alana / of sticks and stones

[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A CROWN DUSTED OFF FROM BENEATH THE BONES

Whiterun was something of a safe haven for Cyrus. It had been where he fled after running away from his parents’ home in Falkreath. He had worked his first job there, tending the inn he was now seated in, fetching mead and other beverages for the locals. And if it was one of the few places he looked forward to visiting on his roaming around the province. If Cyrus hadn’t been so intent on travelling until he was too old to walk, he might have just settled down there and made the city his home. But it was not to be. Since becoming a mercenary, Cyrus knew he would never be content to make one town his home. His home was the forests, plains and mountains of Skyrim, and although he was no Nord and hadn’t even been born in Skyrim, Cyrus wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

The Bannered Mare hadn’t changed much from his last visit, but compared to how it had been when he had been tending the bar, it was nearly unrecognizable. The new proprietor had practically refurbished the place, fixing up the fire pit, redoing the benches that surrounded it. It looked almost.. homely now, whereas when Cyrus worked there and made a room upstairs his home, he couldn’t wait to get out of the dingy inn. The Nord lady, called Hulda if Cyrus recalled correctly, had done a superb job of it. It was warm, and Cyrus was uite comfortable sitting in his corner, drinking mead and handing over gold as the bottles were brought to him.

Perhaps the one thing that hadn’t changed was the inn’s regulars. They remembered Cyrus well enough as the young Redguard who had brought them their mead each night as they sang songs and generally just had a good time of it all. They had asked him numerous questions about the wilds, if he’d seen any giants or even dragons on his adventures, but when Cyrus said no, and they’d they shuffled off back to their own table. Unhurt by their lack of interest, Cyrus found it merely amusing. They didn’t care for the fighting lords who were Cyrus’ main employers. They’d had far more adventure than Cyrus had lately, with the dragon attack and all. In their eyes, Cyrus was just another traveller.
He’d tried to make conversation with the newer faces, but with no luck. One Redguard woman had not very politely told him to shove off, and the others just seemed downright suspicious of the stranger that had seated himself at their table. Getting the message quickly, Cyrus had retreated back to his own table, with nothing to keep him company but the music of the bard. And the mead, too, but that didn’t really count, did it?

Either way, the table in front of him was littered with empty bottles. Cyrus knew some had been there when he sat down, but just how many that was, he couldn’t be sure. Even so, his gold pouch was a lot lighter than it had been when he had first entered the inn. But even the mead couldn’t dull the overwhelming sense of boredom he felt. If something didn’t pop up to entertain him shortly, Cyrus might just have to haul his ass upstairs and into the feather bed that awaited him there. Which actually didn’t sound like such a bad idea, now that he thought about it..

alana/lauren | 571 | this is kind of average, but i'm kind of excited for their friendship? :D

[/style]

[calamity]

I HAVE BECOME A LIONHEARTED GIRL

She had told herself that it was time to join the Companions. She had assured herself that it was time for her to make a home. She was done with traveling. It was good for her to not have to worry about where she would sleep each night, or whether or not she would have food. Slowing down on traveling was easier on her animals, even if she could tell that they were beginning to grow a bit restless. Alana ad never realized it before, but she was starting to discover that she had a bad case of wanderlust. Things hadn't gone quite as smoothly as she had liked so far. She hadn't realized there would be so much waiting involved with joining the companions. She wanted to join, become a member of the circle, and then go around solving problems as a companion. It seemed like that was going to take much longer than she had anticipated, and Alana wasn't sure how she felt about it. It wasn't the traveling she missed, not really. She missed helping people. Whiterun was well defended, with or without Alana. She wasn't doing any good just waiting around. Normally she was content, but on days like these it got to her. She was just sitting around twiddling her thumbs unless something came up, and she actually was given a small job to run for the companions, like clearing out a bandit hold. Those only came along every so often though, and for the rest of the time she was just training. She loved training, really, and you could never be too good of a fighter, but all of the sitting around was killing her. She just wasn't the most patient of people. Ask anyone who had ever seen her practice archery on a moving target. She normally lost her patience, and charged on in. Alana always joked that it was the way of the warrior, but really it was the way of an impatient woman who had no rational fear of falling in combat. She hadn't had any significant injuries before, and she hoped that her luck never ran out. That would certainly be unfortunate. Honestly, who wanted to be ran through with a blade? She didn't think she was ready to die, and she certainly did not want to. The life of the warrior could be a short one, but Alana had other plans.

