'Yeah', I thought to myself, 'keep staring at me. See where it lands you at.' The tip of my tail swayed in annoyance as I made my way to the gates of Riften. Just because I was a Khajiit, everyone had to stare at me. So much for not drawing attention... I just wanted to snatch a quick drink from the Bee and Barb before I continued on my way to Whiterun. I didn't want any drama, stress or fights.

I walked to the gates of Riften, my legs aching a little from the long walk. There were two guards on duty outside of the gates and the one on the left cast me a dirty look as I approached.

"What do you want, cat?" he asked.

"Hmph," I mumbled to myself, "Mead. I want mead. A quick drink and I'm off."

"Your kind is known for starting trouble," the guard on the right put his two cents in.

"My kind?" I asked with a small laugh, "That's funny. I haven't seen any of my kind around for several miles. Last I saw was a caravan. Even so, I just want a drink. So can I enter?"

The guard cast the other a glance, and the right one turned to the gate, "Fine, but everybody will be watching you so if you make even one false move, your head will be on a platter."

I rolled my eyes as I walked through the gates, 'I could have figured out myself that everybody would be watching me, tidbit.'

The gates slid shut behind me as I tossed a few glances here and there around me. I walked down the path and came to a bridge. The Bee and Barb was across it, so I crossed the wooden path and entered. As I crossed the bridge and walked inside, I found myself in a place with a few people scattered about. There were two Nords, a Redguard, two Argonians and just two other people I didn't care to pick apart for their race. The Bee and Barb was a small place, but I walked up to the bar and re-positioned my satchel as I took a seat on a bar stool. I eventually took it off and let it sit on the floor in front of me so the strap was sitting on my foot. I'd feel if it were messed with.

At first, nobody was behind the bar, so I figured the Nord or somebody else would step up behind it, but I was shocked on the inside when one of the Argonians, the woman, walked up to me.

"What can I get you?" she asked. Unlike the others in the Bee and Barb, she didn't have a glare strewn over her face at the site of me. In fact, it actually looked like she had more trust in me than she did the others. Since I knew better, it was probably because she was an Argonian. She was a 'beast race' like me and she understood how looks could be deceiving.

"Just a bottle of mead, thanks," I pulled out a few septims as she reached under the counter and placed a bottle in front of me. We did a trade in a way as I put the coins in her hand, "Thanks plenty," I said.

She nodded, "So, where are you hailing from?"

"Oh," I said, "Just down west, you know." I opened the bottle and took a small sip.

"What's the purpose, if you don't mind a curious question or two?"

"On my way to Whiterun."

"Whiterun, eh? Quite a fancy place, I'd say."

"Really?" I asked, "I've heard it's not quite as fancy as Solitude."

I heard a guy snickering in the background, "How much you wanna bet she's saying that because Solitude has more stuff for her to steal?"

I rolled my eyes and saw the Argonian woman do it, too.

"Any special purpose for heading so far to Whiterun?" she leaned on the counter, seeming to be purely interested in having a conversation with me.

"Yeah, actually," I said. I reached into my shirt and yanked at the chain around my neck. A fully gold chain with a small locket on it, "One reason is because I need names inscribed on this. Another is because I'm looking for an old friend in Whiterun."

She eyed my chain with interest, not with the tweak of wanting to steal it, so she asked, "Can I see that chain?"

My tail twitched as I took it off my neck and handed it to her, "Sure." I was sitting right in front of her, and if she tried anything, I'd have at her. My fist would have no problem breaking the jaw of a woman who seemed nice.

After she inspected it a few times, flipping it back and forth in her hand, she gave it back to me. Instead of putting it back on, I set it down on the table and took another sip of mead.

"I'm Keerava," she held out a scaly hand for me to shake, and I did as a pleasure.

"Name's Ajivha." (Aw-Gee-vuh)

"Pleasure," she said, "So, of all places to stop in Tamriel for a drink, why here?"

"Closest place I found and I really needed to rest for a while."

"You're still a while away from Whiterun. You gonna be spending the night in town?"

"I could, but I don't think I should."

"Why's that?"

"I like to keep moving."

The same man from before spoke up to one of his buddies, "Probably 'cause she's got a bounty on her head."

I shook my head and Keerava laughed a little, "Ignore them," she whispered, "They drank off their tails."

I laughed a little and she looked at the door as I heard it squeak open. I try my best all the time not to look at people when they enter a room. Keerava seemed to perk up a little, but not in a good way. It was more in a way that said she had to watch out, so when I turned around, I saw a guy who looked... mighty suspicious.

"Delvin," Keerava whispered, "Oh, I highly dislike him." She shook her head and I glanced to see who walked in again. Her gaze dropped to my chain and she said, "You better keep your eyes on that," in a quiet whisper.

I nodded and the man she referred to as "Delvin" walked to the counter and took a seat... right next to me. I was sitting at the end of the bar and there were four other seats open.

"Good evening, Keerava," he said to her as if they were friends, "Mead, please." He took out a few septims and placed them right on the counter and he turned to look at me. I wasn't looking right at him, but I saw the way he glanced at me - not even at me. He glanced past me and down at the table... at my chain.

"Eyes off, bud," I said.

He looked up at me and laughed, "What? I can't look at a lovely gold chain?"

"Not when the gold chain is mine."

I'd heard Riften was famous for housing the Thieves Guild, but it took me a minute to realize a member had to be sitting right next to me. There were all the signs - the way he appeared to be trying to stay hidden, tightly bundled in clothes with a hood he could throw up to hide his face an any time. There was also the way he walked, like he was practicing being stealthy at every second, whether he showed it or not. I knew that move. His eyes held a familiar glint - the one that said he wanted it. I'd seen it a lot, growing up with Khajiits like myself. When we want something, it doesn't always have to be obvious, but we learn to know when somebody wants something... especially when it belongs to the person who it's wanted from.

Keerava gave him the mead but he shook his head and tossed a few more septims onto the table, "Get me three more bottles to go," he said.

Keerava got him the bottles and he stood up.

"Get me a bottle to go, too, Keerava," I leaned down to get a few more septims out of my satchel, and the man rested his hand on my shoulder as I did. I paused, still down at my satchel.

"You should be more trusting, Khajiit," he said and slipped his hand down my arm.

I rolled my eyes as I came back up, as did Keerava. She handed him three bottles and she set one on the table for me to get myself. The man made his way out of the Bee and Barb and I exchanged a glance with Keerava.

"Well, at least he left," she whispered.

"Bad for business?" I asked.

"When he's drunk, he likes to... start a scene."

I nodded my head when I stood up and pulled my satchel up with me.

"You off to Whiterun now?" Keerava asked.

"Indeed," I looked down after finishing my first bottle and within seconds, it was shattered on the floor.

Keerava jumped, but when she looked down, she saw the same thing that I did - nothing. He took my chain. That chain was given to me by my parents before they were slaughtered on my birthday by wolves. It was their names I was going to get engraved on it.

"I'll clean it," Keerava said as I took a run to the door. I thanked her in my head and ran outside, looking around quickly.

The man named Delvin was just walking away. He was about a minute's worth of time away from the Bee and Barb, but he glanced behind his shoulder at me and took off on a run.

Oh no. He was not going to get away from me like that.