Fandom I Just Died in Your Arms (Irradiatedwarden)

[HoneyedHopes]

Her steps were steady, at least, though her heat stuttered, drunk with anxiety and fear. She saw the cabin just ahead of her, and for a moment her mind panicked, what if he runes her away? Or what if he wasn't home? What if he no longer even lived there?


But it was too late to go back, not after coming so far. She urged her feet faster, her pace bordering on a jog. She reached the and before she could think about it further, she banged on the door.


"Grim? It's Naloru! Are you there?" Beside her, Bartrand let out a grumble of distaste, but she shushed him promptly. He was her neighbor, and she was simply doing to neighborly thing, and greeting him after a long period of silence.


Which was her fault, as usual. She tried not to dwell in that, though.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Grimuald was scrubbing his hair dry with a cloth as he went to plop down on the couch. The fireplace was still burning strong, heating the upper layer of his home with ease. He enjoyed the solitude, that came with living a bit away from everyone else, the peace.


A knock at the door, however, made him frown.


Abandoning the damp towel, he grabbed the shirt that he had thrown into a corner of the room earlier that day and tugged it over his head. Grumbling a bit to himself, asking who in Oblivion would think it was smart to come see him, he heard the voice, the words.


The Nord hesitated for a moment at the door before pulling it open.


"Darvvo. I see you don't have any wolves with you this time."


Though he didn't smile, there was something distinctly light about his words. Grimuald Stormcrown had made a joke.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

She blinked a couple of times, the welcome warmer than she had anticipated. "Technically, I didn't actually bring those wolves with me last time I visited. Unless, of course, you are referring to Bartrand." She joke rolled off her tongue just as smoothly, though her face cracked into a tiny grin. She gestured towards Bartrand, who stood beside her. He huffed in greeting, his woeful eyes begrudgingly friendly.


"I came you give you something," looking down at her bare feet, she wriggled her toes anxiously. She felt foolish. "As a thank you." From behind her back, she revealed a basket, filled with some stew, a bottle of ale, and a unlabeled jar of honey. She deliberately didn't mention its magical properties.


It's not much, so... I thought I could help you clean up. O-or something." By Sithis, could he moment be any more uncomfortable? She kept her eyes on the ground, and willed him not to be his usual crass self.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He frowned at the basked as he took it from her hands.


"I see you're trying to poison me. Most people thank me with money instead of death." He turned away from the door and walked back inside. Despite his rude response, he left the door open, silently inviting her into his place. Setting the basket down, he picked up the ale first and, like a gentleman, removed the cork with his teeth and took a swig of it.


He could say what he would about Nal, but there was no denying she made damn good alcohol.


"How is that dog of yours doing?" He turned his mossy green eyes back to her as he mulled the question, his shoulders loose and relaxed. He might have been a tense ass outside, but in his own home, he had no reason to be. It wasn't like anyone was going to fuck with him here.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

"I-it's not poisoned!" She yelped, heat rushing to her cheeks. She followed him swiftly inside, forgetting she hadn't officially been invited in. "Nethyn made it, so you know it's good. A-and it's fresh!" Why in the world why she so flustered?


The pounding of feet coming from up the bedroom stairs caught her attention.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Nethyn? Who in Oblivion is N-"


His sentence was cut off when he too heard the sound of footsteps. From the lower level of his house emerged a woman who was, in short, the definition of statuesque. Her hair was a pale shade of blonde, long and tied in loose braids that draped over her shoulders.


"Oh you have company Grimmy? If I knew I would have slipped into something more comfortable. I thought it was just going to be us tonight."


"Sig I do-"


"There's no need to be shy, come on, we all want to experiment now and then." She didn't stop walking as she spoke, nudging Grim as she passed him. Deep blue eyes searched Nal's face. "Come on, introduce me to your friend."


"She's not my-"


"The name is Sigdis Skull-Crusher but most people just stick with Sig these days. I wish I could tell you Grim's told me a lot about you but this asshole doesn't write to me any more." She jammed a hand out for Nal to shake.


