Fandom I Just Died in Your Arms (Irradiatedwarden)

[Interstellar Bun]

Sigdis let out a puff of air, trying to decide what would be best. If she showed up baring the bad news as well as Nal, it might draw too much attention from those who just left. On the other hand, Nal didn't know. Nal didn't have any idea what she was getting into, in fact, she wasn't going to warn grim, but to ask him if he had seen anything. The poor girl.


Setting her axe down so it was propped up against a table, Sigdis drew her own coat tighter about her and stepped forward. She shoved the door open, holding it for Nal.


"You think I'd let you go out alone when a werewolf could be in the area? Grim would skin me if I did that."


She flashed a grin, playing an easy joke to keep the atmosphere from getting too heavy.


Actually, now that she thought of it, Grim might actually do that if the werewolf in the area wasn't him.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

As Naloru picked her way back towards Grim's cottage, worry wormed its way into her chest, winding around her lungs and squeezing until she felt she might run out of air. She had half a mind to instruct Bartrand to go off hunting, but his wounds had yet to heal, and she felt safer with his presence. Besides, she had no reason to fear. The sun still hung in the sky, bordering on late afternoon. Plenty of life to spot a werewolf barreling towards them.


They reached Grim's quickly–it always surprised her just how close he lived to her–and Naloru marched promptly up the steps to the front door. She caught a whiff of smoke, presumably from torches carried by the Stendarr priests. Better to talk to Grim before they did. She still had a notion that'd he scare them off without so much of a greeting, and she could hardly condone such behavior.


Her fist met the wood of the door and produced three solid bangs. "Grim! We're back with a question! Are you there?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

As Nal knocked, Sigdis turned, leaning against the wall near the door as she hooked one foot around the other. She crossed her arms loosely, watching the area. The snow was thick but powdery, almost orange in the early evening sky. Her posture was casual, but her eyes were far from it. She might have been loud and ready to charge in to every situation head first with a bottle of mead in hand, but in so many ways, she was cautious as well. She had done too many things to believe in the good of humanity, or that luck would ever be on her side.


She caught the smell of smoke ever so faintly in the air.


The door opened with a short, sharp jerking motion, just enough so Grim's glaring face coul be half seen.


"What." It sounded more like a demand than a question. Still, there was a touch of worry that could be seen in his eyes by anyone who looked close enough. Sigdis wouldn't have trudged all the way there just for a damn question. The fact that the blonde hadn't answered his question and opted to let Nal do so was only further proof that there was something odd.


Sigdis wanted to see what Nal would say. More than that, she was playing it safe as she leaned there so smug like. His scowl deepened towards her.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

The first thing Naloru did was stick her toes in the door, securing the tiny window she shared with the nord. THen, she stretched up, practically sticking her nose in his face. Great, he looked grumpier than usual, like someone had poked him a couple of times with a needle. She decided to match his glare with her own, her lips tugging downward with disapproval.


"So much for gratitude," she muttered, turned her head towards Sig with an 'can you believe this guy?' expression. All things considered, she had little right to scoff at his gruffness. After all, who had just put her big nose into his business, not hours ago? But Nal brushed that thought away. She needed to focus on the concern at hand.


"Some Stendarr priests stopped by the inn just a few minutes ago. Sigdis and I thought we'd warn you, so you act on your best behavior." She quirked an eyebrow at that, recalling Grim's more cruel acts. "Like, keep the name-calling to a minimum." Before he could respond to that, she rushed to add, "I also thought I'd ask you, since you're more familiar with the area. They said they were werewolves in the area. Have you... seen any?" This time, she dropped her eyes, teeth worrying into her lip.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

With Nal as close as she was, he could smell her hair, her skin. She smelled like honey, flowers, and as soon as he realized that he chastised himself for even caring in the first place. He didn't care, he just...happened to notice it. But, with as close as she was, she could also see the slight shift in his gaze, the way his brows softened and the glimmer of worry.


Stendarr. What were the priests of Stendarr doing there. His gaze flickered to Sigdis as though she might have an answer, but she didn't look at him.


He hadn't changed, not for a while, and every time he did he was sure to keep a good distance from the settlement. If there was another werewolf in the area, he'd know it. The area was quiet because he was there. And yet, the vigilantes had showed up anyway. His stomach twisted, souring with the information. He'd have to disappear until this washed over. Dammit he hated doing that, it made him feel like a coward.


