Night hung over Riften, the two moons casting their pale glow over the city, and the land beyond the city walls. With the exception of the guards patrolling, there was no one else in the streets of Riften. The guard patrols had doubled, too; instead of one guard down a path, there were two. The city's security had become an increasing concern, one driven home by a recent incident.

For the increased patrols, however, there was no torchlight, no moonlight, that gave away the single woman slinking through the shadows. She found it amusing that her pale complexion and blonde hair didn't give her away, and supposed that it only indicated just how skilled she was at infiltrations. Of course, it helped that she stuck to the back paths of Riften, where the guard patrols were fewer.

As she approached the Temple of Mara, she shifted the small bundle she had slung over her shoulder. A faint tinkling sound from within gave her reason to pause, but a quick glance around told her the pause was unnecessary. The stereotypical 'thief with bag of loot'... she certainly looked the part. That was part of the reason she didn't want to be discovered; the other part of it was trying to explain the contents of the bundle.

She slipped around to the temple's southern wall, where a familiar sight greeted her: a stone slab with a diamond carving upon its front, a circle fitted perfectly within the diamond. She glanced over her shoulder, shifted the bundle once again, and reached out to press her fingers against the carving. With a little extra force, she pressed it inward, stopping only when she heard the familiar click.

Then came the part she absolutely hated.

The stone slab began to slide back, grating over the stonework as it withdrew - and revealed the stairs hidden beneath it. Every second the slab withdrew, she was concerned and glancing over her shoulder, as if someone was going to suddenly come into view and spot the unusual - and admittedly, extremely suspicious - sight. The slab eventually came to a rest, and silence once again met her ears. Sweet, preferable silence.

She descended the stone steps hidden beneath the sliding stone slab, and gave a firm yank on the pull chain upon the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Again, the grating noise... again, the concern. When the slab settled into place once more, though, she allowed herself the tiniest of relieved sighs. Fresh concern consumed her, however, when she remembered she wasn't home free just yet.

There was still the matter of trying to avoid him. For all her best efforts, she simply couldn't avoid him. She tried and tried - even going so far as to buy a potion that granted her invisibility for a time, once - but he always... always found her even so.

Not that there was anything technically wrong with Mercer Frey, of course, but she just felt... immensely uncomfortable around him. Not simply because he was the guildmaster, either, but because... well, the intensity he seemed to have about him. It made her very uncomfortable... especially when she'd spotted him gazing at her a few times in the past, in ways several other men had.

She slipped into the cistern as quietly as she could, and immediately dropped into a crouch. She would get by undetected this time. One cautious step after another, that's all she needed. That, and to stick to what shadows the torch and candlelight failed to repel - which, admittedly, was not much. She thought it was ridiculous that she had to sneak through the Ragged Flagon, but-

"When are you going to stop trying to sneak back in, Vex?" She froze and rolled her eyes at the question, asked by a man with dark hair, sharp eyes, and what seemed to be a permanent scowl etched upon his face. Of course he was standing in the center of the cistern; it wouldn't be kind enough of him to step behind his little desk. She stood up straight, seeing whereas she no longer needed to try sneaking.

He'd already caught her, and was now walking toward her. She hadn't even left the narrow corridor that led to the wooden ladder she'd just descended.

"I'll stop when you stop pestering me every single time I return, Mercer," she replied coolly.

"I have a duty to look after the guild and its members," he retorted, stopping a very short distance from her; definitely close enough to be uncomfortable for Vex.

"And why don't you bother everyone else whenever they return?" she shot back. "Every time they return?"

"If memory serves, you took no one else with you to Goldenglow. Only you failed the guild there." His reply was calm, but the look in his eyes was very harsh.

The reminder of her biggest failure to date stung, and made the small injuries she still bore sting as well. "We've been over this, Mercer," she growled. "Give it a damn rest al-"

Smack. His hand had struck her cheek faster than she could react, and interrupted her sharp reply. "You, Vex, are becoming obsolete in my eyes," he growled in a low voice. "There are only a couple of reasons I didn't get rid of you after you screwed up the Goldenglow job. Do not tempt me to rid the guild of you."

