For your lovely Ntalym/Ancano:
🔥 What’s the pettiest thing they’ve ever argued about?
🛡️ Who jumps in front of danger for the other without thinking?
🧩 What tiny habit of the other do they find unbearably adorable?
^Adorable Habit #3054: immediately turning into a khajiit around butterflies
Tysm for the Ask, @Beastboost! 🙏💗
I answered these myself, but the gremlins also got to speak up. 😜
This is long!
🔥What's the pettiest thing they've ever argued about?
To Nat and Ancano's credit, they rarely fall out, despite having different ways of doing almost everything. They're both far too old to expect the other to change.
They're quite selfish, but their wants often dovetail, rather than clashing.
That doesn't stop the bickering, however:
> "who had the logbook last", "did you pay a blind goblin to fix that", "that is entirely TOO MUCH FIRE, Nafarion 'cal Llarethiiath!*" ...and so on.
*Nat, on paper: Nafarion Yanniss Avys 'ata Coredalf Morymyrian-Natultare 'len Eldyme-Niraselya Korasephina 'cal Llarethiiath v'Sunhold
^ This is fine.
🛡️Who jumps in front of danger for the other without thinking?
These two don't say "I love you" very often.
The world they inhabit is full of political manoeuvring, and talk is cheap. But my favourite thing about them is the soft glances, the actions that speak truer than words, and this is one of those things, because they both do it, and often.
Nat in particular has expended social cachet in Ancano's defense — his clan are extremely powerful, while Ancano's is in disgrace — but he will defend his partner tooth and claw.
That said, even if they were not romantically involved they'd still do this to a degree, because loyalty and fraternité is part of the martial culture of their break-away faction — we can't separate my two from some real nutty zealotry, but the bond that such a niche and extreme ideology creates is adamant.
🧩What tiny habit of the other do they find unbearably adorable?
For Ancano it's a few things: Ntalym's lived everywhere bar Sunhold for a while, but every so often he'll use a really uncommon local word, and have to translate. Even worse when he follows up with something from buttfuck northern Auridon where he's been stationed for a decade. (Alinorians begging for mercy, or for preference, a dictionary).
Also Nat taking his severe ponytail down at the end of the day. He always has to fluff his hair out with a sigh and sort-of sit there with it all *floofed* like a lion's mane, before face-planting the nearest bedroll. He always chucks the leather string somewhere, and then acts surprised when he can't find it right away in the morning.
For Nat? I'd say Ancano's hands when he's writing — he does this thing where he brushes the parchment as though clearing invisible cobwebs before he begins; it's actually part of an anti-forgery spell, and Nat knows this (standard procedure) but for some reason the specific way Ancano does it is enthralling. He has very elegant fingers.
...That or the look he gets when a Cunning Plan has occurred to him — the eyes become extra-luminous and the air of smugness becomes palpable. You'll get rapid blinks and a nose-twitch, followed by the tiniest of smirks.
He also loves his alchemy; dates and labels everything in beautiful looping handwriting; organizes potion cabinets so you can actually see what's in them; and folds anything, even footwraps.
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THEY say:
[The boys are sat on chairs an arm's length apart]
Ancano: I think in the last seventy years I can count...maybe three times we've really...gone at it. (He glances at Nat)
Ntalym: Mm-hmm. (In agreement; his arms are crossed and he looks at the floor, a tiny frown between his eyes.)
A: I would say we are not petty folk.
...Ntalym?
N: Hm? (He shakes his head, eyes still on the floor)
A: What?
N: Oh, nothing. We don't argue, exactly. We... I get snappy and you get catty and do the-the... lip thing and roll your eyes, but "argue" is too strong.
You state your case and then leave well enough alone. I appreciate that.
A: (mock-serious) ..."The lip thing"?
N: (pouts)
A: (half-offended, half-amused)
--
Things you find endearing about the other?
A: (smiling faintly) before bed, when you take the tie out of your hair. And then you throw it somewhere and seem surprised when you can't find it again come daybreak.
N: (smiles ruefully)
A: It's amusing but sometimes very frustrating. (Sing-song) The Party is ready to leave and Captain Ntalym is hunting for a hair-tie. You should have three.
Nat: I DO have three! They keep growing legs—
Ancano: You keep throwing them—
Nat: when we're outside again after a skirmish, you always find a moment to kneel and face Auri-El. 🤲
A: I thank Him for our victory.
N: (kisses him)
A: ...You nuzzle into my neck when you're asleep :3
N: I do??
A: Oh, it's charming so long as you don't drool in my hair or huff in my ear(!)
^Exhibit A, Ladies and Gentlemer
N: (^///^) Speaking of hair. When you're doing alchemy, and that one strand keeps falling in front of your eyes? And you hitch your sleeves up just so (he mimes). You lean on the table while you're waiting, with that...thousand-mile stare? You look gorgeous, by the way, in such pose. I would commission a painting of you this way. (He strokes the other's face).
A: (suddenly grins mischieviously) You know when you're threatening somebody?
N: ..?
A: You exhibit a darling sneer and it's (he whispers) so very arousing?
N: (going red) I-I think we should end this interview here...?
^/////^
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