Aphid and Kor soon found themselves sat at the table in Freluff's dining room.
The inside of this farmer's home was just as sturdy and attractive as the outside.
The boys hadn't seen anything further than the entrance foyer and the dining room yet, but the craftsmanship of the wood floors and paneled walls, mixed with decoratively placed masonry, was top notch….and it looked expensive.
Even the dining table itself was expertly wood carved and laid with a finely stitched runner of a bright floral design, with matching placemats.
Graceful ceramic bowls, plates, and glasses were already set upon the table and utensils of silver sat patiently waiting to be of use.
It was all so….pristine.
Aphid had desperately wished they could have bathed first, but Freluff insisted it was perfectly alright for them to wait until they were fed and got some sleep, besides, he had just set Aphid's wounds.
But sitting amongst all this pristine was making the teen hyper aware of his and his brother's rough state.
They had bathed in a clear stream just yesterday, but a lot has happened since then…
The only thing that pulled Aphid's thoughts away from his grunginess was hearing Kor's stomach give a loud angry growl. It was becoming very impatient now that it seemed to be aware of how close they were to a meal.
Kor leaned a bit forward, clutching his tummy as if that growl had also been accompanied by a testy nip to his insides.
Aphid reached over and put a comforting hand on the boys back.
"Just a tiny, little bit longer," he assured, "You can hold out just a little longer, right, my tough little wolf slayin' baby brother?"
Kor lifted his head up a bit and nodded with a little smile, but his stomach once again impatiently called out for that food.
"Careful now," Aphid joked, "That blasted Mehrunes Dagon's cat may think YOU'RE a wolf and pounce."
Kor began to give a little chuckle, but suddenly his eyes drew behind Aphid.
The older brother tilted his head and turned to look where Kor was looking on the chair behind him.
The cat.
That damn cat.
Milk Drinker had sat himself next to Aphid and was facing the teen with an expected look and lick of its muzzle.
Aphid was frozen for a moment, aside from moving an arm across Kor like a shield. The older brother didn't want to provoke a move, but he damn sure would defend against one.
He kept his eyes squarely locked on the cat's. He only moved his body a little more in front of his baby brother when seeing the pupils of this small beast widen, surely showcasing the dark void within itself that this beast was going to send the brothers to at first flinch.
Aphid kept his sky blues fearlessly locked onto this abyss….for what felt like an eternity.
"Minky Dinks, you get!" Kersi's soft, but currently stern voice finally broke this stand off, "Get on now. You know better! You'll get your supper when supper is served."
The cat never moved his eyes off Aphid during this, but once Kersi gave the feline's hindquarter a light pop, he hopped on down and slinked away with that fluffy tail arrogantly swaying high.
"Sorry about Minks," the girl apologized as she revealed the platter of drink pitchers in her other hand and sat it on the center of the table, "….But here's some dinks."
She giggled.
"Sorry, I guess I got my Papa's humor," she said, "But here are some drinks to start supper."
She began pointing out each pitcher and their contents.
"We've got water, milk—this one's goat, this one's bovine, apple ale, and this is my favorite--it's lemon water with LOTS of sugar."
Aphid had been partially zoned out, having become suddenly aware of his grunginess again, especially compared to Kersi's cleaned up state, but he quickly shook his head and answered.
"Uhrm, wha--water's fine, ma'am," he said and reached for the pitcher, but then looked to Kor, "...Kor, you want something other than water? And don't you go and say water just because it's what I'm having."
"What if I want water?" Kor asked.
"Do you?"
"…..can I try the lemon sugary thing?"
Aphid chuckled and Kersi gave a quiet giggle too.
"Of course, baby brother," the older brother replied and nodded his head slightly towards the girl, "I hear it has a raving review."
Kersi let out a small laugh again as she served the boy the lemonade herself.
"You'll love it, I promise," she said, "A little tart, but a lot of sweet."
Hric's voice was then heard, and he was seen, as he passed by the dining room entrance towards the kitchen area.
"Like me, eh?" he remarked of Kersi's comment.
Kersi blew an air of sarcasm as she finished pouring Kor's drink.
