it's like a candy bowl, but with prompts

[cainhurst]

hey, i'm necro and i already have a personal goal
to write 100+ prompts for one of my characters,
but he's not a very tame and child friendly baby
so enjoy different prompts with others instead

warning, a lot of my characters are super gay
little oddballs, so leave now if that offends ya
also may contain a lot of my elder scrolls babs

feel free to comment, but please be considerate
and disable your signature to keep this neat~ c:

xxx

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xxx

floki's challenge

[cainhurst]

1.// "Did you steal my Poptart?"
2.// "We could be hero's!"
3.// "We should be lovers..."
4.// "SNAAAAAAAAAAKE!"
5.// "What do you mean, NO?!"
6.// "THIS IS JUST BUSINESS!"
7.// "Maybe, just one more slice."
8.// "You can't leave! You'll die..."
9.// "I was a fool to believe..."
10.// "It all ends, today."
11.// "You must..."
12.// "You're just a silly girl!"
13.// "The show must go on..."
14.// "Just one more day, please..."
15.// "You can't just kill people!"
16.// "Seriously, who ate my Poptart?!"
17.// "I only speak the truth."
18.// "Don't let go Jack! Wait... you already did... rats."
19.// "I did not want this!"
20.// "What do you mean he's dead?!"
21.// "I haven't eaten in three days!"
22.// "Who am I? Not Jean Valjean..."
23.// "Did you just..."
24.// "Do. Not. Touch. That."
25.// "YOU JUST TOUCHED IT!"
26.// "I would never say that to you."
27.// "My receding hair line has been kissed..."
28.// "You have Elvis Presley eyes... I would know."
29.// "Dude, chocolates are bomb."
30.// "Could you... stay with me tonight?"
31.// "I can't loose you!"
32.// "Please... marry me."
33.// "I can't hug you..."
34.// "You call that a kiss?"
35.// "Since when did I ask for it to snow?"
36.// "I'M BATMAN" "No... no you are not."
37.// "NEVER SAY THAT WORD!"
38.// "I HAVE TB!" "No you have a cold!"
39.// "Can you not?!"
40.// "Tis only a flesh wound!"
41.// "Could you stop jumping for one minute?!'
42.// "Please repeat that, I wasn't listening."
43.// "You love me?"
44.// "Never do that again."
45.// "I dare you to lick that..."
46.// "What do you think of children?"
47.// "I like, like you."
48.// "BY GODS..."
49.// "I just wanted you..."
50.// "Damn it! I died again!"

51.// "I'm a mess."
52.// "Hey! Little ears are around!"
53.// "Please, don't cry..."
54.// "YOU PLAGIARIZING PIG!"
55.// "Since when did Disney add this?!
56.// "It only get's worse"
57.// "Oh crap..."
58.// "Please tell me that is not what I think it is."
59.// "What did you think I was doing?"
60.// "ALL HAIL ...!"
61.// "Now why did you do that?"
62.// "You have beautiful eyes."
63.// "Let's travel the world!"
64.// "I DON'T SPEAK FRENCH!"
65.// "Whatever happened to Joel?"
66.// "No way in, no way out."
67.// ""I will have my vengeance."
68.// "Grow up!"
69.// "I found the ring!"
70.// "We should run... like now!"
71.// "Can you please shut up?" "No."
72.// "I found that cliff..."
73.// "Are you sure that is safe to eat?"
74.// "I TOLD YOU TO GOOGLE MAP IT!"
75.// "Who died and made you queen?!"
76.// "Ich Sprechen Deustch"
77.// "Now wait a second, buster."
78.// "I would kill for you."
79.// "The greatest thing, is you."
80.// "I am a literary vampire."
81.// "A stake through the heart would kill anybody..."
82.// "Bon Jovi is my jam!"
83.// "Kiss me.. now."
84.// "I seem to have lost my contact."
85.// "TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON!"
86.// "DON'T SHOOT!"
87.// "Oh no... he has a sword too."
88.// "Are you sure it's dead?"
89.// "Ummmmm..."
90.// "I can't write anything good."
91.// "We aren't in Hogwarts!"
92.// "Please, stay with me."
93.// "He's not breathing!"
94.// "I...love...yo-"
95.// "She's gone."
96.// "Sir, where are your pants?"
97.// "I can't even."
98.// "I believe in you."
99.// "What can I say... you're welcome."
100.// "The sea... it calls me."

