Author's Note:

Dear all,

my apologies for the delay in posting. It's been a somewhat hectic time. I'll hopefully be more diligent about the updates again now O:)

I hope you enjoyed the sojourn to Oblivion and back. Now we can finally take a look at how Aeyrin and Bishop are doing and dealing with the aftermath of their first adventure after their honeymoon. It was definitely an unexpected one.

Thank you to all who are still reading and I hope you'll enjoy :)

Chapter XC – A Kick or Two

It was so oddly quiet.

It was unusual in this place. And it wasn't exactly quiet either. The sounds of the tavern, of endless chatter and merry laughter, permeated through the room constantly. But there was one thing missing that made it all seem very quiet.

Where was that Orc?

There was one thing that always made the Moorside Inn very distinct and that was that Orc bard and his horrid wailing. It was strange that they could have gotten used to something so annoying. Or that they could actually miss it now.

It just wasn't the same when there wasn't that screeching to complain about.

And it would have been a nice distraction.

Bishop and Aeyrin spent two nights in Dragon Bridge in the end. They felt safe there and it was comforting to be right outside the Penitus Oculatus outpost. They did not have to worry about traps and all that carefulness now that they would have been alone in the wilderness again. And after their adventures, they honestly didn't have it in them to worry and be careful. It was a good respite, in a way. And they were also hoping that their presence in the town and their connections to the Imperial spies would keep all the Thalmor questioning away.

There was a small contingent led by a Justiciar in Dragon Bridge the day after the incident. They searched the city, talked to Commander Maro, clearly, and identified everyone who was currently there. That was unnerving. Fortunately, they did not seem particularly interested in Bishop and Aeyrin. It was very reassuring.

The Thalmor left everyone alone after checking their identities. Aeyrin still worried they were putting their names on some lists of suspects or something, but Bishop pointed out that they must have checked Solitude and likely Morthal too. That would make a very extensive list indeed. It was unlikely that the two of them would garner any attention. The Thalmor still had no official evidence or clues about the numerous actions Bishop and Aeyrin had taken against them after all. As far as they knew.

So after that, they decided to stay another night in Dragon Bridge to wait until the Thalmor explored more of the area. After two days, they were comfortable enough heading out on the road again.

Their goal was simple and clear. They were going home.

Whether they would want to embark on more adventures from there was a question for another time. Even if they weren't sick of adventures after the mess on the northwestern shores of Skyrim, they needed to go get Karnwyr anyway. The poor boy was most likely still somewhere in the Rift, unable to join in on their adventure because of Serana's presence and… the unique vampiric scent that would drive him crazy.

And so, they headed straight for their usual route – the northern one across the entire Province. And after hours of travels they stopped for the night in their other favorite respite spot. The swamp.

Dreary atmosphere aside, Morthal was always welcoming.

Though the mood in the city felt… different.

As they passed on the road, they knew exactly why. Fort Snowhawk, unpleasantly close to the city and right by the road from Solitude, was covered in blue banners with a bear's head on them and filled with soldiers.

The soldiers didn't stop Bishop and Aeyrin as they passed by, but once the two of them got into the city, they overheard quite a public argument there on the streets. Lami, the alchemist, was angry with some man about her missing goods and the man was claiming they were seized by the Stormcloaks.

Well… the access route for any supplies from Solitude was clearly cut off. Hjaalmarch seemed pretty fucked. Not to mention, this wasn't the first time they'd seen something like this. Falkreath was in a similar situation. Except for the fact that from Fort Sungard, it was anyone's guess if Ulfric would try to take Markarth, insane as that would be, or Falkreath. And yet, Falkreath was filled with soldiers. Overbearing, but there to try to take the fort back or protect the town. And Markarth was another matter now altogether. But… not Morthal.

If anything, there seemed to be even fewer guards than usual. And no soldiers save for a couple, which Bishop and Aeyrin sincerely hoped were Penitus Oculatus agents looking out for the Brotherhood there.

It was tense. Everyone was clearly on edge. The atmosphere eased a little only with the laughter and drunkenness in the tavern, but still, everything seemed… amiss. Was it really the absence of the Orc that made Bishop and Aeyrin feel that way or was it the Stormcloaks? Or was it something else altogether?

Something felt off. Maybe since Dragon Bridge, but that was because of the Thalmor, surely. Or it was just… all of it.