"Mhm," she replied, "Just exactly like you, Hric….I see, too, that sweetness kicks in at suppertime. Clockwork."
She shook her head and sat the pitcher down to reach for the water next, but realized Aphid had served himself.
She nodded and reassured the brothers that dinner was soon to be served, and she then headed towards the kitchen area as well.
Aphid would have certainly offered to help serve, but he did not want to leave his little brother alone right now, and did not want him up and about any more than he needed to be, whether healed or not. The boy was still exhausted.
"Aphid?" that boy tapped upon him.
"Mhm?" Aphid responded and saw Kor extend his cup towards him. He thought Kor was about to remark his dislike for the drink within, but instead he was offering a taste.
"You should try this," Kor said, "It's pretty good."
"I've got my water, Kor, you go on and drink your drink--"
Kor's little silent insistence though, coupled with that somehow cute blank expression, had Aphid give in and give it a sip.
"Alright, I'll try it," Aphid grinned and took the cup. He took a small sip and immediately paused…
Then quickly swallowed to keep from backwashing the concoction back into the boy's cup, but the scrunching grimace of his face said all.
"Kor Bjergsen," he did speak, "Is this the first time you've ever lied to me??"
Kor tilted his head with a slightly worried expression.
"Wha-no? I--," he stammered innocently, "You don't like it?"
Aphid handed the boy his cup back.
"Not particulary…," the big brother remarked, "but you go on and enjoy it. Maybe all that sugar will give you back some of that sweetness of yours you've been missing lately."
Kor tilted his head the other way and again looked a little worried.
With a guilty little voice he asked, "…have I really been being bad?"
Aphid quickly sat a hand on the boy's back and assured that pitiful puppy-dog-eyed-bunny-bearcub faced little scamp.
"Oh, Kor, no. No, baby brother, I'm only teasing, goodness. Drink your sugar, buddy. Maybe it'll bring up them damp spirits instead."
Kor still looked a little unsure but settled in his chair and began glugging down his drink.
Aphid followed suit with relaxing within his chair as well and sipped on his water.
A few minutes passed by of this quiet, but Kor's sugary concoction must have been kicking in fast, as the boy soon straightened up and began swinging his legs from his chair and he musically tapped upon his cup with a hum.
Aphid smiled to see this peppier brother coming back, but something tapping his shin diverted his eyes under the table.
That. Damn. Cat.
Again.
Milk Drinker stared up from the dark under table, licking his lip, and his paw hovering with a readiness to knock upon Aphid's leg again.
"I ain't got nothin' for ya, bitey beggar," Aphid quietly hissed to the feline below, "Now get with ya, alright? You do not want me to give ya a swat."
"No you don't," Kor quietly added.
"Hm?" Aphid questioned the remark, but Freluff's voice startled him when it suddenly shot through the room like a wild arrow. It was aimed at the cat, thankfully, but that man's sternness would make any present quickly freeze and listen.
"Milk Drinker!" he said, appearing with a platter of large filled serving bowls, "You get your tail on out of here and into that kitchen! Stop pestering for scrapes when you got a trough worth of food in there! Get!"
Milk Drinker, however, simply gave Freluff a blank glance and then put his hungry stare back on Aphid.
"Minks!" that soft voice of Kersi's called from the kitchen, "Dinner!"
…….and that's all it took to get the cat moving.
"Urgh…," Freluff grunted at this, but quickly moved on with a smile.
"…..Here we are, boys," he said and began setting down the serving bowls upon the table, "Roasted pig with roasted potatoes and carrots. Mashed yam. Steamed and buttered squash and zucchini. Steamed green beans. Tossed kale and cabbage leaves with sliced cucumber, and some oil and lemon dressing and sliced almonds, grated and sliced cheese—this is cow, and this crumbled goat cheese, toasted bread, and a dessert of preserved apple pies."
Good Gods. What a feast.
The brothers haven't seen a dinner spread like this for a while.
Freluff smiled at their wide eyed faces as he took his seat at the table end. Kersi and Hric immediately joined after, Kersi seating directly across from Aphid and Hric a seat over from her, one seat off from being in front of Kor and one seat down from Freluff's side.