Her day had been pretty uneventful. That morning she had went out for a ride, and later she had spent most of the evening sparring. She was beginning to fall into a routine. It was okay, but routines weren't really for her. She had always enjoyed being able to do things on a whim, but now she had to fit in time for personal stuff like working her horse. She made sure that he was worked every day, but she wasn't able to work him as much as she would have liked. Fenris was growing restless from being indoors most of the time. The wolf spent a lot of his time behind Jorrvaskr, but he couldn't wander as he wished. The guards would kill him if Alana wasn't with him, and it was clear he was not looking to gobble up Whiterun residents. Alana had taken Fenris out before the sun had went down, and she let him run. Miro had circled overhead, and landed on her arm to visit. The Eagle stayed close, but he did not stay indoors with her like Fenris. Instead he would roost in the trees closest to Jorrvaskr, or he would be sleep near the stables with Dareon. It wasn't uncommon for him to perch on the stone wall behind Jorrvaskr while Alana trained with the other recruits or companions. Alana was glad that she was able to spend some time with them each day, but she hated having her time belong to someone else. It was just something that she would have to get used to she supposed. She really liked the idea of becoming a companion. She just had to hang in there. Five years of traveling had made her get used to her own schedule, and now she had things to do, and occasionally jobs to do. It was a big change, but she was adapting. Just a little slower than she would have liked. She wasn't quite sure what had brought all of this on tonight, but she wanted to get out of Jorrvaskr for a bit. It was getting late, but Alana knew that there was at least one place she could go, and not worry about waking anyone. Fenris wasn't happy about her leaving, but she didn't want to risk him startling the guards. She made him stay, and the wolf curled up on her bed, clearly annoyed.

Alana made her way down to the Bannered Mare. She wasn't in armour, but she was armed. She had a knife on the inside of her right calf, and a dagger hanging from her belt on the left side. She didn't think she would need anything else. She could at least defend herself until help arrived. She hadn't wanted to wake anyone by pulling on her heavy suit of armour. The Bannered Mare wasn't far from Jorrvaskr, just a nice walk down the hill. The air was chilly, but Alana was a nord, she could deal with chilly air. She shuddered when she left the warmth of Jorrvaskr's hall, but walking helped warm her. She nodded to the guards she passed, and avoided the drunk men stumbling home. She didn't want to be groped. Soon enough she was at the inn, and the inside warmed her. Alana marched to the bar, and ordered a strong mead. She could handle her drink. While her drink was being poured, Alana turned to see what patrons were visiting the inn tonight. She wasn't here too often, but they recognized her. At first she didn't pay attention to the Redguard sitting alone, but upon closer inspection she realized that she recognized his face. With a smile Alana ordered another mead, and headed over to the table. She pulled a chair out with her foot, and placed the meads on the table. She put one in front of him, by the one he was currently working on, and plopped down across from him with a grin. "Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here." Alana's grin was wide. She was clearly happy to see him. "How've you been? What have I been missing out there?" She took a swig of her mead, and nice big gulp, and returned her attention to him. She hadn't seen Cyrus in what felt like ages. It was good to see him again, especially in one piece. She always liked the Redguard. He was an honorable sort. She was finding out more and more often than most people were not. It was disappointing. "You put back all of these yourself? Maybe you're not fit for company tonight." She motioned at the bottles, an amused look on her face. "I can help you to your room if you don't think you can make it yourself." Assuming of course that he was staying here tonight. Joking aside, Alana hoped he wouldn't mind staying up with her a bit. She had always liked him, and it would be nice to catch up.