It was kind of exhausting how much was going on around. They should be used to it, but it was overwhelming now. They spent a month in blissful ignorance and then they just… jumped head-first into two insanely dangerous adventures. And it felt like there was just no respite after them. Not the respite they got so easily used to in their new home.

Aeyrin and Bishop promptly ordered a room for the night, shook off their gear and got back to the common room to get some food. Maybe that would help. Even though it didn't the past two days.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," Bishop let out a tired sigh as Aeyrin settled on the bench by a free table, before he would join her. "Order me something, will you, love?" He leaned down to press a brief kiss onto her lips and before she could say anything, he turned on his heel and walked towards the bathing room.

It… was kind of early. Aeyrin's brows creased in concern as she watched him disappear into the door. It wasn't that odd after traipsing through the marsh, but… why didn't he ask her to join him?

It didn't help the strange mood. Ever since they left their new home, he was… well… he wasn't distant. He just wasn't nearly as handsy or insistent about getting physical as he usually was. It was very understandable when they were traveling with Serana and Isran, of course, but now? He was always there to hold her, comfort her, and he did want to share the bath with her the second night in Dragon Bridge too. But he never tried for it to lead anywhere else. He usually did. And now he just didn't even ask her to join in the bathing room.

It was getting worrisome. And she had a simple explanation for their lack of intimacy when they were traveling with other people, but not after that. And there was only one thing she could connect it to. Well… after she convinced herself that the wilder ideas were ridiculous. Like the one about Serana charming him somehow permanently so that he would not want Aeyrin anymore. For some reason. It was a theory that had a lot of holes in it. Ridiculous. What was a bit less ridiculous was the fact that he may have just been repulsed by her newest injury.

Why wouldn't he be? When she actually saw what it looked like in the mirror… well… she imagined it worse, true, but it was bad enough. And he always said he loved the elven ears. Now she only had one and that came damaged with permanent reminders of his greatest tormentor.

"Hey! Am I invisible?" A dark hand suddenly waved in front of Aeyrin's face. She didn't even notice that Jonna, the proprietor whom they knew pretty well over the years, approached her table. "I didn't know I'd still have to do this without Lurbuk drowning out my voice here all the time," she smirked.

"Where is he?" Aeyrin asked curiously. It was strange here without the horrible noise.

"Oh, you haven't heard. The Dark Brotherhood got him a few months ago. Let me tell you, I'm not surprised they got a contract on him. A lot of people probably wanted him dead only after a few notes. And he was pompous and annoying. But damn, gives me the chills every time I think about them just… getting to him. Found him dead in his room."

What?!

Aeyrin's eyes widened in shock. The Brotherhood attacked someone in here? Despite the Penitus Agents supposedly guarding this place? Sure, Maro did say that there were a lot of attacks lately. When they had trouble with that Argonian assassin, he mentioned the Brotherhood had been very active. He even couldn't help them with that nasty hunter. But it was a whole other thing to hear it from a local in the very place where it happened.

It was… a few months ago, right? Long time. She should calm down.

Gods, no, no, no, no. No Brotherhood. Just make it stop already.

She was so sick of this. Why were they everywhere? Why were they such a constant haunting presence? Even during their honeymoon, they still had to think about that. Still had to take some precautions.

"Honey, you don't look well," Jonna's brows creased.

She didn't? Well… it was upsetting news, wasn't it?

"I know, it's all just… feels like I can't even sleep anymore," the Redguard sighed. "Stormcloaks outside the gates, assassins under my nose and everyone in charge says we should just go about our business. Well except for our Jarl. She keeps telling my brother to be wary of some darkness. Says 'especially him'. Cheery as fuck, isn't it?" She scoffed.

Aeyrin just looked up at her desperately. Oh great. The 'darkness'. And Aeyrin almost managed to forget for a small second that the people they were just with were likely on a plane of Oblivion to stop that insane darkness.

"I got something that will help," Jonna gave her a sympathetic smile. She promptly ran off towards the bar and Aeyrin stared into the table instead. Her head felt like it should be exploding with all of this, but she just felt so tired.

Jonna was back soon though and she placed two tankards on the table, right in front of Aeyrin. They were both filled only about a third in, but the prickly smell was telling. Aeyrin didn't recognize the specific smell, but it was clearly something strong.

It wasn't a bad idea. Suddenly she really hoped Bishop would hurry up, even though she would have to tell him about what happened to the Orc.