Freluff extended a hand towards the curly haired teen and a hand towards Kor. The brothers saw Hric blankly accept the man's hand in his as Hric offered his other hand to Kersi, and she her other hand to Aphid.
"You two boys the praying type?" Freluff asked.
Before Aphid could reply, he saw his little brother give a little smile and gladly accept Freluff's hand. Kor then happily grabbed ahold of Aphid's hand and gave the older brother a bigger grin.
Aphid smiled back at this and followed suit by accepting Kersi's hand--though a small thought of his grunginess flashed his mind again, but his thoughts quickly focused and settled into Freluff's prayer and thanksgivings to the Gods.
With one more bid in particular to Kyne and Mara, Freluff lifted his head and let the hands release as he finally gave the go ahead to chow.
"Now help yourselves and have your fill, or more even, but most importantly, enjoy," he said and let dinner commence.
The clatter and chatter immediately began, as the serving bowls were scooped into and passed around and Kersi chatted across the table to her father about the humorous aspects of her day, and he of his, while Hric intercepted periodically with his own and occasionally made remarks towards Aphid and Kor to clarify the more inside knowledge of all the conversations.
Aphid remained quiet and tried to appear as if he was absorbing it all, but was also focused on making sure Kor served himself a helping of everything while the big brother skimped himself on the variety before him—habitually going for his usual of bread and potato, with a little yam.
However, he could see Kor not shying away this time from giving him an eye about this, and even though Aphid normally would not back down, he gave in this time.
He didn't want to appear rude to their hosts, after all.
He added a good portion of pork to his plate, along with a decent portion of the squash and zucchini, some green beans and the salad with fixings, even adding the crumbled goat cheese, and after seeing Kor brave pushing that eye a little further, he even set a small slice of apple pie to the side.
Just don't get used to the victory, kid….
Aphid then refilled Kor's lemonade for him and gave the boy one instruction before setting into their meal.
"Eat slowly, baby brother," he said, "Too much, too fast on such an empty stomach can have it hurting quick."
Kor nodded, and Aphid added just one more instruction.
"Enjoy every bite, little fighter."
They graciously dug into this meal and enjoyed this rather nice company around them—even that Hric boy was being a pleasant contrast to the greeting he had offered earlier; albeit, his dinner table humor was a little off the plate….but Aphid could see what Freluff had meant earlier about the teen being an alright kid….at least at dinner….
Aphid had noticed, too, the curly head teen passing bits of food here and there under the table to that…damn…cat….
But, to be feeding the oh-so-starved fat creature, he couldn't have been too bad a kid then…..or maybe was worse for it, associating with that milk lipped demon.
"So, where are you two from?" Aphid heard a question of him from Kersi.
He put his attention to her, but Freluff sat that question off the table for now.
"Now, barn owl," he said, "Let's not prod the weary travelers of their life story before they've had some rest at least."
Kersi gave an acknowledging nod, but Hric supplied the back talk.
"It's a simple question, Freluff," he said, "Not a request for their memoirs. 'Where are you from?' Oh, here. There. Nirn. Mama's—"
Hric, however, wisely shut his trap upon deciphering Freluff's eye on him.
"Can we ask them their favorite color then?" the curly haired teen couldn't help but mutter under his breath though.
"We were coming from Pine Ridge," Aphid spoke up, "where I had been working for a couple months but was.…well, we were then heading towards Falkreath for better work and happened upon here."
"Pine Ridge?" Hric repeated, "Geesh, you two must have some bad luck to had been piddling away there…" He shifted his eyes to Kor.
"Hey, little tough guy," he then addressed the kid, "What's your favorite color?"
Kor looked a little off guard, and had been in the middle of chewing a bite of food.
"Uhm…," he shifted the bite into his cheek to answer, "….blue?"
"How 'bout that," Hric replied, "Mine too! …..Now, where were you born?"
"Hric," Freluff huffed.
"Where exactly and at what time of day," Hric continued, "And what was the weather like that morning?"
