Aeyrin woke up to sharp sunrays stinging her eyes.
It was so unpleasant. Her eyes felt strangely achy already and now the sensation was even worse. She did not dare to open them. She knew that the holes in the roof of the cornerclub had gotten even worse than the last time they had been staying here. The sun would likely shine straight at her. And judging by its probable position, she suspected that it was sometime around noon already.
She shifted on the small rickety bed slightly, but the weight on her did not allow her much movement. Bishop was still asleep with his body lying on hers, face buried in her cleavage. She could barely move and he was really heavy. How did she not mind him falling asleep like that last night? She was surprised that she hadn't shoved him away all night.
Well… it hadn't been the entire night after all. They only went to sleep after sundown when the rest of the Dunmer returned to their homes. As mild as their inebriation had been for the first part of the night, it went downhill right after Bishop's arm-wrestling competitions and Aeyrin's talk with Calixto. Everything after that was just a blur of songs, laughter and alcohol.
She certainly didn't feel very rested. A calm day spent at the Candlehearth might do them some good. They always needed to recuperate after a night at the cornerclub.
She let out a groan at the sting in her eyes and the raspiness in her throat and she raised her hand to rest it in Bishop's hair idly. A part of her wanted to wake him up, but another one wasn't ready to start functioning fully yet either.
Bishop started to mumble something inaudibly while she began slowly raking her fingers through his hair. Before he even appeared to be fully awake, he began nuzzling his face over and over into her breasts. She hadn't even changed her clothes for the night and she wasn't exactly sure if he was more nuzzling into her flesh or into the soft fabric of her fancy shirt.
Aeyrin tried to shift again, but she still couldn't move at all under Bishop's weight. He finally noticed her discomfort though and, with a loud groan, he nuzzled her flesh one last time before he moved his hands onto the bed to support himself and managed to flip over next to her onto his back.
She let out a deep satisfied breath, but she didn't feel like getting up or opening her eyes yet. So instead she curled herself around Bishop's form and rested her head on his shoulder tiredly.
Bishop, however, was already awakened by the movement.
"We should get up," he grumbled morosely through his parched throat.
Aeyrin only groaned again and pressed herself tighter into his arm. She knew that he was right. She needed something to drink, and preferably some good food too, but it all sounded like too much work just then.
Bishop contemplated staying in that bed for a while longer, but the more aware he got of his surroundings, the more annoyed he was at the hardness of the bed and the sounds of someone, probably Malthyr, snoring on the other side of the room.
He wrapped his arms around Aeyrin tightly and pushed them both off the bed together in order to sit up with her still in his arms. Aeyrin groaned in annoyance again, but she didn't stop nuzzling into his arm.
"Come on, I need some food. And mead," he chuckled at her. He could feel her nod in accord against him and he tilted his head to press a kiss on the top of her head before he murmured in her ear once more.
"Besides, we still have some… unfinished business from yesterday."
…
"There you two are!" Ambarys chuckled when they made their way downstairs at last, after a long time of convincing themselves to move. "Finally managed to move?"
"Wasn't easy," Bishop smirked at him tiredly.
"Never is after flin, f'lah," Ambarys laughed back at him. "But a courier has been looking for you while you were sleeping it off." He walked towards the end of the counter where he bent down to locate an envelope in one of the cupboards.
He passed the letter to Aeyrin and, for a second, she got hopeful that it was a letter from Karliah. Maybe she was already done with her mission and had infiltrated Mercer's house successfully. But once she opened the envelope, she noticed the familiar neat handwriting inside.
She knew just by looking at it that it was from Azshan. And she didn't really want to discuss whatever the letter was about with Bishop in front of Ambarys, so she stashed it into her pack instead. It would be best to deal with this when they had some privacy. Bishop was still suspicious about what happened back in Solitude when she was poisoned and she knew that, among many others, he still suspected that Azshan could have been involved. She did not want to get into that now. She was sure that her friend would be capable of anything like that. And whatever Azshan wanted, whether it was another dragon or just a friendly letter, she knew that Bishop would be at least a little suspicious of it.
