[Skyrim Crossover] As if Skyrim wasn't already hectic enough, with its inhabitants fighting both the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire. Now there's dragons, too, and Emmet finds himself unwittingly roped into the whole mess. What else could go wrong?
Though it felt like they had spent hours in Apocrypha, it seemed only a few minutes had passed in Skyrim. The storm was still raging, though it was clear the worst of it had passed. Lucy and Kitty helped Emmet back to his feet, almost dragging him back into the inn. He was barely responsive, shuffling his feet just enough not to drag them down with him. The two women shared a worried glance. Everything had happened so quickly, it left him stunned. Benny's failure to arrive at the inn with them had only left him reeling even worse.
They huddled together near the firepit, soaking in the warmth of the glowing embers as they tried to process everything. "Emmet...?" Lucy ventured.
"After all that, we couldn't save him..."
"It's not your fault," Kitty tried to soothe him. "You did everything right. Rex chose to come with us! There's nothing we could have done to stop Mora..." She trailed off as tears started to fall down Emmet's cheeks, and instead opted to simply hold him close as he cried. Lucy shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to help.
Once Emmet had cried himself out, he sat back up and wiped his face. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
"Oh Emmet, there's no need to be sorry," Kitty assured him. "It's been a rough few days for all of us, and if I were in your place, I would've fallen apart too, I think. In fact I think we should just stay for a couple days and do nothing but sleep."
"What about Benny...?"
"Benny will be fine," Lucy finally spoke up again. "He'll come back to himself on his own, though there's never any telling how long that will take. Could be anywhere from a few days to a few months. In the meantime, he's probably gone back to the Shivering Isles- it's the safest place for him to be while he's in this state."
"I hope it doesn't take months for him to come back..."
"Maybe we can try to do something to help him, but not until after we're all rested," Kitty said. "I certainly don't have the energy for anything like that right now. Come on Emmet, I'll help you out of your armor, okay?"
"Okay..." He let the Khajiit pull him back to his feet and nudge him toward his room. Lucy stretched before trudging toward the room she and Kitty shared, barely managing to tug off her own armor before falling onto the mattress. She was half asleep by the time Kitty came in.
"How is he...?"
"Out like a light," Kitty sighed, her own exhaustion now evident. "I'll be surprised if he wakes before two days have passed. Lucy, I feel so bad for him..."
"I don't."
"Well that's just mean-"
"No, I mean... I get the feeling that's not the last we'll see of Rex. As we were leaving Apocrypha, he... He Shouted something at Mora. He seemed convinced a Shout would still work on Benny, so I don't see why one wouldn't work on Mora too, I just wish I knew what it was..."
Kitty tilted her head, then decided she was too tired to try puzzling it out. "Sleep, Lucy," she said instead. "We can figure it out another time."
"Mm..." The Khajiit smirked to herself when Lucy's incoherent mumbling was shortly followed by a soft snore. It was just as well; she felt like she could sleep for a week herself.
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He resurfaced slowly, feeling groggy and miserable. Not surprising, considering he'd cried himself to sleep. He wondered how long he'd been out.
"I'd wager it's been about three days now."
Had he said that out loud? He pried his eyes open, focusing first on the cup being held before his face, then beyond it to familiar copper hair and warm brown eyes. "Benny." Well, that would explain the weight on his legs.
The Prince quirked a weary smile at him. "Hey, Emmet. Drink up, you look like you need it."
"Wha'sit...?"
"Just water."
Benny helped him as he struggled to sit up, then drank down the offered cup. Benny was right; he did feel a little better already. The Daedra slid off the bed to refill the cup, and handed it to him again. "What happened? Lucy said it might be a while before you came back."
"Usually it does take a while for me to remember myself. I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure what triggered it this time, but I'm glad for it. Lucy and Kitty woke sometime in the middle of the night, they were pretty wore out too."
"You don't look much better."
Benny waved him off. "I've been keeping an eye on you this whole time. I was starting to worry maybe it hadn't worked after all, the longer you slept..."
"I'm sorry..."
"Emmet, don't be. It's not your fault-"
"Yes it is. If I hadn't agreed to help him, this all wouldn't have happened..."
"You were just doing what you thought was right. There's no fault in that."
The Dragonborn was silent as he stared down into his water. "I think... I think it's time we returned to Sky Haven Temple. I think I'm ready to face Alduin now."
Benny watched him for a moment. "If you're certain, then that's what we'll do."