"Hric….," Freluff repeated, "Put a fork in your mouth."
"And have it clacking around my teeth while I'm talking?" Hric replied, "No thanks."
"Gonna clack ya upside your head, boy," Freluff playfully threatened.
Kor gave a giggle to this. Freluff talked a lot like Aphid. He liked him. Hric seemed kinda funny too.
Freluff then steered the conversation into telling Kor all about how his own big brother used to rough about with him and the jokes he used to tell, good and bad and worse.
It was the coziest, most relaxed dinnertime these two brother guests were having in quite a while.
Aphid, as sore and utterly exhausted as he was, felt extraordinarily better just seeing the smile on his little brother's face and seeing him fill up on such good food.
Of course, Aphid actually consuming something other than his usual fare of scrapes probably helped just a tiny bit too.
He even decided to have a glass of goat milk with his apple pie for dessert.
Hric suggested the apple ale, but Aphid wasn't feeling THAT good as to lower his inhibitions around new met folk, even as nice as they seemed to be.
But he did reside to enjoy this dinner, this picturesque moment, with his smiley little brother.
When the meal was done, Freluff stood and began collecting dishes along with Hric and Kersi.
He also immediately waved off, with a smile and a shake of his head, Aphid's offer before the teen could even begin to reach for an empty dish or form the first letter of offer with his mouth.
"No, sir. No, thank you," Freluff smiled, "Dishes can wait; you two need some good rest now. Hric, would you get them all set for the night?"
"I will if you reinstate a week of pay," Hric answered.
Freluff simply began stacking the dishes he had gathered in his own hands on top of Hric's load.
"Whoa—wait, wait a sec!" Hric replied to this, "I'll do it instead of dishes!"
"Can't hear ya, Hric," Freluff replied and continued to toss even more dishes upon the teen, "These dishes sure do clank loud, don't they? That's some sturdy stone ware."
"Frelu—UFF!" the teen was then nudged off with a step-to-it shove.
"Don't drop 'em!" Freluff instructed as Hric stumbled along and struggled to keep the dishes in balance, "Or I'll deduct the worth of what's broke out of your pay!"
Hric let out an unamused, and agitated, growl of a sigh, cracked by his still lingering puberty, but he waddled his way to the kitchen with a very amused Kersi in tow.
Freluff chuckled and turned his attention back on the brothers.
"Alright, follow me," he said, "And I promise it's a lot more cozy than you may think."
He said this, because after gathering some spare—but rather cozy looking—bedrolls, he led them outside and towards….a barn.
But, even that barn looked just as sturdy and inviting as the home.
It sat about 200 feet behind the house. It was large and housed the various goats, pigs, cows, and the two horses all trotting in from the designated open area as Freluff and the brothers approached.
Some of the animals gave an alerted eye to the brothers, but Freluff's presence quickly set them at ease and they went about going to their own bed areas.
Freluff then led the boys to an upper loft area of the barn, already set up as a living area for his farmhand Hric.
And it sure was a fancy sight, despite being set above the farm animals.
Spacious and well ventilated with shuttered windows that could be opened and shut at a convenience, it also had warm and plushy rugs upon its floor and walls for insulation. A small round table and chairs sat near one window like a cozy breakfast area, while Hric had a soft pad, pillow, and blankets nestled in the nook of another window.
There was even a rather stocked bookshelf near his bed area, along with what looked like boxes of table games.
But most impressive, the loft even had a small kettle stove AND a worktable sink area. Freluff, however, explained having a water pump ran to the barn for this and the animal troughs was of no inconvenience to him—just wait until they got to use the bathhouse, which he assured would be a treat.
He also explained that he and Hric have periodically been working on a proper farmhand's hut as well, which Aphid recalled seeing the partially constructed building just to the side of the farmhouse.
Freluff began explaining where the closest relieving station was, for when that nature was to call them, but he noticed the little boy was fixated upon something below; Kor seemed more interested in looking through the guard rail than the loft room.
"Whatcha lookin' at, little man?" Freluff asked as Aphid asked something similar at the same time.
