Just a little warning; this chapter is more on the adult side. I don't do graphic scenes in regard to anything sexual, but it's still for mature audiences.
Disclaimer; I make no effort to claim that I own The Elder Scrolls Four; Oblivion. The rights and ownership belong solely to Bethesda; I am simply one of their many players :) Demetri, however, belongs to me.
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The next few weeks were the highlight of Demetri's life. Contract after contract, mark after mark, he killed. Finally, he was being paid to do the thing he loved most in the world; to feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he crept through side streets and forest floors to old forts and pirate ships, ever rising his rank in the Brotherhood.
His Brothers and Sisters were all ease and friendliness; happy murderers chatting about their marks over supper like it was nothing more than small talk. Demetri fit right in, despite him being the only one living from the races of men, besides a woman he had yet to lay eyes on. Apparently, she was to return from a mark in Solstheim soon, and Demetri could meet his final Sister.
Teinaava and Telandril taught him different ways of notching an arrow, and after a refreshing conversation about hunting, Vicente had even offered to convert Demetri to vampirism, which the Imperial politely declined.
M'raaj-Dar, the brooding, foul-mouthed Khajiit, had taken to calling Demetri "Boot-Licker," but as they sent insults back and forth, a fond tone took place in his gruff voice. Ocheeva, who always seemed to be busy with one thing or another, made ample time for him to offer hints and suggestions when the points of a contract were rather vague, and Gogron gro-Bolmog never ceased to make a smile appear on the faces of all those around him, especially Telandril.
It was no secret the two were more than Brother and Sister, as the distinct lack of privacy in the living quarters made very obvious, but the two tried to remain as polite about it as possible, and their Brothers and Sisters greatly appreciated their sense of propriety. Some nights, however, when the whole Sanctuary was drinking heavily in some celebration — the assassins used any and every excuse for a party they could — they were less than socially acceptable.
As another one of those nights was in full swing, Demetri sipped at his tankard of ale contently, watching Teinaava attempting to get Mraaj-Dar's attention with a stuffed toy, amused when the Khajiit batted at it jokingly. It was then when he saw her enter; all grace and poise as she strolled confidently to the table, tossing her bag carelessly in the general direction of the beds as she plopped down and set about ravaging a huge chunk of roasted mutton.
She was beautiful, with the brightest blue eyes and silky blonde hair framing her porcelain face that wasn't marred at all by the sweat and dirt that clung to her slim, delicate features. Her leathers were brown with dirt and her boots were caked with ash, but all Demetri saw was the swell of her breasts beneath her tight cuirass and the way her greaves hugged her curves.
The was no question in his mind that he was aroused; that was made an impossibility as he noticed how painfully tight his own greaves had become. As he blatantly stared at her, imagining putting her in all sorts of compromising positions, she turned suddenly, catching him before he could react. Instead of look away quickly like most would do, or even give a simple smile and turn back to his dinner, he continued watching her, matching her piercing gaze and making his desire clear by flicking his gaze down her body.
The corner of her pale lips curved upward along with the opposing brow, and her eyes wandered over Demetri's broad chest appreciatively. Wordlessly, she stood slowly, never breaking eye contact as she set her tankard down beside her plate of unfinished food. Purposefully, she strode down the corridor she had entered from, making it clear by her intentional glance before she sauntered out of his view that Demetri should follow.
Trying not to make it obvious that he was leaving with her, he lingered at the table a little longer, making sure to chew and swallow every bite of roasted mutton methodically. When the last chunk was properly taken care of, he took a swig of ale, barely feeling the sour liquid burn down his throat. After what seemed like ages, he was finally done, and he rose from the bench like he did at every meal. Briefly thanking Teinaava for the brilliant dinner and promising Telandril he would help her clean the dishes, he followed Antoinetta's path, no longer wondering after his missing Sister.
As he climbed the short steps that led out of the living area, Demetri assumed he would find his Sister waiting for him in the entry hall, or perhaps the training room, as it was always empty during meals. Assassins they might be, they loved coming together and swapping stories over a good meal. Demetri rounded the corner and ascended the final steps, pushing the heavy door outwards.
Antoinetta was leaned against a support pillar, one that was close enough for him to approach quickly yet far enough from the door as to not arouse suspicion if another was to exit. Demetri gave her a wolfish grin as he gave the door a vague shove, already upon her as the heavy iron latch clicked. Their mouths met in a furious dance of passion, and as their tongues tangled, their fingers set to work removing the other's armor.
Demetri had her three times that night; the first against the support pillar, the second just beyond the Black Door, and the final time was on the second floor of the house that was settled above the Sanctuary. Drained and debilitated, Antoinetta didn't even bother to untangle herself from Demetri as she slipped into an exhausted slumber, and Demetri found himself nodding off not long after.
-x-
Despite having the good sense of retrieving their haphazardly strewn clothing before retreating to the abandoned home above, Demetri and Antoinetta's carnal relationship failed to escape the notice of the denizens dwelling within the Sanctuary, but their fellow assassins at least had the decency to pretend they didn't have any knowledge.
Well, Gogron teased Demetri every so often, and M'raaj-Dar never failed to give a sultry wink accompanied by an obscene gesture at Antoinetta any time their paths crossed, but that hardly mattered. It was not as if the two were romantically involved, anyway.
Antoinetta's heart belonged to Lucien LaChance, but as long as her bed was open for him, Demetri was fine with that. In fact, he preferred it that way. It was so much easier than trying to keep up a relationship. If he and Antoinetta had a dispute, they would just have rough makeup sex and move on; there was no need for talking it out. Sure, they had their close times when they let down their walls, but it meant nothing. They were just filling the silence with things they needed to get off their chests.
That was the thing Demetri liked most about his nights with Antoinetta; he could find release in her in every way, and she could do the same with him. They both needed that; she so desperate for any attachment and he in such need of release. He had no time — nor desire — for feelings, and Antoinetta understood that completely. Any other woman would try and get close to him, and would just end up getting in the way and being disappointed when he shut her down. Or dead, if he got a little too irritated. He had slit many a bed warmer from naval to neck, and wasn't afraid to do it again.
But he did feel a little sorry for the poor woman. Each time LaChance would visit to check up on how things were doing or to give Ocheeva and Vicente new contracts, he would either fawn over Antoinetta and her accomplishments or pay her no mind at all. Endlessly playing at hot-and-cold, LaChance seemed to enjoy tormenting Antoinetta, and that was something Demetri could not abide. He even confronted the Speaker once after the man had coldly strode right past Antoinetta's greeting, but the hooded man simply gave a crooked smile and left Demetri's company without so much as a word.
Despite his initial irritation at the man's blatant lack of respect for Antoinetta, Demetri found he could at least tolerate the man. Cold and calculating, the Speaker had an air of authority about him, and his coded words and cryptic phrases produced a chilling sense of unease, as if Sithis himself spoke through his lips.
Antoinetta herself didn't mind, as she voiced to Demetri after an evening of lovemaking, and she even cherished the way LaChance shunned her before fawning over her accomplishments. With that simple disclosure, the subject was dropped, and life continued for the brotherhood of assassins.
Not long after, Demetri received a summons from LaChance himself, and traveled to the Speaker's place of refuge; Fort Farragut. Picking his way past the assortment of various undead creatures led the assassin to the Speaker's living chamber, and thus, to the Speaker himself.
"I have been waiting for you, assassin." the man grinned. "We have not spoken in some time, but I am well aware of your accomplishments within the Dark Brotherhood. That is why I have sent for you. I'm afraid there is a... situation. The time has come to test both your skill and your loyalty to Sithis..."
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Well, that's it! Thanks for reading! :D
