Chapter Two
It was well past dark when Yosa'Min crept out of her home, a black hood draped over her head to help conceal her. Lydia was asleep, Yosa'Min had made sure of that before she had departed. In truth, she had no idea what she was going to take, but she'd be sure it was valuable. If nothing else she could always take everything that wasn't hammered down.
Earlier in the day, when she'd dragged herself out of bed longer than a quick privy break, Yosa'Min had asked around the city as to where Nazeem lived. It was much to her amusement and surprise that he stayed in none other than The Drunken Huntsman, the local hunting shop across the street from Breezehome. Its proximity made this ridiculously easy for the thief, she'd only have to be in the open for a few breaths if she ran across.
Swift as a shadow, Yosa'Min was across the street and around to the back of the building. From her hips she drew two ebony daggers and dug them into the wood at the corner of the shop, the wood splintering from wear at the sharp little blades. Ordinarily she would have simply picked the lock at the front of the tavern, but there was always a small light beside the front of the door as if to invite patrons in. Nonetheless, Yosa'Min didn't want to risk being spotted on her approach. Theoretically she could have also shot a roped arrow at the side and climbed up but it still could have been spotted if a guard glanced that way or been heard. She also didn't trust the rope with her weight, not that she was overweight, but she didn't fancy the idea.
The wood held firmly as she scaled the corner facing away from the street and reached a side window she could open from her position. Clenching the handle of the dagger till her hand screamed, she forced it open with the other blade, cutting a whole until she could slip in. Once she was inside, her feet planted on a rafter that supported the roof, she was welcomed by a single sound.
Absolute silence, and it was welcome to the thief.
From her newly claimed perch, the redguard could see well into the tavern, and was pleased to find it was empty of any living souls, but not of expensive looking bows and gear. She quickly had to remind herself that that wasn't why she was here, she was after Nazeem and only Nazeem. As she looked around for where his room might be, she smirked as she spotted his accommodations in the back room. It was simplistic, sheets on the bed nothing fancier than animal skins the bedding on the wooden frame hay. No elegant pillows or blankets like he would let people lead on to think. The Bannered Mare had far more elegant bedroom decorations.
Too easy Nazeem. Yosa'Min silently mused as she got down from the rafter, first hanging over the edge of the counter before releasing her grip and landing with a slightly audible thump on the wooden bar. She gently stepped down, not another sound being made and couldn't help the hand that went to steal at least twenty dwarven arrows that idly laid on one of the shelves. She couldn't help it, besides, they were her favorite kind. Moving with the dark shadows casted by the low moon outside, Yosa'Min picked the novice lock to the room and stepped inside.
The first thing that caught her attention was a chest, practically calling to the thief to search its contents and she quickly obliged. Glistening gems stashed in a small bag were her reward, three garnets and a diamond of excellent cut. Quickly she slipped them into one of the many pockets contained within her leather armor and returned to rummaging silently through the chest. Her mind started to wander until she heard a light schink from behind and her focus snapped back.
The first reaction of the redguard was pure, honed instinct; reach for the nearest weapon and block. Her hands raced to her daggers, completely forgetting the item she'd just picked up, and she whirled around as she drew them up to block her chest. A sharp shrill sound bursted into life, the only thing above a whisper until that moment as blades made contact with other blades. She'd just managed to block it in time, a sharp dagger mere inches from her chest before she'd deflected it.
The attacker jumped back, rising to their feet and out of the crouch they'd been in, and stood a good distance away. "Who are you?" Yosa'Min demanded as she rose to her full height as well.
"Someone who actually plans on making a profit from those jewels rather than hoard them." A sharp voice shot back. Yosa'Min could make out very little in the din of the room, having to squint just to make out a pale face and platinum blonde hair sticking out from under a black hood. "Hand them over." The stranger demanded with a pointed dagger as if to threaten her.
Yosa'Min couldn't stop the laughter that erupted at the order. "No." She replied the moment she'd managed to calm down enough to give a serious response. Despite being quite skilled with her dual daggers, the fact that her opponent was wielding a pair as well implied that she was skilled at some sort of level. A level that could be beyond Yosa'Min's. Quickly deciding that she was going to bolt out of the room into the more open lobby, Yosa'Min knew she needed to get the battle onto a ranged level.
