The door shut with a finality that Teldryn hoped was all in his head, and he had to take a steadying breath before he returned to the table to face Dagvald again.
"What did he say?"
"That I should leave if it would make me happier than staying."
"But it wouldn't." The Nord sounded as if he already knew the answer.
Teldryn shook his head.
"I didn't think so." Dagvald sounded resigned. "We're like two sides of the same coin. And I, that is something I like! But not you. You want some happy, horizon chasing fool who will keep you above water when you sink into one of your glooms."
"We disagreed a lot, you and I. We would have made do, but it wouldn't have been easy. It's the stubbornness. Neither of us is willing to let things go. You never were. You aren't now."
"Not like him, is what you're saying." Dagvald said, defensive, the moment of tenderness gone. He stood. "It matters not. I'll find someone braver, willing to accept the challenges leveled by glory and honor!"
Teldryn moved out of the way as the Nord made his way to the door. "Good luck. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Dagvald paused, laid a hand on his shoulder, then leaned in and kissed him, briefly. "You know I never listened to you, my surly elf."
And that was another problem altogether, Teldryn thought as he smiled and watched the man walking away down the docks. "Take care of yourself."
Dagvald waved and turned the corner, and Teldryn wasn't sure whether or not he hoped he'd see the man again. It was good to see him alive, at the very least. Dagvald's death had weighed on his conscience, a specter he'd thought would follow him to the grave. Lightheartedness wasn't really in his personality at the best of times, but he felt...more free. Happier, released from guilt. Now he just had to find Lendri.
* Teldryn never felt welcome in the Ragged Flagon. He thought of it as Lendri's territory, and even in love there were some places you didn't tread. The people treated him guardedly--it was clear they were only tolerating him because he was connected to one of their own. Last of all, he thought the name was stupid. Flagons didn't fray, they chipped. That detail irked him, probably a lot more than it should have.
The tavern was quiet when he entered. A few people clustered around one of the tables, talking quietly, watching a card game. Lendri was one of them, leaning against the wall, looking at the game in the abstracted way he looked at things when he was pretending to pay attention. A blonde woman at the edge of the group was the first to notice him. Lendri had told him their names at some point and he had mixed up most of them. He was pretty sure she was called Vekel the Man.
"Look what the cat dragged in," she said.
Lendri looked up hopefully. "Teldryn?"
"Try not to look so eager," said a Dunmer who was sitting at the table, disgustedly discarding one of his cards. "Gods, I don't know how you get by with so little self-respect."
"You're such a shitehawk, Ravyn," Lendri said, offhand, like the vitriol was normal. He moved around the table and met Teldryn halfway, out of earshot of the people at the table. "What happened to Dagvald?"
"He left. I didn't want to leave with him. Let's go home."
Teldryn didn't look back to see what the thieves thought, though the big Nord at the entrance muttered,
'Watch yourself."
They walked side by side without speaking until they emerged in the sun, leaving through the graveyard. Lendri took his hand as they stood among the tombstones. Teldryn raised the elf's fingers to his lips, briefly kissing the knuckles. He lifted an eyebrow to the questions in Lendri's eyes.
"Surprised? He argued a lot. We were in love, but...it wouldn't have lasted. He contradicted every word that came out of my mouth, nearly. It was amusing at first, but after a while it became infuriating."
"Well, I'm glad you're here. Things would have been a bit sad and boring without you. Especially going all the way to the Reach with no one to talk to."
"Speaking of which...the potion has probably boiled all the way down by now."
"Ah well. I think I must've started it off wrong anyway. We'll be fine. We usually are."
"Indeed."
(And that's the end. Thanks for all the nice comments anons!)
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timeasmymeasure
An Unwelcome Visitor 3/3 (Continued)
Date: 2014-01-12 01:47 am (UTC)"What did he say?"
"That I should leave if it would make me happier than staying."
"But it wouldn't." The Nord sounded as if he already knew the answer.
Teldryn shook his head.
"I didn't think so." Dagvald sounded resigned. "We're like two sides of the same coin. And I, that is something I like! But not you. You want some happy, horizon chasing fool who will keep you above water when you sink into one of your glooms."
"We disagreed a lot, you and I. We would have made do, but it wouldn't have been easy. It's the stubbornness. Neither of us is willing to let things go. You never were. You aren't now."
"Not like him, is what you're saying." Dagvald said, defensive, the moment of tenderness gone. He stood. "It matters not. I'll find someone braver, willing to accept the challenges leveled by glory and honor!"
Teldryn moved out of the way as the Nord made his way to the door. "Good luck. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Dagvald paused, laid a hand on his shoulder, then leaned in and kissed him, briefly. "You know I never listened to you, my surly elf."
And that was another problem altogether, Teldryn thought as he smiled and watched the man walking away down the docks. "Take care of yourself."
Dagvald waved and turned the corner, and Teldryn wasn't sure whether or not he hoped he'd see the man again. It was good to see him alive, at the very least. Dagvald's death had weighed on his conscience, a specter he'd thought would follow him to the grave. Lightheartedness wasn't really in his personality at the best of times, but he felt...more free. Happier, released from guilt. Now he just had to find Lendri.
*
Teldryn never felt welcome in the Ragged Flagon. He thought of it as Lendri's territory, and even in love there were some places you didn't tread. The people treated him guardedly--it was clear they were only tolerating him because he was connected to one of their own. Last of all, he thought the name was stupid. Flagons didn't fray, they chipped. That detail irked him, probably a lot more than it should have.
The tavern was quiet when he entered. A few people clustered around one of the tables, talking quietly, watching a card game. Lendri was one of them, leaning against the wall, looking at the game in the abstracted way he looked at things when he was pretending to pay attention. A blonde woman at the edge of the group was the first to notice him. Lendri had told him their names at some point and he had mixed up most of them. He was pretty sure she was called Vekel the Man.
"Look what the cat dragged in," she said.
Lendri looked up hopefully. "Teldryn?"
"Try not to look so eager," said a Dunmer who was sitting at the table, disgustedly discarding one of his cards. "Gods, I don't know how you get by with so little self-respect."
"You're such a shitehawk, Ravyn," Lendri said, offhand, like the vitriol was normal. He moved around the table and met Teldryn halfway, out of earshot of the people at the table. "What happened to Dagvald?"
"He left. I didn't want to leave with him. Let's go home."
Teldryn didn't look back to see what the thieves thought, though the big Nord at the entrance muttered,
'Watch yourself."
They walked side by side without speaking until they emerged in the sun, leaving through the graveyard. Lendri took his hand as they stood among the tombstones. Teldryn raised the elf's fingers to his lips, briefly kissing the knuckles. He lifted an eyebrow to the questions in Lendri's eyes.
"Surprised? He argued a lot. We were in love, but...it wouldn't have lasted. He contradicted every word that came out of my mouth, nearly. It was amusing at first, but after a while it became infuriating."
"Well, I'm glad you're here. Things would have been a bit sad and boring without you. Especially going all the way to the Reach with no one to talk to."
"Speaking of which...the potion has probably boiled all the way down by now."
"Ah well. I think I must've started it off wrong anyway. We'll be fine. We usually are."
"Indeed."
(And that's the end. Thanks for all the nice comments anons!)