"Well, come on. Those are both for you," Jonna chuckled.

'Both'? Oh… well… why in the Void not?

Aeyrin downed one of the tankards in one gulp.

Oh Gods! That burned!

She let out a strangely strangled gasp as it went down her throat. She did not expect it to be so strong. That was on par with the Dunmer drinks. Perhaps even stronger. And she hadn't had anything so strong for such a long time. The last time they were in Windhelm, she was pregnant and…

Gods, dammit!

She promptly downed the other one, letting out another involuntary gasp right after. She didn't want to think about that either.

"Good, right?" Jonna chuckled. "A special mead. The name is Kyne's Kiss, but everyone calls it Kyne's Kick instead. Knocks out even the Nords."

"It's strong," Aeyrin smiled a bit wryly. Her voice was all hoarse.

"Yeah. Want another?" Jonna winked at her.

She should get them some food. And maybe it was not the best idea, given the information she just learned. But… that did happen months ago. She wouldn't be able to unwind anywhere if she should avoid every location where those assholes ever struck. It was tiresome.

It was all tiresome.

"Yeah," Aeyrin nodded.

Maybe it would be less tiresome with another tankard. Or two.

…

Bishop submerged himself into the cold water with a relieved sigh. He liked that in Morthal. They always had one more tub with colder water. Why didn't everyone have that? Nords needed it. He needed it. Especially in the past few days. Cold water helped. He was so fucking uncomfortably pent up.

It was fucking weird. It was not like it was the first time they went a while without some… relief. It wasn't even that long! He wasn't sure what it was. One theory was that he got too used to fucking daily, sometimes even several times a day, during their honeymoon. He didn't mind that much when they traveled with Serana and that jackass though. Another theory was that it was the fact they spent the last three days not really doing anything and that was just what they usually did when they were resting somewhere, recuperating. And another theory was that it was how much they were actually together. All the time. Aeyrin kept seeking his comfort, always in his arms. He loved that, but it never went further.

He felt her flinching away from him constantly.

It was worrisome. And he didn't even dare to try and ignore that. She was clearly not interested. He wasn't sure why. She told him what happened in that fucking fort. It was awful. But… he wouldn't exactly expect that… reaction.

He was kind of missing having her bathe with him again, but on the other hand, that was definitely not helping the tension. And he wanted the cold water. Aeyrin wouldn't like that.

Fuck, they probably needed to talk about this. But he was uncertain on how to even begin. And he didn't want to push. She was uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe the fort was more traumatizing than he realized. It was likely. She just said it was all so quick and… she didn't flinch from him like this after other ordeals. Like after Calixto. She was fucking stripped and evaluated for body parts and she didn't flinch from him afterwards. So why now?

With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed a bar of soap and began scrubbing his body somewhat roughly. He was still always fucking tense.

He should probably stay in the water for a bit to calm down.

He washed himself and rested there for some time. He kept wondering if he should broach the subject, but he didn't actually come up with a decision. It felt like a good idea one minute, because when was it ever a bad idea to talk to Aeyrin about whatever was wrong between them, but another minute it seemed insensitive, in case it forced her to talk about something she clearly didn't want to talk about.

In the end, he just gave up on thinking about it and got out of the bath.

Maybe he would figure it out when he saw her.

He got dressed promptly in his freshly washed and fire-dried clothes and entered the common room again. And as he made his way towards Aeyrin, he noted that there was no food on the table waiting for him there. Only her, currently downing a tankard of something. And when she put it down, there was a telltale flush on her cheeks.

Was she… getting shitfaced? In the half hour he'd been in the bathing room?

Was that concerning? Or was that… good?

He approached the table and looked down at her curiously. The second she noticed him, she beamed a bright smile up at him. Alright, she was drunk.

Bishop really wasn't sure how to react to that for a moment. But then he just sat down opposite her on the other bench.

"Alright then," he nodded before he called out so that the Redguard at the bar would hear. "Two more!"

Maybe this was for the best. He kinda felt like drinking.

Aeyrin clapped her hands together and giggled at him. Well… at least she was excited to get drunk. Or rather, more drunk.

"You've been there looong," she huffed.

Was he? It didn't feel that long. But she managed to get into this state meanwhile. It was a little surprising. She didn't have his resilience, but she was no lightweight either. She could handle her drinks. Usually. Unless they were really intent on getting drunk. What was she drinking?