[cainhurst]

[img]title-picture[/img]
word count xxx warnings xxx
ooc xxx

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[cainhurst]

word count 1,066
warnings a dramatic death and gay elves,
ooc a lot of dialogue because dialogue is gr8
also, tfw a character is secretly super manipulative
for those unfamiliar with TES, this is a chaurus
they are super creepy and i actually hate them

"What do you mean he's dead?!" One would think that such an exclamation would sound shocked and distraught, but that was not the case this time around. If anything, the elf who had shouted those words sounded irritated and angry, the expression on his face reflecting just those emotions while golden eyes stared down at the unimpressed form of the shorter man standing in front of him.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the two of us speak the same language, so I meant exactly what you just repeated in an unnecessarily loud and obnoxious way." The red-eyed elf retaliated easily and immediately, voice dripping with sarcasm even now that he was being confronted by a very angry, very dangerous Altmer mage who locked about ready to electrocute him. If anything, his posture only started to look that much more relaxed when he noticed the way those eyes narrowed.

The blond could be scary, but Ethys knew that he'd never actually dare to kill him.

The Dunmer watched the mage with mild interest as he struggled for words, finding the sight of the usually so composed and eloquent elf being so out of it more than just a little amusing. Still, he forced himself to contain his amusement, chocking back laughter and instead offering a soft sigh as he stepped closer, extending a hand towards the obviously upset elf.

"Okay, Murarel, listen. I'm sorry about what happened, but I assure you that it was an accident." The taller one shied away from his touch, crossing his arms in front of his chest protectively. The gesture startled Ethys, prompting him to try and seek out the gaze of those golden eyes he was so familiar with, but the older one had already turned by then, facing away from him to avoid making eye contact with him.

"Oh, an accident? That makes it all okay of course!" The way the blonde's voice suddenly shook confused the Dunmer even more, who frowned and stepped closer once more, gently placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder in an effort to make him turn around.

"Are you... Are you crying?"

A quiet sob, followed by something that sounded way too much like the shaky inhale of a broken man to ease Ethys' mind.

"So what if I am?"

The shorter male raised his free hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tired to process the frustrating mood change his companion had just gone through. Whoever had claimed that only women could go from being angry and downright murderous to utterly broken was a liar, because men were obviously just as capable of it. At least this specific elf was, and Ethys honestly wondered again and again why he'd fallen for him out of all the people he could have had.

"Murarel, this is ridiculous. I-"

"Ridiculous?! You killed him, Ethys! You murdered the poor thing in cold blood!"

The mage turned and the other elf was immediately overcome by guilt when he noticed his teary eyes and trembling lips. At the same time, there was still an underlying feeling of frustration. He wouldn't have cared if this was anyone else, but how was he supposed to shrug this off and move on when it were those eyes that were staring down at him so accusingly?

"I already apologized, what else am I supposed to do?!"

"Nothing you could ever do will wash his blood off of your hands!"

"Alright, I was trying to be kind, but you're overreacting!"

"What?! You murder him, yet I'm the one overreacting?!"

"He was just a Chaurus for crying out loud!"

"How dare you call him just a Chaurus! He was my Chaurus! I loved him and he loved me!"

"He spat poison at you yesterday!"

"That was his way of saying that he loves me!"

"He tried to eat my face off before I killed him!"

"He was trying to be affectionate, and you stabbed him?! That's even worse!"

Having heard more than enough, Ethys threw up his arms with a loud, irritated groan. "What in Azura's name is wrong with you?! Are you even listening to anything you're saying right now? I killed the thing because it was attacking me and nearly murdered you on multiple occasions! He wasn't 'showing affection', he was actively trying to kill us!"

Murarel's lower lip began trembling more again, a slim-fingered and gloved hand coming up to angrily wipe away his tears. "Don't call him a 'thing', he was my child and you simply don't get it because you're a cold-hearted bastard who only cares about himself."

Ethy stared at the mage for a very, very long time, the silence weighing heavily on both of them. "Did you... did you really just say that?" A sigh followed his question as he was caught between wanting to be offended and run off, and wanting to comfort the pathetic sigh that his lover was at the very moment. He settled for the latter after a moment of consideration, figuring that it was the better option if he didn't want to painstakingly have to fix the relationship later on.

"Murarel, listen to me, please. I know that the thing-"

"Chi."

"... I know that Chi meant a lot to you, but really, he wasn't a safe pet to keep. I only stabbed him because I love you. Not because I wanted to keep myself safe in the future, but because I was afraid that you'd be the one pinned below a poison-spitting insect ready to chew on your bones one day, alright? I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

The blond seemed at least a bit more placid now. His lower lip had stopped quivering and his eyes, while still red and slightly swollen from the tears he had previously shed, were dry now. Golden orbs moved to meet red ones, and the taller elf hesitantly spoke up. "... Well, he's still dead."