Bishop gave her a questioning look, but he knew better than to ask her about a letter in front of the innkeeper. Could be something secret. From Karliah maybe. Or maybe it was something from Therien that she would read later when she had some time for it.
Without much further ado, they've said their goodbyes to Ambarys and left the almost empty cornerclub into the cold streets of Windhelm.
The chilly air did wonders to wake them up a bit, but the prospect of a warm inn, good food and soft bed were still too tempting to pass up in order to spend time on anything else. They didn't have anywhere else to be anyway.
As they were passing the houses near the inn, however, they noticed someone emerge from an already familiar house. It was Brunwulf Free-Winter and he spotted them instantly. A smile appeared on his face as he promptly approached.
"Greetings again. It is good to see you both back in the city," he nodded at them amicably. But it seemed like he couldn't help but chuckle a second later as he took note of their haggard appearance. "Rough night?"
"You could say that," Bishop snorted with a subtle smile on his face.
"You two look like you've spent an evening at the cornerclub," Brunwulf chuckled again. "Everyone who leaves that place looks the same. Exhausted and happy," he shook his head with a fond smile on his face. The elves liked the man, perhaps he had spent some nights in that place before too. "It is good to see the place back to its former glory. Or… at least as much as it can be, given the circumstances."
"Yeah. Thanks for getting him out," Bishop nodded at the man. Even though he had paid the price, he wouldn't even know what to do with it without Free-Winter. He was the one who knew the right people to talk to and the right steps to take without getting caught bribing a guard.
"You are the one who deserves thanks, my friend," Brunwulf smiled. "As long as there are people willing to go against oppression and aggression, we can thrive in harsh conditions. We are lucky that there are so many of them around."
Free-Winter turned his eyes to Aeyrin then and she gave him a polite smile in return. He did look like he wanted to say something else aside from the small talk though. He even seemed oddly wary. His eyes suddenly darted all over their surroundings.
Bishop and Aeyrin did the exact same thing instinctively without even knowing why. They took stock of the streets, looked around for anyone nearby who might overhear them, because that was clearly what Brunwulf was doing. Nobody was nearby, however, and the man soon took a tentative step closer to them.
"For example," he lowered his voice considerably. "I have talked a few times with a certain priestess lately. She had some… interesting ideas."
"You have?" Aeyrin's eyes went wide at him. He definitely meant Jora. Was he talking to her about their dissident endeavors? For some strange reason, she didn't get nervous about that at all. She got hopeful. Maybe it was naïve to believe Brunwulf to be on their side with everything in the world, but… she couldn't help it. Whenever this man got involved, there were results. If he helped Jora along, surely the situation would move beyond 'talking to interested people'.
"I have," he nodded. "I was very interested in her ideas. But… she didn't seem too comfortable discussing them with me in the city. During our last talk, she was going to refer me to someone I could talk to for more information if I wanted to help but, her Master interrupted us, unfortunately. She has been wary to approach me ever since."
"That's probably smart," Bishop scowled. That old priest certainly seemed to be following Jora a lot. At first, Bishop just thought that she was only overly cautious when she was concerned even about sending letters, but now Bishop wasn't so sure. That old man rubbed him the wrong way.
"Indeed," Brunwulf nodded somberly. "But I was still hoping to discuss these ideas with some like-minded friends of mine. But I need to know more. And I did not manage to find out who to contact."
Aeyrin nodded slowly. He needed to know about Master Therien. Now that it came to this, she did get a little wary. Jora was always the one to 'recruit' people to the cause, or Master Therien himself did on the other end. Brunwulf had done a lot for her and for the elves and even Susanna had spoken well of him before. But Aeyrin was still a bit apprehensive about giving anyone Master Therien's name when it could put him in danger.
Still, he was handling this operation carefully. Surely he wouldn't just give harmful information to a stranger. He would handle Brunwulf as he saw fit.
She suddenly felt like a little child again, relying on her mentor to know better and to resolve the situation instead of her, but it was a comfortable reliance.
"The chapel in Chorrol. His name is Therien," she nodded resolutely.
She trusted Brunwulf more than she suspected a betrayal after all.
And besides, she would make sure to write to Master Therien immediately. She would tell him everything that she knew about Free-Winter to give him as much insight as she possibly could.
