askdusty:
Gods, it was difficult not to laugh, nevertheless to hold back her smile. He looked so meek even at that quiet little lecture, his tail curling, fidgeting. A kinder smile was offered instead.
“Well, we may have to go that far, but hopefully the tea will be enough. Why don’t I brew one up now, before you finish that mug, so you’re not bloated? And maybe a bite to eat, just something small and simple. I’ve got some leftover hare and bread from lunch, a little sandwich. Very mild.” She moved to the hearth to search through her cupboards, placing both items atop the table he sat at before backing away.
“I keep the Skullcap downstairs. If you’ll wait just a moment?”
With that she vanished down the stairs. From below could be heard shuffling, quiet curses and faint, indiscernible muttering.
Then, the clicking of claws.
What came up the stairs, yawning and lolling its tongue, resembled a dog. Perhaps it was one, once – but clearly no longer. Skinless, eyes white and apparently blind. Visible cartilage, bone and muscle could be seen under a translucent layer of pinkish skin, organs pulsing. It was large, too, tall as the table at which the Khajiit sat, with fearsome claws and teeth.
It approached – not moving to hurt, but apparently curious, sniffing. After a moment of staring blankly it rested its chin on the table and began to lazily eat the chicken left there.
His ears pricked at the mention of food, surprised, but nodding. Food always sounded good, though part of him was nervous about it. He shook off the thought. It would be fine. The tea wasn’t poisoned, there was little reason to suspect he was a fugitive… Everything would be fine. The Khajiit watched curiously as the alchemist headed down a set of stairs, shifting a little in his chair, taking another drink of the tea with a sigh. He had to relax. Everything was fine.
The sound of claws on the stairs made him tense a little, ears pricking. He was still, the only movement from him when the source of the clicking rounded the railing was the slow puff of his tail and his eyes widening.
By the Hist, what was that thing?
It looked like…a dog? But without its skin on…or most of it… And it was huge. He held his breath as it drew closer, starting to shake a little at the pale eyes, the teeth, the claws… So when it sniffed in his direction, then turned its attention to the meat on the table, his ears pricked in surprise. There wasn’t any growling… It didn’t really have hackles to raise, which made it a little more difficult to tell, but…it seemed…calm.
J’hasi slowly relaxed, cocking his head a little towards the creature, his tail slowly smoothing out from the bottlebrush it had been since he caught sight of it. He sniffed, ears relaxing but alert as he slowly lifted his hand up to let the dog get a better sniff of him. He was still debating on if petting it was a good idea, but it never hurt to say hello.
vvardenfellcat 