The Son of a Giant

Bielrin rolled eyes eyes when Fontained hastened to assure him that he was only helping out because Toiq was an asset. He was beginning to remember why the other elf wasn’t his favorite person on Nirn. But the main thing was that he was helping, so Biel kept his mouth shut.

Biel entered not but a few moments later, food in his arms. Immediately his eyes, their color dulled by the darkness of the mines lit up, a new life sparked into them. His hands moved forward slightly, clenching just a bit in complete desire and focus.  His stomach let out another groan. "I-is that..." He licked at his chapped lips, "Is that for me..."

“Biel is a very good friend. I would not wish a day without him as one,” Toiq started, keeping his back flat on the floor. “I am glad he did not flee from my camp the day we met. Most small-kind do. Do you have that problem, Lock? I think they do not like what is larger than them… You are big enough to be a Large-kind, heh.”

.. Why the long face, handsome? 

Come down here, where I can reach you!

He was THE Fontaine. He shouldn’t be doing servant work! He should be doing something worthwhile! He should be a justiciar by now! Now he was in this ratty old Inn while he awaited his next task from the Thalmor of Markarth. His mind wandered and he found himself itching to do something as he laid on the uncomfortable bed. Stone beds, what were they thinking? He swore he would complain the next time he saw the innkeeper. Said innkeeper seemed to know exactly how to avoid him after the ten other complaints Fontaine screamed at him… Probably just a coincidence.

And now his new neighbors were thumping around as they entered their room, he could even hear muffled voices. It wasn’t helping his mood at all.

“Hey,” He starts quietly, putting a hand on Toiq’s bony shoulder, rubbing his thumb over the intricate scarification. “You’re gonna be alright, alright? You got a buddy who was willing to break into a mine full of criminals to get you. You don’t come across friends like that all that often. You’re gonna get out of the city okay, we’ll both see to it.”

"Biel is a very good friend. I would not wish a day without him as one," Toiq started, keeping his back flat on the floor. "I am glad he did not flee from my camp the day we met. Most small-kind do. Do you have that problem, Lock? I think they do not like what is larger than them... You are big enough to be a Large-kind, heh."

“Food it is!” He beamed. Bielrin was about to continue the thought, when Toiq mentioned his plan to get more furs. The Bosmer choked on his words, giving a sort of coughing laugh. String weapon? “U-uh.. yes! Eheheheh, I’ll see what I can do!”

The thought twisted his his stomach like a sickness and his body slumped forward, his head nearly in his lap. 

"Thank you," he mumbled suddenly to the naga, "I cannot do much for what you have done for me." The giant craned his neck, his back cracking quietly in several places. "You are both in danger because of this. But I am glad you both found me."

His massive frame slid to the floor and he laid on his back. One of his arms strewn over his eyes and he took several deep breaths to try to ease the pain in his spine. 

“Not a lot of people bring others into their rooms without a good reason, is all.” He shrugged on a loose shirt for good measure, then turned to Toiq with his hands on his hips.

It didn't take him long to yank the damp longcoat off his shoulders along with the shirt that he had been forced to wear in the mines. He tossed that away, no intention of picking it back up. He was still massive and generated enough body heat to keep himself comfortable, even without a shirt on. "I am okay with this cloth," he ran his hand across the tattered pants, "until I can get back out and gather furs to make something for myself. Maybe Biel can help me with his string weapon."

His entire figure leaned forward and his hands fiddled with an object tied to his ankle. He pulled it off and leaned back up, bringing the dirty string up to his face. The tiny piece of still bio-luminescent wood still managed to glow, even after all this time.

“I’m serious. I want to pay you back, somehow.” He grinned. “I’ll find a way.”

They entered a biuilding, Toiq managed to do so without much of a hassle seeing as his back was arched forward painfully enough to fit through the door properly. They moved quickly, Toiq did not stop to ask questions. Simply following orders as he had done so for so long.

Upon entering the room, Toiq stood up a little stretching his abused muscles and sat back down on a bed. The wood that held the mattress whined under the weight. He leaned back against the wall and let out a heavy sigh, mumbling in Giantish. 

“Right, introductions. Lock, this is Toiq! Toiq, this is Lock. I owe you a lot for helping me to find him, you know.” He directed this last sentence towards the Naga. “I’m serious about that. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if he stayed there for much longer.”

“…I can start a tab at the inn for food, too, once I get changed. Do you think you can walk a little farther, buddy?”

Lock exhales through his nostrils, glancing to the side. “I can try. If you move him fast enough they might even mistake him for me. Failing that, I can pay the owners to look the other way.” There would go his own food fund for the next few days, but it was a sacrifice worth making. He could go a couple days without eating. The giant looked like he was going to keel over. He waves his hand dismissively at Biel’s thanks. “Don’t worry about it. Making sure your friend here is safe will be thanks enough.”

Toiq grinned sincerely, albeit weakly at the naga. "It is very nice to meet you, Lock." Slowly but surely the giant patted his chest. "I am Toiq, but right now I do not have a home, heh..."

He turned back to Biel and nodded, "I will go as far as you take me. It will take more than this to bring down a Large-kind, you know that." He flashed a smile at his old friend, behind uneven bangs covering his eyes. Gods he needed a haircut.

“This way!” With that, Bielrin turned around and began heading back down the tunnel, towards the grate. Was Lock still there? He might not be, Bielrin had no way of telling how long he’d been inside the tunnel before finding Toiq. 

There was something at the exit... Light for one, that was enough to hurry Toiq along, but he didn't expect what he exited to. Some huge creature almost his own height speaking in common tongue. Toiq stood. He had never once seen anything like it. He knew not what to expect, but to say the least, the creature's hospitality was comforting. He took offering and weakly wrapped the longcoat over his shoulders with a shudder. 

"I think you are Biel's friends..? Thank you," he mumbled, hunching forward with a deep breath. "I am grateful to you both." For a long moment, the half-mer sat completely still, only shivering now and again before his stomach let out an audible groan. He was too exhausted to notice his own hunger and ached for rest.