He would definitely make the right decision.
…
Bishop and Aeyrin lay idly on the bed in their rented room at Candlehearth Hall.
They had spent the afternoon eating and trying to chase away their hangovers in the common area before they retreated to their rented room, catching up on 'unfinished business'.
Aeyrin had completely forgotten about the letter in her pack until they were too tired to continue their ministrations and resorted to just lying lazily on the bed. Before either of them would will themselves to get to the bathing room and prepare for a full night's rest at least.
When she finally remembered it, she stretched over Bishop's body on the bed to reach out to her pack. It had only been haphazardly thrown onto the floor before. She had been curious about what Azshan wanted, but she didn't mind postponing reading it too much. She had a bad feeling that it would be another strange request for assistance, likely with another dragon. She was not eager to go through something like that again with Azshan. Not if it involved some strange scheme which she had no idea about, like the one with the Forsworn.
"Therien?" Bishop asked when she finally fished out the letter from her pack and settled back to rest her head on his shoulder.
"No. Azshan," she tried to sound casual and unconcerned. As if that would change Bishop's reaction…
"What? What the fuck does he want?"
"If you let me read, maybe I'll find out," Aeyrin rolled her eyes at him while she spread out the folded paper in her hand to finally read its contents. Before she could, however, Bishop quickly tilted her hand so that the letter would be visible to the both of them. It was not as if she minded – if she wanted to keep this a secret from him, she would hardly start reading it in front of him like this, but his instant annoyance and eagerness was still a bit ridiculous. Then again, she did not expect anything else with what he still suspected about her friend.
But, come to think of it, Bishop wasn't really acting much differently when it came to Azshan even before he suspected that he may have possibly had some part in the poisoning.
With a slight smirk at his behavior, she finally started to read through the letter.
.
My dearest Aeyrin,
Do you remember what time it is? Sun's Dusk is already upon us and I hope you haven't forgotten what that means.
I hear you've made quite an impression at the annual ball last year. And you know me, I'm always looking to make an impression. This year, because of all that drama, Casavir won't be representing our Order at the ball and I was designated to go in his stead. Finally, I say. It's about time I got to go to a proper party instead of some boring negotiation meeting or to go traipsing around the wilderness.
And guess who I want to take with me? I'm sure you'll have a great time when you're not going with our dearest stuffiest leader. Don't worry about a thing, I will make sure that you'll enjoy the party. I would love to have you there with me.
Come to Solitude soon. Don't worry about Casavir, he's mostly just holed up with paperwork lately. It's not looking great for his position here in Skyrim. I heard that he might get relocated or demoted. But I'll tell you all the juicy details in person.
I know you're probably busy with your adventures, but the sooner you come here, the better. There's a lot to do before the ball.
I'll be expecting you. Don't miss the grand event.
Azshan
.
She finished reading the letter as an uncertain feeling started to gnaw on her.
The ball. Azshan wanted her to go to the ball again? He said that he had heard about her last visit. Why on Nirn would he ever want her to go again? She embarrassed Casavir constantly and Bishop didn't exactly stay subtle in that place either.
She hated that ball. She hated that attention, the gossip. The only redeemable memories from that night were those of Bishop distracting her from all the luster and bustle. And the memorable afterparty, of course.
But… what exactly was happening in Solitude? What was happening with Casavir? And why did Azshan want her to go? The way that people usually flocked to him, Aeyrin was sure that he would have been able to come up with hundreds of better guests. After all, they hardly remained as close as they had in their childhood. They only saw each other now very rarely.
This was odd. And… intriguing.
"Is he fucking serious?" Bishop groaned in a mixture of anger and annoyance when he finished reading the letter too.
"I don't know why he would even want me there after the last time," Aeyrin still gaped at the letter in surprise.
"Ah, fuck, you're thinking about going," his hand landed on his face with an audible smack and he dragged it down to his chin in a clear gesture of exasperation.
What? She said nothing about going yet! He wasn't wrong, but still... he was assuming a lot. It was quite disturbing that he could already tell.
