#Yuki's Commissions

[yukiwrites]

Spring, Picnic and Budding Love

Thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH for the support and the BOTTOMLESS patience, @sundaychamomile ! I hope you like it!!!! TvT)b

Summary: What should a prince, one who strived to be as accomplished and reliable as anyone, do once he found someone he liked? Leo found himself in a pickle trying to call his sweetheart Effie on a date while still maintaining his dignity, though it was anyone's guess if he actually could...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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The Astral Realm, a place where one can enter and be protected of both enemies, the passing of time and the seasons themselves. However, it wasn’t as though there were no seasons in such a realm at all — they simply behaved differently than the ones in the outside world.

It was fascinating, in all honesty. One week, it was spring, yet, come next week — bam! Autumn. All the flowers that were in full bloom just yesterday — falling on the ground, withering along with the cold weather.

A pattern did not seem to exist for such phenomena, yet, if one were to observe closely, one could predict the next season rotation and prepare accordingly. After all, there were farms and fields located at the warmest areas that grew as if following the real world’s time, while still being greatly affected by the Astral Realm’s seasons.

Leo had taken upon himself to study these marvels, not simply because of his own magical interest — given that his tome, Brynhildr, was closely related to earth and nature itself — but as a way to help improve their army’s conditions and provisions.

It was another task thrown into the pile of his own self-inflicted duties that he took pride partaking in. After all, he had a deep-rooted desire to prove himself despite being already quite accomplished, so it was something he chose to do.

Besides, knowledge was never wasted, no matter how trivial it sounded. Not that predicting the weather and the seasons was something trivial in the least, but… Alas.

No. Truth be told, Leo had ulterior motives after getting used to the predictions.

According to his calculations, spring would start tomorrow, and would last for all but four days. After that, it would be a scorching, long-lasting summer, so the opportunity might take a long time to ever come again.

Leo took a deep breath. He had four days to prepare. Four days to research the best spot, three days to gather the supplies, two to put it all together, and only one to actually do it.

Of course, he still had to ask for the other party's opinion on all of this and... Argh, that was the most frustrating part. Predicting people's reactions based on emotion.

Still, he was at least at a better level at it than Beruka, so he could at least give himself a pat on the back for that.

... Oh, what was he saying? Comparing himself to Beruka of all people regarding human emotions and thinking he had the upper hand? It would be weird if he did not!

"Breathe, Leo," he murmured to himself, placing one hand on a wall and lowering his head so he could take a deep breath. In and out, that's it. In and out. "This isn't like me at all," he sighed.

Ah, how love changes one person, does it not? Where did all that confidence and poise as prince had gone? If anyone looked at him now, basically all but trembling at a corner of the library as if he had been suddenly struck by anemia, they would think him mad.

Still, he couldn't mask the little smile that sprouted upon his lips as he imagined the scene — once his plan was complete, all the preparations were done, and the two of them, him and her, having a great time under the blossoming trees.

He placed the other hand on his faint heart, clutching it as if he could pat it directly so it would calm down.

Yes, he could do it. After all, who was he? He was Leo, second Prince of Nohr, most accomplished scholar, strategist and magician, heir of the magical tome of wonder, Brynhildr! And none other.

Puffing his chest up, after a small self-pumping session, he was good to go. 

Little did he know that his little theater was a source of much entertainment for his retainer, Niles, who observed him from outside of the window, over a tree. He would laugh about it for a few days; might even tell Leo about it, too.

Still, Leo left none the wiser to his retainer's shenanigans, basically hopping to make all the necessary arrangements. There was a long night of detailed planning ahead, but Leo was no stranger to all-nighters.

As expected, spring had sprung once dawn broke, showering all of the Astral Realm with pink petals and dancing pollen.

For a nohrian, it was still a rather strange feeling to experience spring so clearly, and perhaps that was the reason why he figured spring would be the perfect season to invite her over. Such a magical season, full of sprouting buds, flowering delights and delicious food.

Yes, ‘delicious food’ was the key here. Leo had read in a book that ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’, but gender was of no importance in this case. There had been several confirmed cases of such a phenomenon being true as he himself had researched not only within the army but also in some cities they passed by during their march. 

Well, it had been Niles who went out to do the footwork for this research, but although he liked to fool around, he had Leo’s absolute trust. Ergo, the theory was proven true and he could start to apply it in practice. It was known for a fact that her appetite was on the… larger side, so the most logical approach would be to cater to that.