She reached up to rub her cheek, looking appalled that he'd struck her.

With the same hand he'd used to strike her, he reached out and gripped the bundle slung over her shoulder. "Let's see what you're trying to hide."

Her grip tightened upon the bundle. "No," she said defiantly.

His hand rose once more.

"Mercer!" The new voice made both Mercer and Vex jump a little. Vex considered it good fortune that the voice's owner had spoken up when he did, for it froze Mercer's hand in place... for now.

"I'm busy, Brynjolf," Mercer replied. His hand hung in the air, requiring naught but a swift movement to strike Vex again; his attention remained on the blonde Imperial.

Her gaze, however, was upon the two who followed Brynjolf into the cistern. Two complete strangers. That meant they were either there to be punished by Mercer for crossing the guild... or to join the guild. She took a closer look at both of them.

The first was a Nord female. Blonde, like she was... but not as pale. It was obvious she enjoyed spending time outside, beneath the sun. She wore scaled armor, and had a pair of what appeared to be dwarven daggers at her waist. The Nord's gaze was affixed upon Vex, and she seemingly understood what was going on between Vex and Mercer. She gave a sympathetic look to Vex, and in so doing, made the Imperial thief begin to respect the Nord. With a small nod back at her, Vex turned her gaze to the other.

A... Breton, from the looks of him. She wasn't too certain, not from the distance they currently had between them. Black hair, skin just as tanned as the Nord's. He wore 'everyday' clothing - at least, as 'everyday' as upper-class citizens of Skyrim would wear: a blue top, a few jeweled accessories, dark brown pants, fine black boots, and a fur drape. At his left hip, he wore a single steel dagger. He felt her gaze upon him, and turned his eyes from the rest of the cistern to her.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, as if trying to determine the other's thoughts. When he looked away from her, Vex felt a twinge of irritation. Did he just dismiss her?

"We've all had a run of bad luck lately, Mercer," Brynjolf was saying, arms crossed. "That's no reason to hit Vex."

"Are you telling me how to run this guild?" he asked sharply. He struck Vex again, making her cry out, and making the two strangers start at the act. "Tell me, what jobs for the guild have you performed dismally as of late, Brynjolf? Which jobs have you taken that should represent the guild, and because you failed, you made the guild look bad?"

Vex grit her teeth and rubbed her cheek once more. "I think the better question is, which jobs have you not shoved onto me lately, and given the rest of the guild a chance to-"

Smack. His hand cut her off once more, except he swung with such force that he made her stagger, made her drop the bundle. As it hit the floor, there was a sound of items breaking within.

All eyes were upon Vex now. She looked down at the bundle, which had opened somewhat to reveal golden urns, candlesticks, and other items of exceptional value. Most were now broken, and considered worthless as such.

"I'm with Vex, Mercer." Brynjolf's tone was quiet. "The rest of us are aware of her desire to avoid you. The way you're treating her now, would you do any differently, were you in her position? I'm going to guess her latest job was a success - until you made her drop what she gathered."

"I did not make her drop it," Mercer replied stiffly. "I cannot and will not be blamed for her physical weakness when it comes to unexpected force. This," he continued, gesturing to the bundle, and then to Vex, "is a failure."

Vex glowered at Mercer, moisture lining her eyes. She'd most certainly had enough of him, and decided she didn't want to stick around any longer.

Without a word, Vex turned on her heel and stormed out of the cistern, out of the Flagon...

Out of the Thieves Guild.

At the time, it had seemed a good idea to abandon the Thieves Guild, and its abusive Guildmaster. She was a talented thief; she could and would be able to make her own way without the guild and its resources.

Or so she'd thought. It had been a week now, and she still hadn't had the luck she'd hoped for. She'd had an easy enough time breaking into homes and stealing things that weren't exactly hers, to be sure, but when it came time to sell... she'd only managed to sell one of her stolen items to an honest merchant, and even that deal had been wrought with much concern that she wouldn't make the sale after all. Even then, the sale hadn't brought in nearly as much coin as Tonilia would have given her.

To put it simply, Vex was quickly realizing she was on the road to personal ruin. She needed a fence, needed to get paid to steal things for other people too cowardly to steal what they wanted themselves, needed a network of contacts.