"I didn't say… I just… it's weird that he asked me, right?" Aeyrin scowled deeply while she folded the letter back and stretched over Bishop's form again to stash it back into her pack on the floor.
"Is it?" he scoffed. "He likes to involve you in this shit. Or maybe he just wants to poison you again."
"He didn't poison me," Aeyrin retorted with a somewhat concerned frown. How quickly did Bishop go from 'there's a small possibility that he may have done it' to 'he definitely poisoned you and would do so again'. She had to wonder if this was just what he had decided over time or whether he just shifted the narrative now after the ball invitation. She knew why Bishop never ruled the possibility out, given what had happened during his encounter with Casavir, but it still made no sense to her. And she couldn't see Azshan doing that.
Bishop stayed quiet for a while and there was a strange tension in the air just then. Soon, he interrupted the silence, but his voice didn't sound angry or annoyed as she had expected. It was much more concerned. "You said you believed me." He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the ceiling, but his brows were creased deeply.
Aeyrin turned to her side and supported herself on her elbow to meet his gaze. He still didn't look at her, but she made him by placing her hand on his cheek and tilting his face to her.
"I did. Believe you, I mean. I do believe you. You said that you worried that I would think you were making things up… because of Azshan. I believe that you didn't. I just… don't think that it's possible he did that. I believe that you think that he may have. But he wouldn't."
"So you think there's no chance? Even though he was the one who knew I was there? And they found the stuff from him in my pack," Bishop scowled at her again.
"Bishop…" she sighed. She really didn't feel in the mood to deal with this. Just the memory of all that still filled her with bitterness, she didn't want that mess to make her mistrust her friend too. "Someone in the kitchens could have seen you come in. And… they searched your pack because you were suspected of a crime. It's kind of a normal thing to do."
Bishop's scowl didn't disappear. He got why she was so adamant about ruling Azshan's involvement out. And he couldn't pretend like it was probably unlikely with how close those two used to be. And she was right. Bishop had been careful when he was sneaking into the Castle, but someone could have seen him. It was a bit of a coincidence that they investigated the kitchens, but… it was probably smart to do that, considering the likely source of the poisoning. And ransacking his things did seem like something that the guards would readily do. He wasn't sure why he even wanted to believe Casavir's words. He hated that guy. He knew that he was lying about stuff before. But he was just so… convincing back then.
Fuck, this didn't help. It was all so confusing. He didn't know what to believe anymore. And maybe… maybe it wasn't really fair to keep convincing Aeyrin that her friend tried to hurt her. As much as he would like her to just forget about that asshole, it wasn't fair to her.
That didn't mean that he wouldn't be careful around him though. He was still a suspect, as far as Bishop was concerned. And Aeyrin being alone with him on some fucking ball was not a good idea.
"You really want to go with him? Seriously?" Bishop growled. He had a hard time hiding his disdain about the prospect.
"N-no… I don't know. I hated that ball," Aeyrin cringed in response. "I just… I just want to talk to him, alright? I just want to find out why he wants me there, I want to find out what happened with… with everything… the Order and… Casavir. You believed him when he said that he didn't poison me. I just… I wanna talk to him too. I wanna know what he has to say."
Bishop was still scowling deeply, but he didn't protest. He understood that. She wanted to know who did this to her to absolve Azshan. She wanted to be able to talk to her friend without worrying about betrayal. And Bishop couldn't really blame her for wanting to hear what more Casavir had to say. He was kind of curious about that too. As much as the prospect of getting mixed up with those fucking paladins again irked him, it was all gnawing on him too. They would just have to be careful around all of them.
And hopefully Aeyrin would promptly refuse the invitation to that stupid ball. He really didn't want to spend another night thinking about what she was doing in that place. Last time he was worried about Casavir revealing his secrets and driving Aeyrin away from him, but now it wasn't much different. He would just keep worrying about Azshan and his intentions. And he would keep worrying about how Aeyrin was doing in that place. She didn't exactly handle the gossiping crowds very well. She hated that shit probably more than he did.
"You don't want to go to that ball?" he asked again, unable to hide the worry from his voice.