Although he thought he needed four days to look for the perfect spot, it didn’t take even half a day to find one: under the blossoming trees in the southern path leading out of the Astral Realm. Usually, since they could leave through each of the four corners of the castle, there were preferred routes they could take to arrive wherever they wanted. The southern path was the most beautiful, but also the furthest away from the living or farming area. In truth, it was the closest entrance to the mines and panning pools — places which weren’t really needed for a marching army to explore.

Suffice to say, it was a perfect, quiet spot with very low chances of interruption. Besides, watching the pink, fluttering flowers dance from under a large tree seemed to be a magical experience with guaranteed success in any romantic endeavors. Sure, Leo wasn’t about to take Niles’ word for it, especially considering the side smirk and the way he sneakily held his waist as if trying to hold back laughter, but seeing the place now, it did feel rather idyllic. 

“Moving ahead of schedule,” Leo nodded to himself, crossing a bullet point in his notepad. He turned on his heel and left to procure the necessary ingredients for the feast.

The Astral Realm was really a blessing in that aspect — they could have a portable farm with them and not worry about taking great dips in their food stock. Sure, the farms still followed the real world’s time, but for an army that had to march year in, year out, it was a lifesaver to be able to enjoy the bounties of harvest while on the road.

As such, it wasn’t as if Leo was taking anything out of the pantry for his own selfish reasons — it was food that was going to be served to the soldiers anyway, especially considering his target’s bottomless appetite.

Ah, dear Effie.

She had caught his eye on more than one occasion even before they started marching into war. Through seemingly impossible odds, she became the youngest royal retainer to date only to reunite with Leo’s little sister, Elise, whom she had a budding friendship with a few years ago.

Through sheer determination, she bettered herself, perfected herself, trained herself. Each day she was ready to put her life on the line for her master and for her comrades, without ever losing sight of what was truly important.

The way she marched on ahead with a single goal in mind was baffling and charming to the overthinker Leo. She put her mind to one aspect of her life and ran away with it, cranking it up to eleven. Leo couldn’t help noticing how his gaze stayed on her longer and longer over the years, finally coming to the conclusion that he was in love after truly watching her in action.

She was dashing, she was caring… she was adorable, even when stuffing her face with food. Niles would laugh should he ever find out that Leo found her cute even when she tried to speak with her cheeks full of food. It was like a hamster. A huge, strong hamster that could bench press an uprooted tree like it was nothing.

So charming…

“Whoops,” Leo caught himself thinking about her as he procured the ingredients, noticing how his hands had stopped filling the entire crate with food. “Will this be enough…? I’ve seen her eat about this much food on a good day, but perhaps just to be safe…” he reached for a few more tomatoes.

Now that the plan was ahead of schedule, he had to think on his feet. If he started making the dishes right away, he would need to call on her as soon as possible — no matter how strong his preservation magic was, it worked best on raw ingredients. The moment they were mixed during cooking, the magic would lose its potency and the flavors could get mixed up should he try to strengthen it again.

So… it would all come down to him asking her out. He had already used a day of preparations, so if he cooked the whole day tomorrow, the food should still taste okay for the following day. Since there was no adverse weather in the Astral Realm, there was no need to worry about any spring showers ruining anything.

Thus, truly, it would all come down to him asking her out.

He took a deep breath.

In, and out. In… and out.

What a craven! Just the thought of coming up to her and asking to go on a date made his legs feel like mush. Besides, she was hardly ever alone. Sure, whenever she was training or eating she would stay by herself, but she disliked being talked to during such times.

She was such a serious and upfront person… Leo sighed like a schoolgirl in love, then shook his head to do away with such girlish thoughts.

First, he would cook. Then, he would look for her at the end of the day — surely she would be retiring to her quarters and, most importantly, far, far away from Elise. It would be the perfect moment to strike.

Puffing his chest up again, Leo nodded to himself and leff with light feet, confident in his own plan. Executing it would be another story, but for now, he was content.

The following day, he poured his heart out into cooking. He was someone that was able to master a skill after watching it once or twice — despite his initial clumsiness — so doing an array of tomato-related dishes was no problem at all. Nonetheless, he had to keep Effie’s tastes in mind when cooking, so he added plenty of meat and carbohydrates in the form of a wide variety of sandwiches. Tomato juice, tomato sauce, cheesy sandwich with sweetened tomato — a product of his own creation which he dubbed ‘ketchup’ — plenty of different kinds of patties of meat pressed between fresh vegetables and fluffy bread… It truly looked like he was preparing a feast for 50 people.

It would allllll go only for her. He smiled, thinking of her content expression in the face of such scrumptious lunch. The more he cooked, the more confident he felt about his odds.