In the back ground Grimm mumbled something along the lines about being unable to write due to some sort of bounty on her head. He looked incredibly annoyed by all of this.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

When Naloru stuck out her hand for a handshake, only to have her entire body enveloped by the Nord's bosom. Quite unable to react, she somehow ends up hugging the woman back, feeling something like a child. In the background, Bartrand placed himself at Grimm's feet and let out a low, menacing growl. Quickly, Nal put up a hand, shushing him. With a threatening huff, he laid down over Grimm's feet.


"I-it's a pleasure to meet you, Sera... Skull-Crusher," Naloru greeted, using her usual innkeeper tone. "My name is N-Naloru Darvvo, and I run the inn just down the way." A thought occurred to her, one laced with malicious and rotten emotions that had bubbled up in her heart. "If you need a place to stay, I have several rooms open." Now she eyed Grim, a smirk growing on her face. Yes, it was his fault she felt so... upset. He had twisted her heart, confused her so terribly she actually thought that he might have come to like her. How foolish. The woman who had just come from the very bedroom he refused everyone else entry to was proof of his trickery.


"And, since I owe Grimmy here a debt, any friend of his is free to stay, no charge." With a wink at Grim, she returned her attention to Sig, her smile politely hopeful.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

If looks could kill, both Sigdis and Nal would have been in serious trouble. His moment of understanding that he had been sharing with Bartrand was cut short when he heard that Talos forsaken nickname spoken aloud for the second time in under ten minutes. Divines take him now.


It was the luck of the gods that had allowed Sigdis to notice his unquantifiable irritation. One arm still wrapped firmly around Nal, drawing her into her stocky and warm frame, she passively lifted a hand.


"I think he'd like that, getting me out of his place I mean. Wouldn't you like that, Grim?"


He caught on. Sigdis would leave, well, leave his home for the small price of him not chewing both of them out. He could agree to that.


"Indeed."


"Then it's settled, I'll move my stuff right down to that inn as soon as I get some time to do so."


"You have time right now."


She scoffed. "Don't be rude, I know your mother taught you better than that. We have a guest, I can't just leave. What's that? Soup? We should open that up and have a nice bit of brunch. Would you like that Nal dear?" The monster of a woman smiled down at Nal, her expression genuine and warm.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

As Sig stomped off to the kitchen, Naloru was left awkwardly standing in Grim's livingroom. She was pleased to find, at least Grim's mask of irritation made her feel less... jilted. Yes, jilted! At least Sig seemed pleasant.


She decided, if only to see his irritation grow, to take a seat beside him, leaving a polite amount of room between them. Even still, the heat rolled off the man, basking her in comfortable warmth. She reached down to scratch Bar's ears, moving slightly closer to him.


"So... where did Sera Skull-Crusher come from? How do you know one another?" No longer did she feel uncomfortable asking such personal questions. If he didn't ant to answer, he wouldn't. That had been made clear.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Of course Sigdis left. Of course she went prancing off to use his kitchen to heat up soup he didn't trust to share it with two people he didn't like and a dog that was as grumpy as he was. What had he done to deserve this? What sins had he committed and never sought salvation for? Better yet, why didn't he have more alcohol in his house. Alcohol would be great right about then as Nal moved closer to him.


"Sig? We grew up in the same village." It was really as simple as that. He was three years older than her and had made the mistake of shoving her into mud one spring and he had never been rid of her since. Well, he'd be rid of her for months, or maybe even a year or two, but she always came back into his life like some damn curse.


"As to where she came from, you'd have to ask her yourself, you seemed to hit it off well enough."


Maybe that wasn't a bad thing. maybe Sig would distract Nal and he'd be left with the peace and quiet he hadn't truly had since Nal built her inn there.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

"Hmm..." Naloru contemplated to herself, trying to imagine Grim as a child. She couldn't get his scruff to disappear, which made it difficult. The vision of him pushing a young girl into the mud was crystal clear, however. Once a jerk, always a jerk.


Still scratching at Bartrand's ears, Nal chuckled a bit, finally catching on to the meaning behind his vague wording. "So you two were–are– friends. I see," Again, her stomach twisted, but a devilish thought came to mind.


If she had known him for so long... that would mean she knew his secrets, his past. She knew his weaknesses.


Weaknesses she could exploit, and successfully exact revenge.


