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Good Enough Friends

It was getting to be dark. None of them had been in any hurry, so they had been taking it slowly, crossing over the landscape for the entire day, it was warm, unexpectedly for Skyrim, so they laid in the grass, and watched animals wandering seemingly aimlessly across the plains, undisturbed by the presence of the four. Viola insisted that they take off their shoes and wade into the stream they had been following. Erik did so eagerly, Lydia rolled her eyes and pretended to be annoyed to be wasting time, but definitely didn't refuse. Skalarn sat on the shore.

The sun was just setting as the waded into the water. Viola grinned at the fish down below her. The colors brought a nice change, and it had been too long for her feet to stay in the same boots. She let out a sigh of relief as the cold water started to work, and her feet felt a slight sting. It was the first peaceful moment she had had in a long time.

Across the stream a bit, Erik was holding out his hand, and two dragonflies had landed on his fingers, he was concentrating on standing still when Lydia crouched down so her face was right next to his hand, and let out a small puff of air.

"Hey!" He said as the bugs flew away. Viola and Lydia laughed, even Skalarn let out a low chuckle, the first time they had seen him smile all day.

They had continued a bit down the road in the dark after drying off their feet. Erik had taken out four bottles of cheap wine and offered them to everybody. Skalarn declined, but Viola and Lydia gladly agreed. They reached an area a bit north that had a space underneath a small cliff that would work as a camp site. Viola had acquired earlier two makeshift tent materials. She showed the other three how she imagined to put them up, they looked terrible, but would do.

"Damn it, I forgot, I only have bedding enough for three people. Lydia, do you mind bunking?" Viola suddenly remembered. She was not expecting one person being added, not to mention two.

"Oh excellent." She said back sarcastically, it was a yes, Viola had known her long enough to pick up on the language. She beamed at her, it always got on her nerves. Lydia rolled her eyes for the fifth time in the last hour (Viola and Erik had begun counting) and went to gather wood for a camp fire. Skalarn decided to be of help and make a circle of rocks.

"Erik, could I talk to you quick?" Viola said walking to where she could just see Skalarn, but out of earshot. Erik followed.

"What can I help with?" He asked.

"It looks as if you'll be in the same tent as our new friend." She started.

"Ah yes, I guessed that would be how it works out." He said back. "An exciting way to spend the first night away from home. Bunking with a criminal, cross that off the bucket list."

"Lucky you, I haven't gotten that point yet." She joked back, then realized she was lying. She herself was a criminal. "Do you trust him?"

"Well he seems, sad. He's big, he could hurt me if he wanted, he could probably hurt all of us if he wanted. I don't think he does. I'm not afraid of him. Are you?" Viola looked over to the man. He was big, Erik was right. He looked rather intimidating, his black hair was deadlocked on the top and shaved on the sides of his head. He had pierced eyebrows, and a lip. But he placed the rocks in a circle so gentle, he was once loved by a wife, and he cared enough to walk halfway across Skyrim to speak of her death personally, so his brother in law would not have to learn from a stranger.

"No. I'm not. But we can never be to careful I suppose, at least that's what Lydia would tell you. How lightly do you sleep?" She asked, snapping back from her distracted daydream.

"Very."

"Good. Me too. If he gets up and tries to leave, just make some noise. I'll be up in a second." She starts walking back to the camp.

"Will do." He follows. They finish building the fire, and Viola puts two rabbits that she and Lydia had taken down that morning over the flames and they pass out pieces of bread. The four eat around the fire, using their laps as plates because Viola forgot the dishes. She coaxes Skalarn into speaking a bit about what it was like to be in a bandit clan. He didn't say much.

"Just as you would think. Disgusting. The men are cocky, and don't care for bathing. They women are better, they don't like to talk, and bathe maybe once a week. If we're near a river that is."

"And what's your opinion on bathing?" Lydia asked, snarky.

"Depends on the day." He retorted. Viola and Erik giggled as Lydia looked disgusted at the man.

They finished and went to bed. After the men disappeared into their tent, Lydia and Viola got to work trying to figure out how two people would fit in one bedroll. They decided to lay down a deer hide and try and cover up with the roll, the long way. Lydia fell asleep right away. She was a full blood nord and was pretty warm without needing much cover. Luckily for Viola she was also a very heavy sleeper, and didn't stir when she took the blanket mostly for herself. Sleep embraced her quickly.

Hours later she woke to the sound of footsteps outside. Through a crack in between tent flaps she could see someone poking at the fire, which was kept alive although it should have gone out long ago. She rose quietly, and grabbed one of Skalarn's daggers. Brushing past the poorly put together tent flap she snuck behind the big figure of a man, dagger ready, and tried to see who it was.

"Erik?" She asked, standing up and lowering her weapon. He jumped a bit.

"Oh! Um, sorry, I guess you were right about being a light sleeper." He chuckled a bit, for some reason very awkwardly, like he had something he was hiding, but knowing Erik, he didn't.

"Yeah, can I ask you something?" She said, crossing her arms. Damn it was cold. He nodded quickly. "What are you doing?"

"Getting fresh air."

"Erik. It's..." She looked up at the position of the moons. "Two in the morning, and we are sleeping outside. What's wrong?" He sighed. So he did have something he was hiding. His face gave up the stunned look it had earlier, and moved to something sad.

"I killed someone today." He started. "A living, breathing human being, who had thoughts and ideas." He continued poking the fire with a stick, Viola watched the embers lift into the air and sat down next to him. "They were once a child. They learned how to walk and talk. Maybe they had been in love. Someone certainly had to love them once. I took that away."

"It's true. But how many lives did you save? How many people did you avenge? All of them had lives too. You saw what that band of people did, we are innocent, and they attacked us. How many people had they done that to before?" She paused. "You could have just saved so many innocent people."

"You're right, I know you're right. And I wanted this, I still want it. I want to see the world and save people and learn. But it doesn't make it any easier. Does it ever get better?" He asks. His stare is blank, right into the fire, but he still speaks with all the expression and passion he always does.

"No, if you think about it, it never gets better." She sighed and remembered the first person she killed. She was so young, a thalmor was hunting her. She thought about it often. "The idea gets more distant, but never changes." He nodded, grimly, but his face lightened.

"It will be ok, I'm fine, just a bit in shock. I'm still positive this is what I want. Being out here on the road with you guys, is amazing, and I never thought I'd actually get to do it." He turned to face her. "Thank you, you've been a good friend, and We've only spoken so few times." He laughed a bit.

"Eh apparently we're good enough friends that you can wake me up in the middle of the night." She got up. "I am going to bed, I'd suggest you do the same."

"We'll see." He called out to her as she walked away, not breaking his gaze to the fire. Viola slipped into the tent, but did not fall asleep right away. She didn't want to start thinking, not again. She wouldn't.