So much so that he rode that wave and left as soon as he was finished storing it all safely, making his way to the soldier’s quarters.

Call it eagle’s eyes, rose-tinted glasses or what you will, but Leo managed to find Effie quite easily amidst them all. As royal retainer, she was allowed to sleep at the tower adjacent to the royal family’s, and Leo caught a glimpse of her just about to enter it.

“Effie!” He called out, proud that his voice didn’t crack. She was thankfully alone, so now was the perfect time.

Hearing her name, Effie turned around. For a moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the world. Leo felt like the falling petals and warm wind around them were spurring him into action. He could almost even hear some sort of background music, as if a world famous harp player were accompanying Azura’s most heartfelt song.

He gulped, taking another step forward.

“My Lord?” Effie turned to him, her cheeks slightly turning pink from catching the attention of someone  so distinguished as Lord Leo himself. She looked up to his taller height as he approached, her heart fluttering.

Oblivious to Effie’s inner positive response, Leo somehow managed to walk over to where she was without tripping. He was focusing so much on basic movements he was out of breath.

“Effie, are you—” he huffed, shaking his head. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“My Lord, are you okay—” she reached out to his sweating countenance, catching a whiff of something delicious coming out of his clothes. “This is…” she took a deeper breath, being charmed by the smell of food. 

“Well? Are you?” Leo urged, slightly panicking after she made a motion to touch his forehead with a handkerchief that somehow appeared in her hand.

Effie felt somewhat more comfortable after smelling food, so she reached her goal of patting the beads of sweat on his forehead. “Hm?” She smiled, catching Leo off guard. “I’m sorry, my Lord, could you repeat that?”

“It’s—!” He screeched, then cleared his throat. “C-come…” he tried to breathe in, but the scent of her floral handkerchief inebriated him, making his eyes twirl in panic. “Come tomorrow to the southern entrance!!” He blurted it all out as an order instead of as a request, but he was practically hyperventilating, so coherent thought was the first to go.

“B-but…” Shocked, Effie pulled out her hand, but Leo took it in a stupor, making them enter each other’s personal spaces. She gulped, her heart beating so fast she also was at a loss for words. “But what about training…”

“You can come after! After the morning training!” He almost yelled, squeezing her hand before letting it go altogether, turning around to leave. “You better be there! I’ll be waiting!” he said as he ran away, bright in the face, redder than the ripest of tomatoes.

“L-Lord Leo…” she reached out the place he was just a moment ago, seeing only his retreating back as he ran out of the soldier’s garrison.

“Whaaat?! Did he pretend not to know I was here, or something?!” Elise puffed up her cheeks, coming out of the door behind Effie. 

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Effie turned to Elise, returning the handkerchief. “Thank you for this, Lady Elise.”

“Honestly…” Elise crossed her arms after tucking the hankie away. She had even greeted him, gave Effie something to wipe his sweat with and waved from behind her and everything! How blind was he?! “I’m gonna ask Camilla if she knows anything about this, Effie. Thanks for escorting me, buh-bye!”

“Hm, yeah… bye…” she lifted one hand in a half-hearted parting gesture, still looking at the place Leo had disappeared to.

Elise, with a frown still adorably knotted in her face, went up the stairs, deep in thought.

It wasn’t uncommon for Leo to make silly blunders, like coming out of his room with pajama pants, or with his clothes inside out. There was one day when he came out to the battlefield still holding his pillow! It was hilarious.

Nevertheless, he was second only to Xander in overall competence within their family, so Elise respected him a lot despite all his flaws. She just wasn’t sure why he was acting so strangely with Effie when she was right there…

Deep in thought, Elise arrived in Camilla’s room right after, being welcomed with a big hug. While they caught up and Camilla brushed her hair, she explained what had happened a few minutes previous and jumped in surprise when Camilla threw her head back in laughter.

“My, oh my!! My, my!” She giggled, her beautiful face glistening and reddening in delight. “Elise, dear, you weren’t planning on going with Effie tomorrow, were you?”

“Huh? I mean…” she looked down, rather dejected.

“Oh, dear, so you figured it out, too? Why the long face?” Camilla hugged Elise’s shoulders from behind.

“It’s just that, I dunno… It feels kinda lonely. I look up to Big Brother Leo a lot and I respect him and I know he would be perfect for Effie since she’s my bestest of friends and I want all of the best for her, but… But…” she covered her face with her bangs, hiding her expression through the mirror Camilla was looking at.

