Fandom I Just Died in Your Arms (Irradiatedwarden)

[Interstellar Bun]

Hands vanishing into his hair to tug at the tangled mess, Grim let out a sharp breath. His eyes shut, brows furrowing to create deep creases in his forehead. In just a handful of hours he felt as though years had been stripped off his lifespan and it showed.


Black Marsh?


"No." There was that word again. He was good at saying that word wasn't he? The thought might have made him laugh had there been anything joyful left in him.


Grim looked at her again. His eyes, at least, seemed calm. "If you keep going to Black Marsh someone is bound to notice, especially if you have me traveling with you."


If Nal didn't stick out enough on her own out in Black Marsh, she'd absolutely stick out with a tall, hulking Nord following her about like a lost puppy. Someone would notice them, and even if actions weren't taken right then, even if it never affected him, Grim didn't want to be the reason Nal couldn't return to her usual hideout. No, they needed to go somewhere new.


He started walking, heading back towards the path they'd previously traveled. One way or another he'd have to get home first.


"What about Hammerfell? I've traveled to those ports before, we'd be able to blend right in. We couldn't go to Sentinel, but Helgathe would keep us secluded enough."

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Grim spoke and Naloru nodded, finger tapping her chin. She had contacts–a contact, and she had no idea if he was even still alive–in Hammerfell, and at the very least throwing his name around could get them a place to bunker down. The heat would be a problem, somehow she had trouble imagining a burly nord feeling comfortable amongst the sand dunes. More importantly, she couldn't bring the bees with them–


"Wait." She brain came to a full stop. "Are you sure? T-that you want me to go with you. I could always stay and watch over your house while you're gone." It wasn't like she'd left any witnesses. Any priests that investigated would suspect Grim, not her. If she stayed, she could even spread false rumors or redirect anyone asking the wrong sorts of questions.


But, she didn't want to stay. She could no longer imagine her inn without his silhouette marking the corner beside the fire. Since when had she gotten so attached to his constant presence?

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Her uncertainty was enough to make Grim pause. Snow danced around his feet as he looked at her. The gaze that had become so serious seemed to soften.


It would have been easy for him to tell her that she should just do what she wanted to do. It would keep him separate from the issue, it would keep enough detachment in place for him to feel safe. If she wanted to follow him, fine. If not, he'd understand.


But...the idea of leaving her made some part of him uneasy.


Grim had never claimed to be a good man, and selfishness went right along with that.


"Come with me, Nal."


It wasn't so much a demand, but a quiet beseeching, one he didn't try to cut with a dry joke.


She hadn't asked if this was the best idea, if it was right, or if it would even keep them safe. She had asked if he was sure about taking her with him, even if he was the only one out of the two of them that really had to leave.


He was sure.

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Her eyes lit up when he murmured that, the exact words she wished to hear. With a beaming smile, she stepped towards him again, sliding her arm around his waist in order to support some of his waist.


"Well," she coughed a little, embarrassed. "Let's go get your things."


After they gathered up Grim's things, they returned to the inn. "Bartrand!" Naloru called out. The mutt heaved a great sigh and hefted himself off of the toasted panel flooring, making his way to the front patio. With half-closed eyes, he regarded the pair with a small cock of his head.


"We're traveling to Hammerfell," Naloru told him as she separated herself from the Nord and ran up the loft stairs to gather her things. When she came back down, Bartrand threw his head to the side, expressing his extreme disapproval of yet another impromptu trip. But Naloru just patted his head with a little laugh and urged him out the door, repeating over and over that it's be a fun adventure.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The feeling of being on a ship brought back warm movies of when life was simpler and Grim was a younger man. The sea winds has blown his troubles away, leaving him with a taste for life and no weight to carry on his broad shoulders. It seemed so often those memories were ignored, leaving him to focus on the nightmares that left dark shadows under his eyes.


This wasn't a vacation, he and Naloru ha elect skyrim not because they wanted to, but because those same shadows had forced his hand again and Naloru had gotten caught in the crossfire. And yet, Grim would be lying if he said this trip hadn't come with a certain amount of excitement


The great sands of Hammerfell met his boots as he stepped off the docks, his duffle bag tossed over his shoulder and a dagger strapped to his hip. The sun glared down on Grim, his skin already tanned from the ride and his hair lighter than it had been before. With his heavy heard he looked almost haggard, but there was a lightness to his gaze.


Without turning to his companion, he started trudging forward.


"I hate this place."

 

[HoneyedHopes]

Her response was a restless grunt as Naloru she hopped from one bare foot to the other, trying in vain to keep them from scorching. The boat trip had covered her in a sense of nostalgia, which quickly dissipated as the cloudless sky cook them alive.


"Let's get back on the ship," she muttered as they trudged forward, towards the town of Helgathe. Beside her, Bartrand growled, his gait still swaying back and forth from seasickness. Nal had forgotten that unfortunate fact, as well.


The pair stuck out amongst the sun-kissed natives as they walked through the street. While Grim was likely to meet any weird looks he got with a glare, Naloru found that her grey skin and and pointed ears too much to answer for. The first scarf she saw on display she bought, the color of fresh blood. "How do I look?" Naloru asked Grim with a flourishing hand, which wrap the scarf artfully around her midnight strands. She didn't want an answer, she merely hoped to distract him from the drastic change in culture.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

With the scarf around her head, Grim had to admit she looked like she blended in with the crowd, at least, more than he did. Hammerfell docks carried as many walks of life as one could imagine, but that didn't mean they weren't drastically outnumbered.


It had been a while since he'd been to Hammerfell. Alread he could faintly smell the sweet oils from the bazaar. He'd have to stop by while they were able to. Something told him he'd never hear the end of it if he returned to Skyrim without a gift in hand for Sigdis.


A deep breath reminded him that he wasn't in skyrim anymore. The cold didn't cut into his lungs and his skin.


He'd need new clothes if they were going to stay for much longer. Which they were.


"Since I've already done my part in getting us here, I assume you have a plan for what we're to do now?"

 

[HoneyedHopes]

With a quick nod, she pulled him towards an open tavern, its stone walls whispering hints of cool breezes. At the bar, Naloru waves down the bartender.


"Good afternoon," she greeted him with a small smile. Dark brows glared down at her, surrounded by valleys of wrinkles. Every few seconds, his glare shifted to Grim, darkening even further.


When he didn't respond, Naloru cleared her throat and dug out a small token from her pocket. She laid it on he table, face up, revealing the carved face of a dog into the wood. "I'm looking for Proiz. Used to have a store around here."


The bartender spit. "I know him."


"And do you know where he is now?"


"Depends on who's asking."


Naloru sighed. "The carvings not enough? I'm an old apprentice."


The bartender, and Naloru glanced at Grim, exasperation pinching her features.