Sunlight spilled through the spaces between the wooden boards of the stable, illuminating particles in the air. It was a warm day at Mill Tavern, at least by Skyrim standards, and Ferrin had decided to get some work done. What he wasn't expecting was the sight that greeted him when he entered the stables. A Khajiit girl was laying in one of the stable's hay piles. A pelt was draped over her and Ferrin could hear her light breathing from where he stood at the entrance. He glanced around the stable, his eyes brushing over the horses as he wondered what he should do.
"Uh... Hey you!" Ferrin called at the Khajiit girl.
Her head shot up and she quickly locked eyes with him.
"You're, uh... Not supposed to be here..." Ferrin trailed off as the Khajiit girl gave off a light chuckle and relaxed her body.
She turned herself so that she was facing him, wincing as she did so. She gave him a toothy grin.
"I suppose I'm not." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ferrin glanced away nervously before returning his gaze onto her. For all he knew this girl could have been dangerous...
"I-"
"Ferrin!" Balow shouted from the tavern door. "Ferrin, what are ye doin' boy? Get to workin'!"
Ferrin glanced behind him at Balow then quickly back to the Khajiit girl who had lost her grin and was now nursing her ribcage.
"You should probably get to work, boy." She said with a faint smile that faded when Balow showed up behind Ferrin.
"What's this?" He said with a semi-surprised expression. "Ferrin, what's this girl doing here?"
Ferrin was about to reply when Balow walked briskly up to the girl before kneeling down to inspect her. Nala felt slightly indignant at Balow's intruding inspection but couldn't find the will to resist. After all, she was sleeping in the man's stable without having paid him a single septim.
"You're hurt." He said simply.
Nala replied with a nod.
"You folk are awfully good at stating the obvious, aren't you?" She said with a grunt of pain as Balow removed her hand from her ribcage to inspect it.
He gave her a dumbfounded look in reply to her comment before letting loose a hearty laugh.
"He he, that we do lass! Ferrin! Help me get the girl into the tavern." He said as he helped her up from the hay pile.
--
"Fool-girl, what in Shor's name were ye doin' walkin' about in this state?" Balow asked Nala.
She winced as Balow carefully wrapped her ribcage with gauze.
"I didn't mean to be if that's what you're asking," Came Nala's snarky reply.
"Watch yeself, girl," Balow warned her. "It was only cute the first time. Ye were also sleepin' in a man's stable without payin' him coin."
Nala sighed and stared at the bear pelt draped on the chair in front of her from where she sat. She realized she was being unfair, rude even. This man, whose name she didn't even know, was treating her wounds when most who were in his position would have thrown her to the wolves. He didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of her bad mood.
"I'm... sorry. I've had a rough night." She said with an apologetic smile.
Balow did not reply and instead continued to wrap her with gauze from behind until he finally finished.
"There," He said as he stood up. "That should do it. Now as for the payment..."
Nala winced at the word 'payment.'
"I'll be taking this," He said as he picked up the tattered bear pelt.
Nala looked at him dumbfounded before she began to protest about how the pelt was worthless but was cut off by Balow.
"With this here pelt ye can stay here in this room until you've healed," He said as he was leaving the room. " M'name is Balow, by the way. You get to bed now, ye hear?"
"Yeah... Oh! I'm Nala!" Nala called out, but Balow was already gone.
Nala sat on the stool in a stupor. She wasn't used to people being kind to her. She was unsure if this was some kind of trick. She was used to people always asking for something, even when they didn't necessarily earn the right to that something. Balow was something else... Something she hadn't happened on often enough.
'growl'
Nala looked down at her stomach as it growled loudly for her attention. She frowned and gingerly stood up from the stool before making her way out of her new room. Perhaps Balow would be kind enough to give a free hot meal to a poor, injured Khajiit, she thought.