She wasn't slurring her words or unstable. Not yet. But the high energy exuding from her was very telling.

"So, I guess while I was there you ordered and ate my food?" He chuckled at her. It was unlikely, but it wasn't exactly impossible.

"Oh! Dammit!" She smacked her forehead, possibly harder than she intended to, judging from her wince. "I forgot."

"You forgot food?" Bishop smirked. "Did the Colored Rooms get taken over by the undead?"

"It's not my fault! Jonna gave me the Kick and it distracted me," Aeyrin pouted.

"She what?" 'Kick'? What did that mean? Wait… that was familiar. "You mean Kyne's Kick? That's what you've been drinking?" He knew that drink. Not a lot of places served it, but it was kinda understandable that it would be available in Morthal right now, with how shit everything was. People likely needed to drink themselves under the table often. He had it a few times. It really had a kick. One of the strongest drinks he'd ever had, in fact.

"Yes! That's the one!" Aeyrin grinned at him. By that time, Jonna was by their table eagerly and she placed two more tankards onto it. She seemed happy that Bishop was up for participating in the stupor.

"How many did you have?" He cocked his head at Aeyrin. But before answering, she already downed the next one.

"That's five!" She chuckled.

Five?!

"She's gonna be fun tonight," Jonna chuckled as she grabbed the empty tankard from Aeyrin and rushed back towards other patrons.

Dammit, Bishop wanted to order some food. Something to soak up the alcohol seemed like a good idea for Aeyrin. And he was starving.

But… a little drink wouldn't hurt either.

Bishop downed the other tankard promptly. It did have a kick. It was good though.

"Two more!" Aeyrin chuckled as she called out to Jonna.

She was not gonna look great in a while. But it was kinda nice to see her laughing like that. The last few days had been too weirdly somber.

"I have a secret," she sighed. She didn't look too excited about that all of the sudden though.

"You do?" Bishop raised his brow at her as Jonna promptly brought them more tankards again. Four this time. Bishop gave her an alarmed look, but the Redguard just chuckled and waved her hand. Well… it was kinda likely they would have ordered another one soon.

Aeyrin obviously waited until Jonna left again, watching her warily. But then, she finally started to explain.

"It's not really a secret. You'll prob'ly hear it anyways," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "But I don't wanna tell you."

"Why not?" He scowled. What was she talking about? And if she didn't want to tell him about the secret, why even bring it up? Then again… she was probably not in any state to follow logic.

"Because… I'm sick of it. I'm sick of them. I don't wanna… I don't wanna keep worrying. I'm tired," she huffed. "Why don't they leave everyone alone already? You'd think it's better, but it's not. Even that annoying horrible sound… it's gone and it doesn't feel right."

Bishop blinked at her in surprise. What the fuck was that? What did she mean by any of that? Sick of 'them'? Sick of who? And what 'horrible sound'? The only horrible sound around here used to be…

Wait, was this about the Orc?

"Who are 'they'?" He pried. But before she even tried to explain it, for some reason without actually telling him, he connected the dots.

"You know. Them. Assholes that won't leave you alone," she grumbled. "Did it months ago, but still."

What did that all mean? That secret… was the Orc assassinated? Bishop felt his body tense up instantly at the notion.

"See? Now you're like… that again," Aeyrin pouted at him.

"Like what?"

"All nervous and stuff. All. The. Time. And I am too. I'm tired of it," she sighed.

"I'm tired of it too," he shook his head dejectedly. "Can't really fucking help it though."

"Yeah, you can," she suddenly beamed at him again. Admittedly, it was much more pleasant when she was smiling like that. She immediately raised one of the tankards and gestured with it.

That was clearly the solution.

Well… it could be. If only that was an actual solution to all the problems out there.

But… maybe it could help with one. Aside from helping him relax with the knowledge of that assassination. Even if it was 'months ago', it hardly mattered. It always put Bishop on edge. And it was not like the assassins didn't capture him in the first place near Morthal. And then in Morthal when he let them. But it just felt so fucking shitty to hear about this regardless.

He was intent on focusing on something else though.

"Hey, princess, how about a game?" He smiled at her, trying his best to appear less tense. Well… maybe the second drink would help, but he wanted to save that one for a moment.

"What game?" She beamed at him excitedly. Fuck, that was so cute.