"Werewolves? No, I haven't seen one since I've moved here. We have some big wolves, but nothing like those beasts."


He wanted to make a snarky comment but refrained when he saw the way she bit her lip.


This time, when his brows furrowed, it was in concern rather than anger.


"You aren't worried, are you?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Despite her constant vigilance in Grim's presence, his words caught her offguard, as her ears caught the hint of concern wedged between the syllables. She took a huge step back, and her toes scraped against the door, which caused her to yelp, rather loudly, and tumble tot eh ground. Cheeks blazing, she glared up at Grim, as if the clumsiness was his fault, and shook her head furiously.


"Definitely, absolutely, completely not worried. I can totally take care of myself. A werewolf is no match for me!" As she spoke, her fingers wrapped around her injured toes, rubbed away the pain. "Sithis save me," she mumbled to herself, and tried to push herself off the ground. She looked to Sig, then back to Grim, then opened her mouth again.


"J-just," she started, mouth twisting clumsily "Just makes sure you close your windows tonight. And don't stay out too late!" She shook a finger at him.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

It was Sigdis who snickered as Nal fell, pressing her fist to her mouth to keep her laughter quiet. She looked down at her and was about to offer a hand to help her up when the womer got up on her own, looking flustered and as though she had completely lost her cool, not that she ever had any in the first place. Even Grim managed to crack a smile. She was worried.


"Don't worry, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. I'll even drop by your inn tonight to make sure it's safe before heading off to talk to the Jarl about this." That was a reasonable excuse, he thought. The Jarl still reigned over this small little town and it gave him a good chance to get away before anything too bad happened.


He chuckled, a soft sound.


"Need anything else or are you going to go back to trying to poison the people in your inn?"


And with that, he was back to being his usually rude self.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Nose in the air, she put her hands on her hips and swallowed her urge to stick out her tongue. "The poison's reserved for your mug. I hope you choke on it!" She almost walked away, but then she turned back around, irritated still heavy in her tone. "And don't you dare think about traveling to Windhelm in the middle of the night. You can just stay at the inn if it's so much trouble." With a final huff, the womer stomped off, her braid wildly swinging behind her to the rhythm of her brisk feet.


She got just out of sight of the hut, then turned around, eyes scanning for Sigdis. Was she returning to the inn with her, or staying to converse with Grim? While she waited, she leaned up against a tree, and let the air whoosh out of her lungs. So he hadn't seen anything. That was good. She knew Grim had a tendency to look out for the neighborhood, and if he thought it was safe, so did she.


She figured she'd set up a bed for the big oaf when she got back. But she'd be damned if she didn't charge him double for it.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Sigdis lingered for a moment after Nal had left, turning so she propped her hip and shoulder against the wood as she spoke to Grim in hushed tones. Their conversation was short but poignant and soon enough she had pealed herself away, insulted him, and received a middle finger shot in her direction before he shut the door. She, of course, was left grinning.


Nal hadn't gotten too far and soon enough Sigdis had caught up with her. Without breaking stride, she tossed an arm around Nal's shoulders and dragged her forward towards the inn once more.


"You two are damn cute you know, well, more so you than him, I don't think Grim could be cute if you painted his face to look like a sheep, but still." She was grinning down at Nal, just trying to get a rise out of her, trying to jostle her into laughing rather than actually offend her.


Sigdis may have been an ass, but she wasn't that much of an ass.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

She scoffed. "Cute? I'm an innkeeper! And he's probably the worst customer anyone could have!" Sig's arm was heavy, but she was so tall that is hardly pushed her down at all. Though, that meant Naloru was practically jogging to keep up. "Besides," she said between puffs of air, "And we are not a 'we'. We should not be grouped together under any circumstances!" She tried to acted offended, for she was, in a sense. But the muscles in her lips betrayed her, and a grin grew on her face. She liked Sigdis. She felt like... a friend. A confidante.


Naloru spent the next few hours setting up Grim's room, despite the lack of agreement she'd gotten from the man, and went to reinforcing her doors and windows. She felt foolish, Grim had already said they weren't any werewolves he knew of in the area. Then thought occurred to her; what if the werewolves weren't merely werewolves? She'd heard of plenty assassins who 'supposedly' had the curse. THe thought encouraged her fingers to work quickly.


