Midday, 28 Last Seed, 3E433
"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Sabine barely kept herself from shouting as she stared incredulously at the Watch Captain. Avidius, or something.
The balding Imperial glared back at her, his right hand twitching toward the silver warhammer on his back. He spoke in low, careful tones as he sized her up.
"The thief's long gone," he sneered. "You said yourself you lost him in the crowd. With only a generic description to go by, do you honestly expect me to hunt him down in the Imperial City? And over thirty gold? You're lucky I don't fine you for wasting my time." He caught her wrist and gave her a rough shove back toward a row of shops. "Get out of my sight, scrounger."
Sabine staggered into the statue before her, then looked back to see that he was still watching her. Eager to escape his gaze, and hopefully find someone willing to help her, Sabine hurried toward the nearest shop and ducked inside.
'Gods damn these Imerials!' she thought angrily, rubbing her wrist where the man's armor had pinched her. She'd probably have a bruise there later. 'I can't very well go to Weynon Priory without the Amulet, and that bastard's sure to have gotten away with it now.'
She looked around the shop, for some time, then glanced out the window. She didn't see the watchman anywhere, so it might be safe to leave. After a brief nod to the shopkeeper, a Nordic woman with a rather severe expression, Sabine ducked back out into the street. She glanced up at the sign above the doorway to the shop with a snort.
'Jensine's 'Good as New' Merchandise, eh? Looked like mostly junk to me.' she shook her head and looked around for any containers she'd missed in her earlier search.
"Excuse me," came a deep voice to her right, and Sabine nearly jumped out of her skin.
She turned around to see a rather sheepish looking Orc with a mostly shaved head digging the toe of his shoe into the cobblestones at his feet. She tilted her head to one side and studied him. He gave a faint smile behind his tusks and cleared his throat.
"I don't suppose you could spare a coin or two?" His small eyes were hopeful. "That bastard Watchman shook me down and took my last septim."
The handful of septims in Sabine's hand felt oddly heavy, and she handed over three of them with a sigh. The Orc's face lit up immediately, and he all but fell to his knees in thanks.
"Blessings of Akatosh upon ye," he grovelled. "I don't get paid until tomorrow, and I was afraid I'd have to wait til then to eat! My name's Luronk. I can't thank you enough!"
"What was that about a Watchman shaking you down?" Sabine asked, frowning at him.
The Orc glowered. "The bastard took every coin I had with me. I don't know his name, but I know his face. Ruslan and I were shopping at Jensine's when he accused us of stealing. We turned out our pockets to prove we were innocent, but he didn't care. We had to pay the 'fine' or he was going to march us off to jail."
"That's awful." Sabine shoved her remaining septims in her pocket as she turned to fully face Luronk. "Why didn't Jensine report him or say something?"
He shrugged, staring down at the gleaming septims in his fingers as though he held a fortune in his hands. "He's shaken down most of the shopkeepers in the Market District. They're all too afraid of him to do anything. Jensine wouldn't even talk about it." His face darkened as he put the septims away. "Someone ought to do something about him."
"They certainly should." Sabine nodded her head, glancing back toward the shop she'd left earlier. She looked back at Luronk. "Will that be enough to do you?"
He nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes. I can buy some bread at the Feed Bag with this. Oh, thank you again!" As he turned to leave, he looked around, as though checking for the Watchman. "I'm going to keep a low profile for a while. Don't want him to take this, too."
Sabine waved to him as he left, then looked back at Jensine's shop with a curious frown. Maybe the Watchman that shook down Luronk was the same one that threatened her? She turned back to the barrel before her and removed the clothing and glassware she'd found, then started for the shop.
'It's worth a shot,' she admitted, holding on to her bundle as she wove between the crowds. 'Maybe I can at least make some more coin. After all, according to common report, 'you can sell almost anything at Jensine's'.'
Evening, 28 Last Seed, 3E433
Sabine left the shop again that evening, staring up at the sky and hating the Gods and everything they stood for.
'How do I keep getting roped into these things?' She thought miserably. She began trudging slowly in the direction of The Copious Coinpurse with a huff. The damned Nord wouldn't even speak to her about the Watchman until Sabine agreed to look into some shifty merchant who had better prices.
'Is this really what I've fallen to?' She grumbled to herself. 'A hired thug?'
She sighed and pulled open the door to the shop, then looked around with raised eyebrows. She had to admit, there was one hell of a selection. An almost irritatingly cheerful Bosmer perked up to see her and leaned on the counter as he spoke.
"Welcome, welcome! What kind of deal can I make for you today?"
Sabine jumped a little for effect, then approached the counter with a smile. "Sorry about that. I didn't even see you. I was too busy looking at your rather impressive inventory. You have quite the selection."