"It's about secrets," he grinned. "We both ask questions we wanna know the answers to. If you get an answer out of me, you can drink." Alright, that wasn't a real game. He just got an idea. He wanted to know some things and he was hoping Aeyrin might be more open in this state. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to just ask though.

"So I don't have to answer?" She scowled a bit, trying to comprehend the 'game'.

"No, you don't if you don't want to," he smiled at her a bit. He still didn't wanna force this shit. "But… you really should if you wanna get me drunk," he winked at her and her face promptly lit up.

"I do! I will get you drunk!" She chuckled. "You wanna get me drunk too? How honest are you gonna be?" She wiggled her brows at him somewhat clumsily.

"Depends on your questions," Bishop shrugged. "Because that 'getting you drunk' ship has kinda already sailed," he smirked.

"Hey!" She pouted again.

"You're the one who decided to drink instead of ordering us food," he laughed. "But, I'll be fair. You can ask me first." It wasn't really fair. If he answered her, she would be getting even more drunk, according to his made up rules. But she didn't seem to realize that and just smiled at him eagerly.

"Alright… hmmm… a question I want an answer to…" she pondered. She looked entirely happy when she began, but gradually, a scowl began to form on her face. Fuck, that didn't bode well. "I know…" she looked at the table blankly. "I… don't know if I wanna know."

"I might not answer," Bishop reminded her. It kinda worried him how quickly she became somber though.

"Uhm… alright," she took a deep breath. "You… you went through that Castle. Did you… did you see Faldaen?"

Oh. He did not expect this question. He didn't tell her anything about that. And he didn't want to tell her everything. What good would it fucking do to know that her father's rants likely earned him some extra torment before death?

"No. I honestly didn't see him," Bishop answered. He was going to be honest. Just not everything needed to be shared. "I know he was in some other area, being held there. And I know Serana told one of the vampires to kill him."

Aeyrin only nodded quickly. Like she didn't want to hear the answer anymore. But she did eagerly reach out for her tankard.

She got her honest answer.

It clearly took her a moment to stomach the next gulps of the Kick, but she did smile at him after. "Next one's gonna be more fun, I promise."

"Alright," he smirked. "It's my turn now though." He was not gonna start off with that, but there were a lot of other things he could ask her about. He… couldn't really think of anything fun just then though. Maybe he should. To ease into shit.

"What… is the first thing you're gonna do when we're finally back home?" He wasn't really sure what harmless question to ask.

Surprisingly enough though, Aeyrin looked a little caught off guard by that. And maybe even hesitant. Like she didn't want to tell him.

"Uhm… have a bath, probably," she shrugged a bit, but her words were mumbled. "Weird question."

"I couldn't think of anything," Bishop chuckled. She still looked a little weird when she answered though. He noticed that.

"It's gotta be harder," Aeyrin frowned a bit, but Bishop just shrugged, taking a swig of his own drink. Before he could finish though, she came up with another question. "Like… hmm… you still think about your family?"

Bishop almost choked on his drink. Fuck, this game was backfiring on him. She was not pulling any punches. The drinks kinda disposed of any hesitations she would normally have.

"What?" He cleared his throat from the liquid that got stuck in there in his shock and he gave her an incredulous stare. He really didn't see that coming.

"Well… you know, we went south for… closure. Do you? I didn't wanna but I still think about him, obviously," she huffed.

Bishop stayed silent for a while. He was a little tempted to refuse to answer, but…

"Sometimes," he admitted. He did wonder at times. Where did the rest of them end up? He still hoped it was far away from him though.

"See? No such thing as closure," she grumbled while she gestured for Jonna. She didn't even have to call out anymore. The Redguard brought four more tankards to their table.

This might end up being expensive.

But, since Aeyrin wasn't holding back…

"Do you honestly not resent Isran for what happened?" He looked at her intently. She didn't even get a chance to finish her deserved drink yet and she stared at him in surprise. She did want a harder question.

Aeyrin kept staring back, swirling the drink in her hand a bit. In the end, her answer was mumbled again. Uncertain.

"I shouldn't."

"That doesn't answer the question," he prodded expectantly.

But there was no other answer. Aeyrin downed her current drink instead and then she just… shook her head. He didn't interpret it as her saying 'no'. She just… didn't answer.

"Fine. Shoot," he nodded at her in determination, bracing for another unexpectedly probing question.

"Uhm… alright…" Aeyrin pondered again. It was a good thing she didn't have one ready. The last one was quite the blow. "Hmm… oh, I know. Do you… remember your first girl?"