A smile crossed the stranger's face only a moment before it was replaced with a concentrated expression. The first move was made by the stranger. The woman lunged forward, aiming directly at Yosa'Min's gut with her left dagger as a second one came down to her chest a moment later. It wasn't difficult to block the first blow to her gut, but the second had come with a long enough delay that Yosa'Min nearly hadn't seen it as she focused on the first.
Yosa'Min staggered back from the force behind the strikes as the daggers clashed against the others. The sudden presence near her legs but empty air behind her back alarmed the redguard, she'd allowed herself to be cornered as the chest nearly tripped her. Fear sprung up her body, making her lash out at the stranger to get her to back off. Slick as a snake, the woman moved out of the way of the two daggers and took advantage of the opening. A flurry of slashes and stabs followed, Yosa'Min barely able to keep up with the lightning speed the other woman possessed. At this rate she'll tire me out and I'll be done for! Yosa'Min realized as one of her blades was knocked from her hand, pain springing up her wrist.
The stranger nearly had her pinned against the wall now, both daggers striking more often now that the redguard was down a blade. With an enraged shout, the Dragonborn went on the offensive and kicked the woman's feet out from under her and sprung after the rolling woman. Yosa'Min quickly reclaimed her fallen dagger, and stabbed the two ebony daggers into the slightly loose leather of her enemy's tunic to pin her as she straddled her fully and laid on a siege of punches. The paler woman gave a grunt as she brought her arms up to protect her face from the barrage of blows. Yosa'Min gritted her teeth in pain as blood began to trickle from her knuckles, a sick sound made each time they made contact with the stranger.
Just as she was about to land a finishing blow that would knock her enemy out, a terrified shout came from the front of the shop. A lantern sprung to life, bathing the two in a golden glow. The new light at last revealed the face of the Yosa'Min's opponent. She was an imperial woman with amber eyes and sharp features, red spots checked her face that would no doubt bruise badly, blood seeped out of a bash to her forehead. Her beauty enchanted the redguard, who now hesitated to mar it even further.
The wounded imperial took the opportunity and threw off the Dragonborn. She quickly removed the daggers and threw them after Yosa'Min before turning and fleeing out the door, running straight past a stunned wood elf. Yosa'Min quickly recovered and sprung back to her feet to give chase. Refusing to let her adversary get away, she summoned for her thu'um to close the lost ground.
"Wuld, Nah Kest!"
The whirlwind sprint sent her virtually flying a massive distance and right into the imperial. Grunts of pain came from both of them as they crashed together, the redguard's momentum sending them tumbling down the hill and into the stream gutter, both of them gasping at the many thing's they'd impacted. Yosa'Min ended up on the bottom, her head slamming slamming painfully into the rocks that lined the drainage system. The imperial slammed her elbow into Yosa'Min's face, blood rupturing from her nose on impact as spots trickled in her vision.
As a hand ran to her nose on instinct, Yosa'Min could just feel a deft hand slink into her pocket and grasp the valuables she'd stashed there. Lunging forward, the redguard grabbed the imperial's hands as she tried to force her to release the jewels. Instantly the imperial pushed back on Yosa'Min's arms, forcing the redguard under the quick running stream, water surging up her nose. Yosa'Min struggled, her vision splotching even more as her lungs began to fill with water, making her choke and sputter.
Left with no other solution, she let go of the stranger and fell limp in the gutter, hoping the stranger would take it as her death or admittance of defeat. She didn't pose any threat in the state she was in, seeming far to beaten to fight back any longer. The imperial fell for it, let go of her and got to her feet before disappearing out of Yosa'Min's range of senses. She remained in the gutter, her head just above the current now before she dared open her eyes and see if she was actually still alive. Her head swooned as she looked around the gutter, a lot of blood being drained out the grate to her left was enough to tell her that she was bleeding. Yosa'Min lightly pulled a potion out of her pocket and drank it, the effects of it's minimal healing enough to close the worst of the wounds and clear her head. Deciding that it wasn't too late to go after the thief, Yosa'Min turned and began to climb out the gutter. The moment her body was half way up however, she heaved and vomited the water that had forced itself into her body.
She groaned in pain, holding herself up just barely as she gathered her strength and look around. There was a patrol of guards running out the gates, after the other thief no doubt. The two bosmer brothers were arguing outside the Drunken Huntsmen with Nazeem, waking the whole area up at the ungodly hour. It didn't take long before Lyida peaked her head out of Breezehome, glaring at the loud trio outside the tavern and tackle shop. Another two guards were beside the arguing three, obviously trying to instill some sort of order. Yosa'Min ducked her head before the housecarl could spot her, panting hard against the cool damp stone.