"What's that horse's name?" the boy replied but had not taken his eyes off the horse, nor in fact, had he pointed at it.
"Hm?" Freluff hummed and approached along with Aphid to see, "Which one?"
Aphid knew which one caught his interest.
"The palomino," the older brother smiled and answered the man.
"Oh, her?" Freluff responded, "That's old Shimmer. She's a shiny thing, isn't she?"
"She's pretty….," Kor quietly commented, "Papa's favorite looked like her…"
Freluff wasn't ignorant to comments of reminiscence like that, nor to that bittersweet smile Aphid had on the boy.
The farmer was just about to extend a sympathetic hand to Aphid's shoulder, just as Aphid was about to put an arm around his brother, but Kor suddenly jolted a bit and quickly turned around with a squirmish little dance.
"Aphid!...I—I gotta peeee--"
Freluff and Aphid both broke into a laugh, they couldn't help it, but Freluff waved it off quickly to tell the boy there was an outhouse just outside the barn…..
Kor went down the ladder like a slide pole and scurried on his way to that designated area.
Aphid fought the urge to stay within an arms-length near his little brother, as the older brother was always ever cautious in new places—or anywhere, really—but he let Kor go on his own.
Not that Freluff didn't notice the bout of fidgeting it was giving the big brother to do so, but the man knew telling the teen this wasn't all some long winded robbery wouldn't placate the nerves. Instead, Freluff got Aphid's attention by making the job offer he had had in mind for them.
Farmhands.
Become his farmhands, just as Hric is, and not only have coin to earn, but a roof over their heads for a good while.
There was no adding up to do to know the brothers had no family, no where else to go but uncertainty. Freluff was offering more than just a little work and an on your way. This was something solid. A solid ground in all the muddy, sloshy, and practically nonexistent ground they've been walking on.
Aphid was having a little trouble processing the overall prospect of it, having it so simply tossed at him, but before he could fully process it, a yelp from Kor startled him from his thought.
The big brother startled and immediately made a go for the ladder, but then he heard Hric's cackling and saw Kor stomping back into the barn with a roll of his eyes.
"Kor?" Aphid called down below, "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm okay," Kor huffed, "He just startled me is all…."
Hric was still chuckling away following behind the boy.
"Hahaha!" he laughed, "Good thing I caught him after coming out the shitbox than before!"
"Hric…," Freluff stamped that chuckling real quick with his stern tone.
Hric halted for a moment before challenging that tone like a child.
"What?? I was just playing with him!" the curly teen protested the silent scold, "Gods, can I not do anything now??"
Freluff pinched the bridge of his nose before addressing Hric again with a exhausted sigh.
"Just….," he said, "let them ease in before going and hopping out at them like a thief in the night…"
"They're the thieves…," Hric mumbled.
"And try to mind that language, would ya?" Freluff added, "I think I let ya spew too much around my daughter as is…."
Hric let out a snort to that.
"Really can't do a SHIT DAMN thing now," he said.
Freluff graciously ignored that and gave a pat to Aphid's shoulder before disembarking.
"We'll chat more at breakfast," he said, "No decision has to be made tonight, or even in the morning yet. Get some rest, big brother. You're doing a good job already."
Aphid was just as off guard for all that as he had been the job offer alone earlier, but he did manage a nod and a "Goodnight, sir." before Freluff walked away.
The man had given a nod back, ruffled the hair of the two boys that had come up the ladder, and then went about his evening.
Kor regained his balance after that ruffling and walked over to his brother with a yawn.
He slunked his head into Aphid's side while wrapping his arms around his waist.
A small sarcastic "aww" was heard from that damn rude curly haired brat, but the brothers ignored it.
"You ready for bed, baby brother?" Aphid asked as he first began to smooth down the hair Freluff had ruffled out of Kor's ponytail, but then just let loose the hair altogether instead.
"Mhm," Kor sleepily replied and gave a little scratch to where the ponytail had been held at.
"My hair feel gross…," he then tiredly commented.
"Heh, we'll wash up in the morning," Aphid assured, "C'mon, let's roll these beds out."
Those bedrolls certainly were top quality.