Bishop smirked at the question. That wasn't nearly as bad as the last one.

"Yeah. I do," he answered curtly, mostly to tease her though. He knew she expected more, but he did answer her question.

"And?" She prodded.

"And what?" Bishop smirked. She was so fucking cute when she was pouting. Especially with her cheeks so flushed from the booze. He was a bit surprised how coherent she still was, but her inebriation was plain to see by her clumsy squirming movements. And the occasional vacant stare into nothing.

"Bish," she whined.

Alright, alright.

"What do you expect? Some epic romance that ended in tragedy?" He chuckled. "Just… a girl, living in one of the Skingrad vineyards. Think her parents owned the place or something like that. I don't know. We hung out a few times, then spent exactly one night together and then the clan moved on anyway. Never saw her again."

Aeyrin looked disappointed by that story. But for him, there was one thing that was special about it.

"It was probably the most normal part of my life back then," he explained. "Nothing illegal or dangerous and nothing that made me feel shitty or paranoid. And something away from my family."

"It's weird," she pondered. "For me… things like that… they were like the opposite of normal. Like when Azshan… well… it was just different."

"Yeah, well… you know… uptight priests, brainwashing and all that," Bishop smirked. Fortunately it was taken as the exaggeration it was meant as and Aeyrin giggled. But there was some truth to it. Of course sex and romance didn't feel 'normal' to her when it was so actively discouraged in the temple.

"So… your turn?" She urged him a bit. Did she really still want to play? Not that he didn't. He was now determined to discuss what they needed to more directly, but he was really surprised that she didn't either get bored or sick of this yet.

Alright then.

"Why haven't we fucked in the last three days?"

This time it was Aeyrin who looked caught off guard. And uncomfortable. He knew she would be, but… they needed to talk about the weird tension, didn't they?

"Uhm… it's not that long," she mumbled. Her cheeks seemed even redder than just from the booze and she did look around the room to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them. She promptly placed her fingers on her temple right after though. Her head probably spun a little more than it should have.

"No, it's not. But it's weird. Things are weird. Don't tell me it's just in my head," he scowled a bit. It wasn't even unusual at all for them when they were busy or somewhere inconvenient, but now it did feel weird.

"I… uhm…" Aeyrin stammered a bit and she soon began to fan her heated cheeks with her hand a bit. "You didn't… try to… do anything."

What? That was a stupid reason. Why couldn't she try anything? And it wasn't true at all anyway. Well, it was, but for a reason.

"You fucking flinch every time I try to touch you," he huffed. He could feel it so often. Even when he just ran his hand over her arm or tried to brush through her hair.

"I… I don't," her black eyes widened at him. "Do I?" She looked like she really didn't know. Was this just an idiotic miscommunication? Ugh, now he was really pissed at himself for not talking about this sooner.

"Yeah. I thought you didn't want to," he sighed. He wasn't imagining the flinching. But it may have been some reflex she didn't know about.

"I thought… I thought you didn't?" She lowered her eyes onto the table, avoiding his gaze.

"What? Who the fuck are you talking to? How did you get that idea?" As if he ever didn't want to.

"I mean… because of that… the… you know," she gestured vaguely around the left side of her head.

Oh. Fuck.

"Princess," Bishop let out a sigh, but this time much more sympathetic than an exasperated one. "Come here." He said that, but he was the first one on his feet and urging her to slide over so that he could join her on the bench.

She made room for him and he instantly enveloped her in his arms. He pointedly kissed that spot on the side of her head, though through her hair. He didn't really want to expose her like that when he knew she was self-conscious. But she didn't have to be in front of him. Didn't she know that by now?

"Don't ever think like that, love," he pulled her into a rather fierce hug. "First of all, there is nothing on Nirn that would make me not want to fuck you. And you better remember that." Aeyrin let out a giggle, muffled a bit by his chest. "And second of all, I don't give a shit about any scars or any wounds you get. You don't give a shit about mine either, right? We know what kind of fucked up stuff we have to go through. So stop obsessing about it, please. I just got freaked out by the flinching. I promise."

She nodded against him before she pulled her face back from his arms a bit and smiled. Good. That was a fucking ridiculous 'problem' they got themselves into just by not talking.

"I fucking hope you don't forget this conversation by tomorrow," he smirked, earning another giggle from her.

