She smiles up at him. "I'm wearing your amulet," she says. "Are you going to be disappointed if we aren't proper?"
"No," Vilkas says, mouth dry. Is she...?
"Just the one, then," she says, with a little grin that suggest yes - yes, she is.
Vilkas swallows hard and goes to pay for a room while Miri finishes eating, sticks their excess gear in the trunk at the foot of the bed until all they're left with is potions and food. Keeping himself busy isn't really taking his mind off her body pressed against his in the large, comfortable Inn bed where no one knows them, but at least then he's not doing anything as moronic as tearing her clothes off and carrying her to bed like spoils of war, quest be damned.
Now maybe he's thinking about that, too. Dammit.
"Ready to go?" Miri asks as he sits back down next to her on the bench. His dick jumps so hard he feels like it ought to have made a great thunking noise against the underside of the table. Then he remembers that she's asking as his traveling companion, not his lover, and he sighs. No mood killer like ancient Nordic tombs. "We're ready," he confirms. "Let's get moving."
...
Ustengrav doesn't prove too much of a challenge for them - the space is wide and cavernous, and, oddly, crowded. Mages and bandits pick each other off as they sneak up to the entrance, leaving them only the stragglers to deal with, and the Draugr inside go down easily to bows and fire before Vilkas can even get in range enough to swing.
Then they reach a deeper part of a cavern, and Vilkas gets to watch for the first time (with ears covered) as Miri gains entrance to a secret section of the cave by using a Shout. She goes from standing on a stone to past all three gated doors within the blink of an eye, and draws a handle to the gate to let Vilkas in with a smile. "Pretty useful, huh?" she asks.
"Useful, maybe," he says. "But my back teeth are still rattling."
"You can see how all of the rumors about Ulfric and Torygg began," she says, and beckons him forward.
It's easy to lose track of time, but Vilkas thinks it's well near midnight by the time they wind their way through to the main chamber. Vilkas can feel his own strength growing as the moon presumably reaches its height above-ground, but Miri looks wan after a long day on the road. Except--
"This can't be the last chamber," Vilkas says. "No horn."
"No horn," Miri agrees grimly. "If they were speaking in riddles, I swear--"
They fall silent as they approach. A folded letter sits on the main pedestal in the room, perfectly centered and not looking aged more than a few days.
"Careful, it could be a trap," Vilkas hums - feeling a little foolish after he says it; surely Miri has proved to him by now that she's more than capable of judging obvious traps for herself - but she doesn't appear to take offense, nodding firmly and snatching it away quickly.
When nothing shoots out at them, explodes, lets out poisonous gases, or other manner of unpleasant things, Miri gives a little huff and opens the letter. She scans it, eyes wide, and then they narrow as she reaches the end. "Oh, for the love of-" She bites off the end of her sentence, appearing to tamp down her anger, and then turns to Vilkas. "So," she says, "Someone is apparently holding the Horn hostage, and I intend to find out who. How do you feel about a trip to Riverwood?"
"Great," Vilkas lies, thinking about their nice, soft bed in their nice, quiet room at the Inn.
"I want to see if we can work out the whole thing with the burned-out house ghosts first, though," Miri says. "Should be nearing the time they show up. And--"
"And?" Vilkas asks.
"And," Miri says. "Well, we could be walking into a trap, like you said. I know you don't need much sleep, but you did already rent us that bed." She smiles innocently up at him - though, now that he's learned to read her better, he thinks he can see the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Mara bless, he loves her. "I think that's wise," he says, with a hearty swallow, and quickly jogs after her as she finds the hidden exit, heading for the world above.
FILL: Vilkas/F!DB: "Lovers' Knot" 49/?
"No," Vilkas says, mouth dry. Is she...?
"Just the one, then," she says, with a little grin that suggest yes - yes, she is.
Vilkas swallows hard and goes to pay for a room while Miri finishes eating, sticks their excess gear in the trunk at the foot of the bed until all they're left with is potions and food. Keeping himself busy isn't really taking his mind off her body pressed against his in the large, comfortable Inn bed where no one knows them, but at least then he's not doing anything as moronic as tearing her clothes off and carrying her to bed like spoils of war, quest be damned.
Now maybe he's thinking about that, too. Dammit.
"Ready to go?" Miri asks as he sits back down next to her on the bench. His dick jumps so hard he feels like it ought to have made a great thunking noise against the underside of the table. Then he remembers that she's asking as his traveling companion, not his lover, and he sighs. No mood killer like ancient Nordic tombs. "We're ready," he confirms. "Let's get moving."
...
Ustengrav doesn't prove too much of a challenge for them - the space is wide and cavernous, and, oddly, crowded. Mages and bandits pick each other off as they sneak up to the entrance, leaving them only the stragglers to deal with, and the Draugr inside go down easily to bows and fire before Vilkas can even get in range enough to swing.
Then they reach a deeper part of a cavern, and Vilkas gets to watch for the first time (with ears covered) as Miri gains entrance to a secret section of the cave by using a Shout. She goes from standing on a stone to past all three gated doors within the blink of an eye, and draws a handle to the gate to let Vilkas in with a smile. "Pretty useful, huh?" she asks.
"Useful, maybe," he says. "But my back teeth are still rattling."
"You can see how all of the rumors about Ulfric and Torygg began," she says, and beckons him forward.
It's easy to lose track of time, but Vilkas thinks it's well near midnight by the time they wind their way through to the main chamber. Vilkas can feel his own strength growing as the moon presumably reaches its height above-ground, but Miri looks wan after a long day on the road. Except--
"This can't be the last chamber," Vilkas says. "No horn."
"No horn," Miri agrees grimly. "If they were speaking in riddles, I swear--"
They fall silent as they approach. A folded letter sits on the main pedestal in the room, perfectly centered and not looking aged more than a few days.
"Careful, it could be a trap," Vilkas hums - feeling a little foolish after he says it; surely Miri has proved to him by now that she's more than capable of judging obvious traps for herself - but she doesn't appear to take offense, nodding firmly and snatching it away quickly.
When nothing shoots out at them, explodes, lets out poisonous gases, or other manner of unpleasant things, Miri gives a little huff and opens the letter. She scans it, eyes wide, and then they narrow as she reaches the end. "Oh, for the love of-" She bites off the end of her sentence, appearing to tamp down her anger, and then turns to Vilkas. "So," she says, "Someone is apparently holding the Horn hostage, and I intend to find out who. How do you feel about a trip to Riverwood?"
"Great," Vilkas lies, thinking about their nice, soft bed in their nice, quiet room at the Inn.
"I want to see if we can work out the whole thing with the burned-out house ghosts first, though," Miri says. "Should be nearing the time they show up. And--"
"And?" Vilkas asks.
"And," Miri says. "Well, we could be walking into a trap, like you said. I know you don't need much sleep, but you did already rent us that bed." She smiles innocently up at him - though, now that he's learned to read her better, he thinks he can see the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Mara bless, he loves her. "I think that's wise," he says, with a hearty swallow, and quickly jogs after her as she finds the hidden exit, heading for the world above.