She needed the Thieves Guild, much as she hated to admit it. She was fairly certain she wouldn't be welcome back, though, not after how she'd walked out on them. She especially didn't want to return to dealing with Mercer. As much as she needed the Guild, she was determined to make do without it.

If nothing else, she could always make a living as an employee at the Bee and Barb. Or maybe she could leave Riften behind and find a fresh start elsewhere.

At any rate, leaning against the door of Haelga's Bunkhouse, eyes staring at nothing in particular, Vex knew she needed to figure something out, and fast. She still had plenty of coin from her successful jobs in the past - but it was only a small fraction of what she'd left behind at the Guild. No doubt Mercer had broken into her personal chest and split-

She sighed heavily, and straightened up. All that gold, all those jewels and gemstones, all that expensive jewelry she'd collected... it was probably all gone. Divided among the members of the Guild that still remained. She'd always made it a point to sound like she spent all of her earnings frivolously, so as to avoid being outed as the rich thief she actually was - or had been, rather - but the truth was, she'd been saving up for something.

Not that it mattered now. Now, it was all gone. She only had the coin purse at her waist, and that was half empty. Soon, she'd have to actually make an honest living - gods forbid - or come across a miracle that would see her rich again.

She wondered where to go. Did she want to head for the marketplace? No. She didn't want to risk running into Brynjolf, let him try and talk her back into returning to the Guild. She also decided heading into the Bee and Barb was, in the end, a bad idea; Sapphire liked to frequent it, as did Brynjolf, and she didn't want a confrontation with either.

That didn't leave her with a lot of options. She knew she was tired of standing outside the Bunkhouse, and wanted to move around. She cast a glance to her left, toward the people coming and going into and out of Riften.

Maybe a walk outside the city would do her some good. Perhaps seeing the wilderness beyond the city's walls would clear her mind, give her some perspective. With that thought, she set off toward the northern gate, ready to take her walk.

It was odd, walking in plain clothes for a change, and not her black Guild leathers. Still, considering she'd cut ties with the Guild, she no longer had a need for the leathers; she didn't want to falsely represent them, after all. Anything she did was under her own name now.

Vex.

Not the Thieves Guild. Just herself.

Nonetheless, none seemed to recognize her in plain clothes. A few stopped and stared, as if checking her out, but when she shot them a glare, they lowered their heads and kept walking. One man kept his gaze on her despite her glare, and even flashed a wicked smile. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pace, looking away from him pointedly.

Unfortunately for her, this didn't help her keep awareness of her surroundings. Picking up her pace as she had, she'd bumped into someone directly, gasping as she ran into them. She staggered back a little, but caught herself and steadied her stance. "I'm sorry," she said, not sounding completely sorry.

"As am I," came the reply from the figure - a smooth, female voice. Vex took a moment to size up the person she'd bumped into.

The first thing the Imperial realized was that she'd bumped into a wood elf wearing... rather odd armor. It was leather, but the brown bands were criss-crossed in the front; beyond that, it looked similar to the standard Guild leathers of the newly initiated, minus all the pockets, pouches and other similar things. The wood elf also wore a long black cloak that fastened at the front of her neck and came down to her calves. At her back was what appeared to be bow made of dark wood, decorated with gold trim here and there; a quiver filled with finely fletched arrows - steel, most likely - accompanied the bow.

The Bosmer's amber eyes quirked as Vex glanced her over. "Is something wrong with me?" She reached up to ruffle her brown, short and unkempt hair. "Did I do something funny with my hair, or with... well, myself?"

"No, I... just like to know whether I'm familiar with whomever I bump into," Vex lied. She had been sizing the Bosmer up, hoping for a much richer target. Still, she didn't look to be poor... the coin purse at her waist, almost completely hidden from view by the cloak, would tell that tale honestly. Vex wasn't used to stealing from someone while they were completely aware of her; she had to be careful with this one. "So, you're... a wood elf."

The elf chuckled. "Unless something changed, then yes. Yes I am. And you're an Imperial with a knack for stating the obvious."

