A Break In The Country (Anna)

 I was torn between the political break in Skyrim with the civil war and all that or a break as in rest and well you'll just need to read on to see which one I ended up going with :)

A break in the country
Falkreath may count as the middle of nowhere in some parts of the world, but in Skyrim it more so occupies a spot on the list of larger areas that can be considered the middle of nowhere. The list includes most of the country outside of a few select cities, the tundra and woodlands are vast and sparsely populated outside of the cities and occasional hamlets. That being said, lake view manor provides an excellent place for a break in the country. Situated on top of a hill looking out on the lake and mountains on one side, and close within reason to the road on the other it’s a beautiful location- talking to the Jarl ended up paying off in the end. While there’s always a long list of things to do, I was beginning to feel the early stages of burnout rapidly approaching, and as a result managed to convince Farkas that on our way to wherever we end up next to take a day or two in order to rest. Burnout is never a pleasant feeling and the quiet location while still being close to major routes of travel is just the place to take a break in the country. Usually houses are provided with some sort of steward or in some cases a housecarl in this country and have a room or two for themselves, however the steward in this case decided they would rather stay and live in their already assigned quarters within the Jarls residence, and could be called upon as needed when matters needed solving. Usually that may be a bit annoying, though in this case it may be a blessing in its own strange way. Undisturbed rest is such a rare thing to come by these days. Upon arriving the two of us drop whatever it is we had on us respectively and take turns cleaning up while cooking dinner with whatever happened to be fresh. A simple meal made with primarily non-perishable items, but a meal that was enjoyed nonetheless. We chat as we eat and I find that I don’t think Farkas truly understands what it means to take a break from doing things and rest, even for a day or two. How he isn’t extremely burned out is beyond me, even if one isn’t counting the insomnia- growing up in an organization like the companions must put a sizable amount of pressure to do well on one’s shoulders, among other things. After dinner we briefly part ways to do our own respective things, and Farkas later finds me on the rooftop balcony of the tower that houses my alchemy lab, looking out at the lake and it’s reflection of the night sky. “Thought I’d find you up here.” Farkas says as he sits down next to me, he guessed correctly. “I always liked the stars, on clear nights you could sometimes see the moons over the water in the bay and the stars reflecting back- like a big watery mirror.” I muse, looking out at the lake, which does a similar thing and has perhaps even more of a mirror-like quality due to being mostly still water and lacking the waves of the Iliac Bay. We continue to talk late into the night, about a variety of subjects, until at some point I must have eventually fallen asleep- as I wake up in the morning in bed. Still sleepy I look around for a moment to get my bearings before deciding it is to early to be awake and go back to sleep. Later I’m woken from my light sleep by movement brushing stray strands of hair away from my face and briefly open my eyes ever so slightly. I’m told that I can go back to sleep, I wasn’t meant to be woken up, and with the hold of sleep already with a grip on me I lay my head back down and go back to sleep. Some hours later I wake up alone and find a note on the now cold other side of the bed, Farkas decided to go off for a bit and wander, maybe deal with some of the deer that are all over the place. While generally against hunting, those deer can very much be considered an invasive species, so if something happens to happen to them as a result of a wandering werewolf I don’t have much of a problem with that. Besides, it gives me some time to do as I please, and that includes staying in bed and finishing the book I’d shoved in my bag before taking a much needed hot bath. Having taken a bath that managed to relieve more muscle tension than I thought was possible I get dressed and decide to deal with the rather annoying necromancer who had set up shop down the hill, unfortunately she wasn’t interested in talking but it wasn’t anything a fireball or two couldn’t fix. I noticed the witch last night while sitting on the rooftop balcony, and having searched the body find a few ingredients I could use when it comes to alchemy. Returning to the house I gather up a few more useful things on my walk and from the garden before getting to work mixing potions, and trying not to cause any explosions. By the time Farkas returns from his miniature expedition it’s early in the evening and he finds me grinding up a pile of bone meal, stops to say hello, and goes to clean up. Things seem to have gotten messier than expected but he seems to be in good spirits and mentions there’s a few things he thought I could use in the bag he brought with him. Indeed there are, antlers have surprising properties when it comes to alchemy. I feel a bit bad though that the necromancer didn’t have anything of use for him. As I finish grinding up my needed ingredients a thought dawns on me, while I don’t have anything to give in return in the same fashion, I can cook something far better than what one would typically find in this frozen country…that is if we have the ingredients. Sneakily I go downstairs and see what’s available, oh yes these will do nicely. The opportunity to take a long time to thoroughly clean up is one that is taken without a second thought which gives me just the amount of time to figure out what to make and to actually go about cooking it. I’m sure he appreciates the moments of quiet alone time as well, while still having someone nearby. It’s perhaps an odd feeling, one he has attempted to explain before with varying degrees of success, but I think the inability to sleep causes some boredom and perhaps even loneliness at times. As a result I think Farkas finds it comforting to have someone around, while we still both enjoy having our alone time doing our own interests and hobbies and spending time with our own friends and acquaintances, and the feeling is mutual. Oftentimes while in Whiterun we’ll part ways, I’ll go and chat with Aela and the twins will get into whatever they get into- which usually involves at least one discussion about one handed versus two handed weapons. Healthy relationships are built on trust and respect, after all, and despite being always open for a hug or a shoulder to cry on, personal space and ideas and relationships with others are always important too. By the time Farkas is finished I was able to throw together a simple traditional meal I