"So this must be Riften. I guess the rumors are true – what a shithole," She laughed to herself, making her way outside the city's border.
"Get in, get the job done, and get out. The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can get back to dealing with Cicero…" She murmured, rubbing her temple, "Cicero… Listener… Right."
She brought down her cowl as she stepped foot into the gloomy town. No need to draw too much attention to myself, she thought.
As she entered the dark town, she passed by a burly man, leaning against a banister outside of a shop. He called out to her, "I don't know you, you in Riften lookin' for trouble?"
She raised her brow, turning to look at him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," He said, walking up to her, "You're new around here. People don't come vistin' us for no reason. Watch your back."
"What are you, the tour guide or something?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"For the right price, I can be," He grinned.
"Well then," She smiled sweetly, turning on her charm as she inched closer towards him, "Maybe you can help me with something," She said, bringing her hand softly up to his chest - you've got another thing coming if you expect me to cough up my coin, she thought.
"Batting your eyelashes won't work on me, sweetheart," He scoffed as he shooed her hand away.
"Aw, come on," She flirted, tracing her finger back up his chest, "I just need some help finding a certain someone."
"And who would that be?" He asked, grinning.
"Actually, if you could just point me to the Thieves-"
He groaned, cutting her off, "Brynjolf, right? What – did he not return your letters? Listen sweetheart, that guy's a player, and I'm sorry he broke your little, fragile heart, but that's life for ya. Guys want nothing more than some nice pieces of ass, and then they'll disappear in the night of day."
She furrowed her brow, "No, actually-"
"Maven Black-Briar, then? I suggest you stay out of her way before you find yourself at the bottom of the ocean."
"By the nine! Shut up, will you?!" She shouted, "Forget it, I'll find him myself," She sighed, shaking her head as she walked away.
Spotting what looked to be like an inn at the center of the city, Astrid made her way to the doors, reading the sign that hung above it.
"The Bee and Barb… Cute," She scoffed as she pushed the doors open. The inn was packed, every square inch of it – men, women, musicians, questionable prostitutes, even priests flooded the small room. Great… she thought, making her way to the bar.
"Can I help you?" Asked an Argonian, cleaning a tankard with a cloth from behind the counter.
"I hope so," Astrid sighed as she took a seat, "I'm looking for…" She paused, leaning in as she whispered, "Someone. A thief."
"You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that, this is Riften we're talkin' about," She scoffed.
"How much will it cost for you to keep this between us?" She asked.
"Ha!" The Argonian spat, "If you hope on keeping secrets, than you're in the wrong place, stranger."
The assassin let out a sigh, "Get me a cup of mead," She ordered to the barmaid, "This is going to be a long night…"
"You're new around here, aren't you?" She heard a voice ask next to her as she turned to see a man, head to toe in black armor, taking a sip from a tankard, "I may be able to help," He grinned as he took a seat next to her.
"I'm good, thanks," She rolled her eyes as the Argonian slid her a bottle of mead from across the counter.
"Awe, come on now," He said, resting his back against the counter, "I've got quite a few friends here, I may know who you're looking for," He paused, waiting for an answer. "Well, if you change your mind, I'm always available." He winked, "Delvin, pleased to meet 'ya," He smiled.
The ends of her lips twitched as she held back a smile of satisfaction, "Astrid," She replied, taking a sip of her mead.
"Astrid… Lovely name," He said, finishing off his tankard, "Now, since you're new around here and all, what do you say about us taking a little walk," He grinned, "Show you around this magnificent city."
She bit her lip, "That's very sweet and all, but I really can't afford to get distracted right now."
"How flattering," He chanted, "I'm a distraction, you're going to make me blush! Hear that, Aela?" He shouted across the room to a young woman, sitting at a table across from a tall red-head, "I'm a distraction!"
She rolled her eyes, laughing as she turned back to the back to the red-head.
"I really should get going," Astrid interrupted as she got out of her seat, "I'm sure we'll cross paths again," She winked, "See you around, Delvin."
As she made her way out of the inn, she heard footsteps hurriedly make their way to her from behind, as Delvin laid his arm on her shoulder, "You really think I'm going to let you out of my sights that quick?"
She rolled her eyes, You're making this too easy, friend. She thought to herself, giving a sly grin.
I just had to bring my OC into this, but the two fanfictions don't overlap in terms of timeframes.
OK - I lied, it looks like this'll be longer than a two-shot. I just really love writing from Astrid's perspective – a hotshot, total bad ass, flirtatious woman who knows no bounds. :3
Thanks for reading, and as always, please review/leave feedback :).