A sound to her left like someone sloshing in water drew her attention, making her snap her head (painfully of course) to the direction of the sound just in time to see a flash of platinum blonde hair before it vanished down the drainage passage. The redguard limped over, having to crawl under the wooden bridge connecting the city to the gate and hence the outside world, and stopped just short of where the water disappeared into the black. The bars weren't thick, nor were there many of them. She could easily fit and pursue the imperial, but even with a cloudy mind the Dragonborn knew that was suicidal. If she slipped and hit another rock it could be over for her, blacking out down there was not a good idea, she most likely would bleed out and die before she woke up. The imperial could also be expecting her, and given the dark and the risk of another close quarters combat, she knew that was just plain foolish.
I know where this lets out. Yosa'Min thought in triumph as she came up with her plan and ran as quickly as she could to the gate and out. A moment later she worked up the strength to traverse the many rocks lining the sides of Whiterun. She scanned the horizon once she was at the bottom of the rocks, looking for both the woman and the guard, and was pleased only to find the fleeting shadow of the imperial. Quickly, she bolted for the stables where her stallion awaited, mounted him and with a strong shout she urged him to give chase.
Trampling the hard grown crops, Yosa'Min and her stallion Archer quickly gained on the follow thief and with a cry, she flung herself off him and tackled the stranger to the ground. They tossed and turned on the ground, tumbling in this manner for the second time that night, both attempting to dominate the other until they broke apart. Yosa'Min attempted to stand, but one knee screamed in protest and she crumpled to the dirt. The stranger muttered a few swear words as she clutched a bleeding wound on her left side, glaring up at the redguard angrily.
They stopped fighting, too far spent from the long effort of their continual battle and both of them collapsed onto the field, chests heaving as they struggled to regain their breath. Blood was splattered on the both of them, bruises and cuts speckling their skin to testify to the fierce battle they'd just waged. The night air was filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing, and the occasional wince of pain. Yosa'Min's nose was killing her, just plain killing her. At last finding the strength and the opportunity to, she brought one hand up and prepared a simple healing spell. As the cool rush that came with its instant healing effects the longer she sustained it washed over her, Yosa'Min grew steadily aware of the envious manner her opponent was watching her. The expression seemed like it was alien to the imperial. With her body damaged so throughly, especially on her face, she was twisted in a weird manner as she watched upside down. It quickly became apparent to Yosa'Min that her opponent had no method of mending her wounds at the moment, and she let out a long sigh as she realized what she probably should do.
Yosa'Min held out her hand, focused for a moment before the same white tendrils of light that had just surrounded her extended towards the imperial and coated her body. The wounds closed, bruises faded and the bleeding stopped just after a few long seconds, and then the spell died out. They simply stared at each other, their bodies healed, for a long time.
"Aren't you chivalrous?" The woman said at last, breaking the silence with a mocking and sarcastic tone.
"Considering the amount of blood you've shed it wouldn't have been long before you passed out." Yosa'Min replied. "You're welcome."
The woman instantly scoffed, "I didn't ask you to heal me." She sharply replied.
"Oh, but your eyes did." Yosa'Min laughed, earning a scowl from the woman as she looked over the dirty imperial with a quick glance. Inwardly she bit her cheek at the attractive figure.
"Who are you?" The woman's tone had warmed up just the slightest, but it was far from friendly.
"Yosa'Min, and you are?"
For half a second Yosa'Min thought her question would be blown off, until a smile crossed the imperial's face. "Vex."
Vex. Such an interesting name. Yosa'Min was about to say something more when she heard somewhat distant voices drawing closer. From where she'd been laying, she could just see a patrol of torch-bearing guards rushing towards them. Instantly she jumped to her feet and mounted Archer, over a decade's worth of training keeping her muscles ready to spring and flee despite her exhaustion. "Get on!" She urged to Vex with an outstretched hand, and after a moment of reluctance Vex took it and climbed atop the dark stallion. "Yah!" Yosa'Min gave a strong kick and the stallion took off at a neck-breaking speed. The sudden lurch caught Vex off guard, and she shouted in alarm as she wrapped her arms around Yosa'Min's waist to keep from falling off the charging horse.