By the time the moon had risen into the sky and the regulars had come and gone, Naloru felt more secure. Work helped her mind stray from paranoid thoughts, and with each normal person she served, the more assured she felt. She closed up quickly, Said her goodnights to Sigdis, and made a place by the dying fire, to await Grim's arrival.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The evening had gone pretty well all things considered. Sigdis joked with the locals, drank, ate, and generally had what she considered to be an incredibly nice time. But all good things had to come to an end and bidding Nal goodnight, she made her way into her room and proceeded to not make another noise for the rest of the night. Nal's place, in her opinion, wasn't half bad. it wasn't as nice as the places in the Imperial City, but it was cheaper and she didn't have as high of a chance of getting her throat slit here.


Grim had stopped by most of the houses that evening, warning them about the situation at hand and how he was going to go talk to the Jarl himself to get it fixed. He cared about the people, of course, but it felt odd warning them about a creature when the creature was himself. Of course, people weren't too worried and with a warning, when the priests asked where he had gone, everyone would be able to give an answer.


He was distant, yes, but he had taken care of the families there enough to gain respect, to be considered a good person in that community. There was no reason anyone should suspect him...other than the fact that he was guilty.


True to his word, cloak wrapped around him to fight off the heavy winds that had come in that night, he dropped by the tavern. He carried a heavy pack with him, one that would bring him to the city and back with no problem.


Not that he was going there.


Pushing the door open, Grim knocked the snow off his shoes and paused when he saw that Nal was still up when everyone else had gone to bed.


"You stayed up? I feel so honored. Here I was starting to get the impression you didn't like me."

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Naloru had heard his clomping boots even through the howling wind, so she didn't look up from her mortar and pestle. Instead, she vaguely gestured with it, careful not to pour the mixture of dried ingredients out of the bowl. "I don't like you. I said I planned to poison your mug, did I not?" In fact, she had merely had some garlic and lavender mixed together, something to help his legs carry him faster.


She didn't speak again until she finished the potion, trusting Grim to make himself at home, just as she usually did. Once she'd secured the stopper in the hole of the glass bottle, she stood up from her chair, and turned to Grim, hand outstretched. "Hopefully this'll help. I figure the faster you can get there and back, the less likely you are to cause trouble." She arched an eyebrow. "I've set up the bed in the front for you, and I mean it, don't you dare think of leaving in the middle of the night." Perhaps she sounded... more forthright than usual, but she couldn't shake the feeling that, out there, he had no windows or doors to protect his back.


"Maybe..." She started, her hand drooping a bit. She began to shift her feet. "Maybe I should go with you? Two people are better than one, yes?" By Sithis, she sounded like a child, afraid to go to the bathroom on her own. She hastened to amend her words, tripping over her own tongue. "I-I mean, I need supplies in Windhelm anyway, and it'd be awfully nice to have someone them up the mountain for me."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Grim waited as she continued mixing up the potion and he wondered if it might actually kill him. Sure, she probably wouldn't do it on purpose, but if she was as bad of an alchemist as she was a cook, then he'd be in trouble. But she seemed confident in herself as she held it out to him and he took it, looking it over for a moment. He was ready to say thanks and leave, be out in the dark when he heard her words, her voice more stalwart than usual.


She was serious.


Part of him wanted to argue, part of him always wanted to argue. he wanted to tell her that he'd be fine, that if anyone was going to be safe out there, it would be him. And then she started shifting on her damn feet and stammering over her words again, sounding a bit too hopeful that he'd let her go with her.


Dammit.


Grimuald sighed.


"Fine. But we're leaving as soon as the sun comes up, alright?"


He wouldn't be slowed down, not for her.


He could have asked himself why he was even willing to let her tag along, but that seemed like a road he didn't want to go down just yet. Questioning his motives for his actions had never ended well for him in the past.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Satisfied with getting her way, Naloru rewarded him with a happy smile, then pushed him towards the room. "Go on, then! Get some rest while you can. I'll see you first thing in the morning." Meanwhile, she planned on making a few more of those potions for the trip. Bartrand, who had been laying by through the entire affair, let out a soft whine as Naloru took a seat once more. Naloru smiled woefully and patted his head, but she shook her own in response.


"Not this time, buddy. I need you to stay here and help Nethyn keep a handle on things. We won't be gone long." Or, she hoped they wouldn't.