"You know that I don't. Last year… it was only fun when you showed up. After you stopped antagonizing Casavir. And still… it was uncomfortable the whole time. I just want to see Azshan and talk to him," Aeyrin explained.
Bishop didn't answer her again, but that meant only one thing at this point.
"So… we'll go to Solitude?" She gave him a small smile. She had expected him to protest a lot more about all this. But it seemed like he understood her need to go there. And perhaps he was eager for some more answers himself.
He only grumbled in response. But no outbursts or protests were a consent enough.
"We could head out tomorrow. There's plenty of time, we can spend a few days in the wilderness." She started to stroke her hand over his chest slowly while she mused about the plans. He seemed to perk up at the notion instantly.
"Yeah. We've already gotten shitfaced at the cornerclub. No more reason to stay in this hole any longer," Bishop chuckled at her.
He had a point. She wasn't really eager to prolong their stay either, now that they've seen their friends and dealt with Ulfric. It was time to move on.
"True. Which reminds me…" Aeyrin sighed. "I still need a proper bath."
With a tired groan she sat up on the bed and started to climb over Bishop to get back to the floor. He wasn't making it easy by constantly trying to drag her back to bed to tease and annoy her.
When she finally got away and grabbed her clothes from the floor, she expected him to jump up and insist on joining her, but he seemed too tired for that. They hadn't exactly been focused on resting much after all.
They still needed a calm evening to recuperate.
…
Bishop had just left the baths and headed back towards their rented room.
When Aeyrin returned from the baths, he had to really convince himself to get up from the bed to wash up as well. At least that riled him up a bit. He apparently needed some cold water to wake himself up. It would have been a shame to waste the evening by retiring too early – he needed something to lift his mood a bit. The whole prospect of going to Solitude again and that fucking ball invitation did not really make for pleasant thoughts. A distraction would be welcome.
Aeyrin had been composing a letter to Therien while Bishop was in the bath, informing him about Free-Winter. Hopefully she would be done by now.
With his mind still unfortunately on Solitude, Bishop stepped into the narrow hallway leading towards the various rooms on the ground floor. But before he could even step foot in there, a loud noise from behind him captured his attention. Someone had just very loudly stomped down the steps from the second floor, towards the bathing area.
It was just another patron wanting to bathe. There was barely anyone staying at the inn these days, but there were still some people around. Bishop didn't pay it any mind. He didn't even turn around for a second.
It was too late when he found out that he should have.
Suddenly, he was yanked back by the collar of his shirt back away from the hallway.
"There you are, elf-fucker," a familiar angry voice growled at him as he was shoved back violently and came face to face with Rolf.
Bishop was caught off guard by what happened. Too caught off guard to react quickly. He certainly didn't expect to see this fucker again. And before he could gather his bearings, the man's fist landed in his face with force.
Bishop stumbled backwards after the impact. Hot searing pain spread through his whole face and he was pretty sure that he heard his nose crack before he could feel a dull throbbing ache in it.
Fuck! That ice-brain was not this strong last night. His sobriety seemed to be playing in his cards.
Bishop barely managed to rile himself up from the powerful blow before the man had him by the collar again. This time, Bishop managed to grab his wrists to struggle against him.
"You think you can show me up like that, fucker?" Rolf growled with his face right in front of Bishop's as they still grappled at one another, each trying to get the upper hand. Fuck, that idiot was really strong. It was much easier to overpower him when he was drunk out of his skull. Tonight, in direct combat like this, Bishop did not seem to be faring as well as he would have expected. And the surprise he got certainly didn't help the situation.
"I'm gonna make you regret that!" Rolf continued to bellow through the empty chamber. No one was around, not here. There were only people locked in their rooms and the innkeeper at the other side of the building. Nobody could hear anything going on in here at all. "Nobody messes with me!"
Bishop only sneered at him in response while he tried to overpower him. Fuck, that idiot was big. Why did he not seem this big last night? Bishop's whole face was burning painfully, but that was the least of his concerns now. If he didn't get the upper hand soon somehow, he would likely get a much worse beating than that.
Rolf seemed to get tired of Bishop struggling against him and he shoved him away again, right into a stack of crates by the side of the room. Bishop stumbled and collided with the clutter there, but he never let go of Rolf's wrists.
