Growing the Crew III

It's then that the strange girl returns to me while I plopped down on the stairs outside the Inn.

"She saw what you did. You didn't turn her in. Why?" She asks curiously.

"It's against my policy to turn in runaways until I know their side of the story. Are you hurt?" I ask offering her a potion for the slight scrapes and wounds she's acquired living in the wilderness.

"She's fine! She doesn't need your bandages or silly potions!" The girl huffs at me in exasperation.

"Alright, alright, I was just asking," I say taking a sip from the health potion.

"She wants to know why you are concerned with her? Why help a person you don't know?" She curiously asks while tilting her head.

"Heh, surely you're not suggesting that I pass by a pretty girl in trouble doing nothing, do you?" I cheekily flirt with a wink.

"Pretty…?" She asks, "Flattery will get you nowhere with her! So don't even try it!" Obviously flustered.

"Okay, okay, settle down! I just want to hear your story… For now." I smile.

She looks to me with confusion and mistrust before finally speaking up, "Her story? She… She doesn't know! Not even her name! Why can she not remember anything?" She exclaims frantically.

"Hey, take it easy! No need to panic. Just tell me what you do know." I say calmly trying to soothe her.

"What DOES she know… There was a kind elder that helped her, but with what?" She says beginning to tap her chin, "After that, she was running! Briars, bushes and dogs!" She quietly whimpers before shouting, "Loud dogs barking after her! She HATES dogs!"

Catching herself she corrects, "Er… She means… She was terribly angry at them! They made her mad, but she had to run, because it was raining, and she hates being wet! She's not scared of anything terrible!" She asserts obviously talking about the rain and not the dogs.

"I see… So, you were running away from someone?" I ask.

"She thinks so, yes." The girl nods, "She found some shelter, an old tower, and spent maybe a week there, hiding… From the rain, of course!" She says making me snicker, "Don't laugh at her! When the bar- rain had stopped. She left from there and ran until she ended up here, in this town."

"And that's all you can remember?" I ask.

"She remembers a satchel! She left it in the tower, because she was in a hurry! Maybe that can tell her who she is!" She exclaims excitingly, "You can take her there! And she will keep you safe from the mean old doggies around there!"

"Huh, I'd be happy to help. But…" I tapper off realizing that the Bannermist Tower is in the exact opposite direction to Riften.

"Mreow? Will you not help her?" She sadly looks down with her ears flattening down, with sad kitten eyes that would put Puss-in-Boots to shame.

… Why did I have to be a weeb in my past life? I can't fuckin' say no to her… URGH, Lokir will understand if I'm a couple days late, right? I'll just stop by Falkreath to pick up that quest and a thaneship while I'm at it before double-timing it to Riften, it'll be fine?

"Errgh… Fine, I need to head that way soon enough, shouldn't be too troublesome to shift my schedule around so we can head there first. Just let me talk to Gerdur for a moment before I'm ready to go. And here." I say tossing the 150 gold I found on mercenaries. "Use this to trade in those noble clothes for some traveling clothes, armor, and a weapon. Tell him ta give you the Malborne discount and he should treat you right."

"Hreow? How does she use these shiny, clinkies?" She says happily tossing the pouch around, causing me to sigh and turn to Faendal who is trying hard and failing to hold in his laughter.

"Faendal… Please help her while I go talk to Gerdur." I ask him.

"Sure, my friend. Should I pick out her undergarments as well or do you want that privilege?" I snarkily remarks making me throw one of my bolos at him which he dodges and runs off with the strange girl who doesn't understand what Faendal's jests were implying.

Walking on I head to the mill where I find Gerdur and her husband hard at work, when I shout to her, "Gerdur! Come on down and see your favorite house guest!"

Making her smile and head on down from the top of the mill, "And who might that be? It can't be Silvantus, because he just left for Whiterun and he said he wouldn't be back for a few months" She says jokingly glaring at me.

"It's Commander Malborne now, a lot happened in three days that made it feel like three months. I'm here to make a deal for lumber before heading on towards Riften, but I got something new to deal with so I'll be needing to make a detour to Falkreath." I tell her while resting on the old stump near the mill.

"Is that so? How much lumber do you need?" Gerdur asks getting straight down to business.

"Hmmm, probably 100 timbers? At least for now, might need more in the future. I know that's about a thousand gold, but I was hoping you could give me a discount on account of saving Ralof's life and working in the mill for cheap?" I say with a ruggedly handsome smile.

"Hmmm, alright… But I want to become your exclusive lumber dealer." Gerdur smiles.

"I want a 70% discount," I demand.

"You're insane, 30%." She counters.

"Of course I am, that's never been in question 60%." I shoot back.

"Eh, true, 40%." She counters.

"50% and you handle the cost of shipping, that's my final offer," I say offering an ultimatum.

"Hmmm, you've got yourself a deal, Commander," Gerdur agrees before extending her hand.

"Good," I say with a smile before shaking her hand and handing over the 500 gold leaving me with only about 400 septims after leaving 4,000 with Lokir to handle constructing the outpost.

"I'll be heading out then, I have to deal with that thing in Falkreath now," I say turning to leave.

And it is then, me, Jenassa, Sofia, and the strange girl pack up to leave Riverwood and begin our trek to Falkreath… Man, I should really get a horse… But I don't know how to ride a horse… Shit, I wonder if Lokir could teach me, he was a horse thief after all.