WORDS 1,268 TAGGED CYRUS/INDIE NOTES TROLOLOL

TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTION 2.0

[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

[style=width: 370px; background-color:#966f96; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 9px; padding: 15px; color: #cccccc;]A CROWN DUSTED OFF FROM BENEATH THE BONES

with the war going on, work was becoming short for mercenaries. it seemed that it would completely bleed dry until they picked a side. stormcloaks or imperials, cyrus did not care for either, but simply because his own personal experiences with nords had taught him that they could be pretty racist, cyrus felt himself leaning more towards the imperial cause. of course, not all nords were the same. cyrus had befriended plenty of nords in his travels and found them to be a delightful, stubborn people. but as he had no idea what this ulfric stormcloak was like, and he was branded a king killer by most of the province, cyrus wasn't sure he was someone he could fight for. in fact, he wouldn't fight for either side unless he was absolutely dying to get into a battle. but there was no pay in civil wars, only the skirmishes between thanes and lordlings, and a mercenary who didn't get paid for what he did was no mercenary at all. he was simply a soldier, and cyrus had never really been all too fond of listening to authority types. but where to go to get work? he supposed he could always ask a blacksmith to take him on as an apprentice, or something. but that wouldn't happen until he was sure there was nothing else for him.

musing as he was, cyrus was a little surprised to suddenly find a mead in front of him, and a blonde woman take the seat across from him. it took him a moment to recognise her, before chuckling at her greeting. "good to see you, too, alana." his lips curved upwards to mirror her grin. "i've been good. just looking for work." he cleared his throat, his smile fading only slightly. he wanted so much to share his worries with alana, but it seemed unfair. she was here simply to drink and enjoy herself, rather than listen to the worries of her friend. "but the important question is, how are you? the companions treating you well?" he had to admit that having one less familiar face on the road had made an impact. alana was one of the few genuine friends he'd made on the road, and she'd left the life of an adventurer behind her to join the companions. cyrus wasn't really one for organizations, as such, but he'd hate to hear that alana wasn't enjoying the life she chose.

he had to laugh at alana's assumption he'd drunk as many bottles of mead as there were on the table. "no, some were here before." he said, trying to figure out just how many there had been before he'd taken his seat. "these ones are mine." he gestured to the ones in front of him, of which there were still quite a few. "i have to admit, i wasn't expecting company. but that doesn't mean i'm not fit for it." raising his already open bottle to his lips, cyrus downed the rest of it, putting it with the other empties and picking up the one alana had brought him. another chuckle left his lips as the nord offered to help him to his room. "and leave you with the other delightful company in the inn? i don't think so." he shook his head as he laughed, noticing that even with one of their companions present, the inn's patrons were leaving them well enough alone. "i think they find you intimidating.."

alana/lauren | 562 | kljkfsjds, sorry about the length. D:

[/style]

[calamity]

I HAVE BECOME A LIONHEARTED GIRL

Alana wasn't often genuinely pleased to see people. She had only a handful of friends, and while she did enjoy making people laugh, she did not enjoy going out of her way to meet people. Cyrus was her type of person. She couldn't remember a time during which they didn't get along, but truth be told, Alana wasn't even sure how long they had known each other for. She admired Cyrus for his prowess in battle, but what else would anyone expect from a Redguard? Alana enjoyed his company, even if they were sitting in silence. He was laid back and fun, plus she had never heard of him doing anything that was something she would count as bad, and that was rare to find. Alana could be a bit uptight about morals. She was a bit of a goody-goody. On the road she was usually alone, and she only had her animals for conversation. While they were great listeners, they never spoke back. She was very pleased to hear that he was doing well, he certainly seemed to be telling the truth. Although Alana's mood was now a bit too cheerful to pick up on the subtle giveaways that something was heavy on his mind. Had he said something, she would have been willing to sit and talk to him for hours. She wouldn't have minded if he had wanted to get things off of his chest. Life on the road wasn't easy, especially for those who usually traveled alone, but seeing him now was making her yearn for it even more. His question made her think for a long moment, but she nodded, and swished the mead around in its tankard. "I'm doing well. They're good to me. Roof over my head, food in my stomach, and plenty to do." She took another drink, and smiled wistfully. "I miss the road, but beggars can't be choosers. It's good to come home. I just have to get used to staying home now, I guess." Alana had thought that joining the companions was the right thing to do with all of the changes happening in the world, but unsurprisingly, she was beginning to doubt herself. Could she have done more out on the road? Sometimes the Companions seemed more like an organized group of sellswords rather than the stuff legends were made of.

