The bravest and the most noble

Cain | Imperial | 39 Father, Swordsman and Blacksmith Eoin Macken Aaron | Imperial | 35 Brother, Swordsman and Cook Santiago Cabrera Rian | Imperial | 19 Son, Swordsman and Archer Craig Horner I track the 'thebraveandnoble' tag

[whatoddities]

Tort/Aaron set 3/gif 8 or set 1/gif 4

[Prompt]

The night sky had started out clear and beautiful. It was part of the reason they were there to begin with.

The two had set up a small dinner picnic outside by the lake. Both having been working all day with no time to really cook a meal or enjoy the outside air, it was Aaron’s idea that they scrape something easy and edible together real quick and feast outside under the stars. Tort had been both pleasantly surprised and downright giddy from the moment it was mentioned.

Lost in conversation, neither had noticed the storm clouds rolling in. There was a brief warning in the form of a lightning flash, and just as the two looked up, thunder boomed and the rain followed close behind, pouring from the sky as if being released from a bucket. Within minutes, the two were completely drenched, all while desperately to pick up their meals and everything else involved in the picnic. 

Keep reading

[thebraveandnoble]

The hilarity of it all hadn’t gone unnoticed. He felt like a drowned dog, but with her around it didn’t seem to matter. He’d gone to fetch them both something to dry off and warm up with, andnonce he had draped one over her shoulders and felt her lips on his, he had quickly forgotten about his own blanket.

He knew they shouldn’t be doing this, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Or pull away for that matter. His hands practically moved on their own, one settling at the back of her neck and the other gently cupping her cheek and jaw. Despite breaking the kiss momentarily, he remained close to her, resting his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. Should he say something? Probably. That didn’t mean he knew what to say, though.

Instead, Aaron slowly caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, looking at her with a warm expression. Perhaps a bit hesitantly at first, as if to give her time, he pulled her to him and kissed her again, this time more hungrily but still just as softly, with slightly parted lips.

[thebraveandnoble]

Safe Haven [Tortulja/Aaron]

[thebraveandnoble]

tortulja

Tortulja rolled her eyes and pulled her hand from his knee, scoffing and leaning back in her seat. But she giggled anyway at his performance before nudging his leg.

“See if I compliment you again,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at the Imperial. After a moment, she smiled and seemed to relax in her seat. A thought occurred to her, and she furrowed her brows slightly, looking over at Aaron.

“Will you three be in Skyrim for long? If you’ll be around, I’d like to see you again,” Tort said, smiling brightly. “All of you, I mean. Especially Rian, I haven’t even gotten to meet him yet.”

Aaron laughed, not taking her comment to heart, and merely shook his head lightly. 

“We just got back from a trip to Hammerfell, so I doubt we’ll be leaving Skyrim any time soon, if that’s what you mean,” Aaron shrugged and glanced over at her before he tilted his head. “You haven’t met Rian yet? I thought we had introduced you two,” Aaron asked, somewhat embarrassed, and raised his eyebrows. 

[thebraveandnoble]

Drop Your Guard [Olo/Cain]

[thebraveandnoble]

@riftenriffraff

“Maybe,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders, though he tried to keep a hopeful look off his face. At the invitation and following comment, Olo grinned brightly. “Alright. My brother’ll probably show up as well. It’s like he can smell when I get a free drink.” 

“I like him already,” Cain laughed and motioned for Olo to walk with him in the direction of the inn. “Name’s Cain by the way. What should I call you?” he asked, glancing over at the younger man with slightly raised eyebrows as they walked.

[thebraveandnoble]

One More Drink [Shadrach/Cain]

[thebraveandnoble]

@honortoprove

People sitting close together in the hall wasn’t anything new. Sometimes things were crowded. But it wasn’t particularly crowded at the moment, and so it caught him off guard when someone sat on the table next to his drink. He looked up, and there was no confusing the face that beamed down at him.

“Cain!” Shad shouted, and before he could stand to pull the man into a hug, Cain leaned forward into a hug. Shad wrapped the Imperial in a firm embrace, patting his back heartily and smiling brightly.

“It has been far too long,” he agreed, releasing him and standing. At his comment, the Nord laughed and shook his head. “Aye, thin’s change, though. It’s good to see y’Cain.”

“Cain?” Another voice repeated, and Bo stood from his seat as well, a grin on his face. “It has been a long time.”

The Breton sitting between the two Nords looked confused, but stood as well, and offered the stranger a friendly smile and wave. Realizing he should introduce everyone, he cleared his throat.

