Well, I wasn't originally planning on posting this, as I wrote it for fun, but then I thought, what the hey? And if anyone enjoys it, I might write some other stuff, as I do love Vicente. :)

~X~

Vicente closed the doors to his room, muttering angrily. His latest contract had cost him a large handful of hair, and had ended with him laying face-down in the snow with a dead Khajiit laying on top of him.

"Damned beast..." He muttered, inspecting the bite marks on his arm.

He went to his dresser and pulled a rag out of the drawer, proceeding to wipe the dried blood off of his dagger before going to his mirror and attempting to comb over the bald spot on his head.

Eventually giving up, he changed from his soaked clothing into his night clothes and laid down on the stone slab he used as a bed.

He went over the night in his head.

It wasn't a total disaster... He thought. The contract had been fulfilled and that was all that mattered.

A couple minutes later, he was fast asleep, his arms folded over his stomach.

~X~

Antoinetta Marie knocked lightly on the door, then waited for a reply. When it didn't come, she cracked the doors open slightly, peering in.

She had come to get a book he'd borrowed from her, needing it's information for a contract.

Seeing him asleep, she gently pushed the door open, just enough to slip in.

She started searching for the book on a shelf in the corner. She didn't find the book, but she found his dagger. Unsheathing it, she examined the blade. It was stained and beginning to rust. It had been well-used over the years.

Replacing it on the shelf, she continued her search, looking through his desk next. She didn't find it there either, but noticed the damp clothes sitting on the chair.

She then looked through his dresser, finding nothing but a few arrows.

"What is it you're looking for, sister?" A voice asked, making Antoinetta jump. She turned around, he was standing directly in front of her, his face inches from hers.

"Oh! Forgive me for waking you, but I need my book back." She said, looking down sheepishly.

"Of course," he said, going over to his bedside table, opening the drawer.

Antoinetta couldn't help but giggle when she saw the bald spot behind his right ear.

Vicente looked up questioningly, book in hand.

She covered her mouth, feigning a coughing fit.

"Dear brother, how did you lose your--"

"Please don't ask."

He walked over to her, handing her the book. "Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you brother." She said, trying earnestly to hide her smile. "I'll let you rest."

With that, she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

~X~

Teinaava was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, flipping through a book, listening to the Dark Guardian's creaky bones as he made his rounds through the sanctuary.

Hearing light footsteps approach him, he looked up to see Antoinetta smiling down at him.

"Dear sister, is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

Laughing slightly, she asked, "Do you know what happened to Vicente?" as she sat down in the chair opposite him.

"I do not. Is something wrong?" He asked rather worriedly.

"He's missing a chunk of hair, and the clothes he was wearing were wet. Wasn't his contract just outside the Imperial City?"

"Yes, but Telaendril said it snowed there recently."

"Well, that explains the clothes." She looked down thoughtfully. They were quiet for a few minutes.

"I wonder if his fingernails have grown back yet..."

Antoinetta looked up at him.

"Wait, how did he lose his fingernails?"

"Well, from what I gather, a couple weeks ago he had a contract in Bruma. His target was a redguard. He found him in his room at Olav's Tap and Tack. The redguard was expecting him, and they fought. In the struggle, the redguard bit his hand. Ripped three fingernails right off! By the time he got back to the sanctuary it had stopped bleeding, but it looked bad."

"By Sithis!" She exclaimed, "I didn't even notice!"

"And a couple weeks before that, he came in missing his shirt." He smiled, remembering the look on Vicente's face when Teinaava had laughed at him.

Antoinetta chuckled. "He seems to be having a hard time of it lately."

"Yes, it seems that way, but he always returns, so I'm not too worried." Teinaava said, going back to his book.

Antoinetta settled back in her chair, a content look on her face.

For a while, all that could be heard was Schemer shuffling around the room.

"Do they celebrate Saturalia in Black Marsh?" Antoinetta asked suddenly.

"Some do, Ocheeva and I never did though." He said, not looking up from his book.

"Oh..."

Peeking over the top of the book, he asked, "Does something trouble you, dear sister?"

"No, but I think I'm going out. I shouldn't be too long." She rose from her seat, checking her pocket for something.

Teinaava nodded and looked back down, turning the page. He briefly wondered where she was going before becoming engrossed in his book once more.

Before she left, she checked her pocket one more time, counting the gold she had, before she walked out the door.

~X~

Vicente woke up, hearing the doors to his room closing.

He rose and silently ran to get his dagger.

The first thing he noticed was that his dagger was missing. The second thing was that there was a small brown package wrapped in red twine.

He picked up the parcel, examining it before pulling the string off. Cautiously, he folded back the paper.

Inside was a beautiful Elven dagger. He stared, mouth slightly agape, at the amazing weapon he held.

Under the dagger was a small note.

It read,

I figured you more than deserve this.

Happy Saturalia!

With love, AM

He smiled as he read it. At times, she could be extremely irritating, especially when she was cooking, but at other times, she could surprise you by being extremely thoughtful.

He wrapped the dagger back up and put it on his bedside table.

Laying back down, he started to wonder why the Brotherhood had never acknowledged Saturalia.

He figured it must have been due to the fact that they were a guild of assassins. Still, it was a lovely gesture, and he was grateful.

As he closed his eyes, he silently thanked the Night Mother for his unnatural kin, before drifting back to sleep.

~X~

From what I understand, Saturalia is the Tamriel version of Christmas.

Kinda sappy I suppose, but the Brotherhood is rather sappy...I mean, for a guild of assassins. Please tell me what you think, I love reviews!