David

"So, Njada get along with anyone?" he asked Farkas, trying to sound just a little drunker than he was.

The mead was powerful enough. Maybe not so much as it was Montana, but not far behind either. It didn't really matter that too much though. He had held his liquor well enough, and drank things that would earn either the disgust or envy of his companions. That was before his surgeries of course. Since then, his abilities were in many respects, superhuman.

More accurately though, he was trans human being mostly human but also with many synthetic bits. He was still the good kind of post human abomination, course. In his grandpa's time he was probably more like to get locked in a suit of power armor then be euthanized as an abomination.

This included his liver. He didn't quite get the specifics as it was technically the one he entered the world with. It was a noticeably quicker though after the surgeries when it came to the processing of alcohol. It wasn't super sobriety, but he could out drink Cass, which probably was enough.

"In a way," Farkas responded to his query. "I've learned its best not to talk about certain things. She is a bit prickly."

"It's quite the list," Ria slurred her two bits worth.

David chuckled. "Oh help me if I do any jobs with her."

Farkas shook his head and knocked on the table. "Come on man, lets have some fun while we can. There's this drinking game, I heard they do at the bard's college. Learned it from Jon after he came back."

"Oh," Athis asked him.

"We go around the table, whoever has a turn to speak starts out with I've never, then finishes how they will. Anybody here who does whatever they described takes a drink, then we move to the next companion."

"Bring it, then." David grinned as he spoke.

"I've never," Farkas looked around gauging the table. "Woken up in a cell."

David took a sip, as did Athis.

"I expected our newest recruit, but you Athis?"

Athis shook his head. "I was in Windhelm. Wrong place, wrong time."

There were a few grimaces to go around. After a moment, Farkas gestured to Vilkas who took the cue.

"I've never," Athis looked around the table for a moment, "I've never slept with a contract giver."

That had some amusing reactions. Every other man at the table at the table took a drink. David after contemplating his cup for a second, decided that he should probably take the sip.

"Already?" Farkas looked at him, then Ria. "You just got here."

"I'm sure he had plenty of contracts before he came here Farkas." Skjor answered Farkas before David could get in a word.

"Some things are the same everywhere," David shrugged. "I think it's your go Vilkas."

"I never took Skooma," Was the go from of Vilkas.

Skooma from his assumption sounded like a chem of sorts. He couldn't guess beyond that, though it was probably no worse than the stuff he'd hit in the last few years, and nothing was worse than psycho.

Torvar was alone in taking that sip.

"Really?" Althis asked the lone companion.

"I've been clean for about three years now," was his honest reply.

David made a mental note to learn about chems and how one handled addiction. The pharmacology of this place was weird.

Next up was Njada who had returned from her break.

"I've never fucked a fellow companion."

Every eye at the table seemed to be on Aela who in glared knives in Njada's direction.

It was at that moment, Kodlak Whitemane who had been mostly silent leaned forward. His mere movement was enough to divert a few eyes before he spoke.

"I think we best call a game right here," Kodlak's smoky voice was only a little disapproving, yet it seemed to greatly affect the table which quickly went quiet.

There was an interesting power dynamic there. One he didn't quite expect, in how the others deferred to White-mane.

It very informal. He assumed no sense of command and was himself unassuming, yet any time a decision had to be made as a group, there was no way others wouldn't first look to Kodlak before making an opinion.

David couldn't help but think of how different team meetings were back in the Mojave.

Relative to his team the Companions were much more open with one another. There was much trust here. He could recall the assurance from what Skjor had said that secrets were sacred within the Companions, and that for any disputes that might arise, no dirty laundry would ever be aired elsewhere.

That was different. His team for the most part kept secrets from each other.

Most of us were wanted by somebody after all

It was hard to build real trust, and sometimes in the absence of that he'd had to take a stronger, even autocratic hand to ensure that nobody brought trouble to the rest.

But maybe he could live like there was another way to do live out here. This was a different planet.

A different planet you say?

"I think I'll take some air outside," David promptly excused himself. "Be back soon."

Flokir

Flokir needed to stand for a bit.

The mood in the room had loosened with a free flow of meat and mead of which he had his fill. The lutes and flutes were louder and livelier, and he was certain it wasn't just the drink in him. And just like the music, so were many other feast goers. It was a time for drinking, feasting, and fighting as a few were already doing at the companions table. Maybe even fucking.

The tunes felt distant and close and he felt his body sway with the rise and fall of the notes. As did others if he saw true.

"Ysolda," he called out, as the music out the last song faded.

The local merchant flicked her head in his direction then saw him. An expression he was certain had to be a grin overtook her face.

She walked up to him briskly as she could manage. All the while Flokir felt his eyes drift towards her willowy form that was partially hidden under her bulky dress.

Ysolda raised her hand, which seemed to wave at him. Then it hit him.

He heard the sound before he felt the slap.

By the time he could stare back, she was already walking away to the sound of laughter.