Ethys buried his face in his hands, groaning once more before forcing out words he surely would regret later on.

"The Falmer domesticate those things, right? If I risk my life to get you an egg you can hatch to raise a younger version of Chi, are you finally going to give me a break?"

It was a good thing that the Dunmer didn't notice the small, mischievous grin that momentarily played on Murarel's lips.

"... Maybe." Got him.

[Pyjaks]

HAHAHAH WHAT I think I choked when I realized he was upset over a chaurus. I won't even go into dwemer ruins because those things are so scary.
But you're an awesome writer, I love your characters so much :D I'm pumped to see more

[cainhurst]

HAHAHAH WHAT I think I choked when I realized he was upset over a chaurus. I won't even go into dwemer ruins because those things are so scary.
But you're an awesome writer, I love your characters so much :D I'm pumped to see more

ahhh, thank you so much, i'm glad you liked it and that i managed to amuse someone with this c':
i was honestly going to go for the death of someone else at first
but then i thought "nah, i'm not gonna do what everyone expects me to do"
and that's how i went with this pretty ridiculous idea instead
chaurus are like something straight outta oblivion tbh, i usually just run past those creepy abominations

[floki,]

i love this... THIS IS PERFECT. i neeeeeeeeeeeeed more... yes.... YES.
okay but seriously this was so awesome. you did very well with the dialogue, and to be quite frank, it was hilarious.
two minutes before i read this, i was literally playing skyrim and fighting a chausur.
i mean my follower was cause those things are too freaky for me.

[cainhurst]

i love this... THIS IS PERFECT. i neeeeeeeeeeeeed more... yes.... YES.
okay but seriously this was so awesome. you did very well with the dialogue, and to be quite frank, it was hilarious.
two minutes before i read this, i was literally playing skyrim and fighting a chausur.
i mean my follower was cause those things are too freaky for me.

ahh, thank you so much! i'm glad you liked it and thought it was funny! c: <3
honestly, whenever i hear them clicking somewhere in the distance,
i start thinking about whether i actually need to be down there with them lmao

[cainhurst]

word count 1,815 warnings badly written twin drama
ooc the end result of something that actually didn't go
according to plan because i started rambling & forgot
what i was originally going for in the first place it
involved more tears, i think

"Grow up!"

It wasn't the first time she had heard this exact same sentence. As a matter of fact, it was something she had been told a lot throughout the years. It hadn't hurt nearly as much at first. It were just two simple words, right? Just laugh it off, shrug it off, ignore it. It's not a big deal; those words are not intended to be hurtful and inflict damage on a young, sensitive soul.

That didn't mean those words didn't start being painful as time passed and she grew older, more aware. Especially when it was your own twin brother hurling them straight in your face, glowing eyes livid with anger and lips pulled back in a way that resembled a feral snarl to show off long, pointy canines. The sight alone was enough to make the young woman want to shrink away her fear, but she found herself unable to move even an inch, frozen in both shock and fear. Brown eyes desperately searched the male's expression, looking for any signs of the boy she had grown up with. The boy she had shared an unimaginably deep bond with. The boy who had protected her, and the boy she had comforted in the darkness of their room where he felt safe enough to open up and share all of his troubling thoughts and soul-crushing emotions with her, and only her.

She found none, and it scared her even more.

"E-Elouan... Eli..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, broken and shaky. The blonde wasn't sure whether it was the fear she worse so openly on her features, or if it was something beyond her comprehension, but the young man only grew more angry at the sound of her voice. A hand wrapped around her wrist and she squeaked, trying to pull away, but ceasing her efforts the moment her brother's hold grew almost painfully firm to keep her in place.

"No, don't you 'Eli' me, Cyrielle!" He was so angry, so visibly enraged that she dared not speak up again. Their eyes were locked and she was trying her hardest not to cry, her lip already quivering while her twin continued to stare her down. It wasn't until a minute of staring and tense silence had passed that she was suddenly released, the man ripping away his hand and gaze from her as though he had just burned himself. She instinctively held the aching arm to her chest, rubbing her wrist with the other hand as she watched her sibling's back warily.

"Just... grow up. The world isn't as peaceful and perfect as you make it out to be." His statement made her swallow hard. Another thing she had been told over and over again. Another thing she was perfectly aware of. "Stop pretending that everything is going to be fine. Thinking like that is just foolish."