With a triumphant huff, Naloru looked up at Grin, grinning wildly. "You're right," she said, and began to stand up, "Maybe I should ask her some questions."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He scoffed and leaned back into his couch a silent dare for Nal to go try. If he was on edge or had anything to hide, it didn't show.


Sigdis was in the kitchen. The soup was finally coming to a bubble as it was heated up once more and she had taken it upon herself to slice up some bread and place it on the hot stone top in order to head that up as well. There was nothing better on a cold day like this than hot bread and soup, if she did say so herself. She took a swig of the bottle of ale she had pilfered from Grim's stash. All alcohol tasted the same to her these days.


"You alright dear?" She smiled at Nal as soon as she stepped in. It wasn't that she heard her, she hadn't, but rather she had caught a glimpse at her out of the corner of her eye.


"Surely I'm not taking that long, or maybe this drink's already messin' with my sense of time." The idea made her chuckle lowly. One ale going to her head? That was hilarious.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Still feeling rather shy, and completely unlike herself. Naloru shook her head rather than answering right away. Everything smelled wonderful, the fresh stew promising strong flavors and the bread whispering of crispy, flakey goodness. Had she some better company, the meal may turn out to be a good one.


She sat down at the small table in the corner, her eyes on the nord as she sipped from the ale, and occasionally stirred the stew. For such a terrifying-looking person, she sure seemed to fit with the kitchen. The thought made Nal squirm.


"I thought I'd ask you if you needed any help, but clearly, there's not much for me to do." The chuckle was weak, thinly veiling her fib. "So I thought I'd get to know you better, instead?" Or rather, Grim. What was he like, as a kind? "Like... what are you doing, all the way out here? Anything interesting?" And while we're at it, what's the best way to make Grim squirm? And what's his favorite food?





She placed her clasped hands firmly in her lap,and didn't say another word.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Turning the bread over so the other side could crisp, Sig reached for a high cabinet and found the bowls on the first time. She'd been here before, and Grim was a creature of habit. Withdrawing some bowls, she spoke.


"Interesting? Nah, not this time. I just ran into some trouble in Cyrodiil and figured there was no better place to hide out than my home province. While I was here I figured I should drop in and make sure this idiot was still breathing, just got here this morning." She looked to Nal, eyes flicking to the necklace that glimmered in the light that streamed through the window that Sig had opened for a bit of fresh air. "Though, with you around I suppose he's doing just fine, aye?"


Her smile softened as she turned back to her tasks at hand. She hummed for a moment.


"Glad he's finally getting over her."


That was a sentence that was spoken softly, one that she almost brushed over without a care in the world.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

'Trouble in Cyrodiil', tickled Naloru. Oh, did she know exactly how that felt. In fact, she felt vaguely proud that trouble had yet to catch up with her, here in Skyrim. Who would have imagined Naloru Darvvo, Cyrodiil's most infamous assassin, sitting in a Nord's kitchen, chatting with his childhood friend while she cooked? Not her.


But Sig's comments made her squirm, an odd sort of implication in her words that Nal didn't understand. Where had that come from? "Oh, no, Grim's just a regular at my inn. I'm only here to thank him, because he saved my friend Bartrand." She gestured back towards the living room, where her companion still lay on Grim's feet. "Most of the time, we can't stand each other."


She stopped, and rethought what Sig had just said, focusing on the second phrase. "Wait. Getting over who, exactly?" There was another 'her' in Grim's life? What was he, some sort of pimp?

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"I just thought, you know, with the necklace that you..." she waved her hand, as if banishing the thought.


There was a long beat, one in which Sigdis considered keeping her mouth shut, one in which she tried to think it was her place to tell this stranger what happened. It wasn't. A sigh escaped her and she pushed her bangs out of her face. When she spoke again, leaning against a counter, she kept her voice quiet. Even with the door short, Grim had impeccable hearing.


"You really don't know anything about him, do you? Look, it's not my place to say anything and if you tell him I told you I'll show you why they call me Skull-Crusher." She rolled her lips before signing her fate. If he heard her talking, well, she was screwed. "Grim's a widow."

