Sweet Surprise
During a trip to Skingrad, Lecrinn and Garrus decide to surprise each other. Early in the timeline, though I'm not actually sure how canon it is.
The lost sweetroll prompt fic. I spent half a month writing this, finished it, and went "meh." By then I'd worked on it to the point of not being able to tell if it was good or not, and I still can't tell.
So I'll just release it into the wild and you can tell me. (I do know some things I do and don't like but I decided to keep them to the tags.) From October 2022 but I'm still accepting concrit on it.
@druidx @babyblueetbaemonster @inkysqueed
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Cradling two sweet rolls in one hand Lecrinn held them close as she pushed the heavy door with the other. She opened it just enough to slip out, leaving the chatter and warmth of the busy inn for the street outside. It was also busy and warm but more tolerably so.
She squinted against the afternoon sun. Now that she had the sweet rolls it was time to find Garrus, after she dragged him all the way from Cheydinhal to Skingrad it was only right he get something out of it.
The roads were narrow between the tall stone buildings that arched above them. She weaved through their hustle and bustle. The street widened out into a fork, forward continued to more buildings and to the left, a statue of a horseman. There gazing up at the statue she found Garrus.
Catching her from the corner of his eye he turned and beamed at her.
She couldn’t help but smile back.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said as she walked up.
“So do I!” She stopped, both their smiles falling at the sweet rolls in the other’s hands. Looking back up at the other’s face they gave laughing smiles.
“I suppose we had the same idea,” he shifted.
She shrugged. “It’s a good idea.” His smile looked forced, he seemed to feel awkward, she didn’t know why and it was making her feel awkward too. “Well… this one’s yours,” she held one out and they swapped, both laughing a little. She noticed he only held one. “Did you already eat yours?”
“I uh,” he glanced down, “I don’t know how much money this trip will end up costing so I only bought one for you.”
“Oh…” she looked to her second one.
“You can keep it.”
“Nah, lets split it later.”
“No, you bought it for yourself, you can have it.”
She walked passed him. “One and a half sweet rolls is still more than I planned on getting.”
He tilted his head, he supposed that was true. Turning he saw her sitting on the round base of the statue. He looked startled. “Are you allowed to sit there?”
“I don’t see anyone guarding it.” Pulling the pack off her shoulders and beside her she rifled through it.
“What if you get in trouble?”
“Then you can just arrest me.”
He looked around before going over to sit beside her.
Finding a small cloth she wrapped up one of the rolls and put it in her pack. She then turned all her attention to the one in her hand, closing her eyes as she took a bite, savoring its sweet spice.
“Mmm!”
She looked to Garrus who was looking at his sweet roll surprised.
�� “They really are better in Skingrad.”
“Salmo’s sweet rolls are famous for a reason.”
“Perhaps we should get more of these before we leave.”
Her smile widened. “Does Cheydinhal have its own desserts?” She took another bite.
“There’s the thirty layer cake.”
She had to quickly swallow the bite. “Thirty layers?”
“They’re thin.”
“Why would you ever need thirty layers?!”
“No, they’re very thin, it isn’t much taller than a regular cake.”
“Oh… I’m having a hard time picturing it,” she gave a smirk, “I think I’ll have to see it for myself.” The smile turned more genuine. “Is it good?” She took a smaller bite.
“I haven’t got to try one, they’re expensive.”
The smile fell. “Oh.”
“I like the spiced root cake the Dunmer make, and there’s one made from something called marshmerrow, it’s a little too sweet for me but I think you’d like it.”
“I’ll have to try them next time I’m in town.”
“I’m also quite fond of the bread they make out of yams, though,” he lowered his voice, “I’ve been afraid to try it with scrib jelly.”
“What’s that?”
“…Maybe when you’re done with your sweet roll.”
Her brows rose.
As they continued eating she looked around, gaze catching on the red leaves of a nearby tree, its branches bobbing slightly.
He stared out at the street. “I have been trying to learn more about Dunmer culture, and not judge things that are different too quickly.”
She smirked to him. “Except for scrib jelly?”
“Well some things are easier to respect from afar.”
“Ah.”
“It is admirable though, because not much grows in the ashlands they have to find food elsewhere and they managed to get multiple food types out of something others wouldn’t see as such, they’re survivors, no matter the situation you put them in.”
She furrowed her brows. “I really don’t want to know what a scrib is, do I?”
“No.” Tearing a piece off his sweet roll he rolled it between his fingers. “I hope that learning more about them will help me be a better guard to them, like you said, at the very least, perhaps I’ll be a better man.”
Her smile lessened but turned more genuine. “You are a good guard.”
“I hope so, protecting everyone is why I became a guard in the first place.” Eating the bite his eyes lit up. He turned to her. “Does the Merchant Inn still make those blackberry tarts?”
“What?” She blinked, brain taking a second to keep up with the sudden topic change.
“I use to get them sometimes when I was training in the Imperial City.”
“Um…” she glanced off, thinking, before turning back to him. “I don’t know, I’ll check. If they do I’ll bring you some, unless they wouldn’t stay good… Maybe I’ll just have to bring you there,” she smirked.
“Hopefully that can be soon,” he turned back to his sweet roll.
She looked surprised. Did he mean he wanted the tarts soon or did he like her dragging him places? She looked away as she couldn’t contain the grin spreading across her face.
Turning back to him she saw he was staring at his dessert, the same awkward look as when she gave it to him. Seemed whatever had been bothering him never really went away. “What’s wrong?”
“I am grateful, truly, but since I wanted to surprise you didn’t know what I was doing and bought some too.”
“So now we have three sweet rolls,” she was confused as to how this was a problem.
“I just feel bad you had to pay for two.”
“Oh…” she glanced off with a smirk, “don’t worry about that.”
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