She hesitated, mulled over her reply for a few seconds. "I know that, but what else am I supposed to do? Let the weight of the world, all of the pain and the sorrows and the grief, crush me? Am I supposed to just look away while so many people around me suffer? Is trying to change the world to a place that is worthwhile to live in so wrong?"

A soft laugh. Not a cheerful sound, but a dry and bitter one. "I never said that," Elouan replied, finally meeting his sister's gaze once again. "What I told you to do is to stop trying to see the good in everything and everyone. You're too kind. Too forgiving. Too soft. You're a healer, you've seen what the world is like, haven't you? You've seen sickness. Abuse. War. Wherever you go, there's hatred, injustice and pain. You can't help everyone, Cyrie. It'll kill you."

Another moment of hesitation. "Then... I guess I'll die trying."

The male approached her at this, the anger in his eyes less burning now as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Still, she flinched, and he noticed. His eyes darkened, the expression in them hardening as he pulled away his hands once again. A small, almost rueful smile played on his lips and he stepped away, turning his back on her. "You've always been insane," he mused, "in the altruistic way, mind you, but insane nonetheless." A soft chuckle, genuine this time, which was accompanied by a shake of his head. "Nevermind that. Your reaction just gave me the proof I needed. Not everyone has a good side you can discover and bring forward if you try hard enough." He turned his head to look at her. "Like me, for example."

Cyrielle's breath caught in the back of her throat. Her gaze was stuck to her brother, who was now avoiding her eyes again, one hand extending towards him as if to touch him, pull him into a hug. "What are you talking about?" Her voice was shaking again, her heart aching in a way that had her worried that it would actually shatter into a million pieces. "D-Don't say things like that, Eli! You're not... You're not a monster!"

"Then what am I, Cyrielle? What am I?" He sounded so serious, yet so lost at the same time. Just like the troubled boy who had told her about how he wanted to run away because their parents would never understand him and help him fulfil his dreams. The young boy who had actually run off one day, leaving her behind with their parents until she could convince herself to leave her familiar home and the people she depended on to find the one she owed so much to.

The broken and lost boy who was now a broken and lost man.

"You're my brother. The one who always had my back. Someone who protected me from the entire world. Someone who always wanted the best for me and loved me unconditionally. Someone I love unconditionally in return," she spoke gently, just to have her heart broken more by his reply.

"Maybe I am some of those things, and maybe I was some of those things. But I'm also a murderer. A murderer who enjoys what he's doing. I'm a thief who takes more than he needs. A liar who'll stab you in the back without remorse. To a certain extend, a necromancer who desecrates graves and defiles the dead. A vampire who feeds off of other people to stay alive. How can you love someone like me?" A short pause. "Admit it. If i wasn't your brother, you'd despise me. You already do, deep down. I know I disgust you, so don't even try to claim it's not like that."

This time, Cyrielle's hesitation was enough of a reply for Elouan, who promptly turned to leave the small inn room they had met up in. But she wasn't about to let him go like that, not after she had just found him again after searching for him for such a long time. "I... I can help you! Please, Eli, let me help you! We can fix this, together. I don't care what you say, everything will be alright. We can cure your Vampirism and-"

"What if I don't want to 'cure' myself of this 'disease'?!" The way he cut her off, the way his anger abruptly flared right back to life, the way he glared at her while yelling such a shocking and disturbing thing... All of it prompted her to stop and fall silent again, eyes wide as she stared at him with an expression that was both confused and deeply hurt.

"You're just like our parents! They never cared about what I wanted! All that ever mattered were their dreams, not mine! Of course that was fine with you, considering that you just so happened to be interested in what they wanted you to be interested in!" The vampire suddenly threw his arms up, beginning to pace around agitatedly while his twin continued to watch in silence. "They were so very pleased with you! Meanwhile, all I ever was was the disappointment! No interest in enchanting, no interest in becoming a guard, not interested in studying magic, just silly dreams of seeing the world and going on adventures!"

Elouan turned and stopped pacing, just to stare at her with those intense, glowing eyes that made her uneasy and woke up primal urges telling her to get away as fast as she possibly could. "And you know what? I'm sick of it. I'm so, so sick of everyone else always deciding what I should and shouldn't do. Becoming this was my decision. It was in my power, something I could control, and you know what? It felt great, it still does!"

The healer forcibly held back tears, barely managing to choke out the words she had already said before her twin's sudden outburst. "Eli, please... Let me help you, I just want to help you!"