The comment made Vex bristle, but she didn't show outward annoyance. "I don't see many of your kind in Skyrim. It's a shame; yours is a fair race."

"Some would argue that." The Bosmer shifted in place, hand resting on her right hip - leaving her coin purse exposed at her left hip. Vex did her best not to shift her gaze directly to it. "Some say we're strictly carnivorous, and cannibalistic besides."

"I... well, are you?" Vex felt she was doing a good enough job keeping those amber orbs locked with her own.

"Me personally? No. I'm an omnivore, and think our ritualistic cannibalism is just disgusting - it's why I left Valenwood. My people on the whole?" She smiled wickedly. "Most are, a few aren't. Surely it's the same with Imperials - some adhere to the stereotypes, some don't? And the same with the Nords, too?"

Vex faked as convincing a smile as she could. She wasn't really interested in the conversation now; her fingers brushed the coin purse very gently, and began the slow, delicate process of removing it from the elf's side without being noticed. "I wouldn't know, considering I'm the same as you. I do know the thought is... unsettling, though."

"Hmm, but is it really?" The elf crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sure it's unsettling to carnivores to see an herbivore eat."

Vex gave a small shrug - and with the gesture, managed to pluck the coin purse free without being detected. "Again, I wouldn't know. In any case, I'm sorry to have bumped into you. Maybe we'll bump into each other again - and not literally." She faked the smile once more, and took a step back.

The wood elf, to her surprise, nodded and gave a wink. "I'd like that. Until the next time, then." She waved, then unfolded her arms and stepped around Vex.

Divines, but the elf had been stupid. She hadn't even known that she was being robbed, and that Vex had just been forcing the conversation along. Still, she had the elf's coin purse, and she could add its contents to her own. She reached for her hip, eager to add more coin to her own-

Vex blinked. She knew she had her coin purse at her right side at all times. To make sure, though, she glanced down at her left side as well. Nothing. Had she left it behind somewhere? Had she been-

Her eyes widened for but a moment... then narrowed dangerously. She whirled around - to find herself facing the wood elf once more, who wore an amused expression upon her face as she, to, faced Vex.

Both women were holding the other's coin purse, and were very aware of that fact.

A.N. - And there's the first chapter. If only I could provide such clear descriptions of settings and people in all my stories! Alas, even All In may eventually suffer from my general lack of descriptiveness. It's just not a strong point for me.

So one evening, I was starting the Goldenglow Estate quest. No big deal; I've done it before. As I spoke with Vex to learn and make optional (and thus, help me track) the sewer entrance, I found my mind wandering...

'What if Mercer had been far harder on Vex for her failure? What would she do?'

This story will explore that train of thought, I believe. Quitting the Guild may seem like a stretch, but then again, one can only push someone so far before they decide enough is enough. Being abused by the Guildmaster seemed like a good breaking point for Vex, at least to me.

The wood elf's armor, for those who might be thinking 'that sounds familiar', is the Bosmer Armor, as included in the Immersive Armors mod. (I've got to stop adding modded content to my stories, but almost all of the mods I've downloaded are lore-friendly, so I see no reason not to! x.x ) As for who the wood elf is? That's for another chapter. The next one, in fact.

To me, the only way to get Vex's attention as a non-Guild stranger is to steal from her while she's stealing from you. Or just steal from her in general. Not the best way to get off to a good start, agreed, but there's no denying it will snag attention, no matter who the victim is. Besides, I'd always entertained the thought of 'two thieves stealing from each other without realizing the other is a thief'. I guess that all started when I first claimed Chillrend from Mercer's home - but considering that wasn't technically theft... well, you know. Even so...

As of this moment, All In has only two chapters done - and this is the first of them. Because it's an original fanfiction - unlike I Am Dragonborn, which follows a storyline - I have to get creative with the story ideas. The first big obstacle is... well, I won't spoil it. Suffice to say, though, there's going to be a fair bit of action in the third chapter - action as a thief would undergo, anyway. The problem has been deciding 'who/what/where/why/how'. Well, less so 'why', as I already know why. I'm still working out the finer details of it at this point, but I've got time for that.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

-Spiritslayer