#saffir

@glorious-glorai

👑 OC dressed as royalty

"Thank you," Amren says, not for the first time. "We really owe you."

Saffir nods and gives Ancano a smile that doesn't even seem forced.

He grasps the cup of wine they have handed him shortly after asking him in. Actually, Ancano only had planned to drop Braith off at her parents' house and head away from the city as quickly as possible, but since the girl immediately blurted out the story of how the Dragonborn's Thalmor saved her from a bear, Amren and Saffir wouldn't let him leave.

And so he finds himself sitting in the unadorned home near the fire, feeling out of place and yet strangely comfortable.

"Truth to be told, we've been planning to have you and Dayla over for quite some time now," Saffir says. "It's only … Well …"

"You were afraid of him," Braith points out.

Amren gasps and Saffir lowers her gaze. An awkward silence fills the room.

Finally, Ancano clears his throat. "Is that so?"

"Of course not!" Amren hastily replies. "We weren't afraid."

"Maybe a little intimidated," Saffir adds. "We mean no offense, it's just … We're not really used to deal with Thalmor agents here, and we weren't sure whether you would … or how you would …" She pauses.

Ancano gazes down at his cup, Dayla's words echoing deep within him: The way you look at them, and talk about them. You don't really give them a reason to be friendlier. There's two sides to that coin.

He has taken these words as an attack, but now, facing this Redguard family, he wonders whether there might be more to it.

"Actually, I no longer work for the Thalmor. You should have noticed that I was not even wearing the robes anymore."

"Yes, but …" Amren sighs. "Never mind. We probably should just have approached you without worrying about your reaction. After all, Saffir and I know what it's like to arrive at foreign parts. You know, Whiterun is a nice place with decent people, but they need time to open up. We've had the same experience and I wouldn't want you to have a hard time the way we did. Please, feel welcome to drop by anytime. Dayla is a good friend of ours and so … same goes for you."

For a moment, Ancano doesn't know what to say. A part of him tries to make Amren's words bitter by telling himself that it's all fake, that the man is merely trying to be polite. But he feels a sincerity in Amren's voice and Saffir's smile not even his wariness can wash away.

"I appreciate that. You have my thanks," he finally mutters.

"Maybe the Dayla and you would like to join us for dinner the other day?"

"I …" Ancano swallows hard, once more lowering his gaze. "I am not sure …" He falls silent. How to tell them their friendly move comes too late? That Dayla probably no longer … That they … He has no idea how to put it, and not only because it should be of no concern to a family of strangers, but mostly because he feels that pronouncing the inevitable is the one step that will make it real.

Amren furrows his brow. "What is it? You're not about to travel, are you? Dayla sure didn't sound like it when I saw her earlier."

"You saw her?" Ancano croaks, feeling incredibly stupid.

"Why, yes, she's walking the streets and …" The Redguard pauses. "Are you alright?"

Ancano can't answer. But he knows it is way too apparent that he is anything but alright.

"You've been quarreling!" Braith exclaims and moves closer. Walking back into Whiterun by Ancano's side apparently has made her lose all her shyness towards the former Thalmor … not that Ancano has ever found her to be particularly shy.

"Braith!" Saffir hisses, waving her daughter nearer. "You really shouldn't -"

But Braith doesn’t care. "I'm right, am I not? Is that why you were out there in the woods dressing up as Thalmor?"

Ancano considers just smashing the stupid cup on the floor and hurrying out of the door, but he isn't quite sure his legs would obey. So all he does is fight back a sigh. "She believes it is all my fault," he spits out. "That I am to blame if I do not feel welcome here in Whiterun. My opinion differed from hers, and so we had a certain disagreement and … I am not sure whether we have a future. Or anything. Dayla has left, and I believe … However, this is none of your concerns, I should not be bothering you with it." He clears his throat. "Please assume I never commented on that issue. I will just leave."

"You have no idea what Dayla is doing, then?"  Saffir softly replies.

Ancano shakes his head, and the Redguard couple glances at each other.

"Braith," Amren finally says, "I last spotted Dayla over by the Gildergreen. She might be still around. Would you be so kind and take Ancano there?"