“Mhm, darling. I’m proud of you for saying all that. How much you’ve grown!” Camilla teased, feeling Elise snort a bit before going back to pretend to sulk. “If you’d like, why don’t we take a walk tomorrow? Say, perhaps by the southern entrance…”

Elise’s head shot up. “Eh?! B-but won’t we intrude on them? I’m…”

“Oh? Whatever do you mean, my dear? We will just be taking a leisure walk, we won’t be disturbing anyone’s business,” she winked, making Elise’s expression brighten up.

“Uh-huh! I get it! Undercover spy mission!” She struck a pose much like how Odin would. Her shoulders felt less burdened and the smile returned to her lips.

“Now that suits you much more, dear,” Camilla smiled, caressing the corner of the oblivious Elise’s lips.

The two sisters planned their stakeout and gossiped until way into the night.

The following morning, while Elise slept, Camilla left earlier in the morning for her own training, though she also planned to go to where Leo was. If anyone needed a big sister right now, it was him.

She watched over how he loaded up a cart with a few crates and jugs, nodded to himself and ran back in only to come out one hour later fully dressed with a cute vernal outfit, and perfumed to boot!

“So cute, little brother. This big sister will watch over you,” Camilla giggled as he strapped the cart on his horse and had it pull it to the designated spot. “Well, I should go to Elise before she notices I’m gone.”

Another hour later, the pair of sisters were ready to start their stakeout.

Elise adorably wore a black cloak over her entire body, and tried to cover her face with one of her oversized pigtails. It looked so silly and cute Camilla couldn’t take it, so she said nothing and simply followed her lead.

“Are you sure this is okay, Big Sister?” Elise asked with a muffled voice from all that hair, glancing back at Camilla who was walking around like normal behind her. “W-won’t we get found out? I think Leo would be super mad at me if I do something wrong… I’m scared when he’s really angry.”

“Don’t worry, dear Elise, everything will be fine. He’ll be so caught up in our lady friend he won’t even notice us. Besides, there’s a gazebo a bit further down the path from where we can see it all with no trouble.”

Why Leo didn’t choose that place as the date spot was anyone’s guess, honestly. It would protect them from the elements and from falling petals, but it wasn’t for Camilla to guess what went through her little brother’s genius mind. 

Arriving safely on their spot, the sisters comfortably sat down, enjoying the cool spring breeze.

“Ah!” Elise perked up, pointing somewhere below them. “He’s there, big sister!”

“So he is,” Camilla nodded.

Leo had decorated the place perfectly. Since it was under a tree, he brought a sturdy, light-colored cloth to place on the ground, then another, lighter and cuter one to place on top of it for a spot of color; separated the food in various baskets and dessert towers while keeping the larger jugs of beverage and water somewhere closer so it would be easier to refill their cups.

It was absolutely perfect.

“But, Little Brother, if you do it like that for so long…” Camilla placed one hand over her cheek in worry. 

Leo, oblivious to the stalking sisters a ways behind him, was too fidgety to worry about anything but how to breathe at that moment.

He didn’t know if he should appear stoic, cool, aloof or eager when she finally arrived.

The poor prince changed positions at least seven times over the course of a single minute. Should he lean on the tree, or should he cross his legs? Maybe lean one arm over a knee and read a book with the other, coolly? Perhaps place the book on his lap and read normally? Or…

Curse having Odin around him all the time! Now he couldn’t stop overthinking the impact that a cool pose could have on a woman. He wasn’t about to go around yelling BLOOD AND THUNDER or whatever nonsense Odin screamed during battle, but now he was so overwhelmed by it all he was almost thinking Odin was right…

His eyes were twirling and he was getting dizzy, so maybe he should drink a cup of warm tea…

As he was reaching towards the teacup, he heard her arrive.

“S-sorry, Lord Leo, it took a bit longer than usual to do my routine…” Effie huffed, covered in sweat and still wearing her training clothes — which were weighted and heavier than normal clothes — but she still looked so striking.

The few rays of light that filtered through the trees illuminated the sweat running down her face, cheeks, neck and collarbone, wayy into her clothes…

Leo flinched at where his eyes were going, mentally slapping his face as he quickly got up. “Don’t mention it, I didn’t wait long— wah!” he obviously tripped over his legs which were asleep from being seated for so long, despite all of the moving around while trying to find a cool pose.