The unexpected touch instantly sparked a fire along the redguard's waist, forcing her to bite her lip as she fought to suppress a shudder that threatened to shoot up her spine. Archer covered a massive amount of land before he began to slow, putting them well past the water-falls and beyond any city guard's reach. Yosa'Min silently guided Archer to a soft spot between the rocks and slid out of the shared saddle. As she tied Archer to the branch of a fallen tree, she heard Vex draw her blade and the point was pressed against her back.
"Is this really how we're going to do this?" Yosa'Min sighed as she raised her hands.
"How can I know I can trust you? That you won't attempt to follow me and steal the gems back?" She coldly responded, pressing the tip of the dagger further into her back. Yosa'Min was thankful for the leather armor she wore, protecting her from it simply slipping between her ribs.
"Vex," Yosa'Min sighed, "I would have charged off with Archer when the guards closed in and let them have you and reclaim them, or not healed you at all in the first place if that was the case." She continued with a light shrug, "I don't really care if I make off with the jewels. Nazeem will still receive the message seeing how the bosmer brothers will let him know they saw me."
Her body remained tense until she felt the blade drop away and after a moment Yosa'Min turned around. It was a surprise to the redguard to find Vex had lowered her hood, revealing her full identity instead of the half masked one as a stunning woman. Platinum blonde hair cut just short of her shoulders, she appeared cautious yet certain as her amber eyes warily watched the redguard for a sudden looked to be about Yosa'Min's age, late twenties-early thirties, and had the look of a hard-worked. She was lean, probably highly flexible and agile, the observation made a few dirty thoughts rise to the surface of Yosa'Min's mind as she looked Vex over.
Her eyes lingered on her hips, and after a moment she caught herself but it was already to late, she'd been seen. "Are you checking me out?" The question lacked the harsh tone Yosa'Min would have expected, it was light and amused. A blush spread across her face, setting it aflame, she could only hope Vex couldn't see it due to her dark skin tone. Apparently she could however, as a knowing smile crossed Vex's face as she seemed to relax at last. "What was the message to Nazeem going to be?" She asked, still watching her, but it seemed passive rather than hostile and suspicious.
Yosa'Min bit the inside of her cheek as she thought exactly how to word it. She was starting to get the feeling that Vex was testing her for something. Like a key phrase or a certain action, putting her one edge some. "Nazeem is a noble who believes himself better than those around him. He is neither subtle nor gracious about this, constantly boasting about his status and apparent importance. He insulted my honor, but more important that of my late brother's. I was going to teach him a lesson of power, and those who really wield it."
Vex gave a nod, as if understanding and at last sheathed her dagger. "Would you like to join the Thieves Guild?" She asked suddenly.
"The what?"
"The Thieves Guild. We're based out in Riften, and I have seen first hand your skills. I'll admit to you right now that we're a bit down on our luck, but I think with someone like you in our ranks we could turn it all around." Vex explained as she held out a hand.
Yosa'Min eyed the offered hand for a minute before she spoke. "Do we protect one another? No contract stealing, no back stabbings?" She questioned, knowing of plenty of small time organizations that was more like a notice board and everyone went after the same thing.
"We're a family," Vex was quick to respond, "a financially profitable one true, but we stick together. Get caught or in trouble and I can't promise we'll be able to help you out. But if you prove your worth we won't just be letting you go." Her hand remained offered. "Family has to stick together right?"
Yosa'Min nodded her head in understanding, and after a minute she really began to debate her options. Going back to Whiterun meant risking getting arrested, which not only did it mean she'd have to bribe a guard or two to avoid jail. But it also meant that eventually word would spread about either the arrest or the incident. Nazeem already knew no doubt, and if she was apprehended he would smugly go on about it, and the whole point of the entire thing would be wasted and if not twisted back against her. And Lydia would find out, if she didn't already, one way or another and there would be one hell of a fight over it when she did.
Going away for a time would probably allow things to cool over, especially the hot headed brunet back home. But could she even dare going off with a complete, though devilishly attractive, stranger to a world of organized crime and shadows? To finally accept who she was, a thief and one of the best ones around? The thought made her smile, it sounded like just another adventure and one she wouldn't regret going on.
Just another adventure.
Yosa'Min took hold of the pale hand and shook it, her heart leaping as Vex smiled warmly at her. When she spoke, her voice was playful and coy.
"Welcome to the cozy little family."