The next morning, she rose before the sun did, tended to her bees and packed her meager belongings. She held her head up with pride as she waited for Grim to resurface, her plan to be more prepared than he going well, right from the start. When he finally emerged, she jerked his head towards the door, eyes glimmering with apprehensive excitement.


"Ready to go? I have breakfast packed for the road."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Grimuald never slept too well. It was the beast blood tat always kept him up, always made him wake up too early with too much clarity in his eyes. He could hear her moving about in the tavern as he dressed and splashed water from the basin on his face. Tugging his heavy pack on, he stepped out and was pleasantly surprised to find that she was ready to go.


She looked far too happy, however.


"How thoughtful."


With that he made his way out of the inn and into the cold. The wind hadn't started up just yet and the snow had gathered in massive drifts from the gusts last night. Skyrim was a temperamental land, one that could kill anyone who wasn't prepared to face it. Luckily for him, he was.


Moving to the small side stable, he found his horse and carefully undid the ties that held her in place. With a practiced hand, he fitted the saddle onto her and removed his rucksack to attach it to the holdings. For once, he actually seemed relaxed as he lifted a calloused hand to stroke her nose. The horse leaned into her touch, pressing her nose against his palm.


"I bet you missed me, didn't you Eiriol?" The words were spoken with a familiar tenderness before he pulled back and took the reigns to lead her back out into the open. He was about to heft himself on to the massive Clydesdale when he realized Nal was rather short compared to himself and Sigdis.


He looked at her before motioning to the horse with his head.


"Lets get you up here first. Do you want to ride in the front or on the back?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Upon reaching the stables, Naloru stopped short. "I hadn't realized this endeavor called for horses," she muttered mostly to herself. She had never really liked horses... and this one was more massive than most. Great. Maybe he'd just let her run alongside them. Surely she could keep up...


Then he offered to, what lift her up there? And her cheeks erupted in flames. She'd be damned if he caught her making trouble so early in their trip. She'd give herself up there, or she'd be damned. So with a scoff, she handed him her pack, reached up to grasp the saddle, and jumped. The action got her nowhere, but she tried again, jumping higher this time. She succeeded only in pulling a muscle in her side and startling the horse.


"For the love of–" she growled, jumping back from the horse as it began to whiney. She looked back to Grim, expecting a grin to be plastered on his face. "Fine. I'll take the back." With a sullen expression, she snatched her pack back.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Eiriol pulled back from Nal, making a sound of distress as Grim gripped her reigns harder. He soothed the creature so she calmed down once more. Oh yes, watching Nal attempt to heft herself onto the horse was probably the highlight of his month. Once Eiriol was placated once more, he was smiling at Nal rather than grinning at her.


He snorted at her sullen expression and gave a roll of his eyes. She was one stubborn mer.


"Come 'ere." Releasing the reigns he stepped towards her and,without giving her enough time to stop him, put his hands on her waist and hefted her up as though she were no heavier than a child. Grim placed her on the saddle and waited for her to get situated before hooking his foot in a stirrup and lifting himself up and onto the massive beast without so much as a grunt.


he situated himself before looking back at her.


"You alright?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Her expression was caught somewhere between the shock of his fingers gripping her waist and the vague feeling of discomfort she got from the horse. But when he asked her how she felt, she immediately puckered her lips, sitting up straighter. "I'm fine. Just eager to get moving." She wrapped her arms around his chest, encouraging him to turn around and.. steer the horse. It took some effort not to feel hyperaware of the way his muscles flexed beneath her grasp.


The ride was rather quick, though Naloru couldn't say she enjoyed the way she bounced on the horse's back. After about an hour of silence, Naloru felt compelled to make small talk of some sort. Ass or not, if they were to spend an extended amount ot time together, she might as well try to pry.


"So... when did you start working at the mine?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Once Nal was situated, Grim adjusted his grip on the reigns and kicked the horse off. The pace was slow at first just to make sure Nal wasn't going to fall off before Eiriol settled into her usual quick stride, her long and powerful legs propelling them forward. He kept his core taunt, his arms relaxed at his side as he lead the horse down the path and towards the main city.


He could almost forget that he had a dark elf clinging to him, that was, until she spoke. If nothing else, the question was innocent enough.


"Few years ago." It was, quite intentionally, a noncommittal answer. "I don't think anyone wants to grow up an be a miner, but it's good pay and honest work."


He didn't glance back at her as he spoke, but he didn't figure that'd be a problem.