often had while growing up and set everything up, with the help of a little magic. “I felt a bit bad I didn’t have anything for you when you came back…so, I made dinner?” I explain sheepishly, attempting to keep my face from flushing. However, I can feel my efforts failing more and more by the second as a pair of silver eyes dart between me and the table- clearly impressed. After a bit more socially awkward fumbling of words I decide it’s better to simply stop talking and eat, it’s been a busy yet somehow relaxing day. “So, is skyrim's deer population significantly more under control after today?” I joke as the two of us once again wind up on the roof of the tower, looking at the stars. “I wouldn’t say significantly, but it’s definitely lower.” Farkas replies before adding that the Jarl of Falkreath might be a tiny bit mad about that fact, but all he’d really need to do is take a brief trip nearly anywhere else in the country. “The Rift, for example, the place has more deer than people!” Farkas explains and makes me laugh, he’s not wrong. Outside of Riften and the small village like Iverstead the entire Hold is practically woodlands, and the occasional vampire. The point about the Jarl of Falkreath makes me stop and think for a moment “Do Jarls get holidays?” I ask, the people in charge of keeping High Rock running don’t I’d assume. “My guess would be no, you’ll just have to ask next time you see one.” Farkas says with a smile, looking at me fondly as I sit next to him leaning against his shoulder. For a werewolf he’s very cuddly, especially without armor on, the kind of person that you look at and your first thought is they look friend shaped I’d like to go talk to them. “What do you think Jarls would do on holiday anyways?” I wonder as I look out on the lake “Probably depends on the Jarl, but my guess would be sleep.” Being a Jarl of anywhere sounds like a lot of work, even if most of it is handled by a steward. More importantly the thought of sleep crossing my mind causes me to realize how tired I am with a yawn and a sigh, going not quite limp against my companion of choice. “Sleepy?” I nod and in response am asked if I want to go downstairs, that sounds like a good idea. Climbing down a ladder while still at least mostly awake is probably a much safer idea than doing it when mostly asleep. In my head I say goodnight to the moons overhead, and the stars in the sky, and climb down the ladder back to the second floor of the manor. A quick rinse off is required on my part before changing into a fresh set of clothes, which resulted in an unexpected second wave of energy. Tonight however is cooler than I’d planned for so my clothing does not help much when it comes to being cold. Thankfully the combination of blankets and body heat make up for it. Privacy, along with consent, are two additional pillars I think of while waiting and sitting in bed, thinking to myself not only about the day and the importance of time off, but also about how many people I’ve met in this country who do not seem to understand such things should exist in whatever relationships they have with people. The Greymanes and Battleborns come to mind, and I know not many of the circle have fond feelings for the Battleborns in particular. “You seem to be lost in thought- are you?” I’m brought back to the present and find Farkas sitting on the edge of the bed having finished getting dressed and looking at me. “Well…I was…not anymore though, but it’s no problem.” I explain slowly moving closer as he fully gets into bed until seizing my chance to strike and wind up in his lap. “Hello.” I say with a grin, sitting there as it takes Farkas a few seconds to process what happened “Hi.” What was the goal of such a move? I don’t know, however it leads to an interesting discussion. “I thought you said you were tired?” It’s true, I did says that. “I was tired, but now I’m not. Now I’m just cold.” Farkas points out my shirt is barely more than a camisole, citing the reason for my being cold. “Upon looking for clothes I couldn’t find anything else!” Besides, I feel a familiar heated feeling rising by the second, the lack of warm clothing may become a nonissue rather soon. After a few more minutes of discussion and a few moments of silence I decide to make another perhaps ambitious move and kiss him. “Are you sure about this?” I’m asked upon coming up for air and am stopped before my second attempt. “You said you were tired, are you awake enough to consent?” The answer is a very enthusiastic “Yes.” as it seems my overactive hormonal system has taken the opportunity of privacy and time to relax upon itself to ensure there’s enough muscle relaxation and chemical production to make it a tad bit difficult to stand up the following morning. In the moment though I find the question sweet in its own way, a detail most might gloss over once they realized what they were getting the opportunity to have, it’s caring. After some more discussion and clarification that I really am awake and competent a rhythm is established of kisses in between the occasional comment or two until our places switch with a moment's pause for air before resuming. Whatever cold that was making its way into my bones and stiffness into my joints and muscles fall away under gentle wandering touches and even softer kisses. I think people forget that some people get their own form of satisfaction from the ability to please other people in their manner of choice or skill, and I’m reminded of that as it’s whispered in my ear that there’s no need to put a hand over my mouth to muffle myself as I’d been doing to keep sound from escaping, it’s just the two of us after all. The point is driven home by a gentle touch combined with a less than gentle, while not being outright painful, bite that nearly makes me scream. I can already tell that’s going to bruise, but I don’t care- I’ve had worse bruises, from equally pleasant, if rougher, experiences. At some point the tension breaks and my fatigue returns once more redoubled in intensity, thank you endocrine system for the ability to fall asleep quickly after coming down from a peak. The cold from earlier had become a nonissue and other thoughts dance in my head as I’m carefully moved and cuddled with a hand carding through my hair as I’m softly sung a lullaby in a language that through my sleep induced daze I can’t quite make out. Farkas has a nice voice, and I look up once more at the pair of metallic silver eyes that remind me of a reflection of the stars themselves before dropping my head down again from exhaustion and passing into a vivid, dream filled, sleep that lasts well into the following morning. Upon waking up the next day I find all good things must come to an end, it’s time to continue on to where we’re supposed to be going, the well deserved rest was nice while it lasted, and I make a mental note to schedule in more breaks, who knows what might go on during the next mini holiday or break in the country?