They both tumbled into the crates, making much more noise than before as they both still tried to fight the other off.
…
Aeyrin stretched out on the bed lazily while she waited for Bishop to finally return from the bath.
She had already finished her letter to master Therien, telling him all about Brunwulf in order to prevent any potential mistakes. They all needed to be very careful in this endeavor. One misstep, one mistake, trusting someone that they shouldn't, and who knew what could befall them? Thalmor? The Stormcloaks? She wasn't sure which option she dreaded more.
That wasn't true. Thalmor. Definitely Thalmor. At least she knew what to expect from Ulfric by now.
With a tired groan, she shifted on the bed, trying to think about something else. She wasn't even sure why she was uncomfortable with Free-Winter's offer of help. That man had been nothing but helpful to her and Bishop. It was pointless to worry about. It was just… when it involved Master Therien, she couldn't help but worry.
Fortunately, not even a minute later, something distracted her from her thoughts.
A noise.
A knocking.
Her eyes darted to the door, but a second after that, she realized that it wasn't where the knocking came from. Someone was knocking on the window right next to the bed.
Aeyrin peered out of the window and into the moonlit street curiously. It was dark, but eventually, she managed to make out a familiar figure. But as shocked as she was about this development, she opened the widow almost on instinct, letting the cold air assault her skin.
"Calixto?" she gasped into the night.
"Psst. Quiet," Calixto whispered to her in turn. He wasn't standing by the window before – it seemed like he had stepped away after he knocked, but now he approached again, closer to the thick wall separating him from the inside of Aeyrin's room. "I saw you through the widow. I looked on a hunch."
That was… a bit creepy. Why was he looking into the window to see if she was there? And what was he doing here anyway? Out on another one of his strolls?
"I saw him again. That… figure. You have to come with me. We have to follow," Calixto hissed the explanation at her in a hushed voice, but before she could react, he stepped away from the window again and looked around nervously.
What? This was about that figure he had seen outside before? The one he thought was the Butcher? Aeyrin briefly wondered why on Nirn did he knock on her window instead of alerting the guards, but then she remembered what he had told her last night – about how the guards ignored his theories every time.
But… it still didn't necessarily mean that it was the killer there, right? She couldn't see anyone in the streets, only the lights illuminating the guards on patrol in the distance. It made her very aware of how stupid of an idea it would be to actually follow Calixto. She couldn't. She couldn't even show herself outside. It was illegal and Ulfric would skin her alive for breaking one of his orders again.
But what if Calixto was right? What if it was the Butcher? What if that killer was on the prowl right now, trying to catch his next victim? She would never forgive herself if she just ignored it.
But how was she supposed to move through the streets without the guards seeing her? That was practically impossible! They were around every corner.
"Come, hurry, please," another hiss echoed through the air and she noticed Calixto's form disappear further into the shadows.
She couldn't do this. It would help no one if she got arrested.
And Bishop wouldn't even know what had happened to her. Nobody but Calixto would know. What if he got arrested for goading her or something? Then what? Who would get her out of the dungeons? Would Ulfric even let her leave the dungeons this time?
It was too risky. She hated herself for thinking about refusing but...
"Calixto, I… I can't…" she whispered, but there was no answer. Gods, she could barely see him now. He was completely hidden in the shadows, further away from the inn's walls. He probably didn't hear her.
Well… she couldn't really yell, could she?
She leaned out of the window and looked around the streets. No guards were there right now. She could see some on the ramparts, but they likely wouldn't notice her. She just needed to tell Calixto that she couldn't chase after the figure and that he should go home to stay safe. That was all. It was only a couple of steps.
Aeyrin climbed out of the window hurriedly. Her bare feet landed on the freezing snow-covered ground softly, sending shivers down her spine in an instant. Gods, she was only dressed in Bishop's black shirt. It was a good thing that she had decided to go to the baths earlier, otherwise Calixto might have seen her in that room completely naked after her… distractions with Bishop. That was an uncomfortable thought.
It was no more uncomfortable than the freezing air and the snow beneath her feet though. She needed to hurry.
