Prompt: Compassion
Focus: Derkeethus
A low clap of thunder rumbled through the air as a blanket of gray clouds hung motionless in the skies above Whiterun, the afternoon sun completely veiled by the rainless storm. Derkeethus patiently tapped his foot against the grass, lightly crumpling a few weeds growing near the edge of the stairs leading to the inn, waiting for his traveling partner to return with their likely-meager lunch. For the third, or fourth, perhaps, time, he felt his jaw slacken as he gazed around the lively marketplace.
When the two of them had finally arrived in Whiterun, he found himself somewhat bowled over by everything. It certainly wasn't the first large city he had been to, of course – Riften had been interesting, at least, though the Argonian shuddered slightly as he thought of the many dirty looks the local Nords of Windhelm had sent their way – but it was far and away the most pleasant compared to either of the others, even with the enduring threat of poor weather. He traced a path up the roof of one of the buildings, moving from the yellow planks to the torch smoke rising into the air...
"Um... mister?" There was a tug on his leather-clad arm, and he glanced to his side. He blinked in mild surprise: it was a young girl, about a head and a half shorter than him, barely able to reach his shoulder as she stood on her tiptoes. She reminded him of Tormir's daughter, Hrefna, back home in Darkwater.
"Mm?" Derkeethus grunted in response, feeling the corners of his mouth turn downward as he took in the girl's worse-for-wear appearance in full. The child's green dress was caked with dirt and grime, stray threads poking every which way at the hems, and her hair was so greasy that he wasn't sure whether it was brown naturally or if it was from being left unwashed. "Yes? What is it?"
"Could you... spare a coin? Just one gold, please?" She hesitated before softly finishing her reply.
The archer sucked in a breath and stood up straighter, his heart quickly sinking as he mentally put the pieces together, and he glanced at the passerby in the Whiterun plaza, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious. He wondered why; he knew about beggars even before he had started adventuring. But both his and Talkeeva's coin purses were light from the week spent on the road; it was why he wasn't expecting much for his mid-day meal.
Still, the girl continued to stare at him with pleading hazel eyes, the ensuing silence growing more and more awkward by the second-
"'Keeth, I'm back-" A familiar voice thankfully interrupted, and Derkeethus looked over his shoulder at Talkeeva. He tilted his head in confusion as he spotted the four large dumplings that his companion gingerly held in both of her hands, and was about to take his share of the meal when he noticed the woman's face light up. "Lucia!"
"Miss Talkeeva!" The child – Lucia – next to him blurted out, and she rushed past him, excitedly flinging her little arms around the Argonian. Talkeeva staggered backwards, and Derkeethus hastily reached out and grabbed her forearm to help her stay upright. She gave him a grateful nod before passing two of the pastries to him, their warmth seeping into the palms of his gloves.
"Good to see you too, sweetheart..." He watched as she wiped her newly-freed hand on her hip before patting Lucia's shoulder. "How have you been holding up, huh? Nobody's been giving you trouble, have they?"
"Nope!" The begging child peeled herself off of the adventurer, clasping her fingers together as she tried to contain herself. Derkeethus was about to search for a place to sit and eat in peace, only to balk as Lucia abruptly spun around to look at him. "I was just talking to this nice Argonian... are you two friends?"
"E-er." Derkeethus stuttered, and a twinge of embarrassment flared up inside him as his traveling partner started to chuckle. He shook his head inwardly, forcing himself to gulp down his nervousness. "Y-yes, I am. I've been traveling with Talkeeva for a while now. My name is Derkeethus."
"Oh." Lucia smiled sweetly at him, giving him a small wave hello, and he couldn't help but nod and smile back at the cheerful child. "It's good to meet you, mister Derkeethus!"
All three of them tensed up for a moment when a bolt of lightning flashed far in the distance, the inevitable thunder booming soon afterward. He folded his arms, watching the sky as the clouds continued to move ever-so-slowly, instinctively leaning forward and holding his food close to his empty stomach. Talkeeva, too, narrowed her eyes and scanned around Whiterun, humming when she stared at the building across the market. The Argonian adventurer squatted down to Lucia's height, holding the other two dumplings out to her.
"Here, Lucia, take these and go find Brenuin, okay?" She said firmly, keeping eye contact with the beggar girl as she took the food. Derkeethus held back a grimace as he noticed some dirt from her dress rub off onto one of the pastries. "'Keeth and I will be in front of Belethor's in case it rains, so you'll both know where to find us."
Lucia nodded, still shivering from being spooked by the lightening. After a beat, the child finally replied. "Okay, miss Talkeeva. I bet he'll be happy to see you, too! I'll be right back!"
With a spring in her step, the girl dashed through the market and up the steps leading further into the city, and just like that she had vanished from Derkeethus' sight. Both he and Talkeeva stood still, a few minutes passing in relative silence as he took in the generosity of his friend's gift. He looked down at the dumplings he held, then at the market, then Talkeeva.
"I thought we were running low on septims, Tal," He asked thoughtfully, and his fellow Argonian turned around to listen. He shrugged at the adventurer, his quiver rustling from the movement. "Are you sure we could afford to just give out food like that?"
The woman gave him a hard stare once he finished speaking, but it quickly morphed into a comforting smile as she confidently put her hands on her hips, tapping her toes against the ground. "We can always afford to help those in need, 'Keeth."
He didn't reply, simply letting his eyes go wide at her frank statement, but before he could fully take it in, she patted his shoulder and grinned slyly at him. "Besides, I asked Hulda about work, and there's some bandits nearby with a bounty on their heads. So eat up! We'll be busy tomorrow."
He gazed blankly at the woman before bowing his head, chuckling for a reason he couldn't put a finger on.
A/N: A couple weeks ago I played Ultima 4 and 5. Last week I started playing Daggerfall again. Last weekend I took part in the last ESO beta test. Send help.