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Her jaw hit the floor. A widow? What the hell? Nal's hands came up her head, grasping it as a migraine began to pulse. "Wait, wait," She gasped, shaking her head. She dropped her hands, only to look at Sig with an expression so twisted with confusion, it was comical. "I-I thought you were..." she gulped. "In a relationship. With Grim." The last part of the sentence barely made it past her lips.


"B-but, you're telling me, he had a wife?" Was this the truth? Could she believe this woman she'd just met? "What... what happened?" Did she really want to know that? She didn't understand any of this.


Yet she still stepped closer to the nord, wide, sad eyes hopeful for more information.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The thought that Grim and her would have ever been in a relationship made her slap a hand over her mouth before she could laugh. Snorting, she had to turn her head away, trying to calm herself down. Thank Sanguine that her next question helped to sober her up pretty quickly. Clearing her throat, she leaned back on the counter once more.


"Grim and me? Please, the the ass won't say it but we're friends. No, he fell for a girl named Aurelia, beautiful little Imperial with brown eyes and a heart of gold. I only met her a few times, but I would have sworn she was Mara if I didn't know any better." She waved her hand once more, filling the bowls with soup and taking the bread off the heat before it burned. "I've never seen him that happy before, I mean, he hasn't had the best life, but Lia seemed to make him forget that. They were together, oh, five years or so, expecting a daughter when-."


"Nothing's on fire yet? I'm impressed." Grim was already half way in the middle of his sentence when he stepped in. "Either way, I have a job to go to, and I really don't want to leave you two in here alone. If we could hurry this up, that'd be great. Or you can just leave."


"Oh come on Grim," she shoved a bowl of soup in his hand, crisp bread resting on the side, "you know you can trust me."


"You stole my horse last time you where here."


"He liked me, what can I say?"


"Sorry."


"I forgive you." She winked and, as per usual, he grumbled, shaking his head.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

At least, for all of her nasty thoughts, Naloru had the grace to look embarrassed. The likelihood that he hadn't their conversation... wasn't good. In fact, the more she looked him, his urging to get she and Sig out of his house, the way he avoided her gaze, the more she felt sure he knew, and he resented them for it. Sig didn't seem to mind, but Naloru felt a strange mixture of bitterness and shame.


Did she truly mean so little, that he couldn't even get angry? Was it one of those things where he would chastise Sig after Nal's departure, when she could no longer witness the intimacy of their friendship? Or did he simply want to remind Naloru that she didn't matter. That she never mattered. Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone had said such words to her.


She let her chair scrape noisily against the stone floor, as she brushed past Grim, her shoulder ghosting past her broad chest. "Of course, nirn forbid we inconvenience you further." Her words came out hot, a flash of anger. She tried to swallow it as she bid Sig goodday. After all, she had given her valuable information today. "Sera Skull-Crusher, it was a pleasure to meet you. Please enjoy that stew, and I hope I see you later, at the inn!" She rushed out before anyone could retort, Bartrand on her heels.


A dead wife, huh? Naloru might've pitied the man, if she weren't sure he plotted her demise. Instead, she decided to hold the secret hostage, as insurance of sorts.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It wasn't much later that Sigdis was leading her horse (previously Grim's horse) to the tavern. She hummed to herself as she did so, the fur on her heavy coat fluttering in the breeze. Hitching her horse up, she grabbed her heavy bags from it and skipped up the steps to the door. The inn looked nice, the windows looked new, and she wasted no time in throwing the door open and strolling in like she owned the place.


"Nal darling, are you here?" She called out for the Dunmer, dropping her bags on the first table she came upon. Her war axe was slung over her shoulder, one hand anchoring it place lazily.


"You seemed mad when you left Grimmy's place."


That confused her. Had it really been that awful? Grim was always an asshole, he'd always be an asshole, and yet, Sigdis had noticed that he could have been much worse.


With Nal, he seemed to pull his punches. He could have done worse, in fact, he had said worse to Sigdis once Nal was out of the house, but she didn't need to know that. Grim had said worse to her before, there was no reason to bring it up.


Nal didn't need to know too much about her. She was much more willing to talk about Grim than she was talking about herself.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Naloru had been sweeping the inn–as usual–when Sigdis entered, a small pack on her back, and a look of friendly concern on her face. However, Naloru still carried her suspicious bitterness, she the face did nothing but widen her scowl.