“Cain, y’remember Bo, aye? Little shit that used to help m’out at the camp?” Shad asked, grinning and motioning to the fellow Nord. “This here is Tommy. He’s just joined the Companions after a… rough patch.”

“What’re y’doin’ here? Y’brother showin’ up too?” Shad asked, before noticing another new face as well. He furrowed his brows and motioned to Rian. “Who’s this?”

Cain hadn’t spotted Bo before, but once the man said his name the Imperial’s face lit up again and Bo was given the same treatment as Shad; a hug and a pat on the shoulder as he pulled back. “That it has,” Cain agreed with a nod and a smile, “I didn’t know you’d be here. Small world I suppose.”

When Tommy stood, Cain looked him over quickly and offered him a smile in return as well as a “Hey kid, nice to meet you,” before Shad continued talking.

“What sort of forgetful slob do you take me for? Of course I remember Bo. I remember everyone who gives me food,” Cain laughed, and at the question of Aaron’s whereabouts he merely shrugged his shoulders. “I left him in Riften, so I assume he’s made his way to visit your sister,” the Imperial replied, “who, incidentally is who told us where you were, and here we are,” he added with a flourish.

When Shad motioned to Rian, who had spent the last few minutes studying the place, Cain smiled brightly and with more than a little pride. “Him? He’s my son,” he said and looked over at the boy,” His name’s Rian.” At the mention of his name, Rian’s attention returned to the four men in front of him and he offered them a bright smile of his own.

[thebraveandnoble]

One More Drink [Shadrach/Cain]

Cain and Rian had arrived in Whiterun along with Shad’s son and a young Dunmer girl. The latter two had split up outside the city to go meet up with a family friend first, and Cain and Rian had entered the city to go look for Shadrach himself.

Knowing Shad was a Companion now, the two made their way through the market and towards the large mead hall in the Cloud district, home of the notorious warriors of Whiterun.

Upon entering the hall, both men scoped the area for someone fitting Shad’s description, and Cain spotted him first. He nudged Rian and motioned to the Nord seated at the table with a spreading smile on his face.

Cain sauntered over to the table and leaned on it with his rear, looking down at Shadrach with a bright grin, waiting for the man to recognize him before he practically fell into Shad’s lap while giving the Nord a tight hug.

“It’s been too long, old friend,” he mumbled against the Nord’s shoulder, giving his back a couple of firm pats before reluctantly releasing his hold on the man.

“You know, this is one of the last places I’d expect to find you, yet here you are.”

[thebraveandnoble]

Safe Haven [Tortulja/Aaron]

[thebraveandnoble]

@tortulja

Possibly two weeks? Tortulja could barely contain her excitement! They could do so much more than they had been able to before, and Tort had always been eager to show Aaron more of the Rift.

“Aye, that sounds fine,” she said with a smile, nodding her head in agreement. The plans settled so far, Tort moved onto the next subject that had caught her attention when he arrived.

“Now, we have to discuss this,” the Nord declared, pursing her lips and leaning forward a bit. She reached up and gently stroked the facial hair the Imperial had grown out since she had last seen him. It had tickled her nose when she had kissed his cheek earlier. Though she was used to a mostly clean-shaven Aaron, this seemed to fit him just as well. It felt like it had been so long since she had last seen him. She didn’t realize how much she had missed him being around.

“You’re very handsome,” she murmured, stroking his cheek again before meeting his eyes and smiling. She let her hand fall away from his face, assuming she had probably invaded his personal space too much anyway. “The look suits you.”

The prospect of spending so much time with Tortulja was something he had looked forward to since he and Cain had agreed to split up this time.

“This?” he repeated with a laugh and feigned an offended look. As soon as he felt her hand on his cheek he leaned into her touch just every so slightly.

He smiled warmly at her compliment and nudged her with the back of his hand. “Stop it, you’re making me blush,” the Imperial teased and fluttered his eyelashes at her, faking embarrassment for a brief moment before he laughed. All jokes aside, it was nice to hear that she thought he looked good, though perhaps even more so because she said it. 

[thebraveandnoble]

Safe Haven [Tortulja/Aaron]

[thebraveandnoble]

@tortulja

At his facial expression, she felt a pang of guilt. She hadn’t meant to be such a downer. Especially when she had been so happy to see him to begin with. His words, however, brought a definite smile to her face. His hand atop hers was reassuring and she shook her head.

“No, there won’t be any moping. Not when I’ve gotten such a lovely surprise visit from you,” she replied with a bright smile. She gave his knee a squeeze before laughing at his words.