“Lord Leo!” Effie effortlessly caught him with one hand, though she knocked over one of the dessert towers in the process. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry, Lord Leo! I’ll put it all back in no time—” She crouched to pick the food up, but the moment she took a fruit, she was bitten by an ant. “Ouch…”

“No, no, it’s all my fault for arranging them like this—” he tried to dissuade her and finally took a look at the ‘picnic for 50’ he had arranged all around him.

Ants.

There were so many ants.

Some went after the fruits, while others followed the juice’s trails. Some even went onto the sandwiches as well.

No, no, nononono! Leo froze on the spot, his stomach sinking. 

It’s all ruined! Everything!

His plan had been so perfect; his organization, his cooking, even how he asked her out! … Well, maybe not that one, but still! How could he have been so stupid as to forget the existence of such stupid pests?!

He was the one in charge of developing pesticide for their crops, for gods’ sake!!! He knew they were an issue! He did!

Befuddled, Leo didn’t know what to do or what to say. “Effie, f-forgive me, I didn’t take that into account. It’s fine if you want to leave— Wait, what are you doing?! Don’t eat that!” He touched her shoulder in a panic as she ate an entire sandwich after swatting away the visible ants. 

“Don’t worry, Lord Leo. It’s all really delicious!”

“I mean don’t eat them! They’re insects!” Pale in the face, Leo was aghast at Effie’s nonchalant attitude. 

Effie tilted her head to the side. “They’re good for eyesight, didn’t you know?” She said with the straightest face one could ever muster, making Leo rethink his entire life.

“They’re… what?” He sat down, perplexed.

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of Effie munching, but then she started to shake a bit before giggling. “Pfft… B-because… Have you ever seen one wearing glasses?”

“What…?” Leo deflated, his eyes spinning. “What do you mean? There is no way to produce a pair of glasses small enough for ants to wear—”

Effie couldn’t hold it anymore and laughed a bit louder. “F-forgive my impudence, my Lord. It’s… it’s just that you’re so smart, I didn’t think you would take me so seriously…” She snorted down some more food, picking up the enormous jug with one hand and drinking straight from it without bothering with a cup. 

“So it was… it was a joke.” he frowned, cursing his stupidity, then looked at the giggling woman in front of him.

She was… she was having fun. She was eating his food, even though there were ants all over the place. 

“Don’t worry about them, my Lord. There’s no harm in eating ants.” She said with such conviction it actually made Leo feel less miserable. “Besides, with food this good, I wouldn’t want them to have it all for themselves!” She smiled toothily, making Leo’s heart skip a beat.

Ah, she was so beautiful. Even as she ate, even as she choked from eating so much — wait, he had to help her there, but still. She was so beautiful, so caring; so understanding.

She accepted his blunder with stride and managed to keep their picnic from flubbing completely.

Truly, there was no woman like her, Leo thought as he smiled shyly, taking a bite of one of the few sandwiches that were safe from the ants.

From their spot, the sisters breathed a collective sigh of relief to see the two of them enjoying themselves. 

It was a good day.

[jeunn-a]

makoto commission

[gzeidraws]

Lucina and Tiki as Makoto and Aigis ✨

Commission for Random!

[azuries]

ryomina matching icons commission 🌙 ☀️ !

[mmag-translations]

Indigo Disk Bad Ending | By Tamagawa Yuki

CW: Graphic depiction of violence, character death

Commissioned by Anonymous

[rabbitlegs]

batch of rewards from the crescent moon tier

[ilitiaforever]

And another commission delivered, this time we go to something retro, from those good old days with Eiri Yuki of Gravitation.

[phoneyganomey]

hi yukination!!!

i offer you a biblically accurate tsunoda plush in these trying times 😋

posted these on twt a while ago but it flunked so i thought i’d try my luck on tumblr so hiii :3

[edo-sama]

super quick thing because i'm rusty with art

[kokomiin]

[yukiwrites]

Sharing Burdens

THIS IS SO LATE... so so late. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WAITING AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH @spacesmilodon i hope you LIKE ITT ToT)

Summary: Iduun had joined the Companions after a past at the Thieves' Guild. Even if she was the Dragonborn, it did not feel right, to Vilkas, to accept someone with her history in their ranks. However, as they got to know one another, perhaps Vilkas ought to rethink on how he saw those around him...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh. Ash, debris and blood rained down from the sky, as explosions above and below shook the very core of the earth.

No matter how fast she ran, there was no escape.

She was out of breath, but there was no end in sight. The sky crumbled above, and the earth squelched with decay beneath her — there was no escape.

With her weapons in hand, she tried to reach the end, to reach the house, to reach him—

But she never made it.

No matter how many times she relived that moment, no matter how many times she went over it in her head, the outcome was always the same.

