Nivenor was packing her bags when her soon-to-be former husband burst into the house. She looked up, startled, at where Bolli stood, his chest heaving.
“I suppose you heard, then,” she said quietly, rising from her bag. “Hemming said that he would try and find you before you came home.”
“Is it true?” Bolli asked breathlessly, his eyes soaked with tears that he refused to let fall. “You’re going to marry him?”
“I am. He’s waited too long for me to pull him around anymore,” Nivenor explained, approaching him cautiously. “I wish I had been able to tell you about him before you found us like that. It was so humiliating.” She sighed, laying a comforting hand on Bolli’s arm. “I’m sorry, Bolli.”
“…Why?” he asked, barely managing to choke out the words. “We could have made it last.”
“But why should we?” the Bosmer asked. “Neither of us are happy. Why should we suffer through this marriage for the rest of our lives? What sense does that make?” When Bolli said nothing, she pulled away, returning to her packing as she continued. “You stayed with Nadia because she makes you happy. And I’m choosing Hemming because he makes me happy. There’s no shame in going after what you want, no matter what the priests at the temple teach you.” Bolli wiped his eyes fiercely, doing his best not to express any emotion regarding it.
“…What am I supposed to do now?” he asked bluntly. “She’s gone, and you’re leaving.”
“Go find her, then,” Nivenor said, leaning against the wall. “We talked before she left. She’s going to Whiterun.” Before she turned away, she gave the Nord a piercing look. “Do you want my advice, Bolli? Go to Whiterun, and give Nadia everything that you want to give her. Everything you couldn’t give me. You owe that to her.”
Bolli stumbled into the fishery, his eyes foggy with tears. Collapsing against the wall, he slid down and looked hopelessly up at the ceiling.
“Mara help me…” he whispered, pulling his hat off and wiping his eyes again. From behind the nearby wall, he was startled to hear an unfamiliar voice.
“Maybe she will, but I also can.” Delvin stepped out into the open, smiling wryly. “Not quite a god, though. Sorry to disappoint.” Bolli looked up, tense but too tired to actually stand.
“…I’m sorry. I can’t quite remember your name,” he admitted. He did recognize the thief’s armor that adorned the Breton, but he allowed him to sit beside him all the same.
“No problem. Delvin Mallory’s the name,” he replied. “I’m a friend of Nadia’s.” He shook his head, eying him irritably. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have this conversation. From the way she talked about you, I figured you’d go with her.” Bolli closed his eyes, resting his head against his knees.
“…I think I made a mistake, Delvin,” he said softly. The thief scoffed, stretching his legs.
“You think so? I know you made a mistake,” he said. Bolli winced, and Delvin couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t think I’m being that hard on the man who abandoned one of my best friends when she needed him most. She means a lot to me.”
“I’m sorry,” the Nord murmured, looking up at him. “I never wanted to hurt her. I never thought it would go this far.” He paused, allowing a few tears to fall as he spoke. “Nivenor left me for Hemming Black-Briar. I should have gone with Nadia from the beginning.” He sighed, leaning back against the wall. “I…she deserves so much better than I gave her.” Delvin stood abruptly, looking sharply down at the man below him.
“Then go and give her better,” he said curtly. “You’re not going to make anything better for either of you by sitting in this damn city and moping about how you screwed up.” With that, he strode back into the night, leaving Bolli to look up, stunned.
F!DB/Bolli: "The Things He Lacks" 21/23
“I suppose you heard, then,” she said quietly, rising from her bag. “Hemming said that he would try and find you before you came home.”
“Is it true?” Bolli asked breathlessly, his eyes soaked with tears that he refused to let fall. “You’re going to marry him?”
“I am. He’s waited too long for me to pull him around anymore,” Nivenor explained, approaching him cautiously. “I wish I had been able to tell you about him before you found us like that. It was so humiliating.” She sighed, laying a comforting hand on Bolli’s arm. “I’m sorry, Bolli.”
“…Why?” he asked, barely managing to choke out the words. “We could have made it last.”
“But why should we?” the Bosmer asked. “Neither of us are happy. Why should we suffer through this marriage for the rest of our lives? What sense does that make?” When Bolli said nothing, she pulled away, returning to her packing as she continued. “You stayed with Nadia because she makes you happy. And I’m choosing Hemming because he makes me happy. There’s no shame in going after what you want, no matter what the priests at the temple teach you.” Bolli wiped his eyes fiercely, doing his best not to express any emotion regarding it.
“…What am I supposed to do now?” he asked bluntly. “She’s gone, and you’re leaving.”
“Go find her, then,” Nivenor said, leaning against the wall. “We talked before she left. She’s going to Whiterun.” Before she turned away, she gave the Nord a piercing look. “Do you want my advice, Bolli? Go to Whiterun, and give Nadia everything that you want to give her. Everything you couldn’t give me. You owe that to her.”
Bolli stumbled into the fishery, his eyes foggy with tears. Collapsing against the wall, he slid down and looked hopelessly up at the ceiling.
“Mara help me…” he whispered, pulling his hat off and wiping his eyes again. From behind the nearby wall, he was startled to hear an unfamiliar voice.
“Maybe she will, but I also can.” Delvin stepped out into the open, smiling wryly. “Not quite a god, though. Sorry to disappoint.” Bolli looked up, tense but too tired to actually stand.
“…I’m sorry. I can’t quite remember your name,” he admitted. He did recognize the thief’s armor that adorned the Breton, but he allowed him to sit beside him all the same.
“No problem. Delvin Mallory’s the name,” he replied. “I’m a friend of Nadia’s.” He shook his head, eying him irritably. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have this conversation. From the way she talked about you, I figured you’d go with her.” Bolli closed his eyes, resting his head against his knees.
“…I think I made a mistake, Delvin,” he said softly. The thief scoffed, stretching his legs.
“You think so? I know you made a mistake,” he said. Bolli winced, and Delvin couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t think I’m being that hard on the man who abandoned one of my best friends when she needed him most. She means a lot to me.”
“I’m sorry,” the Nord murmured, looking up at him. “I never wanted to hurt her. I never thought it would go this far.” He paused, allowing a few tears to fall as he spoke. “Nivenor left me for Hemming Black-Briar. I should have gone with Nadia from the beginning.” He sighed, leaning back against the wall. “I…she deserves so much better than I gave her.” Delvin stood abruptly, looking sharply down at the man below him.
“Then go and give her better,” he said curtly. “You’re not going to make anything better for either of you by sitting in this damn city and moping about how you screwed up.” With that, he strode back into the night, leaving Bolli to look up, stunned.
He knew what he had to do.