"Son of a barrel!"

Elana's foot slipped from underneath her, made slick by the recently dispatched Falmer. She slammed down hard onto her other knee. Continuing to fall back and to the side, she threw out her hands to catch the drop. One hand found purchase and held steady.

The other, the one still fisted around her greatsword, met open air.

Her eyes widened as she tumbled backward. Vilkas jumped forward to grab her, but she was moving too fast; gravity had too hard a hold. Elana went tumbling headfirst over the edge of the ramp, down and down to the hard concrete below.

"Fu-" she started to scream, before twisting in midair. Vilkas hurried to his feet and started running down the stone pathways as fast as possible, shoving off the same ramp the two pathetic elves who tried to stop him. He watched, racing after her, as she gained impossible speed towards the ground and a mass of Falmer souls. His heart eased as her curse turned to a Shout and her body became nothing but a blue spirit.

FEIM

The blue-tinted Dragonborn hit the ground hard, but to her credit, Vilkas could hear her groan from several stories up.

As he jumped down through a break in the ramp, he felt a little guilty for adding to the number of Falmer that surrounded her.

Elana hurried to her feet as a few confused Falmer sent arrows flitting through her ethereal body. Panting, she slowly lifted her greatsword to rest on her shoulder.

Why aren't the Falmer attacking?

"You are spirit, dovahkiin, zii. You have no scent with which the blind elves can track. You made sound, and so they have centered on you. But you are but a bit of grass in the wind now, silent and untraceable if your hunters lack functioning eyes."

Now would be the time to attack then. She tightened her grip on the sword.

"No, little one. You are a creature of peace, now. A faded zii still bound to earth. You cannot be harmed, but you cannot harm either. To strike out is to end the effects before your throat is ready to shout again. Patience, hatchling. Your wolf is fighting to get to you."

The wolf spirit chirped happily.

I think letting you out counts as an attack, and I doubt the effects will return when you release control.

"Not to mention, werewolves reek."

The sensation of aches returning, particularly her knee, led to Elana tightening her hands around the hilt. It's wearing off, isn't it? She wandered over to the nearest archer. How nice of Vilkas to have drawn off most of the Falmer. Well. I should repay the favor. It's the only decent thing to do.

"How lucky you are derision still comes across in our conversations." Mirmulnir chuckled. Kiir, you complain because there are not enough enemies.

As she solidified and the blue tint raced away, peeling back from her arms to her chest, Elana lifted her sword and in one swift motion severed the head of the closest Falmer archer. Cleanly cut, it fell to the floor, and she kicked it into the next twisted elf who had turned towards her in the half light. The elf staggered at the unique blow, allowing Elana to regain the benefit of surprise. Her first swing knocked the bow from the archer's hands. The second blow split open his chest.

Elana turned from the kill to run a few steps up the ramp, dispatching one of the small group still harassing Vilkas. He shoved an elf off the ramp to the ground; she met the elf with a sword when he tried to re-engage. The others fell quickly, leaving bruises but drawing little blood.

When it settled in that the two Companions were the only living and armed creatures within sight, Vilkas immediately grabbed onto Elana and dragged her off the ramp.

"Hey! Vilkas! I can walk on my own two-"

She was cut off by the tightest hug she had received in her life. "Don't you ever do that again. No more falling near edges, alright? I don't care if you have a magic word to get you out of trouble. Don't make me watch again as you fall to what I think is your death. I couldn't stop it; you're my Shield-sister and the way death was coming for you, I couldn't stop it."

"Some big, tough, blustering muscle man you are."

His grip twitched momentarily tighter. "I just- you- never able to say- No. You don't get to critique me after doing something so magnificently stupid as holding onto the heavy greatsword that's pulling you over the edge. The blasted thing would've survived. And if it had shattered when it hit the ground, as you might have, well you could then have played archer until stealing one if not two swords out of the cold, dead hands of some Falmer."

Elana tapped his back gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Says the woman who fell who knows how far," retorted Vilkas as he slowly released Elana, as if he had not truly been convinced she was still there.

"Mirmulnir and the wolf won't let me die. They've saved me from a deadly situation before."

"I cannot rescue you from gravity, hatchling. Do not be foolish."

Is it foolish to try and calm in-calmable fears with a small lie? Of course your consciousnesses can't protect me from falling. But his imagination can fill in the lie of omission, and put him at ease.

Mirmulnir made a small noise of disapproval, but said nothing.

A/N: I'm back! Happy Halloween! Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! I had the worst back half of a semester yet. Good thing it's over. Onto better and brighter things, eh? May your New Year hold as much hope as mine.