"Busy man, I see." She glanced at the discarded bottles in front of him. Alana wasn't surprised, but she still laughed and shook her head. "I wasn't expecting to find company." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just thought I'd come down for a break from Jorrvaskr." She wasn't sure if he was see through that or not, but there really wasn't anything to say that she hadn't already said. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not glad to have found you." Her spirit was high again. "I find myself wondering about everyone quite often. Just about how they're doing, or if they're still alive. Most frequently it's you in my thoughts, but sometimes the others I met on the road." Alana was not one for hiding things, and she saw no shame in being concerned for his well-fare. Cyrus had always been one of Alana's favorite people, and she often worried about him. She always hoped he was doing well, and she hoped that he knew if he needed her, she would come to his rescue in a heartbeat. If the Companions didn't approve of her leaving to aid a friend in need then she would deal with it later on. "Oh good, surely the drunks will leave me alone since I'm sitting with a big, strong Redguard." Alana mused. Frequently men would make the mistake that she was helpless, and they would try to push themselves on her. Alana never reacted very well to that. "I am glad that you're here, Sunglass. A girl needs someone to protect her." She winked and grinned, a bit full of herself as she spoke sarcastically. She was certain that he knew better. When she mentioned them being intimidated, Alana scanned the inn. The patrons did seem a bit more well mannered than she would have expected. It was a strange feeling. She wasn't used to being recognized so widely, even if this was only the drunks of Whiterun. She was a bit surprised. She wouldn't have thought much about it if she had been in armour, but she was only wearing regular clothing. She certainly wouldn't have been intimidated by herself.

"Or maybe it's the Redguard sitting with me that they find intimidating. I grew up hearing tales of the strong Redguards, and the formidable warriors they make." She downed more of her drink before continuing. "How many men have asked you to wed their daughters?" She wouldn't have been surprised if that had happened to him a few times, but really she was sure that they would not be interested in wedding their girl off to a man who was always on the move. Of course it wasn't like they would know who he was. Perhaps they would think he was a diplomat from Hammerfell. The thought almost made her laugh out loud. "So, Cyrus, have you fought a dragon yet?" Alana scooted her chair in closer, and leaned over the table. Her eyes were wide with curiosity. The thought had just occurred to her, he actually might have gotten to. All of a sudden, she seemed like a small child waiting for a grand story. "I'm surprised that you're looking for work at all. Since the dragon attacks aren't just rumors, I'd say soon someone will want some personal protection. Not everyone would take on a dragon, even with a small army." She didn't doubt that Cyrus would charge headfirst into battle against a dragon, nervous or not. Alana just wished that she could be out there with him. Then again, the idea of killing dragons made her a bit sad. Dragons were fantastical creatures, and Alana found herself wondering if she could make friends with one. "Wouldn't it be fun to ride a dragon?" She asked out loud, a thoughtful look on her face. She couldn't imagine Dareon being very pleased with that idea, but the stallion would get over it. She would make it up to him with treats. Occasionally Alana could get some "interesting" ideas. She was perhaps a bit strange, but maybe Cyrus was used to it. She only acted like a child from time to time, so it wasn't so bad. Of course she seriously doubted that she would ever be able to ride a dragon, but how wonderful that would be. Although it would probably be quite chilly at such a high altitude. She would need to bundle up.

WORDS 1,206 TAGGED CYRUS/INDIE NOTES TROLOLOL

TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTION 2.0

[CYRUS SUNGLASS .]