"I don't want your damn help, why won't you understand that?!" he screamed back, and this time she couldn't help it anymore. It was only a single tear at first, but once the first one had slipped out, more followed. Wrapping her arms around herself, fingers digging deep into the soft fabric of her robes, Cyrielle sucked in a breath while trying not to sob, the pain in her chest growing and becoming almost unbearable.

The vampire almost looked guilty as he watched his sister cry. His expression softened, his rage dissolving into nothing as quickly as it had come, yet he did nothing to comfort her.

It's better this way. The thought made it easier to cope with the heartbreaking sight.

If you scare her away now, make her hate you, she'll stop seeking you out. Elouan turned, headed for the door once again.

She'll be safe from you then. She won't have to see how monstrous her brother has truly become. His hands touched the solid wood, pushed it open. Th inn was mostly empty, but both the inn keeper and the only patron turned to look at him as he left, probably wondering what had just happened inside of that room, what all of that screaming had been about.

She'll toughen up eventually. You're not fit to protect her anymore. He didn't notice their eyes on him, completely caught up in his own thoughts and emotions.

She'll find someone else. Forget about you. Move on. She'll be happy. She deserves it. People like her deserve so much more than this world could ever hope to give them. His legs carried him to the next door and he pushed it open, welcoming the numbing coldness that greeted him the moment he stepped aside.

Goodbye, Cyrie. I...

"I love you." Two lone whispers, one carried away by the howling wind of the outside world, the other nearly suffocated by tears and pain.

[cainhurst]

word count 1,614 warnings gay elf drama continued
ooc tfw you start rushing at one point because it's late
& it's super obvious, rip me. i'm gonna fix this tomorrow,
maybe. maybe not. until then tho, enjoy the bad v. 1

"Fascinating. Simply fascinating." Murarel's low, quiet mumble sounded eerily loud in the silence of the ruins which was only occasionally disturbed by the sounds of the ancient dwemer technology. How it continued to function so well to this day, spewing out steam while pumping oil through old pipes to power different machinery, was a mystery to the elf; a mystery he was planning to unravel before his time on this plane of existence was over and he moved onto the next.

He told himself it was simply for the sake of obtaining knowledge. The truth was different, of course, centring more around fame and riches and power, but he wasn't as foolish as to let the world know that he wasn't just a scholar, but a materialistic and power-hungry scholar. People usually liked you better when you pretended to be a good person, and the support of others was important when you were a single elf with no real income and a habit to spend ridiculous amounts of coin on ridiculous things.

Of course he was still convinced that investing in new, extravagant robes made out of the finest materials had been a completely necessary purchase. How was he supposed to explore and research dwemer ruins when he looked like a homeless beggar?

Speaking of homeless beggars... Golden eyes left the remains of the dwarven spider in front of him he was currently examining and taking apart in an attempt to figure out how exactly it worked. Murarel scanned the area, brow furrowing when his suspicion was confirmed: Ethys was still missing. He played with the thought of looking for the dunmer for a moment, given that he was his boyfriend after all, before shrugging it off to continue with the deconstruction of the dwarven automaton.

"I'm sure he's fine... Probably stabbing something again," he grumbled, his thoughts trailing off as he recalled a conversation they had had not too long ago "Bastard still owes me the Chaurus egg too. Gotta bring that up over dinner sometime," the elf mused to himself, raising a hand to brush a few stray strands of hair behind his ear, "maybe with a few less tears this time around though."

Murarel continued to examine the defective spider in silence for a few minutes, pulling off small pieces of metal to get a closer look on what the thing looked like on the inside. The first step to figuring out anything like these complex constructions was always to get a theoretical understanding of how they worked. Once you had that all figured out, you could move on to more practical matters such as rebuilding them, getting them to work and working out how to keep them running for ages like the dwemer had.

It was a time consuming project, but luckily enough, he had lots of time on his hands and a lover who, willingly or not, always accompanied him to make sure he made it in and out of those ruins alive.

"Murarel!"

The altmer glanced up when his name was called, partially irritated and partially relieved to hear Ethys' voice after he'd been gone for almost an hour. He heard him before he appeared, and when he did, Murarel couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. The shorter male basically skittered around the corner, crimson eyes wide open and his breathing ragged, as though he'd been running for a while now.

"We should run... like now!" The blond blinked slowly, not rising to his feet even as the grey-skinned elf hurried towards him.

"Why?" he questioned, voice hinting that his stubborn side was already beginning to show. "I'm quite busy right now."