She never made it.

The sad smile on his lips as putrid blood gurgled his throat.

“No…!” She tried to speak, but her voice never came out. She tried to touch him, but the inherent disgust against what was consuming him stopped her hands. What a fool!

His voice sounded so distant. He said something, but in her ears there were only explosions. Unknown monsters shifted, encircling her. She was trapped. They were trapped.

Dread filled her. The air grew colder, her heart raced, and a sense of impending doom consumed her.

As she turned around —

“Ah!” Iduun woke up in cold sweat, panting. She sat on the bed with a startle, reaching for her weapons by instinct.

For a few seconds, as her eyes shook, she tried to place herself in reality.

“Huff…” She breathed heavily, still getting adjusted to where she was. Seeing in the dark was a meager bonus from her contract with Nocturnal, so it wasn’t as though she didn’t actually know.

She simply had to shove the memories back to where they belonged.

It was over; she had failed. She saved some, but lost so many more.

With each step she thought she gave in the right direction, the world seemed to disagree with her. The more she tried, the harder it became; it was too much to bear, too much to carry.

Too much… too much.

“Hahh…” Iduun sighed, shaking her head to snap out of it, her flowy, bright red hair following like streaks of fire. “I won’t gain anything by berating myself here,” she whispered, since only thinking had been too hard. Careful so as not to wake up any of the other Companions in the room, she got up, finally noticing the weapons in her hands.

An axe and a sword. Her lips trembled and her shoulders hardened as she looked at that combination, once again resorting to shaking her head to do away with the memories.

She left the room as if running away, sheathing back her weapons while not sparing a glance back at the bed. As she went out of the room, she took a few bottles of mead on the way to the mead hall, intent on welcoming the day early.

She embraced the cold embrace of Whiterun in the middle of the night, feeling more awake and grounded as she went up the stairs.

To her surprise, there was someone else still (or already?) awake in the middle of the mead hall, close to the fire, buried in a book.

It was Vilkas.

She didn’t notice, but her shoulders sagged visibly once she realized it was him, her chest feeling slightly less burdened than a moment ago.

Although he had heightened senses as a werewolf, it was still hard for him to feel the presence of one blessed by Nocturnal unless she wanted to be found, so it took until she was close to the table for Vilkas to finally look up from his book to where she was.

Surprise was visible in his eyes, and he almost hid his book on instinct, but managed to control himself and simply closed it as she approached. “Dragonborn,” he said somberly, shifting his weight on the chair, suddenly conscious of his posture.

“Doing some hard reading, I see,” she placed a tuft of hair behind her ear as she sat one chair away from him, placing the bottles she had brought between them. “These are always a great company for a difficult book,” she said, tilting her head to the half-empty bottle beside him.

“Indeed,” he chuckled stiffly, his throat parched for some reason. He wet it down with some mead, feeling a bit of clarity return to the back of his eyes.

Iduun.

A beautiful woman with fiery hair, reserved personality, a strong sense of justice and of self. The last Dragonborn; Former member of the Thieves’ Guild; and also… bearer of Nocturnal’s blessing — or rather, curse — a fact Vilkas recently learned about by pure coincidence.

He had always felt scorn towards her despite her strong arm. A former thief? What was the Companions turning to, if they could resort to allowing anyone to join? Even if Kodlak had approved of her — and even if her strength preceded her — Vilkas was still skeptical of her presence in their leagues.

So he had no right to say that they got along well, not after the way he trained her harder than the others; not when he watched her movements closer than the others… Not when he judged her before getting to know her circumstances.

Thus, they were often seen bickering high and low, no matter the time of the day or where they were. He always found faults in her, and she wasn’t one to take it lying down either, so they always had something to say to one another.

Some, like his brother and Iduun’s friend, Rannah, would say that they actually got along really well, but that couldn’t possibly be the case. Not when he treated her like that. 

And yet, she approached him with a weary face but a friendly smile, as if it was actually true.

Vilkas bobbed his head to her, then to the bottles. “Hard night?” He dared to ask, wondering if he was prying too much.

Iduun popped one bottle open, gulping half of it down at once, making Vilkas flinch and wave his hands apprehensively. After she put it down, she dried her lips with the back of her hand and sighed. “Yeah.”

He hardened his jaw at the regret dripping from her voice. 

She, too, had a past he did not know about. She, too, carried burdens he couldn’t possibly imagine.

She, too, was the bearer of a curse she wanted to escape from, though had no way of knowing how.