"What about you? When did you decide to try and start up an inn out here? Better yet, why?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

"Er," Naloru was less adept at noncommittal answers, and worse still at lying. She supposed she could deflect, and just ask the same of him, but she knew him well enough to know that if she wanted some honest answers, she'd have to give some herself. "My... grandmother suggested I come out here. She thought it'd 'be a learning experience'." More like, her grandmother thought the isolation would keep her out of trouble. Perhaps it had, to an extent.


"What about you? Anything in particular you're hiding from?" She was clearly hedging, her knowledge of her dead wife propelling her questions. But he didn't know that. Yet.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Your grandmother wanted you to freeze to death if she thought it would be a good idea to send you up here." The comment was a halfhearted grumble. What grandmother would think starting an inn in the middle of nowhere in Skyrim would be a good idea? Sure, it was a learning experience, but so was being hit over the head with a club.


He mulled her question over for a moment.


"Just wanted to start a new life, wanted to settle down and I figured this was a good place to do it. It used to be quite around my home until someone decided to build an inn there."


The tone was less biting and more, well, joking.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Naloru had the grace to feel embarrassed on behalf of her grandmother. After all, Grandmother hardly had any choice in the matter, not when it was her friend, the Queen who'd issued the decree. "She's not as harsh as she sounds, I swear." But Naloru's words were not quite convincing.


Grim'd words did manage to bring her smile back. He decided she liked his answer, teasing or not. Wanting to start a new life was a goal Naloru shared. "Excuse me, but I believe the inn granted you a new place to hang out, as well as the best drink in the country. Nay, Tamriel!" She felt ridiculous, but she let her words ring out, laughter behind every syllable. "And I say, as soon as we get back, I say we toast to new beginnings. That's something even I'd drink to." She meant it. For all of Grim's faults, Nal at least enjoyed his moments of kindness, however rare they were.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He could hear her laughter, the clear smile in her words and he found himself smiling in turn, glad she couldn't see it. There were worse people he could travel with, he supposed. With so much farther to go he was sure it would go wrong eventually, but until then he could indulge her.


"When have you ever known me to say no to a drink?" Yes, he supposed he could toast to new beginnings even if he had been more than happy with his old life, if he hadn't wanted a new beginning to toast to.


"How did you learn to brew?"


The question escaped him before he bothered to stop it. In truth he was curious.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

"Hmm," she mused, feeling more open now that she had shared a good laugh. Well, maybe not shared. As far as she knew, he hadn't even smiled. But she assumed he approved, since he accepted her toast. "That's a good question," She told him, her decision to be honest solidifying. "And it is my favorite story. All right.


"I believe the it all began when I was holed up in Daggerfall. In truth, I meant to travel to Hammerfell, but the night I boarded the ship I was a bit... inebriated, and I think I got my words mixed up. Anyway, Bartrand and I holed up in this dingy little inn with very few customers, but I money was tight, so I had taken to doing odd jobs here or there. One afternoon, they sent me to fetch their week's worth of ale from the meadery near the docks. I... slipped and took a tumble into the ocean. It just so happened that the brewer was the one to jump in after me.


"He took some serious convincing–stodgy old man, a lot like you–but he let me work under him, instead of working for the inn. He offered me room and board as well, though he didn't have to. And then, he taught me everything I know, from the best type of barley to use to the exact moment to add in the honey. I think he was just lonely, though many people thought him rude, which was why he never had many customers. Oh dear, but I would've stayed there with him forever, if I could've." A wistful sigh ended her story, as she lost herself to the memories of that time. It scared her to realized nearly twenty years had gone by... that old man was likely dead. And she'd never have the chance to properly say her goodbyes.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Grim listened as she spoke, taking in the story with a quiet scoff when she mentioned the man reminded her of himself.


He must have been a great guy if that was the case.


The thought reminded him of something Sigdis might say, which only amused him more. Grim knew what he was, knew that he was grumbly and short tempered like an old dog who had seen too much. He knew his faults, and perhaps that was why they didn't bother him so much any more. He had come to accept them, embrace them.


"Should have stayed there." He adjusted the reigns in his hands, not really steering the horse. She knew to stay on the paths, it would seem that enough misadventures with Sigdis had taught her that. "Place sounds nice and I can't imagine you like Skyrim too much what with the racist assholes and general bastards around, the ones like myself."


He glanced over his shoulder to give her a very quick half smirk to assure her that he was, in fact, joking.