The Bosmer, who she could only assume was Thoronir, beamed back. "Well thank you! It's not only a fine assortment of goods, but a bit of a treasure trove; you never know what I'll have in stock." He gave a conspiratorial wink as he continued. "I can see by the look on your face you wonder where I get all these fantastic items. I'll tell you what I tell everyone else who asks. It's all about who you know. My sources are good, but they are secret." He waved his hand toward the store with another beaming smile. "Anyway, have fun looking around, and when you are ready to buy, give me a shout."
Sabine gave a short nod and wandered the shop for a while, pausing to look closer at some of the clothing he had for sale. She frowned a little to see dirt on the hem of one of the skirts, but kept her expression hidden from the watchful shopkeeper. After browsing for a bit, she glanced toward the windows and saw the sky beginning to turn a rosy color.
'Well, I don't know what Jensine expected to find, but none of the things here are even worth stealing.' She shook her head slightly, then her gaze fell onto an empty rucksack, still in good repair. Her own torn and ratty sack would barely do as a cleaning cloth. Next to the new sack sat several loaves of fresh bread. Her stomach growled. That bastard thief had taken everything she'd found earlier. After a brief moment of hesitation, she picked the items up and carried them to the counter, where the shopkeep waited with a satisfied grin.
She sat on the stone base of one of the statues about an hour or two later, munching on her still warm bread and watching the sun set over the walls of the city. She took a particularly large bite, savoring the flavorful crust and soft inside, when she looked over and saw Thoronir doing a very poor attempt at creeping about.
'Well, what have we got here?' She crammed the last bit of bread into her mouth and dropped down off the edge of the statue, slinking back to wait in the shadows. She watched with vague amusement as Thoronir's head jerked in every direction, looking vaguely like a rat caught in a trap. Once he was satisfied no one was watching his erratic movements, he hurried along a side street and disappeared into one of the small gardens near the sewer entrance.
Her curiosity piqued, Sabine kept up with him effortlessly, doing a much better job at staying out of sight than the twitchy shopkeeper. He finally stopped behind an old well, where a blond Nord man in brown clothes was waiting.
"That you, Agamir?" Thoronir called in a too-loud voice that trembled slightly.
"Not so loud! How many times have I told you that?" The Nord hissed back.
"Sorry." Thoronir spoke in a quieter, but still nervous voice. "I am not used to this kind of meeting. It makes me nervous."
"Well, just shut up and listen to me," Agamir snapped back. "The next shipment will be sooner than I expected. Just have the money ready."
Thoronir looked a little annoyed, even in the dim light. "Same assortment of things? I mean, I have enough clothing for now."
Agamir stood a little closer and jabbed a finger into Thoronir's chest. "You take what I get. I get notice at the last second, and I have to jump on it. No time to be picky about it."
Thoronir stepped back a bit, and looked around nervously again, making Sabine shrink back a bit. He shook his head. "Well, that Society has been putting more pressure on me. Maybe we should cut back for a while."
Agamir's face was livid, and his eyes shined with a dangerous light. "You cut back now and I'll take my business elsewhere. Or maybe pay a visit to that Jensine and tell her about your little scheme."
'Well that was a loaded threat if I ever heard one.' Sabine rolled her eyes as she continued watching.
Thoronir bristled. "Fine. You made your point. Contact me when you have the items, and we'll meet again."
Agamir's tone was chillingly cold. "Don't worry. It'll be very soon. Now get outta here."
Sabine watched from her hiding place at the edge of the garden as the two men parted ways. 'Looks like this 'Agamir' fellow is the brains of the operation. I wonder where he's headed.'
She crept out of the bushes and began following the Nord as he left the Market District.
A/N: Hey! I just wanted to say thanks for following, and let everyone know that I'll be leaving notes like these at the bottom of all chapters here-on out, to say thanks, answer questions, and give updates. I kept thinking this chapter was too short, but it's hit my word count goal (1600 words) and passed it by another 170, so I figured I'd do this bit in two parts.
You might have noticed that she's doing a quest available in the Imperial City, called Unfriendly Competition. Just like the Emperor's dialogue in the first chapter, the NPC script is straight from the game, save for a few story-relevant changes. Even though this is fan-fiction, I wanted to stay as close to the source material as possible, so I looked up gameplay videos and transcribed the dialogue down that I needed. I'll be doing this with some of the other in-game quests that Sabine gets herself into, and I've been scrolling through the wiki for ideas.
I even found a few 'cut quests' or miscellaneous easter eggs that look like fun, so be on the lookout for those later on. I'm not sure yet where Sabine will end up, but she will eventually make her way to the Main Quest. When she does, I'll be sure to update and tag the relevant characters in the description.
Thanks again for reading! And don't forget to Fav/Follow/Comment!