It was unfair that she was going to help them with their own curse with Hircine, while still bearing her own against Nocturnal.

Therefore, Vilkas wanted to do at least some research on how to help her with her own woes; the book he had been reading was regarding Nocturnal, though it was worded more like a fairy tale rather than anything concrete.

Still, if he kept it up — if they worked together, perhaps — he was sure they would find a way. Kodlak found some clues after years of searching alone, but if she and Vilkas were of a mind to do it together, then…

Noticing Vilkas’ hesitation, Iduun glanced at the book under his hand.

“Ahh, so you know,” she said simply, leaning back against the chair.

As if caught in the act after trying to play it cool, Vilkas flinched, lowering his head. “I… apologize. I did not mean to intrude; I came upon it by coincidence,” his voice was hoarse, but his tone was firm. “I’ve no right to have treated you the way I did…”

“Oh? Whatever might you be referring to?” Her lips went up at his attitude. He had always been a principled man who was hard on her due to her sketchy background. And yet, still, he was sincere in his praises and did not hesitate to give out the proper rewards to any of the jobs she had taken. It was natural that he would look at her with scorn, but Iduun could see where he was coming from, so she was not affected by it. “I thought we were getting along just fine, weren’t we?” her smile was weak, as her mind was still reveling from the nightmare, but the feelings were true.

Looking at his surprise and seeing his countenance relax to the point of leaning back to the chair made her appreciate the moment even more. It felt like a new memory was being created; a new moment was painting over the terrible happenings of her past, allowing her to look forward instead of inward.

He chuckled, perhaps remembering something or the other about how Rannah and Farkas were always teasing them about that very subject, setting her off as well.

“We were, were we not? We were… we do…” he breathed out, picking up his bottle and raising it to her. In turn, she lifted hers, clinking them together in a toast. “To breaking our curses.”

“To breaking our curses,” she repeated in a lower voice, her chest filling with warmth even as she downed the rest of the chilled bottle. She sighed after the last sip, placing the now empty bottle amidst the full ones. “There are many more where that came from, will you join me?”

“Anytime, Shield-Sister,” he answered promptly, moving to the chair that was empty between them. As they drew closer, so did their whispers.

Iduun smiled more brightly this time, exhaustion slowly being lifted from her countenance in the face of pleasant company, while Vilkas’s perpetual scowl easened as they grew closer.

“Would it be too bold of me to ask regarding your… situation?” He tried to be as mindful as possible, but although he had a good head on his shoulders, he was no minstrel. There was only so much a man who had been raised a warrior from infancy could accomplish, especially regarding interpersonal relationships.

Noticing the awkward sincerity in his expression, Iduun closed her eyes as the smile that did not seem to go away grew in her lips. Even though she was about to talk about the unspeakable things she did not dare utter in the past, she felt that it would be okay, if it was him.

She shared details she left out even when she opened up to Kodlak, a few days ago.

Back then, he had asked her to go find the Glenmoril witches and behead them in the name of the Companions, so as to lift their curse laid by Hircine. Feeling a bond of trust between them, Iduun told him that her own soul was also snared by a Daedric Prince, one whose hold she also hoped to break free of.

To Vilkas, she whispered more details regarding the contract and the happenings within the Thieves’ Guild, under the ever-constant cracking of fire and the slow break of dawn.

He listened to her closely, at times patting her shoulder in solace, other times keeping silent in a way to allow her to continue at her own pace.

She spoke of things no other soul had ever known, but still, he listened with great care, chipping in with his own experiences regarding Hircine’s curse. He, too, was plagued by nightmares.

Nightmares of hunting; of tearing flesh apart, of destroying any and everything he ever cared about only to return to his senses and see their blood dripping from his own hands.

The madness of the Wolfblood, the inability to ever feel rested after a night’s sleep; the bloodthirsty need to butcher one’s enemy and— and the herculean control one needs to suppress these urges.

They found solace in each other’s experiences, drawing closer with each tale. Their whispers were barely audible to anyone but themselves, as the mead around them ran dry and their lips loosened.

Topics that started somber and, quite frankly, rather depressing, turned brighter as their moods lightened. After a while, they were speaking of amusing or befuddling memories, dissolving into quiet laughter together.

Most of Vilkas’s stories referred to times Farkas had put his fist where his mouth was, or times he had to save his brother from near-death experiences — which turned out to be funny in the end; while most of Iduun’s stories were about her failing some perception checks and having to run away in the most impossibly embarrassing ways possible.

The change of pace was gradual, yet so very welcome. They had never spent so much time talking together before.