“I bet Cain’s adorable when he’s all mushy,” she said with a giggle. Her mood lifted at the slight weight off her chest and the news that she’d have an old friend visiting during a time when it’d be best appreciated, she was determined to enjoy the time they had together.

“So, you’ll be staying here, aye? Dinner’ll be done soon, if you’re hungry,” she said brightly. “But! Because I know you’ll complain otherwise: you can cook tomorrow, if it’ll make you feel any better… and not because it’s been too long since I’ve had one of your meals.”

“As adorable as a grown man can be,” Aaron laughed and lightly shook his head at the thought of Cain practically fawning over Shadrach. Aaron didn’t know the man too well personally, but from what he’d seen, Shadrach was a decent fellow.

At Tort’s next question the Imperial nodded. “Yes, I’ll be staying in town until Cain gets back, so probably a week or so, maybe two,” he told her with a slight bob-bob motion of his hand to indicate his uncertainty.

While he was hungry, he didn’t want to just come into her home and take over the place or eat her out of the house - though knowing Tort the latter wasn’t likely to be a problem.

“Haven’t eaten since breakfast, so dinner would be nice,” the Imperial replied with a warm smile, and at her next comment he laughed. “I’ll take it as a compliment either way,” he teased with a smirk on his face, “we can browse the market tomorrow, see if there’s anything that strikes your fancy. Does that sound alright?”

[thebraveandnoble]

Drop Your Guard [Olo/Cain]

riftenriffraff

"Oh, come on, those are /clearly/ against the law," the guard replied, frowning and putting his hands on his hips, as if scolding a young child. A smile split his face, however, and he relaxed his stance and shrugged. "It's a shame I'll be off duty all night. I won't be able to stop you."

Cain stopped in his tracks as the guard continued to talk, then turned to face him again. “This your elaborate way of asking to tag along?” Cain asked with a growing grin on his face.

“Come on, first round’s on me, we’ll just have to fetch my brother.”

[thebraveandnoble]

(Olo) “No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, no ritual animal slaughters of any kind.”

Cain listened closely and counted out all the points on his fingers, and as Olo finished talking he seemed to mull something over. "You didnt say no bar fights, no streaking or no sex, so I'm gonna go do just that, though not necessarily in that order," the Imperial declared with a broad, devious grin before he patted the guards shoulder and walked past him.

[thebraveandnoble]

“I have the potential to smack the shit outta y'if y'don’t get out of m'way.”

"Then smack away, daddy, 'cause this is my spot now," Cain declared firmly and made a small hop on the chair for emphasis as he looked up at Shad with an expectant look on his face.

[thebraveandnoble]

“What? You don’t think I’m pretty?”

Rian eyed him over again and tilted his head slightly before making a face. "Girls are pretty, you're... handsome? Drop dead gorgeous? I mean, just go look in a mirror?" He said with a shrug.

[thebraveandnoble]

(Aaron) “I dazzled him with my… wits.”

Aaron merely looked at her sideways for a moment before he cleared his throat. “you know, that sounds wrong on so many levels,” he pointed out, but couldn’t help the amused smile from spreading across his face.

[thebraveandnoble]

(Cain) “You are amazingly self-assured, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Ah yes, you make a point of telling me every time we meet,” Cain retorted and placed a hand on his chest as if actually hurt by her words before cracking a bright smile at her. “Wouldn’t really be me if I wasn’t so self-assured, though, would I?”

[thebraveandnoble]

(Rian) “That guy? I heard he ate a live duck once. Everything but the beak and the feet.”

“…Poor duck?” was his first and only reaction, and he made a face shortly afterwards, clearly more disgusted than impressed.

[thebraveandnoble]

Safe Haven [Tortulja/Aaron]

[thebraveandnoble]

@tortulja

“Really? Dag and Llaara just left this morning for Whiterun, so maybe they’ll meet them on the way,” she said brightly, and her smile only increased at his words. It must have been nice for Cain’s son to see his mom once in a while.

“Uh… aye, been fine,” she replied with a shrug. After a moment of thought, a frown made its way to her face. “Well… mostly fine. I, um… my partner and I split up fairly recently. We’re still on good terms, and it was honestly for the best, but… it still wasn’t fun.”

She offered Aaron a weak smile, the feelings still somewhat raw in her chest, and looked away from him. Not even ten minutes and she was bringing the feeling in the room down.

“But you didn’t come here to listen to me mope,” she said with a wave of her hand. She patted his knee and gave him a smile, this one a little brighter than the last. “So, why did you decide to stay in Riften? Are you telling me you aren’t eager to spend a few days with my brother?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Cain said they were only gonna load up, then head out,” he replied with a small smile. It would probably be nice for the four of them to have some more company on the trip to Whiterun, even though they weren’t exactly close.