"So… who's drinking?" She asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," he laughed. "This got away from us. How about we just both finish what we have and end the game?" He got what he wanted to play for anyway.

And if the information didn't stick, despite how coherent and present she seemed right now, he would just tell her again in the morning. At least now he knew it was just their own stupidity at play.

There were more important things to worry about now.

Like how to still enjoy this evening.

…

The Kick's effect was a downward slope.

While it wasn't that bad while they were playing that game, even though Aeyrin was visibly flushed and energetic, it was nothing debilitating. After they finished what they had on their table, Bishop insisted, despite her pouting, that they switch to something lighter. Mostly out of concern for her. It was very rare that she would drink more than him and those were uncharted waters.

So he ordered some food for them at last and then some regular Honningbrew. It was for the best. But the Kick really did sneak up on them in the end. He could feel the effects as time went by. Not to mention Aeyrin.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He called out to her as he noticed her by the bar, doing something with Jonna with both their backs to him by their table at the side of the room. That did not bode well. Aeyrin just went to the bathing room a moment ago. What was she plotting with the innkeeper?

She didn't turn around yet. She was doing something. Was she drinking? He had to wait before she turned around and approached the table again with tellingly glazed eyes and an innocent smile on her face.

"You still don't have enough?" Bishop smirked at her as she sat back down on the bench, beside him just like she left him, but she did waver a lot, partially colliding with his side.

"Jonna says… she says it'll help," she stammered a bit as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Though she did pull back rapidly, as if that position didn't leave her feeling very well.

"Help her make a fuckin' profit," Bishop scoffed. He felt his words slur a little occasionally too, but it wasn't too bad. "Don't wanna hear what we owe tomorrow."

"What if we… don't got enough?" Aeyrin asked, but instead of the concern Bishop would expect, she seemed highly amused by that concept. "Whatcha… whatcha think we'd have to do? Scrub dishes?"

Bishop smirked at the notion. He very much doubted that Jonna would ask the Dragonborn to wash her dishes.

"Could be… fun… nothing big," Aeyrin shrugged. "So many big things. And I still think about'em. Like if we… if we should tell Idgrod…"

"We shouldn't. And scrubbin' fucking dishes just gives you more time to think about bullshit," Bishop shook his head. It definitely didn't sound 'fun'. And they've discussed talking to Idgrod already. Despite the visions she had of the 'darkness', it was not very safe to enlighten her. The last thing Serana and that jackoff needed in the middle of this mess was another person messing with the prophecy. It was enough that those two knew of Idgrod's visions. It didn't need to be a two-way street.

Ugh. Great. Now he was thinking about 'big things' too. He knew what Aeyrin meant. It was fucking annoying.

"We need proper distractions. Not mindless… bullshit," he grumbled and Aeyrin looked at him curiously at that.

"You… wanna… proper distractions?" She looked at him uncertainly. Or maybe a little hopefully. She pressed against him again, nuzzling into his flank as he wrapped his arm around her almost automatically. Before he could respond, she buried her nose in the side of her neck and gently kissed him there.

"Fuckin' temptin'," he growled a bit. "Bad idea though." He didn't make any motion to pull away from her, but at his words, she did that herself.

"Oh," she mumbled, wavering a little again in her hurried motion to pull back, but Bishop's arm held her steady.

"No, stop, come on," he promptly pulled her back in. No more of these fucking miscommunications. "I wanna. But I don't know if you'll even 'member what we talked about."

"I remember," she pouted.

"Now. Yeah. But if you don't tomorrow… and you're way drunker than me, 's gonna be weird," he shrugged. Normally he wouldn't mind her being drunk at all. He couldn't even count how many times their drunken respites ended up in bed. But it was not the same when they had this hang-up between them before. "We can fuck the whole morning instead," he smirked.

"I'm gonna feel so bad then," she sighed.

"Yeah. Probably," he chuckled. "Gotta fight through it though."

Still, she seemed a little down again. What was the point of all this drinking if she could still feel bad? Bishop was intent on reassuring her in whatever way needed. He promptly leaned down and pressed his lips to the side of her neck. Aeyrin craned her head to the side instinctively to allow him more access and he flicked his tongue over her skin, then he moved a bit further up, repeating the process.