"Calixto, I can't be here," she whispered again, hoping that he would hear her now. She really couldn't see him anymore in the darkness. The city braziers were all too far away for her to see.
Suddenly, a hand landed on her mouth, covering half of her face with some fabric. What was that? She couldn't even think with how fast everything happened. There was a strong smell of something alchemical, overwhelming all her senses. She couldn't form a single thought in her head as strange dizziness began to overtake her.
The last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her was her own hand, struggling to move, as it disappeared into nothing in front of her very eyes.
…
Bishop managed to lodge his knee against Rolf's stomach and he kicked his leg as hard as he could, right into the Nord's shin.
The kick was hard enough to stagger Rolf, and Bishop finally got enough leverage to push the man away. He was still splayed on the pile of crates awkwardly, but now he could straighten up at least, without Rolf pressing down on him.
It didn't take long for Rolf to get his bearings though. Just as Bishop managed to stand up on his feet, he received another swift blow to his stomach, sending a dull ache through his core. Bile rose in his throat, but he managed to withstand it.
What the fuck was with this guy? He definitely fought like someone who was brawling in taverns every other night. Meticulous training was one thing, but Bishop could obviously not measure up to that guy in pure strength.
Still, he couldn't let a fucking drunken lout get the better of him. This was ridiculous. Bishop had fought dragons and bandits on a regular basis, and he would get beaten up by a fucking wretch like this?!
Bishop's fist connected with the man's face, sending him staggering back.
Finally.
He landed another blow straight away, into the man's gut, but right after that, he earned another one in his own. They both struggled against each other, trying to get a hit in. Bishop was quick, but the close quarters in the small chamber did not leave him a lot of room to maneuver against Rolf's strength. Soon, he was shoved again, back into those crates, making the ruckus echo throughout the room.
Rolf was on him instantly and Bishop earned two more punches in his face. Fuck, that hurt. He managed to block the next punch with his hands, but Rolf redirected it in his stomach again instead.
Bishop had to gasp for air as it left him and he instinctively curled up a bit. Those blows had quite the impact. He barely managed to punch Rolf a few times and all he did was give him a split lip and likely a black eye. Last night the fight was much more satisfying.
As he was trying to compose himself, Bishop expected another blow, but this time, none came. His heavy breathing was the only noise in the room for a while before Rolf finally spoke.
"You ever try to fuck with me again, the priests are gonna be collecting pieces of you from all around the city you son of a bitch."
Bishop didn't look back at the man. He wasn't sure if he was hoping more for this to be over, or if he wanted to jump back at him and get him back for this. But this was clearly not his fight today. It was so easy to get overly confident from his achievements in battles, skills which he had honed for years, but this was different. Maybe Aeyrin had a point about him not being that great in close combat. It was not like he had much experience brawling. There was the occasional punch in the tavern, and sometimes settling scores with some fellow bandits, but that didn't always go his way either.
It was pissing him off so much to let that man leave though. And who knew what that idiot would do now if he thought that he had the upper hand? He would definitely not think twice about going back to the cornerclub again.
But before Bishop could recollect himself with the throbbing pain in his face and stomach, he could hear the loud stomps getting further and further away from him. Rolf was done with him and he was leaving.
Bishop didn't have it in him to chase after the man. With a pained groan he straightened up, backing away from those crates, and he tentatively reached out towards his nose. He could already taste the blood on his lips. His nose stung painfully even when he touched it as lightly as he could. It was definitely broken. He should just get healed and then figure out whether he should do something about Rolf later.
Aeyrin was sure in for a surprise. He must have looked like shit by now.
Maybe he should at least clean up the blood a bit before he barged into the room, freaking her out without a doubt.
…
"That fucking asshole. He should start sleeping with one eye open," Bishop growled just as he entered the rented room again. He could already practically see the shock in Aeyrin's eyes when she would notice his wrecked face.
"You won't believe what…" his sentence got cut off in an instant when his eyes finally turned inside the room after he had closed the door behind him. "Aeyrin?"
He wasn't sure why he even asked. He could clearly see that she was nowhere to be found in that room.
