❛❛ I  THANK  YOU  FOR  ACCOMPANYING  ME.  not  many   ,   paid  or  no   ,   would  have  faced  miraak.  truly  ,  it  is  something  i  can’t  repay.  you  have  THE  LAST  DRAGONBORN’S  favor         should  that  mean  anything  to  you. ❜❜     bottom  plants  atop  ashy  log   ,   body  wrought  with  both  physical   &   emotional  fatigue.  there  had  been  hope  that  perhaps  miraak  could  be  saved  from  delusions  of  power...     loneliness  of   being  the  only  of  her  kind  building  within.  almost   ,   for  a  time   ,   she  had  accepted  the  feelings.  realizing  destiny  forced  upon...     ❛❛ i  think  i  could  go  for  a  drink.  or  50. ❜❜

              Teldryn snorted as he sat down across from her, tossing the little card he’d received earlier that day down between them. Amusement was etched on his face as he pointed at her little doodle, though she could not see it past his helmet.

              “Nice drawing. You captured my essence perfectly.”

    “ You think so? I fancy myself quite the artist. ” An artist she is not. 

She’s always loved Heart’s Day. Not the ‘where’s the special someone?’ part that involves incessant questions from strangers again and again, but rather the sense of complete and utter consonance. As if for once, Tamriel wasn’t the world of chaos that it is.

She slides a mug along the table; sujamma, of course. Geldis’ specialty.

His hand reached for the other’s face, but he caught himself and clutched his shoulder instead. He figured the gesture would only make Teldryn uncomfortable, which was the opposite of what he wanted. 

Erik jumped off his horse and lead it a bit further away from the road, behind the cover of a pile of rocks. He looked up to the hill. Right on top, the Thalmor Embassy could be seen, a huge building full of high-ranked Thalmor agents, and in the basement...torture chambers. He’d thought he’d never come back here. He hoped he wouldn’t, but here he was again. And this time, the Thalmor was ready for him. They must’ve added even more guards, he was sure of it.

He didn’t care though. The only thing that mattered was to find Teldryn. If he were still alive.

He shook his head. No he had to be alive, there was no other option.

His companion had disappeared a week ago, a very painful week for Erik, who, upon leaving the Ratway after having a talk about a job with Brynjolf and Delvin, found no one in the spot where he’d left Teldryn waiting. He panicked at first, but then tried to rationalize it. Teldryn wasn’t a child, he probably just went to the tavern to have a drink - the tavern was empty and Keerava hadn’t seen him at all - or to the blacksmith, he did complain about his sword needing sharpening - Balmond said no Dunmer came to him - or at Helga’s! Who knew, after all he didn’t know about Teldryn’s taste in women, it could be terrible - nothing, she just tried to flirt with Erik. He even went to the temple, asked the guards - he threw one in the canal after the idiot made a 'you lost your sweetroll’ joke - and still nothing. Two days, he’d been running around town and the surrounding farms, asking everyone, threatening anyone who looked the slightest bit suspicious, barged in the jarl’s manor to throw a fit and ordered Delvin to set all his contacts to find his friend.

The thought that the Dunmer might’ve just left him crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Teldryn wasn’t the type to just abandon him like that, he would’ve said something. Right? And he had played the morning’s events countless times in his head, and he was certain he hadn’t said or done anything that could’ve set him off. They’ve joked around like usual, and he left him at the Ratway’s entrance to talk with Brynjolf for a few hours. That was it. Eventually, he went to Maven for help, and two days afterward, she went to find him at the inn to tell him to give up. It was too big for him. This was the Thalmor. His response was fuck it. 

He pulled his Nightingale hood on his head, his face almost entirely covered by the black armor, save for his eyes. He’d very much love to Fus Ro Dah the walls of the Embassy, then burn everyone inside, but his priority was to get Teldryn to safety. He’ll take his revenge later.

Half an hour later, he’d managed to sneak between the guards without getting caught, and he finally found himself in the basement. There were several cells, and only one interrogator, accompanied with a guard. Both died without a sound, an arrow stuck in each one’s head. He saw the mercenary in one of the cages and practically ran towards him.

     “ Ash, huh? ”

If only for the sake of pity, she doesn’t comment on the fact that the day is actually quite clear.

Valvossa grins, playfully rapping the knuckles of an ebony gauntlet against a chitin covered shoulder.