Ethys was by his side now, grabbing his arm roughly to pull him to his feet. "Don't question me for once and just get up!"

The taller one retaliated by pulling his arm away, his other hand tightening around the dwarven spider. "Or you could literally just take a few seconds to tell me what's going on so I can decide for myself whether I want to leave, or not."

His lover groaned loudly in response, opening his mouth to speak once more, but he didn't get to share his story. Instead he was interrupted by a loud crash that came from the direction he had come from, which caused him to whirl around with a startled yelp. Murarel tensed, realizing now that something was seriously off. Ethys normally wasn't like this, so for him to be this scared, it had to be something really bad.

The loud rumbling sound that drew closer to the pair rapidly and the sudden appearance of a large dwarven centurio was indeed really bad.

"See, this is why I told you to just get up and-" Ethys hurriedly turned around to face his companion while the centurio was still trying to figure out which way to go next, just to fall silent upon noticing that both the elf and the spider were gone.

The dunmer blinked, dumbfounded by the other male's disappearance, but the question of where he had gone to was soon answered when he turned his head and saw him already running towards where the exit was located.

Honestly, the part of him that wasn't upset and hurt that he'd just been abandoned without a second thought was impressed with how quietly the coward had gotten up and started to run. By Azura, he hadn't even known that the mage could be this fast!

Cursing under his breath, Ethys immediately began to sprint after the blond, all too aware of the centurion who had reorientated himself and was now coming after him again. The thing was large and had long legs, but he thankfully had the advantage of being small, agile and very quick himself. His eyes were glued to the back of the robed man in front of him, watching with terrified fascination as he used his entire body to get around corners, over damaged flooring and pipes and up and down steep parts of the path as quickly as he possibly could.

Really, had he known that Murarel was this good at running away if he really wanted to, he wouldn't have exhausted himself this much just to warn him in time.

Seeing the lift to the surface world was an immense relief. It was like seeing an oasis after travelling through the desert, like a warm fireplace after being stick in the cold for hours, like a nice meal after being starved for three days straight. Murarel was the first to arrive on the platform of course, dropping the spider to the ground to grip the handle of the switch. Picking up his pace, Ethys basically leaped on the platform.

There was no greater sound than that of the lever activating the old mechanism of the lift that, after a few moments, began to ascend upwards towards safety.

"Ha! Take that, you metal wreck! Pile of scrap metal garbage! I hope you rust! I... hope you start leaking oil!" Yes, it was childish, but Ethys really couldn't be bothered to care at the very moment. He centurion stopped and seemed to look up at the escaping intruders, one of which was laughing manically at it while the other was doubled over, gasping for air desperately.

"By the Gods..." Ethys looked over at Murarel as he spoke in between his gasps for breath. Honestly, the blond looked like he was about to pass out on him, but after the thing he had just pulled on him, he would have deserved it.

"Next time you need my help, I'll run off too." Golden eyes flashed angrily and a shaky hand came up to point at the shorter man, informing him that he was about to be subjected to a snarky reply.

"Excuse me for running when there's nothing I could have done. Magic doesn't exactly work well on those things," he spat, and the red-eyed elf raised his hands defensively.

"Okay, alright, sorry, don't get so upset over it, pretty boy." A moment of silence. "Although, I have to admit, it was fascinating to watch you run like that. You need to work on your stamina though. Obviously."

Murarel slowly rose to his full height, chest still heaving while trying to compose himself. "I don't need stamina. I have intellect and beauty. Stamina is for people like you."

Ethys figured he was supposed to be offended by this, but he really didn't have it in him right now. Looking up to see that they were near the surface already, he chose to smile instead. "Sure. Whatever you say."

The altmer briefly glanced up himself, before his eyes focused on something he deemed much more important.

"Ethys, I stained my gloves and the front of the robe carrying the spider. I'll need new clothes again."

"... Are you serious? We nearly died, and that's your main concern now? I just bought the thing last week too!"

"I know it's hard for someone like you to understand how important clothes are, but that doesn't change the fact that I need new ones. Also, you still haven't gotten me my chaurus egg either, so view it as payment for making me wait."

The black-haired man was about to stand his ground, but decided against it with a frustrated sigh and a defeated slump of his shoulders. Arguing with his lover was always useless and made things harder on him, so why bother? Especially when the whole chaurus topic was being brought up again, he didn't need a childish tantrum and tears after having such a close brush with death.

"Fine. Just give me the day to relax, alright?"

"Deal."