The bed was still messy and all her things were in the room, but she wasn't there. And the strangest sight that caught Bishop's attention was the wide open window, letting the cool night air and some stray fresh snow inside, right onto the bed below that.
Why was the window open? Did she go outside?! She couldn't be outside! The guards would catch her.
Bishop rushed towards the bed and peered out of the window. There were a few guards with torches patrolling in the distance, but other than that, he couldn't see anyone outside, not even in the shadowy parts. What the fuck was going on? She wouldn't go outside anyway, right? Right?
He got the urge to call out for her into the night, but… if she really was outside, the last thing he should do was call attention to her being there. The guards might start looking for her.
And she wouldn't be outside anyway. What would she even be doing there? She didn't even have her clothes on! They were still folded neatly on one of the cupboards. She knew that she couldn't go outside. She swore to Ulfric that she wouldn't and there was nothing that would make her risk returning to his dungeon.
No. It was impossible. Maybe she felt sick, tried to get some fresh air into the room. She probably went to the bar to get some water or some mead.
Maybe she went there just at that moment when he was washing up in the bathing room – that way she wouldn't be there to notice the ruckus that he and Rolf were making.
Yeah. That was plausible. He just needed to look around the inn and find her. She was sure to be there somewhere.
Bishop bolted out of the room quickly with palpable panic in his step. He couldn't help it. As much as he tried to convince himself that she was just somewhere inside the common rooms, he was still worried. Was it any wonder? This was beyond weird.
But he should really stay calm and look for her inside first.
He marched towards the bar instantly while he listened to the voices around. There were none though. The inn seemed completely deserted at this hour. Even Rolf was nowhere to be seen now.
Bishop approached the grouchy innkeeper tentatively and she only threw him an annoyed look. She didn't seem all too concerned with the previous fight, if she had even heard any of it on the other side of the inn.
"Have you seen the girl I came in with?" Bishop asked with palpable impatience in his voice, but he only got an exasperated shake of negation in return.
Fuck. Where could she have gone?
Bishop headed straight upstairs into the large common room. Maybe she was there. He had no idea why she would be, but… anything was better than the alternative.
He practically ran up the stairs to look around the room. He didn't see anyone by the tables there and without even thinking much about it, he called out again, this time louder.
"Aeyrin?!"
Nothing. Fuck. Maybe the bathing room? Maybe they had weirdly missed each other on the way?
"Hey."
Suddenly a raspy female voice caught his attention. It came from one of the less lit alcoves near the windows. At night, it was especially dark. He didn't even notice that a person had been sitting in the lone chair there this whole time.
That was kinda creepy, but whatever.
He approached the woman until he was close enough to see her face.
An elf. A Dunmer. How the fuck did a Dunmer get here? Did that sour bitch downstairs actually let a 'greyskin' stay at the inn? Bishop hadn't noticed any Dunmer there all day.
She was dressed in all black, blending with the shadows with her dark hair and skin. There was fresh snow on the collar of her tight leather shirt.
Did she just come in here now? How the fuck could she come here despite the curfew?
Bishop finally stopped concentrating on her clothes and looked at her face properly. She smiled at him with a knowing expression in a strangely familiar gesture, and that was when he recognized her.
He was sure that it was her. One of his previous… acquaintances. He hadn't been with many elves before and the memories of this woman kind of stood out. Not because of her, but because of the strange evening that he had when they met. The strangest part was that he didn't really remember much of it now, even though it wasn't a particularly wild night. He did remember meeting her though. And sleeping with her. And then there was the thing that happened the next morning.
None of it mattered though. The woman had nothing to do with how weird the morning got back then. And he was pretty sure that there were no hard feelings about them parting after that. They were both in it just for one night after all.
Meeting her here though, like this, in the middle of the night with her appearing as if from out of thin air, it felt even stranger than that morning.
"Maybe I could help?" the woman asked when, instead of answering her greeting, he just continued to stare at her. "Do you remember me?"
"Yeah," Bishop riled himself up from the daze. He definitely did, but her name escaped him. If she had ever even given him one. "Hey, uhm…"
The woman chuckled lightly at his reaction at first. Her bright red eyes gleamed at him with a hint of mischief behind them before she finally answered.
"Gabriella."