At her frown, Aaron furrowed his brows, worried he had said something wrong. He was about to ask when she continued talking, and he listened intently. Ouch, he thought and made a slight face. Breakups were never fun, no matter how good or bad they went.

“True....” he began and quirked his lips before continuing, “I came here to spend time with you, in any shape, way or form, so if you need a co-moper or just someone to listen or talk to, I can do that.” He offered her a small smile in return, and placed his hand over the one she had on his knee before she could pull it away and gave it a light squeeze.

At her next question he merely laughed and shook his head. “As lovely as your brother is, he turns my brother into a lovestruck teenager, and I’d rather not be there to witness that - again. Besides, you’re more fun.”

[stuffofoddities]

Ten Things I Hate About You

Compiled from here and here.

“Make anyone cry today?”

“Sadly, no. But it’s only four-thirty.”

“It’s not everyday you find a girl who’ll flash someone to get you out of detention.”

“Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.”

“Just ‘cause you’re beautiful, that doesn’t mean that you can treat people like they don’t matter.”

“I don’t like to do what people expect.”

“No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, no ritual animal slaughters of any kind.”

“Tell me something true.”

“Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?”

“We’ll dance, we’ll kiss, we’ll come home. It’s not quite the crisis situation you imagine.”

“Well, maybe you’re not afraid of me but I’m sure you’ve thought about me naked, huh?”

“You don’t buy black lingerie unless you want someone to see it.”

“Expressing my opinion is not a terrorist action.”

“Wow, is this what a bar looks like?”

“’Hates him with the fire of a thousand suns.’ That’s a direct quote.“

“I warned him that if he told anyone, the cheerleading squad would find out how tiny his dick is!”

“You are amazingly self-assured, has anyone ever told you that?”

“I dazzled him with my… wits.”

“You don’t always have to be who they want you to be, you know?”

“Tempestuous?”

“I believe ‘heinous bitch’ is the term used most often.”

“But imagine the things he’d say during sex.”

“Why do girls like that always like guys like that?”

“What if she never starts dating?”

“This from someone whose diary is devoted to favorite grooming tips?”

“But she doesn’t want to date.”

“You’re not helping.”

“You’re asking me out. That’s so cute. What’s your name again?”

“You wanna go out with him?”

“That guy? I heard he ate a live duck once. Everything but the beak and the feet.”

“How ‘bout your sex life?”

“ You’re gonna pay me to take out some girl?”

“ I can’t take a girl like that out on twenty bucks.”

“ Do you even know my name, screwboy?”

“I have the potential to smack the crap out of you if you don’t get out of my way.”

“You hate me don’t you?”

“My insurance does not cover PMS.”

“What? You don’t think I’m pretty?”

[thebraveandnoble]

Safe Haven [Tortulja/Aaron]

[thebraveandnoble]

@tortulja

The house was unusually quiet. Dag and Llaara had left earlier, taking the dogs with them, leaving Tortulja with only Chance, who was sleeping soundly on a chair, and herself. The day was winding down and Tort was waiting for dinner to cool. Stew, as per usual, and she had made far too much. She supposed Chance wouldn’t mind some special food when he woke, and the beggars at the marketplace could always

–

A knock at the door roused her from her thoughts and she stood from her seat, walking over to the door. She wondered who it could be and upon opening the door… it took her by surprise.

“Aaron!” The Nord pulled the Imperial into a firm hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek once it was within reach. “It’s so great to see you! Of course you can come in.”

Releasing her hold on the man, she stepped inside, motioning for him to follow before she shut the door behind him. She moved to pull a chair out for him, scooping up Chance and, despite his offended meows, moving the cat to another place so Aaron could sit.

“Please, sit, tell me how you’ve been,” she said, smiling brightly and walking to the cupboard so she could grab two tankards for them to drink from. She poured water into each, as it was all she currently had, and then sat next to the Imperial, scooting a tankard his way.

Aaron smiled brightly both during and after their hug, and once she invited him in he followed her inside. He would have offered to help move things around, but it seemed she had everything under control, so instead he thanked her when he sat down.

“Oh, you know, same old,” Aaron began as he raised the cup up to his lip to drink. “Cain has been nagging about going to see your brother in Whiterun, so he’s taking his son there while I’m staying here in Riften,” he explained with a laugh. “Before that we spent some time in the Reach, did some work there, and paid a visit to Rian’s mom in Hammerfell.”

“How about you? Everything okay here?” he asked and looked over at her with slightly raised eyebrows.