He could see the upper crust of Whiterun laughing at him again. It was almost as though they had forgotten who he had become today, if only for a few breaths.

"I don't believe it," said Mikael in a low voice after the music died. "I thought every woman in Skyrim would throw themselves at the Dragonborn, in spite of you being, well you. I certainly didn't think any would dare slap you. Even if it was deserved."

Flokir shook his head. "I did not deserve that one. Least of all from her."

Mikael laughed. "What did Ysolda do that you would say that?"

He grimaced. Most knew Ysolda she was an honest merchant, hard working and pious. Flokir knew there was more. Reputation was a serious commodity to merchants, and under the skin of her spotless repute was another merchant of a sort.

"Let us just say that her business off the books gives her no right to judge," Flokir scowled.

The bard's face twisted in amusement "truly could it be possible? The two of you deserving of each other?"

Flokir shook his head. "What would my housecarl think?"

Mikael laughed "She should get used to her Dragonborn bedding whatever woman he pleases. You might even find one tonight?"

He looked around for a quick moment wondering who might dare to fuck him, especially with his new shield around. He turned back to Mikael with a smirk. "Probably as good as you getting any with Carlotta ever."

"Carlotta is mine, Dragonborn. You'll see." The bard waved him off with a cocksure grin, went to his lute and took requests from other revelers.

Where's Carlotta, he wondered for just a moment before pushing the thought out of mind. His eyes traveled around the hall, and he weaved around a couple of guardsmen, and almost collided with Arcadia.

"Sorry, my Dragonborn," she stuttered. Both at the shock of almost spilling her cup of mead, and addressing him as "my Dragonborn."

Flokir grinned. "Still getting use to that title, but I promise to never change."

Arcadia made as if to roll her eyes. "There goes our last hope."

"As Dragonborn I will always need the services of a learned alchemist. How else am I going to become invisible or immune or even irresistible?" He purred out the last bit. "Any instruction helps."

She laughed. It was a pleasant sound.

"I can't take on any apprentices right now, and if I were they'd need to be willing to settle down. I guess a Dragonborn is not meant to live a quiet settled life."

"I suppose you are right." Flokir chuckled despite himself. Then for some strange reason he could feel his breath catch in his throat. told her as he felt the sudden need to excuse himself. He felt suddenly uncomfortable but couldn't understand why.

David

He stared into the endless expanse of the night sky, searching in vain for his place in the universe. It was both literal and figurative in the sense.

That the Moon had a moon of its own, was as sure a statement as any that he couldn't have possibly been on Earth as anything else looking back. It had stood out that night he was taken, and had been burned into his mind sense. That was of course, when he wasn't seeing things that seemed ripped straight from Earth's histories, and other things that would make one second guess were they of Earth or not.

David Kelly found no more answers in the stars. His eyes searched in vain for the familiar stars and their constellations. Sometimes he saw things that looked familiar. There was one set of stars arranged In a way that could have made it the Little Dipper. Were that so, there would be more familiar constellations nearby. Others like Orion, were nowhere to be found.

Maybe he was close enough to Earth to see some of the familiar stars so many light years away.

He turned away from the sky, to view to rest of the Dragonsreach porch. Nearer though, was a familiar outline.

"Do you sense trouble back inside when you left?" It was Skjor.

David shook his head. "Trouble is a more serious word. Family drama though, I did sense that. That why you're here?"

Skjor chuckled at that.

"I needed to exercise control of my passions in there." His answer more frank.

"So, if I get a chance to sleep with a companion I should do it?" David took care with his question hoping it sounded neither eager nor judgmental.

"I'll not tell you what to do, but if you do it with someone it's wise to do it with somebody you'd trust your own life to." It was difficult in the dim outside lighting to read Skjor's face, which may well have been chiseled from granite anyways.

David laughed.

"I used to just check my pockets the morning after."

The man looked at him for a moment.

"Then I hope you won't mind your company tomorrow."

Come morning, David would begin his journey southeast to the Darkwater to retrieve his goods where he'd tucked them away. It had been agreed that a member of the Circle would go along with him on the journey, which made more sense after tonight.

"So, who are you inflicting on me?"

"Aela," Skjor answered in tone that was a little less than pleased.

He shuddered, "She doesn't seem to like me much."

"Others within the circle just volunteered her for the task."

"How bad did things back in there?" David looked at him with a creeping unease.

"Bad enough that somebody else will be out of Whiterun for a few days."

"Hopefully she'll be better company than you then," David steered the subject back to Aela.

"Don't expect too much, whelp."

David sighed just a little.

"Hopefully we'll at least be good about keeping each other's secrets. If this expedition pans out, I might have to have an interesting conversation with her."

AN: Long time no update. In the last year or so, I've finally graduated from college. Now I'm working full time.

This chapter is shorter than usual, but it kinda split off from what was supposed to be the next chapter, which is to say that it will probably be up in less than a year or so. Up next, more adventures and philosophical sparring.