"I'm fine," She muttered, sweeping harder. In her head, she continued to ask herself the question over and over again, why did she even care?


But she did care, by Sithis. How infuriating.


She set the broom roughly against the wall, and ran a hand through the loose hair that fell before her face. Now wasn't the time, she chided herself, and glanced around for Bartrand. If anyone could calm her down, if would be him.


Not that he was in at that moment. The damned dog had run off on his own yet again. So, she returned her attention to Sig. "Just fine. Would you like me to get you a room started, before the miners and such start filing in? Afterwards, I get you a mug of my honeyed ale." She paused, looking at her feet. "Free of charge, as a thank you. For the information earlier."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"You know, I'd be more than happy to take that room and free drink. However," she lifted a finger, "I gotta say I don't like seeing that unpleasant look on your face, you're too pretty to look that upset."


Sigdis, oddly enough, was hoping that Naloru wasn't mad at her. Sure, they didn't know one another well, but the Nord thought she had made a pretty good first impression. She'd been kind, funny, and had refrained from cracking any skulls open. That was about as good as her impressions got.


So that meant Naloru had to be mad at Grim, but that was odd too. He had just been his usual grumpy self.


It would have been easy to ignore the problem, Sigdis knew that, and she knew the two weren't friends, they didn't even know one another. And yet, she couldn't just let Naloru mope about all day, life was too short for such things, enough knives to her throat had taught her that.


"You wanna tell me what's going on in that mind of yours?"


It was a genuine question, one that made her usually harsh voice and her harsher words soften.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

She would have responded, her lips parting to give a half-baked excuse, one that didn't mention Grim, but the door clanged, and a group of robed men and women walked in, looking like divine justice and solemn pride. They peered around the inn, eyes proving cracked doors and empty chairs. Then a particularly glum nord stepped forward, hand outstretched.


"Name's Barus, and we are vigilantes of Stendarr."


Naloru clasped the hand, grateful for the distraction. Head cocked to the side, she offered a tentative smile. "Welcome to the Honeyed Hostel, sera. Can I help you...?"


The man quickly let go of her hand, and his expression darkened. "I'll get straight to the point. We've heard rumors of werewolves in the area. Do you know anything about that?" His stare turned hard, and Nal shifted under its weight. Not that she needed to, her answer was completely honest.


"No, sera, I'm afraid the only wolves I've seen are the ones who attacked me dog the other day. And they're already dead."


That was enough. The vigilantes bowed their heads in parting, and exited, gone again to the wind.


"Well, that was odd." She turned to give Sig an inquisitive look.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Sigdis's expression darkened when the strangers spoke. Shit.


She didn't have anything against them personally, they never bothered her, but she had been Grim's friend long enough to know this didn't boad well.


Their exchange with Naloru was thankfully short and soon enough the individuals were leaving out the way they came.


They didn't glance back at her and Naloru and Sigdis wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign.


Nal turned her attention to Sig and she made an active effort to soften the dark look on her face.


"Yeah, odd." There was a pause as she considered her words. She needed to be careful not to react, to not seem suspicious.


"Religious fanatics are always odd though." She shook her head, brushing her hair out of her face. "'Specially the Stendarr folk, you can sneeze and they'll think there's a werewolf around."


She paused, brows furrowing in something of concern.


"There haven't been any attacks in the area though, right?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Naloru considered a moment before she answered. She'd never actually seen a werewolf before, and what she knew of them came mostly from children's tales and horror spoofs. Had there been one in the area all this time, and she never knew? The thought certainly chilled her, but she shook her head, confident that she couldn't be that stupid.


"I don't think so, though... for what it's worth, the wolves did attack Bar just the other day. Maybe one of them was actually a werewolf?" It sounded unlikely, but... "I bet Grim got a better look, if one were. Let's go ask him, and maybe we can give those stodgy priests some good news." She went to grab her coat again, not really aware of the fact that she'd literally just come from Grim's house. She wanted to ask him before the priests showed up at his door, and he inevitably scared them off with his terrible attitude.


"Are you going to come with me, Sig?" She asked, her tongue finally slipping and letting loose the nickname.