This apple farmer either must be in the greatest debt imaginable with luxurious expenses, or the apple business was far more thriving than Aphid ever thought.
But right now, his thoughts were just on sleep. He could feel the wobbliness of his head again, as the tie over from dinner was quickly wearing off.
Once all was settled, he and Kor nestled in their beds side-by-side.
Hric actually dimmed the lanterns for them and promised he'd stay tip-toe quiet, as he actually had a little more work to do before his nestling down, but this quiet didn't last long at all when Kor quickly decided to shimmy into Aphid's bedroll.
The boy had naturally been straying from casually cuddling with Aphid the older he was getting, but he was still inclined to nestle in when in new territory.
"D'aaaw," Hric sarcastically quipped again.
"Just ignore him, baby brother," Aphid said to the boy nuzzling down on his chest.
"No, really," Hric said, "it's actually rather cute. I ain't even got a teddy."
Aphid opted to not respond this time, but Hric's promise of being quiet was obviously revoked.
"This why you got him dragged out with you?" the curly haired teen kept yapping, "To keep you warm instead of being cozy at home with y'alls parents?"
"I am the parent," Aphid replied this time, a little confused as to Hric's ignorance to the obvious here.
Hric was silent for just a moment before speaking yet again.
"Damn," he said, "I really don't think sometimes, huh?"
Aphid didn't want to remark on that for the other teen's sake, and the fact he was growing far too tired to keep engaging with him.
He instead gave Kor a peck atop the head and said his good nights.
"Goodnight, baby brother," he softly bid, "I love you."
Kor had already been drifting off to sleep, but quietly and lovingly replied, "I love you too….goodnight..."
And the sweet, sleepy air was yet again jittered by Hric's careless noise.
"I'm an orphan myself," he said as he noisily rustled through a trunk near his bedding, "…Well, practically."
The brothers remained silent; not that Hric took note.
"I don't remember my Pa," Hric continued on, "He left when I was three. And Ma threw me out on my ass about two years ago, as soon as I started talkin' like him-- or so she says. Said lookin' like him had already been bad enough."
"That's awful," Aphid commented, and with actual sincerity, "….That's no mother….or father."
Hric actually went silent for a moment. Either caught off guard by Aphid responding, or by the sincere remark itself--likely both.
But it was only a moment before he yammered again.
"Eh, can't speak for Pa," he said, "But Ma could be alright when she sipped some wine, but in a dry spell, urgh….Not that she beat me or, I mean, she did tan my ass quite a lot and hit me upside the head once with a saucepan, but I wasn't exactly a behaved child...She fed me, clothed me, and housed me until I got the big boot, though, so I guess she was some kinda mother."
"There is no 'was' until they are dead," Aphid remarked again of the maternal failure.
Again, Hric quieted for a moment.
This time Aphid was the one to break the silent moment by speaking first.
"Sorry…," he said. He left it for Hric to interpret if it was for speaking of his parents in such a way or for the situation it was, but honestly, Aphid meant it for both.
"Ah, don't be," Hric replied, "...Just give the town of Helgen a wide birth…least you want a cherished heirloom thrown at your head…then blamed for its breaking….. when a certain lady is down to her last drop….."
"Noted," Aphid yawned, "….Stay away from Grelod."
"From where?" the curly teen replied.
"Goodnight, Hric," Aphid answered instead.
Again with the silent pause.
If this is what it takes to shut him up, Aphid was afraid he was going to have to beat him to the chatter all night.
But Hric finally, finally punctuated the end of this yakking as he headed to slide down the ladder.
"….Night, y'all…," he somewhat awkwardly bid and disappeared below to finish whatever it was he had to do, despite his pay cut.
Ah, finally. ….
Aphid felt the weight of his head sink into his pillow, but he was sure to give Kor one more peck goodnight.
But just as the older brother felt the sleep closing in, a little whisper from his little brother tugged him awake...yet again.
"…i like him…," Kor whispered, "….he reminds me of Bark…."
Aphid gave a tired chuckle.
"….Gods help us...," he replied, "…..sleep now, baby brother, I love you."