He continued for a while, moving up and up again. He felt her flinch with each kiss as he got closer to the spot where her ear used to be, but he ignored them with determination. She said she didn't mean to flinch. And what better way to reassure her that he didn't care than by this? His tongue ran languidly over the slightly twisted skin there, circling the hole into her inner ear gently. Aeyrin finally seemed to lean a bit into his tongue's caresses.

"You sure… you don't wanna…?" She mumbled a little, then let out a little moan when he kissed the side of her face.

"Fuck… yeah," he grumbled. It was so fucking tempting. And it wasn't really unusual for her to be drunker than him and them engaging in all the fun stuff despite of that. But he still worried a bit about the apprehension she had before. He could wait until the morning. He pulled back from her lest he got more tempted, but he did miss kissing her already.

"Wanna go ousside?" She suggested, slurring her words a bit again.

"Why? You think I should cool off?" He chuckled.

"Maybe I should," she chuckled too, placing the back of her hand on her flushed cheek. "Everythin' burns." Her hand slid down to her throat and she massaged it a little.

"Let's go," he nodded. He extracted himself from the bench and preemptively reached out for her arm. It was good that he did. She instantly stumbled when she got up.

Bishop pulled her into a half-hug to lead her out promptly. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have her walk, but then again, the cool air should do her some good.

His head was a little woozy too, but he could still keep his balance. He promptly steered Aeyrin towards the exit and outside the door.

Aeyrin felt her whole world spin. It was the same as last time – every time she got up, in fact – though somehow she just seemed to forget how bad it was each time. It didn't feel so bad when she was sitting. It was nothing compared to the heat all over her body and the ever-present burning in her throat. She felt like it was there since about her fifth Kick.

The cold outside air was nice though as it hit her cheeks. She got the urge to just go limp and let Bishop take her wherever, but once her body relaxed, she felt herself waver a bit and his arm around her tensed a little too much.

Alright, maybe it was a bad idea.

She tried to keep her balance and followed along while Bishop led her forth. She thought for a moment that he would take her somewhere outside the town so that they could be alone, but instead, he steered her towards the walkways above the swamp.

He stopped in the middle of one and urged her to sit on the edge.

"Why? Here?" She mumbled.

"It's colder by the water," he reasoned. "Also, I hear the damp air makes it better."

That was weird. The swamp air never did her any good, least of all now. But he wasn't entirely wrong.

"Cold's nice," she nodded. "Maybe I don' wanna sober though."

"Why?" He asked. Well… it was a stupid question. Being drunk was fun. But it was getting late and going to sleep drunk was not as fun. And the more sober they were, the easier the hangover would be.

"I don't wanna worry," she sighed, staring into the water.

"About the assassins?" He scowled. Granted, it did return to his mind on occasion tonight. Despite the alcohol. What the fuck was it? Why? It's been months ago! If he had to think like this every time they were somewhere where the assassins had struck before… well… truth be told, it did happen a lot, this constant paranoia.

"That too. 'Bout anythin'," she mumbled.

"I get that," he nodded. "But tomorrow's gonna suck," he groaned preemptively.

"You're not even that drunk," Aeyrin chuckled.

"I know. But I planned on doing a lot to you in the morning. I feel like my plans will be… what's the word? Moot," he grumbled.

Aeyrin giggled at him and gave him a playful teasing push into his side. He did not expect that at all though.

He wasn't sure where his strength and balance went. Probably lost in his unpreparedness and the remaining effects of the Kick. Or maybe Aeyrin miscalculated her own strength in her state. He just felt his arms flail as the momentum pushed him down. He grabbed onto the only thing that collided with his flailing arm. Aeyrin's own.

It happened so fast. Soon, they were both down in the water, frantically trying to either turn over or stand up. Standing up was really not going to happen though. And in the end, after a lot of splashing and spitting out the foul-tasting swamp water, they both ended up sitting there, half-submerged.

Bishop instantly moved towards Aeyrin to check on her. Her eyes were wide in shock and she was still coughing a bit, but no water was coming out of her mouth. He worried for a moment that she was suffocating.

But a second later, a highly amused laugh escaped her lips instead.

"You said… swamp helped," she giggled.

"The air, not the fucking water," Bishop snickered. "And I just fucking washed." Including the clothes. That was wasted. He could have just plunged in here in the first place.

"Well… we gotta do that again," Aeyrin gave him a wry smile.

True, that was an upside. And this time he would not need to keep away from her. He definitely had enough cold water for one day.

And it did distract him from all the bullshit again.

If only the distractions could ever last longer than they did.