A CROWN DUSTED OFF FROM BENEATH THE BONES

it was a bit of an understatement to say that cyrus missed seeing alana on the road. the two had become fast friends, and although cyrus had preferred to travel alone, he had never minded breaking that solitude to spend time with her. having a companion on the road was different, and despite being a pretty social human being when in towns, cyrus liked being left alone on the road. a companion was just another person to worry about when fighting, or hunting, or finding shelter. but when first travelling with alana, cyrus had been proved very wrong. she was everything he admired about the nords, and a talented fighter on top of that. he was immensely glad to hear that her desire to join the companions seemed to be going well for her. he nodded slowly as she spoke, his dark eyes never leaving her face. "that's good to hear." cyrus responded finally. "it'd be a shame if it was not what you expected." a shame for her, maybe. cyrus didn't think he'd mind so much if alana discovered being a companion wasn't for her. but that was a selfish thought, and he quickly put an end to it. he wanted alana to be happy, with whatever she found herself doing.

"Busy man, I see?" cyrus' mouth widened into a grin, flashing his teeth at alana as she laughed. he had always enjoyed her sense of humor, simply because it was so similar to his own. at hearing she wanted a break from jorrvaskr, cyrus raised an eyebrow, but said no more of it. adjusting to this new life must have been difficult for alana. cyrus couldn't even imagine giving up his current work to settle down. hopefully it wouldn't happen for a long time yet. his grin faded into a fond smile at hearing he was in alana's thoughts. "i wonder too, about how you are faring in the famed companions. i really am glad you are doing well with them." cyrus was sincere in that, as much as he kept saying it. it was good to see alana well and happy, and it would no doubt work wonders when he began to think about her while he was on the road. he chuckled again at alana's joke. cyrus had always been of a more wiry build, and slighter than many redguards as well, but he was still tall. compared to some of the nords he had seen, however, cyrus was almost dwarfed. "glad to be here, snowborn." the redguard countered, raising the mead to his lips. "it's been far too long."

cyrus scoffed jokingly at alana's suggestion. "no, it's definitely you. they were perfectly rowdy before you came in." cyrus grinned at her yet again, though her next question caught him a little offguard. his eyebrows rose, and he shook his head slowly. "none. not only am i a foreigner, i'm a mercenary. it is not a job most men want for their son-in-laws." not that cyrus particularly minded. being wed was so far off into the future of his current plans, he'd never even given pause to consider it. one day it might be nice, but for now, it was an impractical wish. "what about you? surely men are lining up to wed the pretty nord companion who can swing a sword." his grinned widened again, showing he was jesting. he was aware alana could do more than swing a sword, but teasing her was always fun. if only because she could dish it right back to him.

upon seeing how interested alana was to hear about dragons, cyrus wanted to lie to her. wanted to boast about how he'd slain one, despite having done no such thing. but he held his tongue. "no, i haven't." cyrus' hand rose to scratch at his chin. "but i know someone who has. she showed me the bones. and a scale. it was as big as my fist!" clenching his hand, he brought it up to show her. lowering it back down to the table, and taking another swig of mead, shaking his head at her suggestion. "everybody thinks their walls are enough to protect them. i won't be hired for "personal protection" until their houses are already burnt to the ground." it was a pretty pessimistic view to take of it, but it certainly seemed that way to cyrus. normally he was good at keeping a positive outlook on most situations, but this issue with finding work had him almost beat. perhaps it was time to turn to something else.. "but perhaps you are right, and some nordic lord will finally realize his estate needs more than household guards to keep it standing. we will see." shrugging, cyrus offered alana a small smile. it was all he could do to stop his frustration in its tracks. with a mouthful of mead, cyrus very nearly spat it out at alana's next question. luckily, he managed to hold it in and swallow before letting out another low chuckle. "incredible." he began, shaking his head slowly. "it would be fun, until the dragon decides you look edible and makes you his next meal. and then you'll be riding in his stomach." cyrus watched alana carefully, before smiling at her softly. "you are serious, aren't you?" he questioned, despite knowing it to be true. "oh, alana. where do you get such ideas from?" he truly missed that on the road, cyrus was now finding. only alana could pull childish, and oft ridiculous ideas from midair. usually they were entertaining, but sometimes he worried that if he wasn't there to rationalize them with her, she'd end up in more trouble she could handle.

alana/lauren | 950 | finally got something of a decent length out for youuuu. <3