It was, perhaps, their first positive interaction ever since Iduun joined the Companions.

Truth be told, it was a wonder they hadn’t hit off sooner.

Under the cover of night and the warm embrace of the fire, with the pleasant atmosphere of the twilight… it was as if Jorrvaskr was their secret place.

For those few hours, there were only the two of them.

“This may be the first time we’ve discussed something other than the Companions — or related matters,” Vilkas confessed as light started to filter in through the gaps under the doors. “To be honest, I appreciate it.”

The Dragonborn leaned on her arm over the table, looking at him with a warm gaze and a fond smile. “We should spend more time together,” she said slowly, sizing him up for his reaction.

Vilkas’s eyes perked up and his shoulders rose slightly, making him appear bigger. A smile could barely be contained upon his lips as he nodded, turning away to take another sip of mead. “You said that.”

As Iduun opened her mouth to say, “so I did,” the door to the dorms downstairs swung open, ever so quietly, but it was loud enough to break the idyllic bubble the duo had clustered themselves in, being suddenly thrown back into reality.

The steps going up the stairs were swift and quiet, fit for a hunter, and sure enough, the one who graced them with her presence was none other than the altmer hunter, Rannah.

“Oh, I thought I was the first one awake,” she scratched her cheek as Vilkas stretched himself to appear farther away from the Dragonborn than he really was. “Did I come at a bad time? I can juuuuust slip away,” she openly showed motions of sneaking, making Iduun giggle.

“Nonsense,” the Dragonborn replied, getting up from her seat, under no shortage of creaking from being in the same position for so long. “We were just about to leave as well, weren’t we?”

Vilkas cleared his throat, mechanically getting up. “Indeed we were. Yes. Just about.” He nodded, quite proud for playing it cool as he turned around to tidy up the empty bottles.

Rannah lifted one eyebrow in doubt, looking from him to her friend. Iduun winked with a smirk, then turned back to the stairs, making Rannah cover her mouth so as not to guffaw.

“If you’re going out to hunt, may I come along? I feel a bit stiff,” she asked, not waiting for the reply as she went down the steps.

The altmer bit her lower lip, still trying to contain her laughter, and a weird sound came out when she tried to say, “sure.”

However, after she cleared her throat to give a proper response, the door opened even before Iduun could touch the handle, revealing none other than Farkas.

“Ah,” they said in unison, almost colliding.

“My bad,” he said as she nodded and made way for him to pass. “Thanks.”

Seeing how he barely looked at her, almost too anxious to go up the stairs as if he was after a certain someone, it was Iduun’s turn to bite her lower lip to avoid laughing. “No problem. Hey, Rannah?” She raised her voice on purpose, making not only Farkas but Rannah flinch all the way up there. “I think I’m passing the hunt for today, I’ll go back to bed for a bit.”

“Oh? Sure, good night, then.” Rannah’s voice replied from above, and Iduun saw how Farkas got a spring in his step as he went up. Just before Iduun closed the door, she heard Rannah’s tone sweeten considerably as she let out an exclamation of surprise. “Oh, Farkas… I didn’t know you were awake.”

“Yeah, I usually wake up at this time to train,” he scratched his head, his hands sweaty for some reason.

Iduun closed the door behind her, still hearing a bit of their conversation through the gaps.

She slowly made her way back to the communal room, enjoying each step she took through the hard wood floors, taking in even the slightest smell.

It was striking the difference of her mood between when she had left earlier that night to how she came back at dawn. Then, she could barely place herself in reality, let alone realize where she was stepping; now, she vividly saw each book, each misplaced sweet roll, each scratch on the wood.

By sharing her burdens, they had lightened their weight on her shoulders so much she felt on cloud nine. Her steps bore no sound at all and her chest was light as a feather.

Truly, they should spend more time together.

Even she was surprised at how well that meeting had gone, in spite of all that had happened between them.

Vilkas was a good man; a man with a good head on his shoulders, with a great sense of responsibility and a strong arm to have around in battle.

She looked up to him, as a person, as a Shield-Sibling, as a warrior and as a woman.

Not even realizing she was smiling as she sat back on bed, Iduun lay back down and closed her eyes thinking only that yes, they should spend more time together.

[panhpanhpanh]

F1 drivers as vietnamese snacks drawn by me. Available as stickers for purchase in vietnam.

[gzeidraws]

💙💖 Makoto, Akihiko, and Shinjiro commission done for Julius!

[quirefeast]

Something old.

[actually--bee]

my favpurite twins

[ghostedtea]

my tartarus infiltration team