from this breeze alright. And now there's a plan I am definitely on board with. Don't you think we deserve all that and a bit more, seems like there'll be time on our hands. Reminds me, they do have a roast today so.." Frankly, I was already walking when sweeping past Gair who gladly followed.
The rest of the evening went by faster than anyone could have anticipated. I had completely underestimated the effects of a good scrub down in a tub and even the hurts seemed to hurt less while soaking without even talking about my mood. At the very last when the fourth piece of fire-grilled, smoky hen and a stack of honey-spiced root vegetables disappeared from my plate alongside an sweet roll, there wasn't much I could have complained about.
Delphine had retreated into her room early and Gair spent more than a few coins for mead pints after the dinner, as classic as he was, but in my mind, I had already hit the hay before anything else.
Finally, a place and time to sleep as long as we wanted, of course after some slight unpacking. Only the lord knows I could have killed for a relaxing Saturday night talk-show binging and the sudden craving for any streaming service and a Ben & Jerry's tub drove me to near insanity.
Here I sat once more on the edge of my bed, the sun already set long ago and only dim lighting from a lonely candle. Setting my pillow with few thumps, I finally laid down, dressed in a simple white tunic.
Turning in for the night didn't come as easily as suspected but only within some minutes laying down the candle's existence became significantly less lonely as Gair himself appeared from the other side of the door. Briefly, I heard the rest of the inn before the voices dampened again, laughter and mugs hitting tables. I had turned myself facing the wall.
He kicked off his boots, always the left one first. Then he made his way removing clothing, starting from the layered shirts along with the single leather belt he at least kept on with no weapons - that one, he threw on the headboard with a heavier hand than usual. While all this happened, the man checked his stuff and his coin before peeling away the rest. Every move stayed like nearly a ritual with variations depending on each day and how he had been feeling and I had subconsciously cataloged them.
Eventually, his body slumped on the mattress, covers rustling during the process and for the last thing, Gair reached to blow out the remaining light, leaving us into the darkness of the room. Then, we slept.
Besides after all I did not.
I tossed and turned under my covers. Closed my eyes tighter and hoped to doze off into dreams, eyes heavy and muscles sore. Anyone could think the conditions for good night's rest would be here right now, the tiredness, everything of that sort but for my frustration, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Opening the other eye, I remarked the line of yellow light shining under the frame and reminded myself again to shut it. Trying. Trying. Trying.
Without a watch, it became hard to estimate how long I had been there before giving up with an angry sigh and resorted to staring at the dark ceiling for no reason. There blinking at nothing, my ears registered the steady breathing coming from the man's side of the room and thought of how at least one of us got lucky tonight. That was of course until he suddenly cleared his throat and turned around on his side which perked my comatose attention span.
"Gair?" A gentle whisper shot through. "You awake?" My head turned automatically to look at him even without the ability to see anything.
"Very much, yes. You can't sleep either?" a sudden answer came with a gruff voice. I shook my head in the dark before answering.
"Nah. Seems to not be an option right now."
"Tell me about it." The topic surrounded us for a moment.
"Now that we're both awake.." Gair started in a suspicious manner.
"I dunno if I want to know where this sentence is going." I blurted out with a tad huskier voice than usual, almost hearing the Nord waking up on the other side and I immediately regretted the slip. Almost.
"By the Nine, where did you think it was going?" He raised a surprised tone with a little too much excitement on the side and somehow the familiar burn spread across my face and I raised a finger. I heard his massive face grinning, ugh, so annoying.
"Hey!- I didn't-" I wasn't flirting intentionally.
"..I mean, of course we can always adjust my original intent, please feel free to tell me more."
"Dammit Gair, shut your hole!"
We shared a jolting moment of lightheartedness which I remembered hadn't happened in a big while, enough for me to realize how much anger and darkness had been layered upon our travels recently. The weariness might get to the best of us.
"I was going to ask however" Gair stammered through his last chuckle before falling serious again. "If you- well, if you still have the book. You know, the one you stole." His weighing on the last word made me roll my eyes and I crossed my fingers above my stomach.
"Wait a minute." A light pulp lit my brains. "The book? You're asking for the book, so you can read?" A shock expression etched to my face before the realization freed itself alongside a tremendous wheeze of snorting laugh. Gair, on the other hand, was not laughing as I heard his sulking instead.
"I have spent countless hours trying to educate you on the way and after all that, you have let the words of an angry dragon get to you?" I threw my hands up in the air in amazement. "What's studying for fun when I'm asking? No, he needs an Alduin to mock you for not knowing their language and now you're suddenly interested? Oh, he pissed in your cup good!"
"Yeah yeah, you keep laughing.." The Nord murmured, shamefully low effort. "Wait, pissed in my cup? Where do you get these? Do dragons even.." He went on rambling and bit my pillow just for not to be too loud.
"No, no I don't think dragons piss!" my voice jerked up. "Sheesh, can't believe I just had to say that."
"But they do eat," Gair added in thought and I glared in his general direction.
"I don't think they have to eat, can we not discuss this?"
"Fine. Though now I think I might have to g-"
"Nope, you really don't."
"Alright then."
When the all serious moment struck us once more, I let myself wipe some stray hairs from my face.
"I do have the book by the way. It's in my bag so, whenever you want to take a look, be my guest. I might join you once in a while actually." With a brief smile and changed position, my cheek pressed against the pillow once more. Gair might have heard the massive yawn escaping me and he hushed.
"I have a feeling this might be far more pleasant for you than it is for me. You know any dragon tongue?"
"Mmh, only some words Dovahkiin."
Our discussion halted and during the long pause, my mind started to nod off into somewhere else. But of course nothing fun never ends before the final.
"Good night." He said to my surprise with his drowsier tone which I barely heard any more at the edge of my consciousness.
"Night.." mumbling the last incoherent word, the much-needed sleep took me away barely without an effort at all.