Yawning, Brynjolf shuffles into the Flagon, taking his usual seat and pulling one of the ledgers towards him.
"Thanks, Vekel," he thanks the barkeep when he sets a tankard in front of him.
Delvin slides into the seat across from him. "Morning."
"Morning, Delvin." As Brynjolf studies the ledger, he frowns. "Is this from this month?"
Delvin nods, sighing. "Things still aren't looking up."
His frown deepening, Brynjolf thinks about Iris. She returned the Key. So, why is the Guild practically out of money? Pushing the book away, he decides to ask her about it when she comes down.
"Any jobs?" he asks Delvin instead.
"Nothing really. We had two but Thrynn and Vipir are on them right now." Delvin fixes his gaze on something behind the Nord. "Good morning."
Brynjolf turns in his seat to find Iris approaching their table, a smile on her face.
"Morning." She gives him a sly wink as she takes a seat.
Delvin asks her details about the Solitude job, and Brynjolf uses her distraction to watch her. A small frown forms on his face as he notices faint circles under her eyes. Her smile almost looks forced, strained, her beautiful eyes not shining as they normally do. He supposes it's from her grief. She found out about Ianthe not too long ago. Ianthe was practically her mother, she had told him. He can't imagine losing his. Though he's somewhat estranged from his family, he can't imagine waking up one day and finding they no longer inhabit the living world.
Iris must feel his eyes because she turns from Delvin to give him a questioning gaze.
"So, where are you heading off to?" he asks, trying to hide his concern for her.
She arches an eyebrow, grinning crookedly. "If I tell you, does that mean you'll try to follow?"
He shakes his head, gesturing at Delvin. "Not unless I want to be kicked out of the Guild."
Iris's smile disappears as she nods. "Oh. Right. Uh, I'm going to…Dawnstar…kind of."
"Kind of?" He quirks an eyebrow.
She waves her hand. "It's too long of a story."
"That's a long walk," Delvin comments. "How long will you be gone?"
She shrugs. "I'm…not sure." She glances at Brynjolf, and he remembers her words from last night. Dragonborn business.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Brynjolf snaps his fingers as if just remembering something. "I've been meaning to show you…" He stands up, trailing off.
"Show me what?" Iris asks.
"Follow me." He leads her into the cistern and up to the Guildmaster's desk.
"What is it?" she asks again, folding her arms.
He turns, a grin on his face. "Nothing. Just didn't want Delvin catching onto your secret."
Her face breaks into a wide smile. "Gods, Bryn. You're the best."
"Where are you really going?"
She sighs, strain in her eyes. "It's called the Tower of Mzark. It's kind of by Dawnstar."
"What are you doing there?"
She shakes her head, lowering her eyes. "It's nothing."
"Iris." He watches the conflict on her delicate face as she struggles to keep her intentions a secret.
"Don't worry about it, Bryn." She waves her hand, still not meeting his gaze. "But I don't know how long I'll be gone." Her shoulders slump in defeat ever so slightly, but he notices.
"Will it be dangerous?" He has to ask.
She finally meets his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. "Don't worry about it," she repeats.
"Iris, you know I can't go after you anyway. I'm forced to stay out of it unless I want out of the Guild. You can tell me."
"You won't believe me."
He crosses his arms, his mouth twitching into a smile. "Try me." He didn't believe in the Nightingales, the Dragonborn, or the Stones of Barenziah. And he's seen each of them with his own eyes. He'll believe anything now.
She rakes a hand through her tousled hair, exhaling. "I have to…find something." She glances around to make sure no one is paying attention. "Something…almost legendary."
"What?"
She raises her eyes, meeting his evenly. "Um, an Elder Scroll…"
He freezes in disbelief, watching as she fidgets nervously.
"An Elder Scroll. By the Nine…" Shaking his head, he places his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you need an Elder Scroll?"
She shrugs. "I need it to learn a Thu'um that will defeat Alduin."
He nods slowly. "Okay. And this…Elder Scroll is in the Tower of Mzark?"
"Yeah."
"So…how long will you be gone?"
"I have no idea."
He says nothing, watching her, still unable to believe that his Iris has such a responsibility upon her small shoulders. "Promise me you'll stay safe."
"I promise." But he sees hesitation reflected in her violet orbs.
Sighing softly, he drops his hands, walking around to behind the desk. "Oh, I meant to ask…"
She leans on the side of the desk, facing him.
"Did you ever return the Key?"
She frowns. "The Skeleton Key?"
A short chuckle falls from his lips. "Aye. That's the only Key I remember speaking with you about."
She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I did it ages ago. Remember? I told you."
"Did you?" He doesn't remember. "My memory isn't what it used to be."
Another laugh spills from her mouth. "Gods, Bryn. But yeah, you don't have to bug me about it anymore."
"Thank the Divines. I thought you'd never return it, and we'd have bad luck forever." He watches her closely.
"Yeah…" She laughs again, but to Brynjolf it sounds a bit more forced. Or is it just his imagination?
"Be safe, love."
Her hand brushes his cheek, her eyes cloudy. "I will be."
"You're in luck, Iris." Delvin approaches the two thieves. "I have a job for you. In Falkreath. Can you do it on the way to Dawnstar?"
Iris drops her hand, facing the older thief. "That's a bit out of the way. What is it?"
"Just a simple numbers job."
She thinks for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I'll send a courier when I finish."
"You're an angel, Liriiette."
She waves her hand, smiling slightly. "Yeah, yeah." She turns back to Brynjolf. "Guess I should go now then, huh?"
"Guess so. I'll walk you up." He takes her hand.
Iris stays silent as they climb up the ladder and linger in the stone structure.
"Everything okay?" he asks, lightly brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"Yeah," she breathes.
He smiles softly. "You're not as good of a liar as you used to be, love."
She lifts her eyes, meeting his. "Just with you," she murmurs.
Brynjolf studies her features, expecting to see sadness flooding her eyes. But instead he sees something else. Not sadness, but…something else he can't put his finger on. The dark circles under her hollow eyes and worry lines in her forehead cause a flicker of confusion to flash through his mind.
"I'll miss you." She interrupts his thoughts and embraces him.
He buries his nose in her hair, breathing her in. "Promise me you'll come back in one piece, love."
He feels her nod. Pulling away, she lightly kisses his lips. "I love you."
"And I you." He shoves a smile on his face, watching her walk away. She gives him one last forlorn glance over her shoulder, and it hits him like lightning.
Grief is not the emotion staining her face and marring her features. He wants to slap himself for being so stupid. If Iris is mourning, it doesn't show on her face. But something else does. Not grief, no.
Guilt.
Oooh! What is she feeling guilty about? Hmm... Poor Bryn has no idea what's going on. Leave me a review telling me what you think will happen next! :)
Thank you for reading, and as always, favorite, follow, and review! :)
